Ratchet-Free Life | We The Church | Pastor Scott Thomas

Hello, hello, friend. Welcome to Free

Life Chapel, where we help you discover

and live the free life in Christ. My

name is Cotti, and I'm so glad that you

decided to tune in with us online today.

Hey, if you ever get a chance to come

visit us in person, we're located in

Central Florida, and we would love to

meet you and your family. But until

then, we have an encouraging message

just for you. Check it out.

>> So, we are in a series right now called

We the Church. And uh we're just talking

about those principles that we can build

our life on for 26. Anybody want to want

a better year in 26 than what you had in

25? Anybody believe in that? Yeah. Yep.

How many you know the difference between

a new year and an old year is a new

mind?

>> Isn't it crazy how we want to keep doing

the same thing and we think everyone

else is the problem when the real

reality is I keep thinking the same

thoughts, making the same decisions,

getting the same stuff, and it just is

not working. Sometimes you got to

rearrange the furniture in the house.

>> Yeah. Mix it up. You'll stub your toe a

couple of times, but but you got to mix

it up and make it make it different so

it's intentional.

Back uh like you like you uh when you're

scrolling through social media, you got

a lot of people trying to sell you a lot

of things. Lots of ads are popping up.

And I was I was in the I I in in in the

in the market for looking for some new

ratchet straps that I could take in my

truck, put on the for the trailer, strap

some things down, and cuz I just need

some new need some new gear. And so um I

ordered I ordered some new ratchet

straps. Like let me let me go ahead and

just order some. And uh they were they

were like four for for for 90 bucks. 90

bucks. Invest that 90 bucks and get like

you know what? need a good pair cuz cuz

every good dude whether you're going to

ratchet strap anything down or not, you

need some ratchet straps just in case.

Anybody buy that just in case stuff? You

know what I'm talking about. Ju just in

case. Yeah. Yeah. And so I bought me

some just in case ratchet straps. And um

man, I this was this is what they showed

me and that that's what's on the way.

And I waited and waited and waited and

waited and waited and

they were going to come. So, I pulled up

the site and I start the little tracking

thing like where is it? And like, oh, I

didn't know it was coming from China. I

I thought it was I thought it was like

in the US. It's it's rhino straps. What

in the world? And finally, the day came.

I got a bing. Your ratchet straps have

arrived. And I was so excited to get

them. But this is what arrived.

Now, this was on the website.

This

is what arrived.

$90

for four of these bad boys.

Do you know why I got scammed? Because I

did not check with my wife who was the

queen of ordering online

before I got them. She said, "Oh my god,

did you not check and make sure that the

company was real?" I SAID, "WELL, I I

PULLED UP WHEN ONCE I GOT THEM, I WENT,

"WAIT A MINUTE. THOSE ARE NOT WHAT I

ORDERED." Because what I ordered was the

retractable ratchet straps.

this. Y'all just listen.

I could go to sleep to that sound right

there. And then when you ready to pull

it back,

now if anybody's ordered ratchet straps,

ever owned them, you you know that it

will test your relationship with Jesus

when you try to put them things back

together. And cuz cuz they don't always

go back that way. You just punch your

button and that thing comes back. That's

what I ordered.

That's what I got.

That is so sad.

It is horrible. $90 later, that's what

arrived. I thought I was getting this,

but

this is what arrived.

How many you know that life will promise

you a lot of things,

but when it comes to the delivery, it's

not always what you expected. That's

right.

>> Some of y'all saying, "Yeah, my life is

kind of ratchet right now." Well, let's

talk about that because you don't need

to live expecting one thing but getting

another. There's a lot of folks that are

expecting a better 2026,

but the truth is you got a ratchet

package on the way unless you get your

delivery from a different place. Cuz all

places that promise don't always

deliver.

And you you hoping is not enough.

Wanting is not enough. There are some

bonafide serious decisions, some

changes, some moves that you and I need

to make if we are going to have the

right to expect a new year in this 26. I

want you to blow it out. I want this to

be the most amazing year, like a

hallmark year. Like, you got to be

kidding me. I want that for you and your

family. But it's going to require some

new things because it's a new year.

Circumstances are different. People are

different. Life is different. You got to

keep responding to it. It's amazing how

old our decisions can get really quick.

Not because you're doing something

wrong, but because life has moved on and

I'm still living in the past. We've got

to we got to build this and move our

life forward. Because I don't want you

to live scammed in 26.

I don't want at the end of the year say

I thought it was going to be a good year

and you realize that life didn't

deliver. Only God delivers what he says.

How is it that we're going to secure

this? How are we going to know that it's

good? You got to go back and you got to

check the credibility of the one that

you're ordering from. You got to go back

and find out, is he worth ordering from?

Is he good to his word? And I'm here to

tell you God is. That's why we have to

allow the Bible to be the truth of our

life and the absolute standard of our

life because any truth outside of that

is going to show up like this in your

life.

>> Only God's word actually delivers what

he promises. And I want you to have the

best of the best. That's why John 17:17,

John 17:17

this has been our anchor verse for this

entire series. Here's what it says. Read

it loud. Read it proud. Your word is

truth. Done.

right there. Like, take that to the

bank. Your word is truth. God's

pre-established agenda for your life for

2026 is locked up in his word. Show me

something. Where are the Bibles in the

room today? Wave your Bible at me. Bring

your B. LOOK AT THE BIBLES IN THE

CHURCH. COME ON, SOMEBODY. I AM LOVING

THAT. OKAY, put your Bible down. Would

you please clap for everyone who brought

a Bible with them today? Like that.

That's That's good stuff.

Love that.

God has a preset agenda for you. Ladies

and gentlemen, do you realize that God

plans for you? His desire for you is for

you to build a legacy of faith for your

family and for the next generation. We

don't have the luxury of just being

consumed with our self. It's not just

about you. It's about those who are

coming after you. Folks are watching

your life.

>> They watching you at Walmart.

I always feel like somebody's watching

me. Yeah. Oh, they are. Your neighbors

are watching you. People you go to

school with are watching you. Family's

watching you. People are watching. And

they're not listening to what we tell

them we're doing. They're watching to

see if we'll follow through with that.

We've got to make an impact of faith in

our friends. We got to serve Christ out

loud in our culture. We need to be a

poster child for joy. You want to know

what joy looks like?

>> Like like we WE NEED TO BE THAT PERSON.

LIKE I IT'S NOT that everything is good,

but somewhere deep down inside

circumstances do not dictate to the day

that I'm having. I'm going to be fine.

I'm moving forward. Where does that come

from? Your word is truth.

I've got to consume his word. I've got

to make his word more of a reality to me

than the thoughts and the emotions going

through my life. I've got to elevate his

word to be that anchor point in my

world. And I want to talk to you today

real quickly about four pillars, four

biblical pillars on how to live out what

we call this first fruit principle. What

do you mean by first fruit, Scott? I'm

talking about the first things that run

my life. The choice pimero, the very

first thing that that what matters

matters. The it's the highlight like do

this and let everything else follow. the

first fruit. That's what this that's why

we call it this principle. We want these

principles to run in your life for 2026.

Here's how it starts. If you're going to

live that life and go hard and not live

ratchet,

>> number one, you got to live that

spiritledd

life in 2026.

>> How many you know your life is better

when Jesus is leading it?

>> Okay. How many of you not going to raise

your hand no matter what I ask you

today? No. Like you you are a better

husband. Brothers, let me help you. Your

wife is praying to God. You're listening

right now because you a better man when

you are spiritled.

>> Ladies, you're not getting out of this

one.

>> We brothers need you to be spiritled.

Trust me. Y'all hearing me right now?

Y'all hearing me? We need y'all walking

by the spirit. YEAH. WE OH, YES. HOW YOU

LIKE TO HAVE SOME spiritledd kids?

You might need to bump them and

encourage them, but but you you need

that. Yes,

>> your employer wants you to be

spiritledd. The people that work with

you and for you, they they need you

spiritledd. You need you need to be

spiritled.

Your emotions spiritledd, your decision

spiritledd, your money spiritled. And

when I'm talking about spiritled, I'm

not talking about spooky, weird,

off-the-wall stuff. I'm just talking

about the fact that you've been in God's

word. You discovered God's opinion about

life and you made it so much of a

reality that those are the decisions

you're making. I'm not reacting to

people. I'm living up to what God said

about my life. And regardless of what

folk think about it, this is the way I'm

living my life. That's what I'm talking

about. Being spiritled. There's a nudge

that we feel sometimes inside. Have you

ever felt that nudge when you said

something you shouldn't have said and it

was just eating your lunch just like

Yeah. That that's called that's called

Holy Spirit spirit-led conviction.

>> That's how real it is. Like you like you

actually might find yourself I know it's

kind of crazy but hold on buckle in

apologizing.

>> You might actually find yourself saying

I'm stone.

It it it might you might have to write

it down and practice it. BUT BUT YOU

MIGHT ACTUALLY find an apology coming

out of your life because it's so

conflicted here. I've got to do

something with that's wonderful. That's

Holy Spirit operating. That's spirit-led

living. Let me let me give you a clue.

The the chaos of this world that we live

in, it wants you angry. It wants you

distracted. And it wants you impulsive.

Why? Because it controls your life that

way. Social media is set to own you. to

take your day by the throat and tell you

what kind of day you're having. And

based on the feed you look at will

determine the reaction you have. And so

many of us have been locked into I've

been there where you get so distracted

by a post that you begin to post

comments and it gives your thoughts and

you start doing research and it steals

hours out of your day instead of being

focused on your kids, your family, your

future, your finances. Jesus, man, you

are so consumed with people that half of

them are not even real. It's a bunch of

bots that are doing posts on it. You're

dealing with you're fighting with AI and

then you got situations that you can't

control at all, but it got you. It it it

it took you by control. This is exactly

what God's word says. I want you living

spirit-ledd as a revolt against this

cultural outrage machine. You can live

higher, stronger, better. I'm not saying

close your eyes to and be not be aware

of what's going on, but we just react.

We respond. We live different to it.

Galatians 5:es 22 and 23 shows what

should be coming out of your life and

mine. Galatians 5, here's what it reads.

Read it with me. But the fruit of the

spirit is

>> joy, peace, forbearance, kindness,

goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and

self-control.

Wow.

Can you see you responding that way?

You hear the moans in the place right

there. I know. I know. one or two like

this this this list God's word God says

I want you to live fruity the fruit of

the spirit like I need you producing

this right here why should that come out

because of what's GROWING IN ME THAT'S

THE RESULT WHEN PEOPLE RUN INTO ME THEY

RUN INTO some love when people run into

me they run into some joy when they run

into me here there's some peace hanging

on my life there's some kindness that's

there for people and and remember

remember a tree doesn't eat its own

fruit it produces fruit for other people

to enjoy. You and I are to be walking

around feeding people with these aspects

of our life everywhere THAT WE GO. WHY

WOULD THAT HAPPEN? BECAUSE I'm being led

by something greater than what culture

can give me. I'm living up to God's

standard, not down to the world's

standard. And I've got a hope that does

not make sense. This is how we live. We

don't bite the bait of social media. We

don't live triggered and angry and

distracted. Pleasing others is not in my

criteria for making decisions in life.

I'm going to make the right decision to

move forward. I'm going to enter the

room with gentleness and with

self-control. I'm not going there

looking for a fight. I don't even have

to be worshiped. I don't have to be

right. I'm just going to be me. That's

what I'm going to do. And I'm going to

reject the dopamine hit of having the

best insult to post and come back at

somebody say, "Yeah, I'm not living that

way. Let the world decide that. Let them

live towe up from the flow up. I'm going

to live blessed up. That's exactly what

I want because that's what God's word

tells me." And God's spirit will always

encourage and lead me that way. The

spirit-led life stops chasing feelings

and starts following Christ. Those are

different worlds, folks.

>> I can't make decisions run my life on

feelings. I got to know it's actually

going somewhere. So, here's my point.

Living peaceful in 2026 isn't a

personality trait. It's a holy protest.

I'm made for more.

I'm not going to be manipulated,

controlled, or owned by what they think,

what they feel, how they vote. I'm not

there.

>> I have a higher authority in my life

that I'm living my life by. You got to

show the world that there's a different

power grid that you can live by. Let it

all go down, but I got a source that

runs my life. When everything goes

sideways in the world, I still have my

handful of hope and I know everything is

going to be all right. We have to have

that in our life. That's exactly how we

live our lives when it's spiritled.

Again, God's word will show you how his

spirit wants you to lead. That's why we

have our Bibles this year. Another one.

Another one. And you're not going to

like this one either, but I'm going to

go ahead and just say it all. So, you're

here, so you got to sit down. Uh, lock

the doors. Don't let anybody out today.

Kidding. Kidding.

>> Servantthood.

>> I know.

SERVING OTHER PEOPLE IN 2026. WHAT THE?

IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE ALL ABOUT ME. WHAT I

WANT, WHAT I LIKE, WHAT I FEEL. YEAH, I

KNOW. I I got you. I understand that.

But but can I just kind of put out there

for what it's worth? We need to break

down this Door Dash mentality that we

bought into.

>> Yes, sir.

>> Y'all know what Door Dash is, right?

>> You put your order in and somebody you

do not know goes and picks up your order

cuz we are too lazy to get off the couch

and go buy it oursel. They bring it to

the front door. They put it on the

porch. They ring the doorbell and they

run

because God forbid we have human contact

in this world.

And you walk out there and you look at

the package and you look to see who

brought it. Are they still here? You

snatch it and run inside. AND YOU BOLT

THE DOOR AS FAST AS YOU CAN.

We have so adjusted our lives. We've so

adjusted our lives to avoid this messy

human contact. I'm just doing me, boo.

You do you. I'm doing me. And our world

is so isolated today. We've gone high

tech and low touch.

>> And let me help you with something.

Social media is not connecting. That's

called a keyboard. And half of the

people that you think you're talking to

is AI. They're not even real anyway.

We've got to learn to look someone face

to face, eye to eye. Reach out and take

them by the hand and tell them, "You

matter. How are you? How can I help?"

And begin to love people. Again, I don't

care if you know them or not. Freak

somebody out and smile at them.

>> All right?

>> They're not used to seeing that. All

right? You understand what I'm telling

you here? In other words, biblical

servantthood is is the act of choosing

inconvenience to touch another person's

life.

>> I I I hope you hear this WASN'T BEYOND

JESUS. MARK CHAPTER 10, here's what it

Mark 10 · chapter mention

says. For even the Son of Man, that's

Jesus, came not to be served, but to

serve others and to give his life as a

ransom for many. I'm talking

selflessness. I'm talking being

conscious of other people, what they

look like, are they in pain, are they

going through something like being there

to give to them, not benefit me, but how

can I benefit them? JESUS LIVED THIS.

YOUR BIBLE IS FULL of this. In fact, a

series of examples that Jesus goes out

of his way to see a woman in a little

town called Samaria. Now, you have to

understand for Jesus to go to Samaria,

that was a no. No. Those people groups

did not go together. So, not only did he

go out of his way through the mountains

35 miles out of the way,

>> y'all. There ain't no Uber taking him

there. walking through the mountains 35

miles to talk to a lady. The result,

that entire city was impacted with the

hope of Jesus Christ as she began to run

and tell everybody about a man who met

me, knows me, and loves me. Jesus. Yeah.

Yeah. That that's Yeah. Thank God for

that. What about this? Jesus and the

disciples get in a boat and they row row

row their boat all the way across the

Sea of Galilee to go from Capernaum,

Jesus's ministry headquarters to a place

called Gada. Gada was literally on the

other side of the lake. And that they

they went seven miles rowing a boat to

get to a guy who was demonpossessed, an

absolute maniac so that Jesus could

touch him, change his life, restore him

to his family, back into his right mind

and culture. And the man goes and the

Bible says that he began to tell

everyone in the docopolis that was in

the in the in in the just the pagan

world about Jesus and who he was.

touched one man and the message of Jesus

began to run. WHAT ABOUT PHILILLIP AND A

GUY WHO WAS WITH THE UNIC? WELL, let me

tell you ABOUT HIM. PHILIP WAS IN this

place called Samaria and he's GOT THIS

BIG BIG preaching like thousands are

coming because this massive revival was

going on and and Philip is telling

everyone about Jesus but he hears about

this unic who is from Africa and the

Bible says that Philillip left left what

left what was successful

>> to go find one man 50 miles away got to

where this man was was running beside

the unic's chariot so he could talk to

him. The unic was wealthy. The unic had

all kinds of folks with. But he's

running telling him about Jesus. They

stop the chariot. The unic wants to know

more. The unic gets baptized. What's the

result? The gospel hit Africa and

exploded because of what Philip did with

this unic. Did it matter?

One person.

I got good news. Jesus is not asking you

to row row row your boat seven miles

today to deal with someone

demonpossessed demonic. You work beside

them. You don't have to do that. He's

he's just he's just asking you. He's

just asking you to serve somebody. He's

asking you to reach outside of your

world and give to somebody who did not

ask you for something. How about

volunteer somewhere in the city with

some amazing agencies that we have? How

about coaching a little league team and

giving back to young people, kids,

showing them a smile who maybe don't

have the encouragement at home as a

parent or an uncle, but you're there to

pour into them. How about having coffee

with someone who you know is

brokenhearted, going through a difficult

time because their pain matters to you.

How about going through connect for here

at Free Life so that you can roll on to

one of the serve teams that's serving

thousands throughout this property.

Giving time, giving excellence, giving

abilities away to make sure Jesus's name

can impact somebody's life. Ladies and

gentlemen, this is what we do. We are

the church. We the church live this way.

And if you want to know what 2026 is,

not live it ratchet, but get everything

that you're believing heaven can

deliver. When you do it God's way and

you follow his word, you're going to be

spiritled, but you're also going to find

yourself living in a place of

servantthood. Because if you want to

know where Jesus is, if you want to

connect with Jesus, his word says this,

he is Emmanuel, God with us. He's not

just God for you, he's God with you. And

he says, "I come close to people in

their time of need." You want to find

Jesus, find someone brokenhearted and

spend time with them. And when you get

around them, you're going to be getting

close to Jesus because he's there.

You're there. And something transitions

in your life. That's why Proverbs 11

says, "Whoever refreshes others will

themselves be refreshed."

>> I just need somebody. No, you need

someone to serve.

>> You don't need people to pile up around

you. You need you need to go serve

somebody else and watch it heal your

heart. Serve somebody else and watch

needs be met. Serve somebody else and

watch strength and joy hit your life.

Don't put the pity party will destroy

you. Jump into throwing a party for

somebody else and watch the party come

to you.

>> This is what God's word tells us. Number

three, generosity.

Oh Lord, here. Oh, suck it up,

buttercup. Let me help you with this a

minute. Generosity in every resource you

have. How about a compliment? Can you

give one of those away?

No. Because if you're starved for one,

you never give away what you're starved

for.

>> You can always tell who the leaders are

in the room. The first one to

compliment, the first one to pick

somebody else up. I'm here to serve you

and to make your day better. And if I

can make your day better, then I had a

great day myself. How can I serve you

with who I am? We're we're out here with

this generosity where every resource

that is in my hand, if I've got an

answer, you can have it. If I can afford

to give it and not sell it, you can have

it. Whatever I can do, I'm waiting on

someone to throw a yard sale and just

give it all away when people walk out.

How much? It's free.99. Take it. You

want it? Take it. Run. Like, what can I

do to bless somebody? You got a vehicle

because you don't need it because God's

blessed you. Awesome. Who can you bless

with that vehicle? Well, I could

probably get about 1,500. How about

blessing somebody with that 1,500 and

watch it come back to you in wave after

wave after wave because I'm living in

generosity. This culture is consumed

with money as being its primary god.

>> Our culture worships worships money, but

it just doesn't know how to handle it.

>> It's after it, BUT ONCE IT GETS IT, THAT

THAT MONEY BEGINS TO DESTROY. WHY?

BECAUSE money is a wonderful servant,

but a horrible master. People who have

won the lottery, they got everything

that they could ever imagine for them

and their family only to watch, Google

it, how many families are destroyed

>> after they get those many that many

resources because they thought that was

going to meet the the need in their

life. Our culture doesn't know how to

handle it. We have people seeking money

and they go into addiction. They have

they're sacrificing their health.

They're sacrificing their family,

sacrificing their values to get more

money. They're they're living living in

extreme dissatisfaction, no gratitude,

unhappy, living with greed, always I

mean just just grabbing going after

something else, fear and anxiety rushing

through people's lives who are after

that almighty dollar, worry, stress,

angry all the time. What there are those

who then once they get some they begin

to live in pride, elitism, self-

worship. Look who I am, look what I've

got. Ladies and gentlemen, we have a

mess happening in our culture. Money is

not your answer. Biblical stewardship.

Biblical stewardship. When you and I do

things God's way, allow God's word to

direct and lead our lives. When we do it

that way, and we are able to bring the

tithe, bring the offering, bring the

first fruit, encourage and give time and

heart to other people, use the resources

of our life to lift everyone else. When

we begin to do that, you are smashing

the idol of greed and materialism every

time you give. reminding it you will not

sit on the throne of my life. I need

resources because I can get more done to

serve God and others. But I will not

love it. I will not worship it. I

respect resources, but it's not my

master. I don't make decisions just

based on money. I make decisions based

on how can I serve and honor your life,

oh God. That's why I do this.

Generosity is simply the refusal to let

your net worth be dictated by your

selfworth. Self-worth does not come by

by my net worth. It doesn't matter how

many commas or zeros or the minus signs

in my checkbook. It just doesn't matter.

2 Corinthians chapter 9 says this. Each

2 Corinthians 9 · chapter mention

one must give as he has decided in his

heart. Not reluctantly or under

compulsion. For God loves a cheerful

giver. The only way you give cheerfully

is when it's something you decided, not

because you were pressured into it.

>> I decided to give this. It was my heart

that wanted to do this. Never should you

feel pressured at Free Life Chapel to do

anything. It's my job as a spiritual

coach and pastor to stretch you, but

never to demand where you feel guilty

and manipulated and twisted. I'm here

just to highlight God's word. And what

you do with it is up to you. But that's

where we begin to live cheerfully and

honoring God that way. So here's my

point. Generosity is not giving what you

can spare.

Generosity is disrupting your own

standard of living to prioritize God's

word and his house. God, whatever you

decide is priority, that becomes my

priority. And I will rearrange my

private life in order to make sure that

I'm living on your schedule, not mine.

That takes another level, ladies and

gentlemen. But if you want the blessing,

the favor, the increase of heaven

working on your behalf, that is exactly

how it works. I can't explain to you how

you give 10%, but you live on better

than if you kept the 10% for yourself.

It comes back good measure, pressed

down, shaken together, and running over.

That's what God's word says. I've never

seen the righteous forsaken, nor his

seed begging bread. God brings it in.

Deuteronomy says he gave you the power

to get wealth. He has no problem with

you having increase and wealth. He just

doesn't want it to have you. We got to

make sure we put it in order in our

life. So 20226,

step beyond this cautious compliance and

step into biblical generosity. And once

you do, there's going to be a different

response from heaven back into your

life. And you can start celebrating what

God promised is going to happen for you.

God is good to his word.

Let me finish with this one real

quickly. How is it that I'm going to

live these four pillars in 2026? You

live it through evangelism.

>> Lord, that's a biblical word. Well, let

me help you. Some of you going, "I ain't

no evangelist." Well, you'd be shocked.

>> God's word doesn't give you an out.

>> Jesus said this, "Follow me and I will

make you

>> a fisher of men."

In other words, you know, if you're

following,

if you're fishing,

>> if I'm not fishing, am I following?

Pause for effect.

This is what This is what Jesus said. In

other words, your life needs to be a

witness to somebody else. And I'm not

saying you walk in the office with a

Bible and smack people in the head. Do

not do that.

They will take you out with handcuffs on

and I will clap as you're leaving. Do

not do that. Don't do No, no, no, no.

But ladies and gentlemen, let me help

you. We're living in a world of fake

profiles, AI generated content. People

are starving for authentic,

>> something that is real. And I need you

to understand something real key, real

critical about you sharing your faith

with somebody else. It's not a sales

pitch. You're not there try to twist,

convince, to make it weird or awkward.

No, what you're actually doing is is

just being a living witness to the fresh

reality that Jesus will do everything he

said he can do. And it's not because you

got the Bible memorized and you know how

to stand and you point and you got a

fake microphone you carry around in your

briefcase waiting for the moment to pull

it out. That's not what it is. You know

what witnessing is? It's looking at

people that you love, that you're

friends with, saying, "Let me just tell

you, before I met Jesus, my life was tow

up from the flow up. But once I met

Jesus, I had some things change for me.

Some hope hit my life. This is not

perfect. I got struggles, but man, I got

a strength and I got a joy that I just

didn't have before I met Jesus. And now

the home is working and I've got a I got

a picture of what my future is. I'm life

is better because Jesus is in it." All

you're doing is sharing your story.

You're just sharing your hope. That's

what it is. 1 Peter 3:15. Check this.

1 Peter 3:15

It's in your Bible. Do not scratch this

verse out. It's in your Bible. 1 Peter

1 Peter 3:15

3:15. But sanctify the Lord in your

hearts. Read this. Always be ready to

give an answer to everyone who asks you

a reason concerning the hope that is in

you. With humility and fear. Those those

last few words are important. With

humility and fear. I'm not arguing with

anybody about faith.

>> You want to go sideways, it's all you

look, bro, bro, bro, man, it's all good.

I I'm I'm not down on you. I'm just

telling you who Jesus was for me. That's

all I can tell you. I'm just I'm just

one guy who've been blessed and I'm just

sharing good news. In other words, don't

gatekeep Jesus.

>> I need you to step out and I need you to

put him out there. Oh, we will sh If you

you go visit a restaurant that you like,

you telling everybody. You on Yelp and

you're giving reviews and you and I'm

not mad at that. You'll call someone,

bro, you got a good. It's a hole in the

wall, but man, it's amazing. And we

share all that stuff. You get good

service somewhere, you're telling other

folks about it. They're asking, "Would

you please tell us if it's a good

review?" We love our reviews. I'm just

telling you, don't keep Jesus off of

Yelp. I need you to put him out there as

well. And I need you to put your review

of who Jesus is in your life and talk

about what he'll do in your home and

talk about how he'll handle your mind

and how he'll get you out of your past

into your future. Just Just say

something about that.

Here's my point that I'm trying to make.

If my lifestyle looks and sounds exactly

like my unsaved friends, then my witness

is just noise. My lifestyle should be

different. And it's not always what I

say in order to witness. It's how I

live. It's the decisions that I make and

I don't make. It's the language that I

use. It It's how I carry myself. It's

how I treat other people. Our lives

should be lived so distinctly that it

forces people to ask about our secret.

Bro, what are you smoking? What are you

injecting? What are you drinking? I need

that. That is what because there's

something about how we look, sound, and

feel that they're reaching trying to

figure that part out. That's how we live

our lives. We're living on that on that

different power grid. Let all of it go

down. I've got a different one that I'm

trusting in. You see, we I I don't live

lucky. I live blessed. I I don't live by

coincidence. Jesus is consistent. My zip

code does not decide my blessing. I can

be blessed in the city and blessed in

the field. Translation, I can be blessed

in New York. I could be blessed in Pulk

County. You understand? Like, it don't

matter where you are. My joy is not a

vibe. My joy is my standard. This is how

I roll. You can wake me up at three in

the morning and my vibe is there. It's

called joy. That's how I roll. The

future isn't a gamble. My fight is

fixed. It looks BAD NOW, BUT GIVE me a

minute. Come back around. The game is

not over. I'm still in this thing. It's

going to turn because I've read God's

word. God's faithful. Ladies and

gentlemen, I want to encourage you.

Build your life on this word. God is

faithful. He is true. If he said it, it

will come to pass. This Christian life

in 26 isn't about you being nicer.

That's not what this is. But it's about

living visibly different in a way that

demands an explanation from people that

are around you. There's something

uncommon about you. There's something

different about you. What is that? I was

in a store the other day

and somebody handled a situation really

well. They had a lot of patience with

this person.

You ever had those folks that you just

wanted to say, "Uh, Holy Spirit, would

you step in that room for just a minute

and give me a five minutes alone with

them?

this person, they handled it amazing.

And I called them over said, "Hey,

and they walked over. I think they were

expecting an earful from me." And I

said, "You handled that wonderfully."

Listen here, that that was good stuff.

And I fistbumped them and they said,

"God bless you." I said, "I know. I see

see Imm.

We the church. I know where that came

from. That's how we roll.

>> I don't live off of the dopamine hit of

throwing a big slam back on someone's

social media because it felt Yeah. Go.

We don't live by that.

>> We live by a different mindset, a

different heart, a different standard.

That's how we roll. So these four are

how we live. Spiritled, servantthood,

generosity, witnessing with our lives, a

witness of hope that will both change

your life and change other people's

lives at the same time. 26 is going to

be different. Would you please stand to

your feet?

So, here's your daily prayer. Holy

Spirit, lead my life today.

I need you to blind me from stupidity

around me, please.

>> And when I see it, help me to handle it

properly.

Holy Spirit, I want you to help me be

the man that you created me to be. Help

me to be the woman that you created me

to be. Help me to be the husband,

the wife, the parent, the co-orker, the

employer. Help me to be that. I want to

be spiritled in all those things. Holy

Spirit, help me this week. At least once

a week, I'm going to serve somebody

uncommonly.

>> I'm going to target somebody with my

servantthood. I'm going to lift

somebody. I'm going to care. I'm What

can I I'm going to inconvenience me. I'm

going to row my boat for seven miles and

go help somebody. Not really,

but I'm going to care. And I'm going to

generosity. I'm going to live by

generosity of every resource that I've

got, my encouragement, my time, my

talent. How can I serve? How can I live

in generous with that? I'm not I'm not

counting beans in order to decide if

they No, no. I'm going to live wide

open. I'm going to trust your word when

it comes to resources. I'm going to walk

that. I'm going to live in generosity.

I'm not living with a recession mindset.

I'm not living backwards and hiding. No,

I'm living wide open. Let's go. Let's

go. And I'm going to target somebody.

Holy Spirit, give me the opportunity at

least once a week to share the hope of

Jesus with somebody else. 96% of

Christians have never shared their faith

one time.

96.

Follow me and I will make you a fisher

of men reaching for others. Ladies and

gentlemen, we've got to look for those

opportunities to share hope. Not

throwing elbows, not condemnation. Not

you're going to turn or burn. You're

going to you're going to melt like A

GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICH. IF YOU GOT NO,

I care about you. Jesus changed my life.

I want him to do the same for you.

That's what we're doing. Father, today I

thank you that you're with us, for us,

and you're helping us move our life

forward. Help us to live 26 in a way

that changes everything. We were made

for more than where we are, but I thank

you that you're patient with us, and you

work with us, and you give us

opportunities to move forward. Holy

Spirit, I pray that your voice will be

the loudest in our life. Let let the

Bible come alive as we read it, as we

begin to work our way through it, as as

the pages come alive to impact us. help

those truths move our life forward that

we enjoy life at a different level in 26

and we make impact in other people's

lives because of what you've done in us.

I pray for my friends in this room and

all those watching online that God they

would experience heaven in their family,

heaven at home, heaven at work, and they

will have evidence, a residue of you

throughout every aspect of their life. I

thank you advance for all of that in

Jesus name. Amen. Amen. If you receive

that today, would you put your hand

together?

>> Told you that message was going to

encourage you. For more encouraging

messages, visit our website,

freelifechapel.org.

Until then, have a phenomenal day.