Special Service

And I want to say good morning, CCW family.

It is indeed a blessing and an honor to be before you all this morning.

I'm gonna get straight to it this morning.

Let's pray.

Heavenly Father, God, we just enter your gates for thanksgiving, God.

We praise you and we magnify your name, God.

We thank you, Lord, for the opportunity, Lord, to stand before your people, God.

God, I ask that I may decrease, God, and you increase, God.

Let me speak boldly, Lord God, your oracles, Lord God.

Let me speak boldly your word, Lord God, with precision, God.

And God, let me be on the unction of the Holy Spirit.

All these blessings we ask in Jesus' name we pray.

Amen.

Amen.

First of all, like I say, it's always an honor to be here and I honor God.

It's a head of my life, and it's a blessing being here with our church family.

Honor my pastor, his beautiful wife, Dr.

Dan and Susan Love it.

They're doing an outstanding job.

Let's give them a round of applause.

And as you know, we've been going through a lot lately.

We lost some serious loved ones, uh, dear in the family.

Many of you lost a lot of loved ones.

Uh, I know we lost a pillar of our church, David Wilson, was a mentor to me.

Uh, he was a friend.

Uh, I worked for him real good, brother in the Lord.

And I know some more people lost their loved ones.

We lost Granny, but through it all, we're still standing.

And then I'm blessed, like Pastor Dana said.

The pressure's on me today.

I have the whole bracey clan.

Everybody's here today.

I'm blessed.

Will you please stand?

My family.

It's a rare occasion with all of them here.

Turn around, girls.

I have Summer Bracey, Autumn Bracey, then Joshua and Javon, and Kelly.

Now, speaking of family, I want to get right to it, but I gotta tell you a couple things that's going on.

I'm very proud of my daughters.

They both doing an internship.

Uh, we have one doing an intern at uh the television station, and she's doing extremely well.

So she's enjoying her time here.

Another one is doing an intern at a mega church.

And Pastor Dan, he got on top of me about that, but this happened while he was on vacation.

And then we also have a movie star in the family.

Joshua on uh, I think it was Friday.

He he he went to film a commercial in Mississippi.

I mean, they paid him a nice hotel, or his mom with him, all the spends paid, mileage and everything.

So just be we're gonna let you know.

We'll let you know, church family.

And he is taking an autograph, and I'm his manager, so it's okay.

Another Denzel one.

Another Denzel.

And then we have Javon.

As you know, many of you know that uh he left, but God blessed him.

Uh he had started an internship, and but because he operated in the band of excellence, he was able to come back to his job.

And God blessed him immensely.

And then my lovely wife, she just got her real estate license.

So the bracelet family on the move.

Thank you.

Now, I want to tell you something.

Since the last time I preached, a lot of stuff happened to me.

I had a life-changing moment.

Will you show those pictures, please?

Back.

I had a life-changing moment.

I'm gonna open this summer up a little different.

I want to testify.

I want to testify because it is truly a blessing that I'm here.

And I know it was the grace of God.

As many of you know, I work for a company called Surpro.

It's here.

We're surprised with a big green machine.

But I'm in this, I'm on the sales team.

And on Thursday morning, April the 6th, it was probably about 9.20 in the morning, I was basically making my sales rods.

And I was on I-65 north, and I was almost at the junction.

And that's just before you get to 2059.

If you take a left, you'll go towards Tulsa Lucia.

If you take a right, you go to Atlanta.

Anyway, I was in the, I was on the second lane from the inside.

And I remember, now I really like driving fast, for those of you who don't know.

I used to be stationed in Germany, so I believe in putting a pedal to the metal.

But nevertheless, because of the traffic was so congested at that time of the morning, I really couldn't do go about 45 or 50.

And so I'm assuming, if I remember correctly, I was doing about 50.

And the last thing I remember, I was traveling by 50, northbound on 65.

I saw a gentleman outside of his car with a gas can.

And as soon as I saw the gas can, all of a sudden, uh, like I said, it was congested.

It was brake lights everywhere.

Everybody just started matching, um, touching their brakes.

So I had to touch my brakes.

If not, I would have hit the car in front of me.

So when I touched my brakes in order to divide the car in front of me, I did not know.

It was an 18-wheeler behind me.

That's one of those pictures you see behind me.

18-wheeler.

So my focus was on not hitting the car in front of me.

And all of a sudden I heard something say, and it just kept on sliding, it's like something you see in the movies, and it kept on going on and on.

Uh, they told me I hit the rail that's on the side.

All I know, God took care of me.

And when the car stopped, I jumped out.

I was like Superman.

I jumped out, and uh, the lady that was in front of me, she came and hugged me.

She said, Oh, you're lucky.

I said, No, ma'am, I'm not lucky.

I'm blessed.

I'm blessed, I'm blessed.

So I had to tell you that story because too many times I know uh next week I turned 53.

The eighth month is the best month of the of the year.

I'm a little biased now, you know.

Eight is a new beginning, so the best month of the year.

But I'm very thankful that God He still has me here.

Yeah, He still has me here.

And I was looking, I was talking to a gentleman uh that worked with me, and he said, Man, Bracey, you had a car accident last year.

I had surgery on my leg.

It's a lot of stuff going on.

And uh after after this accident, though, I really had to do some self-evaluation.

I had to evaluate myself.

I'm like, okay, God wants to get my attention.

And I was looking.

Now, was I saved if I died?

No doubt.

I believe I was going to heaven.

But I started asking myself questions because I'm the type of person I always like to ask him questions.

I would ask myself, one of the questions I asked myself was, are you really fulfilling your purpose?

You know, God made you for a specific reason.

At a specific time, are you really fulfilling your purpose?

Another question I asked myself, he gave me more time.

What does he want me to do with this time?

He allowed me to live because I read a statistic every 16 seconds, somebody in a car accident.

Now, with an 18-wheel involved with a regular vehicle, 98% of the time, the driver of the other vehicle is killed.

But God, He saw fit for yours truly to still be here.

And so I can't say nothing but thank you.

And then God was just showing me.

What are your priorities, Sylvester?

What are really your priorities?

You go to church, yeah.

You you believe in God, but what are really your priorities?

Do you focus more on the unseen or the seen?

Because the unseen is what's gonna last through eternity.

But the seen is temple.

Which one are you focusing most on?

So the same question the Holy Spirit asked me.

I want to ask you this morning.

What are you focused on?

What are your priorities?

Like I said, we just lost some patriots in our church, some matriarchs.

They're going on to be with the Lord.

But what are your priorities?

Um many of you know that uh we have another brother that uh Pastor Dan and David sold into a Pastor Ruben.

He's in Africa and they went over and planned the church, and they sold money into the church.

And anyway, he and I are Facebook friends.

And I saw something interesting.

I was like, wow, I was really impressed about what uh David Wilson does.

I gotta say this.

Everybody knows you know, for us financially, Sir Pro is blessed.

He was a wealthy man, but remember when I said the wealth you can see here, temporal, temporal, but it's the wealth you can't see.

The Bible tells to store up treasure that's in heaven.

Now I was like, wow, David done made his transition.

I look at Reuben's Facebook page, he's on the radio, and he got a church full of people.

I'm saying this guy still, he's in heaven to make the transition.

My God.

And still getting treasure.

Now, now people can't steal that.

That's deep.

Now that might not excite you, that excited me.

I said, now that's that's why I had to get myself together.

When I was thinking about priorities, I really got to focus on the kingdom.

The kingdom.

And it's interesting during that time period because when I had the accident, usually I had New Year's resolution, but this particular year I didn't have New Year's resolution.

I had it's one thing because let me tell you why I stopped doing New Year's resolution, and most of you probably guilt it too.

By February, we off the train.

Just bottom line, just keep it real.

And no, we family, just keep it real.

We off the train after February.

So I was doing a devotion in 2015 in December.

It said, don't do a New Year's resolution.

Do one word that you can focus on the whole year to help you grow.

Because that's what it's about, growth in all areas, especially spiritual.

And my word was kingdom.

And so I really had to examine myself based off of that.

So God has really blessed me.

And that scripture, it talks about it that your life is like a vapor.

You certainly hear and vanish.

I mean, I could really see that, I could feel that.

God gave me a different appreciation for that scripture.

Uh, I know I look back and uh I think about uh people ask me, well, what did you say when you had the accident?

I tell people I didn't have time to say anything.

I couldn't say Jesus.

I'm telling me it happened so fast because, like I told you, my focus was on the car in front of you.

So I'm here today to tell you make sure you're ready, make sure you have it right with God.

This is not about religion, it is about relationship with God, an intimate relationship, not about following rules, it's about following God.

It's about following God, and that's what we gotta be focused on.

And then I looked at it and I was just thinking about my purpose.

I was like, wow, I was reminded of what Jeremiah said, where he said, he knew Jeremiah when he was in his womb, he was a prophet to the nation.

I said, like, okay, God, he knows my purpose.

Now I just gotta walk in it.

I have to fulfill my purpose.

I have to fulfill my purpose, and that's why I come with the scripture today about stand still.

Uh the text is taken from uh Psalms 46 chapter, and we're gonna do one through three, and then we're gonna do eight through ten.

But what God was telling me through it all, and I think I'm not the only person here, I was doing a lot of activity, people.

I was busy, busy.

But was it productive for the kingdom of God?

Was it productive?

Did I really know God?

And after the accident, I desired to have a more intimate relationship with him.

It wasn't about cars, it wasn't about house, it was about getting to know God and the power of his resurrection to a greater depth.

That's what it's about.

Knowing God.

It's just like our church all the time.

It's about loving God and loving people.

But if you don't love God, you can't love people.

Because that's the source.

So let's go to the scriptures.

Psalms 46, 3, 1 through 3.

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

Therefore, we fear, though the earth be removed and though the mountains be carried, in the midst of the sea, though the waters there are roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with swelling there are.

Then go down to the eighth verses, say, Come, behold the works of the Lord.

What desolation he hath made in the earth.

He maketh wars to seas unto the earth, to the end of the earth.

He breaketh the bow and cut it the spirit in sunder.

He burneth the chariot in the fire.

Be still and know that I am God.

I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.

And I'm reminded of the scriptures.

Let's go to Psalms 100.

Psalms 100.

I love it.

I love it.

It said, make a joy for Noah.

Sound like Pastor Danny.

Unto the Lord, all ye lands.

Serve the Lord with gladness.

Come before his presence with singing.

I can't sing, but I'll try.

Know ye that the Lord, He is good.

That is He that made us, not we ourselves.

We are His people.

And sheep of His pastor.

He said, We are His people.

His people and sheep of His pastor.

In and to His gates with thanksgiving.

And to His courts with praise.

Be thankful unto Him and bless His name.

For the Lord is good, His mercy is everlasting.

His truth endure to all generations.

Got one more verse and then we'll start talking.

Let's read Psalms 100 again, but I like the message edition.

You know, this is 2017.

This is like a contemporary verse.

So let's let's let's let's let's let's let's listen to the message read.

In fact, I want y'all to do, we're gonna read this together.

On your feet, applaud.

I want you to get on your feet.

On your feet.

I'm sorry, I was in the military too.

Stand.

Bring a gift of laughter.

Sing yourself unto his praise, his presence.

Know this.

God is God.

And God, God.

He made us.

We didn't make him.

We're his people.

His well-tended sheep.

Oh now.

I want you to listen to this one.

We're talking about the password.

Enter with the password.

Thank you.

I gotta say it over here.

Because I know my brother over here talking.

Enter with the password.

Thank you.

You got to enter with that password.

Make yourself at home.

Talking.

Praise.

Thank him.

Worship him.

For God is she beauty.

All generous in love.

Loyal.

Always and everlasting.

Have a seat.

Woo.

That password thing just done something for me.

Woo! The password.

You know everybody computer sabbat now, but you you know you got to have your password to get in, don't you?

And so to get in his presence, what's the password?

Wait a minute now.

We can do better than that.

I know Pastor Daniel was talking about Jesus also.

Now, what is the password to get in his presence?

All right then.

Thank you.

Alright, thank you.

Let's talk about Psalm 46 in his original text, what it was written for, and who was written to him.

Well, many of the theologians believe uh this scripture is talking about Hezekiah.

He was the king of Judah back in the Old Testament, and uh he was ruling, and he got a report that he was getting ready to get attacked.

And brother Hezekiah was upset, he was scared.

And so I'd have been scared too from because the Syrian army, they kind of had a reputation out there.

You know, they didn't have the internet like they do now, but you can hear by them, but word of mouth, they were pretty bad.

So, what this was about this scripture's about, even though Hezekiah was upset, Isaiah came and gave him a word that God was gonna bless him.

He didn't know how, but God was gonna bless him.

And even in the midst of stress, no matter what's going on, I mean, in the midst of total disaster, God is still in the midst.

I mean, when we look at the circumstance, I mean insurmountable circumstance, when you say, Oh, the bad doctor reporter, whatever it may be, financial like, he's still in the midst.

And that's what this chapter is about.

That God is there, he's our refuge, he's there for us.

Now, let me tell you something about this chapter too.

It's written to the church.

Now, in the old testament, it's the children of Israel, but in the new testament, you go to the book of Acts, it's us as universal church.

Now, the universal church is in the Greek it's called Ecclesiah.

Ecclesiah is a body of believers.

The word says that serves God the Bible, the Hebrew God, the invisible God.

So that's important too, because we're talking about the Old Testament.

See, they had a bunch of gods, but they had gods they were make, handmade gods.

But we serve the invisible God, that the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob, the God of Sebasta.

Is it your God too?

Okay, okay.

But so let's look at first stand still.

Stand still.

So be still, let's look at that word.

What does be still mean?

Be still.

It means to probably to cast down, to let fall, to let hang down, to be relaxed, slackened, especially the hands employed.

Okay, so basically it means let it go.

Whatever it is, you let it go.

You know, we need to let go of all our cares.

Bad doctor report, you gotta let it go.

Financial trouble, you gotta let it go.

Losing a loved one, you gotta let it go.

Toxic relationships, you gotta let it go.

But the only way you're really gonna let it go, you gotta trust in God with all thy heart.

And you lean not to thy own understanding, but in all thy ways acknowledge him, and he will direct thy path.

But but the thing about letting it go, and this is what where the war is with us.

All of us, you know, we take pride on being independent.

I can do it.

I can do it.

I don't need your help.

But this is the only time God wants us to be dependent, dependent on him.

It's not about self-effort, it's about him.

You let it go, you let it go and allow God to do it.

You have to let it go, no matter what it is.

Stop worrying at night.

I was uh talking to this uh one of my COIs, uh, because one of the things we do here in Surpro, we definitely try to build a relationship, and they was telling me about their son.

Uh had had a had a child before they was married.

People make mistakes, and she was okay with that, and you know, she reprimanded and told him what the word said about the situation.

But what was perplexing to her is about two years later, he had another son.

But she was helping with the child support.

So she was actually being a crutch.

She was being a crutch for him because she was doing everything.

The son didn't feel the pain.

You know, it's always cause and effect.

When you make a mistake, you have to pay for it now.

God will forgive you.

But it's always a harvest for the decision we make.

So her husband told her, look, we're not doing them any good.

We gotta let go.

You have to let go.

Stop worrying about whatever you're worrying about at night.

You can't change it.

You can't change it.

And we worry, I'm guilty of it.

And this is what we're guilty of, and especially me.

I give something to God, and I leave it, then I'll go back and take it back.

It's mine again.

No, he wants you to let go.

Let it go.

In order to let it go, though, you you really gotta trust God though.

You really got to trust him.

And you got to know him.

I was thinking about back when I was in school, you know.

I'm like Pastor Dan, and you know, God bless us with it.

Degree, but you know, he's real smart, and Dr.

Lovett real smart.

Dr.

Susan Lovett.

We got the uh Kumdalala degree, but uh anyway.

I used to have to study, but you know, like algebra tool, chemistry, I would go to a quiet place.

I had to study though.

I mean, I just couldn't like I couldn't watch the football game or be at the basketball game.

But now, if I really want to learn God and I'm seeing, remember I was saying about the car accident where they taught me about the stand still.

See, I knew God, like I told you, I was doing a lot of activity, activity, activity.

But God was telling me, I gotta come to that quiet place with Him.

Just like you did when you were studying for your math test.

You go to a quiet place and you'll study, and you'll study.

But now the only way to know his spirit is that them that worship him must worship him in spirit and truth.

So you got to go to a quiet place so you can learn about God.

I mean, he is a he's in control of everything, every detail of our life.

God is in control, he's a sovereign God.

But we got to understand that we are so important to God.

We are so important to God.

Very important to God.

And so once you learn who God really is, he'll talk to your spirit.

He speaks through people, he'll speak through you through dreams, through different circumstances, but it's a still small voice.

We can't afford to be busy.

We have to dedicate that time with him.

We have to dedicate that time with him.

I remember last week, and always Pastor Dan and Pastor Rick is up there asking about different ministries, and everybody gifted with different ministries.

Uh, I remember when I first got saved, everybody thought I thought ministry was just preaching behind the pulpit.

But no, ministry is whatever your gift is.

It might be you're good uh with culinary skills, so you're in the cooking ministry, um, parking lot, ushering.

But whatever your gift is, God needs you to utilize it.

For the kingdom of God, it's not about us, it's not about us.

See, when you get to know him and how much he loves us, and what God us so much that he sent his son Jesus to die on that cross that we may have life and have it more abundantly.

And so once you realize his love and how infinite it is, you just want to do things to please him.

You just want to please your father.

And that's how you get to know him, developing that intimate relationship by reading the word and studying.

And then the second part of that scripture I want to focus on is saying, be still and know that I am God.

We can know him by having an intimate relationship with him that does not come by knowing about him.

That's right.

I know the governor of the Alabama, I know the governor of the state of Alabama, but I don't know him.

I know the president of the United States, but I don't know him.

Many of us say we know God of the Bible, but do we really know him?

Do we really know him?

But now God gave us gifts to assist us in getting to know him.

It's in John 14, 26, it says, Jesus.

Jesus says, but the comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things and bring all things to your remember, whatsoever I say unto you.

Yes, Jesus gave us the comfort, the comforter.

And we gotta realize the kind of God we serve.

He's totally different.

I mean, he's immutable.

I mean he's never changing.

He's the same today, yesterday, as forever.

He's omnipresent.

He's holy, he's faithful, and he has infinite wisdom.

I said, we have finite minds.

We just can't know, we can't understand and fathom everything that's going on with God.

Okay.

And the last section I want to focus on is know that I am God.

And Isaiah 37 and 36, that's going back to Hezekiah with those Assyrian army.

Now, this was some serious stuff.

Hezekiah was worried about the army getting ready to take over Judah.

And so they had camped out outside of the camp.

When they camped out, little did they know that night an angel, one angel, came and took out a hundred and eighty five thousand.

One angel.

So that's what you need to be cognizant of, the type of God you serve.

It doesn't matter what you're dealing with.

It doesn't matter.

Your back could be up against the wall.

It does not matter.

That angel took out a hundred and eighty-five thousand.

That goes back to what it was saying at the beginning of the scripture, that he's our refuge.

He's our protector.

Now, you know, I know he's our refuge because I didn't see that big truck.

I did not see that truck.

He protected me.

But guess what?

You know, we're always cognizant of like that incident there.

You know, it's easy to say God is my refuge.

But at times he protects you and you don't even know about it.

There are times you'll be coming from work, and God will tell you, well, go a different direction.

Now you think you're just doing it.

God is taking you on a detour so you could avoid that accident.

You didn't even know it.

So we are truly blessed to have a God like that, to be our refuge, even in a time of trouble.

It's just a matter of us believing in it.

You gotta believe in it.

That's right.

That's good.

Now I said, how do you know God?

I want to continue a little on that.

I tell you, first of all, the first thing you gotta do, you gotta have an encounter.

You gotta have an encounter with it.

And God will reveal yourself.

He'll reveal himself to people.

You must have an encounter with God.

Now, one of the first biblical characters that came to mind was Moses.

He had an encounter with the burning bush.

How many of you have had an encounter?

Because the only way you're gonna trust him, you gotta have an encounter.

It can't be a religious experience now.

I'm going to church because grandmama said go to church.

I'm going to church because my father said go to church.

But you had to have an encounter.

So let me tell you what's so profound about the encounter that uh Moses had.

It was actually he was 80 years old and he saw that burning bush.

And God not only gave him a counter and he identified himself, but he told him his purpose.

That's one of the main reasons we need to have an encounter, also a fellowship with him, because he revealed his purpose.

He told him that you were gonna go and deliver the children of Israel out.

Moses started being a P.

E.

M.

Does anybody know what a PEM is?

P.E.M., professional excuse maker.

I'm guilty of it.

I know none of you are guilty of it.

He became a P.E.M.

He was a professional excuse maker.

He was talking about I sisters I stutter.

He started making all kinds of excuses.

But the point was, and then Moses was like, well, who did tell him to send me?

I am.

That I am sent you.

So when you're facing some, remember who's with you.

I just told you the Holy Spirit is on the inside of you.

You are equipped where the challenges.

You are equipped, but you have to believe that.

You are equipped for that fight.

But if you don't believe that, it's not going to.

I am that I am sent you.

In the Old Testament, you know, God had plenty of name.

Jehovah Jirah, he was our provider.

Jehovah Shalom.

He was the God of peace.

Jehovah Rapha.

He was our healer.

But now today, it's just wrapped up in the one word.

Jesus.

Jesus.

One word.

Jesus.

You don't have to call that Jehovah Elon.

Jehovah Nisha.

Just said Jesus.

Jesus.

But that is so powerful how he revealed his purpose to Moses.

And guess what?

He wants to reveal his purpose to you.

Because getting back to Moses.

Oh, you really fulfilling your purpose?

Just like God gave me more time.

Guess what?

You have time too.

That's why you're looking at me.

But now what are you doing with your time?

What are you doing with your time?

Are you focusing on the seen or the unseen?

We're trying to build our treasure up down here or bear.

What are your priorities?

What are your priorities?

To get our priorities right, we got to stand still.

We have to stand still.

If you want to get your priorities right, you have to stand still.

Stop being so busy.

Stop being busy.

Spend quiet time with God.

Not as a routine, but because you love him.

And he loves you immensely.

He loves you.

Another person had a serious encounter with God was old brother Paul.

Well, they called him Saul at first.

Now he had rights to just kill Christians.

In fact, he was on the road to Damascus at that time to go kill some more Christians, to get papers to go kill people.

I mean, he hated Christians.

I mean, passion.

In fact, the first martyr was Stephen, and he was there basically just praising the devil, I guess you could say.

Just praising the devil for uh for them just uh killing, stoning Stephen.

But he was on his he was on his way to Damascus.

He was on a path, and all of a sudden a light blinded.

He had an encounter.

That's one thing about people have an encounter.

They change.

They change.

And I'm not talking about behavior modifications.

See, people say, Well, I don't smoke, I don't drink, I don't fornicate, I don't commit adultery.

That's behavior modification.

They change from the inside.

I tell my kids all the time, it's inside out.

They change from the inside.

See, after you have that encounter, stand still, he'll change you from the inside.

You won't be hateful.

You won't be prejudiced.

Because God is love, universal.

That's what unite us, like Pastor Dan was saying when he introduced me.

I like being in a church like this because it reflects heaven.

That's right.

I'm perplexed when I see people.

I go to this type of church.

Really?

Well, I read God is love and he loves all people.

So I'm confused.

Now you might have gone to seminary school.

You might have a doctor in front of your name, a doctor behind.

I understand that scripture.

God is love.

I understand that totally.

So I'm totally perplexed.

You can't.

So stand still.

So here it is with even Paul.

He told Paul, you persecute me.

You're not persecuting those Christians.

It's me you persecute.

And then we had a brother by the name of Ananias have a vision.

Paul was blind for three days.

Now that's a long time to be blind.

Now just think about you on your horse, you just.

And all of a sudden you see this light.

You see this light and you blind.

Like, whoa.

And then not only you blind for one day, but for three days.

But then there was another brother by the name of Ananias.

He had a vision.

Now this mess Ananias up because now this bracelet one-on-one, this is not in the Bible, I'm going to tell you now.

Brace of one-on-one.

So I gotta tell you this.

So I can see Ananias now.

He had this vision.

He's caught up.

And God tell him to lay hands on Paul.

He tells him to lay hands on what?

Wait a minute.

This must be the devil.

This cannot be the spirit of the living God.

It's telling me to lay hands on that killer.

And I can see him just in between.

He really wanted to try the spirit by the spirit to ensure that was God's spirit.

But that's what God told me to do.

He said, I have a mission for it.

In fact, he's gonna introduce the gospel to the Gentiles.

And we ought to be glad.

I had to bring that up because we the Gentiles.

Anybody that's not a Jew, the Gentiles.

That was that mystery that he revealed.

So Paul had a great mission.

Guess what?

You do too.

And the reason why we got to develop an intimate relationship, because he revealed it in stages.

He's not gonna give it all to you at one time.

Ask Pastor Danny.

He gives it to you a step by step.

And I was telling my kids, because they all of them in their 20s and young teens, from 20 to 30, you might have to do A, B, and C.

You stay with the Lord, He reveals some more with you.

Some more to you.

And that's why it's so important.

Because that's what we're gonna get judged on.

What did you do with the gifts and talents I gave you?

I created you for a purpose.

Psalms 139 talks about, and I'm gonna preach it uh, that's really it's a it's a book I read about, but it's scripture.

How he he knew you before you even were born.

It's actually a book about you in heaven.

And that's what Satan is really trying to abort.

Just like he tried to abort Jesus' mission, he's trying to abort our mission too.

He's trying to abort our mission because at the end, I want to hear those words, mission accomplished.

We were saying the military, but the word of God said, Well done, thy good and faithful servant.

I want to hear those words.

I want to hear those words.

I don't need to hear it from man, I want to hear it from my Lord.

Well done, thy good and faithful servant.

But yes, Paul got that mission, and you know he went on to write three fours of the New Testament, and Paul is one of the main reasons a lot of us still say he planned those books, he planned those church, and it's about spreading the gospel, spreading the gospel, telling people that Jesus is alive, he's coming back.

We serve a living God, and that's what each and every believer should be out doing every day, proclaiming the good news, the gospel.

That's why we have to stand still so we can hear our orders, our marching orders.

We have to stand still.

That's our purpose.

Everything he made is to praise him and worship him.

And that great commission is to every believer, not just no preacher, teacher, missionary.

It is for every believer.

And on your job, where yeah, you should be an influence.

If you're in school, you should be an influence.

It doesn't matter where you're at, you should influence your atmosphere.

But you can't influence your atmosphere when you're acting like your atmosphere.

That's why we gotta stay in the word.

That's why we've got to stay close to the source.

You gotta stay close to him, you gotta fellowship with him.

You got a fellowship with him.

He desires that fellowship.

He loves us, he loves us, he really loves us.

I want to talk a little bit about the head and getting to know God.

The head, the mouth, and the heart.

Let's talk about the head real quick.

This will be very brief.

We're dealing with the head.

I look at life, we're like in a, it's like we're in a boxing match.

And when we're fighting, I mean the journey called life.

My kids get tired of me lecturing, but I it's like, daddy, now another time.

The boys all of them, here's another lecture, but I just can't help it.

But the journey called life, it can be tough now.

Because see, it's a battle going on in the spiritual world.

It is a battle going on.

Now we're trying to accomplish our goals, but Satan, he's throwing blows too.

You can't make it.

You're all alone.

You remember what you did.

You're gonna be just like your daddy.

Or wherever the case may be, he's throwing those blows.

But now, how can we overcome when Satan throwing those blows?

He's messing with our belief system, he's establishing it.

And so that's why it's so important that we spend that quiet time with God, because he's setting it up.

What we believe in, because as a man thinketh, so is he.

If you think you're defeated, you're defeated.

If you think you're a winner, you're a winner.

If you think God is with you, he is with you.

Now, many times, and I'm guilty of it, we form our ideology from the television station.

Fox, CNN, CNBC, all of them.

Y'all know them all.

We form all from the political agenda, the conservative values, the uh liberal values.

But what we really gotta do is form it from what the word of God says about a situation.

That's what the power is, because the word of God is his word, and it's it'll stand forever.

Now, the only way we're gonna eradicate Satan when he's throwing those punches at us is through the word.

And it's a light.

His word is.

And so the word, it says, the word is a lamp unto my feet, a light unto my path.

But I like the way it says in uh the message.

It said, by your words I can see where I'm going.

They throw a beam of light in a dark path.

How many people have ever driven a car at night and you have your headlights on?

You know the headlight, it'll only show you so far down the road, right?

No matter what kind of car you have, and now they have these little fancy headlights that you make adjustments based off the terrain.

But it only can show you so far.

Well, that's why we need the word daily.

That's why it said daily bread.

Because see, the word we get today is good for today, but guess what?

You need some more tomorrow.

Just like the natural.

So now I know you plan on eating today after lunch.

But tomorrow you're gonna eat.

Your spirit, man, is the same way.

That's your light.

That's your path.

Follow the path, but you need the word of God.

It'll illuminate your path, it'll show you where to go, it will show you where to go.

Now, can see the bottom line about having the right ideology is having the word, though, but it's it's all about Jesus.

And the reason I say it's all about Jesus, because grace and truth, that's what Jesus is about.

That's John 1 and 17.

It came through him.

Grace and truth.

Grace and truth came through Jesus.

Let's talk about the mouth real quick.

Okay?

Death and life is in the power of the tongue.

Now, I like Daniel, the third chapter, the Hebrew boys.

Now, I wanted to say this, especially we have a lot of young people in the audience dealing with standstill and even with parents.

What I found so powerful here, I'm gonna talk about the three Hebrew boys, but they was young.

Now, I've been to a foreign country before.

Now, imagine being away from your mom or dad or grandmother, whoever your garden is.

You're in a strange country, and you come up against this king, he wanted you to bow to his God, and basically you said that you're not gonna bow.

And he said, Well, if you're not gonna buy, I'm gonna put you in the fiery furnish.

And I'm gonna put you in the fiery furniture, I'm gonna turn it up seven times hotter than it usually is.

Now, here it is, you're a 13 to 14-year-old.

Now, what does that tell me about whoever raised those young kids?

They believed in the invisible God.

They had a serious influence on those kids.

We're talking about 13, 14 year olds taking a stance like that for the God of the Bible.

So, young people in church, pay attention to this.

This is the they was willing to risk their life, and that's what they did.

And the king was actually mocking them.

They was like, okay, the king, like, we're gonna.

See your God gonna what your God is gonna do now then.

But then there's a statement they made, and I always use this with my back against the wall.

They say, Well, the God we serve, even if he don't do it, he's able.

That's right.

That's real.

He's able.

He is able, even if he doesn't do it.

He is able to do it.

He's able.

And that takes a lot for a 13 or 14 year in a strange country.

Now he's talking to the king now.

So that's that's equivalent like our president, the leader of the country.

And y'all know the story.

They went in that fire, they walked in that fire, and they came out.

They didn't even smell like smoke.

Now that's amazing there.

You go in the fire, not only did they burn, but then they say they looked and they saw like the Ford person.

And we know who that forward person was.

I told you he's with you.

That's why we need to stand still.

It doesn't matter.

In the midst of the storm, he's still there.

That's why we gotta stand still.

We gotta stand still.

Because he's there.

And the last one is heart.

You gotta make sure he's in your heart.

Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaking.

The word of God said, keep thy heart with all diligence, for out of the issues are life.

Proverbs 423 said, Create it being a clean heart, oh God, and renew a right spirit within me.

So it's all about the heart.

You gotta guard that heart right.

And then old Jeremiah said, like this, it's like fire.

Shut up in my bones.

Jeremiah said, even though I was gonna get beat for it and everything, I'm still gonna talk about the word of God.

So we got to talk about the word of God.

And the last part I'd like to talk about, exalt.

That basically means to hold some of high regard.

What do we hold to high regard?

We need to hold the Lord to high regard.

We got to exalt him.

See, he's not coming back.

We are his representatives.

We are ambassadors of Christ.

We have to exalt him.

That's what he called us to do.

Exalt him.

Isaiah 6 and 1 says, In the year of King Uzziah, I saw the Lord sitting on the throne, and he was exalted.

He was sitting on the throne.

He was sitting high and lifted up.

But then I love Philippians 2, 9 through 10.

It said, wherefore God has highly exalted his name above every name.

So basically what I'm here to tell you today, at the name of Jesus, every knee is gonna bow, every tongue gonna confess that he is Lord.

So our job is to get the good news out.

Get the good news out.

Tell people how much God loves them.

Tell people and make sure with the time that you have left that you're fulfilling your purpose.

Ensure that you are focusing on the unseen and not the seen.

Ensure if God called you home now that you would be okay with the funeral that the pastor had to preach.

Not that he had to make up words.

I'm getting ready to close.

I want to say something about, you know, uh most of us in the church family.

We went to David's funeral.

It was amazing.

He preached his own funeral.

But really, we all do.

That's right.

We all preach our own funeral.

Good or bad.

I mean, you know, everybody know the word, the form um, the formula for salvation, but we preach our own funeral.

The preacher can't put you in there.

It's about you having a personal relationship.

But it's one other thing I want to share with you before I close.

I got this part of a testimony.

Pastor Daniel preached something this before he went on vacation.

It's dealing with knowing God.

And this is a secret.

Don't tell nobody, okay?

I'm a Paul, and getting to know God, God will show you something.

Because this will stop you from fulfilling your purpose.

I I can't miss this one.

Paul had a thorn in his side.

Guess what?

Everybody out there, you have thorns in your side, too.

You guys wouldn't dare tell you, tell me what your thorn is, will you?

Do anybody want to share?

No.

But I tell you what, God told me to share one of my thorns.

I gotta tell it.

It's not about y'all.

It's about him.

Maybe somebody else will get delivered.

I gotta share one of my thorns because I feel this particular thorn will stop me from fulfilling my purpose.

So I gotta share it.

Now, many of you know I've been in the army for 25 years.

For the first nine years, they trained me to kill.

Just like uh my brother here's an engineer, Darren, he's excellent.

Uh with driving big machinery and stuff.

We have other people, professional culinary skills, but they trained me to kill every day.

That's what we did.

We trained to kill.

And basically, they like program your mind.

That's it's brainwashing if you want to be technical about it.

For nine years, that's what I did.

Everything we did was focusing on killer.

So, now I've always had a strong personality, but during that time, I became angry.

And I have a problem with anger.

So, you remember I told you about being a PEM professional excuse maker?

Now, this was my excuse, because I know many of you heard of PTSD, post-traumatic syndrome stress, right?

Now, Sylvester, you know, even though I'm not a medical professional, I say, well, the way I would, the way I would, you know, talk to myself, do that self-talk is, well, you have PTSD.

It's okay for you to be angry.

There's plenty of other soldiers that are angry.

You've been to classes and all that.

It's fine.

Now that sounds good.

I mean, I enjoyed that.

Flash, like, okay, that's good.

But God kept showing myself showing me myself through my family.

And every time I get angry, I'd say, I'm not gonna do it again.

And then it happened again.

I'm not gonna do it again.

But then God grabbed my heart.

And he showed me some.

Said the reason you're failing, because you're trying to do this.

You can't do it.

You're right.

You're not gonna do it.

You cannot release that anger.

You can't do it.

But if you stand still and get to know me and rely on me, just like this, rely on my spirit.

That power, the same power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead is on the inside of you.

If you rely on me, you can do all things through Christ Jesus.

I can tell you, I've been doing it.

And I've been thinking about how much God loves me.

And when I get angry now, I just think about how much he loves me.

And so, being that he loves me, I gotta love God, people.

No matter what they've done to me or what they said to me.

Because I'm not gonna get judged on what you do for me.

It's what my responses.

That's what I'm gonna get judged on.

That's what I'm gonna get judged on.

Because I know it's some more people out there with anger.

I'm not the only one.

Then you say you're sorry, but you can't take it back.

You already you already you already done the damage.

You already done the damage.

So stand still.

Wherever your throne is on the side, that's fine.

You deal with it, but but let the Holy Spirit let it go.

Give it to the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit can deliver you.