Habits and Instincts | Bro. Zach McGee

Thank you. Oh, praise the.

Lord, I am very grateful to be in the House of God tonight.

I counted the privilege, even if I don't always like to do it.

I counted A privilege to be able to come to the House of God.

It truly is an Otter. Because maybe someday we won't

even have the opportunity to. So I want to relish this moment

while I can. And so I give honor to God

tonight, the very reason why we're here.

I give honor to our ministry teams, to Pastor and Sister

McGee, Doctor and Sister Mason, to Brother Alex Mason and Sister

Grace, and to Bishop and Sister McGee.

We are blessed with them, with the various ministries and all

that they do, and I'm grateful for them.

Tonight I have two different scriptures to start us off with.

We'll start in the book of Proverbs, chapter 3, verses 5

Proverbs 3:5

and six. Trust in the Lord with all thine

heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding.

In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and he shall direct thy paths.

Then we'll turn to the New Testament, the book of First

1 Peter 2 · chapter mention

Peter, chapter 2 and verse 9. But ye are a chosen generation,

a royal priesthood and holy nation, a peculiar people, that

ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out

of darkness into his marvelous light this evening.

My title is Habits and Instinct, so if you would put your Bibles

down and help me, pray for just a moment.

Jesus, we love you, we give you all the glory and all the

praise. God, thank you for this chance

to be in your house. God.

Thank you God, being able to sing songs of praise together to

you now. Lord, I pray you the North and I

live for my mind as I ministered this evening.

And open our hearts God, to hear what you would say.

Lord be glorified in this place, in Jesus body name, in Jesus

name. You may be seated now as some of

you know, maybe not all of you, but I have an older half brother

and on Saturdays for the last couple months we have been

getting together to work out together just as a way to talk

and reconnect. Since we didn't grow up

together, our conversations always end up getting deep.

And a few weeks ago he brought up a thought and he said, when

we're brought to the sword, will we still profess Jesus or will

we deny him? As privileged as we are to live

in a first world country in America where we are free to

worship as we choose, we are watching our culture drift

further from God in real time. I can look back not just to the

beginning of my generation, but just a decade ago and see we

were more tolerant of church and God than we were today.

And so we're seeing it in real time very quickly, just

rejecting God, not wanting anything to do with him.

And as God is pushed out more and more, the enemy slips in and

stirs up more hostility towards the things that are Christ like.

It got me thinking about our daily habits and what our first

instincts are when things, good or bad happen to us.

Because some people can worship God easily when it's bad because

they lean on him, but when it's good, they kind of drift away.

And a lot of people are the opposite.

So good or bad things, it got me wondering what is our first

instinct? That is true.

We don't necessarily have to have habits like daily prayer,

Bible reading, holy living and faithful church attendance to

choose Jesus in a moment of decision which when denying him

or not. You don't have to have a

parachute to survive falling out of a plane either.

But it helps a lot. It's just, but it is much harder

to make the choice to choose Jesus if your daily habits

haven't already included him. Right, right.

That's good. Now I work out.

It's what I love to do. It's my hobby and my passion.

And as I've when I started, I was a lot younger.

I was 21, now I'm 34. I've got 13 years of lifting

weights experience. When I started, just like most

everybody, my only thought was size and strength.

There's a quote from a bodybuilder when he was in his

20s. Like, man, if I die right now, I

just want to be so big I can't fit in the casket.

And that's, that's how it was. But as I get older, I still

prioritize strength. But now I just, I want to do

this, well, that and be OK. And because when I'm 80, I don't

want someone to help me on the toilet, so I want to try to keep

my mobility and do things whether I can do that or not.

But for now, while I'm still young, my focus is training for

strong man, whether or not I ever actually compete in

anything. It just gives me purpose and

direction in my workouts right now.

Just to brag on myself and I will admit even though it will

sound like a lie, I understand in my weight class it's not.

But I can bench around £300, I can press more than £200 over my

head depending on the day. I can squat more than £400,

deadlift around 550 and I can do pull ups with an extra £40 on my

person, like two or three. Not a lot.

Don't ask me to do more than 5 pull UPS.

So it is, it's objectively strong.

And that's something I've always aimed for.

I've always wanted the strength. But these numbers in this

strength is not where I started. It comes after 13 years of

lifting weights. As someone who's not really

naturally gifted. Now from my perspective, Brother

Malone, naturally gifted athlete, I hate him.

I highly respect him. He he has such a natural

strength and it took me years of overhead pressing to do 185.

I'm pretty sure the first time he did it, he did 185 four times

super. I'm like, are you kidding me?

Like it was just, it was rude, but we all have our own natural

strengths and talents. And I was working against the

grain. But you know, I'm, I'm very

happy with what I can do because when I started, my body weight

was like 170 lbs and I could only bench 165.

And I was really mad because I just wanted to bench my body

weight and I just couldn't do that extra £5 just because it

got me stuck every time. I think it took me almost two

years to finally get it. Frustrating.

I could do a handful of pull ups without any weight.

I didn't even know how to squat or deadlift.

I just I didn't know anything when I started and I knew that I

knew my gym knowledge was almost non existent.

But what I failed to realize was that I also lack the knowledge

and understanding of body mechanics and the importance of

how to breathe, embrace and move my body and how it's supposed to

work together. Because it's not just, it's not

just throwing stuff around. Your body is a machine that

moves. And I didn't understand that.

I was unaware that there was a wealth of knowledge that I

didn't even know that I didn't know about.

And everyone's scared. You know, when you go to the

gym, you don't want to be the one that feels awkward, out of

place. Everyone's looking at you.

No one's looking at you, but it feels like it.

You don't know what you're doing.

And it's the worst thing ever. And for the my first eight

months, because I wouldn't ask for help, I was that guy.

I was the clueless one. I would, I went up to these

machines. I'm like, I have no idea what

I'm doing. Like I, I didn't know how to

like move the weight to unlock something where I could actually

move. So I was doing leg press.

Your legs are actually supposed to bend and push out.

I didn't know how to unlock it and do it.

So I'm just going to just just a little bit, I'm just doing the

best I can for, for eight months because I just, I knew I wanted

it. I just didn't know what I was

doing until I finally asked somebody for help and I gained

some knowledge that helped me get some traction.

And now, now I know exactly what to do.

For the most part. I know how to engage my body and

muscles to perform my lifts, and I'm still learning.

And in dead lifting, one of the most common movements in

everyday life, I'm a big advocate that everyone should

deadlift. Not heavy, but just being able

to do the movement safely. You need to keep your core

tight, your spine neutral, so not like hunched over and not

hyperextended, just a nice comfortable position.

Bend over to grip the bar and use your posterior chain,

Everything from your mid back all the way down your legs, all

of it working in tandem to pull the weight up.

It's not about just grabbing it and just yanking it up with

momentum and hoping for the best and just throwing out your back.

Not at all like there's, there's a whole way of doing it that I'd

now I know how to do to the point where I know how to teach

others how to do it too. And for overhead press, by far

my worst event that I have made somewhat impressive.

It's not just about pushing the weight up with your shoulders

and arms. It's not just about that.

If that's the only strength you rely on, you're going to

collapse and fail. It requires bracing your core

for stability because your core is the only thing holding

yourself upright with all this added weight.

If you don't have this brace like an empty soda can, you're

going to collapse. And one thing I'm still making

myself do because it just feels so silly and embarrassing, but

it's so important. Flexing your glutes, Just

squeeze those butt cheeks. It's, it's, it's as awkward as

you think it is. But the importance is you need

your posterior chain locked in. Not just your core flexed

because you do, but a whole posterior chain, everything

that's keeping you upright, you need it locked in.

But I don't do that automatic deadlift.

I don't think. I just do it.

I don't have to think about it. I can just do it with good form.

You put any weight on there, I'll just grab it and do it.

Overhead press. It's still a habit I'm building.

It's not second nature to me. I have to think about it.

So I will demonstrate. I didn't just have that there

for nothing so everybody can hear.

Yeah, all. Right.

Yeah, don't just throw it down. I know how to lower it.

I've. Heard how to do it right,

figured out and. It was.

Sloppy. Yeah, yeah.

And. For all those.

Movements. That's for the reason.

To come up here and. Do that you don't have.

Since anybody who doesn't do it doesn't have a natural feel for

it, it's going to be weird and sloppy.

Whereas when I picked that up to my shoulders, there's a very

important part, not only the the deadlift part of it, which was

this, but I knew I was going to have to throw this up.

So I understood the whole I have to engage these and I have to

throw my elbows forward, not out here.

I knew that, however, for for clenching in my glutes, it's

weird. I have to make myself do it and

I constantly find myself not doing it.

And I wonder sometimes on my top sets where it's heavy, like why

is why am I getting lightheaded? Why can I not get this?

Because I'm not engaged. I had to think about it.

I forgot to even think about it. And suddenly in the moment I'm

like, oh, like I know what I forgot too late.

At that point, I've already committed.

Do do it or drop it. OK, I'm not that out of breath.

Maybe. But your good habits aren't

formed by simply knowing about them.

Because I know what I should be doing, that doesn't mean it

happened. Good habits are built through

intentional focus and consistent action.

When I deadlift, I don't need to think about the cues.

I don't need to think about. I need the bar over about the

tongue of my shoe that's as close to the middle of my body

for counterbalances it can possibly get.

I don't need to think about how I've been.

I don't need to think about the cues.

It's just my instinct. It's just what I do.

I've practiced the movement so much that my body will

automatically take the correct form and brace even when it

doesn't involve a bar. When I'm at work and there's a

box or a pallet or a what have you, a speaker, I'm going to

perform the same movements. It's not exactly the same, the

balance is all different, but my body is still accustomed to

moving in this way and so I will do it.

It's the difference between someone who hurts themselves and

someone who doesn't. Have you ever tried using your

non dominant hand to do something?

Brush your teeth with the other hand so so hard.

Like you can just. But using the other hand is

like, I don't understand how to make these circular movements.

I can't do this. Like I hit myself in the cheek

one time because I'm just not, I'm not accustomed to it.

When we use our dominant hand, there's no thinking to it.

You can grab a pencil and write. You can just throw a ball.

It's second nature, really. It's first nature.

But when you try using your other hand, it's suddenly really

awkward and unnatural. You're a kindergartner learning

how to write for the first time. You have to really, really focus

and it feels so clumsy and ridiculous and this is stupid.

I don't want to do this. I've got my other hand for a

reason. So and normally it wouldn't

matter. You know, if we do use our other

hand, it's normally just like, hey, what's what's going to

happen? Can I do this?

Until suddenly you don't have your dominant hand.

If you break it, it gets lost. It's busy holding a child, what

have you, and you get forced to use your non dominant hand

without any practice. You have to learn on the fly how

to do this. But if we would occasionally

practice with our non dominant hand when we don't need to,

we'll be better prepared for the day when we might have no choice

but to depend on it. It's not that we need to become

ambidextrous. I don't need my left hand to do

everything my right hand can do perfectly, but if I just use it

sometimes when I do have to brush my teeth left-handed

because I'm holding a fighting child with my other hand, I I

got this. I can do this.

In a high school that I don't remember the name of, there was

a math teacher who was giving one of her usual algebra

lessons. The kind that makes your head

just throb and makes you question it's real life

relevance. So pretty much anything past 2 +

2 feels like that. It's just like what?

I don't need to know if I think there isn't, I can't even say

it, but you know what I mean. It's just why?

Why learn this? One of her students, a football

player, voiced that thought and instead of getting upset about

it, the teacher instead asked him a question.

As football players, do you guys bench press when you work out?

The student, not really sure why she asked that question.

Like, OK, well, yeah, obviously. Who wouldn't bench press when

they work out? You might as well turn on your

main card if you don't do that. But then she asked them why?

I mean, the bench press doesn't really make you run faster,

tackle harder or catch a football any better.

So why do you do that movement? Why bench press?

And after thinking for a few minutes, the student replied

that, well, bench pressing, it just builds our overall upper

body strength, which makes them better players overall, even if

it's not a direct football movement.

And so it's still a relevant exercise.

Exactly, she said. These algebra equations might

not seem directly relevant to your life, but learning to think

in these different ways to solve problems strengthens your mind

and helps you in other areas of your life.

So know this theorem exactly as it is may not be relevant, but

you having to think in a different way than you normally

do to solve a problem is going to help you when other different

problems in your life come up. Just like bench press will give

you an overall strength that helps you in football, algebra

will help you with the overall problem solving skills.

And so for us, attending church faithfully even when you would

rather not won't automatically help you to pay ties in

financial hardship. Because showing up to church and

paying ties. Related but different.

But the habit of being faithful when it's inconvenient builds

the discipline to stay faithful and giving when it's difficult.

Getting stronger at deadlifts doesn't directly make you

stronger at squatting. Two different exercises, but

training your body to push through hard work and build

strength puts you in a better position to perform a solid

squat because you have a foundation built on strength

movements and your body is accustomed to the feeling of

weight. And it's a different whole

different thing, but your body is accustomed to the feeling.

Strengthening our faith through ordinary daily actions helps it

to stand firm under unplanned pressure.

Not because daily faithfulness is the same as persecution, but

because consistency and commitment in everyday life

better prepares us for whatever may come.

When something unexpected hits US tomorrow, are we going to

call on Jesus? Or are we going to cuss and

scream and submit to our feelings of despair?

You know that's something unexpected.

It doesn't have to be deep and heavy.

You could just stub your toe really hard, you know?

It's what kind of habits, though?

How are we thinking? Are we thinking of ways that

when we hit it, our first thought is to drop some bomb?

Or is our first instinct instead to try to honor God and bite

back on the language? The habit of consciously

choosing what pleases the Lord in daily life prepares us for

those moments when life blindsides us.

I don't remember the algebra equations I struggled with in a

high school, but the problem solving skills have helped me in

my job more than I ever thought it would.

The different way of thinking has helped me tremendously, even

though I was sure I would never need any of that.

I was wrong. Riding with my left hand is slow

and not as neat as my right, but I can do it if my right hand is

gone because I've done it a few times.

I've I'm getting myself accustomed to the different way

of doing it and what's important, even if it's let's

just say you're going to pick only brushing your teeth.

That's the only activity to do with your left hand.

Your brain is creating new pathways because it's so used to

leaning to this and this thing just kind of tags along.

But as you're consciously starting to use this more, your

brain starts to associate it more.

And so when you have to use it for something else, it's not

like a surprise we have to use this thing that we've never used

before. It's a, hey, I have used this

for some movements and coordination before.

I it can better translate to using it for other things.

Not perfect, but it's just better.

I noticed that when I was trying to learn how to throw a how to,

yeah, shoot a basketball left-handed.

The thought process is crazy. I never thought about how I hold

a basketball where I hand and shoot, but have to think about

that was nuts. And then I started to try with

the football. I didn't have to think as hard

after the basketball. My body was becoming more

accustomed of how to acknowledge my left side for these things.

And so our spiritual habits of just daily praying, reading the

word, they don't prepare you for your classmates mocking you for

wearing a dress or not listening to this provocative song, not

directly, but building the strength of your faithfulness to

God, consciously choosing him over your own desires in

private. When it happens in public, you

are better prepared to continue choosing God.

It's a different scenario, but there's a carryover.

Spiritual habits, they don't remove pain or necessarily the

struggle of things, but they do carry us through it.

The habit of making time, making time to pray daily, not just

hoping you have a convenient time, but making time.

I have to make time for this. I don't get to as much.

I work full time. I'm a father of two, almost

three. You know, I come to church, I, I

have a schedule. I make time for it because I

want to, because I like it. It's important to me.

I'm going to do it one way or another, whether it's getting in

for one single exercise or I can get in all I want.

I'm going to we have to make time to pray and it helps.

It helps so much to want it. You know a person can tell when

you're forcing yourself to make time to talk to them and you

don't really want to be there. There's still our relationship

going to happen. You know you're going to get

more familiar talking to them, but it's like, I can just feel

you don't want to be here, and that hurts more than you just

ignoring me. Wanting to talk to someone makes

all the difference. And so, you know, we sometimes

we do have to make ourselves pray.

That's it's, it's OK if you had to drag yourself to prayer.

I, I drag myself to that too, more now than what I used to

because I'm finding it easier to not want to do it.

But I'm still dragging myself to it because overall I do want it.

You know, if we overall want God, don't feel bad because

sometimes you don't, you have to make yourself pray.

You know God's not hurt by that, but making the time to pray

daily will help us to pray through difficult times because

we have built a habit of making the time to pray.

There was one thing I've learned with this guy.

Changed up my program a bit. I used to always do heavier

weight, less reps and I changed it so now I do sets of 10

repetitions. There was a lot of math involved

for how much weight to lift with each one and it's brutal. 10

reps will just take the breath out of you because it's really

hard and it's taking a lot of your oxygen and blood to do it.

Especially 10 times and you do 10 times again and 10 * 1 more

time. It's brutal and you had to fight

to the pain and the tears and that you just don't want to do

it. But I'm making my body do it

anyway and it has helped so that when I actually have my heavy

weeks, my body understands the feeling of fighting through the

struggle. The weight is completely

different, but going through the struggle is familiar and it has

helped me lift so much more weight when normally I would

have stopped because I felt how hard it was.

I don't think I can do it. Instead, I'm like, oh, but I I

know what this feels like. I know I could and I just and I

can get it. It's the ugliest face you've

ever seen your life of someone fighting to pick something up.

But I did it. There's even a few people

watching. Guy went over to me.

Just I was an awesome set man. I'm like, shucks, you know, make

a man blush. But our spiritual habits, they

don't remove the pain of the struggle.

They help us do it in a similar way.

You don't worry. We get so used to building such

a habit of praying to God on the daily.

There's some songs we sing about going through situations,

whatever. I don't really relate to that,

but I sing along with it anyway because I'm building a habit of,

yeah, my life doesn't relate to that right now.

It's not hard like that right now.

But if that does happen, I've already got a habit of singing

this anyway and already have a habit of genuinely worshipping

God anyway. And I'm going to continue that

to the best of my ability through this here now because

it's just what I'm accustomed to.

It's my habit. It's my first instinct is to go

along with Jesus. Luke 16 verse 10.

Luke 16:10

He that is faithful and that which is least is faithful also

in much, and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in

much. Or anybody that I work with.

They can get a free gym membership.

It always sounds really good. Everyone loves the idea and I've

learned through the years when someone's thinking about doing

that because if they don't go at least so many times a month,

they have to start paying for the gym membership.

I always tell them don't do it, sleep on it.

If you want it after a week, then join up because you know,

do doing the impressive, the big impressive stuff.

The thought of it is awesome. I mean, who doesn't want to be

like Brian Shaw who took a metal keg weighing like 60 lbs, threw

it 15 feet up in the air, it fell down, hit his shoulder, and

he just didn't even acknowledge it.

And that's a man right there. Being able to do that would be

awesome, you know? But if I can't even make myself

do like 2 push ups every day, I'm never going to make myself

go to the gym and actually train to do the big stuff.

But if we can be faithful in the day-to-day small simple things,

we will be able to remain faithful in the big moments

because we will have a track record of faithfulness.

A habit of faithfulness. When I was younger, before I

moved out, I didn't move out of my parents house until I was 26.

I really didn't see a need to. I enjoyed leaving at home, it

was great. But before that, in my late

teens, I remember thinking about moving out and I wondered if I

would remain in church after moving out and I didn't have my

parents telling me you'd need to go.

You know, even, even when I was 24/25/26, yeah, my parents

wouldn't make me go. I'm a grown man.

But there's still people in the house to encourage me to go

living there, you know, day-to-day contact.

And I even then I wondered what I, what I still go when I move

out. I just wondered because, you

know, we all have times we just don't feel like showing up.

And if you're like me, there's nothing better than a cancelled

plan, like when your evening is suddenly free, like, oh, that

is, that is amazing. But yeah, I was, I was.

The older I got, the less concerned I became.

But I do remember 1718 years old, I wasn't sure if I would

really continue going to church or not.

It's a big decision that we all have to make to continue or to

stop when the choice is fully our own, when there's no one

else to constantly be there to encourage us to go.

But what kept me was the daily habit of making time for God and

just coming to church so that when I moved out, I actually

didn't have any thought of quitting.

Like sure, I I had feelings even like I do now.

Like I just don't feel like going sometimes, but there was

no like, Oh, I just want to quit church.

I just kept going and gladly so. I I loved it and I enjoyed

making time to come to church and being in the House of God

and continuing in my relationship with God.

Oh, this doesn't feel like too out in left field of a change of

pace or conversation here, but I follow a sword fighters page on

TikTok who makes goofy skits but teaching practical techniques

and debunking Hollywood myths because turns out swords are

actually really light and very, very fast.

Which is kind of cool because Hollywood and video games make

it seem like a long sword is really, really slow.

Yeah, nothing. Those things move very quickly.

A real sword fight takes like 3 seconds.

They're somebody's dead or made. That's just amazing.

But the guys, they're funny, the wise, they're silly.

I love them. And somebody in the comments

section once asked them, hey, if someone could read your mind,

would they beat you? I mean, sounds like no brainer.

Obviously they would win. If you got a telepath, be like,

OK, I know you're going to do this, going to do that.

I'll just La La, La La. Easy peasy.

I don't even need any skill. I'm a telepath, at least that

was my thought, but they made a whole video responding to that

comment and the answer was it would actually hurt to have

telepathy because a good sword fighter isn't thinking about

what they're doing. This goes true for any type of

fighter, not just sword fighter, because they practice their

movements repeatedly and so they don't need to think about them.

Because in a real fight you don't get that luxury.

You can't think. Like I said, a sword fight takes

a few seconds. Move, move, somebody's maimed or

killed, it's fast, they don't have time to think.

A telepath is just going to get random or relevant thoughts if

they're lucky because the sword fighters body moves instantly by

instinct. They see their opponent move a

certain way, they don't think, they just block it, redirect it,

anything like that. In a like manner, I want to be

so consistent in my praying, in my fasting, in my worship and my

tithing and living a holy lifestyle and just my overall

relationship with God, that in difficult times and unexpected

situations, my instincts always lead me to Jesus first before I

even had time to think. Because sometimes if I have time

to think, my thoughts kind of lean away from Him a little bit

and I might have to reel them back.

That's not always a bad thing. I'm human.

But if I were to suddenly face my final moments, so I get in a

terrible car crash and I know I'm going to die, I don't want

that to be when I start to try to build a better relationship

with God. I want to be so close to Him at

all times that instead of that moment, I'm trusting Him with

what I'm leaving behind and I'm looking forward to seeing Him

face to face. I want to be so steadfast and

honoring God that when something inappropriate, an image, a

conversation, or a choice arises, my first instinct is to

turn away without hesitation. Our flesh wants the easy path.

It doesn't want to consider eternity or denying itself.

My flesh wants gratification, and it wants it now.

It is my inborn instinct to satisfy it, because like all of

us, I was born into sin. That is our inborn instinct.

It's just to go along with our flesh, with the fleshly desires,

the things that are not like Christ.

But we are called to deny ourselves and gratify the Spirit

first. Peter 29 But ye are a chosen

generation, a royal priesthood and holy nation, a peculiar

people, that ye should shoot forth the praises of him who

hath called you out of darkness and into his marvelous light.

We're called this even before we saved, not because in that

moment, but He sees what we're going to be if we aren't

training our spirit and denying our flesh daily, building

faithful habits until they become our first instinct.

How will we respond when we're tested and told to deny Jesus or

face social rejection or death? We're being ostracized from our

family and friends. What if it's going to cost a

relationship if someone you're dating is pushing you to

compromise something? We need to be so close to Jesus

that even though it's tempting, every instinct in our body cries

Jesus. When I see something heavy that

needs lifting, not necessarily that let's say this, I don't

need to stop and think about how to move it safely.

Even though, even if something I've never lifted before, like

brother Pat, I've never lifted him before, but but I can

approach it, give a little test, you know, just to test the

balance and lift it. I never specifically trained to

carry a washing machine on my shoulder when we moved out of

our house, but I could and I did because my whole body was

overall prepared with the strength and movement needed to

do it. I don't ever plan on doing that

again. That was brutal, but I could.

I was able to grab it, brace myself mentally and physically

put it on my shoulder, and walk to the truck.

And I could do it because I knew I could do it.

Not because I lifted that before, but because lifting

stuff like this prepared me for something totally different, but

still heavy in the way. We don't train.

Our faith with a specific goal of preparing for persecution,

social rejection, death, or just the house burning down.

I'm not training my faith for those situations.

Not specifically, but the daily acts of faithfulness and

commitment to God prepare us for whatever may come.

You know that washing machine? Hurt me in a different.

Way than what that does I'm used to that pain that's that's just

I granted Barry I know what it feels like the washing machine

was different but I could. Do it I.

Surprised myself. I was very, very happy because a

long time ago I couldn't have and strength has been my whole

thing. I've always wanted, so being

able to do that was so big and I was so excited to be able to do

it. I'm not preparing.

To face social rejection, but consistently staying faithful to

God when that moment comes. And you?

Know life will go on. And someday I will stand before

him. I will.

Hear him say well. Done, my good and faithful

servant, I could you. Imagine feeling the pride of.

God in you when you took a stand for Him, even when it was

difficult. Now I'm going to swing.

Again, in a different direction, be a little deeper and I think a

lot of us have experienced this, but anytime I have experienced

sleep paralysis, all I feel is overwhelming fear and the

inability to escape and. My only thought in a.

Panic stricken mind. I'm not really thinking, OK?

There is only panic, fear and the feeling of suffocation.

That's it. But there's an instinct.

That's come up in me. That I desperately need.

Jesus in that moment to rescue me.

In that state I. That's about the best I can

talk. I can't get any more than that

because fear is gripping me. And it feels at best.

My thoughts are just going through mud, but still there's

something in me. What?

I can do in that. Moment is struggle to stutter.

It's the only thing I can do but it.

Is something. And then, slowly and painfully,

I get out more of the name of Jesus.

I can't really pray much. I can't do more than call that

name. I am in a panic.

Fear has seized me, but I am. Stuttering out the name of.

Jesus to the best of my ability. It is slow, it is painful, it

takes forever, but I. Am stuttering it out.

Because I know there's something in me that is leading me to him.

Because I know he's my only way out of this.

Not because I'm consciously thinking that, but there's.

Become an ingrained. Instinct to call on him, it

takes some time before I can. Actually spit out the name.

Jesus, and I wish I could say the.

Moment I did. It ended, but it didn't.

It doesn't, but still it becomes easier to say his name again and

again. The second time I don't stutter

as much. The third time I don't stutter

as much. Finally, by the 4th or 5th time

I'm able to say his name clearly.

The panic and the fear is still there, but I'm able to say his

name. And then I wake up and I'm free.

There's still some remnants of the.

Fear. Of course you.

Don't get to something like that without feeling some remnants of

it. Like coming in from the rain.

You're going to have some dripping off of you.

But I'm. Free from it, fear had.

Paralyzed me, but the instinct built through my daily calling

on God drove me to cry out His name even when I was too

terrified to think about anything.

Brother and sister Weisenberger. I love them dearly.

Though they are no longer. With us and I'm very grateful I

got the opportunity to visit them every week for a few months

before they died. But even.

While on their deathbeds. He had Alzheimer's, a condition

that literally creates holes in your brain and cause you to

slowly forget everything. It's common to die because you

forget to eat. You forget how to the need to

your brain is rotting from the inside and.

I don't exactly. Know what she was suffering from

in her final weeks. But I do know her health was

failing, marked by drastic ups and downs where we were sure

that this would be her final moment each time it happened.

As I visited them each week. One thing was unmistakably clear

about them They genuinely. Loved God.

And we're faithful to him. Brother Weisenberger would pray.

And when he did, I could feel the Spirit of God moving in that

room. There was such power and

anointing. His mind was rotting away.

He forgot the names. Of people he forgot.

People, he forgot things, but he never forgot God.

Sister Weisenberger would fall into near death states where she

was just barely alive. Not even really.

All there at that moment. And during those times the

nerfing staff witnessed her praying in tongues, her body was

failing at, her mind was fading, yet a lifetime of devotion

created and both of them a natural pull towards God.

So God was. Glorified in them.

And carried them during their final days not because they

realized they were dying and decided then to make things

right. And you can.

There are people that can. And do but.

Because they had chosen. Long ago to worship Him all

their days, their unwavering faithfulness was so deeply

ingrained that even in their last moments with failing bodies

and minds, their lives glorify God for all to see.

There was a light. Shining through them that.

Could not be hid. They didn't have to think Jesus

was their instinct if our magicians.

Could go ahead and come. And we could stand.

Things happen. Life happens.

Peer pressure shows up and demands a choice.

Whether we're a teenager or whether we're an adult.

We all have peer pressure. Bills pile up and tempt us to

skip tithes because another payment feels more urgent.

We stub a toe and certain words come to mind.

An attractive person walks by and tempts a second look.

We're cozy in. Bed and about to.

Fall asleep and everything's good and right when the world

and suddenly remember we haven't prayed or read the Bible today.

Or in some parts of the world. We get hit with you're going to

deny Jesus or you're going to die today.

We don't get to. Choose what life throws at.

Us whether it's a minor inconvenience or it's life or

death, we can only choose how we respond the.

Question is how? Are we going to respond?

I want to be so. Close to God that my.

First instinct is to always choose him.

I'm not prepared for everything, but if I can stay.

Faithful in the small. Everyday things.

It will become my natural first instinct to choose Jesus over

everything else, even when I don't have the time to think.

And as our musicians play, let's go ahead and take.

The time to draw close. To God and build a habit of

always choosing Jesus.