The Life You've Been Searching For

All right. Good morning church. How's everybody this morning? We all look wonderful as always a blessing and an honor to be in the house of the Lord with my church family. Let's go ahead and stand for praise and worship. It is first Sunday we could communion on first Sunday. So we're starting off with I know it was the blood

I know I know I know.

Do you know that your mom is a day in jail.

very bad anxiety

I know it was the blood.

a man

And we all know that there's often times are weird feeling down or we're going through a rough time. We can always wait on the Lord, but we always have to have somebody in our Earthly Circle that we can lean on to this song is talks about how we're all Brothers and Sisters in Christ. We all need to be there for each other when we're going through rough times just to be a shoulder to lean on

He has no hole.

Can you hear him cry?

Here's my shoulder.

Melodies From Heaven guys

Hitman

Okay, so you can get that at the App Stores now we're going to bring back the praise team and have a wonderfully blessed Sunday. Amen.

Alright, I'll let stand up one more time time to give the Lord and praise and some victory. If I'm honoring some Glory so this one is something that we ran on several occasions by what you got.

You can try everything.

amen

How many you have the victory? Come on, let's give God some Praise of you have the victory? Come on, we can do better than that. Some of us been through some things in our life. And God has brought us out and giving us the victory.

Hey, man, I want to thank the praise team. Amen the also to watch out for those of you who come early. She be back there and put the tables up in it. So I want to thank you sis Lavern for coming and making sure we got food and coffee and stuff like that. So, you know, God bless you. You don't sometimes it's the folks who quietly work behind the scenes. Amen that you know that they always say past. I don't want to be seen I just want to be behind the scenes, you know, I appreciate him and I just want everybody to understand that there are folks who come early who prepare things so that we can drink that coffee and eat them them muffins and stuff like that if y'all what y'all don't know is we got a bunch of folks you a part of the ministry who don't attend church like we got to me and that the place where we go get the copies when we get the copies at what was it? FedEx and we go to FedEx and we get the copies made in I told they were part of my Ministry cuz they always have our programs ready for us. You know, all I have to do is come in we send the email so we got it I said to because you actually get this process started we wouldn't have the program's if it wasn't for them. Then we got some some other individual system her has a friend who just print all kind of stuff for us. And so I just want to thank him. I want you to let him know that United Christian Fellowship really appreciate it. We got a lot of people on the peripheral working for our ministry so that we can give God all we can a man. So I just want to take a few minutes for those who you may not know who's working behind the scenes. Let's give God some praise for them. Amen. amen

Alright, yeah, I'll pray for the pastor. Now I got toys and when I have toys, you know, sometimes toys don't work the way they're supposed to but I have the victory. Amen. I got the victory. All right, here we go. So it's October actually October is officially our church anniversary month a man. So to be 2 years that United Christian Fellowship officially, you know has been in Ministry, but Easter Service is the 2-year Mark for our Sunday morning Sunday morning worship service. We used to have morning worship service on Saturday evenings. Amen. And then we moved from Saturday evenings to Sunday morning. So we have to anniversaries and so the church anniversary and a pastor and wife anniversary at all. That's all mixed together. So we all celebrate it in October. Amen. Other thing that wasn't mentioned in announcements was the pastor it will be having Sunday morning Bible study here. So every Sunday morning we going to have Bible study if we going to start at 10 and go to about 10:30 10:45. Amen. So we need y'all to come in early. Amen. Wee wee and I want everybody to be praying for the growth group say man, because I know there's some folks praying against us a man. And so we need the Saints praying for the word of God Amen it and that folks will be touched by what we're doing. Amen, cuz we got to reach people we got to get outside of these four walls and get to people cuz you know what they not Turn down the doors to get into anybody's Church Say Amen. You know it Beyonce come they going to pay hundreds of dollars to go see her but you asked me to come hear our praise team now, that's him singing y'all y'all do and that's a free that's a free be right there. But you know what, you can't pay people to come in and hear the truth, but they're all kind of Lies a man. You tell him to use this pray for the church pray for the ministry's pray for the growth group say man, so that we can move forward in the in the kingdom of God. So with that said if the pastor don't finish the message today is okay, cuz I know we have to be out of here by 1 amen. And so we have to be completely out out of here by 1 o'clock now now let me just say this real quick. This is why you know, they can bounce in some of the other members, and say hey we need your help because Personally, I don't want somebody telling me I can't come to a place and worship cuz you know, we have to buy buy rules a man. So we really need to work as a family as a church to create the environment where we have the finances to have our own building a man that that's something that we have to pray about cuz everytime, you know, no offense, I appreciate everything but when somebody tells me I can't come and worship God at this place because something else is going on. When do you put down before anything else? Amen? What they should be saying is no K. Nobody else come work today after they're done. But until we get our own place and we have to buy buy rules now. I'll let you know if we're going to be over at the church office having worship service or if we're going to do something else, but that is serious to those of us who are leadership don't think this we have to pray together for this a man. We can't just have one or two people doing and everybody else think all it'll work itself out. No, we need everybody praying together so that the finances will come. Where new ministry we need people on board praying and giving the way God is is causing of requiring you to give you know, you know, I don't beg for nobody's money. Amen. I just want you to make sure you do. What's right as it relates to your relationship with God. Does that make sense? Amen? Alright, so we going to get started out like we searching for it and it when I say that y'all, you know, there are times when even at my age, I'm trying to figure out what God. What's my next step you ever been in that situation? We've already got even if you've accomplished something you look up and you're like, okay, what's next anybody ever you don't have to take that time ago? What's next? What do you want me to do next? Where am I going next? And what's the life that that many of us are searching for an answer. I want to talk a little bit today about the life that you're searching for and and some of us have arrived in some Areas of Our Lives. Amen some of the some areas you like. Okay. I got this. That's I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about the areas in your life where you said? All right. What's next? Or I'm kind of feeling like I'm standing still you ever have that I'm kind of feeling like I'm standing still and I don't know what to do next and you don't want to move cuz you don't want it to be the wrong move a man because sometimes when you get to a certain age, you don't have time to recover a man not now if you're young enough, you can recover from a lot of stuff but those of us who or who can on the other side of your name trying to make them same mistakes you did at 20 amen. So so we're all trying to figure out what's that next thing, you know it what what's the life because at the end of the day of the date each one of us will face God individually. Individually, this is no joke. This ain't a group thing here individually and he's going to play the tape and look for our names in the in the Lamb's Book of Life. First of all, if you're there that's a whole different issue right now.

What did he say Well done good and faithful servant. Only say I don't even know you. I'm serious, as I get older. Those are the things that become important to me. It ain't what folks think of me and whether they like me and it's really about when I mean. Face-to-face have I done the things that he's asked me to do if I live the life that's pleasing to him that some people might be trying to get you caught up in a bunch of noise and we'll talk about this is a bunch of noise in the atmosphere right now, but at the end of the day all of us will have to face God now you have to decide what you want him to say and you decided every moment every second of the day cuz we all make choices. So the choice has to be am I going to live my life for Christ? I'm living for myself.

The end of the day, you know, you can get you to heaven. I don't care how good you are. You can't get you to heaven. You can't be good enough to get yourself to have an amen. The series is title Abundant Life say Abundant Life. Alright foundational scriptures don't come from John chapter 10, and we already verses 9 through 11. So if you stand it should be on there on the screen there or in your Bibles go to John chapter 10 verse 9 begin with verse 9 and we going to read through verse 11. Is that okay? Hey, ma'am. Alright, so let's read this together. I am the door if anyone Answers by me, he will be saved and we'll go in and out and find pasture verse 10. The thief does not come except to steal and to kill and to destroy. I have come that they may have life and that they may have it more abundantly verse 11. I am the Good Shepherd the Good Shepherd give his life for the sheet now are Confession of Faith. Put that on there. Okay. I want you to repeat this after me. I am not move. By what I see. Or about what I feel. I am moved by what I believe. I believe the word of God the victory is mine. I have it now. I can see it through the eyes of my fate. In Jesus name not take a minute. And thank God for all he's done in your life.

Come on, y'all. Let's give God some praise if he's done anything in your life. Come on, if he's healed your body if he's brought your children back if he's paid your bills and whatever God has done in your life. He's watched over you, you know people left you and he's comforted you whatever God has done in your life. Give him praise for that. I turn to your neighbor and say let's live the Abundant Life. A man you may be seated in the presence of the Lord. All right Life's A Life Flight. So life has many definitions. Everybody wants to Define what life is not depending on who you talk to you you can get people saying oh man. I live here in America, but you know what? I would love to go to the Caribbean and just chill they look like they got the life. Amen. Maybe not at this moment, but typically hey man, you know what? I want to go to America, you know, because that's what people give it all depends on your perspective where you're coming from, but everybody has a definition for life and you got to watch this y'all. Let me tell you that sometimes the world tries to tell us what's important.

Sometimes the world will try to snatch us up and tell us that what we're doing. Is he important or not important and you got to be careful who you are allowing to direct and tell you what life is about. Sometimes we can get our stuff caught up in what the world wants and find that it's emptiness. Never been there chasing after stuff for this Fame Of Fortune or money or men or women or whatever you find out. They just as empty As You Are But I ain't hurting just as much as you're hurting and you think it looks good because on the outside it looks like if I get all the money everything will be fine. If I find this right girl or this right guy. Everything will be fine. And you look in time is passing. You have nothing. So we have to be careful who we are allowing to Define. What life is to as a man not going back to the scripture John chapter 10. I want you to look at this first 10 says the purpose is to steal and kill and destroy.

The thief's purpose is to kill. steal steal kill and destroy I want you to hold on to that for a second because you look over your life. He first came and stole your joy. What date was coming stole your money? What thing is coming stole your family members what these what has come to steal kill and destroy what God has given to you and then we find myself running out the stuff that's killing us that's stealing from us and trying to destroy us. Because the world is saying that's what you need to have. You know, we spend so much energy and effort trying to look just like everybody else all you can be if you trying to look like somebody else's a replica of what already exists. Does that make sense? You got to watch was stealing your time. We don't have a growth book on time management cuz most of the time we let this craziness still our time. So do you think the Bible says the thief comes the purpose is to steal kill and destroy the life. Jesus is just not interested in me having an average. He wants me to have more but if I keep letting the thief stealing I'll never have the abundance. You see what's happening. God keep blessing me. I keep letting it sleep the thief steal it and I'm I feel like I'm just quit saying I spend all my time with people and things and circumstances and situation that keeps stealing from me as opposed to adding to it. Don't know the people that you're around. They have no value they bring nothing to the table, but you feel some obligation to be with them. You know the stuff you do. I don't know how many brothels keep buying a lottery tickets and never win. Still in the money that God has blessed you with and you using it to try on the win to try to win something and never happens. Everybody wants to be a rapper. Everybody wants to be a football player and you spend your time and you realize I'm not getting it. the thief comes to steal

and destroy that's not the life that God wants us to live God is never wanted that never plan for us to be a people of depression of people have anxiety of people of that's not what God wants us to do or wants us to be so something must be taking it and he clearly said it's the thief y'all say, you know what Pastor you know, what you got to get with the times, you know, everybody's doing this. Why won't you let everybody know that they still late time and not your time. Don't you like to see still dating money and not your money? Why you got to be a lemon following there a man when you should be the leader, they should be following you. Where are the head and not the tail? Come on. I hope I got some witnesses here. Come on. Somebody say watch the thief. Watch the thief. The Bible says in the Amplified translation. The thief comes only in order to steal kill and destroy here's what Jesus said. I came that they may have and enjoy life and have it in abundance to the full till it overflows. Come on, y'all crazy saying I came for you to have life to the fullest. So then overflows and breakfast someone else not for you to be living in poverty and Shane and an anxiety and depression that is not the life that God wants for us.

Here we find men and women of God who are suffering for him and taking more pills in the world is an issues in trouble that God never intended for us. That's the God wants you to have you got to look at yourself and see what is stealing my joy. What a student's my piece when it still hurts. My love. The face is still in this and I'm not going to let him steal it anymore.

We got folks enough who can't, I'm so busy with worldly stuff. They never have time to give to God.

Things still in your time. You going to look up I tell my nephew's all the time. You look up and you going to be 30, then you look up again. You going to be 40. You don't look up again. You owe me 50 just like that watch was taking your time watch was stealing your time because you going to want to do stuff and look up to find out you too old to do stuff. amen

Say the thief watch the thief.

read what it says in Galatians chapter 5 first 22 but the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives love Joy peace patience kindness goodness faithfulness and verse 23 says gentleness and this is the one we all need to check self control. How do you say is there is no law against these things. Your lips. Look at this when I line up What God Says in Christ Jesus what he's giving us to have in abundance and I look at what he says is the fruit of all of this stuff. Then I'm saying wait. I need more love in my life. I need more piece. I need more self-control. I need the things that God wants because when God gives these things to me then I'm living in Godly abundance. Does that make sense? We all think it's money and everything wrong. Nothing wrong with having my God wants us to be the head and not the tail. Amen. God wants us to be the lender and not the borrower a man that wants to have all that he has for us, but let me tell you there's something called spiritual abundance and it happens on the inside when you get the spiritual abundance on the inside, then it manifests itself on the outside when you operating in love, there is no judgement against love.

Play when you love somebody because it's the right thing to do if there is no judgement against that but when you left enough to somebody when you trying to get something that don't belong to you, there is judgement on that. I don't care how you justify how you play with it. I don't care I have so much and she's a liar a man. You can play all you want to you can justify all you want to but when you not operating in the spiritual abundance of God, then there is judgement on your life and the thief will come and remind you. You know, what you doing is wrong. And you operate then in the space of guilt and guilt. You still cute makes you running hot? Cube creative space where you don't use you operating in secret and everything has to be done in the booth in the back in the corner in the dark a man. Hey, man. Yeah, I know and then it you you get so used to it. You think that's how you supposed to live and then when the light comes and Shines on that stuff, you said you judging me. I ain't judging you the spirit of judging you, you know, it was wrong in the first place.

Just say ouch.

Trust me. We wondering why we're not living the Abundant Life that God is paying for it cuz we're too busy dealing with the things that are stealing the life from us. We're hiding from each other and we're running from each other. We're running from God or trying to justify when all Jesus said is I can't even give them so that they may live abundantly. So you got to look at yourself put the mirror up where am I? Am I living the Abundant Life to God as planned and prevents the guy that died from the Jesus died for me to have When you think about it like that Christ died for us to have an Abundant Life. Why would we be operating in less than because we listen to the thief was trying to steal everything. Does that make sense?

In John chapter 17 verse 3 y'all get this. The Bible says and this is eternal life that they may know you. You want to know what Abundant Life starts with m and what it's about. It starts with knowing Jesus Christ. You you know the law in the world is that if you have all of this stuff you're happy. I know a lot of folks who got a lot of stuff.

Who are miserable?

a man what the Bible says and this is eternal life that they may know you the only true God money is not a true God. Fame and Fortune not true God

I'm not going to say that we got young people here in Jesus Christ phone you have sent. So here's where Abundant Life Starts Now the world. I want to tell you this that these don't want you to know this but it starts with your personal relationship with God through Christ Jesus. I don't care how you want a twisted flip and turn it around. You can't get internal life. Any other way you can have the abundance that God plan and purpose for us any other way other than having a relationship with God through Christ Jesus. Does that make sense?

So, how do you live this Abundant Life Bible the great thing about the Bible is it tells us everything? All we got to do is pick it up reading it and let me say this. Sometimes we read the Bible and we don't submit to it.

Let me move over here.

I think it might be able to say for over here. Sometimes we read the Bible. And we won't submit to it. We try to figure out how to get the Bible to submit to what we want. It don't work like that. I don't care how much you want to do what you want to do. If it doesn't line up with the word of God, it will never bring you the Abundant Life that you're seeking and searching for does that make sense? So, how do you live this Abundant Life these what the Bible says is this making sense so far? First thing that says what to look at Hebrews chapter 12 verse 1 I want you to get this. You there? It says therefore. We also since we are surrounded by such a great such a by so great a cloud of witnesses. First of all, the Bible says hey, you ain't the first person who got have to run this race. You're not the first person who got put all that. There's plenty of us who have walked and run this way race or now witnessing to what you need to do. That makes sense. He said there's a great cloud of witnesses people have already gone through people already suffering and have to have self control and love people don't love them a man and deal with situations that one present for them, but they stayed in it by faith because they believed God and the relationship with God was more important than the name then somebody on this world saying all men are like you Pat you on the back that's one of them that was important to the relationship with God was more important is that makes sense? So yeah all the promises that they thought they were going to walk in space. Do I have a great cloud of witnesses? The Bible says in order for us to do this thing one. It says, let us lay aside every weight. The analogy here, is that of a runner, you know Runner tries to shed as much weight as he or she possibly can so that they can move faster, right? So they can't carry a bunch of stuff with them. If they want to run this race. Amen. What's on the question then becomes is what is the wait? What is it that I'm carrying that God is saying, you know put it aside. Well your past becomes a wait for your future.

So so I jump a long time if it's in the past, you can't do anything about it. Why do you keep bringing it forward but your guilt and your shame and all these problems. Why do you keep bringing the it becomes a weight?

So, you know you made a bad mistake by Timothy Davis take them to find who you are right now and it won't Define are your future unless you bring it with you. Does that make sense? The Bible says laid out of side. Don't let anybody come to you and say well, you know you remember when you was out there doing this that was then this is now. Hey, man, I don't have time for you to try to steal my future. I think I'm coming trying to steal your future by telling you what you did in the past.

And then you got those around you still bringing up your past. You need to leave him alone.

How to draw this family member and all the time they're going to talk about what you used to do and you trying to live right cut them loose.

Oh, you don't understand Pastor. You know, what didn't you keep letting them steal your joy?

You keep letting them steal your time. You keep letting them bring up stuff that you know, you only want to deal with anymore. Amen. But that's how the devil Works. He's a thief subtly will steal your joy you wake up in the morning all the sudden you trying to live right? He's not all well, you know, you remember, you know, you know what you used to do on Friday, right? I'm sure that would feel good right now. The devil is alive. Hey, man, you see how subtle he can be. You see how it can work and then all of a sudden you find yourself preparing for Friday to do something that God has called you out of that saved you from and this fool is trying to get in your mind and steal your time. Still your thoughts. Steal your joy still whatever God has given you if he's trying to watch the thief. How do you make a watch the thief?

The first thing you have to do is lay aside the weight now one way it is that thing where you did stuff in the past and we all got past right? Maybe some for the little kids. Well, I'm not even into sometime. They don't lie to their parents as they pass. Amen. Amen. They don't got angry and attitudes and stuff. That's they pass. Amen.

There's some things that we do. That aren't scenes. But they don't draw us closer to God. I meant so there's some stuff that we do. I mean stuff that you would you think you're not even. I'm like okay if I listen to every type of music It's not helping me draw close to the guy but is there anything wrong with listening? No, can it become awake? Yes. If I allow myself to go anywhere and be with anyone, it's not a problem, but does that draw me closer to God? No, but it can become a wait a minute. It's so now I'm carrying on things that are permissible but not good for me and those become weights.

If you know baby pookie shaqueena. All of them going to get together and you know, they like to do certain things.

You know. Right. Why would you go hang out with Pookie baby and shaqueen knowing that what they're going to be doing is not going to draw you closer to?

think about that becomes a wait because then when it's over waiting you said to me I ain't even handle.

So now you carrying it around and he done stole your time. Hey man, you up in some place where Smokey and you don't even smoke.

Can we get this thing real? Does that make sense? You see how the devil will steal your thyme steal your joy? You know, did you look like you can't get that that time back is gone. Amen. Bible says lay aside every weight. Now the second thing it says it's the sin which so easily ensnares us now. We all got stuff. We like to do this.

right this what I do, at least I used to do it's the thing that your weekend.

Is that thing that it may not bother the person next to you, but it could be it could be it could be you know your thing right just look at your name or so, you know your thing, right? You know that thing right? You know that thing that that easily ensnares you amen, you know that thing that you use your flashlights to do and you know it he says that stuff there them saying you got to start with them first cuz those are the easiest for us to get caught up in. a man either this is good. I'm losing you a man of his good give God some pranks.

Or or the holy spirit is going out make me go out here. Trust me. I'll tell you all the time I go through this when I get a message. I have gone through this and he's checked me on stuff to you know, so I can give it with the passion because I'm like you Lord. That's my thing. You know it and I got to put that aside. Amen, I can't justify it anymore. Amen. He said the sandwich easily ensnares us and let us run with endurance the race that said before so so with that.

You got it. So the sand was so easily and said that means catches that that's my thing. I get caught up in that it may not bother you. But that's the thing that I get caught up in a man. They said then let us run with patience. So here's what's going to happen y'all in order, but I know one of us to have the life that God wants us to live. We got to be number one patient with ourselves.

We got to do what you've got to learn to look at yourself and say okay in this are you going to have to take some baby steps? Yeah, but you got to run this thing with endurance with the with the goal to get the prize. You not going to just start this thing and figure everything out because those of us who started try to figure it out. We keep falling flat on our faces and then the devil said see I told you I'm going to do it and it would feel like we got to start all but that's not what God says for us. Does that make sense? He says run this thing with endurance with patient one day at a time. I know I'm going to get that call. This is what you doing on Saturday.

Come on, y'all don't y'all act all special? Holy on me. Now. Y'all going to religious on me. Now, you know, I don't know what you're talking about Pastor. I've left that life so many years ago, you know that that's not me. You must be talking to

I don't be looking at. School would you know what I'm saying? You know, you know that thing, you know, it's coming, you know as soon as you try to Shake It Off. So, you know, I love chocolate covered raisins, right? I'm going there. So I love chocolate covered raisins and then there are times where I take okay, I'm not going to eat the chocolate covered raisins cuz I know what they do to me. Right? Right, but I love him right and sure enough, you know, my birthday comes around and guess what I get for birthday present chocolate covered raisins, you know, and you know, what's going to happen. I'm going to eat them, right? You know now the the challenge for me is not making light of this but some of us have some serious issues if it's drugs or alcohol. or you know Isaac would like to say but you know that thing right and so In order for me to be running this this with endurance. I got to get somebody along side of me who can help me. Right in those areas where you're weak and you know that you could easily succumb to a thing you get to get somebody next to you. To walk with you. And see the problem is we keep trying to do everything on our own. And that's not how God intended for this to happen. So we think if somebody knows what we're week at and what we what we have challenges with they going to go gossip and tell it and and yeah they going to do that but it doesn't matter because every step you take out of that snare is a step closer to Victory. Amen. And so our goal is to keep taking these steps. So yeah, they don't talk about you. They don't got some things don't change the story they going to add to it. But your goal is to keep taking steps so that you can get out of it so that you can move in the victory Amen to the point where it is no longer a problem for you. I don't care what environment you when does that make sense that's running with endurance and the race that is set before you is the race that God has put before you it's going to be different than my race a man, but we're still going out to the same price, which is Christ Jesus. Amen. We're still going out to that price that he says well done good and faithful. Apple service you ran this race with endurance? I know it was hard but you kept pushing you didn't give up. You kept moving for a year. You may have the 2 waiver little bit but you took a little baby when it didn't seem like it was moving forward. You called on me and I gave you strength and I said somebody that's what he's talking about. Does that make sense? She's so many of us try to do this thing on their own and then we fall we hide we run we tell everybody I'm too busy for this or no. I'm okay. I don't want to get involved with the church and I don't want to have this relationship with God. I rather have it with this. You know, that's a lie. What you falling and then just like we all do and you too embarrassed to get up and save man I messed up. What city was God is saying this thing is got to be run one step at a time and you got to you got to work like you got to get up thinking man is this morning? Let me let me cover myself in the word. Let me get my praise and worship music on let me get let me get around people who writes because if you don't you could easily trip and fall. Does that make sense? And so many of us are running and many of your family members and my family members are running from the church because they are so ashamed that they tried it and it didn't work out the first time. Write it so they go back to what's comfortable for them and me but we got to remind them that this is a race that you run one step at a time and sometimes it's little bitty steps a man and sometimes it feels like you're not making any progress but everyday you get up and you give God praise and you say God help me. Amen. Let me change the side note. Let me tell you this quit saying what you going to do and then start asking God to help you with that situation because until you bring the Holy Spirit into it what you can do on your own is limited. Does that make sense for my prayers like when I get up and I know you know stuff is coming over my mind and and I'm starting to get all cloudy and stuff. I Cry I Cry Lord help me. Help me help me because I know what's happening and then use after a while for those of us have been around. You know, that pattern.

Okay, this is about to happen again. Okay. Okay, a man. Y'all know what I'm talking about. You know, you don't went off on the same person over the last 10 years.

amen All right. What where am I at on time? Okay, I'm going to take about 10 more minutes and then if I don't finish. Imma, imma finish it up next week, is that all right? Okay, so think like a runner communion like a runner. Man, I can't stand running. I cannot stand on it. I like the the elliptical cuz it's because when I run I put that I'm hitting them bouncing on my knees or since I don't do it, but it's the concept of a man. I got to think like I'm going from one point to another point in man. Just like a runner going after prize. That's where I'm going. And so now my mind is what do I have to do to get myself prepared to go after the prize of Christ Jesus. Amen. What do I have to do to prepare my mind and prepare my heart. So then I'm going to win the race. So I'm going to get closer to the flag. Amen. And so you don't prepare yourself. Then you allow yourself to have to react to everything that hitch. Does that make sense people wake up and they have no plan for they day outside to go to work I go to work, but you have no plan for your spiritual day. Amen. So if you don't have a plan for your spiritual day that stuff for coming it will destroy you spiritually which will affect you physically. Does that make sense? And then we're wondering why I'm so tired why I feel beat down. You didn't have a plan for your spiritual day. Just like, you know, you got to get up brush your teeth wash your face in shower due to do your thing. Get ready for work. You should have the same plan for your spiritual life everyday. What am I going to do to make sure that I'm strong spiritually, but I need to probably get on the prayer line and call me. I need to call my accountability partner. You know, I need to read the word. I didn't give me 10 minutes in a reading the word of God. Let me get some praise music on if you don't start your day with that then you should have defeat yourself spiritually. Does that make sense? Alright, so he says lay aside the way they decide to send take it all stripping removing. That's what lay aside means think like a runner. Sometimes as an athlete, you know, you can't eat everything right? You know, you can't eat everything that means spiritual athlete you can't do everything. Man, you can't say everything. You can't look at everything. You can't hear everything if you can some of that stuff. You got to just remove yourself from does that make sense? How you going to be and all you got is Oprah on your mind?

Okay, somebody I don't step them. Somebody's toes. You know or Maury talking about you're not.

Hello, Christopher, they get in church and act like I don't know what you're talking about. But on social media, I don't understand social media to and what y'all post on there. I see it.

Okay Christians turning up in the club. And I think they're going to come and turn up in the church some you can't have the world.

You can't hide. you going to find yourself in a situation where all you are as having issues and problems cuz you Does that make sense? Make a stand for something. You know what I said, I wasn't going to go there. Imma, leave that alone right now. Hey, man, I'ma leave it alone. But y'all know what's going on in the atmosphere talk about me and I need to taking these some people people need to be praying. Only needs a man not let me stop. Let me stop. Thank you Holy Spirit. Watch the stuff that hamper hamper. Do you know what? The most amazing thing that I think that happens is the patience of a parent with a child. my gosh Yeah, I don't know those of you have children. Amen them days when you want to pop their heads off. Amen. When you just when you just want to you know what I'm saying, right, but it requires you to run that raced of parenting with patience. Amen now Flipside the Bible clearly says children. Obey your parents. CC you don't get to do everything is say everything you want to say to your parents that creates problems. Amen. And you're the problem. That's cuz you're the one is creating a problem because it's going against the Bible a man if you're not being obedient to your parents, how can you be obedient to God? Does that make sense? That was a freebie for somebody? Amen? All right, don't look back. Don't Look Back put that up there don't look don't look back. They got to find it don't look back go to Genesis Chapter 19 Verse 26 Okay, I might have to finish next week. I got to give you all this. Okay, Genesis Genesis Chapter 19 Verse 26. The Bible says in the Amplified translation. It says but Lot's wife looked back from behind him and she became a pillar of salt if you haven't read it go read Genesis 19 is the story about

Sodom and Gomorrah for this what I'm about to say not Sodom and Gomorrah is not the issue. That's a whole different sermon. What what's the issue is the Angels came down to save lot and his family and he told them to get out of that situation. Sometimes the rescue you got to leave something that you're very comfortable in.

See if you really want to have the Abundant Life God maybe said to you. I know you like that. I know you're comfortable in that. I know you good at it. But in order for you to have the life that I'm calling you you got to leave it and don't look back see some of us are so comfortable and what we're doing or used to do we keep looking back. In the Bible says and I'll get into a next week in more detail what the Bible says when he told lot his wife and his children to get out. He told him to go from that place to a mountain. I need you to go knock knock. I need you to get out of this Valley and I need you to go to the member when you leave and don't look back because if you look back it will consume. You see that's what happens to some of us. We think we're ready and then we go back to what we used to do and then ends up consuming us.