Perspective Shift Script

Introduction

What’s up Crossroads! For those of you that don’t know me, my name is Omar Garcia and I am the LIFE Groups pastor here. I want to give a special shoutout to our first time guests and our online campus! And right now we have …………… watching from …………… we are so glad that you have joined us today.

Crossroads! 2018 is almost over and we are currently living the days between the old and the new year.

As 2018 comes to a close, many of us are reflecting on the past year and trying to figure out how we personally did.

And the brand new year is marked by a word that we are all very familiar…RESOLUTIONS.

*Where are my overachievers who have already set their new year’s resolutions?

*And out of those that raised your hands, how many of you have already started your resolutions?

I have some resolutions that I found on Twitter……. Twitter resolutions pictures.

2:30

The new year signifies a brand new start, a second chance to achieve what we have always dreamed of doing. And so many of us set these resolutions in hopes of a better life or becoming a better version of ourselves.

Facebook resolutions pictures.

I looked up the top resolutions that people make each and every year and most people set out to:

Stay fit and healthy.

Enjoy life to the fullest.

Save more and spend less.

Spend more time with friends and family.

· But Statistics show that only 8% of those who make resolutions will actually keep them! (that’s these two rows right here)

That means 92% of people that make resolutions fail! Shocking right!

· Can I be completely honest with you…. I am in the 92%! I have never been able to keep a single resolution that I have made!

And it’s not like I set out to fail. I wanted nothing more than to be successful. Can anyone relate to me?

· I don’t think anyone wakes up, pours a bowl of cereal and thinks, “I can’t wait to fail today!”

Tension

· Its not just resolutions- We all want to succeed in everything we set out to do but there seems to be a huge gap…... between who we currently are and who we want to be.

Paul..... who was used by God to write much of the New Testament, nails this feeling when he writes in …….

· For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.

Romans 7:15

Romans 7:15 NASB95

For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate.

It’s like we are wrestling with ourselves!

We set out to eat healthy and go to the gym but we find that after about a month the motivation to continue is gone and we go back to the same routine that we have been stuck in for years.

· Or maybe you set a diet goal. And you tell yourself over and over that you are going to eat right and go to the gym. But you find that after about a month the motivation to continue is gone and you go back to the same routine that you have been stuck in for years.

Or we set out to be better parents by being more present with our kids but we can’t seem to find the energy after work because we are just exhausted.

Or maybe you are married and you’ve realized that you need to spend more time as a couple going on date nights but there is no follow through and your marriage is slowly dying.

Or we set out to create a budget and be debt free, but the Amazon packages just magically keep showing up at your doorstep.

We set out to do great things, to become better people, but instead we do the opposite of what we want to do. This leads us to feel like we’re failures and experience guilt and shame.

· Strong hook in the beginning.

So what do we do? How do we begin to live a different life?

How do we begin to change our current reality?

We begin by changing our perspective. By changing the lens in which we see the world.

Pray....

Truth

Our perspective is made up of our past actions, experiences, and thoughts.

All of these things are floating around in our minds and influencing the way we see the world and the way we interact with others.

And so we have to start paying attention to our thoughts because our thoughts make up who we are.

We are no experiencing breakthroughs in our lives because we keep telling ourselves that we

are a failure, that we are worthless, and that we don’t deserve anything good in life.

W

And so we have to start paying attention to our thoughts because they make up who we are.

I want to share with you a verse that i believe to be one of the most powerful in the Bible, one that has personally transformed my life. It’s found in ....

It’s found in

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, (the NIV version says ‘do not be conformed to the patterns of this world’) but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

The NIV version says, “Do not be conformed to the patterns of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”

For so long I was stuck copying the behavior and customs of this world. As a teenager and into early adulthood, I fell into the trap of believing that the purpose of life was sex, drugs, and rock & roll.

I fell into the trap of believing that the purpose of life was sex, drugs, and rock & roll.

Summit Grove, Imagine Dragons, fans, kids

I thought that I was invincible and that I would never get old. I left a trail of broken relationships behind me because I had never seen what a functional relationship looked like.

My life goal wasn’t just to be a rock star, I also had a responsible back up plan- to be a well known, highly powerful attorney.

I thought that I was invincible and that I would never get old. And I set out to experience all the world had to offer. And for a while, the drugs felt good. The relationships were enough.

Until my world began to crash down on me. I found myself in dangerous situations with some bad people. I put my life at risk, and I was hurting everyone around me. I was so full of pain, guilt, and shame.

I began to question my purpose in life. And I began to realize that what I was living for didn’t mean anything- I was a slave and I couldn’t break away from anything I was doing. I did everything I could do break myself away from these addictions that I had, but nothing that I did was working.

Then I met the God of the universe and Jesus set me free from the bondage of drugs and healed the deep hurts that I was struggling with. And He began to show me a brand new way of seeing things. He began to transform the way that I thought, and I learned my true purpose in life. And because of this I have been sober for over 8 years and am living my God given calling as a husband, father and as a pastor.

He changed my perspective

Behavior and customs of this world, social media.

(Social media?)

· Our perspective should no longer be based on the behavior and customs of this world. Instead we should begin seeing the world and the people around us through the eyes of Jesus.

I would like to share with you today the perspective shifts that transformed my life and that have the power to change yours.

And so we begin by shifting our perspective of time.

Put applications into the three points.

Let’s start with our…..

1. Shift your Perspective of time.

I want you to imagine with me for a moment that you only had 4 weeks to live. What would you value? Who would you spend your time with? What would you spend your time on?

Troy Gray, YOUNG LIFE.

And there are so many emotions that we experience when we hear a story like that because it puts us face to face with our mortality.

One of the shifts that we must make in our thinking is believing the lie that we have unlimited amounts of time. We have to begin to have a reverence and respect for the time that God has given us. Our time here on earth is one of the most valuable and precious gifts we have.

We must begin to live every day like it’s our last. When we live our lives from this perspective it cures the that many of us fall into.

Another trap that we fall into when it comes to time is tomorrow syndrome (we make excuses). We don’t live life to the full because we keep telling ourselves that we will do it tomorrow. But here is the thing…..you are not guaranteed tomorrow. Example here….

· One of the shifts that we must make in our thinking is believing the lie that we have unlimited amounts of time. We have to begin to have a reverence and respect for the time that God has given us. Our time here on earth is one of the most valuable and precious gifts we have.

“I’ll do it tomorrow” trap. I am guilty of this. We don’t accomplish our goals because we keep telling ourselves that we will do it tomorrow. But here is the thing…..we are not guaranteed tomorrow.

We could wake up with a stomach ache and end up with a diagnosis. I think many of us in the room believe “it can’t happen to me” but we all have a pending death problem. Our time here on earth is the most valuable gift we have.

teaches us....

So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days.

Ephesians 5:15-16

Those that are fools are not careful how they spend their time and they procrastinate. They take their time for granted. Those that are wise live in the here and now making the most of every opportunity.

What we spend our time on determines what is most important to us.

If someone asked you, “What is the most important thing in your life?” what would you say?

One of the shifts that we must make in our thinking is believing the lie that we have unlimited amounts of time. We have to begin to have a reverence and respect for the time that God has given us.

Many of us would say things like God, our marriage, our family, and friends. If you really stopped and took an inventory of how you spend your time, would it really reflect that that those are the most important things in your life?

The reason that many of us can’t keep resolutions or goals that we set out to accomplish is because we don’t see it as a priority in our lives.

But imagine if someone paid you a million dollars to keep your resolution. Everyone one of us would rearrange our schedules to be at the gym.

Because many of us the majority of our time is spent at work. Or striving to get into the best college. Or becoming the best athlete. Or your children becoming the best athlete. It could be that you are tirelessly working towards having a better reputation or a high status. Some in the room spend much of their time trying to have a comfortable life.

But instead we waste our precious time on pointless things.

(Pull out apple phone and show it to the audience) This device has robbed so much of my time and attention. For what?! I don’t know!

There are times that I feel like my phone is glued to my hand.

I don’t know about you all, but there is something that wastes so much of my time. (Pull out apple phone and show it to the audience) This device has robbed so much of my time and attention. For what?! I don’t know! There are times that I feel like my phone is glued to my hand.

Put your phone down and be present.

Let’s work on having actual conversations!

Let’s work on not checking Facebook or Instagram every 5 minutes. Ben, from my 8th grade math class, just got a new puppy.

Restaurant Family on phone

Picture of Food

Concert through their phone!

is watching the concert through their phone!

We are limiting our perspective and living through a little tiny screen. Take in the bigger picture.

Another time waster is Netflix. First, it takes you 45 minutes to find something to watch. Then, you end up watching Season 3 of The Office. Again.

Another time waster for me is NETFLIX! It literally takes me 30 to 45m just to find something to watch and that’s usually after having to settle on rewatching a movie. I have probably watched the marvel movies at least 3 times each!

IF WE live everyday like it was our last,

But I would guarantee you that If we lived everyday like it was our last,

we would not even think twice about wasting our time watching TV.

Instead lets spend our time doing what teaches us:

Another trap that we fall into when it comes to time is tomorrow syndrome (we make excuses). We don’t live life to the full because we keep telling ourselves that we will do it tomorrow. But here is the thing…..you are not guaranteed tomorrow. Example here….

The Bible tells us that we are pioneers here on earth and our time here on earth is but a breath compared to our eternity.

Our purpose and what we spend our time on should instead be to do what teaches us:

Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth

Colossians 3:2

says it like this:

“Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.

Our perspective should be focused on eternity.........

Hotel Room example. Play it out because it’s ridiculous. Shiplap, potpourri. Permanent examples. Pictures of family on the wall. That is what we are doing in everyday life. But that’s what we are doing…..we are putting shiplap in hotels

Hotel Room Example

Ø

NLT

But instead of focusing on eternity, you go on vacation, check into your hotel room, and think- “man, I need to make this place feel like home.” So, you hang up some pictures of your family, you buy one of those tempurpedic mattresses, and you think ‘what would joanna gaines do?” So you rip up the carpet and put in wood flooring, paint everything white and gray, and install some shiplap! That sounds ridiculous, right? No one would do that. But that’s what we are doing in our lives, instead of being focused on eternity…..we are putting shiplap in our hotels. Stop with the shiplap! You don’t need that ship…lap.

says it like this:

Ø 19 “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. 21 Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.

Most of what we value and focus on is insignificant and meaningless in the light of eternity because what you do with your time, talent, and treasure determines what rewards you get in eternity. Your treasure is in heaven.

While January 1st is a new beginning, we should shift our perspective to realize that every day is a new beginning in Christ! When we have a start date our minds tend to create an end date. What we should do is reevaluate our goals everyday even if we fail.

TLB

Give God…

• The First Day of Every Week

• The First Part of Every Day

• The First Portion of my income

• The First Consideration of Every Decision

give them fast

If you spend your time, focused on eternity, and you use your time to put God first in each of these areas, you will be successful in the goals you set out to reach.

This leads me to next shift we must make in order to live an abundant life and that is our……. Perspective of LOVE

2. Shift your Perspective of Love

Love is an interesting word isn’t it...... I can say something like, I love my wife......but I could also use the word “love” to describe how I feel about Disneyland churros. The word has lost its power and meaning.

· Time=LOVE

Our perspective should no longer be based on the behavior and customs of this world. Instead we should begin seeing the world and the people around us through the eyes of Jesus.

· Love is not an emotion; it is an action. It doesn’t feel good in the moment

Hollywood has taken the word and made movies about two people finding each other and “falling in love.” (HALLMARK REFERENCE)

But God’s view of love is so much more than just a fuzzy feeling.

Love is not only a feeling, love is an action. It’s something that we must do! And hear this, sometimes loving someone doesn’t feel good.

Hard conversations

Being there for people during difficult times

Serving the lord sometimes doesn’t feel good

because real love takes sacrifice! And sometimes that feeling doesn’t come during....it comes after.

JUDE sleeping story. God is not a God of no.

God showed us the greatest act of love by sending Jesus as a sacrifice. And Jesus’s sacrifice changed everything because it restored our relationship with God.

To begin with, real love takes sacrifice.

When we are laying on our deathbed, we are not going to think back on how much money we made or how much stuff we have. What is going to matter most to you in that moment is WHO is with you. The reason for this is because God created us to be relational beings.

Jesus teaches the importance of relationships in .....

And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.”

NLT.

God showed us the greatest act of love by sending Jesus as a sacrifice. And Jesus’s sacrifice changed everything because it restored our relationship with God.

Having a relationship with God is the reason that we were created. Now I want you challenge you to see from a different perspective…. Do you know how much God loves you? Obviously we should love God but I want to challenge you start from the point of view of how much God loves us.

Our greatest problem as human beings is that we don’t know how much God actually loves us. If we truly were able to fully see the incredible love that Jesus has for us our lives would be radically transformed. We would obey God not because we have to but because we want to.

JUDE Story

One of my favorite verses describing God’s love for us in found in .....

And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

NLT

There is absolutely nothing that can separate us from the love of God. Not anything that you have ever done, said, tried. No amount of guilt or shame. That is because he sees the debts of your heart and still loves you the same.

That is because he sees the debts of your heart and still loves you the same.

The second part of the greatest commandment is to love others.

I want you to take a moment and think about your funeral. Who would show up? What would your friends, family, and co-workers say about your life?

Who would show up? What would your friends, family, and co-workers say about your life?

Would people be lining up to share how much you changed their lives?

Would people be lining up to share how much you changed their lives?

· What would your dash represent? Would your legacy be full of selfishness or selflessness? Would it be focused on changing your own personal life or changing the lives of others?

· When millennials were surveyed about what their most important life goals more than 80% said that the focus was to get rich. Another 50% of those same adults said another major life goal was to become famous. By the way, i’m obviously a millenial.

Relationships are ou

because we are relational beings.

· What is going to matter most to you in that moment is WHO you are with because we are relational beings.

Jesus teaches the importance of relationships in .....

And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.”

NLT.

You see, our investment in other people is the only legacy that has the power to endure beyond a lifetime.

Time= love

· Time=LOVE

· Love is not an emotion; it is an action. It doesn’t feel good in the moment

And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.”

* 12:29–30 .

* 12:31 .

NLT.

So what we spend our time on equals what we really love. Take a moment to personally reflect on how much time you are spending with God and loving those around you?

That is why Jesus emphasizes our love for others.

o God has given us the greatest gift and has made the greatest sacrifice.

One of my favorite verses describing God’s love for us in found in .....

And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

NLT

There is absolutely nothing that can separate us from the love of God. Not anything that you have ever done, said, tried. No amount of guilt or shame. That is because he sees the debts of your heart and still loves you the same.

The second part of the greatest commandment is to love others.

Harvard is currently doing a study that has been going for 80 years! They began tracking the health of 268 Harvard sophomores in 1938 up to now (there are still 19 of them still alive!)

Their findings concluded that good relationships keep us happier and healthier and help us to live longer and Loneliness and isolation is toxic to our bodies.

Loving other Time= love and the most precious thing that we can offer anyone is our love by giving them our time. When we spend time with others

Love is not an emotion; it is an action.

So what we spend our time on equals what we really love.

· Love is not an emotion; it is an action. It doesn’t feel good in the moment

What would our resolutions look like? How does the greatest commandment motivate us as we move into a new year in our lives?

What would our lives look like if we shifted our perspectives in order to grasp how deep the Father’s love is for us, and in turn, loved the people in our lives whole-heartedly? What would our resolutions look like? How does the greatest commandment motivate us as we move into a new year in our lives?

We need to shift our perspective to

o You see, our investment in other people is the only legacy that has the power to endure beyond a lifetime.

Love yourself. You are a child of GOD!

The last perspective shift that must occur is the way we view our motivation.

3. Shift your Perspective on your motivation

Our motivation behind our actions is so important. Motivation is what drives us, it is the underlying reason on why we are doing what we do.

says....

A wise person thinks a lot about death, while a fool thinks only about having a good time.

When millennials were surveyed about their motivation, more than 80% said that the focus was to get rich. Another 50% of those same adults said another major life goal was to become famous. Those millennials and their rock star dreams!

Another 50% of those same adults said another major life goal was to become famous. By the way, i’m obviously a millenial.

As you think about setting goals what is your motivation behind those goals?

Swolmar working out story, new motivation.

Ecclesiastes 7:4 NASB95

The mind of the wise is in the house of mourning, While the mind of fools is in the house of pleasure.

My motivation for working out, shouldn’t be to impress people- it should be to be strong and healthy enough to do whatever God calls me to do each day- whether its rocking my baby, building my daughter’s dollhouse, helping a friend move, building houses on a mission trip- see the difference?

Living for themselves instead of generitivity. Boldly Go!!!

When we are motivated to do what God has called us to do, we experience generitivity. Thats why we are so stoked about the mission of Boldly Go- we want our legacy to outlive us, we want our impact to be so much more!

Changing our motivation can’t be achieved by our own will though!

Some of you may be familiar with the 12 steps of AA. The first three steps are:

1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol–that our lives had become unmanageable.

2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.

3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God

In order to sustain change in our lives we have to be connected to a greater power than ourselves.

Your role in life is to stay connected to the vine.

teaches us a very important lesson:

“Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.

John 15:5 NASB95

5 “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.

Your role in life is to stay connected to the vine.

When we live by the power of the holy spirit, we see clearly. We approach every part of our life through new lenses. We are able to tune in to what God is saying to us.

And so hear me when I say this...........We don’t need more will power, we need more of God’s power.

talks about this amazing power that is available to all that believe in Christ:

And this power is available to us right now

I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms.

Give yourself a backup plan Psychologists use a technique to boost willpower called “implementation intention.”

And this power is available to us right now.

We get to experience THE SAME POWER that raised Jesus from the dead- what can we do with it? How can we let that truth shape the way we spend our time?

Our motivation should not be to gather enough will power to overcome our issues, our goal should be to stay connected to Jesus and abide in His presence. When we remain in Him, we aren’t making goals based on a number on a scale............... or how much money is in our bank account.

Constant connection- includes communication and confession (take responsibility for our actions).

God’s will for your life is not a mystery, His direction is available to you if you seek it.

Ephesians 1:19–20 NASB95

19 and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might 20 which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places,

o Powered by the Holy Spirit in everyday life.

Application

Here’s what I want to challenge you to do this year and it’s based on Proverbs 3:6:

Revisit already mentioned application points

· Give to someone else

· Be present! Be with your family.

· Hit the reset button every evening.

· Stop complaining!

· Be optimistic.

· Ground yourself in hope.

· Deal with your personal junk. Make amends. We have an amazing ministry called set free where you can do just that.

· Make a bucket list!

· Slow down.

· Become part of a cause!

· Regret nothing. “I’d rather regret the things I’ve done than regret the things that I haven’t done.” Lucille Ball.

· Write out your goals and put them on your review mirror in your car.

· Stay true to your authentic self.

· Do. Or do not. There is no try.” Yoda. Trying is a weak statement that says you have accepted failure before you even begin.

· Don’t make life change an event, make it a habit.

· Practice does not make perfect……only practicing right makes perfect.

Set measurable goals that are shaped by our perspective shift on how we should spend our time, our outlook of love, and motivation that comes from our desire to put God first in all that we do.

gives us a great way to honor God and put God first in all that we do.

In everything you do, put God first, and he will direct you and crown your efforts with success.

TLB

I want to challenge you again to:

I want to challenge you again to:

Give God…

• The First Day of Every Week

• The First Part of Every Day

• The First Portion of my income

• The First Consideration of Every Decision

Set measurable goals that are shaped by our perspective shift on how we should spend our time, our outlook of love, and motivation that comes from our desire to put God first in all that we do.

Join a LIFE Group. Surround yourself with people who have the right motivation. Seek out people who aren’t spending their time installing shiplap in hotel rooms, but who have an eternal perspective.

Landing

· God wants us to live our best life now. He doesn’t want us to wait till tomorrow. He doesn’t want us to be addicted to drugs and alcohol, he doesn’t want our marriages to be mediocre or to suffer, He doesn’t want us to hate going to work every day. He wants us to have rewarding and fulfilling lives.

For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

· What are you holding onto right now that is keeping you from taking your next steps with God? Let go and let God catch you. Trust Him and take a chance. God created you to take risks.

· The world needs the special gift that only you can offer.

· We serve a God of second chances. SECOND CHANCES.

· What you do with Jesus Christ determines where you spend eternity.

· LIFE is a gift. Enjoy life to the full. Forever changed as you embrace who he made you to be and your passionate pursuit of its fulfillment. You have an exceptional calling-to be the very best you God created you to be. Your goal is to unwrap this gift and use all that you’ve been given in the pursuit of what matters most-loving God and loving other people.

If you only had one month to live you would want to enjoy every single moment as the precious gift that it is. And you would want to make every second toward something meaningful and eternal, something that fulfills your purpose on this earth.

PRAY

This should repeat what you just said.

Head into Invitation:

Head into Invitation:

Hour mark

Sit in the truth that you just gave them.... (Go into the new year with a relationship with God. Marriage to be new in 2019.…)

Three groups, never made a decision, come back to God, deep hurt pain. Don’t miss the recommitment.

Speak to people who have never been at Crossroads.

Here is why you need to come forward. Answer all their internal questions. Get into the head of the new person.

Pray a prayer for the first time. If you prayed that prayer. Right with God.

You begin to land the plane:

Bring you into the presentation (Wants to bless you).

Example from Chuck:

If your marriage isn’t going well….(Direction of your life, show you how to get through difficult things)

· What you do with Jesus Christ determines where you spend eternity.

Direction of your life, show you how to get through difficult things

Present the gospel

If you are here today and you know God, live in that

But maybe you’re here and you have never experienced God in a real way. Or you haven’t experienced God as your father.

Will you heart be completely mine. Give a complete commitment or maybe it means making a recommitment.

Are you ready to make a complete commitment to Him.

How do we do it, it starts by praying a prayer of commitment to him. Where you say to the Lord, “I want to be yours. I want your love, I want your life, I want forgiveness, I want healing and I want everything you have.”

After you pray this prayer the Bible teaches that we have to show in a very real way. You have to be willing to let it be known in a very visible way. And in a moment I am going to lead that prayer, and if you pray that prayer you have to be willing to make it known. And so right now I am going to lead that prayer and I want you to pray it with me, you can pray it alone, you can grab someone’s hand and say pray it with me. And after you pray it with me, I’m going to ask everyone to stand up and sing. And if you pray that prayer and mean it, I’m going to ask you to make your way to an isle or make your way to the stairs, people would love to let you out, walk down one of these isle and let us greet you and then head into this room called the living room where we celebrate life, and we’ll give you a Bible and well give you some next steps to take so that when you walk out of here you will grow closer and closer to God and experience Him and His favor more and more. And here is what I want you know, that something happens when you pray that prayer, and when you make that walk it is powerful, it’s deeper, something changes and transforms inside of you. You experience God. And it begins right now for those of you that are ready to commit or those of you that are ready to recommit. So let’s go to God in prayer.

Father I pray right now for anyone who is here who needs to pray this prayer of commitment. I pray for a man that is here tonight, I pray for the married couple who feel lost and hopeless……..I pray that they pray this prayer and give their lives to you. I pray for someone who feels like they are heading backwards, I pray that they don’t do that and they will pray this prayer to find freedom and healing from their hurt and pain. I pray that they are going to pray this prayer and come. Right now anyone no matter who you are no matter what you are experiencing, God loves you. And I want you to know that he wants you, and if you are ready to say yes to Him, and you are ready to pray the prayer for the first time or to recommit I am going to ask you right now to do it with me.

Pray this prayer, say Lord Jesus I know you love me and I know you died on the Cross for me and for my sin, and you did this so that I would be cleansed and forgiven, you did this so that I would be healed from hurt and pain. You did this so that I would be free from anything that is holding me down or holding me back. But most of all you did this because you want me to be yours and you want me to be alive, and you want me to be brand new, so I say yes. And if that’s the only words that you can get out, say I say yes, I say yes to you, and I say yes to the life that you have for me. So take me now and make me yours. In Jesus name, amen. And amen if you prayed that prayer.

Clap……and if you prayed that prayer, praise god. And I am not kidding, something happens when you make that walk. So if you prayed the prayer, when we stand, make your way and come. If you want to grab someones hand and say come with me you can, but no matter what, don’t hold back. And while we are singing and you feel God stirring come, if you want to make a recommitment come, if you have never been baptized by your own choice also come. Let’s stand and if God’s calling you come.

As you go right now, I pray that you experience god’s favor. And may you know in a very real way that God loves you, God bless you and have a happy new year

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