ADVENT: Joy - Maegan Pittman

Welcome to the Celebration Church Orlando podcast.

We are so glad you joined us, and we hope you are encouraged by today's message.

Thank you guys so much for coming out, uh, braving the rain to come and see us and hang with us at Celebration Orlando today.

We're so excited.

Um, I'm so grateful.

I would be remiss if I didn't honor back my husband, who has been my rock for the past 25 years.

Um, he's been my biggest cheerleader, um, my boo thing, all of the above.

Um, he leads our family very well and he he makes everyone better who's around him.

So I just want to honor you today, honey.

Thank you.

Um lastly, I want to honor um the pastor campus pastors of this house, and that is Pastor Justin and Becca Todd.

They are amazing, they do so many things behind the scenes that people don't see.

And you see them out here, but the things that matter the most is the things that they uh do behind the scenes and truly trying to live a life of Christ no matter what season they may find themselves in.

So I want to say thank you.

Thank you so much for uh being with us and serving alongside of us.

Well, I'm so excited because Christmas is coming up.

We have a couple of more days.

Um I'm always excited when we can get to celebrate the Risen King.

I can spend time with my family.

We get to stay in our pajamas, some onesies, watch cheesy Christmas movies.

There's so there's some bad ones out there on Netflix, y'all.

And sometimes we have to bear with it, but I'm so excited that you know we get to do those things.

We get to uh spend that time, that quality time that otherwise we may not get because we're uh working.

But it's most of all two to celebrate the birth of Jesus.

And so we are excited about that.

And I know sometimes the holidays can bring on different emotions, um, that sometimes the holidays can bring uh different pains or uh any challenges that may they may face right now or they have faced during the holiday season may be a reminder that's not always gay, uh that's not always good.

So um I just take joy in knowing that there is joy, there's lasting joy that no matter what you go through, that we can still lean on the fruit of the spirit that God gives to us.

Amen.

All right, so we're gonna get right down to it, and I think it's a scripture that um is gonna summarize, you know, everything that we will go through uh when it comes as it relates to joy.

Uh, if you can turn to your Bibles, um we'll turn to Hebrews 12, 1 and 2.

And the scripture says, therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up, and lets us run the endurance, the race that God has set before us.

We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith.

Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame.

Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God's throne.

And I love how this passage encourages us to follow the example that Jesus set before us.

It tells us to look to Jesus, who somehow managed to find joy, even though he knew he was going to endure the cross.

So that's what I want us to talk about today, which is lasting joy.

Let us pray.

Lord, thank you.

We thank you for giving us a place where we can gather and worship you.

Our prayer is for you to speak to our hearts today, change our hearts, minds, and our lives in the name of Jesus.

Amen.

Amen.

So to give you a little uh background history when it comes to the book of Hebrews, is it was a group of Christians who were going through a series of trials and they needed to be encouraged.

And so the ultimate message to them was to focus on and imitate Jesus, who is the one who strengthens their faith.

And so one of the recurring themes that we see throughout that the book of Hebrews is that Jesus is better.

And it really was meant to give us a perspective of how his ways are better than our ways.

And so when we look at the text and we read it, it says, because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross.

Now, to us, that doesn't seem like something that's we can comprehend.

Um, it's one of those things that's like, okay, how do I have joy if I just got laid off during the Christmas season?

How do I have joy if I in the midst of that being laid off, I can't provide gifts for my children, I can't pay my bills.

And so that can be tough, but first we must understand what joy really is.

And so joy is described as the state of delight and well-being that delights from knowing and serving God.

Um, a number of uh scriptures in the Bible, Greek or Hebrew, has the words joy, joyous, joyful, um, rejoice over 200 times in the Bible.

And you're thinking, like, man, God, why did you emphasize this?

Why did you emphasize this so much in the Bible if we didn't need it?

And so um it was it was just baffling to me.

So I was like, as I continue to do research, I found out that joy is a fruit of a right relationship with God.

When we had the right relationship with Him, it is the overflow of what we have on the inside of us.

Sometimes we can think that God wants to kill our joy, maybe for something that we've done or a sin that we've committed, or we weren't obedient to him or faithful to him, and we think that, oh man, we're suffering because we're not faithful.

But that's absolutely far from the truth.

God is a God of joy, He wants us, He's joyful, and He wants us to uh have that fruit as well.

And so, Luke 15, it talks about joy where the Pharisees and the scribes were invited to the table to sit with Jesus.

And so at the table there were many different people, but everyone was invited.

So can you imagine if you sinned today and you weren't invited to someone's house?

We've had that, right?

Like when you've done something to a family member or a friend and you're not invited to that party.

But Jesus said that all are welcome, even the ones that would betray him, all were welcome to the table because he took joy in knowing that they were his kids and he knew that they were struggling.

And so his love surpasses what our sins are.

And so joy is more than being in a happy mood, but rather a choice to trust in God.

So, how many times do we need to trust in God that he will fulfill our promises?

His promises that he has to us in his word.

You know, a lot of times we think that that's not for me, that's for someone else.

It hasn't happened to me because they have the favor on their life.

No, if you are in this room, you have the favor of God on your life.

No one is exempt.

God is not a respecter of persons.

That means everyone can receive the promises of God, and especially when it comes to joy.

Um, you we all should choose um things like those things like resentment and anger and all those things.

We don't want to choose those things.

We want to choose joy because in Hebrews it talks about how those scenes weigh us down and it prevents us from moving forward.

So truth is, they think that um happiness, many people think that happiness and joy are the same thing.

You know, there's many songs out there like um, don't worry, be happy, right?

And then Pharrell has, what's the song called again?

Uh, because I'm happy.

And so we have all these songs that tell us what happiness looks like.

But when we look at joy, joy is an attitude that God's people adopt, not because of happy circumstances, but because of their hope in God's love and his promises.

Happiness is a feeling, right?

Joy is a choice, it is a choice that we must make each and every day.

Having joy can move you forward, but happiness will keep you at a standstill.

Children of Israel is a prime example of that.

You know, you you came from a different place.

You got rescued from being in bondage, and now you're in freedom, and what makes you happy is I need to have food right now.

God said, Okay, I'll give you food.

I need something to drink.

God provided everything, but it was that complaint that we have instead of trusting on him, trusting that he's the one to get us joy, the same one that got us out of Egypt is the same one that's going to deliver his promises.

Amen.

And so joy is eternal.

A lot of times we think that, you know, okay, joy is just for here today.

No, that's happiness.

Happiness is short term.

Joy is eternal.

And John 15, 11 says, Before Christ went to Calvary, he said these things I have spoken to you that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

You will have sorrow now, but I will see you again.

Isn't that awesome that we will see him again?

And your hearts you will have sorrow now, I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take that joy from you.

Oh, how Jesus promises disciples that their joy will be full or complete.

Filling a glass of water to the brim makes it full and complete.

Next, Jesus assures them that no one's gonna take their joy away.

Um and so when we think about that, that no one can take our joy away because Jesus has given that to us.

It it just baffles me.

I'm just like, gosh, I'm I'm so thankful that no one can take my joy away.

And so in church, um, a long time ago, we had this um song that we would sing.

It's called, I'm not gonna sing it for you, okay.

I would try to do that, but you don't want to hear my voice.

Um, it says, This joy that I have, the world didn't give it to me.

This joy that I have, the world didn't give it to me.

This joy that I have, the world didn't give it to me.

The world didn't give it, and the world can't take it away.

Amen.

Isn't it funny?

No.

No way.

Um, isn't it funny how the world tries to tell you how to obtain joy when the creator is the only one who is the source of the joy?

So we need to focus on the source who gives us our joy.

Though happiness differs from joys in that it's an emotion that can disappear as quickly as it rises to the surface.

We live in a world that is constantly looking for opportunities to take away our happiness.

You can have a great day in one moment, and then there's a shift and it can ruin it all.

We're all excited yesterday, I think it was yesterday, two days ago, Keith and I and our family um we ordered tickets a week ago for Star Wars.

And so, who's the Star Wars fan out here?

Oh, cool.

So uh we normally order the tickets every year, and so we ordered them in advance.

We went to the movie uh theater, we went to the one that brings you the food over to your table and stuff, and so we were like so excited.

Uh, we ordered our drinks and everything, and so the movie's about to start, and the girl comes with our drinks.

So she has a table full of drinks because you know Caleb wanted like some water, and she gave him like two cups of water with uh his milkshake.

And I was like, okay, she takes the heaviest cup off of the tray.

And guess what?

The water all went on me.

My seat was all reclined, so I'm getting the ice, I'm getting the water.

I had on my new outfit.

Me and my boo was matching, and we had on cute sneakers.

So my new outfit at the movie theater, um, water all over me.

It looked like I had been in a fight and somebody threw a drink in my face.

I literally had water in my hair, um, all over my face, all over my clothes, my sneakers wet, my pocketbook was wet, my cell phone was wet, and here I am like this after I get up.

I'm standing up, the movie has started, they bring the lights down, and the sheer horror on my family's face was like this.

And I was like, I was like, oh my gosh.

And then I looked to the people that are to the left of my family that were sitting in the movie theater, and they were looking at sheer horror because I didn't respond.

I said nothing, y'all.

I didn't know what to say.

I was like, do I do I snap out the movie's already started?

Do I do this?

I said nothing.

So I said nothing to no one, not even my family.

And so they were looking at me like, I don't even know how to respond.

And so in that moment, once I sat down, uh, 30 minutes goes past in the movie, and I am rehearsing the horror in my mind over and over again.

I'm stewing, I'm like, I'm not paying for this food, I'm not paying for these drinks, they're gonna refund my bill.

What manager do I need to talk to?

Do I need to write to corporate?

Like, I'm thinking of all these things, you guys.

And so I was like, okay.

After 30 minutes, I'm like, I don't want this to be a bad experience.

I've literally waited to go to this movie.

I literally prayed.

And so I said, Lord, please help me to move forward, help me not to be angry.

I know you'll take care of this.

And so immediately after I did that, peace came on.

I would like to say that I kept hearing it over and over in my head again, like I kept replaying what happened over and over again, and and that didn't make me happy.

But what I kept choosing to do is I kept choosing to have joy because I could either ruin the moment and my family not enjoy the movie around me, or I can trust in God that I knew he was gonna take care of it afterwards, that I would deal with it after the fact.

And so when our bill came, they did crud.

I didn't have to ask, I didn't have to do anything.

I prayed and I trusted that God would take care of it, and he did.

I didn't have to pay that bill, but can you imagine if I would have lashed out and caused a scene when the movie started?

Can you imagine as an ambassador of Christ, if I would have reacted in a negative way, how that could have looked?

You know, you never know who's in the seats beside you.

And they're like, oh, it's not Pastor Megan, lay the people around at the book of theater.

No, you won't get that from me.

And so, um, and in that moment, I realized, yes, we can tap into the Holy Spirit to give us joy in those moments.

We can do that, like we don't have to sit in our unhappiness and our um brokenness in those moments because you know what?

Guess what?

Things are gonna come up, but is is the way that we respond to it.

How are we gonna respond?

Are we gonna respond in our flesh?

Are we gonna respond and lean on God who is gonna be our source for the joy, you know?

And so one thing that I did learn like through all of that is that um we focus so much on happiness, um, it is so difficult.

When we focus so much on happiness, it's difficult to move forward.

However, joy chooses to see the bigger picture.

And um, what I what I know about this is that because I chose to keep my joy, God had me move forward, move forward to be able to watch the movie, move forward to have peace, move forward to know that he'll take care of me.

And so I I just realized, oh my gosh, how many times have I just lashed out instead of in the moments when there's other situations that I didn't lean on him and I just responded in my flesh.

And you know, you can't beat arguing back and forth.

No, no good fruit comes out of that.

But silence in silence and prayer, let me tell you, God can work all things, He can do it all.

And so I was really excited that we were able to finish the movie and uh enjoy ourselves, and then we laughed about it afterwards.

So I'm like, I had a drink thrown in my face.

We're like laughing, the kids are laughing me out.

It's okay.

Um, but joy is a choice.

I think that most people would agree that happiness is a goal.

Doesn't everyone want to be happy?

The truth is the Bible never promises happiness, however, it does promise joy.

There is a difference.

You can have joy and be happy, but you can't really be happy and have joy without joy.

It's easy to be happy when you have freedom from suffering.

You're financially secure and and all your relationships are good, but then you have trouble with the one one or more of these, and then that's when your happiness is gone.

But if you trust in Jesus and know you're secure in his hands, you've still got joy.

Happiness is based on happenings, meaning if things happen to go well, you're happy.

But if things happen that go bad and they occur, then happiness is likely a gone.

Not so with joy.

Happiness creates circumstantial peace.

That means based on your circumstances, it depends on how happy you're gonna be.

Happiness keeps us paralyzed until something better happens, but joy moves us forward.

Happiness keeps us paralyzed until something better happens, but joy moves us forward by focusing on the big picture.

When it comes to joy, there are moments where we can be in a state of happiness one moment and a state of discomfort in the next.

When a family is preparing to have a baby, they're looking at those milestones, you know, they're crawling, now they're walking, now they're driving, they're graduating, they're getting married.

All these main milestones are a part of life.

However, during those, there are moments where, you know, there aren't moments of happiness, you know, when you have a lot of bills and you're you're just trying to figure out how you can pay for the daycare.

Um, there are moments where you have a lack of sleep.

There's moments where you you can't get to spend with your family or you can't do a date night with your spouse or your significant other, and that brings on sadness and unhappiness, you know.

But when we focus on joy, we can see past the season.

We can see that this is just a season that won't last.

We God will get me through it.

I'm strengthened through it.

What are the positive things that I can see in these moments?

When we don't see past the season, we can resent what should give us joy.

And we don't resent our kids, do we?

We don't.

When we have our kids, and even if we're going through difficult child times, we love them.

We love them no matter what.

They bring us joy in many ways, um, and and it's never going to be easy.

And the Bible doesn't promise that life will be easy for us.

Joy helps us to focus on the big picture by keeping us expectant.

Expectation of the one who will bring peace, expectation of the one who is the provider, expectation of the one who gives us strength and hope until he returns.

One of the most striking places in James 1 and 2 is the scriptures that says, Count it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you meet trials of various kinds.

Having trials of various kinds will definitely not lead to happiness.

But Christians are told that it is a reason for joy.

The reason for joy is found in following the following two verses, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness, and steadfastness produces endurance.

And so in these trials, joy here is based on the end is is based on the anticipated results of the trials, not the trials themselves.

When we are steadfast, we are enduring patiently.

And how many of you know that we don't like waiting patiently?

When we pray to God, we expect that a miracle happens right now because our faith is there, we believe it, but that's not always the case.

We have to endure patiently.

Sometimes God wants to do something in us when we are in those seasons of waiting.

Even though joy and happiness have a lot in common, one thing that they don't have in common is one is permanent while the other is fleeting.

One is from God and one comes directly from us.

One can come and go, but the other will remain.

I heard it said that if joy and happiness were best friends, happiness would be the unfaithful friend out of the bunch.

Wavering, being tossed to and fro, depending on situational things.

I can speak on a half of all of us.

You know, I think we love people who are faithful, they're good friends, they stick with us in the tough seasons, the rough seasons, and they and they don't leave.

But no one wants an unfaithful friend.

And that's what happiness is an unhealthy healthy, excuse me, an unfaithful friend.

With all this being said, you can still have joy and not be happy.

When things go our way, we are happy.

However, when things don't go our way, we're no longer happy.

But we can still have joy.

Happiness is determined by circumstances, others, and ourselves, while joy is rooted in something much bigger.

So we must make up in our mind saying, I can't let outside situations determine internal joy.

We must make up in our mind saying being joyful isn't fake, it's an expression of faith.

Joy is optimistic.

I know some among you might hear me and still struggle with putting this into place.

I completely understand that.

I've been there.

There was a season in my life in ministry where I had a hard season, more than a year of a hard season.

So being in ministry, I I knew it was my dream job.

I knew it was what God was calling me to do.

And I get there and I have a boss who is very, very difficult.

I mean difficult.

I'm like, aren't we Christians?

Did I miss the memo?

I'm like, and it was so tough for me, you guys.

I mean, I went home many nights crying.

I went home many nights frustrated.

But I went home many nights wanting to defend myself.

And the one thing that the Lord has spoken to me before I got into ministry, he told me if something doesn't go your way or something is negative, do not speak up.

Do not speak up.

I'm going to fight your battles.

And I was angry at moments at God because I'm like, you don't want me to defend myself from someone who's treating me horribly.

You want me to say nothing.

And that was big for me because I I am a person of joy.

But if you if you mess with my family, the Jamaican side comes out.

And so I had to endure that season for more than a year.

And so one of the things our with our there are three ways that I was able to get through that season.

And one of the first ways was through biblical community.

And so there was a woman who was in our office, and she's a woman of faith.

I mean a woman who prays a lot.

And I trust her with my life.

I knew that what I would tell her in confidence that she would not share with anyone else.

But most of all, I knew that she wouldn't just take my side because I knew she followed God and she feared God and she would want to do the right thing.

And so when I began to share these things with her, she encouraged me.

I would get back there.

I would get back to my dad.

And so I went out to biblical community.

I went to a person who I knew was going to lift me up and encourage me and not take my side.

And so she didn't do that.

She didn't tear that person down.

She pointed me always back to Jesus.

And then she gave me my scripture to read over this person every single day, over my leader every single day.

Why?

Why do I have to read this over them?

And it wasn't even one of the scriptures in the Bible that, you know, gnashed her teeth out or something like that.

It wasn't even one of those.

It was one of these prayers that would bless her.

That would bless her.

And so I sat there and I was like, okay, I would get to my desk every morning and I literally would breathe and go.

And I would read it every day for the next seven months.

Every single day I read that scripture.

Um, even though I didn't want to.

And let me tell you something, I thought that because I was doing that, that God would punish that person.

No, God changed me.

I was like, why do I have to change?

God changed me, He showed me that guess what?

This is a daughter of mine.

This is a child of God.

So I started seeing her through the filter of the way that God saw her.

I started seeing her as a woman of God.

I started seeing her as a sister of Christ.

And it didn't take away the stuff I was still experiencing.

I still tried to honor her through the whole process.

And so the next point was spending time in his presence.

And so that's a second point, spending time in his presence.

So that spending time in his presence changed me.

It changed me.

And so once I started doing that, after the um I began to do those kind of things, I still continued to see her whenever I was going through a hard time and I just needed to pick me up and I needed to do those things.

I still continue to trust in God and trust in His presence.

And I was like, man, He was like, You can't draw you can't draw joy from me if you don't spend time with me.

And so I had to make sure that at every waking moment that I was spending time with him, not because I wanted to him to change something, but because I wanted my joy back.

If anybody knows me, is they know that I love joy.

And if anything brings me down, I try to find my best to get out of that funk.

And so I said, okay, I won't be too busy to spend time in your presence.

And so the next thing that I learned, which is point three, was to trust in God's control.

And so um trusting in God when you're living a season more than a year, having a difficult season, having a difficult season with a boss, you're praying, you're showing up at church, you're still reading your Bible, and you're nothing has changed except for that you're changing on the inside.

And you're like, but that's the person is still getting away with what they're doing.

And so God told me, you don't focus on that person, you focus on me.

You can control who you are, and I will take care of them.

So eventually God opened the door for me.

I mean, kicked it open.

I wasn't even looking for it for another role, and that role brought me joy, brought back my confidence.

Um brought so many things back to me.

And I learned that guess what?

God is in control, He knows that you're going through this, but how is He shaping me in that?

And He was shaping me to look at people, not through the filter of their actions, but how He sees them.

And so that was a lesson that I learned in that difficult season is hey, sometimes it's not worth you battling someone because it never looks good for anyone, it doesn't work out.

Um, it doesn't mean that you have to be a doormat.

It doesn't mean, but if you know that you can't respond in a way that is godly, then don't do it.

Trust on the Holy Spirit to get you through those times.

And so in closing, um I would like to say like a joy, it really is a choice.

We have a choice every single day to lean on the Father in heaven who is the source of our joy, or we can lean on ourselves and feel unhappy without any joy.

And so um, one of the verses um that I wanted to talk about was um God wants you to share your joy through the gift of His of Christ.

I've told you that this joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.

And so our completeness in our joy, it only comes from Him.

Incomplete joy comes from the world.

That that that joy is short-lived.

And I went through two different seasons.

One was a short, you know, the one with the movie theater, that was a short moment.

That was a short moment where I had to exhibit joy, and then I had a longer season where I had to rely on him for my joy.

And so no matter what season you're going in, through two, whether it's a day or it's a year or more, is that you can choose to rely on the Holy Spirit that gives you that joy.

And so the last thing that I want to talk to you about is that you know, even in the Bible, you have people who mourned, you know, because they lost people, but they still tapped into God's joy that he has.

So no matter what you're going through, I want you to be encouraged and knowing that the joy is your friend, the joy will never waver, but the joy is faithful, it'll be your best friend.

And so if you can take nothing from today, just know that joy will move you forward and happiness will keep you at a standstill.

Let's pray.

Lord, I thank you for today.

I thank you for the people who are here today, whether they're going through anything that's hurting them, but that's keeping them back from experiencing your joy, I pray that you lift them up, that you give them encouragement, that they do, that you draw them closer to you because you are the source.

Lord, you care so much for us and you want us to live an abundant life, and it doesn't mean that we will escape the trials that come our way.

But Lord, I thank you.

I thank you for what you're gonna do in the lives today of the people.

Change their perspectives, lift their heads up to know that you are still working on their behalf and that you are still in control.

We need you, Lord.

We can't do this life without you.

Help us not to lean in our own strength, but us to lean on the strength of the Lord.

So I thank you for what you're gonna do in the lives of the people.

It's in Jesus' name that we pray.

Amen.

Come on, y'all.

Put your hands together.

Hey, listen, I want to go ahead and stay in this moment.

Uh, here at Celebration Church, we say this every Sunday.

We never let a service end or a moment end without giving someone to respond to maybe what Jesus is speaking to them right now.

So I just want to go ahead and ask that every head be bowed and every eye be closed.

Pastor Megan's entire message was on that of joy.

And how no matter the circumstances, no matter what's going on in your life, you can always find joy.

And she said something that um I don't know if any of you guys caught it, about like at the end of the day, no matter what's going on in your life, you can have joy, and the reason you can have joy is because your your faith and everything of who you are is rooted in the hope that you have in God.

The thing about this entire message is it hinges on one thing.

In order for you to have joy, no matter the circumstances you find yourself in, no matter the circumstances that you find yourself in life, in order that for you to have joy no matter the situation, you must first and foremost have a relationship with Jesus.

So that that hope and that faith that gives you that joy can be found in your life.

So, what I want to do right now, man, all across this room, maybe there's some of you in this room who I want to give you an opportunity to respond to what Jesus maybe speaking to you right now.

There's some of you in this room, I want to give you an opportunity to respond by committing your life to Jesus.

But there is a there's never been a moment in your life where you have stopped and you have said, God, I'm I'm done doing my own thing.

I'm done trying to find joy, I'm done trying to find happiness in the things of this world, I'm done trying to do all of this myself.

It's just not working out.

I want to put my faith, I want to put my hope, and I want to put my heart in your hands.

And I want to give you an opportunity to commit your life to Jesus for the very first time.

There's some of you in this room who maybe, maybe it was several years ago, maybe, maybe it was just last year, maybe two years ago, or several months ago that man, you did place your life in Jesus' hand, and you you believe in Jesus, and he is your Savior, He is yours, and you are His.

But maybe you have found yourself here this morning far from God.

You have found a far from God, and you've been uh you've been trying to seek after happiness, seek after joy by doing your own thing or trying to find it in the things of this world.

And and and if you're quite honest with yourself, you are the furthest thing from joyful, you are the furthest thing from happy.

This morning I want to give you an opportunity to recommit your life to Jesus.

Basically, what recommitting your life means is saying, God, I believe in you, but I'm far from you right now.

Starting right now in this moment, I'm not letting another day go by without recommitting myself to you and getting back to the place that I once was.

And so I'll give you an opportunity to recommit your life to Jesus.

So that's you and you're in this room, and you would like to commit your life to Jesus or recommit your life to Jesus in just a moment.

I'm just gonna ask you to raise your hands if that's you, and then I'm just gonna lead you in a prayer of salvation, and then we're gonna say amen, and we're gonna stand up and we're gonna worship God for the hope and the joy that He has given us.

So if that's you and you're in this room and you want to commit your life to Jesus for the very first time, or you're in this room and you want to recommit your life to Jesus and not leave this room the same, saying, I'm not doing this anymore.

If that's you and you wanna commit or recommit your life to Jesus, I just want to ask that you raise your hands in one, two, three.

Raise them.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

You have your hand raised right now.

You can go ahead and put those hands down.

I just want to lead you in a prayer of salvation.

I want to ask that you repeat this prayer out loud after me.

I want to ask everyone else in the room to do the same.

Jesus, I stand before you today.

Asking you to forgive me of all my sins and all my mistakes.

Today I choose to live for you.

Today I choose to make you my Lord and my Savior.

From this point forward, I'm gonna live my life, the rest of my life, for you.

In Jesus' name.

Amen.

Come on, church, can we stand to our feet all over this room and put our hands together for every decision that was just made?

Thank you for tuning in to today's podcast.

For more information about Celebration Orlando or to get in touch with us, please visit celebrationorlando.org.