Uprooting the Entrenched - Mark: The Messy Gospel

You have your Bibles?

Would you turn with me to Mark chapter 9?

Mark 9 · chapter mention

Mark chapter 9.

Mark 9 · chapter mention

Last week we looked at Jesus coming into really a new phase in the gospel of Mark because Jesus is now preparing to go to Jerusalem.

He's preparing to die for the sins of the world.

He's asking questions of these men who have followed him now for three years.

This is the last six months of his life.

Who do people say that I am?

And he's getting various answers about that.

And in so doing that, and in that journey that he's on, he's about to encounter a demonized man, a demonized, probably young man.

His father actually brought him to the disciples.

They couldn't cast a demon out.

Well, last week, first it started off with a Facebook.

Is that how we met Marcus again after all these years?

Was Facebook?

You Facebooked me.

I knew Marcus years ago when he was a big troublemaker.

And I don't know if you were a gang leader, but you sure acted like it.

And then we got reacquainted, and then Marcus was here last week, and after he and I talked about his journey, it fit so well into what we're going to read tonight that I asked Marcus to share his testimony.

So, Marcus, would you come up?

I want you to share kind of the journey you've been on with the Lord.

Let's welcome Marcus.

It's a lot bigger than when you're sitting down there.

How y'all doing tonight?

Pastor Steve said, my name is Marcus.

Um for about eight years.

About eight years.

But out of those eight years, I've only been saved for three.

And I'm gonna give you guys a story on how I got saved and where I was before, where I was when I got saved, and the journey he took me to to where I am now.

Um so, like most people in today's day and age, I grew up, or I was born out of wedlock, and like most kids nowadays, uh, I didn't know who my father was.

Um I grew up constantly uh with just things, you know, my coming from a very negative family.

Um my mother telling me constantly, if I never had you, I could have gone to college.

If I never had you, I could have actually had a great job.

If I never had you, I would have had a great life.

Um I don't think she knew the impact that that put on my life, but it's something I carried with me for a long, long time.

Um, and I had a very negative um look on my mom.

Um and she married the man I call my dad now.

Uh I think I was two years old, two or three years old, and uh he was a United States Marine.

And before that, he uh his entire childhood he was very fascinated with martial arts.

Um this is the family I came into.

And uh being the firstborn, they didn't really know how to uh parent because they'd never been a parent before.

So they tried their best.

Um, but there was a lot of mistakes along the way.

Um and me having that negative uh view on them, I I started to rebel.

Um I started at the age of 13.

I actually got into my first fight, and that was with my dad.

Um and like I said, he was trained in martial arts and he was a Marine, so it was more of a drop.

Um I I just thought I I could take on the world and slowly found out I couldn't, and that just gave me an even more negative attitude.

Um my parents decided to send me with my grandparents.

Um, but before they did that, I was kicked out uh at the age of 13 after that fight.

Um and it and it just happened monthly.

Like I would always come home after that because it was illegal to kick out a minor, so they would kick me out and they would call the police and say I ran away.

Um and there were times where I did leave um on my own accord, but eventually at the age of 16 they got sick of it and they sent me with to live with my grandparents.

Um living with my grandparents, um, you know, I thought I can get away with murder because they're my grandparents, they spoil and love me, right?

Um, and I was right, actually.

Uh I didn't murder anybody, so don't think that.

But um no, I was just up there and I got really into the party scene, and I got really into the uh I mean I was really good at football.

I played football since I was in second grade.

Um, and I was living up there playing football and started going to parties and just into the party sex and drugs, and uh that became my life slowly and surely.

That was where I found my identity.

I was trying to find a peace in that, um, trying to find an acceptance in that that I couldn't find at home.

Um so with that it continued on.

My grandparents were like, we can't handle you anymore.

We're gonna send you to live with your uncle.

So I was living with my uncle, and I straightened up, if you can call it that.

I just started doing better at school.

Um instead of getting Fs, I was getting C's.

So that was uh that was a major leap for me.

And uh but living with him, I just fell more and more into drugs, more and more into sex, more and more into partying.

Um I remember coming back home to visit my parents, I would go to Mountain Springs constantly.

Um I would just go to church and after church, and and one of the churches, one of the leaders had to pull me aside and be like, what you're doing is not okay.

I remember there was a youth youth retreat I went on, and everyone was going in there to worship, and I was like, You guys don't want to go in there, you guys want to come over here and and get high with me.

You guys don't want to know Jesus.

Um I had an absolute hate for God and an absolute hate for Christians.

Um after I moved back home after high school, um, I started actually dealing drugs here in Colorado Springs.

Um It wasn't like I wasn't like a big-time drug dealer, but I mean I would do it to get a little bit of cash here and a little bit of cash there.

Um I tried every kind of drug I could try, and the one that actually stuck was uh PCP.

If any of you guys know what that is, or angel dust.

And what the side effects on that is is it numbs your body and it gives you a type of strength as if you were on a steroid.

Um that that was one I liked.

That is one I I kept going uh going to and going to.

Um and again, at this time I hated Christians.

Um it wasn't until the death of a very good friend of mine to where I had my eyes opened.

Um I was at my friend's funeral, and uh uh a guy came up and he was talking about the Bible, and I I felt a desire to go talk to him, and I'm like, I don't want to go talk to this guy, he's you know, he's a Jesus Chris be.

That's what I called him, that's what I called Christians back then.

And uh the desire is like, go talk to him.

I kind of want to go talk to him.

And I started walking out, and the guy was like, excuse me.

And I'm like, Oh my gosh, are you kidding me?

And I turned around and I'm like, Yeah, what's up?

He's like, Hey, my name is Mike.

Um, he's like, I understand you're um my friend, his name is Jesse.

He's like, I understand you're one of Jesse's good friends.

I'm like, I am.

And he's like, Well, do you mind if I talk with you?

Would you like to meet for coffee?

I don't want to go anywhere with you, man.

And he handed me his card, and I ripped up his card, and I literally like talked to Lugi as much as I can, and I spit in his face.

And he wiped it away, and he's like, you know, that's fine.

He's like, I still love you though, and I still want to take you to coffee.

I was like, Man, you're crazy.

And so I walked away.

And uh he I remember he invited me to go to coffee that Friday.

Well, that Thursday, I went I went to a party, and uh I just did a lot of drinking.

I woke up with a crazy hangover, and uh my phone was ringing, and I didn't know the number.

I looked at it, looked at the number, I didn't recognize it, and I'm like, hello?

And he's like, Is this Marcus?

Like, who's this?

He's like, it's Mike.

I'm like, oh my gosh, dude, how did you get my number?

And he was like, How about that coffee?

And being completely hungover, I'm like, Yeah, coffee sounds really good.

So my plan was, I'm gonna go, he's gonna pay for the coffee, I'm gonna take the coffee and I'm gonna run.

So that was my plan.

Um, I went in there, I'm very hyped to do it.

I'm like, all right, I'm gonna do it.

I grabbed the coffee, I'm like, Well, Mike, thanks.

It was a nice gesture, but I have to go, you know, I got important things to do.

He's like, What do you gotta do?

I just I just have important things to do.

Well, what do you have to do?

I just gotta go, man.

So I'm walking in my car and he's walking with me.

And uh he's like, Well, you mind if I talk to you real quick while you're walking out?

I'm like, Yeah, that's fine, go ahead, whatever.

I wasn't gonna listen.

And instead of telling me about the Bible, like I like every other Christian did, he he was just telling me just what he went through in life.

He was telling me um just the struggles he had.

And uh he just kept inviting me to hang out with him, inviting me to hang out with him, and I went.

And several months he did this, several months it seemed as if there was no response, but he never gave up.

Um, God really used him, and and I was finding a love of God through him in my life that that I just I never really received love before.

And uh I was very much like, I want that.

I want the love you're talking about, and I want that.

Well, on December 14th, 2011, um, I gave my heart to uh Jesus at 9.15.

But it doesn't end there.

It doesn't end there.

Uh that night I went home, I took all the drugs I had, I flushed them down the toilet, I took all the alcohol I had, and I got rid of it, um, and I've never gone back since.

And it's only by the grace of God.

I remember one of the nights I got kicked out to backtrack to to bring this all to a halt.

Um it was a February, and if you guys have been in Colorado long enough, you guys know February is the coldest month here in Colorado most of the time, but Colorado weather is unpredictable.

So um, February, I was kicked out and I was under a bridge by my house.

And I remember crying out to God, I'm like, God, why doesn't my mom love me?

God, what's wrong with me?

God, why does everybody give up on me?

And I never waited for a response.

Um and it wasn't until after I got saved I was in the parking lot reading my Bible, and and and I was just learning more and more about God.

And Pastor Mike came out.

Um, he's a pastor at this time, but before that, he was Mike.

Uh he came out and he was all like, Um, what are you doing?

I'm just like, just reading my Bible.

He's like, Aren't you supposed to be in school?

Because I was in college, and I'm like, Yeah, he's like, Why aren't you in class?

I'm like, Man, I'm reading my Bible.

I'm a Christian, this is what Christians do.

He's like, I think I need to go to class.

So I went to class, and uh, the philosophy teacher was very much against Christianity.

Um and it's my first time in this philosophy class.

I haven't gone for three weeks, so uh, and he's just talking about the the non-existence of God, and I had my Bible on my desk, and he points at it and he's like, Are you a Christian?

I'm like, Yes, sir.

He's like, Okay.

He's like, So do you agree with what I'm saying?

I'm like, not at all.

He's like, okay, he was like, well, how come the God of the Old Testament is all about war and killing, and the God of the New Testament is about love?

And I'm I sat there for a second, I'm like, I don't know.

And he's like, okay, mind you, I'm only I'm only uh about three or four weeks saved.

And uh then he asked me, he's like, well, let me ask this is it possible for God to make uh for to make a rock that's too heavy for him to lift?

Then I look at him and I'm like, Mr.

Magnuson, I'm like, does your mother know you're stupid?

And he looks at me and he's like, excuse me?

I'm like, well, that's kind of the question you asked me.

You know, you're asking me if if God is able to make a rock that's too heavy for him to lift, it's like saying, Can God not be God anymore?

So we're asking you if your mother knows you're stupid.

I mean, if you answer and you say yes, then she knows you're stupid and you're still being stupid and no one's changing it.

And if you say no, then your mother doesn't know you're stupid and it's a secret, but you're obviously stupid.

I'm like, so either way, so either way, you cannot win this question, and that's exactly where you're putting me.

And he's like, get out of my class.

So I get out of his class, and uh this is what happens after you get saved, right?

When you when you hate Christians, like this is what happened to me.

After you just hate Christians and you can't and you completely just hate God.

I remember going into Black Forest um one night before I was saved, and I was like, God, if you are real, I hate you.

God, and if you are real, I curse you.

To going in philosophy class and sticking up for God and getting kicked out because you call the professor stupid.

Um, but we're where I left off at with with asking God, why doesn't my mother love me?

Why does everyone give up on me?

Um I just want to let you guys know.

Um, any of you in here, if you guys have family members or if you guys are going through this through the same thing, if you're like, God, why doesn't somebody love me?

God's like, I love you.

God, why does everyone give up on me?

God is like, I'm still pulling for you.

God, why am I such a disgrace to my family or my friends?

God is like, I'm proud of you.

And I just want to leave you guys with one scripture that just I think is every Christian's testimony in a nutshell.

It's uh Ezekiel chapter 36, um, starting in verse 35.

Ezekiel 36 · chapter mention

It says, This land that was desolate has become like the Garden of Eden.

And the waste and desolate and ruined cities are now fortified and inhabited.

And it's only with God that we can be a complete wasteland, and God is like, I'm gonna make them fruitful and beautiful like the Garden of Eden.

And it's only God that can do that.

So uh thank you guys for your time.

Marcus, would you just stand where you're at?

And would some of you guys just over here just come and lay hands on him?

We want to bless, Marcus, what God's doing in your life.

We're so proud of you because you've allowed the Spirit of God to work in you.

Father, we bless right now, Marcus, and we we pray a hedge of protection.

We pray the blood of Jesus over his heart and his mind, over his relationships, over his soul, over his thinking.

God, where those strongholds of the enemy has waged battle for all these years.

We just bless, Lord, the blood of the Lamb over those areas, and we pray, God, that as you uproot the entrenched of the enemy, God, you'd replace that with truth.

You'd replace that with holiness, you'd replace that with a passion for you.

God, we see that in his life.

We say, God, just keep coming, keep coming, keep moving, keep working in this precious man's life.

We bless him in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Amen.

Thank you, Marcus.

Isn't that cool?

And I heard that.

I went, yeah, you know, that's what it's all about.

And we're gonna look at a passage.

We don't know what happened to this young man, but look at Mark 9, 25.

Mark 9, 25.

We don't really know what happens after this, but let's just pick it up in verse 25 because we see what God did in setting him free.

And, you know, Marcus, we were talking about this over coffee, how you know, when you began to believe truth and walk in truth, and that freedom that came with taking those drugs and just dumping them, there was a release of power over your life that you wouldn't even understood at the time.

But you're probably looking back in retrospect and going, you know, that was significant.

When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, deaf and dumb spirit, I command you come out of him and enter him no more.

Then the spirit cried out, convulsed him greatly, and came out of him.

And he became as one dead, so that many said, He is dead.

But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he arose.

And when he had come into the house, his disciples asked him privately, why could we not cast it out?

Because remember, you guys, he had he had already taken them through demonology 101.

So just, you know, over the last three years, he's had some situations where he demonstrated, he demonstrated, he modeled, he modeled.

And then there is that part, remember, where he gave them power to cast out demons and heal the sick and preach the kingdom, sent them out two by two, and they did it.

They came back, they're totally pumped and fired up because the spirits were subject to the word they gave.

So I think they went into this, like, okay, hey, done this before, been there, done that, no problem, but they can't get this one to leave.

So he said to them, this kind, that's really important, this kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting.

Now, what Jesus is alluding to, church, is that there are high-level spirits.

There are spirits that believers are struggling with, as well as unbelievers, because of that flesh side of our soul that, as I've told you many times before, can't be rehabilitated.

You can't rehabilitate your flesh.

You, your flesh is the flesh.

But when you get saved, the Holy Spirit comes into your life.

When you give your heart to Christ, the Holy Spirit comes into your life.

And the Spirit invades your spirit.

And in so doing, what sanctification is, is that process of discipleship, becoming a wholehearted disciple.

Because you're, most of us, when we're truly saved, are wholehearted, but we don't have a clue what we're doing.

We just don't.

Marcus, you didn't have a clue what you were doing.

All you knew is God gave, here's what it is.

Here's what touches me the most about your testimony and mine is you had an insatiable desire for God's word.

We've had seven babies.

I should say Liz has had seven, I had a part in the beginning of it, but she alone had seven babies.

I was by her side.

But that baby always comes out ready for milk.

And so if you if you don't have an insatiable desire for God's word, and I'm not talking about now as you mature, because there's a process where we all go through ebbs and flows, but if someone says they're saved, they got saved at some crusade or some event, and there's no desire for God's word, I have to question whether they're really saved.

Because when you get saved, you have a desire for God's word because you are a baby believer, and you need that milk from God's word.

Well, we don't know the rest of the story, but I imagine that's what happened here.

But here's what happens in our lives is that, and believers all the time struggle with this.

We can have these issues that we've struggled with our whole life.

Because there's not much teaching on high-level, high ground, entrenched spirits.

And so when Paul, listen, Paul writing to the Ephesians, so he's writing to believers, he says this for we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, and against the rulers of the darkness of this age.

This age.

These are spirits of this age.

In other words, church, the things that we struggle with today, though similar because of the way our flesh works and man is man throughout time, there is a spirit of this age, this third millennium age, that's unique to this age, spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

This kind that Jesus is speaking to the disciples about is not a spirit that's going to be kicked out in the same way others have.

And so tonight, I felt it was important to encroach upon this subject again, though we just began it last week because of this.

We're coming into windstorm.

And so, starting on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and then Saturday again, we're going to be together.

Encourage you to come.

Because in our lives, there can be these entrenchments, these works of the enemy that become such a part of our life we think it's normal in church, it's not.

Now, it is in the church.

Because we all have different kinds of Jesuses.

There's the churchy Jesus.

The churchy Jesus looks like a surfer boy out of Southern California.

I was working out today and I was watching ESPN, whatever.

There's so many ESPNs.

But anyway, it was one of them that I was watching, and it was on the X Games, and it was surfing.

So I'm doing my push-ups, I'm doing my sit-ups and all the stuff that I was doing, and I'm watching the X Games surfing in Oahu, Hawaii.

And they all look like, I mean, if they had a beard, they looked like the Jesus and the posters in the Sunday school classes.

Right?

So there's the churchy Jesus, and there's the cultural Jesus.

But listen, the biblical Jesus, the Jesus of the Bible, is a Jesus that never met a demon that he liked, and he never met a demon that he couldn't kick out.

So what happens in our lives, church, is that we go through situations in our life, usually in childhood.

And I think it's interesting that in our passage, which we didn't cover tonight, but we covered last week.

It said he had had the spirit since what?

Childhood.

So it appears that if you read back to the earlier part, he would be cast into fires, he would have seizures.

Probably like grandma seizures.

So here's a father who can never take his son on a fishing trip.

He can't take his son to a ball game.

He's an embarrassment to the family.

He's out of control.

And all he knows is this Jesus who's coming into town has a history of setting people free.

So what happens in our lives is we become, we we come into these areas of our life that we can't get free from.

We go to church, we go to Sunday school, we get baptized or confirmed.

But it's still there, right?

And it's like the little black boy that I befriended in South Carolina when I was in seventh grade.

And he had broken his ankle years before.

He came out for the football team that I was playing on, and he walked with his foot turned in because he had never been to a doctor, he had never had it set right, but it was normal for him.

Darn good football player.

And probably in retrospect, it needed to be rebroken and reset.

But for him, it was normal, and he could compensate for it, but everybody else around him could see the phone's not set right.

And I think what happens in our lives, church, is that we go through times in our lives where we've got stuff going on, and then you get married.

And your wife looks at you, or your husband looks at you, goes, Why do you do that?

And what?

That what?

That what you just did for the umpteenth time.

That's what everybody does.

No, they don't.

Right?

Or you start getting around some spirit-filled believers, and they say, dude, you got an issue here.

And you're like, what?

Because what happens is that I think in the high-level spiritual realm is that we become comfortable with our demons.

Some have called it a familiar spirit.

We're just familiar with it.

Yeah, I have a little bit of an anger issue.

Yeah, you know, a little bit of lust.

Yeah, I've had a few struggles with affairs.

And Jesus is knocking at the door of our heart and he's saying, Look, let me in.

Why don't you let me in?

I want to set you free.

Church, Jesus wants to set us free tonight.

This week, Jesus wants to set you free.

This year, Jesus wants to set you free.

I'm asking you to ask the Lord to give you wisdom.

What is this kind?

What is this kind?

Because we don't need more religion.

I'm so fed up with religion.

I'm so fed up with churchianity.

I want to puke.

And it's not to cast out the demon, it's just that I want to puke.

But the reality is that God gives us spiritual power.

It's not religion we need, it's power, and that's what made the elders, the scribes, the Pharisees, and the Sadducees so ticked off at Jesus.

It was because A, he was irreligious, but B, church, he had power.

And there is power for each one of you in this room.

Through the power of the Holy Spirit, through the work of the Spirit, through surrender and the freedom that the one who came to set the captives free wants to give you.

So Paul, in describing how he did his ministry, said this my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the spirit and power.

There's power in this room tonight.

There's power for healing.

There's power for freedom.

There's power for the brokenhearted.

This highly empowered, entrenched stronghold can be brought down by the power of the spirit.

All demonic spirits, entrenched spirits, can be driven out.

Listen, if you want them to be.

That as we get closer to the second coming of Christ, we are going to see more and more demonic strongholds.

We're going to experience more and more demonic power.

But church, I'm telling you, that's the reason I wanted Marcus to share, this generation, this generation is going to be the most empowered generation in the history of the world.

These young people from in their 30s, coming, 30s, and coming down or being exposed.

We'll talk about this on Monday and Tuesday, exposed to the power of the Spirit, like other generations have not had.

God is raising up the power of the Spirit in the latter days.

Acts chapter 2 says, when the Spirit comes in, we'll turn there.

Acts 2 · chapter mention

Turn to Acts chapter 2.

Acts 2 · chapter mention

The prophetic word given by Peter on the day of Pentecost, quoting Micah chapter 2.

Micah 2 · chapter mention

Acts chapter 2, verse 17.

Acts 2:17

Acts chapter 2, verse 17.

Acts 2:17

And it shall come to pass in the last day, says God, that I will pour out of my spirit on all flesh.

Now I want you to look at the ages here of the young people mentioned.

Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy.

Your young men shall see visions.

Your old men shall dream dreams.

And on my menservants and on my maidservants, I will pour out my spirit in those days, and they shall prophesy.

And I will show wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath, blood and fire and vapor of smoke, the sun shall be turned into darkness, the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord, and it shall come to pass that whoever calls in the name of the Lord shall be saved.

There is a day, it's upon us, of empowerment on you, the saints, as we come into those latter days, even as evil is rising for the preparation of the Antichrist.

So as we see that the formation of what will become a one-world government in the days ahead, and we look at the church, we are an unempowered church.

We are an unempowered church.

And so I'm going to tell you something.

This year, each one of you are gonna, you are gonna encounter the powers of the enemy.

And God is going to prepare you, he's gonna use you, you're a blessed generation.

You are a blessed generation, but God's gonna require more of the power of the Spirit through greater surrender.

Greater surrender in our life.

And so what Jesus is doing, he's preparing the church, he's saying, look, why would Jesus do that?

Look, you guys, I've put you in this position because you can't get rid of these level, high-level spirits but through prayer and fasting.

And so he gives them the weaponry of prayer and fasting.

He's saying that the normal Christian life is not gonna be good enough.

The church, churchy life is not gonna be good enough.

Surfer Jesus is not gonna be good enough.

Cultural Jesus is not gonna be good enough.

You're gonna have to fast and pray.

There are strongholds, there are high-level entrenched spirits that don't come out except through fasting and prayer.

And so, Paul, excuse me, Daniel in Daniel chapter 10 gets a prophetic word from the Lord.

Daniel 10 · chapter mention

And when he gets that word from the Lord, he doesn't understand it, understand what he sees, doesn't hear what he's understand what's happening to Israel.

So he begins to fast and pray, remember, 21 days.

So after 21 days, the archangel Michael comes to him and he says, Since the day you began to call out to God, I've been trying to get to you, but the prince of Persia held me up.

Daniel, who's just before the Lord, crying out for wisdom about this prophetic word about the last days related to the nation of Israel.

Michael is sent from heaven to get to Daniel.

He can't get there.

There is a prince of Persia, there's a demonic principality of power over Persia, and he can't get there.

But on the 21st day, he breaks through.

On the 21st day, he breaks through, and then he gives him.

This is this is what the word of the Lord is for you, Daniel.

Jesus comes on the scene.

So for 30 years, he's a carpenter son.

But as he begins his ministry, he gets baptized by John, his cousin, and what does he do?

He goes into 40 days and nights of prayer.

Who's he tempted by on the 40th day?

Satan.

There are strongholds, evidently, and I don't get it.

I'll be honest with you, I do not get it.

The reason the Koreans pray and Americans don't is because they don't get it either, but they don't care.

But but but there's something out there.

All I can say is that there's glimpses of it in Scripture, and in the latter days, there's going to be strongholds that can't be broken except through fasting and prayer.

And so I believe there's a challenge before us, church, starting tonight, but moving into Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday next week, God's calling us.

God wants to come and He wants to blast out strongholds of the enemy.

I believe not just in our lives, but in this city.

I believe God wants to bring a revival.

I believe God wants to bring another awakening.

If we do not have another great awakening, we are doomed.

This country is doomed.

Young people, if you do not have an awakening in your heart and an encounter with the real Jesus in the days ahead, if you haven't had that, you won't be here next year.

You won't be walking with the Lord next year.

The spirits are, and the power of the spirit is rising.

And I don't want to get into that message that's Monday, but I'll just tell you that's what Daniel talks about.

That's what Ezekiel's talking about.

That's what the book of Revelation is talking about.

There's this rise of evil coming.

And church, as usual, is not going to cut it.

Here's why I believe I'm going to give you three reasons why I think that fasting and prayer has power for upending darkness and uprooting darkness.

And I want to give you three thoughts from kind of from a military perspective of an entrenched, high-level enemy.

Number one, overwhelming force.

Allies.

I want to give you three thoughts here.

Listen, write this down.

Overwhelming force.

If you don't have overwhelming force, you can't take the high ground.

What do I mean?

I mean allies.

You need blood-stained allies.

You men in this room need at least three men in your life that are allies with you.

Not just friends, allies.

You need allies in your life that know you well enough that they can speak into your life.

You know, get off your high horse and get right with God.

You need some allies.

You need some guys that will hang with you through tough times, or you will not get set free.

Women, you need allies.

You need allies, not just friends, allies.

Blood stained allies.

We need blood-stained allies to not just break the power of the enemy, you guys, but to stay free.

Do you have three men?

Do you have three women here?

I'm not talking about your spouse.

I'm not talking about your spouse.

That should make four, right?

But I think there's things that your spouse can't help you with, that you need the same gender folks in your life, understand you, love you.

They're going to stick with you, or you will not get set free.

That's why they found through AA and groups like that, those that have struggled with alcohol, that guys will not get set free from the addiction of alcohol unless there's some other people in their life that know about it and who can speak in your life, or you can make that phone call.

Marcus, you had some guys in your life.

You had starting with Mike, you had some guys in your life.

Secondly, so first of all, you need overwhelming force.

Secondly, you need a greater power.

You need a greater power.

Got the Holy Spirit.

Tonight, some of you here are not saved.

You don't know the Lord.

You come to church, maybe you think you know the Lord, but if you were to die tonight, you might even say, I'm not sure.

I'm not completely convinced I'd go to heaven.

Here's what I want to do tonight.

When we come into the time of ministry time at the end, I'm gonna have Marcus over here near the speaker.

I want you guys to go over to Marcus, and Marcus, and I've talked about this, he's gonna share what it takes to come to Christ truly, sincerely, genuinely be born again.

Because this is all impossible if you're not born again.

You need greater power.

Remember Christmas Eve service?

They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, the word of their testimony, and did not love their life even unto death.

First one is blood of the Lamb.

Gotta have the blood of the Lamb.

I'm not talking about growing up in a Christian home.

I'm not talking about that you got baptized.

Mark said I were talking about that.

He got baptized four times and he wasn't saved.

Greater power.

So overwhelming force, allies in your life, greater power, Holy Spirit.

And then thirdly, it's really important.

Strategic thinking.

Strategic thinking.

You've got to have a plan.

You've got to have a plan this year.

Gotta have a plan.

That means you're gonna get up in the morning or in the evening, whatever works for you, and do P B and J.

You're gonna get up, you're gonna open God's word, you're gonna have that journal, you've got to have a place to do it.

You've got to have somewhere in your house, you're gonna do it.

You gotta have a closet, gotta have a study, gotta have a backyard.

Well, I don't care.

It doesn't matter.

Well, I don't have a place.

Well, then go to a coffee shop.

I don't have any money.

Then talk to me, I'll give you some money.

But but you gotta have a place.

Seriously, you guys, you've got to have a place, you gotta have a plan.

You already know Monday, we're coming here.

Make it a plan.

If you don't have strategic thinking, the enemy will take us out.

And so, starting this Monday, I want to talk to us about how we get set free in this arena.

So, this entrenchment of the enemy can be uprooted through overwhelming force, allies, greater power, the Holy Spirit, and strategic thinking, which is a plan for our lives.

Let's stand.