Transcription
Hey hey, what is up YouTube? God bless you guys. I know it's been a little while since I jumped on here and gave a word. Uh, my wife and I have gone live several times. I've dropped a couple new songs, um, but I haven't really sat down and actually engaged in shooting a video with some content, uh, to minister to you guys, to share what God's been putting on my heart.
So, uh, we got the little microphone here, um, hopefully the audio is a little better, better. Uh, I'm using a new webcam. We're looking at getting a DSLR camera. If you guys saw, we ran a little fundraiser for that, um, and raised about half of what we need for that, um, so I'm going to be getting that here pretty soon to upgrade the camera equipment. Um, so just wanted to share a couple quick announcements. Please do not click off this video. If you clicked on this video, I believe that this is either a word for you specifically where you are in life right now, or it is a word for somebody that you may know. So feel free to share this video.
Uh, as you guys know, my wife and I hit the road. A lot of you know we hit the road full-time in April, the end of April, beginning of May. I have about 20 out-of-state events on a tour that we're going to be doing between concerts, preaching, and just sharing the word of God, my testimony. So we're super excited for what God's doing in our life.
So, uh, let's jump into this real quick. I just wanted to share a quick word that I feel like God's been stirring in my heart because on social media and just the platforms that I have and the constant ministering to people, you know, constantly meeting new people, constantly interacting with people in the public, I found out that there's a lot of discouraged Christians out there. Um, and what I mean by discouraged is, you know, the Bible says that we grow from glory to glory and we're constantly seeking God, and as we draw near, He draws near to us. But a lot of times, I feel like we fall, we feel like we fall short in areas of our life that we feel like we could be doing better. You know, we feel like we fall into a repetitive, um, habitual sin, possibly. You know, something you might have struggled with a while ago and it keeps coming back up into your life. And then people think they need deliverance, um, from a demon because they keep getting tormented by the the same spirit that continues to try to make them fall into the trap, fall into the cycle of sins. You know, it doesn't matter what it is. It could be smoking, it could be gambling, it could be your language, your swear, it could be swearing, it could be pornography, it could be anything. There's so many different tactics that the enemy tries to use to keep a Christian in bondage.
But here's what I want to touch on today. Uh, the Bible says that the heart is above all else. It's deceitfully wicked and it can snare you, it can entice you. A lot of times we don't even know exactly where our heart is. We may think we know where the heart is, but God sees the heart. God looks at the inside intentions. God sees the motives of what you do and behind what you're doing, why you're doing it. So God knows your heart better than you do, better than anyone else does, even yourself.
But here's what happens is a lot of times, yes, there's a place for deliverance. Yes, there's a place where the enemy can send spirits into your life and you can open the door for demonic activity. However, a lot of times, I believe what we experience as Christians in the body of Christ that we think is possession or that we think is something pushing us to do something, I believe it's outside of us trying to get back into us. And here's why I say that. The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 5:17, 2 Corinthians 5:17, that if anyone is in Christ, they are in new creation because behold, the old is gone, the new is here. Amen. We all know that scripture.
So when we come into Christ and we get born again, the Bible says you must be born again. It also says that no man comes to the Father unless he is drawn by God first. So nobody comes to God unless God first draws them to Him, right? So once we come to God, it seems like all of a sudden we have all these new struggles in our life, all these new things trying to hit us, different tactics that the enemy sends. And then we constantly discourage ourselves, we find constantly get frustrated, we feel condemned and feel like we can't get over these humps, we can't do better. But the fact that you even care, the fact that it even bothers you that you're falling short, the fact that you're even concerned that you're not leveling up and measuring up to the standard of righteousness that God calls us to, shows that your heart is in a good place.
Because there was a time and a day, and I'm talking to somebody right now, listen to this. There was a time and a day where those things that are bothering now, it was normal. And you pursued it. It was okay to do those things. You didn't have a violated conscience. You didn't have a conviction. You didn't have something telling you to knock it off because you know better. You were stuck in that way of life. You were in a whirlwind of darkness and despair and disaster. But God has called you into the light. And once you step into the light, that is why you are a new creation because the inside desires of your heart begin to shift, begin to change.
So then what the enemy does is he comes with a familiar spirit and he tries to make you think that you are still the old man, that you have not died to yourself, that you are still stuck in those ways. But the truth and the reality is, is you're actually free from it. And the reason you're struggling is because you are in a war against flesh and spirit. You are in a war against dark and light. You stepped into the light and now the darkness is trying to pull you back.
Now, what I'm talking about when you fall into the trap of the sin and you commit it, the enemy comes with condemnation, not conviction. The Holy Spirit is the one that will convict you beforehand and warn you not to do it. But then once you fall into the trap and it's too late to change what you did, then the enemy sneaks in with condemnation and tries to make you feel bad for what you did. But the Bible says that you confess your sins to one another that you may be healed. That's James five. The Bible also says, like I said, that no man comes to the Father unless God's drawn, drawing him. So God draws you to the to Himself. God draws you to His Spirit. The Holy Spirit entices you to come to Christ, to draw near to Him. And then the enemy comes and tries to make you think that you're still the old man because you keep slipping up.
Now, this isn't a license to sin and get away with it. Grace is to enable you to be able to be empowered by God's spirit to walk in the righteousness. See, God sees you as righteous before you were. It says that He loves us when we are still a sinner. Christ died for you. Christ came and died for you when you were a sinner. So how much more will God love you now that you're actually trying to live a godly life? But then we get stuck beating ourselves up, saying that we're not doing good enough. And like I said, this isn't a license to sin and live how you want. No, the whole point of the gospel is transformation. The whole point of the gospel is redemption. It's to be bought by the blood of Jesus, come into the light, your salvation, and go, "Wow, He loved me when I was living this way, and now He's going to empower me to live a righteous life." That's the whole gospel. It's all about transformation. It's all about changing your mind so that you can live different. The Bible says in Romans 12:1-2, "Do not be conformed to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." So we have to renew our mind and allow God to fill our heart.
But here's what happens. A lot of times we think we still have these problems, but they're outside trying to get back in. Like, I have people come to me all the time for ministry, for deliverance, and they talk to me and say, "Man, brother, you know, I was out at Walmart doing this and that, and this old desire came up." And out of nowhere, I was doing good. I'm listening to praise and worship, and just for instance, let's say I smelled, I smelled marijuana. Say somebody had a problem smoking marijuana and they smell marijuana. Or say they had a lust problem and they've seen an attractive person walk by and they took a double take. And immediately their heart goes, "Ooh, you shouldn't have did that." And then the first thing a Christian does a lot of times is go, "Oh man, forgive me, Lord. Forgive me, God. I'm so sorry. Oh, I keep doing this again and over and over. I must have a problem. I must need deliverance." And then you call a friend and you ask for prayer, or you go ahead and think about that situation all day long and beat yourself up.
But the truth is, is that it bothered you. That means your heart's alive. If your heart doesn't want it, it's not you. That's a word for somebody. If your heart doesn't want it, it's not you. But see, the enemy wants you to think that every time you slip up in your flesh, that you're still the old man. But that old man has died. If the old man didn't die, then you wouldn't feel the conviction. And the condemnation wouldn't try to come upon you. Why would the enemy try to condemn you if you knew that you were still willfully living in sin? That's a word. Why would the enemy try to condemn you if he knew that you were still willfully living in sin? You didn't feel that way when you were living in sin before you came to Christ, did you? You didn't feel that way before you got saved. The enemy didn't mess with it because he knew he had you.
But now he's freaked out. He's scared because he saw that you stepped into the light. He saw that you know your identity in Christ. Now he saw that you know that you're a new creation. So now he's going to try to backstab, come back, bite you in the butt, condemn you, and make you feel like you're not doing good enough. So maybe you don't have the problem that you really think you do. Maybe you just need to spend more time with God and build a relationship where the grace empowers you to never want to look back and do those things anymore because you see the love of God is so great in your life and that He loves you so much, why would you want to do that? And that's not works. It's not, "Oh, well, I gotta live this way to please God." No, God loves you regardless. But He is pleased with obedience. It says obedience is better than sacrifice. Obedience is better than sacrifice. So He wants you to be obedient and lay down your life before Him. And once you start doing that, it enables the Holy Spirit to begin to equip you, to change you from the inside out. And those old desires, those old pulls, those old lusts, those old sinful ways no longer have a grip on your life anymore because you've tasted and seen that the Lord is good.
And then people say, "Well, brother, it's been a process. It's been a struggle." Listen, that's why it says you're transformed by the new renewing of your mind. Sometimes it's a transformation period. Just like how a caterpillar, and you've probably heard this example before, a caterpillar builds a cocoon and he goes into the cocoon, and then he comes out as a butterfly. There's a transformation period. As a Christian, you know, Paul says that, uh, for who he's talking to in the New Testament, maybe the Corinthians, I forget, uh, where he's taught, I forget the specific book and chapter, but you guys know the verse where he talks about, "You guys should be on meat now, but you're still on the milk." See, there's a process. When you get saved, you are first on the milk, and then as you begin to develop your relationship with God, you begin to step into the truth of understanding of who you really are in Christ. Then you begin to eat on bigger things. Then you begin to grow. You begin to be nurtured. That's why you must be grounded and rooted in the faith so that when the storm comes, you're not like the man who built his house on the sand. It's a transformation period.
So I want to encourage you guys. If you're watching this or you know somebody that struggles with habitual sin, struggles with going back to the old way, struggles with the cycles in their life, I have other videos on this channel. If you scroll down through my videos, you know how to break the cycle, and I talk about, uh, similar things about personal experiences that I had in my life and on my testimony, testimony videos on here as well. Um, there's so many different ways. But it's funny how there's one enemy and he tries to use the same tactics on every believer. So if we begin to expose these lies and we learn how to step out of the lie and walk in the truth, then they no longer have a grip on our life and no longer have the play.
So I just want to encourage you guys today to go after God like never before. And if you're struggling with habitual sin, if you're struggling with something that keeps trying to arise in your heart, question yourself and ask yourself, "Why do I keep doing this?" And if you feel like you can't stop, cry out to God. And it's okay to ask a friend for prayer. It's okay to go to your pastor and tell them what you're dealing with. That's called humility. And God opposes the proud, but He shows favor over to the humble. So go ahead and be transparent. Like I said, the Bible says in James 5, "Confess your sins to one another so that you may be healed." And the enemy wants you to think that everything you're going through, you're the only one going through it. But the truth is, the Bible says, "No temptation has overtaken you except for what is common to mankind. But God is faithful. He will not allow you be tempted beyond what you can bear. And when you are tempted, He'll provide a way out so that you can endure it."
So what's that mean? It's saying that what you're facing and what you're struggling with and what you're dealing with isn't anything that no other man hasn't seen or fellow other people are going through the same similar stuff. But the enemy wants you to be condemned and think that you look bad, think that you're not okay, and all this craziness just to keep you separated from the presence of your Father. Because he knows that if he can get you discouraged and cut off from God, that he will defeat you. A discouraged Christian is defeated. So do not be discouraged today. God bless you guys.
If this word has touched you, please hit the like button. Share this video. You guys know my wife and I are hitting the road. We have our newborn and we have a crazy schedule this year. Um, so if you guys want to support us, like I said, stream the music. You can shop on my website, downloaderjunior.com. All the proceeds go to help. And I also have some links if you want to partner with us financially in the description and the first comment as well. Everything is appreciated from you guys. Um, we never do this for the finances. We never do this for the money. Obviously, my heart is in a very good place. And I always say, if God, if it ever gets out of line, God, check me. But the fact is, things do cost money and we're taking big leaps. We got this RV, the tour bus. It's just been a crazy season. It's been a crazy year and God's favor is all upon it. And He always supplies and He always provides. He always provides to the right people. So God bless you guys. Thank you so much for taking the time to listen. Share this video if it encouraged you and be blessed in the mighty name of Jesus. Peace.