WEBVTT 00:00:00.140 --> 00:00:08.935 It makes a difference when you talk about God's goodness, but when you sing it you feel it Creates an atmosphere. 00:00:08.935 --> 00:00:18.268 I'm thankful to be in the house of the Lord today, whether you're here in person or online. 00:00:18.268 --> 00:00:19.532 Thank you so much for joining us. 00:00:19.532 --> 00:00:30.783 We are glad that you are here and you are a part of this Sunday service, that you are here and you are a part of this Sunday service. 00:00:30.783 --> 00:00:33.609 I look forward to coming to church and being with my family. 00:00:33.609 --> 00:00:40.509 It is seriously one of the greatest privileges that I have had and that we have had in our lives to serve along the leadership that we have at this church. 00:00:40.509 --> 00:00:49.165 I've been a part of several churches, growing up in ministry at some form or fashion, either on the worship team, youth pastor, associate pastor, all the above. 00:00:49.165 --> 00:01:03.531 And this is the best church on the southern side of Mississippi and if you don't know, come find out. 00:01:03.531 --> 00:01:14.718 If you don't get blessed, your heart's not right. 00:01:14.718 --> 00:01:28.070 I love when God moves because it starts to prune away the foolishness, it peels back the pettiness and we begin to reveal to ourselves. 00:01:28.070 --> 00:01:36.233 Without anybody else knowing, god starts to pour his spirit out and reveal us, to us. 00:01:36.233 --> 00:01:50.403 It is so awesome how God is so magnificent and huge and the creator of the universe, but yet he takes time just for me and I don't know. 00:01:50.403 --> 00:01:51.646 I don't know about you. 00:01:51.646 --> 00:01:59.302 Sorry if I make you upset, but I'm God's favorite, but doesn't it feel that way? 00:01:59.302 --> 00:02:16.967 He takes the time out of his busy day to come to a place that man has built, but in honor and for a purpose designed by God, and he graces us every single time we show up. 00:02:16.967 --> 00:02:23.711 So does he, because the Bible says it just at the mention of his name. 00:02:23.711 --> 00:02:32.626 Well, what if we can't speak? 00:02:32.626 --> 00:02:34.088 Jesus said if you think it so, it is. 00:02:34.088 --> 00:02:34.969 So. 00:02:34.969 --> 00:02:47.938 If I just think his name, if I don't know what to say, and I just think of his goodness, he will still show up in the middle of where I'm at and I am thankful for what God has done. 00:02:47.938 --> 00:02:52.977 I don't know if y'all follow us on the social media of the church, but I was raised. 00:02:52.977 --> 00:02:58.252 I'm not going to say some of the words because I don't want my dad watching and spanking me later, but I was raised. 00:02:58.252 --> 00:03:11.390 You didn't say stupid, but I hope today that God makes you so stupid by the time you leave here, because if you read anything in the Bible where a miracle happens, it looks foolish. 00:03:11.390 --> 00:03:17.507 Stepping out on faith always looks stupid. 00:03:17.507 --> 00:03:25.709 I want to leave here being willing to look stupid before other people for the glory of God. 00:03:25.709 --> 00:03:30.215 I know y'all just sit down, but we're going to talk about faith today. 00:03:30.215 --> 00:03:31.864 We're going to talk about stupid faith. 00:03:31.864 --> 00:03:34.217 We're not going to talk about that little humdrum Mickey Mouse junk. 00:03:34.217 --> 00:03:49.806 We're going to talk about real stupid faith that will make you look so foolish for praying it that people will talk about you and God's going to move mountains on your behalf If you'll stand for the reading of God's word real quick Hebrews, chapter 11,. 00:03:49.847 --> 00:03:51.610 If you want to look it up, it's verse one. 00:03:51.610 --> 00:03:53.383 It's very, very simple. 00:03:53.383 --> 00:03:55.067 This is coming from the New Living Translation. 00:03:55.067 --> 00:03:56.512 It's the translation that I choose. 00:03:56.512 --> 00:04:00.406 It talks on my very lack of understanding level. 00:04:00.406 --> 00:04:01.526 So when I read the word, I need to understand it. 00:04:01.526 --> 00:04:01.828 Level. 00:04:01.828 --> 00:04:03.729 So when I read the word, I need to understand it. 00:04:03.729 --> 00:04:15.742 So it says this in Hebrews 11, chapter one faith shows the reality of what we hope for. 00:04:15.742 --> 00:04:16.704 It is the evidence of things that we cannot see. 00:04:16.725 --> 00:04:17.346 Let's pray today. 00:04:17.346 --> 00:04:21.824 Father, we thank you so much for your presence that is already here, manifesting itself. 00:04:21.824 --> 00:04:24.793 Holy Spirit, have your way in this service. 00:04:24.793 --> 00:04:33.374 Let us not be bound by agenda or time, but let us only be led by your spirit in the direction that you want this service to go. 00:04:33.374 --> 00:04:35.447 In your name, we pray Amen. 00:04:41.581 --> 00:04:47.312 Now, this is probably getting old to you, but I'll let you know when I decide to care. 00:04:47.312 --> 00:04:52.406 You know my challenge, remember. 00:04:52.406 --> 00:04:54.011 We started off with a challenge of 15. 00:04:54.011 --> 00:04:59.903 Five minutes in prayer, five minutes of reading God's word, five minutes in worship and, yes, those can happen at the same time. 00:04:59.903 --> 00:05:05.987 But do it for a full 15 minutes before you start your day, and I guarantee you 15 will not be enough. 00:05:05.987 --> 00:05:11.730 It will set the tone for your day and God will move mountains before you even pray for them to be moved. 00:05:11.730 --> 00:05:16.925 And then we went to 16. 00:05:16.925 --> 00:05:19.567 The challenge of 16. 00:05:19.567 --> 00:05:27.550 Five minutes of prayer, five minutes of reading, five minutes of worship and invite someone to church once every week. 00:05:27.550 --> 00:05:32.887 I'm going to try to stop at 17. 00:05:32.887 --> 00:05:38.146 But I'm not going to promise Because I don't want to be a liar. 00:05:38.146 --> 00:05:40.487 So, 17, listen to this. 00:05:42.581 --> 00:05:52.495 I hope that after today's message, what God speaks into your life will make you have such a faith that is beyond the faith of a mustard seed that you know that when you speak and when you pray, it will happen. 00:05:52.495 --> 00:05:56.463 Now we have to understand that through our fleshly eyes. 00:05:56.463 --> 00:06:03.095 When we pray and we speak things into existence through the power and the Holy Ghost, it is not going to look what we think it's going to look like. 00:06:03.095 --> 00:06:05.666 We have to be willing to accept that. 00:06:05.666 --> 00:06:10.524 Have you ever had faith for something and it happens in a way that you're like, well, that's not really what I was asking. 00:06:10.524 --> 00:06:35.867 That's like when you have Christmas morning, we're coming up on holiday season, and you were a kid and you asked for a specific present, a specific color, a specific size, whatever, and you open it up and it's not even close and you're like I know my parents speak English, they're the ones that taught me and it's not exactly what I asked for. 00:06:36.399 --> 00:06:42.389 And sometimes when we pray, it's like we get that excitement in us, especially when we first come to know God. 00:06:42.389 --> 00:06:54.891 We have an excitement, we have a fire and eventually we get so conditioned to being so in the presence of God that we forget how marvelous and how wonderful he really is. 00:06:54.891 --> 00:06:57.065 That can happen in marriage. 00:06:57.065 --> 00:07:02.310 You've been married to somebody for long enough and you will start to take for granted the little things they do every single day. 00:07:02.310 --> 00:07:04.961 You will start to take for granted the things, things they do every single day. 00:07:04.961 --> 00:07:06.175 You will start to take for granted the things. 00:07:06.175 --> 00:07:09.216 That is just normal to you and it's old hat. 00:07:09.677 --> 00:07:15.807 But today I hope that God rekindles your faith because the number 17,. 00:07:15.807 --> 00:07:20.624 Five minutes of prayer, five minutes of worship, five minutes of reading your word what's up, little man? 00:07:20.624 --> 00:07:28.209 Five minutes of all of those stacked on top of each other and then invite one person every single week to church. 00:07:28.209 --> 00:07:31.127 And number 17 is every single day. 00:07:31.127 --> 00:07:32.031 This is going to sound crazy. 00:07:32.031 --> 00:07:35.689 Every single day, do an act of faith. 00:07:35.689 --> 00:07:41.528 I did not say pray an act of faith. 00:07:41.528 --> 00:07:49.067 I said do, do. 00:07:49.067 --> 00:07:52.851 Faith is wrapped up in action. 00:07:52.851 --> 00:08:15.793 If I don't have the action that is pushing and driving my faith, sometimes pulling my faith, sometimes you will feel, look and seem foolish, but it's in these times of foolishness that God shows how faithful he is. 00:08:15.793 --> 00:08:23.807 So, five minutes of prayer, five minutes of reading your word he's like laughing at me, what's up, man? 00:08:23.807 --> 00:08:25.846 And five minutes of worship. 00:08:25.846 --> 00:08:27.846 Invite one person to church every week. 00:08:27.846 --> 00:08:28.964 Who invited their person last week? 00:08:28.964 --> 00:08:33.768 It's okay to feel guilty, because I forgot too. 00:08:33.768 --> 00:08:37.162 Y'all know I'm really honest. 00:08:37.162 --> 00:08:38.684 I forgot too. 00:08:38.684 --> 00:08:40.128 Anybody else forget? 00:08:40.128 --> 00:08:43.173 It's all right, I'll send y'all a text every day. 00:08:45.301 --> 00:08:47.567 One, one, one, one, one, one. 00:08:47.567 --> 00:08:48.900 The power of one. 00:08:48.900 --> 00:08:51.566 Jesus left a 99 for the one. 00:08:51.566 --> 00:08:57.283 There is power in one because where there is one and you have another one, now there is two. 00:08:57.283 --> 00:08:59.288 And that's math. 00:08:59.288 --> 00:09:00.431 If y'all didn't know, one and one is two. 00:09:00.431 --> 00:09:06.980 If you start with the one and you start small, eventually God will bless your one and multiply. 00:09:06.980 --> 00:09:17.808 Abraham did not have his one yet when God gave him a promise, so much so that his wife laughed and giggled because she was like there ain't a child coming out of this. 00:09:17.808 --> 00:09:21.743 I am too old and my womb is barren. 00:09:21.743 --> 00:09:34.693 I can just imagine sometimes in our doubts and our faith where we say or God speaks something into us and then we're like okay, I bet he laughs right back. 00:09:34.693 --> 00:09:36.621 He's like watch me work. 00:09:38.725 --> 00:09:44.434 One act of faith, do one thing, one thing in faith every day. 00:09:46.081 --> 00:09:46.927 Some of you just fell out. 00:09:46.927 --> 00:09:48.375 Thing in faith every day. 00:09:48.375 --> 00:09:48.917 Some of you just fell out. 00:09:48.917 --> 00:09:49.379 Act of faith every day. 00:09:49.379 --> 00:09:52.206 So does that mean healing is going to happen every day? 00:09:52.206 --> 00:09:52.729 I hope so. 00:09:52.729 --> 00:10:01.953 If you believe that God can do it, why are you not believing and praying as if it is already done? 00:10:01.953 --> 00:10:18.148 Can I tell you that as I am challenging you God challenged me all week that my faith has become so much less than a mustard seed, and one of my spiritual gifts is faith. 00:10:18.148 --> 00:10:30.248 But what I have done is I have said my spiritual gift is faith, but I have not put into action what my spiritual gift is, which makes it pointless. 00:10:30.248 --> 00:11:23.510 Our faith needs to be action or it is meaningless, because I believe that the smallest acts of faith, the worst, the worst personalities, the most aggravating kids, the most immature parents, the dumbest people they shouldn't be allowed in public, but yet somehow they survived the things that we don't think should work in the hands of God. 00:11:23.510 --> 00:11:42.231 All it takes is willing vessels, because I don't know about you, but I've got some mess ups, but yet you have heard with your own ears and seen with your own eyes that my worst mess ups have become God's strongest messages. 00:11:42.231 --> 00:11:49.011 It wasn't because I received the gifts God gave me and kept them for myself. 00:11:49.011 --> 00:12:06.307 It's because I began to live out and let God live through me With one small act of faith, the things that don't make sense, the things that are stupid, stupid you can put that on a person if you want. 00:12:06.327 --> 00:12:06.889 That's fine. 00:12:06.889 --> 00:12:12.327 People who are unlearned, who don't have degrees. 00:12:12.327 --> 00:12:14.774 Paul in the Bible confessed multiple times. 00:12:14.774 --> 00:12:22.885 He said I am not a good writer, I'm not a good speaker, but yet I am writing to you because God has given me a burden for you. 00:12:22.885 --> 00:12:23.927 Do not. 00:12:23.927 --> 00:12:27.634 Do not knock God out of using you because you think you can't. 00:12:27.634 --> 00:12:35.253 Because that little seed of faith of you stepping out and saying God, I can't, but I know that you can. 00:12:35.253 --> 00:12:39.160 I can't, but I know you can, I am willing. 00:12:39.160 --> 00:12:42.325 Whatever you want to do, I will obey that. 00:12:42.325 --> 00:12:48.913 One small thing of faith can have the greatest impact. 00:12:48.913 --> 00:13:05.813 I look at it like this Even if you take the smallest pebble and you throw into the calmest waters, it will still make ripples and the ripples will then affect other ripples that it never touched. 00:13:05.813 --> 00:13:16.567 Allow God to use your faith to create ripples in your ecosystem and you may struggle with your walk with God. 00:13:16.567 --> 00:13:17.563 You may. 00:13:17.563 --> 00:13:23.490 Your small act of kindness may actually do in the challenge of 16. 00:13:23.490 --> 00:13:27.102 I mean, your small act of faith might be actually doing the five, five, five and one. 00:13:29.047 --> 00:13:34.729 You know I love God with all of my heart, but I don't know why it's so awkward to me to talk to somebody about coming to my church. 00:13:34.729 --> 00:13:36.796 Am I the only person. 00:13:36.796 --> 00:13:42.671 I love my church, but people have made talking about God such a bad thing that I feel like I'm going to make someone feel uncomfortable. 00:13:42.671 --> 00:13:45.760 I'm tired of being comfortable and I feel like I'm going to make someone feel uncomfortable. 00:13:45.760 --> 00:13:48.486 I'm tired of being comfortable and guess what? 00:13:48.486 --> 00:13:52.260 This week, if I am lying, fire me. 00:13:52.260 --> 00:13:57.956 This week I'm going to make somebody uncomfortable and it won't be me. 00:13:57.956 --> 00:14:01.822 Be willing to do something stupid for the cause of Christ. 00:14:01.822 --> 00:14:08.091 Be willing to do something that looks so foolish that just for it to come out of your mouth, it seems stupid. 00:14:08.091 --> 00:14:14.164 I love my God so much that I'm going to finally start putting my faith into action. 00:14:14.164 --> 00:14:16.010 Is anybody else going to do it with me? 00:14:19.480 --> 00:14:28.527 Your faith, your act of faith, may be this it may be going to work every day and determining that it will be a good day, no matter what happens in the day. 00:14:28.527 --> 00:14:32.604 Anybody ever have a job you don't like. 00:14:32.604 --> 00:14:33.807 You may be there. 00:14:33.807 --> 00:14:35.291 You may be exhausted. 00:14:35.291 --> 00:14:38.806 You may be burning the candle at both ends and you can't find the way up. 00:14:38.806 --> 00:14:45.589 Your little act of faith that may be waking up every day to a spouse that you despise because they hurt you. 00:14:45.589 --> 00:14:50.927 That may be your little act of faith. 00:14:50.927 --> 00:14:56.028 Or maybe you're in church and they're not and it's causing great division. 00:14:56.028 --> 00:15:05.418 Your act of faith may be loving them, even though they're being dumb Right, and you keep loving them through the pain. 00:15:05.418 --> 00:15:13.758 It may be your child or your loved one is far from God and you have prayed and you have prayed and you have prayed and your faith has wavered. 00:15:13.758 --> 00:15:19.075 Your little act of faith may be to start praying about it again until it happens. 00:15:21.731 --> 00:15:22.534 Can I be honest with you? 00:15:22.534 --> 00:15:32.900 I have people that I love, that I care so much for, and I have prayed for years that they would give their heart to God and they still have yet to come to the salvation of Jesus Christ. 00:15:32.900 --> 00:15:44.315 My faith of God being able to do it has not wavered, but my faith at the time of when I pray to actually keep praying for it has slacked. 00:15:44.315 --> 00:15:51.571 So in a way, my faith could be just simply starting that again that they will come to Jesus. 00:15:51.571 --> 00:15:56.999 And can we be honest? 00:15:56.999 --> 00:16:16.590 Someone who doesn't know God, praying for people who hurt you, loving people who are doing wrong to you, loving that bad attitude out of them, continuing to show up to a job that you feel like you don't even belong, that no one even cares. 00:16:16.590 --> 00:16:20.538 You're there and you still show up and you still do the best that you can. 00:16:20.538 --> 00:16:26.859 People who don't know God don't understand this, but it's faith that fuels us and keeps us going. 00:16:26.979 --> 00:16:40.491 2 Corinthians 5.13 says if it seems we are crazy, it is to bring glory to God, and if we are in our right minds, it is for your benefit. 00:16:40.491 --> 00:16:46.581 If I seem crazy to God, be the glory, and if I'm in my right mind, you benefit from that too. 00:16:46.581 --> 00:16:51.875 This is how crazy and stupid. 00:16:51.875 --> 00:16:52.376 Listen to this. 00:16:52.376 --> 00:16:55.273 This is Jesus talking to the disciples. 00:16:55.273 --> 00:17:07.769 In Matthew 11, 22, it says this Listen, this is not people who have read the Bible and seen the miracles. 00:17:07.769 --> 00:17:13.278 These are men who are still asking if he's the Messiah, who are in the middle of this time frame. 00:17:13.278 --> 00:17:14.344 It's not outside of it, they're in the middle of it. 00:17:14.364 --> 00:17:20.378 And they say in verse 22 in Matthew 11, it says then Jesus said to his disciples have faith in God. 00:17:20.378 --> 00:17:22.343 I tell you the truth. 00:17:22.343 --> 00:17:27.760 You can say to the mountains may you be lifted up and thrown into the sea, and it will happen. 00:17:27.760 --> 00:17:32.196 But you must really believe it and it will happen. 00:17:32.196 --> 00:17:33.961 Have no doubt in your heart. 00:17:33.961 --> 00:17:40.881 I tell you you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you've received it, it will be yours. 00:17:41.301 --> 00:17:52.444 But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins too. 00:17:52.444 --> 00:17:56.355 It was all good and awesome until he said well, I got to forgive somebody. 00:17:56.355 --> 00:18:02.037 You know we carry around in the church house more hurt than anywhere else. 00:18:02.037 --> 00:18:24.616 You may never have that forgiving conversation with somebody, but it will free you if you forgive them in your heart, because most of the time, if you've ever been hurt before, you will sit there and stew on it and you will be so mad and angry at this person and they don't even know they've done anything. 00:18:24.616 --> 00:18:43.474 So faith and forgiveness go hand in hand, because if I don't have that forgiveness in my heart, I'm not having a pure source, a pure and empty vessel for God to fill. 00:18:43.474 --> 00:18:51.526 So if we want God to honor our faith, we first must honor him by forgiving. 00:18:54.171 --> 00:18:56.700 I'm not going to ask you to raise your hand, but this is real stuff. 00:18:56.700 --> 00:19:02.481 Is anyone in here still suffering or dealing with unforgiveness in your heart? 00:19:02.481 --> 00:19:06.615 It may be the things I mentioned a minute ago. 00:19:06.615 --> 00:19:08.181 It may be a spouse that you can't stand. 00:19:08.181 --> 00:19:15.343 It may be a loved one that did something wrong to you when you were a kid. 00:19:15.343 --> 00:19:22.041 It may be a job that uses and abuses you and don't care if you quit or stay. 00:19:22.041 --> 00:19:27.888 It may be you're watching at home and you don't want to come back to a church because you got hurt sometime. 00:19:27.888 --> 00:19:31.134 It may be you're watching at home and you don't want to come back to a church because you got hurt sometime. 00:19:31.134 --> 00:19:33.077 These things are real serious things. 00:19:33.077 --> 00:19:36.323 But if we want God to honor our faith, we have to honor him by forgiving. 00:19:36.323 --> 00:19:48.028 You may never have that conversation with that person, but you must forgive in your heart. 00:19:49.309 --> 00:19:52.935 Jesus starts off the paragraph with instructions to the disciples in a very specific order. 00:19:52.935 --> 00:19:54.618 He says have faith in God. 00:19:54.618 --> 00:19:55.098 I can do that. 00:19:55.098 --> 00:19:56.300 Okay, sure. 00:19:56.300 --> 00:19:58.404 And then he starts talking nuts. 00:19:58.404 --> 00:20:04.040 Okay, at this point in time, the disciples probably fully believed in God. 00:20:04.040 --> 00:20:05.653 They were Jewish. 00:20:05.653 --> 00:20:07.117 They believed in God. 00:20:07.117 --> 00:20:08.211 It was a part of who they were. 00:20:08.211 --> 00:20:09.054 It was in their DNA. 00:20:09.054 --> 00:20:12.567 Like they were raised in a Jewish household with the synagogue. 00:20:12.567 --> 00:20:14.913 Every day you go, every day you pray. 00:20:14.913 --> 00:20:16.979 Every day you do, do, do, do, do. 00:20:16.979 --> 00:20:18.241 And they said believe. 00:20:18.241 --> 00:20:28.109 And if you believe a physical object that is immovable, we'll be able to be thrown into the sea will be able to be thrown into the sea. 00:20:28.109 --> 00:20:29.534 That sounds nuts. 00:20:29.534 --> 00:20:37.477 So you're telling me that if I believe and I really believe that it will happen it will happen. 00:20:37.477 --> 00:20:46.891 Sometimes we will believe that a mountain will move, but when it doesn't, we stop, all right, jesus gets crazy. 00:20:46.891 --> 00:20:52.291 He's literally saying that something that you cannot move, god can do it. 00:20:52.291 --> 00:20:54.798 Then you really must believe. 00:20:55.140 --> 00:20:57.267 Faith usually seems stupid. 00:20:57.267 --> 00:21:02.438 Believing in something that's highly unlikely or impossible, it seems crazy. 00:21:02.438 --> 00:21:05.084 It seems stupid Like there's no way. 00:21:05.084 --> 00:21:08.460 There is no way that God can regrow that arm. 00:21:08.460 --> 00:21:16.453 Do you know that miracles are actually for the edification of who God is, to show God's majesty? 00:21:16.453 --> 00:21:21.021 To others who don't get it, this will seem stupid. 00:21:21.021 --> 00:21:24.195 So what's the definition of stupid? 00:21:24.195 --> 00:21:25.862 Having or showing a great lack of intelligence or common sense? 00:21:25.862 --> 00:21:29.994 So what's the definition of stupid, having or showing a great lack of intelligence or common sense? 00:21:29.994 --> 00:21:39.653 If you said your prayers out loud around unbelievers and sometimes even believers, you would be lacking common sense and no intelligence To the outside world. 00:21:39.653 --> 00:21:41.496 Us to pray for someone to be healed. 00:21:41.496 --> 00:21:44.961 Us to ask God and Jesus to forgive us and wash us clean. 00:21:44.961 --> 00:21:46.884 We just had communion. 00:21:46.884 --> 00:21:52.134 We're a bunch of weirdos eating crackers and drinking juice. 00:21:52.134 --> 00:22:01.034 They don't understand because they have not accepted the sacrifice, because that sacrifice changes everything. 00:22:01.555 --> 00:22:06.662 In the New Testament we see in Matthew, chapter 14, jesus had just fed the 5,000. 00:22:06.662 --> 00:22:08.964 Something kind of cool that I found. 00:22:08.964 --> 00:22:15.352 This is one of the greatest miracles. 00:22:15.352 --> 00:22:19.962 This miracle is actually the only miracle of Jesus recorded in all four gospels and one of the largest miracles to ever be recorded. 00:22:19.962 --> 00:22:25.375 And after this, jesus sends them to cross the Sea of Galilee. 00:22:25.375 --> 00:22:25.935 Who sent them? 00:22:25.935 --> 00:22:29.323 Four of y'all knew Jesus sent them. 00:22:29.323 --> 00:22:29.930 Who sent them? 00:22:29.930 --> 00:22:42.439 Now, at the widest part of the Sea of Galilee it's about eight miles At the widest point the disciples are freaking out because the winds started blowing. 00:22:42.439 --> 00:22:47.861 It is about three o'clock in the morning and they are by themselves and they are afraid to be shipwrecked. 00:22:49.111 --> 00:22:51.940 When I was younger, my dad had a boat. 00:22:51.940 --> 00:22:55.778 He always had a boat growing up and about 50% of the time they worked. 00:22:55.778 --> 00:23:01.102 I got stories of rowing a boat out from the middle of the Lake of Palestine into the shore. 00:23:01.102 --> 00:23:04.900 My friends stopped going out on the boat with us because they had to row a lot. 00:23:04.900 --> 00:23:08.554 But we're out there. 00:23:08.554 --> 00:23:10.695 We didn't check the weather, didn't think anything about it. 00:23:10.695 --> 00:23:12.082 It was a beautiful, sunny day. 00:23:12.082 --> 00:23:17.457 We're out in the middle of the lake and all of a sudden clouds are coming in. 00:23:17.457 --> 00:23:18.779 So we see clouds. 00:23:18.779 --> 00:23:22.373 You can't tell how big clouds are until they're on you. 00:23:22.373 --> 00:23:29.318 They were a lot closer than we thought they were and all of a sudden the wind starts blowing and waves are crashing. 00:23:29.318 --> 00:23:32.539 It was one of those not a pontoon with the big metal things, but the other one. 00:23:32.539 --> 00:23:42.101 It's just as big, but it don't have the metal things, the deck boat or something like that, something like that and the waves were so huge it was crashing over the side of them. 00:23:42.101 --> 00:23:45.657 It was beating us half to death because bam, bam. 00:23:45.657 --> 00:23:48.103 We'd have to stop because it sounded like the bottom of the boat was about to crack. 00:23:50.371 --> 00:23:56.038 I know what it feels like to be in the middle of somewhere, having a good time and all of a sudden, something ain't right. 00:23:56.038 --> 00:24:03.961 These disciples were freaking out and where they were is exactly where Jesus sent them. 00:24:03.961 --> 00:24:06.633 Do you know? 00:24:06.633 --> 00:24:11.038 When Jesus was tempted, he was led into the wilderness by the Spirit. 00:24:11.038 --> 00:24:17.519 Have you ever been in the middle of something and you start immediately saying God, take this from me. 00:24:17.519 --> 00:24:18.776 And he said I led you to it. 00:24:18.776 --> 00:24:23.516 That's not welcoming, right? 00:24:23.516 --> 00:24:25.718 He's like hey, man, you're here, have fun. 00:24:27.271 --> 00:24:28.164 They're in the middle of this. 00:24:28.164 --> 00:24:29.692 It's about 3 am, it's pitch black. 00:24:29.692 --> 00:24:30.775 They can't see. 00:24:30.775 --> 00:24:34.722 All they can feel is the boat rocking and they see the moon. 00:24:34.722 --> 00:24:42.554 The moon is big in the sky and if you've ever been out on the not in the ocean, not me on the lake or something and you see the moon, you can see it shimmering. 00:24:42.554 --> 00:24:45.077 When the waves are going, you can see it reflecting. 00:24:45.077 --> 00:25:01.631 So they are seeing, by moonlight, these dark waves coming over, rocking them to their core and all of a sudden, in the glimmer of the moonlight, they see something out there that's not supposed to be there and they scream ghost. 00:25:05.496 --> 00:25:07.198 I would do the same thing. 00:25:07.198 --> 00:25:11.423 I'm in the middle of this sea and there's a person out here in the middle of the waves. 00:25:11.423 --> 00:25:13.226 Now here's what I know. 00:25:13.226 --> 00:25:16.719 If you think about this, this is how animated my mind gets. 00:25:16.719 --> 00:25:20.417 I have seen waves, massive. 00:25:20.417 --> 00:25:23.936 Think about someone trying to walk on those. 00:25:23.936 --> 00:25:27.200 You'd be going, and then you go back up and you step again. 00:25:27.200 --> 00:25:28.474 You know it wouldn't make sense. 00:25:28.777 --> 00:25:29.842 So here's what I was thinking. 00:25:29.842 --> 00:25:42.526 I was like you know, I bet while he was walking they were just splitting In the middle of the storm, where he told them to go. 00:25:42.526 --> 00:25:48.102 They were freaking out because it did not look or feel like it was supposed to. 00:25:48.102 --> 00:25:56.983 It was dark, they couldn't see, but they could see just good enough to see someone standing in the middle of the water. 00:25:56.983 --> 00:26:02.340 They were exactly where Jesus sent them. 00:26:02.340 --> 00:26:04.314 Their boat was rocked. 00:26:04.314 --> 00:26:07.336 I bet their hearts were racing. 00:26:07.336 --> 00:26:12.275 When you get in the middle of something and the storm is raging, you don't think you're going to make it out. 00:26:12.275 --> 00:26:17.576 Sometimes, and sometimes in the middle of that storm, god may lead you even deeper. 00:26:17.576 --> 00:26:25.977 But this is what I gather from this story is that even though they were led there, jesus still showed up. 00:26:25.977 --> 00:26:37.703 Storms were terrible and immediately when they saw him, he just said hey, don't freak out, stop, don't be afraid. 00:26:37.703 --> 00:26:42.621 And they're like we're trying, but it's so hard. 00:26:42.621 --> 00:26:46.579 I mean, they're in the middle of a sea, they're getting rocked. 00:26:46.579 --> 00:26:50.218 And Jesus said hey, just take it easy. 00:26:50.258 --> 00:27:00.943 Man, and the only one, the only one who spoke to Jesus was Peter. 00:27:00.943 --> 00:27:04.398 Now, peter gets a bad rep, all right. 00:27:04.398 --> 00:27:07.253 So Peter is a. 00:27:07.253 --> 00:27:12.124 He puts his foot in his mouth all the time, all of the time. 00:27:12.124 --> 00:27:14.836 There's not much scripture where he doesn't. 00:27:14.836 --> 00:27:33.351 He is a coward, he is a liar, he is an abandoner and he was the one that had the faith to say jesus, if it is you, send me now, without a boat, into the storm. 00:27:33.351 --> 00:27:37.336 So his safety, his boat. 00:27:37.336 --> 00:27:42.944 He said, jesus, if it is you, if it is you, I will step out. 00:27:42.944 --> 00:27:46.700 Because all of them thought he was a ghost, all of them. 00:27:46.700 --> 00:27:53.155 He did not have confirmation until Jesus spoke and said come. 00:27:53.155 --> 00:28:00.070 He did not know until he was up on Jesus that it was actually Jesus. 00:28:00.070 --> 00:28:07.192 If I was a ghost and I was out there messing with some guys, I'd say, yeah, come on, think about it. 00:28:07.192 --> 00:28:24.483 Sometimes Jesus says come and you can't really tell if it's him, but it's an act of faith that will drive you to step out and say Lord, I'm just going to trust you Because I know that if I am willing to step, he is willing to save. 00:28:26.692 --> 00:28:31.731 The only thing that started drowning Peter was when he started focusing on the wrong thing. 00:28:31.731 --> 00:28:41.690 If you've been in church for any amount of time we're not going to have a business meeting here in a minute you can get distracted by the wrong thing. 00:28:41.690 --> 00:28:47.560 You can get so caught up in stupid church politics. 00:28:47.560 --> 00:29:05.690 You can get so caught up in stupid church politics you can get so wrapped up in something that happened to you 10 years ago with a different body of believers, but it's somehow connected to this church and people won't darken the doors because of something that happened to them. 00:29:05.690 --> 00:29:17.483 That is real hurt, that is real feelings, that is real to them Sorry, excuse me. 00:29:19.465 --> 00:29:21.031 And Peter called Lord. 00:29:21.031 --> 00:29:24.096 If it's really you, tell me to come to you. 00:29:24.096 --> 00:29:54.698 And Jesus said come, sister Barbara, if you come up to the piano, you know, something that I have experienced personally and I'm going to be very, very open with y'all, is that you don't pinch that baby, is that if you serve God long enough, it seems like sometimes his voice gets faint and you get so busy working for the Lord. 00:29:54.698 --> 00:30:05.045 You get so busy working, do you get so on mission that you forget just to come and sit at the feet of the master. 00:30:05.045 --> 00:30:14.992 And I want you today to stop Listen, y'all. 00:30:14.992 --> 00:30:18.201 Last week I had one of the busiest weeks I've had in a long time. 00:30:18.201 --> 00:30:24.596 From sunup to sundown I was going and getting done almost at nine o'clock every night, just so I can go to bed. 00:30:24.596 --> 00:30:42.362 It was just one of those weeks, but I had travel time and me and God we connected every single time Because you know in life you can get really busy and forget about the important things, like God. 00:30:42.362 --> 00:30:50.962 Listen, don't let the devil use God's blessings to divide you from God. 00:30:50.962 --> 00:30:54.497 Blessings are amazing. 00:30:54.497 --> 00:30:56.093 I love that. 00:30:56.093 --> 00:30:59.622 I get to do one of my passions, one of my other passions photography and stuff I love that. 00:30:59.622 --> 00:31:13.308 But sometimes, if I allow it to, it will separate me from God, which is a blessing from God. 00:31:17.020 --> 00:31:19.549 Sometimes stepping out in faith is scary. 00:31:19.549 --> 00:31:24.296 Jesus didn't stop the waters until after Peter was with him. 00:31:24.296 --> 00:31:24.738 It was still raging. 00:31:24.738 --> 00:31:30.436 He said God, if you want me to come, come, tell me to come and I will. 00:31:30.436 --> 00:31:42.549 In the middle of your storm, in the middle of where you are physically, emotionally, spiritually, there's never a time that Jesus says stay in the boat. 00:31:42.549 --> 00:31:43.372 He's always saying come. 00:31:43.372 --> 00:31:45.315 He's always saying come. 00:31:45.315 --> 00:31:46.458 He's always saying come to me. 00:31:46.458 --> 00:31:55.042 I am here, I will take your burden, I will give you rest. 00:31:55.042 --> 00:31:56.913 I want to challenge you today. 00:31:56.913 --> 00:32:07.580 Today, if you've allowed your faith to lack and you have been living driven by fear instead of faith, I want to challenge you to lay your fear down today. 00:32:07.580 --> 00:32:13.798 Faith will scare you into submission. 00:32:13.798 --> 00:32:16.396 I mean sorry, fear will scare you into submission. 00:32:16.396 --> 00:32:20.916 And if you allow fear to drive and manipulate you. 00:32:20.916 --> 00:32:22.421 It will rob you of your faith. 00:32:22.520 --> 00:32:45.619 Every time, when I was I'm going to try not to cry on this because it's very, very real to me when I was a youth pastor at my dad's church in Palestine, my dad had this I think he called it a gorge or something on his neck and the roots of it were starting to wrap around his vocal cords. 00:32:45.619 --> 00:32:47.355 So they were scared to do surgery. 00:32:47.355 --> 00:32:53.278 They didn't want to damage his speech, his voice box or his esophagus, larynx, whatever it's called. 00:32:53.278 --> 00:33:06.295 And we were praying for him one night in the altar of his church and I heard I audibly heard in my ear a small whisper. 00:33:06.295 --> 00:33:13.438 It's going to sound stupid and it told me if I punch him in the throat, he'll be healed. 00:33:13.438 --> 00:33:17.996 I'm so serious. 00:33:20.390 --> 00:33:27.637 Imagine you're standing there in the middle of prayer and you hear an audible voice. 00:33:27.637 --> 00:33:45.999 I looked around and I was by myself and it reminded me that God is still a small voice and I think he chooses to speak that way because he's trying to get you to shut up, try to get you to put away all of the distractions. 00:33:45.999 --> 00:33:47.154 That's why it is so important. 00:33:47.154 --> 00:33:49.538 My truck is my prayer closet. 00:33:49.538 --> 00:33:55.112 I listen to podcasts, to messages to worship Anything. 00:33:55.112 --> 00:34:11.498 I get my hands on Books and me and God go to town and sometimes I turn everything off and I just drive and I let him speak, because as important as it is for you to speak and pray, it's also important for you to shut up and let him talk. 00:34:11.498 --> 00:34:20.882 Sometimes faith is just being still and knowing that he is who he says he is. 00:34:23.590 --> 00:34:27.358 I wish that my story had a good ending, that I punched him and he coughed it up and everything was good. 00:34:27.358 --> 00:34:34.119 In my head went back and forth I'm not punching my dad, he'll kill me. 00:34:34.119 --> 00:34:41.483 And in the middle of his congregation, right in front, and he wasn't healed. 00:34:41.483 --> 00:34:47.737 They ended up later being able to take do surgery and they got it to where he didn't mess with his voice. 00:34:47.737 --> 00:34:53.472 But I told him that years later because I didn't tell anybody. 00:34:53.472 --> 00:35:01.983 I'm not gonna tell nobody that God told me to punch my dad in the throat, especially what I'm going to tell my dad. 00:35:01.983 --> 00:35:04.407 Oh, yeah, son. 00:35:04.407 --> 00:35:08.958 He told me later, when I confessed that to him, of what had happened. 00:35:08.958 --> 00:35:12.577 He said you know, there's a preacher who actually punches people in the stomach and cancers come up. 00:35:12.577 --> 00:35:18.898 And I said if only I would have known that it would not have been in faith. 00:35:18.898 --> 00:35:22.838 It would have taken a little faith. 00:35:22.838 --> 00:35:23.251 Let's be honest. 00:35:23.251 --> 00:35:23.838 It would have taken a little faith. 00:35:23.838 --> 00:35:24.193 Let's be honest. 00:35:24.193 --> 00:35:28.793 It would have taken a little faith, but it would not have been what he was trying to do, what God was trying to do through me. 00:35:30.077 --> 00:35:30.840 There's one more story. 00:35:30.840 --> 00:35:32.577 A lady in the same church came up to the front. 00:35:32.577 --> 00:35:36.440 She had arthritis in her hands so bad she could barely open them up and it was in such pain. 00:35:36.440 --> 00:35:44.773 I don't remember if it was in the same service, but I heard that same voice. 00:35:44.773 --> 00:35:53.230 It said if you take that anointing oil and you just begin to pour it on her hands, she'll be healed. 00:35:53.230 --> 00:36:01.750 And my first thought was what about the carpet? 00:36:01.750 --> 00:36:04.882 What about the carpet? 00:36:04.882 --> 00:36:07.255 What is God speaking into your life today? 00:36:07.255 --> 00:36:09.269 And you're worried about the carpet. 00:36:09.269 --> 00:36:13.556 What is God trying to speak into you so he can work through you? 00:36:13.556 --> 00:36:16.480 And you're saying God, what if I look stupid? 00:36:16.480 --> 00:36:20.940 The answer is probably yeah, you will. 00:36:20.940 --> 00:36:26.809 The answer is probably yeah, you will. 00:36:27.271 --> 00:36:28.353 I did not do that again for the second time. 00:36:28.353 --> 00:36:29.054 She wasn't healing. 00:36:29.054 --> 00:36:30.657 I had no one in her head. 00:36:30.657 --> 00:36:32.461 I did the whole praying thing, laid hands on her. 00:36:32.461 --> 00:36:37.507 Nothing happened. 00:36:37.507 --> 00:36:42.483 To this day. 00:36:42.483 --> 00:36:48.309 I've never heard that voice again Because I was not willing to step out in faith. 00:36:48.309 --> 00:36:52.889 Step out. 00:36:52.889 --> 00:36:58.327 Do not let punching somebody stop you from doing what God tells you. 00:36:58.327 --> 00:37:02.224 You may have to leave some friends behind. 00:37:02.224 --> 00:37:06.344 You may have to cut ties with some family. 00:37:06.344 --> 00:37:11.469 You may have to ask for forgiveness from somebody that you didn't do any wrong to. 00:37:11.469 --> 00:37:14.092 That hurts. 00:37:14.112 --> 00:37:17.719 I had a man in my dad's church different church in Missouri and I was playing drums. 00:37:17.719 --> 00:37:20.525 I started when I was six and they had the little drum set up there. 00:37:20.525 --> 00:37:24.695 I'd play in worship and I was this little girl in church and I was flirting with her. 00:37:24.695 --> 00:37:27.541 I started when I was six and they had the little drum set up there. 00:37:27.541 --> 00:37:31.608 I'd play in worship and I was this little girl in church and I was flirting with her, hitting her Sunday school papers, and this board member said stop. 00:37:31.608 --> 00:37:31.909 So I'm a kid. 00:37:31.909 --> 00:37:35.829 I stopped for like four seconds. 00:37:35.829 --> 00:37:38.958 Now we know more what hyperactivity is. 00:37:38.978 --> 00:37:54.099 But and I did it again and he walks up and he grabs my drumsticks and snaps them over his knee and throws them down at my feet and said I told you to stop and my mom told me that next week when I I mean people saw what happened. 00:37:54.099 --> 00:37:55.222 I was standing on the stage. 00:37:55.222 --> 00:37:56.869 It was after church, I didn't know. 00:37:56.869 --> 00:38:00.557 My mom told me years later that the the hen house got a hold of him outside. 00:38:00.557 --> 00:38:02.543 The ladies came after him. 00:38:02.543 --> 00:38:10.119 My mom told me son, you may not have done anything wrong, but you still need to go and apologize. 00:38:10.119 --> 00:38:14.025