REWIND

Lion Or Like A Lion (October 19, 2025)

• Organic Church • Season 2 • Episode 50

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What if the roar that keeps you up at night is only an echo of defeat? We dive straight into the tension between a loud counterfeit and the true authority of the Lion of Judah, tracing how fear, accusation, and shiny distractions try to separate us from what Jesus already secured. You’ll hear a clear, practical path to stand your ground: grace over performance, Scripture over suggestion, praise over panic, and self-discipline over drift.

We talk candidly about worthiness and repentance, the kind that restores rather than shames. Unity takes work, so we walk through healthy accountability—correction in private, encouragement in public—and why gossip only amplifies the imitation roar. Our community is growing, which means resistance is growing too. That’s where the armor of God, a steady prayer life, and a mouth full of the Word turn loud threats into background noise. We also get honest about priorities: ministry that eclipses family is not a win, and servanthood usually starts where no one sees—lawns, cables, classrooms, and quiet faithfulness that makes room for God’s presence.

Praise is the turning point. Judah means praise, and the Lion dwells there. When we lift Jesus high, pretenders scatter and clarity returns. We explore how to carry that same authority from the sanctuary to the parking lot, into homes, job sites, and sideline bleachers. Spiritual warfare is not about fighting people; it’s about resisting lies, religious veneers, and fear that tries to stick. Every imitation must flee at the name of Jesus, because the victory is not pending—it’s proclaimed.

If this message strengthens your spirit, share it with a friend who needs courage today. Subscribe for more, leave a review so others can find it, and tell us: what Scripture do you speak when the noise gets loud?

SPEAKER_01:

It's 1 Peter 5 8, and it says, Stay alert, watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. You can be seated. Stay alert, watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He pro listen, can we just admit that we don't like to call the devil what he really is? Because, see, when we think of the devil, we think of that red guy with the pitchfork and the long fork and tail, amen. Right? That's the picture that we have because people dress up like that for Halloween. But can I tell you that's not how the devil shows up? I ain't never seen the devil show up with a pitchfork. I've seen him show up in a business suit. I've seen him show up in high heels. Right? The enemy will show his face in a bright and shiny way. Because he needs to convince you that he has authority. I want to read another passage of scripture. It's Revelation 5 5, and it says, But one of the 24 elders said to me, Stop weeping. Look, the lion of the tribe of Judah, the heir to David's throne, has won the victory. He is worthy to open the scroll and the seven seals. It says, Stop weeping. Look, the lion of the tribe of Judah, the heir to David's throne, has won the victory. Amen. He has won the victory. Hallelujah. Listen, I came to tell you something today. There is a difference between being a lion and being like a lion. There is a difference between being a lion and being like a lion. What we just read, that word, it says that Jesus is the lion of the tribe of Judah. His name, his nature, and his authority all rest right there. Amen. So when we stand on Jesus Christ, we stand on the authority provided by what he did at the cross. Amen. Now listen, I don't know if you're with me this morning, and that's okay if you're not. Maybe some of us are still waking up, maybe some of us are still sleeping. Right? But I'm gonna tell you something. That the enemy would convince us that he is the Lion of Judah. Amen. He would try to convince us that when he shows up, that he has authority. He doesn't. Do you know how I know he doesn't? Because he doesn't have a roar. He doesn't have a roar. He's all bark and no bite. Amen. He is all bark and no bite. What do you call a bear with no teeth? A gummy bear. Listen. Listen. I'm telling you that Satan has no teeth. He is all bark and no, he cannot destroy what God has given to you. But he can convince you to give it up. Amen. He can convince you that you are not worthy. Anybody ever felt not worthy? He can convince you that you aren't righteous. He can convince you that you aren't worthy of being saved. Let me promise you something. The blood that was shed at Calvary that covers your sins made you worthy of salvation. Amen. You are not saved by your works, you are saved by the grace of God, by mercy. Amen. Hallelujah. Let me tell you something right now. I am not saved because of my good works. I am not saved because I preach. I am not saved because I am nice. I am kind or I am a good person because I am probably none of those things most days. I am saved by the grace of God. Amen. Listen, I have fallen short of the glory of God once and I will fall short of the glory of God again. But let me tell you something that I repent of those sins and I continue to be like Jesus as often as I can. I do my best to live a righteous life, but I promise you, I promise you, I won't get it right every day. But just as I won't hold those shortcomings against you, you cannot hold those shortcomings against me. Because if Jesus is willing to forgive your sin and willing to forgive my sin, why should we be looking at each other's sin? It's our responsibility to hold one another accountable, amen. It is our responsibility, but we don't go and do that in public, right? We come to one another in private. I'm gonna tell you, I met with Pastor Roger and Pastor Holly this morning, and Pastor Holly said that she's like, well, like in this room, we have such great respect for one another that when we're upset, we come to each other. Right? How many of us know how to do that? It's hard, and it's probably the hardest thing to do, and not to stand next to your neighbor and tell them about those things, right? Not to stand next to the people that you don't even know, the people you don't even care about and talk about those things. It is, in fact, a challenge. The Bible says that the devil prowls like a roaring lion, and I want you to remember that he is only like a lion, right? He might look like a lion. What do they say? If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, it probably is a duck. That isn't the case for the devil. He can walk like a lion, he can look like a lion, he can smell like a lion, he ain't a lion. He's a liar. Amen. He is a liar, he will convince you of all of those things. He cannot take it away, he will convince you to give it up. Can I tell you something? I ain't giving it up. I ain't giving it up. That means that he can intimidate, that he can copy, he can pretend to be, but he can never be. Amen. Are you feeling that? Are we thinking about that today? How many of you have experienced a situation in your life where you know that the enemy is working hard, he's working overtime, he's trying to take something away or convince you that you have to give something up? Amen, hallelujah! And then all of a sudden, the voice of God speaks and he says, You are worthy. You are called, you are anointed, you are my friend, you are my child. And all of a sudden, the outlook becomes brighter, and all of the sudden that lion looks like a mouse. Every time I think about the enemy, and I think about how big he can make himself look, I remember one thing, and that is that the enemy will never be bigger than a mouse. Now, I'm not gonna lie, some of us are afraid of mice, right? My wife wouldn't want nothing to do with a mouse. If she sees a mouse, it's game over. But but that mouse is more afraid of you than you are of it. And why is that? Because you are equipped with the word of God. If you want to run the enemy off, preach the word of God. If you want to run the enemy off, if you want to turn him the other direction, be prepared to quote scripture. I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength. I am more than a conqueror. Listen, there is nothing that the enemy has over me that I will fall for, that I will allow him to convince me that I am less than. Listen, I was called for such a time as this. This body was called for such a time as this. This building, this place, these people. Look around you. Somebody said to me this morning, every week we get fuller and fuller. Yes, we do. Praise Jesus. Praise Jesus. It has nothing to do with me, it has nothing to do with this building. It has to do with the fact that God is moving in our community and calling people to his house. Amen. Not to organic church, but to his house, wherever that may be. And I'm gonna tell you, this is we aren't the only ones feeling it today. Churches all over the community are just beginning to explode with people because God is moving in our community. Amen. God is moving in our community. Now, the problem when God moves in our community, the enemy goes into overdrive, right? Right? Because he doesn't want that move because he's afraid of us. Amen. See, when we put him under our feet, Pastor Holly, she'll write Satan on the bottom of her shoe and walk around. Right? Because he is under her feet, right? Every step that I take, I want the I want hell to tremble. Right? When I am walking in the full armor of God, I want hell to say, I know who that is, and I don't want to mess with him. Right? The problem is Christians don't want to do that. Because we want to have a toe in the world, right? We enjoy the world, right? Right? We enjoy the world. Listen, I enjoy things that I can't talk about because when I talk about it, Pastor Holly prays against it, and then I end up getting sick. I'm careful about what Dave's like, mmm, been there, experience that. I have to understand that I live for God and not for the world. Amen. And I have to remember that every time I step out into the world, the enemy will be there waiting, dressed shiny, right? Looking pretty, wanting me to go do, say, or act a certain way, right? Any of us ever acted or done a certain thing that we know we ought not do? Listen, we have to stop allowing the imitator, the imposter, to have power and authority in our lives. Amen. The true lion has all of the authority, and the imitation only has noise. Right? He's going to prowl around, he's going to try to convince you. When John was weeping in Revelation, heaven declared, Behold, the Lion of Judah has triumphed. What does that mean? Jesus has won. Amen. Triumph is victory. Jesus has church, are you not getting excited? The fact that Jesus has won. Now, I listen, I want to apologize. Thank you. I want to apologize real quick. Dawn told me last week, she's like, Pastor Michael, when you want us to get excited, most of us are taking notes. All right? I love you guys. Thank you for taking notes, but I need you to remember we're a Pentecostal church. We want to get a little bit excited, okay? Hallelujah. Thank you, Jesus. Right? All right. The word when we talk about triumph, it means that the battle is already over and the lion of Judah has already won. But Peter warns us the enemy is prowls like a lion, seeking someone to devour. You see, the devil cannot just devour anyone. He can't just listen. He thinks he can, right? He thinks he's got a stronghold in your life, and all of a sudden you can say, I am more than a conqueror. I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength, right? And when I say to the devil, I can do all things, he says, if you can do all things, that means I have no power here. Right? See, he wants to devour, but I don't give him permission. I don't allow him to take or allow him to convince me to give up the things that God has already given me victory over. Who he is loud, but he is limited. Amen. Now, somebody, I don't remember who I was talking to, uh, but we were talking about the book of Job. And it says, Well, nothing bad can happen to me because the enemy has to go to Job and ask Job, or the enemy has to go to God and ask God before he was allowed to attack Job. So I'm the same way. Can I tell you something? Job was a blameless man. Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah. I promise you I am not a blameless man, hallelujah, right? Thank you, Jesus. I know I am covered in the blood, I have grace and mercy, all of those things are wonderful, but I promise you, every day when I wake up, I do something stupid, right? And so listen. Now, Pastor Roger would have said that, I would have agreed. Every day that I do that, I make a decision on whether or not I'm gonna give the enemy power in my life. Right? Every day I make a decision on whether or not I'm gonna, I'm not giving the enemy power in my life today. I am gonna wake up and I am gonna give God praise. I'm gonna put on the full armor of God, and when I walk, hell is going to shake. Amen. When I walk, hell is going to shake. The earth will tremble at the sound of the name of Jesus. Amen. And so when I the rocks will cry out the name of Jesus. And listen, I want to be able to hear the rocks cry out the name of Jesus, right? When I walk down the street, I want every pebble that I pass to be crying out, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, because if I can carry that power with me, there is nothing the enemy can do to stop me. Amen. I promise you this. I promise you this. If the enemy even thought for a second that he had a foothold in my life, today I am putting him on notice. He has no authority in my life or in the lives of the people sitting in the sanctuary right now. There are some of you who, there are some of you who may not be saved today, but I want to tell you something. I am declaring the blood of Jesus over each and every one of you in this moment. The blood of Jesus over each and every one of you because I know, I know that God has called you to this place in this moment so that you should be saved. Amen. I believe that Jesus is doing a work in our lives like he has never done before. I believe he is testing us, right? I believe we are in the furnace right now. But I promise you, next to Shadrach, Meshach, and Abendigo stands Jesus. Stands Jesus. And standing in the fire, I know that Jesus is right there. I'm telling you, I'm telling you, God is doing something big, and because God is moving in such a mighty way, the enemy is trying to move just as fast. But I tell you this, God is faster. I was singing this to my daughter the other night. God is bigger than the boogeyman. Amen. Anybody, Veggie Tales? Veggie Tails, thank you, thank you, Jesus, right? And now Adeline sings it all the time. She got into bed the other night and she said, Dad, I'm scared. I said, Why are you scared? And she said, I listened to This Is Halloween. Anybody ever heard that song? From Nightmare Before Christmas. I don't know why she was listening to it, but she heard it. And I said, Well, what part of that song scares you? She goes, I don't want to talk about it. I said, Well, just tell me what part scares you. She said, Do you remember the part where they say there's red eyes looking out from under your bed? I don't mess with you, right? So, in true dad fashion, I did exactly what any dad would do. And I looked at her and said, Well, how do you know he's not under my bed?

SPEAKER_00:

Stop saying that. Stop saying that.

SPEAKER_01:

My hope was she'd go back to her bed. That didn't work. Probably only made that worse. See what I'm saying when I tell you I fall short of the glory of God, right? Like it's not intentional, it's just it's uh it's not all up there. Anyhow, anyhow, she was convinced that there was something scary waiting for her. Can I promise you, the only thing scary waiting for us is whatever it is, whatever trap Satan is laying for us each and every day. Amen. So when we wake up and we begin to walk in the glory of God and then covered in the in the armor of God when we're walking and we're trying to listen, the enemy is still setting tracks. He wants you to fall, he wants you to falter, he wants you to waver, he wants you to give up. Can I tell you that we are not going to give up today? Amen. We are not going to give up. Now listen, when the real lion roars, chains are broken. Demons tremble. Hearts are set free at the name of Jesus. Amen. When the when the lion roars, dry bones come back to life. Amen. Listen, church, we are constantly seeking and thinking about and worried about the bad things that are happening in this world. And can I tell you that when we focus on Jesus, the bad things no longer matter? When we know the word of God and it is etched upon our hearts, listen, he's not gonna stop trying. He is gonna continue to seek us out because the last thing he wants is salvation. The last thing he wants is eternal life for any one of us. If he were to get that, if he were to take that away from you, if he were to have victory, I would ask you a question. Did you really know Jesus? Right? Because I'm telling you, if you know Jesus, you will know everlasting life. Amen. If you know Jesus, but if you don't know Jesus, eternal damnation. Because see, as Christians, we like to we like to believe that heaven is real and that we're gonna enter into these pearly gates with streets paved of gold and mansions on a hilltop, and we can sing all the songs, right? Amen. Hallelujah. Most of you young folks can't sing any of those songs, but Pastor Roger knows them all. He was around when they were written. Um is he in here? Oh, he is in here. Shouldn't have done that. Gonna pay for that one later. But we don't want to believe that we have an opportunity to go to hell. Amen? Because if we believe for a second that we could go to hell, listen, my heart, my heart just breaks because there are people who profess to be Christians, who profess to be saved, who profess to love Jesus, and then attempt to destroy what God is doing. Right? Attempt to no, listen, I don't ask a question. If you know Jesus, why would you want to disrupt the kingdom of God? If you love Jesus, why would you want to disrupt the kingdom of God? Now, the kingdom of God is not defined as a church, it is not defined as a pastor, it is not defined as a gathering of people. It is this, it is the collective coming to worship, right? It is a body of people who believe that Jesus Christ is King of kings and Lord of Lords. Amen. Today we have to we have to decide in our hearts what is right and what is wrong. Amen. It's a hard place to be. Because we want to live in the world and we know to watch for the things that the enemy would do. Amen. We know to watch, we know to guard our hearts. We talk about those things. Guard your heart in all situations. When you walk into a conversation with somebody, guard your heart. Listen, sometimes you just gotta walk away. Amen. Sometimes you gotta say, this isn't for me. This is not where I want to be. Um the enemy oftentimes shows up and pretends to have great power. Amen. But do you know why he pretends to have great power? Because he has no power. He is absolutely powerless. The reason that he acts like a lion is because he has been stripped of all authority. In Luke 10, 18 and 19, it says, Yes, he told them, I saw Satan fall from heaven like lightning. Look, I have given you authority over all power of the enemy. Hallelujah! Oh, hold on, I'll read it again. Jesus said in Luke 18 or Luke 10, 18 and 19, yes, he told them, I saw Satan fall from heaven like lightning. Look, I have given you authority over all power of the enemy. Yes, hallelujah. Listen, that means when he shows his ugly face, we get to call it an ugly face. Amen. We get to say, you have no authority in this place. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Jesus. You have no right in this house. We have put you on notice that you will be banished from this place. Amen. How many of you walk into the house of the Lord and you know you're carrying something heavy? There are Sunday mornings I come in here. I get here at seven o'clock, guys. It's not because I feel like I have to, but it's because I want to. I don't get to come to church like you guys get to come to church. So oftentimes I find podcasts to listen to, and I've got pastors that I enjoy listening to. But when I get here in the morning, I usually end up right here. That's my me time with God. That's what I'm saying, Lord, whatever it is you have happen in this house, I give you all of the all of the authority to work through me, Father. I don't I don't want this to be about me, I want it to be about you. Right? And when I do that, I believe that I'm putting myself in alignment with God's will for my life. Because see, the enemy is going to attempt to dissuade or change whatever it is that God would have happen today. Amen. And I don't want to allow that. I don't want to allow that. See, he felt like lightning. It was quick, it was dramatic, and it was done. Anybody ever seen the devil be dramatic? That's that's kind of his thing, right? Like make it look it's a production, right? We gotta turn it up to 10 in order to convince people that I have authority, that I have power. Let me tell you something. It is all a show. Smoke and mirrors. Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain. Some of you got it, some of you did not. The noise that the enemy makes that we hear as a roar is an echo of defeat. Did you hear me? It is an echo of defeat. That means that when he fell, he probably made a pretty loud thud. Right? I used to do this thing with my kids. Don't try it because I'm not gonna do it. When they would yell, Andy is coming. Anybody know what I'm talking about? I've done it before. Andy is coming, I would drop to the ground, and it didn't matter where we were. And I'm talking, I'm listening, I'm too old for that stuff now. Throw out my hip or something, wouldn't be able to get back up. They would yell, Andy is coming, and I would drop to the ground. And let me tell you, I made some thuds. Right? I can't imagine falling from heaven with the enemy sounded like when he hit the ground, right? So he, I'm sure he made a loud thud. That thud is the only noise that he can make. That is the echo of defeat. Amen. The enemy has no victory in our lives today. All he has is an echo of defeat. Whew. Did you know that Judah means praise?

unknown:

Yes.

SPEAKER_01:

Some of us did. Pastor Holly did at least. That's great. Did you know that the lion dwells there? So listen, this is one of my favorite parts. This is one of the parts that I love about this message. So when we say he is the lion of Judah, we are telling you that he is the lion of praise. Amen? He is the lion of praise. That means when you praise, the lion roars. Amen? Amen? Okay. We're gonna get into a National Geographics lesson in just a second. Alright? I didn't bring any videos, I should have. I went on safari and took some lion videos. No, that's a lie. I would never go on a safari. That sounds terrible. Sounds hot. Sounds really hot. If you want to make the lion roar, if you want to see God in his fullest, give him praise. Hallelujah. Right? Listen, I was standing in the sound booth when that first song came on this morning, and this place lit up, and I was like, yes, here we go. Thank you, Jesus. Right? And subsequently, every song, worship became more and more pure. We stopped worrying about the lyrics of the song and stopped worrying about what was going on around us, and we focused and centered on Jesus. Right? And when we were singing praise, Jesus was in that praise. Because the Lion of Judah is the Lion of Praise. See, when we begin to praise, the Lion of Judah will take his throne, and the counterfeit lion will run and hide. Because he knows that when God shows up, when the Holy Spirit is present, he has no authority in this place. See, that's why during praise and worship, yes, amen. That's why during praise and worship, and that's why during an anointed message, the enemy doesn't show his ugly head. But sometimes we get out the building. By the time you hit the parking lot, right? Is it true? And you got him hanging off your back again. I promise you, he's waiting at the door. He wants nothing more than to ride home with you. He wants nothing more than to be able to convince you that what you just heard was not what God wanted you to hear. Listen, he didn't know what he was talking about. You can sing praises all you want. You can listen, you can lift your hands, you can give glory to God, but I promise you this: none of that will change who I am in your life. That's not true. But he wants to convince you of that because what do you give up? I lift my hands to believe again. You are my refuge, you are my strength. As I pour out my heart, these things I remember. You are faithful God forever. Do you know how easy that is to do? In all things, that's all it takes. To stop and give God praise, to give God glory in those darkest and scariest moments. Listen. When the enemy comes after me, I turn around and I come after him. Right? When he says, I'm taking this from you, and I say, No, you're not. Because I know that I am more than a conqueror. Amen. I know that I can do all things. Now, I can't do all things that are not in alignment with what God would have in my life. Right? And we always talk about the good Lord giveth and the good Lord taketh away. Listen, if God called me out of this place today, if God called me out of this place today, I'd walk away. But God has to be the one that calls me out of this place. Amen. Because I'm gonna tell you, the enemy ain't calling me out of this place. The enemy is not calling me out of this place. Do you realize how good God has been to this house? Pastor Holly said this to me this morning. Do you remember when we were literally scraping pennies to pay bills? And God showed up and provided us with the finances to survive. Hundred plus people every week. Knowing who God is in our lives. See, the difference is we are not worried about finances, we are not worried about the things that we have, we are worried about the move of the Spirit. We have stopped focusing on the want and the need and started focusing on the one true king. Amen. This isn't about me, this isn't about a building, this isn't about new chairs and new carpet. This is about doing what God has called in this place. Amen. God didn't call us here so that we would be comfortable. He called us here so that we would win souls for the kingdom of God. Amen. And that is our responsibility today. See, the enemy is going to convince us and going to try to stop us from doing that. But I want to promise you something that that should be our focus today. Because he will devour those who don't believe in Jesus Christ. He prowls around like a lion seeking someone to devour. You and I, he cannot devour. Because we know better. But those who do not know better, he can and will devour. The challenge is sometimes people think they know Jesus. And the lion still devours them. I can't think that I know Jesus. As Pastor Holly would say, I know in my knower. I know in my knower. I know with everything that I am, with every part of my being, that I am a child of God. Every fiber of my being, there is no part of me that says, I'm I'm concerned I'm not gonna get to heaven. No part of me. Because I know what God has called me to do, and I know that I have been obedient in all of those things. 2 Timothy 1 7. It says, For God has not given us a spirit of fear or timidity, but of power, love, and self discipline. Self discipline is the hardest of those things, can I promise you? Listen, for God has not given us a power a spirit of fear or timidity, but power, love, and self discipline. We can all walk in power, amen. I can declare the name of Jesus, amen. That is easy. Easy to do. You mark where's Marcus at? Marcus, you go into a truck stop, you declare the name of Jesus, right? That's easy to do. People won't like you because of it, but it's easy. Right? I can say Jesus anywhere that I go. It's easy to love people, even the unlovely. Right? Sometimes it's hard. Sometimes I need a minute. Let's be honest. I gotta get over some stuff I got going on, but I promise you, it is easy to love people. It is hard to have self-discipline. It is hard to say, I cannot be there, I cannot say that, I cannot do that. Amen. Because I have to think about more than just myself. I have to think about the kingdom of God. Fear is that sound when he falls from heaven. That thud that he makes that is a sound of fear. And it's the only thing that he really has going for him, right? He can scare us into believing that he is going to do something that he can't actually do because he doesn't have authority. Right? We're still in agreement that the enemy doesn't have any authority, that Satan doesn't have authority. We're in agreement. Yes, hallelujah. Thank you, Jesus. Glory. You guys good? I'm feeling good right now. I'm not sure about you guys, but who when you walk in faith, that fake lion can't scare you with fear. See, I walk by faith and not by sight. There are things that happen every day that I cannot plan. Amen. You wake up in the morning and you think that you're gonna go do this, and then your car battery doesn't start. Right? I wake up in the morning and I think, well, I'm gonna have a day that's gonna go like this, and I've got plans to do this, that, or the other yesterday, for instance. I was like, when I get done with football, I'm gonna come to the church and mow the grass. Anybody notice the grass didn't get mowed yesterday? We got home at six o'clock, and I was like, I'm tired. I don't want to go mow grass right now. I'm hungry. Guess what I'm not doing? Going to mow the grass. So that grass is gonna be high tomorrow. Oh well. God didn't call me to mow grass yesterday. He called me to be present with my family. Amen. Now here's the thing. I didn't believe that in the morning, in the morning when I was making my plans. Now I can be convinced that the enemy was moving and didn't want me here, but then I thought about it and I was like, no, God has already told me. Our men's group, right, men? All of you who come to our men's group, God told me in that group that I need to put my family in the right spot, in the circle. The circle, we remember our circle, men. God was telling me that my family needs to bump into their rightful spot. And instead of, listen, Emmett has a soccer game today in Lodi. My wife is gonna have to leave here at 11:30 in order to get to that game. Can I tell you something? My first response is, Well, I just won't go, I'll just stay home. No. Because that's what the enemy would want, right? Listen, when I show up to those games, the parents get excited. Is it true, Emmett? He says yes. But Emmett gets embarrassed because I'm the I he said, Dad, everybody knows when you're here. I take a cowbell that's about this big, and I'm talking like ringing that. All I want is for them to get one goal so I can ring that cowbell, right? That's all I want. That's all I I forgot it yesterday at Easton's game. I was heartbroken. But listen, the enemy would have me not show up, right? But God says your family deserves that time. Right? Now, the problem is oftentimes we will get wrapped up because, see, I'm gonna tell you the truth. The church has taken the place of my family. It's true. I was spending five nights a week in this building, right? Painting and cleaning and scrubbing and moving and and and shifting and and and praying and desiring and think of all the things that like look at this stupid thing. Can nobody play it, but here it is, right? Listen. Praying it in. Hallelujah. Thank you, Jesus, for a live worship team. Lord, we believe it. We know it's gonna happen. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Jesus. But what we know is that I put the church in that circle where my family should have been. And so now I have to fix that, right? And so sometimes things are just gonna have to not get done, right? Because I can't be here for everything. I can't do it all, but I don't want to do it all anymore either. I told the tech team, get it right because I'm not coming back there anymore. I'll help you in the morning, but I'm after that, I'm done, right? They're doing a great job. Listen, I love all of you. And you know, Danny comes and mows the grass, Pastor Roger comes and listen, I love all of you for all that you do, Pastor Holly, Wednesday nights, all of those things. Listen, but I need more of you, right? I need like 10 more of you. Listen, the enemy would convince you that you don't have a place in ministry, right? But can I tell you that listen, it could start by edging flower beds. It could start by laying mulch. It doesn't have listen. Service isn't always grand. Service isn't always being in the pulpit. Service isn't always being seen. Right? Sometimes, yeah. Sis says hi from the sound booth. You can't see her at all. She's completely gone. Service isn't always about being seen. Sometimes it's just being about doing. And in that time, you should be prayerful and considering what God would have you do next. But see, the enemy would convince you that that is below you. That is beneath you. See, I I Pastor Michael, I'll do a lot of stuff, but I can't mow grass. Like, I'm not gonna mow grass. I'll listen, you want me to you want me to come in and do this or do that, you know. You want me to to to make coffee in the morning, you want me to, but you want to be in a place of authority. That's the problem.

unknown:

That's it.

SPEAKER_01:

That's the problem. We forget that service starts at the bottom. Pastor Holly and Dave, how long did you guys clean toilets? Years, right? But you did that with joy. You served with joy. I just think that oftentimes we forget that how much ministry takes and what it needs, and then I think that we give in to what the enemy is telling us that we are not worthy, that we don't have a place, or that we have to have a higher place. I told you, if if God were to call me out of here today, I'd I'd I'd turn in my keys and walk, I'd skip out of this building. I would. Dave's like, get, will you go? Land the plane, baby. I know what you mean, Dave. I'm not, I'm just picking. But if that's what God called, that's what I would do. But I don't believe that God is calling for that today. Amen. I believe that he is calling for greater in this house. I believe that he is continuing to say that more things will come, that he is not done with organic church, that he is not done with his move in this house. Amen. Listen, listen, when you have children's ministry every week, now listen, there are big churches that can do that. We ain't a big church, right? We're doing children's ministry every week. You need to pray for those people. Right? Pray for those people, especially if you're like, I could never do that. Pray for those because that is hard work. It requires the right heart. And listen, don't allow the enemy to convince you that you are not worthy and that you are not capable. It is time to stop running from the fake line. It is time to stop running from his fake roar, his thud, his fear. We have to stop letting that fear have the final say in our lives. Amen. That fear has no place in our lives. We have to stop believing the noise of the enemy, the noise of the world. Listen, you turn on your news and it is noisy, right? All of the things you should believe and all the things you shouldn't believe. You turn on social media and the algorithms are set up to make you hate other people. Listen, there is no room for hate in the kingdom of God. Amen. There is no room for hate in the kingdom of God. The battle is already won and the authority is already yours. Amen. Hallelujah. There is nothing left for us to fight for. We are gonna go to spiritual warfare. Remember, we are not fighting against the things of this world. Amen. This is spiritual warfare at this point. We are praying against the things that the enemy would have show its face, not just in our building, but inside of the kingdom of God. Listen, next week, I already got my service next week. Ready? Spirit of religion. Who be ready? I'm gonna tell you. Because as I was writing it, I was like, oh, I don't know if I can say this to them. And then I thought, yeah, you can. What are they gonna do? I mean, as I'm just being honest. Who? Every imitation must fee, must flee in the name of Jesus. Amen. Every imitation must flee in the name of Jesus. Can I tell you something? I am proclaiming the name of Jesus over each and every one of you right now. Jesus. Jesus from the mountain. Jesus in the street. Right? Listen, everywhere we go, Jesus should be at the end of our tongue. Right? Jesus. Listen. There is no greater name. There is no higher authority than Jesus. Let's pray together. Father, I thank you and I praise you for a mighty move in this house. Lord, I pray that as the people of this house continue to fill seats, Lord, that they understand the goodness that you have given them. Father, for all of the blessings that you've bestowed upon their families. Father, for all of the great things that you've continued to move in and out of their lives. Lord, I pray that you bless them. Bless their hearts, Father God. Allow them to absorb the goodness. Because, Lord, I know sometimes when we hear it, we just don't feel it. I thank you for surrounding me with people who love me, people who care about me. Lord, that they lift up my arms when my arms are tired. I thank you for the anointing that rests inside of this body. Lord, it doesn't just come from me. But the anointing that rests in each and every person inside of this house. Father, I thank you for a praying body. A body of people who just continue to believe God for what He is truly doing in our lives. That we won't bow down to the enemy. That we won't accept a fake roar. Father, that we won't accept the noise of this world. That we will continue to lift up praise to the Lion of Judah. Father, I pray as we leave this place that our hearts continue to mend, and Father, that each and everything that happens in our lives, that it is designed by your appointment, Father God. It's not about us. It's all about you. We thank you and we praise you. We give you honor and glory in the mighty name of Jesus. And the church says, Amen. Love you guys. We'll see you Wednesday night.

unknown:

Love you too.