Sharpening the Saints | Pastor Jesse Jernigan | 3.22.26 (Sermon)

Hallelujah.

So, as you're giving,

I feel like this is for somebody

in the house today.

I just want you to turn to, if you have

a couple neighbors beside you, behind

you, and I want you just to help confirm

something in their heart today by

telling them, "I want you to know Jesus

really does love you." Come on. Can we

turn to three or four people around you

and tell them that?

>> Yeah.

>> Jesus really does love you.

Contrary to what you feel,

the beauty of it is our faith, thank

God, is not based off of feelings.

Um because I'd probably say 80 to 90% of

the time I wouldn't feel like I'm loved

because I'm tired, because I'm weary

because I have a lot of things going. My

mind is all different directions. And

can I be honest? I feel that in this

room this morning. The enemy is trying

to stretch your mind beyond what the

peace of God has already ordained in

your life. So I tell you right now,

don't you believe the lie of the enemy.

You are loved by Jesus. Come on. I I

dare you. Matter of fact, I dare you to

give God a little praise that you're

loved by

Jesus. For real love. For real loved.

You say, "Pastor, how can you say that?"

Well, number one, I talked to him.

>> But number two, his word says it.

>> Even while we were still rotten,

stinking sinners,

>> he demonstrated his love to us and he

died on the cross.

>> So, if that's all he ever did for me,

>> then can I tell you I am solid? right

now in the fact that I know Jesus loves

me and I know he loves you and I know

today he has a word for this house. If

you're ready for the word, I want you to

shout, "Bring it on.

>> Bring it on."

>> Grab those Bibles, jump to your feet.

I'm going to take you to the Old

Testament, New Testament, all over the

world. We're going to read from Genesis

1 all the way to Revelation today. It's

going to be powerful. But if you got

your Bible and you physically can stand

to your feet, go with me to 1st Samuel

chapter 13. 1st Samuel 13. Uh the Holy

Spirit uh made these verses leap off the

page into my spirit uh several weeks ago

and told me to hold this message until

today when we release our groups and

you'll understand uh more of why or or

why that is as we get more into the

message this morning rather. Uh but I'm

going to read just four uh short verses

here today. And when you get 1st Samuel

chapter 13, say, "I got it."

Start with verse number 19.

The Bible says, "Now there was no

blacksmith to be found throughout all

the land of Israel.

For the Philistines said, lest the

Hebrews make swords or spears." Sound

like they tried to keep him in bondage.

But all the Israelites

would go down, somebody say down.

>> Down.

>> To the Philistines to sharpen each man's

plow shear, his maddox, his axe, and his

sickle.

And the charge for sharpening was a pen

for the plowshares, the maddox, the

forks, the axes, and to set points, set

the points rather, of the goats. So it

came about on the day of battle. I want

you to focus in on this. On the day of

battle that there was neither sword nor

spear found in the hand of any of the

people who were with Saul and Jonathan.

Come on now. Bible goes on to say at

least a little bit of good news. There

were two people that had swords swords.

That was Saul and Jonathan. But the

Bible says everybody else of the

children of Israel was empty-handed when

it came to a weapon.

And so today, my assignment from the

Holy Spirit is to come in this room and

initiate a thought in our hearts that is

going to be executed by our groups over

the next several months. And that is

this. Sharpening the saints. Look at

your neighbor and say, "Sharpening the

saints."

>> But today through this message, we're

going to restore. We're going to be

restoring the fire, the forge, and the

fight of the people of God. Come on. And

I believe he's going to speak to us in a

powerful way. If you're ready for the

word today, I want you to raise those

hands to heaven. A and with a heart of

solidarity this morning, uh can we just

submit our hearts to the word of God and

the power of God? Lord, I thank you for

your word. I thank you, Lord, that your

word is going to speak straight to our

heart. Uh Lord, I believe it's going to

absolutely penetrate every uh attempt or

attack the enemy have planned against

our life. Um and I believe it's going to

bring a absolute uh disillusion to the

enemy today through your word. Lord, I

pray that you would strengthen us, uh

sharpen us, Lord, restore the fire, the

forge, and the fight in every one of us,

God. And we'll give you praise in Jesus

name we pray. And everybody says amen

and amen. And you may be seated in the

presence of the Lord today.

Sharpening the saints.

Sharpening the saints. And if I could

really just let you know that I feel

like the Lord is getting ready this next

season uh for us in this season of

legacy to uh help us to understand our

assignment fully and understand our uh

our calling fully and what God has uh

placed on this house and on our hearts

to fulfill for his kingdom and for his

glory. Uh the fact is today that we have

to understand that we can't just go

through life uh just haphazardly and

just hope that we land in the correct

vein that God desires for us to do. But

there has to be a sharpening that comes

to our life through the word of God.

>> The fact is that many people will throw

the wa the word of God out because they

don't like one thing that it says. And

uh you know, and I've even gotten

reports that uh some people don't really

care for the way that I preach. And some

people don't like uh some of the stands

that I make. Some people don't even like

some of the flags that I hang up in the

sanctuary. And there's a lot of scrutiny

behind uh certain things that the Holy

Spirit has led me to do and to lead

inside of this house. But here's what I

want you to understand. As far as I am

concerned, I'm going to listen for the

the voice of the Holy Spirit to come.

But I can promise you this. I'm going to

back it up with one thing that is

forever settled in heaven, and that is

the word of God. Do I still have some

folk in the house today that believe the

word of God is true?

Oh, come on. I I I'll get into the

preaching part later, BUT DO WE REALLY

BELIEVE THE word of God is the actual

word of God that is forever settled that

there is Come on, every spot in it,

EVERY WORD, EVERY PROMISE, EVERYTHING

THAT'S IN IT. I'LL BE HONEST, I WANT IT

FOR ME. I WANT IT FOR MY FAMILY AND I

want it for this church.

>> But the fact is people will get in there

and say, "Well, this is irrelevant

because it was written to this group and

this is irrelevant because it was

written here and I didn't live during

that time, so that don't make sense to

me." Can I tell you the word of God

transcends culture, ethnic background,

it transcends opinion. Can I get an

amen? It don't matter what I think. IF

THE WORD OF GOD says it, it is forever

settled in heaven and earth.

>> So we have to understand that at the

outset of this because there will be a

rejection from people in sharpening if

they don't believe the word of God is

true.

>> Because if it makes me uncomfortable

and I don't feel like the word of God is

true, then I say that's not for me.

>> Right?

We have a generation now that is all

about comfort, luxury, and ease. But

when we go back to the word of God, it

is the quite opposite.

>> It's all about self-care. Now,

>> me time.

>> Hello, somebody.

>> How can I MAKE MYSELF FEEL BETTER? BUT

THE WORD OF GOD THAT I read says to deny

yourself,

>> take up your cross and follow Christ.

>> SO WE HAVE TO BRIDGE THIS GAP OF

UNDERSTANDING that if the word of God is

true, I cannot JUST TAKE THE PARTS OF

THE WORD OF GOD THAT MAKE ME FEEL OKAY

and say yes to that. BUT WHEN IT

CHALLENGES ME OR SHARPENS ME, I throw

that out and say, "I don't want any part

of that."

>> We either have to be all in

>> or all out.

>> So, let me go ahead and just let let's

just go ahead and settle this and I'll

take the next 30 minutes and get where I

got to go. But let me say this right

here. HOW MANY OF YOU IN the house would

say, "Pastor, I am willing to go allin

in this season for what the word of God

is going to do in my life." Come on,

somebody give God praise if you believe

that. All right. I'm still not really

convinced that was all right for a patty

cake. That was okay for Rory winning the

Masters last year. But I want to know,

IS ANYBODY REALLY SAYING, "I'M ALL IN."

Come on. Completely in. No matter what

the cost is, NO MATTER WHAT I GOT TO GO,

COME ON. NO MATTER WHAT I GOT TO

SACRIFICE OR PUT ASIDE, NO MATTER WHAT

IT LOOKS LIKE, I AM ALL IN FOR the

kingdom of God.

>> I'm all in.

And we have to have that settled in our

heart because if not then we will miss

the season of sharpening that God has

for each one of us. Now I want you to

understand before we ever read that

there was no blacksmiths in all of

Israel in 1st Samuel chap 13 and verse

number 19 we must understand that Israel

didn't arrive in that condition

overnight.

>> They didn't just show up one day and all

the blacksmiths retired. Can I get an

amen?

>> They didn't show up one day and

everybody just decided to check out and

well there's a better business adventure

over here. I'm going to No, that's not

what happened. This wasn't the result of

one battle lost or one thing that was

undone. IT WAS A RESULT OF a people who

slowly drifted away from the foundations

of their faith.

>> If you trace the story back through

Judges, uh, and if you read Judges,

you're you're going to be on a roller

coaster. Amen. you you know if you've

read that and it's it is a it is the

picture of the heart of a of a of a

failed uh uh humanistic mindset that we

will believe when things go good and

when things go bad we got to blame

somebody. And so it would say and this

king did which was right in the sight of

THE LORD AND TORE down all the things

and the next king that came in or the

next judge that came in HE DID WHICH WAS

EVIL in the sight of the Lord and TURNED

AWAY AND LED THE CHILDREN of Israel.

Didn't have to have a redeemer COME IN.

THE CYCLE WAS REPETITIVE BECAUSE IT WAS

A PICTURE OF A FALLEN HUMANITY.

>> AND IF WE'RE REALLY HONEST TODAY, THERE

ARE A LOT OF US THAT OUR WEEKS LOOK THE

SAME WAY.

>> SUNDAY, and they did what was right in

the sight of the Lord.

>> BUT WHEN MONDAY CAME AND THAT SAME

COWORKER THAT'S been getting on your

nerves all year long,

>> come on. Stepped into your office, you

went with one of the bad people and you

said, "And I did that which was evil in

the sight of the Lord.

I BECAME THE UP AND DOWN OF JUDGES,

>> the the IN AND OUT AND ALL THESE

DIFFERENT THINGS. CAN I TELL YOU, YOU'LL

SEE A PATTERN, NOT ONLY IN JUDGES, BUT

IN SAMUEL AS WELL, THAT THE CHILDREN OF

ISRAEL BEGAN TO COMPROMISE IN THEIR

FAITH. THEY DID NOT, WATCH THIS,

OUTRIGHT REJECT GOD. THEY DIDN'T

OUTRIGHT REJECT HIM, BUT THEY STARTED

MAKING ROOM FOR other things.

>> Watch this. THEY TOLERATED THE THINGS

THAT GOD told them to tear down.

>> Come on, somebody.

>> THEY COEXISTED WITH ENEMIES. THEY WERE

COMMANDED TO DRIVE OUT FROM AMONG THEM.

GO BACK AND READ IT. YOU can read JUDGE

AND YOU CAN SEE THAT over time AFTER

AFTER HAVING TOLERATION in their spirit

and coexistence in their spirit, THEY

BEGAN TO ADAPT THE VERY CULTURE THEY

WERE CALLED TO CONFRONT.

AND BECAUSE of that, they ended up in a

place of compromise. JUDGES 2:12 SAYS,

Judges 2:12

"THEY FORSOOK the Lord and followed

other gods."

They followed other gods. And here's the

danger in the compromise is that

compromise never stays small.

>> Let that settle for just a second.

>> Compromise never stays small. I'm the

world's worst about this when it comes

to dieting.

Can I just have a like 20 seconds of

confessional here?

>> I will do so good for like a week and a

half

and then someone's grilling steak at

their house

and I say, "The Lord has provided

and that one steak turns into a couple

stakes and turns into falling off the

bandwagon because compromise never stays

small." And can I tell you, if you allow

a little bit of compromise to stay in

your life and you coexist with that,

before long, if you're not careful and

you don't deal with that sin, it will

overtake your life and it will destroy

your future.

>> Come on, somebody.

>> You listen to me? Listen to me, man. You

staying up late at night and you're on

your phone, you're doing things on there

you should not do and say, "It will

never affect anybody else because nobody

else knows about it." Let me tell you,

pornography will tear down your family.

>> Come on, somebody. You say, "Well, why

why my marriage going through problems?

How long have you been on that site when

nobody else knew about it?

>> Come on, y'all. Don't get everybody just

got real tight right there.

>> That's You supposed to preach FOR ME.

MAKE ME FEEL BETTER. I'M TRYING TO SAVE

your marriage.

>> Hello.

>> Come on. BECAUSE IF WE'RE GOING TO GET

IN THIS THING AND WE'RE GOING TO MAKE IT

AND WHEN THE TRUMPET BLASTS, IF WE'RE

GOING TO BE READY FOR THE RAPTURE, WE

CANNOT ALLOW COMPROMISE TO EXIST IN OUR

LIFE. WE HAVE TO EXTINGUISH SIN AND SAY

YES TO THE PROMISES OF GOD AND SAY, "I'M

NOT GOING TO LET SOMETHING LIKE THAT

TEAR DOWN MY FUTURE, TEAR DOWN MY

CHILDREN'S FUTURE, AND TEAR DOWN MY

FAMILY'S FUTURE, TEAR DOWN MY MARRIAGE."

COME ON. WE GOT TO BE WILLING TO FIGHT

AND SAY NO TO COMPROMISE.

>> All right, I'm going to need a little

better help preaching than that today. I

want you to understand this. It's it it

always leads to the loss of spir

spiritual authority in your life when

you allow small compromise to come AND

WHAT STARTED AS COMPROMISE WATCH THIS

EVENTUALLY WILL turn into dependency on

whatever that is.

you allow compromise to come in. AND

INSTEAD OF FORGING THEIR OWN TOOLS, WHEN

WE READ THE SCRIPTURE, INSTEAD OF

FORGING THEIR OWN TOOLS, ISRAEL FOUND

THEMSELVES GOING DOWN TO THE

PHILISTINES, THEIR ENEMIES, TO SHARPEN

THEIR PLOWS, THEIR AXES, AND WEREN'T

ALLOWED TO HAVE WEAPONS FOR THEMSELVES.

I WANT YOU TO THINK ABOUT THAT. THEY

WERE PAYING THE ENEMY FOR SOMETHING GOD

HAD ALREADY GIVEN THEM THE ABILITY TO

PRODUCE IN THEIR LIFE. THEY WERE FUNDING

THE VERY SYSTEM THAT WAS OPPRESSING THEM

AND KEEPING THEM IN BONDAGE. ISRAEL HAD

TO GO DOWN TO THE PHILISTINES JUST TO

FUNCTION. WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE IN

TODAY'S WORLD? THAT WE NEED THE WORLD

SYSTEMS TO FEEL AT PEACE. WE NEED THE

ENTERTAINMENT OF THIS WORLD TO MAKE

OURSEL FEEL BETTER. WE NEED SUBSTANCES

TO DEAL WITH THE ADDICTION OR THE HURT

AND THE PAIN IS IN OUR LIFE. WE NEED

VALIDATION FROM EVERYBODY ELSE EXCEPT

FOR THE WORD OF GOD. WE LOOK TO CULTURE

FOR OUR IDENTITY RATHER THAN LOOKING TO

CHRIST. COME ON, SOMEBODY. WE'RE NOT

GOING DOWN THERE ANYMORE. WE'RE FEEDING

ON THINGS THAT DULL OUR EDGE INSTEAD OF

SHARPENING IT. I'M TELLING YOU, GOD IS

NOT CALLING THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL AND

THE PEOPLE OF GOD TO GO DOWN TO THE

ENEMY. HE IS CALLING YOU UP TO ANOTHER

LEVEL THIS MORNING AND SAYING, "I'VE GOT

SOMETHING GREAT FOR YOU. QUIT GOING DOWN

TO COMPROMISE AND RISE UP IN YOUR

CALLING TODAY."

>> Rise up in your calling. Cuz we have to

MAKE UP OUR MIND. ARE WE GOING TO

FORSAKE GOD OR ARE WE GOING TO BE allin

to him?

>> Jeremiah 2:13 says, "They have forsaken

Jeremiah 2:13

me and huge systems FOR THEMSELVES THAT

CAN HOLD NO WATER.

They made THEIR OWN WAY. THEY WENT TO

THE ENEMY TO TRY TO FIND FULFILLMENT AND

THEY ENDED UP MORE BROKE THAN THEY WERE

in the first place."

>> I want you to see this. The Bible says

in Romans 12:2, IT SAYS, "DO NOT BE

Romans 12:2

conformed to this world, but be

transformed."

>> That means I once was this way. I met

Jesus and he transformed me and now I am

a completely different person. COME ON.

IS THERE ANY COMPLETELY DIFFERENT PEOPLE

IN THE HOUSE OF GOD? ONE, TWO, THREE.

GIVE THEM A LITTLE PRAISE IF YOU'VE BEEN

TRANSFORMED TODAY.

For see the fact is THIS MORNING THEY

WERE GOING TO the wrong source for their

strength.

>> They were looking to the wrong place.

Our Bible says to look up to the hills

from which cometh your help. We don't

look down, we look up.

>> That's right.

>> So anytime that you are LOWERING YOUR

STANDARDS TO FIND YOUR STRENGTH or your

peace, you are doing exactly what the

children of Israel did and you are going

down to the Philistines.

God did not tell us to hold our head

down and to look down and sink down. God

calls us to rise up to heavenly places.

>> That's where we are called to be. So,

not only not only was it a a a a going

down, but watch this. They were charged

a fee by the Philistines for sharpening

their tools. They they were char the

Bible says it was a pimp. That was the

amount. That was the the exact amount

that was given. And the modern example

is this is that living in spiritual we

are living in spiritual poverty WHEN

YOU'VE BEEN GIVEN ACCESS to the kingdom

of God. We are paying the enemy for

something we SHOULD BE DOING OURSEL.

THEREFORE being more broke THAN WE WERE

TO START WITH AND DEPENDENT ON something

that we shouldn't be depending on. AND

NOW WE PUT OURSEL IN A COMPROMISED PLACE

WHERE WE HAVE FORFEITED OUR PLACE IN THE

KINGDOM OF GOD.

>> GOD HAS NOT CALLED US TO PAY THE ENEMY.

GOD HAS CALLED US TO INVEST IN THE

KINGDOM.

>> SAY, "WELL, WELL, we like to DO THIS AND

WE LIKE TO GO HERE AND WE LIKE TO GET

ALL THIS ENTERTAINMENT." LISTEN TO ME.

BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU PUT YOUR MONEY INTO.

>> Come on.

>> Because you could be investing in the

system that's going to keep you

oppressed.

>> Oh, come on.

>> Come on. I can get into specifics. I'm

not going to do that because people

going to think, "Well, he ain't

preaching about me. He's preaching about

the person on my row." Come on,

somebody. You just know, hey, you know,

pastor's preaching about the person on

the other side of you. I ain't preaching

to you. Come on. You know that's just

the truth.

>> But watch this. We are willing to pay

the price of our peace for the attention

of people that couldn't care less about

us.

>> We're we are willing to pay the price of

our peace to get the attention of people

that couldn't care less about us.

You

>> say, "Well, I I want everybody's

attention." I've watched this even in

religious circles, man. People are

willing to pay a price to get somebody's

attention who really they are focused on

their assignment, and the other person

should be focused on their assignment.

And if we collide in the kingdom, praise

God, it'll be beautiful, but they are

willing to sacrifice everything they

have to try to get in the room with

somebody that they probably don't even

need to be in the room with.

>> And then their WORTH IS BASED OFF OF WHO

I GOT A PICTURE WITH LAST WEEK IN the

ministry.

>> Come on.

It's just the truth.

>> I've watched it happen for people in

pullpits and then they're not satisfied

and they're not thankful for what God

gave them. I want to go ahead and say

this right now. I am so thankful and so

blessed to pastor this church and to

love you. Come on. I AM THANKFUL FOR THE

HOUSE THAT I GET TO PASTOR. We are

thankful for this place. AND I'M GOING

TO TELL YOU THAT AIN'T NO PLACE LIKE

MILLIGAN ASSEMBLY OF GOD. CAN I GET A

AMEN IN THE HOUSE? HOW MANY YOU LOVE

YOUR CHURCH? ANYBODY LOVE YOUR CHURCH

TODAY? COME ON. I LOVE THIS HOUSE. I

LOVE WHAT GOD DOES HERE. I'M THANKFUL

FOR WHAT HE DOES HERE. IT HAS SHARPENED

ME. IT HAS MADE ME WHO I AM TODAY. AND

I'M thankful for that.

>> Thankful for it.

>> Striving for APPROVAL WHEN YOU'VE

already been accepted by Jesus.

>> We don't get who we are in Christ. So,

we will try to find someone to validate

us.

>> Come on.

>> This is where I see a lot of teenagers

mess it up. Maybe there's not a father

figure in their home. And because of

that, the young ladies will go out

seeking the approval of a young man who

will validate them and feel like they

are worth something. Can I tell you,

you've got a heavenly father today that

will validate you. You've got youth

pastors that will validate you. You've

got senior pastors that will validate

you. You do not need to climb in the

backseat of a car with a boy TO FEEL

VALIDATED. COME ON, SOMEBODY. It's time

that we have some tr some holiness BACK

IN THE HOUSE AGAIN. BUT I'M GOING TO

TELL YOU, BABY, YOU ARE WORTH SOMETHING

CUZ YOU'RE NOT JUST ANYBODY. YOU ARE A

PRINCESS IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD. AND THE

DEVIL DON'T LIKE IT. HE'LL TRY TO TEAR

IT DOWN, BUT I WILL NOT COMPROMISE MY

FAITH TO GET WHERE SOMEBODY else wants

me to go.

>> Strive for approval when you've already

been accepted.

paying emotionally, mentally, and

spiritually. Watch this. We try to pay

emotionally, mentally, and spiritually

for what Jesus already paid for and

finished on the cross.

>> He even said in Isaiah 55, he said,

"Come and buy. You don't even need

money."

>> Come on.

>> The Philistines are charging them a

pimp, but Christ said, "Come and buy." I

You ain't got to pay nothing.

>> Come on.

That's the God that I serve. THAT'S THE

GREATNESS OF THE GOD THAT I love. And he

says in second Peter 1:3, "HIS DIVINE

2 Peter 1:3

POWER HAS GIVEN US ALL THINGS that

pertain to life and godliness."

They were paying for access that they

already owned.

>> They were paying for access that they

already owned. How do you know that they

owned it? Because the blood of Jesus

Christ is what gives you and I access to

the throne of God. Come on. It's not

your social status. It's not how much

money you have in the bank. It's not how

smart you are. It's not how many degrees

you have on the wall. It's not who you

know and what you know and how long

you've been here and how long you've

been there. No, the blood of Jesus

Christ is what gives everybody access to

the blessings and the power of God.

There is no other gospel but the blood

of Jesus Christ.

>> It's just a truth.

>> So, what's this? What What does What

does it look like to fund what you're

fighting for? or what what or what does

it look like to fund what is fighting

you? We feed habits that weaken our

spirit through compromise and sin

cycles. Watch this. We invest time,

attention, and resources into things

that pull us away from God.

>> I've watched people do this for years

and say, "Well, it's just one weekend,

pastor." No. Listen, don't invest it.

You stay the course with his will.

>> Supporting systems both are uh al

although mentally, emotionally, and

financially. Watch this. that oppose

kingdom values

>> don't support the systems that are

keeping the children of God in bondage.

>> Galatians 6:7 says, "Whatever a man sws

Galatians 6:7

that he also reap." Romans 6:16, "To who

Romans 6:16

you present yourselves slaves to obey."

>> In other words, who are you PRESENTING

YOURSELF TO? WHO ARE YOU GIVING? WHO ARE

YOU FUNDING THAT'S GOING TO KEEP

fighting against you?

Who are you enslaved by? And I want to

say this to our moms and dads in the

house and our sons and daughters. We

cannot quit and give up and give in.

>> That's right.

>> And I'm going to say this to our men in

the house. I want our men to stand up

real quick.

Don't do it so fast. You guys are so

quick. My God bless you. You guys are so

quick. All of our men. Can we give God

praise for all these great men in the

house? Come on. God is so good. Tell you

what,

we got the most handsome men in the

whole entire county. I'll put them up

against every church. Come on, somebody.

We got some handsome men in here. But

I'm going to tell you this. God did not

call you to back down from the enemy.

>> Let's go ahead and get there. I ain't

got but like 15 minutes left. So, let's

go ahead and say this. God did not call

you to back down from the enemy.

>> God did not call you to be a

>> Hello, somebody.

>> Amen.

>> God called you TO BE A MAN OF PRAYER,

>> a man of the word.

>> All right, that didn't that flew. Let's

fix that right there. You say, "Well, my

pastor is supposed to be the

theologian." No, you supposed to study

the word for yourself.

>> Come on, somebody.

>> CUZ WHO'S GOING TO HELP YOU IN THE

MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT WHEN THE enemy is

plaguing your HOME AND THE ENEMY IS

ATTACKING YOUR HOME? YOU GOT TO BE ABLE

TO TAKE THE SWORD OF THE SPIRIT OUT AND

SAY, "DEVIL, NOT IN MY HOUSE. I plead

the blood." I Come on, SOMEBODY. I NEED

SOME MEN THAT WILL RISE UP AND STEP UP

TO THE PLATE AND SAY, "I'M NOT GOING TO

FOOL AROUND WITH COMPROMISE. I'M NOT

GOING TO LET IT GET IN MY FAMILY. I WILL

PUT MY FOOT DOWN AND SAY, "NO, DEVIL.

CAN I HEAR FROM MY MEN?" COME ON, GIVE

GOD PRAISE IN THE HOUSE.

>> Sit down. Bunch of handsome fellas. I

tell you what, y'all so good-look.

But the men have got to step up again.

>> Cuz what I'll say is this. As a man,

what you don't forge today, your

children will have to fight for

tomorrow.

right there.

>> What you don't forge today, you say,

"Well, I'm just going to coast through

life. My my kids are older." You better

not.

>> You better not. You better get more

serious about God now than you ever have

before. Jesus is about to come back. You

say, "Well, I've got older children.

They need to see their daddy stable and

wise. Come on. And holy and righteous in

the eyes of God. They need men OF

INTEGRITY THAT WILL NOT BACK DOWN FROM a

fight. Cuz here's the progression in our

lives if we're not careful. What you

tolerate, you will eventually depend

upon.

>> And what you depend on, you will no

longer have the power to overthrow.

>> Let me say that one more time. I think

you do.

>> What you tolerate, you will eventually

depend on. And what you depend on, you

will no longer have the power to

overthrow.

So if you do not get to the point that

that you are and that's where the

children of Israel were at, they

compromised and they tolerated and

eventually they depended on the people

uh the the the Philistines to present

them and because they depended on they

didn't have the power now they didn't

have swords or spears to overthrow the

enemy of their life.

>> Want you to see this. They are living in

the aftermath.

>> The aftermath of what pastor? of

compromise, dependency, and misaligned

leadership. If you go back a chapter

before, you see Saul doing something he

was not supposed to do. He went and did

not wait on Samuel to make the sacrifice

before the Lord. And because of that, he

let pride get in his heart, thinking he

was going to take the position of priest

and king, but God didn't call him to be

the priest. God called him to be the

king in that moment. And he stood there

in a in a spirit of pride. And it put

him in a spot to where he was misaligned

leadership. And because of that, I want

you to see what started in the heart has

now shown up in the hands of the

children of Israel.

>> Wow.

>> Israel's condition can be summarized in

four different stages. And here it is.

Number one, compromise.

Number two, coexistence. Number three,

dependence. And because they depended on

number four, powerlessness,

>> they were weakened. That's what it

started. All of this started from the

heart. And you can see addiction come to

people's life in the same way. Watch

this compromise. We'll tolerate a little

bit of this.

>> Then they say, "Well, it's here, so

let's let's just coexist A LITTLE BIT.

WE CAN LIVE ALONGSIDE this addiction.

>> We can let it dwell in our family EVEN

THOUGH IT'S DESTROYING our marriage."

And then before LONG, BECAUSE YOU

COEXIST WITH IT, IT became a dependence

in your life. And then you stop and say,

"Not only am I going to let it live

here, I have to have it now to

function." And then because now you are

dependent on it, you have become have be

been wielded powerless and now you

cannot fight against whatever that is

anymore in your life.

>> This is what the enemy wants. This is

what the enemy desires for each one of

our hearts is to t our each one of our

lives is to tarnish our heart to the

point of compromise, coexistence,

dependence and powerlessness because it

all flows from the heart. And I want you

to understand that because of that, the

enemy got them to the point of this

place. He got the children of Israel's

point and now he limited what they were

allowed to carry because he tarnished

their heart AND DREW THEM AWAY FROM

where God desires. So I want you to

understand the condition of your heart

determines the capacity of your hands.

>> The condition of your heart determines

the capacity of your hands. THAT MEANS

INSIDE of my life that if I LET MY HEART

DRIFT AWAY FROM WHAT GOD DESIRES, AT

SOME POINT WHEN GOD REACHES OUT AND

SAYS, "I'M GOING TO GIVE THIS TO YOUR

LIFE FOR YOU TO HOLD AND POSSESS. I

DON'T HAVE THE CAPACITY BECAUSE I'VE

ALLOWED MY HEART TO BE DISCONNECTED FROM

THE WILL OF GOD." AND THEN I CAN'T LOVE

PEOPLE LIKE JESUS CALLED ME TO LOVE

THEM. I CAN'T HAVE COMPASSION. I'LL

START LOOKING AROUND THE ROOM AND

SAYING, "WHO DO THEY THINK THEY ARE?"

AND I START BEING THE FBI. COME ON,

SOMEBODY. YOU START JUST LOOKING AT

PEOPLE AND SAYING, "I DON'T BELIEVE THAT

THEY'RE SAVED. AND I DON'T BELIEVE THAT

THEY'VE BEEN REDEEMED. MAYBE IT'S NOT

THAT THEY HAVE BEEN. MAYBE IT'S YOU

FORGOT WHERE GOD BROUGHT YOU FROM AND

YOU LET YOUR HEART DRIFT FROM THE PLACE

THAT GOD SAVED YOU. I'M CALLING PEOPLE

BACK TODAY NOT TO LOOK PEOPLE AND JUDGE

THEM, BUT SAY, "GOD, IF IT HAD NOT BEEN

FOR YOU ON MY SIDE, I WOULD NOT BE HERE

TODAY. IS THERE ANYBODY THAT WOULD SAY,

I'VE BEEN SET FREE BEFORE. I'VE BEEN

DELIVERED BEFORE. I've been broke free

before, and I don't want to forget it."

1 2 3. Give God some PRAISE IN THE HOUSE

if you haven't forgotten where God has

brought you from. Hallelujah. Look at

your neighbor. Say, "Don't you forget

>> because the condition of your heart

determines the capacity of your hands."

AND THE PHILISTINE OPPRESSION. WATCH

THIS. IT WAS STRATEGIC over their life.

It wasn't JUST PHYSICAL.

>> YES, THEY TOOK AWAY THEIR SWORDS. YES,

THEY TOOK AWAY THEIR SPEARS. YES, THEY

TOOK AWAY THEIR FORGES WHERE THEY COULD

MAKE THESE IRON WORKS TO BE ABLE TO

DEFEND THEIREL. BUT IT WASN'T JUST ABOUT

THE PHYSICAL SIDE. IT WAS STRATEGIC IN

THE FACT THAT THEY JUST DIDN'T ATTACK

ISRAEL'S ARMY. THEY ATTACKED THEIR

ABILITY TO EVER RISE up and overthrow

them. Watch this. They removed the

blacksmiths because no blacksmiths means

no weapons.

And no weapons means there's no

resistance.

And if there's no resistance, that means

total control.

>> You say, "Pastor, I feel like I've lost

control and I feel like the enemy has

overthrown my life and I feel like he

has taken total control of my life." Can

I tell you, you've got to get back to

the sharpening block again.

>> Come on. You as a father of your home,

you need to become a blacksmith in your

house.

>> Come on. Amen.

>> You are called to forge AND STAND IN THE

FIRE AND FIGHT FOR YOUR FAMILY, BUT ALSO

MAKE THEM A WEAPON OF MASS DESTRUCTION

AGAINST THE KINGDOM OF DARKNESS.

>> YOU'RE NOT CALLED TO JUST RAISE UP

PASSIVE BELIEVERS THAT WOULD SAY, "WELL,

LET'S JUST SIT ON THE SIDELINE AND IF WE

CAN JUST BE A MEMBER OF A CHURCH AND WE

CAN EXIST FOR 20 YEARS AND WE CAN PUNCH

OUR TICKET TO HEAVEN." NO. GOD IS

LOOKING AT US TODAY AND SAYING, "THAT'S

NOT GOOD ENOUGH. IT'S TIME TO RAISE UP

CHILDREN TO BE WEAPONS AGAINST THE

ENEMY." Come on now. I I feel the spirit

of God RIGHT THERE. I FEEL SOME FAITH.

THERE'S A FEW FOLKS IN THE HOUSE THAT

ARE RISING UP. Some men THAT UNDERSTAND

IT. I NEED SOME MAMAS THAT'LL SAY, "I'LL

FIGHT FOR my children. I'LL STAND IN THE

GAP. I'LL GO THROUGH THE FIRE. I'LL GO

THROUGH HELL. I'LL GO THROUGH every bit

of the turmoil and the trouble cuz my

children are worth it. They've got a

purpose. And I declare I will not back

down. I will give it all to the Lord

because the ENEMY DOESN'T WANT SOME

CONTROL. He wants total control and he

will not give up until he gets it.

So we cannot be nearsighted

in understanding WHERE WE ARE. THE

PRESSURES THAT YOU FEEL and the fight

that YOU FEEL RIGHT NOW. THIS ISN'T just

warfare over your present. It's warfare

over your promise.

warfare over your promise because I want

you to understand the enemy is not

nearsighted to his attack. He

understands that he has an assignment to

tear down everything that God built IN

YOUR LIFE. HE HAS AN ASSIGNMENT to keep

you out of heaven. Can we just be

honest?

>> He has an assignment to try to keep you

from the PROMISES OF GOD. HE HAS AN

ASSIGNMENT TO TAKE YOUR CHILDREN TO

HELL. He has an assignment TO TAKE YOUR

WIFE TO HELL, SIR. HE HAS AN ASSIGNMENT.

COME ON, SOMEBODY. I YOU SAY, "WELL,

PASTOR, I I DIDN'T EXPECT ALL THIS THIS

MORNING." WELL, THAT'S GOOD. I'M GOING

TO SNEAK ATTACK YOU RIGHT HERE. COME ON.

I LIKE A LITTLE GOOD SURPRISE EVERY ONCE

IN A WHILE TO LET YOU KNOW THAT I'M HERE

TO STIR YOU UP TO RIGHTEOUS LIVING AND

FIGHTING FOR THE KINGDOM OF GOD AND

SAYING IT'S NOT ENOUGH FOR ME TO EXIST

ANYMORE. I'VE GOT TO STAND UP AS A MAN

AND WOMAN OF GOD AND SAY I WILL NOT LET

THE PROMISES OF GOD SLIP OUT OF MY

HANDS. BUT I will hold on to them. I'll

grab them. I'll run with them. I'LL PASS

THEM DOWN FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION.

No way that God has called me to that in

the name of Jesus. Somebody give the

Lord a clap of praise.

This warfare

that you and I are presently in right

now, and I've got to hurry. It is

warfare over your promise, not just your

present.

>> The absence of blacksmiths was the

absence of process.

Because a blacksmith carries something

so powerful and special. They carry

fire, which represents transformation.

They carry skill, which represents

disciplehip. But they also have to

endure pressure and bring pressure

because it brings refinement to our

lives.

>> They bring transformation, disciplehip

and and and refinement. Blacksmiths take

metal that is useless in the beginning

and they take it through a process that

on the other side of that it becomes

useful, powerful, and effective for the

purpose it was created.

That's what I want you to understand

that in this house we're fixing to

resurrect some blacksmiths.

>> Come on. Look at your neighbor. Say,

"Are you a blacksmith?" Come on. Oh

yeah.

>> Yeah. Cuz by the end of this message,

you either is or you isn't. Come on,

somebody. That this is not just for

leaders. This is not just for pastors.

This is not just for people that stand

behind a pull pit. Welcome to the

ministry. You are now a blacksmith in

the name of Jesus. Cuz there is somebody

in your life. Even if it's just you

personally, you got to get back to the

forge and the fire and allow God to

shape you into who he called you to be.

>> Amen.

>> That's right.

>> Watch this. And watch this. where there

are no blacksmiths, you don't just lose

the tools to help you gather the harvest

because that's all the children of

Israel had.

>> They just had tools.

>> And so they brought their tools down

there and said, "Oh, here we are. Sad

little tools again. Can you sharpen this

for me, please? Here's some money."

Dude, that looks so that's so

depressing.

>> Come on. You felt depressed when I said

that. I felt depressed when it come out

of my mouth.

Just the honest truth. But that was

their life. They would go plow their

fields with just enough edge to get out

only the amount of the harvest that the

Philistines would allow them to have.

>> Oh, I can preach right here all day. I

don't have time.

>> And they would go down there and they

would pay them to do something that

somebody in their camp had the skills to

do already.

>> But they were scared to do it. Fear had

overtaken their life BECAUSE WATCH THIS.

WHO OPERATED OUT OF FEAR A CHAPTER

BEFORE IT WAS SAUL. SAUL OPERATED OUT OF

FEAR AND NOT OBEDIENCE. AND BECAUSE HE

UNLEASHED the spirit of fear in him, IT

TRANSCENDED DOWN TO THE CHILDREN OF

ISRAEL. NOW THEY WERE AFRAID TO DO

ANYTHING FOR GOD.

>> IF I STEP UP AND DO THIS, I'M GOING TO

DIE. EVERYTHING'S GOING TO FALL APART.

BUT CAN I TELL YOU THAT GOD IS CALLING

SOME PEOPLE BACK TO THE SYSTEM TODAY TO

SAY THAT WE'RE GOING TO LOSE A SYSTEM IF

WE'RE NOT CAREFUL THAT PRODUCES STRENGTH

AND FORTIFICATION AND EQUIPPING OF THE

SAINTS. AND THE ABSENCE OF BLACKSMITHS

POINTS TO SOMETHING EVEN DEEPER THAN

THAT. IT IS IT REVEALS A LACK OF

PREPARATION FOR WAR AND FOR HARVEST. CAN

I TELL YOU THAT WE ARE CALLED IN THIS

HOUSE, IT IS A MANDATE GOD GAVE US AT

THE BEGINNING OF THIS YEAR TO PUSH BACK

DARKNESS AND TAKE TERRITORY FOR THE

KINGDOM OF GOD. AND CAN I TELL YOU IF

WE'RE GOING TO PUSH BACK DARKNESS, WE

GOT TO HAVE SOME WEAPONS TO PUSH THE

ENEMY BACK. AND IF WE'RE GOING TO GATHER

THE TERRITORIES, THEN WE GOT TO HAVE

SOME TOOLS TO BE ABLE TO GO AND GATHER

THE HARVEST FOR THESE LAST DAYS. THE

PHILISTINES REMOVED THEIR ABILITY TO

DEFEND THEMSELVES. THEY TOOK THE ARMOR

AWAY FROM THEM. THEY REMOVED THEIR

ABILITY TO TAKE GROUND THROUGH WAR. THEY

TOOK THEIR WEAPONS AWAY, THEIR SWORDS

AND THEIR SPEARS, AND THEIR ABILITY ALSO

TO FEED AND NOURISH THEMSELVES. AND THE

NEXT GENERATION. THEY SEVERELY LIMITED

IT BY ONLY ALLOWING THEM TO HAVE SHARP

TOOLS IF THEY PAID THEM FOR IT. NOW

WATCH THIS. THE BLACKSMITHS WORK IN

FIRE. THEY SHAPE WHAT OTHERS USE. THEY

PREPARE PEOPLE FOR BOTH WAR AND HARVEST.

BUT THE REAL ISSUE, IT WASN'T JUST

EXTERNAL OPPRESSION. IT WAS INTERNAL

ABSENCE THAT WAS THERE FOR THE CHILDREN

OF ISRAEL. THERE WAS NO ONE WILLING TO

STEP INTO THE FIRE FOR THE SAKE OF

SOMEBODY ELSE. IT WASN'T JUST ABOUT THE

FORGES ARE GONE. IT WASN'T JUST ABOUT

THE FIRE WAS GONE. IT WAS THAT NO ONE

WAS WILLING TO STEP UP AND CARRY THE

FIRE. NOW, I WANT TO TELL YOU THIS IN

THIS HOUSE THAT BEFORE THIS IS OVER, I'M

FIXING TO CALL FOR SOME BLACKSMITHS IN

THE HOUSE. SO, I'M GOING TO ASK YOU ONE,

TWO, THREE. IS ANYBODY READY TO BE A

BLACKSMITH FOR THE KINGDOM OF GOD? COME

ON.

All right. WE GOING TO GET TOGETHER HERE

FOR JUST A SECOND AND WE'RE GOING TO SEE

WHAT GOD WANTS TO DO IN THIS HOUSE. BUT

I'M GOING TO TELL YOU THIS THAT GOD HAS

NOT CALLED US TO SIT ON THE SIDELINE,

BUT I HAVE TO BE HONEST WITH YOU. THERE

IS A COST TO BEING A BLACKSMITH IN

ISRAEL. IF SOMEONE HAD STEPPED UP, IT

WOULD HAVE MEANT REJECTION, OPPOSITION,

EVEN THE THREAT OF DEATH. SO, WHAT ABOUT

FOR YOU AND I, PASTOR? IF WE'RE GOING TO

MAKE UP OUR MIND TO BE A DISCIPLE OF

CHRIST TODAY AND CARRY THE GLORY OF GOD,

IT IS GOING TO REQUIRE SOMETHING FROM

YOU AND I THIS MORNING. IT IS GOING TO

REQUIRE A LIFE OF SACRIFICE. IT'S GOING

TO REQUIRE A LIFE OF BEING IN THE HEAT

OF THE BATTLE. IT'S GOING TO REQUIRE US

TO DO ENDURE PRESSURE AND TO TAKE RISK

FOR THE KINGDOM OF GOD. BUT I WANT YOU

TO UNDERSTAND THIS THAT EVERYBODY WANTS

A SWORD, BUT FEW ARE WILLING TO STAND IN

THE FIRE TO MAKE ONE. BUT I WANT TO

KNOW, IS THERE ANYBODY IN THE HOUSE THAT

WOULD SAY, "I KNOW IT MAY BE FIRING THIS

NEXT SEASON. I KNOW THE ENEMY MAY HAVE

BEEN COMING AGAINST ME. AND MATTER OF

FACT, HE MAY BE COMING AGAINST ME RIGHT

NOW. BUT I'M GOING TO TELL YOU, ARE YOU

WILLING TO ENDURE THE FIRE TO SEE THE

SWORD COME OUT ON THE OTHER SIDE? IS

ANYBODY WILLING TO ENDURE THE FIRE TO

SAY, "I KNOW THAT GOD HAS GOT a plan on

the other side of this, and I know it's

victory for me. It's a victory for my

family. It's victory for my church. It's

victory for my life. It's

Heat. Heat.

the kingdom of God.

Hallelujah.

I'm almost done.

Hear this clearly. The price for

stepping

up to the call may be intense and may be

great,

>> but the price for rejecting the call is

greater.

>> Amen.

>> The enemy isn't satisfied with hurting

believers. He's not satisfied with just

hurting the church. He wants to shut

down what happens in them and through

them.

>> John 10:10 says the enemy comes to kill,

John 10:10

to steal, and to destroy.

>> And this hits us where we are today

because no blacksmiths equals equals no

disciplehip culture in our church.

>> No forge means no Holy Spirit fire. I

don't know about you, but I'm thankful

for the Holy Spirit fire that's in this

house. Come on, somebody. Oh, all right.

Now, we can shout right there, but I'm

going to tell you, I'm thankful for it.

No weapons because there's no

blacksmiths, no forges, means no word

being formed in people's lives and

transforming people's lives.

>> Watch this. And no edge because the

blacksmiths, they're skilled and they

can make it right and they can they can

get us prepared. Man, you may be bad to

the bone at 80%, but if a blacksmith

gets a hold of you, if you're 100%,

watch out, devil.

>> That's right. I am not satisfied with us

just being believers that check mark

box.

>> Amen.

>> I want us to be believers that step up

to the plate and not just say we can put

on a good show in here, but we are

effective out there.

>> Amen.

>> The the edge ain't for in here. If you

bring the edge in here and start

swinging around, there's a bunch of

believers. You may cut somebody, hurt

somebody.

>> Hello.

>> This is where church hurt happens.

>> Amen.

>> Hello, somebody.

It's just the truth, y'all. I

>> want you to hear my heart this morning.

>> We're not here to swing blades at each

other. We are here to swing blades at

the enemy.

>> Amen.

>> Any anybody willing to swing a blade at

the enemy. Come on.

>> But but you have to have enough

discernment to be able to know what the

enemy is.

>> Some people qualify uh church hurt and

accountability and they try to lump that

in. Accountability is not church hurt.

Accountability is a blacksmith saying,

"Hey, we got to get this right."

>> Hello.

>> It's just the truth.

>> And we have to be willing to submit

oursel to the hand of the one who is

standing in the fire.

>> That's dangerous. Oh, I'm telling you,

>> it's dangerous. But when you do, he will

make you so much better than anything

you could ever think

>> or imagine in your life. Anybody ready

for that kind of result? Come on. I I

just I'm just excited. Anybody ready to

be sharpened by the word of God today? I

I believe God's about to sharpen us

through his word, through his power.

Now, I'm almost done. And and and just

go ahead and come play me out so it'll

make everybody think I'm done.

I want to say this. No blacksmiths

equals no disciplehip culture, no forge,

no Holy Spirit fire, no weapons, no word

being formed in people or transforming

people's lives. And because there's no

edge, there's no effectiveness.

I I don't want to be busy for the sake

of being busy.

>> If it ain't working, stop.

>> My God, it's just going to wear somebody

out.

>> Amen.

>> I'm to the age now where energy is a

finite resource. Can I get a witness?

>> I ain't got time to be running circles

and saying, "Oh, look what we're doing

for the kingdom of God." But yet, we're

the same place we were two years ago.

The devil is a liar.

>> Come on.

We're going to have depth and we're

going to have growth at the same time,

but it's going to be God's process.

There's a rhythm in that. Can't grow

higher if you don't grow deeper.

>> It's the truth.

>> So, I'm going to tell you this. We're

not we're not going to expend energy to

say, "Woo, look what we're doing." No.

Uhuh. No. How can we be the most

effective?

>> That means we got to have some edge to

our life. I will say this. We will have

the fire in this house.

>> Amen. As you saw earlier, the fire of

the Holy Ghost came and we anointed

people and we prayed. And I'm gonna tell

you, we're gonna see miracles from those

prayers.

>> Come on. I I'm just Anybody else believe

with your pastor?

So, we've got to restore the system

because here's what I want you to

understand. We we'll have the fire.

We're going to have the sword. We're

going to have the edge. And this house

will not be dull. It will not be

unarmed. And we will not be unprepared.

We will not be unprepared.

>> We've got to restore the system. So I

say this, this is not a spectator

season. This is a stepping up season.

Not a stepping down.

I'm not stepping off. I'm not going to

step off the off the wall and come down

here and talk to some. No, no, no, no.

I'm going to keep building. And as I

build, the Lord's going to sharpen me

and use me and flow through my life.

Pastor, how do we do that? We got to get

the word back in our families.

Come on, somebody. Can Can I just land

this thing right here?

>> We We could talk about the church all

day and I could preach about the church

and we will. We're going to get to that

point in just a second. We're going to

make some declarations together before

we close out the service. But I'm going

to tell you, you got to get the word of

God back in your home.

>> Amen. Some of you say, "Well, pastor, we

read the word together." And I say, "Way

to go, team. Way to go. Way to go, mama

and daddy. That's amazing." You say, "We

pray together as a family." That's

awesome. Keep doing it. Keep doing it.

But let me challenge you to take it one

step further than that. Not just get the

word in your family, but get the word in

your family.

So that when they come up against what

the enemy is putting against their life,

they'll remember back, "Wait a second.

My dad read this scripture over me last

week and he told me this was going to

take place. Now I know what my

foundation should be when I answered

this person that I'm not just making

something up, but I'm standing on the

foundations of my faith because the

blacksmith of my family sharpened my

edge."

>> You say, "Could it really be that

simple, pastor?" It is that simple.

I'm telling you, the enemy wants to comp

he wants to complicate things, but the

Lord wants to simplify things in our

life.

>> Because complication breeds confusion.

>> And who's the author of confusion?

>> That's the devil, y'all. I'm going to

say it.

>> It's all right. He ain't nowhere around

to be hearing this, but it's all right.

We'll call him out. But if we are

sharpened and we come back the

simplicity of our faith, when the enemy

throws complications, we say, "Whoa,

wait a second. I I'm not going to

receive that." just that pollutes my

peace. The devil is a liar. I'm going to

come back to what I know and that is

Jesus loves me. He has a plan for me. He

has a promise for me. His promises are

yes and amen. And the devil can be

defeated with the name of Jesus Christ.

So if I got nothing else to stand on,

the name of Jesus is above every name.

And if I open my mouth and begin to

speak THE NAME OF JESUS, every knee will

bow, every tongue will confess of heaven

and earth and under the earth. I have

power through the NAME OF JESUS. I CAN

SPEAK his name and overcome the enemy.

>> Hallelujah.

>> But the fact is today, if we're really

going to be sharpened by the word of

God, then we've got to really believe

what the word of God says.

>> Got to get back to the word. We've got

to commit to prayer. What really

sharpens our edge more than anything

else? A life of prayer.

If you feel disconnected and powerless

against the enemy,

could it be that your prayer life has

slipped into a place of silence?

I'm not here to put you on blast. I'm

not here to uh uh just make you feel

unworthy. But what I am here to do is to

challenge you and say if your prayer

life is not up to par, maybe that is why

you don't feel connected to the power of

God.

>> So today, you can shift that. You can

change that. YOU DON'T HAVE TO WALK OUT

THIS ROOM SAYING, "WELL, I don't know if

God's going to show up." I can walk out

this room and say, "GOD, I KNOW YOU'RE

GOING TO SHOW UP.

>> I know he's going TO SHOW UP." HOW DO

YOU HAVE THAT KIND OF CONFIDENCE CUZ I

TALKED TO HIM.

>> He loves me. HE'S GOT PLANS FOR ME, MAN.

WE'RE HAVING CONVERSATIONS WHILE I'M

TALKING TO YOU RIGHT now

>> because it's for your benefit. I'M NOT

DOING THIS FOR MY HEALTH. LOVE DOING

THIS SO YOU CAN HAVE VICTORY IN YOUR

LIFE.

>> AMEN.

>> You can overcome the devil.

>> We got to commit to prayer. But then you

got to rekindle the fire. The fire of

the Holy Ghost.

>> And yes, I'm going to go ahead and say

it. The baptism of the Holy Ghost with

the evidence of speaking in other

tongues. Come on, somebody.

>> If I got any Pentecostal folk in the

house,

say, "Well, pastor, that makes me

nervous. It don't make sense." Well, you

believe in the virgin birth.

>> Hello, somebody.

>> I ain't never heard nothing so crazy as

that.

>> And you going to hinge your entire

eternity on that. But you going to say

that tongue stuff, I draw I draw a line

right there.

>> Come on. Can we just be honest?

>> We already believe crazy things anyways.

>> Come on. Oh yeah, I see some light BULBS

GOING OFF. THAT'S IT. I GOT IT. WE'RE

ALREADY CRAZY.

>> That's going to go viral right there.

There it is. I knew it going to be one

thing as I'm going to say

>> if I can be radical enough to believe

that Jesus came and was born of a Virgin

Mary so that I could have forgiveness of

my sins, then I can believe that the

third member of the Godhead can come and

inhabit my life and can speak wisdom

through me. Come on. can take control

over my tongue, which by the way, JAMES

SAYS, IS THE MOST UNRULY MEMBER OF YOUR

BODY. SO, YOU NEED THE HOLY GHOST TO

KEEP YOUR mouth in check. I need the

Holy Ghost to keep Oh my God, I'm still

breathing the fire again.

fire again.

Hallelujah.

My God, just remain standing with me all

over the house. I say, fill us again,

Holy Ghost.

>> Y'all, I'm telling you, the birthday of

the church is coming, the end of May,

and we about to see everybody in the

house get filled with the Holy Ghost.

May the 24th, I think, is Pentecost

Sunday. Y'all going to come in here.

There'll be balloons flying everywhere.

There going to be people. Come on. I

want some bobby pins flying out of

people's hair.

I want people I want a chandelier in the

middle so we can swing from it. Come on,

somebody. I want to be absent OFF THE

CHAIN on the birthday of the church.

Say, don't take all that. Well, you know

what? You sit there and be quiet all you

want to, but when the enemy comes

against me, he's going to know I'm a

fighter.

>> I praise now. I praise right in the face

of the devil. I praise right in hell's

kitchen. Come on, somebody.

And so today, we're going to make some

confessions, some declarations in this

house.

>> Amen.

>> So, I want you to look at your neighbor

before we put that up there. Hold on.

Don't tell yet.

>> I know you were. You're y'all so good.

Y'all with me. Look at your neighbor and

say, "Neighbor,

>> neighbor,

>> get ready."

>> Get ready

>> to be sharpened.

>> So, we're going to make some prophetic

declarations together.

>> The first one's going to be what we will

not do. The second thing is going to be

what we will do.

And then after we get through, I'm going

to ask you if you agree with it to give

God a radical crazy Holy Ghost praise to

close this message out. Can you do that

for me?

>> So here we go. Before we put that first

one on, we'll read this together. In the

name of Jesus, we will not stay dull.

Come on, somebody.

>> We will not stay.

>> We will not stay dependent on the enemy.

We will not stay cold.

>> We will not stay cold.

>> We will not stay passive.

>> Oh, come on now. Now we fix it again.

What we going to get? You ready? Put the

other side of so they can be ready. We

are getting our sword back.

>> We are getting our sword back.

>> We are sharpening our edge through

prayer.

>> We are

>> We are carrying the fire of the Holy

Spirit.

>> We are carrying the fire of the Holy

Spirit. And we are raising up

blacksmiths in this house.

>> Come on, if you're ready for that, I

dare you to give God a praise.

Hallelujah. Hallelujah.

power shifted. Do your work, God, in

this house.

Do your work, God, in this house.

Hallelujah.

Here's what I know about God, though.

You say, "Pastor, my family has been in

a place where we we've not had

everything together and things have not

turned out the way that I thought it

would." Well, here's the beautiful thing

about God. You don't have to have it all

together for God to bring victory to

your life. Amen.

>> Come on, somebody. Even in the ab

absence of a perfect process, God is not

limited in your life. And I declare to

you because God has never needed perfect

systems to bring about powerful

victories in your life. All he's ever

needed is a man or woman of God that

literally would lift their hands saying,

"God, if you can use anybody, you can

use me." Is anybody say, "If you can use

anybody, God, you can use me today."

Come on. I I take the example from my

brother Jonathan who got to the point

that he got sick and tired of watching

this about a chapter later in chapter 14

vers and we can read it verses 6-7.

Jonathan said to the young man who was

who bore his armor, come let us go over

the garrison of his uncircumcised. It

may be the Lord will work for us for

nothing restrains the Lord for saving by

many or by few. So as armor bearer said,

"Do all that is in your heart. Go then

here I am with you according to your

heart." He can bring victory through an

army or he can bring victory through

you, sir. He can bring victory through

an army or he can bring victory through

you, ma'am. All you have to do is be

willing to take this first step of faith

and say, "God, I'm going to go do it."

SO, DO I HAVE ANYBODY THAT WOULD SAY IN

THE SPIRIT OF JONATHAN THIS MORNING,

"COME, LET'S GO take some ground. Let's

go take some ground for THE KINGDOM OF

GOD." I SAY, "LET'S take some ground for

the kingdom of God.