in the morning i will praise god i will
thank god
for allowing me to see another day i
will praise him
for giving me breath i will praise him
in fact regardless of what i have to
face today the joy of the lord is my
strength
the joy of the lord will keep me strong
and perhaps there's someone out there
who's listening and can relate to this
i'm at a place where i've realized that
the riches of this world don't last
the good health that you have today
there is no guarantee that it will last
the gifts and talents of this world
don't last
you see i'm at a place where it's clear
to me that the money and wealth you
accumulate today will count for nothing
on the day of judgment
the things of this world will perish but
it's not all doom and gloom because what
i've found is something so much greater
than anything on this earth
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saints
what lasts is jesus what lasts is the
love of god
what lasts is god's promises what lasts
is god's word
and so i have the cross before me and
the world behind me
jesus before me and the world behind me
and so i would rather have jesus over
anything this world can offer me i would
rather have him in my heart than a
mansion on the hills i'd rather have
jesus than silver and gold
god
is omnipresent
meaning he is in all places
at all times
he is ever present he neither comes nor
goes
jehovah shama
means the lord is there
the lord is present
now let me tell you that god is never on
his way
because he is always there
he's there in your past
he's where you are right now
and he's there in your future
he was there yesterday he is there today
and he will be there forevermore
listen god's not limited to a physical
location like us
he's not restricted by time nor is he
tied down to a place
people might say they are on their way
but god is always there
whatever it is you are trying to get to
god is already there
david said in psalm 139
verses 7 through 10
where shall i go from your spirit
or where shall i flee
from your presence
if i ascend to heaven you are there
if i make my bed and she old you are
there
if i take the wings of the morning
and dwell in the uttermost parts of the
sea
even there your hands shall lead me
and your right hand shall hold me
saints the word powerful
doesn't even begin to describe our god
don't you ever underestimate him
just because your situation looks bad
don't think that the lord is absent in
the midst of your discomfort
god was there in the lion's den
a place where many had thought daniel
had come face to face with his end
but god said otherwise
one day god decided to demonstrate that
he is there and he is powerful when he
sent fire raining down from heaven to
answer elijah's prayer
he was there when the red sea was turned
into a highway
he was there
god is omnipresent
he was there
at the beginning of time
he was there before you and i were ever
formed in our mother's wombs
he is jehovah shama
he is present in all locations at all
times in all ways
and today
let me tell you that god
is with you
he's there to lead you
to clear a path for you
to heal you even he's there when you
need a miracle
and it might not be in your own time
but in his perfect timing
when you need peace
he is there
when you need comfort or strength
he is there to give you just that
the truth of the matter is
most of the time
god is waiting on us
he's waiting on us to believe
and lift up our faith
he's waiting on us to trust him fully
completely
and totally
you can come to jesus anywhere at any
time if you have heavy burdens jesus
said come to me all who labor and are
heavy laden and i will give you rest he
can give rest he can give you peace
he can make you whole
we don't have to be in a special place
or perform a sacred ritual
he can meet a need even in the middle of
a crowd he can pay attention to someone
on the side of a dusty road he can be
stopped by the smallest touch of sincere
faith if only we touch the hem of his
garment
so even in your darkest hour
those moments where you pray and say god
i need a miracle now
when you need
healing when you need him to save your
children
when your marriage looks to have hit
rock bottom
be persuaded
be confident that the lord will turn
things around
be persuaded that if god can part the
red sea for moses
if he can take joseph from the prison to
the palace
if god can save three hebrew boys from a
fiery furnace
if he can heal the woman with the issue
of blood
then be persuaded that god can come
through for you
in your situation
and so i urge you to be persuaded by
psalm 46 verse 1 which says god is our
refuge and strength a very present help
in trouble
be persuaded by proverbs 18 verse 10
which tells you that the name of the
lord is a strong tower
the righteous run into it and are safe
when you're right in the middle of great
hardship
we don't just begin to think
i'm somehow being refined
i believe i will come out of this a
better person
it is not our default thought pattern as
humans but i believe it should be our
stance as believers
job held on
and through that suffering he came out
as pure as gold you can too
most people
in a time of struggling
in a time of despair
in a season of trials
will ask god to rescue them
they will ask god to deliver them
but what happens
when you ask god to take this problem or
situation away
and
he doesn't
what happens
when you've told the mountain to move
and it doesn't
what now
i'd like to submit to you that during
these times
when trouble just doesn't go away
when the rain just doesn't stop
should our prayer actually be lord
go through this storm with me
give me the strength to face this
problem
the writer of the hebrews tell us don't
throw away your confidence it will be
richly rewarded
that's what david found he tells us
there was a time when he was struggling
in psalm 55 he writes fear and trembling
overwhelm me and i can't stop shaking
morning noon and night i cry out in my
distress
and the lord hears my voice
then david says this can be our
experience also at the end of the psalm
he writes give your burdens to the lord
and he will take care of you he will not
permit the godly to slip and fall
and we need to hold on to this
god will never let you slip
so i urge you brothers and sisters the
lord jesus is king and he invites you to
come to him for rest the bible says let
us lay aside every weight and the sin
which so easily ensnares us and let us
run with endurance the race that is set
before us looking onto jesus the author
and finisher of our faith who for the
joy that was set before him endured the
cross
despising the shame and has sat down at
the right hand of the throne of god
troubles can be a blessing for believers
you see god uses our troubles to remind
us that he is a deliverer
he is a savior he is our hope and rescue
god is faithful to empower you to stand
strong and victorious and not to be
defeated
understand that we are overcomers
and so i have one simple message today
and that is
because jesus was victorious over satan
you too can walk in victory you can have
faith to stand against satan's attack
and win
you don't have to be defeated
you don't have to be oppressed
so how do we live a victorious life
how can we battle against the raging
current and realize the peace that god
wants us to have as christians we have
to come to the point of realization that
there is a battle going on for our soul
but god has already provided the path to
our ultimate victory through his grace
and mercy
we are overcomers
the first principle to receiving a
victory from god is to understand that
he's already won
the battle has already been fought and
he has already won
if we could only understand that
we have the victory
we have overcome
and yes it may be a tough battle at
times but we know christ told us to take
up our cross and follow him
and as we do this we receive the rewards
of victory in jesus
these rewards are eternal life
everlasting peace
an abundance of blessings
mercy love compassion and above all a
closer relationship with the almighty
so get up and fight with the knowledge
that there's no one more powerful than
our god
god has given us the power to overcome
anything in our lives
and all we have to do
is trust in him
surrender the battle to him
acknowledge that victory is his
we are overcomers
and we are victorious
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i want to encourage you to call
on the lord
before you look anywhere else before you
look to anyone else
call on the name that is above every
other name
the name
of jesus christ
call on the lion of judah the prince of
peace
the rock of ages the chief cornerstone
the great high priest the holy one the
everlasting father call on god
almighty
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the one who is who was and who is to be
call on the one who commands millions of
angels
called the one who speaks and creates
call on the one who has the keys to life
and death in his hands
whatever situation you face today
whatever circumstance or situation god
wants you to call on
him we should always have our eyes fixed
on jesus christ
he's the only one worthy of our devotion
he's the only one worthy of our praise
and adoration
he's the only one who should be right at
the center right at the top of our
priorities
jeremiah 33 verse 3
says
call to me
and i will answer you
and tell you great and unsearchable
things you do not know
psalms 50 verse 15 the bible says call
on me in the day of trouble i will
deliver you
and you
will honor me
and so i want to encourage you
when you look at god's word when you
look at his promises he says trust me in
your times of trouble and i will rescue
you
he says abide in me and i will restore
you he says come to me
all who are weary and heavy laden and i
will give you rest
so let your hope be found in god
he has the perfect solution each and
every time
so call on him whether it's day or night
there must come a time
when you as a believer
must decide
i will stand strong and follow the word
of god
regardless of what i will have to give
up
and who i will have to let go of
there comes a time when you have to
decide
i will stand
and do the godly thing
i will forgive
even when it's hard to do
even when i've been hurt
there will come a time
when you will have to decide to stand in
faith
even when you can't see a way out of the
situation that you're in
now today
you may be under attack in some area of
your life
you have tried everything to resolve it
but nothing is working
nothing is changing
dear friend
this is the time you ought to take a
stand
and believe
believe in the power of the blood of
jesus
it will break you out of that bondage
believe in the power
that's in the blood of jesus christ
it can set you free
it can give you victory
and it can loose you from any evil hold
it's time to take a stand with the word
of god
against the forces of evil
stand firm
stand in confidence
stand in righteousness
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psalm 56 verse 3 says
when i am afraid
i put my trust in you
and god whose word i praise
and god i trust
i shall not be afraid
what can flesh do to me
we need to be men and women who put
their trust in the lord
and mind you
you will only ever be able to stand firm
when your trust is secured in the lord
so if you feel stuck
if you feel under attack
remember that the bible says in psalm 31
verse 24
be strong
and let your heart take courage
all you who wait for the lord
be strong saints and stand in faith
as you do this
the lord is sure to rescue you
and so as children of god
i believe
i believe that it's time to stand
stand up and lift high his royal banner
you are an ambassador of the most high
stand up to the lies of the enemy
stand up with the truth of the gospel
stand up with the strength of the holy
spirit
stand up in god's strength
and i encourage you as you stand in
faith
pray and ask the lord to be with you as
you stand
what motivates you in life
what can you say with confidence is the
reason you get out of bed in the morning
although it's hard to admit it many of
us are motivated by the attention and
praise of others
many of us are motivated by money
but the bible teaches that there is a
far greater reward than the approval of
man
there's a far greater reward than the
riches of this
world the approval of god is what we
should chase above any accolades in this
world
the lord
should be the motivation behind
everything we do
he should be the reason for everything
we do
colossians 3 verse 23-24 says
whatever you do
work heartily as for the lord and not
for men
knowing that from the lord
you will receive the inheritance as your
reward
you are serving
the lord christ
and galatians 1 verse 10 says
for am i now seeking the approval of man
or of god
or am i trying to please man
if i were still trying to please man
i would not be a servant of christ
what a comforting thought
that nothing we do for god is in vain
not one act of kindness goes unnoticed
or unseen by him
in this life
there are many pursuits that ultimately
lead to nowhere
worldly success material wealth the
empty applauses of strangers those
things won't get us anywhere
every journey eventually has an end and
that end is often more disappointing
than we would like
but try as we may
we could never stretch the boundaries of
god's love
there is truly no end to our walk with
christ in fact as we go on
life with him gets sweeter
every day
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god should not just be
one part of our lives that we dedicate
sunday mornings
he should define the totality of our
lives he should be the center of
everything we do
even mundane things like eating and
drinking can be done to his glory
how
the key is a spirit of gratitude
we are meant to do all things with an
attitude of love and obedience towards
the god who gives us the ability to
enjoy all of life's blessings
romans 12 11 says
do not be slothful in zeal be fervent in
spirit serve the lord
too often we can become lazy and
slothful in our walk with christ but if
we just stop and remember the miracle of
the gospel and the unfathomable depth of
god's love for us it's hard to remain
indifferent
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all around the world all throughout
history he has been saving and redeeming
sinners like you and me
to be a part of that work is the most
rewarding pursuit we could ever give our
lives to but when we are motivated by
worldly things we end up constantly
trying to prove ourselves we become
constantly anxious self-conscious and
often disappointed but when jesus is the
underlying motivation for everything we
do our lives will overflow with joy and
peace
his grace supplies us with the ability
to fully enjoy this life as well as
positively impact the lives of those
around us so whatever you do
do it for god
[Music]
do you know what's dangerous for a
christian
if there was a massive warning sign on a
road called christianity do you know
what that warning sign would say
it would say in bold capital letters
driver
beware
do not travel this journey with a lack
of knowledge
you see there are serious consequences
to having a lack of knowledge
and i can tell you that this is the
biggest weakness when it comes to the
average christian
you see the average christian is a
surface level bible reader
meaning they read the bible but they
don't intentionally study the bible
they read god's word but they don't
intentionally seek to gain knowledge
from the bible and that's the problem
the first line in hosea chapter 4 verse
6 says
my people are destroyed for lack of
knowledge
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a lack of
knowledge have you ever met another
believer who is in the middle of a
spiritual battle
but they don't know that they're in one
i mean they are being attacked left
right and
center their marriage is under attack
and they think it's their friends who
are the problem
they they're sick in their bodies but
the doctor can't seem to find a cause
their money isn't adding up even though
they have automated their saving
nothing makes sense to them regardless
of what's going on because there is a
lack of knowledge
and i say a lack of knowledge because a
surface level christian would fight
everyone and everything in front of them
but a mature believer
a mature believer would know ephesians 6
12 which says that we do not wrestle
against flesh and blood but against the
rulers against the authorities against
the cosmic powers over this present
darkness against the spiritual forces of
evil in the heavenly places
saints
this is the knowledge that we need
to know that our fight is not in this
physical realm but it's in the
supernatural realm
and the thing is the spiritual realm can
often manifest itself in the physical
realm
which is what can throw off the surface
level believer
there are certain things in this world
that you need to guard
when it comes to your relationship with
god
you need to guard your heart and you
need to guard your mind
you see there must be a defining moment
a defining encounter with god
and do you know what happens when you
encounter god
you're never the same again
you get to a stage where you say enough
is enough
enough of the sinful cycles
enough of the backsliding enough of the
toxic relationships in your life
i pray you have the boldness to declare
that it's enough
the faith to say enough
the belief to say enough
i am no longer a slave to fear
i am not going to be depressed i will
not be a captive of fearful thoughts
that haunt my mind saints get to a stage
where you declare that god has given me
a spirit of power spirit of love and of
a sound mind
get to a stage where you confront those
things that have been lingering in your
life for too long
those attitudes that mindset or
stronghold
begin to challenge these things with the
word of god
in fact
make the decision that you will believe
and stand on god's word regardless of
what comes
mark 11 verse 23 says
truly
i say to you whoever says to this
mountain
be taken up and thrown into the sea and
does not doubt in his heart
but believes that what he says will come
to pass
it will be done for him
so speak to your mountain
whatever it is that has been coming
against you get it in your spirit that
it's enough
whatever withdrawals from you more than
it deposits speak to it and say enough
even something like a job that you know
is not within your calling or part of
your purpose
decide
no more
all strongholds are coming down today
no longer will i be under an oppressive
spirit
no longer will i doubt no more
insecurities
no longer will i live like i don't know
to whom i belong
surely goodness and mercy shall follow
me all the days of my life
i am more than a conqueror
i am the head and not the tail
my god has power and i access that power
through the holy spirit
the thoughts in your mind directly
influence how you feel and how you
behave
so change the way you think
start thinking and dwelling on what the
word of god says
it says that you are the head and not
the tail
you are above only and not beneath
you are redeemed and set free
you can do all things through christ who
strengthens you
your beliefs are reinforced by what you
feed your mind
if you feed yourself with the word of
god your belief will grow
try it
how many football fans do you know who
have never tried to play the game they
love
how many food lovers have never tried to
cook
when you're listening to music more
often than you're not you're singing
along what you dwell on
what you meditate on
eventually that thing will be what you
act on
what you feed your mind grows
so when you start letting your mind go
and drawing to conclusions about
yourself
conclusions that you can't do this
i'll never be able to do that
these are conclusions which more often
than not do not agree with the word of
god
someone who develops the belief that
they are a failure will view each
mistake as proof that they are not good
enough
but if you continuously view yourself
in a way that is in agreement with god's
word if you start meditating on god's
promises
then you will begin to believe and act
based on the word of god
so believe that you are fearfully and
wonderfully made
believe that surely goodness and mercy
shall follow you all the days of your
life
believe that god has good plans for you
plans to prosper you and not to harm you
plans to give you a hope and a future
saints believe that if god is for you
then who can be against you
get your mind to be renewed
get your perspective to be made new let
your faith grow
let your belief be strengthened by god's
word and if you believe
if you really believe
then jesus will never disappoint you
victory is yours
an area that also affects you is the
people around you
you have given enough space to other
people in your life
people whose voices and ideas opinions
and pressures you don't need at all
people who if you really look at it
don't do anything to benefit you
start putting people out of your life
who are not encouraging you in the faith
proverbs 13 verse 20 says
whoever walks with the wise becomes wise
but the companion of fools will suffer
harm
you cannot surround yourself with angry
people and expect to be happy
just like you cannot surround yourself
with prayerful people and not be tempted
to join in and pray to
those who surround you become your
environment
so are you surrounding yourself
with people that are bringing you wisdom
or are you surrounding yourself with
people that bring little peace to your
life in return
more people doesn't mean more quality
who you surround yourself with affects
your faith in god
your relationship with god more than you
think
everyone has an opinion
everyone
don't just be surrounded by people who
need you but people who feed you
whenever you're effective you don't have
to advertise it much
there is a certain mentality that is
associated with people who are winners
you see winners associate with other
winners
they tend to find themselves at the same
places
they interact together somehow
now just like in the world in god's
kingdom there are also spiritual winners
and they gravitate towards each other
because there is a mentality that goes
along with them
the advantage of having such a winner's
mindset
is that you can have a conversation with
someone and have the ability to tell if
they will help you develop or drain you
they learn that it is counterproductive
to spend time with anything that doesn't
feed you
they guard themselves against negativity
and poor attitudes or anyone that
interrupts their walk with god
it's an attitude
a mentality
a belief system
a different level of faith
have you ever seen someone who's broken
a broken person is one who's been
defeated
overwhelmed
overpowered
it's a sad sight to see a broken man or
a woman crushed by life
crushed by tragedy
are crushed by their own mistakes
and the thing about it is
when a person is truly broken
they have given up there is no hope
however
a believer
who has their heart in the lord
can never be broken
you simply cannot break someone who is
truly in jesus christ
and what i mean by that is
paul said in the book of philippians
for to me
to live is christ and to die is gain
meaning if there's a breath in his body
it's because jesus sustains me
it's because jesus christ strengthens me
and if i'm absent from this body
then i am present
in eternity with christ
so there is no losing when you have
jesus
david said
in psalm 139 verse 8
if i ascend into heaven
you are there
if i make my bed in hell
behold
you are there
in other words
god is always there
he's there when life seems heavenly
and he's there when it feels like you're
going through hell
he's there when you don't have a care in
the world
and he's there when you're walking
through the valley of the shadow
of death
many are the afflictions of the
righteous
but the lord
delivers him out of them all
you simply cannot break a person who is
in christ
jesus can bring change to the worst of
circumstances
he can speak calm
to the worst of storms in your life
and so your security
our security as children of god
is in knowing that greater is he
who is in me
than he
who is in the world
so have faith that your steps are
ordained
your steps are ordered by the hand of
the lord
you can't be broken child of god
you can't
god will dry your tears
he will be a bridge over troubled water
he will be sunshine on a rainy day
your strength in the moments that you
feel weak
so raise your head and don't slump your
shoulders
you're god's child
you have been bought by the precious
blood of jesus christ
there ain't a devil that can break you
there isn't a situation that can break
you
because greater is he
who is in you
than he
who is in
the world
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should you need healing
submit to the lord's will and if you
receive healing that's wonderful
if you don't
then do not be disheartened
because perhaps there is a purpose for
you to go through what you're going
through
have an attitude that says lord
whatever your decision may be
i'm going to trust in you
may your will be done
may your will take precedence over my
life
healing is something that we all need in
our lives
physical healing
emotional healing or mental healing
whatever it may be
jesus christ still heals today
he still makes people whole today
jesus christ still mends broken hearts
he can divinely rehabilitate you
he can revive the dead things in your
life
jesus christ can soothe every painful
scar in your life
he is the master physician
he's a chief doctor who is able to treat
every visible and invisible wound in
your life
but here's the key here's the key for us
we have to be submitted
to his will
praise him if he heals you in a sudden
and miraculous way
but also praise him
if he doesn't heal you
but instead gives you the grace and
strength
to endure
the grace and strength to keep going
regardless
put the lord's will
above your will
[Music]
now at some point in life
you might be thrown out of your comfort
zone
you might find yourself in a place where
there is no mother no father no family
to back you up or stand with you
but deep down in your heart
will you still believe that god is
working something out for your good the
point i am trying to make is that
when you face bad situations
when you face difficulties
maybe just maybe
the mountain you are facing is actually
a stepping stone to your greatness
god works in ways that we may not
understand
isaiah 55 verse 8 and 9 says
for my thoughts are not your thoughts
nor are your ways my ways
says the lord
for as the heavens are higher than the
earth
so are my ways higher
than your ways and my thoughts
than your thoughts
so it does not matter how long that
challenges exist
god is faithful
and will not allow a test that you
cannot overcome
he will make a way of escape for you to
be able to overcome
that challenge
the bible never said that because we are
christians
no trial or challenge will come our way
rather it says many are the afflictions
of the righteous
but the lord delivers him
from them all
first peter chapter 4 verse 12 and 13
says
beloved
do not think it's strange concerning the
fiery trial which is to try you
as
though some strange thing happened to
you
but rejoice
to the extent
that you partake of christ's sufferings
that when his glory is revealed
you may also be glad
with exceeding joy
in short
we are told to expect trials
don't look at them like they are strange
happenings
and we are also not to judge god's love
for us
by the things that happen
or don't happen
in our lives
and so beloved
the god we serve is one who turns things
around
for the good of those who love and trust
him
we serve a god that turns threat
to triumph
a god that took joseph from the prison
to the palace
he is the same god yesterday today
and forever
he is not a man that he should lie
nor son of man that he should change his
mind
does he speak
and then not
act does he promise
and not fulfill
as for me
i am glad to be on the lord's side
to be in an army that never has to
retreat
god's army
which can never
be defeated
if you are going to take away just one
thing from this message
remember this
is because of what jesus has done on the
cross of calvary
that we are not victims
but victorious
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that mountain
that wall of jericho
that goliath will prove to be just a
stepping stone
because in the end
we are winners
in christ
so hold on to the god who holds you
he knew everything about our frailties
and even our sins
but he chose us
came for us
redeemed us
and gave us
the victory
so the situation you are experiencing
now
might not be pleasant
but i want you to know that god is more
than able
to turn things around
for your good
allow me to read matthew chapter 8
verses 1 through 4.
the bible says
when he came down from the mountain
great crowds followed him
and behold a leper came to him and knelt
before him saying lord
if you will
you can make me clean
and jesus stretched out his hand and
touched him saying
i will
be clean
and immediately his leprosy was cleansed
and jesus said to him see that you say
nothing to anyone
but go show yourself to the priest and
offer the gift that moses commanded for
a proof to them
this leper went to jesus
and his request was lord
if you will
you can make me clean
he had faith that jesus could make him
clean and make him well
he believed in the healing power of
jesus christ
however he had a humility about him when
he submitted his request to jesus
he said if you will
in other words
he was saying lord if it is your will
if you see it fit
if it pleases you
then make me well
the leper did not demand to be cleansed
he wasn't aggressive but instead he was
submissive
he was humble
his will is obviously to be healed
but instead he puts the lord's will
first
it's god's will that matters and not his
and so today i want you to adopt the
same attitude
have an attitude that places god's will
ahead of your own
[Music]
you