1 00:00:02,580 --> 00:00:08,240 - Good morning church. 2 00:00:08,240 --> 00:00:11,000 It's good to be in the house with you today. 3 00:00:11,000 --> 00:00:12,780 It's always good to be in the house of the Lord. 4 00:00:12,780 --> 00:00:13,920 God is good. 5 00:00:13,920 --> 00:00:16,100 All the time. 6 00:00:16,100 --> 00:00:19,300 Well, I'm glad we said that together. 7 00:00:19,300 --> 00:00:23,560 Couple of things before we get started. 8 00:00:23,560 --> 00:00:25,840 If you are joining us right after this gathering 9 00:00:25,840 --> 00:00:27,420 for the newcomer lunch, 10 00:00:27,420 --> 00:00:29,020 it will be right through those doors 11 00:00:29,020 --> 00:00:30,720 into the fellowship hall. 12 00:00:30,720 --> 00:00:31,920 We will break bread together 13 00:00:31,920 --> 00:00:34,700 and then we'll spend a few moments getting to know you 14 00:00:34,700 --> 00:00:36,140 and telling you about Springhouse. 15 00:00:36,140 --> 00:00:37,980 If this is your first day with us 16 00:00:37,980 --> 00:00:39,640 and you'd like to know about a church, come on. 17 00:00:39,640 --> 00:00:41,180 Well, I'd love to meet you 18 00:00:41,180 --> 00:00:43,920 and this would be a good day for you to meet the staff 19 00:00:43,920 --> 00:00:46,800 and the leadership here at the church. 20 00:00:46,800 --> 00:00:50,560 And then second, I'm not gonna go much into this today. 21 00:00:50,560 --> 00:00:52,040 This is gonna come down the line, 22 00:00:52,040 --> 00:00:56,240 but I felt like I was supposed to say this today. 23 00:00:56,240 --> 00:01:00,660 A group of us have started to go to Celebrate Recovery 24 00:01:00,660 --> 00:01:03,580 at North Boulevard Church of Christ in Murfreesboro. 25 00:01:03,580 --> 00:01:05,140 And if you're familiar with Celebrate Recovery, 26 00:01:05,140 --> 00:01:07,700 I encourage you to look it up online at some point 27 00:01:07,700 --> 00:01:10,340 because I'm gonna be talking about it in the future. 28 00:01:10,340 --> 00:01:12,900 But on Monday nights, I've been going every week. 29 00:01:12,900 --> 00:01:16,000 There's a group of about 10 to 12 of us going. 30 00:01:16,000 --> 00:01:18,960 If you are interested in participating in that, 31 00:01:18,960 --> 00:01:22,360 we'd love to get you connected with us to be a part of that. 32 00:01:22,360 --> 00:01:24,800 So if that's of interest to you, 33 00:01:24,800 --> 00:01:27,120 come and see me and I'll get you that information. 34 00:01:27,120 --> 00:01:29,580 All right, so we are continuing our series, 35 00:01:29,580 --> 00:01:31,160 The Greatest Stories Ever Told, 36 00:01:31,160 --> 00:01:33,160 and they truly are the greatest stories ever told 37 00:01:33,160 --> 00:01:34,880 because they're in God's word and they're true. 38 00:01:34,880 --> 00:01:36,440 True, yes? 39 00:01:36,440 --> 00:01:37,480 Greatest stories ever told. 40 00:01:37,480 --> 00:01:39,420 And today we're probably going to talk about 41 00:01:39,420 --> 00:01:42,600 one of my most favorite characters in scripture. 42 00:01:42,600 --> 00:01:44,480 And I'll tell you why that is in just a few moments, 43 00:01:44,480 --> 00:01:45,960 but would you stand with me this morning? 44 00:01:45,960 --> 00:01:50,040 We're gonna read from the book of Judges. 45 00:01:50,040 --> 00:01:53,440 We are not gonna read three chapters together today, 46 00:01:53,440 --> 00:01:55,680 but we are gonna talk about a man named Gideon, 47 00:01:55,680 --> 00:01:58,040 and I've got two short scriptures for us to read. 48 00:01:58,040 --> 00:02:00,480 But would you all read them like you had three shots 49 00:02:00,480 --> 00:02:02,040 of espresso before you came today? 50 00:02:02,040 --> 00:02:03,240 Here we go. 51 00:02:03,240 --> 00:02:06,360 When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, 52 00:02:06,360 --> 00:02:11,360 he said, "The Lord is with you, mighty warrior." 53 00:02:11,360 --> 00:02:15,640 Without faith, it is impossible to please God 54 00:02:15,640 --> 00:02:20,480 because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists 55 00:02:20,480 --> 00:02:24,200 and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. 56 00:02:24,200 --> 00:02:25,680 Father, thank you for your word. 57 00:02:25,680 --> 00:02:27,440 I thank you that it is true and alive 58 00:02:27,440 --> 00:02:29,320 and working in our lives today. 59 00:02:29,320 --> 00:02:31,880 Lord, I'm asking, Lord, that my stuff that comes from me 60 00:02:31,880 --> 00:02:33,500 would fall down and be forgotten, 61 00:02:33,500 --> 00:02:35,760 but the things, Lord, that you have for us 62 00:02:35,760 --> 00:02:37,640 would stick for all eternity, God. 63 00:02:37,640 --> 00:02:40,200 And I also ask that you would increase the faith 64 00:02:40,200 --> 00:02:45,000 in this house in Jesus' name, amen, amen. 65 00:02:45,000 --> 00:02:46,680 All right, you may be seated. 66 00:02:46,680 --> 00:02:49,560 The greatest stories ever told, 67 00:02:49,560 --> 00:02:51,500 we're gonna talk about Gideon today. 68 00:02:51,500 --> 00:02:56,280 I used to be in high school, and, true story. 69 00:02:56,280 --> 00:03:01,280 And when I was in high school, I rode the bus to school, 70 00:03:01,280 --> 00:03:04,280 and it was during a season where my parents were gone 71 00:03:04,280 --> 00:03:06,400 before the bus came to the house. 72 00:03:06,400 --> 00:03:09,180 So it was very important for me to catch the bus 73 00:03:09,180 --> 00:03:10,200 'cause if I didn't catch the bus, 74 00:03:10,200 --> 00:03:12,240 I wouldn't make it to school unless I was gonna walk. 75 00:03:12,240 --> 00:03:16,000 And so I was real intent on catching the bus. 76 00:03:16,000 --> 00:03:17,980 And the bus driver at the time was a lady 77 00:03:17,980 --> 00:03:19,440 by the name of Rena Montgomery, 78 00:03:19,440 --> 00:03:24,440 and she was just a phenomenal, phenomenal, just everything, 79 00:03:24,440 --> 00:03:28,080 especially a fellow sister in Christ, 80 00:03:28,080 --> 00:03:29,560 or a sister in Christ or other. 81 00:03:29,560 --> 00:03:33,720 And as a bus driver, because she kinda knew me 82 00:03:33,720 --> 00:03:34,800 and we had developed a relationship, 83 00:03:34,800 --> 00:03:38,560 she would slow that bus down right by my house 84 00:03:38,560 --> 00:03:41,120 knowing Kevin's gonna come out any moment. 85 00:03:41,120 --> 00:03:42,640 And sure enough, I would come out 86 00:03:42,640 --> 00:03:44,300 and she would stop and let me in. 87 00:03:44,300 --> 00:03:46,440 Nowadays, I see buses, and if they don't see kids, 88 00:03:46,440 --> 00:03:47,360 they just fly by, you know? 89 00:03:47,360 --> 00:03:48,540 It's just like, you better jump on 90 00:03:48,540 --> 00:03:50,120 when the door's open while it's still rolling. 91 00:03:50,120 --> 00:03:55,120 But when I was 16, I got my license and I got a car. 92 00:03:55,120 --> 00:03:58,920 And when I rode the bus, 93 00:03:58,920 --> 00:04:02,380 I was at school all the time on time, 94 00:04:02,380 --> 00:04:05,220 but something happened whenever I got a car. 95 00:04:05,220 --> 00:04:09,460 Something happened, just a few extra moments of sleep, 96 00:04:09,460 --> 00:04:11,900 and I started to be late to school 97 00:04:11,900 --> 00:04:14,880 with my newfound freedom of driving my car. 98 00:04:14,880 --> 00:04:16,800 Well, they had this thing in the county, 99 00:04:16,800 --> 00:04:18,400 at least whenever I was in high school, 100 00:04:18,400 --> 00:04:21,500 that when you miss nine days of a particular class 101 00:04:21,500 --> 00:04:23,520 in a semester, you fail the class 102 00:04:23,520 --> 00:04:25,760 and you don't get the credit, you don't graduate. 103 00:04:25,760 --> 00:04:30,160 And so, unfortunately, I had accrued enough absences 104 00:04:30,160 --> 00:04:33,560 in this first period class of mine where I was up to eight, 105 00:04:33,560 --> 00:04:36,280 and I needed to fix this problem. 106 00:04:36,280 --> 00:04:38,520 And so I went into Miss McCullough, 107 00:04:38,520 --> 00:04:40,100 the guidance counselor at the time, 108 00:04:40,100 --> 00:04:41,720 and I sat down and I said, "Miss McCullough, 109 00:04:41,720 --> 00:04:44,120 "I've got a problem and I need you to fix it." 110 00:04:44,120 --> 00:04:46,440 And she said, "Okay, well, what's your problem?" 111 00:04:46,440 --> 00:04:48,480 I said, "I'm about to lose the credit 112 00:04:48,480 --> 00:04:50,340 "in this first period class 113 00:04:50,340 --> 00:04:52,100 "for all these absences that I have. 114 00:04:52,100 --> 00:04:55,120 "I need you to switch this class to a different period 115 00:04:55,120 --> 00:04:58,100 "and give me a fresh period during first period 116 00:04:58,100 --> 00:04:59,720 "to which I can be late to." 117 00:04:59,720 --> 00:05:01,560 (congregation laughing) 118 00:05:01,560 --> 00:05:05,380 And she looked at me like I had 12 eyes, 119 00:05:05,380 --> 00:05:07,580 and she said to me, 120 00:05:07,580 --> 00:05:10,560 "Why don't you just show up on time to school?" 121 00:05:10,560 --> 00:05:14,740 And when she said that to me, it was as if the, 122 00:05:14,740 --> 00:05:16,060 it was an epiphany. 123 00:05:16,060 --> 00:05:19,540 I never ever thought that that was even a possibility 124 00:05:19,540 --> 00:05:22,660 that I would show up on time to school. 125 00:05:22,660 --> 00:05:24,640 You know, the reason I share that story 126 00:05:24,640 --> 00:05:27,840 is that sometimes whenever we look at problems 127 00:05:27,840 --> 00:05:30,320 and situations, we're trying to attack the symptom 128 00:05:30,320 --> 00:05:32,120 instead of the root issue. 129 00:05:32,120 --> 00:05:34,420 Sometimes we're trying to attack the symptom 130 00:05:34,420 --> 00:05:35,920 instead of the root issue. 131 00:05:35,920 --> 00:05:38,160 Today, we're gonna talk about Gideon. 132 00:05:38,160 --> 00:05:39,400 And when we talk about Gideon, 133 00:05:39,400 --> 00:05:41,800 when I talk to my friends about the story of Gideon, 134 00:05:41,800 --> 00:05:44,300 or we talk, we usually look at Gideon's life 135 00:05:44,300 --> 00:05:46,360 and we talk about Gideon and his faith, 136 00:05:46,360 --> 00:05:48,600 or lack of faith, his questions, all of these things, 137 00:05:48,600 --> 00:05:51,400 and that's appropriate because that's a part of the story. 138 00:05:51,400 --> 00:05:54,400 But I think it's a very important thing for us to realize 139 00:05:54,400 --> 00:05:58,160 why this story exists in Scripture to begin with. 140 00:05:58,160 --> 00:06:01,900 Israel was in a season of their lives 141 00:06:01,900 --> 00:06:06,440 where they were turning their hearts away from Jehovah God. 142 00:06:06,440 --> 00:06:09,680 They were turning their hearts away from the one true God, 143 00:06:09,680 --> 00:06:12,260 the star breather, and not only that, 144 00:06:12,260 --> 00:06:16,020 they had decided to begin worshiping idol gods. 145 00:06:16,020 --> 00:06:18,420 That's important because I want us to understand 146 00:06:18,420 --> 00:06:22,020 that the entire reason that God arrives on the scene here 147 00:06:22,020 --> 00:06:25,960 is because Israel became so plundered, so impoverished, 148 00:06:25,960 --> 00:06:29,260 so destitute because of the Midianites, 149 00:06:29,260 --> 00:06:31,580 because of the others in the land, 150 00:06:31,580 --> 00:06:35,040 they became in such a bad, devastated position 151 00:06:35,040 --> 00:06:38,120 that they finally called out to the one true God 152 00:06:38,120 --> 00:06:40,780 and God is going to come and rescue them. 153 00:06:40,780 --> 00:06:43,580 But I want you to understand that it wasn't God's prerogative 154 00:06:43,580 --> 00:06:46,520 to take out the enemy, it was God's prerogative 155 00:06:46,520 --> 00:06:48,660 to put himself back in the proper place 156 00:06:48,660 --> 00:06:50,360 in the hearts of the Israelites. 157 00:06:50,360 --> 00:06:54,200 And I want us to understand that today you may have come 158 00:06:54,200 --> 00:06:56,160 with some symptomatic problems, 159 00:06:56,160 --> 00:06:58,800 but God is wanting to get to the root issue. 160 00:06:58,800 --> 00:07:01,140 He's wanting to pull out the root issue 161 00:07:01,140 --> 00:07:03,940 because the symptoms are only there because of the root. 162 00:07:03,940 --> 00:07:05,580 I remember the other day I was at the school 163 00:07:05,580 --> 00:07:07,380 and there's these bushes that we have 164 00:07:07,380 --> 00:07:10,180 and there's this ugly little thing growing out of this bush, 165 00:07:10,180 --> 00:07:11,540 this weed and I get out there 166 00:07:11,540 --> 00:07:13,580 and I am tugging on this thing. 167 00:07:13,580 --> 00:07:17,280 I mean, it was huge, I'm just pulling so hard because why? 168 00:07:17,280 --> 00:07:19,780 I don't wanna just rip part of the weed out, 169 00:07:19,780 --> 00:07:23,180 I wanna get the root out of there so it dies. 170 00:07:23,180 --> 00:07:26,260 And I'm telling you today, we sang earlier 171 00:07:26,260 --> 00:07:27,720 about some dead things coming to life, 172 00:07:27,720 --> 00:07:30,560 there are some things that have life that need to be dead. 173 00:07:30,560 --> 00:07:32,860 And God can do that today 174 00:07:32,860 --> 00:07:35,160 if he's in the right place of your heart, 175 00:07:35,160 --> 00:07:37,640 if he's in the right place of your life. 176 00:07:37,640 --> 00:07:41,280 So the real issue here is that the Israelites have decided 177 00:07:41,280 --> 00:07:44,240 that there is a better God than the God of the universe 178 00:07:44,240 --> 00:07:46,540 and they are worshiping him. 179 00:07:46,540 --> 00:07:48,180 Can I tell you, we've said this before, 180 00:07:48,180 --> 00:07:49,820 you cannot defeat your demons 181 00:07:49,820 --> 00:07:51,780 if you're still enjoying their company. 182 00:07:51,780 --> 00:07:56,820 You cannot contend and think that your demons 183 00:07:56,820 --> 00:08:01,400 are going to die and flee if you continue to resuscitate them 184 00:08:01,400 --> 00:08:02,920 every time you get an itch, 185 00:08:02,920 --> 00:08:04,820 that you want to hang out with them. 186 00:08:04,820 --> 00:08:06,040 Death means death. 187 00:08:07,440 --> 00:08:10,040 And some of the things, the problems in our life, 188 00:08:10,040 --> 00:08:11,960 God wants to pull out completely. 189 00:08:11,960 --> 00:08:16,180 For some of you today, your issue is not your bank account, 190 00:08:16,180 --> 00:08:18,740 it's not your relationships, it's not your job, 191 00:08:18,740 --> 00:08:20,740 it's that you've chosen to place someone or something 192 00:08:20,740 --> 00:08:21,980 above the God of the universe 193 00:08:21,980 --> 00:08:23,820 and you're asking him to share the throne 194 00:08:23,820 --> 00:08:26,460 and he won't do it, he won't do it. 195 00:08:26,460 --> 00:08:28,420 I love the story of Gideon. 196 00:08:28,420 --> 00:08:30,420 And the reason I love the story of Gideon 197 00:08:30,420 --> 00:08:34,060 is because I believe that it is one of the places 198 00:08:34,060 --> 00:08:38,700 in scripture where we see a character who is most like us. 199 00:08:38,700 --> 00:08:41,560 I see a character, for a believing Christian, 200 00:08:41,560 --> 00:08:44,840 I see a character in Gideon and his responses 201 00:08:44,840 --> 00:08:49,340 and his dialogue with God that I think lines way up 202 00:08:49,340 --> 00:08:51,780 with you and I as believers in Christ. 203 00:08:51,780 --> 00:08:54,280 You know, I would like to say every single time 204 00:08:54,280 --> 00:08:56,080 I hear the voice of the Lord, I say, yes sir, 205 00:08:56,080 --> 00:08:58,220 and I do exactly what he tells me to do. 206 00:08:58,220 --> 00:09:00,120 But if I'm honest with you, that's not the case. 207 00:09:00,120 --> 00:09:02,320 In fact, there are multiple times 208 00:09:02,320 --> 00:09:03,560 when God tells me to do something 209 00:09:03,560 --> 00:09:05,920 and I ignore him like he's not even speaking to me, okay? 210 00:09:05,920 --> 00:09:08,400 So I mean, let alone always getting it 211 00:09:08,400 --> 00:09:10,860 and nailing it on the head when God says go and do this. 212 00:09:10,860 --> 00:09:14,000 And a lot of times the reason why I hesitate 213 00:09:14,000 --> 00:09:16,440 to do what God has asked me to do 214 00:09:16,440 --> 00:09:20,080 is because I'm fearful of what might happen 215 00:09:20,080 --> 00:09:22,480 or I'm fearful that I don't have the strength 216 00:09:22,480 --> 00:09:23,940 to accomplish it. 217 00:09:23,940 --> 00:09:25,380 But therein lies the problem. 218 00:09:25,380 --> 00:09:28,340 He never asked us to do something 219 00:09:28,340 --> 00:09:30,180 that he's relying on our own, 220 00:09:30,180 --> 00:09:32,280 asking us to rely on our own strength to do. 221 00:09:33,280 --> 00:09:35,880 So Midian has totally devastated Israel so much 222 00:09:35,880 --> 00:09:39,940 that we find Gideon in a place where he is threshing wheat 223 00:09:39,940 --> 00:09:40,940 in a wine press. 224 00:09:40,940 --> 00:09:42,180 Well, what does that mean? 225 00:09:42,180 --> 00:09:43,980 Has anybody been threshing wheat this week? 226 00:09:43,980 --> 00:09:45,820 Anybody in a wine press this week? 227 00:09:45,820 --> 00:09:48,480 So I'm gonna give you an analogy. 228 00:09:48,480 --> 00:09:51,060 Threshing the wheat in a wine press 229 00:09:51,060 --> 00:09:53,160 is equivalent to me changing my oil 230 00:09:53,160 --> 00:09:54,920 in the middle of this ministry center. 231 00:09:54,920 --> 00:09:56,560 Doesn't belong, okay? 232 00:09:56,560 --> 00:09:57,700 It doesn't belong. 233 00:09:57,700 --> 00:10:00,140 Threshing wheat means getting the good parts of the wheat 234 00:10:00,140 --> 00:10:01,960 that you can eat and he's in this wine press 235 00:10:01,960 --> 00:10:04,300 because Gideon is afraid. 236 00:10:04,300 --> 00:10:09,280 He is scared for his life, but he has to sustain himself. 237 00:10:09,280 --> 00:10:11,920 Have you ever been in a place where you were scared, 238 00:10:11,920 --> 00:10:15,780 where you were afraid of what might happen? 239 00:10:15,780 --> 00:10:17,680 Listen, just because you're scared, listen, 240 00:10:17,680 --> 00:10:22,220 if I'm scared that I'm not gonna meet my mortgage, 241 00:10:22,220 --> 00:10:24,560 I don't just sit there and become paralyzed. 242 00:10:24,560 --> 00:10:26,920 I gotta continue to work, okay? 243 00:10:26,920 --> 00:10:29,460 Gideon is continuing to try his best 244 00:10:29,460 --> 00:10:33,100 to survive under devastating circumstances. 245 00:10:33,100 --> 00:10:35,840 And so he's hiding himself in this wine press 246 00:10:35,840 --> 00:10:38,200 to try to get this food and I love, 247 00:10:38,200 --> 00:10:41,380 my favorite part of the story happens right at the top. 248 00:10:41,380 --> 00:10:45,020 The angel of the Lord sits down under a tree 249 00:10:45,020 --> 00:10:53,280 and he sees Gideon and he says, 250 00:10:53,280 --> 00:10:57,220 "The Lord is with you, mighty warrior." 251 00:10:57,360 --> 00:11:02,360 I love that we serve a God who will sit down 252 00:11:02,360 --> 00:11:07,100 right in the middle of our circumstance, 253 00:11:07,100 --> 00:11:09,440 look us eyeball to eyeball and say, 254 00:11:09,440 --> 00:11:13,740 "I am with you, mighty warrior." 255 00:11:13,740 --> 00:11:16,640 We serve a God who is compassionate, 256 00:11:16,640 --> 00:11:20,980 who is kind, who cares about you. 257 00:11:20,980 --> 00:11:24,640 Some would argue that we have a God 258 00:11:24,640 --> 00:11:26,480 who looks at somebody like Gideon 259 00:11:26,480 --> 00:11:31,080 who is fearful and distances himself and says, 260 00:11:31,080 --> 00:11:32,880 "I'm not going to have anything to do 261 00:11:32,880 --> 00:11:37,020 with that fearful person." 262 00:11:37,020 --> 00:11:38,800 But that's not the God we serve. 263 00:11:38,800 --> 00:11:43,800 The God we serve will meet you right where you are. 264 00:11:43,800 --> 00:11:47,400 And some of you this morning need a God who breathes stars 265 00:11:47,400 --> 00:11:50,840 to meet you right where you are. 266 00:11:50,840 --> 00:11:52,840 And I tell you, he's here this morning 267 00:11:52,840 --> 00:11:53,780 and he wants to meet you. 268 00:11:53,780 --> 00:11:58,120 He sits down under the tree and says, 269 00:11:58,120 --> 00:12:00,180 "The Lord is with you, mighty warrior. 270 00:12:00,180 --> 00:12:02,960 The Lord is with you, mighty warrior." 271 00:12:02,960 --> 00:12:05,880 Now when I read that in scripture, 272 00:12:05,880 --> 00:12:08,720 when we read that, we kind of rise up 273 00:12:08,720 --> 00:12:11,500 because we see the Lord is with you, mighty warrior. 274 00:12:11,500 --> 00:12:13,500 We kind of get worked up and amped up 275 00:12:13,500 --> 00:12:16,040 about that mighty warrior part. 276 00:12:16,040 --> 00:12:18,060 But can I tell you the most important part 277 00:12:18,060 --> 00:12:19,940 of this statement is not mighty warrior, 278 00:12:19,940 --> 00:12:21,880 it is the Lord is with you. 279 00:12:21,880 --> 00:12:25,200 Because if you can grapple and understand 280 00:12:25,200 --> 00:12:26,680 that the Lord is with you, 281 00:12:26,680 --> 00:12:28,880 then the mighty warrior part comes. 282 00:12:28,880 --> 00:12:31,520 But so often we just hear the mighty warrior part 283 00:12:31,520 --> 00:12:33,580 and then we get insecure because we know 284 00:12:33,580 --> 00:12:35,060 I'm not a mighty warrior, 285 00:12:35,060 --> 00:12:38,020 but you're forgetting the part that God is with you. 286 00:12:38,020 --> 00:12:40,620 He is with you because you're not a mighty warrior 287 00:12:40,620 --> 00:12:41,460 without him. 288 00:12:41,460 --> 00:12:44,700 You're not a mighty warrior without the Lord. 289 00:12:44,700 --> 00:12:47,400 And so the most important part of that 290 00:12:47,400 --> 00:12:48,240 is the Lord is with you. 291 00:12:48,240 --> 00:12:51,840 So God tells Gideon, he says, 292 00:12:51,840 --> 00:12:54,900 "Go in your strength and save Israel." 293 00:12:54,900 --> 00:12:56,600 Now I'm gonna tell you all throughout this story, 294 00:12:56,600 --> 00:12:58,780 God asked Gideon to do a lot of things 295 00:12:58,780 --> 00:13:00,140 that do not make sense. 296 00:13:00,140 --> 00:13:03,740 He asked Gideon to do some things that do not make sense. 297 00:13:03,740 --> 00:13:04,640 And the first thing he says is, 298 00:13:04,640 --> 00:13:06,180 "I want you to go in your own strength. 299 00:13:06,180 --> 00:13:08,260 "I want you to go in your strength and save Israel." 300 00:13:08,260 --> 00:13:09,980 That's literally what the scripture says. 301 00:13:09,980 --> 00:13:12,260 "I want you to go in your strength and save Israel." 302 00:13:12,260 --> 00:13:14,500 Now I believe God intentionally did that 303 00:13:14,500 --> 00:13:17,820 because when he approaches us with any type of task, 304 00:13:17,820 --> 00:13:19,640 he is trying to get us to a place 305 00:13:19,640 --> 00:13:21,140 where we have to answer with, 306 00:13:21,140 --> 00:13:23,900 "I am the weakest and I am the least." 307 00:13:23,900 --> 00:13:25,740 I am the weakest and I am the least. 308 00:13:25,740 --> 00:13:26,980 Gideon replies and says, 309 00:13:26,980 --> 00:13:30,280 "Lord, you're gonna try to send me to do this task? 310 00:13:30,280 --> 00:13:34,420 "My tribe is the weakest and I am the least in my family." 311 00:13:34,420 --> 00:13:36,920 Can I tell you that God has an uncanny knack 312 00:13:36,920 --> 00:13:39,520 of using the weakest, the least, 313 00:13:39,520 --> 00:13:42,460 the unqualified, the ill-equipped. 314 00:13:42,460 --> 00:13:45,600 He has the uncanny knack of using the one in the room 315 00:13:45,600 --> 00:13:47,200 that says he could never use me 316 00:13:47,200 --> 00:13:49,400 because I've done this, this, and this. 317 00:13:49,400 --> 00:13:53,600 Anybody qualify to be used by God 318 00:13:53,600 --> 00:13:55,140 based on that definition? 319 00:13:55,140 --> 00:14:01,980 God has this ability to take the lowest of the low 320 00:14:01,980 --> 00:14:06,980 and raise them up to make them a valiant warrior for him. 321 00:14:06,980 --> 00:14:10,020 And we know what God can do with a response like this 322 00:14:10,020 --> 00:14:12,460 because it says, "My grace is sufficient for you, 323 00:14:12,460 --> 00:14:14,960 "for my power is made perfect in," what? 324 00:14:14,960 --> 00:14:17,220 "In your weakness." 325 00:14:17,220 --> 00:14:20,160 Guys, there's so many times when I'm missing the power of God 326 00:14:20,160 --> 00:14:22,700 because I'm operating out of my strength. 327 00:14:22,700 --> 00:14:24,140 I don't wanna operate out of my strength. 328 00:14:24,140 --> 00:14:26,200 I need to operate out of my weakness 329 00:14:26,200 --> 00:14:30,040 because then he will come and bless me and use me 330 00:14:30,040 --> 00:14:33,100 and be glorified through me. 331 00:14:33,100 --> 00:14:37,180 And so this is where I want to camp today is this. 332 00:14:37,180 --> 00:14:39,380 It is never about your ability. 333 00:14:39,380 --> 00:14:41,720 It is always about your faith. 334 00:14:41,720 --> 00:14:45,220 It is never about your ability. 335 00:14:45,220 --> 00:14:47,420 It is always about your faith. 336 00:14:47,420 --> 00:14:52,420 If you guys just knew truly how ill-equipped 337 00:14:52,420 --> 00:14:56,300 I feel to do the assignments that God has given me, 338 00:14:56,300 --> 00:14:58,160 if you just knew the inner workings 339 00:14:58,160 --> 00:15:02,000 and the turmoil of my heart and my mind and my psyche, 340 00:15:02,000 --> 00:15:04,080 the internal battles I contend with, 341 00:15:04,080 --> 00:15:07,640 I promise I would not be the first on your list 342 00:15:07,640 --> 00:15:12,220 to be a dad, a father, to be a husband, 343 00:15:12,220 --> 00:15:16,180 to be a pastor, to be a leader at a school. 344 00:15:16,180 --> 00:15:18,360 I promise you I would not make the cut 345 00:15:18,360 --> 00:15:23,320 if I listed all of the things that I contend with but God. 346 00:15:23,320 --> 00:15:27,900 And if there's anything that you ever see 347 00:15:27,900 --> 00:15:30,700 that is good out of me, I can promise you 348 00:15:30,700 --> 00:15:34,800 it is not Kevin O'Dea, it is God Almighty 349 00:15:34,800 --> 00:15:37,040 because anything I have is like filthy rags 350 00:15:37,040 --> 00:15:40,180 and that is not just a cliche statement, it is the truth. 351 00:15:40,180 --> 00:15:44,040 It is the truth that anything that comes out of me, 352 00:15:44,040 --> 00:15:49,060 I still question God, why would you ask me to do X, Y, and Z? 353 00:15:49,060 --> 00:15:53,320 Why would you bless me and use me to do all of these things? 354 00:15:53,320 --> 00:15:56,160 I still, I think I'm one of God's biggest jokes. 355 00:15:56,160 --> 00:16:02,800 But I hope that I'm able to give Him the glory 356 00:16:02,800 --> 00:16:05,960 when He does something really good. 357 00:16:05,960 --> 00:16:09,680 Gideon is human and so God says 358 00:16:09,680 --> 00:16:12,680 that He wants him to go and save Israel 359 00:16:12,680 --> 00:16:15,340 and Gideon says, "I need a sign. 360 00:16:15,340 --> 00:16:17,920 "Give me a sign about your reality." 361 00:16:17,920 --> 00:16:22,260 And so he goes off and he gets a sacrifice 362 00:16:22,260 --> 00:16:24,860 and he brings it and he lays it on the altar 363 00:16:24,860 --> 00:16:27,220 before the angel of the Lord. 364 00:16:27,220 --> 00:16:29,260 The angel of the Lord patiently waits for him to go 365 00:16:29,260 --> 00:16:32,200 and do that, he brings it back and the Word tells us 366 00:16:32,200 --> 00:16:34,500 that fire consumes this offering. 367 00:16:34,500 --> 00:16:36,400 It consumes it. 368 00:16:36,400 --> 00:16:39,800 And surely enough, right before Gideon's eyes, 369 00:16:39,800 --> 00:16:42,480 he believed this is God. 370 00:16:42,480 --> 00:16:45,740 This is the God of the universe, even so much so 371 00:16:45,740 --> 00:16:48,040 that Gideon thought he was gonna die 372 00:16:48,040 --> 00:16:51,220 because he was in the presence of a holy God. 373 00:16:51,220 --> 00:16:55,280 The angel disappears and the voice of the Lord continues, 374 00:16:55,280 --> 00:16:59,060 "Can I tell you that the Lord will nudge you along 375 00:16:59,060 --> 00:17:03,000 "in your disbelief to the point where you believe?" 376 00:17:03,000 --> 00:17:06,660 He will nudge you along as you continue to walk 377 00:17:06,660 --> 00:17:11,660 to prove himself who He is, that He is true. 378 00:17:11,660 --> 00:17:15,180 The starting place of your faith 379 00:17:15,180 --> 00:17:17,880 is acknowledging the existence of God. 380 00:17:17,880 --> 00:17:18,900 Let me say that again. 381 00:17:18,900 --> 00:17:20,580 The starting place of your faith 382 00:17:20,580 --> 00:17:22,980 is acknowledging the existence of God. 383 00:17:22,980 --> 00:17:27,280 And Gideon responds in a reverent fear of the Lord. 384 00:17:27,280 --> 00:17:29,860 Reverent fear of the Lord, God, 385 00:17:29,860 --> 00:17:32,780 you must be who you say you are. 386 00:17:32,780 --> 00:17:34,700 So what happens next in the story? 387 00:17:34,700 --> 00:17:37,120 Those of you who are following the Bible reading plan, 388 00:17:37,120 --> 00:17:40,200 hopefully you know what happens next, okay? 389 00:17:40,200 --> 00:17:44,540 The next thing that God does is not go 390 00:17:44,540 --> 00:17:47,140 and rescue the Israelites from Gideon. 391 00:17:47,140 --> 00:17:49,600 Why not? 392 00:17:49,600 --> 00:17:53,800 Because we still have some idols and some gods 393 00:17:53,800 --> 00:17:54,680 that we're contending with. 394 00:17:54,680 --> 00:17:56,180 See, here's the thing. 395 00:17:56,180 --> 00:17:59,180 We want God to take care of the problem 396 00:17:59,180 --> 00:18:01,940 without getting to the root issue. 397 00:18:01,940 --> 00:18:03,680 But God is all about the root. 398 00:18:03,680 --> 00:18:05,820 And so He says to Gideon, "I want you to go 399 00:18:05,820 --> 00:18:07,980 "and I want you to knock down that altar 400 00:18:07,980 --> 00:18:10,160 "that they have built to Baal." 401 00:18:10,160 --> 00:18:12,160 Gideon's like, "Me? 402 00:18:12,160 --> 00:18:13,860 "You want me to go and do this?" 403 00:18:13,860 --> 00:18:15,460 And so the word tells us that Gideon, 404 00:18:15,460 --> 00:18:18,560 still grappling with some fear at night, 405 00:18:18,560 --> 00:18:22,100 goes into the town and knocks that down. 406 00:18:22,100 --> 00:18:25,040 So much so that the next day, all the people rally, 407 00:18:25,040 --> 00:18:27,940 all the Israelite people rally around 408 00:18:27,940 --> 00:18:29,800 and want to kill Gideon. 409 00:18:30,900 --> 00:18:33,480 Doesn't that tell you how grossly tied in 410 00:18:33,480 --> 00:18:36,220 the Israelites were to a false god? 411 00:18:36,220 --> 00:18:37,940 That they were willing to kill Gideon 412 00:18:37,940 --> 00:18:41,920 who knocked it down for the one true God? 413 00:18:41,920 --> 00:18:43,460 But here's the thing. 414 00:18:43,460 --> 00:18:45,120 I'd like to submit to you this morning 415 00:18:45,120 --> 00:18:48,620 that I think there's some things that we have heart ties to 416 00:18:48,620 --> 00:18:50,500 that we would be willing to keep, 417 00:18:50,500 --> 00:18:52,420 metaphorically kill for, 418 00:18:52,420 --> 00:18:55,260 to maintain their structure in our life, 419 00:18:55,260 --> 00:18:58,040 to maintain their appearance in our life. 420 00:18:58,040 --> 00:19:00,940 And God wants those things to be knocked down. 421 00:19:00,940 --> 00:19:02,840 He wants those things to be knocked down. 422 00:19:02,840 --> 00:19:06,040 Anything that takes the place of the Lord is an idol. 423 00:19:06,040 --> 00:19:09,080 Anything that takes the place of the Lord, 424 00:19:09,080 --> 00:19:10,640 listen, I don't believe that God, 425 00:19:10,640 --> 00:19:12,040 it's not like a two-seater car. 426 00:19:12,040 --> 00:19:13,580 It's not like the Lord just sits there and says, 427 00:19:13,580 --> 00:19:14,960 "Okay, we'll let your other God be here 428 00:19:14,960 --> 00:19:16,680 "and we'll just kind of hang out together." 429 00:19:16,680 --> 00:19:18,580 God says, "It's me or nothing else." 430 00:19:18,580 --> 00:19:24,720 And so I wonder if sometimes the question 431 00:19:24,720 --> 00:19:26,800 that we need to ask ourselves in the altar space 432 00:19:26,800 --> 00:19:29,400 isn't God, would you help me, provide for me, 433 00:19:29,400 --> 00:19:31,140 do all of these things, 434 00:19:31,140 --> 00:19:34,340 but God, help me to surrender completely to you. 435 00:19:34,340 --> 00:19:36,540 Because if your sovereignty is in my life 436 00:19:36,540 --> 00:19:38,240 and you are completely in my life 437 00:19:38,240 --> 00:19:40,800 and you are truly my one thing, 438 00:19:40,800 --> 00:19:42,280 then I have the faith to believe 439 00:19:42,280 --> 00:19:45,620 that all the rest of this stuff is gonna get taken care of 440 00:19:45,620 --> 00:19:47,580 because you're in the midst of it all. 441 00:19:47,580 --> 00:19:49,180 You're in the midst of it all. 442 00:19:49,180 --> 00:19:52,920 God doesn't want to share the throne. 443 00:19:52,920 --> 00:19:54,280 So the first thing that God does 444 00:19:54,280 --> 00:19:56,460 is remove the thing that's taking its place 445 00:19:56,460 --> 00:19:59,460 and the altar veil is destroyed. 446 00:19:59,460 --> 00:20:03,100 And so Gideon comes before the Lord, 447 00:20:03,100 --> 00:20:05,360 the altar's been destroyed, 448 00:20:05,360 --> 00:20:07,060 and he gets before the Lord and he says, 449 00:20:07,060 --> 00:20:10,040 "Now listen, God, I hear what you're saying. 450 00:20:10,040 --> 00:20:12,640 "I know you want to send me to rescue Israel, 451 00:20:12,640 --> 00:20:15,700 "but I just really wanna make sure it's you. 452 00:20:15,700 --> 00:20:18,080 "I wanna make sure this is what you're telling me to do. 453 00:20:18,080 --> 00:20:21,680 "So I'm gonna put this fleece outside my door. 454 00:20:21,680 --> 00:20:26,360 "And if the fleece is wet and the ground is dry tonight, 455 00:20:27,180 --> 00:20:28,760 "then I know that this is your will." 456 00:20:28,760 --> 00:20:32,420 He goes to bed and he wakes up the next morning 457 00:20:32,420 --> 00:20:33,600 and guess what happened? 458 00:20:33,600 --> 00:20:37,160 The fleece was wet and the ground was dry. 459 00:20:37,160 --> 00:20:42,200 Now tell me it's not human what happens next. 460 00:20:42,200 --> 00:20:47,340 I just wanna make extra, extra sure, God. 461 00:20:47,340 --> 00:20:48,600 So I tell you what, 462 00:20:48,600 --> 00:20:52,140 maybe somebody kicked a glass of water over on that fleece. 463 00:20:52,140 --> 00:20:52,980 I don't know. 464 00:20:52,980 --> 00:20:55,520 I tell you what, God, what if we do this? 465 00:20:55,520 --> 00:20:58,140 How about tonight, if the fleece is dry 466 00:20:58,140 --> 00:21:01,280 and the ground's wet, then I will definitely know it's you. 467 00:21:01,280 --> 00:21:04,180 Anybody? 468 00:21:04,180 --> 00:21:05,020 Yeah. 469 00:21:05,020 --> 00:21:07,860 Guess what happens? 470 00:21:07,860 --> 00:21:09,600 It's exactly as he said. 471 00:21:09,600 --> 00:21:13,100 The ground was wet, the fleece was dry. 472 00:21:13,100 --> 00:21:15,660 So I get asked as a pastor sometimes, 473 00:21:15,660 --> 00:21:17,260 "Kevin, you think it's okay for people 474 00:21:17,260 --> 00:21:18,600 "to put a fleece out before the Lord? 475 00:21:18,600 --> 00:21:20,560 "Do you think it's okay for people to, man, what, 476 00:21:20,560 --> 00:21:22,100 "I mean, is that lack of faith, 477 00:21:22,100 --> 00:21:24,240 "isn't that like disobedience and all the," 478 00:21:24,240 --> 00:21:25,840 et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. 479 00:21:25,840 --> 00:21:28,180 Here's what I want us to understand. 480 00:21:28,180 --> 00:21:30,280 I want us to take away two things 481 00:21:30,280 --> 00:21:32,080 with regard to that question. 482 00:21:32,080 --> 00:21:33,920 Number one, I want you to understand 483 00:21:33,920 --> 00:21:35,220 that at this point in the story 484 00:21:35,220 --> 00:21:36,780 where Gideon puts out the fleece, 485 00:21:36,780 --> 00:21:40,180 he has already acknowledged the sovereignty of God. 486 00:21:40,180 --> 00:21:44,060 He's not asking if God is real. 487 00:21:44,060 --> 00:21:46,260 He's not asking, he's not trying to consider 488 00:21:46,260 --> 00:21:49,560 whether or not this is the voice of the Lord necessarily. 489 00:21:49,560 --> 00:21:52,640 He has already determined this is God. 490 00:21:52,640 --> 00:21:54,200 What he's wanting is clarification, 491 00:21:54,200 --> 00:21:55,700 is this what you want me to do? 492 00:21:55,700 --> 00:21:57,380 Is this your will? 493 00:21:57,380 --> 00:21:58,200 That's the first thing. 494 00:21:58,200 --> 00:22:03,180 The second thing is I believe in a patient God 495 00:22:03,180 --> 00:22:05,680 who will nudge you along in your faith. 496 00:22:05,680 --> 00:22:08,340 But here's the thing. 497 00:22:08,340 --> 00:22:10,180 If you put a fleece out before the Lord 498 00:22:10,180 --> 00:22:11,620 and he gives you an answer, 499 00:22:11,620 --> 00:22:13,660 you better do what he says to do. 500 00:22:13,660 --> 00:22:18,620 Because you're talking about the God of the universe, 501 00:22:18,620 --> 00:22:20,560 the God who breathes stars. 502 00:22:20,560 --> 00:22:22,320 He will not be mocked. 503 00:22:22,320 --> 00:22:24,300 The word tells us not to test the Lord, 504 00:22:24,300 --> 00:22:26,400 to bring him into a state of testing. 505 00:22:26,400 --> 00:22:28,300 And I believe with the right heart posture, 506 00:22:28,300 --> 00:22:30,040 I believe I have put fleeces before the Lord. 507 00:22:30,040 --> 00:22:31,680 In fact, I would not be your lead pastor 508 00:22:31,680 --> 00:22:34,040 without putting a fleece in front of the Lord. 509 00:22:34,040 --> 00:22:37,420 Her name is Norah Joy, and she's here. 510 00:22:37,420 --> 00:22:40,840 I'm telling you, God is so faithful and he will make it. 511 00:22:40,840 --> 00:22:43,180 Can I tell you that the God we serve 512 00:22:43,180 --> 00:22:45,360 is not the God of confusion? 513 00:22:45,360 --> 00:22:47,960 He's not trying to trick you. 514 00:22:47,960 --> 00:22:51,000 He's not trying to make it hard on you. 515 00:22:51,000 --> 00:22:52,860 He is very clear. 516 00:22:52,860 --> 00:22:55,800 Sometimes because of our inner turmoil, 517 00:22:55,800 --> 00:22:59,400 we are blind to what everybody else around us sees. 518 00:22:59,400 --> 00:23:03,080 He makes things so evident and clear before people. 519 00:23:03,080 --> 00:23:05,100 And unfortunately, when we don't get it, 520 00:23:05,100 --> 00:23:06,700 when we don't hear it right, 521 00:23:06,700 --> 00:23:08,880 he makes it abundantly clear around us. 522 00:23:08,880 --> 00:23:12,200 Sometimes you get exposed from other people 523 00:23:12,200 --> 00:23:14,960 because you're not willing to lay down your pride 524 00:23:14,960 --> 00:23:17,700 or your selfishness or the thing that you want, 525 00:23:17,700 --> 00:23:21,960 or you're not willing to destroy that altar to Baal. 526 00:23:21,960 --> 00:23:26,760 And so God has to illuminate it to other people 527 00:23:26,760 --> 00:23:27,600 and bring it out. 528 00:23:27,600 --> 00:23:30,040 I am so glad that the Lord will correct me 529 00:23:30,040 --> 00:23:32,920 in the privacy of my own home sometimes, anybody? 530 00:23:32,920 --> 00:23:38,420 I am so glad that he does that with me and he corrects me. 531 00:23:38,420 --> 00:23:40,300 But let me tell you, if he's not my one thing, 532 00:23:40,300 --> 00:23:43,100 he sure enough will use you all to make sure I know. 533 00:23:43,100 --> 00:23:47,420 God is so, he is so faithful. 534 00:23:47,420 --> 00:23:51,740 And God sees things from an eternal perspective. 535 00:23:51,740 --> 00:23:53,820 He sees things from an eternal perspective. 536 00:23:53,820 --> 00:23:58,720 So Gideon puts this fleece out and God answers him. 537 00:23:58,720 --> 00:24:02,280 And so he rallies 32,000 men. 538 00:24:02,280 --> 00:24:04,860 Now I want you to understand something, okay? 539 00:24:04,860 --> 00:24:07,560 All of these men, these 32,000 men, 540 00:24:07,560 --> 00:24:10,440 they are in the same position as Gideon. 541 00:24:10,440 --> 00:24:12,240 They've been in the same, 542 00:24:12,240 --> 00:24:14,520 their food has been taken, their stuff has been taken. 543 00:24:14,520 --> 00:24:16,880 They are scared out of their mind, just like Gideon. 544 00:24:16,880 --> 00:24:20,240 But Gideon has rallied 32,000 men. 545 00:24:20,240 --> 00:24:22,280 And he says, all right guys, we're gonna go in 546 00:24:22,280 --> 00:24:23,600 and we're gonna conquer Midian. 547 00:24:23,600 --> 00:24:25,640 We're gonna do this. 548 00:24:25,640 --> 00:24:28,240 And God says, whoa, whoa, whoa, wait a second, Gideon. 549 00:24:28,240 --> 00:24:31,820 There's a few too many guys here. 550 00:24:31,820 --> 00:24:36,720 We're gonna need to reduce the army size 551 00:24:36,720 --> 00:24:37,600 because here's the thing, 552 00:24:37,600 --> 00:24:40,680 if I let you 32,000 men go out and do this, 553 00:24:40,680 --> 00:24:43,640 you're gonna take the credit that I deserve, says the Lord. 554 00:24:44,400 --> 00:24:47,800 And so the Lord says, here's what we'll do. 555 00:24:47,800 --> 00:24:51,300 Go to the people and ask them a question. 556 00:24:51,300 --> 00:24:54,040 Are you scared? 557 00:24:54,040 --> 00:24:57,780 And if you're scared, you can go home. 558 00:24:57,780 --> 00:25:01,200 I'm sorry, I think it's funny. 559 00:25:01,200 --> 00:25:03,780 22,000 said, got that right. 560 00:25:03,780 --> 00:25:06,620 Who is, no. 561 00:25:06,620 --> 00:25:10,560 Boo boo the fool. 562 00:25:13,960 --> 00:25:16,100 They walked out, they left. 563 00:25:16,100 --> 00:25:17,600 10,000 remaining. 564 00:25:17,600 --> 00:25:22,840 And Gideon's like, okay, whoo, 22,000 are gone. 565 00:25:22,840 --> 00:25:25,940 10,000, let's take a deep breath, everybody. 566 00:25:25,940 --> 00:25:27,460 It's gonna be okay. 567 00:25:27,460 --> 00:25:30,440 God has given me a sign through this fleece. 568 00:25:30,440 --> 00:25:32,440 I'm good, we'll figure this out. 569 00:25:32,440 --> 00:25:35,600 10,000, at least I know that you all aren't scared. 570 00:25:35,600 --> 00:25:36,520 We're gonna be good. 571 00:25:36,520 --> 00:25:39,380 And God says, ah, Gideon, Gideon, Gideon. 572 00:25:39,380 --> 00:25:43,640 I still think there's too many people here. 573 00:25:43,640 --> 00:25:45,880 And my patience is wearing thin, 574 00:25:45,880 --> 00:25:49,720 so we're gonna fast track this, okay? 575 00:25:49,720 --> 00:25:50,560 So here's what I want you to do. 576 00:25:50,560 --> 00:25:52,640 Let's take them down to get a drink. 577 00:25:52,640 --> 00:25:57,400 And those who lap the water like a dog, 578 00:25:57,400 --> 00:25:58,640 we're gonna keep those. 579 00:25:58,640 --> 00:26:00,360 And those who bow down with their knee 580 00:26:00,360 --> 00:26:03,260 and get water another way, they get to go home. 581 00:26:03,260 --> 00:26:07,040 Now, I'm sure Gideon is walking around going, 582 00:26:07,040 --> 00:26:08,760 come on, stick that tongue out. 583 00:26:08,760 --> 00:26:11,100 Come on, he's trying to figure out, come on. 584 00:26:11,100 --> 00:26:13,120 Come on, come on, guys. 585 00:26:13,120 --> 00:26:15,240 300 remain. 586 00:26:15,240 --> 00:26:19,080 32,000 to 300 people. 587 00:26:19,080 --> 00:26:22,120 And God says, all right, I think I can do it with that. 588 00:26:22,120 --> 00:26:24,960 My goodness. 589 00:26:24,960 --> 00:26:27,280 What Gideon must have felt in that moment, 590 00:26:27,280 --> 00:26:32,080 going from 32,000, God, I have some security in 32,000 men. 591 00:26:32,080 --> 00:26:33,240 I don't know about 300. 592 00:26:33,240 --> 00:26:35,840 God says, don't put your security in the men at all. 593 00:26:35,840 --> 00:26:41,860 Because you plus God will always equal the majority. 594 00:26:42,820 --> 00:26:47,380 You plus God will always equal the majority. 595 00:26:47,380 --> 00:26:50,460 And so what I want us to understand is this. 596 00:26:50,460 --> 00:26:52,560 God's way will require very little of you 597 00:26:52,560 --> 00:26:54,420 and a whole lot of Him. 598 00:26:54,420 --> 00:26:57,760 Very little of you and a whole lot of Him. 599 00:26:57,760 --> 00:27:02,040 Why is it that God's ways seem not to make sense? 600 00:27:02,040 --> 00:27:04,200 Why is it that when He tells us to do something, 601 00:27:04,200 --> 00:27:06,080 it's kinda like, I don't know. 602 00:27:06,080 --> 00:27:07,680 This doesn't seem to add up or compute. 603 00:27:07,680 --> 00:27:08,520 Here's the thing. 604 00:27:08,520 --> 00:27:10,360 My thoughts are not your thoughts, says the Lord. 605 00:27:10,360 --> 00:27:13,020 Either my ways, your ways. 606 00:27:13,020 --> 00:27:15,680 God has a picture of eternity and a story 607 00:27:15,680 --> 00:27:19,340 that far supersedes anything you can think of 608 00:27:19,340 --> 00:27:20,920 and anything you can do on your strength. 609 00:27:20,920 --> 00:27:23,540 And He wants to do it His way. 610 00:27:23,540 --> 00:27:24,380 Here's the thing. 611 00:27:24,380 --> 00:27:27,520 Faith requires you to go against your natural instincts. 612 00:27:27,520 --> 00:27:29,900 There's natural instincts, which are my strength, 613 00:27:29,900 --> 00:27:31,700 and there are supernatural instincts, 614 00:27:31,700 --> 00:27:33,380 which He has to get involved with. 615 00:27:33,380 --> 00:27:35,080 So here's what this looks like. 616 00:27:35,080 --> 00:27:36,220 Hey, here's the thing. 617 00:27:36,220 --> 00:27:38,100 I know that you guys think I'm real buff 618 00:27:38,100 --> 00:27:39,860 and I can lift weights and stuff, 619 00:27:39,860 --> 00:27:41,420 but I really can't, okay? 620 00:27:41,420 --> 00:27:43,600 And so I got these little, 621 00:27:43,600 --> 00:27:48,040 not barbells, dumbbells here. 622 00:27:48,040 --> 00:27:52,000 And I can lift these. 623 00:27:52,000 --> 00:27:53,820 I can lift these. 624 00:27:53,820 --> 00:27:54,820 This is pretty easy. 625 00:27:54,820 --> 00:27:56,240 I can lift these. 626 00:27:56,240 --> 00:27:57,180 And you know what? 627 00:27:57,180 --> 00:28:01,500 Most of the time, this is what we look like as Christians. 628 00:28:01,500 --> 00:28:04,060 We say, I got this going on. 629 00:28:04,060 --> 00:28:06,260 I can handle the strength and the weight. 630 00:28:06,260 --> 00:28:08,120 I can handle this myself. 631 00:28:08,120 --> 00:28:13,120 God, I don't see a need for you to get involved, right? 632 00:28:13,120 --> 00:28:17,280 Why would I need a God if I can lift the weight myself? 633 00:28:17,280 --> 00:28:18,120 Right? 634 00:28:18,120 --> 00:28:19,760 In fact, God, you're actually gonna mess things up 635 00:28:19,760 --> 00:28:20,600 if you get over here. 636 00:28:20,600 --> 00:28:23,420 So just go take your place and... 637 00:28:23,420 --> 00:28:25,700 But wait a second. 638 00:28:25,700 --> 00:28:26,540 Here's the thing. 639 00:28:26,540 --> 00:28:28,240 I can't come in here with these 640 00:28:28,240 --> 00:28:29,780 because if I come in here with these, 641 00:28:29,780 --> 00:28:31,640 you guys are gonna make fun of me. 642 00:28:31,640 --> 00:28:34,880 And when I'm carrying a lightweight Christianity, 643 00:28:34,880 --> 00:28:36,160 you guys might talk bad about me. 644 00:28:36,160 --> 00:28:38,820 So let me go get something just a little bit bigger. 645 00:28:38,820 --> 00:28:43,060 Yeah, these are a little bit bigger. 646 00:28:43,060 --> 00:28:45,220 And behind the scenes, I might have to set these down, 647 00:28:45,220 --> 00:28:46,260 but in front of you, 648 00:28:46,260 --> 00:28:50,860 I still can do this, right? 649 00:28:50,860 --> 00:28:51,700 Okay. 650 00:28:51,700 --> 00:28:54,060 He must be a great Christian. 651 00:28:54,060 --> 00:28:56,620 He must be, man, he must be, he must, man, 652 00:28:56,620 --> 00:28:58,580 he's doing a lot for ministry. 653 00:28:58,580 --> 00:29:00,700 He's doing a lot with the Lord. 654 00:29:00,700 --> 00:29:02,260 He's got super faith. 655 00:29:02,260 --> 00:29:03,180 And I'm just walking around 656 00:29:03,180 --> 00:29:05,260 doing everything on my own strength. 657 00:29:05,260 --> 00:29:07,800 Just piling on because you know a mark of a good Christian 658 00:29:07,800 --> 00:29:09,460 is piling your plate as high as you can 659 00:29:09,460 --> 00:29:10,800 with Christian stuff to do. 660 00:29:10,800 --> 00:29:12,920 Right? 661 00:29:12,920 --> 00:29:15,240 God, there's no room on my plate for you. 662 00:29:15,240 --> 00:29:18,120 There's no room for you, but I got this, God. 663 00:29:18,120 --> 00:29:18,960 I got this. 664 00:29:18,960 --> 00:29:19,780 And guess what? 665 00:29:19,780 --> 00:29:21,100 The church loves me for it. 666 00:29:21,100 --> 00:29:22,700 I can't wait till they see me. 667 00:29:22,700 --> 00:29:23,540 You know what? 668 00:29:23,540 --> 00:29:24,780 If we had an award show, 669 00:29:24,780 --> 00:29:27,560 I would definitely get the best award for that ministry 670 00:29:27,560 --> 00:29:29,300 'cause I'm carrying it so well. 671 00:29:29,300 --> 00:29:31,040 How do you balance all that, Kev? 672 00:29:31,040 --> 00:29:32,360 Yeah, it's so good, right? 673 00:29:33,620 --> 00:29:37,140 And then I go behind the scenes and I go, ugh, right? 674 00:29:37,140 --> 00:29:38,140 But here's the thing. 675 00:29:38,140 --> 00:29:39,740 This is what it is. 676 00:29:39,740 --> 00:29:43,500 We look over here and we see this thing. 677 00:29:43,500 --> 00:29:48,100 And we go, now I don't know if I can lift that. 678 00:29:48,100 --> 00:29:49,340 And if I try to lift it, 679 00:29:49,340 --> 00:29:52,080 I certainly don't want y'all looking at me trying to lift it 680 00:29:52,080 --> 00:29:53,940 'cause y'all gonna make fun of me, okay? 681 00:29:53,940 --> 00:29:56,980 So, yeah. 682 00:29:56,980 --> 00:30:00,940 Yeah, okay. 683 00:30:03,020 --> 00:30:03,980 Okay? 684 00:30:03,980 --> 00:30:05,100 But here's the thing. 685 00:30:05,100 --> 00:30:07,540 God hasn't called me to this. 686 00:30:07,540 --> 00:30:10,660 He didn't call me to that. 687 00:30:10,660 --> 00:30:12,420 Guess what he called me to? 688 00:30:12,420 --> 00:30:15,300 He called me to the thing that I can't pick up. 689 00:30:15,300 --> 00:30:17,920 He called me to the thing that I'm gonna have to rely 690 00:30:17,920 --> 00:30:20,100 on his strength for. 691 00:30:20,100 --> 00:30:20,940 And see, here's the thing. 692 00:30:20,940 --> 00:30:22,860 The word tells us that we do not fight 693 00:30:22,860 --> 00:30:24,020 against flesh and blood, 694 00:30:24,020 --> 00:30:26,600 but against the spiritual forces of this world. 695 00:30:26,600 --> 00:30:27,860 And so, aren't you glad 696 00:30:27,860 --> 00:30:29,140 that you're not contending with swords? 697 00:30:29,140 --> 00:30:31,020 Like, I don't think any of you are contending right now 698 00:30:31,020 --> 00:30:31,980 with having to pull your sword out 699 00:30:31,980 --> 00:30:32,820 and chop somebody's head off. 700 00:30:32,820 --> 00:30:34,500 I don't think that's probably the battle. 701 00:30:34,500 --> 00:30:36,180 But let me tell you what the battle is. 702 00:30:36,180 --> 00:30:38,260 I don't have enough money in my bank account, 703 00:30:38,260 --> 00:30:41,220 and God says, "But I still want you to give." 704 00:30:41,220 --> 00:30:42,640 Come on out here. 705 00:30:42,640 --> 00:30:44,100 This is what this looks like. 706 00:30:44,100 --> 00:30:46,620 Jesus arrives on the scene. 707 00:30:46,620 --> 00:30:51,780 Buff with tattoos. 708 00:30:51,780 --> 00:30:56,300 Here's what he does. 709 00:30:56,300 --> 00:30:59,340 He says, "Get your eye off the weight 710 00:30:59,340 --> 00:31:01,060 "and put your eyes on Jesus." 711 00:31:02,180 --> 00:31:04,280 God, my bank account's empty, 712 00:31:04,280 --> 00:31:05,460 so I don't know what I'm supposed to do. 713 00:31:05,460 --> 00:31:06,380 And you're telling me to give? 714 00:31:06,380 --> 00:31:08,340 He says, "I got it." 715 00:31:08,340 --> 00:31:13,220 Man, that person hurt me. 716 00:31:13,220 --> 00:31:14,860 That person devastated me. 717 00:31:14,860 --> 00:31:16,620 And you want me to love them still? 718 00:31:16,620 --> 00:31:18,280 He says, "I got it." 719 00:31:18,280 --> 00:31:22,500 We miscarried that baby. 720 00:31:22,500 --> 00:31:24,180 And you still want me to have hope, 721 00:31:24,180 --> 00:31:26,940 that you have hope for me and my future? 722 00:31:26,940 --> 00:31:28,620 He says, "I got it." 723 00:31:30,340 --> 00:31:33,180 That relationship is that marriage seems, 724 00:31:33,180 --> 00:31:35,320 my marriage seems to be on the rocks and destroyed, 725 00:31:35,320 --> 00:31:36,420 and I don't know, you still want me 726 00:31:36,420 --> 00:31:37,620 to have the faith to believe? 727 00:31:37,620 --> 00:31:39,840 He says, "I got it, keep your eyes on me." 728 00:31:39,840 --> 00:31:45,340 God, I don't know if I can do it anymore. 729 00:31:45,340 --> 00:31:46,700 I'm worn out. 730 00:31:46,700 --> 00:31:49,740 I can't even lift anything anymore. 731 00:31:49,740 --> 00:31:51,740 And he's still got it. 732 00:31:51,740 --> 00:31:55,440 He's still got it. 733 00:31:55,440 --> 00:31:58,140 Even when you don't have the strength to even participate, 734 00:31:58,140 --> 00:31:59,120 he's still got it. 735 00:32:00,020 --> 00:32:00,900 Amen? 736 00:32:00,900 --> 00:32:02,180 Thank you, brother. 737 00:32:02,180 --> 00:32:05,340 See, he wants you to pick up the thing 738 00:32:05,340 --> 00:32:07,680 that you can't pick up on your own, 739 00:32:07,680 --> 00:32:09,940 because if he can pick it up for you, 740 00:32:09,940 --> 00:32:12,340 then he will get the glory he deserves. 741 00:32:12,340 --> 00:32:13,160 And guess what? 742 00:32:13,160 --> 00:32:15,300 That means he becomes your one thing, 743 00:32:15,300 --> 00:32:18,180 and you're not stuck worshiping the gods of this world, 744 00:32:18,180 --> 00:32:20,660 the gods of envy and greed and all of these things, 745 00:32:20,660 --> 00:32:23,580 but he becomes your focus because he's a powerful God. 746 00:32:23,580 --> 00:32:24,420 And guess what? 747 00:32:24,420 --> 00:32:26,900 He still allows you to be elevated in the process. 748 00:32:26,900 --> 00:32:29,000 He still blesses you in the process. 749 00:32:29,000 --> 00:32:32,300 Guys, we have to stop contending with the smaller things 750 00:32:32,300 --> 00:32:34,000 that rely on our own strength, 751 00:32:34,000 --> 00:32:36,180 and we have to trust this great, glorious, 752 00:32:36,180 --> 00:32:39,660 big, star-breathing God with the things of faith, 753 00:32:39,660 --> 00:32:41,420 the things that are waiting for us, 754 00:32:41,420 --> 00:32:42,660 and answer the call. 755 00:32:42,660 --> 00:32:45,660 Some of us have not said yes to a ministry or an assignment, 756 00:32:45,660 --> 00:32:46,740 have not laid down things, 757 00:32:46,740 --> 00:32:48,260 because you don't trust the Lord. 758 00:32:48,260 --> 00:32:49,860 You wanna keep doing it in your strength, 759 00:32:49,860 --> 00:32:51,280 and he says, "Lay it down. 760 00:32:51,280 --> 00:32:52,480 "I've got you. 761 00:32:52,480 --> 00:32:53,320 "I've got you. 762 00:32:53,320 --> 00:32:54,160 "Here's the thing. 763 00:32:54,160 --> 00:32:56,000 "Your enemy might be big, but guess what? 764 00:32:56,000 --> 00:32:57,360 "Your God is bigger. 765 00:32:57,360 --> 00:32:58,240 "Your God is bigger." 766 00:32:58,240 --> 00:33:00,380 And let me tell you, this is why I believe 767 00:33:00,380 --> 00:33:01,900 that the Lord chose Gideon. 768 00:33:01,900 --> 00:33:04,860 It's for the end of the story in chapter eight. 769 00:33:04,860 --> 00:33:07,560 This is the reason I think he chose Gideon. 770 00:33:07,560 --> 00:33:10,120 The Israelites said to Gideon, "Rule over us, 771 00:33:10,120 --> 00:33:11,880 "you, your son, and your grandson, 772 00:33:11,880 --> 00:33:14,980 "because you have saved us from the hand of Midian." 773 00:33:14,980 --> 00:33:18,760 Isn't it so easy to go in to battle and defeat and win 774 00:33:18,760 --> 00:33:20,820 and be successful and then take all the glory? 775 00:33:20,820 --> 00:33:22,480 But this is what Gideon's reply was. 776 00:33:22,480 --> 00:33:24,680 He said, "I will not rule over you, 777 00:33:24,680 --> 00:33:26,340 "nor will my son rule over you. 778 00:33:26,340 --> 00:33:28,300 "The Lord will rule over you." 779 00:33:28,300 --> 00:33:29,760 And when you have a heart posture 780 00:33:29,760 --> 00:33:31,560 that allows the Lord to be elevated, 781 00:33:31,560 --> 00:33:34,820 he can use you to do supernatural things. 782 00:33:34,820 --> 00:33:36,200 You usually do supernatural things. 783 00:33:36,200 --> 00:33:38,700 Worship team, would you come out here? 784 00:33:38,700 --> 00:33:41,300 I also want to say, if God is for us, 785 00:33:41,300 --> 00:33:43,060 who can be against us? 786 00:33:43,060 --> 00:33:44,500 Who can be against us? 787 00:33:44,500 --> 00:33:46,880 If you're contending with things, who can be against you? 788 00:33:46,880 --> 00:33:49,060 I wanna tell you a testimony right now, 789 00:33:49,060 --> 00:33:51,200 and then we're gonna pray. 790 00:33:53,400 --> 00:33:57,900 Few weeks ago, we took a group of seniors on a senior trip. 791 00:33:57,900 --> 00:34:01,860 And prior to that, I had gone to the business collective, 792 00:34:01,860 --> 00:34:04,080 and I listened to Josh McLeod share, 793 00:34:04,080 --> 00:34:07,320 and he had challenged us to identify a place 794 00:34:07,320 --> 00:34:10,720 where we need a miracle, a place where we need courage, 795 00:34:10,720 --> 00:34:12,600 and something that we need to know. 796 00:34:12,600 --> 00:34:16,040 And I tell you, to identify those things, it takes faith. 797 00:34:16,040 --> 00:34:19,120 We're only a miracle, we're only courage, 798 00:34:19,120 --> 00:34:21,120 and what do I need to know? 799 00:34:21,120 --> 00:34:22,920 So on this trip with these seniors, 800 00:34:22,920 --> 00:34:25,600 we were doing devotionals with them each day, 801 00:34:25,600 --> 00:34:27,560 and the kids did a great job sharing 802 00:34:27,560 --> 00:34:29,460 from their heart, devotionals. 803 00:34:29,460 --> 00:34:31,440 First one was about idol worship. 804 00:34:31,440 --> 00:34:34,480 Go figure how we need to rid ourselves of idols. 805 00:34:34,480 --> 00:34:38,520 And we started to walk down the path with them 806 00:34:38,520 --> 00:34:40,520 in these devotionals, just watching the hand 807 00:34:40,520 --> 00:34:44,200 of a sovereign God weave through all of these devotionals 808 00:34:44,200 --> 00:34:45,880 and time together in the Lord. 809 00:34:45,880 --> 00:34:47,280 So I posed this question to them. 810 00:34:47,280 --> 00:34:49,400 I said, what is the place that you need a miracle? 811 00:34:49,400 --> 00:34:52,720 Where do you need courage, and what do you need to know? 812 00:34:52,720 --> 00:34:55,840 Well, we had gone through and talked through 813 00:34:55,840 --> 00:34:58,000 about places where we need courage, 814 00:34:58,000 --> 00:35:02,320 and two of the kids had admitted out loud to Miss Coble, 815 00:35:02,320 --> 00:35:05,560 we need the courage to actually believe that Jesus is real. 816 00:35:05,560 --> 00:35:09,380 And man, that hit. 817 00:35:09,380 --> 00:35:13,680 And the reason it hit was because their eternity 818 00:35:13,680 --> 00:35:15,160 is in the balance. 819 00:35:15,160 --> 00:35:17,380 Their life is in the balance. 820 00:35:17,380 --> 00:35:19,960 And so we were like, Lord, Holy Spirit, would you move? 821 00:35:19,960 --> 00:35:22,800 And so we're going through these devotionals 822 00:35:22,800 --> 00:35:24,120 and we're talking to the students. 823 00:35:24,120 --> 00:35:25,880 If we're gonna go to church on Sunday, 824 00:35:25,880 --> 00:35:28,080 to this church that nobody's been to, 825 00:35:28,080 --> 00:35:31,360 we don't know what the message is or anything like that, 826 00:35:31,360 --> 00:35:33,760 and I told them that day we are going to, 827 00:35:33,760 --> 00:35:35,780 on Saturday, I said, on Sunday night, 828 00:35:35,780 --> 00:35:39,360 I want you to be ready to answer where you need a miracle. 829 00:35:39,360 --> 00:35:40,800 And so we're driving into the church 830 00:35:40,800 --> 00:35:43,160 and we get into the church and they have five services. 831 00:35:43,160 --> 00:35:45,560 We're at the fourth service, we're up in the balcony. 832 00:35:45,560 --> 00:35:47,640 And the pastor gets up and he says, 833 00:35:47,640 --> 00:35:49,400 guys, I'm gonna do something that I haven't done 834 00:35:49,400 --> 00:35:50,760 in a very long time. 835 00:35:50,760 --> 00:35:53,840 He says, I'm gonna preach a brief sermon 836 00:35:53,840 --> 00:35:57,440 on the pool of the sestah, and at the end of this service, 837 00:35:57,440 --> 00:36:00,160 for the last 15 minutes, we're gonna ask the Lord 838 00:36:00,160 --> 00:36:01,960 to meet you where you need a miracle. 839 00:36:01,960 --> 00:36:05,320 And I just turned around and looked at the kids 840 00:36:05,320 --> 00:36:08,600 and they looked at me because we had just talked about this. 841 00:36:08,600 --> 00:36:10,240 And I just started in my spirit saying, 842 00:36:10,240 --> 00:36:12,080 okay, Lord, I sent your presence, 843 00:36:12,080 --> 00:36:14,920 I see what you're doing, would you just move? 844 00:36:14,920 --> 00:36:17,720 Well, it gets to the last 15 minutes of the service, 845 00:36:17,720 --> 00:36:19,360 and I'm up there and they're playing a worship song 846 00:36:19,360 --> 00:36:21,160 and I'm looking at the kids and nobody's moving. 847 00:36:21,160 --> 00:36:23,280 And I'm saying, Lord, what do you want me to do? 848 00:36:23,280 --> 00:36:25,480 Do you want me to like grab their hands 849 00:36:25,480 --> 00:36:26,320 and bring them down? 850 00:36:26,320 --> 00:36:29,520 Because I mean, they all have miracles in their spirits. 851 00:36:29,520 --> 00:36:30,880 I mean, what do you want me to do? 852 00:36:30,880 --> 00:36:32,920 And he always said, he said, Kevin, I want you to go. 853 00:36:32,920 --> 00:36:34,400 So I want me to go. 854 00:36:34,400 --> 00:36:40,000 Okay, so I make my way down or whatnot, 855 00:36:40,000 --> 00:36:44,640 I'm thinking, well, God, where do I need a miracle? 856 00:36:44,640 --> 00:36:48,080 Okay, Lord, I need $7 million. 857 00:36:49,080 --> 00:36:53,520 We have a school and I would love to pay everything off. 858 00:36:53,520 --> 00:36:55,880 I would love to pay teachers more than anybody else 859 00:36:55,880 --> 00:36:57,960 in the state, and I would like to have my dream vision 860 00:36:57,960 --> 00:37:00,400 come true at the school, $7 million. 861 00:37:00,400 --> 00:37:01,920 Don't you think that would be a miracle 862 00:37:01,920 --> 00:37:03,840 to receive $7 million? 863 00:37:03,840 --> 00:37:06,200 And so I go down there and I'm waiting in line, 864 00:37:06,200 --> 00:37:08,480 I'm singing this song, I'm in worship, 865 00:37:08,480 --> 00:37:10,880 and I get up to this guy who's gonna pray with us. 866 00:37:10,880 --> 00:37:12,480 And he begins to pray with me, 867 00:37:12,480 --> 00:37:15,240 or he begins to pray with the person in front of me. 868 00:37:15,240 --> 00:37:17,120 And as we're worshiping, I turn around 869 00:37:17,120 --> 00:37:20,640 and I look up in the balcony at the students. 870 00:37:20,640 --> 00:37:23,900 And I look and I see Sydney and I see Bryce, 871 00:37:23,900 --> 00:37:27,900 the two who said, we need courage 872 00:37:27,900 --> 00:37:29,920 to know that Jesus Christ is real. 873 00:37:29,920 --> 00:37:33,800 And can I tell you, when I turned around, I began to weep. 874 00:37:33,800 --> 00:37:38,800 And I said, God, $7 million is a drop in the bucket for you. 875 00:37:38,800 --> 00:37:40,920 The real miracle today would be 876 00:37:40,920 --> 00:37:43,020 that those two give their life to you. 877 00:37:44,400 --> 00:37:47,440 And so I just wept there with that man as we prayed. 878 00:37:47,440 --> 00:37:49,300 And he said, would you bring those two down? 879 00:37:49,300 --> 00:37:51,220 And I went up, I didn't think they were gonna come down, 880 00:37:51,220 --> 00:37:52,960 but I went up and got grabbed them and Miss Coble. 881 00:37:52,960 --> 00:37:55,560 And we went down and he prayed with them. 882 00:37:55,560 --> 00:37:58,200 And they didn't give their life, he was so gracious. 883 00:37:58,200 --> 00:37:59,880 They didn't give their life at that moment to the Lord, 884 00:37:59,880 --> 00:38:01,920 but he really sowed in some prayers. 885 00:38:01,920 --> 00:38:03,600 Well, can I tell you at the end of that trip, 886 00:38:03,600 --> 00:38:06,480 we were in a circle and we were praying for one another 887 00:38:06,480 --> 00:38:09,240 and we prayed for the person on your right. 888 00:38:09,240 --> 00:38:10,560 And we get around that circle 889 00:38:10,560 --> 00:38:12,040 and Sydney's sitting next to me. 890 00:38:12,040 --> 00:38:13,800 And she's the one who doesn't believe in the Lord. 891 00:38:13,800 --> 00:38:18,480 And she prays this outrageous prayer for me. 892 00:38:18,480 --> 00:38:19,620 And so at the end of the prayer, 893 00:38:19,620 --> 00:38:22,020 I look at her and I say, Sydney, 894 00:38:22,020 --> 00:38:25,360 thank you for praying such an incredible prayer 895 00:38:25,360 --> 00:38:27,200 to a God you don't believe in. 896 00:38:27,200 --> 00:38:29,080 And she looked at me and said, Mr. O'Dea, 897 00:38:29,080 --> 00:38:31,680 I believe every single word I just prayed. 898 00:38:31,680 --> 00:38:37,360 And my heart just went, yes, Lord, thank you, Jesus. 899 00:38:37,360 --> 00:38:39,720 So we fly home and we get home. 900 00:38:39,720 --> 00:38:41,920 And the very first thing I like to do after a trip 901 00:38:41,920 --> 00:38:44,000 is go check the mailbox. 902 00:38:44,000 --> 00:38:47,440 And I go into the mailbox and I look in the mailbox 903 00:38:47,440 --> 00:38:51,100 and a check from IRS is in there for $95,000. 904 00:38:51,100 --> 00:38:57,000 To date, I have received $700,000 from the IRS, 905 00:38:57,000 --> 00:38:59,880 10% of what my ask was. 906 00:38:59,880 --> 00:39:03,680 And the Lord said, it's not the 7 million, 907 00:39:03,680 --> 00:39:05,240 but it's a nudge for you to know 908 00:39:05,240 --> 00:39:07,080 that you can trust me by faith. 909 00:39:07,080 --> 00:39:10,720 I want you to understand, I want you to understand, 910 00:39:10,720 --> 00:39:12,800 I opened this message by saying, 911 00:39:12,800 --> 00:39:15,280 sometimes we are praying for the symptom, 912 00:39:15,280 --> 00:39:17,640 but we are supposed to be addressing the root. 913 00:39:17,640 --> 00:39:19,920 I want you to know the whole reason I even have the school 914 00:39:19,920 --> 00:39:23,000 is because I want kids to know the Lord Jesus Christ. 915 00:39:23,000 --> 00:39:24,280 That's more important. 916 00:39:24,280 --> 00:39:26,800 And so when you're focusing on the root, 917 00:39:26,800 --> 00:39:29,240 when he's the one thing, all of the rest of it 918 00:39:29,240 --> 00:39:32,260 will be taken care of by the glorious, star-breathing God 919 00:39:32,260 --> 00:39:34,360 who does miracles, amen? 920 00:39:34,360 --> 00:39:36,400 Stand with me this morning, we're gonna worship. 921 00:39:36,400 --> 00:39:39,540 If you need a miracle, if you need God to do something, 922 00:39:39,540 --> 00:39:41,800 if you're contending, if you need to put a fleece out 923 00:39:41,800 --> 00:39:44,880 before the Lord, if you're questioning, if you're doubting, 924 00:39:44,880 --> 00:39:46,400 I want you to come this morning 925 00:39:46,400 --> 00:39:48,680 because God has an answer for you. 926 00:39:48,680 --> 00:39:52,200 The Holy Spirit of God is real, he is here, he is voting. 927 00:39:52,200 --> 00:39:54,880 Guys, come on down if you're gonna pray with people. 928 00:39:54,880 --> 00:39:57,080 He is real and he is alive and he's here today. 929 00:39:57,080 --> 00:39:59,840 Don't leave here, don't leave here 930 00:39:59,840 --> 00:40:00,960 the same way that you came. 931 00:40:00,960 --> 00:40:05,280 Without faith, it is impossible to please the Lord. 932 00:40:05,280 --> 00:40:07,040 And so I ask you, I beseech you 933 00:40:07,040 --> 00:40:09,020 to come before this glorious God. 934 00:40:09,820 --> 00:40:11,800 And hey, and to ask him, Lord, 935 00:40:11,800 --> 00:40:13,880 would you be the one thing in my life I surrender? 936 00:40:13,880 --> 00:40:14,720 Let's worship. 937 00:40:14,720 --> 00:40:17,300 (gentle music) 938 00:40:17,300 --> 00:40:19,360 you