Your Comeback Will Overtake Your Setback

The psalmist declared, Bless the Lord, O my soul.

Bless the Lord. And forget not all of his benefits.

Mine iniquities he's removed. That's enough right

there. But the benefits, it's not a benefit.

It's plural. The goodness of God. Amen. Job 42.

Verse 10. And the Lord turned the captivity of

Job when he prayed for his friends. Also the

Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.

Then came there unto him all his brethren and

all his sisters and all they that had been of

his acquaintance before. And did eat bread with

him in his house. And they bemoaned him. And

comforted him over all the evil. Now understand

what's going on here. It's trial. That the Lord

had brought upon him. Every man also gave him

a piece of money. And every one an earring of

gold. So the Lord blessed the latter end of Job

more than his beginning. For he had 14 ,000 sheep,

6 ,000 camels, 1 ,000 yoke of oxen, and 1 ,000

she -donkeys. He had also seven sons and three

daughters. And he called the name of the first,

Jemima, that of the second, Keziah, and the name

of the third, Kirin -hapush. And in all the land

were no women found so fair as the daughters

of Job. And their father gave them inheritance

among their brethren. After this lived Job 140

years and saw his sons and his sons' sons, even

four generations. So Job died, being old and

full of days. For the next, I don't know, hour

and a half or so, I want to preach to you on

a thought. I give myself that much time. If I

stop earlier, you're blessed. On a simple thought.

Your comeback will overtake your setback. Well,

hallelujah. Your comeback will overtake your

setback. Again, we're still strolling through

the archives. This was preached in the previous

millennia. I'm getting old. The Lord is faithful.

I'll pray for you. You pray for me, and we'll

meet in the middle. Father, we love you. Thank

you so much for your goodness and your mercy.

What a wonderful atmosphere in this house today.

You are here, Lord. Your presence is here. We

have lifted our voices. We have worshipped you

in spirit and in truth. And Lord, the spirit

that causes it to be easy to preach, let it loose

in this house. Let your anointing fill this place

at even a greater level. For you are here. Let

your glory reign among us, Lord, today. That

when we leave here, Lord, we will know that we

have been in your presence. We that have ears,

may we hear as the spirit speaks to the church.

In this latter day. In Jesus holy and mighty

name. We ask and the church says. Amen. Just

tell your neighbor you're on your comeback. You're

on your comeback. There used to be a statement.

And it's probably still out there. It was a phrase.

You can sit down baby. I'm going to preach to

you. You don't want to stand up this long. There

was a phrase. You don't have to cut them eyes

like that. Just help me. When old head goes sideways

and get that eyebrow pick up, that's serious

business. Sorry about that. Didn't mean to call

you out. I love you. There's a phrase that was

stated, I'm set. I'm set for good. Maybe you've

uttered those words at one time. Everything's

going really well. The plan is working and whatever

you set out on, you've got there and it's all

good. Set for good. But how many knows that that's

just for a day or so? Amen. If we're not careful,

this phrase sometimes means that we've gotten

to a point where we find ourselves stationary.

I'm set. anchored, ready to not be moved anymore.

Too many times there's a variation to this statement

and this term and this phrase, and instead of

being set for good, sometimes we suffer a setback.

Has anybody ever suffered a setback? When we

look at Job's story, that is probably one of

the major, if not the most major setbacks. of

any person that I've ever known or ever read

about because of all that happened in his life.

And we understand that it wasn't God that caused

the evil, amen, but it was God who permitted

the evil one to test Job's life and faith. If

you remember the story early on in Job's life,

The angels in heaven are in a staff meeting with

God, and the devil presents himself before God.

And it was not that the devil asked permission

to come against Job. It was that God asked the

devil, have you considered my servant Job? And

to reply, yes, I've considered him, but I can't

even get at him. You've got a hedge wrapped around

him. You've got protection. There's no way that

I can. Isn't that wonderful to know that God

has the ability to raise up a hedge and the devil

can't. He's got better sense to even try because

he knows I can't get to him. But I'll tell you

one thing. If you didn't have him protected,

I think I could cause him to curse you and just

turn away from you. God says, well. I think I

know the character of my servant better than

you. I'll tell you what I'm going to do. I'm

going to let the wall down a little bit, and

you have access to him, but here's where the

line is. My Lord, don't you, look, even though

God permits the enemy maybe to come against you

and try your faith, but aren't you glad that

he draws a line in the sand already, and there's

a marker where the devil can't cross? Aren't

you glad to know that God can build a hedge,

can't even get close, but if he allows him to

get close, there's a line that he cannot cross.

I'm here to tell you that ought to build your

faith right there. If nothing else, you may feel

like you're under attack right now, but no, there's

a line that the devil cannot cross. You can touch

everything the man's on. You can take all of

his possessions. You can do everything, but his

life belongs to me, and it's not yours, and you

can't take it. Hallelujah. You need to know today

by faith that a setback may enter. into your

life. But God has a line drawn in the sand at

the debarker where your setback has to stop.

And I'm grateful to know that the Lord is on

my side. Setbacks are times of hardship. They're

times of loss. They're times of causing... We

as people sometimes want to give up. We just

want to stop. We just want to say it's over.

It's done. This is where I quit. But you can't

quit. You cannot quit. What are you going to

quit for? Well, you're going to quit too. There's

nothing any better than God's grace that will

give you sufficiency of every day of your life.

What is there to quit to? What is there to quit

for? To go back into sin? Really? You want to

go back out and do that mess again and get down

in the pit that he pulled you out of? Really?

That's better? You wake up puking your guts out.

You don't even know where you're at. You're in

a gutter somewhere, and you really think that's

better than God's sufficient grace entering into

your life? Yes, it may be hard. Yes, it may be

hard. It may be difficult, but I can tell you

one thing. It can be a whole lot worse with God

on your side who can be against you. Amen. Well,

you say, well, Job's life proves that things

can get difficult. Yes, there's loss that enters

your life. Yes, there's hardship that enters

your life. Sickness may enter your life. But

the thing about it is God has a line drawn that

the enemy cannot cross and sickness cannot cross

unless he permits it to do. I know the Bible

declares there's a sickness unto death, but every

sickness. does not result in death. You may feel

like you're about to die. You may feel like you're

about to leave this world, but the mighty hand

of God will swoop down on the deathbed and raise

up. Or the mighty hand of God will swoop down

and bring a redeemed soul unto himself. Nevertheless,

it is God who raises us up. When the setbacks

occur in our lives, we have to maintain our faith

in God. We who are serving God, you can look

for setbacks in your life because the enemy will

test and try and tempt your faith. But understand

that setbacks are merely setups. Setbacks are

merely setups. Setups for what? Your next encounter

with God. Your next revelation from His Word.

The next touch of His mighty hand. It's a setup

because, look, God's not going to leave you down.

Are you hearing me? God's not going to leave

you down. He's going to pick you up. He's going

to raise you up. I don't know. I tried to find

what scholars would say about the length of time

of Job's trial. It had to be several months most

likely, possibly up to a year, or it could have

been sooner, or it could have been longer when

you read. We know travel takes a while, and how

long did it take those three wonderful friends

of Job to get there and stare at him for seven

days over a fire and never say a word? That's

what we need, amen? When we're in a setback,

we need people that are supposed to care for

us and love for us, and all they want to do is

look at you. And then when they finally open

their mouth, it's like, what'd you do? What sin

did you commit? Well, you don't have to commit

sin to have a setback. Hello? It could be that

you're faithfully serving. You're giving every

week. You're tithing. You're giving, offering.

You're serving. It could just be that you're

being faithful to God and the trial has come

to see if you will set off and not just set back.

But God is still on the throne of eternity. And

when setbacks enter into our lives, there must

be a determination in our heart that we're not

going to give up. We're not going to quit. We're

not going to turn around because setbacks are

setups. for a revelation, for a blessing, so

that he, God, can move closer and move us closer

to his purpose and divine plan for our life.

You do know, according to Jeremiah, that God

has a plan for you. I know the plans that I have

for you, saith the Lord. They are good and not

evil, and they have a hope with an expected end.

What does that mean? I've got a plan for you,

and this setback is not going to deter the divine

plan that I have for you. So there must be determination

in your heart, mind, soul, and all of your being

to keep on keeping on, keep on trusting God.

You may find yourself as a Job. You may find

yourself sitting in ashes and pot shreds and

scraping boils. and sores and scabs off, letting

dogs try to lick your wounds to bring some kind

of ease in your life. But know this, even though

you may be going through hardship, doesn't mean

that God has forgotten you. Doesn't mean that

God has forsaken you. But what it does mean is

that every single day that you wake up, God supplies

the sufficiency of his grace to enable you to

endure the trial that you're in. And can I tell

you, it's more than just enduring. You can do

something. so with joy unspeakable and filled

with his glory and knowing that this day will

pass and another day will pass. But one thing

I know, heaven and earth may even pass, but the

word of the living God is declared forever. And

he said, though he slay me, Job said, yet will

I serve him. Hallelujah. When the time comes

and you're down and you're out and you're set

back, let the grace of God empower you, instill

within you, and put a hope in you. your setback

is not going to take you out, but your setback

is setting your comeback will be greater. So

as we are being set up for God's divine will

and purpose to be fulfilled in our life, we must

do so in believing and knowing that God is in

control. And that we are trusting him without

reservation. Do you trust him when you get set

back? I need to trust him more when a setback

comes. Amen. But see, in our human nature, we

puff up, pout up, and whine. Don't we? That's

just our nature. That's just the way we are.

It's the fallen nature of our flesh. But shouldn't

it be so for the born again, blood bought, sanctified,

Holy Ghost filled child of the living God? Should

it be even so that when we are set back that

we understand that the set back is the set up

and God is going to reveal himself in some way,

some form and fashion and we ought to let our

hope be residing in him that we believe him and

we trust him without reservation. The psalmist

said in 37, 23 through 5, the steps of a good

man are ordered by the Lord. and he delighteth

in his glory. Amen. Though he fall, he shall

not be utterly cast down, for the Lord upholdeth

him with his right hand. I have been young and

now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous

forsaken, nor his seed begging for bread. We

know in Hebrews 11 and 6, amen, that it is impossible

without faith to please God. But we know without

it, it's the impossibility. But for those that

come unto God, they must believe that he... and

that he is the rewarder of those who diligently

seek him. When you're in your setback, you cannot

allow your faith to be off -put and put off in

setback, but let your faith rise. Let your trust

arise in God. Why? Because now, now faith is

the substance of things hoped for, and it is

the evidence of things not seen. And faith cometh

by hearing, and hearing comes by the declaration

of the word of the living God. In other words,

if God said it, Then apply it to your life. You've

got to keep on believing and trusting through

the setback. Faith is knowing what you believe.

Knowing is founded in the mind. So you've got

to have your mind made up. You've got to have

your mind made up. I mean, 38 years ago when

I proposed to Sister Kathy and she said, yeah.

No, that ain't what she said. I was on one knee,

had her hand. I said, will you marry me? She

looked through me and said, I guess. I said,

you guess. Okay, we've been on a guess for 38

years. But I know, right? It's in our knowing.

knowing that God cares, knowing that God loves,

and you have to be committed in your mind. And

if you're sitting in here, and I know some of

you ain't got a whole lot to play with, but I'm

going to help you. I know some of you are, you

know, struggling with the capacity to get a grip.

A setback will do that to you, won't it? A setback

will have your head spinning, won't it? And you

can't make up your mind when your head is spinning.

Are you hearing me? You can't make up your mind

when the devil's done slapped you and you're

laying flat on your back and your head's going

around and stars are in your eye. You've got

to have your mind made up when he draws his hand

back that no matter how bad this hurts, no matter

what kind of condition it puts me in, I have

my mind made up. You've got to be like an apostle

Paul who said, I am persuaded that he is able

to keep that which I've committed unto him against

that day. There must be a persuasion in your

life. middle into your mind. You know the reason

half the people backslide is because they didn't

have their mind made up to leave sin to start

with. Let me tell you on that seventh dip, actually

it was on the fifth dip I'd made up my mind when

I had that fifth baptism. Amen. That's when I

made up my mind I'm not going back anymore. I'm

done with it. I'm done with sin. I'm done with

the world. I'm done with it all and I turned

my back on it and I had my mind made up. Come

what may I've had my mind made up and what I

went to tell you a while ago when I got lost

in her eyes about having your mind made up and

committed for the future. There's a word that

we said would never enter into our relationship

and it starts with a D and we've never uttered

it since and it has never been spoken in our

home and it never will be spoken in our home.

Why? Because I had my mind made up. My heart

was captivated. This was the woman I was going

to live the rest of my life with come hell or

high water and I told her two things that will

never happen in our home. One, that word be spoken

to you ever go home to your mama just stay now

this was BSC backslidden before Christ BSBC that's

me right then I know and I meant everywhere you

asked her I meant what I said if you go Don't

bother coming back, and I'm not coming after

you. Hello? She never left, and I ain't had to

try to break my word and go get her. Oh, Lord.

You got to have your mind made up going in. You

got to have your mind made up that your sins

have been forgiven you. And there's no other

help and no other hope for your life. That even

though you have been set back, God has a comeback

ordered for your life. None greater than what

we've read here in the scripture with Joe's rendition

of his trial. But with a made up mind, you'll

have in 2 Corinthians 7, 7, you'll have a fervent

mind. 2 Corinthians 8, 12, you'll have a willing

mind. That's part of the problem with a lot of

people today. They don't have a willing mind.

Their mind's not. willing to follow. Their mind's

not willing to quit. Their mind's not willing

to give up on the world and turn their back on

it and turn toward their gaze, a risen Savior

who is the help and the hope and the deliverance

of their life. They don't have a willing mind.

Their mind is too set with the world. In 2 Corinthians

8, 19, you've got to have a ready mind. In Ephesians

4, 23, you have to be renewed in the spirit of

your mind. Philippians 4 and 2, you have to have

the same mind, the mind of Christ. Amen. In Colossians,

Colossians 2 .18, you have to do away with a

fleshly mind. In Colossians 3 .12, you have to

have the humbleness of mind. 2 Thessalonians

2 and 2, be not soon shaken in your mind. You

cannot be shaken to give up and turn your whole

loose on the grace that is sufficient for your

life. You've got to have your mind made up. In

2 Timothy 1 .7, you know it declares the soundness

of mind. Why? Because you have not been given

the spirit of fear. but of power and of love

and the soundness and the sureness and the firmness

of your mind. God has transformed your way of

thinking. Don't turn back on it. Don't give up

on it. Your comeback will overtake your setback.

Don't give the devil the satisfaction that you're

going to give up and quit and turn around. There

is no give up. There is no turning around. There

is no going back. My God before me, the cross

is there and I'm marching over, marching forward.

Don't quit. Don't give up. Don't get weak in

your mind. So as believers, it's our responsibility

to not allow the setback to determine the outcome.

We do this by refusing to submit to the thing

Satan brings against us. It's right here in your

mind. You've got to get a grip on it. You've

got to get set in it. And you have to refuse

the thing that the enemy brings against you.

You have to refuse to be identified with the

label that the enemy is trying to place on you.

Hebrews 11, 24. By faith, are you hearing me?

You see where we're at? By faith, I'm talking

about knowing, trusting, believing. By faith,

Moses, when he was come to years, refused to

be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter. What

are you saying? I am saying there is a refusal

when there's an innate understanding of who you

are, and it has had nothing to do with the label

that the enemy's trying to put on you. It took

Moses quite a while. It took him. some trials,

some tribulation. But when the time fully come,

when it was get down to business, he refused

to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter. Well,

why did he do that? Because he was not Pharaoh's

daughter's son. He was the son of promise. He

was the deliverer who was sent to get the people

out. Hallelujah. And when the time come and he

understood, when Moses finally got it down and

he knew that he knew that he knew, or you could

say, I know that I know that I know that I know

that. It is God who's called me and set me and

ordained my steps. I am not Pharaoh's daughter

because Pharaoh was the enemy of God's people,

and I will refuse to be identified with the enemy

of God's people. When he came of age, you've

got to get of age. You've got to get your faith

up to where you know who you believe. Isn't that

what Paul said? I know in whom I have believed.

I know in whom I have believed and whom I have

trusted and the setbacks of life. God, I'm not

going to be derailed because I know the comeback

trail is grand and great and glorious. It's difficult.

It's hard. It's trouble. But I know the sufficiency

of his grace and the power of the Holy Ghost

is going to meet me every day. He enables me

to overcome. Reject the labels. Tried to call

Moses Pharaoh's daughter. What's he try to call

you? Depressed? Lonely? Hopeless? What's he try

to label you with? Useless? Unloved? What's he

try to put on you? Doesn't matter what he tries

to put on you. Refuse it because that's not who

you are. Well, let me just say, take the labels

of Christ. You are joint heirs. We are joint

heirs. What's that mean? We get what big brothers

got. You are forgiven. If you've been to Calvary

and you've confessed your sin and you've invited

Christ into your heart, you are forgiven. It

doesn't matter what the devil tries to tell you.

Well, look what you've done. That was what I'd

done, but look what I'm doing. It makes, there's

a big difference. What you've done, once you've

been to Calvary, man, there may be some repercussions

of sin that you have to deal with, but one repercussion

of sin you will not have to deal with is the

judgment of Almighty God because your sins have

been forgiven. Hallelujah. I know how the devil

works with condemnation. He begins to work in

your mind. He said, you done this. You can't

do that. You can't be this. You can't. Yes, I

can. Why? Because the I am. tells me who I am.

The I am tells me who I am. That's why he's declared

to me I am a royal priesthood. I am a chosen

generation. I am a peculiar type of person. I

am righteous. I am holy. I am who he declares

that I am, a joint heir, a son of the living

God, adopted, engrafted into the wonderful family

whereby I cry, I have a father. Now, What do

you want to be? Depressed? Get your mind made

up. Get your head out of the darkness. It's a

choice, you know. Get off the couch. Get your

head out among the pillow at noon and get out

of the bed. Unless you work nights, she'll sleep

till 2. But if not, get out to bed. A made up

mind will get up. I better get along. Refuse

to label. Your comeback will overtake your setback.

Don't be identified with how the enemy identifies

you. Secondly. to know, and this is how we overcome,

and we keep our mind made up, and we make it

through the comeback. Do not allow Satan to get

a hold on you. In Genesis 39 and 7 and 8, it's

the story of Joseph. You know, he had a setback.

Huh? Joseph had a setback, didn't he? He was

daddy's favorite little boy. He had a robe Daddy

made just for him. Many colors. Gave it to him.

He's the dreamer, right? But he was also the

chosen one out of that bunch of knotheads to

deliver everybody. Huh? How do you know there's

knotheads? Hey, let's kill him. It's their brother.

Well, we can't kill him. Daddy ever finds out.

None of us will get any goats. About all they

had was goats, cows, sheep, donkeys, camel or

two. We won't get anything. Well, let's throw

him in a hole or something. He's walking around

telling these dreams he's having. We'll show

him. So here comes little Joseph, whistling his

little tune. Brothers are working, they're out,

and he's just lollygagging with his pretty coat.

They take hold of him. They beat him nigh unto

death. So much so, they'd taken his coat and

dipped it in some animal's blood and took it

to dad. Let me show you how the mind works. Let

me show you how the enemy will get a hold of

you. Isaac sees the coat, and he plays out the

last scene in his mind. Surely a wild beast.

That's destroyed my little boy Joseph. And he

let the scene play out in his mind. They didn't

have to do anything. He played it out. He wrote

the end of the story himself. You ain't going

to make me preach that, are you? There's too

many of y 'all got your pen and quill in hand

and you're sitting in front of the ink fountain

and you're writing your own end. Oh, because

you've had a setback. You've had a setback, and

so you're trying to see how. We always imagine

the worst, don't we? Don't we? We always imagine

the worst, and when you get there, there's nothing

like you imagine. You say, oh, it's not as bad

as I thought it was going to be. Do I have to

tell you that God is on your side? It's never

going to be as bad as you think it's going to

be because his favor is working in your life.

Yes, he got through in the pit. Yes, he got sold

into slavery. Yes, in this story that I've read

to you here, here in 39, yes, he was accused.

of trying to take advantage of his boss's wife.

But notice what he did. When she took hold of

him, he left another coat. boy, but just like

some of your young 'uns, he's left coats laying

everywhere. He left a coat there. He left it.

Why? Because he ran from the very influence that

the enemy was trying to get a hold of him with.

I'm here to tell somebody this morning, you're

lollygagging around where the devil's got you

playing way too long. It's time you get out of

dodge. You can't play with sin. You can't play

around. Are you hearing me this morning? You

cannot play around with sin. Do not allow the

devil to get another hoe. on you. Son, that right

there is pretty good preaching, even if I did

do it. I'm telling you, too many of us are too

wishy -washy in our mind and in our faith. You

can't have God and the world. Bitter and sweet

water cannot come out of the same fountain. If

that's you, wash your mouth out. Straighten up.

Boy, howdy, our preacher's on it today. Get away

from the sin that so easily besets you. What's

that mean? Sets you back. Lay aside the weight.

Some of you trying to drag the weight all the

way to Calvary. You can't do it, honey. You can't

have your sin weight and the cross too. Yeah,

you, you, uh -uh, uh -uh, uh -uh. You're going

to have one or the other one. And you always

know what straddling the fence does. Tears the

seat out of your britches. That's it. That's

all. I just had a flashback of said occasion.

Got a second? I'll tell you. 35, 40 in my iron

eye. We took the kids to school one morning.

And we had our camouflage on. It just so happened

to be Brother David turkey season. Hallelujah.

God's good. And the Lord had so fit that even

in the wilderness, when you think you're in a

wilderness, a good place to hunt is in the wilderness.

So. In the middle of a season, a pastoral season,

the Lord put me in one of the most populated

counties in this state for turkeys. And oh, what

joy. Oh, what joy. So we took the kids to school

one morning. Sister Kathy used to go run the

ridges with me. And we're driving down the road

back out in the country. And just across this

here fence stood what I call a magnum. He had

red, white, and blue. And instantly, stop in

the middle of the road. I'm thinking, how can

I get to him? Unless you hunt, you have no clue

what I'm saying, but just know this. Getting

there was half the battle. So there's a trailer

right on the side of the road. So we went back

up and pulled down in there. And I beat on the

door. It's early now. Here comes this lady to

the door. It's back when they still used the

curlers, you know, the steam rollers. She had

them up. And so I point toward the truck. I said,

ma 'am, there's a big turkey right over there,

and I'd like to get my wife over there. You use

whatever you can, kids. It don't matter. I said,

I'd like to get my wife over there. I said, would

you mind if I cross? You right here and go up

there. He's just on the other side of that fence.

She said, why sure, honey. It's all right. Y

'all go on ahead and shut the door. So I run

to the truck and get all the paraphernalia you

need. So here we go. And I'm crossing this fence.

And I've got one leg on the other side, barbed

wire, three -strand. And I'm holding it down

and doing one of these. And I look out my right

eye, David, and there he stands. It ain't 20

yards. And I'm doing this. And I'm reaching for

Kathy to get my gun. Standing at that fence.

She hands me my gun, and I'm a -weebling and

wobbling and just hit it just right. Oh, there

he rolled, flopping feathers going everywhere.

So there's some blessing that may happen on a

straddle fence, but not in sin. That's not going

to help you. Turkey hunting, you might get by

with it. But in sin, you'll not get by with it.

I did tear the inside of my British legs out,

and she had to patch that up. But other than

that, no life was lost other than the turkey.

But I'm here to tell you it'll be a different

story. If you think that you can straddle the

fence with sin and come to church and do your

thing and then listen to me preach and you laugh

and juggle at my funny little stories and miss

the whole principle of the point I'm trying to

tell you, you cannot mess around with sin and

make it to heaven. Thus the reason the word declares,

lay aside the weight and the sin that so easily

besets you. And then he says, having your eyes

fixated on Jesus who is the author. You cannot

look at Jesus and focus on the world at the same

time. You've got to get your mind made up and

your gaze set. Run from sin. Do not give in to

the pressure. In the middle of your setback,

do not give in to the pressure to quit. Job was

pressured. To give in. To give up. I'll have

to apologize to Sister Jobe one of these days.

I used to give her a hard time. Until I began

to understand the pain she was going through.

Huh? Her old man sat in the gate. Richest man

in all the east. They had a beautiful family.

Ten children. And then all this calamity of their

setback, all those children died at the very

same moment in the same building. Devastated.

Right? You carry these young 'uns. They're part

of you. That's the reason us dads, it's easier

for us to have that tough love. We didn't carry

them. They didn't kick our ribs blue from the

inside out. That was you. When all this is going

on, she's ready to just give up. But you can't

quit. You can't give up. You can't give in. You

can't give in to the pressure. Shadrach, Meshach,

and Abednego, Daniel 3, 15 through 20, you know

that story. The king's before him says, I'm going

to play the song one more time, and you're going

to bow. If you don't bow, they're already throwing

wood in the furnace, and I'm going to heat it

up seven times hotter than it's ever been. In

other words, you're going to die when you get

to the door, boys. You're going to bow when the

music plays. Let me tell you something. Don't

give in to the pressure when the devil starts

playing his tune. Amen. Don't dance to his fiddle.

Don't dance to his tune. You do not have to give

in to the peer pressure. Well, pastor, you don't

know what it may cause me. It'll cause you grief

if you give in. And what they declared was this.

They said, we do not care. answer you in this

manner or this matter. Here's the thing. Our

God is able. Our God is able to deliver us out

of your hand, but then they make this wonderful

power. powerful declaration of faith, and they

declared to the king, but if not, but if he does,

great. If he don't, we are still resolved in

our faith, and we will not bow. So, oh, king,

you go ahead and just do your best and take your

best shot. If we leave, we're still going to

leave on God's side, and we will refuse your

order today. And what did they do? They struck

up the band, and the music played, and they stood

resolute and resolved. The king was so angry.

He was so angry that they dared refuse his order.

And he said, throw them in. And so they take

them by the arms. They bind them up and they

threw them in. And the old boy that opened the

door fell over dead from the heat blast. And

they themselves walked on in. What are you saying?

My God, when you refuse and the devil, he may

fall by you, but you walk on in because the declaration

of the word of God for you is this. You'll walk

through the fire. and you shall not be burned.

If it's a river, he said, you'll go through the

flood and the waters will not overtake you because

I'm going to make a new way. I'll make a highway

even for you. Don't give in. After you got your

mind made up. and you've been set back, and you're

resolute, and you're still going, you're still

trusting, you're still believing, then don't

allow the devil to rob you of your praise. Huh?

Remember what Jesus told them about fasting?

He said, wash your face. Don't go out like you're

just all, oh, and don't go tell them, oh, I've

been fasting for 20 minutes. It's 1130 and you

started at 7. My Lord, I'm about to go down.

It's almost lunch. What's the matter with you?

I'm fasting. No, no, no, no. You might as well

go ahead and eat the hamburger, the bologna.

You done let the cat out of the bag. It's over

with. Huh? Don't let your countenance be that.

Pick up your countenance. Put a little smile

on your face. Why? Because you may need grace

to make it to supper. Hello? Push that plate

on back. Do your diligence, but do not allow

the enemy to rob you of your praise. A powerful

story of a setback was old David. You remember

when he went and got the Ark of the Covenant

from Obed -Edom's house, right? And they're on

their way back. David thought he was doing a

good thing. He built a brand new cart. He got

a cow that had never been yoked up, and he got

them in there. And they're bringing the Ark of

the Covenant, and he's shouting. That'll even

let you know you can shout out of order. You

can shout out of order. Woo! That's a sermon

for another day. But they're shouting. They're

bringing the Ark of the Covenant back. The old

cow runs over a rock in the road of all places

over there in that part of the country around

Jerusalem. A rock was in the road. He hits it.

The Ark teeters. And the old boy, as I reached

up to stabilize the presence of God, and when

he'd done so, God struck him dead, and he fell

off the wagon. Right there is where they stopped.

Right there is where they parked the Ark. Right

there. And David went and discovered the right

way to do it. Discovered the right, what do we

got to do? You got to get some golden stabs and

you got to get some priests. Hallelujah. And

they got to bear the presence of the Lord. My

God, I'm feeling one coming on. You got to bear

the presence of the Lord upon your shoulder.

Can I tell somebody you are a royal priesthood

in the house today? And if you want the presence

of the Lord in this house, then I want you to

bear your shoulder up and bring it in. And they

stopped every few feet and they offered up bullock

and they offered up burnt offerings all the way

into the house. the city. And David took off

his kingly robe. He laid his crown aside and

he danced before the Lord. The Bible says that

he did so and worshiped undignified. And when

he gets in, he's got a cross -eyed woman looking

at him out the window, the daughter of King Saul.

Have you ever stopped to think why Saul gave

her to be married to David? Because he knew that

McCall had the same heart of disobedience and

rebellion that he did and wanted to dilute David's

faith, but they did not fully understand that

David had his mind made up. He was the harpist

and the psalmist of Israel. He was the one in

whom was birthed the songs of glory and Zion,

and he danced and he shouted, and she said, you've

made a fool of yourself today. That's all right,

woman. Watch me tomorrow. I'm going to dance

before the Lord. If you think I was undignified

today, honey, you ain't seen nothing yet, for

I know. I know him. Wouldn't that have been a

good place for him to look her right now and

say, the Lord is my shepherd and I shall not

want. Hallelujah. And he rejoiced. Do not allow

the devil to rob you of your praise in the middle

of your setback. Somehow, sometime, you have

to praise your way out of the valley. Especially

if you've got your mind made up. Don't let grief

and sorrow well out the joy of the Lord. Blessed

are those who mourn, for they shall. Isn't that

beautiful? And all them little beatitudes. Blessed

are those that mourn, for they shall be comforted.

Isn't that powerful? Nowhere in that book does

it say for you and I not to mourn. Matter of

fact, we're encouraged to do so. But not in so

in allowing the grief to rob us of the joy that

we have because we... shall be comforted. Paul

told young Timothy, he said this, we don't mourn

as those who have no hope. We mourn differently.

But you see, we mourn, but we do so differently

because we have a hope. We have a hope. You have

a hope. Matter of fact, Paul told Timothy again,

he said, Jesus Christ, which is our hope. Wow.

You have hope. Setbacks come in life. Hardships,

trials, tribulations enter into our lives. But

God is faithful. And if you're in the middle

of one of those right now, hold on. Don't quit.

Don't get mad. Let resolve and resolution stand

in your heart. Knowing that God understands it.

And that God knows the pathway that you take.

I almost forgot. You stand while I turn. I'm

going to read this one to you. One of my favorite

of the Old Testament prophets. One of the minor

prophets. One of my favorite verses is in Micah

7. Verse 7 says, therefore I will look unto the

Lord. I will wait for the God of my salvation.

My God will hear me. Rejoice not against me,

O mine enemy. When I fall, not if, are you hearing

it? Not if, possibly. When I fall. I shall arise.

When I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light

unto me. It's not a matter of if trouble comes,

it's when it gets to you. Setbacks are coming.

Because it's the trials of our faith that works

patience. And that patience works in our lives

so that we are diligently waiting for the Lord.

Joyfully so. Now, I know every circumstance in

life does not bring happiness. I know that. I

know this. But it's not the circumstances in

life. That reassure me. What reassures me is

knowing that God has not forsaken me. And he

hasn't forgotten me. Now I know what the devil

tries to make us feel. I know how he tries to

make us think. I know all the deceptive works

and the lies and the plots. I know how he does

that. But if you've already resolved in your

mind and your mind is made up, he's just wasting

his breath. Because you know that through it

all, God's going to do something great in your

life. And your comeback will be like that of

Job's. Job's, he was really blessed, wasn't he?

He received a double portion of everything that

he had. You know what I'm wondering? I'm reading

that. And I'm thinking, well, where were y 'all

at for a few months? You want to bring him an

offering now? Now that he's back on track, now

that everything's good and here y 'all showing

up for picnic, you want to give him an offering?

You want to give him a gold earring of honors?

Where were you just a few months ago when he's

sitting in the ashes and the dog's trying to

give him? Here's the thing, folks. It doesn't

matter where people are. It matters that God

is seated in the ashes with you. Because when

it's all said and done, he's the only one that

can change anything about our situation. Father,

I love you today. I thank you so much. Help me,

Lord, to wind this down. Help me to bring this

to a close today. I've said a lot of things this

morning. All I know to tell you is this, is if

the Lord has spoken to you about some situation,

some dilemma, some trial, and he's just reaffirmed

his presence to you today, that he knows where

you are, he knows your plight, he knows your

trouble, he knows your trial, he knows the fire

that you're about to enter into or the flood

that you're coming out of, he knows because he's

there with you. Your setback is not meant to

take you out. It's meant to set you up for God's

grace and God's goodness. Say, Pastor, that's

me. The Lord spoke to my heart this morning for

reassurance. If you need prayer this morning,

I want you to make your way to one side of this

baptistry or the other. I want to pray for you

today if you need it.