Have You Lost Your Mind | Daniel 4:4-16

Let's give God some praise here in the building.

Hallelujah.

Hallelujah.

Y'all better stop.

Hallelujah.

Glory to God.

Glory to God.

Come on, everyone standing on your feet.

Hallelujah.

Come on, everybody all over the building.

It is it is the sweet sweet.

Hallelujah.

Hallelujah.

Hallelujah.

You know, sometimes you come in the building truly with the praise on your heart, and you don't know how to get it out except just to get it out.

Glory be to God.

Glory be to God.

So we're excited just to be in this atmosphere of worship one more time.

One more time.

Again, we're not going to belabor the moment, but we believe in allowing the Holy Spirit to have its way.

Hallelujah.

We come in with agendas, and we have agendas for our day and for our week.

How many of you just wake up some mornings and just go, God, just have your way?

God, just have your way today.

Have your way today.

So we are grateful for yet another opportunity to come before Him in worship and in praise.

You actually may take your seats in the presence of God.

We're gonna have our scripture reading, and you can be seated with the scripture reading.

It's pretty lengthy, so we're going to give you some rest.

Amen.

Can we pray?

Father, in the name of Jesus, we thank you, God, for this moment.

We pray, God, that as you have already begun the work, as you've already started to flow from heart to heart and mind to mind, we pray, oh God, that you would continue.

We pray that you would continue to meet the need right now.

Let your word go forth, God.

Let no flesh glory in your presence.

But we pray, God, that you would have your way in this place.

We pray, God, that you would uh attend to every one of our needs.

But more importantly, we pray, Holy Spirit, that you would speak to our heart.

A word that will help us to get to this next place that you've destined for us.

In the mighty, matchless name of Jesus, we pray.

We all together say Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Turning your Bibles real quick to Daniel, the fourth chapter.

I am grateful for our pastor in his absence.

Can we give him a shout of praise?

Amen.

Pastor Walter L.

Bowers Jr., Lady Tiffany Bowers, Amen, and the Bowers sons.

We are grateful for them, grateful, so grateful for them for all that God has been doing in their life and all that he continues to do in their life.

And we're grateful to serve with him and for him to serve over us.

So we are grateful again for each and every one of you to all of these leaders.

Amen.

God bless you.

God bless you.

God bless you.

So thankful for each and every one of you that continue to pray and labor over this work that God has assigned you to.

Just so grateful for all that God is doing.

And again, I will not be remiss if not for the one that has covered me, that continues to cover me.

I'm so grateful for you.

Temptations just simply told me to call up my girl.

Yeah, yeah.

Yeah.

But then I remember, brother, the Commodores came out with a song that says, She's my brick.

Ow.

She's my mighty mighty.

Somebody just went back.

Holy Ghost.

Just got finished dancing and running.

Holy Ghost, snatch them.

Snatch them back.

Amen.

I'm grateful for you.

Thank you for your prayers and your love.

Amen.

And for each and every one of you, God's people, we bring you greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Daniel chapter 4.

Daniel 4 · chapter mention

And we're going to be reading verses 4 through 16.

The word of the Lord reads as such, and come on, we can read this all together.

If you don't mind standing, you can certainly feel free to do so.

The word of the Lord reads, I, Nebuchadnezzar, was living in my palace in comfort and prosperity.

But one night I had a dream that frightened me.

I saw visions that terrified me as I lay in my bed.

So I issued an order calling in all the wise men of Babylon so they could tell me what my dream meant.

When all the magicians, enchanters, astrologers, and fortune tellers came in, I told them the dream, but they could not tell me what it meant.

At last Daniel came in before me, and I told him the dream.

He was named Belteshazzar after my God, and the spirit of the holy gods is in him.

I said to him, Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians.

Come on, keep going.

Now tell me what my dream means.

While I was laying in my bed, this is what I dreamed.

I saw a large tree in the middle of the earth.

The tree grew very tall and strong, reaching high into the heavens for all the world to see.

It had fresh green leaves, and it was loaded with fruit for all to eat.

Our animals lived in its shade, and birds nested in its branches.

All the world was fed from this tree.

And as I lay there dreaming, I saw a messenger, a holy one, coming down from heaven.

The messenger shouted, Cut down the tree and lop off its branches, shake off its leaves and scatter its fruit.

Chase the wild animals from its shade and the birds from its branches.

But leave the stump and the roots in the ground, bound with a band of iron and bronze, and surrounded by tender grass.

Now let him be drenched with the dew of heaven, and let him live in the wild animals among the plants of the field.

For seven periods of time, let him have the mind of a wild animal.

Before you take your seats, can you look at three or four people helping preach this message this morning?

Let them square in the face and ask them, have you lost your mind?

Come on, they looked a little too dignified.

They looked like they didn't want to answer.

You look at look at somebody else and ask them, ask them sincerely, sincerely.

I'm serious.

Have you lost your mind?

That fifteenth and sixteenth verse in the message translation is actually where I got that title from.

It said, Let him be soaked in heaven's dew and take his meals with the animals that graze.

Let him lose his mind and get an animal's mind in exchange.

We are in an amazingly curious time in our society.

We had um elder Brandon Frederick to preach for our 8 a.m.

worship service this morning, and he did such an amazing job.

If you have an opportunity, please go out and catch that 8 a.m.

service.

But he his message was stay in the race.

And he started talking about some things, and it it brought back to mind, my wife and I, we often talk about whenever we peruse social media and we see various things going on, that it it's it's pretty clear that people today have just gone plum crazy.

Is it just me?

Like I when you when every day it seems like it's something different, it's something new, but people it seem to be so unhinged where the slightest thing could cause someone to go in a fit of rage.

Ain't we ain't got no road rages in here right now.

This some of y'all just bow your head, just bow your head right now before we go any further.

We want nobody cussing nobody, at least today.

Let's let's get through today.

But we're living in a time where everyone seems to be so on edge.

And it doesn't help that we have a government that seems to entice and antagonize so many of its people.

But the truth of the matter is uh they're only uh opening the gateway to allow what's been inside of us to come out for so long.

The truth of the matter is we've been harboring uh some things so long that we've just been walking around looking for the opportunity.

And the truth of the matter is it's in these places that when you find yourself just ready to let loose and let go on somebody, that if it truly had not been for the Spirit of God, see, some of you don't realize that's why we praise and thank God so hard when we come in here because of what we could have done, what we what we should have done, what what could have happened to you.

Let me just give God a praise for what was about to come out of my mouth because God saved you right where you were.

Truth of the matter is, many of us we put on the appearance of being strong and put together.

But the fact of the matter is, many of us are uh I believe it was Melie Mel with the Furious Five that said, Don't push me because I'm that boy said, because I'm close, I'm trying not to lose my head.

He got real.

He said it's a jungle sometimes.

It makes me wonder how I keep from going, Lord help me, please.

What I find is that it seems like the more we give the facade true, like we got it all together, many of us are but one banana peel away from it all falling apart.

And I want to encourage you, if that's a part of your testimony, if it's a part of your your hidden struggles and trauma, I I want to encourage you that whenever you have an opportunity to come in to the house of God, whenever you have an opportunity to fellowship among the believers, don't take it lightly uh because it's not of your own accord that God has sustained you to be right here where you are right now.

Thank you, Sister Candace.

Thank you, uh Elder, uh, for the Bible study on Wednesday for reminding us, Elder Kay, that we have fragmented faith, but it's God that keeps putting us all back together again.

Even when we when we feel like we're broken and we'll feel like we we're useless, it's God that continues to keep us and mold us and shape us and recreate us.

So when we come into the house of worship, we owe God at least the praise to tell him, thank you for not allowing me to go over the edge.

Yeah, that's some of our stories.

Thank God for not letting me go over the edge.

And if that's you, um let me just go and tell you now.

I can probably gonna give the benediction for you because that's about all I got for you.

I I I've come this morning for a different crowd.

I I've I've come this morning for a crowd, Pastor Young, that can admit that there was a time in their life when they did go over the edge.

Yeah, you you tried to do everything you could to salvage the moment, but the reality was you were on a slippery slope.

And before you know it, you let some things come out of your mouth.

You you let your anger get the best of you, you let a situation get the worst of you, and before long you had to sit in and deal with the consequences of your actions.

Uh I need to remind you that even if that's you, uh all is not lost.

That God still had you covered even when you couldn't cover yourself.

God kept you even when you couldn't keep yourself.

And if that's you, you owe God in even greater praise because you know what it's like to have to go and go to the ends of despair.

You know what it's like to sit in a jail cell, you know what it's like to sit under an unemployment line, you know what it's like to lose everything, including your mind.

We find here our scripture for today.

Before we can jump into chapter four, I want to go back a little bit just so that you understand who this man Daniel really was.

You see, Daniel was what was considered to be an exiled uh uh child of God.

He was uh the people of God, they were captured by Babylon, by this king by the name of Nebuchadnezzar.

And what I found in my studies, like most of the times, when we read scripture, we read it like it's folklore, like it's a fairy tale.

Uh, but lest we realize that these are all real accounts that actually happen to real human beings.

So when I went back and studied, King Nebuchadnezzar was an actual king uh of the Neo-Babylonian um uh territory, and he was known for his military strategies and he would conquer various territories.

But really, where he got his shine was when he would take over a territory, he would then uh uh capture all of the finest uh of the people and bring them and make them serve in his uh kingly courts.

But in order to do that, they had to be learned individuals, they had to, they had to be men uh uh of great understanding, and he would bring them close and he would then indoctrinate them into all of the Babylonian ways and the and the languages just so that they could serve him and his purpose.

And what he would do in bringing all of these territories that he would capture, he would then put up monuments that would esteem their gods for every place that he would conquer.

Well, the problem with that was because he was so great, he had a multitude of gods that he began to acknowledge along the way.

My pit stop here, real quick, is to remind and encourage and even warn some of you along the way in your journey, uh, as God is allowing you to exist and go throughout various situations, seasons, and relationships, be mindful of the things that you're picking up along the way.

Some some some habits, some thoughts, some ideals didn't come from you, they came from that joker that you thought was.

So we find here that Nebuchadnezzar has now become a victim of his own demise.

He has now conquered territories and he has now brought them into his own courts and made them of his own.

And when he got into situations where it was he would he needed wisdom or he needed some knowledge about what the next move or the next intent would be, he would call all of the magicians and he would call all of the astrologers, all of those that could work the works, amen.

Uh uh, he would bring them in to get their advice.

But something happens in the first chapter of Daniel.

We see here that he in capturing Judah, the people of God, they selected some young men, and Daniel was one of them.

But if you look in that first chapter, it says that Daniel stood out.

He stood out because God had a special anointing on his life.

The Bible says that God literally gave him the ability to interpret dreams and visions.

Now, this may not seem consequential or it may not seem like a big deal to you, uh, but I need for you to understand that there's no place that God is not allowing you to go that he hadn't already equipped you for.

There's nothing that he isn't allowing you to spirit to experience that he hadn't already put an anointing deep on the inside of you just for that very purpose.

So we see here that Daniel is now being called up to the king's court.

And uh it said in that first chapter that there were many times that he would call Daniel and the other magicians in for a particular word of knowledge or wisdom, and Daniel stood ten times above all of the others.

I need for you to understand, uh, people of God, you've heard Pastor Walt say this, I believe, at the beginning of this month, where he talked about the floating axe head, and he started off that message by saying, This is the season for us to do away with the false humility.

Some of y'all are really all of that, some of y'all really got to know that you're all of that, and that what God has put on the inside of you is for such a time as this.

So the Bible says that there were moments that Daniel stood out and he just did what God had equipped and allowed him to be able to do.

But we find here that as the story progresses, that the king still had his own way, and then we get into Daniel chapter 2, and we find that Daniel had some brothers along with him that were also gifted, and that they were also anointed, but they were also very faithful in their devotion unto God.

Daniel 2 · chapter mention

And King Nebuchadnezzar had uh uh this this this principle, he had this rule uh that that at a certain time of day everyone would bow down and worship him.

And uh it came to be that on this particular day that when it was time for them to worship the gods of of Nebuchadnezzar, that they refused.

These these young men, these three young men refused, uh, and then because of that, uh the the the order was for them to be put to death.

Y'all remember the story?

Uh uh and the Bible says that because they disobeyed, that there was a fire, a furnace that they uh were ordered to be thrown into.

Y'all, y'all, if y'all don't remember, this was the story uh of three Hebrew boys by the name of Shadrach, Meshach, and a bad Negro.

Oh the Bible says that the fire was so hot that even the attendants died trying to put them in.

But when they put them in the fire, the Bible decreed that it went back to tell Nebuchadnezzar, well, we got a problem, sir.

Uh we put three in, but we see four in the fire with them.

I need to remind somebody here at Chosen City this morning that no matter how hot the enemy may turn up, the fires in your life, you're not alone.

When you walk with the spirit that God has put on the inside of you, you've just got to be convinced that with every step, he's right there alone with you, no matter how high it gets, or no matter how low the circumstance is, no matter how hot it gets around here, God is still with you every step of the way.

The Bible declares that because of this miracle that Nebuchadnezzar now began to think twice about these four boys, Daniel and the other three Hebrews.

And because of this, he put them and promoted them into places of prominence in his cabinet.

I need for some of you uh to hear this.

Um we have uh uh a candidate for an elected uh position in here today as well.

Uh I need for you to understand uh that where God is taking you, where where God is elevating you, uh uh your education is good and and and it's good to know who you know.

Uh, but I need for you to understand that where you're being elevated to, where you're being promoted to, uh is about God's plan and his provision over your life.

Uh these moments that God is already predestined for you, he's already carved it out, he's already called your name victory long before anybody ever placed the ballot.

So I need for you to be able to stand and proclaim that what God is doing in your life will be done in the earth.

Hallelujah, hallelujah.

So we see here that with their elevation came favor.

We get into chapter three, though, is where things start to take another turn.

You see, the king was plagued with this condition where he'd have these frightening dreams.

And he couldn't make heads or tails of the dreams, and he certainly didn't have the wherewithal to be able to interpret what the dreams meant.

But he had the bright idea in chapter three to say, I want all of my so-called folk that's supposed to be deep.

All my folk that's supposed to know what they know.

I want you to come and tell me what my dream meant.

The Bible says that as the magicians and the astrologers and the enchanters all came around, they inquired, King, tell us your dream so that we can interpret it.

But the Bible says that the king refused to tell them the dream.

He said to them, if you're really as deep as you think you are, tell me the dream and interpret it.

Tell me the dream and interpret it, and if you can't, it's gonna cost you your life.

Isn't it amazing that sometimes when you uh uh stand on what you think you know, that God has a way of being able to show up to show you that is not by might nor nor by power, but by my spirit, said the Lord.

They not only couldn't do what they were being asked to do, but now they were subject to be put to death.

The word goes out that all of the magicians and astrologers and enchanters are about to die.

And this included Daniel and his boys.

This amazed me when I saw this part in the story because I can imagine in my mind Daniel saying, Hold up, I ain't with them players.

That's them.

That ain't me.

You ain't never asked me to do nothing.

But now that you're saying you're gonna take my life, the Bible says that uh Daniel said, let me let me go and see the king for myself.

He goes and he says to the king, give me a night so that I can seek God about this situation and I can uh be able to tell you the dream and interpret it.

I'm taking my time in and here for a reason because some of you need to understand that what God has put on the inside of you, He has blessed, equipped, and anointed you to be able to solve problems.

But the reason we can't solve problems is because we're so fixed on the problems that we have ourselves, and God is saying, I need for you to get out of your own way so that I can use you to be a blessing in the kingdom, and when you're obedient to my voice and my word, I'll work out the situation that you were worrying about, but you've got to be committed to do what I'm calling you to do.

Daniel knew he was a problem solver.

So the Bible says that Daniel went back that night and he told his boys, hey man, we got to see God's face about what the king got going on so that we can uh be able to interpret this dream.

And sure enough, the Bible says that uh not only was Daniel made aware of what the dream was, but God had given him the interpretation.

Well, the king was so impressed once again with these boys, and particularly with Daniel, that he called them up again uh to an even higher place of favor and prosperity.

I know many of you don't get excited about stuff no more because we've been matured in God to know that all we need is his presence.

Amen.

Somebody.

But it don't help when God blesses us with a little bit of favor, favor that you didn't earn, favor that you didn't ask for, favor that nothing that you could do uh would would would be able to qualify for it.

It's only by the hand of God that he's blessed you to be able to move and progress the way that he has.

So we see here that the king was so honored that he was grateful for Daniel.

But now, as we flip to chapter four, and I'm almost done, we get to chapter four, and Daniel is now being called on again because the king has yet another dream that's scaring the little the the the the life out of him.

The Bible says that he had this dream and he wasn't sure what it meant.

This time he told Daniel what the dream was.

Let me pause here for a second.

I got an um I got some amazing brothers, and I got an even amazing barber.

I sat in his chair last night.

I said, you know, I had a dream.

I had a dream that I was bald head.

I want you to cut it all off.

And he said to me, uh, he said to me, I can't say that you didn't have the dream.

But what I ain't finna do is have your wife mad at me.

So we're gonna take it down as low as we can get it.

So she called last night when she was on her shift to see how I was doing.

I knew I was in trouble, so I had all the lights off when she called.

I was looking at her through the screen like this.

Hey, babe, I'm getting rested up for tomorrow.

Knew I'd cut all my hair off, so she didn't see it until she got here this morning.

But them dreams sometimes will mess you up, brother.

Sometimes it ain't the Lord, sometimes it might be some bad part at me.

You just got to know the difference.

When the Lord speaketh.

Nebuchadnezzar had a dream that scared the living life out of him, D.

He didn't know what to make of it, so he called Daniel because he knew Daniel was trusted with interpretation.

So when Daniel now comes, he tells Daniel this dream.

He says, I saw a tree extended above the earth.

Every ah the branches are so full every beast and every animal bird nested in and fed from the tree.

But in the blink of an eye, a messenger came down and said to me the tree will be shot.

All of its branches will be caught.

But save the stone and guard it with bronze and iron.

Daniel! What does this vision, what does this dream mean?

The Bible says that Daniel whipped it in his heart.

Because he immediately knew the interpretation.

He said, King, I really don't want to tell you what the dream means.

The king said, Son, you have my permission.

No matter what the news is, I need to know what the dream means.

The Bible says that Daniel then tells him, looks him straight in the face, David, and says, King, the tree is you.

And God says that you have you've been a great ruler.

But now it's time for you to be cut down.

It's time for you to be cut down.

And in the midst of you being cut down, you're going to now have to lose your mind and live in the field amongst the animals.

Watch this.

You're going to lose your mind and take on their mind for a period of what is believed seven years.

Seven years you're going to have to go through this so that you learn really who God is.

What I found that was so encouraging yet distressing all at the same time was that while Daniel stood to deliver this message, he had to be accountable to the word that God had put on his heart.

I've come to encourage somebody in here with a prophetic word.

I've come to encourage somebody in here with the knowledge, a word of knowledge and wisdom for you to stand in account to what God has put on your heart to say.

Don't look at folks' faces, don't worry about situations, about what they're gonna say or how they're gonna receive it.

You stand and say what thus saith the Lord, because God is holding you accountable to the word that he's put inside your mouth.

The Bible declares that Daniel had to now deliver this news to the king, which he realized could very well cost him his life.

But he said, I believe he made up in his mind that for God I live and for God I'll die.

God, I got to be honest, I've got to be accountable to the word that you've given for me to say.

The Bible says that he told the king this.

But because you didn't see it happen right then, you don't think that the word was really for you.

The Bible says that Daniel told him that the word is going to come true, but you you need to stop sinning, and maybe God will change his mind.

The king brushed it off and continued to go about his business.

Look at the word, it said in verse 24 that 12 months later, 12 months later, the king was walking up on his balcony and began to overlook his kingdom.

I told you that Nebuchadnezzar was known for not only military strategy, but he was also a great architect.

He was a great builder, and he would build these wonderful and magnificent uh uh uh uh emphasis for himself, and he was looking out of over his kingdom, and as he looked out, his heart and his chest began to puff out and saying, Look at all of this that I've done.

Look at all of the wonderful things that I've built, look at all of the wonderful majestic things that I've created for myself.

The Bible says that the words were still on his lips.

In the blink of an eye, the Bible declared that he lost his mind.

The Bible says that in that very moment he was dethroned, and he was brought down to the fields, and he began now to crouch down like one of the animals and began to graze as if he were a cow or an ox.

When I studied this for all of the mental health professionals in here, I looked that up to see if that was something that was translatable for today.

And what I found was that was actually a psych uh uh uh psychotic moment that he had that they called biotropy.

I didn't know what it meant, but essentially it is uh an actual thing where people actually believe that they're animals and they began to take on the very mindset of animals and they began to walk around as if they are one of them.

The Bible says that he was in this state so long that his body began to transform.

The Bible says that the very hairs on his arms and his body began to thicken.

And they thickened in such a manner that they started to resemble eagles' feathers.

And his hands, his nails began to grow so long that they started to resemble claws.

Not only was now his mind changed, but his body had now taken on a transformation.

I need for somebody in here to understand that what you've gone through, sometimes you've endured some things in life, and when folk look at you, you don't look like you used to.

Anyone in here ever been flipping through a photo album and look back at a period of your life when you didn't look like you used to look.

You didn't look like you used to look, your face was sucking in, or you had picked up some weight, you didn't look like yourself.

And it was this moment that God had you in here, allowed you to be incubated while he was transforming you.

The Bible says that he lost his mind and began to crawl on the ground like one of the animals, and and he had to stay in this state, Kevin, for seven years.

I struggle whether to give it today, but it was literally on yesterday.

I'm sitting in a book signing, and I heard the author give a testimony about the moment that he had to go to prison.

And it was shrank his heart as he was going through it.

But here was the thing that was the confirmation for me.

He said, I was sat in that jail cell for seven years.

I said, God, I hear you.

Somebody had been struggling with something since 2018.

Somebody in here right now, and God has sent me to tell you that your your time is up, your struggle time is over.

I don't care if it was seven years, I don't care if it was seven months, I don't care if it was seven weeks, I don't care if it was seven days, it could have even been seven hours.

God said your time is up.

God said your time is up.

Some of you not clapping because you don't realize what happened next in the story.

Because what happened was while Nebuchadnezzar was down in his transformative state when he was living out the time that he had to live out.

The Bible declares that on the seventh day of the seventh year, the Bible says he looked up toward heaven and he started to give God a praise, and God then restored him, God then brought him back, God restored his mind, God restored him back to his kingdom.

I need to encourage somebody in here that all is not lost just because you've lost your mind, all is not lost just because God allowed you to go through some turmoil in your life when you allow and realize that your life is completely in his hands.

God allow you to go through some circumstances that you never otherwise would have thought you would have made it out.

But God says, I've been protecting you this whole time, I've been incubating you this whole time, I've been shielding you this whole time.

What I realized was while many would have looked at Nebuchadnezzar and started to point the finger and laugh because he had lost his position, because he had lost his mind, and because he started to look like what he was going through.

The Bible declares that the promise to El to uh old Nebuchadnezzar was that not only would I allow you to go through this, but I'm preserving your stump.

Y'all missed the promise.

He told him, cut the tree down, but save the stump.

Some of you have been rooted and grounded in this thing that's been keeping you this whole time.

Some of you have been rooted and grounded in the very God that's trying to deliver your life, but you've been fighting the process.

God says, I need you to go through the process because in your going through the process, I've got greater for you on the other side.

I'm in the book.

I'm in the book.

He said to him that when the seven periods is up, he looked toward heaven and he was restored.

But what got me at the end of that?

It said not only was he restored, but the Bible says that God gave him even greater than what he had before.

I need for somebody to catch that in your spirit.

Everything that you've gone through in that period of time, God didn't allow you to lose it.

He was trying to ensure that the investment would get a return based on your praise.

When you learn to look up and give God a praise for what don't look right, what don't feel right, what don't sound right.

God says, I'm gonna elevate you to a place of greater.

God says, I'm trying to give you greater.

Trying to give you greater.

I'm getting ready to get out of here.

But here's why this was so powerful to me.

Media team, get this up for me real quick.

Go to Daniel.

Nope, y'all stay standing.

Go to Daniel 4, verse 1 and 2.

Daniel 4:1

And I need for every bloodwashed believer to get this in their spirit.

And whatever praise God gives you to give, I want you to erupt it in this place like never before.

The Bible says, King Nebuchadnezzar sent this message to the people of every race and nation and language throughout the world.

Peace and prosperity to you.

Keep going.

I want you all to know about the miraculous signs and wonders the most high God has performed for me.

Keep going.

How great are his signs, how powerful are his wonders, his kingdom will last forever, his rule through all generations.

One more.

And stop at the first part of four.

I, Nebuchadnezzar, I need for you to understand that God has preserved you so that you can tell your own testimony.

You ain't got to rely on nobody else to tell it for you.

You're gonna be able to tell others what God has done for you.

The name of the book is Daniel, but God gave Nebuchadnezzar the voice to be able to tell his own story.

I need about 15 of y'all in here that no longer will allow somebody else to speak for you, will no longer allow somebody else to tell the story that of what God has already done in your life.

If he's blessed you, somebody ought to say so.

Come on, you can do better than that.

Give God a praise in here.

If he's blessed you, if he's done anything for you, if he's delivered your life, give him a praise that's deserving.

Come on, you can do better than that.

Some of you lost your mind, and that was a good thing.

Some of you had to lose it all, and that was a great thing.

Some of you threw in the towel a couple of times, and that was a wonderful thing.

Why?

Because God still reigns, God's kingdom still lives.

God is still the God of my survival, He's still the God of my life.

Hallelujah.

Somebody ought to give him praise.

Every heart standing.

I was telling Nebuchadnezzar's story.

Now I need to tell my own.

Now I need to tell my own.

A few weeks back.

Seven weeks back to be exact.

I walked into my office to be met by a manager that said, Thank you, sir, for your 25 years of service.

But your services are no longer needed.

I felt on the inside a shake.

Wow.

On the outside, I smiled and shook his hand as I turned over all of my equipment and walked out the door, believing and proclaiming that God was going to do something greater.

Amen.

Amen.

But I can't lie, on the inside, your boy was shook.

I was shook to my core because I explained to my wife, although I the Lord had allowed me to survive two divorces, I now had to face displacement.

The reality was I had to stand in it.

You see, people of God, when God has anointed you, gifted you for the various places in your life, you do more disservice by trying to run from what God is trying to call you to.

See, I make it flowery as I used to a few weeks ago was telling the testimony to others, but here was the truth.

Here's the truth.

God was calling me Latar into something that I really didn't want to accept.

God had said to me a few months ago, it's time for you to do something different.

And I said, find somebody else to do it.

And there were some things opening up here at the church that I was being asked to do.

And I looked my pastor in the face and said, Well, you know, I got this job and everything.

I said, Well, you know, the way my banking account set up, my checking then go to my saving.

You know, I got this job situation happening.

And sweetie, it was just last night that the Lord reminded me while I was wrestling with the spirit over Nebuchadnezzar's story, that the Lord said to me, Can you hear me now?

Deacon Bailey came in the back to pray with me right before I came out, and he started to share his testimony.

And here's what gripped my heart.

I was full of tears when he walked out of there.

He was telling his testimony about his airborne journey and I used to jump out of planes, but he said something that was so key.

He said, I had a moment where I jumped out, and and truth of the matter is, I shouldn't have I shouldn't have gotten out of what I did because I did everything wrong.

And when I landed, I hit the ground, bounced.

And he said, the only thing that was wrong was I had a broke toenail.

But here's what he said, Elder Mason that got me.

He said, now I was unconscious, but I was intact.

But I was intact.

I've come to remind about a hundred of you in here that what God is allowing you to go through.

Hallelujah.

Whatever you've been fearing won't come nigh thee.

God says that He's covering you, God says He's protecting you.

God says he's keeping you.

And you might be unconscious.

In fact, it might be best that you're unconscious, because some of you can't handle what you're about to go through.

You can't even see it.

God says that I need for you to go to sleep so that you can allow me to work it out.

Some of you been worrying about some situations that you've been looking at, but God says I need you to be unconscious so that I can do the work.

And I'm proud to do in real life.

You will survive.

You will survive.

You might be unconscious, bro.

But God says you will be intact.

Come on, let us celebrate the name of the Lord and Savior.

Come on, let's bless them for keeping us.

Come on, let's bless them for keeping us.

Let's bless them for keeping us.

Let's bless them for keeping us, even when it don't make sense.

God, I thank you for keeping me.

Even when I don't get it, God, thank you for keeping me.

Even when everybody else turned their back, thank you for keeping me.

Thank you for keeping us.

Thank you for keeping us.

Thank you for keeping us.

Come on, worship us.

Come on, worship us.

Somebody in here right now is on the verge, and they don't know whether to keep holding on or to let go.

I'm trying to tell you that either way, God got you.

No matter what you decide, God got you.

No matter what your decision is, God got you.

Let go if you must.

Lose your mind if you need to.

But just know that God is a keeper of your mind.

Hallelujah.

The Bible declares that He will keep us in perfect peace when our mind is paid on him.

Sometimes you got to lose your mind to the worldly thing.

Hallelujah.

To the worldly concern.

And know that God has got you.

Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind.

Some of us just needed a mind renewal, that's all it was.

God just needed to shift your mentality one more time.

He just needed to shift your consciousness one more time.

Hallelujah! Even when you let go, even when you did lose it.

Anybody in here can testify that when you look back over some situations that look like they were the worst periods of your life, and you can now testify that it had if it had not been for the Lord who was on my side, if it had not been, Ronda, for the Lord who was on my side, if it had not been, Nakima, for the Lord who was on my side.

Hear the Lord saying, Need to pray for the Daniels in the room.

Need to pray for the Daniels in the room.

Those of you that know without a shadow of a doubt that God has equipped you with some gifts, but you've been worrying too much about the outcome.

You've been worrying about whether or not people are going to receive Paul, what God has put on the inside of you.

I need to pray for the Daniels today.

If that's you, I want you to meet me up here at this altar.

If God is calling you to another place,