WEBVTT 00:00:07.379 --> 00:00:10.300 And one more time, give Him a hand clap of praise 00:00:10.300 --> 00:00:19.620 in this place. Hallelujah. And you may be seated. 00:00:24.239 --> 00:00:27.760 Jesus' life and ministry were marked by prayer. 00:00:28.239 --> 00:00:32.719 Before He spoke to men, He prayed. Before the 00:00:32.719 --> 00:00:37.539 day began, we find Jesus praying. And people 00:00:37.539 --> 00:00:40.359 would always ask that question, well, why is 00:00:40.359 --> 00:00:45.380 Jesus praying if he's the almighty God? And you 00:00:45.380 --> 00:00:47.920 know, I prayed for an answer for that for years. 00:00:49.020 --> 00:00:54.219 I know what we have is truth. I know what we 00:00:54.219 --> 00:00:57.039 have is facts and that can be found in the word 00:00:57.039 --> 00:01:02.259 of God. That Jesus is God manifests in the flesh. 00:01:02.880 --> 00:01:06.799 That Jesus was the spirit of God. robed in a 00:01:06.799 --> 00:01:10.939 fleshly body. We understand that. I know that. 00:01:10.959 --> 00:01:14.060 That's settled in my heart and in my mind. But 00:01:14.060 --> 00:01:17.099 people always ask, well, why does Jesus pray? 00:01:18.120 --> 00:01:22.840 And for years, I didn't quite comprehend it, 00:01:22.900 --> 00:01:26.519 but I ended up with a situation in my own personal 00:01:26.519 --> 00:01:30.219 life where my father wound up in the ICU and 00:01:30.219 --> 00:01:33.379 my brother wound up in the ICU at the same time. 00:01:34.159 --> 00:01:37.980 for two different reasons, but they were in the 00:01:37.980 --> 00:01:41.379 hospital around the same time in critical condition. 00:01:42.439 --> 00:01:46.180 And my dad reached out to me and asked me to 00:01:46.180 --> 00:01:48.900 pray. And of course, I was going to pray anyway. 00:01:49.239 --> 00:01:52.599 And so I set aside some time to go pray. And 00:01:52.599 --> 00:01:54.900 when I went to go pray, I felt this heaviness 00:01:54.900 --> 00:01:59.060 that came upon me, the heaviness in my spirit, 00:01:59.219 --> 00:02:04.200 a heaviness. That felt like it couldn't be shaken. 00:02:04.799 --> 00:02:10.599 And it felt like somebody was going to die. And 00:02:10.599 --> 00:02:12.719 so I would say that that was like the spirit 00:02:12.719 --> 00:02:15.780 of death. So there was a heaviness that I felt 00:02:15.780 --> 00:02:21.400 in my fleshly body. Amen. And so anytime I go 00:02:21.400 --> 00:02:25.620 through something, I will always allow that to 00:02:25.620 --> 00:02:30.199 push me into the presence of God. And so as I 00:02:30.199 --> 00:02:34.419 begin to feel that weight, I don't shy away from 00:02:34.419 --> 00:02:38.520 it. I don't try to run from it. But I lean into 00:02:38.520 --> 00:02:41.599 it. But I lean into it in the presence of God. 00:02:41.879 --> 00:02:45.099 And so as I take that weight and I say, God, 00:02:45.139 --> 00:02:48.259 you have to intervene on this situation. You 00:02:48.259 --> 00:02:52.860 have to move. There's a dire situation in my 00:02:52.860 --> 00:02:56.800 family's lives today. And it's not looking good. 00:02:57.680 --> 00:03:02.759 And so, you know, I entered into an intercessory 00:03:02.759 --> 00:03:06.680 prayer in that little prayer closet. And this 00:03:06.680 --> 00:03:10.280 is what I'm talking about today. Being able to 00:03:10.280 --> 00:03:13.860 pray through until you break through. Hallelujah. 00:03:13.879 --> 00:03:17.120 Whenever you go through something today, whatever 00:03:17.120 --> 00:03:21.240 it might be, you need to be able to pray and 00:03:21.240 --> 00:03:25.300 to not stop praying until you get a hold of God. 00:03:26.379 --> 00:03:30.379 Until something changes. Until something breaks. 00:03:30.819 --> 00:03:34.240 Hallelujah. I don't know about you, but I've 00:03:34.240 --> 00:03:36.919 been in some situations and circumstances where 00:03:36.919 --> 00:03:40.219 if God didn't come through, it was not going 00:03:40.219 --> 00:03:43.240 to be a good situation. And so I've allowed those 00:03:43.240 --> 00:03:46.159 things to push me into the presence of God. And 00:03:46.159 --> 00:03:49.740 I would refuse to leave until God responded. 00:03:50.439 --> 00:03:54.000 And you've got to get in your heart and in your 00:03:54.000 --> 00:03:57.949 mind. That type of pursuit of the things of God. 00:03:58.030 --> 00:04:01.449 Because he has already purchased for you healing. 00:04:01.650 --> 00:04:05.310 He's already purchased for you victory today. 00:04:05.610 --> 00:04:09.370 He's already purchased for you by his blood. 00:04:09.530 --> 00:04:13.090 Hallelujah. Victory in the spirit. And there's 00:04:13.090 --> 00:04:16.430 a way that you can tap into the presence of God. 00:04:16.629 --> 00:04:20.069 And have a peace that passes all understanding 00:04:20.069 --> 00:04:26.769 today. Amen. I don't know who I'm talking to. 00:04:27.670 --> 00:04:31.769 But you need to learn to press. You need to learn 00:04:31.769 --> 00:04:36.029 to pray through until you break through. Hallelujah. 00:04:36.529 --> 00:04:39.470 When I come up out of that prayer closet and 00:04:39.470 --> 00:04:43.470 I know for a fact that the power of God showed 00:04:43.470 --> 00:04:47.810 up in a special way, I had this peace. I had 00:04:47.810 --> 00:04:51.370 this peace that I couldn't even explain, not 00:04:51.370 --> 00:04:55.500 even to other people. And so I left there and 00:04:55.500 --> 00:04:57.759 went straight to the hospital, walked into the 00:04:57.759 --> 00:05:00.920 prayer rooms, not to the prayer rooms, but into 00:05:00.920 --> 00:05:03.779 their rooms, and I said, I'm going to pray, and 00:05:03.779 --> 00:05:07.779 everything's going to be okay. They're still 00:05:07.779 --> 00:05:10.180 in the ICU. They're still hooked up to the different 00:05:10.180 --> 00:05:14.939 machines and things. I had a scheduled planned 00:05:14.939 --> 00:05:18.740 trip that I was leaving on. And so technically, 00:05:18.819 --> 00:05:20.740 I should have canceled those and stayed there 00:05:20.740 --> 00:05:23.500 with my family. But God gave me a peace in that 00:05:23.500 --> 00:05:27.939 prayer closet. He gave me a peace. And so I knew 00:05:27.939 --> 00:05:32.279 that it didn't matter what happened, that God's 00:05:32.279 --> 00:05:35.779 will was going to be done. And that's exactly 00:05:35.779 --> 00:05:38.560 what I said. I'm going to pray. Everything's 00:05:38.560 --> 00:05:40.579 going to be all right. God's given me a peace. 00:05:41.220 --> 00:05:44.160 There was no healing that took place right then 00:05:44.160 --> 00:05:49.100 and there. By the time I left the prayer room, 00:05:49.139 --> 00:05:50.620 you would think by the time you show up at the 00:05:50.620 --> 00:05:52.680 hospital, they're going to be walking out. That 00:05:52.680 --> 00:05:55.920 didn't occur. It still wasn't looking good whenever 00:05:55.920 --> 00:06:01.360 I showed up. But God. And I laid my hands on 00:06:01.360 --> 00:06:03.379 them and I said, in the name of Jesus Christ, 00:06:03.439 --> 00:06:05.500 receive your healing. Everything's going to be 00:06:05.500 --> 00:06:10.279 alright. Kept it simple and short. And went on 00:06:10.279 --> 00:06:12.779 my trip. I had peace the whole time. And both 00:06:12.779 --> 00:06:15.370 of them... Obviously, most of you are aware they 00:06:15.370 --> 00:06:18.569 come out of that situation. And I'm just trying 00:06:18.569 --> 00:06:22.230 to tell you today that you've got to find a prayer 00:06:22.230 --> 00:06:25.410 closet whenever you go through some things. Many 00:06:25.410 --> 00:06:27.850 of you seasoned saints, you've already got this 00:06:27.850 --> 00:06:31.220 down pat. You've already got it down pat. But 00:06:31.220 --> 00:06:33.079 there are those that are amongst us that have 00:06:33.079 --> 00:06:35.779 not grabbed a hold of this principle yet. And 00:06:35.779 --> 00:06:37.899 every time that they seemingly go through something, 00:06:38.040 --> 00:06:40.139 they want to grab a hold of an elder. They want 00:06:40.139 --> 00:06:42.040 to grab a hold of a pastor. They want to begin 00:06:42.040 --> 00:06:45.379 to blame somebody else. Hallelujah. But God is 00:06:45.379 --> 00:06:49.040 trying to mold you and position you to give you 00:06:49.040 --> 00:06:51.399 a testimony that you would have never had before. 00:06:51.680 --> 00:06:54.620 And I'm trying to tell somebody today that you 00:06:54.620 --> 00:06:57.500 need to pray through until there is breakthrough. 00:06:58.000 --> 00:07:01.439 If you need financial provision, Pray through 00:07:01.439 --> 00:07:04.500 until there's breakthrough. If you have a disease 00:07:04.500 --> 00:07:08.180 that you're fighting, pray through until there 00:07:08.180 --> 00:07:11.639 is breakthrough in the spirit. And you can stand 00:07:11.639 --> 00:07:15.839 up knowing that God is in full control. That 00:07:15.839 --> 00:07:19.040 no matter what happens, the outcome is going 00:07:19.040 --> 00:07:22.379 to work together for your good. And you have 00:07:22.379 --> 00:07:26.180 access to that type of victory today. You have 00:07:26.180 --> 00:07:29.879 access to that type of power today. But it's 00:07:29.879 --> 00:07:33.180 up to you to tap into it. You've got to be like 00:07:33.180 --> 00:07:35.399 the lady that's pushing through the crowd to 00:07:35.399 --> 00:07:38.839 grab a hold of the hem of his garment. I don't 00:07:38.839 --> 00:07:41.120 care what I've got to press through. I'm going 00:07:41.120 --> 00:07:44.139 to touch God today. I'm going to touch Jesus 00:07:44.139 --> 00:07:47.759 today. My family's going to have victory. There's 00:07:47.759 --> 00:07:51.459 going to be life and not death. In Jesus' mighty 00:07:51.459 --> 00:07:55.560 name, somebody's got to learn to pray through 00:07:55.560 --> 00:07:59.379 until you break through. And what is it going 00:07:59.379 --> 00:08:03.180 to take? What is it going to take? Hallelujah. 00:08:03.279 --> 00:08:05.959 On your behalf, does that mean that you've got 00:08:05.959 --> 00:08:08.360 to push away the plate? Does that mean you've 00:08:08.360 --> 00:08:10.839 got to push away some of the entertainment that 00:08:10.839 --> 00:08:15.560 you've been captivated by? What is it that you've 00:08:15.560 --> 00:08:18.259 got to push away and say, I'm going to touch 00:08:18.259 --> 00:08:23.629 God? I'm going to pursue God. Until there's breakthrough 00:08:23.629 --> 00:08:27.170 in the Spirit. Because I want the peace that 00:08:27.170 --> 00:08:32.470 passes all understanding. I want that type of 00:08:32.470 --> 00:08:35.450 peace in my life and in my heart. Hallelujah. 00:08:36.029 --> 00:08:40.830 I'm reminded of a great man of God on a crusade. 00:08:40.830 --> 00:08:45.110 We went on in Brazil. His name is Brother Walmer. 00:08:45.889 --> 00:08:49.139 Amen. When we go on these crusades, there's a 00:08:49.139 --> 00:08:51.799 lot of prayer and a lot of fasting that goes 00:08:51.799 --> 00:08:57.299 into this. A lot of pressing in the spirit. Some 00:08:57.299 --> 00:09:00.879 of us would pray and fast all year long for these 00:09:00.879 --> 00:09:03.480 crusades and for these people that God would 00:09:03.480 --> 00:09:06.700 show up on their behalf with demonstration and 00:09:06.700 --> 00:09:10.840 with power. All year long we would press and 00:09:10.840 --> 00:09:14.279 we would pray and we would fast preparing for 00:09:14.279 --> 00:09:17.950 these crusades. And we show up there and we have 00:09:17.950 --> 00:09:23.190 a small, intimate setting and service specifically 00:09:23.190 --> 00:09:27.950 for the leaders of these crusades. And I remember 00:09:27.950 --> 00:09:30.549 we would go in there and the power of God would 00:09:30.549 --> 00:09:32.730 be in there so strong because we had all been 00:09:32.730 --> 00:09:36.909 pressing and praying for quite some time. And 00:09:36.909 --> 00:09:41.850 I remember Brother Walmer comes in late at the 00:09:41.850 --> 00:09:45.080 very back of the sanctuary and so weak. You could 00:09:45.080 --> 00:09:48.879 see his legs shaking. And they would go back 00:09:48.879 --> 00:09:51.799 there and one man on either side and put their 00:09:51.799 --> 00:09:54.179 arms around him and begin to walk him to the 00:09:54.179 --> 00:09:57.019 front. And they would sit him down. And I remember, 00:09:57.139 --> 00:10:02.559 wow, he looked so worn out. So tired. And they 00:10:02.559 --> 00:10:04.519 would sit him down and somebody ran over and 00:10:04.519 --> 00:10:08.120 grabbed a microphone and handed it to him and 00:10:08.120 --> 00:10:11.200 says, what is the word of the Lord for us today? 00:10:12.490 --> 00:10:16.309 And he stands up. It's just a shaking sweat coming 00:10:16.309 --> 00:10:19.809 down his face. And he leans back and he says, 00:10:20.009 --> 00:10:27.529 you've got to fall in love with the fight. You've 00:10:27.529 --> 00:10:37.690 got to fall in love with the fight. And something 00:10:37.690 --> 00:10:42.620 got a hold of me in that moment. You know, he 00:10:42.620 --> 00:10:46.759 wasn't reading a Scripture text per se, but he 00:10:46.759 --> 00:10:51.019 was still communicating in the Spirit. He realized 00:10:51.019 --> 00:10:56.600 that there are lost people in the world. There 00:10:56.600 --> 00:10:58.659 are people that are dying and going to hell. 00:10:59.480 --> 00:11:02.019 Yes, we might struggle with some things, but 00:11:02.019 --> 00:11:06.379 there's lost people out there. And what are you 00:11:06.379 --> 00:11:10.179 willing to fight for? How are you willing to 00:11:10.179 --> 00:11:14.620 fight? How hard are you willing to fight? And 00:11:14.620 --> 00:11:18.419 he says, you've got to fall in love with the 00:11:18.419 --> 00:11:24.700 fight. You're not going to get away from this 00:11:24.700 --> 00:11:27.620 fight. You're not going to get away from it. 00:11:28.340 --> 00:11:30.659 But you've got to fall in love with the fight 00:11:30.659 --> 00:11:34.419 because the victory is already yours. You can 00:11:34.419 --> 00:11:38.100 fight from a position. and a standpoint of victory. 00:11:38.299 --> 00:11:41.639 You can go into a battle knowing it has already 00:11:41.639 --> 00:11:45.279 been won. Knowing that the blood of Jesus Christ 00:11:45.279 --> 00:11:48.419 has already purchased this victory for you. But 00:11:48.419 --> 00:11:50.679 you have to know that you're going to fight. 00:11:50.799 --> 00:11:54.299 And I say fight the good fight of faith with 00:11:54.299 --> 00:11:57.019 everything that's within you. Press toward the 00:11:57.019 --> 00:11:59.700 high mark of the calling of Christ. Hallelujah. 00:11:59.720 --> 00:12:03.340 Press until you pray through. Somebody's got 00:12:03.340 --> 00:12:08.080 to pray until there's breakthrough. I'm so tired 00:12:08.080 --> 00:12:12.250 of seeing. Dead churches. I'm so tired of seeing 00:12:12.250 --> 00:12:16.070 the saints of God worn out and lifeless. Hallelujah. 00:12:16.090 --> 00:12:19.830 When you have access to the power of God. Is 00:12:19.830 --> 00:12:22.909 there anybody in the house that has a fight today? 00:12:23.649 --> 00:12:27.870 Is there anybody in the house that has a fight 00:12:27.870 --> 00:12:39.750 within them? The only way that you lose. is if 00:12:39.750 --> 00:12:47.210 you quit. The only way that you lose is if you 00:12:47.210 --> 00:12:52.730 give up. The only way that you lose is if you 00:12:52.730 --> 00:12:58.450 walk away. I've been in services where the presence 00:12:58.450 --> 00:13:02.490 and power of God was falling so strong, seemingly, 00:13:02.610 --> 00:13:07.730 because people were being touched and moved by 00:13:07.730 --> 00:13:13.379 the Spirit. And yet sit there and why am I not 00:13:13.379 --> 00:13:17.580 feeling anything? Why am I not feeling anything? 00:13:20.340 --> 00:13:25.279 We go through seasons in our walk with God. There's 00:13:25.279 --> 00:13:32.120 hips and valleys. Sometimes you're on the mountaintop 00:13:32.120 --> 00:13:36.659 and sometimes you're in the valley. You know, 00:13:36.720 --> 00:13:41.059 your praise should not change if you're on the 00:13:41.059 --> 00:13:44.240 mountaintop or whether you're walking through 00:13:44.240 --> 00:13:47.879 the valley of the shadow of death. But too many 00:13:47.879 --> 00:13:51.139 times, we get ourselves and our own thoughts 00:13:51.139 --> 00:13:53.240 in our mind, well, if they don't sing that right 00:13:53.240 --> 00:13:56.519 song, and if I don't feel the Spirit moving all 00:13:56.519 --> 00:14:01.700 over me, I'm not going to sing, I'm not going 00:14:01.700 --> 00:14:07.940 to dance. Praise! Wait without ceasing and quench 00:14:07.940 --> 00:14:16.080 not the Spirit. And so I'm practicing, and I 00:14:16.080 --> 00:14:19.000 encourage all of you to practice with me. If 00:14:19.000 --> 00:14:21.039 you're going through these hips and these valleys, 00:14:21.200 --> 00:14:24.259 the mountaintops and these lows, we're going 00:14:24.259 --> 00:14:27.360 to give God praise and glory in the high times 00:14:27.360 --> 00:14:32.240 and in the low times. I'm going to give God praise 00:14:32.240 --> 00:14:35.649 when I don't feel it. I'm going to give Him praise 00:14:35.649 --> 00:14:40.529 when I feel it. Hallelujah. And we tell our folks 00:14:40.529 --> 00:14:44.549 there at Grace of Taylorsville, when do you think 00:14:44.549 --> 00:14:49.269 that God gets the most glory? We just talked 00:14:49.269 --> 00:14:52.129 about early this morning that we want to see 00:14:52.129 --> 00:14:56.309 His glory. When do you think that God receives 00:14:56.309 --> 00:14:59.590 the most glory? When you're praising Him on the 00:14:59.590 --> 00:15:02.190 mountaintops or when you're praising Him through 00:15:02.190 --> 00:15:09.220 the valley? Amen. So even when you don't feel 00:15:09.220 --> 00:15:12.899 it, you know you have victory. Even when you 00:15:12.899 --> 00:15:16.470 don't feel it, you can still praise God. Even 00:15:16.470 --> 00:15:18.549 when you're in the middle of your battle, you 00:15:18.549 --> 00:15:22.309 can still praise God from the position of victory. 00:15:22.490 --> 00:15:25.149 Because when you're going through it, the victory 00:15:25.149 --> 00:15:28.029 is just right there. The victory is right in 00:15:28.029 --> 00:15:30.710 reach. The victory, I can see it, is right around 00:15:30.710 --> 00:15:33.870 the corner. And I'm praising God through my storm. 00:15:34.110 --> 00:15:37.429 I'm praising God through my circumstance. I'm 00:15:37.429 --> 00:15:40.559 praising Him through the hardship. But I will 00:15:40.559 --> 00:15:45.220 pray through until there is breakthrough. Hallelujah. 00:15:45.220 --> 00:15:48.200 Get in your heart today. I'm willing to pray 00:15:48.200 --> 00:15:52.879 through until there's breakthrough. Hallelujah. 00:15:55.139 --> 00:15:59.340 And I can't tell you how long that will take 00:15:59.340 --> 00:16:03.659 for you or for me. I've found that each situation 00:16:03.659 --> 00:16:08.019 is a little different. But, you know, there's 00:16:08.019 --> 00:16:10.710 a scripture text that comes to mind. where they 00:16:10.710 --> 00:16:14.070 state, I will rather glory in my infirmities. 00:16:17.029 --> 00:16:23.809 That's a hard one to chew on. But the longer 00:16:23.809 --> 00:16:27.230 that I'm in this, the more battles and challenges 00:16:27.230 --> 00:16:34.590 that I face, I've come to realize that I gained 00:16:34.590 --> 00:16:38.360 something through those challenges. I gain something 00:16:38.360 --> 00:16:41.399 through those hardships. My relationship with 00:16:41.399 --> 00:16:47.340 God is more intimate. My trust in God is stronger. 00:16:47.659 --> 00:16:50.940 My faith in God is being developed through every 00:16:50.940 --> 00:16:53.360 hardship, through every challenge that I face. 00:16:54.919 --> 00:16:59.679 And I've come to where I enjoy the fight. I know 00:16:59.679 --> 00:17:04.000 that sounds crazy. But there were those of us 00:17:04.000 --> 00:17:06.220 at one time enjoyed the fight in the world too. 00:17:08.200 --> 00:17:10.880 Oh yeah. Me and my brother were some of those. 00:17:12.019 --> 00:17:17.099 We enjoyed the fight. And so you can get into 00:17:17.099 --> 00:17:20.319 a place in God where you're not afraid of the 00:17:20.319 --> 00:17:24.059 fight. You know, some people, I'm not going to 00:17:24.059 --> 00:17:25.839 pray and fast because I don't want to stir anything 00:17:25.839 --> 00:17:28.619 up in the spirit. I don't want to cause any ruckus 00:17:28.619 --> 00:17:34.460 and get those devils' attention. I want to get 00:17:34.460 --> 00:17:37.039 those devils' attention and I want to put them 00:17:37.039 --> 00:17:40.569 on the run. Hallelujah. No weapon formed against 00:17:40.569 --> 00:17:44.029 me shall prosper. I'm more than a conqueror through 00:17:44.029 --> 00:17:47.230 Christ Jesus. Hallelujah. He is the one that 00:17:47.230 --> 00:17:51.470 strengthens me, redeems me, upholds me, and gives 00:17:51.470 --> 00:17:54.369 me power. After that, the Holy Ghost has come 00:17:54.369 --> 00:17:57.890 upon me. Somebody's got to pray through until 00:17:57.890 --> 00:18:00.690 there is breakthrough. Somebody's got to pray 00:18:00.690 --> 00:18:04.069 through until the Spirit of God is unleashed 00:18:04.069 --> 00:18:07.789 into every situation, every circumstance, and 00:18:07.789 --> 00:18:10.000 touches everything. Every aspect of your life. 00:18:10.180 --> 00:18:12.660 Hallelujah. If they're going through it. Pray 00:18:12.660 --> 00:18:18.039 through. Pray through. Pray through. And unleash 00:18:18.039 --> 00:18:22.619 the power of God. On your behalf. And walk into 00:18:22.619 --> 00:18:25.980 peace. And the anointing that God has for you. 00:18:26.180 --> 00:18:29.279 Oh brother. How are you dealing with that? I've 00:18:29.279 --> 00:18:31.950 got the presence of God. How are you doing? Join 00:18:31.950 --> 00:18:35.470 that. Oh, I've spent some time with the Lord 00:18:35.470 --> 00:18:39.089 Jesus Christ. I know it looks like a storm, but 00:18:39.089 --> 00:18:42.170 He's taking me somewhere. He's leading me somewhere. 00:18:42.609 --> 00:18:46.490 Hallelujah. God is leading you somewhere. Don't 00:18:46.490 --> 00:18:49.490 turn and tuck tail and run the other way. Now 00:18:49.490 --> 00:18:51.990 is the time to fight the good fight of faith 00:18:51.990 --> 00:18:56.349 and pursue with everything that is within you. 00:18:57.289 --> 00:19:02.279 Pursue with everything that's within you. Pray 00:19:02.279 --> 00:19:06.359 through until there is breakthrough. Pray until 00:19:06.359 --> 00:19:09.700 the power of darkness is driven back. Hallelujah. 00:19:09.700 --> 00:19:12.539 If you feel the weight of the darkness of this 00:19:12.539 --> 00:19:16.140 age and this world creeping in on you, that's 00:19:16.140 --> 00:19:19.440 your sign to pray. That's your sign to fast. 00:19:19.779 --> 00:19:22.079 What does that look like? What do you have to 00:19:22.079 --> 00:19:27.019 push away? Say, I'm pressing through to the presence 00:19:27.019 --> 00:19:31.299 of God. I don't care how dark it is out there. 00:19:31.380 --> 00:19:35.880 I'm pressing through. I don't care how dark it 00:19:35.880 --> 00:19:42.640 seems. I'm pressing through in the Spirit. Thy 00:19:42.640 --> 00:19:48.140 kingdom come, thy will be done. Thy kingdom come, 00:19:48.279 --> 00:19:53.119 thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 00:19:54.799 --> 00:19:58.599 So is it possible that in these fleshly bodies 00:19:58.599 --> 00:20:03.200 that we are also robed in, we are placed in, 00:20:03.319 --> 00:20:10.740 can press into the Spirit and pull something 00:20:10.740 --> 00:20:14.059 from the heavenlies into the physical realm, 00:20:14.220 --> 00:20:19.339 into the physical dimension. There are many people 00:20:19.339 --> 00:20:25.700 that would say, well, Jesus has already paid 00:20:25.700 --> 00:20:32.069 the price, There's nothing else to be done. But 00:20:32.069 --> 00:20:35.910 Scripture says, this I say then, walk you in 00:20:35.910 --> 00:20:37.890 the Spirit and you shall not fulfill the lust 00:20:37.890 --> 00:20:41.890 of the flesh. It goes on to say, that let your 00:20:41.890 --> 00:20:45.029 light so shine before men that they may see your 00:20:45.029 --> 00:20:48.470 good works and glorify your Father which is in 00:20:48.470 --> 00:20:51.589 heaven. And you shall receive power after that 00:20:51.589 --> 00:20:54.329 the Holy Ghost has come upon you. Scripture says 00:20:54.329 --> 00:20:57.619 that we should put on the armor of light. That 00:20:57.619 --> 00:21:03.019 we should put on Jesus Christ. Hallelujah. And 00:21:03.019 --> 00:21:06.180 how do we do that? We do that by getting into 00:21:06.180 --> 00:21:13.900 the Spirit. And I know it's challenging. Trust 00:21:13.900 --> 00:21:16.559 me. I have a fleshly body too, just like you. 00:21:17.240 --> 00:21:21.839 I know it's difficult at times. But the way that 00:21:21.839 --> 00:21:25.660 I like to look at this is practice. And practice 00:21:25.660 --> 00:21:32.059 makes perfect. Right? So, get in it. Walk in 00:21:32.059 --> 00:21:35.160 it. Pursue it with everything that you've got. 00:21:35.519 --> 00:21:37.839 Somewhere along the way, you're probably going 00:21:37.839 --> 00:21:42.440 to mess up. It's going to happen. Probably going 00:21:42.440 --> 00:21:44.799 to mess up. But get back up and pursue those 00:21:44.799 --> 00:21:47.039 things again. Get right back in the Spirit of 00:21:47.039 --> 00:21:50.200 God. Cast off the works of darkness like we first 00:21:50.200 --> 00:21:52.259 read. Cast off the works of darkness and put 00:21:52.259 --> 00:22:00.319 on the armor of light. You can do it. You can 00:22:00.319 --> 00:22:05.359 do it. And people would say, well, that's a lot 00:22:05.359 --> 00:22:10.480 of legalism. You've got to be careful with some 00:22:10.480 --> 00:22:12.460 of the teachings and things that you hear on 00:22:12.460 --> 00:22:15.740 the Internet. Sometimes I will tell folks, I 00:22:15.740 --> 00:22:18.000 will say, look, you'll find what you're looking 00:22:18.000 --> 00:22:22.279 for. You go searching for it, you're going to 00:22:22.279 --> 00:22:27.109 find what you're looking for. If you're looking 00:22:27.109 --> 00:22:30.869 for a way out of holiness, you're going to find 00:22:30.869 --> 00:22:34.230 what you're searching for. But if you're searching 00:22:34.230 --> 00:22:37.710 for holiness, you're going to find biblical principles 00:22:37.710 --> 00:22:41.009 about holiness. If you're searching for the kingdom 00:22:41.009 --> 00:22:44.650 of God, The Bible says you can seek Him and you 00:22:44.650 --> 00:22:48.049 will find Him. Hallelujah. If the Word of God 00:22:48.049 --> 00:22:51.210 says to pursue peace with all men and holiness 00:22:51.210 --> 00:22:54.710 without which no man shall see the Lord, I believe 00:22:54.710 --> 00:22:58.130 in the Word of God. So I'm going to pursue holiness. 00:22:58.250 --> 00:23:00.930 I'm going to seek after the Lord Jesus Christ 00:23:00.930 --> 00:23:03.410 with everything that I've got. And I'm going 00:23:03.410 --> 00:23:06.450 to pray through everything that comes my way. 00:23:06.529 --> 00:23:08.869 I'm going to pray through until there's breakthrough. 00:23:14.639 --> 00:23:16.839 Hallelujah. These are some of the first works 00:23:16.839 --> 00:23:21.759 that you learn in your journey with God whenever 00:23:21.759 --> 00:23:25.000 you begin. And if you're not aware of some of 00:23:25.000 --> 00:23:27.339 these things, I encourage you to get in the game. 00:23:28.200 --> 00:23:32.500 Get in the fight. Get in the fight. Hallelujah. 00:23:35.460 --> 00:23:42.059 God. God's got some things, got some testimonies 00:23:42.059 --> 00:23:51.779 for you. God has some victories for you that 00:23:51.779 --> 00:23:57.099 you'll never get to experience until you're willing 00:23:57.099 --> 00:24:03.059 to go into the fight with Him. I'm always reminded 00:24:03.059 --> 00:24:10.289 of David. In the Psalms where it mentions, thou 00:24:10.289 --> 00:24:14.349 preparest the table before me in the presence 00:24:14.349 --> 00:24:20.490 of mine enemies. I love that so much. And I'm 00:24:20.490 --> 00:24:22.549 reminded of that any time I go through a little 00:24:22.549 --> 00:24:28.289 hardship. And then I quote that. If I feel like 00:24:28.289 --> 00:24:32.309 the devils are trying to attack me or usually 00:24:32.309 --> 00:24:36.819 because... And you need to get into this too. 00:24:36.859 --> 00:24:40.319 Stop being on defense. Go on offense. It's a 00:24:40.319 --> 00:24:48.240 lot more fun. But usually the devil is trying 00:24:48.240 --> 00:24:51.380 to attack the people that we love. The saints 00:24:51.380 --> 00:24:56.680 of God that are around us. And so you can help 00:24:56.680 --> 00:25:03.730 get in a fight on their behalf too. For the individuals 00:25:03.730 --> 00:25:06.349 that are learning and going through this and 00:25:06.349 --> 00:25:10.730 you don't understand why it is that you're trying 00:25:10.730 --> 00:25:13.789 to do right, but everything seems to fall apart. 00:25:15.029 --> 00:25:18.049 You ever experience that? Try to do the best 00:25:18.049 --> 00:25:19.789 that I can, but it seems like the harder that 00:25:19.789 --> 00:25:23.369 I try, the worse it gets. Well, it's because 00:25:23.369 --> 00:25:27.190 you entered the fight. You entered the fight. 00:25:29.470 --> 00:25:33.200 Devil's got some strongholds. And he doesn't 00:25:33.200 --> 00:25:36.099 want to let those things go. And you've now decided 00:25:36.099 --> 00:25:37.880 to push some of that stuff away. Wait a second. 00:25:37.920 --> 00:25:42.259 We had control over here. We need to cause a 00:25:42.259 --> 00:25:45.720 little ruckus. Well, if that's happening with 00:25:45.720 --> 00:25:50.539 you, you're on the right path. You're in the 00:25:50.539 --> 00:25:55.059 right fight. And it might take a little bit. 00:25:56.799 --> 00:25:59.539 But you're going to get victory over that. You 00:25:59.539 --> 00:26:01.099 know, if it's addiction that you're struggling 00:26:01.099 --> 00:26:02.799 with, you're going to get. you're going to get 00:26:02.799 --> 00:26:06.579 victory. You're going to overcome. If it's depression 00:26:06.579 --> 00:26:09.319 that you're battling, you're going to overcome 00:26:09.319 --> 00:26:14.079 by the blood of the Lamb and the word of His 00:26:14.079 --> 00:26:19.440 testimony. Hallelujah. You are more than a conqueror 00:26:19.440 --> 00:26:23.160 through Christ Jesus. I don't care what you're 00:26:23.160 --> 00:26:25.440 facing, what spiritual battle you're facing. 00:26:25.720 --> 00:26:30.700 Yeah? The elders are going to be able to pray 00:26:30.700 --> 00:26:33.579 and you're going to get that relief. God's going 00:26:33.579 --> 00:26:39.400 to give grace for that period of time. But then, 00:26:39.420 --> 00:26:43.839 over time, that devil's going to say, I'm going 00:26:43.839 --> 00:26:46.259 to give it another shot. I'm going to give it 00:26:46.259 --> 00:26:49.519 another try. And he's going to come swooping 00:26:49.519 --> 00:26:52.140 in and you're going to be like, oh, woe is me. 00:26:53.140 --> 00:26:57.609 I'm speaking from experience. Woe is me. For 00:26:57.609 --> 00:27:02.069 I am unclean. God, you've got to help me out 00:27:02.069 --> 00:27:04.109 of this. The devil's got me. I feel like I'm 00:27:04.109 --> 00:27:07.809 losing on every side. All the while, the Lord's 00:27:07.809 --> 00:27:11.130 saying, go a little bit further. Walk with me 00:27:11.130 --> 00:27:13.730 for a little bit longer. Pull away from those 00:27:13.730 --> 00:27:18.029 temptations a little bit harder. You can go further. 00:27:18.069 --> 00:27:21.509 You can go longer. Walk with me through this. 00:27:22.029 --> 00:27:28.230 And I'm going to carry you through. Amen. I'm 00:27:28.230 --> 00:27:30.349 going to end with this. You all stand with me. 00:27:31.430 --> 00:27:34.750 I'm sorry, I had eight points and we barely got 00:27:34.750 --> 00:27:43.390 through half of one. So I recently took my kids 00:27:43.390 --> 00:27:48.450 on a hike. And a lot of you are aware that I've 00:27:48.450 --> 00:27:50.289 done this many times. As a matter of fact, it 00:27:50.289 --> 00:27:52.089 felt like the Lord had called me specifically 00:27:52.089 --> 00:27:55.779 on a hike. To the top of the mountain. He said, 00:27:55.799 --> 00:28:00.299 I'm calling you to climb in the spirit. I was 00:28:00.299 --> 00:28:03.160 asking God to allow me to step out into the deep. 00:28:04.039 --> 00:28:06.339 Because you find in scripture where the disciples 00:28:06.339 --> 00:28:08.839 were asking, allow me to come out into the deep. 00:28:11.059 --> 00:28:14.559 So I spent weeks praying about that. Fasting. 00:28:16.220 --> 00:28:18.519 He says, I'm not calling you to the deep. I'm 00:28:18.519 --> 00:28:24.519 calling you to climb. Well, what does that mean? 00:28:26.720 --> 00:28:31.140 What does that mean to climb? Well, Lord, I'll 00:28:31.140 --> 00:28:33.200 tell you this. I'm going to find a mountain and 00:28:33.200 --> 00:28:35.680 I'm going to go climb it and see what lessons 00:28:35.680 --> 00:28:40.799 I can learn on the climb. Well, I learned quite 00:28:40.799 --> 00:28:44.519 a few lessons on that journey. One that I'm not 00:28:44.519 --> 00:28:53.700 quite as fit as I used to be. I don't want to 00:28:53.700 --> 00:28:55.200 go through that whole part of it, but there are 00:28:55.200 --> 00:29:00.339 several lessons we can learn. But I decided that 00:29:00.339 --> 00:29:02.660 now that my kids are of age, I want to take them 00:29:02.660 --> 00:29:09.119 along this journey and teach them to climb. And 00:29:09.119 --> 00:29:15.099 there's a lot more to it than just the physical 00:29:15.099 --> 00:29:19.839 toll that it takes on your body. The weariness 00:29:19.839 --> 00:29:24.720 that settles in. Right around the halfway point, 00:29:24.839 --> 00:29:28.140 I've noticed this. People take the first break 00:29:28.140 --> 00:29:31.440 or so, everything's good. It's starting to look 00:29:31.440 --> 00:29:34.140 a little different. I'm going to push a little 00:29:34.140 --> 00:29:39.980 harder. And so then right around the halfway 00:29:39.980 --> 00:29:45.539 point, people are like, I don't know. I don't 00:29:45.539 --> 00:29:51.339 know if this is worth it. This is too much. I'm 00:29:51.339 --> 00:29:54.220 getting a little tired now. I'm getting a little 00:29:54.220 --> 00:30:00.519 wore out. I think this is far enough. Sometimes 00:30:00.519 --> 00:30:03.259 that's how we are in the things of the Spirit. 00:30:05.539 --> 00:30:08.960 I'm a little tired now. I've been fighting. I've 00:30:08.960 --> 00:30:12.359 been praying. I've been fasting. I've been doing 00:30:12.359 --> 00:30:16.420 everything that I possibly can. But God, I think 00:30:16.420 --> 00:30:23.349 this is far enough. And so I wanted to teach 00:30:23.349 --> 00:30:27.069 my kids this principle in the physical, but I 00:30:27.069 --> 00:30:29.210 hope that it sticks with them one day. It comes 00:30:29.210 --> 00:30:34.750 to them to make them realize that sometimes we've 00:30:34.750 --> 00:30:38.890 got to press. Even if the people around us start 00:30:38.890 --> 00:30:43.589 to give up and say this is far enough, I want 00:30:43.589 --> 00:30:47.670 that testimony and I want that story to tell 00:30:47.670 --> 00:30:52.039 from the mountaintop. I want to see and experience 00:30:52.039 --> 00:30:55.559 things with God. And I want to experience His 00:30:55.559 --> 00:31:01.359 glory. I want to experience His glory. But too 00:31:01.359 --> 00:31:03.500 many times people want to stay at the base of 00:31:03.500 --> 00:31:08.059 the mountain. Just tell me. Tell me what it's 00:31:08.059 --> 00:31:14.799 like. Can you explain to me everything that you 00:31:14.799 --> 00:31:17.839 felt, everything that you saw while you were 00:31:17.839 --> 00:31:24.609 up there? I saw the birds soaring. I saw beautiful 00:31:24.609 --> 00:31:28.309 colors of the trees across the tops of the mountain 00:31:28.309 --> 00:31:35.529 tops. And the sun just beating down across the 00:31:35.529 --> 00:31:41.230 hills and the mountains. I saw beautiful blue 00:31:41.230 --> 00:31:52.059 skies. I saw... The magnitude of God's creation. 00:31:54.519 --> 00:31:57.940 From a different perspective than just being 00:31:57.940 --> 00:32:01.420 on the ground. To the point that I couldn't even 00:32:01.420 --> 00:32:12.140 convey to you all the full experience. And sometimes 00:32:12.140 --> 00:32:16.640 the challenge is tough. Sometimes you can grow 00:32:16.640 --> 00:32:20.579 weary in this thing. Sometimes you can get to 00:32:20.579 --> 00:32:22.640 the point where you're ready to walk away and 00:32:22.640 --> 00:32:28.279 say no more. And I told my son and my daughter, 00:32:28.380 --> 00:32:34.019 I said, look how far we've come. Look what we've 00:32:34.019 --> 00:32:39.400 made it through already. We've come too far to 00:32:39.400 --> 00:32:43.759 give up now. We've come too far to give up now. 00:32:45.579 --> 00:32:48.119 And I want you to understand something today. 00:32:49.759 --> 00:32:53.839 That it's okay if you get tired. It's okay if 00:32:53.839 --> 00:32:58.200 it gets difficult. It's okay if you're wore out. 00:32:58.700 --> 00:33:03.680 You're burnt out. I get it. And it's okay to 00:33:03.680 --> 00:33:09.519 take a break. It's okay to take a break. But 00:33:09.519 --> 00:33:13.539 don't you ever quit. Don't you ever give up. 00:33:16.460 --> 00:33:21.839 Don't ever stop. Keep pursuing. Keep pressing. 00:33:22.140 --> 00:33:28.019 And pray through until you break through. These 00:33:28.019 --> 00:33:31.079 altars are open today. And if you've been fighting, 00:33:31.180 --> 00:33:34.880 you've been battling the good fight of faith. 00:33:35.440 --> 00:33:38.740 If you've had some struggles, if you've had some 00:33:38.740 --> 00:33:43.480 issues, but you want to get closer to God and 00:33:43.480 --> 00:33:46.079 you're willing to fight, You're willing to press. 00:33:46.400 --> 00:33:49.559 You're willing to climb. You're willing to touch. 00:33:50.359 --> 00:33:55.539 Jesus, now is your time. Now is your opportunity 00:33:55.539 --> 00:34:00.539 to say, God, I surrender. God, I'm in this fight. 00:34:01.380 --> 00:34:04.539 God, I'm going to walk with you through every 00:34:04.539 --> 00:34:04.920 trial.