WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.200 Today, I declare, by faith, I will follow Jesus 00:00:05.200 --> 00:00:08.000 even when I do not understand where he is leading 00:00:08.000 --> 00:00:12.320 me. By faith, I will obey when the road before 00:00:12.320 --> 00:00:15.699 me remains hidden, because I do not need to know 00:00:15.699 --> 00:00:18.079 everything about the journey when I know the 00:00:18.079 --> 00:00:21.579 one who is guiding my steps. By faith, I will 00:00:21.579 --> 00:00:24.219 continue through opposition, disappointment, 00:00:24.640 --> 00:00:28.030 delay, and uncertainty. because my circumstances 00:00:28.030 --> 00:00:31.449 do not possess the authority to cancel the eternal 00:00:31.449 --> 00:00:35.090 purposes of God concerning my life. By faith 00:00:35.090 --> 00:00:38.689 I believe that God is working even when I cannot 00:00:38.689 --> 00:00:41.829 see His hand, that He is speaking even when the 00:00:41.829 --> 00:00:44.810 season appears silent, and that He is moving 00:00:44.810 --> 00:00:48.109 even when nothing around me appears to be changing. 00:00:48.289 --> 00:00:52.299 By faith I declare that the promise of God remains 00:00:52.299 --> 00:00:55.719 alive in the pit, in the prison, in the wilderness, 00:00:56.060 --> 00:00:59.700 in the furnace, in the storm, and even behind 00:00:59.700 --> 00:01:04.239 the stone of a closed tomb. By faith I will not 00:01:04.239 --> 00:01:08.099 interpret God's silence as His absence. I will 00:01:08.099 --> 00:01:11.700 not mistake delay for denial. I will not allow 00:01:11.700 --> 00:01:14.920 temporary suffering to persuade me that an eternal 00:01:14.920 --> 00:01:18.310 purpose has been abandoned. I will not judge 00:01:18.310 --> 00:01:21.150 the faithfulness of God by the difficulty of 00:01:21.150 --> 00:01:23.989 the chapter I am presently living, and I will 00:01:23.989 --> 00:01:27.109 not write the conclusion while God is still writing 00:01:27.109 --> 00:01:31.530 my story. By faith I know that he who began a 00:01:31.530 --> 00:01:35.489 good work in me is faithful to carry it to completion. 00:01:35.890 --> 00:01:39.769 When doubt arises, I will remember his faithfulness. 00:01:40.109 --> 00:01:43.530 When fear speaks, I will answer with his word. 00:01:43.769 --> 00:01:47.310 When uncertainty surrounds me, I will stand upon 00:01:47.310 --> 00:01:50.909 what God has already spoken. When my strength 00:01:50.909 --> 00:01:55.090 fails, I will lean upon His strength. When my 00:01:55.090 --> 00:01:58.549 heart becomes weary, I will wait upon the Lord, 00:01:58.829 --> 00:02:02.609 because those who wait upon Him shall renew their 00:02:02.609 --> 00:02:06.890 strength. When I do not know how to pray, I believe 00:02:06.890 --> 00:02:11.289 that the Holy Spirit intercedes for me with groanings 00:02:11.289 --> 00:02:15.530 too deep for words. When I stand before opposition 00:02:15.530 --> 00:02:19.069 and do not know what to say, I trust the Holy 00:02:19.069 --> 00:02:22.169 Spirit to give me wisdom and to speak through 00:02:22.169 --> 00:02:25.889 me. And when I cannot understand what God is 00:02:25.889 --> 00:02:29.129 doing around me, I will trust what His Spirit 00:02:29.129 --> 00:02:33.150 is doing within me. When my imperfections accuse 00:02:33.150 --> 00:02:36.449 me, I will not place my confidence in my own 00:02:36.449 --> 00:02:39.370 righteousness. I will place my confidence in 00:02:39.370 --> 00:02:43.289 the blood of Jesus Christ. I am not preserved 00:02:43.289 --> 00:02:46.949 because I have earned preservation. I am not 00:02:46.949 --> 00:02:49.770 delivered because I have lived without failure. 00:02:50.150 --> 00:02:53.210 I am not chosen because I have never struggled. 00:02:53.689 --> 00:02:56.490 I am not sustained because I have always been 00:02:56.490 --> 00:03:01.030 strong. I am loved because God is love. I am 00:03:01.030 --> 00:03:05.110 forgiven because Jesus paid the price. I am justified 00:03:05.110 --> 00:03:08.669 because His blood was shed for me. I am accepted 00:03:08.669 --> 00:03:12.669 because I belong to Christ. Am sustained because 00:03:12.669 --> 00:03:16.310 his grace is sufficient. I am being transformed 00:03:16.310 --> 00:03:21.150 because his spirit lives within me and I am being 00:03:21.150 --> 00:03:23.810 carried because the one who called me has promised 00:03:23.810 --> 00:03:28.310 never to leave me and never to forsake me Therefore 00:03:28.310 --> 00:03:31.889 I declare that I will reach the purpose for which 00:03:31.889 --> 00:03:36.349 he called me not by my own strength not by my 00:03:36.349 --> 00:03:40.490 perfection not by human ability and not because 00:03:40.120 --> 00:03:43.319 because I have never fallen, but because of the 00:03:43.319 --> 00:03:46.979 faithfulness of the God who chose me, redeemed 00:03:46.979 --> 00:03:50.879 me, restored me, and began His work within me. 00:03:51.000 --> 00:03:54.520 By faith, I declare that the cross has spoken 00:03:54.520 --> 00:03:57.699 a better word over my life. The sacrifice of 00:03:57.699 --> 00:04:01.699 Jesus is greater than my sin. His mercy is greater 00:04:01.699 --> 00:04:05.479 than my failures. His grace is greater than my 00:04:05.479 --> 00:04:09.379 weaknesses. His truth is greater than every accusation. 00:04:09.479 --> 00:04:13.139 His purpose is greater than every interruption, 00:04:13.479 --> 00:04:16.839 and His resurrection is greater than every place 00:04:16.839 --> 00:04:20.439 where the enemy declared that my story was finished. 00:04:20.740 --> 00:04:24.300 Jesus Christ was crucified for me. Jesus Christ 00:04:24.300 --> 00:04:28.160 was buried for me. Jesus Christ rose in victory 00:04:28.160 --> 00:04:32.040 for me. He carried my sin. He bore my shame. 00:04:32.339 --> 00:04:35.500 He defeated the powers of darkness. He conquered 00:04:35.500 --> 00:04:39.060 death. He disarmed principalities and authorities. 00:04:39.370 --> 00:04:41.910 and he triumphed over them through the cross. 00:04:42.209 --> 00:04:46.750 Because he lives, I will live. Because he overcame, 00:04:47.170 --> 00:04:51.569 I will overcome. Because he rose, I will rise. 00:04:52.089 --> 00:04:55.430 Because he is seated in victory, I will not live 00:04:55.430 --> 00:04:59.029 as though the battle has already been lost. Because 00:04:59.029 --> 00:05:02.350 he finished the work, I will not fight merely 00:05:02.350 --> 00:05:06.189 hoping to obtain victory. I will stand in the 00:05:06.189 --> 00:05:09.829 victory he has already accomplished. By faith, 00:05:10.189 --> 00:05:13.329 I declare that no weapon formed against the purpose 00:05:13.329 --> 00:05:16.550 of God for my life will have the final word. 00:05:17.089 --> 00:05:21.389 By faith, I declare that neither death nor life, 00:05:21.850 --> 00:05:25.269 neither angels nor demons, neither the present 00:05:25.269 --> 00:05:28.689 nor the future, neither height nor depth nor 00:05:28.689 --> 00:05:32.250 anything else in all creation will ever separate 00:05:32.250 --> 00:05:35.879 me. from the love of God revealed in Christ Jesus. 00:05:36.120 --> 00:05:40.060 By faith, I declare that every valley will serve 00:05:40.060 --> 00:05:43.660 a purpose, every tear will be remembered, every 00:05:43.660 --> 00:05:46.720 prayer will be heard, every act of obedience 00:05:46.720 --> 00:05:49.980 will produce fruit, and nothing surrendered into 00:05:49.980 --> 00:05:53.550 the hands of God will ever be wasted. By faith, 00:05:53.730 --> 00:05:57.529 I will keep walking when I cannot see the destination. 00:05:57.769 --> 00:06:00.949 I will keep praying when I cannot see the answer. 00:06:01.129 --> 00:06:04.750 I will keep believing when I cannot see the evidence. 00:06:05.069 --> 00:06:08.269 I will keep sowing when I cannot see the harvest. 00:06:08.529 --> 00:06:11.529 I will keep worshiping when I cannot understand 00:06:11.529 --> 00:06:14.769 the battle. I will keep obeying when obedience 00:06:14.769 --> 00:06:17.769 costs me something. I will keep standing when 00:06:17.769 --> 00:06:20.870 everything around me tells me to surrender. And 00:06:20.870 --> 00:06:23.670 I will remain faithful because the one who called 00:06:23.670 --> 00:06:28.529 me is faithful. My faith is not the absence of 00:06:28.529 --> 00:06:31.769 questions. It is the decision that my questions 00:06:31.769 --> 00:06:34.490 will never become greater than my confidence 00:06:34.490 --> 00:06:39.269 in God. My faith is not the denial of pain. It 00:06:39.269 --> 00:06:43.009 is the conviction that pain cannot separate me 00:06:43.009 --> 00:06:46.930 from the love of Christ. My faith is not pretending 00:06:46.930 --> 00:06:50.980 that the fire does not burn. It is knowing that 00:06:50.980 --> 00:06:55.319 I will never enter the fire alone. My faith is 00:06:55.319 --> 00:06:58.639 not confidence in my own ability. It is complete 00:06:58.639 --> 00:07:02.860 confidence in the character, the power, the wisdom, 00:07:03.259 --> 00:07:06.959 and the eternal purpose of God. My faith is the 00:07:06.959 --> 00:07:09.899 inward witness that what God has spoken remains 00:07:09.899 --> 00:07:13.100 true even when everything visible appears to 00:07:13.100 --> 00:07:16.800 testify against it. Therefore, I confess today, 00:07:17.000 --> 00:07:19.879 I may not know what tomorrow holds, but I know 00:07:19.879 --> 00:07:22.699 who holds tomorrow. I may not understand what 00:07:22.699 --> 00:07:26.379 God is doing, but I trust who God is. I may not 00:07:26.379 --> 00:07:28.759 see the promise yet, but I know that the one 00:07:28.759 --> 00:07:32.060 who promised is faithful. I may not possess everything 00:07:32.060 --> 00:07:35.560 God has spoken within my lifetime, but I believe 00:07:35.560 --> 00:07:38.439 that my obedience will prepare the way for those 00:07:38.439 --> 00:07:41.459 who come after me. My prayers will outlive me. 00:07:41.779 --> 00:07:44.930 My faith will speak beyond me. My obedience will 00:07:44.930 --> 00:07:47.889 become a seed for generations I may never see. 00:07:48.209 --> 00:07:50.790 My children will walk through doors that my prayers 00:07:50.790 --> 00:07:54.230 help to open. Generations after me will receive 00:07:54.230 --> 00:07:57.329 the fruit of seeds I am planting today. And people 00:07:57.329 --> 00:08:00.629 who do not yet know my name may one day encounter 00:08:00.629 --> 00:08:03.790 the faithfulness of God because I chose to believe 00:08:03.790 --> 00:08:07.750 him in this generation. If the complete fulfillment 00:08:07.750 --> 00:08:11.069 of the promise extends beyond my lifetime, I 00:08:11.069 --> 00:08:13.829 will still believe because the purpose of God 00:08:13.829 --> 00:08:17.170 is greater than one generation and his faithfulness 00:08:17.170 --> 00:08:20.389 does not end when my earthly journey is complete. 00:08:21.029 --> 00:08:23.709 I may feel weak, but the spirit of the living 00:08:23.709 --> 00:08:27.069 God dwells within me. I may walk through fire, 00:08:27.290 --> 00:08:30.329 but I will not walk alone. I may pass through 00:08:30.329 --> 00:08:33.169 deep waters, but they will not overwhelm me. 00:08:33.409 --> 00:08:36.169 I may be surrounded, but I am not abandoned. 00:08:36.669 --> 00:08:39.669 I may be pressed, but I will not be destroyed. 00:08:39.950 --> 00:08:43.990 I may be struck down, but I will not remain defeated. 00:08:44.690 --> 00:08:48.250 I may fall, but by the grace of God I will rise 00:08:48.250 --> 00:08:52.710 again. By faith I will follow Jesus. By faith 00:08:52.710 --> 00:08:56.450 I will carry my cross. By faith I will remain 00:08:56.450 --> 00:09:00.009 when others turn away. By faith I will forgive 00:09:00.009 --> 00:09:03.669 when my flesh demands revenge. By faith I will 00:09:03.669 --> 00:09:07.669 love when love becomes costly. By faith I will 00:09:07.669 --> 00:09:11.830 obey. when obedience requires sacrifice. By faith, 00:09:12.190 --> 00:09:15.549 I will worship before the answer appears. By 00:09:15.549 --> 00:09:18.710 faith, I will endure when the promise seems delayed. 00:09:18.970 --> 00:09:21.870 By faith, I will remain faithful when no one 00:09:21.870 --> 00:09:25.049 is watching. By faith, I will fight the good 00:09:25.049 --> 00:09:28.730 fight. By faith, I will keep the faith. And by 00:09:28.730 --> 00:09:32.789 faith, I will finish my race. I declare that 00:09:32.789 --> 00:09:35.690 discouragement will not stop me. Disappointment 00:09:35.690 --> 00:09:39.330 will not define me. Delay. will not destroy my 00:09:39.330 --> 00:09:42.789 faith. Opposition will not silence my voice. 00:09:43.090 --> 00:09:45.690 Failure will not become the final chapter of 00:09:45.690 --> 00:09:49.789 my story. My past will not imprison me. My weaknesses 00:09:49.789 --> 00:09:53.029 will not disqualify me. And the gates of hell 00:09:53.029 --> 00:09:56.230 will not prevail against what Jesus Christ has 00:09:56.230 --> 00:09:59.529 determined to build through my life. I will live 00:09:59.529 --> 00:10:02.870 and not die. I will declare the works of the 00:10:02.870 --> 00:10:06.009 Lord. I will see the goodness of God in the land 00:10:06.009 --> 00:10:08.700 of the living. I will walk in the calling he 00:10:08.700 --> 00:10:12.480 has placed upon my life. I will fulfill the assignment 00:10:12.480 --> 00:10:15.639 entrusted to me. And everything the enemy intended 00:10:15.639 --> 00:10:19.259 for evil, God will turn for good, for his glory, 00:10:19.539 --> 00:10:22.539 for my testimony, and for the preservation of 00:10:22.539 --> 00:10:25.620 those connected to my purpose. And when my earthly 00:10:25.620 --> 00:10:28.700 journey is complete, may it be said of me as 00:10:28.700 --> 00:10:32.200 it was said of those who came before me. I believed 00:10:32.200 --> 00:10:36.039 God. I trusted his voice. I remained faithful. 00:10:36.399 --> 00:10:39.799 I lived according to a reality my natural eyes 00:10:39.799 --> 00:10:42.899 could not yet see. I carried the promise even 00:10:42.899 --> 00:10:46.519 when I did not possess its fulfillment. I obeyed 00:10:46.519 --> 00:10:49.840 God in my generation and prepared the way for 00:10:49.840 --> 00:10:52.720 those who would come after me. I fought the good 00:10:52.720 --> 00:10:55.639 fight. I finished the race. I kept the faith. 00:10:55.860 --> 00:10:58.480 Not because I was always strong, but because 00:10:58.480 --> 00:11:01.179 the Holy Spirit lived within me. Not because 00:11:01.179 --> 00:11:03.950 I never failed. but because the blood of Jesus 00:11:03.950 --> 00:11:07.070 covered me. Not because I possessed every answer, 00:11:07.289 --> 00:11:10.289 but because the grace of God sustained me. Not 00:11:10.289 --> 00:11:12.830 because I always knew where I was going, but 00:11:12.830 --> 00:11:16.149 because the faithful hand of God carried me until 00:11:16.149 --> 00:11:19.470 the end. This is my confession. This is my prayer. 00:11:19.710 --> 00:11:22.529 This is my declaration of faith. I belong to 00:11:22.529 --> 00:11:26.090 Jesus Christ. My life is in his hands. My present 00:11:26.090 --> 00:11:29.590 is covered by his grace. My future is secured 00:11:29.590 --> 00:11:33.029 within his... eternal purpose. My family belongs 00:11:33.029 --> 00:11:36.570 to Him. My calling belongs to Him. My battles 00:11:36.570 --> 00:11:39.769 belong to Him. My unanswered questions belong 00:11:39.769 --> 00:11:43.309 to Him. My victories belong to Him. My entire 00:11:43.309 --> 00:11:46.950 life belongs to Him. Everything I am and everything 00:11:46.950 --> 00:11:50.309 I will ever become rests securely in the hands 00:11:50.309 --> 00:11:53.210 of the One who loved me and gave Himself for 00:11:53.210 --> 00:11:56.909 me. Therefore, by faith I will continue walking 00:11:56.909 --> 00:12:00.399 until what God has spoken. becomes what my eyes 00:12:00.399 --> 00:12:03.679 can finally see. And even if I do not see the 00:12:03.679 --> 00:12:06.659 fullness of it within my lifetime, I will still 00:12:06.659 --> 00:12:09.259 leave this earth believing because the promise 00:12:09.259 --> 00:12:12.120 does not depend upon the length of my life. The 00:12:12.120 --> 00:12:15.120 promise depends upon the faithfulness of my God. 00:12:15.799 --> 00:12:19.559 He was faithful to Abraham. He was faithful to 00:12:19.559 --> 00:12:23.980 Joseph. He was faithful to Moses. He was faithful 00:12:23.980 --> 00:12:27.980 to David. He was faithful to the prophets. He 00:12:27.980 --> 00:12:31.080 was faithful to the apostles. He was faithful 00:12:31.080 --> 00:12:34.039 to the generations before me. He is faithful 00:12:34.039 --> 00:12:37.240 to me today. He will be faithful to my children. 00:12:39.340 --> 00:13:06.210 I believe God. I trust God, I belong to God, 00:13:06.309 --> 00:13:10.129 and by faith I declare, I will not turn back, 00:13:10.409 --> 00:13:13.330 I will not surrender, I will not abandon the 00:13:13.330 --> 00:13:16.330 promise, I will not release what God has placed 00:13:16.330 --> 00:13:19.830 within me, I will stand, I will believe, I will 00:13:19.830 --> 00:13:23.409 obey, I will endure, and by the grace of God, 00:13:23.529 --> 00:13:26.990 I will finish, in the mighty, victorious, and 00:13:26.990 --> 00:13:31.070 everlasting name of Jesus Christ. Amen, amen, 00:13:31.610 --> 00:13:33.149 and amen. Hallelujah.