Chameleon Part 3 | Praise or Pride with Chris Schlotterbeck

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We hope this message encourages you, challenges

you, and reminds you that you are deeply loved.

Now, let's hear the message. I thank you for

each and every person here, Lord, and I ask that

they would leave change today. In Jesus' name

we pray. Amen. Amen. Well, good morning, everyone.

Hey, how are we doing today? All right, do me

a favor. High five your neighbor and say, I love

Jesus. If you're joining us from home, I love

you. Thank you for welcoming us into your space.

All right, listen, I do want to highlight, you

heard my wife Jessica talk about the tie -dye

run in Ruck. It is coming up in a couple weeks,

but I have some bad news. Can I share bad news

with you? Well, I'm going to anyway. We only

have 39 runners currently signed up, okay? Last

year, we had 140 runners. The year before, we

had almost 180 runners. So let me remind you,

okay? All this, the reason we're doing this run

is for Micah's Backpack. We serve over 100 children

every single week food. through the public education

system, and provide them meals for the weekend

when they go home. So all the money from this

run and ruck, from the race that we're doing,

and the harvest party, or whatever they're calling

it afterwards, is all going to the kids. It's

all going to Micah's backpack. So if you haven't

signed up to run, sign up. If you haven't signed

up to walk, sign up. If you want to really compete,

sign up. Or you know someone that runs, invite

them to come and participate in the event. And

we also need many, many volunteers. So please

stop by the Welcome Hub, grab some flyers, sign

up to run, be a part of that. Listen, we are

changing lives through Micah's backpack. I mean,

Steve, go talk to Steve. Steve delivers all the

meals to the different elementary schools. And

he literally knows children by name. They run

up and they say, oh, Mr. Steve, thank you so

much for giving us food and allowing us to eat

for the weekend. And that is real. And the reason

we're doing the run is to support that food so

it can continue to happen. Amen? All right. So

have you ever noticed? How easy it is to take

credit for things when life is going well. Right?

When the business is successful, yeah, I worked

hard for this. When the family's doing well,

I must be doing something right. Right? When

we reach a goal, overcome an obstacle, when we

accomplish something significant, we naturally

want to celebrate. And listen, there's nothing

wrong with celebrating. what God has allowed

us to accomplish. But there is a danger when

we begin to celebrate what God has done without

remembering who made it possible. See, pride,

pride has a way of shifting our focus off of

God and putting it on ourselves. It turns, look

what God has done into look what I have accomplished.

And the problem with pride is that it rarely

announces itself. See, pride doesn't always look

like arrogance, as most people think. Sometimes

it's self -sufficiency. Sometimes it sounds like

I don't need anyone's help. Sometimes it comes

down to just forgetting to thank God for a meal

that he provided for us. See, we are currently

in a series called Chameleon, choosing conviction

over conformity, a journey through the book of

Daniel. And these events that we've been discussing

in this book took place about 600 years before

the life of Jesus. And the major theme that is

weaved throughout the book is that there are

two competing kingdoms, the kingdom of God and

the kingdom of darkness. We learned in week one

that Israel was conquered by King Nebuchadnezzar

of Babylon. He destroyed the city, the temple,

the land, and he took all the influential leaders

back to Babylon as captives, where they would

be brainwashed into Babylonian culture, and they

would become leaders for the king and his kingdom.

Daniel, of course, was one of those influential

young people, and through a number of different

circumstances, he proved to the king that he

was a natural leader. He had integrity and courage,

and he had this spiritual gift of hearing from

God, interpreting dreams, and foretelling the

future. Daniel was actually elevated the second

in command in the entire empire, and through

this process, Daniel begins to build this deep

friendship with the king. So much so, that King

Nebuchadnezzar began to find a reverence and

respect for his God, for the God that we follow

today. Now, when we first met Daniel, he was

a teenager being taken into captivity. Fast forward

to today's discussion, and Daniel is now 50 years

old. And once again, he's needed by the king.

And this is a reminder that this is kind of how

life works. Right? This book is a picture of

Daniel's life. And this book spans many, many

years. And the reality is the miraculous doesn't

always happen in our life. There are going to

be days when you go to work and you serve at

work and you come home and you take care of your

children and you serve your children and you

go to bed at night exhausted and you thank God

for that day and you thank God for his blessings

and that may be all that happened. And that's

okay. Because you know why? God is still working

in your life. Just because miracles aren't happening

doesn't mean God isn't around. And we learn that

in the life of Daniel. Remember, King Nebuchadnezzar

had everything the world could offer. He had

power, wealth, influence, and a kingdom that

seemed unstoppable. But see, somewhere along

the way, he began to confuse the blessings of

God with the greatness of himself. Listen to

how he describes his kingdom in Daniel chapter

430. As he looked out across the city, he said,

Look at this great city of Babylon. By my own

mighty power, I have built this beautiful city

as my royal residence to display my majestic

splendor. Did everyone hear that? I have built

it. It was my power. It was my glory. See, Nebuchadnezzar

had become so impressed with himself that he

had forgotten the God who had allowed him to

rise to power. We're going to learn today that

God's about to remind him of something every

one of us needs to remember. When pride takes

the throne, when pride is in our life, then praise

takes a back seat. But see, God never intended

for us to live consumed with ourselves. He created

us to be in relationship with him, to celebrate

his faithfulness and his goodness, and to give

him glory, which he deserves. See, Nebuchadnezzar's

story isn't just about a proud king who needed

to be humbled. It's all of our stories. It's

about what happens when we forget who is really

in control and how God lovingly brings us back

to a place where our lives will bring him the

glory, which leads us to our first thought. See,

God doesn't give up on people. He pursues them.

God doesn't give up on people. He pursues them.

And when you look back through King Nebuchadnezzar's

spiritual journey, through the first four chapters

of the book of Daniel, right, God has been revealing

himself to the king. He's heard the testimonies.

He's seen the fruit of following God. He's had

dreams. He's had interpretations. He's even acknowledged

that Daniel's God is above every other God. And

this first section of the book covers nearly

30 or 40 years. God has been pursuing this man

for over 30 years. Aren't we glad that God pursues

us? See, God is pursuing you. He's pursuing me.

And why does he do this? Because he loves us.

See, God sees where our choices are taking us.

He sees the pride we don't see. He sees the compromises

we've justified, the wounds that we carry through

our life and the direction our lives are heading.

And because he loves us, he refuses to simply

stand by and watch us destroy ourselves. God

doesn't pursue us because he needs something

from us. He pursues us because he knows we need

him. See, church, he didn't want us to spend

our lives chasing after success or possessions

or recognition or relationships or temporary

pleasures, only to discover that we've gained

the whole world and are still completely empty.

He created you, he created me for so much more.

He created us to know him, to walk with him,

and to experience the life that he intended for

us. And sometimes God's pursuit is a wake -up

call. Look at Daniel 4, 13 to 14. Then I, as

I lay there dreaming, I saw a messenger, a holy

one, coming down from heaven. The messenger shouted,

cut down the tree and lop off its branches. Shake

off its leaves and scatter its fruit. Chase the

wild animals from its shade and the birds from

its branches. See, in his dream, King Nebuchadnezzar

quickly learned, through Daniel's interpretation

of this dream, that he may have been king of

this land. of the territory which he controlled,

but God is king of the world. And God was revealing

to Nebuchadnezzar what was about to happen to

him. And church, I am so grateful that God never

gives up on us. He never gives up on us. And

for more than 30 years, God has been pursuing

this king. And think about it. Through all of

his pride, his arrogance, his sin, his negativity,

all the evil and all the people that were murdered

and killed, God desired for him to experience

abundant life. And I want you all to hear this.

There's nothing we can do to keep God from pursuing

us. There's no sin too great. And I've heard

it so often. Oh, I messed up again. I did this,

Chris. I did that. So what? Repent and go back

to God. Because he's pursuing you. There's no

valley too low that would discourage God from

loving on us or pursuing us. And how do I know

that? Well, Jeremiah 31 .3 tells us this. Long

ago, the Lord said to Israel. Now, please understand,

that's Old Testament. And Israel was God's chosen

people. Fast forward to today. If you're in a

relationship with Jesus, you are God's chosen

people. I have loved you. My people, with an

everlasting love, with unfailing love, I have

drawn you to myself. See, from the moment you

were born, God has been pursuing your heart because

his greatest desire is for you and me to be in

relationship with him. And not only does God

pursue us, but he's patient with us as well.

I mean, Nebuchadnezzar proclaimed in the opening,

look at this great city. It's my power. It's

my city. It's where I live. It's my majestic

splendor. Right? In his arrogance, the king believed

it was him who achieved all the success. And

see, that is when God said, enough is enough.

It is time for you to be humbled. And the crazy

thing is, from the time he had his dream to the

interpretation of the dream from Daniel to the

point that he was humbled by God, it was another

year. It's another year, an entire year. And

again, God is trying to show us that he's patient

with us. And he desires all of humanity to come

into a loving relationship with him. Look at

2 Peter 3, 9. The Lord isn't really being slow

about his promise, as some people think. No,

he's being patient for your sake. He does not

want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone

to repent. God is pursuing us. Which leads us

to our next thought. God humbles the proud. See,

pride is humanity's biggest obstacle. I don't

need God. That's for weak people. I don't need

God. I'm doing just fine without him. And I always

hear that in that confidence being spoken. That

is, until there's a crisis or a struggle comes

our way or temptation overtakes us. I mean, here's

the reality. 98 % of all sin issues in our life

is connected to some aspect of pride. And how

do I know that? Well, the first sin ever recorded

in the Bible was pride. Satan rebelled against

God and allowed pride to fill his heart thinking

he was as good as God. So let me remind you,

pride is destructive. Look at Daniel chapter

Daniel 4:4

4 verse 4 and 29 to 31. I, Nebuchadnezzar, was

living in my palace in comfort and prosperity.

I want to pause there just for a second. That's

us. In our culture, we tend to live in comfort

and prosperity. We're the wealthiest nation in

the world. And notice what happens. Twelve months

later, he was taking a walk on the flat roof

of the royal palace in Babylon. And that's when

he made that statement. It's all about me. And

I want to challenge you, guard against becoming

comfortable. Because the second we become comfortable

in who we think we are, is the second that pride

can enter into us and pull us away from God.

And we can say things, by my own mighty power,

I have built this city. I have built my life.

I have built my business. While these words are

still in his mouth, a voice called down from

heaven. Oh, King Nebuchadnezzar, this message

is for you. You are no longer ruler of this kingdom.

And God spoke directly to him. And here's the

reality. Success can elevate us, right? Position

can elevate us. Money can elevate us. And the

more we climb the ladder of success, of the culture

that we live in, the more we're doing it what?

On our own. And unfortunately, when we get to

the top of the ladder, if our focus is on us,

and our focus is on look at me, look what I have

done, then we're looking down at others. And

not only are we looking down at others, but we

have nothing around us to catch us or support

us. It's dangerous when we think we have it all

together. And the world tells us that's how we

should live. But when we're on top and it's just

about us, that's when things get shaky. And that's

when it's difficult to stand. See, God is not

impressed at how high we climb if we forget that

he gives us the strength to climb up it. And

we come to a point in life where we humble ourselves

before God or he's going to do it for us. And

how do I know that? Listen to Jesus' words in

Matthew 23, but those who exalt themselves will

be humbled. And those who humble themselves will

be exalted. God lowers the proud and he lifts

up the humble. And when we walk in humility,

God will lift us up. He'll promote us. He'll

use us. He'll give us opportunities to share

the good news. But if it's all about you and

you choose not to acknowledge that it all comes

from God, then he's gonna be against you. See,

God has a problem with pride. Look at James chapter

four, verse six. And he gives grace generously,

as the scriptures say, God opposes the proud,

but gives grace to the humble. So this morning,

is God opposing you? Because maybe he's trying

to get your attention to wake you up to the reality

of our third thought. See, a life of sin, leads

to death. Unchecked sin can cause us to become

a person we don't want to be. Continuing on in

Daniel chapter 4 verse 33, that same hour the

Daniel 4:33

judgment was fulfilled and King Nebuchadnezzar

was driven from human society. He ate grass like

a cow and he was drenched with the dew of heaven.

He lived this way until his hair was long as

eagles feathers and his nails were like birds

claws. And it's interesting, since we're now

living in the AI era, I wanted to see this image

of King Nebuchadnezzar come to life. So I took

these exact verses that we just read, and I asked

AI to create an image for me. Do you want to

see it? All right, check this out. Now think

about this. Look at that image. Think about this.

The most powerful man in the world. His kingdom

controlled the known world 600 years before Jesus.

And God humbled him to the point that he lived

like an animal. God humbled him to the point

that he was no longer recognizable. And this

is what can happen to us if we allow sin to control

our life. See, we were created to live in relationship

with God, following his ways. But when we choose

to live a life of sin, we're moved by our own

desires and impulses. We lose our humanity and

we allow the world and the culture to dictate

how we live. Paul says it this way in Romans

8, those who are dominated by the sinful nature

think about sinful things, but those who are

controlled by the spirit think about things that

please the spirit. So letting your sinful nature

control your mind leads to death. But letting

the Spirit control your mind leads to life and

peace. See, unchecked or hidden sin that we don't

think anyone knows about leads us away from God.

You know that prayer request? When you're in

a group, growth groups have started, jump in

a group, maybe you're in a group, and there's

a prayer request, and someone says, unspoken,

I want to look back and say, hidden sin. Like

if we can't speak it, what is it? It's hidden

sin. And here's the reality. God knows our hearts.

He knows what we're struggling with. And he just

simply desires that we give it back to him. Right?

That we seek forgiveness, that we repent, that

we turn from our selfish desires and we allow

him to have control over every area of our lives.

So during our Sunday gatherings, I want to encourage

you, church, stop ignoring the Holy Spirit. When

he reveals areas of our lives that need to change,

be obedient. James 5, 16, confess your sins to

each other, pray for each other, so you may be

healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person

has great and powerful and wonderful results.

See, there's grace and there's peace and there's

hope. There is meaning for us when we stop hiding

and we allow God to have control of our lives,

which leads us to our forethought. See, when

we cry out, God hears, forgives, and restores.

Continue with Nebuchadnezzar's story, Daniel

Daniel 4:34

4, verse 34. After this time had passed, I, Nebuchadnezzar,

looked up to heaven. My sanity returned, and

I praised and worshiped the Most High and honored

the One who lives forever. His rule is everlasting

and his kingdom is eternal. And notice the progression

of the king's life. He looked around and was

full of pride. Look what I did. He looked within

and was completely broken, became an animal,

if you will. He looked up and he found God. See,

the breakthrough came when Nebuchadnezzar stopped

looking at himself and started looking at God.

See, his story didn't end with humiliation. It

ended with restoration and worship. And God may

humble us, but God's goal isn't to destroy us,

it's to restore us. The prophet Jeremiah says

it this way, in chapter 29, verse 12 to 14, in

those days when you pray, I will listen. If you

look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me

and I will be found by you, says the Lord. I

will end your captivity and restore your fortunes.

I will gather you out of the nations where I

sent you and bring you home again to your own

land. God will find us when we seek him. When

we humble ourselves and cry out in our brokenness,

he hears us. Jesus promises us in Matthew 11,

come to me, all of you who are weary and carry

heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take

my yoke upon you. Let me teach you because I

am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find

rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear

and the burden is light. And see, I believe that

King Nebuchadnezzar's story or journey into a

relationship with God is one that we need to

reflect on and connect with. Because God had

to chase him down for over 30 years. And I don't

want to see you walking for 30 years not in a

relationship with Jesus. So this morning, ask

yourself, Am I in a relationship with Jesus?

Is God still pursuing me? You know, in every

single gathering towards the end, I always pray

a simple prayer every week because I say to you,

there could be someone in this gathering that's

distant, far from God or is walking away. And

I pray this simple prayer, not just for myself,

but for someone that could be distant or far

from God and for you. Those of you that are in

a relationship with Jesus. Because I believe

the more you pray this prayer, the more desperate

you come to want to pray it with someone else.

That it's not intimidating to invite someone

into a relationship with Jesus because you know

it. That you can pray for them and meet their

needs and then invite them. Would you like to

meet Jesus? Because he is the way, the truth,

and the life. He is the one that brings meaning

and purpose to life. So I'm going to invite the

Holy Spirit to come now to search our hearts.

And remember, he already knows our hearts. And

I'm going to invite the Holy Spirit to convict

hearts. And if you're in a relationship with

him, lay it down. Ask forgiveness and turn from

that way. But if you're not in a relationship

with him, this is your opportunity to pray yourself

into a relationship with him, with all of us.

And become a part of the family of God as he

desires for all of us. Let's pray. Come Holy

Spirit. Jesus, I'm broken. I'm full of doubt,

shame, regret, sin. Change me. Forgive me. I

believe you're God's son. I believe you died

for me. I believe. You're alive today. Make me

new. Set me free. Reveal yourself to me. Fill

me with your spirit and help me to serve others.

In Jesus' name, amen. Now listen, if you prayed

that prayer for the first time, see us, stop

by the Welcome Hub, tell us you did it, text

us, do something so we can give you some next

steps on what it means to Pursue an abundant

life. And that intro led us to our action steps.

Giving God the glory. See, to eliminate pride

in our life, we have to bring all glory back

to God. And I want to challenge you this week.

I want to challenge you to put these three steps

into practice every single day. Don't just hear

them. Don't just write them down. But make them

a part of your life because I believe that if

all of us begin to live out these three simple

steps every single day, God will radically change

the tri -state area. The people will hear the

good news. The people will flock to our community

of faith. Why? So Chris can get the glory? So

Rhett can get the glory? No. So God can get the

glory. So that people see a move of God like

they've never seen before. You say, it can happen

here in Hagerstown? Yeah. I mean, think about

it. Then we read about Jesus. Can anything good

come from Nazareth? And we've heard that said

about our own town. And my answer is, yes. A

lot of good can come from Hagerstown. But it's

going to come from the church and the people

that are passionate about God and desiring to

see their city changed. Which leads us to step

one. We need to live a life of love. Doesn't

that sound easy? Be honest. Doesn't it sound

easy? Let's all read it together. Live a life

of love. Do you think you can do that? And it's

easy, right? Heck no, it's not easy. It's impossible.

It's like we can say it, but it's so hard to

do. It's so hard to do. And when we look at Daniel's

life, it's interesting. We see a genuine affection

between Daniel and the king. Listen to Daniel

Daniel 4:19

chapter 4 verse 19. Upon hearing this, Daniel,

also known as Belteshazzar, was overcome for

a time. Overcome. He couldn't believe it. He

was frightened by the meaning of the dream. Then

the king said to him, Belteshazzar, don't be

alarmed by the dream and what it means. So Belteshazzar

replied. I wish the events foreshadowed in this

dream would happen to your enemies, my Lord,

and not to you. Now think about this. Think about

this. This man was taken from his homeland as

a teenager. His family was murdered. The temple

destroyed. He was dragged off to Babylon where

he was brainwashed, told what to think, how to

live, had his manhood cut off. would never have

a family, would never have children. And now

we're at a point where Daniel has genuine love

for this man. See, Daniel is an example that

through his love for God, that allowed him to

love the lost and to do it well. We can all learn

from this man. As Jesus followers, this world

is not our home. The Bible describes us as exiles

waiting for Jesus' return. But listen, yes, we're

waiting for his return, but Jesus told us we'll

never know the day or hour. So stop trying to

figure it out. I mean, there's paths. today that

believe they have the right number scheme to

say when Jesus is returning and Jesus said you're

never gonna know. So why even try to figure it

out? Like just serve others and love others and

point them to Jesus. That's what we're supposed

to do. And all of you know we're living in a

divided society. It's like you can't be on social

media for more than five minutes without getting

sick on your stomach. But we, the church, We

should not be known for what we hate. We should

not be known for what we're against. We should

be a place where people come and get built up.

That's what it's all about. It's about building

each other up. And listen, if you're not building

others up, then stop being prideful. Get over

yourself. Because it's not about you. It's about

him. And it's about the kingdom. And we need

to begin to see people how God sees them as sons

and daughters of God. Created in his image that

he desperately wants to love and be in relationship

with. And that's why Jesus said in John 13, I'm

giving you a new commandment. Love each other

just as I have loved you. You should love each

other. Your love for one another will prove to

the world that you're my disciples. So if your

friend who does not believe in Jesus, maybe even

hates God, rolled into our community of faith,

would they see us loving each other that way?

Or would they see divided people arguing, bickering

over issues that mean absolutely nothing and

forgetting it's all about him? We need to learn

to live a life of love, which needs us to step

to. We need to share our Jesus stories. And listen,

your Jesus story has power. And all of us, if

you're in a relationship with God, has a story

to tell. Every single one of us. Listen to Nebuchadnezzar's

story, Daniel 4, 1 through 3. King Nebuchadnezzar

sent this message to the people of every race

and nation and language throughout the world.

Peace and prosperity to you. I want you all to

know about the miraculous signs and wonders the

Most High God has performed for me. How great

are His signs, how powerful His wonders. His

kingdom will last forever. His rule through all

generations. Now remember, those words are written

at the beginning of the chapter. And then we

get into Nebuchadnezzar's story. The point is,

Nebuchadnezzar is sharing his story of life transformation.

Same is true for us. Think about your life before

you met Jesus. For me, there's despair, there's

negativity, there's loneliness, there's lack

of peace, there's insecurities, there's doubt,

there's frustration. Now think about your life

in a relationship with Jesus. You know, for me,

everything's changed. For me, it's all about

the story. It's all about being filled with the

Spirit. It's being empowered by God. And if you

don't have that story, then you have to ask,

am I in a relationship with God? Because that's

what He does to us. He transforms us. And then

we read in Revelation chapter 12, and they have

Revelation 12 · chapter mention

defeated Him by the blood of the Lamb. And that

means we defeat the enemy. We defeat Satan. By

repenting. When the Holy Spirit reveals a sin

in our life, we say, God, forgive me. I want

to no longer walk in that sin. I'm going to turn

from it and go back to you. That's what repent

means. It's not a bad word. That's what the blood

of the Lamb did for us. And so we defeat the

enemy by walking in grace and forgiveness and

by our testimonies. And they did not love their

lives so much that they were afraid to die. And

the point is this. Don't allow the enemy to continue

to keep you down. There's many of you here that

are struggling with insecurities, whether you're

looking in a mirror or how you see yourself or

how you view yourself. You're not good enough.

You're never going to be good. Then tell your

Jesus story. Like you want to overcome sin. You

want to overcome and become a different person.

Tell your Jesus story. Because then you're allowing

the Holy Spirit to empower you. And as you allow

the Holy Spirit to empower you, then you're pointing

others to experience the same new life. Your

story needs to be told because it's your story.

And your story brings glory to God. David says

it this way in Psalm 51. Create in me a clean

heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me.

Do not banish me from your presence. And don't

take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me.

the joy of your salvation and make me willing

to obey you. For some of us, we've lost the joy

of our salvation. How do I know that? Because

I listen. And it's much easier to walk through

life complaining, judging, looking at everyone

else, making excuses, pointing fingers, playing

the comparison game. than simply looking back

and saying, God, I'm just so grateful for this

life I'm living. And just like David, we need

to ask God, God, restore in me the joy of your

salvation. That we take the focus off of ourself

and what I'm doing and what I should be doing

and they should be doing, and we just are focused

on him. Which leads us to our third and final

step. That's when we choose praise over pride.

Continuing in Daniel 4, 36, 37, when my sanity

returned to me, so did my honor and glory and

kingdom. Again, Nebuchadnezzar. My advisors and

nobles sought me out and I was restored as head

of my kingdom with even greater honor than before.

Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and glorify and

honor the king of heaven. All his acts are just

and true and he is able to humble the proud.

Those who walk in pride, God humbles. That's

what we learned. And the crazy thing about King

Nebuchadnezzar is he disappears from the Bible

now. You'll never hear him mentioned again. But

for four chapters in the book of Daniel, we see

a man who controlled the known world, was humbled

by God, and now is bringing him glory. He's choosing

praise over pride. And when you reflect on your

life today and all the accomplishments that you

have done or achieved in this life, what do you

see? Do you see your success or do you see God's

greatness? Is your response praise or is it pride

and arrogance? And listen, there's nothing wrong

with accomplishing great things. I believe God

wants all of you to be great and you learned

that three weeks ago. When I challenge you to

be great, But don't take the glory. Be great,

but choose praise over pride. So where are you

today? Are you begrudgingly walking through life

full of negativity and doubt? Are you on top?

You're successful. You've earned the right to

say you have. Because everything's going right.

Or are you struggling? Are you facing difficulties?

Like we learned last week in the fire. Well,

notice what David says in Psalm 34. In fact,

let's all read the first line together. I will

praise the Lord at all times. What does that

say? Sometime. All times. I will constantly speak

his praises. I will boast only in the Lord. Let

all who are helpless take heart. Come, let us

tell the Lord's greatness. Let us exalt his name

together. Amen? Will you stand with me? And listen,

everybody focused up here. Don't look at your

Bibles. Don't pick up your papers. Women, don't

grab your purses. We're not done. Listen, I want

to challenge you with two things. We're about

to worship. So I want you to prepare your heart.

But I want to challenge you to two things. And

the first is this. I don't care who you are.

I don't care how old you are. I don't care how

long you've been coming here, even if this is

your first time here. I want to challenge you

with something. God's in this house. Let your

walls down. Let your walls down today. Seriously.

Let them down. Let your walls down. Right? If

you feel prompted to lift your hands in worship,

do it. Don't care about who's beside you because

if you care about who's beside you or what they

think about you, what is that? Pride. It's pride.

If you're concerned about your voice and you

can't sing and you're going to make a joyful

noise, not song. And you don't sing because you're

worried about what people think about your voice.

What is that? Pride. If God is overcoming you

and you begin to cry and weep, but then you're

like, no, I can't do that. What is that? Pride.

You see, we don't get honest in worship because

we won't let our walls down because we're full

of pride. God wants to change that today, I believe,

in this worship. So I want to challenge you.

Whatever God is revealing to you, allow your

body to do it. If you're crying like a blabbering

child, let it happen. If he wants you to get

on your knees, get on your knees. If he wants

you to lift your arms, lift your arms. If he

wants you to dance, dance. Like it's okay. You'll

do it at the football game at one o 'clock. Amen?

All right. Now, listen. There were several words

of knowledge before we worship. If these are

you, get up here. The prayer team will be on

both sides of the stage. Your right eye hurts.

You have hip bone pain in your left hip. And

listen, when Haron gave me that word last night,

he goes, I've been getting this word for several

weeks and the person won't come forward. That's

pride. You have a bone fracture in your foot.

You have a skin condition in the stomach area.

Your name is Amy and you're worried about a job

situation. So if any of those are you, get up

here and get some prayer. And if you have any

other need, get up here and get some prayer.

Because when we were praying for this gathering,

Randy was praying for us and he saw people flocking

to the front and experiencing the miraculous

in their lives. Amen? So will you sing with me

this morning? Let's raise.