The Fight for Your Faith

Hello and welcome to the Arise Church Podcast.

We are so glad you're here and want to thank you for joining us

today for the audio version of our Sunday morning message.

We want to invite you to join us in person at our Sunday morning

celebration every Sunday at 10 AM.

We are located on Old Jenks Rd. in Apex, NC.

Well, if you have your Bible, why don't you grab it?

I don't know if you came in cold today, but this message is going

to warm me up. I'm going to tell you that right

now I feel fired up and ready to go.

I've been receiving for myself these last few weeks as I've

been preparing and just meditating and studying for

these messages and today's message, I'm going to title this

the fight for your faith. The fight for your faith.

And if you didn't know you're in a fight, you're probably losing.

That's partly bad news and that's partly good news.

The good news is by the time you leave today, you're going to

know that there is a fight for your faith.

The good news is as well, you're going to leave with some tools

of how to fight for it. And I love the Kingdom of God

because we fight till we win. Now, I know some people say,

well, we've already won. And that's true.

In the end, we've already won. Jesus already won.

But there is still a fight for your faith.

But I want to start by reviewing just a little bit out of Hebrews

Hebrews 11 · chapter mention

Chapter 11. I don't have it up on the

screen, but you can look at it in your Bible or on your Bible

app. And I'm going to start in just

in Hebrews Chapter 11, verse one.

Hebrews 11 · chapter mention

This is what we cover last week. It says now faith is the

substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Now faith is the substance of things.

Hoped for the evidence of things not seen now.

Faith is the substance. Faith is tangible.

Faith is something that once you lay hold of it in your heart,

it's there. And if you've ever done that in

your own life, you know what I'm talking about.

Faith is not some sort of ethereal or kind of foggy kind

of belief or Mystic kind of system.

Faith is something that has a substance to it, and it's not

just your set of beliefs. Well, you know, yeah, sure, I

have faith. And that's real prominent

nowadays. Politicians use it.

Oh, yeah. I'm a person of faith.

I'm a person of faith. But I want you to view faith a

little differently this morning so that, you know, faith is what

everything you receive in God hinges on.

And so it's by faith. We're going to we're going to

fight. So I want you to look up at the

screen. First Timothy chapter 6, verse

1 Timothy 6:12

12 says this. Fight, the good fight of faith.

Turn to your neighbor and say fight.

Oh, come on. You got to say it with a little

attitude. You can't say fight.

You got to say fight. Come on, fight the good fight of

faith. Take hold or lay hold of the

eternal life to which you were called and about which you made

the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

Paul is teaching his spiritual son Timothy, and he's telling

him, fight, fight. You have to fight for this.

And the longer you follow the Lord, the more He's going to

call you to fight because the more wins you get in your belt,

the more trusted you are, the more battles He puts you in on.

So if you feel like you've been fighting lately, good news, it's

probably because you won some. But the bad news is it's

escalated. The fight has escalated.

Anybody feel like you're in a fight right now for your faith,

where you fight, facing some things right in front of you and

they feel challenging? Come on, tell the truth.

You're in church this morning. Anybody feel like you're in a

fight for your faith right now? If you don't feel like you're in

a fight right now, there's one that coming.

We don't always know when or how it's going to come, but I've

noticed sometimes it catches me off guard.

Have you ever been caught off guard by something thrown at you

that you didn't expect, then laid off?

Nobody warned you you're going to be laid off.

You've been. You know, diagnosed with

something you weren't expecting, had someone close to you have

something going on in their heart and their life.

Well, all of a sudden you can find yourself in the middle of a

fight. So today's message is for all of

you who are in the fight right now and especially for all of us

who will one day be in the fight.

Timothy's hearing his spiritual father say, fight the good fight

of faith. Fight for it, fight for it,

fight for it. And I just fill an assignment

from the Lord this morning to tell every person under the

sound of my voice, whether here or watching online, fight for

your faith. Don't you dare give up, Don't

you dare quit. Don't you allow the enemy to lie

to you, to discourage you, to whisper his opinions to you.

You're going to have to shut that down and you're going to

have to get back in the fight in Jesus name, fight the good fight

of faith, fight for it and take hold of eternal life.

Some of us the fight is for your soul.

Let's just break it down real good.

It's. Cute as all y'all are, some of

you, the enemy is wearing you down to where your soul is at

stake. I'm watching people, even

pastors, ministers walk away from the Lord and let me tell

you, there is teaching out there that says once saved, always

saved. I don't believe that.

Now do I believe that your salvation is fragile?

No. Do I believe that you send this

morning, so now you're going to hell?

No, I don't believe that. But can you walk away from the

Lord? Yes, you can say never mind.

I reject that. I reject that belief.

I reject God, I reject Jesus and you can walk away from the Lord.

If you're worried about your salvation, then this doesn't

apply to you because the people I'm talking about, they, they

don't care. They are so far gone.

They're out there like peace out.

I don't want to any part of that.

Paul is telling him, don't you be one of those people.

Lay hold of your eternal life. Take it, take it, take it.

And I'm watching people that I served.

In ministry with walk away from the Lord wild.

Somewhere along the line, I don't think it was an

instantaneous thing, but somewhere along the line they

were in a fight and they didn't know it and they were getting

pummeled, pummeled, pummeled until they said I quit, I give

up on this thing. But if you.

Do some of the things we're going to talk about this

morning. You will not be one of those

people. Praise the Lord.

Come on, you're not going to be one of those people.

No one a part of our Rise church is going to hell.

Amen. That's a great place for it.

Amen. Second Timothy, chapter 4, verse

2 Timothy 4:7

7. Paul's going on now.

This is his 2nd letter to Timothy, right?

To the same guy. He says I have fought the fight,

the good fight. I have finished the race.

What does he say? I have kept the faith.

I have kept the faith. You know, when I think about the

Apostle Paul, he was he, this dude suffered some things.

He suffered shipwreck. He got beat up, he got in prison

multiple times. A lot of his letters that we

read, he's writing it from prison, that one of his letters

where he writes rejoice in the the Lord always.

And again I say rejoice, he wrote that in prison.

So this dude knows what he's talking about and he's saying

I've fought this fight. And so he's a man telling his

spiritual son. So you got to fight it now too,

especially some of you who are younger.

You may not have faced all the challenges that life's going to

eventually bring you, but there will be a time where you're

going to have to fight this fight out and you're going to

have to stand. You're going to do everything

you can to keep the faith. Look what Fusions chapter 6

says. Fusions chapter 6, verse 10

again this. Is Apostle Paul, he's write,

wrote a whole letter to this church in Ephesus and he's

saying finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the

power of his might. Be strong in the Lord, be strong

in the Lord, be strong in the Lord.

See, Paul was very direct. He didn't say feel strong.

He didn't say feel the goosebumps.

He was very direct because he was talking to persecuted

churches. Like for them this was do or

die. For them, they really were

contending to keep the faith because they some of them were

faced with deny Jesus Christ or be executed.

So he's having to tell a church who very well could.

Have been a part of that many of them were he's having to tell

him be strong in the Lord, be strong in the Lord, be strong

when you're faced with that. If you ever get arrested or put

in the arena because it was a Greek culture.

If you're ever put in the arena. And they began to throw lions

your direction. And they have the gladiators,

all of that. Most of the people who

gladiators will kill were Christians, by the way.

So these movies glorify it. But don't forget some of them

were our brothers and sisters in the Lord.

Paul is writing to them and saying, be strong in the Lord

and in the power of his might. Can you imagine receiving a

letter like this from Paul when you know what he's saying to

you? This wasn't OK, let's be strong

because we're facing political persecution or, you know, I

don't like what's going on in Washington or stuff that feels

sometimes, you know, hundreds of miles away.

For them it was very close. Be strong in the Lord and the

power of his might. And then he goes on to say, Put

on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against

the Wiles or the schemes of the devil.

One of the key components of you fighting for your faith is to

know there is a real devil. And he has cohorts and minions,

we call them demons. And they're, they're not few in

number. There's a lot of them.

And they're working on every person who's trying to fight the

fight of faith. So some of you, the

discouragement you're facing didn't come from you.

For some of you, the doctors say, well, it's chemical, but

God might say it's spiritual. They could be both.

So sometimes you need healing and deliverance.

But either way, let's not be ignorant of the devices of the

enemy and let's make sure we're strong in the Lord so that we

can put on this whole armor of God and stand against every

scheme of the devil. Come on.

That's the that's the will of God for my life and for your

life, that we would be able to withstand every scheme, every

scheme. We shouldn't fall prey or victim

to any plan attack of the enemy. That's not the will of God that

you or I fall prey to the attacks of the enemy.

His will is that we put on the whole armor of God.

Put on the whole armor of God. Why?

So you'll be able to stand. Listen, so you'll be able to

stand. So you'll be able to stand.

How will you be able to stand? You have to put on the whole

armor of God. Are y'all seeing this now?

There is pop theology out there that says no, whatever the will

of God is, it's just going to happen for you.

His it's just grace, grace, grace, grace, grace.

And I believe in the grace of God, but grace is the

supernatural empowerment to do the will of God.

So grace being the supernatural will of God, supernatural

ability to do the will of God, will empower you to put on the

whole armor of God. Put it all on.

Come on, turn your and say, put it all on.

Every bit of it, every bit of it.

Can you imagine going into war? And it's like, I forgot that

darn shield today I'm at the front lines.

But can I borrow yours? No, sucker, I need mine or as I

got my shield, but man, that sword, where did I put that

sword? Where did it go?

You know, of course, they're talking ancient Times Now.

It'd be guns or missiles or lasers or AI or I don't know,

you know, we'd, but you can relate it to us however you

want. But either way, you have a

responsibility for the fight, for your faith.

And some of us, I'm just convinced as I've been

preparing, some of us, this is a game changer because you didn't

know you had a part in this fight.

And as soon as you get alerted and you get educated, we're

going to we're going to put a blow to Satan in Jesus name.

Come on. Because once you put on the

whole armor of God, now you're able to stand.

So where he's been pummeling, pummeling, pummeling, being able

to have his way in your family and your life and your career or

whatever it may be, Oh no, he doesn't stand a chance.

Why? Because he can't take out the

armor of God. He's a defeated foe in Jesus

name. So it goes on to say this.

Look at this verse 12. For we do not wrestle against

flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers,

against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against

spiritual host of wickedness in the heavenly places.

What does that sound like? That sounds like the Wiles of

the devil. He's breaking it down.

He's saying, let me just break this down for you, in case you

didn't know, the person that you just cannot stand at work.

They're not your enemy. Your spouse who's on your last

nerve is not my spouse. Your spouse.

They're not your enemy. No one.

Amen. Come on, better say Amen so your

spouse hears it. If you don't have a spouse, say

Amen so your future spouse hears it.

They're not our enemy. Politicians are not our enemy.

The media is not our enemy. The spirits behind all of those

entities, now, that's the enemy. For we don't wrestle against the

humans that are right in front of us.

We wrestle against what's behind them and motivating them

sometimes. And we come after those.

If you're going to come after them and you're going to engage

this fight, you better have the whole armor of God.

And I see a lot of Christians walking and talking and trying

to get in the fight that have no armor.

And that's called stupid. Come on, you, you can say Amen

to that. Social media is called flesh and

blood. Can I just break it down for

you? Social media is called flesh and

blood. You know what?

Thank God I haven't had access to social media for 10 years.

So guess what? When I see all y'all and I look

you in the eyeballs, I have no idea what you have posted this

week. I really don't.

So if you ate coffee or if you ate, you know, cake yesterday

that was so delicious from such and such place, I have no idea

if you had a birthday last week. I'm sorry.

Unless it's on our database, I don't know that either.

But I do know that many people engage social media like that's

where the fight is, that's where the fight is, That's where the

fight is. It is not where the fight is.

The fight is in the spirit. And so when you engage those

things, you're not engaging the armor of God.

You're in, you're engaging your thumbs.

And nowhere in the Scripture do I see the thumbs of God.

I don't see it, for we do not wrestle against flesh and blood,

but against principalities, powers, rulers of darkness of

this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in heavenly

places. I think it's fascinating that

Paul doesn't minimize the forces that we're fighting against.

He doesn't say, hey, there's they're no big deal, don't worry

about them. He's under our feet.

And a lot of faith people try to minimize Satan, I think

inappropriately because it makes people think like, oh, I don't

have to worry about him. But Paul didn't teach that.

Paul said you better have the armor of God because there is a

wrestling, there is a fight that you are supposed to engage in

and you're in need this army because what you're facing are

principalities. These are large forces.

Let's keep going. Verse 13 therefore, so now that

we know that we know that there are Wiles of the devil, we know

that there are principalities, powers, rulers of darkness of

this age. Therefore take up the whole

armor of God. He said, just in case I wasn't

clear, get the armor of God that you may be able again to

withstand in the evil day and having done all to stand that

you may be able, that you may be able.

I love this because you know what, it gives me confidence.

Once I take hold of the armor of God, I'm able to stand.

So I'm not some feeble minded. Oh, I just am scared of the

devil. He's around every corner.

No, I'm aware of his schemes. I'm aware of his principalities,

powers, rulers of darkness. But when I lay hold of the armor

of God, something in me stands up and says not one weapon

formed against me shall be able to prosper.

Why? Because I have the whole armor

of God. Amen.

That you may be able to withstand in the evil day and

having done all to stand. Verse 14, stand there for you

think Paul's trying to tell us to stand having girded your

waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of

righteousness. So girded means that belt, that

that belt of truth around your waist.

Having put on the breastplate of righteousness, I am the

righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.

That means you know who you are, you have an identity.

You know I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.

I'm not trying to earn it. I'm not trying to work for it.

I'm not trying to appease a vengeful God.

No, I've made Jesus Lord of my life.

And so today I put on the breastplate of righteousness

because I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.

And so not only do I know I'm the righteousness of God in

Christ Jesus, but I live righteous.

I think it's fascinating that it's the breastplate of

righteousness. You want Satan to have a keel

shot in your life? Open yourself up to unholy

things in sin. Fastest way to get right in the

heart is to have that wide open. So you have to live holy.

You have to live right before God.

So yes, it's true, I am the righteousness of God in Christ

Jesus, but I have to live like that.

I have to put that on. I have to put on the breastplate

of righteousness. Verse 15 and having shod your

feet or tied your feet, your sandals with the preparation of

the gospel of peace, above all, taking the shield of faith,

which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts.

Look at that. Be able to quench or extinguish.

That's another way to say quench, extinguish all the fiery

darts of the wicked one. Look at the way Paul preaches.

He says when you do this, nothing will penetrate.

Listen to me. This is how Paul preached.

We don't preach this because sometimes we want to appease

people. So we get in conversations and

they tell us what's going on in their life and our heart gets

tugged. I'm sorry you're going through

that. And all of that's good.

We, we need to be kind to people, but at some point make

sure we come back to scripture and say, OK, but let's make sure

we go back and put on the whole armor of God so we don't get

penetrated again. So I don't have an answer for

every single circumstance of every person's life because I'm

not God. But that's why we need

scripture, because Scripture will teach you of how to be

impenetrable. Impenetrable.

And you know what, y'all, up to this point, I'm not

impenetrable, but I want to be. Come on.

But I want to be and I want God to show me how through His word.

But what I'm not going to do is roll over and be like, well,

that's just this life. It's just the way it is till we

get to heaven. Apparently Paul didn't get that

memo. He got the teaching that was,

oh, when you have the shield of faith, you're able to quench all

the fiery darts of the wicked. 1 So this message of faith that I

started last week, I'm going to continue for the next bit here.

It literally can make you impenetrable to every attack

from Satan. And some of us, our faith just

being challenged. Mommy's saying it because our

experience says, well, you've been shot before and you thought

you were good, but that just caught you off guard or you

didn't know. Then we come back to the Word

and say no, that shield of faith will quench all the fiery darts

of the wicked one and verse 17 and take the helmet of salvation

and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Few weeks ago I talked about reading our Bible every day in

2026. For some of us, it'll literally

save your life. Why?

Because it's a weapon, it's how you're able to stand, it's how

you're able to quench every fiery tart, it's how you're able

to pull down strongholds. It's how we're able to take down

principalities of powers. All of those things is right

here in Scripture, verse 18, praying always with all prayer

and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with

all perseverance and supplication for all the Saints.

So he's saying one of the pieces of this armor of God is praying.

Praying. You say, well, it's not really

my thing to pray. Well, good luck because what if

you need that in the fight? It's all right that I'm a little

honest today. Is that OK with you all?

Part of it is not because I'm trying to be snarky.

It's that I'm trying to interrupt thought patterns and

habits and religiosity that has discounted the fight that you

and I are in. And I have the distinct honor of

pastoring this congregation. And I get the distinct honor of

having many, many conversations with many people who are in this

room or watching online. And I know you're in a fight.

And many times people confide in me, fights they're in that they

don't tell anybody else. So when I preach, I'm preaching

from a position of I know, I know the fight that you're in

and everything in me wants to give you the tools and the

resources according to Scripture necessary for you to win that

fight. And I know, I'm very aware that

I'm limited as a pastor of how much I can actually do to cause

you to win. But everything that is in my

power, I'm going to do it because it's sometimes your soul

is on the line, your family's souls are on the line, your

health is on the line, your future is on the line.

And I'm aware of that. So sometimes I come strong to

help breakthrough some of just the old patterns and habits.

And may the Spirit of God partner in that as well.

Praying always with all prayer and supplication in Jesus name.

Verse 20, He says, For I am an ambassador in chains, that in it

I may speak boldly as I ought to speak, that I may speak boldly

as I ought to speak. This is very, very powerful.

Romans chapter 4, verse 19 again, the apostle Paul writing

Romans 4:19

to the church in Rome, he said, and not being weak in faith, he

meaning Abraham. He's talking about Abraham right

here, did not consider his own body already dead since he was

about 100 years old and the deadness of Sarah's womb.

He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was

strengthened in faith, giving glory to God and being fully

convinced. Look at that, being fully

convinced that what he, what God had promised, he was able to

perform and therefore it that faith was accounted to him for

righteousness. Paul is explaining, he's saying

Abraham thousands of years before Jesus ever came and

provided a different way outside the law towards salvation.

He said Abraham got saved. How did he get saved?

Through faith? What was his faith?

That he was fully convinced that what God had promised, he was

able to perform it. That is how powerful faith is.

So when you're standing and you're putting on the whole

armour of God and you're going to bat and you're going to fight

for your family, even what we were singing earlier, and you're

putting it on so that you're fighting and contending for all

the promises of God to come to pass in your life.

Once you lay hold of that faith and you become fully convinced

you are unstoppable. Listen to me, you are

unstoppable. When you become fully convinced

that what God has promised to you, he is able to perform it,

you become unstoppable. You say, well, it's the Lord,

absolutely. Of course it's the Lord.

But if you don't believe, then now anything can stop you.

Anything can stop you. Any road bump, any speed bump in

the in the in this freeway of life in this highway of life can

stop any one person just depending on your level of

faith, any opposition, any friction, any relational issues.

It could be like never mind, never mind must not be the will

of God and you just watch people take they just they take the off

ramp of this life of faith because the going gets tough.

But those of us who get fully convinced?

That. He who promised is able to

perform it. You become unstoppable.

I want to give you 6 ways of how to fight in faith.

Are you ready? This is where it gets good.

I was just laying the groundwork.

Praise the Lord #1 How to fight in faith #1 Discern the

circumstances. Discern the circumstances.

Of course, all of these presuppose that you're in a

fight and you know first of all that you're in a fight, but

first of all, discern the circumstances.

Look at Luke chapter 22, fascinating verse or fascinating

Luke 22 · chapter mention

conversation between Jesus and Peter.

He said in Luke 22, verse 31 and the Lord said Simon Sidon,

Luke 22:31

indeed Satan has asked for you that he may sift you as we but I

have prayed for you that your faith should not fail.

And when you have returned to me, strengthen your brethren.

Now Can you imagine Jesus showing up and he's like a by

the way, that pesky Satan, he's asked for you and Jesus didn't

say, so I rebuked him and you don't have to worry about it.

He didn't say that. He says Satan asked for you.

So I pray for you that your faith not fail and you have to

discern and you have to hear from the Lord.

Here's what's going on in your life, because sometimes we'll

call something the will of God when really is Satan, and

sometimes we'll call something Satan.

That's really the will of God. And how do you discern the

difference? You need the Lord to tell you,

don't you? Because if you start fighting

against God, you will lose. Come on, save into that.

If you start rebuking the Lord, ain't nothing going to change

and not one thing's going to happen.

Not one thing will happen. You have to discern what's

happening here. And the Lord Jesus told Peter

exactly what his remedy was. Your faith, I pray that your

faith not fail. I pray that your faith not fail.

Many times when I'm praying for y'all individually, I'm praying

that your faith not fail because I know my prayer even for your

specific circumstances, if it's not attached to your faith being

strong in the Lord, it not going to work.

So what do we do? I pray that your faith not fail.

May your faith stay strong. May your faith be in the Lord.

May your faith be in the power of His might in Jesus name Amen.

I remember earlier last year, 2025, I just started to notice a

few people were leaving the church and mostly for good

reasons. People have, you know, family

that they wanted to move towards and just different stuff.

But as a pastor, you don't like to see anybody leave, you know,

kind of like you to stay. And I kind of, I kind of like

our community being built and seeing what the Lord's doing

here. And you know, we all have

insecurities. You're like, well, did I say

something, did something happen? Was it something I preached?

Was it because you know the faith message, whatever it could

be? And so you just wonder, but I

felt the Lord speak to me and said, you're being pruned.

And he took me to John chapter 15.

John 15 · chapter mention

And in John chapter 15, the Lord says that when you bear fruit,

John 15 · chapter mention

he prunes you that you may bear more fruit.

But, you know, if I took his pruning personal and

misunderstood it, then I could get all in my head, get all

kinds of discouraged. I could start putting pressure

on all the team. We need to change things so

people feel more comfortable. Mary Beth, make the coffee

hotter. You know, I could say kids team,

make sure it's more fun for the kids.

I can make sure that we've got some smoke lights or something,

you know, whatever. We could just start doing stupid

stuff, right? When all the while, if God's

pruning you, nothing you do will stop his shears from clipping

you. Hello.

And he's a good sniper. His shears are sharp.

And just clip here and clip here, clip here.

But you know what I love about him?

He's precise. He's.

Precise and his pruning for us and I believe for many of the

folks who left there, it was pruning for them.

And my prayer for them is that they bear more fruit.

But I know for a fact we're going to bear more fruit because

at that time I discerned the circumstances and I said yes to

the pruning. I didn't resist it.

I even told our team at the time, I said, hey, I'm not going

to tell the church this because, you know, part of it is I don't

want people to hear old pastor said you were pruned.

You know, you're part of the pruning.

Guess you had to go. You must have done something

wrong. You know, we just say stupid

stuff. And I didn't want anybody to

misunderstand because it was the Lord at work.

So why would I give room for the enemy when it was him he was

doing it? So I would.

But I told the team, I said I just sensed that we're going

through a pruning. But the good news is once we get

through it, we'll bear more fruit because that's his word.

That's what he said. And he told me you're being

pruned. So I was just so thankful for

that. But you know, if I would have

gone through that and been like, I don't understand why this is

happening. God, I thought you said this and

this was the vision. And now I'm in the flesh and I'm

out of faith. I'm in a belief.

But because I heard him, I got to discern the circumstances and

I could stay in faith. And I really believe in 2026

that this is a year of more fruit.

Come on, say Amen, more fruit. And you know, what I love is

that if we as a church are experiencing more fruit, that

means every individual here is going to be bearing more fruit

in Jesus name, Amen. All right, so that was #1

discern the circumstances. Discern the circumstances #2

imitate faith filled promise getters.

It's a very southern point. Get her done.

Imitate faith filled promise getters.

Imitate faith filled promise getters.

Don't imitate people who don't inherit promises.

Hello. This thing's basic, but it's

amazing how many people talk like unbelievers.

What does that mean? That means you're imitating

unbelief. And James says when you're

double minded, in other words, you talk out of two sides of

your mouth. He says don't let that person

suppose that they'll receive anything.

So I don't know about you. I'm like, I want to imitate

promise getters. Look at Hebrews chapter 6, verse

Hebrews 6:9

9. But beloved, we are confident of

better things concerning you. Yes, things that accompany

salvation, though we speak in this manner.

For God is not unjust to forget your work and labor of love,

which you have sown shown toward His name, and that you have

ministered to the Saints and do minister.

And we desired that each one of you show the same diligence to

the full assurance of hope until the end, That you do not become

sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience

inherit the promises. I want to imitate faith, get or

promise getters. I do.

So you know who I listen to when I listen to preaching, I listen

to people who inherit promises. I don't listen to people who are

just trying to tell me all the doom and gloom of what's going

on in the world. If I wanted that, I would turn

on the news. Hello.

I don't listen to people who just go through the scripture

and intellectually want to tell me all the reasons why what God

really said isn't true or it was misinterpreted or if you you got

to read it this way or you got to do doctrinal twister to

misread it. And I'm like, I don't have the

time for that. And my faith is vulnerable to

being drained when I listen to that.

So I want to get around faith promise getters.

I do. So, you know, a lot of the

friends that we have in the ministry, they're people who are

inheriting promises and the promises that God has made to

them, our souls, regions, countries, cities, they're

taking territory for God. So I like just to get around

people who when I when I hear them, they talk faith, they talk

miracles, they share testimony. And when they need prayer or

they need support, they'll come and say it, but they'll say it

from a point of view of knowing the will of God hasn't changed.

But I'm in the fight of faith. Will you partner with me in the

fight of faith? And to that we say, yes, of

course. But the writer of Hebrews is

here saying, don't become sluggish.

Just turn to your neighbor and say, don't be a slug.

Don't be a slug. Have you ever watched?

Is it Zootopia that has the sloth?

Our kids, you know, our kids age.

So there's this like cartoon movies, you know, called

Zootopia and thus the the sloths.

Guess where they work The DMV in the movie.

I didn't make it up. If you work at the DMV, please

don't take it personal. It's the movie, but I'm fairly

certain these sloths were from North Carolina because the DMV.

But you know, they just move so slow.

This Kingdom. Don't be a slug.

Don't be a sloth. Imitate those who, through faith

and patience, inherit the promises.

Imitate them. Imitate them.

That's why you can't just go to any old church, because you can

go to churches that are not inheriting promises.

They'll sing great songs. They'll have great, you know,

inspirational messages. But if you're not careful, if

you don't see people inheriting God's promises, be weary, be

leery, I guess. Be leery of that.

Get around people who are taking God's promises, who are going

after it in faith in Jesus name. Hebrews 13, seven says, Remember

those who rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to

you, whose faith follow considering the outcome of their

conduct, considering the outcome of their conduct.

It's all right to do a little inspection.

How things been going. I can't wait.

We're having a member meeting for everybody who's officially a

member of a Rice church. We're having it on February the

1st at 6:00 PM. If you didn't get an e-mail, it

means you're not a member, but I guess there's still time you can

officially become a member. But guess what we get to do?

We get to do a little inspection of how faithful God's been to

our church and how we've been inheriting promises.

Glory to God. And I can't wait to show the

reports to see how much we've done with how much has come in.

And we have big faith for bigger things.

So I'm like inspect, absolutely. I haven't perfected this fight

of faith, but thank God we've seen some victories and we're

going to see more victories. So he says, whose faith follow?

Whose faith follow considering the outcome of their conduct.

Some of us, we need to humble down and follow someone else's

faith because if you want to just do it your way and just

take all the licks and the bumps and the bruises because you

didn't learn from anyone else's faith, you just want to figure

it out on your own, you can do that.

But why would you do that when the Bible is like, one of the

ways to fight this fight and to win is to follow someone else's

faith whose outcomes look like the Word of God?

Amen. These are keys to victory.

These are keys to fighting in such a way where you win #3 fill

yourself with the hearing of God's Word.

Fill yourself with the hearing of God's Word.

Romans 10/17 So then faith comes by hearing and hearing by the

word of God. Faith comes by hearing and

hearing by the word of God. When you listen to preachers, if

you leave with less faith, stop listening to them.

Nobody wants to say it then, but it's true.

If you listen to someone ministering the word of God and

you leave with less faith, it means you didn't hear the word

of God. It means you heard opinion and

you might have heard a couple jokes and a couple stories and a

couple quotes or whatever. But if you didn't hear the word

of God, the word of the Lord being ministered and preached,

then you're going to leave with less faith than when you came

in. And I don't know about you.

I don't have time to just come and listen to somebody talk.

I need somebody who's going to pump me up with the faith of

God's Word. Amen.

And that's a, that's a prayer. When I walk around the property

of this church, there's four different corners.

And one of the corners is that this would be a House of the

word of God. And I pray every time I go to

that corner. This is the House of the word of

God, the House of the word of God.

And I pray over this platform and I pray that may every person

who stands on this platform preach the word of God,

unadulterated, unfiltered, in Jesus name.

May they preach that word from here.

Why? Because I have no confidence in

our flesh. I have no confidence in my

skill. I have no confidence in the

degrees I've gotten. I have no confidence in the

Bible study skills and the exegesis and the hermeneutics

and all of that which are helpful to assist me.

But unless I'm preaching the actual Word of God, I have no

confidence. Why?

Because your faith is on the line.

So when you're coming in here, my aim is that your faith get

stronger and built up so that throughout your life you can

take these words to the bank because they're not ties words.

They're the word of God. That's why I use so many

scriptures. Some, some people are like, why

do you use so many scriptures? Because my words aren't going to

help you. You can't take my words to the

bank. You can't take my words to

spiritual warfare. If you do, you'll lose.

Amen. You need the Word of God, and by

the Word of God you'll be able to yield that sword of the

Spirit and take out the enemy #4 to fight for your faith.

We have to gather with believers.

Hebrews chapter 10, verse 22. Let us draw near with the true

Hebrews 10:22

heart and full assurance of faith, having our hearts

sprinkled from an evil conscience in our bodies washed

with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession

of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.

And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and

good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves

together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another,

and so much the more as you see the day approaching.

We're not supposed to gather less.

We're supposed to gather more as we see the day of the Lord

coming. Why?

Because the Bible prophecies that many will stray, even the

elect. Well, stray.

Well, how do you not stray? How do you not lose your faith?

Like some that I've talked about before is one of the ways is you

gather with believers. So of course, here we're

gathering this morning, you get to be seen.

You get to interact with people who are like faith and they're

holding us accountable and they're encouraging us.

But home groups, we're going to do home groups in a few weeks

here. So gathering throughout the

week, gathering a more intimate space where you can really do

life and open up life together. And there'll be other things

even that I share at our Vision Sunday on February the 8th.

And I can't wait to show just what God is stirring up in the

hearts of people. And it's all around gathering

with believers so powerful #5 praying in the Spirit, praying

in the Spirit. Jude only has 1 chapter, so

we'll say verse 20 says, But you beloved, building yourselves up

on your most holy faith, building yourselves up on your

most holy faith, praying in the Spirit.

When you're in a fight, pray in the Spirit.

Bible also says, for we do not know what to pray for as we

ought, but the Spirit himself makes intercession for us with

groanings which cannot be uttered.

So when you're praying in the Spirit, it is the Spirit of God

praying through you. And the Bible says when you're

doing that, you're praying the perfect will of God.

So I don't know about you, but if I know as I'm praying the

Spirit, I'm praying the perfect will of God.

Guess what's being built my faith?

Because there are sometimes where I don't have English words

for what needs to be prayed. I don't know enough of what's

going on. I don't know the insurance and

outs. I don't know the full

circumstances. So guess what I get to do?

I get to start praying in the Spirit.

And when I start praying the Spirit, something in me starts

to shift and my faith gets built.

And I'll do what the old Saints used to call.

I'll pray through it. You know what pray through it

means? It means you pray until you're

through it. And you, how do you know you're

through it? You'll know, you'll feel a

release and you'll feel like, OK, it's done and you'll just be

able to go go along in your business.

But there are many times where I don't know it, even church wise,

I don't know what to pray for, but I'll pray through it and

I'll pray in the Spirit and I'll pray, pray, pray, pray, pray,

pray, pray, pray. Sometimes it can be done in 5

minutes, sometimes it takes 30 minutes, sometimes it takes an

hour. It just takes as long as it

takes. But I'll tell you what, I'm

going to engage that fight. Even if I don't know what to

pray for, I'm going to click in and I'm going to pray in the

Spirit. Amen.

Praise the Lord number six. Last one, strengthen yourself in

the Lord. Strengthen yourself in the Lord.

I want to close with this particular example of King

David. It's one of the most startling

passages in Scripture because it's David at probably one of

his lowest points. Let me read just out of verse

one of First Samuel chapter 30. Now it happened when David and

1 Samuel 30 · chapter mention

his men came to Ziklag on the third day that the Amalekites

had invaded the South and Ziklag attacked Ziklag and burned it

with fire and had taken captive the women and those who are with

their, who are there from small to great, they did not kill

anyone, but carried them away and went their way.

So David and his men came to the city and there was burned with

fire. And their wives, their sons and

their daughters have been taken captive.

So think of this. David's fighting the, the, the,

the battles of the Lord. And while he's fighting the

battles of the Lord, his own home gets ransacked.

And anybody who's ministered before been in ministry,

sometimes you can feel like I'm out doing the, the, the, the

ministry for the Lord and my own home feels like it's on fire.

This is what happened to David. So they come back and I'll just

paraphrase a little bit, they come back.

All his men turned on him. They were ready to stone him and

kill him because he they were like, it's your fault.

This is your fault. We followed you.

You said God was with us. You said we were fighting the

battles of the Lord. We trusted you.

And now look, our wives, our kids are all taken captive.

Our homes are burned with fire, and it's your fault.

That's where we find David. Verse 6 says, Now David was

greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him,

because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man

for his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself

in the Lord. But David strengthened himself

in the Lord. But David strengthened himself

in the Lord. He.

Did what no one else was doing. Everyone else was grieving.

David strengthened himself in the Lord.

Everyone else was blame shifting.

David was strengthening himself in the Lord.

This sound familiar to anybody? Have you ever gone through a

time like that where you felt like this?

This could not get worse. This is the time where you

strengthen yourself in the Lord. This is the time you go back to

the one who called your name in the beginning.

This is the one where you go where David says I go to the

rock that is higher than I. This is why David says over and

over and over in the Psalms that he is his, that God is his

refuge in his shelter. Because he knew what he was

talking about. He found that shelter in the

Lord. When everything seemed like it

was falling apart, when the battle was fiercest, he

strengthened himself in the Lord.

Then David said to Abiathar, the priest, him elect's son, bring

the ephod here to me. And Abiathar brought the ephod

to David. So David inquired of the Lord,

Look at that. The strengthening came through

inquiring, and he asked the Lord what to do.

Now most of us would just assume what to do.

We got to run. We got to go take back what was

stolen from us. We got to chase down the enemy.

We got to find our kids and our wives.

But David took the pause to inquire of the Lord.

He went back to what he has been doing all along, and he asked

the Lord, Shall I pursue this troop?

Shall I overtake them? And he answered him, God

answered him, Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them, and

without fail recover all. In the midst of one of the

darkest times of his whole life, he received the word of the Lord

as a leader, but also for his own family to pursue the troop.

Pursue them, overtake them, and you shall surely without fail,

recover all. Some of us, we haven't been

fighting up to this point. We haven't deployed any of the

things that I've mentioned today.

Some of you haven't realized it was a fight.

You were in a fight for your faith.

But there's good news. You get back in this fight and

you inquire of the Lord and you ask Him what to do now, and he

won't be any different to you than he was with David.

And his intent for you and your family and your life is that you

shall surely overtake what was stolen from you and you shall

surely overtake and you shall surely recover.

All of it. Come on.

Every single bit of all of it, all of it, all of it in Jesus

name. All of it in Jesus name.

You know, through the years I've met many people, you know,

they'll go through the different recessions and different things

will happen in their life. And you know, if you remember

2008, 2009, I knew many friends who lost their houses during

that time because they got different mortgages and

different things that just, you know, later on bit them.

And of course we can money morning quarterback that and

well, you should have done this and none of the other.

I don't know all the circumstances, but all I know is

that it's in those moments where you got to go back to the Lord

and ask him, What do I do? What do I do?

Because Satan will have you defeated.

He'll let you wallow in defeat. He'll let you wallow in your

debt. He'll let you wallow in all the

life circumstances that He created for you, and he'll blame

you. It's your fault.

You shouldn't have done this. And he'll just condemn, condemn,

condemn, condemn. But the Lord, he'll start to

direct your steps in your path. And what's He directing you back

towards? Toward recovery, toward

restoration, toward taking back everything that the enemy's

stolen. So when you get in the fight of

faith, guess what? You're not just maintaining

territory or ground, You're taking ground.

You're recovering things that were lost or taken from you,

stolen from you. This is all throughout

Scripture. I'm just choosing a couple

different examples because I don't have the time to go

through all of them. But we could go through

scripture after scripture after scripture where it was the will

of God for his people to basically do this, to go

overtake and recover all, go overtake and recover all, go and

overtake and recover all. And I just feel like for some

this morning, you need to write this down On this date, January

the 18th, 2026. This was the day where God gave

you permission, go take it back. Come on.

Oh, I feel it strong, some of you.

This is the day where you determine I'm going to take my,

my, my, my children back. As of today.

I may have made mistakes, I may have done some things where it

may have caused them to get all wonky on me right now.

But as of today, I take them back in Jesus name.

Why? Because I'm not wrestling with

flesh and blood. You don't need to call them and

say, guess what? The pastor, I'm taking you back

today in Jesus name. Don't you do that.

That's not what this is about. This is a spiritual fight.

This is a fight of your faith. And once your faith is back,

Satan and his cohorts, his demons have no chance, no shot

to take advantage of you or your family any longer.

And it's just a matter of time before you pursue and you catch

back up with them and you take it all back in Jesus name.

This isn't me just preaching hype.

This isn't me preaching some sort of skewed gospel.

This is me actually preaching the Bible, glory to God.

And I just sense very strongly that some of us, as your faith

rises, some of you are going to remember words that God spoke

over your life even years ago, promises he spoke to you,

visions he gave to you. But unbelief clouds all that.

It gets it all pressed down and sometimes it gets so bad you

forget it. But when faith starts to stir

back up in your heart, guess what?

Your memory comes back and you start to remember.

Oh, I remember, I remember when God spoke to me this, this

message a few years ago. And I haven't seen recovery of

all that. And guess what that is?

That's that is faith rising back up in you.

And you start to do that and you start to lay hold and put on the

whole armor of God and you start to do these things of how to

fight the faith. I'm telling you, we're going to

have more testimonies in 2026 than in any previous time of

this church history in Jesus name, in the name of Jesus.

First, John 54 says this is the victory that has overcome the

world, our faith. That's how powerful.

Faith is it overcomes the world. Your faith could literally be so

potent it overcomes the world. Glory to God, glory to God.

Thank you Lord. Let's stand to our feet and

let's say some things. Glory to God.

I was listening to a minister and he said he was going to the

Lord because he was facing all kinds of trouble.

And he asked God, God, what do I do?

And the Lord told him, stand. So he shot back at the Lord.

He said, I've been standing and the Lord told him we'll keep

standing. He says, but what do I do after

that? He says, he said if you knew

what I knew, you would be rejoicing.

And the minister said, well, what do you know that I don't

know? He says, what I know that you

don't know is that Satan just shot his best shot and you're

still standing. Glory to God.

And something when I heard that shot up in me and I'm like,

that's true. That's true.

And for some of you, the fact that you're in this sanctuary

today ought to give you a great confidence that you can stick

with it and fight the fight of faith.

Glory to God. I didn't warn y'all for this,

but Robin joined. Do you mind coming up?

Yeah. Thank you.

Thank you. Glory to God.

Glory to God. Some of us you just need to

close your eyes where you're at and start remembering What are

some of the promises that feel like they got stolen from you,

where you feel like you lost ground.

Maybe you feel like the enemy did it.

Maybe it's you just need some discernment on what's really

going on. But as of today, the late the

Lord saying either way ask me what to do, ask me what to do,

talk to me about it, stop Googling, stop AI ING it and ask

me ChatGPT has nothing on the Spirit of God.

Hello, glory to God, close your eyes right where you're at and

just begin to ask the Lord, Lord, where does this apply to

me? Where does this apply to me?

Start committing saying, Lord, I'm ready to jump back in this

fight. I'm ready to be strengthened

again. I'm ready to put on the whole

armor of God again. I'm ready to wield this sword of

the spirit. I'm ready to raise my shield of

faith so that I'm able to quench every fiery dart of the wicked

one. Glory to the name of Jesus.

Glory to the name of the Lord, Glory to the name of God.

Lord, I pray that you'd start just releasing new dreams and

visions in this place, in this atmosphere of faith.

I pray that you just start dropping in to the hearts of

people what it is that you have for their life, dreams and

visions that far outweigh anything that they have thought

or imagined up to this place. I pray that you would start

increasing our faith so that we would literally go from faith to

faith and glory to glory. I pray that you would help us

Lord that all unbelief would drain out of us in Jesus name.

I pray that we would be fully convinced that he who promised

is able to complete it, able to bring it about 100%.

Glory to God, glory to God, glory to God.

In fact, I just say what King David said, which is let God be

true and every man a liar. And so, Lord, I just declare

that wherever circumstances seem to compete with your promise, I

say, let God be true, and every man a liar, every philosophy a

liar, every other religion a liar, every other gospel a liar,

Let God be true and every. One of those things, be a liar.

Glory to the name of the Lord, Glory.

To the name of the Lord. Some of us, we just need to

commit. Lord, I'd rather die in faith

than live in unbelief. Lord, I'd rather die in faith

than live in unbelief. I'm committing myself to this

fight of faith. I will not give up until the

very last breath that I breathe. And I'm with Jesus in heaven.

Glory to the name of the Lord. Thank you, Lord.

Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Lord.

Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Lord.

Glory to God. We want to thank you again for

joining us for the Arise Church podcast.

We hope you were encouraged by what you heard today.

You can find [email protected] and

on Instagram at Arise Church NC. If you need prayer or support or

are interested in learning more about Arise Church, we encourage

you to connect with us online or in person at our Sunday morning

service. Thank you and God bless.