WEBVTT 00:00:00.281 --> 00:00:01.225 Today we're going to be coming. 00:00:01.225 --> 00:00:11.407 So if you've been with us for the last few weeks the first of the series I told you to be stupid, that you need to start acting. 00:00:11.407 --> 00:00:18.411 Stupid Because my Bible says that God used the foolish to dumbfound the wise. 00:00:18.411 --> 00:00:22.089 God wants some stupid, willing vessels that say you know what? 00:00:22.089 --> 00:00:27.882 It might just work if I pray, it might just work if I lay hands on somebody. 00:00:27.882 --> 00:00:32.432 God is wanting people who is willing to step out in stupid faith? 00:00:32.432 --> 00:00:44.228 And in week two we said I hate you, that we should be willing to abandon it all for the cause of Jesus Christ, for somebody to know Jesus Christ. 00:00:44.228 --> 00:00:52.802 That should be our one singular moment, our one singular movement of this church on the forefront of our minds that somebody needs to find Jesus. 00:00:52.802 --> 00:00:58.634 But if you got people you don't like, it's hard. 00:00:58.634 --> 00:01:03.505 So guess what we're going to talk about. 00:01:03.545 --> 00:01:04.748 Y' know it's thanksgiving coming up. 00:01:04.748 --> 00:01:05.742 Y'all got to deal with your family. 00:01:05.742 --> 00:01:10.052 There ain't no hurt or troubles like family hurt and troubles. 00:01:10.052 --> 00:01:14.066 Luke, chapter 6, verse 28 through 30. 00:01:14.066 --> 00:01:18.155 Bless those who curse you. 00:01:18.155 --> 00:01:24.367 Pray for those who hurt you. 00:01:24.367 --> 00:01:28.974 This is going to get some of you on this next one. 00:01:28.974 --> 00:01:35.893 If someone slaps you, turn the other cheek. 00:01:35.893 --> 00:01:42.079 Some of y'all just wrote that check to slap somebody. 00:01:42.079 --> 00:01:46.653 If someone demands your coat, offer your shirt. 00:01:46.653 --> 00:01:52.480 Also, if someone's wearing a coat, it's probably cold. 00:01:52.799 --> 00:01:55.024 And somebody said amen in the church house. 00:01:55.024 --> 00:02:06.200 Verse 30 says give to anyone who asks, and when things are taken away from you, don't try to get them back. 00:02:06.200 --> 00:02:06.822 Let's pray, father. 00:02:06.822 --> 00:02:08.223 We thank you for your word. 00:02:08.223 --> 00:02:15.772 I ask God that it transform lives, that minds be renewed and today, before we leave this house, that hurts be healed. 00:02:15.772 --> 00:02:18.401 In your name, we pray Amen. 00:02:18.401 --> 00:02:26.633 You may be seated today in the church. 00:02:28.989 --> 00:02:30.114 Man, I love coming to church. 00:02:30.114 --> 00:02:38.562 I love coming to church and apparently my son thinks it's his number one priority to get me in a bad mood before I get here. 00:02:38.562 --> 00:02:39.362 Anybody else have that. 00:02:39.362 --> 00:02:46.008 It's only when you come in the church that you get in a fight with the spouse, or the kids ain't't acting right, or the grandkids broke something. 00:02:46.008 --> 00:02:51.794 The devil knows the game, but I see your hand devil. 00:02:51.794 --> 00:02:54.597 So you may. 00:02:58.520 --> 00:03:00.644 Some of you may know, some of you may not, some of you don't want to know, but it is the holiday season. 00:03:00.644 --> 00:03:08.286 It is among us, although four days ago we had the air conditioning on and then we had the heater back on Texas, I don't know. 00:03:08.286 --> 00:03:09.849 Just pick one. 00:03:09.849 --> 00:03:12.522 I'm not saying anything about women, but it's called mother nature for a reason. 00:03:12.522 --> 00:03:16.912 Can't make up its mind. 00:03:16.912 --> 00:03:17.372 Come on. 00:03:17.372 --> 00:03:22.609 Oh man, I'm going to need security when I leave here today. 00:03:22.609 --> 00:03:26.966 Oh man, I'm going to need security when I leave here today. 00:03:26.966 --> 00:03:28.527 Somebody just told me I need an army. 00:03:28.728 --> 00:03:33.895 All right, thanksgiving is among us and some of you, some of us, are ready for all the good food. 00:03:33.895 --> 00:03:36.324 Can I get an amen? 00:03:36.324 --> 00:03:40.173 Some of y'all got great grandma's recipe that somebody makes and they bring it. 00:03:40.173 --> 00:03:44.044 I know Jessie's grandparents. 00:03:44.044 --> 00:03:47.985 She's always got chocolate pies and, man, I know she brings two of them, but I'm pretty sure they're different, so I got to try both. 00:03:47.985 --> 00:03:51.550 Just to make sure. 00:03:51.550 --> 00:04:12.100 It's my responsibility as the man of the house to be my work off the carbs months. 00:04:12.100 --> 00:04:15.407 Everybody's getting a gym membership right after the first of the year. 00:04:17.271 --> 00:04:18.620 But we love the good food. 00:04:18.620 --> 00:04:19.985 We love the time with family. 00:04:19.985 --> 00:04:22.821 We love being able to see people that we haven't seen in a long time. 00:04:22.821 --> 00:04:30.908 Sister Jessie and I, always, for Christmas break, we always go up to see my grandparents Tristan's great-grandparents because we never get to see them. 00:04:30.908 --> 00:04:32.232 They live in Missouri. 00:04:32.232 --> 00:04:37.127 It's about an eight-, nine-hour drive, and so we only get to go about once a year. 00:04:37.127 --> 00:04:43.507 You know they're getting older, they're up in age, so we try to see them as much as possible, but usually Christmas is the only time we get that break. 00:04:43.507 --> 00:04:45.331 So that's a good thing for us. 00:04:45.331 --> 00:04:47.233 We get to go see at Thanksgiving. 00:04:47.233 --> 00:04:59.153 All of her family comes over to either us or over there in a bullet area and uncles and aunts, and everybody gets together and we have a good time and all these things are great, sitting with loved ones. 00:04:59.153 --> 00:05:02.923 You know, and sometimes we don't even know, but it may be the last moments we get to. 00:05:13.262 --> 00:05:20.423 But though some of us are excited about this holiday season, there are some who hate it Because of the same reasons I just mentioned. 00:05:20.423 --> 00:05:36.913 Family, and specifically church family, can hurt people so deep and so hard and the people who have been forgiven of so much do not live a life asking for forgiveness from others. 00:05:36.913 --> 00:05:44.425 We feel a righteous justice because we know God, did I get too real too quick? 00:05:44.425 --> 00:05:59.060 You know I love getting up in your business and some they have this terrible feeling in this pit in the lower part of their stomach, like they just. 00:05:59.060 --> 00:05:59.922 They know they're going to see somebody. 00:05:59.922 --> 00:06:01.144 They know they're going to see that person. 00:06:01.144 --> 00:06:01.603 Every family's got one. 00:06:01.603 --> 00:06:22.557 If you don't know if your family has one or not, it's probably you, and I told you this just now and you still won't believe me. 00:06:22.576 --> 00:06:32.713 It's you, but sometimes this holiday season for some people is going to be the first without A lot of hurt and a lot of pain when you have an empty seat at the table. 00:06:32.713 --> 00:06:51.636 There's going to be a lot of first times where someone that you said I hate you to, or a child that you're not talking to anymore, that you're not going to invite them, or you may be the one not talking to anymore, that you're not going to invite them, or you may be the one not invited because a family feud blows up. 00:06:51.636 --> 00:06:56.250 There may be people that used to come to this church that do not come right now because someone messed up or hurt them, and they will not apologize. 00:06:56.250 --> 00:07:03.166 Alexis, if you come up, we're going to have. 00:07:03.166 --> 00:07:05.312 She's going to talk about something for just a second. 00:07:09.560 --> 00:07:11.127 I was talking to her at the bonfire. 00:07:11.127 --> 00:07:12.966 Thank you to everybody who made it possible. 00:07:12.966 --> 00:07:43.747 Friday, when we came out, had hot dogs and we had a fun time, but I was talking to her and I told her the title of my message today and she said I may have something so Okay, title of my message today and she said I may have something. 00:07:43.767 --> 00:07:45.288 So for those of you who don't know, I have done drugs most of my life. 00:07:45.288 --> 00:07:47.951 I'm here today to tell you I've reached two years of being completely drug-free on Thanksgiving Day. 00:07:47.951 --> 00:07:55.869 I never thought I could reach this day until God took over and has protected me in mighty ways from myself. 00:07:55.869 --> 00:08:00.403 He never said it was going to be easy, but it is possible through him and his strength. 00:08:00.403 --> 00:08:06.694 This year has been very tough for me, going through four years of torment at my job. 00:08:06.694 --> 00:08:16.711 They fired me and committed fraud against me so they wouldn't have to pay me unemployment, not pulling any money in for a few months and bills piled up. 00:08:19.281 --> 00:08:25.012 God has been my husband, father and best friend through these times of hardships and has taken the best care of me. 00:08:25.012 --> 00:08:33.427 God has also tested me on how to have faith. 00:08:33.427 --> 00:08:35.192 When I felt like I had been defeated. 00:08:35.192 --> 00:08:41.153 He had given me rest for my soul before he started, blessing me in ways I never imagined or understood. 00:08:41.153 --> 00:08:47.244 The times I got to come to church Tuesday mornings to pray with the sweetest people meant everything to me. 00:08:47.244 --> 00:08:49.009 Through that time of hurt and confusion. 00:08:49.009 --> 00:08:53.602 To anyone who is struggling with addictions of any kind. 00:08:53.602 --> 00:08:55.988 Fall apart and let God rebuild you. 00:08:55.988 --> 00:08:58.894 Pray when you don't feel like praying. 00:08:58.894 --> 00:09:03.591 Surround yourself with good people and lean on them when you don't know what else to do. 00:09:03.591 --> 00:09:07.408 Love you, guys and thank you for praying for me always. 00:09:17.523 --> 00:09:23.024 Her story rings so true with me, Just because I battled through addiction and everything myself. 00:09:23.024 --> 00:09:24.485 Just because I battled through addiction and everything myself. 00:09:24.485 --> 00:09:40.440 And when you come up on times where you've hit a marker in your life, it needs to be celebrated and you need to tell people, Because we find freedom, people find Jesus by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony. 00:09:40.440 --> 00:09:45.148 And don't you hold that back from somebody else Just because you've been serving God for years. 00:09:45.148 --> 00:09:54.787 Don't hold back what he done for you, because you need to share what God, how he transformed you, to prove to somebody else that God still loves, he cares and he still transforms today. 00:09:54.787 --> 00:10:03.489 But for her to go through this, especially here, she told me Friday night. 00:10:03.489 --> 00:10:08.509 She said you know, this is one of the hardest times that I have felt that pull towards that addiction again. 00:10:10.631 --> 00:10:13.062 The devil knows what will get you upset. 00:10:13.062 --> 00:10:16.571 The devil knows what will hurt you. 00:10:16.571 --> 00:10:26.471 If he can get you distracted and dismantled and confused and get you away from the herd so you don't draw strength from the fellowship of the believers. 00:10:26.471 --> 00:10:28.614 He can trip you up. 00:10:28.614 --> 00:10:40.335 He can get you so bitter and angry that you will keep falling over and over again and then bound by bitterness and always bound by shame. 00:10:40.335 --> 00:10:47.389 He can make you feel like there is no hope and he is a liar. 00:10:49.232 --> 00:10:51.076 He is the father of liars. 00:10:51.076 --> 00:10:55.006 Anything out of his mouth is deceitful and is a lie. 00:10:55.006 --> 00:11:02.525 But she had to start down this journey by accepting that she needed to be healed. 00:11:02.525 --> 00:11:07.575 Today's title of my message is Healing from Hurt. 00:11:07.575 --> 00:11:12.648 This is not going through the pain. 00:11:12.648 --> 00:11:14.514 This is on the other side. 00:11:14.514 --> 00:11:17.763 This is living in the echo of the pain. 00:11:17.763 --> 00:11:28.113 It's now you have to realize that you are living in hurt, and hurt will hinder you from the Heavenly Father. 00:11:28.113 --> 00:11:40.149 There's a fact with every hurt that is endured whether it's somebody who hurts you or the hurt of loss is that you cannot control when or how it happens. 00:11:40.149 --> 00:11:51.326 But you can control when you decide to start down the road of healing, to take those first step towards healing, healing from hurt. 00:11:51.326 --> 00:12:13.563 I believe the enemy is trying to condition you to become your pain and hurt, convincing you that the valley of hurt is the only place and the only choice that you have to live, that your only choice is to remain bitter instead of getting better, getting through the offense. 00:12:13.563 --> 00:12:15.089 And now you have to deal with the echo. 00:12:15.089 --> 00:12:24.813 There's always an aftermath when there's pain, there becomes hurt and there's a great echo and wave that can demolish people that weren't even in contact with the person that actually did the hurting. 00:12:26.562 --> 00:12:37.249 Today we're going to map out some key things that probably won't make sense and, if you haven't noticed, if you have prayed or read the word of God, the Lord uses things that don't add up to our physical minds. 00:12:37.249 --> 00:12:43.923 It does not add up to bless those that curse me or to pray for those that hurt me. 00:12:43.923 --> 00:12:45.890 I want to bless those that curse me or to pray for those that hurt me. 00:12:45.890 --> 00:12:53.552 I want to punch those that hurt me, especially if you come towards my family. 00:12:53.552 --> 00:13:03.730 I am a very likable, laid back, go with the flow type of guy, but you step on my family, you don't get a little thunder and a little lightning. 00:13:03.730 --> 00:13:22.191 Sorry, but the things that we're going to map out today and talk about that, if you are hurting or you have been hurt it may have been 30 years ago and you have not dealt with this hurt it will fester and become an issue. 00:13:22.191 --> 00:13:27.126 It will affect who you're, affect who you are and it will affect your personality. 00:13:27.126 --> 00:13:44.129 Now, what we're gonna read, what we just read, seems opposite and counterintuitive what you should do, how you should feel, steps to take, thoughts to be thinking, the way you should see a situation and how to see a person or people that have actually hurt you. 00:13:44.129 --> 00:13:49.525 And I've said this many times. 00:13:49.525 --> 00:13:50.587 I'm changing the way I'm thinking. 00:13:50.587 --> 00:13:53.072 Let me see if you've said this before. 00:13:53.312 --> 00:13:54.221 Time heals all wounds. 00:13:54.221 --> 00:14:00.490 Sometimes the Holy Spirit is the only one that can heal those wounds. 00:14:00.490 --> 00:14:04.291 It doesn't matter how long it's been Sometimes. 00:14:04.291 --> 00:14:09.009 The healing power of the Holy Spirit is the only thing that can heal the wounds that you've been hiding. 00:14:09.009 --> 00:14:15.931 Most of the time, the echo of the hurt manifests itself in places that you didn't plant. 00:14:15.931 --> 00:14:35.445 The seed Hurts become weeds in the gardens that will choke the life out of any fruit of the spirit that God is trying to plant inside of you, any goodness and mercy and faithfulness and love and joy, all the things God desires for us to have, desires for you to have. 00:14:35.445 --> 00:14:40.121 If you are dwelling in your hurt, you will not be able to grow properly. 00:14:43.006 --> 00:15:00.750 If you've ever had a garden, sisteresse, at the house that we came from before we moved over in flint, she had a garden and it started off great because the dirt was dug up, it was fresh, it was new, it had been toiled, the seeds have been planted, it was beautiful. 00:15:00.750 --> 00:15:05.004 We even put up a little fence about that tall around it because we had little rabbits and all the stuff. 00:15:05.004 --> 00:15:14.405 We were out in the country and this garden looked amazing and about a month later, weeds were everywhere. 00:15:14.405 --> 00:15:17.009 She works full-time. 00:15:17.009 --> 00:15:20.961 I work full-time Neither one of us ever and it was on the side of the house. 00:15:20.961 --> 00:15:23.303 It wasn't in our face and it was on the side of the house. 00:15:23.303 --> 00:15:26.167 It wasn't in our face and it was on the side of the house and weeds were not planted, but they grew. 00:15:28.490 --> 00:15:34.615 Seeds of hurt and bitterness will grow and you will never plant them. 00:15:34.615 --> 00:15:41.748 You have to, on purpose, start to weed out the garden by the root. 00:15:41.748 --> 00:15:50.510 You don't have to cultivate or water, because weeds will always show up, especially in the places you're trying to grow good fruit. 00:15:50.510 --> 00:15:54.682 So how do we get the weeds out? 00:15:54.682 --> 00:15:56.927 How do we get the hurt out? 00:15:56.927 --> 00:15:58.952 How do we deal with the pain? 00:15:58.952 --> 00:16:00.678 Number one if you're taking notes, write this down. 00:16:00.678 --> 00:16:01.167 You have to be realistic. 00:16:01.167 --> 00:16:02.182 Number one if you're taking notes, write this down. 00:16:02.182 --> 00:16:04.562 You have to be realistic. 00:16:04.562 --> 00:16:05.966 Someone hurt you. 00:16:05.966 --> 00:16:16.238 You allowed yourself to be vulnerable, you let someone in and it backfired. 00:16:16.238 --> 00:16:19.504 You allowed yourself, your heart, your soul, your mind, your body. 00:16:19.504 --> 00:16:22.133 You allowed yourself to open up to someone and they hurt you. 00:16:24.240 --> 00:16:27.971 Pretending like it didn't happen doesn't solve the issue. 00:16:27.971 --> 00:16:31.989 If you don't know you're sick, you won't take medicine. 00:16:31.989 --> 00:16:36.943 You have to admit that you're sick to even want to go to the doctor it's hard to admit. 00:16:36.943 --> 00:16:37.606 You allowed yourself. 00:16:37.606 --> 00:16:39.379 So you get this false sense of healing. 00:16:39.379 --> 00:16:43.291 That is really just a small Band-Aid on a constantly open wound. 00:16:43.291 --> 00:16:54.164 Telling yourself and telling others I'm okay, I'm fine, I know from experience. 00:16:54.164 --> 00:17:04.484 If me and my wife get in an argument and she says I'm fine, it's a lie, I know I'm dead. 00:17:04.484 --> 00:17:09.510 Or somebody is I'm fine, means you better run. 00:17:09.510 --> 00:17:16.463 Or if you've experienced loss, you have to admit that there is a void, that something has happened to you. 00:17:16.463 --> 00:17:25.836 You can cover up a wound for so long, but if you never let it breathe and never let it in the open, it will fester and it will become infected. 00:17:25.836 --> 00:17:29.380 It has to become out in the open to be able to heal properly. 00:17:31.371 --> 00:17:34.140 Because if you don't admit there is something wrong, here's what will happen. 00:17:34.140 --> 00:17:42.375 You'll try to cover it up, but you will become angry, you'll become bitter, you'll become frustrated. 00:17:42.375 --> 00:17:46.714 In every situation You'll play the blame game. 00:17:46.714 --> 00:17:51.612 It's everyone else's fault, everyone's against you, they're all my enemy. 00:17:51.612 --> 00:17:54.376 You will never be satisfied. 00:17:54.376 --> 00:17:57.763 You will constantly self-sabotage. 00:17:57.763 --> 00:17:59.836 You're never good enough. 00:17:59.836 --> 00:18:01.143 No one will ever love me again. 00:18:01.143 --> 00:18:02.348 I can't deal with this. 00:18:02.348 --> 00:18:03.976 Oh, this looks like what that did. 00:18:03.976 --> 00:18:07.840 So now I'm going to sabotage everything so nobody can come near me. 00:18:07.840 --> 00:18:15.157 I'm going to set the world on fire Spiritually, emotionally and physically. 00:18:15.157 --> 00:18:16.101 You will become drained. 00:18:16.101 --> 00:18:22.982 It will drain the life out of you because you are constantly fighting against hurt. 00:18:22.982 --> 00:18:27.036 So I'm going to tell you a little insight. 00:18:27.109 --> 00:18:58.000 When Sister and Jesse and I first got married and I've apologized to her so many times since there was a period of time when we first got married I had been married before and I've been hurt so deep that when her and I got married, if she did anything that resembled what that last person did, I would blow up. 00:18:58.000 --> 00:19:07.143 I would be angry, I would get mad at her for something that she wasn't even aware of. 00:19:07.143 --> 00:19:20.019 I would be upset with her and starting fights with her, having arguments with her, and she didn't do anything wrong, something she had never been a part of my hurt. 00:19:20.019 --> 00:19:27.750 Labeled her as the enemy, part of my hurt. 00:19:27.750 --> 00:19:28.874 Labeled her as the enemy, something she never did to me. 00:19:28.874 --> 00:19:32.082 She was now paying for, because I didn't realize that I'd never faced the hurt and I had become bitter. 00:19:32.082 --> 00:19:39.501 This pain and this hurt began to surface in ways that I wasn't even aware of. 00:19:39.501 --> 00:19:41.813 But see, here's what it is. 00:19:41.813 --> 00:19:44.681 I thought that her and I had an issue. 00:19:44.681 --> 00:19:51.160 It wasn't about me and her, it was about the past and me not dealing with the past. 00:19:51.410 --> 00:19:53.838 Just because you leave the past doesn't mean it doesn't move with you. 00:19:53.838 --> 00:19:59.000 Just because you walk away from it doesn't mean it's still not chained to your leg. 00:19:59.000 --> 00:20:11.319 But we serve a chain-breaking God that can separate you from your hurt and your past, because the Bible says that who God sets free, you become free. 00:20:11.319 --> 00:20:19.300 Indeed, and there is no devil in hell or person on this earth that can rebind you to what you left behind. 00:20:19.300 --> 00:20:22.720 Because when God sets you free, it's a done deal. 00:20:22.720 --> 00:20:26.777 When you become redeemed through the blood of Jesus, it is a done deal. 00:20:26.777 --> 00:20:29.223 You don't have to live in who you was. 00:20:30.729 --> 00:20:40.718 I was talking to somebody last Sunday and God just spoke to me and he said you know, your past is like when you were a little child, when I was three or four, I had a coat. 00:20:40.718 --> 00:20:42.842 We lived in Missouri. 00:20:42.842 --> 00:20:43.923 We had coats. 00:20:43.923 --> 00:20:45.674 It snowed every Christmas. 00:20:45.674 --> 00:20:49.034 Now that I'm a grown man, I know some of y'all think I'm small. 00:20:49.034 --> 00:20:54.943 But now that I'm a grown man, that coat I can't fit it anymore. 00:20:54.943 --> 00:20:55.585 I outgrew it. 00:20:56.570 --> 00:21:04.171 When the devil tries to bring my shame and pain and hurt back to me and say, no, you got to put this on, I say no, sir devil, I outgrew that years ago. 00:21:04.171 --> 00:21:06.297 You can't bring that shame back to me anymore. 00:21:06.297 --> 00:21:07.700 That don't belong to me. 00:21:07.700 --> 00:21:08.521 I've outgrown it. 00:21:08.521 --> 00:21:15.635 When the devil comes knocking on your door trying to put shame back on, you say no, I've outgrown it, I've moved past that. 00:21:15.635 --> 00:21:17.159 That don't belong to me anymore. 00:21:17.159 --> 00:21:27.011 I donated that to goodwill, don't belong to me. 00:21:27.051 --> 00:21:36.980 And so we have to have the same mindset with our shame and our hurt and our pain, because sometimes we wear pain as a mask, all painted up as healing, and we walk around and we, we, we, we, we try to hide it so well. 00:21:36.980 --> 00:21:47.356 And the way that it manifests itself is hurting the people that we love the most, because you're not facing the pain and the hurt that it manifests itself is hurting the people that we love the most, because you're not facing the pain and the hurt that you're actually holding on to. 00:21:47.356 --> 00:21:54.038 So she had to deal with something, echoes of something that happened years before I met her. 00:21:54.038 --> 00:21:57.126 Who? 00:21:57.126 --> 00:21:58.671 Who are you affecting today? 00:21:58.671 --> 00:21:59.932 Who are you allowing to affect you? 00:21:59.932 --> 00:22:02.940 What are you holding on? 00:22:02.940 --> 00:22:04.643 That is still in, that is still. 00:22:04.643 --> 00:22:06.795 You try to wear it as your identity. 00:22:06.795 --> 00:22:10.093 But if you have come to God and you have you have been sanctified and washed in his blood. 00:22:10.093 --> 00:22:11.396 It does not belong to you anymore. 00:22:12.900 --> 00:22:17.837 You can set all of your masks down because listen, the Bible says that we find strength in numbers. 00:22:17.837 --> 00:22:30.162 There's a reason we love coming to church because we get revitalized and revived by talking to others, smiling, laughing, having a good time and enjoying people who enjoy God. 00:22:30.162 --> 00:22:39.683 And there is a time where you get so close with somebody and you take off that mask. 00:22:39.683 --> 00:22:43.183 And once you do that, here's what Satan likes to do. 00:22:43.183 --> 00:22:46.515 He likes to convince you that if you keep your mask on, everybody will accept you. 00:22:46.515 --> 00:22:53.000 But here's what actually happens the mask will always be a separation between you and everyone else. 00:22:53.000 --> 00:22:58.458 Literally, it will always stay between you and them. 00:22:58.458 --> 00:23:00.102 They can never really see you. 00:23:00.102 --> 00:23:02.757 And if you ever want a mask on your face, it's hard to see around you. 00:23:02.757 --> 00:23:17.476 It will distort your vision and when you take that mask off, what it does see. 00:23:17.497 --> 00:23:19.469 We often like to impress people with our accolades and the things that we do. 00:23:19.469 --> 00:23:24.307 Well, I want you to see the best shoes I got. 00:23:24.307 --> 00:23:26.876 I want you to never see me mess up like I did a minute ago during worship. 00:23:26.876 --> 00:23:28.825 When we first started One of the first few Sundays I was here. 00:23:28.825 --> 00:23:30.750 I put the capo, this little thing right here. 00:23:30.750 --> 00:23:36.932 I put it on the wrong one and the band's like I don't know where he is and I was like, oh sorry, I just stopped and I moved it. 00:23:36.932 --> 00:23:37.814 I'm like well, that happened. 00:23:39.497 --> 00:23:44.984 You have to be real for people to not think that you are fake, because we've got enough fake in churches today. 00:23:44.984 --> 00:23:51.234 So when you take off your mask in front of sinners, you struggle with that. 00:23:51.234 --> 00:23:53.415 Yeah, and God still loves me. 00:23:53.415 --> 00:24:00.679 He still cares for me enough that, in the depths of my sin, he sent his son to sacrifice for me. 00:24:00.679 --> 00:24:04.199 So if he can do that for me, why can't he do it for you? 00:24:04.199 --> 00:24:08.137 That's some stupid faith, because it doesn't add up. 00:24:08.137 --> 00:24:15.896 Wait, so if I take my hurt off, if I really leave it behind, you mean that will make a deeper connection with other people? 00:24:15.896 --> 00:24:23.979 Yes, the thing you've been trying to use to hide yourself the whole time is actually the thing that you leave behind and will strengthen you. 00:24:28.611 --> 00:24:30.878 Hurts that my wife never caused. 00:24:30.878 --> 00:24:33.375 She was now having to pay for them. 00:24:33.375 --> 00:24:37.701 When we first got married, one of the things that broke my heart was one of the first things we had to do. 00:24:37.701 --> 00:24:39.597 We had to go to court for the stuff that I did years ago. 00:24:39.597 --> 00:24:49.623 For the stuff that I did years ago, I had to take my new wife to court to support me because I had been locked up. 00:24:49.623 --> 00:24:55.452 You know how embarrassing that is my new bride. 00:24:55.452 --> 00:24:57.921 I take her. 00:24:57.921 --> 00:25:01.940 My shame all of a sudden started being her shame as well. 00:25:01.940 --> 00:25:06.230 My shame all of a sudden started being her shame as well. 00:25:06.230 --> 00:25:17.261 My hurt, my past, was also now her hurt and her past, because when you start getting close to somebody, you start mirroring each other. 00:25:17.261 --> 00:25:29.380 So if you're living in pain and hurt, if you're complaining, if you're bitter, if you're bitter, if you're suffering, the people that you are around will begin to also become bitter. 00:25:29.380 --> 00:25:37.401 They will also wear that shame Stuff she had never done. 00:25:38.663 --> 00:25:39.404 So what did I have to do? 00:25:39.404 --> 00:25:44.861 Number two, if you're taking notes, I had to recognize and face the hurt. 00:25:44.861 --> 00:25:49.638 I had to recognize that I had been hurt. 00:25:49.638 --> 00:25:53.560 I had covered up for so long with alcohol and drugs and everything else. 00:25:53.560 --> 00:25:58.321 I was covering up that pain because I'd been hurt so deep. 00:25:58.321 --> 00:26:07.502 I found something that would numb me up so much that I didn't have to face it, because when I got high, when I got drunk, everyone wanted me around because I was the life of the party. 00:26:07.502 --> 00:26:11.018 I was the one always laughing, cutting up. 00:26:11.018 --> 00:26:14.039 I was the one in the middle of the people fighting, calming them down. 00:26:14.039 --> 00:26:16.536 I was never the one fighting. 00:26:16.536 --> 00:26:23.136 I was always the one saying hey, man, you're being stupid, come on, everyone wanted me around because I was the life of the party. 00:26:23.136 --> 00:26:30.682 I would have a blast and the same hurt that I was trying to hide hit me in the face the next day. 00:26:32.111 --> 00:26:34.034 It never satisfies. 00:26:34.034 --> 00:26:37.640 Sin never satisfies. 00:26:37.640 --> 00:26:44.358 It will make you so distracted and think it's so fun that you will forget that you're hurting. 00:26:44.358 --> 00:26:51.359 But after that ride you have to get off and reality will hit you in the face. 00:26:51.359 --> 00:26:52.682 You don't believe me. 00:26:52.682 --> 00:26:57.981 Have a good knockdown Sunday service and you go outside and, oh my goodness, everything's still the way I left it. 00:26:57.981 --> 00:27:01.212 It doesn't change anything sometimes. 00:27:01.212 --> 00:27:08.605 But when God gets a hold of you and starts changing you and you allow him to heal what has been done to you. 00:27:09.990 --> 00:27:12.416 Sister Vicki and I was talking about getting your joy back. 00:27:12.416 --> 00:27:27.660 When the joy of the Lord comes on you and that peace is beyond understanding, the joy of the Lord is our strength and it won't matter what's happening around you or to you, you'll be happy and satisfied Because you know an almighty God that loves you in spite of you. 00:27:27.660 --> 00:27:30.596 Leave your hurt behind. 00:27:30.596 --> 00:27:35.838 You have to one admit that you are hurt, that you allowed yourself to be hurt. 00:27:35.838 --> 00:27:36.641 It happens. 00:27:36.641 --> 00:27:42.615 People will hurt you, people will make you upset, people will leave you, but God will never forsake you. 00:27:42.730 --> 00:27:47.041 Number two recognizing and facing the pain and facing the hurt. 00:27:47.041 --> 00:27:48.794 Now, the reason this is so important. 00:27:48.794 --> 00:27:52.323 I said this earlier if you don't know you're sick, you won't take medicine. 00:27:52.323 --> 00:27:59.258 It's so easy to be living in your hurt, wearing the mask of pain, painting up like everything's okay, when in reality it's not. 00:27:59.258 --> 00:28:05.355 You may cry yourself to sleep at night, but then put the mask back on when you go out in public. 00:28:05.355 --> 00:28:20.221 You may even scream out in the depths of your misery God, why I was drunk so many times crying to God about my first marriage Wasted Saying God. 00:28:20.221 --> 00:28:21.124 Why is this happening? 00:28:21.124 --> 00:28:21.724 Because it was falling apart. 00:28:21.724 --> 00:28:22.066 It was done, god. 00:28:22.066 --> 00:28:22.145 Why? 00:28:22.145 --> 00:28:22.666 Why is this happening? 00:28:22.666 --> 00:28:23.730 Because it was falling apart. 00:28:23.730 --> 00:28:26.740 It was done. 00:28:26.740 --> 00:28:30.583 God, why won't you fix this? 00:28:30.583 --> 00:28:35.172 Why won't you just stand up for me and make a miracle happen? 00:28:35.172 --> 00:28:35.731 Why can't I? 00:28:35.971 --> 00:28:37.432 I even would cry to my mother. 00:28:37.432 --> 00:28:39.574 I would call her in the middle of the night and say I'm drunk again. 00:28:39.574 --> 00:28:40.394 I'm drunk again. 00:28:40.394 --> 00:28:42.743 That was one thing my mom opened up to me. 00:28:42.743 --> 00:28:44.980 She said if you ever get in a spot, you call me. 00:28:44.980 --> 00:28:46.463 And she knew what I was doing. 00:28:46.463 --> 00:28:54.523 She knew I was being stupid, but she left that door open to me and I would call her and say why am I this way? 00:28:54.634 --> 00:28:56.682 I would be so drunk and I would know. 00:28:56.682 --> 00:28:59.934 I would text youth pastors that I had known before, ministers that I knew. 00:28:59.934 --> 00:29:01.661 I knew in the depths of my sin. 00:29:01.661 --> 00:29:06.738 I was just hurting and I didn't know what to do. 00:29:06.738 --> 00:29:07.179 I couldn't walk away. 00:29:07.179 --> 00:29:09.223 I didn't know how to let, to let the grip get off of me. 00:29:09.223 --> 00:29:10.267 I didn't know how to shake it. 00:29:10.267 --> 00:29:14.230 Every day I wore my shame and every day I felt like I wasn't good enough. 00:29:14.230 --> 00:29:16.298 And God is still working on me through that. 00:29:16.298 --> 00:29:20.326 But I know that in him I am more than in him I am enough. 00:29:24.676 --> 00:29:34.288 I have the hardest time stepping into the jacket of minister because I am not worthy. 00:29:34.288 --> 00:29:55.528 But in the midst and the depths of my struggle and my flesh, he says that when I call on his name, and the depths of my struggle and my flesh, he says that when I call on his name, no enemy can stand against it. 00:29:55.528 --> 00:30:04.183 And I believe that God has opened my eyes to who I am supposed to be and that will transform how you act when you start seeing you through the lens of God. 00:30:04.183 --> 00:30:06.480 And I'm like God. 00:30:06.480 --> 00:30:08.659 I'm not worthy, god, I can't do this, I don't know what to do. 00:30:08.659 --> 00:30:10.163 He said shut up, I didn't ask you. 00:30:10.163 --> 00:30:18.261 We like to put our labels and say it's from God. 00:30:18.261 --> 00:30:24.815 Yeah, we've all sinned, but through the blood of Christ we've all been sanctified. 00:30:24.815 --> 00:30:29.436 Yeah, god talks to me like that, because I have to hear it that way. 00:30:29.436 --> 00:30:38.911 I have to Recognize and face the pain. 00:30:43.316 --> 00:30:54.508 The devil likes to play this game where, if he can convince you that, no one will understand you, that no one will accept you for what you've done or how you've been, or your past. 00:30:54.508 --> 00:31:01.518 That's the beautiful thing about being in a church, a loving church like this is that, no matter what you've done. 00:31:01.518 --> 00:31:08.404 If anyone ever argues that fact with you, say well, the preachers used to be a meth head. 00:31:08.404 --> 00:31:10.400 What can they say to that? 00:31:10.400 --> 00:31:13.301 I'm sure no Christian would ever pray for that. 00:31:13.301 --> 00:31:13.903 But it happened. 00:31:13.903 --> 00:31:23.765 Because when we put things and we put hurts and we put pain in the hands of God, he literally will transform and make something new. 00:31:25.215 --> 00:31:31.885 Psalms 36, five through 7, it says this your unfailing love, o Lord, is as vast as the heavens. 00:31:31.885 --> 00:31:35.244 Your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds. 00:31:35.244 --> 00:31:37.864 Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains. 00:31:37.864 --> 00:31:39.722 Your justice is like the ocean depths. 00:31:39.722 --> 00:31:43.022 You care for people and animals alike. 00:31:43.022 --> 00:31:46.163 O Lord, how precious is your unfailing love. 00:31:46.163 --> 00:31:50.066 Oh God, all humanity finds shelter in the shadows of your wings. 00:31:50.066 --> 00:31:54.683 We can find true healing and peace in the arms of a loving God. 00:31:56.928 --> 00:31:57.568 So let's recap. 00:31:57.568 --> 00:32:00.585 Number one you have to admit that you are hurting and that you have pain. 00:32:00.585 --> 00:32:05.385 Even if it's way behind you in the past, it will manipulate who you are today. 00:32:05.385 --> 00:32:08.920 Number two you have to recognize and face it. 00:32:08.920 --> 00:32:12.127 If you never face it, it will always bind you. 00:32:12.127 --> 00:32:17.221 If you don't recognize it, it will always wreck you. 00:32:17.221 --> 00:32:21.869 And number three is restoration. 00:32:21.869 --> 00:32:35.846 You have to try to restore and let God redeem what the devil has tried to steal from you and even more, bless and pray for those who hurt me. 00:32:35.846 --> 00:32:45.589 You'll never find a new level of restoration or deliverance from this bondage until you start praying for the one that hurt you. 00:32:45.589 --> 00:32:51.622 There's never a truer freedom and a deeper peace. 00:32:51.622 --> 00:32:57.763 When you start praying for the person who did something wrong to you, you know what the devil likes you to do. 00:32:57.763 --> 00:33:00.277 He likes you to talk about how you've been hurt, and that's it. 00:33:00.277 --> 00:33:09.803 Talking about how you've been hurt solves nothing and actually only causes more issues, because it tethers you to what happened. 00:33:09.803 --> 00:33:13.368 It binds you to where you came from. 00:33:13.368 --> 00:33:15.284 It keeps you. 00:33:15.304 --> 00:33:17.674 There's a difference in testimony and gossip. 00:33:17.674 --> 00:33:26.625 I don't know if y'all saw this morning, but I I posted a picture on facebook and it said uh, what did it say? 00:33:26.625 --> 00:33:28.742 You may pray in tongues, but you gossip in English. 00:33:28.742 --> 00:33:41.044 Be careful what you say, because you may be the issue. 00:33:41.044 --> 00:33:46.259 Be careful how you phrase things. 00:33:46.259 --> 00:33:57.299 Be careful what you shake your head in agreement with, because someone may tell someone else that you agreed with what they said about them. 00:33:57.299 --> 00:34:02.066 Come on, somebody, be careful. 00:34:03.907 --> 00:34:05.830 The enemy likes to find the cracks. 00:34:05.830 --> 00:34:20.824 The enemy's job, his mission, his purpose is to divide the church house, because if he can divide us here, he can ruin our witness for there, if he can get us fighting amongst each other. 00:34:20.824 --> 00:34:27.905 You see, when we take the mask off, sometimes that looks like, hey, I don't like you. 00:34:27.905 --> 00:34:31.780 No one wants to say that in the church. 00:34:31.780 --> 00:34:52.632 But you know, when you reveal something that you don't like about somebody, you become vulnerable to them, you start submitting to them, and if we have a church who believes in Jesus and his life and follows his lead, he washed the feet of Judas too. 00:34:52.632 --> 00:34:57.239 He called him out at the dinner table. 00:34:57.239 --> 00:35:00.827 Come on somebody. 00:35:00.827 --> 00:35:07.184 And David wrote you make a table for me in the midst of my enemies. 00:35:08.947 --> 00:35:12.320 We are meant to face things, not hide them. 00:35:12.320 --> 00:35:21.981 Hiding is the devil's game, because if he can hide something under the rug, then it begins to be a stumbling block. 00:35:21.981 --> 00:35:24.326 Say that five times fast. 00:35:24.326 --> 00:35:33.893 When we hide, we keep the hurt. 00:35:33.893 --> 00:35:44.347 When we expose, we expel the hurt After you've admitted that you have been hurt, after you recognize and you face the problem. 00:35:44.347 --> 00:35:46.195 And sometimes you may need to go to counseling for this. 00:35:46.195 --> 00:35:50.141 Counseling or therapy is not bad words. 00:35:50.161 --> 00:35:57.001 I think probably the reason a lot of us snap the way we do is because we have no outlet and you need to be able to talk to somebody. 00:35:57.001 --> 00:36:02.021 And just so you know, just sister Jesse and I's doors are always open, our phones are always on. 00:36:02.021 --> 00:36:03.304 We will talk to you. 00:36:03.304 --> 00:36:06.079 If you don't like to talk to us, we'll find somebody. 00:36:06.079 --> 00:36:11.916 But you need to talk to somebody because, listen, here's what happens Sometimes. 00:36:11.996 --> 00:36:15.309 Now I tell my wife 98, 99% of the stuff that I do. 00:36:15.309 --> 00:36:16.552 I'm very open with her. 00:36:16.552 --> 00:36:17.356 She is my best friend. 00:36:17.356 --> 00:36:22.608 But there's some things that a man struggles with that my wife will not understand. 00:36:22.608 --> 00:36:33.875 There's some things that she will struggle with as a woman that I don't get, which is 99% of stuff. 00:36:33.875 --> 00:36:39.489 I'm not stupid, I know, I don't know, I don't have a clue. 00:36:39.489 --> 00:36:40.735 She needs someone to talk to as well. 00:36:40.735 --> 00:36:43.637 She needs fellowship that will understand her. 00:36:43.637 --> 00:36:45.081 I need fellowship that will understand me, and in this we get stronger. 00:36:45.101 --> 00:36:54.288