stationary gods - with Chase Glisson

Thanks for checking out the anchor Faith, Message podcast

from st. Augustine, Florida.

Now, enjoy this message. You know, I love being able to

speak in the homebody where God has called me in place me and

put me in the vision that I'm connected to.

So I always appreciate the opportunity to do that.

And tonight I want to start an Exodus 20 verse 1.

Exodus 20:1

For those of you who follow me on Instagram, you probably have

a decent idea of where this is going because my last couple

posts have been about what I've been studying because that tends

to be how my creative stuff goes.

So Exodus 21 through 6 says then God spoke.

All these words saying I am the Lord your God who brought you

out of the land of Egypt out of the house of slavery and you

shall have no other gods before me.

You shall not make for yourself an idol or any likeness Us of

what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the

water under the Earth You shall not worship them or serve them

for I the Lord your God am a jealous God.

Visiting the iniquity of your father of the fathers of the

children on the 3rd and the 4th generations of those who hate me

but showing loving, kindness to thousands to those who love me

and keep my Commandments. All right, the first of the Ten

Commandments was Thou shalt have no other gods.

Gods. Before me or no other Idols.

So tonight, I want to talk about stationary gods.

Because, you know, coming off a couple weeks ago, Pastor spoke a

great message called drive it out, and he talked about the

flesh, right? He talked about how you have to

conquer our flesh and you know, obviously I think sometimes, you

know, we, we can think. Yeah, I got to conquer, my

flesh, got to conquer my sand, but then we don't really look at

all the things in our life that really take our time.

Right? We don't really sit down.

It's easy to kind of sit down, and like, evaluate yourself a

lot and like, look at, like, the big sins, right finger quotes

big sins, right? Things like everyone knows like,

you know, I'm not supposed to kill someone.

Shouldn't it be murdering, like me, I'm sitting out like, man, I

gotta stop murdering people obviously you know like

definitely you have to do that for sure.

Right? And so we can get caught and we

can sit and like oh I'm gonna evaluate my life and like well

I'm not killing people so you know, like I'm doing.

All right. All right, like I'm fine, I'm

not killing people. But the first commandment God

gave in the Ten Commandments was not.

It's not murder. Which means in the list of The

Commandments he gave that wasn't at the top.

It was Thou shalt not put any gods or Idols before me.

So what is an idol? Then write an idol.

If get some definitions out here is Extreme admiration.

Love or reverence for something or someone.

Extreme admiration love or reverence for something or

someone. or when something in your life becomes more important

to you, than God, And I'll break it down a little bit further.

Because that statement along can be like, oh well nothing's more

important than God. But as we're going to see a lot

of times, it's not that we instantly think these things are

more important than us. Then God.

But it's the things that prove out to be more important to us

than God, right. You know so we have to keep an

eye on where we put our time. Where we put our talents and

where we put our Treasures, right?

Because where you put your time, your talents and your treasure

is where your heart truly is. Right.

And it if we reduce God to Sunday and Wednesday, That I'm

telling you. Now, you have an idol.

If you only do God on Sunday and Wednesday, there is no chance.

He's getting all of your time talent and treasure.

I mean just just mathematically, no chance.

Right. And when it comes to Idols, you

know, because and this is what I love to do, especially when I'm

speaking with youth because, you know, for me, one of the biggest

things when I was in Youth and eat, even something I do now is,

you know, the Bible, especially, like, King James and all that

can seem like so crazy. We think idols, and I was like,

oh, you know, there's like an idol, right?

Like Idols, obviously aren't just like literal things that

you're putting up at shrines in your house and like bowing

before, right? Like, that's obviously, the

go-ahead was like, Idols, like, oh, I have no Idols in my house

and I Pure vital as well. Obviously, you probably don't

have. I mean, some of you might have

like a statue and then get rid of it.

But, you know, for most people like you read, Thou shalt not

have an Idols jeans. Any kind of check out.

Like, I'm good, right? I don't have anything, you know

I love an idol in my house, right?

But obviously Idols aren't just things that are silver or gold,

right? They could be paper or they

could be something that's just in your heart.

Right Ezekiel. 14 1 through 5 says, then some Elders of

Israel. Came to me and set down before

me and the word of the Lord came to me saying, son of, man, these

men have set up their Idols in their hearts and have put right

before their faces, the stumbling block of their

iniquity. Should I be consulted by them at

all? Therefore, speak to them and

tell them thus says the Lord God.

Any Man Of The House of Israel who sets up his idols in his

heart, and puts right before his face, the stumbling block of his

iniquity, and then comes to the prophet.

I the Lord will be brought to give him an answer in the metal

matter in the view of the multitude of his idols.

In order to lay, hold of the heart of the House of Israel,

who estranged from me, through all of the idol of their Idols,

right? So God saying, look, when they

come to a prophet or they come to me, I'm going to address them

by the idols in their heart. Right?

Idols are the things we put our time and value in, right?

So when you put your time and value in all these things and

then you come to God guys, like I'm going to address you by the

idol, you have in your heart. Right.

You know, I think this was timely because, you know, it had

me chewing on it, coming out of Pastor series on the route of

love, right? And obviously phenomenal series

for everyone in the house, he was here.

If not go to guest relations, there's a QR code that you can

scan to catch up on the whole series, right?

But it also got me thinking, you know, because we broke, you

know, Pastor did such a phenomenal job, breaking down

the route of the love of God, but then I was like well what is

the root of my love? Towards God.

You know, where does my love for God?

Really lie. Because just, as we can turn the

love of God into this big flippant thing.

We can also take how we express, love towards God, and make it

seem way, more than it really is.

Right? Because it can be hard sometimes

to instantly equate, how we treat God to how we love, God to

how much we love God, when, when you have like an actual physical

person here and like, me, and my wife Alyssa, I can easily equate

my love for her. I can show it for her.

She's here. She can see it.

She can explain it. She can back it up.

She can defend, how much I love her.

If I go around and telling her how much I loved it, you could

ask Alyssa me. Like does Chase really love you

and she could tell, you know, he doesn't he never shows me once

right. There's like an instant thing

there, I go around saying I love God, all I love is God.

Right. So it's a lot easier for us to

just kind of like oh I love God but then if you kind of think if

the way my relationship with God was with an actual person, would

that person still want to be around me?

With what God In the Flesh. Right here in our relationship,

actually amount to a real relationship.

Or am I just the needy friend who approaches when I really

need something? And I keep them around because

when I need something I want to know they're there and so I'll

show them enough attention to make it seem like we're really

connected. So that when I do come I feel

okay about it. All right.

John 14:23 says, Jesus answered them and said, if anyone loves

John 14:23

me, he will keep my word. If anyone loves me, he will keep

my word, which means I cannot say that I love God.

But not put all of my Time treasure and talent in him

first. Because if his word says look,

you can't have other gods beside me.

You can't have stationary God's what are stationary guys there.

Things that don't actually do anything but yet we think they

do. Right?

It's something you put on a pedestal and you think this

thing affects you somehow, but it's really not doing anything

for you. Right?

And we can sit and try to hide that we've got something going

on, but the truth is, God knows our heart.

Right. Hebrews 4:13 says and there is

Hebrews 4:13

no creature hidden from his sight but all things are open

and laid bare to the eyes of him with whom we have to do.

Which means you can put on a show for everyone else around,

but God knows where your time actually is.

God knows where your time actually that, you know, I get

to teach in Kingdom, astute. And I tell my students all the

time the test is after this, right?

You can show up here, you can check off.

You read your Bible. Reading plan.

You can tell me. You read the extra book for the

class. You can give me an answer that I

want to hear. So that I can say, yes, they

learn something, but if you don't actually go apply in life,

after then you've really failed. Right?

And so if God knows our heart and it's laid bare before him,

then you can go out and do whatever you want during church

and Wednesday and at like you love them and be down here,

praying. All you want.

And worship and saying, Jesus, we love you and they not doing

it again till the next service time.

And then when someone asks how everything's going, you can say

it's great. Oh yeah, you know, I'm all up to

dama by replaying. I've been, you know, doing all

this kind of stuff and they won't be like all great.

That's awesome. But you know, you're not

actually putting time in it. You know, you're not actually

putting time in it. Proverbs 4:23 says, watch over

Proverbs 4:23

your heart with all diligence for from it flow.

The Springs of Life, Idols in the Bible was one of.

It's like one of the most talked about things to watch out for.

It's gone from Old Testament. We're going to show you in the

New Testament but it just continually carried to not have

Idols. Don't worship any God before me.

Don't Fall into idolatry. Don't let something be coming

out. Why?

Because we like, to think of it, idles as these big things, but

the truth is Idols can spread across so many categories.

They can spread across so many categories, and here's some new.

Let's get some new testament stuff in here for you first

1 John 5:18

John. 5:18 first John 5 18 through 21.

The Amplified version says, we know with confidence that anyone

born of God does not have habitually sin.

But he Jesus, who has born, who has born of God, carefully keeps

and protects him and the evil. One does not touch him.

We know for a fact that we are of God and the whole world

around us lies in the power of the evil.

One opposing God and His precepts.

And we have seen and no by personal experience that the Son

of God has actually come to this world and has given us

understanding and insight. So that we may progressively and

personally I know him who is true and we are in him.

Who is true in his son? Jesus Christ.

This is the true God. And eternal life.

Little children, Believers dear ones guard yourselves from

Idols, false teaching, moral compromises and anything that

would take God's place in your heart.

I like how this starts with, we know with confidence that we are

born of God, do not habitually sin, but we who are of God, keep

protect over and we can't let the evil one touch us and it

gives you all this confidence but then still at the end after

all that it says, but Don't fall into idolatry.

Meaning, even with all of that, that you've got the ability to

fall inside Dollar, Tree is still right there.

Why? Because time can be wasted so

quickly. Right.

You, I mean, how many people lose track have lost track of

time in such a way that you're like, holy crap?

It's so late. Now, I'm here.

When I first got married, Alyssa, got pregnant with our

first daughter, London. And she was going would come

home from work and then be like tired at like 6:30 going to bed,

right? Six six thirty in the afternoon

going to bed. Obviously I'm not getting in bed

at 6:30, an afternoon. Like that's insane like this way

too early, like what? So I'm just like, okay well you

know, good night. We got married at guess what?

18 had her at 19. So I was still really young, you

know, getting used to all the marriage stuff anyways, but she

goes bad, I was like, you know, not great.

I'm gonna play video games All right, I have some my own time.

I can just sit here, I can play my game.

She's asleep. She wakes up, we'll take care of

that but like she can't get mad. I'm not losing family time.

This is the perfect opportunity for me to jump into a game.

Alright, so I start playing Been playing for a while now.

I know I've been playing for a while but I'm just in there

playing, finally get to the point like, you know, I'm kind

of hungry. I should probably go get

something to eat, didn't eat dinner, I just started playing

when she went to bed, like walk-in to the kitchen, you

know, the time, the house we're living in.

Had like, you know, one of the kitchens with the, with the

window right above it. So you can see the backyard.

And so I grab something out of the fridge.

And I grab some water on the sink, and I look up and the sun

is rising. Now, I was like, I remember,

just, like quickly putting down my glass and like running to the

room. Like, I was going to get more

sleep. So I like getting bed and like

Alyssa is like, you just get a like, no, I just got up to get

some water. My alarm goes off in like 30

minutes. Ryan is like so quickly.

It went from 6:30 at night to 6:30, like in the morning and I

was just like, where did time go?

Like I just lost time so quickly, right?

Like even, you know, I went through a season where I started

waking up super early to go to the gym, like five in the

morning and then you get to a point where like, you know, it's

Saturday and you wake up at 8 and you just feel like you've

lost so much of the morning. Like my whole day is gone.

Why? Because that time is really

seems like it's amazing how much more you can get done in just

that short amount of time, right?

Then obviously when you enjoy things, you know how much longer

like how quick they go by, you know, you get involved in like a

good movie and next thing you know she's like over but then

when you watch like a kind of crappy movie, all of a sudden,

it's just like man has only been 30 minutes.

Like, I feel like I've been in this theater forever, how are we

only 30 minutes into this thing? You know, what is going on?

All right, so time is this kind of funny thing but because of

that, it's so easy to lose track of where you're putting your

time. When I was in high school, we

did this kind of like silly little thing, but it stuck with

me and we had to draw like a circle and then turn it into

like a pie. Slices like 24 lines, there's 24

hours in a day and then like give you a crown like, okay?

Now like how much how many slices worth of like TV?

Do you watch, right? I mean, like, you color, and

like the pizzas and you're like, okay.

Wow man. 6 hours is a big chunk of this 24-hour, you know thing,

right? You know, I won't do this in

here because I don't think it would have the same effect.

But, you know, every once in a while, I like to grab people's

phones in the youth, especially and be like, let me see your

screen time. Okay.

I quiet people like wait. Hey yeah, it's amazing.

How many people don't have the Bible app on their screen time?

Like not even 10 minutes, not even enough to register.

And then when you do it on a Wednesday night, it's even

better because it starts on like Monday.

And I remember one time I opened this one, one girl's phone and

she had 48 Hours on tick tock. In three days, she spent two

days worth of time, on Tick. Tock looks like, What?

It's not like it's not you too but I don't just play in the

background. Like what are you doing?

How are you spending that much time, right?

But time can go by so fast. And so that's why I think when

it came to Idols, it was so important that they wanted to

stress it because where your time is is where you value.

And so you can so quickly start placing more time and other

things, right? Because you always seem to have

time to do the things you really want to do, but you never really

seem to have time to start that others.

Spiritual book that you were supposed to be reading.

You know, I mean, I've done it myself.

I'm not a huge reader. Like I really wanted to be like,

I felt like it would fit like me to be like a reader to like

travel somewhere, like, read a book out in like, you know, like

in the land but that sure was like, I don't love it.

Like I want to love it, but I'd rather just see the movie, you

know? Like it was like the books way

better than the movies. Like, you know what?

But the movie can be seen, you know, when I have to just do it

in my mind, like, it's fine, I've imagination.

But, you know, I'd rather just actually see it.

Right. But, you know, at the same time,

you know, I can start, you know, like one of a book that I know I

should read this gonna build me up spiritually and then it's

like, within 15 minutes. I'm feeling like so tired no

matter what's going on. I was like, I just finished a

coffee, just had a Red Bull, like I'm ready to read.

I've got the readings owned in, I got my glasses on and then

it's like, goodbye, I'm asleep, right?

But on the few occasions that I've read, like, just like

random fiction books that I've enjoyed.

It's like, you can get sucked into that thing, right?

You find a good enough. Story.

You can get sucked into something.

I mean, I got like one book and I was like reading it and then I

can always just bug me some like why can I not just get like this

with this other book? Like I need someone to just

write really good fiction books that are actually spiritually

built books so that I just tricked myself into reading it.

You're like I feel like that would work but no, there is a

discipline that comes with it. Because that discipline builds

us up. Because just like, with anything

else, as I start to then read and get in the habit of reading

and make it an important part of what I'm doing.

Then, I actually start to look forward to it.

I do feel like, man, this is a great book.

I need to finish this. I'm learning so much from this

thing. Like I'm getting this thing

down, right? And so builds up that moat that

mode of Romans, 18 1:18 says this for the wrath of God is

revealed from Heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness

of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that

which is known about God is evident within them for God made

it evident to them for since the creation of the world, his

invisible attributes, his eternal power and divine nature.

Have been clearly seen being understood through what has been

made so that they are without excuse for.

Even though they knew God, they did not honor him as God or

give, thanks, but they become became futile in their

speculations and they were foolish and their foolish heart

was darkened. Professing to be wise, they

became fools and exchanged, the glory of The Incorruptible, God

for an image in the form of corruptible, man, and of birds

and four-footed animals crawling creatures.

Therefore, God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to

impurity so that their bodies would be Dishonored among them

for they exchanged the truth of God, for a lie and worshipped

and served the creature rather than the Creator.

Who is blessed forever? Amen. right, so if we're talking

about where we put our time, And we're talking about where things

can become Idols. Like I said, I think it's always

easy for us to jump into like big things.

You know, we're always like, oh well, you know, if I'm murdering

someone that's wrong, if I want to murder someone all the time

and I think about it all the time, like I've got a murder

Idol or whatever like, that's obviously wrong anything about.

Like, obviously, I want to jump something like all the lust of

money, right. Like just wanting money is so

bad like it's greedy. You know you can't love God and

Mammon, right? And those are like ones that

just jump in big and that, you know, it's a bad one, right?

But you know, Idols can also be things that aren't, you know,

bad of themselves. Right, success is great.

Until it starts. Costing you services.

Right. Success is great.

Until all you do is drive for the next success and you let all

of your spiritual life fall behind chasing after worldly,

success. Right.

And we've seen this done time and time again.

Someone gets a promotion like, oh, I got a new job is going to

take me, you know, but I've got to go to Wisconsin.

You like okay, well you is there a church over there is like no,

I haven't found one but you know it's jobs a blessing like it's

huge. Like is it?

Right. But when success becomes an

idol, it becomes hard to see clearly.

That it's actually not a blessing.

And this is why I think Idol idolatry was talked about so

much, because they can be positive things that you just

didn't start to Value more than God.

Right. Family time is great.

Why being with your family is great.

But there's a lot of people who've made family and Idol in

their life. You know, I love my family but

my family raised me knowing that we don't skip church.

It's amazing to me. How many parents just let their

kids skip services. Oh well, they got practice, man.

I played football. And I came to service late and

stinky, because my dad said, hey, if you want to play that's

fine, but we still go to church, because if you can make it

there, you can make it here. Why it was value that was

instilled in me that said, you know, there is it's just as

important and half, you know, half these kids ain't gonna make

it pro anyways, right? Like I don't even get it, I'm

not gonna jump on it. That's fine, right?

I know. It's a sensitive subject.

Everyone loves their kid. Like, my kids, the most, I've

never there's this real on Instagram and there's like, this

is Mom. And she's like that boy right

there, he's gonna be an athlete, he's gonna go pro and then the

guys like about swallowing throws a Time.

It's the kid in the face. It's like completely misery like

that's mom's for you. You know, but we put our kids

and all of this stuff and then we start letting a Miss service

because of this stuff that requires it and then they don't

come back to church after high school and we're like, oh man,

why don't why are you leaving the church?

Because you showed them that success, in the world was more

valuable than the service time on Wednesday, you started the

creation of an idol. And place it in front of them.

Your health and fitness, right? Really important.

Being healthy, being able to accomplish the things God has

called you to, do is super important.

You know, there be nothing worse than the find out, God's called

you to do something and you just physically, couldn't do it

because you didn't keep yourself in shape.

But when never Skip Leg Day doesn't carry over to never skip

service. Then we've made our fitness and

Idol. And it's crazy.

It's amazing. Like, you know I've never

achieved just like a great Fitness level.

I've just never gotten there yet.

We're working on it, but I'm always Blown Away how dedicated

those people can become. And in your like if you just put

like half of that, turns towards the world, the word you'd be

doing great. Right.

You know, you got that person who comes to the party and

everyone's like eating cakes and there's like birthday cakes

everywhere and they just like stand there.

They grab like a great and they eat the one grape me like I'm

good and they Walker's like what who does that?

Like I'm ever so it was like so discipline and walk up and be

like a cake and they take one by the came back.

That was good and not touch any more.

Just like that's insane. At least finish the piece like

how you just got to take one bite and be like, that's a great

cake. I don't need anymore.

Like do I make a thing of brownies?

If the kids don't finish the Browning, I'm finishing, the

brother that fact we made brownies other day, all the kids

had a brownie. I had two brownies and then,

like, the next day, there was one brownie left.

I mean, are walked in from lunch, and I looked all the

girls because the whole surprise said that brownie is my brownie.

So don't even think about it. I know how these kids don't let

me just have a bike for kids one by I have no brownie left.

Right, you got sometimes. You got to put the hammer down.

Like I baked those by right of creation, that is mine.

You know, the people who get in the fitness, man, it's amazing.

They put their flesh down. To keep themselves in a certain

look that they want. But then when they're feeling a

little off, they pulled something in their back, they're

like oh you know back hurts. I could probably still do legs

though. But I'm going to need a rest it

so I can't go to service this morning.

We're forming idols and we're not noticing it.

Alright, friends are important. Until you find yourself going to

your friends for advice before. God see, I love having good

friends but I tell you this, when I go to friends for advice,

I'm looking for either confirmation on something.

I've already heard and for them to give me worthy of us is going

to fact, the decision. I've already kind of got or for

them to tell me. I'm stupid and what off, but

it's not because I'm looking for an answer from them.

It's because I'm, I think I have something.

From God and I need that support of a friend with me.

Right? But we can take friends and then

we start running to them so much.

That they become our God. Now, you might not ever say that

oh I would never never. Oh no, never.

Then you text your prayer to them.

Dear so-and-so. What should I do?

As a friend. Give good advice if you're

selling spraying Lake and you notice it.

You should be like, you know what, have you gone to God

first? Be a good friend.

Culture. Can become an idol.

There's nothing wrong with having cultural influences,

right? You can all be in cult

influenced by the culture around you, the things you're into the

the way you were raised, the places you were raised in and I

think you should embrace where you were born but when the

culture of where you are from is so much more evident than the

kingdom culture. Then we made the culture of

something an idol. I mean it's crazy to me.

How many people can keep up with just like everything a

celebrity's doing? You know it's like they just

know they like got this person's agenda.

Oh yeah. So and so they you know they

started this company they wake up at 6 a.m. every day.

You know, this is the thing about the new, the new wave of

like social media. Everybody wants to know what

someone else successful is doing so that then they can do it

right. It's like, oh, that person's

really successful and they're going to tell you.

This is what I do every day, I wake up at six.

Protein shake. Then I go take a cold ice bath.

They say five minutes. I say no 15, I'm a 15-minute ice

bath guy. Then another protein shake.

It's 6:00. I've already had one day.

You wake up at 2 days compounding math?

Anyone seen that one? I don't even get it.

I've lived so many people now. Giving advice.

You know, I've always thought it was funny.

It's like this person successful, they doing, you'll

never be successful. Someone I was just doing what

they did. You only ever make it where they

made, if I want to be the greatest and have to do

something different. Right?

And we can get so ingrained in trying to like, it's amazing how

many people will do, so much research and spend so much time

in a subject and learn about what they need to know.

I need to get healthy in the watching YouTube videos and

they're watching all this stuff and they're getting all this

information and then they don't apply a single bit of it.

Well, we've all been around the person who has like the answer

for everything, but has never actually done anything.

Right. You're like oh yeah this is all

you got to do it. This is what you're going to do

right here. And then they don't, they're

just going to tell you they're not going to physically do it

themselves because then they would have to like, actually try

it. You know.

So if we're not careful, then we can start making Idols of just

culture and routine and and all these goals.

You set are great. But when the goals just push you

further from God, then we start setting these worldly

motivations at a higher place than our spiritual life.

And see this, like I said, this is why I think Idols are so are

so sneaky because they can be disguised as such positive

things because like I said, you need to be healthy and fit.

Right. You need to spend time with your

family, you need to have a good base of friends, you need to

love your culture, you need to seek to be better than you are

and have success in whatever you're doing because God called

us to be successful. You shouldn't be staying in

settling for just garbage, right?

But at the same time, if we just start pursuing any one of those

individual things so much that it starts to pull us out.

Of the source of our life. And being then you're going to

get tripped up and lost without even knowing it.

Another one is yourself. I mean, self-esteem, super

important believe in yourself, that's great.

You should, you should be confident.

You should be confident in yourself, but when you stop

trying to see God's truth and you just have my truth, Right.

Well, this is my truth. Still lie.

Right now, we got to be firmly set in the word.

Matthew 6:33 says, but seek first, His kingdom and his

Matthew 6:33

righteousness. And all these things will be

added to you having Idols in your life breaks, both of those.

Because an idol in your life. Takes your first seeking.

And it gets you out of alignment with God.

So I can't say that I'm seeking first, the kingdom of God and

his righteousness, but also be seeking first, something else.

And the minute I start seeking first someone else.

Now I'm breaking God's word to me.

Therefore, I'm no longer in alignment with his word, so now

I'm not put that back up now. I don't have the right to have

all these things added to me. Because it says seek first, the

kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these

things, which means if I'm not seeking the kingdom and saying

righteous, I don't qualify for the second half.

Right? And if we go back in Ezekiel,

when they're talking about look it's of your heart.

And God says, look when they come to me, I'm going to talk to

them based upon their idols. so that means every time we're

going to God, when you have Idols in your life, you are

cheating on God, and then bringing the partner to

everything you do. You're cheating on God.

And then bringing the person you're cheating on them to your

prayer. To your services to your events

to everywhere. You go rub it in his face.

I mean there's real weight to that, like I said, I think

sometimes, you know, we think God and is like, oh God, he's

there. But if you were cheating on your

spouse and then bringing that person around with you,

everywhere you went. Why cuz First Corinthians 3:16

1 Corinthians 3:16

Says do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the

spirit of God dwells in you? so, when I have Idols in my

life, I'm trying to bring something that's not of God's

nature. That's not of my nature.

It's no longer my nature. Right.

We're like aw man. It seems like a lot.

Like I mean how can we really like honestly say like seek you

like, obviously I work eight hours a day.

Like, that's a tower. I'm not telling you to boil this

down to Literal time hours because you have to work.

All right, you got you. There's things that we have to

do. But how do we spend then all the

free time we have? But how do we also attack how

we're working? Because do I go to work?

And then just check out and it's just like, oh, my buddies are

here, and we're cussing. We're hanging out.

We're doing all this kind of stuff.

Or do I bring this new spirit and new nature with me everyday

to work. Right?

Because if we're bringing these things around, you know, that's

how we stay in this. You know, simple things can can

change the trajectory of our lives so much.

Now, I've told this story before how, when we had our third

daughter, Scottie, we were in a busy season at the church.

And so, I started to pray that God would multiply my time with

my children and with my newborn baby that if I spent, you know,

30 minutes with her, it would be like, I spent three hours and so

on. Because I knew I wasn't going to

have as much time, but I knew I was doing what God told me to

do. And so I held God, the look, if

I'm doing what you call me to do, then you can't let this

Relationship fail. Right?

Because if I'm in your purpose, doing what?

Then you're not going to let this relationship fail.

And I held him to that and for those who know me and have been

around me, you know, Scotty is like my buddy.

She is like, like the closest to me, any of my daughters have

ever been at. Such a young age.

Right. Normally, when they're babies

they want their mom, like they're all about their mom.

And then it comes like a point that then I get to kind of swoop

in and take that attention a little bit.

Right? But from the get-go, Scotty just

wanted to be with me, like, wanted me to hold her.

Why? Because God honored, that prayer

and that time, and even though it wasn't as much time, as I did

spend with some other kids when they were newborn.

He Amplified that it's those small moments.

God can become so much more. Are you praying on your way to

work? You know, what are you doing?

When you have time start there? Start where you can.

I pray in the shower all the time, the majority of times.

I speak, I get half of them in the shower.

You know I had read a quote from this this Rider wants and he was

like look if you if you I set out to write, you know, one

chapter every day. He goes in, if I ever get stuck,

I should go take a shower, it was some days.

I'll take 9 showers, he was, but I always get a chapter.

And I not that that made me do it but it clicked and I was

like, you know, I'm kind of like that for me like I just get

stuff when I'm in the shower. I just feel like, I don't know,

maybe it's the water. Maybe it's the lowness,

whatever. It is things just start popping

up. You know, I've written tons of

songs in the shower. My voice sounds better in there,

anyways. But it's about taking any time I

can and how can I now make it valuable?

Because like we said, earlier time is so easily.

Lost Now, are we trying to actually be paying attention to

our time? Because I'm just never been a

big fan of when people tell me like they don't have enough

time. because you do, Like there's always more time, right?

You can always sleep, a little less wake up a little bit

earlier, stay up. I mean if you just woke up one

hour earlier and went to bed, one hour later, you've instantly

got two more hours a day which is 14 hours a week.

I've given you an entire basically days worth of time by

adding two extra hours. Right?

But the truth is it's not that we don't have enough time, is

that? We just really don't value it

enough to give it the time. Because when we truly value

something, we will put time into it.

You cannot say you love something but then spend no time

doing it. Do you love the idea of

something? A lot of people love the idea of

God. They love the blessings of God.

But they don't really love the relationship or they would build

it. They would build it.

Like I said, when we have Idols in our lives, we're letting

something that is no longer our nature.

Try to take over our nature. We're letting something that's

not a bar Kingdom culture. Try to take plant and Who We

Are. Because where you spend your

time, you will start to identify with that.

Where you spend your time and where you spend investment?

You're going to fight for those things.

Why? Because you clearly care about

it. And if we don't take that same

attitude into our relationship with God.

Then it's no wonder some of our lives are such a mess.

I mean sometimes it's just as simple as of sitting down and

saying I'm going to evaluate the time I spend with God.

Because, you know, things because and you can tell, man, I

mean, you can really tell the more time you spend with God and

in his presence, and in his word, you can tell things.

Just start coming easier and quicker, answers, problems are

solved things. Just start running more smooth.

Right, when you're in it, you know, you're in it. and most

times when you've gotten to a point that you're in it enough,

When you get out a little bit. That becomes so obvious to

something comes up and you like man.

You know what I really haven't been in it enough, this

shouldn't be a problem. It's not that we won't have

problems but it's that we can solve them a lot quicker when

we're in the word, right? The more we stay in the word and

saying his friends were building up defenses.

To keep us from spending time on things.

We should because if I'm spending time in God's presence

and in his word, that I can't be spending time, making Idols

because I'm here. So, I'm building defenses around

them and then when I get out of spending time with him,

eventually my defenses will be depleted.

Yeah. And the only way to get him back

is to get back into the word. Right?

So we want to make sure that we're staying connected to the

source. How do we stop Idols from

creeping up in our lives? We evaluate our time.

We evaluate what we're spending our money on.

We evaluate what we're showing our talents to Right, there's

some real gifted people that spend their talents on

themselves. It's all about getting me

somewhere better. I'm really good at these things.

And I can continue to progress my career, my status, my

ability, and I'm willing to spend time on building myself

and my kingdom. But then it's like all there's a

project here at the church where my God.

You know. Sorry.

Can't jump on, you know, it's a time, you know, you just like

the things, you know, there was a something that was it was

here, rain check. That we start rain check and

God. Like you know, you should be at

prayer and you're like, oh, you know next time.

Because it's not like the flesh, doesn't obviously.

So try to do his thing and it's easy for things to come off.

I mean, you wake up, you come to me, you know, Tuesday Morning,

Thursday morning prayer at 6 a.m. you can do it for, you

know, six months. It's still going to happen every

once in a while that you're going to wake up at like 5:30

and be like I'd rather stay in bed today.

Today would be a better day right here.

Especially when it's cold outside.

Like I gotta wake up, put on extra clothes.

I'm already trying to get it like as close to the last

second. I need to write takes me 32

minutes to get to the building so I can wake up you know five

minutes to get dressed. Now it's colds up to add 5

minutes. I mean I like to get my stuff

out the night before and like throw it somewhere that way I

can only have to think about it in the morning.

Why? Cuz I want that time sleeping

but you know, I always reminded myself.

Often, you know I'd wake up especially you know, when I was

going to the gym at 5:00, I'd wake up and my alarm would go

off and I look over and be like just won't go back to sleep.

And then I just asked myself, is one more hour of sleep really

worth it. Is one more hours sleep really?

Worth not obtaining. The goal I want to get to it was

this one more hour really worth it.

Some of us are trying to get to a Next Level spiritually and we

need to take one more hour. Towards something else.

And when it comes up and you don't want to do it, you need to

ask yourself. Is this one more hour really

worth me? Not accomplishing what God wants

me to in this season. Because like I said, it's crazy

how when you like are all about something, you'll jump on it,

you'll spend time in it, you'll go, it's like nothing can stop

you. You love this project.

You want to keep doing this project.

You want to see it all the way through you're putting in crazy

hours but you're excited about a times flying by, there's no

problem. But then it's like, God tells

you something like, you know, I'm just it was I was it was a

long day already. but if you really valued it, then we would

do it Colossians 3 1 through 17 says, therefore if you have been

raised with Christ to a new life, sharing his resurrection

from the dead, keep seeking the things that are above where

Christ is seated, at the right hand of God set your mind and

keep focused habitually on things above the Heavenly

things. Not on things that are of their

Earth which are only temporal value for you died to this world

and your new real life is hidden with Christ in God.

Christ, who is our life appears? Then you also will appear with

him in glory. So put to death and deprived of

power. Deprived of power, the evil.

Longings of your Earthly body with its sensual, self-centered

instincts, immorality impurity, sinful past, and evil desires

and greed which is a kind of Dollar Tree because it replaces

your Devotion to God because of the sinful things, the Divine

wrath of God is coming on the sons of disobedience.

Those who fail to listen and who routinely and, you know,

District, disregard God's precepts.

And in the sinful things, you also once walked when you were

habitually living in them without the knowledge of Christ,

but now read yourselves, completely of all these things,

anger, rage malice slander and obscene, abusive filthy vulgar

language from your mouth. Do not lie to one another for

you have stripped off the old self with its evil practices and

have put on the new spiritual self who is being continually

renewed in truth and true knowledge in the image of him

who created the new self and renewal in which there is no

distinction between Greek and and Jew circumcised and

uncircumcised nor between nations rather Barbarian or this

other place, nor in status, whether slave or free, but

Christ is all and in all, so believers, Equal in Christ

without distinction. So as God's Own chosen, people

who are holy set apart Sanctified for his purpose and

well-beloved by God himself. Put on a heart of compassion,

kindness, humility gentleness and patience which has the power

to endure, whatever Injustice or unpleasantness comes with good

temper. Bearing graciously with one

another and willing forgiveness of each other.

If one has a cause for complaint against another, just as the

Lord has forgiven, you, you should So you should forgive

beyond all these things put on. I lost my spot.

We're here. Yep.

And above all these things put on love and enfold yourselves

with a bond of perfectness which binds everything together

completely and ideal Harmony and let the peaceful Harmony which

continues from Christ's rule act as umpire continually in our

hearts deciding and settling with finality.

All the questions that arise in your mind's, in the peaceful

state to which, as members of Christ's one body, you are also

called to live and be thankful. Appreciative giving praise to

God, always let the word spoken by Christ.

The Messiah have its home in your hearts and minds and dwell

in you all its richness as you teach and admonish and train

one, another and all insight, and intelligence and wisdom, and

spiritual things. And as you sing Psalms, and

hymns, and spiritual songs making Melody to God with his

grace, in your hearts. And whatever you do, no matter

what it is, in word or deed. Do everything in the name of the

Lord, Jesus and Independence upon his person, giving praise

to God the Father through him. You've been given a new nature

called out of all of those things that were listed and

placed with the ability to overcome at all.

Just like Pastor talked about a couple Sundays on driving it out

and driving out the flesh. You have the same ability to

drive out the things that are sucking your time.

Because if we all believe we're drawing, even closer to the end.

Then how much more valuable is our time now than it was before?

How much more valuable has our time in this day and age become?

Because the truth is we have one shot at life.

And we will only be judged by where we put our time.

Right? Because he called us to

something, he wants us to accomplish something, which

means I'm gonna have to put my time to accomplish it, which

means in the end, he's going to look and say I called you to

attain this, you got here because this was the time you

gave me Right. So we've been called to

something greater we've been pushed in our hearts that we can

accomplish these things, which means we have to value our time

and we have to place our time and things that are going to

continue to push us to our purpose.

Right, I seek after things that will push me to my purpose and

are valuable to my time. You know, there are things I

used to do. You know, I used to do tons of

side photography because I enjoyed it and it was like good

extra money and I just kind of liked it and grew it.

Now I like never do side photography.

Why a I don't really love it as much anymore.

I just want to do my own thing. I don't have to deal with

families it's not as fun as it used to be you know it's like

you know I don't like the way this picture looks like it's

your face. My picture is great.

Like like is there just one where the whole family Smiles,

like know your Kid was screaming and crying the whole time.

Like, can't Photoshop that. And I was like so much work.

Like man, I just take pictures of Nature's easy.

People always look happy when they're staring at a mountain,

you know, it's like, let's just travel, I'll take pictures of

people there. But also I realized that I

didn't want to spend time doing it anymore.

Because it wasn't just that time of the photo shoot, it was the

time of the editing, it was the time of the getting better.

It was the time of finding new locations.

It was the time of doing all this stuff and just for me, I

was like, I don't like this, it's something I don't want to

spend time on anymore, especially continually.

I got still sobbing like my wife.

Does she's a better photographer than me.

Anyways, people always smiling her photos so you know like but

everyone's mom she's like hand and you kind of shoot like fine.

I can take it right. It's like it's not but I don't

have to edit them. That's the best part.

Like I just like boom. There you go.

You make them look happy. You know, like I don't have to

spend all that time in it. Now I got to spend the 4th I can

on Pinterest and fine poses and then try to get someone who

doesn't like to pose pose because he never fails that.

At some point, you're going to take photos of some like dude

who doesn't really want to be there because he hates pictures

and just like stands there. You like haha, you know do

something funny. Trying to make someone laughing.

I'm already in my mind going like okay, so they're going to

hate these. This is great.

How good is my Photoshop skills? Could I make him smile?

Will he know that he never smiled and call me on it or will

he just be happy that there was one and they think that maybe he

did at some point? Right.

Like it was just work and so I was like, man, I'd rather put

that time somewhere else. Better than that.

And so, I did I'm put time towards things, I grew up with

and I put times the things I actually found more enjoyable

now. So like, if I needed a break

like, this is now I have this time because I'm not booked

because like photo shoots are always like early morning,

anyways on the weekends. And so then I'm like it's

Saturday and now I have to wake up to go.

Take pictures of people who are tired and I like we're doing in

Six, Clock is high because the lighting is the best.

You just gotta do it. If you want family photos, wake

up early, you need to wake up extra early so that you look

awake in the photos. Don't blame your photographer

because you woke up five minutes before you needed to and like

Rush there in like a luxu sweeping all the photos.

You'll woke up five minutes ago, wake up 30, 40 minutes, early

get some coffee, get look happy. And then ask someone to take

some photos of you gonna make your family photos better?

You're welcome. Matthew 22:37 through 38 says,

Matthew 22:37–38

and then he said to them. You shall love the Lord, your

God with all your heart and with all your soul and when all your

mind, this is the great and foremost commandment.

You shall love the Lord, your God with all your heart, all

your soul, and all your mind. The Creator who died for you,

who loves you, who gave you life, who gave you purpose?

Who blesses you and Lead. You just wants you to spend time

with him. And like I said earlier as a

father, I looked at the brownies and I was like I created these,

I have every right to them. God created each and every one

of us and has every right to demand that.

We give him our heart. Because in return, is it really

that much? To say man.

Look at all God did all he wants is for me to spend time with him

and do his word. Right?

And as parents, we look at our kids and we're like, just spend

time with me and obey me, right? For all the parents out there,

you can probably relate, there's nothing sweeter than like, when

your kid just comes up just completely out of the blue.

And they're like, I love you and they give you a hug and then

they just like go back to doing, you know, there's been multiple

times where like I've had one of my daughter's.

They are saying out playing especially Luna.

She's a lot more like affectionate but should just

like be playing and doing something, you know talking to

herself. Probably and singing Because she

can just like play with a tree and have a great time.

And then she'll just like run up to me she's like hey I love you

and not give me a hug and then just like run back out and just

like you literally stop what you were doing because at some point

you have this thought in your mind that you loved me and felt

like you needed me to know and there's nothing more special

than that moment. And some of us just need to give

God that moment. We need to take the time and

work to just stop so you gotta love you, thank you for all

you're doing my life. I thank you that you continue to

lead and guide me and push me somewhere else.

I thank you for your loving, kindness your faithfulness to

always be there because you are a good father and then go back

That's how we increase value in time.

That's how we get ourselves out of positions.

Being you can come up. That's how we get ourselves out

of of just the mundane, the, we're down, right?

Most people get so worn out at what they're doing because

they're really just not building themselves up with God.

Right Colossians 1 3 will 113 last one for.

He rescued us from the Dominion of darkness and transferred us

to the kingdom of his beloved Son.

In whom we have Redemption, the forgiveness of sin.

He is the image of the invisible.

God, the firstborn of all creation for by him.

All things were created both in the heavens and on Earth,

visible and invisible, whether Thrones, or dominions or rulers

or authorities. All things have been created

through him. And for him, he is before all

things. And in him all things, hold

together. He is also the head of the body,

the church and he is the beginning, the firstborn from

the dead so that he himself will come to have.

First place in everything for he is the Father's good pleasure

for all the fullness to dwell in him.

So, I just want to encourage everyone tonight.

As I wrap this up, To just take time.

To evaluate your time. Some of you are going through

situations or trying to get to the next level and really all

you need to do Is start putting time where it needs to be put.

And I think we can always look and try to find something big

and drastic to change, but the truth is for most people.

If you just arrange your time, you'll find yourself somewhere.

If find yourself in a way better position, if you just rearrange

your time and start putting the your valuable time in the things

of the spirit, and being in the word, and being in prayer and

being in his presence. You'll also find that you have

to spend less time dealing with other problems.

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