WEBVTT 00:00:10.800 --> 00:00:14.160 Welcome to Hub City Vineyard. To get connected 00:00:14.160 --> 00:00:17.760 or to give online, please go to hcv .church slash 00:00:17.760 --> 00:00:21.960 connect or hcv .church slash give. If at any 00:00:21.960 --> 00:00:24.179 point during this message you feel called to 00:00:24.179 --> 00:00:27.000 make a change in your life, text CHANGEME to 00:00:27.000 --> 00:00:31.460 97000. Now enjoy the message. How's everybody 00:00:31.460 --> 00:00:35.140 doing? For those of you that love fall, I broke 00:00:35.140 --> 00:00:37.420 out the flannel for you. It was a little cold 00:00:37.420 --> 00:00:40.840 for me this morning, so I decided to go flannel 00:00:40.840 --> 00:00:43.179 and boots, so I'm all in on the fall weather 00:00:43.179 --> 00:00:46.399 now, all right? Just like you heard in our announcements, 00:00:46.659 --> 00:00:49.539 we need help with our trunk or treat. We're moving 00:00:49.539 --> 00:00:51.780 it to Marty Snook Park this year. We're expecting 00:00:51.780 --> 00:00:56.359 400 kids. We need 60 trunks, all right? We currently 00:00:56.359 --> 00:01:01.820 have 17, but I know, I know there's 43 trunks 00:01:01.820 --> 00:01:04.689 in here. There's 43 trunks in here. See, Tracy, 00:01:04.689 --> 00:01:08.569 you have to walk out before you leave. And since 00:01:08.569 --> 00:01:13.450 Friday is a fabulous Friday, and it happens to 00:01:13.450 --> 00:01:16.890 be Halloween, I felt there was no better way 00:01:16.890 --> 00:01:20.230 to celebrate Halloween, not that we celebrate 00:01:20.230 --> 00:01:23.209 Halloween because we don't, than to give away 00:01:23.209 --> 00:01:27.709 Crumpy's Donuts in the square. Who doesn't like 00:01:27.709 --> 00:01:30.180 a Crumpy's Donut on Halloween? So we're going 00:01:30.180 --> 00:01:33.159 to give away donuts in the square that look like 00:01:33.159 --> 00:01:35.920 pumpkins. If you can help us, we're going to 00:01:35.920 --> 00:01:38.140 put stickers on the bags at 11 here in the cafe. 00:01:39.019 --> 00:01:41.299 Friday we'll be in the square at noon if you 00:01:41.299 --> 00:01:45.319 want to show up and help give away 300 Crumpies 00:01:45.319 --> 00:01:48.040 donuts and just share God's love in a simple, 00:01:48.079 --> 00:01:52.099 practical way. All right? No better way than 00:01:52.099 --> 00:01:57.120 to invite people in than a Crumpies donut. So 00:01:57.120 --> 00:02:00.040 we are concluding. Our gratitude series that 00:02:00.040 --> 00:02:02.260 we've been discussing here for the month of October. 00:02:02.319 --> 00:02:04.700 And it's been a great series, hasn't it? Just 00:02:04.700 --> 00:02:07.900 a reminder of the importance of gratitude. Well, 00:02:07.939 --> 00:02:12.879 gratitude happens to be a virtue. A virtue is 00:02:12.879 --> 00:02:17.199 defined as a positive moral quality that is often 00:02:17.199 --> 00:02:20.500 seen as a habit or a disposition to do good. 00:02:20.800 --> 00:02:24.680 The term can also refer to strength or power. 00:02:26.590 --> 00:02:31.069 Philosophically, virtue ethics focuses on character 00:02:31.069 --> 00:02:35.270 and living a good life. So obviously, virtues 00:02:35.270 --> 00:02:38.909 are an important part of our life. Now, according 00:02:38.909 --> 00:02:44.969 to St. Ignatius, gratitude is the first and most 00:02:44.969 --> 00:02:49.330 important virtue. Ignatius writes, gratitude 00:02:49.330 --> 00:02:52.710 is the foundational virtue from which all other 00:02:52.710 --> 00:02:56.750 virtues flow. Ingratitude is a forgetting of 00:02:56.750 --> 00:03:00.189 the graces, benefits, and blessings received. 00:03:00.509 --> 00:03:03.789 And as such, it is the cause, beginning, and 00:03:03.789 --> 00:03:07.990 origin of all sins and misfortunes. And I thought, 00:03:08.050 --> 00:03:12.169 wow, what a way to sum up original sin. They 00:03:12.169 --> 00:03:18.629 were ungrateful. They were ungrateful. Now the 00:03:18.629 --> 00:03:23.340 Latin word for grace is gratia. And it actually 00:03:23.340 --> 00:03:27.099 shares its root with the word gratitude. And 00:03:27.099 --> 00:03:29.719 this connection obviously reveals a spiritual 00:03:29.719 --> 00:03:35.199 truth. Gratitude completes the circle that grace 00:03:35.199 --> 00:03:38.240 initiates. Now what do I mean by that? Grace 00:03:38.240 --> 00:03:44.560 flows down to us from God. Gratitude flows out 00:03:44.560 --> 00:03:48.960 of us or from us back to God. And without that 00:03:48.960 --> 00:03:52.590 return movement, the circle... remains broken. 00:03:53.330 --> 00:03:57.569 There's a separation. There's a sin. Therefore, 00:03:57.750 --> 00:04:01.729 our current series gratitude is vital to our 00:04:01.729 --> 00:04:04.669 relationship with Jesus. See, as we learn to 00:04:04.669 --> 00:04:08.610 daily practice this virtue, our pursuit of God 00:04:08.610 --> 00:04:13.550 strengthens, our hope for the lost and desiring 00:04:13.550 --> 00:04:18.730 to see them come home grows so that we are furthering. 00:04:19.339 --> 00:04:22.959 Right, God's kingdom here on earth, which leads 00:04:22.959 --> 00:04:25.759 us to our first thought this morning. See, gratitude 00:04:25.759 --> 00:04:29.500 is the door to God's presence. Psalm 100 verse 00:04:29.500 --> 00:04:32.560 4, enter his gates with thanksgiving. Go into 00:04:32.560 --> 00:04:36.000 his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and 00:04:36.000 --> 00:04:39.579 praise his name. Now, some of you that have been 00:04:39.579 --> 00:04:41.740 here the whole series say, well, Chris, you used 00:04:41.740 --> 00:04:45.779 a similar point in this scripture to kick off 00:04:45.779 --> 00:04:48.720 the series. Yes, I did. And if you're anything 00:04:48.720 --> 00:04:52.319 like me, repetition is important. Because quite 00:04:52.319 --> 00:04:55.560 often as we work through life, we forget the 00:04:55.560 --> 00:04:58.000 importance of gratitude and we need reminded 00:04:58.000 --> 00:05:01.600 by it. No better way to remind ourselves of the 00:05:01.600 --> 00:05:04.579 importance of gratitude than focusing on Psalm 00:05:04.579 --> 00:05:09.079 100. We enter into his gates. We enter into his 00:05:09.079 --> 00:05:12.819 presence with what, church? Thanksgiving. That 00:05:12.819 --> 00:05:16.060 is how we enter into God's house. If you want 00:05:16.060 --> 00:05:18.939 to have a conversation with someone or fellowship 00:05:18.939 --> 00:05:22.000 with someone, it really helps if you're both 00:05:22.000 --> 00:05:26.740 in the same house. Because if you're not, the 00:05:26.740 --> 00:05:28.980 conversation is going to get real difficult. 00:05:29.199 --> 00:05:32.000 If one person's in the house and one person is 00:05:32.000 --> 00:05:35.290 outside, that's a little strange. And not only 00:05:35.290 --> 00:05:36.949 is it a little strange, you've got to scream 00:05:36.949 --> 00:05:39.069 at the top of your lungs just for the other person 00:05:39.069 --> 00:05:42.129 to hear you. While you are struggling to hear 00:05:42.129 --> 00:05:45.750 what they are saying back. Sometimes, if you're 00:05:45.750 --> 00:05:47.730 communicating that way, you may catch a glimpse 00:05:47.730 --> 00:05:51.949 of them in a window or a door. But unfortunately, 00:05:52.009 --> 00:05:56.569 it's not the connection God desires. But many 00:05:56.569 --> 00:06:00.170 followers of Jesus relate to God that way. I 00:06:00.170 --> 00:06:03.490 hear people say all the time, If only I could 00:06:03.490 --> 00:06:06.750 hear God's voice. If only I could hear him speak 00:06:06.750 --> 00:06:10.230 to me clearer. If only I could get into God's 00:06:10.230 --> 00:06:12.810 presence. I wish I could be in God's presence 00:06:12.810 --> 00:06:16.589 and it was stronger. Well, maybe the problem 00:06:16.589 --> 00:06:20.750 is we haven't entered through his gates. Right? 00:06:20.810 --> 00:06:24.170 When we come to him, the first thing we often 00:06:24.170 --> 00:06:30.329 say to God is, help! Quite often when we're struggling 00:06:30.329 --> 00:06:33.069 or we're going through disappointment, we scream 00:06:33.069 --> 00:06:37.550 out for help. But the scripture doesn't say we 00:06:37.550 --> 00:06:40.250 enter into his gates or enter into his presence 00:06:40.250 --> 00:06:44.170 by screaming for help. God invites us to enter 00:06:44.170 --> 00:06:47.569 into his gates through gratitude. Through the 00:06:47.569 --> 00:06:50.329 practice of thanksgiving. And then, then once 00:06:50.329 --> 00:06:54.040 you entered. into his presence and you've calmed 00:06:54.040 --> 00:06:57.019 down and you've laid it at his feet, then you 00:06:57.019 --> 00:07:01.259 can say, God, help me. God, I need this. God, 00:07:01.259 --> 00:07:03.660 my son, my daughter, whatever it may be. But 00:07:03.660 --> 00:07:08.319 we enter through gratitude. We enter God's presence 00:07:08.319 --> 00:07:12.980 with thanksgiving. So every time you pray, start 00:07:12.980 --> 00:07:16.680 with thanksgiving. In fact, let's take it a step 00:07:16.680 --> 00:07:20.750 further. Every single morning, Before your feet 00:07:20.750 --> 00:07:24.629 hit the floor, start with thanksgiving. Because 00:07:24.629 --> 00:07:28.089 that's how we enter into God's presence. And 00:07:28.089 --> 00:07:32.810 it's in God's presence that we experience joy. 00:07:33.209 --> 00:07:35.589 Listen to what happens in our life when we enter 00:07:35.589 --> 00:07:38.529 into God's presence. Psalm 1611. You will show 00:07:38.529 --> 00:07:43.310 me the way of life, granting me the joy of your 00:07:43.310 --> 00:07:46.970 presence and the pleasures of living with you 00:07:46.970 --> 00:07:51.000 forever. By show of hands, how many of you want 00:07:51.000 --> 00:07:54.459 to live a life full of joy? Like, I want that. 00:07:54.500 --> 00:07:57.800 I believe all of humanity wants that. Well, how 00:07:57.800 --> 00:08:02.500 do we get it? We enter into God's presence. We 00:08:02.500 --> 00:08:06.319 enter into God's presence, which leads us to 00:08:06.319 --> 00:08:10.160 our second thought. Gratitude brings freedom. 00:08:10.300 --> 00:08:12.759 Not only does it bring us into God's presence, 00:08:12.819 --> 00:08:20.819 it brings freedom. Right? As we enter into God's 00:08:20.819 --> 00:08:24.000 presence, Paul tells us where the Spirit of the 00:08:24.000 --> 00:08:28.120 Lord is, there is freedom. So if we're entering 00:08:28.120 --> 00:08:31.180 into his presence with gratitude, then we can 00:08:31.180 --> 00:08:35.679 experience freedom. Gratitude brings an element 00:08:35.679 --> 00:08:39.340 of freedom. Spiritual freedom. emotional freedom, 00:08:39.519 --> 00:08:42.620 relational freedom, even physical freedom. We 00:08:42.620 --> 00:08:45.360 learned in week one of this series that practicing 00:08:45.360 --> 00:08:48.759 gratitude reduces stress and anxiety, improves 00:08:48.759 --> 00:08:51.259 heart health by lowering blood pressure and inflammation, 00:08:51.740 --> 00:08:54.700 enhances our immune function, reduces pain in 00:08:54.700 --> 00:08:56.820 the body, and leads to a better night's sleep. 00:08:57.240 --> 00:09:01.120 We all want those things, and it's all attainable 00:09:01.120 --> 00:09:05.230 by practicing gratitude. Now the Bible speaks 00:09:05.230 --> 00:09:08.289 about this repeatedly, and out of all the stories 00:09:08.289 --> 00:09:11.370 in the Bible that exemplifies how gratitude and 00:09:11.370 --> 00:09:14.210 thanksgiving brings freedom, I want to share 00:09:14.210 --> 00:09:17.190 with you the story of Jonah. Jonah was a prophet. 00:09:17.490 --> 00:09:20.570 You can read all about his life in his book in 00:09:20.570 --> 00:09:24.990 the Old Testament. But God asked Jonah to go 00:09:24.990 --> 00:09:28.990 to a certain city called Nineveh, which is actually 00:09:28.990 --> 00:09:33.820 the present -day city of Mosul in Iraq. He didn't 00:09:33.820 --> 00:09:37.419 want to go. He didn't like the city. Even worse, 00:09:37.440 --> 00:09:41.039 he hated the people. So you know what Jonah did? 00:09:41.460 --> 00:09:44.220 He went the opposite way. He didn't listen to 00:09:44.220 --> 00:09:46.740 God. He went the opposite way. Long story short, 00:09:46.899 --> 00:09:49.019 you can read it for yourself. He ended up in 00:09:49.019 --> 00:09:52.179 a boat, was thrown overboard by the crew because 00:09:52.179 --> 00:09:55.539 of a fierce storm that God stirred up in the 00:09:55.539 --> 00:09:59.120 sea where he ended up inside of a fish for three 00:09:59.120 --> 00:10:03.220 days. Now, I don't know if you've experienced 00:10:03.220 --> 00:10:07.399 grief or doubt or frustration, but that's a whole 00:10:07.399 --> 00:10:10.000 new level of problems right there, being stuck 00:10:10.000 --> 00:10:14.259 in a fish. Right? I respect the fact we all have 00:10:14.259 --> 00:10:16.700 problems, but that's a new ballgame. Like, I 00:10:16.700 --> 00:10:18.700 do not want to find myself in the belly of a 00:10:18.700 --> 00:10:21.460 fish. And it's funny, sometimes I hear people 00:10:21.460 --> 00:10:24.820 referring to this story as proof that the Bible's 00:10:24.820 --> 00:10:28.080 not true. There's no fish big enough to swallow 00:10:28.080 --> 00:10:30.120 a guy and have him inside of his stomach for 00:10:30.120 --> 00:10:34.139 three days. My response? Hey, we're talking about 00:10:34.139 --> 00:10:37.840 God here, the creator of heaven and earth. I 00:10:37.840 --> 00:10:41.519 mean, do you really think God needs a fish to 00:10:41.519 --> 00:10:45.440 swallow a guy and it's going to stress him out 00:10:45.440 --> 00:10:48.639 because there's no fish big enough? Really? I 00:10:48.639 --> 00:10:51.340 mean, God can create a new fish just for Jonah. 00:10:53.139 --> 00:10:56.139 Or better yet, God can enlarge an existing fish. 00:10:56.259 --> 00:11:01.860 He could use Nemo, right? Nemo was lost. But 00:11:01.860 --> 00:11:06.940 Jonah, he'd be lost inside of a large Nemo. Because 00:11:06.940 --> 00:11:11.019 nothing is impossible with God. Nothing is impossible 00:11:11.019 --> 00:11:14.080 with God. We have to come to a place of believing 00:11:14.080 --> 00:11:17.899 that. Just last Sunday, I had a lady stop me 00:11:17.899 --> 00:11:19.659 on the way out of saying goodbye to all of you. 00:11:19.720 --> 00:11:21.679 And she looked at me in the eyes. She goes, I've 00:11:21.679 --> 00:11:24.000 got to share a testimony with you. I was like, 00:11:24.039 --> 00:11:27.720 okay. She goes, I went up front. A couple weeks 00:11:27.720 --> 00:11:29.860 ago and got prayer from the prayer team because 00:11:29.860 --> 00:11:33.320 of a word of knowledge spoke to cancer. And I 00:11:33.320 --> 00:11:40.700 had breast cancer. And now I'm healed. For nothing 00:11:40.700 --> 00:11:43.820 is impossible with God. And I thought, oh my 00:11:43.820 --> 00:11:46.059 goodness, thank you for sharing. That's an incredible 00:11:46.059 --> 00:11:49.220 testimony. We need to hear more of that. I mean, 00:11:49.259 --> 00:11:51.039 if you have a testimony about what God's doing 00:11:51.039 --> 00:11:54.429 in your life, share it. Because it raises our 00:11:54.429 --> 00:11:59.330 faith and desire to pray for more. Jonah, he 00:11:59.330 --> 00:12:02.570 finds himself inside the belly of a fish. And 00:12:02.570 --> 00:12:04.169 I don't know, that's got to be one of the most 00:12:04.169 --> 00:12:09.330 horrible places to be. Just imagine the circumstances 00:12:09.330 --> 00:12:12.370 that he's dealing with. But let's read what Jonah 00:12:12.370 --> 00:12:15.409 is doing inside the belly of a fish. It says 00:12:15.409 --> 00:12:19.990 in Jonah chapter 2 verse 9. But I, with shouts 00:12:19.990 --> 00:12:24.070 of grateful praise. Will sacrifice to you. What 00:12:24.070 --> 00:12:26.470 I have vowed I will make good. I will say salvation 00:12:26.470 --> 00:12:29.610 comes from the Lord. So even in the belly of 00:12:29.610 --> 00:12:31.590 a fish, Jonah, what is he doing? He's giving 00:12:31.590 --> 00:12:35.970 thanks. He's celebrating. He is praising God. 00:12:36.110 --> 00:12:39.129 Not because of his circumstances, but in his 00:12:39.129 --> 00:12:42.289 circumstances. And that's a big, big difference. 00:12:43.090 --> 00:12:45.870 He was in it. He was living in it. And he's still 00:12:45.870 --> 00:12:49.309 crying out with praise. Jonah, down in the bottom 00:12:49.309 --> 00:12:51.590 of the sea, inside of a fish, he's giving thanks. 00:12:51.870 --> 00:12:56.009 And he enters into God's presence. And where 00:12:56.009 --> 00:12:58.730 the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 00:12:59.009 --> 00:13:01.389 And look what happens in verse 10. So the Lord 00:13:01.389 --> 00:13:04.690 commanded the fish and it vomited Jonah onto 00:13:04.690 --> 00:13:10.370 dry land. Thanksgiving brings freedom. Thanksgiving 00:13:10.370 --> 00:13:14.519 brings... Thanksgiving releases joy. Thanksgiving 00:13:14.519 --> 00:13:17.860 leads us to walk in the abundance that Jesus 00:13:17.860 --> 00:13:20.559 promises. You know, you heard Rhett sharing about 00:13:20.559 --> 00:13:24.340 a slumbering spirit. You're slumbering. You're 00:13:24.340 --> 00:13:28.080 asleep because you're not grateful. You're not 00:13:28.080 --> 00:13:31.000 celebrating what God is doing in your life. Wake 00:13:31.000 --> 00:13:36.299 up, church, and give God the thanksgiving and 00:13:36.299 --> 00:13:39.269 the praise that he deserves. That's why Paul 00:13:39.269 --> 00:13:41.929 challenges us. No, not just challenges. Commands 00:13:41.929 --> 00:13:45.909 us in 1 Thessalonians 5 .18. Be thankful in all 00:13:45.909 --> 00:13:49.889 circumstances. Even in the belly of a fish. For 00:13:49.889 --> 00:13:52.850 this is God's will for you who belong to Christ 00:13:52.850 --> 00:13:56.889 Jesus. And I believe that if we keep thanking 00:13:56.889 --> 00:14:00.470 God and celebrating God and praising God, sooner 00:14:00.470 --> 00:14:03.870 or later freedom will come. Because gratitude 00:14:03.870 --> 00:14:07.460 brings freedom. Which leads us to our third thought. 00:14:08.159 --> 00:14:12.620 Gratitude is a daily choice. Gratitude is a daily 00:14:12.620 --> 00:14:15.299 choice. And to illustrate this truth, we're going 00:14:15.299 --> 00:14:18.340 to take a look at Paul and Silas and the story 00:14:18.340 --> 00:14:20.399 that they find themselves in in Acts chapter 00:14:20.399 --> 00:14:24.200 16. Paul and Silas were two of Jesus' disciples. 00:14:24.500 --> 00:14:27.320 They were following him. The Holy Spirit had 00:14:27.320 --> 00:14:30.259 challenged them to go and preach the good news, 00:14:30.320 --> 00:14:33.179 to share the gospel with everyone that would 00:14:33.179 --> 00:14:36.200 listen, to pray for the sick, to launch churches, 00:14:36.379 --> 00:14:39.139 and that's exactly what they did. But because 00:14:39.139 --> 00:14:41.580 of those choices, because they followed what 00:14:41.580 --> 00:14:44.730 God asked them, they were beaten with rods. They 00:14:44.730 --> 00:14:47.190 were arrested. They were put into the inner cell 00:14:47.190 --> 00:14:50.289 of a jail. They were chained at their feet and 00:14:50.289 --> 00:14:54.429 fastened to the stock. Of course, they could 00:14:54.429 --> 00:14:56.649 have been frustrated. They could have been angry. 00:14:56.889 --> 00:14:58.649 They could have been full of questions like, 00:14:58.710 --> 00:15:01.330 Jesus, we did what you asked us to do. Why is 00:15:01.330 --> 00:15:04.070 this happening to us? They could have screamed 00:15:04.070 --> 00:15:08.850 out, help! Or they could have allowed their thoughts 00:15:08.850 --> 00:15:11.370 to form a grudge of bitterness and disappointment 00:15:11.370 --> 00:15:15.659 toward God. But instead, They chose to do something 00:15:15.659 --> 00:15:19.700 completely different. They chose to praise. Acts 00:15:19.700 --> 00:15:22.759 16, 25 -26, around midnight, Paul and Silas were 00:15:22.759 --> 00:15:25.179 praying and singing hymns to God and the other 00:15:25.179 --> 00:15:27.059 prisoners were listening, which means they were 00:15:27.059 --> 00:15:30.299 bold and they were loud. And suddenly there was 00:15:30.299 --> 00:15:33.120 a massive earthquake and the prison was shaken 00:15:33.120 --> 00:15:34.960 to its foundations and all the doors immediately 00:15:34.960 --> 00:15:37.700 flew open and the chains of every prisoner fell 00:15:37.700 --> 00:15:41.840 off. A great example of the fact... That you 00:15:41.840 --> 00:15:44.940 can never be fully in control of your circumstances. 00:15:46.200 --> 00:15:49.600 But you can always control your attitude. You 00:15:49.600 --> 00:15:52.200 can always control your outlook. You can never 00:15:52.200 --> 00:15:54.460 be fully in control of what is going to happen 00:15:54.460 --> 00:15:57.500 to you. But you can have full control regarding 00:15:57.500 --> 00:16:00.759 your attitudes in which you respond to your circumstances. 00:16:00.840 --> 00:16:06.659 Paul and Silas made a choice. They chose to praise. 00:16:07.379 --> 00:16:10.019 Even though they were suffering. Even though 00:16:10.019 --> 00:16:12.379 their bodies hurt. Even though they didn't fully 00:16:12.379 --> 00:16:14.899 understand the situation, why they were in chains, 00:16:15.179 --> 00:16:18.600 they chose to worship and give thanks. They stayed 00:16:18.600 --> 00:16:21.940 in an attitude of gratitude. It's a way of seeing 00:16:21.940 --> 00:16:25.620 life. It's an outlook of positivity. And the 00:16:25.620 --> 00:16:28.080 beautiful thing about this story is that their 00:16:28.080 --> 00:16:30.559 decision to respond to all this negativity with 00:16:30.559 --> 00:16:33.440 thanksgiving and praise led to the release of 00:16:33.440 --> 00:16:37.539 themselves, but not only them, it affected every 00:16:37.539 --> 00:16:41.779 single prisoner that was in chains. Because not 00:16:41.779 --> 00:16:43.919 only did their chains fall off and their doors 00:16:43.919 --> 00:16:47.820 fly open, but every person that was in that prison 00:16:47.820 --> 00:16:52.240 experienced freedom. Meaning, when you and I 00:16:52.240 --> 00:16:55.159 choose an attitude of gratitude, it's not only 00:16:55.159 --> 00:16:58.379 going to impact us, it's going to affect everyone 00:16:58.379 --> 00:17:01.259 around us. It's going to impact your family. 00:17:01.379 --> 00:17:04.180 It's going to impact your children. Your gratitude 00:17:04.180 --> 00:17:06.619 will impact your workplace and your schools. 00:17:06.859 --> 00:17:10.019 Your gratitude will transform your neighborhood. 00:17:11.109 --> 00:17:14.369 So my challenge to you, HCV, is let's bring freedom 00:17:14.369 --> 00:17:18.349 into our communities. Let's bring freedom into 00:17:18.349 --> 00:17:21.789 our families. And you say, well, how? By choosing 00:17:21.789 --> 00:17:25.049 gratitude. Because when we choose gratitude, 00:17:25.170 --> 00:17:27.349 we are constantly entering into the presence 00:17:27.349 --> 00:17:30.490 of God. And we know that where the Spirit of 00:17:30.490 --> 00:17:34.029 the God is, there is freedom. Colossians 2, 6 00:17:34.029 --> 00:17:37.089 -7. And now, just as you accepted Jesus as your 00:17:37.089 --> 00:17:40.700 Lord, you must continue to follow Him. Let your 00:17:40.700 --> 00:17:43.700 roots grow down into him. Let your lives be built 00:17:43.700 --> 00:17:46.539 on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the 00:17:46.539 --> 00:17:49.180 truth you were taught. And you will overflow 00:17:49.180 --> 00:17:52.440 with thankfulness. You know, are you reading 00:17:52.440 --> 00:17:55.539 the Bible? Are you praying? Are you making it 00:17:55.539 --> 00:17:58.920 a priority to be grateful? See, when we do these 00:17:58.920 --> 00:18:01.759 things, the foundation is set. And when that 00:18:01.759 --> 00:18:05.819 foundation is set, we overflow with thankfulness. 00:18:05.839 --> 00:18:10.250 We overflow with joy. Which leads us to our final 00:18:10.250 --> 00:18:13.950 thought. We've said that gratitude is the door 00:18:13.950 --> 00:18:17.069 to God's presence. That gratitude brings freedom. 00:18:17.329 --> 00:18:20.630 And that gratitude is a daily choice. Finally, 00:18:20.630 --> 00:18:24.509 choosing gratitude means letting go of something. 00:18:25.549 --> 00:18:28.569 Choosing gratitude means letting go of something. 00:18:28.630 --> 00:18:33.349 Why? Because gratitudes and attitudes cannot 00:18:33.349 --> 00:18:36.950 coexist. They can't be together. They won't mesh. 00:18:38.229 --> 00:18:41.450 One is going to kick the other one out. And it's 00:18:41.450 --> 00:18:46.029 up to us to what? To choose to meditate on gratitude. 00:18:46.730 --> 00:18:50.009 And when we let go of what we don't want in our 00:18:50.009 --> 00:18:52.509 lives and we give it to God and we focus on the 00:18:52.509 --> 00:18:55.230 gratitude of him freeing for us, we overflow 00:18:55.230 --> 00:18:58.049 with joy. If you want to live a life of gratitude, 00:18:58.390 --> 00:19:01.789 you need to let go of the junk. Maybe for you 00:19:01.789 --> 00:19:04.309 it's bitterness against your parents. Maybe for 00:19:04.309 --> 00:19:06.670 you it's unforgiveness towards your spouse or 00:19:06.670 --> 00:19:09.849 a grudge against your boss. Maybe it's a disappointment 00:19:09.849 --> 00:19:13.289 you have toward God. You're mad at God. He let 00:19:13.289 --> 00:19:15.509 you down. He didn't answer your prayer the way 00:19:15.509 --> 00:19:22.009 you wanted it to. One thing about prayer, we 00:19:22.009 --> 00:19:25.089 need to understand that God always promises to 00:19:25.089 --> 00:19:28.630 answer our prayers. But sometimes that answer 00:19:28.630 --> 00:19:33.440 is no. Sometimes he says yes, which we love, 00:19:33.460 --> 00:19:36.420 and we receive and we accept, especially when 00:19:36.420 --> 00:19:39.460 it happens right away. Sometimes he says yes, 00:19:39.460 --> 00:19:43.519 but not yet, not now. This is the wrong timing. 00:19:44.019 --> 00:19:47.339 But sometimes he actually says no. How do I know 00:19:47.339 --> 00:19:50.960 that? Well, Jesus got a no in the Garden of Gethsemane. 00:19:51.619 --> 00:19:55.000 Remember, Jesus honestly prayed, Lord, if it's 00:19:55.000 --> 00:19:58.160 your will for this to be taken from me, if there's 00:19:58.160 --> 00:20:01.329 any other way. I don't want to suffer on the 00:20:01.329 --> 00:20:03.970 cross. Is there any other way instead of this? 00:20:05.170 --> 00:20:09.970 But we know that Jesus got a no. That God said 00:20:09.970 --> 00:20:12.869 no. But you see, when God says no to your prayer, 00:20:12.970 --> 00:20:16.049 it means there's always something better in store 00:20:16.049 --> 00:20:18.910 for you in the future. He's got something better 00:20:18.910 --> 00:20:21.849 down the road. Because of that no in the Garden 00:20:21.849 --> 00:20:24.549 of Gethsemane, we're gathered here today as the 00:20:24.549 --> 00:20:28.170 church. Because of that no in the garden, we 00:20:28.170 --> 00:20:29.769 are saved, healed, and delivered. Because of 00:20:29.769 --> 00:20:32.109 that no in the garden, we're righteous and restored. 00:20:32.190 --> 00:20:34.390 Because of that no in the garden, we're sons 00:20:34.390 --> 00:20:38.250 and daughters of God. All because of a what? 00:20:38.410 --> 00:20:42.150 Because of a no. So no is not necessarily a bad 00:20:42.150 --> 00:20:45.349 thing. Remember when Jonah was stuck in the belly 00:20:45.349 --> 00:20:47.930 of a fish, we read, but I will offer sacrifices 00:20:47.930 --> 00:20:49.890 to you with songs of praise and thanksgiving. 00:20:51.349 --> 00:20:54.299 Sacrifices. Then we read in Hebrews 13, Therefore 00:20:54.299 --> 00:20:57.400 let us offer through Jesus a continual sacrifice 00:20:57.400 --> 00:21:00.299 of praise to God, proclaiming our allegiance 00:21:00.299 --> 00:21:03.019 to him. And don't forget to do good and to share 00:21:03.019 --> 00:21:05.619 with those in need. These are the sacrifices 00:21:05.619 --> 00:21:10.259 that please God. And in these verses, the word 00:21:10.259 --> 00:21:14.039 sacrifice is mentioned three times. Once in Jonah, 00:21:14.059 --> 00:21:16.619 twice in Hebrews. And what is the meaning of 00:21:16.619 --> 00:21:20.779 the word sacrifice? It's defined as. An act of 00:21:20.779 --> 00:21:24.140 offering to God something precious. To suffer 00:21:24.140 --> 00:21:27.200 loss, to give up. The surrender of something 00:21:27.200 --> 00:21:30.480 for the sake of something else. The bottom line, 00:21:30.640 --> 00:21:34.519 sacrifice isn't easy. But it's an offering, it's 00:21:34.519 --> 00:21:37.240 a surrender. It's saying, I'm not in control 00:21:37.240 --> 00:21:43.039 anymore, God. Have you offered a sacrifice of 00:21:43.039 --> 00:21:46.779 praise and gratitude because of your trials? 00:21:48.009 --> 00:21:52.750 Can you offer a sacrifice of praise and humility 00:21:52.750 --> 00:21:56.190 because of your mistakes? Right? Instead of frustration 00:21:56.190 --> 00:21:59.130 or letting out our anger or isolating ourselves 00:21:59.130 --> 00:22:02.809 or walking away from Jesus, we can choose to 00:22:02.809 --> 00:22:06.730 fall on him, into his arms, to bow our knee, 00:22:06.809 --> 00:22:09.170 to cry out to him, to praise and worship him. 00:22:09.410 --> 00:22:12.289 It's not an easy thing, but in hard times, it's 00:22:12.289 --> 00:22:17.230 a sacrifice. We choose to give sacrifice of praise 00:22:17.230 --> 00:22:21.029 to God continually. Like the verse says, in good 00:22:21.029 --> 00:22:25.089 times and in bad. Which leads us to our action 00:22:25.089 --> 00:22:29.329 steps. Daily choosing an attitude of gratitude. 00:22:29.930 --> 00:22:33.390 Three simple steps that Paul challenges us to 00:22:33.390 --> 00:22:37.470 live, commands us to live daily, so that we can 00:22:37.470 --> 00:22:39.910 be a reflection of the gratitude that God has 00:22:39.910 --> 00:22:43.380 given to us. And the first is, be joyful. Paul 00:22:43.380 --> 00:22:46.299 commands us in 1 Thessalonians 5 .16, always 00:22:46.299 --> 00:22:49.140 be joyful. And some of you, just being honest, 00:22:49.299 --> 00:22:52.519 you're not joyful. How do I know that? I just 00:22:52.519 --> 00:22:56.299 look at your face. You don't have to communicate 00:22:56.299 --> 00:22:57.900 a word to me. All I have to do is look at your 00:22:57.900 --> 00:23:01.079 face. Our body language says a lot more than 00:23:01.079 --> 00:23:03.390 what we think. And some of you are thinking, 00:23:03.410 --> 00:23:04.890 but Chris, you don't understand. It's impossible. 00:23:05.549 --> 00:23:07.630 You don't know my situation. You don't know my 00:23:07.630 --> 00:23:10.250 job. What about our culture? I'm being bombarded 00:23:10.250 --> 00:23:13.990 with negativity, the news, social media. Okay, 00:23:14.130 --> 00:23:16.910 I agree with you. How do I know that? Sociologists 00:23:16.910 --> 00:23:20.089 are defining the current time which we're living 00:23:20.089 --> 00:23:26.049 as the age of anxiety. And newsflash, it's the 00:23:26.049 --> 00:23:29.349 age of anxiety because that's how companies sell 00:23:29.349 --> 00:23:32.930 us stuff. They want us to buy more and buy more 00:23:32.930 --> 00:23:35.390 and buy more, thinking that that's how we're 00:23:35.390 --> 00:23:38.150 going to experience peace, when in reality, we 00:23:38.150 --> 00:23:40.329 don't need to buy anything else. We need just 00:23:40.329 --> 00:23:43.670 to get in God's presence. So how can I always 00:23:43.670 --> 00:23:49.450 be joyful? The answer is simple. In God's presence. 00:23:50.049 --> 00:23:52.910 Enter his gates with thanksgiving. Go into his 00:23:52.910 --> 00:23:56.829 courts with praise. Give thanks to him. Psalm 00:23:56.829 --> 00:23:59.630 16, you will show me the way of life, grant me 00:23:59.630 --> 00:24:03.829 the joy of your presence. See, gratitude shifts 00:24:03.829 --> 00:24:08.150 our focus from the emptiness we lack, that we 00:24:08.150 --> 00:24:11.289 think and we need more stuff, or the cultural 00:24:11.289 --> 00:24:14.349 negativity, right, that is constantly bombarding 00:24:14.349 --> 00:24:17.329 us. Gratitude brings us into the fullness of 00:24:17.329 --> 00:24:21.029 God's presence. To be joyful is to be in God's 00:24:21.029 --> 00:24:24.329 presence. To enter into God's presence, we have 00:24:24.329 --> 00:24:29.420 to daily practice church, Right? We have to practice 00:24:29.420 --> 00:24:32.920 gratitude. Which leads us to our next step, pray. 00:24:33.759 --> 00:24:36.380 Paul tells us again, commands us in 1 Thessalonians 00:24:36.380 --> 00:24:40.259 5, 17, never stop praying. Right? We can confidently 00:24:40.259 --> 00:24:43.640 come before God each and every day to receive 00:24:43.640 --> 00:24:46.740 the grace and the mercy when things aren't working 00:24:46.740 --> 00:24:49.460 out the way we had hoped. When we receive that 00:24:49.460 --> 00:24:51.440 phone call in the middle of the night. When the 00:24:51.440 --> 00:24:55.250 diagnosis is bad. when the sickness or the pain 00:24:55.250 --> 00:24:57.089 just gets worse, when the financial hardships 00:24:57.089 --> 00:25:00.029 grow, when the tension in our relationships with 00:25:00.029 --> 00:25:03.789 our spouse and our children doesn't change. We 00:25:03.789 --> 00:25:07.730 need to pray. But we also read in Matthew 18, 00:25:07.869 --> 00:25:10.769 2 -3, Jesus called a little child to him and 00:25:10.769 --> 00:25:12.990 put the child among them. Then he said, I'll 00:25:12.990 --> 00:25:14.670 tell you the truth, unless you turn from your 00:25:14.670 --> 00:25:18.049 sins and become like little children, you'll 00:25:18.049 --> 00:25:20.589 never get into the kingdom of heaven. So anyone 00:25:20.589 --> 00:25:23.369 who becomes as humble as this little child is 00:25:23.369 --> 00:25:26.329 the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And some 00:25:26.329 --> 00:25:28.230 of you are thinking, Chris, why are you adding 00:25:28.230 --> 00:25:31.049 that verse here in a discussion about prayer? 00:25:31.930 --> 00:25:36.089 Well, because some of us won't go to God, won't 00:25:36.089 --> 00:25:39.670 be honest with God about our anxiety because 00:25:39.670 --> 00:25:43.829 we're all grown up. We're too mature. We have 00:25:43.829 --> 00:25:47.079 it all together. I'll handle it. I'll discipline 00:25:47.079 --> 00:25:50.299 myself. I'll beat my body into submission. I'm 00:25:50.299 --> 00:25:54.599 a man. I'm not asking for help. Listen, you can 00:25:54.599 --> 00:25:58.160 take all the creatine and squat 500 pounds, all 00:25:58.160 --> 00:26:01.200 right? You can be as strong as you want, but 00:26:01.200 --> 00:26:03.700 we're not wrestling with flesh and blood. We're 00:26:03.700 --> 00:26:06.099 wrestling with principalities and powers of this 00:26:06.099 --> 00:26:08.740 dark world, and they will take you down. I don't 00:26:08.740 --> 00:26:11.880 care how strong you are. They'll take you down 00:26:11.880 --> 00:26:17.039 and spit you out like they just don't care. Children, 00:26:17.039 --> 00:26:20.240 children don't have a problem asking us to carry 00:26:20.240 --> 00:26:23.039 something for them. All the parents get an amen 00:26:23.039 --> 00:26:25.579 there, right? I don't know about you, but I got 00:26:25.579 --> 00:26:27.240 a five -year -old little guy named Phoenix, and 00:26:27.240 --> 00:26:28.819 everywhere he goes, he has to take a toy with 00:26:28.819 --> 00:26:33.589 him. Monster truck, trucks, robots. I mean, my 00:26:33.589 --> 00:26:36.730 car is full of toys because he's got to take 00:26:36.730 --> 00:26:38.309 them with him. And then when he takes them with 00:26:38.309 --> 00:26:41.410 him, say you're at the store or you're going 00:26:41.410 --> 00:26:43.730 to the pumpkin patch, there's at some point where 00:26:43.730 --> 00:26:45.269 he says, all right, I don't want this anymore. 00:26:45.329 --> 00:26:50.170 You carry it. And then, of course, I always carry 00:26:50.170 --> 00:26:52.710 it, right? And then somewhere along the line, 00:26:52.750 --> 00:26:54.849 especially if you're on a hike to Annapolis Rock, 00:26:55.069 --> 00:26:57.269 those of you that go hiking, you know what he's 00:26:57.269 --> 00:26:59.309 going to say to me? Hey, Dad, I need you to carry 00:26:59.309 --> 00:27:04.849 me. And as a father, what do we do? We carry 00:27:04.849 --> 00:27:07.869 him. It doesn't matter that he's 62 pounds now, 00:27:08.069 --> 00:27:11.269 right? You just keep changing arms because you 00:27:11.269 --> 00:27:12.890 don't want one shoulder bigger than the other. 00:27:15.589 --> 00:27:21.069 The point, Jesus is inviting us to ask him to 00:27:21.069 --> 00:27:24.710 step in. You know why? Because he can handle 00:27:24.710 --> 00:27:28.869 it. He can carry our burdens for us. And not 00:27:28.869 --> 00:27:31.099 only that, Another thing I know about children, 00:27:31.279 --> 00:27:33.200 they don't have a problem asking us for things. 00:27:33.640 --> 00:27:37.440 Even if it's selfish, they don't care. I have 00:27:37.440 --> 00:27:39.779 a five -year -old inquisitive phoenix that is 00:27:39.779 --> 00:27:42.319 constantly asking question after question. He's 00:27:42.319 --> 00:27:45.279 asking for toys and food and this and that, and 00:27:45.279 --> 00:27:47.539 he hates to eat home -cooked meals. It's got 00:27:47.539 --> 00:27:51.130 to be out of Chick -fil -A. And there's some 00:27:51.130 --> 00:27:53.230 Saturdays where I'm just done and I just say 00:27:53.230 --> 00:27:56.630 yes and yes and yes. Okay, let's go. Yes, yes. 00:27:56.789 --> 00:27:59.309 And I say all these yeses. And then at 9 o 'clock 00:27:59.309 --> 00:28:01.589 at night after his bath, he comes running down. 00:28:01.710 --> 00:28:04.609 He goes, hey, Dad, I want some ice cream. And 00:28:04.609 --> 00:28:15.150 I say, no, it's too late. Come on! I mean, dude, 00:28:15.769 --> 00:28:19.589 it's just like he realized. I'm not even going 00:28:19.589 --> 00:28:24.670 to say it. Anyone else experience that? You know 00:28:24.670 --> 00:28:38.230 what I'm saying about? Come on! Now, remember 00:28:38.230 --> 00:28:42.609 what Jesus said. You want joy? You want peace? 00:28:42.630 --> 00:28:45.890 You want grace? You want healing? You want forgiveness? 00:28:46.009 --> 00:28:51.640 You want freedom? Ask for it. Become like a child. 00:28:52.660 --> 00:28:58.559 Ask for it. Ask for it through prayer. Enter 00:28:58.559 --> 00:29:02.559 into his presence with gratitude. Experience 00:29:02.559 --> 00:29:05.660 his presence because where his presence is, there 00:29:05.660 --> 00:29:10.740 is freedom. So you be joyful. You pray. Number 00:29:10.740 --> 00:29:13.140 three, you practice gratitude. 1 Thessalonians 00:29:13.140 --> 00:29:16.619 5 .18. Again, Paul says, be thankful in all circumstances. 00:29:17.660 --> 00:29:20.960 Does that say in some circumstances? Does that 00:29:20.960 --> 00:29:24.019 say when things are going good? No, it says all. 00:29:25.000 --> 00:29:30.140 It says all. Robert Emmons, professor of sociology 00:29:30.140 --> 00:29:35.059 at UC Berkeley. It's so funny how science has 00:29:35.059 --> 00:29:38.400 these grand breakthroughs that transform people's 00:29:38.400 --> 00:29:42.279 lives. They have these studies. Like two years 00:29:42.279 --> 00:29:45.099 ago, they figured out that if people, right? 00:29:45.660 --> 00:29:48.680 Take a day off a week and don't get on social 00:29:48.680 --> 00:29:51.519 media and just read books and take care of themselves 00:29:51.519 --> 00:29:54.500 and do what they love to do for a whole day, 00:29:54.619 --> 00:29:57.579 they'll get refreshed. And I'm like, that's called 00:29:57.579 --> 00:30:00.779 the Sabbath. And that's been around for thousands 00:30:00.779 --> 00:30:05.940 of years. It's in the Bible. Well, now they're 00:30:05.940 --> 00:30:09.519 realizing how important gratitude is. So Robert 00:30:09.519 --> 00:30:12.319 Emmons describes gratitude as the social glue 00:30:12.319 --> 00:30:16.190 of humanity. The key. To establishing and building 00:30:16.190 --> 00:30:19.829 strong relationships. And in their study. They 00:30:19.829 --> 00:30:23.190 gathered a thousand people. That struggle daily 00:30:23.190 --> 00:30:26.690 with depression and anxiety. And they got them 00:30:26.690 --> 00:30:29.970 together for a month. They handed them a journal. 00:30:30.130 --> 00:30:34.809 And a pen. And they said every day. Take three 00:30:34.809 --> 00:30:37.650 minutes a day. And record what you're grateful 00:30:37.650 --> 00:30:44.940 for. In the last 24 hours. Over 90%. of those 00:30:44.940 --> 00:30:48.720 that were in the study significantly changed 00:30:48.720 --> 00:30:52.960 their outlook on life. Seeing anxiety, stress 00:30:52.960 --> 00:31:00.420 fall away. The doctors found the brain is changed 00:31:00.420 --> 00:31:04.380 by rewiring new connections to the bliss center 00:31:04.380 --> 00:31:06.519 of the brain. Has anyone ever heard of a bliss 00:31:06.519 --> 00:31:08.859 center? Me either. I was reading that and I was 00:31:08.859 --> 00:31:10.960 like, I wonder what the bliss center is. I don't 00:31:10.960 --> 00:31:13.849 know where it is in our brain. But I kind of 00:31:13.849 --> 00:31:15.549 want to be there because it sounds like a good 00:31:15.549 --> 00:31:19.789 place to be, the Bliss Center. Practicing gratitude 00:31:19.789 --> 00:31:24.710 reduces fear and anxiety, removing stress hormones. 00:31:25.049 --> 00:31:28.849 It enhances dopamine and serotonin, which are 00:31:28.849 --> 00:31:32.349 the neurotransmitters responsible for happiness. 00:31:33.549 --> 00:31:38.210 Gratitude is the key. We have to choose to practice 00:31:38.210 --> 00:31:43.319 it every single day. And here's the reality. 00:31:43.880 --> 00:31:46.440 I don't need to add something else to my schedule. 00:31:47.259 --> 00:31:50.359 I don't need to spend an hour or two hours reflecting 00:31:50.359 --> 00:31:54.559 on how great God is and how I'm thankful for 00:31:54.559 --> 00:31:59.019 that. Three minutes. We all have three minutes. 00:31:59.380 --> 00:32:02.119 In fact, I believe we all have nine minutes. 00:32:03.119 --> 00:32:05.200 We have three minutes in the morning, three minutes 00:32:05.200 --> 00:32:07.420 at lunch, and three minutes at dinner or before 00:32:07.420 --> 00:32:10.539 bed. But it's a choice to let go of the distractions 00:32:10.539 --> 00:32:14.039 like social media, unwatchable TV we shouldn't 00:32:14.039 --> 00:32:18.140 be watching anyway, books that have no impact 00:32:18.140 --> 00:32:21.160 or music on our spiritual life, and choosing 00:32:21.160 --> 00:32:23.700 to lay them down so that we can practice gratitude 00:32:23.700 --> 00:32:26.839 because the gratitude that we then practice overflows 00:32:26.839 --> 00:32:30.259 not only into us, but where? Our families, our 00:32:30.259 --> 00:32:33.440 friends, our community. You want to be the hands 00:32:33.440 --> 00:32:35.160 and feet of Jesus? You want to change the world 00:32:35.160 --> 00:32:40.019 one life at a time? Practice gratitude. And the 00:32:40.019 --> 00:32:42.099 important thing about this study that I found 00:32:42.099 --> 00:32:46.359 was focus on the last 24 hours. Don't tell me 00:32:46.359 --> 00:32:49.319 what God did for you 10 years ago because eventually 00:32:49.319 --> 00:32:51.839 they're going to wear out. Tell me what God's 00:32:51.839 --> 00:32:54.880 doing for you in the last 24 hours. Because when 00:32:54.880 --> 00:32:57.440 you find the good in the last 24 hours, even 00:32:57.440 --> 00:33:00.619 though it may have been in the bad, then suddenly 00:33:00.619 --> 00:33:06.390 the joy, in our hearts grows and expands to others. 00:33:07.170 --> 00:33:08.730 So here's what we're gonna do. We're gonna put 00:33:08.730 --> 00:33:12.769 this to practice. I'm gonna give you one or two 00:33:12.769 --> 00:33:15.750 minutes of complete silence. So I'm gonna ask 00:33:15.750 --> 00:33:19.950 you to, in just a second, close your eyes. Remove 00:33:19.950 --> 00:33:22.410 distractions, put your pens down, whatever you 00:33:22.410 --> 00:33:27.130 need to do, put your phones away. I'm gonna invite 00:33:27.130 --> 00:33:31.470 the Holy Spirit to come. And I want you to reflect 00:33:31.470 --> 00:33:33.809 on one thing you're grateful for in the last 00:33:33.809 --> 00:33:38.769 24 hours. And I believe his spirit and his presence 00:33:38.769 --> 00:33:42.049 will highlight not just one, but 10. Because 00:33:42.049 --> 00:33:45.369 we all have them. It's just a simple choice to 00:33:45.369 --> 00:33:49.430 be grateful. Let's go to that place now. Holy 00:33:49.430 --> 00:35:17.710 Spirit. So God highlighted for me, I have this 00:35:17.710 --> 00:35:22.849 little guy named Phoenix that's five. He's in 00:35:22.849 --> 00:35:28.530 his first year of soccer. And he runs around 00:35:28.530 --> 00:35:33.269 the field and skips and puts a beanie on because 00:35:33.269 --> 00:35:35.369 it's the other team and gets like knotted in 00:35:35.369 --> 00:35:39.030 it and is playing with it and skips and hops. 00:35:39.900 --> 00:35:42.880 jumps around and gets in the goal to be the goalie 00:35:42.880 --> 00:35:49.920 and just lets the ball go by. Dad is on the sideline. 00:35:49.960 --> 00:35:55.860 Coach dad. Take the ball. Go that way. Score 00:35:55.860 --> 00:35:58.760 a goal. Catch the ball. Stop the ball. You can 00:35:58.760 --> 00:36:06.059 use your hands. God says, Christian, you need 00:36:06.059 --> 00:36:09.099 to be present. You don't need to be his coach. 00:36:12.679 --> 00:36:15.199 And he's having more joy running around that 00:36:15.199 --> 00:36:21.000 field, not scoring a goal, not stopping the ball 00:36:21.000 --> 00:36:29.659 than you do in a day. Let him be a kid. He may 00:36:29.659 --> 00:36:31.460 be a great soccer player. He may play in the 00:36:31.460 --> 00:36:37.659 Olympics. How am I supposed to know? But I need 00:36:37.659 --> 00:36:47.780 to be present. What did God highlight for you? 00:36:49.300 --> 00:36:52.239 We all have something in some way we need to 00:36:52.239 --> 00:36:55.739 learn. We need to change. And when we practice 00:36:55.739 --> 00:36:59.380 gratitude, God highlights things that I need 00:36:59.380 --> 00:37:02.360 to work on and be grateful for at the same time. 00:37:02.880 --> 00:37:05.980 Amen. There are several words of knowledge I 00:37:05.980 --> 00:37:07.659 want to share with you before we pray a simple 00:37:07.659 --> 00:37:11.440 prayer. Our prayer team will be here on my right 00:37:11.440 --> 00:37:14.559 to pray for these needs. If you're having back 00:37:14.559 --> 00:37:18.739 spasms in the left side of your back, we want 00:37:18.739 --> 00:37:24.960 to pray for that. If you have acid reflux, we 00:37:24.960 --> 00:37:28.300 want to pray for that. If you have anxiety to 00:37:28.300 --> 00:37:30.059 the point where you feel like you can't get out 00:37:30.059 --> 00:37:35.360 of bed, we want to pray for that. But for some 00:37:35.360 --> 00:37:37.019 of you, if you're struggling with gratitude, 00:37:37.460 --> 00:37:40.440 maybe you're forgetting what Jesus did on the 00:37:40.440 --> 00:37:44.119 cross. Because by because of his actions on the 00:37:44.119 --> 00:37:47.860 cross, because God said no, we are now sons and 00:37:47.860 --> 00:37:51.280 daughters of God. We are now in God's kingdom 00:37:51.280 --> 00:37:54.300 right now and have the opportunity to bring his 00:37:54.300 --> 00:37:58.800 kingdom here to earth. That's something we always 00:37:58.800 --> 00:38:01.579 can be grateful for. I'm gonna pray a simple 00:38:01.579 --> 00:38:03.820 prayer like I do every single Sunday and some 00:38:03.820 --> 00:38:06.619 of you need to recommit or enter into that relationship 00:38:06.619 --> 00:38:09.840 for the first time because it will give you gratitude 00:38:09.840 --> 00:38:12.869 like you've never experienced before. Let's pray. 00:38:13.289 --> 00:38:18.269 Jesus, I'm broken. I'm full of doubt, shame, 00:38:18.530 --> 00:38:24.389 regret, sin. Change me. Forgive me. I believe 00:38:24.389 --> 00:38:29.010 you're God's son. I believe you died for me. 00:38:29.670 --> 00:38:34.210 Make me new. Set me free. Fill me with your spirit. 00:38:35.250 --> 00:38:39.309 Help me, God, to serve others. In Jesus' name. 00:38:41.039 --> 00:38:42.699 So if you prayed that prayer for the first time, 00:38:42.739 --> 00:38:44.179 see me on your way out. I want to give you a 00:38:44.179 --> 00:38:45.840 hug and give you some next steps, tell you to 00:38:45.840 --> 00:38:48.300 get baptized. Listen, before you go, don't forget, 00:38:48.400 --> 00:38:49.940 trunk or treat, stop by the Welcome Hub number 00:38:49.940 --> 00:38:52.659 two. Next Sunday kicks off Sunday morning matinee. 00:38:53.139 --> 00:38:54.760 For those of you that may not know what that 00:38:54.760 --> 00:38:57.980 is, we're looking at five movies with free popcorn 00:38:57.980 --> 00:39:00.079 for the month of November. We kick it off next 00:39:00.079 --> 00:39:02.920 week with F1, the movie, Brad Pitt, the star. 00:39:03.800 --> 00:39:05.920 We're going to watch clips. We're going to apply 00:39:05.920 --> 00:39:08.280 that movie to our spiritual lives and grow closer 00:39:08.280 --> 00:39:10.699 to Jesus. Invite your friends and family. God 00:39:10.699 --> 00:39:12.900 bless you guys. Have a great rest of your week.