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We're gonna go to Romans 12. And um I paused for a minute. Last week we we got into this thought of the word, the Bible specifically, and how it's God's words. That the word of God is God's words. This is the word that God has spoken. The Bible is not just a book, it's God's words to us, to humanity. And we need this word, we need his words. That I pray there was some conviction, some thought into how we view our Bible, view the scriptures, that they're not just something but someone speaking to us. And uh we're gonna kind of build off of that again, um, a little differently today, but I'll take you back to Romans 12, which has been our kind of our theme, our topic for the whole year so far. And um let me share this with you. I got three translations for you again. Romans 12, the New King James Version, and do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. The voice translation. Do not allow this world to mold you in its own image, instead be transformed from the inside out by renewing your mind. As a result, you'll be able to discern what God wills and whatever God finds good, pleasing, and complete. And the new living translation don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know God's will for you, which is good, pleasing, and perfect. Then on part uh we're on part 17, which I told you we're gonna continue on this until God says we're done. And um we're gonna continue this thought of transformation because we're never done transforming. God's always wanting to work on our thinking, God's always wanting to work on our character, on our mindset, on our behavior. Um, I don't care how long you've been alive, you're not perfect, and you never will be perfect. Say amen to that. Look at your neighbor and tell your neighbor, especially you. All right. You will never be perfect. We're still learning, we're still growing. One of my mentors, Mr. Payton, he would tell me, if you stop learning, you stop growing. And if you stop growing, you're no longer living. And I take that to heart, and I place it at the feet of all of you here today that if you're wondering why this topic has been something we're talking about so much, I'll be honest with you, and I say this in love to me first. I don't know if we talk about it enough. This thought of being transformed more into Christ's image and into the likeness of Christ. Because our goal should be every day to become a little more like Jesus Christ. How many want that in their life? Raise your hand, okay? If you don't want that, that's alright. We still welcome you here. But we should all want that. Now, today we're gonna kind of dive into another thought regarding God's word or the or the Bible itself. But uh before we do, let's say a prayer. And can I get a little more light in here? Father, we pray, Lord, now, Father God, that your word go forth, Lord. According to Acts 2.42, your word is received gladly. According to Acts 19, 20, your word will prevail. Pray now, Father, according to Isaiah 55, 11, your word shall not return void. According to Jeremiah 1.5, you'll watch over your word to perform it. I ask you, Lord, that every word that comes out of my mouth, Father, let it be. Father, excellent, let it be according to your desire, without error. For we come to hear the truth of your word and not the opinion of man. And I pray, Lord, Father God, that we will continue to have an ear to hear and a heart to receive. That the seed of your word take root in the soil of our hearts, and Lord, we will we will see the fruit of it in our lives. We give you the honor and glory. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Now, I'm gonna throw a thought to you, and we'll start from there and launch from there with our scriptures, but with our thoughts today, the conversation today. So go ahead and put it on the board. There's something I've been kind of learning for the past few years here, and I presented to you that every time you open your Bible, God is speaking, yes, but I'm learning that He is inviting you to transform. That every time you open the scriptures, every time you open your Bible, every time you're at church hearing the word, every time you hear the word spoken, it is God speaking. There's also this invitation that's being given to transform. And I don't know if anybody, how many of us here have ever really thought of that, what you read there on the board with me. That every time I open my Bible, yes, it is God speaking, but he's also inviting me to transform. He's inviting me to change, he's inviting me to, I'll say like this, to become a little more like Christ. To check the heart, to check my mind, to really examine myself. That when I read the scriptures, yes, it's God speaking. Thank you, Lord. But there's an invitation being given. And hear me, the Bible is many things. It is many things. Ultimately, the Bible is Jesus. Jesus is the word, the word is with God. Ultimately, this is not even a book, it's a person that you're getting to know, and it's Jesus Christ. But what I will tell you, one of the things the Bible is, is an invitation to change. It's an invitation to transform your life. Have you ever thought about that? Listen, the sinner picks up the Bible, and what's the sinner invited to do? Transform your life, give your life to Jesus Christ. The saint picks up the Bible, what's the saint challenge to do? Hey, change your life, become more like Jesus Christ. And then in the end, guess what happens? We die one day. And in the end, we go to heaven and we're transformed one more time into our heavenly bodies. There's just this constant thought of transformation throughout the word, an invitation to change. And listen, I want you to understand that the Bible, though, is not just an invitation, but according to Hebrews 4.12, we've all heard this verse that the word of God is alive and powerful. Say powerful today. How many believe it's powerful? Like how many really believe it's powerful today? Like, like you really believe God's word is powerful. If you believe it, tell your neighbor, tell me, believe it, man. Just tell your neighbor, believe it, man. It's powerful. Like, like you believe it. And if you don't believe it, I'll pray for you after church. Okay? Like it's it's it's powerful. It's very, very powerful. One more time, say powerful. It's very powerful. Listen, this is what I'm realizing. Well, the invitation to transform also comes with a power to impact us. And just kind of go with me here because it all builds together. Here's the invitation to transform your life, to become more like Christ. Let the sinner be saved, let the lost be found, let the blind see. Here's the invitation to transformation. But by the way, within this invitation comes the power you need to change your life as well. He's not just giving us this invitation to say, figure it out. No, there's power in this word. And hear me, we need the power of the Bible to bring renewing into our mind. We need the power of Scripture to penetrate spirit, soul, and body, to penetrate all of it, to, as I told you a few weeks ago, to for our spirit to absorb it and then push it back out. Let information become revelation and let our mind now be transformed by the word that our spirit is receiving. And I tell you today, I think it's beautiful. I think it's beautiful to think how God isn't just challenging us to transform, calling us to transform. Hear me, he's giving us the power to transform, to change, to be different. So before I go any further, I've been saying this from week to week because I want to get this into your hearts. For some of you, especially that maybe you're still battling the thought. Can I really see change in my life? Church, transformation is possible. Change is possible. Listen, I love you, and you're a great you. Say amen to that. I'm all right, you know. But you can be a better you. You can be a better you. God's not done working in your life. God still wants to fix some things and change some things. I've been alive 95 years. Well, God's still working in your life. He still wants to do things in your life. And good news. You're invited to know him more. You're invited to read his word and understand transformation. But good news and even better news. He will give you the power through his word to see it come to pass in your life. I've been telling people late. I said it last week, I'll say it again. I I I've known, I've heard some of y'all's stories before you were saved. My God, thank God you're saved. Thank God you're saved. I heard some of your stories. I wouldn't have been your friend. I would have been praying for you, but I wouldn't have been your friend. You were rough. You were crazy, some of you. Some of you may be still a little. But thank God I'm not where I want to be, but thank God I'm not where I used to be. Amen? I'm not, I'm not, you know, I'm the first to admit, Pastor, I got a lot to work on here, but thank the Lord, He's still working in me. He's giving me the power through His Word. Not just an invitation, but a power to transform. A power to see change. And I kind of want to just build on that today. The power of his word, the power to see transformation, because his word carries power, or I'll say it like this God's words carry power. God's words. I told you, and I said earlier. Listen, I told you last week that the word of God is the words of God. This is just what he wrote. No, this is what he spoke. The word of God is the words of God. This is what he said. Hear me. The words of God are powerful. How powerful are they? Can you say that with me today? Say, how powerful are they? I'm so glad you asked. Genesis 1. Let's go. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless, empty, and darkness, covered the deep of the waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. Then God said, Let there be light, and there was light. And God saw the light was good. Then he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light day and the darkness night. And evening passed, and the morning came, marking the first day. First day of creation. First day, the first oh, by the way, first chapter in the Bible. First verses in the Bible. And I submit to you, in the very first passage, very first verses, very first lines, very first chapter, very first book of the Bible, I submit to you, we already see the power of God's words on display. Immediately within the scriptures. You see it. In verse 2, we just read the earth is formless, it's dark. The earth is void. It's God seeing this. But immediately in the next verses, beyond even verse 5, immediately we see the power of God through creation. So just walk walk through it with me quickly. Day one. Day one, day and night are separated by the light that bursts through. Boom, the power of God's words. Day two, waters above from the waters below are separated, marking, making the sky, boom, the power of God's words. Day three, the land and seas cover the earth, and the plants and trees are now seen. Boom, that's the power of God's words. Verse four, the sun, moon, and stars are placed in the heavens to mark times and the seasons. Boom, the power of God's words. Verse five, the seas and skies are filled with living creatures. Boom. That's the power of God's words. Day six, animals filled the earth, and humanity is created in the image of God. Boom, the power of God's words. Day one, day two, day three, day four, day five, day six, the power of God's words on full display. And I submit to you that in Genesis 1, it's lengthy, a lengthy point, but just read it with me real quick. God sees that which is formless, empty, and dark. Hear those words. Formless, empty, and dark. And by the power and by his power, he creates something that has light, order, beauty, life, and purpose. Man, our God is powerful. Formless, empty, dark. Boom, God's power. His words go forth. Suddenly, light, order, beauty, life, purpose. Church, did you know each day of creation has something in common? Each day from day one to day six, there's there's one thing in common. There's something that happens on each day of creation. There's something that takes place on each day of creation. And it's two words. Put them on the board. God said. God said. Day one, God said. Day two, God said, every day of creation, God said. Say those words with me. Say, God said. And by the way, we see God said, and something happened. God said and something happened. Verse 3, put it back on the board. Then God said, let there be light. And what happened? There was light. God said, and then something happened. Church, the earth was formless, empty, dark. But then God said, and suddenly there's light. God said there's order. God said now there's beauty. God said now there's life. God said, and now there's purpose. All of this takes place simply because God said every day, God said, and something happened. Think about the power in that. That God speaks and something takes place. God says, and boom, power on full display. So I tell you, from the beginning of the Bible, God was showing us that his words are powerful. From the beginning of scripture, he's showing us this is how powerful my words are. There is nothing, and now there is something. Just by me speaking them, just by me saying, just by me letting the words out of my mouth in the very first book of the Bible, in the very first time, in the very first lines in the beginning of the Bible, you can see just how powerful God's words are. But then here's the thing, though. In Genesis 1, 2, put that verse back on the board. I highlight the words for you today. Formless, void, and darkness. The earth is without form, it's void, it's dark. You know, if you go a little further with those words and look, let's see them more in the Hebrew and kind of begin to take a little study. You know what those words mean? It means there's confusion. It means even a wasteland. It means, hear me, it means a place of chaos. It means uh even vanity. This is the description that we're seeing of earth. It's unclear to be dark. It's obscurity, not clear. We can't make it out. So, so hear me, just go with me. So we see God speaking into a place, speaking into a place, sending his words out to a place that is confused, that a place that is full of chaos, a wasteland that's unclear, formless, void in darkness. Hear me. Even though earth was in such a state, the words of God were still spoken. The words of God were still spoken, and things changed. And I smile today because I'm so grateful God is willing to speak even if the place seems very dark. I'm very grateful God's willing to speak even if people don't want to hear them. I'm still willing, I'm still grateful that God is still willing to share his word and speak out and call by name, every single one of us, even when we're not thinking about him. What I'm trying to tell you is today before we go any further, we should be grateful every single day that God is willing to speak to people who are hard at listening sometimes. That God is willing to still, hey, I'm trying to get your attention. Hey, I'm still speaking to you every day. You ignored me yesterday, but I'm back today talking to you again. You forgot about me last week, but I'm back to you, reaching out to you again. You haven't opened your Bible in a month, and yet here's my word, still willing to speak to you every single day. How many are grateful for a God who's still willing to speak, even though we're having a hard time listening? I mean, think about that. You don't go to church for a year and you show up and God says, I'm glad you're here. I want to talk to you. I'm still willing to speak to you. I know what you did last night, I know where you were at yesterday, but I see you today. I'm still willing to speak to you today. I it reminds me of anybody, anybody know that one person? I'm not speaking from personal, you know, personal experience, I promise. But that one mom, that one dad, that you know they have that problem child, but every day that problem child comes back knocking on the door. And you're like, are they really gonna let them in? And there they go, walking into the house. Why? Because mama said, Come back and I'll help you out. Dad said, Come knock on the door, I'll be here for you. And some of your parents know about that already. You know what? I think God shows even greater love than that. That you come back knocking on the door saying, God, I messed up. And God says, Come on, let's have a talk. God, I don't know what to do. I haven't been seeking you. Come in, I'm glad I can have a talk with you. Listen to me, listen to me. We should be grateful every day that God is still even knocking on the door of your heart, that God's still saying, Hey, I want to talk with you, I want to dine with you. You have no thoughts of reaching out to him, and yet every day he's on the door of your heart saying, Will you please let me in today? Church, let us every day first give thanks to a God who is still reaching out to us every single day. Give the Lord a hand cap today. Because I think about this, I'm like, that's the earth, formless, it's void, it's empty, it's confused, it's chaos, it's a wasteland. And God says, Watch this, let there be light. Watch this star, sun, moons, boom. He still speaks into that place. Why? How come? Well, you know what I've learned? A very simple thought. God's words can change anything, man. God's words can change anything. Say anything. Put it on the board. I want you to see it. I want you to read it. I want you to see it for yourself. So next slide, go ahead. God's words can change anything. Next slide, go ahead, next slide. God's words can change anything. Just see it, just see it with his words can change anything. Anything. The hardest of hearts, God's words can change it. The filthiest of minds, God's words can change it. The most broken of homes, God's words can change it. The most troubled marriage, God's words can change it. The most broken down life, God's words can change it. To the suicidal mind, God's words can change it. To the depressed heart, God's words can change it. To the family who is in chaos and nobody talks to anybody, God's words can change it. What am I trying to share with you today? What am I trying to under get you to understand today? We need God's words in our lives. That there's that there is a power in these words that God is saying, hey man, Daniel, don't ignore the power that is present here. Because I want, I we'll just kind of bring it together here. Remember, every time you open your Bible, there's an invitation to transform. And God is speaking. First chapter, first verses, first lines of the Bible, you see the power of God's words on display. And you know what I've realized? Put it on the board. I submit to you that your life, my life, can be like the earth in Genesis 1. You saw Genesis 1. You saw on earth. Formless, empty, and void. I'll be honest with you. I read those first verses and I just don't see an earth. I see the way Manuel's life can be sometimes. Oh, you're you're not you're not you're not too special for this? Can your life be, can your life be formless, void, and empty sometimes? Can your life hear me? Can your life be a life full of confusion and chaos sometimes? Can your life be a life that feels like a wasteland sometimes? What am I doing with my life? What's going on? Can your life be a life that's obscure sometimes? You feel like you're in darkness? Does your life can feel like a life that it's like, hey, man, the earth is not the only thing formless, empty, and void in this scripture? I submit to you, see your life at times in this one verse. Chaos, confusion, darkness, obscurity, wasteland, formless, empty, void. There's emptiness in here. I'm searching, I'm looking because hear me, isn't it funny? You can be a child of God and still feel empty sometimes. You can be a child of God and still feel confused sometimes. You can be a child of God and still feel like you're in some dark places sometimes. You can be a child of God and still have things that are bothering you and weighing on you because you know every life is still being worked on. So you can be a child of God and still feel like, man, what's going on with my life? What am I doing with my life? Where am I headed with my life? You can still be a child of God and still feel like as though there is some formless, empty, void places in your heart and in your mind. You can be a child of God and still realize that God, I need you to speak into this heart. I need you to speak into this mind because the truth is there are some confused areas, some chaotic areas. There are some areas within me that need the words of God put within them. So I have good news for you. God hasn't stopped speaking, God is still speaking. He spoke in Genesis 1. He's speaking today on May 24th. And I ask you today: will you listen to his words? Will you take in his words? Will you receive his words? And not just any words. It's the powerful words of God. The powerful words of God. The powerful words of God. And I tell you that we need to allow God's powerful words into our mind, into your mind, so that your mind, my mind, can be renewed and transformation can take place in your life. Because remember, look at me. No matter who you are, God's words can change anything. His words can change anything. The earth was impacted by God's words in Genesis 1. Well, you know what? I want my life to be impacted by his words as well. The change you need to take place, the change you're asking to take place in your life, in your husband, and your wife's life, and your children's life, and every part of your life, the change you're asking for. You know what it needs? It needs his words. It needs his words. So that these powerful words can change the way you and I are thinking. Change the mindset we have. I'll say like this if you desire transformation, you're gonna need his words in your life. And not just any words. You need the powerful words of God in your life. We need them. We all need them. Church, I'll be the first to admit. And I hope you don't leave me hanging here. We all need help. We all need help. You sometimes can have the biggest smile. And you know deep inside. Man, Pastor, I need a lot of help. You may look like you have it all together on the outside and deep down inside. Pastor, I'm a rat. I'm a mess. I cried myself to sleep last night, and I woke up pretending to smile today. My bed is still wet from the tears I cried. My pillow is still wet from the sleepless night I had and the tears I shed all night. Church, we all need help. We all need age. We all need transformation. We all need to renew our minds. Look at me. Look at ready to close. You know there's a danger. I need to be careful how I say this. I've learned that there is a beauty in seeing people who have been saved a long time. There's such a beauty in that. I've been saved 30 years, I've been saved 40 years, I've been saved 50 years. There's such a beauty in that. But I'll tell you what I'm learning. I'm learning there's also a danger in it as well. That we become so fixated on our thinking and our way of doing things. And you think to yourself, well, I've been doing it this long and I'm still alive. That's not the thought you should have. We should be thinking, God, if I'm alive this long, then you should, then obviously, God, you still want to work in my life. And I think there's a danger sometimes, and that you've been saved so long that your view of God has almost become fixated. That that, well, God, I guess this is what you're gonna do, this is how you're gonna do, this is the way I'm gonna do. And what about when God says, I want to do a new thing? What about when God says that that I want to take you into a new season? But I'm 80 years old, Pastor. You're still alive, you're still breathing. God can still do some new things in your life as well. You know that, right? And then at the same time, there's a danger to the one who just got saved. Because it's like you haven't seen the word, the word of the you hear, you maybe you've heard of the words of the Lord, but there comes a time where you have to stop and see that the words of the Lord are gonna come to pass. Anybody ever been in that place where you had to wait and see God's words come to pass in your life? Who's ever been in a wait and see season here? Lift up your hand. I've been in a wait and see. And some of you are still in a wait and see part of your life right now, and there's a danger because you don't want to hold out, you want to give up. And God's saying, Hey, child, hey, wait, wait, just keep praying, keep reading my word, and wait and see if I'm not a faithful God to you. Wait and see if I don't keep my promises to you. Wait and see if I don't get you out of this. Just wait and see if you're gonna see how powerful I am, how much I can do. So, church, to the one who's been saved a long time and the one who just got saved, I'll tell both of y'all across the board. All of us need God's help, all of us need God's words, and we will always need God's help and his words as well. So, whoever you are, and however long you've been saved, this word is for you today. Stop ignoring the powerful words of God and get them into your mind every single day of your life because we all need his words inside of us. And I pray today, by just giving you this example of Genesis, that you'll see the last point that you see how powerful God's words are, but you allow that power to build your faith today. Yesterday, last week I know I came at your heart trying to show you, get some conviction in your heart. Don't just see this as a book, but God's speaking to you. And today I even beg of you again, and I remind you still the same, don't ignore his words. Get these words into your heart, but have faith that these words are powerful, that have faith, and we'll talk about it a little more next week. These words are doing something in me. Have faith that hear me, that God's words had power in Genesis 1, and they have power today on May 24th as well. They still have power today, and hear me, I want this power. I need this power to go to work in my mind and in my life, and don't look at me funny. You need it to as well. You need it to as well. So, my question do you have faith that the power of his words can renew your mind? Do you have faith within you that there is power in this word, and this word could change my life by transforming, by changing the way I think, by renewing my mind? My life can be changed. I pray you do. Tell your neighbor, you better have it. I pray you have that faith. Show of hands. Truly. Who has faith that this word has power today? I think everyone's hands went up for the first time ever. That's a good faith to have. Look at me, but I'm not done. But I remind you as we close. Look at me. But faith without works is dead. So, if you believe there's power in this word, let's seek it. Let's read it. Let's take it into our hearts and into our minds and let it transform us into a new person. Because, church, I think it's so wonderful to know that God's invitation to transform comes with the power to do so. It comes with power to see change in our lives. I love you, and I'm proud of you. And I pray for you daily. Hear me. I gave you homework last week, Psalm 119. I'm not gonna take up homework today. It's fine. I'm not gonna ask you if you read it. I told you if you need help with scriptures, like what should I read? I gave you Psalm 119, the longest chapter in the Bible. I like being a teacher because I can see by the look of people's faces, like, don't look at me, don't look at me, don't look at me. I didn't read it. Don't look at me, Pastor. I didn't read it. Don't look at me, don't look at me. Read it. And to this week, read Genesis 1. Read it. Let the power of his words get into your heart. Let the faith be built up that if God can take a world that is formless, empty, and void, he could take my life and do something special with it as well. Church, let's have faith that it's possible. But we need the power of his words in us. Give the Lord a hand clap today. My pastor used to say, sin palabra, sin poder. Wow, that sounded pretty good, huh? My wife loves me even more now. Calm down, baby. Calm down. Sin palabra, sin poder. No word, no power. And before I pray for you, I need you to hear that and understand that. You want power to be active in your life? You need power to be active in your life? You need the word of God. For it is alive and powerful. You get that word in you. Look at me. And there is power inside of you. How do I get through this storm, Pastor? Get the word of God in your heart. How do I get through this battle, Pastor? Get the word of God in your heart. How do I keep standing strong? Having done all to stand, get the word inside of you more. There's people throughout this sanctuary that will testify. One reason I'm standing here today is because God's word was in my heart. And when all I had was a promise to hold on to, I held on to that promise with all that I had. And I'm here to testify today. My God does not lie, He is true to His word. He keeps His promise. Man, has anybody ever been in that boat where all you have is a promise from God in the moment? That that's all you have, man. That that's it sometimes. That's it. Like I just got a promise. That's all I just he promised. That's all I got. What are you believing in? Well, God said that by his stripes I'm healed. That's all I got right now. Well, God, what are you doing about it? God said that if I'm saved, my whole household shall be saved. That's that's all I got right now. My mom, what's going on? Your kids acting crazy. God said I train up the child the way he should go and he's always should not depart. That's all I got right now. But let me tell you, if all I got is a promise from God's word, then I'm gonna carry that promise all the way to my grave till the day I die. I will carry that promise to it. And you know what? In fact, how about this? When I leave this earth, I'll leave speaking that promise. I'll leave declaring that promise. Because you know what? Maybe I don't see it come to pass, but my children will see it come to pass. My grandchildren are gonna see it come to pass because the word of God never dies. It is alive, it is eternal. You may leave this earth one day, but God's word is still reigning supreme here on this earth. So hear me today to close this out. You know what you need? Cast some word, cast some seed of the word in your home and in your family that before I leave this earth, let it be known that I already declared my children are gonna serve the Lord, my grandchildren are gonna serve the Lord, we're gonna be healthy, we're gonna be well, we're gonna be united, we're not gonna have hatred and anger and be divided here in the name of Jesus. Love abides here, peace abides here, joy abides here. God, not just me, but even everyone who lives in my neighborhood, who lives in my block. I will change this whole community with the power of God's words. So hear me as we close. You don't give up on this word, you don't give up on you, you don't give up on this word. You keep holding on to this word, you keep holding on to this word, you keep holding on to it. Walk with your Bible in your purse, walk in what go drive around with the Bible in your car, keep one in your room, put it in your living room, hang it in your kitchen, wherever you go, put your eyes on the word of God and let this word do powerful things in your life. My pastor would say, he would say that the word needs to rumble and tumble in your minds. Like a washing machine, like a washing machine. You see the clothes in there, they went in there dirty, didn't they? They went in there stinky and smelly, didn't they? All that junk is in the washing machine. What do you need in that washing machine? You need some soap in that thing, you need some tide, you need some Armin Hammer, you need some fabulosa, whatever you need. You need some, you need something in there. Why? You're gonna throw clothes in there and just let them run with water? No, you need some soap in there. You need the soap of the word of God. You put it in there and hear me. All that junk in your mind, you let it rumble and you let it tumble in your mind, and all of a sudden, what was filthy and ugly starts to get cleaned up and changed. All of a sudden, what was smelly and stinky, that soap of the word begins to rumble and tumble in your mind, and you start to realize, man, I'm starting to think differently, I'm starting to act differently. There's something I don't want that anymore, I don't want to engage in that anymore, I don't want to talk like that anymore. And then hear me, then no judgment, but then you hear other people the way they talk and the way they act, and you think to yourself, My God, that was me one time, but thanks be to God, I'm no longer in darkness, I'm no longer blind. The word of God cleaned up my acts, it cleaned up my mind, it cleaned up my life, it cleaned up my heart, and now hear me, and then you just don't stand there in judgment, judging them. Now you go to them with the word of God that cleaned up your life, and you let them know hey, this word changed my life, it can change your life as well, and we can all get cleaned up and we can all change, but you just gotta let it rumble and tumble in your mind a little bit. Man, you you hear me, and then I I know I said I'm closed and I am closing, but hey, the sermon was short, so look at me real quick. Every day you're out there in this thing called the world, every day, and hear me. We get so anxious to get home, and I gotta take the shower, man. And by the way, please do that. Please do that. Especially those of you who work outside. Yes, shower. Say amen to that. Shower. Why? And I was sweating, and I know I smell, I stink, I you know, like some of you don't even let your husband sit at the table until he takes a shower. Like, go shower, go clean up, wash your hands, dude. Like, I go clean up. Why? Because there's dirt and there's you know, stinky and smell, and I was rubbing elbows with this other guy who I don't know if he showers, and and it just you gotta clean. Why? Because I'm out there in the world, and isn't it funny? We're out in the world every day picking up the junk that the enemy is pouring out through the world. In our hearts, in our mind, you are picking up junk, and you may not even think it, but I promise you, if you take a deep, close look into your heart, it is it's making, it's trying to make its way in there. It's the junk you pick up when you drive by billboards, when you hear things on the radio, when people are cussing up a storm at the water cooler, when guys are being perverted at the construction site, you're picking up all that junk. Say amen to that. You know it's true. We're we're all it's just there, we're around it. I'm pumping gas the other day. Some guy just starts cussing out shoe store, starts cussing out his wife right there. You don't think that that wants to get into my mind and start telling me, well, maybe that's the way you're supposed to talk to your wife? I don't, right, honey. Yeah, but you know what I mean? Like, like you don't, you don't think don't look at her. You don't think that wants to get like man, I guess that that's the enemy. Why? Because he doesn't need a crack door, he'll take a crack window. He wants to creep in somewhere or another. So I challenge you today, when you get home, or at some point throughout that day, shower in the words just the way you hop in that shower. I gotta get this junk and this smell and this sweat off. Get some word in your life. Read Psalm, read Proverbs, read something, because the soap of the word, the holiness of the word, the purity of the word needs to wash off the junk of the world that is trying to contaminate you and your family. And hear me, hold my Bible, brother. Please hold my Bible and hear me, hear me. And you know why that's so important? You know why? Because you're around other people in your home. You're around children, you're around grandchildren, you're around your spouse, and just like a man coming home from work and he didn't shower. Dad, go shower, dad. Go you start stinking up the whole house, the whole house feels off. The whole house is like, God, dad, go go shower. Don't take off your shoes, dad. Keep them on. It stinks in here. Like, why? Because you why? Because it begins to affect the other people in your home. You allow the junk of the world to stay on you long enough, it doesn't just start affecting you, it starts affecting your kids and the people in your home. You start acting differently and talking differently, and you think it's just you who's being impacted, but now you have children wondering why dad acting like that, you have children wondering why's mom acting like that. Why are they doing this? Why? Because we allow the trash and the filth of the world to contaminate our mind and our hearts, and we refuse to clean up ourselves with the word of God and get the word in our heart and wash it away. That way, when I get home, my kids aren't smelling somebody who's stinking and somebody who's been sweating all day. They're looking at me saying, Man, Dad, I'm glad you serve God. Man, dad, I'm glad you love the way you're supposed to love. Man, dad, I'm so happy that we go to church. I'm so happy. I don't understand everything, but I'm glad I am in a house that is raising me in the ways of the Lord. And hear me. Maybe they don't say that today, but they will say it one day in the name of Jesus. They're gonna recognize it. So, what I'm trying to say just the way you clean up your physical body, clean up your mind and your heart every single day as well. Because one day, hey baby, this is just rental property. This is gonna go one day. Some of you are doing an amazing job keeping up with your body. I applaud you. But I pray you're taking care of your soul even better than your physical body. I pray you're taking care of your spirit even better than your physical body. This is for all of us. Say amen to that. It's for all of us. Take care of all of it. Other day I talked to a friend of mine. He was at the gym. He said, I'll meet you there soon, man. I don't know when, but I'll meet you there soon. But I was so proud of him. He said, Manual, this is just my morning workout. When I get home, I gotta get right into the word. He told me something that I need to be reminded of also as pastors. Those of you that want to minister God's word. Those of you that want to be teachers, preachers, ministers. He reminded me, oh man, this body's gonna die one day. But my spirit's gonna live forever. My soul's gonna live forever. It's funny, he told me it's funny. We work on our body because we want to live long, but we never address the soul and the spirit that's gonna live forever. So, church, I beg of you, I beseech of you, I implore you today. I don't care how much money you make, I don't care how good you physically look, what I'm gonna care about the most in your life is that you have the Lord, who is your Lord and Savior, say amen to that. And that we're all together becoming more like Jesus Christ. And we need the word to do that. This looks funny to you, but I do this sometimes, and I've been married for a little while now. I promise you, she's never seen me do it because I don't want to do it in front of her. I'll literally grab this word after I've done reading it and I'll do this. After I'm done reading it. And that's just my way of confessing. Lord, I pray that this word has cleaned off the filth and the junk of this world. Because in the end, we're called to be like you, Jesus. We can all do it with the help of his powerful words. If you agree, give the Lord a big hand clap for that. Every head bowed, every eye closed. Lift up a hand to heaven. Father, I pray today there's power in your words, Lord. I pray today, Father, we're not giving up. We're not quitting, Lord. I pray, Lord, today that, Father, even the places of our life that have been the most difficult, even the places of our life that have been the most challenging, I ask you today that as your word has gone forth, I pray you bring encouragement today. Hope today. I pray, Lord, Father, today, it's your word, Father, it's planted within us, seed of your word. So remind us today how much we need your powerful words. That the seed of your word is reminding us how much we need your powerful words. You ready? With hands lifted, I speak favor over you, hope over you, power over you, that your life will be a product of not what mom said or dad said, my boss said, your life's gonna be a product of what God has said. Don't lose hope and don't give up. For I declare today the word is working mightily in us, convicting us, challenging us, but also encouraging us and building us, changing us from the inside out. To every person today, I declare that the power of God's words will be on full display in your life. As you get this word into your mind, we're about to see beautiful things come to pass in your life. Father, to you be the honor and glory. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. I am done. Give the Lord a hand clap. Worship team, worship team, come up.