WEBVTT 00:00:07.900 --> 00:00:11.099 Hey guys, this is Tracy. If at any time you'd 00:00:11.099 --> 00:00:15.019 like to connect with HCV, go to hcv .church forward 00:00:15.019 --> 00:00:18.100 slash connect. If you feel called to give, go 00:00:18.100 --> 00:00:21.980 to hcv .church forward slash give. And if at 00:00:21.980 --> 00:00:23.920 any time you feel called to make a change in 00:00:23.920 --> 00:00:29.399 your life, text change me to 970 -00. Enjoy the 00:00:29.399 --> 00:01:00.229 message. They're just having fun now. They're 00:01:00.229 --> 00:01:03.850 just having fun now. Thank you. Thank you. Carl 00:01:03.850 --> 00:01:07.790 Hartman, ladies and gentlemen. Well, good morning. 00:01:07.870 --> 00:01:10.689 There's a couple people in the house today. I'm 00:01:10.689 --> 00:01:13.790 glad to see it. I have a message that hopefully 00:01:13.790 --> 00:01:18.109 after that resounding intro, I don't lower the 00:01:18.109 --> 00:01:19.810 standards here for what you're expecting. That 00:01:19.810 --> 00:01:23.930 was something. But as Chris mentioned, I get 00:01:23.930 --> 00:01:26.349 the incredible privilege and opportunity to kick 00:01:26.349 --> 00:01:29.030 off a brand new series here this morning called 00:01:29.030 --> 00:01:33.250 Mind Field. Clearly, we are using a play on words 00:01:33.250 --> 00:01:36.890 for the word minefield, which is you know that 00:01:36.890 --> 00:01:39.930 in the battlefield, right, in war times and in 00:01:39.930 --> 00:01:41.549 battle, what the enemy would do is they would 00:01:41.549 --> 00:01:44.810 plant mines all underground. And as the troops 00:01:44.810 --> 00:01:47.730 were traversing this territory, if you stepped 00:01:47.730 --> 00:01:50.209 on one, it was not a good situation for you. 00:01:51.010 --> 00:01:54.349 And as we were preparing to launch sermon series 00:01:54.349 --> 00:01:59.430 for this 2026, back in 2025, I said, Chris, I 00:01:59.430 --> 00:02:02.230 think a cool sermon series would be something 00:02:02.230 --> 00:02:04.549 on the mind, because the mind is a very powerful 00:02:04.549 --> 00:02:06.290 place. And so this is what we came up with. And 00:02:06.290 --> 00:02:08.009 so over the next couple of weeks, we will be 00:02:08.009 --> 00:02:12.210 looking at the minds. that the enemy puts in 00:02:12.210 --> 00:02:15.449 our minds that cause triggering activities that 00:02:15.449 --> 00:02:18.930 cause us to explode from time to time. So I have 00:02:18.930 --> 00:02:21.310 just the incredible opportunity and privilege 00:02:21.310 --> 00:02:23.150 to be here this morning, and I'm happy to be 00:02:23.150 --> 00:02:24.930 here, and I hope that when you leave here today, 00:02:25.090 --> 00:02:28.030 you've learned at least one thing. Does anyone 00:02:28.030 --> 00:02:31.610 have an ongoing war raging inside of your mind 00:02:31.610 --> 00:02:36.389 here this morning? You see, our minds are a powerful, 00:02:36.629 --> 00:02:40.710 yet potentially very dangerous place. There's 00:02:40.710 --> 00:02:43.509 days where I'm filled with so much faith I feel 00:02:43.509 --> 00:02:46.250 like I could conquer the world. And there's days 00:02:46.250 --> 00:02:49.169 where I'm filled with so much fear that cripples 00:02:49.169 --> 00:02:51.650 me to the point of just wishing I could lay on 00:02:51.650 --> 00:02:55.150 the couch inside of my living room all day. There's 00:02:55.150 --> 00:02:59.469 days where I wake up and I say, God, I lack nothing. 00:02:59.669 --> 00:03:03.610 You have been so, so good to me. And there's 00:03:03.610 --> 00:03:05.729 days where I say, God, can you even hear me? 00:03:06.430 --> 00:03:11.250 Do you even see me? Do you even hear these prayers 00:03:11.250 --> 00:03:14.110 that I'm praying? There's days where I wake up 00:03:14.110 --> 00:03:18.310 singing, I trust in God. And there's days where 00:03:18.310 --> 00:03:21.789 I wake up singing, hello darkness, my old friend. 00:03:24.750 --> 00:03:26.909 You see, the picture that I'm trying to paint 00:03:26.909 --> 00:03:29.870 is that our minds could arguably be the single 00:03:29.870 --> 00:03:33.310 greatest entity of our beings because what happens 00:03:33.310 --> 00:03:36.969 up here dictates the response or the responses, 00:03:36.990 --> 00:03:39.009 the actions that our lives live out. Think about 00:03:39.009 --> 00:03:41.949 this. Did you know that the actions that we take, 00:03:42.069 --> 00:03:45.090 the choices that we make, the physical things 00:03:45.090 --> 00:03:49.509 that we do are actually only a product of what 00:03:49.509 --> 00:03:53.370 happens up here? Our actions get all of the bad 00:03:53.370 --> 00:03:56.710 publicity. If I choose to use a cuss word, if 00:03:56.710 --> 00:03:59.849 I choose to use a foul word, or if I... choose 00:03:59.849 --> 00:04:02.650 to do something physically that's not God's best. 00:04:02.770 --> 00:04:06.469 It's the actions that get the blame. Can you 00:04:06.469 --> 00:04:08.550 believe that Rhett said this? Can you believe 00:04:08.550 --> 00:04:12.250 that Rhett did this? When in reality, it's my 00:04:12.250 --> 00:04:15.189 mindset and the choice that I made to do those 00:04:15.189 --> 00:04:19.009 things that are ultimately to blame. Romans 8, 00:04:19.110 --> 00:04:21.350 5 through 6 says, for those who live according 00:04:21.350 --> 00:04:24.779 to the flesh. set their minds on the things of 00:04:24.779 --> 00:04:27.259 the flesh. But those who live according to the 00:04:27.259 --> 00:04:31.000 Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 00:04:31.480 --> 00:04:34.180 If I set my mind on the world, I'm gonna look 00:04:34.180 --> 00:04:36.300 like the world. I'm gonna talk like the world. 00:04:36.420 --> 00:04:39.560 I'm gonna act like the world. If I set my mind 00:04:39.560 --> 00:04:42.100 on Jesus, I'm gonna look like Jesus. I'm gonna 00:04:42.100 --> 00:04:45.839 talk like Jesus. I'm gonna walk like Jesus. For 00:04:45.839 --> 00:04:50.120 to set the mind on the flesh is death. But to 00:04:50.120 --> 00:04:54.399 set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 00:04:54.600 --> 00:04:56.540 And does anybody want to walk out of here today 00:04:56.540 --> 00:04:59.279 with a little bit of life or a little bit of 00:04:59.279 --> 00:05:03.000 peace in their soul? The title of my message 00:05:03.000 --> 00:05:05.959 today is Battling the Mind and the Psyche of 00:05:05.959 --> 00:05:10.480 Scarcity. Scarcity is defined as the gap between 00:05:10.480 --> 00:05:14.399 limited resources and unlimited wants. And scarcity 00:05:14.399 --> 00:05:18.100 is not a bad thing. Scarcity is just... a fact 00:05:18.100 --> 00:05:20.560 of life. It's just a way of life. There is always 00:05:20.560 --> 00:05:24.439 going to be a gap between our available resources 00:05:24.439 --> 00:05:27.420 and the desires that we have. But where it becomes 00:05:27.420 --> 00:05:30.639 a problem is when we adopt a scarcity mindset. 00:05:31.420 --> 00:05:34.519 A scarcity mindset is defined as the obsession 00:05:34.519 --> 00:05:39.939 over what you lack compared to what you currently 00:05:39.939 --> 00:05:42.860 have. If we relied on our own thoughts, have 00:05:42.860 --> 00:05:45.860 you ever thought about how the grounding point 00:05:46.199 --> 00:05:48.139 For many of us, I know I'm not talking to everybody. 00:05:48.240 --> 00:05:53.720 Some of you are not in this camp, and I can honestly 00:05:53.720 --> 00:05:55.720 say that I am sometimes in this camp, but our 00:05:55.720 --> 00:05:58.699 grounding point is always not having enough. 00:05:58.759 --> 00:06:01.759 Watch this. How much money do you make? Not enough, 00:06:01.939 --> 00:06:04.600 right? Wish I had a little bit more. How much 00:06:04.600 --> 00:06:09.420 sleep did you get last night? Not enough. Moms 00:06:09.420 --> 00:06:11.740 and dads, how often do your kids listen to you? 00:06:12.160 --> 00:06:18.850 Not enough. Kinley Troxell, not enough. Husbands 00:06:18.850 --> 00:06:21.709 and wives, how many times does your spouse tell 00:06:21.709 --> 00:06:24.589 you that they appreciate you? Not enough, right? 00:06:24.670 --> 00:06:26.509 We always want more. We live in a time where 00:06:26.509 --> 00:06:28.850 the world will tell you that you should always 00:06:28.850 --> 00:06:31.850 have a little bit more. You should always... 00:06:32.269 --> 00:06:34.790 have just a little bit more than what you have. 00:06:34.870 --> 00:06:38.990 You deserve a little bit more. You deserve a 00:06:38.990 --> 00:06:41.410 little bit better than what you have. I tell 00:06:41.410 --> 00:06:44.269 my worship team this all the time, and from time 00:06:44.269 --> 00:06:46.050 to time, I get the incredible opportunity to 00:06:46.050 --> 00:06:48.350 mentor young worship pastors or young worship 00:06:48.350 --> 00:06:50.750 leaders who are either just starting out, just 00:06:50.750 --> 00:06:52.250 building a team, and they'll come to me and they'll 00:06:52.250 --> 00:06:54.589 say, hey, Rhett, can you share some wisdom, some 00:06:54.589 --> 00:06:57.629 tips, some insight on how you've been able to 00:06:57.629 --> 00:07:00.110 maintain and grow your team at Hub City Vineyard? 00:07:00.230 --> 00:07:03.019 And one of the first things I say is, this. If 00:07:03.019 --> 00:07:06.180 you're always looking for a bigger stage, there 00:07:06.180 --> 00:07:09.959 will always be one. And what I'm trying to say 00:07:09.959 --> 00:07:12.560 in that moment is if you don't... If you're not 00:07:12.560 --> 00:07:14.620 content with what you have, if you're always 00:07:14.620 --> 00:07:16.819 desiring more, if you're always desiring greater, 00:07:17.000 --> 00:07:19.160 if there's that title at your job that you keep 00:07:19.160 --> 00:07:21.160 chasing, there's always going to be a title higher. 00:07:21.399 --> 00:07:23.459 If there's a set number in your bank account 00:07:23.459 --> 00:07:26.959 that you'd like to have, there will always be 00:07:26.959 --> 00:07:29.379 a number that's just a little bit higher than 00:07:29.379 --> 00:07:31.699 that number. If you're always looking for greater, 00:07:31.819 --> 00:07:33.439 if you're always looking for a bigger stage, 00:07:33.759 --> 00:07:37.300 there will always be one. And here's the truth 00:07:37.300 --> 00:07:40.560 that I firmly believe. That I want to tell somebody 00:07:40.560 --> 00:07:44.399 today, you won't become enough in your own eyes. 00:07:44.680 --> 00:07:48.160 You won't become enough to yourself. You won't 00:07:48.160 --> 00:07:51.259 become enough in your own eyes until you start 00:07:51.259 --> 00:07:55.879 realizing and recognizing things around you as 00:07:55.879 --> 00:07:59.860 being enough. We look internally so much for 00:07:59.860 --> 00:08:03.399 our source of self -validation. Am I a good person? 00:08:03.459 --> 00:08:06.100 Am I a good husband? Am I a good mom? Am I a 00:08:06.100 --> 00:08:09.759 good dad? Am I a good friend? Am I a good wife? 00:08:09.800 --> 00:08:13.819 Am I a good spouse? And oftentimes I believe 00:08:13.819 --> 00:08:15.779 we always come up short with the validation of 00:08:15.779 --> 00:08:17.819 ourself, and it's because we look at everything 00:08:17.819 --> 00:08:20.339 around us as not being enough. We always wish 00:08:20.339 --> 00:08:24.759 we had just a little bit more. So my message 00:08:24.759 --> 00:08:27.040 today, what we're going to do is kind of be two 00:08:27.040 --> 00:08:30.709 messages lumped into one. The front half or the 00:08:30.709 --> 00:08:32.470 first part of my message is going to be looking 00:08:32.470 --> 00:08:34.429 at our brains, looking at our minds, a little 00:08:34.429 --> 00:08:36.610 bit of psychology in there, but ultimately biblical 00:08:36.610 --> 00:08:38.669 truths. And then the second half, we're going 00:08:38.669 --> 00:08:41.309 to look at this psyche of scarcity and how we 00:08:41.309 --> 00:08:43.850 start to recognize and realize that what we have 00:08:43.850 --> 00:08:47.929 is sufficient. So diving into our minds, the 00:08:47.929 --> 00:08:51.149 first point today that I want you to understand 00:08:51.149 --> 00:08:56.610 is that battles are won and lost in our minds. 00:08:57.210 --> 00:09:00.789 Battles are won and lost in our minds. We just 00:09:00.789 --> 00:09:03.629 learned that the actions that we choose to take, 00:09:03.730 --> 00:09:06.570 the things that we do, are actually only a product 00:09:06.570 --> 00:09:09.649 of the decisions that we've made to do those 00:09:09.649 --> 00:09:12.909 things. Watch this. When I kiss my wife, I've 00:09:12.909 --> 00:09:15.690 agreed in my mind that she is the love of my 00:09:15.690 --> 00:09:20.610 life. And that a brief moment of physical intimacy 00:09:20.610 --> 00:09:24.009 will be rewarding to showcase my love and my 00:09:24.009 --> 00:09:27.679 genuine affection for her. When you drive to 00:09:27.679 --> 00:09:31.100 Five Guys to get a burger, you've agreed in your 00:09:31.100 --> 00:09:34.899 mind that the taste of saturated fats and those 00:09:34.899 --> 00:09:37.960 delicious Cajun fries that they give you a mountain's 00:09:37.960 --> 00:09:41.179 worth in that gross cardboard bag that's soaked 00:09:41.179 --> 00:09:44.100 through, you've agreed in your mind that that's 00:09:44.100 --> 00:09:46.600 going to fulfill your palate and bring you joy 00:09:46.600 --> 00:09:49.899 and satisfaction to the hunger that you have. 00:09:50.409 --> 00:09:52.590 When you go to the movies to watch a new film, 00:09:52.669 --> 00:09:54.669 you've agreed in your mind that sitting in a 00:09:54.669 --> 00:09:57.590 nice air -conditioned theater with a reclining 00:09:57.590 --> 00:10:00.669 seat and popcorn and soda is going to lead you 00:10:00.669 --> 00:10:03.950 to a place of relaxation and enjoyment to fulfill 00:10:03.950 --> 00:10:07.710 your desire of entertainment. Do you see how 00:10:07.710 --> 00:10:10.149 all of our actions are a product of something 00:10:10.149 --> 00:10:13.330 that happens up here subconsciously? But watch 00:10:13.330 --> 00:10:16.190 this. When you choose to watch that moment of 00:10:16.190 --> 00:10:18.330 pornography, you've agreed in your mind that 00:10:18.330 --> 00:10:22.049 the devastating effects of this sin and the devaluation 00:10:22.049 --> 00:10:24.789 of your spouse is worth the limited enjoyment 00:10:24.789 --> 00:10:27.830 that you're going to receive. When you choose 00:10:27.830 --> 00:10:31.870 to slander or participate in gossip about a friend, 00:10:32.029 --> 00:10:35.950 a family member, a co -worker, and you do this 00:10:35.950 --> 00:10:38.070 behind their back, you're agreeing in your mind 00:10:38.070 --> 00:10:40.789 that tearing down another human being and sacrificing 00:10:40.789 --> 00:10:44.649 their reputation is worth the temporary and limited 00:10:44.649 --> 00:10:47.309 fulfillment and reaction that you'll receive 00:10:47.309 --> 00:10:50.590 by those you are gossiping with. When you put 00:10:50.590 --> 00:10:53.909 that substance into your body, whatever that 00:10:53.909 --> 00:10:58.700 may be, alcohol, marijuana, methamphetamines, 00:10:58.700 --> 00:11:00.899 the substances that you know are not God's best, 00:11:01.039 --> 00:11:02.980 what you're doing in that moment is you are agreeing 00:11:02.980 --> 00:11:06.220 that the short -term pleasure, the short -term 00:11:06.220 --> 00:11:09.299 euphoria, the short -term high that you're receiving 00:11:09.299 --> 00:11:12.059 is worth sacrificing the long -term devastating 00:11:12.059 --> 00:11:14.799 effects on your body, which, oh, by the way, 00:11:14.840 --> 00:11:19.100 the Bible calls the temple of God. The actions 00:11:19.100 --> 00:11:22.899 that we take all come as a result of the battles 00:11:22.899 --> 00:11:26.600 that we fight. and decide to carry out in our 00:11:26.600 --> 00:11:31.639 minds. In Romans 7, Paul tells us, for I do not 00:11:31.639 --> 00:11:35.840 understand my own actions, for I do not do what 00:11:35.840 --> 00:11:39.899 I want, but I do the very thing that I hate. 00:11:40.899 --> 00:11:44.000 Going forward into verse 18, for I know that 00:11:44.000 --> 00:11:47.500 nothing good dwells in me that is my flesh, for 00:11:47.500 --> 00:11:51.279 I have the desire to do what is right, but not 00:11:51.279 --> 00:11:55.240 the ability to carry it out. For I do not do 00:11:55.240 --> 00:11:59.159 the good I want, but the evil I do not want is 00:11:59.159 --> 00:12:03.100 what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not 00:12:03.100 --> 00:12:07.259 want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that 00:12:07.259 --> 00:12:10.679 dwells within me. This is coming from Paul. My 00:12:10.679 --> 00:12:12.820 buddy Sam, who's our electric guitarist up here, 00:12:12.879 --> 00:12:16.320 he calls Paul the real G of the Bible. And when 00:12:16.320 --> 00:12:17.740 he first told me that, I said, what the heck 00:12:17.740 --> 00:12:19.759 does that mean, Sam? The real G of the Bible. 00:12:19.799 --> 00:12:22.360 And I realized I'm getting old and I got a bunch 00:12:22.360 --> 00:12:24.179 of young bucks up here that are teaching me new 00:12:24.179 --> 00:12:27.200 lingo. What he's saying is Paul is a very important 00:12:27.200 --> 00:12:31.340 biblical feature, a very important biblical writer 00:12:31.340 --> 00:12:34.120 of the Bible. He writes the stuff that we all 00:12:34.120 --> 00:12:36.019 have tattooed on us, the stuff that we quote 00:12:36.019 --> 00:12:39.039 on our social media. 90 % of it comes from Paul. 00:12:39.100 --> 00:12:41.419 I don't know if you realize that or not. If Paul, 00:12:41.639 --> 00:12:45.240 one of the closest followers of Jesus, struggles 00:12:45.240 --> 00:12:48.120 with this, it's natural that we are going to 00:12:48.120 --> 00:12:50.059 struggle with it as well. Paul says, the things 00:12:50.059 --> 00:12:53.580 that I don't want to do, I do, and the things 00:12:53.580 --> 00:12:58.259 that I do want to do, I don't. Paul is explaining 00:12:58.259 --> 00:13:01.320 to us the battle and the difficulty that happens 00:13:01.320 --> 00:13:04.980 in our minds. Because sin ultimately lives inside 00:13:04.980 --> 00:13:08.879 of us, we cannot be held responsible for the 00:13:08.879 --> 00:13:11.179 temptations that we go through from time to time. 00:13:11.620 --> 00:13:13.019 And then when I said that, you're like, oh, now 00:13:13.019 --> 00:13:14.179 hold on, Rhett. I don't know if I agree with 00:13:14.179 --> 00:13:16.740 you. Look, let's look at a case study. If I decide 00:13:16.740 --> 00:13:19.200 to go to a birthday party, and let's pretend 00:13:19.200 --> 00:13:21.759 like I'm somebody who struggles with the food 00:13:21.759 --> 00:13:24.299 that I put into my body. I have a gluttonous 00:13:24.299 --> 00:13:27.639 attitude. I overeat. I overindulge. And that's 00:13:27.639 --> 00:13:29.059 ultimately, the Bible says that gluttony is a 00:13:29.059 --> 00:13:31.990 sin. If I go to a birthday party, I go there 00:13:31.990 --> 00:13:33.889 with the best intentions. I'm there to honor 00:13:33.889 --> 00:13:36.129 somebody in my life, to celebrate that they're 00:13:36.129 --> 00:13:39.710 crossing over a milestone, to celebrate that 00:13:39.710 --> 00:13:41.850 they've accomplished another year around the 00:13:41.850 --> 00:13:44.889 sun, right? And that's all well and good. But 00:13:44.889 --> 00:13:47.029 then they go to that back room, and they bring 00:13:47.029 --> 00:13:50.009 out the crumble cookies, and they bring out the 00:13:50.009 --> 00:13:53.990 Brewster's ice cream, and they bring out the 00:13:53.990 --> 00:13:56.679 big old birthday cake. Loaded with sugars and 00:13:56.679 --> 00:13:59.279 dyes and all the bad stuff that we shouldn't 00:13:59.279 --> 00:14:02.120 put in our body. You see, in that moment, I have 00:14:02.120 --> 00:14:05.320 a real temptation now, right? Because I'm someone 00:14:05.320 --> 00:14:07.279 that struggles with gluttony. I'm someone that 00:14:07.279 --> 00:14:09.580 struggles with overeating. I'm somebody that 00:14:09.580 --> 00:14:13.059 struggles with eating sugar. It's not my fault 00:14:13.059 --> 00:14:14.980 that I'm being tempted. I'm there at a birthday 00:14:14.980 --> 00:14:18.740 party honoring somebody that I love. But what 00:14:18.740 --> 00:14:22.740 Paul is saying is we are responsible for how 00:14:22.740 --> 00:14:27.259 we respond. to these temptations. It's a fact 00:14:27.259 --> 00:14:30.080 that in this life you will be tempted. It is 00:14:30.080 --> 00:14:32.340 a fact that in this life there are things in 00:14:32.340 --> 00:14:34.580 your life that you know you struggle with when 00:14:34.580 --> 00:14:37.299 it comes to sin. The enemy will purposefully 00:14:37.299 --> 00:14:39.759 put you in situations, and sometimes you put 00:14:39.759 --> 00:14:42.559 yourself in the situation in which you will be 00:14:42.559 --> 00:14:45.240 tempted to give in to your flesh. But Paul says, 00:14:45.360 --> 00:14:50.100 no, we are responsible for how we respond to 00:14:50.100 --> 00:14:52.600 them. So thought number one, battles are won 00:14:52.600 --> 00:14:54.399 and lost in our mind. Thought number two, the 00:14:54.399 --> 00:14:59.259 enemy wants to capture your mind. Let me give 00:14:59.259 --> 00:15:02.720 you a very sobering fact. The devil believes 00:15:02.720 --> 00:15:07.379 the Word of God. The devil believes, front cover 00:15:07.379 --> 00:15:10.779 to back cover, the Word of God. When I first 00:15:10.779 --> 00:15:14.139 read that, I kind of like struggled with that 00:15:14.139 --> 00:15:15.299 for a second. I'm like, wait a second. And I 00:15:15.299 --> 00:15:16.720 got to thinking about it, and I was like, oh, 00:15:16.759 --> 00:15:20.730 shoot. The devil believes that he's a liar. The 00:15:20.730 --> 00:15:23.990 devil believes that Jesus came. The devil believes 00:15:23.990 --> 00:15:26.789 that he died on the cross. And the devil believes 00:15:26.789 --> 00:15:30.090 that he then rose from the grave three days later. 00:15:30.269 --> 00:15:32.830 And the devil believes that when that sky cracks 00:15:32.830 --> 00:15:36.490 and Jesus comes back on his horse, he knows he's 00:15:36.490 --> 00:15:39.809 in trouble. He knows the battle has already been 00:15:39.809 --> 00:15:42.649 won. The outcome is dictated. He knows that his 00:15:42.649 --> 00:15:48.289 future is not one of victory. And so what he 00:15:48.289 --> 00:15:51.529 wants to do, on his way down is to bring as many 00:15:51.529 --> 00:15:54.850 of us with him. And the way that he does that 00:15:54.850 --> 00:16:00.409 is to capture our minds. Sometimes he may put 00:16:00.409 --> 00:16:04.509 sinful desires directly into our heart, followed 00:16:04.509 --> 00:16:07.669 by thoughts that justify those sinful desires. 00:16:08.230 --> 00:16:10.990 But sometimes he does the reverse because he's 00:16:10.990 --> 00:16:14.389 tricky. Sometimes he puts deceptive thoughts 00:16:14.389 --> 00:16:18.309 in our minds that lead us into sinful desires. 00:16:19.879 --> 00:16:23.000 And I believe that more times than not, the devil 00:16:23.000 --> 00:16:26.720 is not a devil who displays himself on a grand 00:16:26.720 --> 00:16:29.960 scale and goes for the final blow right from 00:16:29.960 --> 00:16:33.480 the start. But I believe that he works like this. 00:16:33.539 --> 00:16:36.860 I believe he works to get you to believe just 00:16:36.860 --> 00:16:41.419 that first little white lie. He gets you to believe 00:16:41.419 --> 00:16:47.100 one little untruth at a time. He gets you to 00:16:47.100 --> 00:16:50.289 surrender. Just a little bit of your peace. He 00:16:50.289 --> 00:16:52.250 gets you to surrender just a little bit of your 00:16:52.250 --> 00:16:54.929 truth. He gets you to surrender just a little 00:16:54.929 --> 00:16:56.470 bit of your convictions. He gets you to surrender 00:16:56.470 --> 00:16:58.350 a little bit of your territory and a little bit 00:16:58.350 --> 00:16:59.990 more of your territory and a little bit more 00:16:59.990 --> 00:17:02.809 of your territory until you eventually become 00:17:02.809 --> 00:17:07.269 his prisoner. Look at the story of Judas Iscariot 00:17:07.269 --> 00:17:09.690 in the Bible. This man was a successful businessman. 00:17:11.130 --> 00:17:14.990 And he gave up everything, laid down everything 00:17:14.990 --> 00:17:18.240 to follow Jesus. What do you think Judas would 00:17:18.240 --> 00:17:21.000 have said if five minutes after saying, I'll 00:17:21.000 --> 00:17:22.640 follow you, if somebody would have came up and 00:17:22.640 --> 00:17:24.920 said, hey, Judas, do you know you're going to 00:17:24.920 --> 00:17:27.700 betray this man for 30 pieces of silver, which 00:17:27.700 --> 00:17:29.400 is ultimately going to lead to his brutal death 00:17:29.400 --> 00:17:33.579 on a cross? No way. Not me. Not me. I'm giving 00:17:33.579 --> 00:17:35.819 up everything to follow this man. I believe he's 00:17:35.819 --> 00:17:37.759 the Messiah. I believe he's the Savior of the 00:17:37.759 --> 00:17:40.319 world. Why would I give up my entire life to 00:17:40.319 --> 00:17:43.400 follow somebody to then betray him? But we all 00:17:43.400 --> 00:17:45.680 know how that story ends, because the enemy got 00:17:45.680 --> 00:17:49.759 in his mind and got him to believe that money 00:17:49.759 --> 00:17:53.900 was important, that 30 pieces of silver was worth 00:17:53.900 --> 00:17:57.099 sacrificing the Savior of the world. The enemy 00:17:57.099 --> 00:18:00.400 got him to believe that he was smarter than Jesus 00:18:00.400 --> 00:18:06.559 was. You see, Judas didn't only betray Jesus 00:18:06.559 --> 00:18:09.009 for the money. He thought that he could force 00:18:09.009 --> 00:18:11.529 Jesus' hand. He thought Jesus was the one that 00:18:11.529 --> 00:18:15.069 came to overthrow Rome. He thought that if I 00:18:15.069 --> 00:18:17.829 can turn this guy in, he's going to have to show 00:18:17.829 --> 00:18:20.190 his power. He's going to have to come down off 00:18:20.190 --> 00:18:22.930 that cross. He's going to have to bring the angel 00:18:22.930 --> 00:18:26.630 armies to come down and overthrow Rome. He thought 00:18:26.630 --> 00:18:29.369 the devil got him to believe that he was smarter 00:18:29.369 --> 00:18:32.190 than the man that he chose to give everything 00:18:32.190 --> 00:18:35.009 to follow. You see, I don't believe that anyone 00:18:35.009 --> 00:18:36.990 wakes up one day and just decides I'm going to 00:18:36.990 --> 00:18:40.250 start doing terrible drugs that will completely 00:18:40.250 --> 00:18:42.210 destroy my body and ruin my life, but I think 00:18:42.210 --> 00:18:46.089 it probably looks a little more like this. Hey, 00:18:46.130 --> 00:18:51.670 Dave, you're such a good guy. Hey, Dave, you 00:18:51.670 --> 00:18:55.450 work really hard at your job. Dave, you did a 00:18:55.450 --> 00:18:57.650 great job on that presentation at work the other 00:18:57.650 --> 00:19:02.190 day. Man, Dave, your kids are lucky to have you. 00:19:04.259 --> 00:19:07.779 Dave, your wife is lucky to have you too. Hey, 00:19:07.799 --> 00:19:09.420 Dave, I'd be a little upset if I didn't get that 00:19:09.420 --> 00:19:12.200 promotion you just put in for. You deserved it. 00:19:12.200 --> 00:19:14.200 We all know you deserved it. How dare they look 00:19:14.200 --> 00:19:18.299 over you? Dave, I can't believe the way your 00:19:18.299 --> 00:19:19.960 wife talked to you this morning leaving for work. 00:19:20.019 --> 00:19:23.599 You don't deserve that. Dave, why don't your 00:19:23.599 --> 00:19:26.299 kids listen to you more? Do they not respect 00:19:26.299 --> 00:19:29.259 the man that you are? Dave, it seems like you're 00:19:29.259 --> 00:19:30.700 going through a little bit of a rough patch in 00:19:30.700 --> 00:19:33.180 your life. Things aren't looking up, so... So 00:19:33.180 --> 00:19:35.940 much more. You didn't get that promotion. Things 00:19:35.940 --> 00:19:37.640 with your wife's a little shaky, a little rocky. 00:19:37.779 --> 00:19:39.940 The kids seem like they don't respect you anymore. 00:19:41.200 --> 00:19:42.759 Hey, Dave, you should think about something that 00:19:42.759 --> 00:19:44.599 would numb your pain a little bit. Just a little 00:19:44.599 --> 00:19:47.720 bit. Hey, Dave, everyone's talking about this 00:19:47.720 --> 00:19:51.779 new thing. You should try it. If you don't like 00:19:51.779 --> 00:19:53.539 it, it's okay. You don't have to keep doing it, 00:19:53.559 --> 00:19:58.859 but just try it. Dave, it's no big deal. Just 00:19:58.859 --> 00:20:00.619 give it a shot. What's the worst that can happen? 00:20:00.779 --> 00:20:02.559 Do you see how that happens? Do you see what 00:20:02.559 --> 00:20:06.000 happens? He lurks. He lures you in. He gets you 00:20:06.000 --> 00:20:08.680 to believe one little untruth at a time, one 00:20:08.680 --> 00:20:11.099 little lie at a time until eventually you become 00:20:11.099 --> 00:20:14.900 his prisoner, and he takes you down a path of 00:20:14.900 --> 00:20:17.500 destruction. And I'm going to preach to you for 00:20:17.500 --> 00:20:19.920 a second right here. I believe one of the greatest 00:20:19.920 --> 00:20:22.619 things that the enemy is doing right now is in 00:20:22.619 --> 00:20:25.180 the minds of people who call themselves Christians 00:20:25.180 --> 00:20:27.460 and that are a part of the American church. I 00:20:27.460 --> 00:20:29.880 believe that the enemy has warped our thinking 00:20:29.880 --> 00:20:32.480 into thinking that this church exists to make 00:20:32.480 --> 00:20:35.519 you feel good. The enemy wants you to believe 00:20:35.519 --> 00:20:37.700 that if I say something that convicts your soul 00:20:37.700 --> 00:20:39.480 or if Chris says something that convicts your 00:20:39.480 --> 00:20:41.539 soul, if it doesn't make you feel good, then 00:20:41.539 --> 00:20:44.359 it's not of God. Well, listen, we do not exist. 00:20:45.039 --> 00:20:47.559 to stroke your ego. We do not exist to affirm 00:20:47.559 --> 00:20:50.839 your sinful lifestyles. We exist to preach the 00:20:50.839 --> 00:20:54.240 Word of God. The American church, for too long, 00:20:54.299 --> 00:21:01.500 for too long... The church has existed for too 00:21:01.500 --> 00:21:03.640 long to say, come as you are and stay as you 00:21:03.640 --> 00:21:05.579 are. You cannot come as you are and you cannot 00:21:05.579 --> 00:21:07.779 stay as you are. When you hear something that 00:21:07.779 --> 00:21:10.059 convicts your soul, you need to take action. 00:21:10.180 --> 00:21:13.339 You need to get biblically rooted in the word. 00:21:13.500 --> 00:21:16.079 The church isn't here to make you feel good about 00:21:16.079 --> 00:21:18.680 yourself. The church exists to bring you closer 00:21:18.680 --> 00:21:22.000 to God through correction and instruction. Our 00:21:22.000 --> 00:21:24.400 minds have been telling us something different 00:21:24.400 --> 00:21:27.000 because the enemy is good. The enemy has made 00:21:27.000 --> 00:21:29.180 us believe that if something doesn't make me 00:21:29.349 --> 00:21:32.069 feel good, then it can't be God's best. Well, 00:21:32.130 --> 00:21:35.130 let me tell you, just because it's good doesn't 00:21:35.130 --> 00:21:40.890 mean it's God. Ephesians 6 .12 says that, for 00:21:40.890 --> 00:21:44.130 we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but 00:21:44.130 --> 00:21:46.490 against the rulers, against the authorities, 00:21:46.890 --> 00:21:51.450 against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, 00:21:51.549 --> 00:21:56.009 against the spiritual forces of evil. in the 00:21:56.009 --> 00:21:57.950 heavenly places. Look at what Paul's saying here. 00:21:57.990 --> 00:21:59.769 We're not wrestling against flesh and blood. 00:22:00.910 --> 00:22:04.730 We're not wrestling against the words that your 00:22:04.730 --> 00:22:07.930 pastor is saying. The battle is not a physical 00:22:07.930 --> 00:22:11.529 one, but it's a spiritual, ones that our eyes 00:22:11.529 --> 00:22:14.390 cannot see, a spiritual realm that we cannot 00:22:14.390 --> 00:22:17.230 visualize, but we need to know that is there. 00:22:17.730 --> 00:22:21.160 Every day we wake up, There is a battle happening 00:22:21.160 --> 00:22:23.859 in the spiritual realm where the darkness is 00:22:23.859 --> 00:22:27.839 trying to capture your soul and the light is 00:22:27.839 --> 00:22:30.859 trying to bring you further and closer to the 00:22:30.859 --> 00:22:34.940 light. The battle is not against the substance 00:22:34.940 --> 00:22:38.359 that you abuse. The battle is against your desire 00:22:38.359 --> 00:22:42.259 to use that substance. The battle is not against 00:22:42.259 --> 00:22:44.680 the inappropriate adult films that you choose 00:22:44.680 --> 00:22:48.799 to watch. The battle is against your desire to 00:22:48.799 --> 00:22:52.579 watch. Those inappropriate films. This may be 00:22:52.579 --> 00:22:54.660 my favorite verse of the Bible and one that's 00:22:54.660 --> 00:22:59.240 my verse for the year. 2 Corinthians 10, 3 through 00:22:59.240 --> 00:23:01.539 5, it says, For though we walk in the flesh, 00:23:01.779 --> 00:23:05.039 we are not waging war according to the flesh. 00:23:05.220 --> 00:23:07.839 For the weapons of our warfare are not of the 00:23:07.839 --> 00:23:12.299 flesh, but have divine power to destroy strongholds. 00:23:12.319 --> 00:23:15.440 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion 00:23:15.440 --> 00:23:18.599 raised against the knowledge of God. And say 00:23:18.599 --> 00:23:22.890 it with me. Take every thought captive to obey 00:23:22.890 --> 00:23:26.170 Christ. Being ready to punish every disobedience 00:23:26.170 --> 00:23:28.430 when your obedience is complete. Say it again 00:23:28.430 --> 00:23:32.390 with me. Take. every thought captive. What Paul 00:23:32.390 --> 00:23:34.890 is saying here is that moment that you get that 00:23:34.890 --> 00:23:37.349 thing in your brain where you start to feel a 00:23:37.349 --> 00:23:39.569 little bit of conviction, where the Holy Spirit 00:23:39.569 --> 00:23:41.990 starts to nudge you and say, this is not me, 00:23:42.069 --> 00:23:44.710 Rhett. This is not God's best. You have to grab 00:23:44.710 --> 00:23:47.670 hold of that. You have to take it captive. You 00:23:47.670 --> 00:23:52.240 have to kill and crucify your flesh. When you 00:23:52.240 --> 00:23:55.279 want to watch the pornography, you have to take 00:23:55.279 --> 00:23:58.579 that thought captive. When you want to gossip 00:23:58.579 --> 00:24:01.480 about your family member or about your co -worker, 00:24:01.680 --> 00:24:05.079 you need to take that thought captive. When you 00:24:05.079 --> 00:24:08.299 want to complain about your spouse, take that 00:24:08.299 --> 00:24:10.940 thought captive. When you want to drink that 00:24:10.940 --> 00:24:14.220 drink or smoke that blunt, Take that thought 00:24:14.220 --> 00:24:16.480 captive. And when you want to leave the church 00:24:16.480 --> 00:24:20.039 because Chris stepped on your toes instructing 00:24:20.039 --> 00:24:24.819 you biblically, take that thought captive. Once 00:24:24.819 --> 00:24:28.640 we learn to do this, once we learn that we need 00:24:28.640 --> 00:24:33.299 to take our minds and crucify the flesh that 00:24:33.299 --> 00:24:36.980 lives within us, rely on the Holy Spirit to guide 00:24:36.980 --> 00:24:41.619 us and direct us, that's when we start our pursuit. 00:24:42.359 --> 00:24:47.220 of holiness. So thought number two, the enemy 00:24:47.220 --> 00:24:50.420 wants to capture your mind. And thought number 00:24:50.420 --> 00:24:56.339 three today, your marinade matters. Now, some 00:24:56.339 --> 00:24:58.599 of you may or may not know this about me, but 00:24:58.599 --> 00:25:01.740 outside of loving my beautiful wife and my kids 00:25:01.740 --> 00:25:05.660 and loving to lead worship, I love to cook, man. 00:25:05.839 --> 00:25:09.099 I love to cook. But, well, I guess I should be... 00:25:09.529 --> 00:25:12.069 A little bit more specific. I love to grill and 00:25:12.069 --> 00:25:14.789 I love to smoke meats, right? So I got a pit 00:25:14.789 --> 00:25:17.630 boss out on my patio that I love that thing. 00:25:17.809 --> 00:25:21.069 I love that thing. And oftentimes, one of my 00:25:21.069 --> 00:25:24.670 favorite methods to cook is I love to marinate 00:25:24.670 --> 00:25:27.470 the cut of meat that I'm getting ready to make, 00:25:27.529 --> 00:25:32.029 whether it's chicken, pork, tomahawk ribeye steak. 00:25:32.170 --> 00:25:35.619 Can I get an amen from somebody? Yeah. So when 00:25:35.619 --> 00:25:36.940 you marinate something, what do you do, right? 00:25:37.019 --> 00:25:39.380 You put it in a baggie or maybe put it in a pan 00:25:39.380 --> 00:25:41.960 of some kind, and you pour things over it, whether 00:25:41.960 --> 00:25:45.019 it's liquids, whether it's seasonings. And what 00:25:45.019 --> 00:25:47.980 you're doing is you are taking that cut of meat 00:25:47.980 --> 00:25:51.380 and you are subjecting it to a certain flavor 00:25:51.380 --> 00:25:53.960 profile that you want it to taste like at the 00:25:53.960 --> 00:25:57.319 end. The product, or the ribeye steak in this 00:25:57.319 --> 00:26:00.700 case, that I cooked is a result of what I've 00:26:00.700 --> 00:26:03.940 allowed it to be soaked in. You guys know where 00:26:03.940 --> 00:26:06.559 I'm going with this, don't you? You see, we just 00:26:06.559 --> 00:26:09.440 learned that our actions, the actions that we 00:26:09.440 --> 00:26:11.599 take, are actually just a product of the decisions 00:26:11.599 --> 00:26:13.180 that we make in our mind. But let's take it one 00:26:13.180 --> 00:26:16.079 step further. The decisions that we make are 00:26:16.079 --> 00:26:19.400 directly related to the things we allow our souls 00:26:19.400 --> 00:26:23.660 and our hearts to be soaked in. That's where 00:26:23.660 --> 00:26:27.059 it all begins. So I ask you today, what are you 00:26:27.059 --> 00:26:34.370 choosing to marinate in? World news? Politics, 00:26:34.370 --> 00:26:38.730 inappropriate TV shows and movies, songs that 00:26:38.730 --> 00:26:40.910 would make your grandmama blush if she listened 00:26:40.910 --> 00:26:47.430 to them with you, social media, Facebook, Insta, 00:26:47.430 --> 00:26:53.049 Tiki Tok. What if instead of the world news, 00:26:53.109 --> 00:26:55.960 we chose the good news? Shout out Rudy. What 00:26:55.960 --> 00:26:58.140 if instead of politics, we chose Bible studies? 00:26:58.299 --> 00:27:00.819 What if instead of raunchy TV shows, we chose 00:27:00.819 --> 00:27:02.680 devotionals? And what if instead of hip -hop 00:27:02.680 --> 00:27:05.240 and pop music that glorifies sex, drugs, and 00:27:05.240 --> 00:27:07.220 alcohol, we chose worship music? What would our 00:27:07.220 --> 00:27:10.059 lives look like? At the beginning of the year, 00:27:10.200 --> 00:27:13.460 I decided that my word for the year is holiness. 00:27:14.359 --> 00:27:16.299 And I challenged my worship team that I wanted 00:27:16.299 --> 00:27:18.059 that to be their word of the year as well. And 00:27:18.059 --> 00:27:20.299 holiness sounds very religious and very scary 00:27:20.299 --> 00:27:22.859 until you just realize. It's just crucifying 00:27:22.859 --> 00:27:24.599 your flesh and trying to be more like God every 00:27:24.599 --> 00:27:27.700 day. There's this show that I've come to love 00:27:27.700 --> 00:27:35.500 last year called Yellowstone. And I got hooked 00:27:35.500 --> 00:27:40.099 on it. I love the plot. I was interested. It's 00:27:40.099 --> 00:27:42.480 cool to learn about ranches and John Dutton and 00:27:42.480 --> 00:27:46.099 all the problems that he faced. But let me tell 00:27:46.099 --> 00:27:50.180 you, it's a raunchy TV show. It's bad. Every 00:27:50.180 --> 00:27:55.160 third word is a cuss word. A lot of inappropriate 00:27:55.160 --> 00:27:57.700 things. I'm being very vulnerable and honest 00:27:57.700 --> 00:28:02.279 with you. After the first of the year, I went 00:28:02.279 --> 00:28:04.519 to complete the next season that I was on, and 00:28:04.519 --> 00:28:06.400 as soon as I hit play, I just had this conviction 00:28:06.400 --> 00:28:09.599 come over my spirit. And at first, my response 00:28:09.599 --> 00:28:13.279 was, it's okay. This hasn't caused me to cuss. 00:28:13.359 --> 00:28:16.140 This hasn't caused me to run off and buy a horse. 00:28:18.380 --> 00:28:20.539 This hasn't caused me to treat Katie or my kids 00:28:20.539 --> 00:28:22.680 any differently. It's just entertainment. It's 00:28:22.680 --> 00:28:26.559 fine. So I kept watching it, and then I got super 00:28:26.559 --> 00:28:28.940 convicted, and I realized that that conviction 00:28:28.940 --> 00:28:32.980 was the Holy Spirit. And so I just quit cold 00:28:32.980 --> 00:28:34.619 turkey, stopped watching it. I have no idea how 00:28:34.619 --> 00:28:36.380 the show ends. I'm a little bummed by that, but 00:28:36.380 --> 00:28:39.480 it's okay. You see, what I realized in the moment 00:28:39.480 --> 00:28:42.640 is that I was marinating in some filth. I was 00:28:42.640 --> 00:28:44.779 marinating in some filth. And although I didn't 00:28:44.779 --> 00:28:47.380 see any direct difference in myself, I didn't 00:28:47.380 --> 00:28:49.839 start cursing like a sailor. I didn't start doing 00:28:49.839 --> 00:28:52.799 all these bad things. It was still permeating 00:28:52.799 --> 00:28:57.920 my soul. It was still getting inside of me. And 00:28:57.920 --> 00:28:59.759 so that was an area of conviction that I had 00:28:59.759 --> 00:29:01.720 to take the thought captive. Because when I turned 00:29:01.720 --> 00:29:04.279 it on again, I told God, God, I'm pursuing holiness. 00:29:04.440 --> 00:29:06.579 I'm coming after you. Now let me turn on this 00:29:06.579 --> 00:29:10.019 TV show that says the F -bomb more times than 00:29:10.019 --> 00:29:14.609 I care to. care to hear, I had to take that thought 00:29:14.609 --> 00:29:16.869 captive, right? I had to take that thought captive 00:29:16.869 --> 00:29:18.869 and make a change. The Institute of Biblical 00:29:18.869 --> 00:29:21.029 Research just conducted one of the largest studies 00:29:21.029 --> 00:29:23.710 of the effects of reading the Bible. Reading 00:29:23.710 --> 00:29:26.170 the Bible once or twice per week, what they found 00:29:26.170 --> 00:29:29.390 had marginal improvement in people's lives. Not 00:29:29.390 --> 00:29:32.589 a whole lot, but a little bit. When you went 00:29:32.589 --> 00:29:34.670 from two to three days a week, they saw even 00:29:34.670 --> 00:29:36.970 more improvement, but still nothing too significant. 00:29:37.150 --> 00:29:39.490 But listen to this. When you go from three days 00:29:39.490 --> 00:29:42.849 to four days a week of getting into the Word, 00:29:43.109 --> 00:29:46.289 they found it's where everything changes. They 00:29:46.289 --> 00:29:49.150 found that sharing a faith skyrocketed 200%, 00:29:49.150 --> 00:29:54.029 discipling others jumped 230%, feelings of loneliness 00:29:54.029 --> 00:29:58.210 dropped 30%, anger issues dropped 32%, relationship 00:29:58.210 --> 00:30:01.470 bitterness dropped 40%, alcoholism plummeted 00:30:01.470 --> 00:30:04.990 by 57%, feelings of spiritual stagnancy fell 00:30:04.990 --> 00:30:08.670 60%, and viewing of pornography decreased 61%. 00:30:08.670 --> 00:30:12.109 Why is this, folks? Because those who marinate 00:30:12.109 --> 00:30:15.569 in the good stuff produce a good taste. lasting 00:30:15.569 --> 00:30:18.190 final result. I mean, this isn't rocket science 00:30:18.190 --> 00:30:21.309 here, right? Those that marinate themselves in 00:30:21.309 --> 00:30:23.349 the Word, and I believe why this is so significant, 00:30:23.470 --> 00:30:25.630 is that when you make the jump from three to 00:30:25.630 --> 00:30:28.170 four days of the week, you've gone from minority 00:30:28.170 --> 00:30:31.970 to majority, right? Four days is the majority 00:30:31.970 --> 00:30:34.490 of the week. When the majority of the week you 00:30:34.490 --> 00:30:37.490 are in God's Word, learning instruction, learning 00:30:37.490 --> 00:30:39.650 how to be a better husband, learning how to be 00:30:39.650 --> 00:30:42.549 a better wife, learning how to be a better dad 00:30:42.549 --> 00:30:44.569 or mom, learning how to be a better disciple, 00:30:45.150 --> 00:30:48.609 what you're marinating is going to taste a very, 00:30:48.690 --> 00:30:52.789 very good tasting final result. The Bible says 00:30:52.789 --> 00:30:57.289 in Philippians 4 .8, whatever is true, honorable, 00:30:57.670 --> 00:31:03.390 just, pure, lovely, commendable, where there 00:31:03.390 --> 00:31:06.970 is excellence, if anything worthy of praise, 00:31:07.150 --> 00:31:13.390 think about these things. So the next time you're 00:31:13.390 --> 00:31:16.019 listening to something, Or watching something. 00:31:16.339 --> 00:31:18.980 Or marinating in something. Right here is your 00:31:18.980 --> 00:31:21.880 rubric. Can you put the previous slide up, Katie? 00:31:23.180 --> 00:31:28.059 True. Is it true? Is it honorable? Is it just? 00:31:28.500 --> 00:31:32.859 Is it pure? Is it lovely? Is it commendable? 00:31:33.079 --> 00:31:36.000 If there's any excellence in it, ask yourself 00:31:36.000 --> 00:31:39.759 these things. And if the answer is no, it's not 00:31:39.759 --> 00:31:47.759 of God. Your marinade. Matters, friends. So now 00:31:47.759 --> 00:31:49.400 we're going to transition into the more practical 00:31:49.400 --> 00:31:51.119 side of the message. I tried to give you a little 00:31:51.119 --> 00:31:54.119 bit of wisdom and guidance on just how important 00:31:54.119 --> 00:31:59.220 and how just necessary it is to take every thought 00:31:59.220 --> 00:32:02.059 captive, how our minds work. Now we're going 00:32:02.059 --> 00:32:04.559 to get into how we battle the psyche or the feelings 00:32:04.559 --> 00:32:07.180 of scarcity. We learned that scarcity is the 00:32:07.180 --> 00:32:10.779 gap between what I got and what I want. What 00:32:10.779 --> 00:32:13.890 I have, what I don't have. And the world has 00:32:13.890 --> 00:32:16.049 taught us that we deserve more than what we have. 00:32:17.190 --> 00:32:20.970 The first thought that we need to realize today 00:32:20.970 --> 00:32:26.210 is we need to fix your focus. Has anyone in here, 00:32:26.349 --> 00:32:30.730 probably those over the age of 35, anybody ever 00:32:30.730 --> 00:32:34.829 used a magnifying glass? Yeah, Gary still does. 00:32:34.930 --> 00:32:39.670 That's awesome. A magnifying glass is this relic, 00:32:39.670 --> 00:32:43.650 right? It's this circular piece of glass that 00:32:43.650 --> 00:32:45.549 has a handle. And what it's used for is you put 00:32:45.549 --> 00:32:47.829 it in front of whatever it is that you want to 00:32:47.829 --> 00:32:50.730 see so that behind it, it is magnified. Oftentimes, 00:32:50.829 --> 00:32:53.670 people would use it to read or to do a crossword 00:32:53.670 --> 00:32:56.309 puzzle or a word search because everything behind 00:32:56.309 --> 00:33:00.609 it is magnified so that you gain additional and 00:33:00.609 --> 00:33:04.710 better visual appearance. You see, our life is 00:33:04.710 --> 00:33:08.559 the same. Except in reality, we never put the 00:33:08.559 --> 00:33:12.779 magnifying glass down. We don't have the ability 00:33:12.779 --> 00:33:16.220 to put the magnifying glass down. Our minds will 00:33:16.220 --> 00:33:20.420 never stop magnifying things. But the good news 00:33:20.420 --> 00:33:25.549 is, we get to choose what it is we magnify. And 00:33:25.549 --> 00:33:28.910 what we focus on in life, what we focus on, what 00:33:28.910 --> 00:33:32.009 we fixate, where we hold the magnifying glass 00:33:32.009 --> 00:33:35.569 is what will be magnified into a greater presence 00:33:35.569 --> 00:33:39.589 into our life. Can we do a thought experiment 00:33:39.589 --> 00:33:43.069 together real quick? Katie, put up that first 00:33:43.069 --> 00:33:47.410 picture for me. I know a mom in here just got 00:33:47.410 --> 00:33:51.769 some severe panic attack. All right, so what 00:33:51.769 --> 00:33:55.700 do we see here? We see a laundry room. That is 00:33:55.700 --> 00:33:58.740 just overrun by dirty laundry. There's a washer. 00:33:59.519 --> 00:34:01.859 There's a dryer. There's stuff in the washer. 00:34:01.940 --> 00:34:04.240 There's stuff on the ground. There's no... Somebody 00:34:04.240 --> 00:34:05.880 check on Nathan Beard. Nathan, you doing okay? 00:34:06.440 --> 00:34:09.699 He's all right. So we just have clothes everywhere, 00:34:09.920 --> 00:34:12.519 right? Piled high. That looks like a lot of work. 00:34:12.559 --> 00:34:16.980 That looks like a horrible scenario. That does 00:34:16.980 --> 00:34:19.860 not look like a fun afternoon or a fun evening. 00:34:20.619 --> 00:34:25.059 Go to the next slide for me, please. Here's a 00:34:25.059 --> 00:34:27.139 woman who has to walk three miles to the nearest 00:34:27.139 --> 00:34:30.320 stream with clothes in a basket on top of her 00:34:30.320 --> 00:34:32.659 head. She has to hand scrub every single shirt, 00:34:32.820 --> 00:34:36.460 every single pant, every single sock, beat it, 00:34:36.500 --> 00:34:38.980 slap it against a rock, walk the three miles 00:34:38.980 --> 00:34:41.579 home to hang it up on a clothesline and only 00:34:41.579 --> 00:34:43.440 have to go back out then and get the laundry 00:34:43.440 --> 00:34:45.940 and take it in. She would look at that laundry 00:34:45.940 --> 00:34:49.320 room as an incredible blessing in her life. But 00:34:49.320 --> 00:34:51.920 us entitled Americans look at that and we think, 00:34:51.960 --> 00:34:55.469 what a disaster. My house better never look like 00:34:55.469 --> 00:34:58.170 that. I hope I'm not subjected to that kind of 00:34:58.170 --> 00:35:01.610 pain. But here we have somebody who would give 00:35:01.610 --> 00:35:04.030 everything to be able to have a washer and a 00:35:04.030 --> 00:35:06.349 dryer in a room in her house that looks like 00:35:06.349 --> 00:35:10.829 that. Next slide, please. If you didn't have 00:35:10.829 --> 00:35:14.289 stress before, now you do. Look at this. What 00:35:14.289 --> 00:35:16.349 do we see? We see a table that's overrun with 00:35:16.349 --> 00:35:19.889 food. Looks like they had a feast. I see a chicken 00:35:19.889 --> 00:35:22.469 dinner. I see some type of pasta, some type of 00:35:22.469 --> 00:35:25.469 soup. Got some broccoli casserole, some type 00:35:25.469 --> 00:35:28.889 of rice, peas and carrots. I mean, these people 00:35:28.889 --> 00:35:33.909 had a feast. But man, what a mess. Who wants 00:35:33.909 --> 00:35:37.309 to clean that up? That is disastrous. I don't 00:35:37.309 --> 00:35:39.110 want to wipe that table. I don't want to vacuum 00:35:39.110 --> 00:35:41.250 that floor. I don't want to do those dishes. 00:35:41.769 --> 00:35:46.349 That looks horrible. Next slide, please. This 00:35:46.349 --> 00:35:49.440 is a food line, and this is not... Uncommon in 00:35:49.440 --> 00:35:51.139 many parts of the world where people need to 00:35:51.139 --> 00:35:53.659 wait hours in line behind hundreds of people 00:35:53.659 --> 00:35:56.500 that stretch miles long only to pray that whole 00:35:56.500 --> 00:35:58.280 time you're in line to hope that when you get 00:35:58.280 --> 00:36:00.119 to the front of the line there's enough food 00:36:00.119 --> 00:36:03.719 to feed you and your family. These people would 00:36:03.719 --> 00:36:06.739 look at that table as the most absolute blessed 00:36:06.739 --> 00:36:09.960 table in the world. Having a dinner of chicken 00:36:09.960 --> 00:36:14.059 and pasta and rice and broccoli and to have family 00:36:14.059 --> 00:36:16.639 to sit around it with you and enjoy fellowship. 00:36:17.579 --> 00:36:19.860 These people would look at that table as an absolute 00:36:19.860 --> 00:36:24.219 blessing where we look at it as a problem. Next 00:36:24.219 --> 00:36:29.199 slide, please. What do we see here? We see a 00:36:29.199 --> 00:36:31.679 truck that many of us wouldn't be caught dead 00:36:31.679 --> 00:36:34.760 in. I for sure ain't going to Target and doing 00:36:34.760 --> 00:36:37.760 my store pickup in that thing. I'm going inside 00:36:37.760 --> 00:36:41.159 the store. That way they don't see me. We'd be 00:36:41.159 --> 00:36:43.280 embarrassed to drive this. It's covered in rust. 00:36:44.099 --> 00:36:47.909 The windshield's busted out. Tires look like 00:36:47.909 --> 00:36:52.110 they've seen better days. Go to the next slide, 00:36:52.130 --> 00:36:55.210 please. This is someone who has to walk everywhere 00:36:55.210 --> 00:36:57.030 they go, and because of the fact that they have 00:36:57.030 --> 00:36:59.150 to walk miles and miles and miles every single 00:36:59.150 --> 00:37:02.550 day, they've worn a hole in their shoe. I bet 00:37:02.550 --> 00:37:04.349 you this person would love to have that truck. 00:37:05.489 --> 00:37:07.210 You see, the picture that I'm trying to paint 00:37:07.210 --> 00:37:09.730 for you is in every opportunity, in every situation 00:37:09.730 --> 00:37:12.269 in life, we have the opportunity to magnify something. 00:37:12.489 --> 00:37:16.099 We can magnify the surplus. Or we can magnify 00:37:16.099 --> 00:37:20.559 the shortage. We can magnify the abundance. Or 00:37:20.559 --> 00:37:23.760 we can magnify the absence. And this is why so 00:37:23.760 --> 00:37:26.159 many of you struggle so much with being enough 00:37:26.159 --> 00:37:28.900 or having enough in your life because you choose 00:37:28.900 --> 00:37:32.780 to magnify what is wrong in your current scenario. 00:37:32.840 --> 00:37:35.139 You choose to look at the bad instead of the 00:37:35.139 --> 00:37:37.860 good. My husband never does the dishes. Yeah, 00:37:37.920 --> 00:37:40.380 but he gets up at 5 .15 every morning and he 00:37:40.380 --> 00:37:42.559 makes coffee for the family and he goes and he 00:37:42.559 --> 00:37:44.280 busts his butt at work and when he comes home, 00:37:44.320 --> 00:37:46.000 he starts working on that deck that you've been 00:37:46.000 --> 00:37:48.519 asking him to work on. Some guys in here, my 00:37:48.519 --> 00:37:50.679 wife isn't affectionate with me enough. Yeah, 00:37:50.719 --> 00:37:52.559 but she works hard to make your house a home, 00:37:52.639 --> 00:37:54.780 and she's done a fabulous job partnering with 00:37:54.780 --> 00:37:56.800 you to raise kids, and she works really hard 00:37:56.800 --> 00:37:59.440 too, and she gives you the love and the companionship 00:37:59.440 --> 00:38:02.599 when you need it most. My kid doesn't clean their 00:38:02.599 --> 00:38:04.699 room enough. Yeah, but last week they were named 00:38:04.699 --> 00:38:07.179 student of the week for showing kindness to a 00:38:07.179 --> 00:38:10.139 classmate. You see, in every situation, we have 00:38:10.139 --> 00:38:15.820 the response ability. The response ability, not 00:38:15.820 --> 00:38:19.579 responsibility, the response ability, the ability 00:38:19.579 --> 00:38:23.119 to choose how we respond in every situation. 00:38:23.119 --> 00:38:25.960 We can look at what's lacking or we can look 00:38:25.960 --> 00:38:28.500 at the blessing. We can look at the surplus, 00:38:28.659 --> 00:38:32.280 the good things, or we can look at the shortage. 00:38:33.179 --> 00:38:35.320 And here's what happens when you start to shift 00:38:35.320 --> 00:38:38.300 your focus. And you start to train your mind 00:38:38.300 --> 00:38:41.480 to see the surplus and not the shortage, the 00:38:41.480 --> 00:38:43.900 abundance and not the absence. You start treating 00:38:43.900 --> 00:38:47.320 those around you differently. You start sending 00:38:47.320 --> 00:38:49.940 off a different flavor profile of your marination. 00:38:50.099 --> 00:38:53.000 You start walking around with a grateful heart. 00:38:53.079 --> 00:38:55.619 People start looking at you, and they start thinking, 00:38:55.699 --> 00:38:58.139 man, something's different with him. Something's 00:38:58.139 --> 00:39:00.900 different with her. I like it. I'm attracted 00:39:00.900 --> 00:39:03.340 to them. Why? They're so generous. They're so 00:39:03.340 --> 00:39:05.639 kind. They're full of joy. They have joy. They 00:39:05.639 --> 00:39:08.000 have peace when it makes no sense. You start 00:39:08.000 --> 00:39:12.300 giving off a spirit of the things of God. 1 Thessalonians 00:39:12.300 --> 00:39:17.579 5, 16 to 18 says, Rejoice always. Pray without 00:39:17.579 --> 00:39:22.460 ceasing. Give thanks in all circumstances. Not 00:39:22.460 --> 00:39:25.500 a few. Not the circumstances that make you feel 00:39:25.500 --> 00:39:29.239 good. Give thanks in all circumstances. Give 00:39:29.239 --> 00:39:32.000 thanks for the laundry room overrun with clothes. 00:39:32.239 --> 00:39:35.559 Give thanks for the table messy with food. Give 00:39:35.559 --> 00:39:38.380 thanks that you have a vehicle to get from point 00:39:38.380 --> 00:39:41.840 A to point B. For this is the will of God in 00:39:41.840 --> 00:39:46.690 Christ Jesus for you. Proverbs 4 says, look straight 00:39:46.690 --> 00:39:48.889 ahead and fix your eyes on what lies before you. 00:39:49.329 --> 00:39:52.409 Straight ahead. Mark out a straight path for 00:39:52.409 --> 00:39:55.550 your feet. Stay on the same path. Don't get sidetracked. 00:39:55.849 --> 00:40:00.230 Keep your feet from following evil. You see, 00:40:00.269 --> 00:40:03.610 if you want to battle this psyche of scarcity, 00:40:03.929 --> 00:40:06.650 if you want to battle the feelings of not being 00:40:06.650 --> 00:40:10.449 enough or not having enough, you first need to 00:40:10.449 --> 00:40:15.130 fix your focus. Thought two. Choose contentment, 00:40:15.130 --> 00:40:20.150 not resentment. Choose to be content, not to 00:40:20.150 --> 00:40:24.630 resent. Contentment refers to being happy or 00:40:24.630 --> 00:40:27.789 having satisfaction in one's current position 00:40:27.789 --> 00:40:31.969 while continuously improving to reach the long 00:40:31.969 --> 00:40:35.250 -term goals and aspirations. So contentment doesn't 00:40:35.250 --> 00:40:37.269 mean I'm never going to aspire to get something 00:40:37.269 --> 00:40:40.440 else. That's complacency. Complacency is when 00:40:40.440 --> 00:40:42.380 you just sit idly by and you let the world happen 00:40:42.380 --> 00:40:44.280 to you and you just take everything as it comes. 00:40:44.719 --> 00:40:48.139 Contentment shows joy, shows happy, shows satisfaction 00:40:48.139 --> 00:40:52.219 in your current position while continuously looking 00:40:52.219 --> 00:40:55.199 for improvement to reach long -term goals. A 00:40:55.199 --> 00:40:58.500 content person is usually grateful for the moment 00:40:58.500 --> 00:41:02.199 while striving towards trying to make tomorrow 00:41:02.199 --> 00:41:06.570 better. Paul mentioned how he learned to be content 00:41:06.570 --> 00:41:09.429 no matter his situation in Philippians. He says, 00:41:09.469 --> 00:41:12.690 now that I am speaking of being in need, for 00:41:12.690 --> 00:41:16.530 I have learned in whatever situation I am to 00:41:16.530 --> 00:41:20.320 be content, I know how to be brought low. And 00:41:20.320 --> 00:41:22.940 I know how to be brought high. I know how to 00:41:22.940 --> 00:41:25.739 abound. In every and every circumstance, I've 00:41:25.739 --> 00:41:29.039 learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, 00:41:29.079 --> 00:41:32.519 abundance and need. I know what it's like to 00:41:32.519 --> 00:41:34.940 barely have enough money to pay the last bill. 00:41:35.079 --> 00:41:37.579 And I know what it's like to give a generous 00:41:37.579 --> 00:41:40.519 tip at the restaurant because I'm doing good. 00:41:40.739 --> 00:41:43.139 I know what it's like to be surrounded by so 00:41:43.139 --> 00:41:45.639 many people and so many relationships that love 00:41:45.639 --> 00:41:48.380 me. And I know what it's like to be content feeling 00:41:48.380 --> 00:41:50.760 like I'm on and off. island. I know how to be 00:41:50.760 --> 00:41:53.840 low. I know how to be high. And until we can 00:41:53.840 --> 00:41:56.880 teach ourselves and train ourselves to be content 00:41:56.880 --> 00:42:02.159 and not resent, we will always battle a psyche 00:42:02.159 --> 00:42:04.059 of scarcity. And some of you are thinking, well, 00:42:04.079 --> 00:42:05.900 this Paul guy, I mean, how hard could it be? 00:42:05.980 --> 00:42:09.699 He lives so much of his life in prison, so much 00:42:09.699 --> 00:42:12.179 of his life in prison, but he never complained 00:42:12.179 --> 00:42:15.340 about it. He knew that the guaranteed outcome 00:42:15.340 --> 00:42:18.360 was there. He knew what his future was. And when 00:42:18.360 --> 00:42:21.159 you see the bigger picture, when you look at 00:42:21.159 --> 00:42:23.139 all the good things you have, the small things 00:42:23.139 --> 00:42:27.280 become so insignificant. The opposite of contentment 00:42:27.280 --> 00:42:30.440 is resentment. Resentment is a feeling of indignant 00:42:30.440 --> 00:42:33.960 displeasure or persistent ill will at something 00:42:33.960 --> 00:42:39.940 regarded as a wrong, insult, or injury. Listen 00:42:39.940 --> 00:42:43.349 to this parable in Luke 12. Jesus told them a 00:42:43.349 --> 00:42:45.510 parable saying, the land of a rich man produced 00:42:45.510 --> 00:42:48.170 plentifully. He had a lot of good things going 00:42:48.170 --> 00:42:50.929 on for him. And he thought to himself, what shall 00:42:50.929 --> 00:42:55.409 I do? For I have nowhere to store my crops. And 00:42:55.409 --> 00:42:58.489 he said, I will do this. I will tear down my 00:42:58.489 --> 00:43:01.469 barns, the barns that are existing in full. I 00:43:01.469 --> 00:43:04.030 will tear them down and I'll build larger ones. 00:43:04.559 --> 00:43:07.480 And there I will store up all of my grains and 00:43:07.480 --> 00:43:10.280 all of my goods. And I will say to my soul, soul, 00:43:10.460 --> 00:43:13.199 you have ample goods laid up for many years. 00:43:13.280 --> 00:43:18.059 Relax, eat, drink, be merry. But God said to 00:43:18.059 --> 00:43:22.380 him, fool, this night your soul is required of 00:43:22.380 --> 00:43:24.739 you. And the things you have prepared, whose 00:43:24.739 --> 00:43:29.030 will they be? So is the one who lays up treasure 00:43:29.030 --> 00:43:32.170 for himself and is not rich toward God. What 00:43:32.170 --> 00:43:35.190 this parable is saying is this man chose to resent. 00:43:35.429 --> 00:43:38.230 He chose to look at his lack instead of what 00:43:38.230 --> 00:43:40.769 God has blessed him with. It says that his fields 00:43:40.769 --> 00:43:43.349 were plentiful. His crops were plentiful. His 00:43:43.349 --> 00:43:45.670 barns were full to the brim. But when he looked 00:43:45.670 --> 00:43:49.070 at being full, he said, I need more. I need more. 00:43:49.269 --> 00:43:52.210 I need greater. Tear down all the good and let's 00:43:52.210 --> 00:43:54.869 continue to build things. See, so many of us 00:43:54.869 --> 00:43:58.460 have this. thing called the 80 -20 rule that 00:43:58.460 --> 00:44:01.400 we are obsessed with and what it basically is. 00:44:02.000 --> 00:44:04.219 is that you can have 80 % of everything good 00:44:04.219 --> 00:44:06.719 in your life and 20 % of things that you wish 00:44:06.719 --> 00:44:10.139 were different. And we fixate and we obsess over 00:44:10.139 --> 00:44:13.380 the 20%. Husbands, you have wives in here who 00:44:13.380 --> 00:44:16.840 are 80 % perfect. Appreciate them for the 80 00:44:16.840 --> 00:44:20.719 % and stop focusing on the 20%. I believe this 00:44:20.719 --> 00:44:23.980 church has 80 % good of what we do, but some 00:44:23.980 --> 00:44:26.280 of you in here only focus on the things that 00:44:26.280 --> 00:44:28.559 you wish were different. And what happens is 00:44:28.559 --> 00:44:30.760 husbands leave their wives and wives leave their 00:44:30.760 --> 00:44:33.059 husbands. people leave the church because they're 00:44:33.059 --> 00:44:36.059 obsessed over the 20 % and they get to that new 00:44:36.059 --> 00:44:38.300 place and they realize that where they are is 00:44:38.300 --> 00:44:41.820 worse off than where they were before. Because 00:44:41.820 --> 00:44:47.199 the enemy, the enemy lurks in our minds and he 00:44:47.199 --> 00:44:49.599 tells us you always deserve better. You always 00:44:49.599 --> 00:44:51.820 deserve greater. You always deserve different. 00:44:52.159 --> 00:44:54.800 Don't focus on what you have. Focus on what you 00:44:54.800 --> 00:44:57.980 lack. Contentment is understanding it's less 00:44:57.980 --> 00:45:02.340 about what you want. and more about how you manage 00:45:02.340 --> 00:45:07.199 what you have. Kinley, my sweet daughter, she's 00:45:07.199 --> 00:45:09.460 getting into money lately. She's starting to 00:45:09.460 --> 00:45:11.760 understand money. We got her this green light 00:45:11.760 --> 00:45:14.500 card for Christmas, and when she does her chores, 00:45:14.559 --> 00:45:18.219 I can put $5 on it, and she can go to Ulta and 00:45:18.219 --> 00:45:19.980 all her new beauty stores, and she can swipe 00:45:19.980 --> 00:45:22.619 her card. So she's starting to think about money. 00:45:22.679 --> 00:45:25.019 She's starting to see it come and go, and a while 00:45:25.019 --> 00:45:26.619 back, I don't know if you remember this, baby, 00:45:26.679 --> 00:45:30.059 but she asked me, she said, Daddy. How much money 00:45:30.059 --> 00:45:32.840 did you make at your first job? And she was talking 00:45:32.840 --> 00:45:35.119 about my job like after college, not like my 00:45:35.119 --> 00:45:40.300 first part -time job. And it wasn't much. And 00:45:40.300 --> 00:45:41.760 I told her, I said, this is how much money that 00:45:41.760 --> 00:45:45.739 I make. And she went, that's a lot of money. 00:45:47.179 --> 00:45:50.320 And you know how I responded? I said, yeah, it 00:45:50.320 --> 00:45:55.159 was until I started making it. And in that moment, 00:45:55.179 --> 00:45:58.429 I was so convicted. Because there you have a 00:45:58.429 --> 00:46:00.750 perspective of somebody who looked at what I 00:46:00.750 --> 00:46:03.510 had and thought, oh my gosh, that's so much. 00:46:03.550 --> 00:46:05.130 And there I am saying, yeah, it was great until 00:46:05.130 --> 00:46:07.750 I started making it. And then I wanted more. 00:46:07.909 --> 00:46:10.150 And then I wanted greater. And then I wanted 00:46:10.150 --> 00:46:12.409 the next title. And then I wanted the next number 00:46:12.409 --> 00:46:16.949 in my bank account. If you walk out of here today 00:46:16.949 --> 00:46:18.670 remembering one thing, this is what I want it 00:46:18.670 --> 00:46:23.630 to be. Contentment isn't measured by how much 00:46:23.630 --> 00:46:27.559 money you have, how much stuff. you possess, 00:46:27.679 --> 00:46:30.920 or how much peace or happiness exists inside 00:46:30.920 --> 00:46:34.239 of you, it's measured by how much God has of 00:46:34.239 --> 00:46:38.820 you. Contentment is not about what you have, 00:46:38.880 --> 00:46:43.199 it's about how much God has of you. And when 00:46:43.199 --> 00:46:45.440 you start to realize that the only source of 00:46:45.440 --> 00:46:47.719 your validation needs to come from Jesus and 00:46:47.719 --> 00:46:50.440 Jesus himself, everything around you starts to 00:46:50.440 --> 00:46:54.500 change. Real contentment comes when no one has 00:46:54.500 --> 00:46:59.940 to remind you to rejoice for what you have. And 00:46:59.940 --> 00:47:01.900 that brings us to our third and final point today. 00:47:01.960 --> 00:47:05.159 Remember to rejoice. Can you guys stand up with 00:47:05.159 --> 00:47:17.079 me? Philippians 4, 4. Rejoice in the Lord always. 00:47:17.519 --> 00:47:22.510 And again, I will say rejoice. And again, I will 00:47:22.510 --> 00:47:25.469 say, rejoice. You see, in the worship world, 00:47:25.570 --> 00:47:28.170 we call this a tag. Sometimes Carl, who's our 00:47:28.170 --> 00:47:31.269 MD in our ears, he says, tag that line, tag that 00:47:31.269 --> 00:47:33.690 line. And what that means when we sing who else, 00:47:33.789 --> 00:47:37.090 we'll say, there is no one, only you, Jesus. 00:47:37.289 --> 00:47:41.630 Tag, there is no one, only you, Jesus. Tag, there 00:47:41.630 --> 00:47:45.869 is no one, only you, Jesus. And a tag is to reemphasize 00:47:45.869 --> 00:47:48.170 the importance of something. And I think here 00:47:48.170 --> 00:47:51.469 in Philippians, Paul knew that people would struggle 00:47:51.469 --> 00:47:55.670 with remembering to rejoice. So he says in 4 00:47:55.670 --> 00:47:59.449 .4, Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I will 00:47:59.449 --> 00:48:04.230 say, rejoice. Hebrews 12 .2, For the joy set 00:48:04.230 --> 00:48:08.170 before him, he endured the cross, scorning its 00:48:08.170 --> 00:48:12.630 shame. Jesus wasn't joyful for the experience 00:48:12.630 --> 00:48:16.460 of the cross. for obvious reasons. Jesus wasn't 00:48:16.460 --> 00:48:19.639 joyful for the pain that he was about to experience. 00:48:19.900 --> 00:48:22.360 But you know what he was joyful for and why he 00:48:22.360 --> 00:48:25.380 could have joy? He was joyful for the guaranteed 00:48:25.380 --> 00:48:28.559 outcome that lived on the other side of the grave. 00:48:32.139 --> 00:48:36.579 And studies show that you can't worship and be 00:48:36.579 --> 00:48:39.920 anxious at the same time. You can't be grateful 00:48:39.920 --> 00:48:43.500 and be depressed at the same time. You can't 00:48:43.679 --> 00:48:47.960 rejoice and focus on your shortage at the same 00:48:47.960 --> 00:48:50.679 time. If you correlate everything around your 00:48:50.679 --> 00:48:53.280 life is lacking, how do you not expect yourself 00:48:53.280 --> 00:48:57.360 to feel like someone who lacks? So the worship 00:48:57.360 --> 00:48:59.380 team is going to give you an incredible opportunity 00:48:59.380 --> 00:49:02.699 to dig deep in your soul this morning, to find 00:49:02.699 --> 00:49:06.559 the lion that exists deep down. And when we get 00:49:06.559 --> 00:49:09.440 to that chorus, I want you to sing it like we 00:49:09.440 --> 00:49:12.099 never have. I want to see every hand raised. 00:49:12.679 --> 00:49:15.960 saying I throw up my hands and give God gratitude 00:49:15.960 --> 00:49:20.719 because if the only thing you have is a hallelujah, 00:49:20.860 --> 00:49:27.519 it is enough. It is enough. Let's sing together. 00:52:56.840 --> 00:52:57.579 I was stuck up