WEBVTT 00:00:00.080 --> 00:00:03.680 Hey, this is George Davis, and so glad to have you connected with us today. 00:00:03.919 --> 00:00:07.519 Do I have an amazing series that's gonna be a blessing to you? 00:00:07.759 --> 00:00:09.919 It's called Weapons of Mass Distraction. 00:00:10.080 --> 00:00:14.160 No, I didn't say weapons of mass destruction, weapons of mass distraction. 00:00:14.320 --> 00:00:20.320 In this season, where I believe God wants us to have a fierce focus, the enemy of focus is distraction. 00:00:20.480 --> 00:00:27.359 And I want to walk you through and show what I believe are four of the greatest distractions that we face as Christians or just as people in general. 00:00:27.519 --> 00:00:33.840 And I believe if we can get our focus right, keep our eyes on Jesus and don't allow these distractions to take us off course. 00:00:34.000 --> 00:00:36.640 God's got some amazing things awaiting us in our future. 00:00:36.799 --> 00:00:46.159 In fact, one of the very reasons you know God's got something great is that the enemy's trying his best to take your eyes off of the future and look back to the past or look around at something else. 00:00:46.320 --> 00:00:54.320 So buckle up, get ready for an amazing word today, because this episode today, this uh portion day is gonna be a great blessing to you. 00:00:56.000 --> 00:00:58.240 All right, I got a really good word for you today. 00:00:58.320 --> 00:00:59.759 And so I want to dive right into it. 00:00:59.920 --> 00:01:06.560 If you are here and you're one of our first-time guests, you're you're you're new to our church, we've been on a mission all year long. 00:01:06.719 --> 00:01:09.920 God gave us a word for this year that it's a year of fierce focus. 00:01:10.079 --> 00:01:12.159 And so we keep coming back around to this place. 00:01:12.239 --> 00:01:13.840 Uh, I gotta make sure I stay focused. 00:01:13.920 --> 00:01:19.760 And so one of the things that we're on an assignment to do is to make sure that we clear the clutter out of our lives. 00:01:19.920 --> 00:01:22.239 And we literally are just like a watchdog. 00:01:22.319 --> 00:01:25.280 We're paying attention to anything that shows up that could be a distraction. 00:01:25.519 --> 00:01:26.239 Can I add this? 00:01:26.400 --> 00:01:29.920 We're paying attention to anybody that shows up that could be a distraction. 00:01:30.159 --> 00:01:31.599 And we're just making a decision. 00:01:31.680 --> 00:01:38.879 I'm not gonna be fooled by the devil dish, I'm not gonna be drawn off track, I'm not gonna be headed in the right direction for a while and then take off and go in the wrong direction. 00:01:39.040 --> 00:01:47.200 And part of the reason why is because God has promised to us that He's got some amazing things just around the corner and we can't afford to mess it up. 00:01:47.920 --> 00:01:49.760 Come on, can I get an amen to that? 00:01:50.159 --> 00:01:53.120 Anybody believe that God's got some amazing things just around the corner? 00:01:53.439 --> 00:01:57.120 I say, anybody believe that God's got some amazing things just around the corner? 00:01:57.920 --> 00:01:59.040 Can anybody believe this? 00:01:59.200 --> 00:02:04.239 If God's got something amazing right around the corner, the devil's gonna try everything he can to get you to turn the corner. 00:02:05.599 --> 00:02:09.680 He don't want you to end up where you're supposed to be, so he's gonna be trying everything he can. 00:02:09.840 --> 00:02:14.719 The other reason why we're staying focused is because we do believe the enemy is plotting our destruction. 00:02:14.960 --> 00:02:21.680 He's every day, he's plotting our downfall, and I just make a decision, I'm not gonna give him any territory. 00:02:22.560 --> 00:02:26.719 I'm just deciding the devil's not messing my life up because I voluntarily signed up for it. 00:02:26.879 --> 00:02:28.800 So I'm staying on point, staying focused. 00:02:28.879 --> 00:02:33.360 And if that's your declaration, I want you to lift one hand towards heaven, and I want you to make this confession. 00:02:33.439 --> 00:02:37.120 Say, I will not be ignorant of Satan's devices. 00:02:37.599 --> 00:02:49.599 Say, I choose to give him no space in my life, and I resist every opportunity he throws my way to be distracted. 00:02:49.840 --> 00:02:50.400 Say this. 00:02:50.800 --> 00:03:07.840 Instead, I fix my eyes on the miracle God has in front of me, and I run my race like a horse with blinders on to ensure I won't be pulled to the left or the right. 00:03:08.159 --> 00:03:09.919 I will hit the bullseye. 00:03:10.159 --> 00:03:12.240 Come on, I will hit the bullseye. 00:03:12.479 --> 00:03:19.039 Come on, I will hit the bullseye and stay fiercely focused on the prize. 00:03:19.280 --> 00:03:22.400 If you really believe that, come on, give God a shout of praise. 00:03:23.439 --> 00:03:25.680 Come on, if you really believe that, give him a shout. 00:03:25.919 --> 00:03:28.800 I'm staying on point, staying focused. 00:03:29.759 --> 00:03:35.599 And and I on purpose put that line in there that I'm not just gonna stay focused, I'm gonna stay focused like a horse with blinders on. 00:03:36.080 --> 00:03:47.039 If you've ever seen a horse running into Derby, Kentucky Derby, or the Preakness, or if you've been out in a park or New York and you see the horse-drawn carriages, they always have blinders on those horses. 00:03:47.280 --> 00:03:48.560 And I like to do research. 00:03:48.800 --> 00:03:49.599 I went to study it out. 00:03:49.680 --> 00:03:54.639 I kind of knew the answer that they don't want them to get distracted, but I want to look up and see what's the real reason behind it. 00:03:54.800 --> 00:04:00.719 It's because horses, the way their eyes are set up, they have what almost 360 degree radius. 00:04:01.199 --> 00:04:08.319 You know, if I'm looking straight ahead, like you're looking straight ahead, I can see some things out of my peripheral on this side and that side, but I can't see what's going on behind me. 00:04:08.639 --> 00:04:13.840 Horses have a vision where they can see almost 360 degrees behind them. 00:04:14.159 --> 00:04:40.800 And the danger that may that sounds impressive, but the danger is if you're running full speed ahead in a race and one of your eyes not going back here, or you're carrying some precious cargo in a carriage, and you're supposed to be focused in on what's ahead, and you start drifting behind, and you see something, the horse sees something that spooks it, or sees something that distracts it, it could end up causing harm to the horse or harm to whatever the people are that around it. 00:04:41.040 --> 00:04:45.120 So just like the horse, God is saying to us, I need you to put blinders on. 00:04:45.360 --> 00:04:50.639 I need you to only look ahead at what I have in store and don't allow yourself to get distracted. 00:04:50.879 --> 00:04:51.279 Amen. 00:04:51.439 --> 00:05:08.399 Well, now last week, if you were here, we we started this off talking about a story over in Matthew chapter 14, where the disciples of Jesus are in a boat, they're trying to travel to the other side, but Jesus shows up and they end up in a storm and the wind is blowing, the waves are crashing, and Jesus comes out there to them walking on the water. 00:05:08.560 --> 00:05:10.240 The miracle he's walking on the water. 00:05:10.399 --> 00:05:15.600 And Peter looks at him and he says, If that's really you, Jesus, tell me to get out of this boat and walk out there to you on the water. 00:05:15.839 --> 00:05:16.959 Jesus gave him one word. 00:05:17.040 --> 00:05:17.759 He said, Come. 00:05:17.920 --> 00:05:22.240 Peter steps out of the boat and is literally walking on the water to go to Jesus. 00:05:22.399 --> 00:05:24.720 Somebody shout, Peter's walking in a miracle. 00:05:25.759 --> 00:05:26.399 No, you didn't shout. 00:05:26.560 --> 00:05:27.920 Shout Peter's walking in a miracle. 00:05:28.879 --> 00:05:29.600 Now here's the problem. 00:05:29.680 --> 00:05:34.079 Peter's walking in a miracle and he's headed toward Jesus, but then he gets distracted. 00:05:34.639 --> 00:05:38.480 He gets distracted because he's looking at the results of the wind blowing. 00:05:38.639 --> 00:05:41.600 He's listening to the waves crashing all around him. 00:05:41.680 --> 00:05:51.439 And because he got his eyes off of Jesus and started looking at the circumstance, he started to sink and his miracle was falling behind. 00:05:51.839 --> 00:05:57.279 Thing I love about God, though, is even when we start sinking, God will still reach out and grab us right where we are. 00:05:58.480 --> 00:06:03.040 So Jesus reached out, he grabs him and pulls him back into his miracle. 00:06:03.199 --> 00:06:13.279 When I told you last week, the primary reason that allows any of us to get tripped up by distractions is when we take our eyes off of Jesus. 00:06:14.399 --> 00:06:18.879 In fact, I go so far as I say it's impossible to get distracted with our eyes on Jesus. 00:06:19.120 --> 00:06:22.879 Now notice I didn't say as long as we come to church, we're gonna be fine. 00:06:23.439 --> 00:06:27.360 Because the truth of the matter is, you can come to church and still not have your eyes on Jesus. 00:06:28.160 --> 00:06:33.040 Truth of the matter is you can still be serving in church and not have your eyes on Jesus. 00:06:33.279 --> 00:06:34.560 Can I take it a step further? 00:06:34.800 --> 00:06:40.240 You can be standing on a stage preaching to everybody else and still not have God as your priority anymore. 00:06:41.199 --> 00:06:42.000 It happens all the time. 00:06:42.079 --> 00:06:44.399 People get to the place where God used to be their priority. 00:06:44.560 --> 00:06:50.399 They used to care about people, then they get caught in money, get caught in pride, get caught in the fame and success of ministry. 00:06:50.560 --> 00:06:54.879 So it's not enough just to be in the building around the stuff. 00:06:55.120 --> 00:07:03.120 We have to make sure in our lives that every single day we just do an audit to make sure there's nothing and nobody that's starting to compete with Jesus. 00:07:21.040 --> 00:07:22.879 Can I get a good amen somebody? 00:07:23.279 --> 00:07:29.759 Now we've I told you that there are four different weapons that I believe the enemy uses to distract the masses. 00:07:29.839 --> 00:07:36.560 Now, I could easily give you 15 weapons, but there are four in particular that I think he uses against all of us at different times. 00:07:36.639 --> 00:07:42.079 And last week we told you about this concept called the strange woman or the strange man. 00:07:42.240 --> 00:07:44.560 Anybody run into a strange woman or a strange man this week? 00:07:47.360 --> 00:07:50.959 Anyone realize you actually might be that strange man we're talking about? 00:07:53.199 --> 00:07:58.160 Well, we told you this concept about the strange man or the strange woman that's all throughout the book of Proverbs. 00:07:58.319 --> 00:08:08.079 King Solomon is the one who's credited with writing the book of Proverbs, and not once or twice, but listen, eight different times he warns us about the strange woman. 00:08:08.240 --> 00:08:12.000 And I don't mean he gave us a scripture here, there, eight different times in the book of Proverbs. 00:08:12.160 --> 00:08:22.079 It's only 31 chapters, eight different times he gives us long passages telling us what she looks like, how to avoid her, what she's gonna try to do, what the end result's gonna be. 00:08:22.160 --> 00:08:27.360 Which means, watch this, he is well versed in understanding the dangers of the strange woman. 00:08:27.519 --> 00:08:31.839 The crazy part is he warned us and then didn't take his own advice. 00:08:34.399 --> 00:08:40.879 The man ended up having 700 wives and 300 concubines, girlfriends. 00:08:41.519 --> 00:08:43.200 That's a thousand women. 00:08:44.240 --> 00:08:51.679 Every time a woman walked by someone, 700 wives, 300 concubines, let watch it. 00:08:52.159 --> 00:08:57.039 Yet he had the wisdom to tell us that getting caught up with the wrong woman can mess your life up. 00:08:58.240 --> 00:08:59.440 Trying to teach you a lesson right here. 00:08:59.519 --> 00:09:00.480 Listen, here's a lesson. 00:09:00.639 --> 00:09:03.200 We don't get credit for simply knowing the truth. 00:09:03.840 --> 00:09:07.919 Our lives are only transformed when we govern them by the truth. 00:09:11.120 --> 00:09:11.679 Not enough to spat. 00:09:11.840 --> 00:09:13.440 I can I can quote scripture, I can tell you all that. 00:09:13.600 --> 00:09:15.600 Hey, I don't get credit for just what I know. 00:09:15.679 --> 00:09:17.519 I get credit for what I know and do. 00:09:18.320 --> 00:09:22.639 Come on, that means I gotta I gotta not just be a hearer of the word, I gotta be a doer of the word. 00:09:23.039 --> 00:09:23.759 What does that mean? 00:09:23.840 --> 00:09:24.879 Every time, hear me out. 00:09:25.039 --> 00:09:30.879 Every time you show up at church, every time God puts you in a position to receive the word, we should always hear the word through this filter. 00:09:30.960 --> 00:09:33.200 Lord, what is it you need me to know about this word? 00:09:33.840 --> 00:09:37.679 Now don't sit and listen to the word for your neighbor or so-and-so really need to be here for this. 00:09:38.080 --> 00:09:44.240 Every time we hear the word, we need to hear it, asking ourselves a question, Lord, what about me do I need to adjust? 00:09:44.399 --> 00:09:47.200 Now there's there's some message that hits you right between the eyes. 00:09:47.360 --> 00:09:51.120 Some of them may not be right for you, but there's still a lesson in there that we can learn. 00:09:51.279 --> 00:09:59.440 But we gotta always have the mindset when I leave here today, I'm going to not just hear a good word, I'm walking out of here to do something with that good word. 00:10:02.720 --> 00:10:08.639 One of why I says last week when we talked about the strange man or woman, that dealt with distractions that come from the outside. 00:10:08.799 --> 00:10:12.240 And I warned you about paying attention to the distractions coming from the outside. 00:10:12.399 --> 00:10:20.960 This week, however, I want to address a distraction that doesn't come from the outside, it comes from the inside through emotional baggage. 00:10:24.080 --> 00:10:25.200 Emotional baggage. 00:10:25.279 --> 00:10:28.960 Now let me just set you free because I want you to think here that we're just talking about your situation. 00:10:29.120 --> 00:10:31.200 All of us have some emotional baggage. 00:10:32.240 --> 00:10:36.559 All of us, if you're more than a year and a half old, you got some emotional baggage. 00:10:37.360 --> 00:10:45.919 Because intentionally, accidentally, just walking through life, we have the potential to pick up some emotional baggage. 00:10:46.080 --> 00:10:50.240 Here's the thing, though, we don't always realize the price of carrying that emotional baggage. 00:10:51.519 --> 00:11:08.000 That's why God is constantly working with us to get us healed, to let us bring these things to the altar, let us know God, find some freedom, because He doesn't want us to let all this emotional baggage sabotage our relationship, distort who He really created us to be, because there's a price tag for carrying that extra baggage. 00:11:08.159 --> 00:11:21.679 It's kind of like what happens when you know you've probably been here with you at the airport and you stand in line to get ready to check your bag and get on the plane and you're standing behind this one person, they get to the, they're getting ready to go to the counter, and you can look at that bag, you say, Oh, that bag heavy. 00:11:23.039 --> 00:11:26.399 I mean, sometimes you get to see that bag heavy, even with the way they're pulling it. 00:11:26.559 --> 00:11:30.480 And then they got the little expanded zipper thing, it's already out, it's bulging. 00:11:30.799 --> 00:11:42.559 When they get to the front, they tell them put a ball, put put your bag up here on the scale, and they do this boom, and they put it up there, and you see that little scale thing, it's going 71 pounds. 00:11:43.039 --> 00:11:44.320 Then they try to flex a little bit. 00:11:44.399 --> 00:11:46.799 Oh, don't worry about it, I'll just pay the extra cost for it. 00:11:46.879 --> 00:11:48.000 I I need all this stuff. 00:11:48.159 --> 00:11:50.000 Then all of a sudden they tell them$200. 00:11:51.759 --> 00:12:00.720 Then you know what happens later, they lay that thing down, they unzip, they they don't care, they don't care who's around, they're pulling drawers out of there and shoes out of there, right? 00:12:01.039 --> 00:12:10.240 Because I said all of a sudden, when I start realizing what it costs me to have this extra baggage, it was all fun and game, so I realized it's costing me now. 00:12:10.480 --> 00:12:11.919 And just like that, watch that. 00:12:12.080 --> 00:12:23.679 I'm telling you, it's costing us to walk around with all this extra emotional baggage and not bringing it to the altar to be honest about it and letting God heal our hearts. 00:12:24.000 --> 00:12:25.919 Give me an amen, somebody. 00:12:27.039 --> 00:12:28.080 You say, What's the cause? 00:12:28.159 --> 00:12:29.279 This is this is one of them right here. 00:12:29.360 --> 00:12:32.879 We cannot move forward while we're dragging unresolved pain from the past. 00:12:35.039 --> 00:12:40.399 We cannot move forward while we're dragging unresolved emotional pain. 00:12:40.639 --> 00:12:45.679 While I'm pulling all this pain from the past is going to slow me down from moving forward with God. 00:12:45.919 --> 00:12:47.919 Hebrews 12, 1 says it this way. 00:12:48.080 --> 00:12:58.399 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down. 00:12:58.879 --> 00:13:03.840 Especially, watch this, the sin that so easily trips us up. 00:13:04.000 --> 00:13:08.240 And let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us. 00:13:08.480 --> 00:13:13.759 The Bible here, the writer of Hebrews, is describing this life that we live like a race. 00:13:13.919 --> 00:13:20.480 And he tells us in this race called life that there are two different types of distractions that he uses here that can trip us up. 00:13:20.639 --> 00:13:24.720 One of them he calls just the sin that so easily trips us up. 00:13:24.879 --> 00:13:42.480 And if I can describe what that really is, it's having an understanding that every one of us in here, including me at the stage, you on the back row, you in the overflow room, you on online, every one of us has an area or two in our lives where we are more vulnerable than other areas. 00:13:43.840 --> 00:13:44.639 Now hear me out. 00:13:44.720 --> 00:13:46.960 I'm not saying that you gotta keep messing up in that area. 00:13:47.600 --> 00:13:49.440 It can't be, well, I just more vulnerable in there. 00:13:49.600 --> 00:13:50.559 That's why I keep messing up. 00:13:50.639 --> 00:13:54.080 It can be an area that we're more vulnerable in, but we don't have to give in to it. 00:13:55.440 --> 00:13:59.200 It can be an area that we're more vulnerable to, but we don't have to struggle with it. 00:13:59.360 --> 00:14:03.039 It can be an area in our lives like sexual immorality. 00:14:03.279 --> 00:14:04.639 It could be pride. 00:14:04.879 --> 00:14:06.720 Your issue might be anger. 00:14:06.960 --> 00:14:10.320 Your issue might be I would never fall into sexual temptation, but you gossip. 00:14:10.399 --> 00:14:12.720 You like to talk about stuff you got no business talking about. 00:14:13.039 --> 00:14:16.000 Your area might not be any of those, but maybe you complain a lot. 00:14:16.080 --> 00:14:20.240 You're always murmuring, you're always fault-finding, always finding the negative thing. 00:14:20.480 --> 00:14:25.200 Maybe your area of greater temptation is, you know, I would never do any of those things. 00:14:25.279 --> 00:14:28.240 You know, I keep myself pure, but you're a lie in a minute. 00:14:31.039 --> 00:14:33.679 Let somebody back you into a corner, you don't feel like you got a way out. 00:14:33.759 --> 00:14:35.440 Boop, just pop out a good lie. 00:14:37.039 --> 00:14:39.360 Maybe it's not lying, it's deception. 00:14:40.000 --> 00:14:41.360 You know what deception is deception. 00:14:41.440 --> 00:14:47.120 Well, I didn't say it actually, but I said enough to leave you thinking this is what it was. 00:14:49.200 --> 00:14:53.039 Maybe it's stealing or thievery, just taking little things that don't belong to you. 00:14:53.200 --> 00:14:56.399 What I'm saying is, I'm not trying to judge you because I got my own areas. 00:14:56.559 --> 00:15:02.720 What I'm saying is every one of us in here has an area in our life that we tend to be more vulnerable to. 00:15:02.879 --> 00:15:04.000 And what does that mean for us? 00:15:04.080 --> 00:15:09.600 It means, watch this, when you when you're honest enough to identify your area, you have to recognize I can't play with that. 00:15:10.879 --> 00:15:19.440 I don't toy around with that, I don't give any room to the devil because that is for me the sin that can so easily trip me up if I give the devil space. 00:15:19.840 --> 00:15:25.840 Now, the other area he said, or other distraction he said, is something called the weight that slows us down. 00:15:26.240 --> 00:15:28.960 Which means it's not a sin, but it's a weight. 00:15:29.120 --> 00:15:35.200 It's a weight that slows us down and stops us from operating at our God pace. 00:15:35.600 --> 00:15:38.480 God has a pace he wants us to run in his life. 00:15:38.720 --> 00:15:42.000 He's got things he wants us to accomplish, places he wants us to go. 00:15:42.159 --> 00:15:45.840 And if we don't watch it, there are weights and things that can hold us down. 00:15:46.000 --> 00:15:47.039 It's baggage. 00:15:47.279 --> 00:15:54.799 And we've just been living our lives for so long, and we get hurt, we get offended, we get wounded, and before we know it, we we picked up some emotional baggage. 00:15:55.120 --> 00:16:01.440 And at first it doesn't really bother us, it doesn't really distort anything because it's just a little bag, and I can still move at a good pace. 00:16:01.679 --> 00:16:08.799 But the problem is when I keep living my life like that and I keep picking up more baggage, I quit a job and they they didn't do me like I thought they should have. 00:16:08.879 --> 00:16:10.879 And before I know it, I don't resolve that right. 00:16:10.960 --> 00:16:12.000 I got more baggage. 00:16:12.639 --> 00:16:15.919 Then you look up, and man, me and my best friend had a fallen out. 00:16:16.480 --> 00:16:19.360 Then you look up and I had a loved one that passed away. 00:16:19.840 --> 00:16:28.399 Now I'm in my 30s and my 40s, and I don't even realize it, but my whole personality has changed because I'm carrying around all this extra weight. 00:16:30.080 --> 00:16:34.559 Then before you know it, I just start collecting stuff I wasn't even trying to collect. 00:16:34.720 --> 00:16:39.039 And I look up and I got more baggage, and then I'm trying to run my race. 00:16:39.120 --> 00:16:46.000 I'm praying all these prayers that don't seem to be answered, things seem to not be working out for me, and I'm mad at God blaming everybody else. 00:16:46.080 --> 00:16:52.399 But the real problem is you've gotten saddled down with all this extra emotional baggage and weight. 00:16:53.120 --> 00:17:03.039 And until you make a decision to go to baggage claims and reckon I got the wrong bag. 00:17:03.120 --> 00:17:04.720 That ain't even my bag. 00:17:08.640 --> 00:17:17.440 And start getting, come on, getting rid of some of this stuff that God never intended for you to have. 00:17:21.039 --> 00:17:28.079 Once we start to unload all that extra emotional baggage, now we can get back to what God really wants to do in our lives. 00:17:28.240 --> 00:17:31.200 You ought to give God a good shout and the praise right there. 00:17:34.400 --> 00:17:44.240 So now there's several different types of emotional baggage I can talk about, but there are four in particular that I really do believe that the enemy uses to bring distraction to the masses. 00:17:44.480 --> 00:17:48.559 The first piece of emotional baggage is something called disappointment. 00:17:50.480 --> 00:17:54.559 Disappointment is when life didn't turn out the way you expected. 00:17:56.000 --> 00:18:01.279 If we don't watch, we can find ourselves carrying around the baggage of disappointment. 00:18:01.599 --> 00:18:03.279 If we don't watch, we can we can be saddled. 00:18:03.680 --> 00:18:07.440 You don't even see it, but every the way you look at life, everybody else can see disappointment all over you. 00:18:07.759 --> 00:18:14.640 Your language has changed, your expectations have changed, the way you talk about other people, even try to discourage them for it might not work. 00:18:14.720 --> 00:18:19.599 Well, I wouldn't get too excited about that because it might, but that's not really you talking, that's disappointment talking. 00:18:20.799 --> 00:18:23.599 People be quick to tell you how your dream can't work. 00:18:24.000 --> 00:18:26.799 Well, just because you didn't do it don't mean I can't do it. 00:18:28.640 --> 00:18:30.640 You still there or you gone home already? 00:18:31.200 --> 00:18:33.680 Let me let me define again for you what disappointment is. 00:18:33.839 --> 00:18:44.480 Disappointment is the gap between what I expected, what I hoped for, what I believe was gonna happen, and the reality of how things actually turned out. 00:18:45.680 --> 00:18:46.480 That's the gap. 00:18:46.640 --> 00:18:48.400 Every one of us experiences it. 00:18:48.640 --> 00:18:49.920 Sometimes there's a little disappointment. 00:18:50.160 --> 00:18:55.359 You go to a restaurant, everybody hypes it up, says how good it's gonna be, and you had your expectation here, then the food wasn't that. 00:18:55.519 --> 00:18:56.079 I'm disappointed. 00:18:56.160 --> 00:18:58.400 Girl, that way that food wasn't even nothing, nothing like they said. 00:18:59.920 --> 00:19:02.400 Maybe the food was good, but the service was bad. 00:19:02.640 --> 00:19:04.400 Well, see, that that's a little disappointment. 00:19:04.480 --> 00:19:05.359 We can shake that off. 00:19:05.599 --> 00:19:13.519 But what about when you look up and you're 37 and you thought by now I'd be married, and I plan this out, I have kids already in. 00:19:14.079 --> 00:19:24.319 And then you know you start looking around and your girlfriend has gotten married, and this friend's got married, and you thought we'd be raising our kids together, and and the enemy starts whispering in your ear, telling you that it's never gonna work out for you. 00:19:24.880 --> 00:19:27.599 Come on, if you if you don't watch it, come on, somebody. 00:19:27.839 --> 00:19:35.680 If you don't watch it, the distance between what you thought, how you felt, what you believed for, and what your reality is right now can become a gulf. 00:19:35.839 --> 00:19:43.440 And if you start focusing so much on what you don't have yet, what hasn't worked out yet, it can absolutely change your expectation. 00:19:43.920 --> 00:19:54.160 And if we don't pay attention to it and do something about it, disappointment ends up being so dangerous because disappointment will quietly reshape your expectation. 00:19:57.359 --> 00:19:59.519 Bible says this in Proverbs 13:12. 00:19:59.599 --> 00:20:03.279 It says, When hope is crushed, your whole heart gets crushed. 00:20:03.839 --> 00:20:07.119 But a wish come true can fill you with joy. 00:20:08.079 --> 00:20:08.880 That's God. 00:20:10.799 --> 00:20:12.720 I like this one from the message Bible. 00:20:12.799 --> 00:20:16.319 It says, Unrelenting disappointment will leave you heartsick. 00:20:16.640 --> 00:20:21.680 Watch this, but a sudden good break can turn your whole life around. 00:20:23.279 --> 00:20:28.319 I wish I had somebody in here that believed that God actually knows how to bring a sudden good break. 00:20:28.640 --> 00:20:32.240 Come on, I didn't say an eventual good break, I mean a sudden good break. 00:20:32.480 --> 00:20:42.559 I wish somebody had enough faith and confidence in God that even if you're sitting in the middle of some disappointment right now, you got the belief in your heart that God could step in at any given moment. 00:20:42.799 --> 00:20:45.680 He could turn that around even before this year is out. 00:20:45.759 --> 00:20:46.160 Come on. 00:20:46.240 --> 00:20:51.680 I wish somebody believed that before this afternoon that God could step in and do a miracle for you. 00:20:51.759 --> 00:20:56.000 And the thing that has had you sad could turn around and you can now become glad. 00:20:56.240 --> 00:21:03.200 The thing that had you down in the dump, you can begin to shout and rejoice because your God is amazing. 00:21:04.880 --> 00:21:08.079 See, sometimes we get stuck coming to church and I'm waiting on a word. 00:21:08.160 --> 00:21:09.759 You got a word already. 00:21:10.000 --> 00:21:11.279 You know what you need to do now? 00:21:11.440 --> 00:21:12.880 Stir your behind up. 00:21:13.119 --> 00:21:15.680 You need to make yourself believe, like David said. 00:21:15.920 --> 00:21:18.720 Oh my soul, put your trust in God. 00:21:18.880 --> 00:21:25.680 You need to remind yourself I served a God who opens red seas, I serve a God who sends manna from heaven. 00:21:25.839 --> 00:21:28.480 I served a God who protects his people. 00:21:31.200 --> 00:21:31.759 You know what? 00:21:32.000 --> 00:21:38.079 You can get so stuck with your eyes on what hasn't worked that you forget God has still been good to you. 00:21:38.880 --> 00:21:44.079 In fact, I think about 15 people ought to jump up and give God a hallelujah, anyhow. 00:21:45.839 --> 00:21:48.160 I said a hallelujah, anyhow. 00:21:48.640 --> 00:21:51.759 Even when it hasn't worked out, I still praise you. 00:21:52.079 --> 00:21:54.720 I will bless the Lord at all times. 00:21:54.960 --> 00:21:58.640 His praise shall continually be in my mouth. 00:22:01.599 --> 00:22:04.880 Don't you dare let the devil poke you out and make you get quiet. 00:22:05.359 --> 00:22:13.200 Because you're looking at what hasn't worked out when God's been blessing you and keeping you and providing for you and protecting you. 00:22:17.359 --> 00:22:19.200 Stir yourself up. 00:22:23.839 --> 00:22:28.640 Last thing you can afford to do is wait for your circumstances to change for you to finally get happy. 00:22:29.279 --> 00:22:32.559 No, it don't take any faith to wait till you see something. 00:22:32.799 --> 00:22:35.839 It takes faith to praise God when I have no idea. 00:22:37.039 --> 00:22:40.319 I don't have an idea how he's gonna do it. 00:22:40.640 --> 00:22:42.400 But I still believe him. 00:22:44.960 --> 00:22:46.960 Give me an amen, somebody. 00:22:50.000 --> 00:22:55.519 See, the thing about disappointment is that disappointment is always trying to stir you up to action. 00:22:56.640 --> 00:23:02.400 It wants to stir your emotion to make you move and do something in a fit of emotion. 00:23:02.960 --> 00:23:04.000 Listen to this. 00:23:04.319 --> 00:23:12.640 Never trust yourself to make a life-altering decision during a season of emotional pain. 00:23:18.400 --> 00:23:22.400 If you're going through emotional pain, you need to say, I don't trust myself, I don't trust myself right now. 00:23:22.880 --> 00:23:23.759 I don't trust myself. 00:23:23.839 --> 00:23:26.720 I know I'm too emotional, I'm too sad right now, I'm too hurt right now. 00:23:27.119 --> 00:23:29.839 That's not the time to change jobs. 00:23:30.319 --> 00:23:32.720 It's not the time to I heard the Lord say Moose. 00:23:33.039 --> 00:23:34.480 No, you didn't know it was your pain talking. 00:23:35.200 --> 00:23:37.200 You're trying to run from the pain. 00:23:37.359 --> 00:23:40.480 That's not the time to jump into a rebound relationship. 00:23:41.920 --> 00:23:51.279 Guess what's when you're when you're in pain, that's a time to sit still and let God do what only God can do to heal your heart. 00:23:54.160 --> 00:24:00.880 The story over in the Bible, well, all of us know about King David, but before he became King David, he was a little shepherd boy, David. 00:24:01.200 --> 00:24:08.319 One day he comes out to the battlefield and he sees this nine-foot-plus tall giant who's challenging the armies of Israel. 00:24:08.400 --> 00:24:09.359 Nobody's willing to fight him. 00:24:09.680 --> 00:24:10.799 And David said, I'll fight him. 00:24:10.880 --> 00:24:12.559 I mean, God helped me kill a lion and a bear. 00:24:12.640 --> 00:24:14.079 I think he'll help me here too. 00:24:14.319 --> 00:24:20.960 And then David overheard, he said, he heard overheard people talking about what would happen to the guy that killed Goliath. 00:24:21.279 --> 00:24:25.359 And then they said that they'll be free and they'll they won't have his house won't have to pay taxes. 00:24:25.519 --> 00:24:27.599 But then they said something that really got David's attention. 00:24:27.680 --> 00:24:31.440 They say, Whoever kills the Goliath is gonna be able to marry the king's daughter. 00:24:31.920 --> 00:24:33.200 David said, What? 00:24:35.440 --> 00:24:38.240 I'm gonna be in the royal family. 00:24:39.200 --> 00:24:48.559 So you know the story, David goes out and he kills Goliath, and Saul gives him his daughter Macal, M-I-C-H-L, Macal, to marry her. 00:24:48.799 --> 00:24:52.640 And from the beginning, it looks like they're gonna be had this happily ever after. 00:24:52.799 --> 00:24:56.400 Two young people get married, and you know they seem to be in love with each other. 00:24:56.559 --> 00:25:01.599 But then something happens because King Saul was struggling in his own emotional issues. 00:25:01.839 --> 00:25:05.920 And because he's struggling with his own emotional issues, he's constantly trying to kill David. 00:25:06.079 --> 00:25:07.200 He's chasing David. 00:25:07.359 --> 00:25:09.839 David ends up on the run, running from Saul for his life. 00:25:09.920 --> 00:25:11.440 He refuses to dishonor Saul. 00:25:11.519 --> 00:25:15.200 So David's been a man of integrity, but Saul just trying to get back at David. 00:25:15.359 --> 00:25:16.319 Said, I know how to get him. 00:25:16.400 --> 00:25:19.039 So I gave him my daughter, but I'm gonna take her back. 00:25:19.440 --> 00:25:24.880 He takes his daughter back from David and then gives her to another man that she wasn't even in love with. 00:25:25.200 --> 00:25:36.480 So now this young girl that was bright-eyed, optimistic, believes she had the whole world ahead of her, all of a sudden now she's been taken from her husband, disappointed. 00:25:36.640 --> 00:25:41.279 She's been given to some other man, disappointed, and it starts to change who she is. 00:25:41.680 --> 00:25:47.039 Then if that's to make matters worse, her dad and brothers go out to battle one day, they all get killed. 00:25:47.359 --> 00:25:49.920 David comes, takes over, and becomes a new king. 00:25:50.000 --> 00:25:52.799 And when the first thing David says, I'm going back to get my bride. 00:25:53.039 --> 00:25:54.480 He goes back looking for Mikhail. 00:25:54.559 --> 00:25:59.039 The problem is though, watch this because disappointment has kicked in, she's a different Mikkel. 00:26:00.400 --> 00:26:09.440 The woman that he goes back to get is no longer optimistic, no longer believes we can conquer the world, no longer sees how great God can be in spite of what we've gone through. 00:26:09.599 --> 00:26:14.319 Now she's pessimistic, she's negative, she's sarcastic, she's jealous. 00:26:14.720 --> 00:26:19.119 And David has a totally different woman because disappointment has reshaped her expectation. 00:26:20.079 --> 00:26:26.480 One day David goes out and the Ark of the Covenant, which represents the anointing and the power of God, this box that they had. 00:26:26.640 --> 00:26:29.039 And the Ark of Covenant had been taken away. 00:26:29.279 --> 00:26:31.680 David finds out where it is, he goes to retrieve it. 00:26:31.839 --> 00:26:34.720 He goes with all his folks to retrieve it, and he's got the anointing. 00:26:35.200 --> 00:26:40.799 I need you to understand, when the anointing of God shows up in your life, it can fix anything that needs to be fixed. 00:26:42.480 --> 00:26:46.880 So David is thrilled, man, because he's no, I'm picking up the Ark of the Covenant. 00:26:46.960 --> 00:26:49.920 If I can get this back to my house, it's getting ready to change some stuff. 00:26:50.079 --> 00:26:56.000 So as he's marching back with the Ark of the Covenant, every few feet, he stops, he starts dancing and praising God. 00:26:56.160 --> 00:27:00.720 He's dancing so hard that his outer garment, his kingly garment on the outside, it comes off. 00:27:00.880 --> 00:27:05.519 And he doesn't even bother to put it back on because he's not focused on appearances. 00:27:05.920 --> 00:27:07.680 He's just concerned about praising God. 00:27:07.759 --> 00:27:10.960 He's praising God all the way every few feet till he gets back home. 00:27:11.119 --> 00:27:15.759 And you would think that his wife should have been out there praising God with him. 00:27:16.480 --> 00:27:19.200 You would think that she would have been out there marching alongside of him. 00:27:19.359 --> 00:27:21.359 Every time he breaks out into a dance, she starts dancing too. 00:27:21.519 --> 00:27:23.039 Look at my baby, we're dancing together. 00:27:23.119 --> 00:27:26.559 But instead, she's at home because she's bitter and disappointed. 00:27:27.119 --> 00:27:29.599 She's looking out the window, and this is what she says. 00:27:29.759 --> 00:27:34.480 Oh, the king out there acting a fool and dancing in front of all those women. 00:27:35.440 --> 00:27:36.880 David's like, What? 00:27:37.359 --> 00:27:40.000 You think I was dancing to impress these women? 00:27:40.240 --> 00:27:42.880 He said, I was dancing to praise God. 00:27:43.200 --> 00:27:46.079 Then he said this, if that bothers you, you ain't seen nothing yet. 00:27:46.160 --> 00:27:47.599 I'm really getting ready to cut her up. 00:27:49.519 --> 00:27:51.920 And then if you go back and read it, um I'm paraphrasing. 00:27:52.000 --> 00:27:55.279 You read the story, some of the saddest words you will ever hear in your life. 00:27:55.440 --> 00:27:59.680 It says, From that day on, Mikal never had a child. 00:28:00.960 --> 00:28:06.559 And it wasn't because God struck her barren, it's because all that disappointment had tainted her heart. 00:28:06.880 --> 00:28:14.079 See, when we when hear me out, that's why the devil is fighting so hard to get you to keep your mind on what hasn't worked out. 00:28:14.319 --> 00:28:20.960 Because if the devil can keep your mind on what hasn't worked out, it can poison the well of your ability to trust God for new stuff. 00:28:23.039 --> 00:28:28.720 God wants you to know, hear me out, just because it hasn't worked out yet doesn't mean it's not still gonna work out. 00:28:30.720 --> 00:28:37.599 All right, so I says, even if it ends up working out in a different way than what you thought, God's got a million and one ways to still bless your life. 00:28:37.839 --> 00:28:40.640 Come on, give him a praise in this place, somebody. 00:28:42.240 --> 00:28:45.759 Here's a second emotional baggage that that can straddle us sometimes. 00:28:45.839 --> 00:28:47.440 It's this thing called grief. 00:28:47.680 --> 00:28:52.480 Grief is when you've lost something or someone that is significant. 00:28:52.799 --> 00:28:58.400 Grief is a real one, man, because it's hard for all of us to wrestle with this thing called grief. 00:28:58.559 --> 00:29:04.799 And grief doesn't just pertain to the death of a loved one, it really can be tied to any significant loss. 00:29:05.200 --> 00:29:14.480 Grief is literally what happens when something meaningful is taken away from us and our heart doesn't know what to do with the absence. 00:29:14.720 --> 00:29:21.200 There's something that's been there, something significant, and it gets taken away, it gets snatched away, it gets lost, whatever the reason. 00:29:21.279 --> 00:29:24.079 And now I got this void in my heart and I don't know what to do with this. 00:29:24.480 --> 00:29:30.880 And it caused such an ache and such a pain that if we don't handle it the right way, it can mess us up moving forward. 00:29:31.200 --> 00:29:39.279 What makes grief so dangerous is that if it doesn't get properly processed, it will get improperly stored. 00:29:45.920 --> 00:29:46.559 I want you to think dude. 00:29:46.640 --> 00:29:47.279 I want you to think through. 00:29:47.359 --> 00:29:49.839 Is there anything in your life right now that you've been grieving? 00:29:50.319 --> 00:29:52.240 Is there somebody you've been grieving? 00:29:52.319 --> 00:29:52.880 It's natural. 00:29:52.960 --> 00:29:54.319 Don't think something's wrong with you. 00:29:54.559 --> 00:30:01.920 But I'm saying we gotta process it the right way because if we don't process it properly, we will store it improperly. 00:30:02.400 --> 00:30:09.759 Psalm 34, 18 says, The Lord is close to the brokenhearted, and he saves those who are crushed in spirit. 00:30:10.079 --> 00:30:11.200 What are you saying, Pastor? 00:30:11.279 --> 00:30:13.519 I'm saying God is not intimidated by our pain. 00:30:14.160 --> 00:30:19.759 Literally, he's drawn toward our pain, but we gotta be willing, watch this, to yield that pain to him. 00:30:20.720 --> 00:30:22.160 Got to be willing to yield it to him. 00:30:22.480 --> 00:30:23.920 See, understand this, understand this. 00:30:24.000 --> 00:30:36.880 When God was creating Adam and Eve, he's putting all the emotions inside of them to deal with life and to deal with marriage and to deal with children and to deal with expanding the garden, all the stuff he told them to do and dominating and the emotions that Adam needed to sit there all day long and name the animals. 00:30:37.039 --> 00:30:41.359 He gave them everything they needed to do all those things, all the emotional ability. 00:30:41.440 --> 00:30:42.640 They they can handle that. 00:30:42.799 --> 00:30:48.000 What he did not give them though was the emotions that were needed to deal with death. 00:30:48.960 --> 00:30:52.160 He didn't give them the emotions that they needed to properly process death. 00:30:52.240 --> 00:30:52.720 You know why? 00:30:52.799 --> 00:30:54.559 He never planned for man to die. 00:30:55.039 --> 00:31:05.119 He's all knowing, so he knew man would die, but he never gave us the emotional capacity to handle loss and grief and the pain that comes with it. 00:31:05.279 --> 00:31:14.160 Which means this anytime we find ourselves in a posture of grief, the only way to handle it and process it right is we got to take it back to God. 00:31:15.119 --> 00:31:23.599 If we ever try to sit in ourselves and I'm gonna handle this my own way, I'm gonna drink myself out of this, I'm gonna, I'm gonna just sleep myself out of this, I'm gonna just be reckless for a little bit and live life like I want to. 00:31:23.759 --> 00:31:26.559 If we don't process it right, we're gonna store it in the wrong place. 00:31:27.039 --> 00:31:29.519 So, so how do we we do this? 00:31:29.680 --> 00:31:38.640 We gotta recognize this that God does not rush us through the process of grief, but he also doesn't want us to build a house right there in our grief. 00:31:40.720 --> 00:31:41.359 Amen. 00:31:42.000 --> 00:31:43.119 I said, Amen. 00:31:43.839 --> 00:31:45.279 So what does that mean for us? 00:31:45.359 --> 00:31:46.720 How do we process grief the right way? 00:31:46.880 --> 00:31:48.640 First of all, we gotta acknowledge it. 00:31:49.200 --> 00:31:51.039 We gotta be honest about the pain. 00:31:52.160 --> 00:31:56.400 If you're going through grief right now, don't feel like a person of faith or you're the rock in the family. 00:31:56.480 --> 00:31:58.799 So I gotta make sure I let everybody know I'm okay. 00:31:59.039 --> 00:32:01.279 Stop pretending that it doesn't hurt. 00:32:02.559 --> 00:32:05.599 If we're gonna process it right, stop minimizing it. 00:32:05.759 --> 00:32:08.640 Stop saying I'm good if you're really not good. 00:32:08.960 --> 00:32:09.359 Why? 00:32:09.680 --> 00:32:13.759