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Awakening Souls for Today's Times
Hallelujah. Bless the name of the Lord. Y'all, I'm excited about being here in this house this morning. Y'all excited? In the presence of God just is just something.
Speaker 1:Well, I want to say great morning at Relevant Worship Center and to, all of our guests who have chosen to worship with us today, whether you're in the house or online, I just want to welcome you, in this place. Come on Relevant Worship Center. Put your hands together for all our guests that are here for the very first time. And the ones that just continue to come, we're so glad that you're here. And I just wanna give a few little shout outs before I get moving.
Speaker 1:I want to, give a shout out to our very own minister Rod for holding it down up here in the pulpit who delivered the word on last week. You know, he's back there on sound. You know, they get to preach, but we got to go back to our duties. Right? But he's back there making sure and taking care of sound, but they delivered the word on last week.
Speaker 1:While I was out in Houston, I heard you did an incredible job.
Speaker 2:You know,
Speaker 1:I haven't gone back yet to do all my little critiques and stuff, but I I think I kinda trust you a little. But I am so glad, and to all the staff and volunteers, you guys rock for, hey. You know, it's something when, you know, the the leader can leave out and then know that everything is gonna be well taken care of. I didn't think twice about y'all, but I missed y'all. But I didn't think twice about what's happening.
Speaker 1:They'll figure it out. They'll they'll they'll figure it out. But I it's just knowing that all is well. It's just been amazing. I wanna give a shout out to God.
Speaker 1:I already I already told y'all how good he was, but I I wanna give a shout out to him, to this morning. Miss Vanessa's mom, she had text me on was it last Sunday? Maybe last Sunday, and then and messaged me and
Speaker 3:said that her, mom was getting ready to have surgery on
Speaker 1:her eyes if I could make contact with her before surgery. Y'all y'all y'all ready? Y'all feel like she out? Because y'all look like y'all tired of worshiping. Okay.
Speaker 1:They're like, y'all like I'm tired. Like, Lord, the Holy Ghost is gonna come in here and just wait us down, you know. I sent out end up sending out a prayer because I didn't get to talk to her, but I sent this prayer for her. Now we sent this long prayer and, they told me that they were going in and the doctors said that, you know, this was just something they were gonna do, but it's possible she could just go blind. Is that am I saying it right?
Speaker 1:Yeah. She was already blind in the eye, but was a possibility that she would regain her vision but they just did not know.
Speaker 3:Well,
Speaker 1:after the surgery, 24 hours. Oh, I got one ready. 24 hours. Pastor, I just came back from the checkup. She said the doctor said they cannot believe what God has done to her eyes.
Speaker 1:They said there were their little bitty bubbles, but those will go away. But guess who Guess whose sight is recovered? Oh, y'all. You say I am. And she said, I know I've been out.
Speaker 1:I've been out of church. I've been out. She said, but I gotta get get back into the house. And I remember, miss Vanessa had said with me, you know, out of all we all used to come to church, but I'm the only one. And miss Vanessa, at the end of the text, she said, I got I'm on my way back.
Speaker 1:So y'all just pray. You know, because sometimes it's difficult to be standing in this thing by yourself and standing and believing that God is gonna do something and something it still has yet to take. That weight is something, ain't it? But I came to tell somebody y'all better wait on him. Oh, y'all better wait on him because he's he's doing this thing.
Speaker 1:You better wait on him because he's doing he's doing it. I told the Lord, I'm not going to let go until you bless my soul. Everything that you promised me, every vision that you have given me, every block, every everything that I saw, everything that you told me to write down, I'm gonna hang out and take I'm gonna wait on it. That just tells me I got a little bit longer. I'm a live a little bit longer because I've not yet I've not yet seen it yet.
Speaker 1:But he promised that I would see it while I was still yet alive. He's a miracle working god, yahoo. He's a miracle working God. And I can't wait for the day that she walks into this building. I can't wait.
Speaker 1:I can't wait. But that's what God is doing. He's doing miracles in the lives of its people. Every now and then, he has to remind us, I'm I'm right here. I got you.
Speaker 1:I'm like, okay. Because, I'm getting real nervous right now. But he's a good father, but that has nothing to do with my message, so let's can we just move on? I told him I was gonna be real calm today because I didn't want you. So I'm gonna be calm.
Speaker 1:So I'm calm. I'm I'm calm. So today, we start a new series called counterculture. K? We're gonna start a new, series called counter counterculture, and and and I'll explain things as we go along, but you'll understand what I'm talking about as we go.
Speaker 1:So what is counterculture? Counterculture in simple terms, well, maybe this might be too simple, is a culture in which the values that are expressed and promoted are in, potential or actual opposition to those of the dominant culture. My mom's looking at me like so here it is, biblically. So it means a way of life in Jesus that runs against the grain of the world. Okay.
Speaker 1:Now y'all got it. Okay, saints. Good. That's good. That's good.
Speaker 1:I need y'all to get that. Because during this series, I'm gonna be highlighting some key things in the book of Peter. Alright? I'm a kinda hang out in book of Peter this month, I I think. That's my plan.
Speaker 1:Oh, God may say something totally different. But that's where we started. But let
Speaker 2:me give you
Speaker 1:the setting of what's what was taking place. So today, I'm just laying the groundwork for where we're going. Peter was writing to a group of people that were severely persecuted, somewhere between, 60 65 a d. D. And he wrote this book during a time when an evil emperor by the name of Nero, some of you may have heard his name, was causing all sorts of problems.
Speaker 1:And not just for the followers of Jesus, but just for everybody else. Okay? And Nero most likely, I believe we believe that he burned his city, his own city. He burned it down, but he blamed that the those that followed Jesus and said that it was those people that did it. Talking about us.
Speaker 1:Those people. And so what was already a bad environment became so much worse. And then Peter wrote to them to give them hope and reminding them again and again that this world is not your home. Peter said, you're just you're just passing through. Don't don't get all wrapped up in it.
Speaker 1:You're just passing through. Am I am I right, Bishop? Back then back. Okay. But here's what's happening.
Speaker 1:Many followers of Jesus today act like that they're gonna live here forever. And we're working hard to accumulate as much as we can, and then we sit on the can, and then we're gathering all these perishable item perishable items that don't have no shelf life. I've come. I've come today. And so and because this world is not our home, Peter said, god is calling us to be different.
Speaker 1:Okay? So if you are a follower of Jesus, we're called to be different. Somebody say, I'm different. I'm different. Was there a song that's on?
Speaker 1:I'm different. Something like that. Yeah. That's the young people. He wants us to have different values, like different passions, different use of our time, different use of our resources, even different as a parent, different as a spouse, different in the way that we work.
Speaker 1:Okay? God is calling us to be different, or what I would call counter cultural. Alright? So if y'all will, I know y'all been sitting a while, but let's stand and read the, our word for, today, and reverence the word of God. In 1st Peter 113 through 17, it says, therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming.
Speaker 1:As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. Y'all got that? Okay. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all that you do for it is written. Be holy because I am holy.
Speaker 1:Since you call on a father who judges each person's work impartially as foreigners here in reverent fear. You may be seeing it. So in another version, it says, live out your time as temporary residents because you have a different home.
Speaker 3:You're just passing through. You have a higher calling, and
Speaker 1:god is calling you. Countercultural. I I just somebody that word just kinda rings for me. So if I just say it, this is because I like the way it sounds. So he's saying, be countercultural.
Speaker 1:Be set apart. Be different. Or in opposition to the world's way of doing things. Because see, the issue in our culture today and the biggest obstacle don't miss this. For many of you, fully committing to following Christ is your desire to fit in.
Speaker 1:For so many to be faithful to God's call is the longing to look like everybody else and belong to the world and as I said, and fit in. Am I right? Do I have anybody in the back that, is in agreement with me? Because see, as followers of Jesus, God did not call you to fit in, but he called us to stand out. Okay?
Speaker 1:He never said that you were to blend in to the things of this world because I've decided when we pretend, we blend. It says we're we're told not to conform to the patterns of this world, but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. Peter said, don't do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. See, there was a time you didn't know no better. But if you know, you know.
Speaker 1:We were never called to blend in. Again, as followers of Christ, set apart. God says, I need y'all to stand out. Y'all blended. I can't tell who's who around here.
Speaker 1:I I remember telling god and I'm telling to god I was just kidding then, but I'm I'm gonna tell y'all what I said. You know, I said, god, I just wanna be normal. Anybody ever I ain't got time to go into all this. Like, jeez. I wish I was normal.
Speaker 1:But this calling and appointed and anointed and it gets a bit much. And where wait a minute. Where are my anointed people in the house? Where are the people that's been called by God? Everybody in the building should've stood up.
Speaker 1:Come on. This thing gets a bit much. This journey gets a man, this thing gets real weighty sometimes. And I and I know y'all have felt this, again, like I said, some point on this journey. But, you know, then I asked myself, why do we want to be normal?
Speaker 1:Let me tell you what I came up with. I believed why I wanted to be normal when I wanted to be normal then. Yesterday. I believe being normal was easier. Watch this.
Speaker 1:And it would allow me to justify my behavior amongst the normal. You know, we supposed to tell the truth in the church and just shame the devil. You know, I'm I'm real transparent when it comes up here. And if I got any perfect people in the house, go on and go back home, do your lingerie. Iron your clothes, baby, because then you don't need this.
Speaker 1:You don't need this therapy today. Okay? But has anyone looked around and and and to see what normal is and what it looks like? Do y'all know normal is broke? Do you know normal is in bondage?
Speaker 1:Normal is fear? Normal is divorce? Normal is tension? Normal is sleepless nights. Normal is anxiety.
Speaker 1:Normal is not liking the job. Normal is fighting depression. Normal That's what normal is, and I don't want anything to do with normal. You know, I was looking at scripture. He may not said it like this, but that there's a road, and I don't wanna be on the normal road.
Speaker 1:Jesus said there's gonna be a normal road. He said there is a path that is broad and wide, and there's a lot of people that's on it. But he said that there's a different road that's much smaller, that's much narrower. And the gate is so small that only a few people are on this road. It says, but wide is a path that leads to destruction, but narrow is the one that leads to life and there only a few people are gonna find it.
Speaker 1:I wanna know, are there a few in the house? Because, see, I don't want to be normal because God is in need of the exceptional. He's in the need of the unusual. He's in need of the unorthodox. He's in need of the peculiar people.
Speaker 2:He's in need of the
Speaker 1:uncommon, the rare, the different, the untraditional. He's in need of the heirs of the kingdom, the extraordinary dolls that have been chosen by him. I'm not normal. I was playing. I don't wanna be normal.
Speaker 1:I'm a go on and take this exceptional role I got, my anointed self, my appointed self, my one that's called with purpose, my beautiful self, my my my my daughter is self. I'm a take myself and be everything that God has called me to be and so much more. No longer will I bag back because everybody looks a certain way, but I won't stand out amongst them and understand that what I carry is sometimes greater than many other people I'm amongst. I realized my trials I made. Baby, let me tell you something.
Speaker 1:I'm built for this. You're built for this. You're built for this. Everything that you've gone through is not wasted. Oh, God's gonna use it for his glory and for his honor.
Speaker 1:I'm telling you, just stand on it. We just got to learn how to stand on it. We got to get out of it, but we got to learn how to stand on it and use it for its glory and its honor. See, it's my prayer that we would be amongst those few and because of the the passion of those few that there would be more and more that would find the path that leads to life. It's not a normal that most people travel.
Speaker 1:Well, it's a normal path that most people travel, but there is a different road that the chosen are are on. Only a few are gonna find it. God is calling us to be set apart and to be different. So that was my introduction. Let us pray.
Speaker 1:Father, I pray and ask that you would do what I don't have the power to do, that you would personalize this message into the hearts of every single person here. God, for those who are far from God, I pray your spirit would draw them close. For those who know you, God, that we open up our hearts for you to show us any areas of our own life that we that would be displeasing to you. Show up within us, God, the desire to be holy, to be counter cultural, to be set apart in all that we do, that we love you faithfully, please you by living honorably, and be a light into a dark world. And we pray this in Jesus' name, and everybody said amen.
Speaker 1:Amen. Well, we could just go home right here, couldn't we? Let's look at this one more time. Look at Paul says, verse 14, I don't know if it's broken down, miss Ashley, like that. I don't know if I did that.
Speaker 1:But it says, as obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. In other words, there was a time when you didn't know any better. And quite honestly, that's where some of you are right now. You're doing some things that's not the wisest thing, but you haven't yet learned. Because you haven't yet grown and you haven't been yet transformed by Jesus and his word.
Speaker 1:Because see, there was a time when you weren't really accountable much because you didn't know, but now you know. I know if you've been in here. I I I but with just 1 month, you know better. We we don't play we we don't play no hype. You get the word.
Speaker 1:He says, but just as he just as God who has called you, and I may have to end this a little bit early, but that's okay. But because it's one key place I I gotta get to. Who has called you, And this is what he said aloud. Just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all that you do. Then it goes on to say, for it is written, be holy because I am holy, and it says, and be holy in all that you do.
Speaker 1:Did anybody, notice what the text did not say? Which is what many people want to believe that it says and how they want to live. Watch this. It does not say, be happy in all you do because I am happy. You're called to be happy.
Speaker 1:Did you notice that? Because see, so many people today, especially in the western culture of Christianity, so many believe believe that God's highest calling and purpose for us is our happiness. See, the problem is, happiness is based on happenings. And see, happenings don't always make us happy. And sometimes, happenings may be unhappy, but there is something greater and that is a a joy that comes from a a deep and abiding relationship with Christ.
Speaker 1:Are y'all with me? Now, here's the spoiler alert today. God's holiness for you is a higher priority than your happiness. Okay. So everybody lean in for just a minute.
Speaker 1:You gotta hear this and feel this. God's higher calling for followers of Jesus is not their happiness. The highest calling is their holiness. That's it. That's it.
Speaker 1:That's all. And let me tell you why. Happiness empowers personal justification.
Speaker 2:But but but God wants
Speaker 1:me happy above all else. Right? And if God wants me happy, then I'm able to do something that otherwise would be wrong or unwise. You see where I'm headed? Somebody see what y'all picking up.
Speaker 1:So if God wants me happy, and I'm not happy in my marriage, then by all means, I can walk out the door even though we're in a covenant because I'm no longer happy. Justification. Y'all got it? Anybody ever went out and did something because you wanted to be happy and after it was over, you were still in the same unhappy place? I deserve it.
Speaker 1:Because see, if I'm not happy because I don't have this thing, then I can get this thing if I have to beg, borrow, steal, or go to vastly in debt because I just want this thing and I believe this thing is gonna make me happy. I'm just throwing out some scenarios right now. And I'm dating someone and I know that I should wait until I'm married, you know, before we engage in God's gift of lovemaking that's reserved for marriage. Well, but I got knees. You know, I'm a man.
Speaker 1:I got knees, you know, and and it's gonna make me happy. And then after all, we're in love. We're engaged in our hearts. So so we're married in our hearts, so it's it's gonna make me happy. But what it does, it empowers you to personally justify something that otherwise would be wrong or unwise.
Speaker 1:Are y'all getting this? I don't know if y'all had. So when we believe above all else that God wants us happy, then watch this. Suddenly discomfort, delay, risk, inconvenience couldn't possibly be God's will. Surely, he doesn't want me to wait.
Speaker 1:And watch this. And suddenly, without even knowing it, we began to worship the false gods of comfort, money, pleasure, and things. But God is supposed to get me what I want, and God is supposed to make me happy. I I hope y'all are getting this. We need to understand.
Speaker 1:Here's what we need to understand the body of Christ. We need to understand that God does not exist to serve us. We exist to serve him. Tell somebody next to you, he didn't come to serve you. To go on and tell him because I yep.
Speaker 1:That you can probably tell the person next to you better than I can. He didn't come to serve you. We are here to serve him. We act like he got a cloth around his arm, somebody, may I help you? Like, what?
Speaker 1:I've I've done my part. I was like, I'm not gonna come to your table, and I I've done my part. He said, set apart. Be different. He's calling us to be holy.
Speaker 1:And that word, I don't even wanna get into the Greek, but it means pure. So if you're if you're ever different in the way that you live, you might be following
Speaker 3:Christ.
Speaker 1:And I'm gonna say this. If you're not any different from the rest of the world, I can promise you, you are not following Christ. Because God is calling us to be different and set apart. And parents, I know it. I know it with these kids.
Speaker 1:I get it. You have to teach them to follow Christ and give them the courage to be different. Just because everybody else is doing it, it don't make it right. And if you want to raise some different kids at some point in your life, you must be different. We're asking them to be different and our lives are still the same.
Speaker 1:If you're not different in any way, you cannot expect your children to see the value in following Christ. If you're not different in how you live, how can you expect your children to have any tolerance to being set apart or different? God is calling us to be holy in all that we do. And how do we do that? We seek God for standards that would be pleasing to him, not the world's standards.
Speaker 1:Peter goes on to say this that in the o t, he says that, so you gotta live as God's obedient children, he says. He said, don't slip back into your your old ways to satisfy your own desires. I like that. Don't slip back. Don't fall into trouble.
Speaker 1:Don't slip back. How many of you know you can slip into trouble but you never slip into righteousness? How do we do that? I got 2 people ready to walk out on me right now. Some people say, I fell into sin.
Speaker 1:Have you ever heard someone say, I fell into holiness. I didn't mean to. I'm just holy. Holiness caught up with me, and and now I'm holy. I I just got caught up, and I was trying to sin, but holiness caught up with me, and now I'm perfect.
Speaker 1:It doesn't happen that way. Because let me tell you something. We got a enemy who will cause us to slip up, to trip up, and to fall. And you and I need to understand the enemy is subtle, and he's sneaky. He is real, and his name is the devil.
Speaker 1:He's the father of lies. We got a Lucifer. We got the prince of darkness. He is a liar of all, And his mission is to steal, to kill, and dis And because he's sneaky and because he's subtle, he doesn't come up to you and, hey. Why don't you be a devil worshiper?
Speaker 1:Go sacrifice animals and chickens in your backyard. He don't do he doesn't do that, does he? It's the it's the same thing that he does in the Garden of Eden when he said to Adam and Eve, did God really say that y'all don't eat the fruit of the tree? Is what he really said? And this is how he's going to attack.
Speaker 1:And this is one of the greatest deceiving questions that's taken place, that's taken people off of the standards of holiness today, even in the church of Jesus Christ. And it can come across in in a really different way. Did God really say now fill in the blank. You're supposed to wait until you're married, but did God really say that? Did it say we need to go to to go to church and pray and do all this?
Speaker 1:Did God really say that? Surely, it's okay to post these type of pictures on Facebook and Instagram, my young people. Surely, everybody else is doing it. You're not knowing what I'm talking about? Everybody's doing it.
Speaker 1:I I remember mom would say, I don't care. It's old school parents. Y'all may have said this. I don't My mama didn't curse, but for all of them cursing moms, I can just hear them. I'm a say, baby, I don't care what everybody else is doing.
Speaker 1:You gonna do what? And so y'all got something on them all. You better have your bottom in this house when them street lights come on, I betcha. Uh-oh. I I I see the I see y'all standing out.
Speaker 1:My old school buck. And then as I got older, if you're going somewhere, you better get out this house by 8 or you're not going nowhere. And you better be back in this house before midnight. But, mom, the party just getting started. And you, you know, I well, I know you better be in this house because ain't nothing open after midnight, bud.
Speaker 1:Don't you say it? Baby, I don't care. Did she like it? I don't care. You you did God really say not to watch Netflix or 8 that HBO show?
Speaker 1:I know it's got some bad stuff in it, but did God really say?
Speaker 3:Come on.
Speaker 1:I'm a shut this down a little bit early, but I y'all gotta get this. Did God really say not to listen to that music with those kind of bad lyrics? Come on. It it it don't bother me. Come on all you strong Christians.
Speaker 1:It don't bother me, but subconsciously, baby, that that there's a oh, baby. It's getting all in your spirit, all up in your soul, whatever it is. And this is what makes this message challenging. Then we say, I'm a lot better than a lot of people, pastor. And I'm gonna say to you, but a lot of people are not the standard.
Speaker 1:The word of God is our standard. It's alright. It's alright. Y'all just suck it up. Come on.
Speaker 1:It's gonna make you better. I promise. It's gonna make you better. I didn't want you to waste your time today. I just want you to get it.
Speaker 1:I love it. 1st Peter 1 and 17, and the message said, you call out to God for help, and he helps. Look at this. He's a good father that way. But don't forget, he's also a responsible father and won't let you get by.
Speaker 1:Y'all tell me what it say. Sloppy living. If you're perfect in here, don't you can it's 11:15. Go on, because we got another service in just a minute. See, we don't come to church just to listen.
Speaker 1:We're not just hearers of the word. The Bible says we're doers of the word. We're letting God's spirit speak to us, to convict us, to show us, and to lead us unto all unrighteousness. Are y'all with me? Unto all righteousness.
Speaker 1:Because see, what is the biggest area that God wants me to be different? Those are the questions we gotta ask. And you might say, why? Well, it doesn't even matter. Well, let me try to close this out with a scripture and hopefully, you'll see why it matters.
Speaker 1:1st Peter 118-21, I'm wrapping it up. Your life is a journey you must travel with a deep consciousness of God. Did y'all get that I want y'all to see that word. You gotta travel this thing with deep consciousness. That's why we have to be so alert.
Speaker 1:That's why many of us are just being lulled into the things of the world, because we're not conscious. We're not present at what God is doing right now. We're letting our news channels, our our our social media devices, our phones, do y'all know that this is a portal and every time you open it, you're going into somewhere. We have to be conscious. I watch kids when I'm going down university driving where they're coming across the street and they all in this phone, baby, you better move because you're about to go see Jesus.
Speaker 1:You're about to be roadkill. Can you can you pay attention to what's happening? And it says, it cost God plenty to get you out of that dead end, empty headed life that you grew up in. Y'all better it says, he paid with Christ's sacred blood. You know?
Speaker 1:He said, he died like an unblemished, sacrificial lamb, and this was no afterthought. It says, even though it has only lately, at the end of the ages, become public knowledge, God always knew he was going to do this for you. It's because of this messiah whom God then raised from the dead and glorified that you trust. That you trust God and that you know you have a future in God. It's through Christ Jesus y'all that we need to understand that living holy is not the path.
Speaker 1:Watch this. This this may help somebody. It's not the path to knowing Christ. Because living holy, we can't be good enough on our own to please him. But here's the deal.
Speaker 1:Living holy is not the path to knowing Christ. It's knowing Christ is the pathway to holiness. Because you know what's happening in the church? See, when we know Christ, it's not that I have to do that and I don't get to do that, because we always talk about what we don't we don't get to do. And I wish I could do that wow thingy that's kinda fun, but our heart on the inside starts to change.
Speaker 1:And it gets to instead of, oh, I wish I could, instead of it's like, I don't wanna do anything that's pleasing to God. I I wanna live a life that brings glory to him. I don't care what everybody else thinks. I don't care if they laugh. I don't care if it's different.
Speaker 1:I don't care if they criticize me. I'm living for an audience of 1 because of who Jesus is. And it's because of what he did for me that I'm different. And I came to tell y'all, and we gotta walk and we gotta be proud that we're different. I'm not ashamed to confess that I'm different because of who he is.
Speaker 1:I haven't been perfect. This I know. But this is the key and I don't want you to miss this. What I am not talking about is outward behavior modification.
Speaker 3:It's not like, hey, look,
Speaker 1:I don't do bad I don't say bad words no more. I don't curse. It's, hey, look, I've been changed from the Yes, sir.
Speaker 3:It's, hey, look, I've been changed from the Yes, sir.
Speaker 1:I'm changed from the The word says, out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks. Nothing slips. It's in your heart. I have a new heart. My heart is different.
Speaker 1:It's not that I'm trying to be holy. What it is is there there's fruit of the spirit that's coming out of me because my roots are deep in Christ, because I'm dwelling in the word of God, because daily, I'm seeking him and his presence. I'm not trying not to do those things. I don't get up every day and walk out and try to not curse. It's not in me.
Speaker 1:You're not gonna catch me slipping. That's not in my my heart to do. But God wants to work on our inside because he's making us to be more like Christ because I'm becoming more like Christ, not naturally, but it's supernatural. And by his power, y'all, I'm starting to live a life worthy of this calling, of the calling that he has set apart for me in my life, y'all. It's my prayer.
Speaker 1:It's my prayer. I'm wrapping up, but I promise that the spirit of God would do what I can't do today. And that is show you any area of your life that would be displeasing to God. And not out of obligation that I gotta try harder, but out of inward spiritual transformation. Are y'all with me?
Speaker 1:That we would be changed from the inside out and recognize that living holy is not the pathway to knowing Christ, but knowing Christ is the pathway to living holy. And so with everything in us, I wanna seek him and ask him to change our hearts today. Can we do that today? Is that alright? Is that good?
Speaker 1:Did I stay calm today? Kinda. But I want y'all to get this. It's not about the what we're doing. It's what's happening on the inside of us.
Speaker 1:That's what makes us holy. It's the our insides. Can can we pray? Father, I ask today that you would do what only you can do. Show us.
Speaker 1:Show us God. Show me, God. Repeat after me. I recognize the closer we get to you, the more we're aware of our shortcomings and sinfulness. So God, show us.
Speaker 1:And God, I know I can't do this on my own. I don't have the power or the ability. So I want to thank you for your spirit that changes me from the inside out. Give me the grace, God, that I may grow closer to you in every way. And, God, would you change my heart?
Speaker 1:God, renew my mind. Make me different on the inside, God, so the outside actions start to change. God, help me to fall so in love with you that I cannot stay the same. I pray God for your power to break any addictions, in the name of Jesus, to change my mindset, God. In the name of Jesus, break me from any strongholds, God.
Speaker 1:In the name of Jesus. And I ask and believe by faith that you will, in Jesus name. Amen.