WEBVTT - The Battle Made Me (Stephen Chandler) 0:00:01.520 --> 0:00:02.800 Hey, this is Stephen Ferdick. 0:00:02.800 --> 0:00:05.800 I'm the pastor of Elevation Church and this is our podcast. 0:00:05.880 --> 0:00:08.319 I wanted to thank you for joining us today. Hope 0:00:08.320 --> 0:00:11.040 this inspires you. Hope it builds your faith. Hope it 0:00:11.039 --> 0:00:13.560 gives your perspective to see God is moving in your life. 0:00:13.840 --> 0:00:17.400 Enjoy the message. 0:00:18.360 --> 0:00:25.280 Yo, I'm at Elevation child. I know y'all, know y'all 0:00:25.520 --> 0:00:26.400 how good you have it. 0:00:27.000 --> 0:00:29.240 But sometimes you can get so close to something that 0:00:29.280 --> 0:00:31.159 you take it for granted and you're like, oh, this 0:00:31.320 --> 0:00:34.040 is church every Sunday, and you have no idea how 0:00:34.080 --> 0:00:37.479 blessed you are. People don't get to walk into places 0:00:37.520 --> 0:00:40.400 like this all over the world every Sunday. You are 0:00:40.440 --> 0:00:44.519 the favored of the Lord. Somebody say Amen. And one 0:00:44.560 --> 0:00:46.599 of the reason why God favors you the way that 0:00:46.640 --> 0:00:49.560 he does is because of the phenomenal leadership that God 0:00:49.560 --> 0:00:52.640 has given you. And Pastor Stephen and Pastor Holly, come on, 0:00:52.720 --> 0:00:55.840 can you put your hands to get come on with 0:00:55.880 --> 0:00:56.800 these golf collaps? 0:00:56.880 --> 0:00:57.640 Can you honor? 0:01:01.720 --> 0:01:04.520 If you know anything about us preachers, we're a little extra. 0:01:05.000 --> 0:01:07.800 And I was thinking about Pastor Stephen and us pastors. 0:01:07.800 --> 0:01:10.039 We have these terms that we use and we kind 0:01:10.040 --> 0:01:12.400 of delegate him for only a few type of people. 0:01:12.480 --> 0:01:15.839 But we'll say certain people are generals of the faith, 0:01:16.000 --> 0:01:18.400 like you ever talk people about talking about like Billy 0:01:18.400 --> 0:01:21.000 Graham or whatever, generals of the faith. And when you 0:01:21.000 --> 0:01:24.080 think about a general, they're the one that gives the 0:01:24.240 --> 0:01:27.400 orders for the army to march out. And I don't 0:01:27.440 --> 0:01:29.399 know if y'all notice that I probably shouldn't say this 0:01:29.440 --> 0:01:32.680 from a platform, but there are bootleg elevation churches all 0:01:32.720 --> 0:01:36.600 over the world following what you guys do here, and 0:01:36.640 --> 0:01:37.880 it's not copycat. 0:01:38.000 --> 0:01:39.039 It's because God is. 0:01:39.000 --> 0:01:42.080 Giving you a general that is setting the pace for 0:01:42.200 --> 0:01:46.720 the Kingdom of God. And we are grateful, grateful, grateful. 0:01:46.800 --> 0:01:49.560 And I'm not just saying this. Pastor Holly is one 0:01:49.640 --> 0:01:51.240 of my favorite preachers. 0:01:50.800 --> 0:01:53.200 On the planet. Come on out. A lot of times 0:01:53.200 --> 0:01:54.639 when you think about preachers, you're. 0:01:54.520 --> 0:01:56.560 Like, oh, are they funny? You know, love how they 0:01:56.560 --> 0:01:59.200 tell stories or breakdown the word. But there's some preachers 0:01:59.240 --> 0:02:01.640 that when they preach, it's not the stories, it's not 0:02:01.720 --> 0:02:04.440 the word. It's the fact that you can tell that 0:02:04.520 --> 0:02:07.920 person has been somewhere with God and they have proven 0:02:08.000 --> 0:02:10.720 God in their life, and it loses out of everything 0:02:10.760 --> 0:02:13.799 that she says. One last time, put your hands together, 0:02:13.840 --> 0:02:14.800 Come on, get your honor. 0:02:16.800 --> 0:02:18.000 Ah thluyah. 0:02:18.320 --> 0:02:20.400 Hey, before you take a seat, high five two people. 0:02:20.720 --> 0:02:25.680 Tell them I've got perfect church attendance this year. Come on, 0:02:25.880 --> 0:02:30.919 tell somebody I have not missed a Sunday in twenty 0:02:31.720 --> 0:02:35.160 twenty five. Hey, turn to your Bible to First Samuel 0:02:35.520 --> 0:02:39.280 chapter twenty one, First Samuel chapter twenty one. And while 0:02:39.320 --> 0:02:41.600 you turn there, I want to show you why I 0:02:41.680 --> 0:02:45.080 am more blessed that you are. And I know that 0:02:45.080 --> 0:02:48.160 sounds ignorant because blessings are not a competition. But it's 0:02:48.200 --> 0:02:50.880 not a competition because I win and you lose. I 0:02:50.960 --> 0:02:53.760 am more blessed than you are because my family is 0:02:53.800 --> 0:02:57.079 better looking than your family. 0:02:57.080 --> 0:02:58.360 Don't blame me, blame your mama. 0:02:58.800 --> 0:03:02.120 But uh, they're gonna throw up a picture of my 0:03:02.200 --> 0:03:06.919 beautiful family. Standing on my far left is my beautiful wife. 0:03:07.000 --> 0:03:10.760 I call her my African Queen. She hails from Cile On, 0:03:10.919 --> 0:03:14.240 West Africa. Her name is Zai Chandler. She is the 0:03:14.280 --> 0:03:17.760 preacher of the family. I am on the backup Standing 0:03:18.320 --> 0:03:20.720 next to me on my right is my son. He 0:03:20.840 --> 0:03:23.200 is my twin. He's six years old. His name is Roman. 0:03:23.280 --> 0:03:26.560 His rapper name is Roro. Sitting on the bench is 0:03:26.600 --> 0:03:29.960 my beautiful Queen, my oldest she's eight. Her name is Zoe. 0:03:30.320 --> 0:03:34.240 Her rapper name is Zozo. Then on my lap is 0:03:34.320 --> 0:03:37.400 my fallen angel, my three year old. Her name is 0:03:37.520 --> 0:03:40.960 Jade Mariah. Her rapper name is Jamo's. Somebody say Jamo. 0:03:41.760 --> 0:03:43.640 Can y'all do me a favorite? Can you pray for Jmo? 0:03:43.840 --> 0:03:47.720 She is not a Christian, she looks like an angel. 0:03:47.800 --> 0:03:50.040 She acts like a fallen angel. And we were praying 0:03:50.120 --> 0:03:52.400 for the salvation of that cutie pipe. 0:03:52.400 --> 0:03:52.960 But I'm pumped. 0:03:52.960 --> 0:03:56.400 I'm ready to preach because my children are in Maryland 0:03:56.520 --> 0:03:59.360 and I am in Charlotte, which means I got the 0:03:59.440 --> 0:04:02.640 bestly last night I've had in a long time. Don't 0:04:02.640 --> 0:04:05.480 tell them, Mama, but I am pumped. I'm ready to go. 0:04:05.680 --> 0:04:07.920 Last thing before I preach. I've got a brand new 0:04:08.000 --> 0:04:13.040 book coming out in just two weeks. Relationship road Maps. 0:04:13.080 --> 0:04:14.920 If you're single, come on, can you wave at me? 0:04:14.960 --> 0:04:15.800 Can you wave at me? 0:04:15.840 --> 0:04:16.160 Put it? 0:04:16.279 --> 0:04:19.359 Keep your hand up, keep a hand up, put it 0:04:19.400 --> 0:04:22.200 in the chat. One of the reasons you're single is 0:04:22.240 --> 0:04:24.920 because you run right to your car after church. 0:04:25.160 --> 0:04:28.719 Linger in the lobby, look around the room. 0:04:28.880 --> 0:04:32.039 There ain't a better place to get chose than in 0:04:32.120 --> 0:04:35.159 the House of God. But it's where everywhere where books 0:04:35.160 --> 0:04:37.360 are sold. And I'm telling you it's gonna be a 0:04:37.360 --> 0:04:41.559 blessing to you. Are y'all ready to work today? Not preach? 0:04:41.640 --> 0:04:43.960 Preaching ain't my job, it's our job. But God's gonna 0:04:44.000 --> 0:04:47.039 work through this text. It says this and for Samuel, 0:04:47.120 --> 0:04:49.400 chapter twenty one, verse six. And let me give you 0:04:49.400 --> 0:04:51.719 a little context before I preach it. This is the 0:04:51.839 --> 0:04:56.800 period when David was running for his life. Saul had 0:04:56.920 --> 0:05:00.280 just thrown spears at his head, trying to kill him. 0:05:00.400 --> 0:05:03.240 Jonathan said, let me test out my dad and see 0:05:03.240 --> 0:05:06.280 if he's serious about these death threats. And Jonathan comes 0:05:06.320 --> 0:05:09.360 to David and said, no, no, he's serious. He's trying 0:05:09.400 --> 0:05:11.800 to kill you. You've got to run for your life. 0:05:11.839 --> 0:05:15.880 So David leaves everything, brings no weapons, brings no food. 0:05:16.040 --> 0:05:19.559 And ah, I'm not preaching yet, but the first place 0:05:19.600 --> 0:05:22.760 he runs to is to the House of God as 0:05:22.800 --> 0:05:25.440 he is running for his life. This ain't even the message, 0:05:25.480 --> 0:05:26.840 but let me preach it already. 0:05:27.000 --> 0:05:27.880 Hey, if you are. 0:05:27.880 --> 0:05:31.440 Running from something, don't run to gossip, don't run to friends, 0:05:31.480 --> 0:05:34.039 don't run to confusion, run. 0:05:33.839 --> 0:05:36.520 To the house of God. 0:05:37.160 --> 0:05:39.520 This is in verse six says So the priest gave 0:05:39.640 --> 0:05:43.039 him holy bread, for there was no bread there but 0:05:43.160 --> 0:05:46.080 the showbread, which had been taken from before the Lord 0:05:46.160 --> 0:05:49.440 in order to put hot bread in its place on 0:05:49.520 --> 0:05:53.279 the day when it was taken away. Now a certain 0:05:53.320 --> 0:05:55.560 man of the servants of Saul was there that day, 0:05:56.000 --> 0:05:58.880 detained before the Lord, and his name was Doeg and 0:05:59.040 --> 0:06:02.440 eat a mite, the chief of the herdsman who belonged 0:06:02.839 --> 0:06:11.160 to Saul. Doeg worked for David's enemy, and not the message. 0:06:11.200 --> 0:06:13.480 But just know that when you're in the presence of God, 0:06:13.960 --> 0:06:16.359 the enemy is going to try to whisper to you 0:06:17.040 --> 0:06:20.160 opposite of what God has promised you. And you've got 0:06:20.200 --> 0:06:23.599 to develop the discipline of blocking out the thoughts and 0:06:23.640 --> 0:06:26.640 the whispers of the enemy and being anchored in what 0:06:26.720 --> 0:06:29.000 God has said over your life. 0:06:29.520 --> 0:06:30.080 Verse aid, and. 0:06:30.120 --> 0:06:34.080 David said him, is there not here on hand a 0:06:34.240 --> 0:06:35.480 spear or sword? 0:06:35.960 --> 0:06:38.440 For I have brought neither my sword. 0:06:38.240 --> 0:06:41.960 Nor my weapons with me because the king's business required hays. 0:06:42.040 --> 0:06:44.080 Now he was lying, he ain't on no king's business. 0:06:44.160 --> 0:06:46.880 He's running for his life. So the priest said, the 0:06:46.920 --> 0:06:51.880 sword of Goliath, the philistine whom you killed in the 0:06:51.960 --> 0:06:54.360 value of Ela. There it is wrapped in a cloth 0:06:54.440 --> 0:06:57.640 behind the ephought if you will take that, take it, 0:06:58.000 --> 0:07:01.719 for there is no other except that one here. And 0:07:01.839 --> 0:07:04.839 David said, there is none like it. Give it to me, 0:07:05.000 --> 0:07:08.680 somebody shout, give it to me. When David arose and 0:07:08.760 --> 0:07:11.800 fled that day from before Saul and went to Akish, 0:07:11.840 --> 0:07:15.280 king of Gath, and the servants of Akish said to him, 0:07:15.440 --> 0:07:19.120 is this not David, the king of the land. Did 0:07:19.120 --> 0:07:22.400 they not sing of him to one another in dances 0:07:22.480 --> 0:07:28.880 saying Saul has slain his thousands and David his ten thousands. 0:07:29.400 --> 0:07:30.720 Here's the message. 0:07:30.840 --> 0:07:34.840 Now, David took these words to heart and was very 0:07:35.200 --> 0:07:37.240 much afraid of. 0:07:37.320 --> 0:07:40.600 Akish, King of Gath. 0:07:41.520 --> 0:07:44.960 Before we pray, can you give your neighbor my sermon title, 0:07:45.000 --> 0:07:48.080 Look at your neighbor and tell them the battle made me. 0:07:48.960 --> 0:07:51.239 Come on, tell somebody, tell somebody the battle. 0:07:51.760 --> 0:07:57.800 What you're looking at on battle orn? Father God, we're grateful, 0:07:57.840 --> 0:08:00.760 We're thankful for this moment. We say that we trust 0:08:00.800 --> 0:08:06.360 in you. Got You're heired, healed, delivered, and transformed, open 0:08:06.400 --> 0:08:08.120 eyes to move supernaturally. 0:08:08.680 --> 0:08:10.840 God, do what only you can do. 0:08:11.440 --> 0:08:13.120 And God will be ever so careful to give you 0:08:13.120 --> 0:08:16.800 all the glory, honor, and praise in Jesus' name, we pray. 0:08:16.880 --> 0:08:18.800 Come on, shot at me like you shot at your kids. 0:08:19.080 --> 0:08:28.440 Somebody say amen and amen. I I'm not gonna lie 0:08:28.440 --> 0:08:31.720 to you. I feel a little bit uncomfortable coming with 0:08:31.800 --> 0:08:35.840 a message about David, and uh, don't judge me, but 0:08:36.000 --> 0:08:39.720 I feel like David, particularly David and Goliath, is like 0:08:40.040 --> 0:08:43.320 elementary preaching. I feel like when you get your trial 0:08:43.400 --> 0:08:45.680 sermon and it's like, this is my first time preaching 0:08:45.720 --> 0:08:46.880 that you don't know what to preach. 0:08:46.960 --> 0:08:49.160 David and Goliath is what you go for. 0:08:49.360 --> 0:08:53.080 Why, because you can't mess up David and Goliath. You 0:08:53.120 --> 0:08:55.960 get up there. The little guy was against the big guy. 0:08:56.000 --> 0:08:59.000 He took a stone. God helped them. Giants will fall 0:08:59.040 --> 0:09:01.800 in your life. Aim you fold up your Bible, you 0:09:01.920 --> 0:09:06.360 step down. You successfully accomplished your first message. But for 0:09:06.440 --> 0:09:10.480 some reason, I get stuck on these biblical characters. And 0:09:10.520 --> 0:09:14.679 in this season, I'm just stuck on David because you see, 0:09:14.800 --> 0:09:18.800 as the Bible walks through his life, the hand of 0:09:18.960 --> 0:09:23.840 God and God's favor on his life every single step 0:09:24.040 --> 0:09:27.280 of the journey, and it is impossible to see how 0:09:27.360 --> 0:09:31.880 God's hand is on David's life and not also recognize 0:09:31.920 --> 0:09:35.720 how God's hand has been on your life every single 0:09:35.920 --> 0:09:39.800 step of the journey. When we are introduced to David, 0:09:40.160 --> 0:09:43.720 we find him in the backside of a wilderness taking 0:09:43.760 --> 0:09:48.120 care of sheep that was a servant's responsibility, but yet 0:09:48.160 --> 0:09:52.520 his father relegated him to something that honestly was beneath him. 0:09:52.559 --> 0:09:55.920 The priest showed up and said, God has anointed a 0:09:56.040 --> 0:09:58.360 new king, and it's none of these sons. 0:09:58.720 --> 0:09:59.840 Is there not another? 0:10:00.120 --> 0:10:04.640 So we see God plucking David out of his family 0:10:05.000 --> 0:10:07.760 that is not a called family, bringing him out of 0:10:07.800 --> 0:10:10.960 a place of wilderness to use him in a great way. 0:10:11.000 --> 0:10:12.120 And it doesn't take. 0:10:12.080 --> 0:10:15.280 Much to look at your story and realize that God 0:10:15.360 --> 0:10:19.600 plucked you out of your family and annoying you for 0:10:19.720 --> 0:10:23.920 a particular reason. Here on earth, can somebody testify that 0:10:24.080 --> 0:10:26.839 the part of the country I come from, my town, 0:10:27.280 --> 0:10:31.240 my community, my family, it does not actually produce what 0:10:31.360 --> 0:10:35.600 God is producing through my life, but the favor of God. 0:10:36.800 --> 0:10:39.480 We've got a church in Maryland. I get irritated every 0:10:39.480 --> 0:10:41.160 time I tell people my church is in Maryland. 0:10:41.360 --> 0:10:46.920 Ooh, Baltimore. Is it like the wire. No. 0:10:48.800 --> 0:10:52.120 But what they're saying is almost like Nazareth. Can anything 0:10:52.240 --> 0:10:56.040 good come out of Baltimore? No, except for the hand 0:10:56.080 --> 0:10:59.560 of God plucking somebody out of a place that God 0:10:59.640 --> 0:11:03.040 is ready to do something. As we walk through David's story, 0:11:03.280 --> 0:11:05.079 not only do we see God pluck him out of 0:11:05.120 --> 0:11:08.120 a family, but we see God pour oil on his head, 0:11:08.240 --> 0:11:12.040 anoint David, and we see David get results out of 0:11:12.080 --> 0:11:15.160 his life that are not equal to the effort that 0:11:15.200 --> 0:11:15.960 he puts in. 0:11:16.520 --> 0:11:19.520 Just in case you were wondering what anointing is. 0:11:19.920 --> 0:11:23.200 Anointing is when you put in human efforts and you 0:11:23.320 --> 0:11:27.040 get back supernatural results. When you look at the results 0:11:27.080 --> 0:11:29.640 you get back and you realize it is not equal 0:11:29.679 --> 0:11:31.120 to the effort I put in. 0:11:31.440 --> 0:11:34.440 This was none other than the hand of God. 0:11:34.760 --> 0:11:37.120 And if you would be honest, and I'll be honest 0:11:37.160 --> 0:11:39.120 with you, ain't a lot of honest people in church. 0:11:40.600 --> 0:11:43.960 You cannot take credit for everything that has happened in 0:11:44.000 --> 0:11:47.040 your life. I know you are edgumicated, I know you 0:11:47.160 --> 0:11:47.800 worked hard. 0:11:47.840 --> 0:11:48.760 I know you put that. 0:11:48.760 --> 0:11:51.880 Effort in, but the results you are seeing in your 0:11:51.960 --> 0:11:55.680 life are not comparable to the effort that you've put in. 0:11:55.800 --> 0:11:57.679 It is none other than. 0:11:57.520 --> 0:12:01.400 The hand of God on your life. 0:12:02.160 --> 0:12:03.560 Be careful being. 0:12:03.440 --> 0:12:06.360 Jealous of what somebody else has because you have no idea. 0:12:06.440 --> 0:12:09.360 They didn't get it based on their effort. They got 0:12:09.360 --> 0:12:14.680 it based on the favor you. Ever, we're family, y'all 0:12:14.679 --> 0:12:16.480 said it, so you're gonna get the family stuff. I 0:12:16.480 --> 0:12:19.199 get irritated when you run into certain people and they 0:12:19.240 --> 0:12:21.640 begin to take credit for things that they should not 0:12:21.679 --> 0:12:22.360 take credit for. 0:12:23.280 --> 0:12:24.520 You run into a married couple. 0:12:24.559 --> 0:12:27.080 I'm talking about real married couples, not like five years 0:12:27.160 --> 0:12:29.920 or ten years. I'm talking about thirty five years, thirty 0:12:29.960 --> 0:12:31.360 seven years, forty years. 0:12:31.360 --> 0:12:31.640 Come on. 0:12:31.720 --> 0:12:34.079 Now, you run into some folks that have been married 0:12:34.120 --> 0:12:35.160 for three or four decades. 0:12:35.240 --> 0:12:38.520 Wow, how do I build a godly marriage? Like you? 0:12:38.720 --> 0:12:40.840 And they've got the nerve to give you an answer? Whaw? 0:12:41.920 --> 0:12:42.160 You know? 0:12:42.360 --> 0:12:45.680 Yeah, just gotta be long suffering. You gotta keep knowing 0:12:45.760 --> 0:12:48.360 record of wrong. You gotta make sure that you for 0:12:48.400 --> 0:12:51.080 a give and make sure that you come. I'm sure 0:12:51.120 --> 0:12:54.600 you communicated, I'm sure you forgave, but homicide was on 0:12:54.679 --> 0:12:57.800 your mind at least one night. You made it thirty 0:12:57.840 --> 0:13:02.320 five years because of the favor and and mercy of God. 0:13:04.360 --> 0:13:06.559 When you look at David. You see him plucked out 0:13:06.559 --> 0:13:09.319 of his family. You see the anointing of God. You 0:13:09.440 --> 0:13:15.200 also see outrageous victories that David won. And God just 0:13:15.280 --> 0:13:18.360 had a way of making David win in front of 0:13:18.400 --> 0:13:21.559 his haters. It wasn't just a victory in the backside 0:13:21.559 --> 0:13:25.000 of nowhere, but the exact brothers that said, how dare 0:13:25.080 --> 0:13:27.679 you leave those sheep? What are you doing here? Who 0:13:27.760 --> 0:13:30.439 do you think you are? They had to watch David 0:13:30.559 --> 0:13:34.840 defeat Goliath. They had to watch David be celebrated. If 0:13:34.880 --> 0:13:37.520 you would look back over your life, you would see 0:13:37.679 --> 0:13:41.400 victories that God brought because of his hand of favor. 0:13:41.679 --> 0:13:50.120 Somebody shout Amen in his play. The problem with David's story, 0:13:50.240 --> 0:13:54.520 y'all know, preachers, all that was a setup is you 0:13:54.679 --> 0:13:59.040 don't just see God pluck David out of obscurity. You 0:13:59.080 --> 0:14:03.040 don't just see anointed for the supernatural. You don't just 0:14:03.080 --> 0:14:07.959 see massive victories in David's life. The Bible also shows 0:14:08.040 --> 0:14:13.120 us the battles that David had to fight that David 0:14:13.240 --> 0:14:17.240 wish he never had to fight. It doesn't just tell 0:14:17.320 --> 0:14:19.200 us about the anointing, and it tells us about the 0:14:19.240 --> 0:14:22.520 lion that jump on him, that he had to fight 0:14:22.600 --> 0:14:24.880 for the sheep and fight for his life. And it 0:14:24.960 --> 0:14:28.520 tells us about the bear, It tells us about Goliath, 0:14:28.640 --> 0:14:31.240 it tells us about the time that he was in 0:14:31.400 --> 0:14:36.000 battle against his own son. As you look over the 0:14:36.040 --> 0:14:38.640 life of David, you see the favor of God, but 0:14:38.720 --> 0:14:41.920 you see battles that David wish he had never fought. 0:14:42.160 --> 0:14:44.920 And if you look back over your own life, you 0:14:45.000 --> 0:14:48.080 can see the favor of God. But we all see 0:14:48.240 --> 0:14:52.000 battles that we wish we never had to fight. Maybe 0:14:52.000 --> 0:14:55.800 it was battles with depression, maybe it was battles with sickness, 0:14:56.000 --> 0:14:59.320 maybe it was battles with confusion, or relational battles. But 0:14:59.760 --> 0:15:03.880 we we all have battles in our stories that we 0:15:03.920 --> 0:15:07.520 would not wish on our worst enemy. And we sometimes 0:15:07.600 --> 0:15:10.720 ask God, why did I have to go through this? 0:15:10.800 --> 0:15:14.360 And here's what I've discovered, That you can waste a 0:15:14.400 --> 0:15:20.400 lot of time commiserating over all the battles that you've 0:15:20.440 --> 0:15:24.040 been through, that you can actually forget all of the 0:15:24.080 --> 0:15:29.280 blessings and favor and open doors of what God has done. 0:15:31.440 --> 0:15:33.960 New Year twenty twenty five, let's go. 0:15:35.520 --> 0:15:38.640 It is hard to find somebody that has something good 0:15:38.640 --> 0:15:42.480 to say about twenty twenty four. Man, so glad that 0:15:42.560 --> 0:15:46.320 year was over. Believe in God has more for me 0:15:46.360 --> 0:15:48.560 in a new year. And yes, you may have had 0:15:48.640 --> 0:15:51.520 some rough things in twenty twenty four, but I'm telling 0:15:51.560 --> 0:15:54.040 you you had some miracles, and you had some favor, 0:15:54.080 --> 0:15:56.920 and you had some open door. It is all based 0:15:57.040 --> 0:16:01.760 on what you choose to obsess over. And I'd like 0:16:01.840 --> 0:16:04.240 to submit to you that, whether you realize it or not, 0:16:04.400 --> 0:16:07.600 the battles that you wish you could have avoided, there 0:16:07.720 --> 0:16:12.680 is a blessing in those battles because for some reason, 0:16:12.840 --> 0:16:19.160 God uses battles to make us. You are not just 0:16:19.200 --> 0:16:22.400 who you are because of the parents who raised you. 0:16:22.400 --> 0:16:24.560 You are not just who you are because of the 0:16:24.600 --> 0:16:25.720 effort that you put in. 0:16:25.800 --> 0:16:26.880 You're not just who you. 0:16:26.800 --> 0:16:29.680 Are because how have you educated yourself and developed you. 0:16:29.960 --> 0:16:33.040 There are some things that were developed through the battles 0:16:33.200 --> 0:16:34.320 that you had to fight. 0:16:34.560 --> 0:16:37.520 There are parts of your personality. 0:16:36.680 --> 0:16:39.560 That you built based on the fights that you had 0:16:39.600 --> 0:16:40.120 to fight. 0:16:40.320 --> 0:16:42.920 And I'm telling you it is the battle. 0:16:42.560 --> 0:16:47.160 That God allowed you to walk through that made you. 0:16:47.720 --> 0:16:50.120 Three thoughts, Three Krik thoughts about the battles that we face. 0:16:50.160 --> 0:16:53.880 The first one is this, Some battles come looking for me. 0:16:55.040 --> 0:16:58.000 Some battles come looking for me. Pastor Steven a few 0:16:58.000 --> 0:17:02.720 weeks ago about how trying to avoid drama or battles 0:17:02.840 --> 0:17:06.040 is not a way to live in life. It doesn't 0:17:06.080 --> 0:17:10.200 matter how safe you try to live, some battles will 0:17:10.240 --> 0:17:13.040 find you. Now. I wish I had a great story 0:17:13.200 --> 0:17:15.520 about how I grew up. I used to fight and 0:17:15.840 --> 0:17:17.800 all this other kind of stuff. But the reality is, 0:17:17.840 --> 0:17:20.280 I'm not a fighter. I'm a pastor's kid. 0:17:20.320 --> 0:17:20.639 Okay. 0:17:20.800 --> 0:17:22.960 And not only am I a pastor's kid, but I 0:17:23.000 --> 0:17:26.480 was homeschooled, so the only people to fight at school 0:17:26.520 --> 0:17:29.399 were my siblings. So I don't have any like I 0:17:29.480 --> 0:17:32.280 got into fistfights growing up. I've got one story. It's 0:17:32.280 --> 0:17:34.159 the only story half about a fight ever. Actually, what 0:17:34.200 --> 0:17:36.359 happened is a kid came to my house and he 0:17:36.440 --> 0:17:38.840 rang the doorbell. It was one of those deals, you know. 0:17:38.920 --> 0:17:41.040 Back in the nineties, parents used to live their kids 0:17:41.040 --> 0:17:43.520 at home. Nowadays it's oh, you can't leave your kids. Well, 0:17:43.520 --> 0:17:45.639 they used to leave us at like six, seven, eight whatever. 0:17:47.320 --> 0:17:50.120 I think the statute of limitation is over. Sorry, dad, 0:17:51.160 --> 0:17:53.000 So my dad's at work, my mom's gone. You know 0:17:53.040 --> 0:17:55.879 how it is. Don't open the door for anybody. A 0:17:55.960 --> 0:17:57.800 kid comes to the door, and I didn't like this kid. 0:17:57.840 --> 0:17:59.439 The kid didn't like me. We knew we didn't like 0:17:59.480 --> 0:18:02.000 each other. Rings the doorbell, and because my mom said 0:18:02.000 --> 0:18:03.880 don't open the door, I do what every kid does. 0:18:03.920 --> 0:18:07.240 I open the door and I'm like, what do you want? 0:18:08.280 --> 0:18:10.000 And he goes I came to borrow some. 0:18:10.000 --> 0:18:17.080 Cheese, He said, cheese. I don't got no cheese. 0:18:17.560 --> 0:18:19.720 He said, then, why don't you scrape it off your 0:18:19.720 --> 0:18:20.480 mother's teeth. 0:18:28.680 --> 0:18:30.000 That's what I said. 0:18:32.440 --> 0:18:35.680 Now, this pastor's kid, who's homeschooled and has never been 0:18:35.680 --> 0:18:38.280 in a fight in his life, it don't take a 0:18:38.359 --> 0:18:42.160 high IQ to understand you've got to protect your mother's honor. 0:18:42.840 --> 0:18:45.720 So I said what I took off running out the door. 0:18:45.960 --> 0:18:47.560 He took off running. I don't know if my dad's 0:18:47.560 --> 0:18:50.480 have heard the story. Sorry dad. Anyway, he goes running. 0:18:50.480 --> 0:18:52.960 I mean, we're running through the neighborhood, through people's backyards. 0:18:53.040 --> 0:18:56.480 I'm chasing him. I finally catch him. I tackle him. 0:18:57.400 --> 0:19:02.719 But remember I've never been in a fight before. I 0:19:02.720 --> 0:19:06.159 didn't think this far. I do, what do you do now, y'all? 0:19:06.200 --> 0:19:06.920 I hit him. 0:19:07.119 --> 0:19:10.359 It didn't cross my mind. So I went take it back, 0:19:14.119 --> 0:19:15.400 and he like, that's it. 0:19:16.600 --> 0:19:20.040 I take it back. I'm like, yeah, for it away. 0:19:20.119 --> 0:19:20.960 I walk home. 0:19:21.200 --> 0:19:29.000 You can't tell me, nah, some fights come and find you, 0:19:30.840 --> 0:19:32.720 no matter if you do everything. 0:19:32.359 --> 0:19:34.800 You possibly can in life to avoid drama. 0:19:35.040 --> 0:19:38.080 The Bible says in First Samuel seventeen thirty thirty four. 0:19:38.520 --> 0:19:42.280 But David said to Saul, your servant used to keep 0:19:42.320 --> 0:19:45.680 his father's sheet. And when a lion or a bear 0:19:45.800 --> 0:19:48.720 came and took a lamb out of the flock, I 0:19:48.800 --> 0:19:52.119 went out after it and struck it and delivered the 0:19:52.240 --> 0:19:55.600 lamb from its mouth, And when it arose against me, 0:19:55.920 --> 0:20:01.040 I caught it by its beard and killed it. We're asking, David, 0:20:01.080 --> 0:20:03.399 why do you think you have what it takes to 0:20:03.560 --> 0:20:06.919 feat this nine foot giant? And David said, because this 0:20:07.040 --> 0:20:10.000 fight ain't my first fight. I didn't go looking for 0:20:10.080 --> 0:20:12.600 a fight. But a lion came and found me, and 0:20:12.640 --> 0:20:14.840 that lion bit off more than he could chew, and 0:20:14.880 --> 0:20:17.040 a bear came and found me. And because I fought 0:20:17.040 --> 0:20:19.600 the lion, and because I fought the bear, I am 0:20:19.680 --> 0:20:22.359 now prepared to fight this giant in front of me. 0:20:22.560 --> 0:20:27.080 Hear me, some fights come and find you. 0:20:27.440 --> 0:20:31.400 By the way, be careful judging people for what they're battling. 0:20:33.400 --> 0:20:37.560 Do you really think they picked that fight. They didn't 0:20:37.600 --> 0:20:41.680 pick that fight. That fight picked them. They didn't pick addiction. 0:20:41.880 --> 0:20:46.400 Addiction picked them. They didn't pick mental torment. Mental torment 0:20:46.440 --> 0:20:49.119 picked them. And hear me, just because the fight picks 0:20:49.160 --> 0:20:51.879 you does not mean you get to surrender. You have 0:20:52.119 --> 0:20:54.560 Almighty God on the inside of you. You've got to 0:20:54.680 --> 0:20:58.720 fight the fight that comes your way. But not all fights. 0:20:58.760 --> 0:21:01.679 We pick some of them like us. And here's what 0:21:01.840 --> 0:21:05.240 was wild. David gott in a fight with a lion 0:21:05.280 --> 0:21:10.200 and a bear and it wasn't even his sheep. He 0:21:10.359 --> 0:21:14.359 was taking care of his father's flock and God in 0:21:14.480 --> 0:21:17.800 a drama with an enemy because he was protecting something 0:21:17.840 --> 0:21:20.320 that does not belong to him. Some of you have 0:21:20.440 --> 0:21:23.880 been fighting for your life and you believe the lie 0:21:23.920 --> 0:21:27.480 of the enemy that you did something wrong, that maybe 0:21:27.600 --> 0:21:30.240 I messed up some way and that's why I'm battling 0:21:30.240 --> 0:21:32.600 the way that I'm battling, or maybe because of the 0:21:32.640 --> 0:21:35.679