Transcription
Feelings, flashbacks, memories, past stuff. I'm just telling you, they're all traps. They're all tools of Satan, and they only have power if you believe them.
Remembering yesterday is not bondage. Remembering a traumatic thing in your life is not bondage. When you identify with it and make it *you*, is bondage. You don't have to forget what happened to you. You have to stop letting it be the determining factor of your life, hard emotions, and identity.
You don't have to forget what you did wrong. You just have to see that you're changed, and believe you're changed, and believe you're forgiven. And every time you think of that, thank God that you're brand new. That doesn't have to ever go away. The memory of yesterday doesn't have to go away for you to be free. You're not free when the memory goes away. You're free when you stop relating to the memory. You're free when you stop identifying with the memory. You're free when you stop believing the memory.
See, there's a lot of people trying to get rid of memories. I'll tell you how to get rid of memories: Just walk in higher truth. And then when the memory comes, you'll see it through the truth and be sanctified in the memory.
You could be touched strong at a young age, and you remember it, or you kind of remember it, or you don't really remember it, you just know it happened. As time goes on, that memory comes. People identify with it. They think they need ministry. They think they need prayer. They think they need healing. As truth comes into your heart, here's what you realize: If people knew who they were, that had never done the things they've done, people knew their value, they wouldn't be lost. They wouldn't do these things. And all of a sudden, you realize, man, this has nothing to do with me. This doesn't defile me. This doesn't contaminate me. This doesn't make it my fault. This doesn't, because all that stuff happens to people that have been violated, and they wear an identity that equals something that's way less than who they really are through Christ.
And then years go by, and all they do is, "Well, you don't know what happened to me." Well, it's been... Or they don't even talk about it, but they let it have power. See, we can talk about this stuff with freedom. Why? Because you're a new creature in Christ. You're not that little girl or boy. Are you following me a little bit here? So what happens is, you put on truth, and all of a sudden, you realize, oh my goodness. And now you realize how lost people are to be able to do what they do to children. And all of a sudden, you can see what Satan wants to do is make it God's thought. "Well, why God let it happen?" "Well, why God let him touch me?" "Well, why didn't God protect me?" See, that's his number one avenue: just make it all about God. Instead of realizing we're born into the earth, He showed us the way, He's brought the cross, He has the blood speaking better things. We're born into Adam. We're born into this thing called the fall of Man, and we're on this journey, and going to bump right into Him.
Satan, from the time you're little, has strategies to hurt you, break you, anger you, frustrate you, blame shift, get mad at God, so that when help comes, you can't hear help. All you know is what you've been through. You hear the good news, and there ain't nothing good about it. "Because where was that when I needed it? When I was..." That's what people do.
So, it's just sin producing sin. Sin is just deception, leavening and creating more deception. I met a little girl one time, and she was from another country, and she was in a very hardcore country where there was martyrdoms and stuff. And her whole family got executed for believing Jesus. She watched it. She's hiding under a bush at age six. That's trauma. Eleven siblings executed with a machete. Dad went first because he's the leader and he's the problem. Mom went second. Lined up all the kids, hung them on a cable according to age, in front of the city of this village. I mean, to make a statement. This is what happens when you believe in Jesus. Guys, we think we have a hard story. There's somebody out there that's been through so much more. You can't make your story your reason for wherever you're at. Your reason for your "at" has to come through Him. Come on. You, you're... we're frivolous to compare stories because somebody's got a story like that, and you think you're trying to... See, it's not about who's been through the most hell. It's who's believing the answer, who's believing the freedom, who's believing the truth.
So, is God just wayward? Is God flagrant that day? Is He preoccupied over here and just lets the family get slaughtered? Somehow, in our intellect, in our finite little minds, we assess things to accuse Him. Well, who's the Accuser? I wonder where that tendency is coming from. Man, you ought to be glad God's not an Accuser. There's no Jesus, there's no Redemption, there's no salvation, there's no everlasting life. And by now, there'd probably be no people left. There wasn't mercy and sovereignty on the earth. Every drunk driver would die and kill somebody along the way. Everybody that sinned would just drop. Mercy is holding this thing together.
So, I'll tell you where God was when all that happened. He was already on the cross and raised from the dead, slain before the foundation of the world. He's already an answer of hope, and a light. Is that family that got slaughtered lost? No, they're alive forever with Him. And we could bring them in here right now and line them up, they'd be so full of fire and passion, you would think I'm so backslidden. And they would preach to you because forever, before the presence of God, they have a testimony of no compromise, and loving not their own life unto death, and not fearing men, but fearing God. And we get offended at that, and we get mad at God because He let it happen. Unfortunately, that could be an American theology because other countries don't struggle with this. Better make sure you're not pampered and spoiled as a Christian. You better make sure you're surrendered and committed. Because if they start killing folks in this country someday, which people don't even think it's possible, but you might be amazed what becomes possible. You look at the twisted tower behind the scenes and wonder where it comes from. The whole same-sex thing that's going on, how it's got to be now on all the commercials, or where haters and buys, and we're not given every group their voice, and making people uncomfortable. There's so much stuff going on that's just strange right now. Don't you think that someday, in the eye of that mess, you ain't some kind of hater and some kind of problem and some kind of thing that needs removed? They start killing some Christians in this country. I hope we're more prepared than the paint picket signs in storm Washington. If they walk in this room and line us up and say, "Renounce Christ or die," I hope you're ready to say, "Just keep shooting, pal, but you ain't gonna kill nobody." I hope you're ready for that. Not, "Oh my God, some of us are going to find out how committed we are."
Maybe her whole family was executed in front of her. That's too much to even think about at age six. How can you even process that? That's beyond trauma. I bump into her, she's early 20s, maybe 20. I'm preaching like a madman, or not letting your past have any influence on who you are today. I don't know her story. I start to get uncomfortable because I'm thinking, "This is too harsh. This is too intense. Lord, people have been through some tough stuff. This is sounding to my mind insensitive." But it just kept coming like a flame, and scriptures, and who we are in Him, and not looking back, and being reborn, and all this stuff was coming out, and flashbacks, and memories, and Satan's tools, and where our hearts drift through this stuff, and how we're identified through what we've been through, instead of identified through what He's been through, finding our life in Christ, instead of finding our life through our story.
And I'm just preaching like intense, and she's right in front of me, and I don't know her. I don't know her story. She starts freaking out, manifesting, vomited all over the back of her chair. And I don't know what's going on, and I don't like that throwing up thing, and I'm thinking, "Jesus, because you just set her free and quit all this vomiting." People surrounded her. I said, "Just hold her. You don't have to pray much. Just let God do what He's doing. Holy Spirit's in charge, and He's doing a work in that young lady. Somebody just hold her and love her." They're holding her, loving her. I got to sit and eat with her. She had sickness all through her body. She had infirmity raging. Every symptom of all that stuff was going. She said, "She said, 'I need to tell you what happened to me.'" She told me the story. I'm sitting there dumbfounded. If I didn't know, and then I'm thinking, because I knew how I was preaching, I like it. It was, it made me tremble to think how... ah, I was preaching, and she's sitting there with that story. If I knew her story, I wouldn't... I'd have been on some other topic. I would have never preached this thing. But God wanted to let it rip. I'm telling you, it came on me like it was just like, and it was nothing I prepared, nothing I was planning. It just came out. I'll be like fire.
She told me the story. She said, "When you were talking, the Spirit of God came over me and hit my heart, because I always said in my heart with anger toward God, 'Eleven brothers and sisters died that day. I didn't just lose my mom. I didn't just lose my dad. Eleven brothers and sisters died that day. Why didn't You stop it? You could have stopped it. Why did You let this happen? I'm all alone.'" We get what she's saying. She said, "When you re-, when you were preaching, I realized I've been so deceived. She said, 'Eleven siblings didn't die that day. Twelve did. I've been living as if I'm dead since that day, and I have been deceived. My family's in the presence of God, and I'm living here in an unforgiving hell. God showed me how deceived I am, and I'm blaming Him, when all He did was give me a way out.'"
Because death doesn't even have power over the believer. That's not even a legitimate tool to the believer. Some of us become Christians because we're scared half to death. That's unscriptural. That's not a tool to the believer. I could show you in Hebrews 2, He's the captain of your salvation. He's delivered you from the fear of the bondage of death, which you've been held your whole lifetime by the fear of the bondage of death. There's no death in Christ. Never going to die. All there is is human sentiment, loss of loved ones, missing people physically. It's real, but you should never be overcome by it. We don't ignore it, it's real. She lost her siblings, she lost her mom and dad. She's only six. Nobody's faulting her. But look how ruthless the devil is. But the whole time, there's a way of escaping. God comes through life at a certain age, boom, ministry delivers her, makes her free. What did He do? Touched her heart with such intensity and a revelation, found this little place of repentance where she said, "Oops, I've been deceived. I've been angry at God, and my family's fine all this time."
When you realize that, watch this. You're not as alone as you think you have to be. Even though you miss your whole family, they're all gone, it doesn't even sound... I don't even know how you... I'm not in those shoes. It's hard to even put words to. But I have this understanding in my heart that grace compensates and is greater than the reality of her story. And that even though she's not got them, she's not alone, she's not dysfunctional. She could actually use that as motivation and say, "Oh my goodness, all the more reason to run the race, well, across the line and all rejoice together. I'm going after God more than ever."
But it's amazing how we say, "How God let this happen?" Amen. And how we have Him like some Genie in a Bottle that gave us the wrong wish or something. He's not a Genie in a Bottle. He's a Father. And you gotta love not your own life unto death, or death will be a tool. The reason I'm telling you stuff, it's all has to do with believing. There's so many people that have flashbacks and memories, they have past traumas that come and try to haunt them in the night. Friends, if that's happening to you, you don't need as much ministry and prayer as we think. We're going to ministry after ministry, we're going through sessions. You know what should we do? I really believe we need to do: It's the truth that makes us free. We need to believe God.
And you could be in your bedroom, in this feeling of this time, and this thing in your life tries to come over you and make you cry and sweat and feel yucky. And man, you need to just sit up in bed, right in the middle of that thing trying to come over you, and say, "Father, I thank You. You've changed my life forever. Like, God, I thank You. I'm a brand new creature. God, Your love for me is undeniable because Christ was crucified and hung on the cross. God, I know there was a time in my life I was touched strong, and that season lasted five years. It's tried to eat my lunch, but in You, I've been touched so right. New life has come. Those years have nothing to do with who I am laying here in this bed. And I thank You. They can't haunt me. Can't torment me. I'm not defiled. I'm not a used product. I am a woman of God. I'm a child of God. I'm a son of God. I am Yours. And thank You."
And all of a sudden, this thing's coming to break you, and it runs the risk of making you... if you're a believer, come on. It's 2 Corinthians 10, it's like verses 3 through 5. It's the weapon of your warfare. It's mighty in the breaking down of strongholds. The stronghold is a wrong belief. Taking every thought captive, casting down every thought, every imagination that rises above the knowledge of God, bringing it into obedience and holding it captive according to Christ. So where do you find the truth? In Him. Where do you find your identity? In Him. Where do you find your hope? In Him. Your future? In Him. How do you get free from yesterday? In Him. A new day in Christ Jesus.
Did you fail? Did you do wrong? Did you do the thing you knew you'd never do? You say, "Yeah." Okay. So it comes back to haunt you. Six months goes by, and it almost feels like you're living there. You're driving to work, and you're remembering it, and it feels like you just did it. Who's ever happened to? Flashbacks and recollection and memory, and you just feel like you're getting over something, and all of a sudden, you relive it, or you dream it, or you remember it in such a real way where it feels like it just happened. That's not an accident. That happens to people all the time. Who's ever just been doing okay, and out of the blue, just weird stuff's going through your mind that you wish wasn't there, and you don't know how it got there, and you didn't conjure it, but it's there, and it ain't going away? Anybody ever have this experience? Anybody be in the middle of worship?
So, we don't want to talk about this stuff. But anybody in the middle of worship, and all of a sudden find for the last two minutes they were over here thinking about something that was irrelevant and had nothing to do with the song and worship for God? And when you realize that, you go, "Yeah, does that ever happen to anybody?" See, here's what the enemy would love you to do: process that, get analytical over that. "Wow, we were in the presence of the Lord. This shouldn't have the ability to come through His presence. But the fact that it was in me, am I even in His presence? Is there something that deeply rooted to me that I'm living so unsanctified that this thing has access to me when I'm in a holy place?" People do this stuff. I've pestered long enough to know they do this stuff, and they think this way, and they complex it, and they run it through about 10 times to get this spiritual analogy that needs to get flushed down your commode. Did I say that in your church? Flush it. I'm not apologizing. It's flushed. If you flew from Utah just for that, man, flush it.
When this stuff comes, you don't have a problem unless you believe what it's implying. When it comes, you have an answer. If you believe the finished work of Christ, the fact that the memory bothers you, the fact that you wish you didn't have the flashback, the fact that you're bothered by the thing that just happened during worship means it's not coming out of your heart. You're not conjuring it. It could be recollection. It could be just demonic influence. It could just be like a test, a trap. Demonic, when I say influence, not that you're possessed, just just stuff. Who knows that the enemy's tracked people? And we've had spirits in our lives that had enticed us, things we've given ourselves to, things that are looking to overtake you. If he's roaming around like a roaring lion, there's things observing people's lives. Don't get wigged out by that. Just get secure in truth. Like, "Who cares?" You say, "Well, I just don't..." "He's not allowed in my house." You might be amazed that he's just sitting there on that recliner, watching you and seeing how you converse with your spouse. If you're getting thoughts in a worship service, he might be in your recliner. He walked into heaven in Job's story. Let's stop getting spiritually weird on some of this stuff, painting these sanctified theologies. My Bible says if you have self-centeredness in your heart, every evil work is present. You bind him and rebuke him all day long, and then you live in selfishness, and you're the actual landing strip and platform for his entry. It's James chapter 3. It's Bible. This is where there's envy and self-seeking, every evil work is present. So you're praying for your spouse because you're hurt by your spouse, not because you're hurting for your spouse. You're hurt by your spouse, and you just had a hoe-down, throw-down mouth battle with your spouse, and now you're in the bedroom, "Father, I just... and I bind you, devil, and I rebuke you. You need to change that man. You need to change that woman. And God, I thank You right now for Your sanctifying power." And watch this, over me, keeps me untouched by their filthy words and their frustration. God, You need to wreck them. Knock them off their high horse. And you think you're praying, and hordes and hordes of evil things are going, "Whoa, this landing strip is wide open." Yeah, they're just landing everywhere. And that's why it's so confusing, and that's why it's so frustrating. That's why people, when nobody's looking, banging their head on the drywall, screaming, and doing things they wouldn't do if people were watching. Oh man, there's bitter envy and self-seeking, every evil work is present. You can rebuke all day long. If you don't change your motive, you're the invite. And then, because you are self-centered, you get deceived into this, "God, why haven't You answered my prayer? I've been praying to You for months now. You ain't changed her. You ain't changed him. How come You're letting me go through all this hell? What did I do to deserve this? God, this ain't right. You need to change this person, or I can't do it anymore." And now you're even mad at God because He ain't answering your prayer. Now He's a problem too. It's not just your spouse, it's God. Hello? At some point, you got to go, "Duh. This has become all about me. Self-righteous and deceived. Don't know how to love her. Don't know how to love him. And don't know how to love Him." Ooh. Are we okay? Look, I'm smiling. This is a happy message. Hey, I had a lot of things in my heart. I prayed, "God, if they handed You the mic, what would You say?" I'm just believing this is what I'm so qualified here tonight. Like, I just believe this is what He would say. No, it's envy and self-seeking. There's every evil work. People don't realize how important your motive in life is. I don't think people realize how important believing is. That if God says something, then it's the way it is.
Go to Colossians. We tried to read it earlier today, and it just didn't work. So we'll honor it enough to turn there. Look at verse 21 of Colossians. Colossians is a beautiful book. You want to do a little scroll through scripture? Just read Colossians 1, 2, 3, and 4 in succession, and just feed, just read it like straight through, and just see how it grows and builds, and how you find who you are in Christ. It's Colossians. It's beautiful. Philippians isn't bad either. Philippians, it's really good. Those are chapters that are to the church. They're like God's love letters to you. It's like He's writing to you, His heart, how He sees you, who you are now, what you're supposed to believe about what He did, and who He is. Ephesians starts there with Ephesians. Ephesians is so foundational. Ephesians is like, when I first got saved, Holy Spirit told me to meditate, muse in the word, and start in Ephesians. So I, I would, here's how I would pray. I would open my Bible in my bedroom and I would start reading Ephesians, and I'd read two, three verses, and then I'd say, "Wow, it's amazing You see me that way, Father. I thank You." And I would start praying. Then I'd read two more verses, "That's incredible what You accomplished, Father. Right now, I stand." And then I'd read two more verses, and I just prayed it out. And what I was reading became a revelation. And all of a sudden, it wasn't Bible knowledge, it wasn't theology, it was so real to me. There's nothing anyone could do to make me not believe it. You get it? Just communing with Him, just musing and meditating the word, putting some soft piano on, and just seeing that I was predestined before the foundation, my life is so not an accident. No matter my upbringing, no matter how dysfunctional things were in our home, no matter how... And I'd start quoting all this stuff, and none of that has anything to do with anything, because the truth has come. Now is the day. Today is the day. Now is the time of salvation. And I see the truth. This has nothing to do with who I am. And I would just start separating myself and putting on truth, separating myself and putting on truth. Oh, it would get to the point where nobody owes me a thing. I'm on the earth for one reason: to shine, to walk in love, and live by Your Spirit, God. My life will never be the same. Thank You for freedom. That sure beats believing to get free. Because all you're doing is saying, "I can't wait till I feel better. Can't wait till I think different." When people are asking to be free, they're saying, "I can't wait till I feel better. Can't wait till my emotions change." People say, "I need deliverance." That chapter tells you you have been delivered. Don't get mad at me. He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love. Wonder if people believe that instead of their feelings and memories. I wonder if people walked in the bedroom, no matter how they feel, and what they remember about yesterday, and what they've been through, and say, "You've delivered me. You just called me out of darkness into the light. I was blind, now I see. You love me. You've always been for me. I used to blame You. I used to even make You an enemy. You have been a Father from the beginning, and You've always been a Father. I'm about to be Your son, to be Your daughter. Thank You for loving me. None of this has anything to do with the truth of who I am. You have delivered me from the power of darkness." Man, I was blind. I was buying the lie. I was buying into every memory, buying into every dream. Now I'm buying into You, 'cause You bought me. God, thank You. We're one.
See, people don't pray like that. People haven't even taught to pray like that. They just pray that their car runs better, and their boss treats them right, and that they have a good day. Sorry, I'm not being mean. Alarm goes off at six. We burp past a little gas, roll over in bed, try to hit the snooze button. But we got to go to the bathroom. Head halfway down the hall, and say, "Oh God." And you know you got to get to work, so you got to get moving. And you're like, "God, I got a lot on my plate today. I got an early morning meeting. If You don't intervene, man, I ain't gonna make it. God, thanks for Your grace in my life." And you say, "You prayed?" Yeah. "Oh, Lord Jesus, I gotta stop." Oh my goodness. Lord, help me. Oh, sorry. That just got me silly. [Laughter]
I just found that you've been delivered from the power of darkness. You've been conveyed into the kingdom of the Son of His love. That in Him you have redemption. That means brought back to original value through the blood of Jesus Christ, and the forgiveness of your sins. Pastor Kurt, what would it do to a Christian without any counsel, without any insight, without anything, if they would just take a scripture like that, go in their bedroom, shut the door, and lift their hands and believe it? Just believe they're forgiven through the blood. Just believe that nobody owes them a thing. And no matter what hell they've been through, what their family lineage has suggested, what anybody has implied growing up, that they go, "Man, I'm home. I, I don't know how I ended up over here in Oz, but there's no place like home." [Laughter] Click your heels and get home. Lift your hands and believe that you're delivered. Believe that you're forgiven. That you're redeemed through the blood. That nobody owes you a thing. Nobody has to make up for a word. Nobody has to make up for an action. Jesus made up for everything that every man has ever done and ever will do, and what you've ever done and ever will do. And He has washed you, made you clean, and empowered you to live the rest of your life in Him, apart from yesterday.
Scriptural. Paul said, "There's one thing." Not one of two. There's one thing I do: to apprehend and lay a hold of what Jesus laid a hold of me for. Don't miss that. That means he realized Jesus had intention in apprehending him. So Jesus has motive in purchasing him. And it ain't so he sits back and waits for the trumpet to blow and has his name on the right list. "I'm pressing in. I'm moving forward. There's one thing I do." So I can apprehend that which He laid a hold of me for. What He's saying is, "I want to fulfill His purpose, not just be a confessing Christian. I want to walk out what He paid for." And the one thing I do to get there is, "I forget what lies behind and I reach for what's in front of me."
We've been in my understanding of what I've assessed and studied and interviewed and checked out over the years, because I've done a lot of it. I believe we get so moved with sincere hearts towards one another to help each other, but we get tricked into ministering to our feelings instead of our understanding. So we're trying to make people feel better about what they're feeling, instead of see different. And believe, ministry and prayer will never make you free. It doesn't say that in your Bible. It's a tool, but it never makes you free. It's truth that makes you free. So when people are believing a lie, the lie is generating feelings and emotions. We're trying to minister to the emotions to get them to go away. It's the lie that they're coming from. You just have to teach people who they are apart from this lie, that the lie should have no influence.
Watch. I'm not standing here a little boy trapped in a man's body who had an alcoholic dad, who had a sick mom for 40 years, who was touched wrong. You don't see any of that. When you see me, none of that's my story. I have new life through Jesus Christ. I'm not mad about those memories. I'm ecstatic that He rescued me, filled me with His Spirit, and set me apart from those lies. Why? Because He has delivered me from the power of darkness, and He's translated me into the kingdom of the Son of His love.
Well, if He loved you, why'd He let you go through...? If He didn't love me, why'd He put His Son on the cross? I think we ask the wrong questions. And I think the questions come from personal offense. And I think the personal offense comes from the wisdom of man, called the fall of Man. And now all of a sudden, the clay is indicting the Potter. Did you notice they asked Jesus a lot of questions? Do you notice that He rarely answered a question? He said, "Well, let me ask you a question." He'd always redirect. Why'd He do that? Because if you read in your Bible, scripture makes it plain, they didn't ask the question from a sincere place. They ask you from a trick, a trap, or offense. And He would never answer. He'd always realign and purpose to realign their heart through a question.
So people come to me as a pastor, "Well, if you're God's so good, if He's so loving, why did..." And they rip off their list, "And why did He, when I was six, in my whole life, and how come, and I remember when I was eight, I said, 'God, don't let this happen,' and it still happened. You tell me, if He's so good, why in the belief did He let..." And there, right? And you're like, "You get it." And you say, "Well, listen, I'm, I'm not going to sit here and try to hash through all that. Obviously, it's been very real to you and caused a lot of things. But how about if I just ask you a question? Can I ask you a question? What if He wasn't good? Why did He put His Son on the cross while we were yet sinners? Why did He come and die to give His life? Could you answer that one for me?" And it usually gets people because they realize they're missing the main thing because they're distracted on their life.
See, the fall of Man never happened, you wouldn't be able to focus so much on your life. You're so overwhelmed with Him. It would always be about His life in you. You know why people commit suicide? They have a lot of motives and reasons, but they actually get tricked into thinking it's their own life. They don't realize it's not even their life they're taking. Something that's not even theirs. It was always designed to be His life in you. So Satan has us so self-centered that, "Well, it's my life. Well, if I want an abortion, I'll get it. It's my body. You ain't telling me what to do with my body. My life." It's not your... That's dysfunctional. It's always been designed to be His life in you. You were never created to not be one. So when the enemy gets people to do this stuff, it's in self-centered deception. And all of a sudden, you take what's not even yours and stop destiny and legacy and purpose. Then the devil says, "This is great. A win." And death is still a tool.
That's why so many people, be humble. Be humble tonight. I'm not saying it's right. Now, at some point in your life, you were in a place where you actually, across your mind, and you thought that suicide could possibly be an option in your life. Be honest and raise your hands high. Don't be ashamed. Look around. People, that's a lot of people in this room, isn't it? Amazing how quick that option comes to people. Why? We're in a war. And you got to believe, you got to believe your life's not your own. You gotta believe you don't even have those kind of options.
You know, people say, "People are sick." I'm pastored, man. I, I'm pretty aggressive. People were sick. I understand. I watched my mom suffer for 40 years. Pastor, but people say, "Well, I don't think they want to be healed. I think they just want to go home." That's something we say all the time in church. And I'm thinking, "I don't think they have that option." Like, if they were healed in a minute, like right now, of course they'd want to be healed. The only reason they feel that way is because they've suffered. So the suffering is deciding our motive. And because we have sympathy, we're going, "Oh, let them just go home." They were healed right now, that would be amazing, and they'd do cartwheels. So the only reason they want to just go home is because they're laying in the middle of the suffering. Because we can move by the suffering, we think it's greater compassion for him to just go home. So we teach this stuff, and anything else is offensive, and people have their rights. And I don't know why you have your rights. You denied yourself. You should be seeking first the kingdom of God. Are you with me?
I watched my mama suffer. Wasn't fun. It's my mama. I never saw her lose her disposition or counting. In, she shined. And there were more people than they can find to park up that driveway to her little graveside funeral. Made me cry. So many people came to a lady's funeral that didn't get out of bed for the last 15 years of her life. They just came to honor a woman that they never met anyone like that. Didn't know how to complain. That smiled every time you saw her. That was the sweetest thing you've ever met in your life. And the tubes were feeding her, and tubes were going to the bathroom for her, and people had to change her pants and clothes and wash her for years. Embarrassing, humbling. And she couldn't find her frowning. You couldn't walk in a room and see her cursing the disease and, "I'm so sick and tired of laying in this bed." You couldn't find her having one moment of that. She taught me something. She taught me to never let what you're going through decide who you are. Because He's a higher truth, and you're on the earth for one reason: to shine. And if you're complaining, you ain't shining. And if it's all about you, you ain't shining.
And she settled in her heart, "I am a woman of God way before I'm an MS patient. I am a woman of God first." Yes, I'm fighting MS, but I'm a woman of God. She's not in denial. "What? I'm not sick?" No, she knew she had MS in her body. She knew she had Jesus in her heart. And ain't nobody couldn't notice it. Do you know there were two doctors standing at her funeral? There were several nursing staffs and home visiting nurses and nurses from a hospital at her funeral. They don't have the schedule to go to their patients' funerals. Patients die daily. They don't go to their funerals normally. To have a whole assemblage of medical workers at one woman's funeral, that is a loud statement. And I had the microphone because I did Mom's funeral. So I blew a pretty loud trumpet. I had all of them crying in less than two minutes. The ladies are so easy. I said, "I want to thank you on behalf of our family for being here for Mother's Memorial, where we're going to remember and honor a woman." I said, "Oh my goodness, hey, hey, doctor, doctor." Oh my goodness, girls. And they're all like... I said, "I know why you're all here. You have never met a woman like this in your life." I toasted them in minutes. Stuck them about three or four times where they moaned. And told them that they believed she was an enigma, one in a million, and they ought to come and honor her. But I want to tell you, it's what we're all called to be. And then I preached truth and God on selfishness and said, "We ought to let her life be a living example and an epistle, not something we remember and honor, something we pattern." And I just took it to reproduction and multiplication. The senior doctor of city doctors, the head doctor of the city doctors, was at her funeral. He does not have that schedule. He comes up to me crying. "So that was so beautiful and powerful for your mother," he said. "And man, did you get me thinking on some self-centered things." Grabbed my shoulders and was emotional and patted me. He didn't know what to do. And I just wanted to hold him. Then he cried a little, and I said, "Yeah." He said, "Great mess." Oh my gosh. Moved. And I said, "Come here, man." He just laid on me. We just held. And he shook and cried. Oh, Mom helped do that. Way to go, Mama. She wasn't a normal patient. She didn't have a normal view. She died to herself. She didn't take MS personal. She took the call of God personal. She wasn't a patient. She was a daughter. And when you met her, oh, you saw the MS, but you didn't see it because you saw her. And when you saw her, you saw something very special. Caught him. I promise you, never met anyone like my mother. She taught me a lot. That legacy is living on. I'm not gonna let anything matter more. You've heard me preach it if you watch me on YouTube. Where do you think I got that revelation? Letting anything matter more than what matters most. Don't you ever allow yourself to become what you're going through. You become what He went through so you can rightly face what you're going through. What you're going through doesn't even have to change you. You just have to make sure you don't let it change you. And the whole time, you're writing history and legacy and storing fruits, sowing seeds, and being an example. Are you all with me? Believing. So important.
Watch. Is Mama gonna live that way if she doesn't wholeheartedly believe this stuff? Let's get all in and just set our heart to His word. And even if you feel like you're not believing, just honor His word and say, "I ain't changing my mind." Because sometimes we even talk ourselves, "Well, am I really believing?" You know what I'm saying? Your heart's so sincere, you're looking to grow, you're spending time in God, and at the same time, you're questioning yourself, the sincerity of your heart. "Am I really changing?" It's like we are so sometimes clashing with where we're going. It's good to just say, "Thank You for where You're taking me." I would say this stuff. I have a greater confidence in You keeping me than me making a mistake. You love me. You proved that through the cross. I'm gonna run hard. You'll keep me on track. Kick me in the butt if You have to, because I know You love me. But let me stay in Your purpose. I'm running hard. That's how I would talk to the Lord. He never told me, "Slow down, boy. Whoa, back up, little overzealous." Heal.
You've been delivered from the power of darkness. I want you to look in uh Colossians 1 at this one. This is what I wanted to show you first. But man, that delivered, delivered out of darkness thing just grabbed me. So you don't have a problem when you have those kind of flashbacks, memories. You all got that? So when something comes, you do something, and you believe God forgave you, but you struggle with being forgiven because you held yourself so responsible. And you really do care, so you feel like you're being responsible by actually feeling bad. You think you actually are supposed to keep feeling bad because you're really sincere and wish you didn't do it, right? So you hold yourself extra responsible. It seems so. Then when the memory comes, now the feel bad again comes. Does that make sense? But see, what happens is, when the memory comes, you should already be settled that that thing's done deal, and He remembers it no more. And you shouldn't even respond to the memory. You don't even have to acknowledge it. Don't rebuke it. Don't find the devil. Don't waste an ounce of energy on the memory. You could be driving in your car, keep your eyes open and your hands on the wheel. You get the memory, and you're heading to work. Rather than get to work, great, tapping your cell phone, quick before you head in, sniffling and calling your friend for prayer. Not being rude, it's just what we think we're supposed to do. Poo into the lot. Talking to Him. "Lord, I thank You for freedom in my life. I thank You You changed me for keeps. Man, I will never be the person I used to be. You have made all things new in my life. God, the things that used to be in my heart are a million miles from my heart, as far as East and West, just like the sin. God, thank You for loving me. Thank You. Restore me." And the whole time you're doing this, it's because you got this memory. So the memory goes, and you go, "What are you doing? Submitting to God." Why? Because you're resisting the devil. See, we think it's a couple-step program. Supposed to submit to God, resist the devil, and he'll flee. You're not fighting the devil. You're fighting the good fight of faith. Submitting is resisting. You won't get tired. You won't get into works. And you won't say, "This ain't working," because it's not a thing that's working. It's the just living by faith.
So we still think our goal is to get the memory to go away. The goal is never believe it again. You wake up in the middle of a bad dream in the middle of night. What's a bad dream unless you believe it? Okay, well, that should make it easier because He's a liar. So whatever it's suggested, just flip it and rejoice. "Well, yeah, but he came in and he did this, and he ran, he was chasing me, and he grabbed me. It was freaky, and then he killed me." I don't know if I'm going to be murdered. I don't know. People go crazy over this stuff. I'm like, "Well, it was from the devil." "Yes, it was from the door." "Okay, I see a liar." "Yeah." "Well, what'd he say?" "He said, 'I'm never going to make it.'" "Well, you must be gonna make it. He's a liar. There's no truth in him." "Well, he said I was so unworthy." "You must be worthy. He said nobody loves me." "You must be loved." See, we gotta learn to flip these things. And when they come, you can't internalize them and take it so personal and think you need ministry. You got Him and His truth that makes you free.
Watch, how close here, quick. I got, I just got a couple of things I want to show you. And you, verse 21 of Colossians 1. "And you, who were once alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works." In other words, your mind was working so condor, and mine so contrary to who He is and who you're created to be, that it made you an enemy to everything He purposes. That's scripture. "You were once alienated and enemies." By the way, it's right there behind me, right? "Alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works." Yet now He has, what? It doesn't even say that you repented and changed your mind. He just paid the price to reconcile you. To say, "Hey, I want to show you I'm for you, not against you. I ain't judging you for where you've been. I'm judging you for who you're created to be. I see you for destiny, not your past performance. How about coming unto Me and let Me give you rest?" He's reconciling us while we're in that state, guys. He didn't say, "Clean up. He didn't say, 'Walk two months clean and I'll consider embracing you.'" You're alienated, you're an enemy, your mind is working contrary to truth. It is a self-centered foundation, and it's supposed to be selfless. That's the work. It works. It's a self-centered motive. You can go to the next verse. Since you got it up there.
"Of his flesh through death." So what's He doing to reconcile? Means to befriend, to make friends with. What she's saying, "Not mad at you. Want to be your friend. Want to be one with you. Want you in Me and Me and you." Look, when you see Me, you...
See the Father. It's as if He's hanging here because He loves you like I love you, and we're one. I know who you are. I know who I created you to be. You've been blind and deceived. You don't know the truth about who you are, but we know the truth from the beginning because I am from the beginning. And I'm hanging here because I want to, because I'm giving my life to give you life. Would you come unto me so I can give you rest?
The Cross isn't saying, "You a bunch of wicked sinners, I hope you get the point now. Look what your sin has done to me." That's how people preach the gospel. It's not what the gospel's saying. He reconciled you in the body of His flesh through death, why? To present you. That's ta-da! That's taking the tarp off of finished work. That's, that's a master artist at the art show, and he has a tarp over because he don't want nobody to see it till it's time. And he's just done the thing of his life, and he's going to freak people out. It's an artist with a painting like ain't nobody ever seen. He's got that thing all, and all of a sudden he presents it to the people. Swoop! Ta-da! He presents you. Oh, what? You better be a believer and believe in His presence. You're holy. Believe you're blameless. Believe you're above reproach.
See, people don't put this thing on. People don't believe this. You know what they say? "Well, I mean, I know the Bible says that, but we all got our issues. I mean, nobody can really be holy. Jesus is the only one holy." What holy means is sanctified and set apart with a purpose. Holy means a cut above the rest. Why can't you be that? If God put the same Spirit that raised Christ in you, in you, He must want you to follow Him. And He must want you to be holy, or He wouldn't say, "Be completed. Your Father's complete. Be holy as He is holy. Purify yourself as He is pure. Love just as He loves." As He is, so are we in this world. How many scriptures do we need that make us one? Love just as He loved to present you what? Blameless and above reproach. Where? Oh, that means that's how He sees you right now.
I've pastored for a while, and I've met way, way, way, way more people that don't put that on and live like they believe it, then I've met. The deal, but they go to church, and they're sincere, and they see their need for the Cross, but they don't put on what it paid for. So they have the gift under the tree, they've never unwrapped it and looked good in it. So they're wearing something that doesn't even fit them, even though their heart's sincere. They're wearing something they don't even look good in because they're not supposed to have it on. You got to put it off and put on Christ. He presented you holy, blameless, and above reproach in His sight. Watch. That's where He finished. That's where you start. And if you don't start there, you haven't even started. You have to start where He finished.
Look what, look what, look what it says. The next verse: "If indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and aren't moved away from what you just heard, the hope of this gospel, which was preached to every creature under Heaven." Which I, watch, you could go to church your whole life in today's culture and never hear this preached. And just hear that you're always a sinner, you're always going to be a sinner, and be sin-conscious, and you're always going to fail. And don't think yourself more highly than you ought. And don't you get into this heresy that's out there that's talking about grace and people living in righteousness. Oh, you, you could go to church your whole life and never hear this preached, but it's in your Bible.
What's that mean? "If indeed you continue in the faith." What's He saying? You're holy, blameless, and above reproach in His sight, if you keep believing it and don't let anything change your mind. So through Christ Jesus and through His blood, right now, sitting here as believers, guess what you are in His sight? Holy, blameless, and above reproach. Watch. "And He remembers your lawless deeds no more." He's robed you in righteousness and rules His kingdom with that scepter. And it's the power of God unto salvation. For in that gospel, righteousness is revealed. "For the just shall live by faith." Come on, that's scripture. Oh, you better put it on. Better believe it. Better wear it.
I want you to see one more thing real quick, just to show you, just to show you how important it is to believe what God says. Go to Matthew with me, would you? Let's go back. It's way back in the beginning. Uh, Matthew 4. It's where Satan tempts Jesus. Who knows that Jesus was born? In, in about 30 years later, He goes to the River Jordan to get baptized. He has to be 30 years old. Jewish culture wouldn't have received Him before 30. He had to wait till 30. You're not mature, you're not considered a man. They wouldn't have heard His voice. They didn't hear His voice anyway, but if He had been 27, that would have been a problem. He, they recognized manhood at 30. So it's suggested that Jesus was probably 30 when He was baptized and stepped into ministry.
Think about Jesus. He's so amazing. I still can't wrap my mind around this. Like, I'm not over this for all these years that He came, that He put Himself in a woman, that He had to hang out on the earth in a man's body as a little boy, a young man, a teenager, the whole way to 30, and never manifest, minister, or do a miracle. Just hung out and waited till the time was right. So He had to live in a body for 30 years before it was even time. 30 years to us. Some of us feel like that's almost half of our lives. Yeah, He waited that long just to step out. And He's here that whole time. The little children's books where He found the crippled bird and He holds it when it flies, that didn't happen. It didn't happen. I know it seems sweet, and it's like, "Whoa," and all the kids are looking at Him like, "Whoa." That, no. The first miracles when the water was turned into wine, it was the first miracle Jesus did. He didn't heal crippled bird's wings when He was a kid. You know, us little boys, we get a BB gun. That's not good. You get a BB gun. There is birds that can't fly. And then Jesus lives in your neighborhood, and you're like, "What happened to the bird?" "I shot him." And you look, and Jesus is like, "No, that didn't happen." He just worked with carpentry. He was just Mama and Daddy's boy. He had revelation. The Pharisees were astounded when they lost Him at age 12 and found Him, and He's ministering. So it was amazing the relationship He had with the Father, and they marveled, but He wasn't ministering. He's just waiting.
So now He goes into the River Jordan. Paul, or John the Baptist, he says, "It's me." That's, he knew who he was, right? "Behold, who? What? Behold the Lamb of God." Who? What? Does what? Wait a minute. What takes away? So if He takes away the sin, now what? Still be sinners, or be forgiven and free and holy and blameless and above reproach? Come on. If He takes away the sin, I guess we ought to become sons and daughters, accepted and received, not keep identifying with sin. That's why Romans 6 tells you to reckon yourself dead indeed unto sin and alive unto God. How can you boast in your ability to commit it? Call that humility and reckon yourself dead to it at the same time.
He goes into the River Jordan and He gets baptized. He said, John says about baptizing Him, you know, and, and He said, "It's You me baptize You? It's You that You baptize me?" He said, "Permit it now, John, that all righteousness should be fulfilled." So John baptized Him. What happens when He gets baptized? He comes out of the water. What happens? It's right there in your Bible. A dove descends upon Him. Spirit of God comes upon Him, literally baptizing Him in the Holy Ghost. It's Acts 10:38. How Jesus, how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth, the man who went around doing good. If He came as God, you wouldn't need anointing. He laid down His glory, made Himself of no reputation, and He defeated the devil as a man, anointed by God. That's incredible because He told us to follow that. If He came as God, you couldn't follow that.
And people fight over this. When I talk like this, it makes me a heretic. People draw devil horns on you. This is crazy. He laid down His glory, made Himself of no reputation. He didn't consider it robbery to be called equal with God. He didn't hold on to something to be grasped and acknowledged for. He was born in a manger. He rode in on a donkey. Called Himself the Son of Man. God doesn't sleep. He slept in a boat. You can't tempt God. Jesus is tempted at all points. What other evidence do we need? How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth. You don't have to anoint God. I'm not taking away His deity. I'm saying He tricked the devil big time and came in a man's body and did it as a man, empowered by God, so we had something to follow. He didn't do it as God. He did it as a man, empowered by God, or He couldn't invite you, Kurt, to follow. Why isn't that simple? Why do we fight over this stuff? Like, and hate over this stuff?
First John says in four, "The way you know if a spirit is from God or not, or isn't from God, if it doesn't acknowledge Jesus in the flesh." And as soon as you talk about it, you're still in His deity. Nobody's saying He wasn't the Son of God. We're saying He humbled Himself to the point of death, and became a servant, even unto death, and died on a cross. Made Himself of no reputation. Therefore, God highly exalted Him and gave Him the name above every name. And then He tells us to follow that. And you, therefore, oh my goodness, this isn't complicated.
He comes up out of the water, and what's the Lord said? "That's a good thing to hear, ain't it?" So it's only possible to please God by what? Faith. It's impossible to teach God without faith. You can't please God without faith. So the fact that God said, "This is My best beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased," shows you that Jesus had to come by faith. Go into the womb of a woman and be a little embryo, whatever you call that state of where, what he was alive, where it first happens, you're conceived and alive. That's what He was. And He was that, and He grew into a boy. He came through the womb. He was in total faith when He left. And Holy Spirit put Him in Mary. He has to believe that God's going to reveal Himself. He has to believe that God's going to walk with Him. He has to believe that God's going to deliver Him from death. He has to believe He's going to be raised from the dead. He, He's here by faith. That's why God says, "In, He's My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." Why is He pleased? So what's He showing us? An example of how to live by faith. Why don't we get this? Like this, we shouldn't argue over this.
Does the devil know what's going on? No. But does he know scripture? Does he see what happens at the water baptism? You might not realize this, but yes, he did. Because look at that, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." You've flipped for me. I guess it's the next chapters at the very last verse. Yeah. So now, chapter four, verse one. Could you go there with me, please? Since you're doing this for us, this is awesome. "Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness and tempted by the devil." Why do you go into the wilderness? Well, the, the children of Israel ended up in the wilderness, they just never made it out. So He went in there and fulfilled in 40 days what they failed in 40 years. Because the wilderness was a place for God to be revealed. It was a place to worship God. It wasn't a place to complain. It wasn't a place to wish you were back in Egypt. It wasn't a place to backslide. It was a place to trust God and believe God that the way He smote Egypt's army and Pharaoh, and split the sea, and put bread on the ground, and, and water from a rock, and a fire by day, and or night, in a cloud by day. It was a place to worship Him and believe, no matter where you are, no matter how it feels, and no matter what it looks like, He is the Lord God. That's what the wilderness was. And it was a simple 11-day journey to trust Him and believe Him. Turned into a 40-day circle and cycle, and they all died there and never stepped into the promise until Caleb's generation and Joshua let them in.
Look what the devil does anyway. He fasted. Look at verse two. "When He fasted 40 days and 40 nights, afterward He was hungry." Now when the tempter came to Him, He said, "If you are the Son of God." Why did He ask that? Because He heard that at the River Jordan. How would He know Jesus is the Son of God? Why is He asking Jesus, "If you are the Son of God?" Because God said, "This is My Son, in whom I am well pleased." Good. He's going, "What? He's got son? That's just a prophet." Why is He asking the question? They didn't have no former conversation. The devil knows the word, and he heard God speak. He said, "If you are the Son of God, command these stones into bread." Jesus's answer is phenomenal. I always looked at this, and when I first got saved, I looked at this and I said, "Lord, I understand how You answered the first half of the question, but I don't understand the second part of the question or the, of the comment." Because He says, "It is written." It sounds so spiritual. It sounds amazing. "It is written, 'Man shall not live by.'" Well, I get that because He just fasted 40 days, and the devil's saying, "Use your power to turn these stones into bread." We shouldn't even come off a 40-day fast eating bread. It's not even cool. You're going to blow up your belly, probably die. You got to dilute some juice, and you got to come off really easy and fragile in general, and you should take a couple weeks to even be eating anything close to what you used to eat. "Man shall not live by bread alone, but every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God."
What's the devil doing to Jesus? He's saying, "If you're really a son, prove it." What's He saying to the devil? "I don't prove nothing. I live by what He says. I don't have, I'm not under any pressure to prove anything to you. He said I'm His son. I'm His son because He said so, not because I did anything. And I'm always going to be a son because He says so." You see what the devil does? "Prove you're a son." He tries to get you into works, get you into failure, to all of me, to believe ultimately believe that you're probably not His son, or that if you are, you're surely a failure son. First thing Satan did is come and try to take his identity and attach it to works.
"If you're really a son, do something to prove it." He said, "I ain't turning no bread into no stones into no bread. I don't have to prove them with someone. What do you mean, 'if I'm a son'? You heard what He said. He said, 'I'm His son.' Ain't no 'if.' I don't live by bread alone. I live by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God." Now, are we supposed to follow Jesus? We ought to follow that kind of faith.
What's the next temptation to do next? So the devil took Him up on a high, on into into the holy city, and set Him up on a pinnacle, in a high place, right on the pinnacle. And what's He do? He says to Him, "If you are the Son of God." Same thing. "Come on, if you're the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, 'He will give His angels charge over you.'" So prove your son. Throw yourself down. Let's see how many angels come and rescue you and break your fall. "Because in their hands they'll bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone." What did Jesus say? Pretty simple. "It is written again, 'You shall not tempt the Lord your God.'" What's He saying? "I don't have to throw myself down to see if God's angels catch me to prove I'm His son. I'm supposed to already believe it because He said it." Do you see how important it is?
He says, "You're worthy." Stop saying you're not. If He says you're in, stop thinking you're out. If He says you're holy and blameless and above reproach, stop being guilty, ashamed, and condemned. If He says, "I love you," stop feeling unloved. If He says, "You're accepted," refuse feeling rejected. It's time to believe the Lord. Look how much of a jerk Satan can be. It's constantly challenging what God said. Why? Because man doesn't live by bread alone. He lives by every word proceeded out of my soul. If the devil can get you to question God's word, he's got you. There's Jesus hanging here. Say you're worthy. Does it say your life matters? Does it say He died once for all, and all that call in the name of the Lord shall be saved? Did He do this for everyone? Then why would you exclude yourself from everyone? Yeah, holy, blameless, and above reproach. Man, if you could hear us walking in the Spirit, it's a squeaky clean. Hahaha. It's scripture. It's not presumption. It's not heresy. It's not over-preaching scripture.
So, wonder if Jesus didn't believe He was His son and thought He had to prove it. It's the first thing Satan's there trying to get to happen. Don't think he's going to try something different with you. You get it? Oh, I'm sorry. Special service. Look, I'm the one that has to drive home tonight, three and a half hours. So you guys got a closer drive. I'm going to keep you just a hair longer. No, I'm just, I need you to see this quick. Go to Colossians chapter two, and we're done. Colossians chapter two, verse six. "As you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him." Man, you guys are good. I asked him, I was gonna, thanks, buddy. I was going to do something else and ask if I could get the scriptures up there. If I do it, and I'll let him know, and he starts doing it. It's like, it's beautiful because you can all follow along and see it's in our Bibles. "As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so what? Walk in Him." How'd you receive Him? By faith. So how do you walk in Him?
Okay, so go just scroll with me as I'm reading this. Would be great. "Rooted and built up in Him, established in the faith." Remember how we talked about that in another session? How it's, uh, perspective, it's a unity mindset we're all supposed to have, as you have been taught. It's a shame you can go to church your whole life and never be taught this. "Abounding in it with Thanksgiving." Why is He throw that in? A lot of scriptures adds the Thanksgiving thing on the back end because He does that several times in the New Testament. I asked the Lord, "There's a reason you do that." He said, "Yeah, when you lose your Thanksgiving, it's a barometer that you've turned inward and you're taking things personal. When you maintain your Thanksgiving, you're still seeing through the kingdom, no matter what you're going through. You realize you have so much to be thankful for." And when you lose your Thanksgiving, you're taking life personal, and you're actually borderline offended, like questioning, "What is there to be thankful for because look what I'm going through?" So we're going to, "Rooted, rooted and built up in Him, established in the faith, abounding in it with Thanksgiving."
"Beware." Uh-oh. Watch this. "Beware lest anyone, man or anyone, cheat you through philosophy or empty seat." Not this New King James. Other translations say, "plunder you, hold you captive, take advantage of you, rob you, cheat you." There's a whole lot of translations and different words, but they all say that kind of thing. Watch this. "Intense language. Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy, just human reasoning, empty deceit, just the tradition of men, the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ." That tells you there's a whole lot of things we call wisdom out there, and a whole lot of things we call knowledge, and a whole lot of other voices out there that aren't Christ. Yeah, Corinthians says, "Christ Jesus has become the wisdom of God for us." Beware lest any man cheat you through philosophy, through reasoning, principles, you know, traditions of men, principles of the world, not according to Christ.
So where do you find truth? Christ. Where do you find your identity? Christ. Where do you find your value? Christ. Where do you find your purpose? Christ. Where do you find your destiny? Christ. Come on. There is no true identity apart from Him. It's that big of a deal. And we're tricked into finding our identity through one another, or hope through one another, or encouragement through one another. There's no true encouragement unless Christ is first. Then we have healthy relationships. If Christ isn't first, our relationships have motive. That's why people get hurt and fall out. Look, that's not normal in the kingdom of God to have fallouts. What's normal in the kingdom of God is to walk in love, forgive one another, and even if you have a complaint against another, even as Christ forgave you, you also forgive. Above all these things, put on love. It's Colossians 3. It's there. I read it a couple times.
So what's this big deal about Christ? Who is He? Verse 9. "For in Him, capital H, dwells all the fullness of the Godhead in physical form." Oh my goodness, it gets better. In other words, He is. That's why He said, "When you see Me, you see the Father." Yeah, He's the manifestation of the Father by the power of the Spirit. As the Bible says, "The Lord is the Spirit." Wait a minute. I thought Jesus was the Lord. "It is the Lord who is the Spirit, and we are the Spirit of the Lord." Oh, that's so cool. The Lord is the Spirit, and we are the Spirit of the Lord. Whoa. One. In Him, to us, all the fullness. Not some, not most, all the fullness of who God is.
Look at verse 10. "This is our answer. And you who believe." Time to believe. Time to believe. "And you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power." Period. You are what? Complete. Watch this. You will never truly know who you are and be free in who you are unless you find who you are in Him. You can't find it in your marriage, your relationship, no matter how amazing your spouse is and how much they love you, they're called to love you. You can only find your true value in Him. We have been tricked into finding our value through life instead of the One that gives it. What do you say? We be believers. You are complete in Him. So are you lacking any good thing? Do you have everything you need to walk out life in victory? Are we still growing in truth? Yeah, but can we believe these foundational things and start where He finished so that we run well and never grow weary in while doing? And Paul says in Philippians 3, and no matter what level of maturity you're at, and what rung the ladder you think you're on, "Let us all have this same mind. Let us all believe the same thing." He says, "If any of you think otherwise, even God reveal the sun to you." Sounds pretty important to think this way. Are you all with me?
Just a simple little sermonette, whatever you want to call what I do because I don't preach sermons. Sorry to encourage you to make sure you're being a believer. Now, if you can find that God said it, you have the faith to believe it. And when the devil comes and says, "Really? So you're like, free? You're forgiven after you're trying to tell me, and now all of a sudden everything's just okay?" Don't talk to him. Don't give him a mic. People get a mic, they can't quit talking. Don't give him a mic. You give him a mic, he will manifest. I know what happens when you get a mic. Something happens. Don't put him on a platform. You see what happens when you put somebody on a platform? They manifest. The last thing you need him to do is manifest in your life. You need him to stay right under your feet where he belongs. Don't you spend so much time on a cut-off, withering branch that's coming to nothing when you're created for God's glory? You're not here to survive. You already won. You're here to shine. So church, let your light so shine before men, so they see your life.
Would you stand your feet with me? We're going to pray, and then we'll do one more thing real quick. You know, there's a lot of people healed yesterday. I, I had several people come to me today that didn't even testify yesterday that told me that they woke up today and they was healed, and they got up out of bed and was healed. I was like, "I just like it." I think Pastor had a couple people talk to him about things that changed in their bodies. It's just cool. Stay encouraged. Pray for the sick. If nothing seems to happen, stop believing nothing. Believe you release something and start a process called the kingdom of God. As an ant, and stop turning faith into a point in time or a hit or miss or maybe he will, maybe he won't. Let's see. No, no. Pray, believe, receive all things. Amen. So continue in your faith, church. Continue in believing for the sick and praying for the sick. But most of all, continue believing who you are in Him. Now that He came because you're complete in Christ, you don't have anything to prove. You have the joy of becoming and living this life that He paid for. You're not under the pressure of proving anything. You're under the privilege of believing what already happened.
See, God's so sharp. He's so smart. He says in scripture, "If you make a tree good, fruit will be good." He doesn't say, "If the tree becomes good." He said, "If you make it good." You know what He did to me? He made me a good tree. I was a messed-up tree, man. Crisscrossed roots, I had messed-up fruit. If the roots bad, the fruit's bad. But if you make a tree good, what's she talking about? We're trees of righteousness, the supply of the Lord. He's talking about your identity. If you teach people who they are, they'll produce the fruit of that truth. So He made me a good tree. I'm not apologizing for it. "You know them by their fruits." I think you're fruity. Well, I live with me, and I think I'm free. I tell people, "I'm either the most deceived man you met, or I'm free." And I got all my chips on the free space. I guess we'll find out someday when it all comes to a head, won't we? I have my confidence there because I have to live with me, and I live with my own conscience in my own life. I'm pretty confident with that one. Thank you, Jesus, because He fathers me and He loves me. And if I need to change something, I'll know it. As far as I see it, I'm on the free space. Let's all live there. Amen. Because it's there where we have an impact. What Pastor said about the unity of believing and the corporate strength of us all being on the same page is vital. It's one thing if a couple of us have this revelation, we're living it, we're going to sow seeds, and we can't even count the multiplication of it. You can't measure a seed placed in God's hand, planted by faith. But He says, "The things I do, you'll do and greater things because I go to My Father." And He pours out His Spirit and reproduces Himself in as many as we believe. It's probably the greater things. Yeah, and all of a sudden, the whole earth gets filled with His glory.
Would you lift your hands with me? Would you just submit to Him? You don't have to if you don't want to, but I invite you to just lift your hands as a sign of agreement, yieldedness, willingness. Father, would You let Your grace rest on this house? Would You let Your grace rest on this leadership? Father, increase it and grant wisdom and empower this church to be so known as a kingdom church, a church that just walks pleasing to God because they walk in the truth of what You've done, what You paid for, and what You said. Would You let this church go down in history as a church that is simple in their beliefs and mighty in God? Like, if You said it, it's the way it is, period. Let it be that simple. In other words, we're not complex. We don't have to talk ourselves into nothing. If He said we're free, we're free. If He said we're loved, we're loved. If He said we're forgiven, we're forgiven. He said we're accepted, we're accepted. I ask a grace to rest upon this house to be seen as believers of Your word, believers of what You accomplished, believers of who we've become now that You came. I pray for that grace of believing God that in no way would it be stolen. And even as the enemy came in the wilderness to try to tempt and trick Jesus, I thank You this house will be in that place of grace and say, "Whoa, whoa, whoa. That has nothing to do with nothing because it is written." So I ask for strength of identity. I ask for a maturity to be found in us. And I ask for the fruitfulness of that to be immeasurable because You're good. I bless this house, God. I pray that every family knows Your presence and Your goodness. That there'd be no unreconciled conflicts. That even tonight, things would have the grace behind them to just let it rest, let it die without a word, and let's just pick up and move forward. Let us see each other through Your eyes. Let us walk in Your love. And let us live by Your Spirit. I proclaim peace and the power of God over this house in the name of Jesus. Amen. Amen.
All right, if you are sick in your body in any way and need healing, is why you're all standing, just go like this so we can see you. You say, "Man, if I would be healed tonight, that would be amazing." Just go like this. If you're standing near somebody, you see them with their hand up, just put a hand on the shoulder. Don't violate them, don't smother them, just tap them gently. Just say, "Hey, can I make contact here?" Just go ahead, please. We're going to do this. It's not too quick and easy. It's not a religious ending. Believe me, we wouldn't do this stuff if we didn't think it was real and believe there was going to be results. Amen. So if you waved your hand and you're being prayed for, I want you to believe one thing tonight: that God has to love me, or He'd never send His Son. So, Father, thank You for loving me. Because You love me, You forgive me. Because You love me, You heal me. Thank You for loving me. That's all I want you to do. The people praying right now, sincerely in faith, believing God loves that person. It's not your prayer. It's not the power of your prayer. It's His finished work. I want you to say this: "Be made whole in Jesus' name. No more sickness, no more symptoms, no more weakness. From this moment forward, be completely made whole." Father, we thank You for Your love, and we thank You for the victory that we have through Christ Jesus. In Jesus' name. Amen. Amen.
All right, if you were prayed for, you thank God for that. Not everybody knows if they're healed because of their situation. Some people do know. You can check your bodies, walk out of here, and be like, "Thank You for what You're doing in me." Amen. Amen. God bless you. Thanks for having me. See ya. Thank you.