Transcription
[Music] You know, I grew up in church my whole life. I was trying to figure out, well, I've been in church my whole life, but some things that I've been struggling with since I was little still are part of my life. We're trying to figure out why I shouted so much, and some of them saying sins were still there. Nobody's gonna say amen, and it's okay. That's why I'm talking about me, 'cause I know you get delivered and you never went back. That's nice. Try to figure out why people get so comfortable with half of church. They'll brave the traffic, they'll come to the service, they'll sing the songs, but they won't get delivered. Because some people didn't really come to get delivered.
Church is a bit of a narcotic. It's a, it's a drug. You just take a hit of Jesus 'cause you don't really want to change. You just want to feel good for a moment. So let me snort this worship, let me go ahead and shoot up this word, let me smoke this fellowship, but I don't really want to change. I just want to get high for a minute. Which is why we don't see miracles, signs, and wonders, because people are playing games. And I'm, I'm tired of that. Um, I need a miracle. I need the real Jesus. I need Jesus from the Bible. I don't, I don't need Jesus that leaves at 12:45 because you want to get home to watch your team. You're already set the boundary on when God can deliver you. God, do whatever you want up until 12:45, then I check out 'cause I got dinner plans, I got a game to watch. You never wanted to change. Church is just the thing you checked off your list to make you feel like a better person.
What people don't realize is that spiritual warfare is real. Devils are real, angels are real, heaven is real, hell is real. I know we don't talk about hell that much because people, a lot of churches have been told, "Don't talk about hell, that offends people." We don't want to offend them, 'cause then if you offend them, they'll leave and they'll take their money with you. I don't preach for your money. I don't need your money. If you don't want to give because I'm preaching the truth, then you be blessed. Go somewhere where they gonna play games while your soul is at stake. I need somebody to tell me the truth. I need a church that's not scared to preach the gospel. If you're scared to preach, go sit down. Just you scared? Call that Reverend. Tired of living half of the world. We come in here, we have all of this, and nothing changes. I've been in church my whole life. Why am I still struggling with this thing? Why is this still in my life? I don't pray, I don't fast it, I don't smoke it in every town, all of that. Why is this thing still? And then for a minute, I got free, but then it's like that thing came back. What was it ever real? Did I really get saved? Did I really get delivered? I don't know. What a scripture has to say about it.
Luke chapter 11, verse 14. And Jesus was casting out a demon, and it was mute. So it was when the demon had gone out, that the mute spoke. And the multitudes marveled. But some of them said, "He casts out demons by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons." Others, testing Jesus, sought from him a sign from heaven. But he, knowing their thoughts, said to them, "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and a house divided against a house falls. If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand?" Freeze. Satan has a kingdom too. I can't see you because it is smoke, but you can see me. So I'ma look at you. Satan has a kingdom too. Because you say, "I cast out demons by Beelzebub." By whom do your sons cast them out? Haters. I added that. Jesus didn't say that. Therefore, they will be your judges. But if I cast out demons with the finger of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you. What a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace. His goods are in peace. But when a stronger than he comes upon him and overcomes him, he takes from him all his armor in which he trusted and divides his spoils. He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters. And somebody, are you with me or against me? And somebody else, 'cause the one next to you didn't look. Are you with me or kid? Yeah, they just showed their true color. Lady, watch this. This is the scripture I want you to catch. This one's deep.
Demon. When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest and finding none. He says, "I will return to my house from which I came." And when he comes, he finds it swept and put in order. Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there. And the last state of that man is worse than the first. It started with one, just one sin, just one issue. A sucker multiplied. And church doesn't equip me to handle demons. It equips me to believe God for a house and a car. [Applause] It's like spiritual lotto. If I, if I, so I might hit this week. You know, tithe is not the equivalent to playing the numbers. We got this thing backwards. And we got so many preachers scared to preach the truth. They're afraid. I ain't scared. I've been preaching my whole life. I've been saved since I was seven. I've been preaching since I was 21. So how come I'm not fully free? I know the word. I preached the word. I fight for everybody else to get free, and I'm still asking God to deliver me from some stuff that's been sitting in my life since I was four years old. Yeah, you can judge me if you want from your seat, but that's why I invited you to my house.
Because here's the thing, when a spirit enters, it wants to come and sit and dwell. And it doesn't want to just dwell, it wants to take over. And I want to preach from the subject heading, "The Trap House." I said, "The Trap House." What's up? Yeah. You know, it starts off small enough. Don't even remember when it started. Don't even remember how he got in. He was, seems like he's been with me my whole life, just chilling. It's that thing that makes you think you don't need anybody. You, somebody comes and tries to give you wisdom. All you need to do is hold onto your pride. And you're proud to be late. But look at your life. Why are you trying to tell me something sweet around your own front door? Even though what they're saying is right, you don't want to hear it. And you just turn the table. It's called deflection 'cause you don't want truth. The reason why pride has probably been there first is because that's the one that goes before the fall. Pride makes you feel good. Pride tells you you're better than other people. Pride makes you look at other people's issues. We like, "Well, at least I ain't struggling with that." That's crazy. I mean, my sins is cool 'cause I know people who sin like me. But that, that's nasty. Try to have you judging other people's situation like you'll see. Couldn't get you sent to hell too. I wish I had a church in here that I give God an eight-second praise break. I said, "Give him an eight-second praise break." [Applause]
[Music] 'Cause all this dirt and stuff on my couch, but I got familiar with it because it's been here so long. 'Cause see, when you bring unclean spirits in, they don't just sit in one place. They go everywhere. It's a house. Your spirit is a house. They make themselves comfortable. They, they don't just sit and do what you suppose. They put, they feet on your couch, dig it, may feeding your cushions, just grind and dirt in. They want to make sure that you know that they're there and they're not leaving. Have you ever prayed for something to leave and it just looked at you? [Applause] I wish I had one witness per row. Have you ever looked? Have you ever talked to that thing and it just looked at you like it's funny? Because it started out as a sin, but it stayed so long, it became a habit. And when it becomes a habit, you don't think it's a sin anymore. You just call it a crutch. That's just the thing I do. Well, everybody struggles. That's just my thing. I guess that's my crutch. I guess that's my thorn in the flesh. No, a thorn in the flesh won't get you sent to hell, but sin will. Because His grace is sufficient for your thorn, but you need repentance for your sin. It's almost like, I know, I know I'm saved. I've been in church, I sang the songs, and I knew something wasn't right, but I didn't know what it was, and I didn't know where it started. But it became so familiar, became my friend. It invites me in. It's like I'm a visitor in his house. He tells me, "Put my feet up." I put my feet up. We hang out, we talk, because my pride comforts me when I'm insecure. We dine with it, talk to it, embrace it out awhile, slowly dying. Your house is filthy, but you're so used to the dirt, you don't even really see it anymore. Somebody will tell you, you know, something different. No, no, I'm fine. I'm good. And it's funny, 'cause some of y'all were like, "Well, if my house looked like that, I would do something." Why you judging my trap? Check your trap. 'Cause everybody got something in the house. Mine is visible. You might have yours hidden in the cabinet behind your cleaning appliances. You know, the brown liquor. She laughing. She got some brown liquor dolls. Or maybe yours come in clear mason jars. You got cousins down by the state line that'll give you a clear, clear calling liquor. Start your car and get drunk. [Applause]
It's so funny because this is symbolic of my soul. And it's funny because we're looking to say, "Wow, that's a mess." But all of us have stuff in our soul that's been lingering. Devils that have sat there and burrowed themselves into our subconscious to the point that we don't even fight anymore. What's funny is you are show car every week. You won't even let people eat in your car, but you let anybody into your soul. I wish somebody would go ahead and just take 30 seconds. You care more about your car than your soul. You buff and wax the outside, you don't clean the inside. But you sleep with anybody who tells you you're pretty. You let anybody in who tells you you're handsome. You open your eye gate and you're irritating your mouth gates of people that don't have your best interests at heart. You clean your car better than your soul. Well, if I got a spirit on the inside, am I possessed? No, because believers can't be possessed. They can be oppressed. But see, something happens when I really get sick of pride. Scoot over. I said, "Scoot over." See, demons don't have to listen to me. [Music] When you get tired enough, somebody has to introduce you to somebody stronger than the thing you're struggling with. And when somebody tells you about Jesus, and I confess with my mouth and believe in my heart that Jesus is Lord, not only do I get saved, but the Bible says the Holy Spirit comes in as a deposit until the day of redemption. The Holy Spirit moves. [Music] He got the cow pride. You got to go. You can't stay in my house. We come back up. The Holy Ghost now. And the Holy Spirit, who is my comforter, encourages me and lets me know that even though I've made mistakes, God still has a plan for my life. And the Holy Spirit will come and sit with me, even in my best. Even though operated. The Holy Spirit says, "I'll come and dine with you. I'll come up with you. I come and live with you." Somebody give praise to God for His Holy Spirit. [Applause] [Music] Holy Spirit is a comforter. You got some devils that's been in your life for years. Don't know where they came from. Don't know how they got there, but they've been there. It's a wonderful thing because when you have the Holy Spirit, you start seeing things clearer. And what's interesting is the Holy Spirit, the word for spirit in the Hebrew was *ruach*. It's a feminine expression. For those who are up there trying to judge, how come the Holy Ghost is a woman? An Asian woman at that. Stop worrying about what it looks like and understand that the Spirit is here to comfort you. It's here to help you. And if you want to know where the first time God talked about a helper, Adam was in a garden, and God said, "It's not good that he should be alone. I will make a helper." My help comes. My help is the voice of the Holy Ghost. Husbands, listen to your wives, because when you don't want to listen, God will send your wives as the voice of the Holy Ghost to tell your hard-headed behind what you won't hear anywhere else. Can I get an amen in here? The devil knows his men. We walk in pride. We don't want anybody to tell us what to do. So God will send the softest thing he could find to sharpen us. My wife is my helper when I won't listen to God on my own. My, my wife is whispering to the Holy Ghost, and the Holy Ghost is telling her stuff that I need to hear. See, 'cause when you get saved, whatever was in, that's got to get out. But Jesus said, "It's not enough for it to get out." Because here's what happens. Once you get saved, you get excited. You finally feel a little bit of freedom. But then there's something in the, in the flesh and in the will that says, "You know what? That was good. I like freedom, but I don't really know what to do with the freedom." So you get nervous, get uncomfortable, and you tell the thing that just happened, "I need a little space." Which I'll scoot over a little bit. Yeah, scoot over. And before you know it, the seed of the thing that left feels familiar. Familiar spirits. I thought I was free. I thought I didn't want it no more. But it has only been a month, and I'm looking back. Leeks and onions. Leeks and onions. Leeks and onions. I was enslaved for 400 years. Then I get free for a few days, and I'm already missing the leeks and onions. The leeks and onions. Before you know it, stuff starts showing up, popping out of nowhere, just creeping around, looking in your house. Because Jesus says, "When an unclean spirit leaves, it goes into arid places, seeking rest." Dry places. Dry means without water. The devil's hate water. They hate water because water has always been symbolic of the word, symbolic of the Holy Ghost. The devil don't want no water around because as long as it's dry, he has access. Excusing my throat is dry, but as long as I function, I don't need no water. Because people don't really know how to discern between gift and anointing anymore. So I can fool you with my gift while my spirit stays dry. That's how you have churches filled with people who are shouting and none of them are changing. [Applause] Churches, so folks speaking in tongues, not one of them got delivered. Preaching, but you drive, you ain't got no water. And then you start getting nervous because you feel like you can do it on your own. And all of a sudden, you stop listening to the wise counsel. Matter of fact, why don't y'all get up? I'm a grown man. I'm a grown man. No, I got this. Average gone. Gone. I'm a man. I got to work it out on my own. Go. I'm a man. I don't need no woman. I'll tell you when I need you. I know nobody want to shout now 'cause it happens out of time. We argue back and forth. Just be glad I chose you. Be glad I chose you. Pride. I got this. Self-righteousness. I got this. I can do this. I can take care of myself. The Bible says when, when that pride sets back in, the pride was looking for somewhere to go. It says, "It's coming back to my house." See, the reason why I could get back in is because once the Holy Spirit leaves, he doesn't close the door. He leaves the door open to help you to understand that even I'm here, or he's coming back in. There is no neutral ground. Either the Holy Ghost owns it, or the devil's coming in. But the devil doesn't just come back by himself. The Bible says he brings seven spirits more wicked than himself, and the last state of that man is worse than the first. It started with pride, but now that I moved the Holy Spirit out and wise counsel out, now I don't let the devil back in, and he brought friends with him. [Music] "I'm fine. I can do it by myself." So I, I keep my pride. What's up, man? It was good to see you. You see what I'm saying? But the problem is, pride doesn't come by himself. Now I'm stuck in the same stuff that I thought I got free from. Now I'm feeling guilty. So now I've embraced guilt along with my pride. Because I'm feeling guilty, now I'm battling with depression. Because with guilt comes depression. Didn't even know it. It started when I let pride back in. When I pushed the Holy Ghost out. Yes, I got saved, but once you got saved, you got to get filled. And if you move the Holy Spirit out, the devil is coming back in. [Applause] So now I'm sitting over here, and I'm depressed. I'm feeling guilty. Scoot over. I'll just sit over here with you. See, because when I'm feeling depressed and guilty, and I'm in pride, and I think I could do it myself, well, I might as well medicate my pain. So I just starts snorting this and shooting that, smoking this, drinking till I see the bottom of the bottle. I dare you to say something. I got it under control. I don't know what I'm a man. Know what I know what I'm doing. I can stop any time. So now I'm medicating my pain. Now I'm angry at God. And then when people start asking me questions, I just operate in the spirit of deceit. "I'm fine. I'm blessed. I'm highly favored." Start quoting scripture because the devil knows scripture. So now I'm sitting on guilt with depression, pride. Now I'm trying to medicate my pain. Now I'm hiding in deceit. My friends come and check on me, and I tell them I'm fine, and I mask my pain. I don't push my wife away. So now I'm starting to look around because she don't understand me. I just need somebody who will understand me. Nobody gonna say amen right there. Pride. Prior to me, they scared. That's cool. Bible says if you look on a woman unless you've committed adultery. So out of sudden, now I'm having conversations with females that tell me they understand. [Applause] My wife get on my nerves. She, you know, she just, you don't understand. And then here comes. And the whole time I'm afraid. 'Cause what if I get exposed? What happens if I get? What happens if they find out? And the Holy Ghost is like, "I already know." So here I am in my trap house, surrounded by the things I let in. And I wonder, Pastor Tasha, if it's quiet because they're looking, because they're searching themselves. No. At some point, what the devil is serving, you got to hate it. You realize that pure love is somewhere waiting on you. If you come to your senses, the Bible says the prodigal came to himself. He looked around and realized, "I'm sitting around spirits and in a situation, and I don't have to sit in no more." This is my house. My salvation was real, but I don't know how to get free. See, because your pride, I'll tell you, you can handle it. Come on, pride. You with me? Yeah. My pride, it'll nurture. It'll hold me like a warm blanket. The problem is, everything that came with him attaches to him and to me. So now I'm trying to figure out why I'm so heavy in my spirit. Why I can't never stay happy. Some of y'all trying to figure out, and you over there taking pills. You can't take a pill for a demon. You think you battling with clinical depression, you battling with spirits, with principalities, powers, rulers of darkness. It started with one devil, now I got eight. But here's the thing about eight. The reason why I believe God put eight up in there as a transaction, because eight should mark in the life of a believer, a new beginning. You got to get so tired of the devil. Did you say, "Oh, wait a minute. Wait a minute. I don't have to live like this." I don't have to live in this mess and filth, this trap, this guilt and lust and deceit and adultery and the shame and the pride and the depression. I don't have to live like this. I got saved, and as soon as I got saved, the Holy Spirit came in. Then I pushed the Holy Spirit out, and he came back. Y'all got to get out. I said, "Y'all got to get out." See, the thing is, spirits don't have to listen to you. You better take your cues from Jesus. And Matthew, he said, "It is written, [Applause] man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." The Bible says, "Humble yourself under the mighty hand of God." Some of us need to repent and turn. Jesus. See, demons don't like that name. They cover their ears when you hear Jesus. "Trouble. David, have mercy on me. Forgive me of my sin. I've lived in my flesh. I don't want to live like this anymore. Deliver me from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever." [Music] Holy Spirit, you're welcome in this house. This house. [Music] Restore me. Take away my iniquity. [Music] And the Holy Spirit comes in, the comforter. [Music] [Applause] And all of a sudden, I get the strength [Music] to get up. About a pattern of the Holy Ghost, I begin to remove [Applause] everything that taped with that temper. Give me all of that. Holy Ghost, take your lies. Take the seat. Take your pride. And in the name of Jesus, get out. [Music] This is my house. And the Holy Ghost has permission to change the furniture in my house. The Holy Ghost have permission to rearrange the paintings in my house. We arrange the memories in my house. The Holy Ghost has the authority. [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] Holy Ghost. When I come to myself, I don't have to live like I've been living. In the devil's kings, stay. Some stuff got in when I was little. It wasn't my fault. When I was sexually abused, at four, perversion got in. Started as a seed. Didn't know how to check it. It grew up, turned into pornography, lust, masturbation. Came in and turned into all these other things. Fear, deceit. You try to mask it. But I'm so glad that the Holy Spirit is not intimidated by my sin, but loves me enough and cleans me from the inside out. For too long, church plays games. But there are people in this room, and you know you got some devils in your spiritual trap house. But when the Holy Spirit comes in, it ceases to be a trap house and it becomes a testimony house. A house where you can declare the goodness of Jesus, and you can tell people what your house used to look like before the Holy Ghost moved in. And you can tell them, "I was struggling over there, and pride was over here, and lust sat there, and depression was on the floor." But the Holy Spirit came and moved them all out. Ain't got no help in here. But the enemy moves in a cycle. He'll mess with your marriage. Every couple weeks, big blow-up. It's cool for a second. And the devil is always looking to find another way in. But the Holy Spirit now lives inside. And the Bible says, "But the peace of God that [Music] passes all understanding shall guard your heart and your mind." I need you to know that peace ain't no punk. I need you to understand that peace plays no games. I need you to understand that peace is bigger than pride. Peace is bigger than lust. Peace is bigger than adultery. Peace is bigger than depression. Peace is bigger than guilt. Peace is bigger than the path. Is bigger than fear. Addiction slows. You got so peace is longer to catch. Opie's. "I will send no evil, for Thou art with me." [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] As long as I got my Holy Ghost, I got my peace. Peace is not passive. Peace is aggressive. Peace will fight for you. Peace will cover you while you sleep so devils can't get in the cracks. Peace is guarding the perimeter of your life. Peace is not gonna let the devil back in. Holy Ghost, don't leave me. Stay right here. And everything that I've destroyed in my pride, bring it back. See, because when God brings it back, he restores it better than new. Now you're battle-tested, and your spouse can see them devils. Spot them from a distance. Look impaired in the eyes. I wish you would. Don't let these heels fool you. I tear this whole house up. I will. I wish you would make them all bow down. Lust, adultery, addiction, depression, all of them have to bow down in the name of Jesus. Tell pride, the depression, come on and bow down. Deceit, guilt, for at the name of Jesus, every knee shall bow. Every knee, every knee shall bow. Every knee shall bow. Every knee shall bow. Every knee shall bow. Not declared a word. Little light water. And I've got the kid out. And don't come back. Get out. And don't come back. From my move. [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Applause] Peace is a weapon. I love it. Peace. See, because when I have my peace, I don't need nobody else. 'Cause I got my side piece. Peace. I got my side piece. So I don't need a side piece. I've lived in fear and shame, probably my whole life. Wasn't because Pastor DeMarcus, my mother wasn't telling me that I was free. She lived and walked the holy life. I struggled because I didn't accept the finished work of Jesus. When I tried to do it in my own power, I kept failing. If I could save myself, I wouldn't need the Holy Ghost. Jesus said, "It's better that I go so that the comforter can come." And of a sultan, I miss you. I'm not the only one in here that's been trapped. Anybody in here got some stuff in a trap house they need to let go of? This is only for real people. Wave your hands so the people online can see that I'm not the only one. Can we get honest in here? Why your hands are waving? I'm getting ready to pray a prayer. Only if you got faith to believe it. God, every devil that has been attached to the lives of your people, break it off of them. Did you hear what I said? And God, deal with the root spirit, the main one. 'Cause if we get that main one, all the other ones have to go with it. I need you to know that when God is cleaning your house, it's not just spirits. Sometimes it's people. [Applause] I said, sometimes it's people, and they got to go with it. Sometimes it's opportunities or things that we thought were opportunities. Understand, because you submitted your life to God, there's nothing that happened to you that he didn't allow. It may not make sense, but it's exactly what he intended. Even the things that hurt, I can assure you, whatever door just closed, there's one seven times bigger that's about to open, and it's gonna open in the next 30 days. Did you hear what I said? There are people in this church that need to get to this altar. You know I'm talking to you. You need to get saved. You need to rededicate your life to Jesus. You need to give your life to Jesus. The Lord is telling you, this is your church. No other church can cover you. These churches don't understand you. It doesn't mean they don't love God. It just means that you need something more. I know that this is where you're supposed to be, and you know. So I just got a simple word for you. And if I'm talking to you, get yourself, your things, everything you came in with, and meet me at the altar. Don't leave. Don't let the devil steal. Look at that. I ain't even started singing, they already coming. Are those your sons? Bless you and welcome home. Oh, come on. [Music] He fought with precious blood. Oh, come on. [Music] You. [Music] You.