Living on Mission: Finding Your God-Given Purpose and Identity | Lee Morris

Oh, let's pray real quick. Father God, I thank you, Lord. We welcome you, God. We welcome you into this room, Lord God. We invite your presence, Lord. Yesterday, Chuck said something so powerful. You said you inhabit people, not buildings, Lord God. So we just welcome you, Lord God. That you would fill us and possess us, Lord. That you'd fill us to overflowing, Lord God. That we would understand your unique call on our lives, Lord God. You would we would understand your unique love for all your people, people, saints and sinners alike, Father God, that we would have your level of compassion for others so that we can hear your voice clearly. we could forgive and let go of offenses. Lord, we just experience you in your presence today. Jesus name.

Today we're going to go over like the mission, right? What's the mission? Uh the the commission, right? go forth and make disciples of all nation. Right? That's the commission. And then the way he equips us for that is in Ephesians 4 and in uh I can't remember where it talks about the gifts of the spirit. Uh not the fruits but the gifts, the word of knowledge, the prophecy, the speaking of tongues, all that. So he he equips us for the commission uh both by uh the gift of grace with apostle prophet uh evangelists pastors and teachers. That's how he equips us so that we're all raised up to the fullness and stature of Christ Jesus. And in that so that we can be and be on the the commission, right? But what is the mission? Right? What what what what is it? What is it individually? What is it collectively? Like it sounds good. What is it to make a disciple? Somebody who's got the Got to be on your toes, hoes. Who who who can help me out? What What's the mission? >> Hold on. You got to huh? >> To bring good news to the pool. >> I mean, I think that's a portion of it, I guess. to bring the word of God to those who don't know it. >> That's part of it. What you at Kein? >> Is it that uh to be like Jesus and when people ask questions about it? Uh kind of be able to describe my experiences to help their walk and listen to their experiences. >> I think that's part of it. What do you got, John? >> I would say to love others. That's a big part of it. I'm gonna go here and then Charles up here. Uh Jamon had something. What do you got, Jamon? >> You said what is it to be a disciple? Right. >> No, no, no. What is the mission? What is the What is it to build disciples? What is it to build disciples? I >> think in order to do that, first you have to learn how to be a disciple first. >> Well, I would say that's probably you would have to be discipled in order to disciple. That's what that would be for sure. Go ahead, Charles. preach the word of God to uh fellow uh to brothers and people that you know like Okay. I I think that's a part of it. You got a couple more over here. I I want to get everybody's cuz I I want to talk into I want I want to lead into how I think we begin to build disciples. What is it? >> I said uh teach somebody else what I know and show them how to do it. >> Okay. Reconciliation. Okay. What do you got? blood by blood, truth, bride, truth. To acknowledge him is to acknowledge us. >> Okay. Uh so for me, so so I think all of those fit, right? All all of those fit in a part of it. All of those are a small part of what it would be to build disciples, right? To be able to replicate uh exactly what's happened to us. That was kind of a a good general uh repetitive thing that happened whenever we were just now going through that. But how do we do that? Right? This this is what I would say is did you receive because somebody spoke a good word? No, you're only going to receive because well, this is what I found. God tills the soil of my heart. He tenderizes the heart to a place in a position where I'm finally open and able to receive. For me, that means I had to get my butt kicked a whole bunch to where I finally was just like, "Let me die." And in that place, there was enough of me that was out of the way to receive and to begin to understand that the God of all creation not only loved me, but placed such a high value on my life that he would reconcile me to himself because I'm his favorite. Once that happened, right, then it's earth shaking. That's that's that that that changes. But it took some men that had what I've learned I didn't know Christian ees before. And so when somebody said anointing, I was thinking icy hot, you know, uh you know what I'm saying? I didn't know I didn't know what anointed meant because it you without outside of the Christian world you don't use the word anointing you know and so but once I began to understand what it meant that it was this great pressing of a life the great squeezing of a life through both experience trials and successes that produced a flow of God that was pure enough that whenever it would come and be spread upon me that it would break loose a shackle of bondage on my life so I could take just a little bit deeper of a breath. You ever swim underwater for a minute and when you first come up, you can only take so deep of a breath. But then the longer you're out of water, the deeper your breath can get. You understand what I'm saying? I think that's what it looks like to come underneath anointing that you would come underneath an anointing. And in the midst of that anointing, you begin to take these small breaths that are almost so big they hurt, right? They're so uncomfortable that you're you're trying to draw more and more in, but you only have the ability to expand so much until finally you can take these full fluid breaths. I think our mission is to be pressed and squeezed into a place where that happens through our life. Where when people come alongside us, they begin Ronnie, stand up in the back, you're going to sleep, that they begin to take a more deep and full breath, even though there might be some pain associated with it, right? It might be painful that breath and it may be where they're really fighting to to draw into this uh In this teaching, we're going to go over Isaiah 60 1-7 and Isaiah 61 1-7 because I think that you have an individual mission and then I think you have the collective, right? Because we're the individual, we're sons, collective, we're body and bride. Everybody tracking >> in Isaiah 61-7 I believe it starts to speak about the collective anointing the the collective as a people what our call is. I believe specifically for Nehemiah Abene that's just this is the word that God gave me. I believe that this whenever I read it, I interpreted and that and God was saying this is who the men that will come through this program. This is the men it'll start here. This is the detonator city and this is what'll happen. And in it, he he I navigated this and understood who I believe we truly are. And whenever you come through this door, it's who I see that you are. And it has to be together in unity. That's why that good morning that we do is so powerful because it's one single word of encouragement without pride, arrogance, or ego. It's literally just an encouraging response in repetition back to someone and you see how it shifts. Did y'all notice that yesterday? >> You'll notice it every time we do it to every pastor that we do it to. It's just a word of encouragement said back with authority letting them know, hey, we heard you and we're here with you and we're here to hear what God put on your heart. And it changes the atmosphere. It shifts the atmosphere because we're engaging intentionally. And if you haven't looked if you haven't looked around in a while, most men don't engage intentionally. As Nehemiah Abene Isaiah 60 1-7 says this, it says, "Arise and shine." I love listen. I love when you get a uniform, Miguel. You know why I love when you get a uniform? Because you get to be a part of something. Because nobody's ever going to look at Listen, this is the truth. You can come in shooting dope yesterday, put on that uniform today, and when you walk out there, people are going to be like, "Oh, cuz you're a part of something." They recognize what it means. It means you have a chance right now that you're going to get to stand up and you're going to get to engage and you're going to get to be a part of something. There's identity in it in Christ, right? But as a collective, we are these men of Nehemiah, right? And there's power. There's a power in it. Arise and shine. It says, "For your light has come and the glory of the Lord rises upon you." Say, "Who?" Me. Say it again. >> Yes, you. You. I hope you read the word like that. Listen, it was written every much for them as it is for us today. Me. The glory of the Lord rises upon upon me. Listen, we always quote that scripture that says uh for all things work together for the good of those that love the Lord and called according to his purpose. uh uh for those he forneew he for those he forneew he predest called according to his purpose. Uh those he called he justified. Those he justified he glorified. He glorified. The glory of the Lord is upon you. Now, see, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness over the people. Can y'all see that right now? That there's a darkness over the people. That there's a darkness over the earth. Last week, there was like I don't know how many crazy earthquakes all at the same moment in multiple parts of the earth. Uh I know that I think that I could be wrong about this, but I think Venezuela's up to like 50,000 missing. uh you know that that that kind of thing has happened more and more I don't I think there was two in China and I I don't even know what all the death toll is you can you imagine this city they say on on the on the population it's only 120,000 the that tsunami that happened uh uh 10 years ago or however long it was took out 250,000 in in just a flash of an eye right I would say that things like that uh are are definitely are definitely a darkness over the earth if the earth was we were called to subjugate and be in authority over the earth. The earth is crying out, right? We we hear that and and there's a darkness not over the over the earth but over the people. There's a great deception that points everything back to me. You know, I always keep go I always go back to that thing that says the blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb because we bastardize everything to make it only about me and mine. And so we take away what it meant for him and make it all about me. The blood is thicker than water because it means my relationship with mine is more important than yours. But the original statement was the blood of the covenant which is my family or them that do the will of God is thicker than the water of the womb. The brothers and sisters I may have been born with because Jesus himself said who is my mother and who is my brother? My family are them that do the will of God. Yeah. In this place you get to partake in that. You get to come together. This is the mission for us as a collective. This is what you get to be a part of. You get to stand up and say, "Maybe it is for the first time. I have people to my left and right that don't want anything for me but the best for me." And even if it hadn't fully come together yet, it will come together. But intimacy has nothing to do with what they're going to share with you. It all has only to do with what you're able to share with them, not the other way around. Uh, back to you, row, those two, Christian and Matt. Uh it says, "Nations will come to your light." Listen, when I read this and the Lord was speaking to me, it says, "Nations will come to your light and kings to the brightness of your dawn." And what he showed me was he showed me judges and city managers and district attorneys that see this great light coming out of Abene, this great redemption of men. Listen, we can't just spawn or clone 500 grown men working together in unity, loving their families, loving their city, standing up for what's right, and laying down their lives for all of those that don't believe. But if we could reconcile some to the father and five of them, 500, can you imagine 500 of men in absolute unity laying down their lives right now? The crowd that that would draw from all over the world to say, "What is happening?" Can you imagine what all could be accomplished in that from the simplest task, the biggest tasks? Can you imagine the sound of worship that would raise up from 500 men singing intentionally and focused just to glorify God and not to be seen? Can you imagine what it would sound like? And I believe what God showed me is in that people would come and say, "We want we got to have what you have. We we got to have for your for our city what you have in your city. We need we need this revival. We need these men. We need these we can we just get 50 men, much less 500. Can we just start with 50?" And we started with three. And the people will come and say, "We'll do anything to get you where?" Because we our our our home is broken. Our city is being destroyed for lack of men. For lack of men, that'll just let their yes be yes and their no be no. They would just come up and hug someone that smells like piss, that has nothing to hold on to but that desperate hope of suicide. And I wonder if just a man would walk out in the street and reconcile. How many people have been there on the street ready to die? I have. And if I spot it, listen, if I spot it, what am I going to shy away from but go up and hug their neck? That's what men would do. Men would see the value of a human life again and not want to take one over somebody stealing out of their shed. What? >> I was done. I mean, you I hope you saw it. I think you did. I mean, I would I think that was the worst off I'd ever been. And that, man, and you still It's your turn to do it. >> Said, "I'm glad you're back." >> Well, then keep going and do it. You be the next one that does it. >> Listen, I I I find more and more often, especially within the church, people in the church are be they're okay with the violence against people that's still out of their yard. They're they're okay with a a level of violence if somebody's breaking into their home. Like I I'm not saying don't defend your family. I'm saying it shouldn't be that. There's this thing I did a commentary on last week and and listen, I've lost my temper and had to apologize for losing my temper, but just cuz I've had people say the most foul things you can ever imagine to me in this ministry about my family, about my wife, about our kids, about our grandkids. And you know what? I had to realize that it's spiritual. And all they need to do is realize how much I love them. And it would shift and change their life because I don't get that love for me. you for love because the father first loves you. And if you can ever crack that thing open and pour it over a man, it'll change his life forever if he's been softened enough to see it. The light isn't going to be a city of justice. That's what it says. It says, "Nations will come to your light and kings to the brightness of your dawn." That's not going to be where they see this great justice. It's going to be where they see this great overflowing compassion and transformation. Because when there's compassion and transformation, there's going to be justice. It just may not look like what everybody expects it to. Look at all of us in this room that have willingly given up our life so many times in the pursuit of so much ridiculousness that now if you just had six more months and and you could grab on and say this is what I believe and for the next six months of my life I'm going to live it out radically. I'm going to give it everything I got to love everyone without opinion. To be able to accept everything as it comes and understand everything is spiritual. To do my very best to serve everyone I come in contact regardless of what their opinion or their motive is. I know what I'm I want. I know what my motive is. I know what my opinion is. And it's that Christ is not only my savior, but he's my Lord and I'm going to look like him and I'm going to be like him. And if we can do that together, then there's a light that'll shine in this place. It'll be so bright the world will take notice. And it just takes us believing for a minute. It just takes us believing for Listen, there was for a long time there was there were several bright bright lights at Nehemiah Dallas. One of those was a guy they called Sergeant Major because he gave himself over in belief to that role so that you so that men could follow him. You realize we've been given a great light here too of our own who's given himself over into that position now because he chose to believe beyond what was the basics of reality and say, "You know what? If this is what you're calling me to do, God, I'm going to make it real in the hopes that it'll make it real for them." You have the same opportunities. It says, "Lift up your eyes and look around you." Look around. All assemble and come to you. Y'all not see that? I'm Listen. Do y'all realize to have a mega church? I could be wrong. Don't you know somebody will whip me online for this if I'm wrong. If it's more than like a hundred people showing up every week, it's considered a mega church. I could be wrong about that, but it's considered like one of the It's in like the top 5% size of churches in America. 100 people. We have 175 to 200 people every Monday night. We're not and and we're part of the church. We're not a church, but it means, listen, it means something's happening here. I went to Burberry's funeral in Dallas on Saturday and uh and a couple of those guys that came down with Mac and and some other guys from Dallas, they came up to me and Carlos was like Eddie Cox told me that it was going to look different than anything I'd ever seen. And it did. I've never seen anything like that. And he was talking about one of our Monday nights. He was talking about whenever we were halfway focused. I don't even remember anything crazy spectacular that happened that Monday night. I just remember it being a little bit average. But if you're Listen, I I I love that we're so used to the supernatural being average that it seemed average to us and was spectacular to others. That's why when we say good morning, the whole ever the whole body responds. And he says, you bring something into this place. There's something shining in you and on you, especially when we do it together. It says, "Your sons come from afar and your daughters are carried on the hip. Then you will look and be radiant. And you will be radiant. There will be a light that shines off you that draws people to you if you can embrace the fullness of who he says you are. To understand that your life, this life that you're like, why has it been like this? Cuz you had to be anointed. You had to be anointed. You listen, you know, the only oil that doesn't crush the fruit is olive. All the other stuff, they ground it. They they press it and grind it. You and that's how they make the oil. An olive goes into a press and it's pressed on all sides but not crushed because the the the the exterior of it has such a great value. Your life that you've been so distraught with and miserable with and and heartbroken over was the anointing. Listen, cuz he knew that you would make it here. He knew that you would make it to a place and you would get given a word, that you would give be given the word of God, Jesus himself, that you would be handed him. And if you chose to receive it, then that anointing that you have on your life will set others free because that's what set people free. The word of God, my testimony, and the anointing on your life. It breaks the yoke of bondage and sets the captives free. That's why this ministry is so important. The anointing in the room, do you get it? You have to know it. You have to buy into that. That your great purpose, the great purpose on your life so that people can go free. And it may not be tens of thousands of hundreds of thousands. Would it be worth it if it was one? Would it be worth it if it was one? Would it be worth it if it was so that you would just go in and be a normal minister of the gospel in your workplace, but your sons and daughters would raise up mighty ones for the kingdom? Would it be worth it? >> Those are the questions we have. Would it be worth it if just for today I get to serve him wholeheartedly and I never get another tomorrow? says, "Your heart will throb and swell with joy. The wealth in the seas will be brought to you. To you the riches of the nations will come. Herds of camels will cover your land. Young camels from Midian and Epha and all from Sheba will come bearing gold and incense and proclaiming the praise of the Lord. All Kedar's flock will be gathered to you. The rams of Neabboth will serve you. They will be accepted as offerings on my altar and I will adorn my glorious temple. Listen, I don't know about camels and stuff. Let me be real. But I can tell you this, like we've been in position to give a bunch of vehicles away. And I think if it would have been 2,000 years ago, it'd probably look more like camels than Camry's. You get it? >> That the Lord has done things. We get given couches and then people need couches. We get given dining room tables and we put it in stores. We're like, "Okay, let's hang on to it. Maybe somebody's going to need it." And then we get a family that calls that needs a table. And listen, I'm not saying they're golden label. I mean, phase two guys, y'all know they're they're okay stuff. Some of it's real nice stuff, but but listen to those people that get it, man. They've been praying for something. They've been holding out hope and and God wants to use this as an instrument that he can pour through things. It ain't about us getting this stuff and storing it up so that I can adorn myself so you see it. It's No, I' I'm the light in the darkness that says, "Here, this one's for you." You get it? And I've witnessed that. I've witnessed that. I've witnessed that over and over and over. I've got to meet men and women of God that man, unreal stuff. Unreal stuff. It's always the condition of the heart. It's always the where my motives at and what I where I can he trust me with his resources. Can he trust me that I'm going to continue to let my light shine? And listen, this is the truth. He'll give me so much that whenever I finally hold on to something and look at it, he'll know that's as much as he can ever trust me with. He's like, "Okay, that's all I can trust you with." So, you better be free with it. I want the key. I want men. I want men and women and families and kids. Bro, we write these songs that men can sing. What about when we start hearing the ones that women sing? And then I got one better. What about the first couple? What about the first couple that writes a song in redemption? What about the first couple that writes a song of redemption and they have their child that's born out of redemption because of what God's poured out in this place that sings on that worship song that just says, "Glory, glory, glory. Thank you, God." Can you ma can you let your ear imagine it for a minute? What if it's yours? What if it's your wife that he's preparing a song on our heart right now? What if it's your child that'll be brought up that has that testimony? And his story, this song says something about his dad being a mighty man of God. Oh, if I can only walk in his shoes. Can you imagine that God would bring you to a place to restore you to that point where you would be the greatest representative to Christ himself to your own children? I imagine it for you all the time. That's what allows us to lay down our life for you. That's what allows us to believe in it for you. Because I know those songs are being written for you. All you got to do is stay. Grab on to it. Buy into it. Believe that he loves you immeasurably more than you can ever even fathom. In Isaiah 61, it's the it's where whenever I was praying to this, I felt like God said, "This is this is it. This is this is me." Listen, I'm the disciple. Just so everybody knows, I'm the disciple Jesus loves. I'm his favorite. You're his favorite. You're the disciple that Jesus. Do you see what I'm saying? So this whenever I read this, I can be super selfish and say, "Oh, this is for me." and I'll fall away. If this is just for me, we're ruined. But I believe this is individually. This great mystery, Christ in us, the hope of glory. So this is each one of us. This is every bit that's on you and every bit that's on me. It says the spirit of the sovereign Lord is on me. Say, who me? >> Yes. Yes, it is. More importantly, after this in the new covenant, in the New Testament, it says that he's in you. Not only on you. The best thing about him being on me is I think I can get more of that one. I think once he gets in me, you get the full dose, but I think he can come on you more and more and more in different moments. And it's a beautiful thing. It says, "The spirit of the Lord is on me because the Lord has anointed me." Say, "Who me?" >> Yes, you. You've been anointed. Look at the trial, the tribulation. Look at all that you've overcome and persevered through. Look at where you're at and you're still here. That's how you know he couldn't kill you. Don't you get it? He tried. Who here did the enemy try to kill? When are you going to get the gist of this? That you've been called and appointed to something so mighty and so powerful that an eternal enemy that despises, hates you, and wants to kill you constantly haven't been able to. because you've been under God's hand. It says, "Because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim the good news to the poor." Somebody said that earlier. The poor means so much. It can be destitute financially. It can be poor in spirit. It I I can be have be poor in joy, poor in hope. You know what I'm saying? And I you be and and that one word, that word of encouragement, that one thing that says we're going to make it through this. I've been through what you're going through and I'm here to say it gets better. And it does it don't get easier. It gets more beautiful. The weight and the pressure you've called to rule and to reign in a kingdom that is bigger than your imagination can ever fathom. So the weight and the pressure of that is massive. The good news is he's going to grow you into it. And every time you don't give up, he reveals how much better he's going to be. Every time I say me, say me. All right. He has sent me >> me >> to build to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners. Listen, do y'all know the difference between captives and prisoners? Anybody? Think about it. >> Well, you got Hold on. You got a couple people up here on the front row >> right here. Right. Right here. >> Captured. >> Captives are captured. Prisoners are >> prisoners are uh they're taken. >> Guilty. >> Guilty. Taken out. >> That's it. Listen, it's important to know that who here had a bad had a raw deal as a kid? Anybody get molested? Anybody got beaten? Anybody got abandoned? Raw deal, right? Captive. Who here ended up beating people, stealing from people, lying from lying to people, cheating people, prisoner? You get it? It's for both. Both need freedom. There's a distinction in the two, but both need to be free. And the only freedom is through Christ Jesus. Guess what we're called to do, right? We said me, right? We're here to proclaim freedom for the captives. That you're no longer bound. No longer bound. Ain't no me down. I'm just flexing. I can't remember the rest. It's good though. And release from darkness for the prisoners from the darkness of of this. I've rarely yet a prisoner that didn't start as a captive. Rarely. I I've mostly only ever met a prisoner that started as a captive. And I've rarely met someone who started as a captive that didn't end up in a as a prisoner. unforgiveness, all these wounds, we begin to build a prison in our own mind. Even if we never go behind the physical bars, we think that we're protecting ourselves from people coming and hurting us. But we're actually imprisoning ourselves and we never get to experience the fullness of all that God has for us. It says to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor and the day of vengeance of our God. Man, I love the Lord's favor. It's important to know. It says the day of vengeance of our God. Man, this is so profound because it should make you cry out, "Thank you, Jesus." Every time you remember it, the vengeance of God was poured out on cross on the cross. The wrath of God and he's the same God. He's the same God today that pour He didn't pour all his wrath off and there was no more. That's the same God that he is. But Jesus endures and takes it on and he bears it for all of us so that we can be forgiveness. so that we can be forgiven. To comfort all who mourn and provide for those who grieve in Zion, to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes. Listen, I'm going to tell you right now, you need to start asking God, "Show me my ashes. Show me the things that are burned up in my life. the the where I've I've I've I've I've extinguished my emotions, where I've extinguished uh hope, where I've extinguished dreams, right? Where I've extinguished these things because I need to be able to hold those in my hand. You need to be able to hold those and give them to God so he can turn them into beauty. He's not the magic Jesus. He's not going to reach down, reach down and grab your ashes. You're going to have to surrender the hopes, the dreams, the ideas, the wants, the needs, all of those things. You're going to have to surrender those things that you thought came to nothing, no matter how old you are. And you hand them back to him and say, "Do what you want, Lord. I have no expectation." So that he can return beauty. And it it always looks different than what we thought. The oil of joy instead of mourning. man, whenever. That's a tough one because we miss people, right? We're going to mourn people. We're going to miss people. But there's a joy. There's a joy set before us, man. And I'm going to go back to that same statement. The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb. Everyone who's in your life right now are those who've meant to be there. There's some that you might need to be removed still, and there's some that you want back that may not be the season for them to come back yet. But if you stay in position, you can be the light that draws them. You can be like it talked about where kings come from afar because the light within you that you become this radiant expression of Christ Jesus. And if it's in his perfect will, if it's in his will for that that restoration to occur, then it will. But you, he loves you so much that he may not allow it until he knows you can handle it. You understand? because he loves you so much. He's not withholding anything from you. He loves you and he knows how wounded we can get when we're not prepared, when we're not established, when we're not on a firm foundation of our faith and who we say we are that that we could walk into certain relationships and they'll say, "You were such this and this and this." and you just say, "I was, and there's nothing I can ever do to take it back. But if there's anything I can do, if there's anything I can do to help ease the pain, I'm willing." Whatever that is to be the the crucified one in that moment that says, "I'll endure it. Whatever you need from me." and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. How many people come into this place and get so down and that depth of of despair that begins to consume that says, "I don't want to live anymore." Listen, who's there? Who's saying I don't want to live? Listen, then then look then check this out. Then give your life away. Give it to him. Give it to him. Resolve yourself. I ain't going nowhere. If I die here, at least at least I'm around a few people that love me or at least put on a good front. I'm in. I give it up. And listen, in that place to exchange it, to exchange uh despair for praise that says, "Okay, thank you, Lord. Thank you, Lord." At least in this place, if I'm no longer worried about just my instant death, I can be grateful for the moments of life. Meatloaf, I don't know. I can't see that far. have been crying a little bit. So my eyes are real blurry. >> It ain't nothing on there. There's a whole lot on there. >> Oh, there's always little things to be grateful for, right? 15 pizzas showing up on Saturday out of nowhere, right? Can't bl you can't be mad at that, man. That funeral that I was at on Saturday was so beautiful. Uh it was just a true celebration. Uh whenever I went through Nehemiah and Dallas, I I' I'd had businesses and I had money. You know what I mean? And uh and all that was for nothing. I'm talking I had stupid stuff. I spent seven 10 days in Vegas in a suite blown like I had a crazy crazy life before Christ. And so whenever I went to Dallas and it was time to like pick mentors and stuff, they I I remember Colonel Lewis tried to get me to pick this one dude that like, you know, he came to the program, he makes and I'd done all that. And so I picked something different. I picked Burberry, Johnny Vermin, Johnny Vernon, the black barber in the hood. And I that's who I wanted to be my mentor because I knew I wanted something different. And I I saw Jesus on. You'd go into his barber shop and it'd be gospel. And he was still rough around the edges. Like he was listen this was not one of the 12, you know, he was the extended family. And for my, you know, everybody else was going out to like Texas day Brazil and stuff. We went to William Shin and got a two-piece and hung out the barber shop. And it was everything that I needed was everything that I needed. He became my family because I allowed him to. Someone who didn't look like me. someone who didn't sound like me, someone who had completely different life experiences than me. I opened myself up to hear what he had to say because I wanted the Jesus that that man knew. And because of my friendship with him, this despair that I had, he taught me how to worship in his shock. He couldn't sing either. I allowed his anointing to flow into my life. They did like a crowning ceremony at his funeral. There were so many people with Nehemiah got to sing. It was it was just a celebration. He had customer. Miss V was there. I see Miss V. I had seen her in like five years. Mama, his daughter. And it wasn't there was sadness, but it was not a sad day because we know where our hope is. What is our mission? Our mission is to introduce to the only thing that's real, which is Christ. To allow someone, if they choose to, to be set free by the blood. And only by the blood can I be set free and made righteous in the eyes of God. To enter into a relationship with the God of all creation that wants me. He wants me so bad that the value he placed on my life and on my soul was the cost of his very own. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planning of the Lord for the display of his splendor. They will rebuild ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated. Families, neighborhood, homes, that's what we're called to do. The places where people look around like uh east southeast Detroit and they're like, "This will never bounce back." No, I think we're meant to rebuild it. I think those places that just like us where people said that'll never be anything again. I think that's where we're going to be called. Uh pastor uh Fina yesterday said talked about abling being ugly. I think that's why it's supposed to start here cuz I think it's supposed to be real. I think it's going to get so beautiful people are like what? Because I think all creation is going to start responding to who we are in unity. They will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations. Strangers will shepherd your flock. Floreners will work your fields and vineyards. And you will be called priests of the Lord. Listen, you will are priests of the Lord. Royal priests of the Lord. You'll feed on the wealth and you will be named ministers of our God. You'll feed on the wealth of nations and in their riches you will boast instead of your shame. Listen, who here's had to enough? Don't want no more shame. But who's been full of shame? Buy into the next part. Instead of your shame, you'll receive a double portion. Say, double portion. >> Double portion. >> Listen. Double portion of peace. Double portion of joy. Double portion of kindness and goodness and gentleness and self-control. Double portion of love. And I want it. Who wants it? >> Say it. I want it. And instead of disgrace, you'll rejoice in your inheritance. And so you'll inherit a double portion in your land and everlasting joy will be yours. Listen, that should be the scripture you begin to write down all the time. This is who you are. You want to know who he sees you as? This is who you are. This is the mission. The personal mission in Isaiah 61 is who you are and who you're called to be. And the collective mission in Isaiah 60 60 is who we are and who we're called to be and it's a it's a big job. It's beautiful. You know, I didn't I can't remember crying. I remember crying one time between being 9 years old and 38 years old. It was when my first son was born and I saw Michael Jordan. Michael Jordan did a Hannes commercial with his little boy and it was right after my little boy was born. And I remember I teared up. It was the only time I remember crying from 9 to 38. And God has given me a gift, a softening where I can sit here and talk about my friend or I can talk about your purpose and I can begin to weep. And it's a gift. It's called compassion. It's called gentleness. Empathy. All the things we were taught to never ever have or do is the beauty that God has in store for us. Who's got something? You got five minutes. There we go. Julie, I knew I I saw the wheels. I've been uh I I think I done asked you this question before, man, about uh forgiveness somewhat. Okay. This guy has really been ticking me off lately, man. And uh although I haven't went off, I told him I don't want nothing to do with him anymore and everything. You know, I show compassion and things, you know, to him, but uh I haven't really personally forgave him or told him I forgive him. You know what I'm saying? And uh I want to know, you know what I'm saying? I'm I'm trying to get myself together, man. And I know I got to do this. >> Yeah. >> But, you know, I I my sponsor told me uh my sponsor told me that uh I got to set a boundary, you know, and I told him about I don't want to I don't want to forgive him, but I know I have to forgive him. >> Yeah. >> And I I want to just set this boundary and stay away from him. cuz I told him to stay away from me. I want to know how to how I can uh >> I cannot act on it there. >> Uh so I would say two things. One, it's hard to stay away from somebody in this ministry. It's it gets a little complicated because it's tight space, right? Uh this morning, so in second phase, you start going through a book called forgiveness, right? My mentor, my spiritual father wrote that book and now he came out with a 40-day devotional. It's funny that you brought this up because he in it uh the second day I did the second day of the devotional because I'm going through the devotional and uh it talks about uh the guys that say they're unoffendable are usually the easiest to offend, right? And it talks about like what I've hold on to in unforgiveness and then but it then also the why like so this is the truth. You do you want to walk around them every time you see somebody avoid them? That's so uncomfortable. It's okay. Listen, it's okay to tell somebody, listen, you may not know what you did, but I forgive you for it. And I just want you to know I love you. And I hope and and then this got to be the hope that God will touch them in the same way that he touched you to get you to the place of peace that you're not willing to let go of. And this is what I'll tell you. If you don't do it, you'll let go of that peace and you won't have a choice in it because you'll give up that peace to hang on to the unforgiveness. Make sense? So you got to that's that's you. The goal is I get to hang on to peace. And listen, it's spiritual. I know that's hard. I know that's hard. But it's spiritual. It's a spirit. There's something there's a connection that you're supposed to have with that person. If not, why would the enemy waste time trying to break it? That's the hard part. And that's the calling. That's the sacrifice. That's the laying down your life. Whenever you say, "Okay, it don't matter if tread on me." It's not, "Don't tread on me." As Christians, our flag is tread on me. That's really what it is. Anybody else? Got a couple minutes. >> Hey, you got to have a And then JD's after him. you go uh Jamon and then JD. So I think um you were just talking about forgiveness like for years like I um Thank you Jesus. Thank you Lord Jesus. Thank you Jesus. Thank you Jesus. Thank you God. Jesus. You ain't got to be strong for nobody here. took years of uh being in foster care and uh I mean my mom used to beat the hell out of me

and uh I couldn't, I just couldn't understand where it came from. As jacked up as my dad was, it took him to tell me, like, you know, your mom been molested when she was little. Like, she's been through a lot. And it takes God to allow you to see who you are so you can see that person. She never had an opportunity to grow up. It was fast. I was born, I was born when she was 13. My mom and dad were still in high school, and like, it's just from pillar to post. But this woman possessed a strength that I never knew. Like, she's a fighter, and uh, I fight for everything. I fight you for tooth and nail. And that's something that drug is taking away from me. It doesn't allow you to fight anymore. It just causes you to give up. So, I don't fight for the things that I used to fight for. But since we on forgiveness, like um, that was hard, and I think it was hard for her to finally hear me say that I have forgiven her. And uh, I guess the only, that's the only thing I left in Dallas was my mother. And uh, I don't talk about her a lot because like, the dis, the relationship is still distant. She still isolates. I don't understand why. Oh, she can just walk through that door right now. She could just walk to that door right now, man. I think everything will be all right. She needs to know that everything is going to be all right, and I'm going to be all right. Have you written her yet? I don't even know where she is. Like, she's, she's, she's good at doing what I do. We, we can hide. Um, she'll be all right. It's, I don't know. It's just something about her. She doesn't worry about me because she knows some way somehow that I'm going to find my way. Then I'm not just going to lay down.

>> That's just not something that I know how to do too easily. I might fall for a little bit and just sit in it, but um, there's always a desire to get up.

>> Thank you.

>> What you got, JD? Besides bad legs,

>> I submitted, you know, when I told you that I was ready. Got submitted, and I was praying real good, and the last, last week I've been having, or the last couple days I've been having trouble praying at night and get distracted and can't focus. But uh, I want you to explain to me again about the ashes. Give them all to him and let him do what he will.

>> It says he wants you to exchange the ashes for beauty. He gives you beauty for ashes. When it's talking about ashes, it's all the things that, all your hopes and dreams, your desires that never came to pass, your failing as a dad, your failing as a husband, your, all of those things that you hold on to, that you think are ruined, you give those in your heart. You listen, I, I'm a visual dude. Everything I say out, my wife kind of hates it sometimes. Anything I say, I see out in front of me.

>> And sometimes it'll make me go where I run down the movie and forget that I'm talking. It's a weird thing. And so if you can imagine all of those, those dreams in your hand burnt up as ashes, and hand those to the Lord so that he can exchange those for something beautiful. Now, whatever that beauty is, it could just be the testimony of redemption. It could be another family. It could be one of those dreams. Realize, I don't know that's the Lord's. But until you surrender them to him, he ain't going to magic Jesus you and come scoop them out. You've got to give them to him. And because I can be good. I'm good, but I still have this big pile of ashes and I choke on them every once in a while. So, I got to bring them up, and I got to say, "Here, God."

>> They come up when I'm praying and I'm trying to focus when I'm praying, and then they come up and I get distracted. I start getting mad.

>> Keep a journal. Whenever you're praying and that stuff comes up, write it down. This is, look, I'm gonna give y'all the biggest tool to whoop the enemy. And then I got to close out class because we're over time. Whenever he says, "Yeah, I remember how you run your family. Remember how you left her? Remember how you did this?" Say, "Yes, I did do that. Thank you, God, for allowing me to be born again."

>> All of those things are true. I was a liar, a cheater, a thief, an adulterer, a murderer. Everything you can think of, I was those things. That is a, that's why I don't get mad when people make it. I'm like, "Yep, that's who I was." Yet, then Jesus came because my life, that's right. Because then I was born again. That's who I was. I was those things. Then now I'm born again. Thank you, God, for saving my life. The enemy ain't expecting you to say that. He's expecting you to get mad, have regrets, get digging, get in that hole where it's just a pissy, shitty filled pit of despair. But the reality is, if behold, all things are made new,

>> then he, yeah. He's, he's, he's accusing you with the truth that doesn't exist anymore because you've been born again. Just a little tip to fight him. If you can remember in the moment, be like, "Yep, that's who I am. Thank you, Jesus, for healing me." It instantly puts it to bed. It extinguishes the dark. Father God, I thank you for these men. I thank you for this class. Allow us to grow and learn and maturing.