You are invited to examine your heart for anything that competes with your love for Jesus. Open those hidden doors to His light today and step into the freedom He promises. Come to the altar if you need prayer to break free from these idols.
Wow. Thank you. Lord Jesus, we honor you. We glorify you. Lord, we're here because of you.
We're here to learn about you and to grow together. Lord Jesus, what a what a joy it is to get to be what you called the church, to be a part of the church, the global body of Christ. Just thank you so much. And I pray that everyone today walks away with a "deeper understanding" of your love and a deeper desire to walk in deeper levels of surrender. In Jesus' name, I pray.
Everybody say Amen. You may be seated. My name is David John Phillips. I have the joy and honor of getting to be the pastor here. No place I'd rather be.
Nothing I'd rather be doing. And I'm so thankful that you chose to be here today with us. And that is our prayer. I guess as you heard, I noticed as I was praying, said deeper, deeper, deeper multiple times. So my prayer is you experience just the depth of his riches and his goodness today.
I don't care if you've been you're just kicking the tires of Christianity, hadn't been to church in 20 years, never been never graced a church before, or you've been walking with Jesus and you've been in church for 60. There's always more. There's always more. He's worth going after. He's worth it.
Amen? You guys ready? I got a couple of things to tell you first. I it was semi. I don't wanna say expected because that's the wrong words.
But I just went on a trip, a quick trip. My my nanny, my grandmother, we called her nanny bet. She passed away a few days ago and and we had the funeral yesterday in Louisiana, which is where I grew up. And so I got to to fly home and and being there with the family was very special to me Because I don't know how normal it is, but our family was very and it is very healthy. I grew up in Louisiana, where my nanny and papa helped take care of me from a very small child, as a very small child.
And our whole family was together, not just my mom and dad, but there's 4 sisters that my nanny and papa had. And and they each have families and and lots of kids and grandkids. And and so I had a ton of cousins, like a and every Sunday, we'd meet at nanny and papa's house after church. We went to multiple different churches, but we'd all coalesce together, watch the New Orleans Saints play, eat roast and rice and gravy. And I wanna get done eating or when the saints back then they were the ain'ts.
Alright. Losing. Well, they are. Because Drew Brees is gone. Okay?
*God* had me plant a church in Tampa, so I have to be a Tampa fan. So I am a Bucks fan now. You're not gonna like me, I'm a fair weather fan. Okay? So when the saints are doing better, I cheer for them.
When the Bucks are doing better, I cheer. It is what it is. Anyway, so after we'd get done eating and the Saints were inevitably losing, all of the the cousins would go outside to play and my uncles, Uncle Richie and Uncle Mark, we'd we'd get the newspaper and we'd ball it into a little ball and get some electrical tape, tape that sucker up, and get a bat, and we'd go play tape ball at home run derby. That's where I learned to play baseball. I was a pitcher and and pretty pretty good hitter too because of that.
And just amazing time with family and it's because they knew Jesus. Like, they taught us Jesus. And and, I mean, there there were things that, of course, needed to grow in and different stuff. But, man, I had a childhood that was wrapped in joy and laughter and games and fun and family that was healthy. And it was because of Jesus.
And survey says, most people didn't have that. So I consider myself very grateful, but also don't feel sorry. Know that things can change with you and create that for the generations coming after you. Be the change. **Stand in righteousness**.
Live for righteousness. Confront evil and gossip and division in your family. And be the covering for your children and grandchildren that creates a safe and healthy environment so they can grow up and say that about you. So you didn't have a great childhood. Well, it's time for you to forgive.
Forget what's behind and press on because that's what the gospel enables you to do. But if you drown in bitterness and unforgiveness, you'll become what you're bitter about. And that won't be their fault, it will be yours. And that's truth that cuts, but I don't cut to hurt. I cut to cut away so that you can stand in righteousness and health.
So *forgive*. Otherwise, you become it. Move forward and let God transform the culture of your heart. Because out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks, but also that which you lead becomes like what's in your heart. And if you're leading your family, you better cultivate a soft and tender pure heart before the Lord because your children and children's children will reflect what's in there.
It's kind of important. Amen? So we're moving forward fresh. Yeah? I'll probably revisit some of that, the message.
We'll see. I wanna share though, even in the midst of that, because it was sad. But at the same time, **"death has no sting"**. Like it does for those who have no hope. Like the sting of death is gone.
There's still sadness. But man, I know where she is. I'm gonna see her again. It'll be different, but it'll be better. And so the sting of death is gone.
I'm not like those who have no hope and neither should you be because you know the 1 who is hope. And you know that when you die, to be absent from this life is to be in glory with him. 1 step at a time. And I'm so excited and hopeful about that. Yeah.
I cried because I miss her. I cried because life happens really fast. And there's season season of my life, I'll never get back. But as a Christian, I go from glory to glory. From faith to faith.
From hope to hope. Looking back on the amazing things that have happened. Forgiving the junk that's happened, and letting the testimony of the past push me forward to greater things in Christ, so I can reflect him all the more. If I know you live that way, and if you don't, start. It's way more fun.
It's way more better. In the midst of all of that, you wouldn't tell you proof that death has no sting. Give you a little bit of proof. This isn't to toot my own horn, but this is a *testimony* because my role is to equip you. And some of the way that I equip you is sharing testimony.
So Friday, it was a quick trip. I flew flew Friday, got there at 10PM, went to the funeral Saturday, and flew back last night. Friday, I'm sitting in Starbucks prepping the message. And Starbucks on East Bay, King. And as I sit down, there's this woman, a couple of seats over.
And I just I noticed and like felt like, I'm I'm probably gonna pray for her or something. So I'm prepping the message and I I get through, you know, and just let the Lord speak to me and whatnot. Couple of hours, she's still sitting there. So I stopped and I I look over at her. I say, excuse me, ma'am.
She says, yeah. I said, can I pray for you? I just think Jesus loves you a lot. She just starts crying. She goes, you don't understand.
She said, I've only had this happen to me 1 other time in my life and it was at this Starbucks. And she said, I prayed to God in coming here that he would send somebody to pray for me. When you obey the leading of the Holy Spirit in your life, sometimes you become the answer to somebody else's prayer because God wants to co labor with you in your daily life to impact the people around you. That's that's co laboring. That's what that looks like.
And it's not because I'm a pastor. It's because I'm a *Christian* That is walking with Jesus like many of you are, and you're invited to. It's called real Christianity. So she's crying. I prayed.
You know? She goes she goes, yeah. I I drove here for a word from God. I ended up getting to pray for her, minister to her in the way that God, like she needed there. Not because I'm special, because I'm just following the lead of the Holy Spirit by faith, and supernatural is on the other side of obedience.
Right? So she may have come to boiler room. She she was She goes to another church. Praise the Lord. It's the body of Christ ministering to 1 another.
I go home, pack, get to the airport, get on the plane, and then sitting in between 2 people. Person on the left and thought, I'm probably gonna end up praying for that person. I go the whole the whole flight. I'm still contemplating the message and other things and as it, you know, we land and it gets a little quieter. Ma'am, if I could pray for you for anything, what would it be?
I just think Jesus loves you a lot. And she's kinda taken back and she says, you know, she was nursing school. She'd got out of the military and other things. So I just prayed and I prayed, Father, I thank you that you love this person. I forget her name.
Lord, that she's precious to you. Lord God, that that you would help her in nursing school. Lord, that that she's prepared. I can already tell she's prepared. Lord God, there'd be no fear and anxiety.
Just give her a deeper desire to know you. Well, what an honor it is to get to pray for her today. Amen. And she's kind of taken back. She's like, that's nice.
That was really nice. I said, ma'am, I mean, would you have 90 seconds for me to share the gospel with you? And she goes, yeah. I grew up a Christian, know, and other things. So she kinda already knew.
And then the gospel, me sharing with her was kind of interrupted by everybody standing up and going out. So maybe I waited too long, but she was also seemed to be maybe a Christian. Get off in Atlanta. By the way, Psalm 1 19 1 11, I've said it 1000000 times. The testimony of your testimonies are my heritage.
They are the "joy of my heart". So as I'm sharing these testimonies of what Jesus has done, your testimony, they are, if you're a Christian, your heritage. Meaning, God wants to move in and through you in this same way. Or more powerful, because you got the same Holy Spirit that I do. Right?
Do you really believe that? When you really believe it, you start being led by him. Amen? Alright. So I sit down on the plane in Atlanta and it's a much smaller plane because the Monroe Airport is tiny.
And sitting by this this guy, young guy, and I asked him just what is he what is he I got to know his name. He was kind a little more talkative. So I asked him what he did. Food and service industry, he gets to travel and and fix like Coca Cola bottling machinery. It's cool.
It's a cool job for a 21 year old that graduated from a tech school. It's great. Great money. I mean, amazing. Go to tech school.
It's awesome. Anyway, and then, you know, he asked me, we get to talk about what I do. So I shared the gospel with him, you know. And like right there, within the first 10 minutes of being on the plane, he gave his life to Jesus. *Surrendered*, born never done that before.
I've been seeking God. I've been you know, I got this Bible thing on my phone and and but never surrendered to him as Lord of his life, and knew and I really I really been trying to. I asked him. I said, you know you know what it means to have a relationship with God? He goes, I'm trying to.
Like, perfect. Explain what it means to be "born again". Gives his life to Jesus on the plane. But then the rest of the trip, I say, hey, look. It's my favorite thing to do in the world.
I love answering the crazy tough questions that nobody likes to ask anybody. So you got the whole plane ride with me. Ask anything. Man, we had such good conversation. Got to disciple that young man, 21 year old for the next hour and a half to Monroe.
Gets off. He's buying the purple book, which is our discipleship thing. I was excited. I told him, I said, when you get done with that, text me back and I'll give you what's next. So just discipleship until he finds a good church, healthy church.
Get to go hang out with the family, which was great. Sad, but rejoicing at the same time. You know, bittersweet. Then I get back on the plane last night, Monroe to Atlanta. You guys bored with testimonies yet?
Good. Because they're the if you honor them as the joy of your heart, they'll become your legacy. It's your heritage. Right? Okay.
Get back on the plane, sit down, and then sit down by this this guy named Deandre. He's real talkative too. So I just kinda interrupt him at this point. Right at the very beginning of the plane. Hey, man.
Do you know God? I'm trying to. Do you know what it means to be born again? I think so. Was it me?
And he says it. He he kinda does. And I said, well, so let me let me just add a little color to it. I explained what it meant to be born again. You ever experienced that before?
Nope. You want to? Yep. Like, are you ready to make an authentic decision to really follow Jesus as the Lord of your life? Like, I'm all in.
He goes, dude, I've been I've been wanting to act like this crazy. 2 days ago, my friend and I were talking, and she was telling me I need to do this. I'm like, God sent me to set by you because he loves you. God wants to use you as the answer to other people's prayers. He wants to use you as the answer.
Do you mind if I just step on a couple of toes? Is that okay? Step on toe. If it's your toe, move it out the way. Don't put it back.
Repent and live live a different way. Problem is, I'm not picking on people in the back row. I'm not. No really. Because sometimes there's legitimate reason to sit in the back.
Sometimes that legitimate reason is because there is, you know, you got kids, you got other things, or you come in and you're like, man, it's packed, which is awesome. But man, there's a lot of times people come in. The the bad reason to sit in the back row is because of fear or not wanting to get involved. That means you don't understand the value of the church, Or you don't understand the love of the heavenly father. Because there's no fear in love.
Makes sense? So there's a lot of people, and the American church specifically comes sit in the back row like this, because they don't understand the love of the heavenly father. Make sense? Or they don't under and and look, if you're a if you're a baby, that's okay. Babies got to learn the love of the heavenly father.
And there is a process to go through of maturity that takes time. I'm not kicking you for being a baby, but I am kicking those that have been 20 year Christians and repeated the first 6 months of their Christianity 40 times. And the reason they did is lack of surrender, and living their Christian life like it was all about them. The Bible says, and it shows that the role of the pastor is to equip the saints for the works of ministry. And then as you minister, you mature and unify.
So if you've been immature in your Christianity or you get stuck, it's probably because you've been living for you instead of for Jesus and for others. And you've forgotten that there's people around you that need what God put on the inside. So you went back to making church and Christianity about you and your comfort, and sitting in the back out of fear because you forgot your father loves you. Or sitting in the back because you've made it all about you. But as you grow, once again, it's it's okay to sit in the back sometimes.
I'm using this as an analogy. Okay? There are people that have the same heart sitting in the middle and in the front. There's people that sit in the front just so everybody thinks it's okay. But they really are still an infant or don't even know Jesus.
They're just putting on a show. That makes sense? What I'm challenging you to and if you're okay with being challenged, because we're just gonna tell truth and tell it in a real way, not just a bunch of religious mumbo jumbo, then keep coming back. But, if you just wanna check church off the box and not really get to know Jesus, you probably want to go to another church. Just just being upfront.
We're called real church for a reason. Because man, I really want to make real disciples of Christ who are all in. Again, if it's an act of worship for you to sit in the back, do it. But if it's because of you, get over you and get into Christ. Man, I want to be all in, not just at church, but everywhere that you go as you grow in Christ, you take steps outside of yourself and into the harvest field.
I'm hitting this again. Jesus said, follow me and I will make you a fisher of people. Fisher of men. Meaning, the more you follow him, the less it's about you and the more it's about getting out of you and into the harvest and letting others experience the freedom. Everybody say freedom.
*Freedom*. Freedom you have in Christ. But if you don't have freedom, there's a reason. Watch this. *2 Corinthians-3*.
I've been enthralled, captivated by this verse for the last few weeks. 2 Corinthians-3:17. Now the Lord is spirit, and where the **spirit of the Lord** is, there is freedom. Where the spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. I was listening to a mentor of mine.
He said, you know, some people, you can translate that verse also, is where the Holy *Spirit* manifests the Lordship of Christ, there will be freedom. And I was like, wait a second, hold on, he's God. Doesn't he manifest the Lordship of Christ wherever he wants? He can. He's sovereign.
He's over all. But he doesn't. He gives people a choice. Prove it to you. *God* delegated authority in Genesis-1 to mankind.
He delegated dominion. Said, fill it and multiply. Right? So he wants to work on the earth through his delegated authority. Can he just move in power?
Yeah. But he doesn't go against his word, and against his process of what he set up. It would be weird, and you would find it weird as well. You would. The earth is the Lord's, and all that is in it is his.
You're his. You were created by him. He technically owns you, but he doesn't control you. It's kind of like, if you owned or if you rented an apartment, how many of you guys have rented apartment or a house? Rent an apartment or a house?
Okay. You you sign a contract when you enter into this "rental agreement" with the owner. Right? And now, the space is yours to steward. It would be out of place.
It would be weird. Be wrong even if the owner just came and barged into your house whenever he wanted. You would feel taken advantage of. You know what? It'd be weird if the owner just came in, and you you came home, and you found the owner of the apartment that you're renting in your house cooking with your utensils, laying in your bed.
You feel like, man, I gotta get out of here. *God*'s a good owner. He doesn't violate you, but he goes where you invite him. So when you first gave your life to Jesus, he knocked on the door, or he invited you into a rental agreement. This body that we only get to stay in for a season of our life.
And you sign the contract saying, yes Lord. I give you my life and I give you my heart. And that that started the thing. And it's great. Where the spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
So it's like he, you know, he comes knocking the door. Oh yeah. That's that's the owner. Come on in. And he sits in the living room.
He lives there. It's great. Wonderful. But even in that case, owners visiting your house, become a friend of yours. If the owner goes and starts ruffling through your your bedroom, and you hadn't invited him in in your bedroom, invited him in.
You're feel violated and taken advantage of, aren't you? He wants you to invite him into every room in your heart. To have his way where he becomes like family and there's nothing off limits to him. And you present the cooking utensils, you present the bedroom, you present the bathroom. Hey, you can use this bathroom.
Well, can I use that 1? No, not not. No, you can't use that 1. I was off limits. Well, he's not going to go there.
Not until you open it up. Where the spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. This is about *Lordship* too. Let me prove it. Look at the verse right before.
But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. So we turn to the Lord as believers, but also in different areas of our life, we need to respond. He knocks on the door and we respond by turning to him. Opening up. Allowing him to enter that area, and then we experience freedom.
Which would mean that any place that you're not walking in freedom, you're not surrendered to his lordship. Whether that's out of ignorance, because he hadn't knocked on that door yet because you weren't ready for that. Oh, he will. Or it's out of rebellion and disobedience because you're you don't want him to control what's in that room. What areas of your life are lacking freedom?
Those areas aren't surrendered to Lordship. How do you know if it's lacking freedom? If fear governs it? Any area of your life where there's fear, that's probably an area where you haven't given the Holy Spirit the ability to manifest his lordship and freedom in that area. Because you haven't allowed him or invited him in when he knocked.
Makes sense? Fear, the opposite of that. You're like, well, not afraid of anything. What are you grasping for control of? Who are you manipulating in your relationships to stay in control of?
Because control is fear. It's just a manifestation of it. Fear and insecurity. It's all it is. And he's saying, give me that so you can be free.
Let me manifest my spirit in that area so you can walk in complete freedom. Because here's what he wants. *2 Corinthians-3:18*, and we all who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord's glory are being transformed into his image with ever increasing glory, which comes from the Lord who is spirit. So the word contemplate, some versions is also translated as reflect. So we all, who with unveiled face faces, as we contemplate his glory, we reflect it.
You reflect what you contemplate. What you give your attention to, you're going to reflect in your life. And so in every area of your life, he wants you to contemplate, to put your mind, your attention, and your focus on his glory. What is glory? Glory is the character and nature of a thing on display for all to see.
So he wants his his character and nature to be on your mind, so he can display his character and nature through your life. Because you're a son and a daughter who's created to be an imitator of your heavenly father as a dearly loved child. So when you know his love, you're not scared of him because you've understand that he's good. You open up all the doors and you put your focus on him as the center of every aspect of your life. That whole teaching, *God* first, then family, then church, or then work, then church, or work in church, then recreation.
Kick that out the window. That's not how you live. Because if you if you live that way, where you put God first in the first 30 minutes or hour of your day, then you go on about your day and left him there. It's God at the center of your family, of your wife, your marriage, your kids. God at the center of your work, of church, of your recreation.
If God's at the center, you never leave him back and say, yeah, but this is my time. You're walking with the Holy Spirit, understanding that he's he's with you. We set our mind on the things of God. I'm in relationship with him all the time. Otherwise, I would have just sat on the plane, say this is my time.
I'm just trying to get there. Then I'm living in a compartmentalized life. And too many Christians have compartmentalized lives because they have all these doors shut in their house that God's saying, I want in that. I want you to experience freedom there. Do you realize how amazing and fun it was to lead those people to Jesus?
That wasn't just some religious duty. I'm a Christian. Right? That's just how Christians live. As you mature, you multiply.
You begin to minister to others because this is the way for you Mandalorian fans. This is the way. This is who we are. I'm not this is not condemning. It's just modeling, equipping.
There's so much more. So much more. And we go from *glory* to glory with unveiled faces, meaning the more that I *surrender* to his Lordship, the more areas of my life he knocks on, the more his light fills the room, and the more my face and my life reflect his character and nature such that it fills every room I'm in. This is it. This is the way.
I'll give you a good example I learned from my dad, and I I gave this to the dream team. You got *justification*, *sanctification*, and glorification. Don't glaze over. I'm gonna make it super simple. Justification, you gave your life to Jesus.
You were justified just as if I'd never done it. Just as if I'd never sinned before in my life. You open the door to *justification* and you step in just as if I'd never sinned and Door shuts behind you, never to open again, when it's real. Then you got this long hallway of sanctification, being made holy. But wait, The Bible says, you have been sanctified too.
You're being sanctified, but God sees all of time. So he already sees you as holy. You gotta learn to see yourself the way he sees you. So I'm biblically, there's both verses. I'm being sanctified, and I'm already sanctified.
So by faith, I'm here. But by faith, I work out what he says about me, day in and day out. Walking down this hallway for the rest of my life, reflecting more and more from glory to glory of his glory through my life. Courtney, can you come and get the keys? That'd be great.
So there's this hallway. And then I get to the other side, and that's called glorification, where I die and I step into glory. On this side of this door, there's no more **power of sin** for me to deal with. No hurt, no shame, no nothing. In sanctification, there's still the power of sin out here.
But because I walk through justification, just as if I'd never done it, I've died to sin. Been crucified with Christ. So that power of sin is no longer in here. There's still doors that I have to walk in greater freedom in, because I have to renew my mind to the reality of what he's done on the inside. But that power is out here constantly trying to get me to believe that it's still in here.
Make sense? So I'm walking this renewing of my mind. I am holy, so I'm being made holy, and working that out so that everyone sees that reality in my life. That's called being a Christian. And the more you do that, the more mature you get, and the more others You you are not allowed to come to Jesus and stay an infant for 30 years.
You're not. That's weird. That's if you if that's the case, then you either have developmental issues. Like if an if an infant stayed an infant for 30 years, they have developmental issues. Something's off.
Right? There shouldn't be anything off spiritually. You need to be around brothers and sisters that are gonna encourage you so you can mature. And if that's been the case, God can heal you so that you can start year 30 1 and go into really spiritual year 2. You know?
It's time to mature. But here's the thing, that sanctification, you get into glorification, where it's the fullness of everything. The Bible says that he's given us in 2 Corinthians-4:5. Now the 1 who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us his spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. So when you were born again, he put the Holy Spirit inside when you walk through that justification.
Because now you're clean. The Holy Spirit lives in you. That's a guarantee of glorification. So it's a taste, and an ever increasing taste of what will be when you shuck this life and walk with *Jesus* in eternity. You're getting to a taste and grow in the "taste of eternal life" with deepening levers levels of surrender from glory to glory, from faith to faith now.
That's why I got this joy on my face. This ain't this ain't some show. Man, I'm walking with Jesus from glory to glory. And people are experiencing it. And it's like, have some, man.
Here. Have some. Walk in more, and then give it out to others, and watch as you mature. The thing that prevents it, and this is gonna take us back to, this was still the Corinthians series. It's 1 Corinthians-10:14.
Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry. Flee from idols. The very last verse of first John. I've just finished writing a commentary on verse by verse on verse John. The very last verse.
He talks about love, and he talks about *repentance*, and relationship, and obedience, and it's the 1 who God loved. This is beautiful book. Read first John. The very last verse, just out of the blue. He just throws it in there.
*1 John-5:21*. Therefore, little children, "flee from idols" or keep yourself from idols. Why? Because an idol is anything that graphs your affection and makes you more affectionate for it than for Jesus. It's any area of your life where you think about that area more than you think about Jesus.
Where you've shut the door and not allowed the Holy Spirit to manifest the freedom that he's called you into. Whether that's your finances, your marriage, your children, your job, sex life. You've done that if you're not if you're having sex outside of marriage. You've been deceived. You're not walking in freedom.
The only sex life biblically is in a "monogamous man and woman" marriage. Everything else is deception. You understand? Somebody need to hear that. Idols.
Keep yourself from idols. Why do you keep yourself from idols? Why? Because idols prevent you from reflecting the *glory* of God. What is an idol?
The Hebrew word for idol is the same word for image. *God* created you in his image. Don't get weird on me when I say this, but God created you as an his idol. When other religions make and fashion an idol, they fashion it to reflect, to be to look like the God that they're worshiping. So it they look at that idol, it reminds them of their God.
And they believe that the spirit of that God, a part of it, lives in that idol. You're created in God's image. The word is idol. You're created to be a reflection of your heavenly Father, and have the spirit live in him to reflect his goodness to the world, the light of the world. When you worship another idol, you're going to reflect that instead of him.
So it hinders you from walking out his purpose and reflecting his character and nature. Every attention and affection. It's not just the bad things. The bad things are like the first to go. If you're still struggling with those things, repent.
Confess to some brother or sister. Let them help you walk in freedom. But it can be also good things. You realize that whole list I told you can be idols. Your wife, your husband can be your idol because you love them more than you love Jesus.
You put your attention and your affection on them more than you do him. You want real freedom in your marriage? Love Jesus more than your spouse and watch how your love for your spouse grows. Because he gives you the capacity to love more deeply than you thought possible. You just had to release it.
Mothers, sometimes fathers, your children can be your idol too. Your whole life revolves around your children instead of revolving around Jesus. Just move the toe. Don't put it back. Money?
You know, when people come to me and they're all fearful about money, like, I'm just struggling with my finances, this, and the other. First thing I ask, are you tithing? I don't care if they go to this church or another church. That's the first thing I ask because tithing gets rid of the idol of money. Because it puts God first in that area so he becomes the center.
Recreation. I need my me time. Are you spending your me time with Jesus? Because if you ain't, it ain't restful. Not like it can be.
And he gives the best rest. I go work out with Jesus, man. You think I'm joking? He's with me. Idols.
The way to experience *freedom* is to open any doors with idols in it or any drawers with idols in it and let him shine his light on it. That's the way. So Courtney is gonna sing a song. And as she sing this song, you're dismissed. If you need to deal with God, stay for a while as long as you need to deal with him, to open up the drawers of your heart.
And the altar will be open. It's always open. Don't leave if you know you need to do business with him. And say, well, I can do it on my own. It ain't worked yet.
You had church for a reason. You got family and brothers and sisters in Christ, and it takes humility to do work with your family. That's what family does. Right? Anybody that comes down to the altar and needs prayer, somebody will come pray for you, 1 of our leaders, 1 of our altar team.
You can get on your knees at your chair if you want to. And you're dismissed when she starts the song. If you need to go, I'm not judging you saying, well, should have done something. No. Just I I just trust that you love Jesus.
If you need to know Jesus, you've never given your life to him, come down to the altar and ask somebody, hey, I need to know him. Be that hungry because he loves you. Okay?