Willow Ridge Sermons

Sunday, March 8th • Beau Bradberry

"Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise. But just as at that time he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, so also it is now." — Galatians 4:28-29


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Show Notes

Sunday, March 8th • Beau Bradberry

"Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise. But just as at that time he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, so also it is now." — Galatians 4:28-29


Podcast: https://pod.link/willowridgechurch
Website: https://willowridgechurch.org
Instagram: https://instagram.com/willowridgechurch
Facebook: https://facebook.com/willowridgechurch
YouTube: https://youtube.com/@willowridgechurch

Creators and Guests

Host
Beau Bradberry
Senior Pastor

What is Willow Ridge Sermons?

Sermon audio from Sunday services at Willow Ridge Church.

Hi, and welcome to the Willow Ridge Church weekly podcast.

This is where you can find audio for our current and past sermons.

We hope that you enjoy this week's installment, and be sure to check back next week to hear

the latest message.

Thanks for listening.

Well, good morning.

Glad you guys braved a loss of hour of sleep last night and are here with us.

I don't know about you, but when I wake up on these mornings, it feels like they took

12 hours of sleep away from me.

So we are relying on the Holy Spirit to work in us, right, this morning.

So good to have all of you here today.

As we get into today's message, I want to remind you of a couple of things.

First, our church picnic next week.

I want to encourage you to be a part of that.

We are selling tickets back here to my left.

As you leave, make sure you go by and grab some for your family.

It's going to be a wonderful opportunity for us as a church to embrace an aspect of us coming

together as a church family.

And I think the dynamic for that that I'm the most excited about is we've done church

picnics before in the past, but how this one will be different is we'll be combining

together with our Hispanic service to have this picnic together to give us the opportunity

to come together as one church family.

And so please go by there, buy your tickets.

Hey, here's the reason why we're selling tickets, and it's not just to show up like we do on

Thanksgiving, okay?

And this is important.

All of the money that we raise will go toward our student ministry mission trips this summer

and our Hispanic mission trips.

And so the money that you're giving to that, it helps go toward that to fund them.

And so I want to encourage you to be a part of that.

The tickets are $10 each.

But if you have a family of more than four, we're still just asking for $10 per family

member.

And so please come by and get those tickets after the service is over with.

That's for next Sunday.

Also, I want to give you guys an update.

I had the privilege and the opportunity to be in Haiti last week or last weekend, and it

was a wonderful, it was a quick trip.

I got there on Friday morning and had to leave Sunday evening to get back for some family

obligations that I had.

But it was an absolutely wonderful, wonderful time of celebration.

Jennifer Howard's here with us this morning.

As we got to celebrate and look back on all that God has done in 10 years through Alex's

house, now becoming Disciples Village.

And so it was wonderful to be there, to look back, to hear the story that was told so beautifully

through the people who got up there and shared, but also through the video testimonies that

were put together, and it was absolutely wonderful.

It was great to see some of the kids who came to this orphanage as really little to be able

to get up.

And some of them, they performed, two of them I think did a dance that was there, and then

two of them, I was blown away, got up and did a rap.

I had no clue what they said, all right, until they said Bill and Jennifer.

Like, I recognized those two, and that was it.

But it was a wonderful picture of seeing these kids and what God has done in their life over

these last 10 years.

And all of that was absolutely wonderful.

But I think what struck me the most was not just looking back, but looking forward.

And not just looking back and seeing what God's done over 10 years, but looking forward

to see what God is going to do through Disciples Village now over the next 10, 20, 30, 40, 50

years as God is continuing to raise up church planters, as God is continuing to raise up villages

that are hungry and ripe for the gospel.

And so as we get to our message this morning, it was a privilege and honor for me to be there.

So I had something happen for the first time ever.

I got cold in Haiti, right?

I woke up about 2 o'clock in the morning, and it was a little chilly.

And so I had to take the sheet and cover up, all right?

So that happened while I was there.

But just remarkable of all of the things that have taken place.

And so as we go into God's word this morning, I want to ask that we go back in prayer, and

specifically as we pray for our missionaries, not just Haiti, but all over the world this

morning.

And so would you join me as we lift them up?

Lord, we come to you this morning, and we just thank you.

Lord, we thank you that right now on this planet, you are moving amongst peoples.

Lord, you're moving in every country.

Lord, you are moving.

You are calling hearts back to you.

Lord, I thank you for the opportunity of how you've positioned us as a church.

Lord, from what began in a mission's work of bringing a Hispanic pastor here to help

reach Hispanics in our community, Lord, to see a pastor go from here to plant a new work

from this church in Haiti, Lord, to now seeing partnerships literally all over the world, in North

Africa, in Canada, in India, in the Philippines, in Haiti, in Mexico, Lord, and everywhere else

that you've given us the opportunity to go.

Lord, I lift up our missionaries this morning.

Lord, I lift them up.

I lift their families up.

Lord, I lift Rick and Tina up as they're preparing to go, as they're right now in Atlanta doing their

training.

Lord, Lord, I pray that right with each one of them, Lord, in this moment, this morning, you

would remind them of their call.

You would remind them that you are the God who sends them, that you are the God who equips

them, and that you are the God that gives them the ability to do the work that you've called

them to.

Lord, may their lips be sweet with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Lord, may they not look at their surroundings and focus in on that, but Lord, may they gaze

their eyes upon you.

Lord, and I pray through the power of your work and through the faithfulness of the saints who

have gone, Lord, that those around them would come to know you, to be discipled, Lord, and

to grow to become men and women of faith.

So, Lord, I thank you for our missionaries.

I thank you for their families.

I thank you for those that have heard the call, and they have responded, and they have gone.

And it's in Jesus' name we pray.

Amen.

If you've got your Bibles, go ahead and open up to Galatians chapter 4.

It's where we're going to be this morning.

And this morning, what we're really going to focus in on, we're going to make a change.

We're going to have a move that we're going to make this morning, is we're going to talk

about faith as has been every single week.

But this morning, the focus of our faith, and it's what we've said from week one, is we're

not just talking about the faith of salvation, but we're talking about the faith that we live

by.

You see, it's not just enough that you and I need faith to get us saved, but you and I

need faith on an every single day basis as we walk this world, as we live our lives in

a posturing to glorify Him and to bring others to Him, right?

Like, that's the part within us of why God saves us and then leaves us.

If God just wanted to save us so we would be with Him, right, then the day of our salvation,

He'd take us home, but He doesn't.

He saves us and He leaves us here.

And He leaves us here with a mission.

He leaves us here with a purpose.

He leaves us here with a passion to live for Him, to display the goodness of the gospel,

to share the life-saving transformation of the gospel with others so that they may know Him.

And so faith isn't just what saves us, but faith is that by which we live by.

And that's a struggle that's happened in the Galatian church.

As not only they believe it's Christ that they are saved, but it's Christ plus to really,

truly live their life in order to be a child of God.

And so Paul's trying to chip away at this boulder.

He's trying to break it down piece by piece by piece so they begin to truly understand

what the fullness of Christ looks like in their life.

And so let's continue on reading Galatians chapter 4 starting verse 21.

Now this may be interpreted allegorically.

These women are two covenants.

One is from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery, and she is Hagar.

Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and she corresponds to the present Jerusalem.

For she is in slavery with her children, living under the law.

Verse 26.

But Jerusalem above is free.

She is our mother, for it is written,

Rejoice, O barren one who does not bear.

Break forth and cry aloud, you who are not in labor.

For the children of the desolate one will be more than those of the one who has a husband.

Continue on verse 28.

Now you, brothers like Isaac, are children of promise.

But just at this time, at that time, he who was born according to the flesh,

persecuted him who was born according to the spirit, so also it is now.

But what does scripture say?

Cast out the slave woman and her son.

For the son of the slave woman shall not inherit with the son of the free woman.

So brothers, we are not children of the slave, but of the free woman.

So in this passage of scripture, Paul is going to tell us a story.

But he begins with a question.

And his question is important.

He looks and says,

As you who desire to be under the law, do you not listen to the law?

And what we have to understand for you and I is our relationship with the law.

It's what I talked about several weeks ago.

And what we begin to understand that obedience to the law,

that obedience to God's standard is good.

That what the law does is the law shows sin in our life.

It shows where we miss the mark.

It shows where we've wandered away.

That the law, when we were lost, showed us our desperate need for our Savior.

So we look at the law, we see where we are, and we find in the law the ability.

We find in the law the calling of repentance.

And so obedience to the law is good.

And so Paul's not trying to break them away from obedience.

But what he is trying to bring them away from is relying on the law for their standard.

That in relying on the law for their standard with God is not good.

So it wasn't just enough to be saved by Christ.

But for them it was saved by Christ and then proving your worth through the things that you do.

And he's trying to remove them from that, that Jesus is enough and that Jesus is sufficient.

And so what Paul's going to do to explain this to them,

it is now that you were saved, here is what a life of faith looks like.

And he points back to Abraham, just as he had done in chapter 3.

You see, in chapter 3, Abraham had now been the standard of faith.

Faith like Abraham.

But now there's going to be a different example.

A negative piece that will come through in Abraham's life to serve what Paul needs

as we begin to walk this world in the faith that God has called us to.

You see, Abraham had two sons.

Ishmael, whose mother was Hagar, and Isaac, whose mother was Sarah.

So what you see here is you have two sons, you have two mothers, and you have one dad.

Now let's just say, this is a story filled with catastrophe.

This is a story that is going to blow up, right?

Like, you can't look at this and think, oh, this ends well, right?

No.

No, it's not what's going to happen.

But both of these sons and both of these women came to Abraham in drastically different circumstances.

One would come to Abraham through his logic and through his ability.

And one would come to Abraham through his faith, through his obedience of what God had set in place.

You see, because before Abraham had any sons, God promised Abraham not only a land,

but God promised Abraham that he would provide an heir to him in Genesis 12 and in Genesis 15.

And in order for it to be an heir, it must be a son.

And so this is the promise that God gives.

But there's multiple problems with this promise in Abraham's perspective.

Abraham's old.

And just as Abraham is old, his wife is also old.

And the Bible tells us that she was barren.

She was unable to get pregnant.

And so God comes to an old Abraham who thinks our child years have passed us.

God comes to Abraham who is married to a woman that he loves who's been incapable of giving him a child.

And he says to him, I promise you, I promise you not only a land, but I promise you an heir.

An heir from you.

An heir from Sarah.

And that your descendants, what scripture says, will be more numerous than the stars.

And so Abraham and Sarah begin this journey of faith with God.

And after years of living where God called them to, after years of trusting in the promise of what God had given them,

after years of believing all that God had told them, all that God had promised them,

still, still, still God had not provided.

Now notice we don't say God had failed.

But God had not provided.

That God had not followed through yet on what God had said he would do.

Now I don't know about you,

but I feel like in my life I've been here before.

Think about you and your journey of life.

You and where you are in your marriage.

You and where you are in your relationship with your children.

You and where you are with your finances.

You and where you are in your career.

You and where you are in the dynamic that you have with your parents.

You and where you are in any scenario of life.

And what you find is that through your perspective, you've been doing everything the right way.

You've been trying to honor God in every aspect of what is happening.

But yet what is unfolding before you is not what you feel you deserve.

Is not what you feel like God would follow through in.

And I don't know about you, but I've been through and sometimes find myself in those seasons of life.

It's a frustrating road to be on.

It's a frustrating place to find yourself.

And I don't know about you, but I can't imagine being Abraham and Sarah in this journey.

God told them something.

He told them to go.

God gave them a place.

God made them promises.

And here's what they did.

They went.

They went.

Look at their journey of faith.

Number one, they listened to God.

They listened to him.

There's never any doubt in their mind what God had said.

And I think that's an important part that we oftentimes miss.

How many times is God speaking to us, but we're not listening to him?

But they find in this from the very beginning, there was no doubt in what God had said.

And so their journey of faith with the Lord was found before they did anything in their listening to God.

So they listened to him.

In their journey in faith, they believed God.

They didn't understand all of it, but they believed him.

They knew the promises.

They held true to the promises.

And you see this in the faithfulness of their living.

It's why Paul can refer to them as examples before.

But they trusted God too.

So they listened to God.

They believed God.

And they trusted him.

They knew that this is what would happen.

And it began to reflect so in their life that what they believed in their mind, they began to trust in their hearts.

And then they began to obey with their actions.

And so we should be jumping up and down.

They are a testimony of faith.

They heard.

They believed.

They trusted.

They obeyed in every aspect of their life.

But here's where the tension began to come.

And here's where the tension begins to come in my life and I know in the life of many men and women of faith.

But God had not yet met their expectations.

God had not yet done what they believed, what they trusted, that God was going to do.

And so what you begin to see is they begin to, piece by piece, abandon their faith.

The faith in which they would live by.

The faith in which they were called to.

The faith in which they were chosen by.

That God chose them.

And they begin to, piece by piece, abandon their faith.

And they begin to rely on themselves.

You see, they still had faith.

But now their faith to bring true what they desired was no longer found in their faith in God.

But it was now found in their faith of themselves.

And guys, this is my battle.

This is my battle.

When the unfolding of the details don't play out the way that I think they should.

When the unfolding of the timeline begins to be much longer than I think that it should be.

When the events of things begin to happen.

Yes, I still know that Jesus is my Savior.

But the faith that now in which I seek to live by is by my own understanding.

By my own perspective.

And this is what they see.

Look at some of these scenarios.

God, I thought that if I were a godly spouse, then my husband or my wife would also be godly.

God, I thought if I raised my kids in church, then they would grow to be strong Christians.

And that's not where they are.

God, I thought that if I did things the right way at work, then I would be farther along in my career.

And I find myself right here as others begin to pass by and pass by and pass by.

And when we hit these moments, what we begin to walk away from are what we've heard and what we've listened to.

To what we believe, to what we've trusted, to what we've obeyed.

And we begin to walk away from God's standard and we begin to walk in our own.

And what we see begin to happen here is exactly what takes place.

So Sarah comes to Abraham, frustrated, doubting, with a faith that is wavering.

And she says, we cannot provide, listen to this, we cannot provide what God has promised.

You see that?

We can't do what God has said he will do.

So now, let's begin to do it our way.

So instead, she says, just sleep with my maidservant.

Sleep with Hagar.

She's young.

She can provide.

And now we can have our family.

Now we can have what God promised us.

But now we can have it our way.

Our way.

Here's the thing.

You think that her plan is crazy, all right?

Number one, her plan is legal.

Her plan is socially acceptable.

Ladies in here, you're like, I don't think so.

Nope.

Mm-mm.

I didn't say it today.

But then, it was acceptable.

She was her maidservant.

She was her slave.

Go get me a child.

It was somewhat logical.

Think about it.

This is what we need.

We can't get it.

Then where else could we get it from?

It's logical.

It's logical.

And it works.

You see, sometimes when we take faith in our own hands,

and we begin to live our life by our own faith, by our own means,

those are the boxes we check.

Is it legal?

Yep.

Is it socially accepted?

Eh.

Yeah.

Will it work?

Yeah.

Then, then why not?

Then why not?

Now, it's not what I heard.

It's not what I believed.

It's not what I've trusted.

It's not what I've been called to walk in.

But it checks all of the other boxes.

It's logical.

But it's not faith.

So they walk away from obedience.

And they sinfully step into their plan.

They walk away from God's plan.

They walk away from faith in him.

And they place themselves in their own faith to fulfill what they so long for.

Now, 14 years later, all right?

14 years later, Abraham is 100 years old.

Guess what happens?

Sarah gets pregnant.

Now, she's pregnant.

Now.

Now, I'm telling you, I'm 40, 40, all right?

I had to think about that for a second.

I'm 40.

I go to my sister's house.

She's got three kids all under the age of six.

I'm slapped wore out within like five minutes, right?

Here he is.

He's 100.

He's 100.

If you want to look and see the faithfulness and the radical working of what God does.

He took a barren womb and put a child in it and gave it to a hundred-year-old man.

And he said, father him and lead him.

He said, father him and lead him.

And so, verse 23, Isaac's been born.

And he says, but Paul writes, but the son of the slave was born according to the flesh,

while the son of the free woman was born through the promise.

Abraham originally got what he wanted, but it was through his human attainment in which he sought it.

And it wasn't in the faith of what God had called him to do.

So, in that moment, Abraham and Hagar, it's faith in himself.

It's faith in what he can do.

Because God could never, in Abraham's mind, provide that.

And we begin to see what it looks like when we trust on our logic.

As opposed to our own belief.

When we begin to trust in ourselves and trust in God.

When we begin to move away from obeying the Lord and we begin to obey ourselves.

And all of this begins to happen in the moment where they step away from faith.

Now, we said this was going to end up in a huge mess.

Let me just say it, it did and it still is today.

It still is today.

When you see the turmoil that's happening all over the world, right?

We're not going to turn this in now into a 50-minute history lesson.

But historically, we can see what begins to happen when the faith is broken and removed from God.

So, what does it mean to live in faith?

What does it mean that you and I are called in this process that is not only the faith that saves us, but it's the faith that we live by?

First thing I want us to see is faith and application.

Living in faith means applying God's word, not in some, but to all aspects of your life.

Trusting that God's way is better than your own.

Now, it's not in some, it's in all.

See, Abraham didn't trust God's plan in a segment of his life.

He was where God called him to be.

He had done what God had called him to do.

There were many aspects in the life of Abraham that's all happening during this time that we could look at him, pat him on the back, champion of faith.

But in this moment, you see, because it's not in the partiality, it's not in the majority, but it's the entirety of our life that God is setting the standard for us in our life and saying,

in every single aspect, apply your faith in me.

But sometimes it conflicts.

And Jesus knew that.

And Jesus taught on that.

The most powerful verse that I see in Scripture that contradicts so much and where you and I want to branch out in logic is found directly in the words of Jesus in Matthew chapter 5.

Jesus looks at a crowd who's been beaten, who's been oppressed, who's been ruled over, who's had their property taken from them, who's had their money taken from them, many of them enslaved.

And he looks at them in Matthew chapter 5, verse 3, and he says, blessed are the meek.

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

Not blessed are the Romans.

Not blessed are the strong.

Not blessed are the ones who pick up the sword.

But blessed are the meek.

Blessed are the meek.

Blessed are the gentle.

Direct conflict in what they've seen.

Direct conflict in what the world has established for Jesus all the way back.

Jesus says, though, when it comes to application of your life and my life to live for him, this, look outside.

That's not the standard.

Turn on the news.

That's not the standard.

Listen to politicians.

It's not the standard.

Listen to what you and I want.

It's not the standard.

That what you and I are called to, what it means to live by faith, is that verses in here that are hard for us.

Verses in here that are difficult for us.

Verses in here that contradict the way that we were raised, the way that we believe, the way we maybe even vote, is the standard by which God sets for us.

And this is what we apply.

And this is what we apply.

Even if it's not logical.

Even if it doesn't make sense.

Even if it doesn't give us the outcome that we long for.

That's faith.

That's faith.

But there's also faith and reliance.

Now we've developed a phrase.

I didn't do research on it to figure out where it came from.

But the phrase that we use often, the phrase of rock bottom.

And what we mean by that is when we see a person whose life is falling apart, when we see a person whose life is broken, and they won't yet admit that to themselves,

what we say is that this person won't begin to trend into a different direction, relying on something different, until they hit rock bottom.

Until they realize they don't have everything under control.

Until they realize that everything that I am doing might be wrong, and I might need to rely on something else other than myself in this.

And so what we say is wait until they hit rock bottom.

Then, then they will.

But for us, church, there's so many of us in here who spiritually speaking, maybe not for your entire life,

maybe in only one or two aspects of your life, what you desperately need this morning is to find your rock bottom.

So that you'll stop relying on yourself, and so that we can start relying on God in absolutely everything.

First Peter 5-7 says this,

Cast all your anxieties on him because he cares for you.

I'm going to ask Ben Wood if Ben will come up here for me.

It's baseball season.

I love watching baseball.

I love my South Carolina Gamecocks.

I love my New York Yankees.

I love to go out into the yard, and I love to throw with my son, and I love to play catch.

And this morning as I was reading through this passage of scripture, 1 Peter 5-7, I thought about baseball.

But what in the world are you talking about?

You see, because this morning, this baseball, Peter says, cast all your anxieties on him.

All of your worry, all of your doubt, all of your struggles, everything.

He says, cast all your anxiety onto him.

So let me tell you what I can't do with my doubt, what I can't do with my worries.

Number one, I can't hold on to it.

I can't hold on to it.

This can't be my ownership.

God's word, if I'm going to apply it, says to cast all anxiety onto him.

Here's the second thing that I can't do.

Now, for the purpose of this, Ben is God.

All right?

Sorry, Natalie.

Sorry.

Here's the second thing I can't do.

And I think this is what most of us do.

I can't take my anxiety and say, hey, God, hold on to this.

Oh, God's got it.

But I do, too.

I can't do that.

Do you know what else I can't do?

I can't do this.

All right?

Now, with that, I'm playing catch with my anxieties with God.

God, here they are.

Oh, I need them back.

What I'm supposed to do is I'm supposed to cast it.

You can go sit down, but go ahead and keep that, all right?

I'm supposed to cast it.

That word in Scripture, cast, paints the picture.

I want you to think of this.

You're standing out overlooking the Grand Canyon.

And you pick up a rock.

And you decide you're going to throw the rock as far as you can.

And so you come running up and you throw it.

What do you do next?

Do you go get it?

No.

No.

That's casting.

That's casting.

Cast all your anxieties on him.

Cast all your anxieties on him.

You see, when it comes into our life, when it comes into faith and reliance on God,

it's it's taking them and it's casting.

It's not playing toss.

It's not asking for it back.

It's not one hand on and one hand off.

It's all or nothing.

It's every aspect of it.

And what we see this culminate into is faith and obedience.

You see, because when we're applying, you see, when we're relying,

what we find that comes from that is obedience.

Jesus says in John chapter 14,

If you love me, you'll keep my commandments.

If you love me, if you'll love me, you'll apply this.

If you love me, then you'll rely on me.

That if you love me, that what comes from your faith is obedience.

Obedience till it hurts.

Obedience till you're ridiculed.

Obedience till you're persecuted.

Obedience till you're made fun of.

Now, I don't know about you,

but when 86-year-old Abraham

and his wife, who is barren,

says to people,

but God's going to provide.

But God's going to provide.

Because I listened,

I believe,

I've trusted,

and I've obeyed.

I bet that wasn't met with a lot of amens.

I bet it was met with ridicule.

I bet it was met with isolation.

I bet it was met with doubt.

And that's where the break begins to happen.

You see, it's through faith

that we even find the ability to obey.

Church,

faith is not doing what you want.

Faith is not doing what you think is right.

Faith is not doing what you selfishly hope for

or what you reason is right.

Faith is obedience to God

in all areas of your life.

Would you pray with me?

Lord, we come to you this morning.

Lord, thanking you for your goodness of who you are.

Lord, that you give us the faith that saves.

But Lord, also the faith in which we live.

Lord, in this room,

we have a lot of people

who are going through their own faith journey,

their own faith battle.

Lord, for some of them,

it's the faith that saves.

Lord, and I pray that in this morning,

through the direct drawing of the Holy Spirit

on their life,

Lord, that they would respond and understand

that it is found through the work of Christ,

the person of Christ alone,

that salvation is made possible.

Jesus, you tell us that you are the way,

the truth, and the life,

that no one comes to the Father

except through you.

And that today, Lord,

for those that need the faith that saves,

they would place their faith in you,

that salvation only comes from the Lord.

Lord, and that today,

they would be brought into the family,

that today,

they would be one of the stars in the sky

that you told Abraham about.

Lord, that today would be the day

that their heavenly inheritance

is granted to them.

That today would be the day

that they would be called a child of God.

But Lord, there's others of us in here.

We have the faith that saves.

But Lord, it's the faith by which we live by.

It's seeing the hearing

transformed to the believing,

transformed to the trusting

that comes forth in the obedience.

Lord, and today,

I pray, would be the day

whatever struggle we have,

whatever anxiety we have,

whatever battle is before us,

that today would cast them to you.

It's in Jesus' name we pray.

Amen.

In just a moment,

we're going to stand.

We're going to respond in worship.

There's prayer encouragers

on either side of the auditorium.

I'll be down front.

Today, if you would like to talk to someone

about faith for salvation,

we would love to talk with you.

We would love to pray with you.

But today,

if there's any other battle of faith,

struggle of faith,

struggle with a parent,

struggle with a spouse,

struggle with a child,

struggle with work,

struggle with finances.

And in that,

what you find the difficulty in

is the inability to apply,

the inability to rely,

and the inability to obey.

What I want to challenge you with

is before you leave this morning,

cast it.

Cast it.

We don't do this a lot,

but it's open every week.

But if that's you,

and you walked in here this morning,

and you've got that anxiety,

you've got that depression,

you've got that battle,

here's what I want to ask you to do.

I want to ask that

when we start to sing,

that you get up

and that you come forward.

That you kneel down

before the altar,

and that you say,

I'm tired.

I'm tired.

I'm tired of keeping a hand on this.

I'm tired of trying to make this mine.

I'm tired of the game of toss.

I'm tired of retrieving it.

I'm tired of retrieving it.

But today,

I cast it out.

Today,

I throw it to you.

Today is the day

that when I walk out of here,

it is in the fullness of faith,

in the application,

the reliance,

and obedience to God.

Would you be willing,

whether it's your marriage,

your kids,

your job,

your finances,

your relationship with your parents,

whatever it is,

to lay it before the Lord.

Would you stand

as we respond to Him?

Thanks again for listening

to the Willow Ridge Church

weekly podcast.

We hope that you enjoyed

listening to this week's message.

If you'd like to learn more

about who we are

or explore additional resources,

visit us online

at www.willowridgechurch.com

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