Sunday January 28th, 2023

A chunk of a boy really seriously, right? But he is he is doing great and my iPad is not on. But I appreciate the prayers. I appreciate all of that. It was a very emotional time for us dealing with the emotions of everything. But also we weren't there. We are waiting for the phone call in and getting to experience all this from The Edge until she was rushed to hospital in and of course mom rushed to the hospital to be at hospital with her daughter and has been up there ever since so which is good. But healthy baby were all excited. Thank you for your prayers. Thank you for all of that sits. Great. I am now Papa times too, and I'm excited to have that title and I just go forward with that. So Devil Bible Stern with me to Daniel chapter 6.

we continue on a series of sermons that we've been doing called better choices better you and today I want to talk to you about a a something that I think is the biggest issue the Christians have today in our walk with Christ. That's a big statement. I know and and I and I could say so many different things in the end there so many but I do believe I honestly believe that this issue is one of the largest issues that we have in our faith today. As a Christian when we give our life to Christ you haven't done that. That's okay. Please don't don't check out. It's okay. If you haven't done that, it's all right. We want to treat you to do that. But if you're here today, you have given your life to Christ then hear me out for a moment. When we give our life to Christ. What we are doing is we're coming to a place where we look at Jesus and we stayed. I need your help. I can't do this. I am sinful. I am all of these things that the sin that I have the debt that I owe is too great for me. And so therefore I need you in my life and see what we look at and what we look for if we look for his sweet we become repented. That's what they say. The word repentance means means turning away from your sin to go in and be with Christ. And we're asking where we're sorry. We're asking forgiveness for our sins were asking for all of those things. And those are really important things. But generally what happens when you give your life to Christ you go through this period of time of this Elation you're so excited about sharing Christ. You're so excited about Christ and be inside of you your listen. I'm going to make really good choices. I'm going to do the best I can do. I'm going to be I'm going to make Jesus proud of me today because I'm going to I'm going to wake up this morning to make all the right choices and then guess what happens After. Of time, maybe you do for the first week or so few days first week, whatever you make those good choices you make those choices, but then at some point your own life and your old ways.

And you slip up and you fall. And then what happens after that what happens after that describes and is one of the most important things that we can look at in terms of her faith see the word that I want to use today. The thing that I want to talk about today is called consistency consistency means doing the same thing good or bad by the way over and over and over and over again. I'd often laugh and I probably use this as an example way too much but this is a battle that your pastor has and it's you when I think about it when I make up in my mind that I'm going to I'm going to go to the gym every single day and I'm going to be good and I'm going to I'm going to do the steps that I need to do to lose weight. I'm going to do all of those things. The only problem is my consistency is not in going to gym I consistency is if so, that's a problem, right? So I made that choice. I made that consistency doing the same thing repeatedly. You know the average person knows if their choices are good or bad. You know what I don't have to say Pastor set up here all the time and try to tell you about your whether you're sitting or not. You know, whether you're sitting let's be honest with ourselves for a moment. Yes. We may try to tell ourselves that we're good people. Yes, we may try to tell herself that what we're doing is okay and all of those other things, but if we really are honest with ourselves, we know whether what we're doing is good or bad. We also know that.

We also know that there's decision that we get to make I know that I get to wake up every morning to make a decision whether I'm going to get my gym clothes and go to the gym right I know every morning I get to wake up and decide am I going to roll out of bed and the very first thing I'm going to do before my feet Hit the Floor has praised God right? I get that choice or is the first thing I'm going to do is flip over and grab that phone off the side pick it up and start looking at Tik Tok videos to send the Quarry. I know that's going to happen right I get to choose what they have to be. It's not just Corey by the way. Sorry. I said no to a lot of different people, but we get that choice.

There are times when we have to make a decision between two good things right that happens in life today. You may be here you might have two good things in your trying to decide. What is what is the right decision to make and you're going through your mind and you're thinking through all these things and you're trying to decide which way is to go that could be a bit difficult. I understand that it's hard to make it as it's easy to make a decision when you have a good and a bad when you have when you have the the good side in the bad side on your shoulders speaking to you. It's easy to make that decision cuz you know, which side is good and what size patch the difficult decisions, when both sides are good or bad?

Tom is not in decision-making of seaweed. We often poor all of our energy and effort into this decision making process in that. I'm going to make this decision. I'm going to make a better choice on her do all these things and then I'm going to move on to know the problems that we pull all their energy and effort into that instead of what happened Easter. We make that decision. Because what happens is that if you make a good decision great, then your life is going to your life is going to continue going down the path and maybe it's a good path and maybe everything's going all right, but what happens if you made a bad choice. What happens what do we do with that? Springs me to today's message on consistency. See no one is perfect. No one is perfect. I'm sorry Chad, even you are not perfect. Okay. Chad doesn't think he's perfect but Charles is in here. So I can't I have to go with Chaz and she said that the same like the same first two letters nothing but the truth of the matter is that no one's perfect. Not even your pastor. And I will say I'm the first not to be perfect actually, but but we were going to make that choice if you're going to fall you're going to slip you're going to stumble you're going to have an ax that you're going to do something you're going to cost if you're going to lie, you're going to do something that you're you're going to eat an M&M when you tried to eat an apple. It's happens to me all the time. You're going to eat a donut when you're supposed to be eating fruit. You're going to lay in bed instead of going to the gym. They're going to do all the whatever it is that you're fighting with your going. This is going to happen. We're not perfect. We live in an imperfect world. We live in a fallen world. It is what we do after we make that decision that matters most. Do you pick yourself up self up off the floor and start making good choices again, or do you live in the bad choices that you made previous? See the problem is that too many Christians today go out with the idea that they're going to do good that they're going to make Jesus project. They're going to act as soon as you make the bad choices like while yesterday is gone and I'll go forget it, right. I'm just going to give you two doing whatever I'm going to do and things get added on to each other they build up and they build up in pretty soon consistency in tune bad is where we're at instead of consistently trying to do good. The choice is left to you. And I so today let's learn how to be consistent and how to make the right choice over and over again. And I love the story again. If you have your Bibles turn with me to DNA chapter 6 if you're a scholar of scripture at all, you know that Daniel chapter 6 is going to be talking about Daniel in the Lion's Den, right? This is a great Old Testament story that you probably all if you've been in any Sunday school class at all, you probably heard that several times, but I want to focus on something other than Daniel in the Lion's Den. I want to focus on Daniel and his decisions leading to the Lion's Den. Sophie Turner with me again. Do you know 16:1 please Darius I said over the kingdom 120 subtracts say traps to be throughout the whole Kingdom and over them three High officials of whom Daniel was one to whom these two traps should give account so that the king might suffer no loss. Let's pause there just for a moment to explain what's going on what Darius is doing is he is putting together a government. If you will, he is putting together Governor's over areas of the city in the areas of the region where he's at now each one of them is going to manage a certain area certain neighborhood if you feel Now what they're saying to Darius is that it was King Darius the same as Daniel is one of these Daniel is a Jewish Believer. By the way, King Darius is not this is a very this was this was during the time when Israel was being had it has already been overrun. And so there are basically in all the different places and we find Daniel living within an area

or living within a kingdom. That's not his own. But the annual does something Daniel is being noticed. Obviously Daniel was one of these to whom they saved her if she could give account so that the king might suffer no loss. First three says then Daniel became distinguish above all other high officials and subtracts because of excellent Spirit was in him and the King plan to set him over the whole Kingdom. I was positive for a moment this again Daniel is an outsider Daniel's not someone who the rest of the people trusted but the king did why because Daniel was making right choices over and over and over again. Daniel is being given the opportunity to make the right choice and he is making the right choices so much so that he is distinguished above all the other high officials. Daniel is being known for the decisions he made and so therefore they're giving him where the king is planning on making him.

the head Governor over the whole Kingdom Of course what happens when that happens to the people someone's always jealous, right? Someone's always going to be jealous. It's so what happens is that the then the high officials in the seat website to find a ground for complaint against Daniel with regard to the kingdom, but they could find no grounds for complaint or any fault because he was faithful and no air or fault was found in him and explain what's happening here. So they're jealous. They're mad. They want to come against Daniel because they don't like that. This Outsider is taken upon the way. He's a true. They don't want this judaken over this area. They don't want they don't want this Israelite. I should say that I want to say is you're like taking over they don't want any of these people until they're mad at him. As for the high officials in the tribes fought to find a ground of complaint against Daniel. What are they trying to do they're trying to fight they're waiting for him to slip up there waiting for him to make a mistake. They're waiting for him to just stumble if you want a trip to fall to do all these things.

Yet they could find no ground for complaint against Daniel with regard to the kingdom. Plaza from what they found no fault with Daniel in regard to the kingdom was a perfect person. Now, there's only one perfect person. Daniel was not perfect piano made mistakes. If you read the book of Daniel, you'll find a Daniel didn't always make the right choices. Daniel didn't always he was a good person. He was a love. I love you and I I have spent the very first I don't know if I believe the first six months of my Christian Life, I study Daniel because I just found something in the end of that. I absolutely love that. I spend all this time with them and was not perfect. But yet still could not find problem. Why could they not find fault in him? Because he was making the right choices. He was consistently doing good. She was consistently making the right choices even in the face of Temptation even in the face of power even in the face of hey look on better than all the rest of you.

Daniel still made the right choice and there is no error Define. Oh wait, let's move on. So then verse 5 says then he's been said we shall not find any ground for complaint against the annual unless we find it in connection with a wall of his God. There is Ciroc. We find a Daniels. I'm only good person doing the right thing. But we also then find that Daniel is a follower of God. And so therefore Daniel they know that the only way that they can trap Daniel is to have it in connection with his gut why Melissa, this is important if someone who is your enemy today besides a trap you can they trap you in your ways with your God today answer to that question for many of us has no Our faith is not strong enough. We don't read the Bible now if we don't pray enough and there's many ways that we could we would fail in this but because Daniel was sort of Faithful Men. They knew that they could catch them in this way. They catch him in doing this.

Daniel was consistent and doing good was pause and pray and then we'll continue on Father. We thank you for this most wonderful and beautiful day that you've given to us a day that we can come and worship you. Lord we ask you that you just help us to serve you we help we ask that you help us to be consistent in our faith in your father. What Jesus we're not perfect and we're going to fail talk to you knew that sand and send us your son your only son and Jesus you came to this Earth for us because you knew that we could not achieve. What we need is here in this earth without the grace that you provide for us. The father. We ask you Lord help us to make that decision to be consistent in doing good. Help us to understand. How are decisions matter how we can be good in those decision-making process father help us to learn to be consistent like you were like Daniel was like others of scripture where father help us to walking that way and to serve you Holy Spirit. We ask you if you just come and open our minds open our ears open our senses so that we can hear what you would say to us through these scriptures that you're speaking to us through today. Help us to follow you in Lord. I pray that my words will not be my own but they truly be your words father as we glorify you and honor you and praise you in all that we do and say in Jesus name. Amen. Daniel was consistent doing good. You know, it takes seven times to make a habit. Now I would like to argue with a person that came up with the stat because you know what? I've gone to the gym seven times and I still don't have a habit of going to the gym. Don't ask me about Eminem's now, but going to the gym is a good problem right there. It is a problem 7 * 7 * if you were consistently doing something 7 times in a row, you are most likely going to form a habit is why today with it? One of the things that I encouraged the leadership team of our church to do all the time is that when you see a new visitor coming in seven different people have to go and say hello. I want I want to now and I'm giving you this knowledge of this understanding so that you can all be included in this when someone comes in it doesn't stop for a new personal assault a cop, right?

but introducing yourself What are we doing? Are we at church that's known as being played in Friendly and happy and and and encouraging if we are then great. We should do that. You should experience that or are we not set at 77 time to form a habit? I was in if you're at home, and you think it's listen, how many times may I use you as an example? That's okay have this conversation Paso trucker and so he has a beautiful a handle of the English language. Let's go with the English language and what we also call the truck keys which right

Find Kurt's a Minecraft myself. If you are if you're stumbling over certain words that you're having a trouble always saying that you should say.

Well, I bet I encourage you to replace it with something else and continue to replace it with something else. Now. This is some people say, oh that's that's funny. Like, you know, I loved by anyone ever watched the Christmas story where the dad had this language and he goes. I wish I wish we had time I have Jay come up with you could do the whole entire. He's good at that. He knows that entire scene from beginning to end.

But what's the little boy's name from Ralphy Ralph he goes, but today we have a habit. If you have something that you're doing wrong switch it out change it out. If you're always mean to someone because you don't like them try being nice to that for once. Smile shake their hand the hell out. If you have someone in your life that you're aggravated or angry with them that you're at odds with pray for them. And I'm not and I'm not saying dear Lord Smite him down with the power of the holy spirit. Let them strike you down from Abaddon. You deserve it. You're such a terrible person. No, not that that's not the kind of kind of. I'm asking about his Lord bless.

67 facts about Chrissy was pretty bad your son. Just threw you under the bus. Read it over and have dropped it off and do it again right now.

The problem with this is that we don't form and have it until when we messed up again. What happens if your rails us if your ears are good. How many times was just last week we talked about

Actually, you'll see this on Facebook this week. Do you know that 85? I didn't say this last week. I'm going to say this. It's on my my future posts that you'll see this week. Yes. I am planning to do 85% of New Year's resolutions fail. By January 31st 85% now, you know what my January 31st is the date that 85% of new it also is January 31st.

It's National Hot Chocolate day is National Hot Chocolate day is January 31st. So do you do you think it's 85% of New Year's resolutions and by January 31st, that's a different story.

Presley why does why do 85% of resolutions End by January 31st? Exactly what I don't want to go into a number 85% I love 85% 70% of Year's resolutions and after the first week.

Why because what's what's a natural resolution the national resolution is I'm going to lose weight. I'm going to exercise I'm going to all of this and then you're right in the middle of right you're in that post holidays that post holiday Slumber and you wake up in here. Like I'm not getting up at 6 in the morning to go to any gym. Are you kidding me? No way news. Not two hours two hours later it take seven times to form a habit to one mistake. She shouldn't be really was it. That's the problem. We can't be real because we make one mistake consistency is what you do after you fell and not

and knots

Listen, we're going to fail. That's the only that I could I could I wish I could sit here and tell you that I want you to be perfect. I always want you to make the right choices. And that's true. I do but the truth of the matter is we are cute. We live in a fallen world. We live in a sinful World in so that sin will cause you to your going to fail. Does that mean that you can't overcome that know, you can't the way that you overcome that is by picking yourself up off the ground when you felt and getting up and putting your mind to the effort to go forward and continue doing it just for my habits.

Are you consistent doing good, or is it up and down?

Paul says in Romans 7. I love I love Paul's writing in Romans 7 if you ever I'm not going to show it up on the board. But if you ever have read Paul and Romans chapter 7, he says I do what I don't want to do even though I wish I would do good. Paula say I Stumble and I fall even though I have in the best intentions to do something right? I don't the problem of it is that we all are living in intentions instead of actual action and Paul's understanding that posted. I got to move forward. I got to continue doing this and the only way I can move forward is by the power of the Holy Spirit good intention for sit. My wife is sister and my wife and I had this conversation not too long as she goes. I had good intentions to do it. There's a saying I can't remember the saying right now. And yes, and I used to tell her all the time. Like it's great. They couldn't even better when you actually follow through with it.

A house. She's not even here and I still hear her voice.

What's with the letters today good intentions mean if you have in mind that you know, if you have in mind a good thought for someone right? Do they know it? Not much to tell him I have his phone when you can do the Romans chapter chapter 6 verses 10 through 13 had been signed. So what has happened to deposit from only cuz we skipped over this the other officials have decided that they're going to trap Daniel how they're going to trap the end of the stuff. They went to King Darius and they Tempe Gary lucid. There should be no other king but you King Darius or should he know what else the kids praise and worship at all these things, but you can Darius is like yeah, you're right. I should receive all the praise I should receive all the prick and so he sets in law that anyone who serves or worships another king other than King. Darius will be thrown into a lion's den.

What Daniel knew that this document had been signed he went to his house or he had windows in his upper chamber up open Twist Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and he prayed and gave thanks to God as he had done previously. Daniel got up. He went to the window open up the window and said it was a religious way of giving everyone the middle finger.

I'm kidding but Daniel. She's like I don't care what you say. I don't care the wall that you signed. I don't care anything. You did. Look for Daniel that Daniel knew that this meant that you knew that this meant he was going to be thrown into the lions den with all chat purposes. That meant you would die. But Daniel did not care. He was so consistent in his prayer life. He was so consistent in his faith. What did he do? He went up and he open the windows just said, yeah. I see how much I care and I'm only am I going to continue praying so I'm not going to hide it. I'm going to stand here in front where everyone can see me and I'm going to pray where is RP? Where is our food like the end if you ever go to work and someone says are you a Christian you hang up and then also need you to take your Bible and you slide it off to the side, right?

Truth of the matter is as too often. We don't have the face the boldness the strength like Daniel had. Daniel knew that he was going to be thrown into a line stand for what he was doing and yet he still get it. He still pray and not once not twice, but three times a day in front of an open window. So everyone could see him he was making sure he was and I would say that he was there just making a point right and that he did it on purpose but the scripture then throws in something that totally blows out all the water as he had done previously. The Daniel had I'm only done that that day but he had been doing this over and over and over again repeatedly the word consistency. He was consistent and doing this. It was a habit. And so therefore what happened when the Declaration came forward Daniel didn't have to make a choice. Daniel said how to say oh what choice should I make should I should I follow King Darius or should I follow should I follow the true? King? God knows Daniel was so consistent and doing good that when the day came that he had to choose. There was no choice. She had to make he immediately didn't realize the problem is is for us is that we sometimes diable and doing good and we sometimes dabble and doing bad. There's no consistency and someone a decision comes that we have to put our faith on the lights or we have to do our faith is being tested in some way. We generally failed because we have no consistency in doing good Daniel good good hallways, and so the consistent thing was for Daniel to keep going and keep doing what he did. What happens next is verse 11 says that nice men came by agreement and found Daniel making a petition and plea before his guide. Bruce wants us. Then it came near and said before the king concerning the injunction O'Kane. Did you not find an injunction that anyone who makes petition to any God or man within 30 days except to you King shall be cast into the Den of Lions the king answered and said this the thing stands fast according to the law of the medes and Persians which cannot be revoked. First 13th, then he answered and said then they answered and said before the King Daniel who is one of the exiled from Judith pays no attention to you. Okay, or the injunction you have signed but makes this petition three times a day.

Isn't that just like saying is not just like the devil isn't just like the are people that may be against us to do that. They're waiting. In the woods there waiting in the weeds, so to speak to catch you and doing that. So that they can go before their so-called King. And bring you up to them, but Daniel was consistent doing good. He didn't care about those things.

What happened? What happened after that? He's practicing to be a singer like work.

So what happens is that Daniel? The King by the way, I'm skipping a lot of versus just to save some time here. But what happens is the king because he signed this injunction has to throw Daniel into the lion's den. She doesn't have a choice.

He had to throw Daniel because Daniel broke the law. There was no think there's nothing that the king could have done and so he knew that he had to throw Daniel into the lion's den. Any. Even though the king loves doing all the king likes Daniel the king is impressed by Daniel because of his decision-making but yet he throws a minute. I'm going to jump ahead again. So concerned about the lion City, but I do want to give you a little break shot of the end of the story verse 23. It says then the King was exceedingly glad in command of the tea and you'll be taken up out of the den So Daniel was taken up out of the den and no kind of harm was found at him because he had trusted in his God.

Daniel was thrown into the lions den. And the Lions came over to get a little teddy. They wanted a little scratch underneath their head. That's it. They didn't eat nothing.

Jesus was the fourth man in the fire, but he was also the other man in the Lion's Den with Daniel. Daniel had no harm to him because he had trusted his guy to the Christian is that you can be consistent to with God's help successful people do consistently what other people do occasionally you understand that the most successful people, you know, the people that are that have a body style a little bit better than I do. They do something that I only do occasionally, that's go to the gym. They do it constantly. The people who are if you're if you look at someone it whatever you're looking at in terms of success. The reason why they are success is because they are constantly doing what they're supposed to do. They're constantly doing what we would only do location. Success is not making one decision and making one right decision success this making a string of right decisions over and over and over again, which means that when you make a wrong decision and you fail you get up and you make the right decision again, it's okay to fail. There's nothing like I had a wonderful business leader that told me this one.

I just want you to try. God is no different than that. I see God in that way. That's like listen. I want you to just continue to try are you going to be perfect? No, but if you pick yourself up when you fall and you're consistently continue to do it that your director in the business world, you know, we used to I used to laugh all the time because we had literally when I was in the business run our business was 85% of our business was done between the months of October and December. I don't know how many of you guys know about business world. But if you if you could think about 85% of your business being done in the three-month period of time, that's huge. And so when we would look at the line, you know, we just through January February March April May June and sales would be really low and we're like, oh boy it was it was very easy often for me to think I'm going to have to start letting people out cuz we're not going to just not going to happen. We're not going to make our budget when I go do all of these things. And then come October November December and it would go for like a good business line is not necessarily a straight line goes like this. A good business line is often like this ups and downs, but guess what? What's happening is that is constantly moving forward is constantly moving up. You're going to be successful. You're going to have some downfalls but as long as it's directory is going up your doing good and it's all long as you consistently move forward and that way it's okay. I love Daniels response. He knows the law. He just that was signed into all of this seems like I'm going to do it. Anyway, I'm going to pray anyway, even though it means I'm going to be thrown into the lions and I'm going to pray anyway. Daniels was successful because he constantly did. What he was supposed to do he constantly chose to pray. Dii off the time. I hear someone is so hard for me to just pray before I go to bed at night. Well just do it just constantly do it. Even if it was in there. Sometimes that I fall asleep or my wife falls asleep in a prison.

I will pray that night and we're saying our prayers and all these things and then and then you do it's just as long as we're not always be the sun always beautiful person times. We're just like so tired Friday night after after everything happened I was laying in bed and and I'm thanking the lord and I'm in the middle of and I think I'm so excited about the great Pretender to meet God. We just praising him do all these things. I lay down on the bed. I got floor just so awesome. You still want

God bless you okay with that. Cuz the next one the next morning you wake up and you continue moving for. I just wanted to wake up you continue doing this.

It's not about it's all about the process. Listen. This is this is a thing that I used to use the sprays all the time in the business World in my my my employees hated this ice storm all time. It's not about it's about the price not about anything else other than the process. It's about the process. How are you doing?

Are there are ups and downs is okay that their ups and downs as long as your devoted to being consistent means that you have to love that.

I have to love going to the gym even though I don't love it. Find ways to make the I want to I want to like that. I want to like that process. I want to be in the right shape. I want to do all those things. But in order to do that, I have to be in love with the process and not Reaction, not the goal often times we get so of fixated on the goal we get so fixated on this this that we forget that there's a whole step. There's a whole Devotion to the whole process too often times Christians get so sticks on their salvation in heaven that they forget that they are living with Christ every single day here on this Earth. We can still fix either with one day. I'm going to be at Trinity with Heaven. Is that true? Yes it is. I guess why every single day here on this Earth you get to walk with him, which means you get to have a relationship. You can't have a relationship with God brace right now. It's about the process. Don't get so stuck on the final days. Fixated focused on today. What it comes down to is that your devotion has to be greater than your desire. Do desire to do good most of us in this room would say yes. You desire to treat people. Well, most of the people in this room would say yes.

What happened? So is that our desires change?

If your devoted listen if you only desire your husband or your wife, and they do something wrong.

What's going to happen? too many too many relationships and because it was based on desire and not devotion.

Your wife your husband is going to say something that you don't like they're going to wake up with stinky breath of going to wake up with her hair all different places. They're going to wake up. I'm now on a CPAP machine for all of those that want to know and so I tease my wife I put on a CPAP machine like the one I look sexy.

So then a few days later what happened is the doctor calls and he's like you need to chin strap too. So I get this chinstrap now. So I have this whole headband that goes on. I have its nose piece and I like turn on honey. She's like

But you know what? I know. I never worry about my wife's leaving just cuz I have to wear a CPAP machine, you know, why cuz she's devoted. Should a whopping devoted wife to absolutely love and I'm a loving devoted husband to her. Will she make mistakes? Yes, will I make mistakes? Solutely you don't have enough paper in the world to for me to fill out all the mistakes. I've made it my marriage, but you know what it's about. The potion is not about desire. It's what keeps of husband and wife together years after your I hate to tell you but you're not as cute as what you are when you and Doreen were first married. OK Google look when they first got married today would be a different story about shape that we've ever been as returning into a 50s as we get later on in her fifties and sixties and seventies.

Their first DLC, right?

Let me see her real quick story and it's going to be a personal story a few years ago. The church wasn't turning out the way that I wanted to go. Things weren't working out what I had in my mind as beautiful picture the way I wanted things to work wasn't happening.

And I wanted to quit I did want to be I want to be completely honest with you. I had Visions in my head that I was done. I was walking away. I'm quitting. And it wasn't wasn't working. It was I wasn't happy there was failures or things going on over and over and over again. If you look at just nothing was working rights, and I was crying out to the Lord and I'm like, just let me know Please Release Me From This let me

I heard something.

Heard him say this word, but I had said a whole bunch of times. Are you in love with the process? Or you love with a goal? And I thought to myself how that's just my mind telling me that's right. I'm just remembering back. And then what he said to me was something that I'll never forget. I just so remember these words very clearly and one of the things that he said to me was that are you devoted? Or you just Desiring a future goal in mind. I never had my devotion question before never in my whole entire life. One of the things that I pride myself on is that I am I try to be as consistent as possible that consistency was a very important. There's a wonderful book that says why consistency matters that came out as a business books, but it's a wonderful thing and if you're in the business really encourage you to read it, but it is something I read many many years ago. So important to me that I desire I said listen, whatever I do in my life, I'm going to be consistent. Maybe consistently eating Eminem's or maybe consistently doing something else right? I had to be consistent. That's what I that's the one thing that I pride myself on but I found myself in the midst of this going. I don't want to be consistent anymore when it quits

And then the Lord brought me to Daniel and he said Daniel didn't quit when he was faced with being thrown into the lions den.

The song that we just sang The Fourth Man in the fire, right? Radshack Meshach and Abednego didn't quit when they were thrown into the when they were thrown into the fire. Jesus didn't quit even though he prayed tears of blood that he didn't want to go forward with us. He didn't quit every I challenge you that every story you read in Scripture. Start with someone being consistent and doing what they're asked to do. It may not be what they wanted to do. It may not be that Vision or that beautiful picture of where they wanted to be but they were consistent. They're consistent and serving God and following him in a square shape team to come forward. my question for you tonight tonight my question for you today feels like night for me and my question for you today is this

Do you love Do You Love? The Devotion to God or do you love? What did you see him?

See if you just love what God gives you eventually you'll find something else in this earth. Replace it. Your desire will change your desire will be to something else. You'll go back to what you've always done. You'll go back to being someone else. And so therefore that will go away. But if your devotion is to God, but even if you're faced with the threat of being thrown into a lion's den, you'll still go forward. The consistency and faith is more about the everyday relationship than it is about the end. See if you're going to be consistent in your faith today. What is going to take is when you don't feel like getting up and praying you get up and pray if you're going to be consistent in your face when you feel like I can't take another step you take another step.

If you're going to be consistent in anything that the Lord calls you to do guess what there's going to be times when you go through something that you don't like you're going to go through trouble. You're going to go through difficult. You're going to go through pain. You're going to go through suffering, but you got to keep moving forward. I use my daughter as a quick example because she's just to me she epitomizes this story. At home giving birth without any medication without any pain medicine any of these things. She's faced with giving birth to a baby that sideways. She has to make a choice to either goes to the hospital has a C-section the babies harmed in some way. There's there's some conversation about how the baby was going to come out all those things. She said no, I'll do it. and she did knowing the consequences reaction that was going to take wasn't to be healthy was going to say was I going to be wasn't healthy for her to be difficult to be painful. She did it. Did you often we look for a way out of the problems in life? Because we want the easiest route instead of the consistent route. We want the Roses. We want the golden streets. We went all these things now instead of the consistency of what it takes to get there. as a Christian as a business person as someone who just lives in life today, if you're not consistent then what are you

Scripture says that when the wind comes and the Raves hits you're not built. On the stone you're not founded in Jesus Christ. So what's going to happen the way they're going to beat on you the winds going to blow and you're going to be cast off somewhere else? Consistency and face is about making the everyday decision to be in a relationship with Jesus Christ today. Even when things are going well, even when things aren't right. We still make that choice.