Entering the Promised Land Pt. 1 | Christine Caine

You are worthy. Yes, you are. You are worthy. You are worthy. You are worthy. Glory, honor to you. This is what we're always and forever. Always and forever. Angels cloud angels cry. Holy is the Lord on earth. Always and forever. Always and forever. Glory honor thanks to you. This is what we're made to do. Always and forever. Always and forever. Angels bow and help you cry. Holy is the Lord on high. Always and forever. Always and forever. You deserve the highest praise. Holy is your name. Forever singing you are worthy. You are high and lifted up what you desire. Broken spirit, broken contract heart. Here's my offering, a living sacrifice, pure and holy. All that you require. My heart burns for you. longs for you. Wait for you. Only you. My soul thirsts for you. Years for you. You and you.

[Music] Here's my worship. I pour it out like gold. If you want it, Lord, you can have it all. Lord, you can have it all. My heart burns for you. longs for you. Wait for you. Oh, you my soul thirsts for you. Yearns for you. You and only you. My heart. My heart burns to you, Lord. longs for you. Wait for you. Only for you. My soul thirsts for you. It for you. You and only you. My soul's desire, my spirit cry to know you more. As I come before the altar, Jesus be praise, no gater name, Christ glorified. As I come before the altar, my soul's desire, my spirit cry to know you more. As I come before the altar, Jesus be praised. No greater name. Christ glorified. So we pour it out, pour it out all our praise. We pour it out with lifting p and thankful hearts night and day. We pour it out. Pour it out. Pour it out. All my praise. We pour it out with lifted hands and thankful heart night and day. We pour it out. Pour it out. Pour it out. All our praise. We pour it out with lifted hands and thankful heart. Night and day. My heart burns for you. Long for you. Wait for you. Only you. My soul for you. For you. You and only you.

[Music] Good morning. Welcome to Upper Room Dallas. Um it's just a really um weighty day. I just feel the the Lord's attention and affection shining down on all of us that are connected into what he's doing right now in this season. And we're just grateful that you've chosen in your heart to be here with us. Um, I've just been praying for you guys since I woke up. Well, actually in the middle of the night as well last night. Um, and the Lord kept stirring this verse and I just want to read it over you and then pray for you this morning as we we shift in to our purpose here today. Um, 1 Peter 2:9 says, "But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous marvelous light." There's just there was such a it's like every time I read it today, that word you has been bolded and it's like coming off the page. And I feel like the Lord is speaking to each person individually today that I chose you. I'm pursuing you. You're here on purpose. I have something to say to you that this isn't just a message for everyone, but it is. But it's so individualized the way that it's going to impact people's hearts today. And so I just want to pray for your heart right now as we begin to step into worship as we step into the word that um you would know that you are seen, that you were called, that you were chosen, that there's a purpose for your life, and that he's here to equip you. And so Lord, I thank you for the yeses in people's hearts to be chosen by you to shift into purpose, to shift into identity and to shift into all that's in your heart for for me, for them, for each of us as individuals and then as we come together corporately. So, Holy Spirit, we give you our yes to work in our hearts to allow ourselves to be chosen, to be seen, to be known, and to be sent. And I bless those that are checking in that choosing to be here and connecting with us in Jesus' name. We love you. We invite you to connect with us in so many different platforms, um, prayer rooms open during the week for you to get filled up because he sees you today. And I'm excited for what God's gonna do in your heart. Love you so much.

[Music] Lord, it pleased you to for the ones that you would call [Music] it. How to pray through the pain we come to know. We say hallowed be your name and let your kingdom come. So I open up my hands to receive this better cup. For my daily breath been broken. I am washed by your blood. From Gethsemane up to Calary. You learned obedience [Music] through your suffering. And in the crossing you said not to fear. Lord, it pleased you to end up for the ones that you would call your name.

[Music] I want the type of oil that only comes through crushing. I want the type of glory that only comes through suffering. Oh, this is my heart.

[Music] What's up, Upper Room Dallas? excited to share some news and updates with you guys about some things that are happening in the house for the month of August. We are moving to three services on September 28th at 8:30 a.m., 11:00 a.m., and 5:00 p.m. We're excited about this is a huge step of faith for us as we believe we're making space for his presence to be transforming more lives in this next season. Parents, exciting news. School is right around the corner and with that, Upper Room Academy is moving into its new space this fall. We would love for you to consider and pray about joining this school year. You know, Upoom Academy is not just a normal school. We focus on spiritual formation and your students are saturated in prayer, the word, and the presence of Jesus. It's for ages three all the way up to 7th grade. So again, we would love for you to consider joining us this fall at Upper Room Academy. We also want to announce to you guys Upper Room Academy Littles. This will be our Mother's Day Out program that'll happen at 1911 Wall Street from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays. This will be for littles that are aged from 18 months up to 4 years of age. We would love for you moms to bring your babies, your little ones, and hop into the presence of Jesus with us as we want to create this space to serve you in this season that you're in. Amen. this is for you. This fall, we're going to be kicking back off our men's disciplehip group starting on August 28th from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. where we'll be gathering every Thursday night. We want you to come. If you're a man wanting community, to be strengthened in your relationship with Jesus, to find relationship with one another, this is the space for you. So, you can sign up for this on the Church Center app, and we can't wait to see you there. We have another class that we want to invite you into this fall called The Majesty of the Gospel. It's a 9-week course where we're going to be going through Peter Lewis's book, The Majesty of the Gospel. We're going to look at seven key moments from Jesus's life, where we're going to grow in the truth of what it means to walk in his way, his life, and have a life that's full of abundant grace in him. If this is something that interests you, you can sign up via the Church Center app. These classes will be on Monday night from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in 1911. Hope to see you there. Hey, if you want to stay connected with what God's doing here at Up Room Dallas, one of the ways you can do that is by hopping into our Pathways of Connections class that happens the last Sunday of every month after the morning service. Also too, you can stay connected with us through other avenues like our newsletter, church center app, and the connect table. We love you guys and we're so thankful that you're joining us today.

>> Good morning. Welcome to Upper Room Dallas. We're so glad that you're here. Hey, I just want to remind you guys of a couple of things. Um they just said it in the video, but in case you couldn't hear it, uh we are adding an additional morning service beginning September the 28th. Uh we are full. the Lord um has blessed us tremendously and we want to be faithful in that and make more room for more lives to be transformed. So, beginning September the 28th, we'll have an 8:30 service, an 11 service, and 5:00 p.m. So, we'll have kids church at the 8:30 and the 11. Um so, we encourage you um just to kind of think about that. Think about which service you're going to attend. Think about which service you are going to serve. Amen. All right. Would you guys stand up with me? Uh I was I was praying this morning. I just saw a picture um of of us and as we were worshiping and I just felt like some people this morning might feel like you're drowning a little bit. You might feel overwhelmed. um whether it's anxiety or discord in your marriage or discord in your home or finances. And I feel like, you know, sometimes, you know, when Peter took his eyes off of Jesus, he started to sink a little bit. And I just feel like sometimes we can get into that where we're just feeling overwhelmed and feeling like we're drowning. And I want to read you something out of Psalm 77. And it says, "When the Red Sea saw you, oh God, its waters looked and trembled. The sea quakd to its very depths. The cloud poured down rain. The thunder rumbled in the sky. Your arrows of lightning flashed. Your thunder roared from the whirlwind. The lightning lit up the world. The earth trembled and shook. And I want you to listen to this part. This is verse 19. Your road led through the sea. Your pathway through the mighty waters. a pathway that no one knew was there. And what I want to tell you this morning is that there is a pathway this morning. And maybe you can't see it and the enemy doesn't see it, but the Lord sees it. He knows his pathway this morning. And so, I just want to encourage you to start giving him thanks. You know, when you start giving him thanks, things start to actually fall off of you. There's not room for thanksgiving uh to coexist with our anxiety and our fear. like when we start giving him thanks in our love, things have to leave. And so, Father, I thank you this morning, God, that there is a pathway through the sea that you alone know that is there. So, I thank you, Father. I thank you that you're good. I thank you that you're faithful. So, we just give you thanks this morning, God. We exalt you high above everything that might be uh in our lives that we might be facing. We exalt you above anxiety. We exalt you above finances. We exalt you uh above fear of the future. Father, come and have your way. We just say thank you, God. Tell him thank you. Tell him thank you. Oh, we love you, God.

[Music] [Music] Heat. [Music] [Music] Heat. [Music] [Music] Oh, I thank you for all that you've done. And I thank you for all that you'll do. [Music] And I thank you for all that you've done. Oh, and all that is to come. And all that is to come. Sing that again. Thank you. Oh, and I thank you for all that you've done. [Music] And I thank you for all that you'll do. [Music] I thank you for all that you've done and all that is to come and all that is to come. Oh, how I thank you Lord. [Music] Thank you Lord. See that again. I thank you Lord. Lord thank you for all that you've done. Oh, I thank you for all that you'll do. I thank you for all that you've done. Oh, and all that is to Oh, and all that is to come. Sing that again. I thank you, Lord. I thank you for all that you've done. Thank you for all that you'll do every time. Lord, thank you for all that you've done. Oh, and all that is to come. All that is to come. And I'm so grateful. You're so faithful. You're my Savior, strong and true. And I'm so grateful. You're so faithful. I place all my trust in you.

[Music] [Applause] I thank you and I thank you for all that you [Music] thank you for all that you do. Thank you for all that you [Music] thank you Lord. Thank you for all that you've done. [Music] Thank you for all that you do. Thank you for all that you've done. Oh god. [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] You're so great. You're so my strong. [Music] I'm so I trust in you. Oh, [Music] [Applause] you're the father. You're the peace in all distress. You're the light that breaks the darkness. You're the mighty one, the risen son. You're the se to the drowning. I was lost and you found me. You broke the chains that have bound me. You're the mighty one, the risen son. You're the father to the fatherless. You're the peace in all distress. You're the light is the darkness. You're the mighty one. There is a sun. I was lost without me. You broke [Music] your mighty one. You're safe to try me to come. [Music] [Music] my [Music] so [Music] you [Music] my Heat. [Music] Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Applause] Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. [Music] Yeah. Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] [Applause] Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. [Music] [Applause] Heat. [Music] Thank you. [Music] Heat. [Music] [Applause] [Music] Heat. Heat. [Applause] [Music] [Music] So, you're so I trust you. So, I thank you for all that you've done. [Music] And I thank you for all that you'll do. Oh, thank you for all that you've done. All that is to come and all that is to come. Oh, I thank you for all that you've done.

>> Oh, I thank you for all that you do. And I thank you for all that you've done and all that is to come. And all that is to come. Sing that again. I thank you, Lord. I thank you for all that you come. Oh, I thank you for all that you do. Oh, I thank you for all that you've done and all that is to come and all that is to come [Music] cuz you'll come. Let your glory fall as you respond to us. Spirit array [Music] flood into our thirsty hearts again. Oh, I know you'll come. Oh, you'll come. [Music] Let your glory fall as you respond to us. Spirit rain flood into our thirsty hearts again. I know your faithfulness is like the morning sun when you come. Let your glory fall as we be strong to spirit. Oh spirit rain flooding to our thirsty hearts again. Oh [Music] you come. Let your glory fall as you respond to our spirit spy [Music] hearts again. Come on one more time. Just say thank you. Cuz I thank you for all that. Every time. Every time. Every time. Oh, I thank you for all that you do. Oh, I thank you for all that you done. [Music] for all that you Heat. Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. Heat. [Applause] [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Oh, [Music] heat, heat. [Applause] [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. [Applause] [Music] Heat. [Music] I call you. I call you. [Music] I call you. I call you father. [Music] I call you. I call you father. Come on. Heat. Heat. [Applause] [Music] Heat. Heat. [Applause] [Music] Yeah. Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] [Applause] to the rightous one. [Music] But I call you friend. I call you father. [Music] I call you friend. And I call you father. Oh I call you friend. I call you father. Oh, I call you friend. I call you father. You sing. Oh, no other god can be called. [Music] No other god can be called a friend. No other god can be called redee. No other God's coming back again. And how we love and how we love you, Jesus. [Music] We love your name. And how we love your name, Jesus. You're the beautiful one. We love your name. How we love and how we love your name, Jesus. You're the beautiful one. We love your name. >> And how we love your name, Jesus. You're the beautiful one. We love your name. Oh, how we love you, King of Kings. How we love you. You're the Lord of Lords. How we love you. You're the King of Kings. How we love you. So I call you friend. Oh, when I call you friend, I call you father. Oh, I call you friend. I call you father. Oh, I call you friend. I call you father. Oh, I call you friend. And I call you father. Thank you Jesus. We love the fragrance of your name. [Music] How you come into the room. Jesus, how you call Jesus, we love you. Come on, just tell them this morning. Just tell them. Just tell them. Just tell them. Just tell them. Just tell them. Tell them. Tell them. Jesus, we love you. I call you friend. I call you father and I love your name on my lips. I love your name on my lips. Oh Jesus, I call you friend and I call you father. Oh Jesus, I love your name on my heart. I love your name on my lip soul. Oh, [Applause] heat, heat. [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] ever living God. Jesus Christ is the one true living God. Jesus Christ is the one true living God and there is no other. There is no other. Oh, we say to you, you're the one true God. [Music] You're the one true God. You're the one true God. You're the one true God. And there is there is the one true God. [Music] You're the one true God. Jesus Christ. You're the one true. [Applause] There is no [Applause] [Music] There is no go. Heat. Heat. [Music] [Applause] Heat. Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Applause] Heat. Heat. [Applause] Heat. [Applause] Heat. [Applause] [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] Yeah. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Oh, I call you. I call you. There's one. [Applause] [Music] Oh god. [Applause] There is no There is no other. There is no other. >> There is no other. There is no other. No other god can be called redeemer. No other god can be called a friend. [Music] No other god can be called a father. [Music] And no other god's coming back again. [Applause] Cuz you're the one true living God. [Music] You're the one true living God. You're the one true living. You're my God. You're the one true living. There is no other. There is no other. There is [Music] no can be called my Father, no other God can be called my friend. No other God can be called redeemer. No other God coming back again. [Music] No can be called far. No other god can be called a far. No other god can be called redee. No other god coming back. [Applause] You're the one true. [Music] [Applause] [Music] Jesus [Music] I love [Music] fragrance of your name. forth in my heart. [Music] >> Yes, >> Jesus. I love the fragrance. [Music] Fragrance of your name. poured forth in my heart. I love the way you move so tenderly upon my heart. I love the way you look. You just walk to the ground. [Music] He is love. I'm afraid afraid of you. Pour forth in my heart. [Music] Jesus. Jesus [Music] I love your fragrance [Music] of me pour forth in my heart. [Music] I love the way you so tenderly upon my heart. I love the way you love. You just walk into [Music] Jesus. [Music] I love the free [Music] song. [Music] Oh, for my heart. Sing his name. Jesus. Oh Jesus. [Music] How love [Music] face [Music] [Applause] forth from my heart. Sing that again. Just focus on his name. Oh Jesus, [Music] I love the [Music] so [Music] my heart. I love the way you love the way you [Music] [Applause] [Music] Heat. Heat. [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] You just want to [Music] heat. [Music] [Applause] Heat. Heat. Heat. [Music] [Applause] Heat. Heat. [Applause] Heat. Heat. [Applause] Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. [Applause] [Music] [Applause] Oh, [Music] [Music] heat, heat. [Applause] Oh, [Applause] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] heat, heat. Heat. Heat. [Applause] [Music] [Applause] Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Applause] Heat. Heat. [Music] Heat. Heat. [Applause] Yeah. Heat. [Applause] [Applause] [Music] Heat. Heat. [Music] [Applause] Heat. Heat. [Applause] Heat. Heat. [Applause] [Music] [Applause] Yeah. Heat. [Applause] [Music] Heat. Heat. [Applause] [Music] Heat. Heat. [Applause] [Music] Yeah. Heat. [Music] [Applause] You better than the sons of man. [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] I call you friend. I call you father. I call you friend. I call you father. I call you friend. I call you father. I call you friend. I call you father. If you would, I I'd love for everyone to close your eyes. And I want Jayla, would you just lead us in that quickly? That I want us to all just look him in the eyes. Tell him, "I call you a friend. I call you father. >> I call you father." >> It's very personal. >> Oh, I call you friend. I call you father. Oh, I call you friend. I call you father. >> Thank you. >> I call you friend. I call you father. >> What a privilege Lord. Thank you. What a gift. >> I call you friend. I call you friend. >> Tell you thank you. Thank you. Thank you. >> I call you friend. I call you father. >> We find our identity in you today, God. >> I call you friend. I call you father. >> What a good father. >> And I love the way. >> We love you, Lord. >> So tenderly upon. >> We love you, Jesus. heart. I love the way you >> Thank you, Jesus. >> You just walk into the room. >> We thank you for being here. Thank you. >> You're not far off. You're not distant. You're not an idea. >> You're here. and we thank you. We love that you're here. We love to be in your presence. We love to be where you are. We love to hear your word. And we love to worship you. We love We love you, Lord. We thank you Jesus for making a way for us to call the creator of the universe father. [Music] Be glorified here today, Jesus. Receive the reward of your suffering. Many sons and daughters calling out to the father. We give you all praise and all glory in Jesus name. Amen. Amen. Amen. Thank you guys. We're going to enter into communion. So, if you'll grab your elements, you hopefully got one when you walked in. Yeah, if you would take your elements. Um we're going to start with the bread and uh just want to keep this posture of adoration to the Lord and maybe direct your thoughts um to each one of um the the bread and the the wine. Uh and as you come, if you would take your bread out. Um and was thinking about um a lesson I learned this morning um just around the condition of my heart and how uh how much I need the Lord to father me and to feed me. Uh he says this is true food. And uh I was I was at the R Raleigh airport this morning at um to make an early flight to get here. And uh I don't know about you, but I I like to show up right on time. And so I I had my my my plan. I needed to return a rental car and hit the gate. And um so I went to the the Herz deal and parked my car and I got in the shuttle and I met Carl and uh Carl was pretty chatty. He wasn't in a hurry to get anywhere. Um and he asked me um you know what what what airline are you? And I told him the airline and you know assuming he knows the airport. And so he keeps talking and talking and finally take off and drops me off at the terminal. got the TS line, TSA line. It was a little longer than I thought, which wasn't working according to my plan. And uh I got to the TSA line and I gave her my my pass and she said, "Are you coming in here to eat food?" And I said, "No, I'm coming to catch a flight." And she said, "Oh, you're actually in Terminal 3. It's terminal one." And uh and I was like, "Carl." And I get my bag and I'm trekking across. I TSA line was a little longer. I was Southwest. I had an an A pass. We love the Apass. And by the time I got there, I was at the back of the bus and the C pass. And so I barely make the flight and I sit down and I whip out my Herz app and I'm like, Carl, you know, like he needs to know Southwest is in terminal one. And about that time, Lesa texts me and she says, how's it going? And you know, did you make your flight? And I'm like, "Let me tell you," you know, I started kind of texting it out and she wrote this phrase. She said, "Lord, we forgive him." And I was like, "Oh, [Music] I was in such a tizzy, you know, and and and what's wild is I've been meditating on this scripture out of Proverbs chapter 19:1, and it says that it says a a person's wisdom yields patience, and it's one's glory to overlook looking a fence. [Laughter] >> I was like, "Oh god, I love Carl." You know, like like all of a sudden I'm totally different lens of Carl and I'm just so aware of how aware I am of me >> and and how much I need to grow and and understanding, you know, the first nature of love. love is patient. And so I just felt like the father the Lord was fathering me on the plane like walking me through all the Carl's in my life. And and I think we all have that, you know, like like justify. You're not Carl. >> This is not Carl. Um >> but I just I think sometimes we you know we we need the Lord to father us. And when I think of this table and the bread, um, you know, he says we need to discern the body rightly. We need to judge the body, right? He says, "For this reason, some of you are sick, weak, and dying." And I think we we do need to discern this is, you know, Jesus said, uh, this is my body. And so, we need to discern what his body went through. But one of the themes that I've heard some fathers talk about recently is also discerning the body of Christ. That that we are the body of Christ. And one of the things we need to discern is how we're loving one another. And and when I think of the bread, you know, Jesus was born in the house of bread. That's Bethlehem. And uh and and bread, bread, the theme of bread is forgiveness. Give us this day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. And so as we come to the table uh around the bread and you're receiving the bread, I I would want you to discern the body rightly. As you receive his body, I I just want you to discern your relationships rightly. And and I feel in my heart, like for me obviously, is growing in patience with others. And and and that's a that's right in line with forgiveness. forgiveness is daily. It's ongoing. And so as you receive this bread, I I want you to also see maybe you giving this bread to someone that it's right now hard to overlook that offense. Um because we need to bear with one another and forgive one another. As he's forgiven us, we forgive one another. And so as you come to the table, I want you to bring your cars. I want you to bring your relationships to this table and just allow the Lord to evaluate your heart. How your heart's postured towards your spouse. Maybe it's a family member. Maybe it's a friend. Maybe it's a co-orker. Can I just ask the Holy Spirit right now to just Lord search us as we receive our daily bread today. And if there's any one we need to forgive, Lord, I pray right now we could see the forgiveness that you've given us. the patience that you've demonstrated towards us and that we could receive Lord your forgiveness and bear Lord the fruit of your patience in our hearts and extend that to someone else. And so would any offense Lord just be surrendered at this table. Any any just accounting that we've done of rights and wrongs. You said love keeps no records of wrongs. And so I pray Lord that you would feed us your body. that body that was broken for us. By your stripes, we're healed. And I do believe that's physical, but also relational. And that can begin today in your heart by just letting that person off the hook. Let it be your glory to overlook an offense this morning. Lord, grow us in love. And so, if you would just say, "Thank you, Jesus, for your broken body. Thank you for your forgiveness. And Lord, if there's anyone I need to forgive, would you just bring them to mind now? Just just anyone, Lord. And Lord, would we would we give what we've received as we take this freely? You've received, now freely give, Lord. Thank you for your body. Receive the body of Christ. [Music] Thank you, Lord.

>> You know, what the Lord laid on my heart is, I think, goes right along with what Michael just shared. But I want to remind you, this meal reminds me that it's good to need God. Because sometimes in my religious mindset, I can start to think that I should I should I should I should live in such a way that I I don't that I've I'm doing it all right. So I don't need him. But he wanted me to need him. >> He's happy to be needed by you. He wanted to wash you. Even his disciples who were walking with him for three years daily, he told Peter, "Unless you let me wash you, he wants to wash you. So, I just want to remind you that it's not a shameful thing to need to be washed by God. It's a beautiful thing. It's what he came for. It came to wash you. And so, you can actually you can actually take this cup today and walk out of this room today without any shame, guilt, or condemnation. You can walk out without any bitterness, anger, or fear or anxiety. It is a true gift that Jesus paid for to give us. And so I want to to to invite you hold the cup and I want you to personally ask Jesus, "What are you washing me of today, Lord?" Or if you already know, I mean, for me, mine are usually glaringly obvious. So I just begin to invite him, "Wash me. Wash me. Wash me where I lost my temper. Wash me where I was selfish. Wash me. Wash me where I wanted my own way. Wash me, Lord. Wash me, Lord. Wash me, Lord, for that judgment I had towards someone else when I had a rod coming out of my eye. Wash me, Jesus. Jesus, we as a body, we tell you, thank you. We We are forever and every day grateful for your washing and for your blood that makes us as white as snow. White as snow. Jesus, we rejoice and tell you thank you. You can take the blood when you feel ready. Amen. We are going to continue our worship in in giving. And so there's a video for you up here. I would encourage you to remember that this is a continuence of your worship. Store up treasures in heaven where moth and rust do not destroy. Amen. Thank you. [Applause] [Music] Brothers, sisters, under the bann of your name. Mothers, fathers, under the bann of your name. All your children, hope for the glory of your name. Brothers, sisters, under the bann of your name. Mothers, fathers, under the b of your name. All your children, hope for the glory of your name. Brothers, sisters, under the bann of your name. Mothers, fathers, under the bann of your name. All your children, oh for the glory of your name, your name. Oh, praise the father. Praise the son, Holy Spirit.

>> Thank you. How are y'all doing? >> I'm so happy to be back here. We've been doing a lot of traveling. I'm just so There's no place like home. Um so happy to be with you. Uh I want to let you know that next week, you want to be here. Next week we are going to talk about all the different missions that went on this summer. We're going to review and celebrate all God did in the nations in this body. We're going to welcome our new class of students to USM. And so, and Michael's going to cast vision for the fall. So, it will be very much a family meeting next week. I want you to be here. Um, I am really delighted uh to get to introduce my friend Christine Kaine to you this morning. I um I know, hold on, hold your applause. I just want to tell you that um Michael and I determined long ago that we would would do our best to yield to the leadings of the Holy Spirit um when it came to leading this place. and he uh and and and so we haven't we haven't done a lot of inviting of guests and speakers unless we we felt like the Lord was divinely setting things up. Um and and I have to tell you that now I'm trying to remember how many years ago it was, but Christine and I actually had a divine appointment. The first time we ever met was in a nail salon. We were I was in Oaklan and um I was getting a pedicure. Hallelujah. And uh I I I she was sitting across from me and the whole time I was like is that who I think it is and what is she doing in this random nail salon? And um so I finally I didn't want to bug her and whatever, but I finally said hi and we had the most precious divine conversation across the people doing our toes. Um, and and ever since then, there's just been a divine connection, a divine um, friendship, and I've been really blessed. I'm so excited that you're here. Come on up. I want to tell you guys, when I prayed this morning, come on up. I I want you to know you may you probably already know. I mean this one is the real deal. And I I actually th this morning I was like, "What am I sensing, Lord?" And he said, "You're about to be provoked. I'm about to get in your business through this woman." And I was praying and I saw her head turn into a blowtorrch. And um and so I want you to put your hand on your heart and say, "Provoke me, God." >> Provoke me God >> through Christine. >> In Jesus name. >> Amen. >> I love you. Okay. I've been introduced a lot of ways in my life, but um a blowtorrch and nails that takes it all to a whole new level. I'm telling you that was I love this woman. I love this couple. And I'm so honored to be here truly. and your new house. I mean, I don't even know what to say right now. Um, this is just just phenomenal. And I'm here. I got a whole lot of my team here from A. We have an A21 office here in Dallas. And so, if you're from A21, can you stand up? Where are you guys? I just want you to meet some of our team and over here. And so, I'm glad that these guys are with us. We, for those of you that don't know, we we help to rescue the victims of human trafficking around the world. We've got 10 offices around the world. One of our big ones is right here in Dallas, Texas. And so, uh, these guys are all here. I love having them. I don't get to see them very much, so it's actually a joy. But I feel at home already. Uh, I was just, um, I walked in, number one, and thought, "Praise God. I I this is just a miracle." Like, I'm standing. I feel like, you know, sometimes you could be in the middle of a miracle and not even see it. And, um, I hope you you never get to that place because this is like, wow. and um I am just thrilled and honored. My husband, I am married to the single most ravishing piece of masculine flesh on planet Earth. Um but he's flying out to our Bulgarian and Madrid offices today. So um he's not able to be here, but he sends his love to everyone. My husband is number 14 of 15 children. I know. It's like he's awesome. All the women just crossed their legs. You should have seen this front row. It was like, "No, that is not going to happen." But we've got two daughters. uh Katherine Katherine Bobby who is uh 23 and she just graduated in May from Peppaine and then has been in um Argentina and she's still not back yet. She's been interning in a church in Argentina. Uh you know if you go back to the 70s of the last millennium in case you're wondering some of us are that old. And so there was a great revival that came out of Argentina. Out of that came Toronto. Out of that came Pensacola. And that church is so on fire. And so, um, my daughter's down there and she's being sat, she called us and she says, "Mommy, I don't want to come home yet. I don't think God's finished with me." And I'm like, "You you go and soak as long as you want in Argentinian revival and then bring some of that back here." Which is awesome. So, she's gorgeous and single if you're wondering. Um, but I do want you to know that since she was in Uro, I've been praying over her, Katherine Bobby, you are the head and not the tail. You are above only and not beneath. You are a leader and not a follower. You are a woman of God. You are a woman of prayer. You are a Holy Ghost terrorist. You love the house of God. And you're going to grow up and marry a very, very, very wealthy Christian man. I've told her that since she was in my womb. So, the reason I'm telling you that is if you have a son or a brother or a cousin or an uncle or a friend that fits that criteria, just please give their name to Lissa. She'll vet them for me. And then I I'm Greek, so I'm into arranged marriages, just in case you're wondering. Has Has anyone seen my big fat Greek wedding? >> That is my big fat Greek life. And so we have Windex in every room of the house wherever we are. So um I'm just saying I'm into that. And we've got a 19-year-old Sophia Joyce and um she's studying comparative literature and screenwriting in Paris, France. And so she's um doing school over there for the next four years. When you grow up in a family that's just global, I mean, you know, we do about 300 hotel nights a year. So we have been doing that for our whole 30 years of marriage and there's a grace on us to to do that. And so you kids that's just they love the world and um just like God so loves the world. And so she I called her and she's like mommy I can't talk to you because I'm watching the sunset over Notre Dame eating a croissant. I'm like sweetheart if you want to watch that same sunset next semester with your fees paid you will talk to your mother right now. That's actually what you're going to do. I don't know what planet sheet she thinks she's on, but anyway. So, she is just a delight and uh they they both are. So, I said to you that my husband is number 14 or 15. So, my mother-in-law, she never thought you were a chick until you like popped out 10 kids. And so, I would take Katherine and Sophia over. I'd say, "This is Katherine. She is my alpha and this is Sophia and this is the omega. And this is the beginning and the end of my childbearing years." I had my first at 35 and my second at 40. And let me just say when you pop out a kid of 40, you are not looking for either any more children or you're not even looking for any more ministry. You're like, here I am, Lord, send everyone else. But anyway, so but I got to tell you, that's not what happens. That's I started 21 at 40 and I'm 59 now and don't even think I'm yet stepped into the thing God has me on the planet to do. So all I'm saying to you is it just gets better. We really do go from faith to faith, from grace to grace, and from glory to glory. And I think it's awesome. And I was here playing pickle ball in Dallas. I heard you are a pickle ball queen. I did not know that. And so I think I'm as competitive as you. So, um, how many think me and Lissa need to play pickle ball again? Yes, that's what I'm thinking. Next time I come to Dallas now that I know, um, both you, you're wondering, is she going to get to the Bible? I am. I am. And so, but I needed you to know just I want to celebrate number one this awesome house. And you could tell your pastors a tall cuz I'm on my tiptoes. so I can read my Bible. Just so you know. Okay. I need like a box. Um

I need to. I'm telling my team right now when I go to church, someone needs to tell um Ka my daughter Katie that when I go to churches, you got to tell them that I need a shorter pulpit. Okay.

I was at one the other day. I'm not joking. They had to move it because you couldn't see me on the other side. Like you literally couldn't. The pastor was a basketball ex-basketball player, 6'7". I know. And then there was little me.

Anyway, so I want you to turn with me if you can to Joshua. Joshua chapter 5. I I'm hoping there's a countdown clock somewhere. Am I looking as because I may talk until the second coming if someone doesn't tell me when I forgot to ask. Yeah. Okay. Well, this is up a room. Thank you, Jesus.

Okay. So, Joshua chapter 5, this is the word of the Lord. It says, "When all the Amorite kings across the Jordan to the west and all the Canaanite kings near the sea heard how the Lord had dried up the water of the Jordan before the Israelites until they had crossed over, they lost heart and their courage failed because of the Israelites."

At that time, the Lord said to Joshua, "Make flint knives and circumcise the Israelite men again." So Joshua made flint knives and circumcised the Israelite men at Gibbeth Harle. This is the reason Joshua circumcised them. All the people who came out of Egypt who were males, all the men of war had died in the wilderness along the way after they had come out of Egypt. Though all the people who came out were circumcised, none of the people born in the wilderness along the way were circumcised after they had come out of Egypt. For the Israelites wandered in the wilderness 40 years until all the nations men of war who had come out of Egypt had died off because they did not obey the Lord. So the Lord vowed never to let them see the land he had sworn to their fathers to give us a land flowing with milk and honey. He raised up their sons in their place. It was these Joshua circumcised. They were still uncircumcised since they had not been circumcised along the way.

After the entire nation had been circumcised, I know some of you if this is your first time in church, you're freaking out. You're like, "There's a lot of cutting going on right now. It is a lot." And only I would come in and talk about this on a Sunday morning. Praise the Lord. I hope you had a double shot espresso.

And so the whole nation, I mean, the mind boggles when I read this. I'm just like, I don't even want to think of the practicalities. Like, what does one do with. Anyway, so the whole nation had been circumcised. They stayed where they were in the camp until they recovered. You think the Lord then said to Joshua, "Today I have rolled away the disgrace of Egypt from you. Therefore, that place is still called Gilgal today."

While the Israelites came to Gilgal on the plains of Jericho, they observed the Passover on the evening of the 14th day of the month. The day after Passover, they ate unleavened bread and roasted grain from the produce of the land. And the day after they ate from the produce of the land, the manna ceased. Since there was no more manna for the Israelites, they ate from the crops of the land of Canaan that year.

When Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua approached him and asked, "Are you for us or for our enemies?" "Neither," he replied, "I have now come as commander of the Lord's army." Then Joshua bowed with his face to the ground in worship and asked him, "What does my lord want to say to his servant?" The commander of the Lord's army said to Joshua, "Remove the sandals from your feet. For the place where you stand is holy," and Joshua did that.

Now Jericho was strongly fortified because of the Israelites. No one leaving or entering. No one. The Lord said to Joshua, "Look, I have handed Jericho its king and its best soldiers over to you. March around the city with all the men of war, circling the city one time. Do this for six days. Have seven priests carry seven ram's horn trumpets in front of the ark. But on the seventh day, march around the city seven times while the priests blow the trumpets. When there is a prolonged blast of the horn and you hear it sound, have all the troops give a mighty shout. Then the city wall will collapse and the troops will advance, each man straight ahead."

So Joshua, son of Nun, summoned the priests and said to them, "Take up the ark of the covenant and have seven priests carry seven trumpets in front of the ark for the Lord." He said to the troops, "Move forward. March around the city and have the armed men go ahead of the ark of the Lord." After Joshua had spoken to the troops, seven priests carrying seven trumpets before the Lord moved forward and blew the trumpets, the ark of the Lord's covenant followed them. While the trumpets were blowing, the armed men went in front of the priests who blew the trumpets, and the rear guard went behind the ark. But Joshua commanded the troops, "Do not shout or let your voice be heard. Don't let one word come out of your mouth until the time I say shout, then you are to shout."

Let me just pause there. I know that's a lot of Bible on a Sunday morning. For some of you, that's more Bible than you've read all week. So, I've just caught you up on your Bible reading plan for the year. If anything happens today and we stand before the Lord, you'll be like, "I'm up to date." It's good. So, there it goes.

But I just want to set a little bit of context here. You know, the the children of Israel here, they were 430 years of bondage and slavery in Egypt. 430 years they were enslaved. Now, you know, today we rescue the victims of human trafficking, modern-day slavery around the world, but it was so woven into the fabric of the culture at the time. But for 430 years, they had learned to think like slaves, talk like slaves, act like slaves because there was generational slavery. And after 430 years, God did an amazing miracle. An amazing miracle. He parted a Red Sea and miraculously after 430 years the children of Israel came out of slavery into the wilderness.

In Deuteronomy chapter 6, the Lord says to Moses, "When your children in the future ask you about all of this," this is the Christine edited version, but you can go read it from verses 20 to 23. I want you to remind them that they were once slaves in Egypt, but the Lord their God brought them out into the promised land. The Lord brought them out of bondage and out of slavery to take them into the promised land. He had a land flowing with milk and honey. He had promises for them in the promised land. But between slavery and the promised land, there's always a wilderness. And the Lord did miracles, signs, and wonders. He brought them out of slavery. And Deuteronomy chapter 1 says it should have taken them 11 days to get out of slavery, walk through a wilderness, because there's always a metaphorical wilderness between coming out of bondage and going into freedom. There's always 11 days. They came out and they had come into a wilderness which was not a place that they were meant to live in. It was a place that they were meant to pass through on the way to the promise. The reason the Lord brought them out of Egypt, he then needed a season to get Egypt out of them and then take them into the promised land because they thought a certain way. They acted a certain way. They had certain expectations. They carried certain residue that needed to come out of them before they went into the promised land. When they came out of Egypt, they were delivered, not yet free. It wasn't until they went into the promised land that they were set free.

So, he said to he the Lord told Moses in the future in 2025 when you're in the upper room in Dallas and everyone's wondering what on earth are you all here? Why why were we singing like we're singing? Why are we taking the Lord's supper? Why are we giving unto the Lord? Why why are we all when we are all sitting here sometime in the future wondering what is all this about in this very postmodern post-Christian secular world? What is this whole deal about? He says, I want you to remind my people they were once in slavery. I brought them out of slavery so that I could take them into freedom. I want you to remind them that I brought them out to take them in. I didn't bring them out so that they could do laps around Mount Si for the next 40 years. I didn't take them out so that they could keep going around the same obstacles, the same hurdles, the same bondages, the same strongholds 40 years later. And most Christians live delivered but not free. We're out of bondage, out of slavery because Jesus did that for us at Calvary. But very few actually step out of a delivered state into a free state to live in freedom. And Galatians chapter 5 says it is for freedom that Christ set us free.

I can speak to this. I come from a background many of you know where I was left in a hospital unnamed and unwanted when I was born. I didn't even find out. I was adopted until I was 33 years old. The I grew up with a younger brother and an older brother. We thought we were all biologically related, but at 33 I found out my 35-year-old at the time older brother was adopted from one set of parents. I was adopted from another set of parents and only my younger brother was biolog was was my parents' biological child. You know how discombobulating it is to find out you're not who you thought you were at 33. So, you better get your identity really rooted and grounded in Christ. But here's the issue. I I also grew up in the poorest zip code in my state and I was the the victim of childhood sexual abuse for many many many years. That messes with you. So I was a young woman that was full of shame. I were I was full of of anger and bitterness and confusion and guilt and condemnation. And I should have been a statistic. And when Jesus died on the cross for me at Calvary, I was all of that was broken. All of that was paid for. All of that was redeemed. But I had to learn to walk in the freedom that now was mine that Jesus had obtained for me at Calvary. It didn't happen overnight. There was a process between coming out and going in. Between coming out and going in.

And so we are now in today's text, we pick it up 40 years after an entire generation came out of slavery. How sad. The promises of God were actually for every single one of those millions of Israelites that had come out of slavery. God had brought them out to take them in. But that whole generation bar two people didn't go in. Only Joshua and Caleb out of the original 2 million plus probably that came out of Egypt. The promise was for all of them. But statistically speaking, only one out of a million is going to go into their promise. Only one out of a million.

So why is it that some do? And you go, "Well, you know, some Christian, is it like God just favors a few? Is is it like is freedom like a personality type? Like Christine, I have a background like yours, but I just keep going around the same old obstacles and you're just different because because like you just must be a certain number on the anagram." As if like somehow freedom is an anagram number. You you must have a certain profile on the disc survey a as if that or you you know or or you have something on a strength finder or or you know that's just your love language. I'm like man, we write Christian books to excuse Christians from being Christians. I'm just like, it is quite amazing to me as if freedom is a personality type. Freedom is not a personality type. It's a blood type. It's the blood of Jesus Christ that sets us free. That's where freedom is.

But why do most Christians live delivered but not free and not step into the promise? And for our generation, we need to step into the promises of God. The Lord had promised a whole generation, I have this land flowing with milk and honey for you. But they came out and Deuteronomy tells us an 11-day journey took 40 years. I'm wondering where in your life what should only be taking metaphorically speaking 11 days is taking you 40 years. In what area of your life are you still doing the same old laps around the same old mountains? The same mountains of bitterness and unforgiveness. The same mountains of anger or lust or greed or envy. The same old mountains. What is it where the Lord's promised you freedom but you've settled for? You're not actually in physical slavery anymore. But you're not walking into your spiritual promised land either. A whole generation died. Only Joshua and Caleb who came out went in. One in a million. Let that not be our testimony. One in a million. When the promises of God are for all the people of God. Every single one of us has the same Holy Spirit to access the same promises and walk in the same freedom. And yet the reality is that is not what people are doing.

So is it God's fault? Or perhaps is there something that we're not doing to partner with our Father to walk into the fullness of the promise that He has for our life? So we now come to Joshua chapter 5 and now a whole generation has died. Only Joshua and Caleb are the only ones still alive from the people that came out of slavery. And the Lord had to wait for a whole generation to die. I tend to think that's what's been happening in the last few decades in the body that a generation of full of fear, doubt, unbelief, negativity, murmuring, grumbling and complaining had to die and is in the last throes of it. As another generation arises full of faith and full of hope to go into the promise that God has for us.

And so what do you do? The Lord says the River Jordan's just been pushed back. They are now stepping over into the promised land. In Joshua 5, their feet is on the promised land. So they're no longer in the wilderness. They're no longer in slavery. They're now right here on the edge. Their feet have touched it, but there's still land to possess. And the first thing the Lord says before they even fully go in, he says, "Circumcise the sons of Israel again the second time." And I'm wondering whether this is where we're at. And you go, "What do you mean?" And the Lord explained it. He said, "A generation came out of bondage. A generation had come out of slavery. That generation had had their own cutting away. That generation had paid their own price. But another generation was born in the wilderness that partook of the deliverance, but has not paid their own price yet. And one generation cannot go into their spiritual promised land based on the price that was paid by the generation before them. Every generation must pay its own price."

I wonder where your cutting away needs to happen. All of us need to pay a price. Let me give you a New Testament. In the book of Hebrews chapter 12, it says, "Therefore then, since we also, you and I also, we have to lay lay aside the weight and the sin that so easily and snares us." Why? So that we can run unhindered the race that is set before us. And the fact that the writer to the Hebrews says weight and sin suggests to me that there's a difference between a weight and a sin. And maybe what's hindering you from stepping into the fullness of the promise of God for your life is not necessarily a sin, but it's a weight.

Now, what could be a weight? A weight could be a thing that God used to get you this far, but it's not going to take you where you need to go. The same thing that helped you get here has now become a burden and you can't carry into the next phase. It could be a good thing. It's just no longer a God thing. Weights could be people that you're hanging out with. Good people, saved, sanctified, maybe even filled with the Holy Spirit, maybe even helped you come so far. But the truth is, you're marching to a different drumbeat now. And I have found the longer I go on, and I'm 37 years into this thing now, that you never ever get to a place where you don't have to consistently re-evaluate, Lord, who am I running with and are the people that I'm running with going all in? Yeah.

I thought it was just, you know, when I was younger, do you remember when you like first saved? You you're at youth camp. I was a youth pastor for years. You'd have altar calls at youth camps. Thousands would come forward at the altar call like, "Here I am, Lord. I'll go anywhere. I'll do anything for you." You know, and then they they'd be like really spiritual and I'm never going to compromise. I'm just going to marry the man of God. Just the one the elite lint chocolate that you've got for me. That one right there. Then, you know, that's sort of like at 16, 17. Then you kind of have, you know, young adult camps. You're now in your early 20s and suddenly you have an altar call. There's not thousands anymore. There's just like a few, you know, hundred come forward or like just less. And they're like, you know, Lord, I'm I'm here. I'll go anywhere. I'll do anything for you. Could you just give me like just a Christian man? So, you've gone from elite to like kind of Hershey's now. There's there's a bit of a you know, you could like pick a pick whatever you kind of want. There's a bit broader. I'm giving you options, God. Then then you kind of you get to your late 20s and you're like, you know, now you have an altar call. There's like just a handful of people. Lord, here I am. I'll go anywhere. I'll do anything. Just L just male. Just a male. Anyway, so you're kind of like, and then you get to my age and you're like 59. You look around, you go, where is everyone? I I didn't I didn't sign up to just get to a certain place. I I didn't sign up to use God to give me a successful life. I I I I didn't I didn't sign up to just have a better lifestyle. This wasn't like an alternative lifestyle. I signed up to run my race and finish my course. I I signed up so that I could cross that finish line and hear, "Well done, good and faithful servant." I I I signed up to finish. It's so interesting that it kind of like the degree to which you are willing to look at who is it that I'm running with and are they holding me back or stirring me on really will determine whether some of you finish or not. And especially in this day and age, I mean, some of us are more busy taking advice from someone sitting in their grandmother's basement online in their underwear than we are from someone that might know the scripture. And I'm telling you, it's only going to hinder you from finishing your race. In this hour in which we live, you ought to be more careful about what voices you're listening to than ever before in your life. And you need to silence the voice of the enemy. And you need to stop scrolling and stop swiping and get into the word of God and get in your face and hear the voice of God in our generation because there are so many competing voices.

When David went onto the battlefield to take his lunch to Ilab and his brothers, the Bible says Goliath came out and said exactly the same words that he'd been saying to the Israelite army. Exactly the same. David heard the same thing that the Israelite army heard. But when the Israelite army heard it, they listened to it and they cowered and they pulled back in defeat. When David heard it, he didn't listen to it. And so he had victory. What you listen to will determine your destiny. That is the bottom line. The voices that you listen to.

So what might have actually helped get you here could be the very thing that's going to stop you from going into your promised land. It's become a weight. What is the thing that's a weight in your life? It could be a level of giving. You've been giving at this level and it's good for you at this point. It's it's been great. But the truth is your next financial breakthrough is to now increase your giving to this level. So this level that was once good has now become a weight and anchor. It's holding you back. Could be a level of serving. You've been serving at this level and it's good. But the truth is that God's breakthrough for your life is now to increase this level of serving. So if you just keep serving here, this has now become a weight. It's holding you back. Could be a level of thinking. You have a level of thinking that's brought you this far and it's great. But the Lord says, "My thoughts are not your thoughts. My thoughts are higher than your thoughts. My ways are higher than your ways." So now to keep thinking at this level has become a weight. And so the writer to the Hebrews says, "Let's lay aside those weights, things that have been holding you back, that need to be cut off, or it could be a sin."

Now, you know, I know we don't like to use that word too much in 2025. It's so interesting to me that nothing is a sin. It's just a problem. It's it's it's just a challenge. And we wrap therapeutic language around things that honestly we need discipleship. Yes. And we need deliverance. Let me just tell you, there is black and white sin. And the reason that we talk about it is so that you can be free from it. Jesus's blood set us free from that. Why would you want to hold on to something that God set you free from? That thing is holding you from going into your destiny. And I'm not talking about just the obvious stuff, sex, drugs, and rock and roll. The sin of unforgiveness, lust, greed, envy, comparison, gossip, slander. It is astounding to me that I think a lot of Christians think that God does not read our social media feeds. I I'm like, what planet are you on? If I'm going to be held to account for every word that I speak or tweet, in the original. It's like, do you not think we are going to give an account for all of that? At what point do we think God's commandments in the Bible don't apply to us? Which are all called to to cause us to flourish in life and to thrive in life. But there needs to be a circumcision because I think we've gotten a bit lazy in some areas in our life. So he said, "What I need you to do is circumcise the sons of Israel again the second time because we have a generation that wants to go into their spiritual promised land and are wondering why they're not. But there needs to be a cutting away. There's always been a consecration, a separation, a being set apart for the Lord." And the fact is that it actually affects and impacts every part of our life. I wonder in what area does there need to be a spiritual circumcision in our hearts and in our life daily. We are called to deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Him. We are called to die to self. This is the Christian gospel. This is discipleship. And the minute we think we are exempt from it, we have stopped moving forward into our spiritual promised land. No good.

He says, "Circumcise them again." And I want a generation, I'm nearly 60. I want a younger generation to go in and possess the spiritual promised land. I want you to take this whole thing forward should the Lord tarry. I want you to go where we've never been to do what we've never done to see the glory of the Lord just fill this earth. But it won't happen unless you circumcise your heart again, a second time. A generation cannot go in to possess their promises based on the price paid by the generation before you. Have a look at empty church buildings all around the world, empty cathedrals, worship movements that have come and gone because unless there is a circumcision, I've done mine. My daughters can't get in. There's blessing being part of my family, but there's no guarantee unless they themselves have their own circumcision. That's why you see it generationally. Let us be a house that goes from strength to strength, from faith to faith, from glory to glory because the generations continue to consecrate themselves every time.

And then what has to happen once you do? The Lord says that the the children of Israel, they didn't just go straight in. You think of the excitement of wanting to go straight in. 430 years they've been waiting for this moment, but they had to take time to heal. And in a generation that wants everything yesterday, unless you take time to heal, that wound will take you out somewhere down the track. I told you my background. I fit every category. Thank God I say this that I grew up and I got saved in a time when there was really no social media. Well, there wasn't any internet or social media. I roam the earth with the dinosaurs. That's how old I am. And so, the issue is that I didn't spend my life when I got saved scrolling through everyone else's life telling God what I'd like to do based on what someone else was doing. Back in my day, you had to get into a prayer closet and hear from the Holy Spirit to do what you were doing. When people say, "How did you get here?" I didn't have a strategic plan. There was like no like goal or plan. It was just daily dying. And that hasn't changed. Daily dying. Getting on your face and hearing from God what it is that He wants you to do. And what we do is we scroll and we swipe until we decide what we'd like to do. And then we tell God to bless that. And the Lord's like, "Really? What I have for you number one is so much better than any of that."

But it's interesting to me how we just have a a selective thing. Listen, we have a real problem when we care more about how many are following us than how many are not following Jesus. We have a problem when we care much more about how many people like our posts than how much like Jesus we're becoming. And so what we have is a generation that doesn't want to take time to heal because the minute Jesus has brought us through one thing, we want to post it. And we need the world needs to hear our story. I need you to understand there's a difference between a story and a testimony. People will be saved by the blood of the lamb, the word of our testimony, and that we love not our lives unto death. Now obviously my story has become a testimony by the grace of God at at at 22 I became a fully devoted follower of Jesus. I'm now 59. It's taken decades to go. There is a track record that her life brings glory to God in that obviously coming from abuse and abandonment and adoption and marginalization and I it's not like imagine if that happened today and then the next day is like I got saved and the day after I'm I'm posting everything without one minute to heal without one minute to to walk in it. The problem is we want to put it straight out there in the spotlight, but if the light that is on you is greater than the light that is within you, it will destroy you. It will destroy you. And it takes time for that light to be developed and to grow. And the best place that it grows is in anonymity and obscurity. Trust me. But the minute we put it out there and then we go 5 years later, what happened to that person? I thought they had this great testimony. know they had a good story. Didn't have time to become a testimony yet. And so we need time. And it only becomes a testimony when it's tested. And the most that happens is I'm I'm seeing things and I'm seeing things posted. I go, that's a great story, but it's not yet a testimony. Wow. It takes time to walk in it and to learn to get comfortable in walking in freedom.

You know, when I was I I I went skiing once. I I grew up if if you know anything about Greeks, Greeks are very um we're just crazy. But, you know, basically they're they're fatalists. It really doesn't matter how bad things are with a Greek, it can always get worse. I mean, that is the bottom line. So I grew up and my mother would always say to me, Christina, you can't go skiing because if you ski, you will die. I mean, that was it. There was like nothing in between. I go, "Mom, you know what happened to if you ski, you just ski?" But anyway, and so my mom will go, "And so when we moved to America 15 years ago, I felt finally like you got to know something about Greek mamas. We are so scared of Okay. So, about um we moved here. There were five families from Louisiana that wanted to take us all snow skiing to uh Colorado. And I thought, "Okay, I'm a 14-hour flight away from my mom. So, I'm safe now. I can go." And so, I was like 45, but I go I I'm going to go. So, we went skiing, but it was during the Olympic Games, the Winter Olympics. And so my friends from Louisiana, they're all like, "Of course, you know, patriotic Americans, they're going for it." And I felt like I needed to represent Australia. Like I just felt like the motherland needed a bit of representation. So I would watch the Olympics at night. Remember, I can't ski. I'm watching the Olympics. And then I thought I could do that. And so I would get up the next day and I would go, I am representing Australia. This is it. But anyway, I couldn't all I was on I was on those flat green slopes. you know, the ones like with the 2-year-olds that are learning to ski. Okay, so it's Chris and the two-year-olds. And then this one day, I said to my husband, Nick, I go, "Babe, you know, can you I want you to come with me." And it was a real sacrifice for him because all the guys that day were going like on a black double diamond suicide run, you know, the thing. They're all men. And so Nick goes, you know, yeah, he'll come with me. And so as we're skiing with the 2-year-olds, I go, "Babe, if you were with the guys today, you you wouldn't be having any more fun, would you?" Now, any man that's married in this room or wants to be married or has ever he wants to stay married, if your wife ever asks you a loaded question like that, there is only ever one correct answer only. And that is to say, you know, babe, there is nowhere I'd rather be than on this flat green slope with you. You know, I mean, if you wanted any action that night, that is exactly what you would say to your wife. It's just what you would do. But my husband being a man of integrity, literally says to me, um, babe, if I was with the guys right now, I would be having much more, not just more, I would be having much more fun. Okay, that is like a red rag in front of a bull. So, right, I I go I turn my skis down. Famous last words over my shoulder. I go, "Well, sweetheart, eat my snow." And off that I take off. Now, I knew I was in serious trouble about 20 seconds later on my second somersault. That was not intended. One ski went flying. And then on this leg, I I was upside down. I heard the loudest pop pop pop you've ever. And I snapped my ACL, tore my MCL, tore my meniscus, fractured my knee. I did it all. I could not move. Nick had to get the ski patrol. You know when they come up, they put you in the coffin, you assume death posture, you go down. Okay. So, and my mother, my Greek mother, every day before I used to leave the house, she'd go to me, "Christina, are you wearing good clean underwear?" To which I would go, "Mom, what matters? What is Who cares about the condition of my underwear? Christina, if you have an accident and you end up in the back of an ambulance, anyone else's mother is like, "Yeah, obviously I'm in the right church." Okay. Um, and you end up in the back of an ambulance, then you've got to be wearing the right underwear. And I would say, "Mom, I'm not believing to have an accident, but if I have the kind of accident where I end up in the back of an ambulance, who cares about the condition of my." Anyway, all I'm Oh, this is not a women's conference, so I'm going to keep this Sunday morning. All I'm going to say to you is as they were the ambulance men were elevating me and putting me into the I'm just going to say this. My mother was right. Anyway, that's it.

So, I go into surgery. I'm having surgery and I'm in recovery. So, my mother calls now. Please, I can't wait for you to meet my husband next time I'm here cuz the guy is awesome. But why? He took that call and then brought the phone into me in the recovery unit. This is my mother. My mother's like, "Christina, I am so glad you had an accident because I told you if you go skiing, you will die. That's it." I'm like, "Off my face. I'm in recovery." Anyway, I'm telling you that to say. Then the PT came in and he said to me, "Mrs. Kane, you know, the injury, it was a really, really bad injury and um he said, you know, if you're a professional athlete or something, it's it's not likely you would probably go back." He goes, "You could get full movement back and technically your right knee is now stronger than your left knee because of the hamstring graft. It's actually stronger." He said, "But there's so much scar tissue." He said, "Most people don't recover fully, not because they can't, but because when you had the accident, it happened in an instant and it was painful." He said, "But you have to understand the recovery process is going to take months and months. and the pain of recovery is much greater than the pain of the injury. And so because of breaking all the scar tissue around it and he said, "So Mrs. Kane, this is the truth of the matter. You can recover quickly or slowly. You can recover completely or partially. It's entirely up to you. The degree to which you are willing to embrace the pain of recovery is the degree to which you will recover."

I'm saying this to you as someone that was left in a hospital unnamed, unwanted, abused, adopted, marginalized because of my ethnicity and gender. I would tick every box in 2025. The current culture and the victim narrative of this culture says that you are a victim of your past. Your history defines your destiny. It's not your fault. It's the system's fault. It's not your fault. It's that person's fault. And what I'm saying is there is a degree of truth to all of that. But Jesus Christ says it's for freedom. I came to set you free. Why the disparity between those that are walking in freedom and those that are not? Because many Christians are not willing to embrace the pain of recovery. There's a process that takes us to recover. Because I lent into that process and continue to lean into it at 59 is the reason why by the grace of God I'm walking in freedom and I pray and fulfilling purpose and so what a lot of other people maybe even with my kind of background will he go I want to do that and 30 years later you're disappointed either with God or with the church because you think I didn't get an opportunity is it that or did you not lean into the pain of recovery and so if we are willing to do that. Oh, there is a spiritual promised land. But because in this instant generation where Amazon's not even enough, I want Amazon now. I want Amazon Prime wasn't even enough. I need to have things now. I want my stuff Door Dashed. I want things that are just normal for you. We Uber, it's like a verb. It didn't even exist in my vocabulary growing up because we're just so used to instant now. I want this app now. You know, in in a month, we've got the global freedom summit that I hope you all partake of. We I think this is the single most important thing that A21 has done in my 18 years since we founded this. And we have put together the most incredible 45-minute presentation that you could just download onto your phone that you could show into groups because I wanted one thing that we could do to literally billions of people around the world at the same time to help fight online sexual exploitation, child sexual exploitation because it's the biggest thing that is happening. And the issue is because we want to gratify our lust. Now, we have ruined a whole generation. And I am so adamant we're going to fight this thing and we're going to win this thing. But it's going to take us, the church, actually leaning into our own pain of recovery. Because if we just helped address the address the porn issue in church, we could see I know it's very quiet in this Presbyterian church right now. So I'm going to look over here to the holy people. All I'm saying I'm not trying to put guilt, shame, and condemnation on people. I'm just trying to say it's impossible to be salt and light when we are seeping our gaping wounds over a whole generation. When we are still unhealed, forgiven. Yes. Loved, yes, but still unhealed. And there's one thing between putting a band-aid on what is an open gaping wound and what is allowing the Holy Spirit to squeeze the gunk out.

So now you look at me and there will always be scars of which I don't ever want to get rid of them. Jesus still has his. But my scars were in his. But here's the deal. You can press on that thing and nothing is going to come out of that now. Those scars are a trophy now of the grace of God. But a lot of us were out there putting our stories out there that are not testimonies yet. And those scars are not healed yet. And so when someone presses on it or the gunk comes out and we are seeping our toxicity on people instead of bringing healing and wholeness on people. And so we need to allow the Holy Spirit of God to do what only He can do. I thank God I probably on my front row got some of the best therapists in the world. We hire the best. I am so into therapists. I thank God for doctors. I thank God for every sphere that God's given us. But I do need to remind you we have a wonderful capital C counselor. And there is no one no one like our God. And until you spend ultimate time in the presence and we go through the therapy and we go to counselors, but you have got to sit with the counselor, capital C. Isaiah calls Him a wonderful counselor and allow Him to come into I'm just telling you what I've done for 40 years, guys. To come into those places because some of you, you've double deadlock, padlocked God out of your very places that He wants to heal. You've made vows. I will never trust like that again. I will never love like that again. Oh, I will never serve like that again. I will never be. And you have made silent vows that have locked God out of places that He wants to come and bring healing and wholeness. And your your freedom is on the other side of it. Your purpose. What is at stake here? It's not salvation or love. It's purpose. What I'm coming after is your purpose.

So we could go loved into the kingdom. That's never up for debate ever. But I have my daughters can come to me and sit at my feet and love and adore me. And you know, at some point I'm going to go, "Kid, get up and go clean your room." What I'm trying to say to you is at some point we got a messy world. And you and I are sent for God so I love that world. We are sent into that. But if we go into that world broken and toxic and seeping with our own unhealed wounds, we're just going to add to it rather than bring healing to it. So we sit at the feet of our God to bring continual healing and refreshing into those places in our lives. So then we can go out full and an overflow of that brings healing and wholeness to a lost and a broken world. Coming to Christ is not so that we could find a career path in Christianity. I'm not here building a career. This is not like a career. How do I get to do what you do? I don't know. Die and love Jesus and get get healed and whole. I don't know. I don't have a five-year plan for you. But I do know that there is a direct correlation between the degree of healing I have and the amount of influence God gives me. My spiritual mother is Joyce Meyer. Thank God she's been truly in my life daily like for 30 years. It's probably what apart from God is why I'm still on track. But she said to me very early on, very early on. She said, "Christine, be very careful what you pray for. Be really careful." She goes, "Because the same amount of people that God allows you to help, that's how many people you can hurt. So, you better be committed to ongoing health and wholeness so that you can continue to help and bring healing to people through through the Holy Spirit of God and not hurt people." And so, I take that really seriously in my life. And all that comes back to our text. And I really didn't get past the first point and I've got six. So, you have to come back at 5:00. Because the first point and the band can come because it's red now and I think we blow up when it stops going red. So the the thing is that um I didn't know where we were going to go today but we're in worship across this morning and I just felt I came you can look in my bag. I got four messages that I brought because I thought I wonder which one I'm going to do and it was none of them. And then I open to Joshua 5. I felt as we were praying that we just need to go through this because the hand of God's so on this movement and both the church and the world need what's on here. But I've been part of movements and part of one of probably the most influential movement in a lifetime. And I'll tell you one thing, God really is not interested in brands or names. He really isn't. There is only one name that is above every other name and that is the name of Jesus. And I have seen as my spiritual mother said to me early on, the same God that puts your name in the atmosphere is the same God that can just whip it out in an instant. This is Him and this is for His glory. So the degree to which you are willing to embrace the pain of recovery is the degree to which you will find more and more wholeness and not just step into your spiritual promised land but all the other people that are on the other side of your obedience are impacted by that. You know, it would be just like God to take

An unnamed, unwanted, abused, adopted chick from the back of Sydney, Australia. And say, "Christine, not only am I going to rescue and redeem your life, but I'm now going to use you to open the prison doors for those that are still in bondage." And I got to tell you, you know, truly, every time we put a trafficker in jail or rescue a young woman or child, I think, "Devil, you could stick that in your pipe and smoke it. I bet you wish you left me alone."

I feel like Joseph in Genesis 50:20 who looked at his brothers and he said, "You meant this for evil against me, but God meant it for this very purpose to save many people alive." But I'm saying that to you is there's many people on the other side of your obedience.

The children of Israel after 430 years of slavery, 40 years in the wilderness, do the math, 470 years, they now their feet are on the promised land. And the Lord still doesn't say, "Great, you're going to go viral now and go straight in." Man, that post, that talk, >> that song, that invitation. No, no. What you're going to do the minute your feet touch the promised land is you're going to circumcise the sons of Israel again the second time. And then even though they're so eager to go in, they need a time to heal so that the light that is on the inside of them becomes stronger than the light that there will be on them. Because if there's a disparity between your inner world and your outer world, your world will collapse. It might take 30 years, but it will.

Cuz you get to my age and you go, "Wo!" More people that I know have fallen that are older than me in this last 3 years. So, this is not a time for me to take it easy. I'm like, "Oh my gosh, my heroes in their 60s and 70s and I'm about to hit my 60s." So just when you think you can cruise it's like whoa I better take heed to myself lest after I have preached to others I myself fall. So I'm like, "Holy Spirit, what deeper levels of healing need to happen in my heart at every stage of my life?"

When I got engaged, there was a level of stuff I didn't need to deal with when I was single, but man, it came up when I was engaged. When I got married, the Lord's like, "We're going to go deeper." When I got pregnant with Katherine, "We're going to go deeper." When I got pregnant with Sophia, "We're going to deal with some of that." But Lord, I thought I dealt with all the abuse stuff. I thought I dealt with all of the abandonment stuff. I thought I dealt with all the rejection stuff. Chris, some stuff's going to come out because I love you so much and I've got so much ahead for you. I need to go deeper. You can stay here and be comfortable, but you say that you want more. So, let's go. Can you trust me?

I got to tell you, it took me years. The scripture 1 John 1:9. "God is light and in him there is no darkness." For me to internalize that, it took me a long time to really believe that God had no dark side because many of the men I met had a really dark side. But once I understood he has no dark side. He's got no dark side. So anytime you could trust the scalpel in the master surgeon's hand, there's people out there on social media wielding scalpels out of woundedness and toxicity and brokenness. They're not safe. The scalpel in the master surgeon, beautiful and trustworthy. He'll go deep and his spirit will bring healing and wholeness.

I got to tell you, I was bound and I am free in a whole lot of areas and I know which I prefer. And so much of what you're longing for, you're not going to get through a better marketing campaign. You're not going to get through hustling, you're not going to get through trying to get the contract. You're not going to get through trying to place yourself and be in the right proximity. You're gonna get by trusting the master surgeon, lying on his table and saying, "Oh, I know the pain of recovery is going to be great, but you're going to be with me." And if I go through this on the other side of this is true healing and wholeness.

The Lord not only said, "Circumcise the sons of Israel again the second time." What the Lord said, "And now they need time to heal." There's a whole promised land ahead of them. But the whole nation was circumcised. I want you to catch this. All the men that were going to protect and possess the land needed the healing before they went in. You could have said, "But the war, but the promised land." Stop and be healed. Stop comparing and competing someone else's journey with yours. Stop thinking, "I've got to put my story out there and get out there and get out there and do this," because you'll collapse somewhere along the line. Allow the healing power of God to touch you.

I'm going to ask Michael to come up because my time's up, but I want you to just steward this moment with your people in the way that it would be. But I'm telling you, the presence of the Lord's so here. Some of you, you need to know that God's got no dark side. You can let him in. I know that person hurt you. He won't. He is light and in him there is no darkness. None. And man, when he stitches you back together, there's a scar, but there's no toxicity in it. And now I can stand before a generation and go, "Look, yes, I was abused, yes, I was adopted, yes, I was abandoned, yes, I was rejected, yes, my birth certificate is unnamed 25508 of 1966, but there's no pain there. It's a trophy of the grace of God." That yes, there is all of that. We are bleeding over each other and seeping over each other on social media and so many people are bleeding out of their woundedness and not out of God's wisdom and wholeness. And I just sense that he wants to do such a deep work so that as we go out there and display his love and his grace and his goodness, it truly is that. And when someone presses something that is an old wound or triggers something, there's nothing to be triggered. And there's nothing to be pressed. We've built a whole language and psychology around triggers. I'm like, "Well, Jesus de-triggered me." Jesus de-like, I don't know what to say to you. He did that and I believe you can walk in that. And some of you, I'm telling you, we our feet are here, upper room on the promised land. We still got a lot to possess out there. I'll talk about that tonight. But there needs to be a circumcision and a healing to go into the fullness of what God has.

I'm going to hand over to Michael. Thank you. Can we stand if you would? And um, thank you. I want to invite our ministry team um to come forward. And I actually want to invite you guys to to go onto the ramp over here if you would. Um, 'cause I feel like there's maybe half of you on the ramp and half of you up front. Um, and then other elders. Um, and then anyone that isn't assigned to the ministry on the ministry team, but you have been a part of the ministry team, I want to invite you to come forward 'cause I feel like there needs to be a response. One of the things that happened at Gilgal, wasn't it? It was collective, it was corporate, it was something they they had to do together. And I think there's something about us uh confessing. Confession is so important. Um, telling someone um, and and receiving from someone else, acknowledging the healing that we need. And uh, I I just want to invite you to respond to the Holy Spirit. I feel like the Father does have the scalpel this morning. And oh, today if we hear his voice, let's not harden our hearts. Um, and so I just want to pray and then I'm going to ask you to respond. And if something's being stirred up, that you would you would bring that to someone up here on our leadership and that we can pray for you and walk with you.

So, uh, Jesus, I uh am so grateful uh for your word that's living and active and for this word, Lord, that um is uh calling us forward. Um, I think of being one year in this building and I preached out of Joshua 5 and Joshua 6. One year ago, I preached on this exact text. And Lord, I feel like we're still crossing over as a community um into this promised land, this this place that you're calling us into. But Lord, I pray no one gets left behind, Lord. That we can come out of the wilderness and go through the process, Lord, to to walk in the promises together. Together, Lord, that we need one another. And so, Holy Spirit, would you just guide your people and uh I pray that they receive the healing that they need, the correction that they need, um Lord, that we can fully allow these wounds, Father, uh to be submitted to the Holy Spirit to find the healing that we need in Jesus name.

So, if we could just keep a an atmosphere of worship and um and uh just soberness as as you respond to the Lord. So, the altar's open. And I really want to encourage you to come and receive prayer if you do need that. Go grab your kids. Um, if uh if you have kids in the back space, but please come and receive prayer as needed. And [Music] when we started out today, the Lord kept highlighting that passage that you are a holy priesthood, that you are a chosen nation. You, it's you. He's coming after you today. And I just feel that even more now. There's um he's coming for you because he's got a purpose and a plan, a call, a future and a hope for you. And there's an invitation to let him begin to cut away to cut away the pain of the last season. The pain of rejection, church hurt. Feel like there's a lot of people that are sitting right now and they're watching and they're they're you're there and you're like, "God, I want you, but I don't feel like church is safe." God's like saying, "What if you're the safe one? What if you're the one that's going to bring safety back? If you'll let me heal you, I'm going to use you to shift atmospheres to create safety." And so, Lord, I just pray for your impartation, for your connection, for your touch, for your healing over each one that's tuned in today that you wooed them. You called them. You spoke to them. You said, "You're mine. You're my holy nation. You're you're my priest. You're my minister of reconciliation for this season, for this time that I'm calling you to steward the more." And so, Lord, I just pray for a Holy Spirit outpouring and an extra grace to lean into the pain, to lean into the scary places, to lean into the places that you've said, "No, I'm not. I'm I'm done with that." And so, Father, I just pray that you would come into those places where there's scars and that you would um rehabilitate our hearts to take the land, to step into the more that you've called us to more. Jesus, you said even greater things that we will do. But Lord, it takes risk-free hearts and people that are safe that when we te touch the lepers, the leprosy won't affect us, but will affect the lepers will affect those that are the wounded and hurt and outcasts and forgotten and the unseen and the unknown because we've been there and we've been healed from it and we're sent to those places. And so Lord, I just pray for every person that's tuning in today that that your yes before the Lord would right now would be Lord, cut away the scars. Cut away the fear. Cut away the anxiety. Cut away the relationships or the things that were good but maybe not your best for this next season. I give you permission to cut my heart. Circumcise me to take the land. And I bless you with a fresh impartation, a fresh encounter, fresh ears to hear, and fresh eyes to see as you move into this week that you're known, you're seen, and you're his chosen person for such a time as this. We love you here at Upper Room, and we're praying for you. Be blessed. Your voice so tender. I leave all behind. [Music] Oh, how lovely. Oh.