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Speaker 1: Hey, this is Stephen Ferdick. I'm the pastor of Elevation

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Speaker 1: Church and this is our podcast. I wanted to thank

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Speaker 1: you for joining us today. Hope this inspires you. Hope

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Speaker 1: it builds your faith. Hope it gives your perspective to

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Speaker 1: see God is moving in your life. Enjoy the message.

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Speaker 1: Pastor Carl Lyntz is in the house to preach God's word.

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Speaker 1: I'm excited that our friend would come and be with

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Speaker 1: us today. For many years I would preach on my

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Speaker 1: anniversary and it seemed unfitting for me to have to

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Speaker 1: bring a gift to my own birthday party. And there

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Speaker 1: was only one person that I wanted to preach this weekend.

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Speaker 1: And if he would have said no, then I would

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Speaker 1: have quit returning his text messages for at least three months.

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Speaker 1: But Pastor Carl Lynz is really one of the most

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Speaker 1: christ Like people that I know. He is not afraid

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Speaker 1: to be inconvenienced or controversial if it means bringing Jesus

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Speaker 1: into the lives and hearts of people. I want to

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Speaker 1: be more like that. I've noticed him being willing to

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Speaker 1: associate with anyone and everyone on the same level, and

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Speaker 1: I want to be more like that. I noticed that

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Speaker 1: he is relentless in his drive to connect with people,

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Speaker 1: and at times that means sometimes at great expense to himself.

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Speaker 1: And I want to be more like that. So I

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Speaker 1: thank God for having a brother who can also be

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Speaker 1: an example. We love you and Laura. It's been a

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Speaker 1: joy to ride with you, just even in the very

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Speaker 1: back of the bus on the journey of Hillsong, New York,

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Speaker 1: since the very beginning. And we have been friends for

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Speaker 1: a long time now, and I love you more every

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Speaker 1: day that I know you. In this last year, we've

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Speaker 1: grown closer than ever before. So for the next you know,

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Speaker 1: three or four hours, we don't have a team in

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Speaker 1: the game tonight. For the next few moments, don't get

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Speaker 1: nervous hyperbole. For the next few minutes, treat this like

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Speaker 1: this as your elevation church. We certainly consider you family.

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Speaker 1: Welcome to the stage at every location EPHAM around the world.

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Speaker 1: Pastor Carl Z. Before we sit down, I just want

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Speaker 1: to say it never gets old to me being a

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Speaker 1: part of your church. And when your pastor says that

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Speaker 1: they've been a part of this for a long time,

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Speaker 1: and I should have asked if I could tell this story,

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Speaker 1: if I'm just gonna do it and you could just

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Speaker 1: delete it from the record. But when we first started

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Speaker 1: Hillsong New York City, we didn't really know each other

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Speaker 1: that way. I knew him from a forest, even in Holly.

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Speaker 1: But he came to hang out in New York for

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Speaker 1: something else and we had dinner and it was there

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Speaker 1: was a catastrophic storm coming. This is like year one

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Speaker 1: of Hillsong New York City, and we had to cancel

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Speaker 1: our services, and I think he could see it. It

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Speaker 1: was really heavy on my heart. I didn't know what

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Speaker 1: to do. And when you started early church, every weekend

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Speaker 1: really matters. And I don't know what the myth is

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Speaker 1: of church plants, but sometimes if you've got to shut

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Speaker 1: it down for a week, it could really hurt you.

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Speaker 1: And he looked at me and he just goes, you know,

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Speaker 1: God's gonna come through. He's gonna come through. Just keep

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Speaker 1: your head up. And I was like, it's easy for

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Speaker 1: you to say. You know, you have your own planet

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Speaker 1: at elevation and everything you do is incredible, like we're

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Speaker 1: brand new. And he came back later that night at

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Speaker 1: dinner and he said, hey, you know, I feel like

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Speaker 1: God's gonna answer your prayer and I'm like, that's great.

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Speaker 1: He's like, you told me how much money it would

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Speaker 1: cost to run your church for that that weekend, and

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Speaker 1: he's like, our Elevation Church believes in church plants, and

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Speaker 1: we're going to sew this into your church. And I

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Speaker 1: remember calling my pastor. I said, you know this, these

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Speaker 1: Verdict people. Do you know anything about this? Elevation Church

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Speaker 1: have a fund that helps churches like ours, and we

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Speaker 1: were able to keep it going. I don't know what

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Speaker 1: would have happened had God not sent y'all in the

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Speaker 1: form of your leadership in that moment. And so, whether

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Speaker 1: you like it or not, you're with Hillsaw, New York

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Speaker 1: City forever. Over two hundred thousand people have gotten saved.

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Speaker 1: Who knows how many lives have been transformed, And we

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Speaker 1: don't even know what we're doing yet, but thank you.

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Speaker 1: And it's one day one year. It's like a one

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Speaker 1: birthday party we get to have. So I'm gonna take

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Speaker 1: an extra second here because it is true. We always

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Speaker 1: talk about how some cultures are really weird with honor.

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Speaker 1: For whatever reason, people get freaked out. It's okay to

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Speaker 1: honor people who God loves and who he's touched. And

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Speaker 1: I tell Steven and Holly this, who are so much fun.

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Speaker 1: By the way, Laura and Holly are fast friends because

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Speaker 1: me and Steven are relatively serious at times, and both

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Speaker 1: of our wives are really much cooler than both of us.

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Speaker 1: But Lebron James, I don't know if you guys know

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Speaker 1: who that is. This guy is so good that what

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Speaker 1: it used to be exceptional has just become normal. So

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Speaker 1: if you look at what Lebron James does on any

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Speaker 1: given night, you're like, oh, what do you have? Thirty

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Speaker 1: seven seventeen, sixteen, fourteen and three steals and he gave

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Speaker 1: them nine people water, and you expect you just expect

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Speaker 1: Lebron to do that. The first couple of times he

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Speaker 1: did it, people are like, Wow, that's amazing. Then you

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Speaker 1: start expecting Lebron to do that, and what used to

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Speaker 1: be special is no longer special. I think that we

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Speaker 1: got to do a great job just in general, of

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Speaker 1: honoring the amazing things that God puts in our lives

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Speaker 1: and keeping them special, and that includes your pastor. Let

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Speaker 1: me tell you something, this is not normal. It's not

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Speaker 1: normal to walk into a church that is incredible. It's excellent.

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Speaker 1: They work hard. All they do is exist to bring

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Speaker 1: people to and just the preaching alone. Most pastors preach

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Speaker 1: two good messages in their whole life. He just wrote

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Speaker 1: a new one for next week right now. That'll be

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Speaker 1: better than anything else somebody else could construct. All that

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Speaker 1: to say, when you walk into this church, don't take

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Speaker 1: the ushers for granted. Don't take these musicians for granted.

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Speaker 1: Don't take the fact that you have lights on for granted.

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Speaker 1: Don't take the fact that people are getting saved for granted.

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Speaker 1: And don't take your pastors who are supernaturally special for granted.

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Speaker 1: Can we show them some love on this thirteen year celebration?

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Speaker 1: Need you give somebody a quick high five and a

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Speaker 1: hug and you take your seat, and we're gonna get

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Speaker 1: to this word And it was worth it. However time,

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Speaker 1: however much time you got to take off that clock,

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Speaker 1: do it. But it's an honor to be able to

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Speaker 1: be here on a special day. And LJ you're sticking

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Speaker 1: with me, my brother, Thank you phenomenal. Do you like

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Speaker 1: who you're sitting next to. I wouldn't have been mad

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Speaker 1: if we just kept singing that powerful? How good is

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Speaker 1: worship in church? It's cool? Everywhere, but there's something special

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Speaker 1: about it. I had a friend of mine who just

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Speaker 1: doesn't get charismatic worship at all, and he was like,

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Speaker 1: it just seems so weird to me, and I'm like, yeah,

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Speaker 1: but have you ever seen yourself in the clubs you

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Speaker 1: go to. You're weird too. But I explained to him.

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Speaker 1: I said, we don't lift our hands because it's charismatic.

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Speaker 1: We don't lift our hands and do stuff because a

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Speaker 1: worship leader says stuff. It's just a desperation thing. When

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Speaker 1: I first started coming to church, I would barely muster

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Speaker 1: a worship frisbee. And then the more desperate I got,

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Speaker 1: the less I cared about what anybody else thought. And

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Speaker 1: I'll sing if I can't sing, lift my hands if

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Speaker 1: I have to. There are some weeks where I don't

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Speaker 1: do that. But the point is this, it's pretty incredible

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Speaker 1: to be able to just come and do a place

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Speaker 1: like this and worship free. I don't take it for

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Speaker 1: granted to you, hope not. Do you like career sitting

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Speaker 1: next to right now, look at them deeply in their

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Speaker 1: eyes and tell them I prayed all day that I

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Speaker 1: would sit right next to you and then look at

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Speaker 1: them and say, God loves Tom Brady board than everybody else.

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Speaker 1: These are facts. I'm just kidding. I have no dog

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Speaker 1: in that fight. I don't care at all. Plus, it's

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Speaker 1: not really gonna be a game because of Tom Brady.

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Speaker 1: Only two types of people in this world Tom Brady

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Speaker 1: fans and I'm kidding. Okay, let me stop with the

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Speaker 1: football believe them. For Cam to have a breakthrough year,

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Speaker 1: can I get a Carolina panther? Amen? Anybody need more

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Speaker 1: peace in your life? Anybody ever struggled with fear, anxiety, worry, pressure, nobody? Wow,

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Speaker 1: this place is really put together. Pastor, I think Jesus

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Speaker 1: had a lot to say about it. And I'm gonna

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Speaker 1: read you a scripture that really brings peace to my soul.

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Speaker 1: And a huge shout out to Columbia Uptown, Morrisville, Concord, Blakeney, Raleigh.

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Speaker 1: I am an NC state alone. Shout out to the

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Speaker 1: NC state well fact, Winston, Salem Riverwalk, you see Asheville, Matthew, Toronto, Gaston,

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Speaker 1: laken I know this is the top of my head.

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Speaker 1: Roanoke Online, Melbourne Valentine. Jesus said this, and he's talking

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Speaker 1: to guys that are headed into pretty uncertain futures, and

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Speaker 1: he's letting them know what they can expect, how to

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Speaker 1: live what's gonna be coming their way. And I love

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Speaker 1: what he says because they can. This scripture alone can

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Speaker 1: get you through this week and get you through your

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Speaker 1: whole life when you realize what you have in you

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Speaker 1: who are God is? And he says this, Now you

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Speaker 1: finally believe in me. And the time has come when

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Speaker 1: you will be scattered, and each one of you will

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Speaker 1: go your own way, leaving me alone. Yet I am

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Speaker 1: never alone, for the Father is always with me. And

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Speaker 1: everything I've told WW ought you is so that the

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Speaker 1: peace which is in me will be in you and

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Speaker 1: will give you great confidence as you rest in me.

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Speaker 1: For in this unbelieving world, you will experience trouble, and

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Speaker 1: you will experience sorrows. But you must be courageous, for

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Speaker 1: I have conquered the world. The world called this message

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Speaker 1: with the twenty minutes I of remaining peace in my pocket.

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Speaker 1: Look at somebody who say I got peace in my pocket.

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Speaker 1: You find it funny how when you are under pressure

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Speaker 1: or under stress or dealing with anxiety, you're just not yourself.

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Speaker 1: You don't say the things you normally say. You don't

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Speaker 1: act right. It just kind of makes you different than normal.

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Speaker 1: Who knows what I'm talking about, Like, if you're under pressure,

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Speaker 1: anxiety is hitting you. For me, the way that outworks

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Speaker 1: itself stress is that I just forget stuff. You have

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Speaker 1: any friends here know what I'm talking about. Like, when

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Speaker 1: you're under pressure, you forget stuff and you're looking for

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Speaker 1: things that you don't even know if you really ever

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Speaker 1: lost them in the first place. Recently, I was under

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Speaker 1: some pressure, regular life stuff like all of us, and

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Speaker 1: I was trying to find what I needed to just

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Speaker 1: get going with the rest of my day, and my

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Speaker 1: wife was not in the house or right away. I'm

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Speaker 1: in trouble, and I am searching everywhere for two things

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Speaker 1: that I needed, my phone and my keys. And after

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Speaker 1: uprooting the whole house, losing my faith a few times,

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Speaker 1: getting saved again, and sitting there just depleted after I

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Speaker 1: couldn't find it, my wife walks in. She goes, what

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Speaker 1: you're looking for? I said, I'm looking for my keys

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Speaker 1: and I'm looking for my phone. Have you seen them?

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Speaker 1: Because I know you moved them? You know, to start

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Speaker 1: blaming people when you under pressure? Was you? And she

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Speaker 1: goes mate, because she's Australian mate, did you check your pocket? Smack?

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Speaker 1: And I looked at her and I'm like, yeah, sure enough,

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Speaker 1: phone here, keys here. And I looked at her and

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Speaker 1: I was like, that's just making sure you knew where

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Speaker 1: they were. And I left and shame, and I thought

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Speaker 1: about how interesting it is that if we're not careful,

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Speaker 1: we can forget the fact that Jesus actually said in

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Speaker 1: John sixteen that we have peace because of him, and

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Speaker 1: if he is with us, that also means that peace

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Speaker 1: is with us. And we have people who don't understand that.

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Speaker 1: During anxious times and pressure and fear, sometimes we end

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Speaker 1: up looking for stuff we never lost. We start wandering

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Speaker 1: in the areas we have been freed from. We start

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Speaker 1: going to other sources, trying to find things that are

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Speaker 1: clearly already in our possession. If there is somebody in

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Speaker 1: here who feels like you've lost your peace or you

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Speaker 1: can't find your peace and you're desperate for more of it,

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Speaker 1: I would tell you today you have more peace in

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Speaker 1: your pocket in your life than you think you do.

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Speaker 1: Maybe you just need to start asking the Holy Spirit

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Speaker 1: to open up your eyes and show you just how

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Speaker 1: much He has put inside you. Maybe you forgot about it,

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Speaker 1: maybe you haven't learn how to pull it out yet.

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Speaker 1: But if you lost your peace, that would have to

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Speaker 1: mean that Jesus has abandoned you. And I got good news.

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Speaker 1: He doesn't leave us, he doesn't forsake us, he doesn't

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Speaker 1: leave us high and dry. So therefore your peace is

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Speaker 1: in you, because Jesus is with out. If you thought

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Speaker 1: you lost your peace, you did not. If you thought

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Speaker 1: that somebody had access to more peace than you, they

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Speaker 1: do not. Some of us are just quicker to remember

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Speaker 1: the fact that Jesus told us he's with me. Therefore

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Speaker 1: peace is in my soul. Take a deep breath that

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Speaker 1: it feels good to know that you're a Christian. Therefore

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Speaker 1: peace is with you. I'll break it down in two

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Speaker 1: quick ways. It helps me. It's one thing when we

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Speaker 1: talk about peace. It's one thing to understand that making

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Speaker 1: your peace with God important step. But it's a whole

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Speaker 1: nother ballgame to be able to find your peace in Jesus'

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Speaker 1: daily Can I break this down for you? We got

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Speaker 1: four hours, so get comfy. It's one thing to make

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Speaker 1: your peace with God. I don't love that term, but

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Speaker 1: it's a term that people kind of understand, because I

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Speaker 1: feel like God made his peace with us by giving

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Speaker 1: us a chance to get saved through Jesus. But making

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Speaker 1: your peace with God is typically the only part of

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Speaker 1: peace people really understand. We call this salvation. So if

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Speaker 1: you're new to this church and you have yet to

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Speaker 1: make your peace with God, that's going to change in

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Speaker 1: approximately seventeen minutes. But this is when we bow our

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Speaker 1: knee and we realize that God has saved us and

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Speaker 1: he has set us free. We can have peace today

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Speaker 1: knowing if our lives ended now, we would be with

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Speaker 1: Him someday in heaven, not because of what we've done,

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Speaker 1: but because of the beautiful thing Jesus did on the

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Speaker 1: cross and his grace set us free. In fact, it's

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Speaker 1: the case if you need to hear it, Romans five

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Speaker 1: says this. This is mind blowing. It says our faith

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Speaker 1: in Jesus transfers God's righteousness to us, and he now

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Speaker 1: declares us flawless in his eyes. Anybody wake up today

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Speaker 1: Elevation Church and go, oh, that's how good God is,

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Speaker 1: flawless in his eyes. This means we can now enjoy

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Speaker 1: true and lasting peace with God, all because of what

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Speaker 1: our Lord Jesus, the Anointed One, has done for us.

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Speaker 1: Our faith guarantees us permanent access into this marvelous kindness,

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Speaker 1: and it's given us a perfect relationship with God. So

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Speaker 1: now we've made our peace here, right, There's a lot

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Speaker 1: of people who still don't get this. And even though

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Speaker 1: you're sitting in church, I'm not doubting your faith, but

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Speaker 1: I know people who have yet to understand. You need

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Speaker 1: to make your peace with the fact that God has

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Speaker 1: made his peace with you because of Jesus. You can't

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Speaker 1: outsin this grace. You can't out backslide the love of God.

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Speaker 1: I know people who get saved in church every week.

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Speaker 1: I have a friend who's the first hand to go

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Speaker 1: up every altar call we do. And I finally was like,

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Speaker 1: my man, just so you know, you can get saved

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Speaker 1: all you want, but you have bowed your knee, you

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Speaker 1: have confessed your sin. You are rejecting your old sinful ways.

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Speaker 1: You are saved. God loves you. He goes, yeah, but

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Speaker 1: I had a really rough week. I said, Mama, Yeah,

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Speaker 1: thank God, it's not about our Our peace comes from Jesus.

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Speaker 1: So some of y'all might need to make your peace

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Speaker 1: with that today. But There's this other thing called finding

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Speaker 1: your peace in Jesus daily that we probably need to

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Speaker 1: talk about, because this is where you walk with it,

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Speaker 1: and you talk with Jesus and you know his voice

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Speaker 1: and you know his tempo, and you know what it

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Speaker 1: feels like to be surrounded by him. This is when

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Speaker 1: you have so much peace you can give it away.

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Speaker 1: This is when you have so much peace you can

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Speaker 1: access it at any time. There are so many people

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Speaker 1: who only know the peace of God eternally, maybe, but

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Speaker 1: they don't know anything about the fact that God did

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Speaker 1: not just save us so we can have some weird

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Speaker 1: eternal security. God saved us and Jesus gave us peace

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Speaker 1: so we could live differently while we're here. I don't

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Speaker 1: want to just get saved and just exists, knowing someday

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Speaker 1: I'll be in heaven. But while I'm here on earth,

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Speaker 1: I got to go through what everybody else is going through.

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Speaker 1: No way, I need to know what I have access to.

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Speaker 1: Come on, I'm preaching to you, so at least seven

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Speaker 1: people in here, mainly in this area right here, this

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Speaker 1: is the faith filled people. How I just don't want

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Speaker 1: to be a victim of not knowing what I had

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Speaker 1: access to when it comes to the things of God

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Speaker 1: means I got to work at It means I got

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Speaker 1: to go explore this. It means I have to outside

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Speaker 1: of my church experience, get on my own knees, sing

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Speaker 1: my own songs, pray my own prayer, try to know

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Speaker 1: who Jesus is for me so I don't get lost

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Speaker 1: in all this stuff. Yeah, three hallelujahs. That's what I

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Speaker 1: always say when I'm preaching this. I mean, I have

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Speaker 1: a phone like everybody in here, and I don't know

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Speaker 1: about you, if you're tech savvy or not. I'm not

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Speaker 1: very tech savvy. My daughters make fun of me all

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Speaker 1: the time. But I recently had a iPhone breakdown and

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Speaker 1: that frustrates me because they're far too expensive to not

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Speaker 1: work all the time. And so I was like, you

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Speaker 1: know what, I want to actually talk to the maker.

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Speaker 1: I want to talk to the people who are taking

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Speaker 1: my money. So I went into Apple and I went

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Speaker 1: up to this guy and I'm like, Sir, my new

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Speaker 1: iPhone that you forced me to get by giving me

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Speaker 1: updates that have bugs in it in my text freeze,

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Speaker 1: you know what I'm talking about. Yeah, that one it's

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Speaker 1: not working, and I needed to work. He goes, oh,

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Speaker 1: great to have you at Apple today, Sir. We're glad

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Speaker 1: so you have problems with your phone. Okay, cool, If

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Speaker 1: you can just go back there to that line and

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Speaker 1: make your appointment at the Genius bar, one of our

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Speaker 1: geniuses will be with you very soon. I'm like, nah,

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Speaker 1: I didn't come here talk to a genius. I came

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Speaker 1: here to get what I'm owed. Okay, I don't want

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Speaker 1: to talk to a genius. I want you to fix

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Speaker 1: my phoney. He's like, it's great to have you. That's

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Speaker 1: what we do. We go to the line and I

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Speaker 1: just thought, you know what, I will see this thing through.

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Speaker 1: And I sat in the line and I made friends

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Speaker 1: with people in the line who were also frustrated. And

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Speaker 1: I finally got there and the guy starts breaking down

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Speaker 1: my phone for me. He's like, man, you have a

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Speaker 1: lot to learn about this phone, sir. And I'm like, really,

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Speaker 1: I don't want to learn about my phone. I just

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Speaker 1: wanted to work. And he goes, I said, what are

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Speaker 1: my options? Like, well, you could leave here now and

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Speaker 1: just have a phone that doesn't work right, or you

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Speaker 1: can let me explain it to him like you. And

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Speaker 1: I sat there not for that long, and he just

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Speaker 1: lit broke down stuff I didn't know, and I started

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Speaker 1: taking a little bit of enjoyment, started to have a

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Speaker 1: little bit of faith rise up in me because I'm like, wow,

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Speaker 1: I didn't know this. I left there and I FaceTime

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Speaker 1: multiple people. I was like, using features, I didn't know

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Speaker 1: we're there, and I thought, Wow, fifteen minutes with the

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Speaker 1: guy who knows more than me, and I'm more productive

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Speaker 1: just like that. But yet, we're gonna put it on

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Speaker 1: our pastors to teach us how God's gonna do this.

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Speaker 1: We're gonna try to get on some conference to make

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Speaker 1: sure we know who God is for us. I came

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Speaker 1: to tell somebody right now, you have as much access

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Speaker 1: to the peace of God as anybody else does. But

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Speaker 1: it's gonna take your work. It's gonna take your passion

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Speaker 1: to say. I don't want to look back on my

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Speaker 1: life and find out that I had peace that I

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Speaker 1: didn't use, confidence that I didn't use. All I had

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Speaker 1: to do was go to the maker and say, Lord,

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Speaker 1: teach me your what come on, somebody? I got peace

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Speaker 1: in my pocket and I don't want to leave it. Oh,

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Speaker 1: somebody's gonna leave here today. Accessing more of the peace

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Speaker 1: of God than you ever have before in your life

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Speaker 1: is gonna change because of it. You believe that you

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Speaker 1: believe God is that good. Here's why we need it.

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Speaker 1: I'm gonna fly through this because I asked your pastor,

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Speaker 1: I said, can we go old school Pentecostal. At the

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Speaker 1: end of this, we're gonna bring out the animals, really

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Speaker 1: get the blogs going, pray for people, push them over

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Speaker 1: modesty blanket. The paramount reason why I think we need

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Speaker 1: more peace is because uncertainty is not going anywhere. And

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Speaker 1: I get to talk about this on your thirteen year

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Speaker 1: birthday celebration. Guess what the future holds more uncertainty. As

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Speaker 1: awesome as these thirteen years have been, I came to

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Speaker 1: tell you if you're thinking stuff's gonna smooth out now,

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Speaker 1: Pastor Stephen, and how they gonna chill out a little bit,

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Speaker 1: we get to have some I hate to break it

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Speaker 1: to you, doesn't work like that. The grace of God

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Speaker 1: doesn't work like that. Part of the foundation of our

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Speaker 1: faith is the ability to not understand where we're going,

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Speaker 1: but go anyway. So if we cannot have a gift

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Speaker 1: of being able to find our peace in uncertain waters.

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Speaker 1: We're gonna have a very boring nominal American Christianity where

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Speaker 1: you show up and you don't look any different, you

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Speaker 1: don't sound any different, year after year after year, and

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Speaker 1: your only Christian involvement is your one time of week

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Speaker 1: at church. Visit Now, I feel like God has called

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Speaker 1: us to so much more in our lives, and we

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Speaker 1: got to know how to find peace in the middle

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Speaker 1: of it. It's like a new parent. Have you ever

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Speaker 1: seen a new parent who as an infant and they

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Speaker 1: don't know all the rules of the game just yet,

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Speaker 1: and you can see they haven't slept, and they're like,

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Speaker 1: I can't wait until my child grows up a little

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Speaker 1: bit and then I'm gonna get some of my sleep back.

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Speaker 1: And you look at them like, so cute. Day's never

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Speaker 1: gonna come. You better find out how to get your

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Speaker 1: rest because those two and grow up and they stay

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Speaker 1: complicated the whole way through. Yet we keep thinking there's

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Speaker 1: gonna be this mythical season of Christianity where the job

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Speaker 1: is right and I'm right and everything certain, then I'm

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Speaker 1: gonna find my piece doesn't work like that. God's actually

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Speaker 1: called you to thrive in the middle of waters. You

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Speaker 1: do not understand. And here's how we know it. Can

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Speaker 1: I take you to the Book of Matthew real quick,

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Speaker 1: you guys know it by heart. Okay, it's a dead joke.

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Speaker 1: It's right there on Stephen's pool pet. Jesus said this

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Speaker 1: because as I read it, I want you to think

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Speaker 1: about where do you go for your peace? Where do

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Speaker 1: you go for your peace of mind? Where do you

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Speaker 1: go when anxiety strikes? Here's what Jesus said. He said,

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Speaker 1: are you weary? Are you carrying a heavy burden? Then

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Speaker 1: come to me and I will refresh your life. I

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Speaker 1: am your oasis. Simply join your life with mine. Learn

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Speaker 1: my ways, and you'll discover that I'm gentle and I'm humble,

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00:22:00,040 --> 00:22:04,000
Speaker 1: and I'm easy to please. You'll find refreshment and rest

429
00:22:04,359 --> 00:22:07,480
Speaker 1: in me. Break this down for you real quick, because

430
00:22:07,480 --> 00:22:11,119
Speaker 1: it's that important. Jesus often said come and follow me,

431
00:22:11,800 --> 00:22:15,080
Speaker 1: but in this text he specifically says, come to me.

432
00:22:16,320 --> 00:22:19,240
Speaker 1: What's the inference when we're talking about peace. I'm gonna

433
00:22:19,240 --> 00:22:21,199
Speaker 1: make this different than everything else. I want you to

434
00:22:21,240 --> 00:22:25,640
Speaker 1: come to me, meaning I am your peace, I am

435
00:22:25,680 --> 00:22:29,800
Speaker 1: your sustaining joy, I am your supplier. So when you're

436
00:22:29,800 --> 00:22:33,119
Speaker 1: at your wits, and the only place that's gonna fulfill you,

437
00:22:33,440 --> 00:22:37,040
Speaker 1: it's gonna be me. I wonder where you go because

438
00:22:37,040 --> 00:22:39,280
Speaker 1: there's people who are still looking for peace where maybe

439
00:22:39,280 --> 00:22:41,480
Speaker 1: they have it and they don't know it yet. I

440
00:22:41,560 --> 00:22:43,800
Speaker 1: read this and I go, wow, it would have been cool,

441
00:22:43,880 --> 00:22:46,320
Speaker 1: Jesus if you would have told us where we head

442
00:22:46,400 --> 00:22:48,720
Speaker 1: after that. Wouldn't that be cool? If the Bible threw

443
00:22:48,760 --> 00:22:51,040
Speaker 1: in some directions once in a while, maybe an eta,

444
00:22:51,440 --> 00:22:53,640
Speaker 1: maybe a roadmap. Wouldn't it be cool if Jesus said,

445
00:22:53,640 --> 00:22:56,520
Speaker 1: come to me elevation and I will give you rest,

446
00:22:56,640 --> 00:23:00,919
Speaker 1: and then we're gonna head to Tahiti. Whoo. But Jesus

447
00:23:00,920 --> 00:23:05,200
Speaker 1: doesn't say anything. Why the silent inference is that I

448
00:23:05,280 --> 00:23:08,720
Speaker 1: am enough? And if you would focus more on who

449
00:23:08,800 --> 00:23:12,919
Speaker 1: you're going with rather than where you're headed all the time.

450
00:23:13,080 --> 00:23:16,439
Speaker 1: Maybe the point is that because you're with Jesus, he

451
00:23:16,520 --> 00:23:19,280
Speaker 1: can sends you in directions you would never go on

452
00:23:19,320 --> 00:23:22,080
Speaker 1: your own. He can sends you into places you would

453
00:23:22,080 --> 00:23:26,320
Speaker 1: never choose to go without him because God is with you. Now,

454
00:23:26,520 --> 00:23:28,720
Speaker 1: you're not trying to go to places that you can

455
00:23:28,760 --> 00:23:31,200
Speaker 1: go to. You're trying to go into places that only

456
00:23:31,359 --> 00:23:34,800
Speaker 1: God can sustain you. In. That's where miracles lie. That's

457
00:23:34,840 --> 00:23:37,560
Speaker 1: where the great zone is, and people who have peace

458
00:23:37,720 --> 00:23:41,359
Speaker 1: end up there all the time. We know right away,

459
00:23:41,480 --> 00:23:45,240
Speaker 1: peace is not a feeling. Peace is not a place.

460
00:23:46,040 --> 00:23:49,280
Speaker 1: Peace is a person. And if you get this today,

461
00:23:49,280 --> 00:23:53,080
Speaker 1: I'm starting to walk too fast. But if you understand

462
00:23:53,119 --> 00:23:56,439
Speaker 1: this now, you stop looking for the perfect situation and

463
00:23:56,480 --> 00:23:58,639
Speaker 1: you go, I have the perfect savior. Put me in

464
00:23:58,680 --> 00:24:02,800
Speaker 1: the worst situation, and I'm bringing peace with me. I'm

465
00:24:02,840 --> 00:24:05,240
Speaker 1: bringing hope with me. There are so many people are like,

466
00:24:05,280 --> 00:24:08,320
Speaker 1: where's the peace? You're supposed to bring it with me?

467
00:24:11,359 --> 00:24:14,760
Speaker 1: Can you imagine that? Y'all know that panic is contagious,

468
00:24:15,520 --> 00:24:19,520
Speaker 1: but so is peace. They ever seen people panic? It's

469
00:24:19,560 --> 00:24:22,280
Speaker 1: like those Christmas target videos where they open up the

470
00:24:22,320 --> 00:24:26,560
Speaker 1: doors and people are just like trampling other people. Panic

471
00:24:26,640 --> 00:24:29,920
Speaker 1: is contagious. Are cultures filled with it? Social media? Panic,

472
00:24:30,320 --> 00:24:33,760
Speaker 1: the news? Panic? What's going on? Panic? Can you imagine

473
00:24:33,840 --> 00:24:35,960
Speaker 1: if there was a revival of Christians that were so

474
00:24:36,119 --> 00:24:40,520
Speaker 1: peaceful that people who couldn't find peace anywhere else, they're like, man,

475
00:24:40,560 --> 00:24:42,280
Speaker 1: I think it's you. And they might think that for

476
00:24:42,359 --> 00:24:44,119
Speaker 1: a little bit and they get a little bit closer

477
00:24:44,119 --> 00:24:46,040
Speaker 1: and say, where do you find your peace. You get said,

478
00:24:46,040 --> 00:24:49,879
Speaker 1: Oh I got saved Jesus, He's my peace, and you

479
00:24:49,960 --> 00:24:53,760
Speaker 1: can have the same piece in your marriage and your life.

480
00:24:54,560 --> 00:24:57,639
Speaker 1: The best evangelistic weapon in the Christian Kingdom. It is

481
00:24:57,680 --> 00:24:59,919
Speaker 1: not a fancy church. It is not a cool sir,

482
00:25:00,520 --> 00:25:03,119
Speaker 1: it is not flashy music. It is Christians that have

483
00:25:03,240 --> 00:25:05,680
Speaker 1: the peace of God in the middle of the work.

484
00:25:09,760 --> 00:25:12,600
Speaker 1: I just don't want to be a Christian that can

485
00:25:12,640 --> 00:25:18,000
Speaker 1: only function when everything is functional. I'm tired of that.

486
00:25:18,000 --> 00:25:20,000
Speaker 1: That's been me too often. You know what I mean

487
00:25:20,040 --> 00:25:23,159
Speaker 1: by that? Like I'm awesome if everything's awesome, but the

488
00:25:23,240 --> 00:25:26,680
Speaker 1: moment something goes wrong, I forget I'm a Christian, lose

489
00:25:26,720 --> 00:25:30,399
Speaker 1: my faith, question God. Seven o'clock, gotta repent again. Eight

490
00:25:30,480 --> 00:25:33,879
Speaker 1: o'clock might get saved again. Nine o'clock, get ready to

491
00:25:33,880 --> 00:25:36,720
Speaker 1: start all over. Like I'm good if it's all good,

492
00:25:37,320 --> 00:25:40,040
Speaker 1: but if one thing goes bad, I can't function. I

493
00:25:40,080 --> 00:25:42,919
Speaker 1: actually believe God has called us to be the opposite,

494
00:25:43,080 --> 00:25:45,719
Speaker 1: because otherwise we're going to be mountaintop Christians where we're

495
00:25:45,760 --> 00:25:49,159
Speaker 1: all just celebrating on the good days. Who can't have

496
00:25:49,240 --> 00:25:51,560
Speaker 1: peace when you're holding the trophy? Who can't have peace

497
00:25:51,600 --> 00:25:56,359
Speaker 1: when all your money's in your account. But the reality

498
00:25:56,359 --> 00:25:58,800
Speaker 1: of the Christian life, y'all, it is not the mountaintops.

499
00:25:58,840 --> 00:26:00,960
Speaker 1: Hate to break it to you. The reality of the

500
00:26:01,040 --> 00:26:06,240
Speaker 1: Christian life. It's valley valley darkness at times. I'm alone

501
00:26:06,280 --> 00:26:08,600
Speaker 1: at times. I'm fighting for my faith at times. And

502
00:26:08,640 --> 00:26:11,640
Speaker 1: if we can't find out how to function when everything

503
00:26:11,720 --> 00:26:13,800
Speaker 1: is going crazy around us, it's not going to be

504
00:26:13,880 --> 00:26:16,680
Speaker 1: the life God has planned for us. And I came

505
00:26:16,720 --> 00:26:19,320
Speaker 1: to tell this whole amazing church on the ed of

506
00:26:19,400 --> 00:26:22,040
Speaker 1: this brand new season for y'all as you go into

507
00:26:22,119 --> 00:26:27,240
Speaker 1: year fourteen, who God has something for you? But when

508
00:26:27,280 --> 00:26:30,399
Speaker 1: he opens up doors you do not recognize? Look around

509
00:26:30,400 --> 00:26:32,080
Speaker 1: and say, even though it doesn't look like I can

510
00:26:32,119 --> 00:26:34,040
Speaker 1: make it in there, that means God is going to

511
00:26:34,119 --> 00:26:40,000
Speaker 1: lead me through it. Come on, I'm preaching to somebody's faith,

512
00:26:40,119 --> 00:26:47,040
Speaker 1: Gene right now. I want to function when it's dysfunctional.

513
00:26:47,320 --> 00:26:48,879
Speaker 1: I went to go, how many parents do we have

514
00:26:48,920 --> 00:26:52,080
Speaker 1: in here? Well, that's a lot. How many single people

515
00:26:52,080 --> 00:26:56,400
Speaker 1: do we have in here? Wow? Single people? Keep it up.

516
00:26:57,480 --> 00:27:02,080
Speaker 1: Have a quick look around. Go ahead. I went to

517
00:27:02,119 --> 00:27:05,280
Speaker 1: pick up my daughter from her normal bus stop, which

518
00:27:05,280 --> 00:27:07,880
Speaker 1: I normally don't do. I made it a specific point

519
00:27:08,240 --> 00:27:10,720
Speaker 1: to go pick her up because I felt like that's

520
00:27:11,160 --> 00:27:13,280
Speaker 1: it's a normal, reasonable dad thing to do, and I

521
00:27:13,359 --> 00:27:15,720
Speaker 1: scheduled my whole day around it. But as it got

522
00:27:15,720 --> 00:27:18,440
Speaker 1: time to that two point fifteen drop off, I realized

523
00:27:18,440 --> 00:27:21,560
Speaker 1: I was stuck in traffic because New York City and

524
00:27:21,640 --> 00:27:23,640
Speaker 1: I wasn't gonna be able to make it. And as

525
00:27:23,720 --> 00:27:26,520
Speaker 1: I am lamenting my lack of planning, I can feel

526
00:27:26,560 --> 00:27:29,560
Speaker 1: the pressure, the anxiety, the worry creeping up on me.

527
00:27:29,600 --> 00:27:31,239
Speaker 1: I'm like, oh my gosh, she's gonna be sitting there

528
00:27:31,280 --> 00:27:33,720
Speaker 1: on that bus stop by herself. Other parents are going

529
00:27:33,720 --> 00:27:36,040
Speaker 1: to judge me. They're better than me, and they're gonna

530
00:27:36,040 --> 00:27:37,919
Speaker 1: know that I'm late. They already think I'm weird. Like

531
00:27:38,000 --> 00:27:40,960
Speaker 1: all this stuff starts to swirl as I am getting

532
00:27:41,000 --> 00:27:44,959
Speaker 1: closer to the bus stop, and apocalyptic rainstorm hits, and

533
00:27:45,000 --> 00:27:47,840
Speaker 1: so now my hypothetical fears grow even further. I'm like,

534
00:27:47,840 --> 00:27:49,880
Speaker 1: now she's gonna be sitting there in a puddle, just

535
00:27:49,920 --> 00:27:53,760
Speaker 1: like people are gonna pick her up, and child Service

536
00:27:53,800 --> 00:27:55,840
Speaker 1: can be like it's the weird past her dad, no more,

537
00:27:55,920 --> 00:28:00,600
Speaker 1: you knowing. I come flying around the corner get out,

538
00:28:00,640 --> 00:28:03,679
Speaker 1: and half of my hypothetical was real. It was pouring,

539
00:28:03,960 --> 00:28:06,560
Speaker 1: and she was by herself, and she wasn't a puddle,

540
00:28:06,880 --> 00:28:09,080
Speaker 1: but she wasn't sitting there crying. She was just in

541
00:28:09,119 --> 00:28:14,160
Speaker 1: this puddle like this. I come running around the corner.

542
00:28:14,160 --> 00:28:17,040
Speaker 1: I'm like, Charlie, I'm so sorry, I'm late. I can't

543
00:28:17,040 --> 00:28:19,399
Speaker 1: believe that I left you here. And she goes, Dad's cool.

544
00:28:19,680 --> 00:28:21,840
Speaker 1: I knew you were coming. I knew something must have happened.

545
00:28:21,840 --> 00:28:25,280
Speaker 1: But have you danced in the rain lately? How amazing

546
00:28:25,440 --> 00:28:28,639
Speaker 1: is rain? Come here, Dad, get in this puddled I'm like,

547
00:28:28,840 --> 00:28:34,879
Speaker 1: these are Jordans, but ye. And she's in there and

548
00:28:34,920 --> 00:28:37,240
Speaker 1: we're dancing in the rain, and she goes, Dad, it's

549
00:28:37,280 --> 00:28:39,840
Speaker 1: been sunny for so long that I forgot how much

550
00:28:39,840 --> 00:28:42,120
Speaker 1: fun rain can be. I mean, just feel a rain.

551
00:28:42,200 --> 00:28:44,520
Speaker 1: It's really beautiful, isn't it. He looked at splash me.

552
00:28:44,680 --> 00:28:46,680
Speaker 1: I splashed. And we sat there in the rain, and

553
00:28:46,680 --> 00:28:50,320
Speaker 1: I'm glad it was raining because I was balling, because

554
00:28:50,320 --> 00:28:52,640
Speaker 1: I thought, Lord forgives me. I want to be more

555
00:28:52,760 --> 00:28:55,920
Speaker 1: like my daughter. I want to be able to smile

556
00:28:56,120 --> 00:28:58,840
Speaker 1: when it's raining. I want to be able to worship

557
00:28:59,040 --> 00:29:01,600
Speaker 1: when I'm losing. I want to be able to love

558
00:29:01,720 --> 00:29:04,600
Speaker 1: somebody in the face up there. Hey, let me be

559
00:29:04,760 --> 00:29:08,240
Speaker 1: a Christian that loves you more than I love. Everything

560
00:29:08,360 --> 00:29:13,880
Speaker 1: going right now is where the peace of God. God

561
00:29:13,920 --> 00:29:17,080
Speaker 1: is still good when you're sick. God is still good

562
00:29:17,120 --> 00:29:20,840
Speaker 1: when you're problem. God is still good when everybody's going

563
00:29:20,880 --> 00:29:24,080
Speaker 1: the other way and you won't beware is everybody? God

564
00:29:24,200 --> 00:29:28,200
Speaker 1: is there. I don't know who I'm preaching to today,

565
00:29:28,240 --> 00:29:30,400
Speaker 1: but hear me out. If you are in a season

566
00:29:30,440 --> 00:29:33,800
Speaker 1: with rain on your face, I believe a brighter day

567
00:29:33,840 --> 00:29:37,920
Speaker 1: is coming. But why not defy the devil anyway and

568
00:29:38,040 --> 00:29:40,600
Speaker 1: worship him? Like you know what, Even if Jesus never

569
00:29:40,680 --> 00:29:43,760
Speaker 1: did another thing for me, which he will, he doesn't

570
00:29:43,800 --> 00:29:46,400
Speaker 1: need to because he already saved my life. So I

571
00:29:46,440 --> 00:29:49,960
Speaker 1: will worship him. I will lift my hands, I will

572
00:29:50,000 --> 00:29:52,880
Speaker 1: love my enemy. I will do what God tells me

573
00:29:52,960 --> 00:29:58,440
Speaker 1: to do anyway, because He is my peace. That's our goal, y'all.

574
00:30:01,840 --> 00:30:05,280
Speaker 1: I want to function when it's breaking down all around me.

575
00:30:06,560 --> 00:30:08,440
Speaker 1: Let me tell you how I got one thought for you.

576
00:30:09,080 --> 00:30:12,800
Speaker 1: And it's really simple. And I told your pastor, I said,

577
00:30:12,800 --> 00:30:15,720
Speaker 1: there's no pressure to preach a good message at your church.

578
00:30:15,760 --> 00:30:18,800
Speaker 1: You know why you're the best. So I can just

579
00:30:18,800 --> 00:30:21,320
Speaker 1: come in and be normal And for all of you

580
00:30:21,400 --> 00:30:23,400
Speaker 1: visitors who are bummed because Steven isn't here, I was

581
00:30:23,440 --> 00:30:28,240
Speaker 1: kind of bummed too. Please come back next week and

582
00:30:28,280 --> 00:30:30,200
Speaker 1: here one of the greatest preachers you'll ever hear in

583
00:30:30,280 --> 00:30:35,000
Speaker 1: his own pulpit. Can I get a Pentecostal amen? It's

584
00:30:35,000 --> 00:30:37,160
Speaker 1: okay to have friends that are better than you had stuff.

585
00:30:37,200 --> 00:30:41,600
Speaker 1: By the way, it's the essence of life. Here's one way.

586
00:30:41,640 --> 00:30:44,200
Speaker 1: I feel like it's really practical. I mean, I passed

587
00:30:44,200 --> 00:30:45,520
Speaker 1: her in New York City. We don't have a lot

588
00:30:45,520 --> 00:30:47,520
Speaker 1: of time for fancy church stuff, so all of our

589
00:30:47,560 --> 00:30:50,000
Speaker 1: points are small and practical. Hopefully you can deal with

590
00:30:50,000 --> 00:30:51,800
Speaker 1: that because you're smarter here in Charlotte. I get it

591
00:30:51,840 --> 00:30:55,520
Speaker 1: to the South. I'm from Virginia, so I have that bias.

592
00:30:56,760 --> 00:30:58,840
Speaker 1: God loves us more down here. Can I get an amen?

593
00:31:00,000 --> 00:31:03,240
Speaker 1: Strike that from the tape if it's there. But I

594
00:31:03,280 --> 00:31:04,720
Speaker 1: feel like we need to do a better job of

595
00:31:04,800 --> 00:31:07,640
Speaker 1: letting people know if you struggle with anxiety and you

596
00:31:07,680 --> 00:31:11,320
Speaker 1: struggle with worry, it's okay to talk about it. The

597
00:31:11,400 --> 00:31:15,280
Speaker 1: church world for too long has put more more condemnation

598
00:31:15,440 --> 00:31:18,520
Speaker 1: on people with awful stuff, like if you love Jesus more,

599
00:31:19,000 --> 00:31:22,320
Speaker 1: you wouldn't feel like you feel, or the horrid pray

600
00:31:22,400 --> 00:31:25,400
Speaker 1: through it. Prayer is incredible. I'm about to talk about it.

601
00:31:25,440 --> 00:31:28,080
Speaker 1: But the truth is all answers start with Jesus and

602
00:31:28,240 --> 00:31:30,760
Speaker 1: end with Jesus. But in the middle there's doctors, and

603
00:31:30,800 --> 00:31:34,760
Speaker 1: there's therapy, and there's connect groups, and there's recovery groups,

604
00:31:34,960 --> 00:31:37,200
Speaker 1: and that doctor might even lead you to another doctor

605
00:31:37,240 --> 00:31:40,000
Speaker 1: who can help you find something that can help you

606
00:31:40,120 --> 00:31:42,360
Speaker 1: on your journey. So, if you've ever felt like you're

607
00:31:42,960 --> 00:31:46,040
Speaker 1: a lesser Christian because you deal with pain that nobody

608
00:31:46,040 --> 00:31:48,440
Speaker 1: can see, it's the same as anybody else with pain

609
00:31:48,520 --> 00:31:51,719
Speaker 1: you can see, So shame off you, especially if you're

610
00:31:51,760 --> 00:31:55,120
Speaker 1: a man. By the way, men are a lot worse

611
00:31:55,160 --> 00:31:57,200
Speaker 1: than women when it comes to being honest with what

612
00:31:57,280 --> 00:31:59,280
Speaker 1: you struggle with, because we'll say things like a guy

613
00:31:59,280 --> 00:32:01,520
Speaker 1: told me the other day, pastor, I struggle with anxiety.

614
00:32:02,640 --> 00:32:05,040
Speaker 1: What's that anxiety? Is? Like? Yeah, anxiety? I want anybody

615
00:32:05,080 --> 00:32:08,400
Speaker 1: to know. I'm like, trust me, they already know. Well,

616
00:32:08,400 --> 00:32:10,560
Speaker 1: why would you whisper that to me? Because he's heard

617
00:32:10,560 --> 00:32:12,560
Speaker 1: stuff like his whole life? Man up, what does that

618
00:32:12,600 --> 00:32:14,840
Speaker 1: even mean? We're a part of the new generation man

619
00:32:14,880 --> 00:32:18,000
Speaker 1: down on our knees, waiting for God to do whatever

620
00:32:18,080 --> 00:32:20,280
Speaker 1: he wants to do. I would rather be a man

621
00:32:20,360 --> 00:32:23,440
Speaker 1: on my knees looking vulnerable than being a man on

622
00:32:23,480 --> 00:32:26,320
Speaker 1: my feet living shaky because I don't want God to

623
00:32:26,400 --> 00:32:28,960
Speaker 1: actually help me because somebody might know I don't have

624
00:32:29,040 --> 00:32:39,320
Speaker 1: it all again, So shame off you. If you need

625
00:32:39,360 --> 00:32:41,600
Speaker 1: to get some help, get help. This church is filled

626
00:32:41,600 --> 00:32:43,640
Speaker 1: with people that would love to get beside you and

627
00:32:43,680 --> 00:32:46,320
Speaker 1: do whatever it takes to see God continue to heal

628
00:32:46,360 --> 00:32:48,440
Speaker 1: your life one way and then we're out of here,

629
00:32:48,440 --> 00:32:50,920
Speaker 1: I promise, Okay, and I've got seven closes. Don't get

630
00:32:50,960 --> 00:32:54,640
Speaker 1: too excited. But those of you that want to access

631
00:32:55,080 --> 00:32:58,400
Speaker 1: more peace rather than just hear cheesy Christian answers. Isn't

632
00:32:58,400 --> 00:33:00,720
Speaker 1: that funny when you tell a Christian like, hey, I

633
00:33:01,040 --> 00:33:02,520
Speaker 1: got a problem with fear and worry and they say

634
00:33:02,520 --> 00:33:06,360
Speaker 1: stuff like well, pastor Stephen, just don't worry worry less.

635
00:33:06,360 --> 00:33:11,280
Speaker 1: It's like, thank you genius, never thought of that. Now.

636
00:33:11,320 --> 00:33:14,280
Speaker 1: Thankfully Jesus gave us some recourse. And here's one big

637
00:33:14,280 --> 00:33:16,600
Speaker 1: way ready if you want to access the peace that

638
00:33:16,680 --> 00:33:19,080
Speaker 1: is in your pocket, that is in your soul. The

639
00:33:19,160 --> 00:33:24,240
Speaker 1: King of kings. Control what you can control, Control what

640
00:33:24,360 --> 00:33:29,640
Speaker 1: you can, and then pray about the rest. Control what

641
00:33:29,720 --> 00:33:33,640
Speaker 1: you can, which is your spirit, and then pray about

642
00:33:33,640 --> 00:33:37,920
Speaker 1: the rest, which is your situation. Normally we get these

643
00:33:37,920 --> 00:33:40,800
Speaker 1: things mixed up. There's so much about your situation that

644
00:33:40,880 --> 00:33:43,800
Speaker 1: you cannot control. You can't always control your boss, can't

645
00:33:43,800 --> 00:33:46,360
Speaker 1: always control what the world is doing to you. But

646
00:33:46,400 --> 00:33:49,400
Speaker 1: we are Christians. What is happening to us does not

647
00:33:49,520 --> 00:33:51,760
Speaker 1: have to change what is coming through us. We have

648
00:33:51,840 --> 00:33:55,400
Speaker 1: the right to control our eyes. We can control our ears.

649
00:33:55,560 --> 00:33:58,280
Speaker 1: We can control what we consume, what we feed our

650
00:33:58,400 --> 00:34:01,920
Speaker 1: soul with. We can control our declaration, we can control

651
00:34:01,960 --> 00:34:05,160
Speaker 1: our confession. There is so much we can do. And

652
00:34:05,200 --> 00:34:07,440
Speaker 1: when it comes to the stuff that we can't, God

653
00:34:07,560 --> 00:34:11,600
Speaker 1: has it covered. And I'm gonna read you this scripture

654
00:34:11,600 --> 00:34:14,120
Speaker 1: out of Philippians, which is just mind blowing. Can I

655
00:34:14,120 --> 00:34:16,920
Speaker 1: read you one more scripture? What are you gonna say?

656
00:34:16,960 --> 00:34:18,640
Speaker 1: Don't you love it when preachers ask you questions like

657
00:34:18,719 --> 00:34:21,839
Speaker 1: you have any recourse? Guys, mind if I read this,

658
00:34:21,880 --> 00:34:25,560
Speaker 1: I'm gonna do it anyway. Remember, because Paul here is

659
00:34:25,640 --> 00:34:28,759
Speaker 1: letting us know. God's not afraid of your worry. He's

660
00:34:28,800 --> 00:34:31,080
Speaker 1: not afraid of what you have going on. But there's

661
00:34:31,120 --> 00:34:35,200
Speaker 1: an order to this. Pray before you panic, Pray before

662
00:34:35,239 --> 00:34:37,560
Speaker 1: you feel that pressure. He says this. Don't be pulled

663
00:34:37,560 --> 00:34:42,399
Speaker 1: in different directions or worried about a thing. Be saturated

664
00:34:42,440 --> 00:34:45,800
Speaker 1: in prayer throughout each day, offering your faith filled request

665
00:34:45,920 --> 00:34:50,920
Speaker 1: before God with overflowing gratitude. Tell him every single detail

666
00:34:50,960 --> 00:34:54,839
Speaker 1: of your life. Than God's wonderful peace that transcends human understanding.

667
00:34:55,160 --> 00:34:57,960
Speaker 1: We'll make the answers known to you through Jesus Christ.

668
00:34:58,080 --> 00:35:00,000
Speaker 1: So keep your thoughts you ready for this. This is

669
00:35:00,040 --> 00:35:04,080
Speaker 1: convicting and comforting. Keep your thoughts continually fixed on all

670
00:35:04,120 --> 00:35:06,799
Speaker 1: that is authentic, all that is real, all that is

671
00:35:06,920 --> 00:35:12,200
Speaker 1: honorable and admirable, beautiful and respectful, pure and holy, merciful

672
00:35:12,200 --> 00:35:15,759
Speaker 1: and kind. And fasten your thoughts on every glorious work

673
00:35:15,800 --> 00:35:19,720
Speaker 1: of God, praising him always. One might say get off Twitter.

674
00:35:22,239 --> 00:35:25,480
Speaker 1: One might say flee from anything that's getting your mind

675
00:35:25,520 --> 00:35:27,960
Speaker 1: to go in a different direction. I don't know about you,

676
00:35:28,239 --> 00:35:30,719
Speaker 1: but when it comes to controlling my thoughts, I got

677
00:35:30,719 --> 00:35:32,719
Speaker 1: to make sure I understand that I want to fight

678
00:35:32,840 --> 00:35:36,280
Speaker 1: this fear and anxiety wave that's plaguing so many people.

679
00:35:36,440 --> 00:35:38,799
Speaker 1: It's going to start with me going to the throne room,

680
00:35:39,160 --> 00:35:41,160
Speaker 1: me getting down on my knees once in a while

681
00:35:41,200 --> 00:35:43,880
Speaker 1: and saying, Lord, I am willing to do whatever I

682
00:35:43,960 --> 00:35:46,279
Speaker 1: have to do to make sure that this stuff that

683
00:35:46,320 --> 00:35:49,560
Speaker 1: I cannot control stays out and the stuff I can't control,

684
00:35:49,600 --> 00:35:52,359
Speaker 1: which is focusing on you, how good you've already been.

685
00:35:52,400 --> 00:35:55,280
Speaker 1: How many more songs can your team write to remind

686
00:35:55,440 --> 00:35:58,319
Speaker 1: us that God has been so faithful? I mean they

687
00:35:58,320 --> 00:36:00,680
Speaker 1: say it different ways every time. The theme is this,

688
00:36:01,160 --> 00:36:04,960
Speaker 1: how much more does God have to do to prove

689
00:36:05,040 --> 00:36:07,600
Speaker 1: to us that it does no good to look at

690
00:36:07,600 --> 00:36:10,640
Speaker 1: what he's not doing? Because there is so much that

691
00:36:10,680 --> 00:36:13,960
Speaker 1: He is doing. It should take me forever to get

692
00:36:13,960 --> 00:36:16,600
Speaker 1: through all my praise reports before I can even get

693
00:36:16,640 --> 00:36:19,359
Speaker 1: out a problem, because that's how good God is bad.

694
00:36:24,560 --> 00:36:27,160
Speaker 1: I'm almost done, Team Chris, y'all come up here. But

695
00:36:27,200 --> 00:36:29,759
Speaker 1: I promise you this works, y'all. I promise you. If

696
00:36:29,760 --> 00:36:32,759
Speaker 1: you leave here today and you look at whatever was

697
00:36:32,800 --> 00:36:35,200
Speaker 1: the biggest cause of your worry where you feel like

698
00:36:35,239 --> 00:36:37,160
Speaker 1: you were empty pocketed, when it comes to your piece

699
00:36:37,840 --> 00:36:40,920
Speaker 1: and you start making little small shifts and changes before

700
00:36:40,920 --> 00:36:43,480
Speaker 1: you know it, it's like, Wow, this situation isn't so bad.

701
00:36:43,520 --> 00:36:45,040
Speaker 1: I did this the other day in the airport, which

702
00:36:45,080 --> 00:36:47,200
Speaker 1: is the number one cause for stress for most humans.

703
00:36:48,000 --> 00:36:49,799
Speaker 1: And I had stuff I had to get home to

704
00:36:50,000 --> 00:36:52,200
Speaker 1: big weekend in church, had a date with my daughter,

705
00:36:52,320 --> 00:36:54,359
Speaker 1: another date with my other daughter, and a date with

706
00:36:54,400 --> 00:36:56,520
Speaker 1: my son. If that's weird, go ask me about later.

707
00:36:56,520 --> 00:36:59,600
Speaker 1: I'll tell you why it's important and was supposed to be.

708
00:36:59,640 --> 00:37:02,200
Speaker 1: That intent sounded really intense, and I just had stuff

709
00:37:02,200 --> 00:37:04,000
Speaker 1: to do with my family. And I walk up to

710
00:37:04,080 --> 00:37:06,480
Speaker 1: the gate and the guy says, yeah, your flight's been

711
00:37:06,480 --> 00:37:09,520
Speaker 1: delayed any reason. And guy's of course not. And so

712
00:37:09,640 --> 00:37:11,600
Speaker 1: that's the kind of thing that gets me going. Right there,

713
00:37:11,640 --> 00:37:14,040
Speaker 1: I'm like, great, that meeting's gonna be canceled. Lawd's gonna

714
00:37:14,040 --> 00:37:16,080
Speaker 1: be upset. I won't be able to do that, won't

715
00:37:16,120 --> 00:37:17,920
Speaker 1: be able to do that. And just my mind starts

716
00:37:17,920 --> 00:37:21,680
Speaker 1: to raise and I remembered my own preaching, really my

717
00:37:21,719 --> 00:37:24,600
Speaker 1: own preaching, remember what Paul said, And I thought, let

718
00:37:24,640 --> 00:37:26,680
Speaker 1: me just take a moment here, because I cannot control this.

719
00:37:27,040 --> 00:37:29,200
Speaker 1: I cannot control all this stuff, So what am I

720
00:37:29,239 --> 00:37:30,520
Speaker 1: gonna do? I don't want to be like this guy

721
00:37:30,560 --> 00:37:33,759
Speaker 1: who's getting arrested for freaking out of the guy. Don't

722
00:37:33,760 --> 00:37:36,280
Speaker 1: want to be like this passive aggressive lady who's just sighing.

723
00:37:36,480 --> 00:37:40,919
Speaker 1: Sh So what can I do. I'm gonna pray, I'm

724
00:37:40,920 --> 00:37:43,759
Speaker 1: gonna worship God. I'm gonna find something funny about this.

725
00:37:44,040 --> 00:37:46,560
Speaker 1: And sure enough, there was a loud talker behind me,

726
00:37:46,680 --> 00:37:49,160
Speaker 1: and my wife, for whatever reason, really loves to see

727
00:37:49,320 --> 00:37:51,120
Speaker 1: loud talkers. So I'm like, I'm gonna make this funny

728
00:37:51,120 --> 00:37:52,840
Speaker 1: because I can't do anything else. And I filmed this

729
00:37:52,920 --> 00:37:56,520
Speaker 1: person who was talking super loud, and the guy next

730
00:37:56,560 --> 00:37:58,160
Speaker 1: to me sees me doing it and he's like, man,

731
00:37:58,200 --> 00:38:00,680
Speaker 1: can you believe loud talkers? I'm like, no, bro from Virginia,

732
00:38:00,719 --> 00:38:03,720
Speaker 1: I was training better. He's like me too, become fast friends.

733
00:38:04,120 --> 00:38:06,040
Speaker 1: I said, where are you headed? He goes, I'm actually

734
00:38:06,080 --> 00:38:07,839
Speaker 1: headed to New Jersey. I said where are you coming from?

735
00:38:07,880 --> 00:38:10,080
Speaker 1: He's like, right here, my first day out of rehab.

736
00:38:10,280 --> 00:38:13,000
Speaker 1: And I'm a little bit nervous because I know that

737
00:38:13,040 --> 00:38:14,799
Speaker 1: God's going to do great things. I just my first

738
00:38:14,840 --> 00:38:17,120
Speaker 1: day out. I'm like, man, that's crazy because I know

739
00:38:17,160 --> 00:38:19,160
Speaker 1: a lot of people coming out of rehab who are

740
00:38:19,160 --> 00:38:22,120
Speaker 1: now running rehab centers. Like God's going to use your life.

741
00:38:22,200 --> 00:38:24,600
Speaker 1: Have no fear. We start to just and he looks

742
00:38:24,600 --> 00:38:28,200
Speaker 1: at me this is great, though, And I was preaching

743
00:38:28,239 --> 00:38:29,920
Speaker 1: out a church to night before and it goes to me,

744
00:38:30,000 --> 00:38:31,600
Speaker 1: it's like so funny because I had to pack all

745
00:38:31,600 --> 00:38:33,919
Speaker 1: my stuff and everybody else from my rehab. Last night,

746
00:38:34,160 --> 00:38:36,439
Speaker 1: they went to this church conference in Florida and here's

747
00:38:36,440 --> 00:38:38,719
Speaker 1: some guy named Carl or some Hillsong thing, and it

748
00:38:38,840 --> 00:38:41,080
Speaker 1: sounded like he was preaching something just like that. I

749
00:38:41,120 --> 00:38:43,319
Speaker 1: was like, dude, I know that guy, and I'll tell

750
00:38:43,360 --> 00:38:45,960
Speaker 1: you exactly what he said. What he said last night

751
00:38:46,440 --> 00:38:49,160
Speaker 1: was that God can use people that are broken to

752
00:38:49,320 --> 00:38:51,880
Speaker 1: shine a light through. So no matter how bad you

753
00:38:51,920 --> 00:38:54,640
Speaker 1: think your life is, hey, guess what, every single crack

754
00:38:55,000 --> 00:38:56,960
Speaker 1: is a way for God to get the message out.

755
00:38:57,000 --> 00:38:59,319
Speaker 1: So just be open with who you are. Let him

756
00:38:59,320 --> 00:39:02,720
Speaker 1: do what he was. And me and this guy exchange numbers.

757
00:39:02,719 --> 00:39:05,680
Speaker 1: We just talked today. He kind of lives closer than

758
00:39:05,680 --> 00:39:07,799
Speaker 1: I thought. And before you know it, in that one

759
00:39:07,840 --> 00:39:12,000
Speaker 1: moment of just choosing not to go in because that's

760
00:39:12,040 --> 00:39:15,480
Speaker 1: what anxiety does, that's what fear does. God use me

761
00:39:15,840 --> 00:39:18,319
Speaker 1: in a random airport, and I thought to myself, how

762
00:39:18,320 --> 00:39:21,960
Speaker 1: many times might I have been so focused on my

763
00:39:22,160 --> 00:39:25,879
Speaker 1: fear that God was not able to lift my head

764
00:39:25,920 --> 00:39:29,319
Speaker 1: even for a moment. How many people are around us

765
00:39:29,400 --> 00:39:31,520
Speaker 1: right now that we don't even know God wants to

766
00:39:31,640 --> 00:39:33,960
Speaker 1: use us in their life because we're so focused on

767
00:39:34,040 --> 00:39:38,400
Speaker 1: what's not happening in our life. Y'all, as you go

768
00:39:38,560 --> 00:39:42,759
Speaker 1: forward Elevation Church, my I would plead with you. Yes,

769
00:39:42,880 --> 00:39:45,640
Speaker 1: God has done a lot, but there is more in store.

770
00:39:45,880 --> 00:39:48,279
Speaker 1: The best is yet to come. And if you can

771
00:39:48,360 --> 00:39:50,759
Speaker 1: learn how to say Lord here I am. I am

772
00:39:50,800 --> 00:39:53,520
Speaker 1: not gonna focus on the wrong thing. I'm gonna focus

773
00:39:53,560 --> 00:39:56,319
Speaker 1: on the right thing. Watch what God will do with

774
00:39:56,600 --> 00:40:00,440
Speaker 1: people like you because He is our portion. He is

775
00:40:00,480 --> 00:40:07,879
Speaker 1: our sustainer, he is our strong time to all, I'm

776
00:40:07,880 --> 00:40:09,680
Speaker 1: gonna leave you with this. I'm gonna hand this back

777
00:40:09,719 --> 00:40:16,080
Speaker 1: over to the Bishop of Charlotte, the Queen City. Peace

778
00:40:16,160 --> 00:40:21,239
Speaker 1: is your portion, accept nothing less. Can you say this

779
00:40:21,239 --> 00:40:27,719
Speaker 1: with big Peace is my portion? How do we know that?

780
00:40:27,719 --> 00:40:29,680
Speaker 1: Because Jesus said it. I pray that the peace that

781
00:40:29,800 --> 00:40:31,799
Speaker 1: is in me will be in you. That means if

782
00:40:31,840 --> 00:40:34,080
Speaker 1: there's any area in your life that does not have

783
00:40:34,160 --> 00:40:36,800
Speaker 1: God's peace in it, fight for it because your portion

784
00:40:36,960 --> 00:40:40,040
Speaker 1: is peace. I've met too many Christians. Maybe it's just

785
00:40:40,080 --> 00:40:42,279
Speaker 1: New York, but people who just accept it. It's just

786
00:40:42,320 --> 00:40:44,759
Speaker 1: the way I am. This is just what life has

787
00:40:44,840 --> 00:40:47,080
Speaker 1: dealt me, so I might as well just deal with it.

788
00:40:47,160 --> 00:40:49,240
Speaker 1: This is who I am. I'm always gonna be depressed,

789
00:40:49,440 --> 00:40:52,400
Speaker 1: and I'm always gonna have broken relationships, and I'm always

790
00:40:52,440 --> 00:40:54,360
Speaker 1: gonna have this kind of drama in my life. And

791
00:40:54,360 --> 00:40:57,280
Speaker 1: I always say, who said that? Because Jesus said something different.

792
00:40:57,840 --> 00:41:00,200
Speaker 1: Just because somebody sent it does not mean you have

793
00:41:00,280 --> 00:41:03,160
Speaker 1: to accept it, digest it, and actually let it take

794
00:41:03,239 --> 00:41:05,319
Speaker 1: root in your life. We don't do this in any

795
00:41:05,360 --> 00:41:09,920
Speaker 1: area of life except for Christians. If you went to

796
00:41:09,960 --> 00:41:14,640
Speaker 1: a restaurant today and you ordered some lava cake, who

797
00:41:14,640 --> 00:41:18,480
Speaker 1: doesn't love lava cake? And the waiter came up to

798
00:41:18,520 --> 00:41:22,560
Speaker 1: you and they handed you a kale salad, what would

799
00:41:22,600 --> 00:41:25,840
Speaker 1: you say? You would say, sir, I appreciate you, but

800
00:41:25,920 --> 00:41:28,040
Speaker 1: I did not do I look like a kale salad person.

801
00:41:28,239 --> 00:41:33,799
Speaker 1: I ordered a lava cake, brownie, ice cream fudge, So respectfully,

802
00:41:33,960 --> 00:41:35,920
Speaker 1: could you please go back to the kitchen where you

803
00:41:35,960 --> 00:41:39,160
Speaker 1: came from and let them know the order has been

804
00:41:39,200 --> 00:41:41,600
Speaker 1: mixed up. I'm gonna sit here until I see the

805
00:41:41,719 --> 00:41:44,960
Speaker 1: lava cake come out and the kale go back to

806
00:41:45,000 --> 00:41:48,319
Speaker 1: where it came from. This is what it's like to

807
00:41:48,360 --> 00:41:52,160
Speaker 1: be a Christian. Every single time that the devil throws

808
00:41:52,200 --> 00:41:55,680
Speaker 1: something on your plate that is not from God, that

809
00:41:55,800 --> 00:41:58,239
Speaker 1: is not from peace, that is not from love, you

810
00:41:58,320 --> 00:42:02,440
Speaker 1: have the right to say, respectfully decline that this is

811
00:42:02,520 --> 00:42:05,239
Speaker 1: my portion. I'm gonna send it back, and I'm gonna

812
00:42:05,320 --> 00:42:08,000
Speaker 1: keep fighting, and I'm gonna keep worshiping, and I'm gonna

813
00:42:08,080 --> 00:42:11,520
Speaker 1: keep on in god glory until I get exactly what

814
00:42:11,600 --> 00:42:14,600
Speaker 1: he says is my portion, and my portion is peace,

815
00:42:14,880 --> 00:42:19,720
Speaker 1: My portion is healing, my portion is God's good. Fight

816
00:42:19,800 --> 00:42:25,000
Speaker 1: for it gonna get you to bow your head. I'm

817
00:42:25,000 --> 00:42:27,000
Speaker 1: gonna pray. I'm gonna hand this back over to you.

818
00:42:27,200 --> 00:42:36,160
Speaker 1: Peace in your pocket, Peace in your soul. Keep fighting

819
00:42:36,200 --> 00:42:38,239
Speaker 1: for those of you that have given up in the

820
00:42:38,320 --> 00:42:42,400
Speaker 1: name of Jesus. Fight again. Those of you who feel

821
00:42:42,400 --> 00:42:44,680
Speaker 1: like the die has been cast in the name of Jesus,

822
00:42:44,719 --> 00:42:49,080
Speaker 1: it has not. Peace will be your portion. Those of

823
00:42:49,120 --> 00:42:51,319
Speaker 1: you that can't sleep at night and you're just giving

824
00:42:51,400 --> 00:42:54,400
Speaker 1: up on that fight in the name of Jesus, Peace

825
00:42:55,200 --> 00:43:00,640
Speaker 1: will be your portion. Father, I pray that you encourage

826
00:43:00,640 --> 00:43:04,920
Speaker 1: people today. Jesus, you are a gracious God, You are

827
00:43:04,920 --> 00:43:08,319
Speaker 1: a gracious Save you Lord. I pray today. Wherever there

828
00:43:08,440 --> 00:43:11,400
Speaker 1: is unrest, in the name of Jesus, we speak peace.

829
00:43:12,360 --> 00:43:15,080
Speaker 1: Where there is sickness and people are waiting for their healing,

830
00:43:15,120 --> 00:43:18,880
Speaker 1: in the name of Jesus, we speak peace. Where people

831
00:43:18,880 --> 00:43:22,000
Speaker 1: are overwhelmed, Lord in the middle of it, remind them

832
00:43:22,080 --> 00:43:26,480
Speaker 1: you are are peace. Can we give you praise ahead

833
00:43:26,520 --> 00:43:29,560
Speaker 1: of time for all you're gonna do in Jesus name,

834
00:43:29,560 --> 00:43:32,200
Speaker 1: Elevation Church. If you believe it, can we stand to

835
00:43:32,239 --> 00:43:34,520
Speaker 1: our feet and just give God the biggest shot of praise.

836
00:43:35,560 --> 00:43:37,680
Speaker 1: If you believe that peace is your poorchol come on,

837
00:43:37,800 --> 00:43:44,160
Speaker 1: let them know. Scream it over you. We hope you

838
00:43:44,280 --> 00:43:46,600
Speaker 1: enjoyed the podcast today, and if you did, there are

839
00:43:46,640 --> 00:43:48,719
Speaker 1: just a couple things I'd love for you to do.

840
00:43:48,960 --> 00:43:52,439
Speaker 1: Number One, subscribe to our show. That way, the most

841
00:43:52,480 --> 00:43:55,719
Speaker 1: recent episode will always be in your feed, waiting for

842
00:43:55,760 --> 00:43:59,280
Speaker 1: you ready when you are. And Secondly, if this ministry

843
00:43:59,280 --> 00:44:01,760
Speaker 1: has impacted you and you'd like to help us continue

844
00:44:01,800 --> 00:44:03,840
Speaker 1: to reach others, you can click the link in the

845
00:44:03,880 --> 00:44:06,680
Speaker 1: description and you can give now and I'll see you

846
00:44:06,880 --> 00:44:09,320
Speaker 1: next time on the Elevation Podcast.