Sermon on How To Overcome Tuesday August 25, 2026 in Arkansas

Father, we just thank you right now for your blessings.

We thank you for your anointing.

We thank you for your presence and your power.

And Lord, we ask you right now for the spirit of wisdom and understanding and revelation.

Father, let it not be my words tonight, but let it be your words.

Lord, we ask you for the Holy Spirit of God to enlighten our eyes to the glorious light of Jesus Christ.

Father, I pray that your word will speak to us tonight.

Our Father, I thank you that we'll we will be encouraged, we'll be strengthened, we'll be saved, we'll be healed, delivered, set free and filled with your Spirit again and again and again.

Lord, we just thank you right now, Father, that you're helping me, Father, to minister for you tonight.

Give us ears to hear what the Spirit of the Lord is speaking to us tonight as we look into your word and we say, Thank you, Lord.

Thank you, Lord, thank you, Lord.

We're gonna hear from you and we're gonna receive from you, and we're gonna leave here different than when we came in.

In the name of Jesus, how many can shout Amen?

Amen, amen.

Look at your neighbor and tell them they look better already, praise the Lord.

Amen.

I'm trying to help the husbands and the wives here, amen.

Look at your neighbor and tell them they look better already, praise God.

Amen.

Uh it's so good to be here again.

We want to say thank you for allowing us to be here.

We really appreciate it from the bottom of heart.

Thank you, wonderful pastors, and you as a congregation and friends and family and uh visitors even coming.

Amen.

It's what a blessing it is.

Um, and so uh tonight I want to talk about how to overcome.

Uh, how to overcome.

And uh I I uh I I I found that uh a lot of Christians uh they know God and they know the word and they know uh everything that they're supposed to know, but a lot of Christians leave live a defeated life.

Now, none of y'all in Arkansas, in here, praise God, is those people back in Georgia where I'm from.

Amen.

Uh, but there's a lot of people live a defeated life, and the greater one lives on the inside of us.

There's something wrong.

If Jesus lives on the inside of us and he's alive and well, then why in the world are we living defeated in our life?

Amen.

Now I know we're gonna face a lot of battles, and I know there'll be seasons that will uh that try to come against us and try to discourage us, try to bring temptation, try to bring trials, pressure.

I know there's family struggles, there's spiritual warfare.

There's a lot of things that we face in this life, but I'm here to tell you that we can overcome them by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony.

Amen.

And so God never intended, God never intended for his children, believers, Christians, uh, to fight life's battles in their own strength.

Amen.

We should not fight life's battles in our own strength.

No, he provided his spirit to fill us with his divine power.

And we're gonna talk about that tonight because too many Christians are trying to live a supernatural life, but they're trying to do it in natural strength.

I can tell you right now, you're not gonna do it in your natural strength.

You can't do it in your natural strength.

You're gonna wear yourself out trying to do it in your natural strength.

And that's why you have to uh rely upon the Lord and you ask the Holy Spirit to help you.

And even Jesus himself in the Bible, he never told his disciples to go into the world uh to preach the gospel until they were first filled with the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

And so let's look at this tonight.

Now, I want to say a few things before we get started.

The Holy Spirit, that's what we're gonna talk about tonight, but the Holy Spirit is the cure for approval and powerlessness life.

Well, praise God, amen.

The Holy Spirit will deliver us from the approval of man.

A lot of people are wanting to be approved by man, a lot of people will be approved, want to be approved by other people.

Uh but I'm telling you right now, the Holy Spirit will deliver us from the approval of man.

The Holy Spirit will help us uh line up for the approval of God.

Because the approval of God is the most important approval that we can get in our life.

Amen.

Is saying that God approves of us because we're living for him, we're obeying him, we're hearing from him, and we're walking with him every day of our life.

Amen.

And so I don't know about you, but if you try to get man's approval, man's approval can change overnight.

But God's approval will never change.

Hallelujah.

Amen.

So the Holy Spirit will give us power to overcome.

Now, I want you to look at a scripture here.

Matthew chapter 22.

Matthew 22 · chapter mention

Here's where we're going to land, and this is where I'm going to preach from tonight.

Matthew chapter 22 and verse 20 through through 29.

Matthew 22 · chapter mention

He says here, the same day the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him and asked him, saying, Teacher, Moses said if a man dies having no children, his brother shall marry his wife and raise up offspring for his brother.

Now there were with us seven brothers.

The first died after he had married, and having no offspring.

Let his wife to his brother, likewise the second also, the third, even to the seventh.

Now I don't know about y'all, but I ain't burying this woman.

Praise the Lord.

Hallelujah.

Amen.

I mean, every person that married this woman died.

Like right, this is scripture right here.

Watch what he happened in verse 27.

Last of all, the woman finally died.

Praise God.

Well, I mean, anyway, no, it's not praise God, but anyway, he said, Therefore, now watch all I want you to see this.

Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife of the seven will she be?

For they all had her.

Now, verse 28.

Jesus answered and said to them, here it is, you are mistaken, not knowing the scriptures nor the power of God.

Well, praise the Lord.

Y'all are too quiet in here for a Pentecostal church tonight.

Now, I don't know what we got to do.

Stand up and shout and run around and get you going.

I don't know, but I'm just telling you, Jesus said to the Pharisees, he said, not knowing the scriptures nor the power of God.

I want to talk to you about the scriptures and the power of God.

Listen to me.

You cannot have just the scripture and no power.

And then you cannot have just the power and no scriptures.

If you study at all about the revivals in the past, Azusa Street was a great revival.

It turned the world upside down.

And it was in California.

Watch this.

They had the power of God.

But do you know a Zusa Street revival had to shut down?

Why did they have to shut down?

They had a lot of power moving, but they had to shut down because there was no money to pay the bills.

So we could say you got the power of the Zusa Street revival, but you have no scriptures to give, and it shall be given back unto you.

Amen.

And so they didn't have any scriptures, but then you go to another church.

They'll have all the scriptures, but no power.

I'm telling you right now, Jesus said that we need to know not just the word of God or the scriptures, but we gotta have the power of God in our life.

Hallelujah.

Amen.

Listen, we gotta have the scriptures.

Now watch.

What do the scriptures do?

They give us structure, they give us guidance, they give us the way to live.

They give us a roadmap for this Christian life.

We need to have the scriptures.

We need to learn the scriptures.

The scriptures will give us revelation, they'll give us understanding, they'll give us wisdom.

And Proverbs even said it's the book of wisdom.

And so watch this.

But then the Holy Spirit gives us power to overcome.

And so, in order to overcome, we must have the scriptures and the power.

We can't have one or the other or one without the other.

Amen.

And so watch this.

Let me read this.

Revival stops because people chase the Spirit and forget the Scriptures.

Now, watch.

Revival never gets started because we hold on to the Scriptures and we're not open to the Holy Spirit or the power of God.

Now, if we want revival, and we say we do, but listen, revival starts in your own heart.

It's not about a building.

It's not about a corporate uh uh, you know, corporate uh uh church members coming together.

I mean, it is, but it's not.

But revival starts right here within my heart.

I have to have a hunger and a thirst for righteousness and the word of God and the power of God and my relationship with Jesus.

Revival starts within me.

And when we do this, watch this revival will come, and revival will happen when we have scriptures and we have the spirit and the power of God come together in our own life and then corporately in our churches.

Amen.

That's when we'll have revival.

That's when revival will not just come, but that's when revival will last and it'll never stop.

But a lot of times revival comes and they're hungry during that time, but then after revival, they stop getting hungry.

And a lot of people label revival when a guest speaker like myself comes in.

But listen, revival is within your own heart, it's in with it's within your own spirit.

And you can have revival at the grocery store.

You can have revival in your home, you can have revival at a restaurant.

Hallelujah.

You remember the testimony of that girl last night?

How she got saved?

You hear how she got saved?

Some man of God who was full of the Holy Ghost walked into a restaurant, and the Lord told him to speak to those two ladies sitting right there, and he began to speak to them, and they started crying, and the Spirit of God came in the restaurant, and then they've been saved for three years ever since.

Because they got saved in a restaurant.

Hallelujah.

A lot of people looking revival in the church.

Yeah, we need to be encouraged and we need the scriptures and we need to be filled with the power.

But listen, there are people out there that need to be saved, and we got to go take revival to them.

Hallelujah.

Well, praise God.

Amen.

I better settle down.

Amen.

I'm getting too excited.

Amen.

Zechariah 4, 6.

Watch what he says here.

Then he said to me, the addition of the bowl to the candlestick, causing it to yield a ceaseless supply of oil from the olive tree, is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, of whom the oil is a symbol, says the Lord of hosts.

What does he say?

Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord.

Watch this.

Humanity has the ability, humanity has all kinds of ability.

But humanity, human ability, or humanity ability has limits.

Watch this.

Intelligence has limits.

Education has limits.

Money has limits.

Influence has limits.

But the Holy Spirit has no limits.

Hallelujah.

Praise God.

Peter tried to serve God in his own strength.

He even declared, even if everyone else, watch this, he said this to Jesus.

Even if everyone leaves you, Jesus, I'm never going to leave you.

And yet, before the clock struck midnight, he denied Jesus three times.

Why?

Because determination without the Spirit will eventually fail.

Praise God.

After Pentecost, though, what happened to Peter?

He stood before thousands without fear because now he had the power of God in his life.

Can I tell you the Spirit of God in your life makes the difference?

You would never know that as a snotted-nosed little kid that I was afraid to talk to anybody.

You never know that right now.

I wouldn't even let anybody cut my hair but one lady.

I wouldn't even let nobody even touch me.

Cut my hair.

I mean, one lady, and then my mom tried to induce me.

I'd go behind her leg.

I was shy.

I was baschal.

But then I went on to Bible college.

I got filled with the Holy Ghost, and now I won't shut up.

Amen.

Praise God.

And so watch this.

The difference.

The difference in Peter's life wasn't Peter.

The difference in my life wasn't me.

The difference in my life and Peter's life was the Holy Ghost.

Amen.

And so the Holy Spirit gives us power to overcome.

Watch this.

Acts chapter 1, verse 8.

Acts 1:8

But you shall receive power.

The amplified says ability, efficiency, and mind.

When the Holy Spirit has come upon you.

And you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem and all Judea and Samaria until the ends or the very bounds of the earth.

Watch this.

And so the Greek word right here for power, you probably already know this.

It means Deudamas.

Or it means dynamite.

It means miraculous, explosive power.

Watch this.

This power right here, what fell upon them.

Do you see that?

I said, do you see that?

Acts chapter 1, verse 8.

Acts 1:8

You shall receive power.

And when the Holy Spirit has come upon you.

Everybody say upon you.

Say it again, say upon you.

And so when it comes upon you, watch this.

That word right there fell upon you, or in other words, came upon you.

I want to what I want to see this.

Acts 2, 4.

We see this again.

And they were all filled.

They were diffused throughout their souls with the Holy Spirit.

And began to speak in other different foreign language tongues as the Spirit kept them clear, kept giving them clear and uh loud expressions in each tongue an appropriate word.

Now I want you to see this.

They were all filled with the Holy Ghost.

When, when, when?

When it came upon them.

Everybody say upon them.

Watch this.

God doesn't merely comfort us, He comes to empower us, but He comes to come upon us.

All right?

Now I want you to follow this with me.

Years ago, I was traveling and I was in a hotel and I was preaching.

We were preaching in Kentucky, I believe it was.

And I was at a hotel.

And on Sunday mornings, I get up early.

And I get up early because I want to pray, I want to study, and really get exactly what I'm supposed to preach.

And so I was getting ready.

My wife was still asleep, and I usually go down in the lobby.

It didn't matter if I'm at home or in the lobby.

I usually fix my wife coffee every morning if I'm home or if she's with me.

Um, and you know, give her bring her her coffee, wherever it is, to our bedroom or to the hotel room.

So this particular morning I was getting ready, and so uh I was trying to uh dry my hair so I could fix my hair and then I was gonna go down and get coffee for us, and so I picked up the hairdryer, started drying my hair, and it cut off.

I was like, what in the world?

So I was like, what's wrong with this plug?

And so I turned it back on, it came back on, started drying my hair some more, it cut off.

And I was like, now the devil is a liar.

That's my favorite saying.

Amen.

I don't know if y'all know that or not.

That's my dead, that's my favorite saying, the devil is a liar.

A couple of years ago, they did they asked uh my daughter, or our daughter, she was in uh, I don't know, third or fourth grade.

They uh did a big questionnaire for Father's Day and go give it to the fathers.

And on uh on Thursday or Friday had a big questionnaire.

Said, what is your dad's favorite saying?

And my daughter, third, fourth grade, said, The devil is a liar.

She wrote that down, that my favorite saying.

And so the teacher called me from the school and said, You never believe what your daughter wrote down.

I thought, oh Lord, what does she write down?

And said that your favorite saying is the devil is a liar.

Amen.

And so you can adapt that.

Amen.

Everybody say the devil is a liar, right?

So I was using this hairdryer and it kept cutting off, and I was like, the devil is a liar.

I said, the devil is a liar.

And so I beat that plug and then I dry my hair some more and it went off.

And I was like, the devil is a liar.

I gotta get ready here.

Amen.

I ain't got time for this.

I gotta go study, I gotta go get coffee, I gotta get ready for church, right?

And so watch this.

I followed that plug and I went all the way down, and it was actually plugged up underneath the sink.

But the hairdryer holder was right here.

And so I pushed it in and it was loose.

And so immediately, when I pushed that in, the Holy Ghost said, that's just like believers, is that we stay, we're plugged in one moment and we got the power of God on our life.

But then other moments we unplug and then we have no power in our life.

Then other moments we plug in and then we got power in our life.

Then other moments we unplug, and the Lord told me, He said, to tell his people, and he said, You gotta stay plugged in to the power source in order to have the power to overcome everything that the devil is bringing against you.

Amen.

You gotta stay plugged in.

This is not a vacation where you stay plugged in for a week and then you unplug for another week, right?

You gotta stay plugged in to the Lord.

Why?

Because I promise you the devil ain't going on vacation.

Well, let me say that again.

The devil is not going on vacation, in case y'all didn't know.

Amen.

And so I'm just telling you tonight, the Holy Spirit will give us power to overcome.

What will he give us power to overcome?

He will overcome, he'll give us power to overcome temptation, he'll give us power to overcome fear, he'll give us power to overcome anxiety, depression, addiction, discouragement, persecution in any attack of the enemy.

Anybody shout amen.

Romans chapter 8 and verse 11 says this and if the spirit of him who raised up Jesus from the dead dwells in you, everybody shout, it dwells in me.

Romans 8 · chapter mention

Say it one more time, it dwells in me.

Then he who raised up Christ Jesus from the dead will also restore to life your mortal, short-lived, perishable bodies through his spirit who dwells in you.

Now, think about that.

Think about that.

The same power that raised Jesus from the dead.

I don't know about you, but I've never been raised from the dead.

I mean, semi when I fell in Colombia 20 years ago, I fell through a three-story roof.

I don't have time to tell that.

But I went unconscious and they were praying for me, and I didn't know I was unconscious.

They didn't know I was unconscious, they thought I was dead because I fell through a three-story building on a mission trip in Armenia, Columbia.

Praise the Lord.

And then when I opened my eyes and I looked at him, they started shouting, he's alive.

So they thought they'd raised the dead, but I actually wasn't dead.

Amen.

Praise God.

So I don't know if any of you have been dead and been raised from the dead.

Amen.

My father-in-law has three times, praise God.

And I told him a cat only has nine lives.

You ain't getting no more.

Praise the Lord.

Amen.

And so here's the thing.

I don't know if you've ever been raised from the dead, but I can tell you the same power that raised Christ from the dead dwells on the inside of you.

I don't know if you ever think about that, if you've ever dwelled on that, if you've ever meditated upon that.

Watch this.

Death could not keep Jesus dead in the grave.

And if the death, if death from the devil couldn't keep Jesus dead, then I can tell you the same power that raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you.

So that same power will help you overcome anything and everything that the devil throws at you.

Hallelujah.

I said, it will help you overcome.

I said, it will help you overcome.

I'm waiting on y'all to talk back to me.

This is not a library, praise the Lord.

Amen.

Talk back to me.

Say amen.

That's it.

Praise the Lord.

Something.

Amen.

Hallelujah.

So watch this.

The resurrection power that conquered the death of Jesus lives on the inside of us.

Mark chapter 1, verse 10 and 11.

Mark 1:10

And when he came up out of the water, watch what happens.

I want to talk about this.

When Jesus, he came up out of the water at once.

He, John, saw the heavens tore open.

And the Holy Spirit, like a dove, coming down to enter into him.

Watch this.

And there came a voice out from within heaven.

You are my beloved son.

In you I am well pleased.

Watch this.

The King James Version of this verse in verse 10, it says that the Holy Spirit came upon him like a dove.

Everybody say, come upon him.

Come on, everybody say it.

Everybody looking up here.

Praise the Lord.

Amen.

Everybody say, came upon them.

It came upon him.

It came upon him.

Now, watch this.

Upon is important.

Now I want to go through the Old Testament really quick, and I want you to hear this of how the Holy Spirit came upon people.

Number one, the Holy Spirit came upon Samson and he broke the ropes that tied him down.

Now watch this.

He broke off the bondages.

Number two, the Spirit of God came upon Saul and he prophesied and was visibly transformed.

Number three, the Spirit of God came upon Ezekiel and he received revelation.

Number four, the spirit came upon Micah, and he received courage and spoke truth.

Number five, the spirit came upon Mary, and what happened?

And the power of the Most High overshadowed her and caused her to be pregnant with the Son of God, Jesus, the Savior of the world.

Now watch this.

The impossible became possible when the Holy Spirit came upon Mary.

Hallelujah.

So I'm telling you right now, if the Holy Spirit comes upon you, he makes what seems to be impossible in man.

He makes it possible with God.

Hallelujah.

Praise God.

Number six, after the Spirit came upon Jesus, he started doing miracles.

Watch this.

The sick were healed.

Demons fled.

The kingdom of God came from heaven to earth.

And then number seven, after the spirit came upon the disciples, they became bold and became witnesses, and the nations were reached, they began to see miracles and signs and wonders.

Now watch.

When, when, when did that happen?

When the Spirit of God came upon them.

Everybody say, upon them.

John 14, 16.

Jesus said this: I will ask the Father, and he'll give you another comforter, counselor, helper, intercessor, advocate, strengthener, and standby, that he may remain with you forever.

Now watch this.

The Holy Spirit's not just remaining with you.

The Holy Spirit is now living on the inside of you.

So he's not just come to rest upon you in the New Testament and in our dispensation, but he came to live on the inside of you.

Everybody say, inside of me.

Amen.

Inside of me.

So watch this.

The Spirit of God is not just upon us, but He lives in us.

Now, I said this last night and it bears repetition.

I've been saying this for about a year.

God's power is greater than the devil's power.

I say, God's power is greater than the devil's power.

I don't know about you, and I don't know what's facing you, and I don't know what's coming against you.

But God's power is greater than the devil's power.

Amen.

So don't ever doubt and believe that the devil has got you where he wants you and he's going to defeat you.

No, no, no.

Greater is he that is in you.

I said, he's in you.

Greater is he that's in you.

Who's in you?

It's the one that God raised from the dead.

The same spirit of Christ Jesus that raised him from the dead is on the inside of you.

It dwells in our mortal bodies.

Praise God.

Now watch this.

The Greek word here, and I want to talk about this, to fall upon or to come upon.

The Greek word here is epitito.

That's the Greek word.

But I want to give you the definition because I want you to get another idea and another revelation about the Holy Spirit tonight.

Is that all right?

Well, praise the Lord.

So the Greek word is epitito.

And what it means is to fall upon.

It means to come upon.

It also means, number two, closeness.

And then number three, this is where I wanted to get you.

Is the Holy Spirit coming upon means to embrace like a hug.

To embrace like a hug.

Now, I want to give you another scripture.

I want to give you this another scripture because this same Greek word to come upon was also in Luke chapter 15.

Luke 15 · chapter mention

And I may remember Luke chapter 15 of the prodigal son.

Luke 15 · chapter mention

Anybody remember that?

The prodigal son went away from home, right?

And he spent all he had.

And he said, I gotta go back home.

Watch, I'm gonna read this to you.

Luke chapter 15, verse 17.

Luke 15:17

When he came to his senses, he said, How many of my father's hired servants have food to spare?

And here I am starving to death.

I will set out and I will go back to my father and say to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.

I am no longer worthy to be called your son and make me like one of your hired servants.

So he got up and went back home to his father.

Watch what happened.

Watch what happened.

But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him.

He ran to his son.

Come here, Pastor.

Come here, Pastor.

Watch this.

I want you to stand right there.

Watch.

Watch.

So he represents the son.

And so I represent the father.

And it said, the father ran to his son.

Let me read it.

He ran to his son.

Uh uh.

Let me go back.

So he got up, went to his father.

While he was still a long way off, his father saw him, was filled with compassion, ran to his son, threw his arms around him, and I'm sorry, I'm not going to kiss you, but praise the Lord.

And kissed him.

Watch, watch, watch.

The son said to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.

I'm no longer worthy to be called your son.

But the father said to his servants, watch this, watch this.

He said, Quick, quick, quick, quick.

What did he say?

He said, Bring the best coat.

He said, bring the best coat for my son.

And then he said that he put the coat upon him.

Amen.

Amen.

He said he put the coat upon him and then he gave him a ring.

Watch this, watch this.

Watch what the father did not do.

The father did not come to him and ridicule him.

The father didn't complain that he left.

The father didn't bring a condemnation on him.

But what did the father do?

He brought love to him, and immediately when he saw him, he began to hold him.

Can I tell you that's what your father God does for you?

That's what the Holy Spirit does for you.

He comes and holds you.

And the Holy Spirit has got you in his arms.

Father God has got you in his arms.

He has compassion towards you.

He doesn't hate you.

He's not disappointed in you.

He's not upset with you.

But he comes with compassion and holds you.

Amen.

Yes, he does.

And that's what it means for the Holy Spirit to come upon, but also to come in.

Watch this.

The Holy Spirit is not just coming in, it's also the Father's love that's coming in.

Anyone with me tonight?

It's amazing how the Father, watch this, the Son spent all he had.

He spent all his inheritance.

Now I don't know about you, but I get mad and upset if my kids start spending money.

That's my money.

I mean, wastefully.

You know what I'm saying?

Wastefully.

You know, one time, listen, my my my 11-year-old just did it, but my 20-year-old did it several years ago.

They went into middle school.

And I said, okay, I said, now I'm putting some money on your lunch account.

And so, you know, if you want to eat at school rather than take your lunch, then you'll have money on your account to eat at school.

Right?

And so they was like, okay, okay, okay.

Well, then all of a sudden within a week, my daughter has no money.

I said, Ashton, this is this is my 20-year-old when she was in middle school.

I said, Ashton?

I said, What in the world?

How do what are you doing?

You're eating breakfast at home.

Are you going to eat breakfast there and lunch and maybe even dinner?

Praise the Lord.

How'd you spend all this money in a week?

She goes, Well, you put it on my account.

And I said, Yes.

She said, Well, my friends all wanted cookies.

So I bought everybody cookies.

I said, Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, wait a minute.

I said, I ain't feeding the whole middle school.

Praise God.

Amen.

Then watch this.

My 11-year-old just started middle school two weeks ago.

So I put money on her account.

So she came in the other day on a Friday.

She said, Dad, I just want to let you know.

I said, what?

She said, I bought several cookies and share with my friends.

I said, sit down right here in the name of Jesus, right now.

I said, I need to explain something to you.

I said, Y'all girls don't understand.

I said, my son didn't do this.

He's 24 now.

Amen.

But y'all girls just spending daddy's money like it's going out of style.

No, no, no.

I'm not here to support them.

I'm here to support you.

Praise the Lord.

I didn't have them, I had you.

Yes.

Amen.

Come on.

Come on.

Y'all act like y'all are upset with me.

That's all right.

It's my money.

Y'all can give if y'all want to.

I'll give you her lunch account.

Give to her then.

Amen.

Praise the Lord.

So watch this.

So what did they say?

I don't even know why I told you that story.

Praise the Lord.

And I got lost in it.

But anyway.

So watch this.

Oh, I know why I told you the story.

The father could have brought condemnation to him because he spent all that money.

Amen.

He didn't have a dime left.

Didn't even have enough to buy a meal.

But when he ran back home, his father was so full of compassion that number one, he hugged him, watch this, and he kissed him on the neck.

The King James actually says he fell upon him.

That's the same Greek word, epitito, which means to fall upon, which means to comfort, which means to hug or embrace.

So the Holy Spirit, if you allow him to, he's a gentleman.

Yes, he is.

Well, praise the Lord.

Amen.

I said the Holy Spirit is a gentleman.

He will not force his way in you.

He will not force his way upon you.

He will not force his way to lead you.

You have to be open, willing vessels to allow the Holy Spirit to work in you, to work through you, to lead you, to guide you, to speak to you.

You allow the Holy Spirit to do the work.

And so if you'll allow him to, he wants to hold you.

He wants to embrace you, and he wants to give you the best coat.

Amen.

And then he's going to treat you with compassion and love.

And watch this.

If anybody loves you, don't they want the best for you?

I used to tell my kids this all the time because somehow or another they, I don't know who changed their thinking.

I don't know the world, the school, the I don't know.

But this is what I told my kids.

I said, you can trust daddy because I'll never tell you anything to do that's going to harm you.

I'll never tell you to go somewhere or do anything that's going to harm you or it's going to lead you to destruction.

I'll never do that.

I'll be the example first, but number two, if I tell you to do something, or if I think if I say, hey, I was in prayer, this is what you should do, whatever the case may be, anything I tell you, I promise you, is going to be to your advantage and it's not going to hurt you.

It's not going to set you back.

It's all going to be good for you.

Amen.

And so if I tell that to my children, how much love and compassion does the Lord and the Holy Spirit have where the Holy Spirit will lead us to the right place.

He'll never lead us wrong.

Amen.

I said he'll never lead us wrong.

I said he'll never lead us wrong.

Now, those of you here last night, I ended talking about peace.

And the Holy Spirit directed me today to continue that just for a second.

Because that peace that I was talking about last night is the peace that Jesus told the woman, the issue of blood.

He said, Now that you're healed, he said, go in peace and be and be continually healed.

So watch this.

But how or what is the primary way that the Holy Spirit leads us?

The peace of God.

So watch this.

Another thought and continuing thought of this lady with the issue of blood, once she was healed, and then Jesus said, go in peace and be continually healed.

Not only does she have peace now, watch this.

Now the Holy Spirit can lead her.

I got that today.

I never preached that part of it.

But now the Holy Spirit can lead her and guide her.

And so let me tell you, if you don't have peace in your heart, the peace of God in your heart, ruling and reigning, listen, the Bible says that the peace of God acts as an umpire.

Ruling and reigning in your heart.

If you read the Amplified, it said it acts as an umpire.

What does an umpire do?

An umpire calls you if you slide in the first, second, third, or home.

He'll call you out or he'll call you safe.

So the peace of God acts as an umpire.

So when you pray about something and the Holy Spirit is leading you by that peace, if you don't feel something's wrong, something's wrong, something's wrong, and it's like chewing on gravel, then that's him telling you, you better get out, you better get out, you better get away.

Something's wrong with that.

Whatever it is, you better get away from that.

Come on.

Anybody with me?

But if you pray about something, and then as you pray about that, it's like, yeah, I'm I'm supposed to do this.

I got peace about this.

I just I just know that this peace of God is leading me.

Guess what he's saying?

He's saying, it's safe.

It's safe.

Go this way, it's safe, go this way.

So the peace of God acts as an umpire to us.

Watch this.

Uh you heard uh much of my stories, and I've got all kinds of stories and illustrations.

But listen, uh, one that I'll just tell you really quick was when I was in Bible college and um I was uh uh you know wanting to get married for sure, but I wasn't dating anybody, and I should have known when this girl walked up to me and asked me to go out with her.

Come on.

Come on.

Okay, praise the Lord.

You didn't catch that.

Amen.

This girl came up to me and asked me out to go with her.

Amen.

Come on.

One thing my grandfather, my mama, my daddy, my uh my whole entire life, everybody said a girl should never ask a guy out, a guy should ask a girl out.

I mean, that's and so this girl asking me out should have been the first red flag.

I was just shocked.

She's interested in me, so I just said yes.

I didn't pray about it.

Watch this.

Long story short, after some time, we was going in the mall.

I don't know if I ever told this story here or not, but I we was going in the mall, and we went into the mall.

It was uh in Bible college in Ohio, and so uh we went into this mall.

There was a jewelry store on the left.

She said, Let's go in here.

I said, for what?

She said, I don't want to look.

And I was like, look at what?

Watch?

Necklace.

And so we walk in there, and then this, you know, commissioned salesman, praise the Lord, said, Hey, y'all looking for a ring?

And I didn't say a word.

And she goes, Well, what do you have?

I I'm so confused.

And so we go over there and he starts showing her these rings.

She starts trying them on.

I'm just standing there, I'm thinking, Lord Jesus, I no, no, no, no, no, no, no, uh-uh.

Like, and so then he says, Which one do you like?

And she said, I like this one.

Then he looks at me and says, Well, don't you want to get what she likes?

I'm not a mean person.

I've never been mean in my life.

Like, I'm just not mean.

I'm I'm compassionate, you know, and I I love people, I appreciate people, I really do.

And so he said, You don't want her to be disappointed.

I said, Sir, I ain't got no money.

I'm a Bible college student.

And he goes, Well, we got layaway.

And I said, Well, I don't know.

I don't know if I have enough money for that either.

And he goes, All you gotta do is put$50 down to hold it today.

And then she looked at me and she said, You gonna do it?

So here I am.

I'm telling you right now, I felt like I was chewing on gravel.

I paid that$50.

And after I walked out of that store, I didn't know what she wanted to do, but I knew what I was gonna do.

And so we left that mall.

I went and dropped her off at her apartment, and I went to my apartment, and I fell on my knees and I started crying out to God.

And on the inside of here, the Lord said, Call the store and cancel it.

And so I had the receipt right there.

I called the store and canceled that layway.

He said, Sir, you'll lose that$50.

I said, It's the best$50 ever lost in my life.

And so I went to prayer, man, because I was like something right here, like being forced, number one, to go out.

I didn't even realize that.

Number two, to go in the jewelry store.

Number three, to put a layaway on a ring that I ain't even interested in.

Praise the Lord, hallelujah.

Amen.

I said, Amen.

And then I had to break it off with her.

And then she begged and begged and begged and begged.

And I went to prayer.

Watch this.

I went to prayer, and I was like, Lord, I can tell you right now.

I said, I'm I'm praying more specific on what you're sending me and who you're sending me.

I said, because this ain't the type of woman I want right here.

Amen.

I mean, yes, she's in Bible college, yes, she can sing, but it ain't the type that I want.

Praise God.

Amen.

So watch this.

So I said, Lord, I'm not gonna date no more.

I'm not looking no more.

I'm gonna concentrate on you, I'm gonna hit the books, I'm gonna study, I'm gonna learn, I'm gonna pray in the spirit, I'm gonna I'm gonna do everything you call me to do with this Bible college.

And now I started working at the church, and while I was working at the church, watch this.

This is what I try to tell my kids.

The Holy Ghost will open the door for you.

You don't have to open the door, and nobody else has to open the door.

So I'm sitting there at my desk in publications there at the church working, and this girl comes, and I I think I was in my, I might have been second or third year, I don't remember.

I think maybe third year.

And so this girl is volunteering, uh, working in publications.

I worked in publications and in TV.

And so um, so I was working in publications this day, and she came in there, and um, you know, she'd been helping us for some time.

And she looked at me, she said, I have a friend that you need to meet.

I said, No, I do not either.

And she said, Yeah, I promise you.

And I said, No, I'm not interested.

Now just let it be.

And then she kept coming in there every week, all year long.

She said, I'm telling you right now, I got a friend that you need to meet.

And I said, I don't know if I'm ready for this.

I said, I had to pray about that.

And I said, you know, tell me a little bit about her, I guess.

I mean, I don't even know this girl that's trying to tell me this.

And long story short, I met my wife that I'm married to now because the Holy Ghost brought her to me.

Amen.

Amen.

Oh.

All right.

Well, it ain't your story, but praise the Lord.

Amen.

And so what I did, I had to wait on who the Lord had for me.

I said, I had to wait on who the Lord had for me.

Amen.

And so I have a wife of 27 years who plays and sings, and as you know, Brother Dale is my father-in-law, and that's the ministry, and that's the lifestyle, and that's the home she came from, and it's uh full of the Holy Ghost and power.

Amen.

And so, anyway, praise the Lord.

You may be seated, amen.

And so, watch this the Holy Ghost has come to be upon us, but also to be in us, and it's like he's hugging us and letting us know that it's gonna be alright, everything's gonna work out for your good.

Whatever the devil meant for evil, somebody say amen.

He's gonna turn for your good.

Why?

Because the Holy Ghost is working in your life.

The Holy Ghost is working things out.

Listen, when you go to prayer, it's for you to give it to God so He can work everything out for your good.

He's working behind the scenes when you're sleeping.

Amen.

Well, praise the Lord.

Anybody say amen?

Let me let me finish this.

Listen, let me finish this.

Praise the Lord.

I'm already out of time.

The Holy Spirit gives us victory over our flesh.

Watch this in Galatians chapter 5 and verse 16.

Galatians 5 · chapter mention

Let me give you this.

I'll close.

But I say, walk and live habitually in the Holy Spirit, responsive to and controlled and guided by the Holy Spirit.

Then you will certainly not gratify the cravings and desires of the flesh of human nature without God.

Watch this.

Let me give you this.

Many believers spend their lives trying to stop sinning.

You cannot, in your own strength, stop sinning.

Watch this.

God's answer is not simply try harder.

That's not God's answer to sin.

Watch this.

His answer is walk closer with him.

Let me tell you what happens.

When you walk closer with him, and you get to know the Holy Spirit, and you get to know the Word and the Jesus of the Word, and you get to know your Heavenly Father, watch what happens.

His answer is walking closer.

And when we're filled with the Spirit, sinful desires begin losing their grip.

The closer we get to the fire, the colder things will melt away.

Hallelujah.

Amen.

The sin will melt away.

This is what the Lord told me years ago.

He said, quit focusing on what is wrong and focus on what is right.

And if you'll focus on what is right, then what is wrong will automatically leave you alone.

Praise the Lord.

You don't overcome darkness by fighting darkness.

What did God do to the darkness in Genesis 1:1?

Genesis 1:1

He spoke what?

He didn't speak to the darkness.

He ain't worried about the darkness.

He spoke the answer to the darkness, which was light.

So what does that tell us?

You overcome darkness by turning on the light.

So who is the light?

The Bible says it's a limp unto our feet and a light unto our path.

Hallelujah.

So we gotta have the word, we gotta have Jesus, we gotta have the Holy Ghost, and we gotta have a relationship with the Father God.

Amen.

The Holy Spirit is God's light on the inside of us.

Amen.

The Bible says that you will know them by their fruit.

What does that mean?

That means I have something on the inside of me that's shining out of me, and you can tell there's a difference about me than anybody else in the world.

And what is it?

It's the Jesus on the inside of me.

It's the full of the Holy Ghost that's on the inside of me.

Hallelujah.

Hallelujah.

Isaiah chapter 40, verse 31.

Isaiah 40:31

But those who wait for the Lord, who expect, who look for, who hope in, in him shall change and renew their strength and power.

They shall lift their wings and mount up close to God as eagles.

They'll mount up to the sun, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint, or listen, or listen, become tired.

Well, praise the Lord.

Y'all don't look at nobody.

But if you're tired all the time, then I wonder if you're trying to do it in your own strength.

Because my Bible says that you won't get tired when you do it in his strength.

Can I tell you this one more thing?

And I do got to close.

Praise the Lord.

One more thing.

Listen, not everything that's the work of God is what you're supposed to do.

I'm gonna say that again.

Everything that's considered the working of God or God's works or whatever is not every single thing you're supposed to do.

You will, if you don't pray and ask God, what are you supposed to do?

And do what He tells you to do, but you go over here and start doing something that somebody else is doing, then you went into your own strength.

And so the strength of God's not there because that's not the plan of God.

So therefore, what we taught about last night, the grace is not there.

See, the grace is there for me to travel, and so God gives me the strength to travel.

Somebody say, Don't you get tired?

No, I don't get tired.

Praise the Lord, because the grace is there, that's what he's called me to do.

Amen.

Well, praise the Lord, amen.

Hallelujah.

So watch this.

So the he said that he will renew your strength.

When, when, when?

When you're filled with the Spirit, when you're led by the Spirit, you're walking by the Spirit, He'll renew your strength.

Why?

Because you're in the will of God, so therefore the grace of God is there, the strength of God is there, because the Holy Spirit then is leading you and He's giving you the strength that you need.

Amen.

You don't have to get the strength from something else or somebody else.

Amen.

Praise the Lord.

Stand on your feet tonight.

Hallelujah.

Amen.

How many receive something from the Lord tonight?

Amen.

Oh, come on, give the Lord a hand, clap, a shout, or shout.

Amen.

Praise God.