No Excuses || Pastor Steve Smothermon

Welcome to the Lesse podcast. Here at Lesse, we seek the loss,

teach the fountain, and send the disciples. We truly hope you are encouraged

by this week's message. This would you stand on your feet and welcome Pastors

Steve Smotherman from Albuquerque, New Mexico, as he comes to preach about Jesus.

Thank you well as you're standing. Can we pray Father in the powerful

name of Jesus I, and just thank you for being with us today.

He said in your word, if we acknowledge in all the ways you'd lead

and direct our past and crown our efforts with success. So I acknowledge you

in this place today. We acknowledge you in this place today, credible worship

God. As we worship you and praise you, we thank you for being

with us, that you teach us, that you open our eyes or understanding,

and we'd hear what the Spirit of Lord is saying. Father, I

know it's that's so important what I say today that counts. It's important to

what you say to each individual in here, wherever they're at, that matters

the most. So we thank you for teaching us and helping us. Blessing

this house in Jesus name. Amen, let's thank God one more time if

we could. Well, it's an honor to be here, and I always

to be with Pastor Diego. You guys can be seen. Yeah, I'm

sorry, you know, uh, he's he is an incredible friend and and

I'm so humble, but I did win at golf yesterday, so i'm you

know, but he You know, what a great church. I want to

thank Past Diego and Pastor Adam for allowing me to come again and be with

you. It's a great church. We were at a function last night here

I don't know what you call that, the Bible Study leadership group, and

it was incredible that people were awesome. If you were there last night,

what a great thing. In Past Diego taught on joy and I was over

there getting convicted like I need more joy. I need to be more joyful

with what we do. And so anyway, I just love this church.

I was telling Past Diego, we worship, I said, feels like I'm

at home. This church has the same kind of feeling that I have when

I go into our church. And it's just got people from every walk of

life, got every color, and you know, and and nobody has issues,

right. See, we're all made of dirt. Come on, you

just sometimes we're made of different color dirt. And uh and so anyway,

I just past diego, thank you, pastor Adam, thank you for allowing

me to come listen. I'm going to teach a message today that I simply

titled no Excuses. And the reason I titled that because I'm so good with

titles. Actually I'm terrible with titles. So there's no excuse. I just

call it what it is. I'm excuse. I'm just bad at it.

I give it to my staff. They'll make up. They'll give me three

options, and I'm like, I don't know, just call it whatever.

I just write them. And but on this one, it's about making excuses.

One thing that can hinder all of our spiritual journeys is to make excuses,

finding reasons to not do something. And God's word encourages us to act,

not to make excuses. We're gonna define excuses this way, to give

false reasons why you cannot do something, to give false reasons why you cannot

do something. And our society today, I can't, I can't, I

can't, I can't know you can if you choose to You know, people

say I don't have time, but we seem to have time for everything that

we really want to do. We have time, we just squander time.

We don't spend time well sometimes and so excuses don't do anything with God.

In fact, when people say this to me all the time, and ever

since I've been a Christian, a pastor, I've heard this, And when

it comes to doing something in the Bible, they'll say, well, God

understands why don't do it or why I can't do it? Can I tell

you something he doesn't. You can't find one scripture where God said to Jesus,

you know what, that was a pretty good excuse. I never thought

I never thought of that excuse. It was so good. God's all knowing,

He knows everything. No excuse holds water. And if you're using the

excuse, you know God understands. It's usually used in context with not doing

something the Bible tells us to do. I never heard anybody say, well,

God understands why I don't tie twenty percent I get fifty percent of my

income. I've never heard that. But I've heard people say God understands why

I don't tie. He wants me to pay my bills and make my car

payment. And can I say something. God does not understand that what we

should do is do anything within our ability to make sure we can honor God.

First. If it means getting a less expensive house, and you get

that, it means getting a less expensive car, we get that drive a

Prius. I'm just kidding you kind of. But what I'm saying is God

didn't understand, Well, I'm so busy, I can't serve God. I

didn't understand that He gave you the ability to be busy. God gave us

abilities. Now, there's a difference between reason making a reason and an excuse.

And when you give a reason why he didn't get something done, it

implies that fault is sincerely recognized and accepted, that you step up and take

accountability for your actions. An excuse exists to justify, to justify, blame,

or defend a fault with the intent to absolve oneself of accountability, and

folks, that doesn't work with God. In Exodus chapter four, Versus ten

through twelve, God's talking to Moses. Moses, you know saw God.

He talked to God. God's talking to him through a fiery bush. You

know, I don't know about you, but if I saw a bush burning

but it wasn't really burning and a voice came out, I'd pay attention,

like, okay, God, you know, take off your shoes. You're

on holy ground. Absolutely, And so Moses solved this. He saw God

part the Red Sea. He saw, I mean later on he did,

but he had an experience with God that was supernatural. And then it comes

to this in verse ten and chapter four. Moses said to the Lord,

pardon your servant. Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the

past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I'm slow to speech in

tongue. And I love this because he's given excuses. He said, God,

you can't use me. I can't talk. I don't know if he

had a stutter or you know, couldn't talk, whatever it was he couldn't.

He was just giving God an excuse. God, you can't use me

because I have this deficiency in my life. And and and I love how

the Lord responded. The Lord said to him, Oh, I know,

Moses, I'm so sorry I asked you, somebody said, the Lord said

to him, who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf?

Or mute. Who gives them side or makes them blind? Is it not?

I the Lord? And I love this? Now go who who made

you? I know your deficiencies, I know you're an adequacies, but you

still gotta go. Now go. I will help you speak and will teach

you what to say. Can I tell us tell you something? God is

not looking for perfect people. If you're not perfect in here, then God's

looking for you. He's just looking for people who are willing and obedient.

And part of being obedient is learning to repent. When it comes to repentance,

I'm not a peewee leaguer. I'm not a tea baller. I'm like

a professional. I'm like, I'm like an all star. In fact,

when it comes to repenting, I'm like, I'm liking them. I'm an

all pro And we have to a Part of walking with God is learning to

accept fault. God, I blew it. God, I didn't do well

here. God I made a mistake. God I did this. God already

knows it, but he wants you to acknowledge it. So you're coming always

to the one who can help. Now, he says, now, go

go go, Moses. None of your excuses gonna hold water with me.

I told you to go, boy, go Now. Moses wasn't a kid.

Here's about eighty years old, and he had this speech impendingm I guess

where. He couldn't talk well his whole life. And God didn't care because

he sees. He sees the greatness in us, the potential in all of

us. So even Moses chosen by God and made excuses he felt inadequate,

uncertain of his abilities. However, God reminded him that all abilities come from

him and he would help Moses as he went. Can I tell you something.

Things may look daunting, may look issues or whatever. They may be

a lot of obstacles, but if we'll go, God will be with us

and help us as we go. You know, I look at this great

place and I tell people all over the country when I talk about past year

good, I said, he's got one of the most beautiful churches I've ever

seen in my life. Seriously, it's beautiful here. And I can imagine

when he first started with almost nobody that he couldn't have visioned this, because

what I have today I couldn't have envisioned. In fact, I used to

be the winer. I'm a king of winers too. I'm getting better.

I used to go to conferences and and and I would sit there and these

guys had big churches and all this, and I would go home more discouraged

than I wasn't encouraged because I would say, I'll never have that. I'll

never have that. I'd go home and tell my wife and she goes how

to God said, I'm never going back. I said, I feel worse

now than I did before. And she goes whine. I said, because

I just will never have what they have. And it made me feel bad

about myself because I was comparing myself with other people. I don't know what

God had for me. And you don't know what God has for you until

you go, until you go with his help. So my wife finally looked

at me. And by the way, she is older and she is a

coup her. She bought a golf back. She plays a little golf and

she bought a golf back. She said, Steve, look at this.

I found this online and she ordered and it has cougar on it. I

said, I said, own it, baby, just own it. Just

own that sugar stuff. But she said to me one day, she said

Steve, just take something and do it. So we were in Rosal,

America and we painted the children's classrooms. People said, man, Bessie,

that's brilliant. They loved it, and I'm like, okay, just do

something. So I learned to go to conferences and if I took one thing

just to do and quit. Learned about what I don't have, because that's

what hinders us. That's where the excuses come from. Well, I'm not

this. I'm not that I don't have what they have. I don't have

to. But what do you have and whatever you have that God put in

your hand, you gotta use it. Now. I'm not bragging anything,

but I'm gonna say this. The people that I said that about that I

would never have what they have. I have so much more than they ever

had. And you said, well, how did that happen? Because no

matter how I felt, no matter what I thought, you just go.

And when you go, you don't go alone. God said, I'll help

you. I'll help you. Moses. See, there are no valid excuses

in the eyes of God, and excuses will keep you from growing and developing.

Hebrews thirteen six says, excuse me so we can confidently say the Lord

is my helper. I will not fear what can man do to me?

Psalms one, twenty one, verse two. My help comes from the Lord

who made heaven and earth. Man, if I'm gonna get some help,

I wanted to come from the one who made heaven and earth. And look

fourteen fifteen through twenty four field, turn it. If you have your bibles,

If you'll turn in the Book of Luke, chapter fourteen, I'm gonna

read this story because I just think it's very pertinent to what I'm talking about

today. Are you ready? Verse fifteen. Hearing this, a man sitting

at the table with Jesus exclaimed, what a blessing it will be to attend

a banquet in the Kingdom of God. Jesus replied with this story. A

man prepared a great feast and sent out many invitations. When the banquet was

ready, he sent his servant to tell the guests come, the banquet is

ready. But they all began making excuses. One said, I have just

bought a field and must inspect it, Please excuse me. Another said,

I have just bought five pairs of oxen and I want to try them out.

Please excuse me. Another said I just got married, so I can't

come. Think about it. None of these are bad excuses. None of

these are bad things. There's nothing wrong with buying five pairs of oxen.

Now, in our kind of culture, we'll be like, well, I

want five pairs of oxen. I don't know, but there's nothing wrong with

buying something and trying it out. There's nothing wrong with going and inspecting a

field you bought or land. And then the guy that said, well,

excuse me, I got married, because he should have said, my wife

won't let me come. So none of these excuses are bad. They're not

bad things. They're all good things. They're not saying, well, i'm

gonna go sin, I'm gonna go do whatever, And just think about this.

I want you to put this in your thinking that I believe that these

are the people that he said got an invitation. They were already his people,

but they were too busy for the creator. That's y'all, Usten,

wherever you from, that's what we are. We've already been invited. So

Jesus comes and says, hey, I need you to serve. Oh now

I'm busy, got five ox and gotta go chest them. Out, gotta

go check out a field or and I got married. I'm busy. The

servant returned and told his master what they had said, and I want you

to see this. His master was furious and said, go quickly into the

streets and alleys of the town and invite the poor, the crippled, the

blind, and the lame. After the servant had done this, he reported,

there's still room for more. So his master said, go out into

the country lanes and behind the hedges, and urge anyone you find to come,

so that the house will be full. For none of those. Everybody

say none, For none of those I first invited will get even the smallest

taste of my banquet. Folks, think about the seriousness of that. We

always want to make God the god that just excuses every kind of behavior.

He forgives every kind of behavior, but he doesn't excuse it. That's why

you gotta repent, You gotta fess up. You gotta be willing to say

God whatever, and when when God calls, or when you hear from the

word of God, or the pastors are coming up and saying, hey man,

we need you to We need you to start doing your part and quit

being a consumer, be a participant. You gotta give, you gotta serve,

you gotta you gotta help somebody. And that's what we're called are doing.

People say, oh, I'm busy, I can't well, I'm not

good enough, I'm not worthy enough. Can let me say it this way.

None of us are worthy enough for God, none of us. The

reason we're we're even able to do what we do is because Jesus made us

worthy, because we could never be worthy in ourselves. Think about the excuse.

Man, I want to get saved, but I gotta go clean up

my life first, and you hear that all the time. I want to

go get my life in order and then come to God. That's that's that

doesn't work. That's dumb. And you say, why is that dumb?

Because you don't even know what you gotta clean up and you can't clean up

that sin that that is in us. Only Jesus can clean that up.

And we don't even know where to start. I gotta stop smoking, gotta

start stop cussing. That may be true, but you better be born again

first. That's what God is saying. And excuses destroy everything we touch.

See, every excuse given points to an attachment to worldly things over God would

do what I just read. God wants our full commitment or our tension,

our complete devotion with no excuses. And when we read God's word it is

a call to action, and excuses don't work with God. Think about this,

Matthew twenty five, verses fourteen to thirty. I'm not gonna go back

and read it. It's the story of the talents. And God gave one

five, one, two, and one one. Everybody in here has a

talent. We might not have all the talents. Like I get around pastors

like your pastor and he's very talented. And I get around guys like me,

and I'm like, I'm if I just have one, that's that's that's

all I got, then you better use it. And so he gives the

one five and you know the story if you and he comes back and the

guy said, with five, I got five more, and so I gave

it. You know, I brought you five more. And he said,

well done, that, good and faithful servant. And then the one with

two he goes and he says, I brought you two morning. He said,

well done that, good and faithful swimming. But the one with one

he said, Master, I knew you were a hard man, that you

reaped where you did not so you straw where you you gather where you had

no crops at all. I knew you were that great, So I hid

your talent in the ground because I was afraid. And here it is.

And I love how that Jesus tells a story because he said he wasn't afraid,

he was wicked and slothful. See, he said he was afraid.

Jesus said he didn't even do it to being afraid. It wouldn't had anything

to do with being afraid. He was wicked and slothful. He was evil,

and that's where that word wicked means he was. He was so lazy.

And so Jesus goes right to the heart. You're just wicked and sloughful.

But yet we all think we're going to heaven. But are you using

your talent for the kingdom or just for yourself? God gave you talents to

use to make it live and do all the things we need to do.

That's right. But he also designed it first kingdom. And there's no excuse.

We all have something in us. We just have to use it.

And in the in the story, reminds me when when the guy said,

you know, the Master said, well done, that good and faithful servant,

into the joy of the Lord. I've always thought this, God,

I don't you know, people always say me, I just want God to

say that to me. I don't really know if I care if he says

it to me. I just want him to say these words, you get

to come in. Anybody know what I'm talking about, like, and I

don't care if as a man he said, there's many mansions. I don't

care if I have a shack. I'd rather have a shack in heaven than

be in hell. Come on, So I'm not having these great expectations of

God's gonna say, oh, Steve, You're so awesome. I just want

him to say, boy, get in here before I change my mind.

Come on. I mean, that's why I think. That's the way I

process. I'm like God, I just I just want to make sure I

don't go to hell. But the servant knew he was great, and he

still did not do anything. And here's how good the Master was. He

said, man, if you had just given to the bank and just brought

me a little bit of interest. In other words, if you had just

done something with what I gave you, it would have been good enough for

me. That's the sad part of this whole thing. People always say,

I want to do something great for God. Well what is that? I

asked me, what does that? What does that mean? Oh? I

want to preach and I want to do Oh that's great. But here's the

problem. If you can't serve down there, you never get to serve up

here. That's the bottom line, folks. When I went to church on

a move Willie George's church way back, I was an usher. I did

prison ministry. I hosted his hospitality room where the first time guests would come,

and I loved it. I had the most fun in my whole Christian

walk in the couple of years or three or four years I was there and

just serving. I just had fun. A couple of years ago, we

had a mma fighter Jones, I forget his whole name, but he's pretty

famous and he needed to do something for his reputation. So he bought a

bunch of coats, nice coats for the homeless. So they said, hey,

Steve, would you go out there with him? So I went out

there, and few of us went out there in tent and we just passed

out coachs to these moms, these little kids. They were trying them on.

And I tell the church, and I'm telling you today, that's the

most fun I've had as a Christian long time. I'll tell you why.

No one knew me as Pastor Steve. I was just some guy helping him

and it was so fulfilling in here. See, great for God is just

doing what you put your hand to do. It's pretty great when your door

greeting and someone comes in it doesn't feel welcomed in the church and you say,

hey, I'm glad you're here, and it'll can change a person's life

just by being welcomed into the house. Everything's important to God. Every position

is when you pray for people and you grow and learn. See, people

tell me a lot of time, I'm serving God and I'm going to a

Bible study, And I said, that's not serving God unless you're teaching it.

Oh, you're doing is grown spiritually, which we should all do.

But I have people wear it as a bad like I'm going to a home

group. Wow, I'm gray, that's great, but what are you doing

there? Oh, I'm just learning? No, you're not you're a glutton.

You're just you're just getting all the word and you're just getting fat with

it. You're not it's not helping you because you're not doing it. See,

personal growth is not serving God. That's just getting to know God.

That's we should all be doing that. But what are we doing for others?

That's the question. Let me give you some of these quotes and I

found these and I like them. He that is good for making excuses is

seldom good for anything for anything else. Benjamin Franklin of the failures come from

people who have the habit of making excuses. George Washington Carver. An excuse

is a skin of a reason, off with a lie Billy Sunday. And

the only thing standing between you and your goal is the story you keep telling

yourself as to why you can't achieve it. Jordan Bill for it and I

love this, It's my favorite one. Excuses are the nails used to build

a house of failure. Don Wilder, And we make them all the time.

There's no excuse. You go to work, you tell you boss,

i'm late, I'm sorry, I'm late, And they said, why are

you? Like? Ah, the traffic and you knew you got up late.

Have you ever noticed when you're late, when you're running late, did

you hit every traffic light? Come on, it's like coming to hurry,

like, come on, come oh, I got you. I told my

wife. I said, I'm kind of like every traffic light. And when

I'm cool, I'm on time. I don't even think about it. I'm

just chilling, relaxed. So we gotta get up in time. It's no

excuse to be you got to be late for work. Just get up,

get ready, take a shower, put some clothes on, because we all

know clothes covers a multitude of sin. Come on, baby, someone say,

man, I'm grateful for clothes and get you behind the work. Well,

it's my boss's father. The reason I can't get it heads my boss.

If you believe and I believe, that God orders our steps. If

we believe that, then you are right where he wants you. The question

you need to ask yourselves. We need to ask ourselves of why am I

here? Is there someone I need to reach or somebody I need to witness

to, or is there a witness that I need to do as a person,

as an employee. Because all the other people say our bosses awful.

Our bosses off. Our boss is awful. Quit saying that, you know.

I learned his principle years ago. I was in Bible school and a

guy named R. King was an instructor there, and he was a great

friend of mine. And I was talking about a professor that was boring.

He taught eschatology. Everybody know that is the study of end times. And

he would talk into monotone, like hey, how are you doing? And

I would die a thousand deaths and and and he said to me, he

said to me, how's that class going. I said, it's awful.

He's boring. I don't get nothing out of it. And he looked at

me and said, and you never will. I said, why why do

you say that? And he says, because you're you're bad mouthing him.

I said, well what should I do? He said, you should start

saying God. I believe for him. I can't wait to get into the

class. So you're gonna teach me? And can I tell you something just

changing that I love the class. I was not so consider this being monotone,

like use some voice fluctuation, like you know something? Anybody know I'm

talking about you talking to those people are like, heyy you doing ipe?

You do well? God God is good. I want to know God is

good. You know we're doing something. And when I changed my attitude and

quit criticizing and complaining, everything changed and I enjoyed the class and I learned

that a long time ago. There's principles we learn. So you I can't

stand my job, well, then go get another job. Well that's the

easier, saiding that I know. But why you have the job. You

have be grateful, thankful, no excuse, you just do your job well,

my boy, you don't know my boss? Well yeah, oh I

may not, but you can pray for your boss. There's people that don't

like you know, there's probably people that that don't like you. See,

we think different. It's just like coming to a church and I just bugs

me. People say I went to your church and no one said hi to

me, And I'm like, and I just sit there looking like when they're

done, I've said really, I said, so I can I ask you

a question? Yes you can? I said, who did you say hi

too? Oh? What do you mean? I said, well, you're

concerned no one said hi to you? Who did you say hi too?

Because I'm sure there's someone else there won't come because you didn't say hi to

them. See, it's all about us, never about God. In us.

He who shows himself friendly will have friends. You want friends, Go

introduce yourself, Harry, what's happening, My name's whatever, and your name

and you go from there. But the excuses don't hold water with God.

Joseph Greeney did a survey of one thy one hundred individuals and found that ninety

seven percent of them had a habit of making excuses, especially at work.

Fifty percent of them stated that they always make excuses at work rather than accept

responsibility for an error or oversight. Research has found that up to twenty percent

of people may be chronic procrastinators, frequently making excuses to avoid tasks. And

what I'm saying to you, guys, there's no excuse that God accepts.

Let me give you these scriptures. Now begin to close. The Bible talks

about James two fourteen to twenty six. You can go back and read.

It says faith without works is dead. In other words, you say you

have faith for some of your works, and it doesn't. We don't get

saved by our works. But when you get saved God has a plan for

you to do some work. And people said, I got great, faithful,

what are you doing for the King? Well, you know, I'm

I'm not gonna do that. I remember when I went to church on the

move years ago, and I'd been preaching, I'd been to Bible school,

I'd been ordained, i was preaching in prisons all the time, and I'll

never forget the day that this usher came up to my wife and I because

we sat in the same two or three rows, depending on who got there

first and who sits in the same place. Basically, yeah, So so

I was that guy, and the usher knew us and walked up and said,

Steve before the services, said hey, hey man, we need some

ushers. You ever thought about ushering? And my wife, who thinks sometimes

she's the Holy Spirit, she elbows me and said, hey, Steve,

you shaid usher. And I looked at her quiet. I said, I

know, usher, I'm a preacher, That's what I said. And then

Pastor George gets up and says, hey, if I don't get ten ushers,

I'm not going to preach till I get him. I looked at my

wife said I don't care if he ever preaches, I ain't gonna be an

usher. I'm serious. It was that bad. Thank god he got ten

because we got a sermon that day. Because I ain't want of him.

So I'm driving my ups truck because that's what I worked for. I'm away

in the country and I'm meditating, I'm praying, I'm worshiping God. I'm

I'll buy myself, and all of a sudden, this thought comes to me,

I'm gonna do this work. Can I jump down here real quick?

This is what this is what I saw I'm driving. He goes, Steve,

this is a thought, not a voice, just a thought, Steve.

If you can't serve me from down here, you'll never serve me from

up there. See, we want everything all at once, but if we

can't be faithful with the little He's given us, he'll never have the much

you want. And it changed my life. I went, I started us

shore, I started getting involved, and I was It was so much fun.

I thoroughly enjoyed it. I look back on it to this day with

fond memories. They said, yeah, but you got a church, your

pastor. Yeah, but those are those are some of the moments I remember

the most. So I repented, and what was God telling me? Don't

be arrogant, get involved, help somebody else, show yourself faithful where you're

at so I can exalt you. And that's what God is looking for.

And here's one that sums it all up, John fourteen fifteen. If you

love me, keep my commands. This leaves no room for excuses. Instead

of telling Jesus how much you love them, where there's no scriptures that Jesus

says, tell me you love me, tell me you love me, tell

me you love me. That's a human thing. Baby, do you love

me? I mean, we're sixty seven years old. Do I still got

it? And my wife's too honest? Like Steve, I don't know if

you ever had it, but you ain't got nothing. Now. He's not

asking for us to tell him we love him. And some people say I

just love the Lord. I said, really, how do you know?

Well? I just do know. We love him by doing what he asks

us or commands us to do. That's how you love the Lord, by

doing by acting no excuses. All of us has something we can do.

And then good intentions won't get you into God's kingdom. Matthew twenty one.

I'll read this quickly so I can be done. Matthew twenty one. I

want you to hear. I just think this is an interesting parable. Parable

of two sons verse twenty eight. But what do you think about this?

A man with two sons told the older boy's son, go out and work

in the vineyard today. The son answered no, I won't go, but

later changed his mind and went anyway. Then the father told the other son,

you go, and he said, yes, Sir, I will,

But he didn't go. Jesus says, which the two obeyed his father.

They replied the first, and Jesus explained his meeting. I tell you the

truth. Corrupt tax collectors and prostitutes will get into the Kingdom of God before

you do. Wow. Even though the boy said no, he went.

So who's the most blessed the one who obeyed, Not the one who gave

good intentions or the right answer. It was the one who decided to do

what he was asked to do. See this parable illustrates importance of action over

empty promises. We all must examine ourselves from time to time, and if

you are in the habit of making excuses blaming others, then you can repent

Today and start doing or just doing what God has asked you to do.

You know, God's never asked me to do too much. People say we

were preaching you have all this now, but you know I didn't always have

that, and I don't see myself any different than I always have. I

was afraid to get up in front of people and talk, fearful. My

mom and dad both told me at different times, of all my five kids,

you were at least one I would ever expect to stand in front of

people and talk. I would take F's in school and say, you gotta

do report. I'd give him my report and he said, no, you

gotta get him read it. I would die a thousand dess. I couldn't

read it. I'd come home with said MoMA, got another app. She

said, but did you do you work? I said yeah, but I

wasn' gonna get him to the class reading. They just knew I just I

was terrified. And yet that's the one he called to do what I'm doing

today. And let me tell you something. If I can just be totally

transparent here, sometimes I still have to deal with a little Steve. I

get up and I'm nervous. I'm like, oh, man I and I

just get geared. I'm like, oh my gosh, Oh my gosh,

here we go. I still have to deal with that kid sometimes, but

I don't let that kid control me any longer. God knows what's in you,

and you will never know what's in you until you're willing to do no

excuse. Well, I was born on the wrong side of the tracks,

so was I. People tell me one time, when you were born with

silver spoon in your mouth. I said me, no way. My dad

was a military guy. We were lower middle class at best. I didn't

even know we were poor until I got in high school. All my buddy's

driving corvettes and transams, and what am I driving? Nothing? Not up

And no one in my class predicted me to do what I'm doing today,

not then, not in Bible school, never, in fact, I never

did. That's why we got to keep doing what God asks, because we

love him and we'll see where He plants your feet time after time after time,

and then you'd end up learning stuff along the journey. But you don't

learn unless you're willing to go on the journey. People say sometimes I'm just

stagnant. I'm stagnant, you know, I'm not getting fed anymore. Can

I say this to you? If you're not getting fed? When someone like

Pastor Diego and Pastor at Him preach the Gospel, the unadulterated Gospel. They

preach the Word of God. Pastor Diego comes our church every year and he

preaches. Our church loves him. And if you can't learn from someone who

preaches the gospel, then it's not the preacher's fault. You've grieved the Holy

Spirit in your life and you got to go back and examine what did I

do to grieve him? Because if you're not learning this because he's grief and

you can't be taught. We always want to blame though it's a preachers.

The church is this is that we don't want to look at ourselves and say,

no, it's me. I'm not doing what God has asked me to

do. I know some things I should be doing, so let's just do

them. Well. Pastor's scary shirt is that's faith. Faith pleases God,

and without faith you can please him. I mean most of us in here,

I would say most of us, if not all of us, have

clothes. I can see that you have food and you have a shelter.

What do we really have to believe God for in our lives? For a

God like me and probably your pastor, I have to believe God to help

pay off a lot of debt. I believe God for the church all the

time, God, this and that. Whatever. I'm believing God because I

know faith pleases him. God always wants to keep you in a place of

needing him. Yeah, because in most of ours I mean you go to

thorough countries, they're believing God for one meal a day. Most of us

don't have to do that. Yes, most of us don't. So what

is it that God put in your life to Egypt to believe God for?

Maybe it's your job, Maybe it's your boss. I gotta believe God to

go do a good job. Or it's despite my boss. I'm gonna believe

you God, I'm gonna trust you. What do you do have to believe

God? Because without faith, it's impossible to please Him. So we must

examine ourselves and then change doesn't happen overnight. It's a gradual process that requires

patience and a willingness to change folks. As great as people we might think

we are, we have to change. God has always working on us to

do better, be better, be a better version of ourselves that we can

be reach the potential that he's given us. I used to referee basketball,

and I'd see prop forty eight students, great talent, just wouldn't do the

work. I said, dud, why aren't you playing D one or college?

Man? I can't make the grades, I said, why can't you

make the grades? I don't really like school. You're gonna so it doesn't

matter what you like. Go do the grades and play at that level.

You never know what God can do. How many dreams have never been fulfilled?

Not because God didn't have him for you, because we weren't willing to

do We just want to make excuses. I don't know about you, but

I want my dreaming. So I'm not perfect, nobody's perfect, and God

still uses me. He could have fired me a thousand times, maybe two

thousand, maybe three. I don't a bunch, and he hasn't, And

I've often wondered why. And here's the thing, I think, because I

am willing to do what he says, even if it's in repentance. I'm

willing to do it, and you and I have to be willing to just

do what he says, what his word teaches, Just do it and see

what God does. Excuses never have gotten anything done. And so if you

want to make excuses, you won't get anything done. You can blame,

play the blame game. I was born in this family, I had.

This happened to me when I was whatever, whatever. And I'm not minimizing

your pain. I'm just saying Jesus said he came to heal the broken hearted.

So there's a time we got to believe God and say God, I'm

gonna keep doing I'm not gonna blame anymore. I'm not gonna blame my parents.

Am I gonna blame this. I'm always amazed at kids that said I

had the worst parents, And I said, I wonder if we asked your

parents what kind of kids you were, they probably said I had the worst

kids. And the funny kids always look at parents, but their parents start

talking, it's like, oh, no, I was the perfect child.

No you weren't. I don't even know you and can tell you weren't the

perfect Chod because there's no perfect anything. And I know there's people that hurt

people. But as you go and do God said, man, I'll hear

your hearts. I'll hear your hurts, and we all want God to heal

us. There's a lot of pain in this room. I know there is.

Some people got bad news today, some people got good news. But

if you'll just do what God says, He'll cause all things to work together

for good to those who love God and are called according to His purpose.

All things can work out good if we choose to believe God and not make

excuses. Father and Jesus name, I thank you for being here. I

thank you for teaching us. I thank you for helping us. Thank you

Father for this great church. And Pastor Diego and Pastor Adam and their staff,

their team. What a great team. I've met so many of them,

just good hearted people. And Father, I've met a lot of people

in this house over the years and they're just good people. So what I

tell everybody, Pastorgo has great people, folks. If you want to be

great in God's eyes, just do what he asks. Maybe it's seeing somebody

and you feel like you got to go talk to him or ask them,

or maybe you look at somebody you know their need and you go bless them.

I don't know, but Father, help us all to just do what

you ask, what you command. You're not a hard God. You're not

asking for us to double what you've given us. You're just asking us to

bring you back something because that shows we appreciate the life you've given us,

because God, you give life with every headboud, just real quick, if

I could do this real quick in Jesus name, and I keep thinking about

this and man, from time to time, these thoughts just keep coming to

me. If you're here with every headbout in the spirit of reverence, and

I'm gonna ask you to do this real quick, because I'm not trying to

barrash you. I'm just trying to see if there's anybody here I need to

pray with and God needs to touch. If you struggle, I mean you're

fighting. It's a it's like harassment in your mind that you don't want to

live, that life's not worth living. I'm not talking about you had a

thought and every now and then, I'm talking about your harassed with those thoughts

that you might even say, if you're honest, I'm a little suicidal.

I can't get away from him. Well, those aren't thoughts that God gives

you. That's thoughts from the enemy, and I just want to pray for

you. If that's you, would you just help me out, just real

quick. I'm not trying to barrash him, just I just don't. You

don't need to hold it up. But if that's you and you say you

know what, would you include me in your prayer? I don't want this

harassment anymore. I want to live. God gave us life. If that's

you in Jesus name, would you just do me? Would you just put

your hand U put it out as anybody here as I look at a crown

on the church, just put you. Thank you, thank you, thank

you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you. Just

put it up, put it down. I don't want to hold it because

I'm just wanting to know if I'm praying for anybody, because I don't know

what God's doing, but God's doing something in here. And you may think

your life is nothing, but it is something because God gave you that life.

You just got to get in blind with him and just get involved,

start doing something. Because God can move a moving car better than he can

move a part car. Jesus move, and he can put you where he

wants you to be. Anybody else say, preacher, you're talking to me,

Thank you, Father and Jesus name, you saw this, and thank

you in the powerful thank you in the powerful name of Jesus. You saw

these people and they're so humble. God, to lays your hand is something

like that. It's so personal. And God, I believe that you're honored

because they they just humble themselves in a great way before you, and you

give grace to the humble. I pray your grace has poured out in their

lives right now. And you found demon and devil of suicide, you lying

spirit. I command you to stop in Jesus name and desist in your maneuvers

in their lives. And right now, Father, I pray that the Holy

Spirit saturates them with peace and that heaviness, that harassment just lifts and they

can see the light of the Word of God. That there's hope, because

as long as I have breath in my body, there's hope that circumstances things

can change. And for somebody in here, it's not changing. Circumstances is

changing in your thinking that I'm no good. If you're a man in here

and your dad's never told you he loves you, I'm gonna stand in a

gap. Can I do that? And said, you're loved. God loves

you. You have a heavenly father that's proud of you. But why would

he be proud of me? Because you're here, you're still working, you're

still striving, and so Father, I thank you that spirit of suicide is

left and has to go, and that Father, these folks will live,

and they just won't live an existing Christian life. They'll live a satisfied Christian

life because if you're Mercy and your grace and you've reached out to him in

a very personal, intimate way today and said, you know what, I

do care and I want you to live. I need you to live.

Life is worth living. So bless'em all, Father and Jesus name. Now,

if you're here with every headboun and you say, preacher, would you

pray with me? I walk with God? But I walked away, and

I walked away because I did just what you're talking about. I made excuses.

This person did this, that thing happened, this church, whatever.

But you know what, I'm not gonna make excuses. I'm just gonna repent

and get my life right today that you want to pray for you. If

you're here and you say, preacher, would you include in your prayer,

I've never really given Jesus my heart, my mind, and folks, I

want to say this to you. So many people walk up to me and

said, I'm saved. I prayed that salvation prayer twenty times and nothing's ever

happened. You know why it hadn't happened because salvation is a byproduct of lordship.

The Bible says in Romans Tend that if you confess him as Lord,

then he'll save your life. We want salvation without a leader, we want

salvation without lordship. And it doesn't work that way. You confess him as

Lord, and then he says I'll save your life. And what that means

is you're willing to do whatever he says. You're willing to get to know

him, come to church, get involved, serve, and so you can

get to know the King of kings and the Lord of lords who will change

your life in a moment of time. So, if that's you, right

with your seat and you say, preacher, would you pray with me,

I'm not gonna call you forward, but I'm gonna pray with at your seat.

He said, I need to get my life right. No more excuses,

our preacher. I truly need to give my heart to the Lord because

I really haven't, and I know I haven't. I need his help.

If that's you in Jesus name, right where you're seated, would you just

lift your hand right there, no hesitation, just say thank you, God,

bless you, God, bless you, God, bless your God,

bless you, thank you, God, bless you. In the back,

God, bless you, thank you. I'm just looking around. Anybody you

just put your hand and put it down, But thank you. God loves

people. Thank you, ma'am. It's time we really committed our hearts and

minds to the Lord. And it doesn't mean you won't be It doesn't mean

you're gonna be perfect. It just means you'll walk with God, and when

you blow it, you'll just God, I messed up, forgive me,

and you go on because that's the goodness of God. He's not holding your

sins against you anybody else. I don't have a story to tell you.

I'm not trying to work your most Thank you, Thank you. I don't

have a story to tell you. I'm not trying to work your emotions make

a choice because I know God's dealing with hearts and minds. I'm gonna look

around one more time, anybody else, Thank you, sir, be willing

to say I need Jesus in my life. Father and Jesus Name. You

saw those hands and they'll never be the same because of you. Today.

I pray you bless them, show yourself strong in their behalf. May they

even feel if they can that man, that weight of sin leaven and the

spirit of grace, the spirit of the Holy Spirit, the spirit of God

residing in them. Touch them, God, let them know how much you

love them. In Jesus name, If you lifted your hand, I want

you to pray this prayer aloud with me. If you would, the Bible

says we believe in our hearts and confess with our mouths. And if you

lifted your hand, I want you to pray this. And if you're right

with God, would you pray in support of all those There were so many

people, so they're not praying alone. We'll just pray with them and we'll

show our support that we're man. We're excited that you're coming into the family

getting your life right. And maybe you didn't lift your hand, but you

should have. Would you pray this prayer aloud with me? It's right out

of the Book of Romans, chapter ten. Would you pray God? Let

me do it again. God, I choose to believe in your word,

and I believe that Jesus is your son. He's your only son, and

I believe you raised him from the dead to give me a new life.

So with my heart, according to your word, I choose to believe.

And now with my mouth, I willingly confess Jesus be Lord of my life.

Thank you for saving me. Thank you for forgiving me. I choose

you God, and I'm so grateful you chose me in Jesus name. Amen

and Amen. Let's thank the Lord Church. Thank you guys. There was

an honor to be here. Thank you. We really hope you enjoyed the

message. And if you said yes to Jesus, we just want to say

congratulations and give you a free devotional to help you walk out your faith.

Click the link of the description or head over to Growth Faith to download your

devotional. Oh and be sure to subscribe and share this podcast with your friends.

Thanks for listening to ALSC podcasts and hope you tune in again,