War Cry 3 - Song of Celebration
In the face of adversity, envision God leading you to victory.
Doyle Jackson
Jul 22, 2018 37m
In this sermon Pastor Doyle Jackson talks about what David did in the face of adversity. He pictured what he wanted to happen, he painted a visual picture, and prayed a prayer of thanks to the Lord for providing his victory. He explains that God wants us to trust in him, and give him praise. That we can take power over our struggles by creating a plan for our desired outcome, and then we should thank God in advance for his blessings. Video recorded at Columbus, Ohio.
TranscriptionmessageRegarding Grammar:
This is a transcription of the sermon. People speak differently than they write, and there are common colloquialisms in this transcript that sound good when spoken, and look like bad grammar when written.
This is a transcription of the sermon. People speak differently than they write, and there are common colloquialisms in this transcript that sound good when spoken, and look like bad grammar when written.
Doyle Jackson: 00:00 That song, Count Me In, because it reminds me like, Jesus, he says, I'm going to build my church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. And all these guys say, count me in, I want to be a part of that. When you think about what Jesus did, he gives you the opportunity to be a part of what he's doing, and you and I have to make a decision. Are we just going to watch it or are we going to be in on it? You know? David, what did he do? He said, I'm going to war, I'm going to take on the Philistine, who wants to be with me? And all these guys raise their hands. They said, hey, I'm in on that, I want to beat those guys, I want to have a victory. And this summer what we said was, we're going to take the Book of Psalms, and everyday we're going to open up the book of Psalms. We're going to read a couple psalms, because we want to learn from a warrior. We want to learn from a young man who was taking on life at full speed, a young man who said, you know what? I want God to be more than just a thought in my mind, I want him to be the leader of my life. I want to take on life with God, and that's what David did, and he did something remarkable that the world still recognizes to this day. He built a nation around love for God, and the people in the Middle East are still aware of David, thousands of years after he's gone to the grave. And you and I can read his ancient songs, and that's what we're going to do this summer. If you haven't done it yet, just jump in with us. At the bottom of your notes today are the list of each a chapter we're going to read this week, and just dive in with us, and listen to David's war cry and begin to say them out loud over your life. It'll transform your life. It's your way of saying, count me in on that God, I want to be a part of that. Awesome.
Doyle Jackson: 01:49 Hey, do me a favor, put your hands together and welcome everybody that's watching online, okay? Awesome, awesome. You know in just a few weeks you're going to be able to watch on Facebook live, The Church Next Door. We're still waiting for all the cable to be put in, but that's coming. And so we don't want you to miss church live in the room, but we understand sometimes when you're not here, you can watch that way. alright? Look at your neighbor, say to them, I'm glad you're here with me.
Doyle Jackson: 02:22 Did you hear about the lifeguard who didn't go out and rescue the hippy? They asked him why? He said he was too far out. Man, you liked that? You liked that? Yeah. What do you call ketchup that has 20/20 vision? Heinz sight. I hope I'm not too far out for you today, but this is what I believe. I believe if you and I could go back in hindsight, and see our lives and do some things differently, this is what we would do. Number one. Every time we come to a battle, we would say, Oh God, I'm trusting you to help me get through this. See, this is the principle, this is the principle that David lived by. I believe it's probably the most important, and core principle of David's life, of David's leadership. And the way he approached God was this, whenever he saw he was about to have a battle, whenever he saw that there was some wall he needed to come over, or if there was a barricade that he needed to go through, whenever he saw an obstacle in his life, he said, okay, God, I believe you have the answer for me, and I'm going to trust you to get me through this. Be clear, be clear, David did not thank God for the problem. He prays to God in the midst of the problem, and believes that God would help him find his way through, and that's what you and I want to do. That's what we want to have happen in our life.
Doyle Jackson: 03:50 If you have your notes, open them up. If you got The Church Next Door app, you can follow along with it. If you don't, you ought to get it, it's free. When is the best time to celebrate? When is the best time to celebrate? Well, the best time to celebrate is when you know you need a win. See, praise starts the moment you need a win. The moments you see a crisis arise in your life, okay? Someone gives you a call, and it's not good, and you're like, oh no. What you do is you say, well, I'm going to trust God is going to be in the midst of this situation, God, you have an answer for me. And see, this is why. I've seen people, I've seen so many people's lives over the years. When they chose the god response in the middle of the bad news, they said, okay, God, you're going to do something good out of this. I know that you're going to be with me, you're going to carry me through, and every time he does. And that was David's approach. You ever thought about this? Have you ever thought about why when you go to a football game, they send the cheerleaders and the band out first? That's because they're planning on a win, they're already thinking about the celebration, they already recognize we're not going to celebrate just when we win. We're going to celebrate at the beginning, in the middle, and at the end because we're planning on a win. Do you actually believe that OSU, that all the coaches and all the team this week, what they did was they just lied out by the pool getting a tan. Nope. That's a Michigan fan hoping for that. No they didn't. They're training, they're planning, they're thinking about it. What are they doing? They're running through the plays in their mind. Because this is what they're doing, they're saying, well, if we're going to win, I've got to do this and this and this and this and this. People who win have made a plan. And so they've begun to look at that plan, and they've imagined that plan, and they begin to just step through it. They walk right through it. I remember reading an article about Michael Phelps, the amazing swimmer, right? He was in the Olympics and he dives into the pool. He's supposed to be racing in one of his best races, and for some reason when he goes in the water, it flips up his goggles. And he's just got water all in his face, and he cannot swim the way he normally does. But what he does is he just closes his eyes, and he runs the tape in his mind of every stroke, the way he always runs this rice. He hits the wall right when he expects to. His eyes are closed all the way through. He said at the Olympics, the biggest moment of his life, and he says, I go through my full race, I come out, I touched the wall, and I come up and I beat my best time ever. Why? Because he had a plan in his mind, and he's playing it out, he's just running the tape in his mind. He says, I thought about that race a thousand times, I knew exactly how long the pool was, they didn't change the length of the pool in the middle of my race, I knew how many strokes it would take it. See, this is the problem, most of us, we just dive in the pool, they have no plan to win.
Doyle Jackson: 07:12 And God expects you to expect to win, and that's what David learned as a young shepherd boy, he began to plan his battles. He would sit there, and he would sing songs, and say, God, this is what I'm going to do. If the lion or the bear comes up, I'm going to trust you. I'm out here afraid, but this is what I know, you would never leave me nor forsake me for you are always with me. And see this is the problem, most of us have no plan to win, we have no imagination. And see, a leader, a leader, always has a vision and a plan to win. They're not winging it. They're not flying at the seat of their pants. No way, a leader has a plan. This is what we're going to execute, this is how we're going to do it, and they're just running right through it. And that's what David had. Every time he saw a battle arise on his horizon, he said, okay, how's God going to help me through this? This is how he knew, as a young man, when he comes walking into Saul's tent, and Saul says, here you can wear my armor. Because David already knew, nope, that armor won't fit my plan. That armor won't fit what God has already shown me. Again and again and again and again, it says in David's life, in David's life, when a battle arose what would he do? He would go to God. He said, God, what am I supposed to do? Lord? Show me what to do. And God would show him the plan, he'd say okay, God, that's the plan I'm going to do. You see, too many of us, we think I'll write the plan on my own, we don't need God's help. No, no, no, God's Holy Spirit is there to be your counselor and your guide. That's what Jesus taught, and see the Holy Spirit is your best friend in guiding you through. David, he's in hiding. Saul, I mean you think you got a tough father in law, his father law is trying to kill him. And he decides, I better go hide, he goes to the land of Ziph. I'm telling you folks, there is no better place in our minds to hide then the land of Ziph. It seems like a fairy tale. Ziph is a literal place, it's south of Jerusalem, south of Bethlehem. It's in between Masada and Hebron. It's down in this hill country. It's a dry, parse land, and nobody wants to be in the land of Ziph. David thinks he'll never find me here, he goes and hides out. What happens is this, the Ziphites, and you think it's tough living on the west side. They're called Ziphites. I'd be embarrassed to have to go around saying I'm a Ziphite. David is down there, he's hiding out. And the Ziphites, they send a text to Saul in Jerusalem, and say, hey dude, we found David. It's listed right there in First Samuel 23. David gets word from one of his buddies, Saul's coming to get you, and he has to move. He said, well, I guess I'm not going to buy a condo or build a house in Ziph.
Doyle Jackson: 10:18 It tells us further on in First Samuel twenty six that David moves from there, God shows him, and he moves to En Gedi. He finds a new place, and God uses the waters of En Gedi and just that surrounding area, and he writes other songs of praise in God's life. Now listen to Psalm 54. This is David's response when he finds out the Ziphites have sold him out. See, they were more interested in money, they wanted money. they wanted the reward for David. They weren't asking God, God, what should we do? Be careful letting your life be led by money, your life should be led by God, and what he wants you to do. "Save me o God by your name. Vindicate me by your might, hear my prayer, Oh God. Listen to the words of our mouth. Strangers are attacking me. Ruthless men seek my life. Men without regard for God Selah." What you have to see about this, is when David writes this psalm, he is under attack. He's already in the midst of the battle, so to speak. He recognizes the moment they've turned him in, and he's like, God, what do I do? God, I got to come to you. He begins to pray to God, and these first three verses, it shows David to attitude about what it's like. Let me tell you something, you're not going to get out a life without trouble. But if you trust in God when you are in trouble, he'll show you the pathway through, he'll give you whatever you need to do.
Doyle Jackson: 12:02 And then something shifts when we get to verse four, he says, "Surely God is my help. The Lord is the one who sustains me. Let evil recoil on those who slander me. In your faithfulness, destroy them. I will sacrifice a freewill offering to you. I will praise your name, o Lord, for it is good, for he has delivered me from all my troubles and my eyes have looked in triumph on my foes." He's already picturing the win. David looks at his situation, and he says, it's okay, I'm going to give you a thank offering, I'm going to praise you, God as if it's already happened in my life.
Doyle Jackson: 12:41 Three keys, three keys here David gives you an I. Number one. God's name is victor. He starts out in the first, Oh God, your name. Save me, O God by your name. The name of God is your savior. In the name of Jesus, every knee will bow and tongue confess. Jesus is your victory. The Lord our God is your victory. The name El is the word for God, and it's always connected to the Lord our God. Like El Shaddai, El [inaudible]. Each of these names, it's always about the Lord who provides, the Lord, who gives justice, the Lord who sees the innocent, the Lord who watches over. Our God, that word El, it means strength, it means power, it means might, and what David says is, I'm invoking the power of God in my situation. He's not invoking his own power. He saying, God, you're my victor. You're the one that I need for this situation. That's what it means to call the name of the Lord. It's why Christians pray in the name of Jesus, because we understand that we don't have the power to resolve the situation, but Jesus does. We recognize if he can be raised from the dead, he can raise our situation, that's why Christians pray in Jesus' name.
Doyle Jackson: 14:07 Now, the second principle that David teaches us, is that faith paints a picture of God's victory. Faith paints a picture of God's victory. See David, he knows that they're hot in pursuit of him. He knows he has to leave Ziph. He knows he's got to do something, he's either got to stand and fight, or he's got to run. He says, God, what do you want me to do? God, I'm trusting you to be my victory. So he begins to paint a picture in his mind. Well, I guess I'm moving to En Gedi, I guess that's my response today, because I'm not going to fight against the anointed one Saul, the King of Israel. See, David learned from the Lord when he was running from Saul, that he was not to touch the hair on Saul's head. He would trust God to deal with Saul, if he would honor Saul as God's anointed, than he would be honored as God's anointed when he became king. See, he begins to paint a picture of how his victory would come. He says, God, you're going to deal with these evil, wicked people that are speaking against me, God, you're going to deliver me from this situation. So faith begins to paint a picture of how you're going to get out of that? Well, God's going to deliver me, God's going to help me, God's going to deal with those people.
Doyle Jackson: 15:24 Final fact, praise from our lips paint's it on our hearts, praise from our lips, paint's it on our hearts. So this is what you do. You begin to imagine God being applied to your situation. So if you need a job right now, you say, God, I know that you're the one that provides everyone the promotion that they get, says, that you're the one that puts kings and princes in their place, then you'll give me the promotion I need, the job that I need. And Lord, I just see myself sitting at my desk, and I'm working with a team of people that are great to work with. And then you say, Lord, I praise you, that you have the perfect job, for my shape, for my gifts, and my abilities. And I'm just trusting you Lord, that you're going to open that door, that's what it does.
Doyle Jackson: 16:15 When I was a young, young boy, you've heard me tell a story before, my brother Philip and I were riding on the back of the tractor. Philip slipped, he got caught in the wheel of the tractor, and just before my father rolled over him, he stopped, and we had to Philip Dad pulled Phillip out between the tractor and all that, he felt Phillip's leg, and he knew that the leg was not supposed to bend the way it did. Our father was a veterinarian, he knew immediately that that was a break in the leg. As blood running down his leg, I remember mama and daddy putting him in the back of the car, and then heading out and leaving for the hospital. And Alan and I went to the house, and I was crying, tears were streaming down my face, and we looked through the front window of the house and I remember seeing them pull out the driveway going left towards town. And Alan and I praying for Phillip, and just saying, Lord, I thank you that Phillip is going to be okay, that you will watch over my brother. And later we heard that on the way to the hospital that Mama and daddy and Philip prayed in the car, and they put their hands up and thanked the Lord, and Philip felt something happened in his leg. When they walked into the hospital, the doctors did x-rays, and they came out to my dad and said, we took x rays and we can't find a break, we're going to take x rays again. And my dad put his hands up in the hospital, he said, praise the Lord.
Doyle Jackson: 17:51 Learn the principle to thank God for the victory in advance. Learn the principle that God is the answer. We're not praising God for the terrible circumstance, be clear on that. We're praising God, that you are the God that leads me through the shadow of death, and I will fear no evil. For they Iraq and staff, they comfort me. You are going to guide me, God through this hard place in my life. And if you're in a hard place today, I'm not telling you to say thank you God for the hard place. Say thank you God that you are the light unto my path, that you're going to get me out of a dark place, that you're going to get me out of a hard place. That's what David understood. His life was constantly under pressure. He was constantly having someone trying to take his life, and trying to ruin him, and you and I live in a world will evil is constantly trying to destroy you.
Doyle Jackson: 18:47 That's why David was so concerned about his soul, always. And when you and I begin to believe that God will get our soul through, and our body, and our life to the other side, that's what he does. Let me give you a little process that will help you, if you want it, alright. How it works. Number one, or A. What is my current condition? Evaluate, where am I? You know, what is my current situation? Do you need a job? Are you wanting God to work in your marriage? What is it that you need God to work in? Number two. What does God's word teach? What does God's word teach about your situation? Number three. How would Jesus apply the promises? See people would come to Jesus, and they knew their conditions. They were sick, or they knew that they were vexed by a demonic force. They realized that something was harassing their life, and they would come to Jesus and say, Jesus, would you set me free? And Jesus would say, you are healed in the name of the Lord. He would say to some people, you are forgiven. Pick up your mat, and walk. In other people's case he would say, your sin is forgiven. That means that that sometimes the real thing that needs to be applied, is different to each situation, but that's what Jesus always does. Paint a verbal picture of Jesus touching your life. Begin to imagine, what would it look like if God healed your marriage?
Doyle Jackson: 20:25 I'll have people come to Jennifer and me, and they'll come for counseling from other churches. Not this church, be clear on that, alright? And we'll sit down and talk with them, and they're just fighting, you know, just world war three. And we say, well, okay, I get all that. He was wrong, you've been wrong. I get all that, you know, all that stuff. But would you do me just one quick, just tell me this. If all was good today, if you were being kind to one another, and you were loving one another and everything. If all this stuff was forgiven, and all this junk you've been fighting about was gone, alright? If it was just, if it was resolved, and you woke up tomorrow morning, God had done a miracle and he had healed all this junk. Okay? How would you treat one another? And they'll sit there in stunned silence for several moments. I said, no, no, no, just imagine for a moment that everything was great. How would you treat one another? And they'll say things like, well, we probably hold hands more, I'd probably use kind words when referring to one another. Okay, what else? Well, we'd probably be happy, and we would laugh more, we would smile. I said, well picture it. What would it look like? Well, we'd probably have breakfast together, and we would just enjoy one another more, and we'd just have a great day together. I said, okay, go home and do that.
Doyle Jackson: 22:02 See if you begin to paint a picture in your mind, a verbal picture of what it would look like, you in that new job, you making all A's in school. How'd that feel? How about you with the business that you've always wanted to have? See, David begins to paint a picture of what it would look like for his enemies to be dealt with, and for him to have victory. Begin to paint that picture verbally. Jesus, I just see you healing that spot in me that was so damaged when I was a child, by that person that shouldn't have done that to me. And God, I just forgive them right now, and I see you bringing healing to that place, so that I can attach to people again. I can show love, and give love. See you just begin to apply it, and pray it through. In the same way that that woman thought, if I could just touch the hem of his garment, he will heal the issue of blood in me. And see David would reach out with his psalm and say, okay God, I see you rescued me from the hand of the Ziphites, I see you rescuing me from the hand of the Philistines, I see you rescuing me from the hand of Saul, I see you taking me into Jerusalem as king. I see you, I see you working in my life. It's not me winning over my stuff, it's Jesus working in me. See the Holy Spirit, that is the counselor that's going to walk you through that, and just welcome him to walk you through. It.
Doyle Jackson: 23:48 Finally, begin to celebrate with thanksgiving, God's authority. Begin to celebrate, God, you're going to do this, and I trust you. When Jennifer and I were living in Cincinnati, and we felt God saying, I'm going to move you. And we began to pray about that, and we spent months and months and months praying and fasting, some of you have heard us tell that story. We get to this one point and we felt like God, we needed just to thank God that he was going to take us to the new place, and ultimately it came to Columbus. Okay? And we felt like God said, you need to thank me about this, and so we felt like our response was to give an offering to God. And it needed to be more than just a verbal offering, just more than just praising him and lifting our hands. We need to do something that impacted the way we lived, so we went out and we bought some gift cards. It was like a Home Depot kind of store, a Lowes kind of store. We got gift cards for our neighbors that we're fixing up their house. We said, we want to give this to you because we want you to know that God loves you, and we love you, and it's just to let you know that you're important in our lives. And then we went to this other couple that was getting started with young kids, and we knew they were having a hard time making ends meet, but they've made some real God steps in their life. And we said, we want to give you just another push of God's love in that. So we brought this offering. We said, Lord, we're giving this to these families because we're a young family like them and we're just trusting you for our future. And see, God will show you that thank offering, and you do that, and it's an act of faith. Because you're saying, God, you have the authority ,and it wasn't long when bam, we get the call from Columbus. And then God began to walk us through that, and we knew this is the place he's bringing us to.
Doyle Jackson: 25:30 Listen to David, how God walked him through this process, when he had sinned. See, God can bring you out of a sin too, with the same process. David did something horrible. He took on a relationship with a woman that was not his wife, another man's wife. He acted inappropriately, ungodly. It was awful. Then he had the man murdered. These are things that you should never do. Yet he goes to God, realizing he's brought this curse on his life. He's brought God's judgment on his life, that he's brought himself into a bad place, and look what he says. Psalm 51, just the first two verses, this is what he says, "Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love, according to your great compassion. Blot out my transgressions, wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin." See David's honest, David's honest about his condition. I'm a sinner, I've screwed up, I knew better than to behave this way, yet he does it. But what is it that he does? He goes to what? God's word. What does God's word say? God loves sinners, God is a forgiving God, a merciful God, a loving God. And can do that for you, He can do that for me. And David says, have mercy, O God, have mercy according to your unfailing, your endless, deep love. God would you just apply that to me? So he applies the promise. Then he begins to picture himself experiencing God's compassion, and being washed by God. And he says, God, you have the authority to do this, cleanse me and wash me. He goes on, says, wash me with hyssop, make me whiter than snow. See David, this is what he does. He paints the picture, and in faith he begins to see himself that way, and you know what it does? It transforms his heart, and his life, and he says, I can live beyond this mistake because you God, you can set me free. I've tried to set myself free, and it never worked, but every time I go to you, you deliver me. Don't rely on yourself, to set yourself free, you can't break the ropes. Samson broke the ropes in his life, through the power of God and his Holy Spirit. You will break the ropes in your life, through the power of God's grace and his mercy. Cry out to him the way David did, set me free.
Doyle Jackson: 28:00 We're all designed to celebrate, and I think there's three important principles about that. You have the ability to praise God, to shout to God, to clap, to dance, to celebrate. And I have to be honest with you that I've struggled in this area. It is my personality to hold things in, and not necessarily be an exuberant celebrator. I was reading in my quiet time one day, I'm reading these psalms. I'm talking to God like, God, I'm wrong, forgive me. I hold back too much, forgive me. I just walked around my home saying, Lord, forgive me, I repent, that's wrong of me, I thank you. And I begin to thank him, and celebrate some of the things he'd done in my life. And if you're like that, if you're a hands in the pocket kind of person, get them out. Get them out, and say to God, forgive me, that's not the way you want me to be. Because see, this is what I think is important. We should celebrate when we succeed, because that's gratitude. See, it's appropriate when someone gives you a blessing to say thank you. That's why we teach our children to say thank you, we want them to be grateful for what they have. Don't we? We don't make excuses for that. It's time for us to stop making excuses in our lives for why we don't celebrate God's goodness, and just be grateful.
Doyle Jackson: 29:16 Number two, principle of celebration is we celebrate when others succeed, that's called friendship. You're not really a friend if you don't celebrate when your friends do well. When your friend gets an A, and you get a B, give them a high five say way to go. Would you just now anoint me with oil and pray over me to have the ability to make an A, that's all I'm asking right now. Well maybe some would rub off of you, and on to me. But can I tell you this? It's not going to rub off on you, until you celebrate with them. Celebrate with them, and say, teach me how you do it. And then they teach you their plan, and their strategy, for A's, and you'll start getting A's. If your friend gets a new car are you jealous? Do you walk around and say, well, I wouldn't have gotten this model. You're going to find yourself very lonely, because did you know grumpy people are lonely. Wonder why? Because nobody wants to be around a grumpy person. If that's you, just repent. Leave your grumpy's here today., we'll sweep them up, and throw them in the trash after you leave. Okay? Because see, God designed you to celebrate. Celebrate with one another, say way to go, celebrate with other people and say, take me for a ride. Wait a few minutes before you ask if you can drive. Okay?
Doyle Jackson: 30:43 And number three, we need celebration in troubles, because it provides hope. See what David would do when he was troubled, the reason that he would picture all this, and begin to believe in faith for it, and then begin to praise and paint the picture, to paint his way out of the situation. Because if he didn't, he was going to die of depression. He was going to die of inward thinking, woe is me, but he chose not to. He chose to paint a picture of pathway out. And the reason you praise God, is it brings hope to your life. And as you say it out loud, say God, you're going to get me through this, you're going to get me past this grief, you're going to get me past this loss. God, you're going to get me to the other side, because I will praise you, and I will trust you, because you're a mighty God. The reason he did that, because he knew that that was the only way through. Hope gives light to your situation, and that's why you do it, and I do it.
Doyle Jackson: 31:40 Listen to Psalm 56, once again, another group of people has sold. David out. Another group of people has thought, the money was more important than God's way. You got to avoid that principle. Always choose God's way over money, always choose God's way over money, it's better for you. "Record my laments, list my tears on your scroll, are they not in your record?" David teaches us this principal. He's crying now, at the beginning of this he's crying. He's like, God, once again, I've been sold out. Why can't I just lay my head somewhere, and have sleep, and have peace? You need to realize, the reason David talks about sleep in his psalms, is because when he got a little bit of rest, it was a good thing. God is the one that gives you rest, David understood that. But he also understood this principle, that if you and I forgive, if we will cry out to God, if we all give our grief, our tears to God, God will list them, and you and I can travel light because we don't have carry our grief. Hear me on this, if you're still carrying around unforgiveness, if you're still carrying around a bitterness, or an anger in your life, it is a weight. You cannot run into battle with that. And David understood, I'm going to forgive these people, you've heard my tears, I'm going to trust you God. And so when you cry out to God, this is so comforting to me. God keeps a list of my grief so I don't have to keep the list, it's done. And see, David trusts God to deal with the people that have grieved him, the people that have harmed him, the people that have come against him. Then listen to his shift. Then my enemies will turn back when I call for help, by this, I will know that God is for me. In God whose word I praise, in the Lord whose word I praise, in God I trust, I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? I'm under vows to you, O God. I will present my thank offerings to you, for you have delivered me from death and my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before God in the light of life."
Doyle Jackson: 33:54 David praises God before he has the victory, the victory begins in your mouth. The victory begins in your mouth, when you begin to thank God. I thank you Lord that I am going to graduate, and be done with all this school. I thank you God, that my children are going to grow up, and learn to love you and cherish you. I thank you Lord, that they are going to honor you all the days of their life. I thank you Lord, that you're going to pay off my house, Lord, and I'm not going to have debt. I thank you Lord, that you are a good God who loves me. I thank you God, that I am going to sleep well at night. I thank you God, that I will have peace in my heart. See victory declares in advance what God is going to do in your life. What do you want God to do in your life? What words do you need to speak this week, so God can move in your life? Write them down, every week I challenge you on that comment card, give your heart to God. Say, Lord, I'm going to thank you, that you are giving me victory in this. This habit is going to be broken over my life, and I'm going to be free. I'm not going to have to stop every so often for this habit, I'm moving on. God, I thank you that I'm no longer going to be the grumpy Gus I've always been, I'm going to be a happy, joyful person. I thank you lord, that I'm going to learn to celebrate all my days with you. What is it you need? Write it down on your comment card, before you leave today. Drop it in the offering in the back and say, God, this is my offering to you, I want to see you work in my life in a mighty way. I'll agree with you this week. I'll praise God with you, because your life was meant for more than the valley you're in right now. You do not have to live in fear any longer, because God is with you. Amen.
Doyle Jackson: 35:59 Here's our prayer this week, I wrote it at the bottom, it's just a statement of a new way of thinking. As a result of this, it says, Lord save me from unclean lips. Surely you can help me be an ambassador of praise. I want to declare, you are my deliverer, all my troubles are nothing in your presence. Keep my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before God in the light of life. These are just David's words, applied to our life. If you want to say those, I invite you to stand with me. I give you permission to hold your neighbor's hand, especially if it's your spouse. This could be the best moment of the week, and we'll say this aloud. alright? Lord save me from unclean lips. Surely you can help me be an ambassador of praise. I want to declare, you are my deliver, all my troubles are nothing in your presence. Keep my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before God in the light of life. God bless you, have a great week. alright? If you're a guest, please stop by in the back, they have a gift for you. If you'd like to say hello, I'll be down here.
Recorded in Columbus, Ohio.
Doyle Jackson: 01:49 Hey, do me a favor, put your hands together and welcome everybody that's watching online, okay? Awesome, awesome. You know in just a few weeks you're going to be able to watch on Facebook live, The Church Next Door. We're still waiting for all the cable to be put in, but that's coming. And so we don't want you to miss church live in the room, but we understand sometimes when you're not here, you can watch that way. alright? Look at your neighbor, say to them, I'm glad you're here with me.
Doyle Jackson: 02:22 Did you hear about the lifeguard who didn't go out and rescue the hippy? They asked him why? He said he was too far out. Man, you liked that? You liked that? Yeah. What do you call ketchup that has 20/20 vision? Heinz sight. I hope I'm not too far out for you today, but this is what I believe. I believe if you and I could go back in hindsight, and see our lives and do some things differently, this is what we would do. Number one. Every time we come to a battle, we would say, Oh God, I'm trusting you to help me get through this. See, this is the principle, this is the principle that David lived by. I believe it's probably the most important, and core principle of David's life, of David's leadership. And the way he approached God was this, whenever he saw he was about to have a battle, whenever he saw that there was some wall he needed to come over, or if there was a barricade that he needed to go through, whenever he saw an obstacle in his life, he said, okay, God, I believe you have the answer for me, and I'm going to trust you to get me through this. Be clear, be clear, David did not thank God for the problem. He prays to God in the midst of the problem, and believes that God would help him find his way through, and that's what you and I want to do. That's what we want to have happen in our life.
Doyle Jackson: 03:50 If you have your notes, open them up. If you got The Church Next Door app, you can follow along with it. If you don't, you ought to get it, it's free. When is the best time to celebrate? When is the best time to celebrate? Well, the best time to celebrate is when you know you need a win. See, praise starts the moment you need a win. The moments you see a crisis arise in your life, okay? Someone gives you a call, and it's not good, and you're like, oh no. What you do is you say, well, I'm going to trust God is going to be in the midst of this situation, God, you have an answer for me. And see, this is why. I've seen people, I've seen so many people's lives over the years. When they chose the god response in the middle of the bad news, they said, okay, God, you're going to do something good out of this. I know that you're going to be with me, you're going to carry me through, and every time he does. And that was David's approach. You ever thought about this? Have you ever thought about why when you go to a football game, they send the cheerleaders and the band out first? That's because they're planning on a win, they're already thinking about the celebration, they already recognize we're not going to celebrate just when we win. We're going to celebrate at the beginning, in the middle, and at the end because we're planning on a win. Do you actually believe that OSU, that all the coaches and all the team this week, what they did was they just lied out by the pool getting a tan. Nope. That's a Michigan fan hoping for that. No they didn't. They're training, they're planning, they're thinking about it. What are they doing? They're running through the plays in their mind. Because this is what they're doing, they're saying, well, if we're going to win, I've got to do this and this and this and this and this. People who win have made a plan. And so they've begun to look at that plan, and they've imagined that plan, and they begin to just step through it. They walk right through it. I remember reading an article about Michael Phelps, the amazing swimmer, right? He was in the Olympics and he dives into the pool. He's supposed to be racing in one of his best races, and for some reason when he goes in the water, it flips up his goggles. And he's just got water all in his face, and he cannot swim the way he normally does. But what he does is he just closes his eyes, and he runs the tape in his mind of every stroke, the way he always runs this rice. He hits the wall right when he expects to. His eyes are closed all the way through. He said at the Olympics, the biggest moment of his life, and he says, I go through my full race, I come out, I touched the wall, and I come up and I beat my best time ever. Why? Because he had a plan in his mind, and he's playing it out, he's just running the tape in his mind. He says, I thought about that race a thousand times, I knew exactly how long the pool was, they didn't change the length of the pool in the middle of my race, I knew how many strokes it would take it. See, this is the problem, most of us, we just dive in the pool, they have no plan to win.
Doyle Jackson: 07:12 And God expects you to expect to win, and that's what David learned as a young shepherd boy, he began to plan his battles. He would sit there, and he would sing songs, and say, God, this is what I'm going to do. If the lion or the bear comes up, I'm going to trust you. I'm out here afraid, but this is what I know, you would never leave me nor forsake me for you are always with me. And see this is the problem, most of us have no plan to win, we have no imagination. And see, a leader, a leader, always has a vision and a plan to win. They're not winging it. They're not flying at the seat of their pants. No way, a leader has a plan. This is what we're going to execute, this is how we're going to do it, and they're just running right through it. And that's what David had. Every time he saw a battle arise on his horizon, he said, okay, how's God going to help me through this? This is how he knew, as a young man, when he comes walking into Saul's tent, and Saul says, here you can wear my armor. Because David already knew, nope, that armor won't fit my plan. That armor won't fit what God has already shown me. Again and again and again and again, it says in David's life, in David's life, when a battle arose what would he do? He would go to God. He said, God, what am I supposed to do? Lord? Show me what to do. And God would show him the plan, he'd say okay, God, that's the plan I'm going to do. You see, too many of us, we think I'll write the plan on my own, we don't need God's help. No, no, no, God's Holy Spirit is there to be your counselor and your guide. That's what Jesus taught, and see the Holy Spirit is your best friend in guiding you through. David, he's in hiding. Saul, I mean you think you got a tough father in law, his father law is trying to kill him. And he decides, I better go hide, he goes to the land of Ziph. I'm telling you folks, there is no better place in our minds to hide then the land of Ziph. It seems like a fairy tale. Ziph is a literal place, it's south of Jerusalem, south of Bethlehem. It's in between Masada and Hebron. It's down in this hill country. It's a dry, parse land, and nobody wants to be in the land of Ziph. David thinks he'll never find me here, he goes and hides out. What happens is this, the Ziphites, and you think it's tough living on the west side. They're called Ziphites. I'd be embarrassed to have to go around saying I'm a Ziphite. David is down there, he's hiding out. And the Ziphites, they send a text to Saul in Jerusalem, and say, hey dude, we found David. It's listed right there in First Samuel 23. David gets word from one of his buddies, Saul's coming to get you, and he has to move. He said, well, I guess I'm not going to buy a condo or build a house in Ziph.
Doyle Jackson: 10:18 It tells us further on in First Samuel twenty six that David moves from there, God shows him, and he moves to En Gedi. He finds a new place, and God uses the waters of En Gedi and just that surrounding area, and he writes other songs of praise in God's life. Now listen to Psalm 54. This is David's response when he finds out the Ziphites have sold him out. See, they were more interested in money, they wanted money. they wanted the reward for David. They weren't asking God, God, what should we do? Be careful letting your life be led by money, your life should be led by God, and what he wants you to do. "Save me o God by your name. Vindicate me by your might, hear my prayer, Oh God. Listen to the words of our mouth. Strangers are attacking me. Ruthless men seek my life. Men without regard for God Selah." What you have to see about this, is when David writes this psalm, he is under attack. He's already in the midst of the battle, so to speak. He recognizes the moment they've turned him in, and he's like, God, what do I do? God, I got to come to you. He begins to pray to God, and these first three verses, it shows David to attitude about what it's like. Let me tell you something, you're not going to get out a life without trouble. But if you trust in God when you are in trouble, he'll show you the pathway through, he'll give you whatever you need to do.
Doyle Jackson: 12:02 And then something shifts when we get to verse four, he says, "Surely God is my help. The Lord is the one who sustains me. Let evil recoil on those who slander me. In your faithfulness, destroy them. I will sacrifice a freewill offering to you. I will praise your name, o Lord, for it is good, for he has delivered me from all my troubles and my eyes have looked in triumph on my foes." He's already picturing the win. David looks at his situation, and he says, it's okay, I'm going to give you a thank offering, I'm going to praise you, God as if it's already happened in my life.
Doyle Jackson: 12:41 Three keys, three keys here David gives you an I. Number one. God's name is victor. He starts out in the first, Oh God, your name. Save me, O God by your name. The name of God is your savior. In the name of Jesus, every knee will bow and tongue confess. Jesus is your victory. The Lord our God is your victory. The name El is the word for God, and it's always connected to the Lord our God. Like El Shaddai, El [inaudible]. Each of these names, it's always about the Lord who provides, the Lord, who gives justice, the Lord who sees the innocent, the Lord who watches over. Our God, that word El, it means strength, it means power, it means might, and what David says is, I'm invoking the power of God in my situation. He's not invoking his own power. He saying, God, you're my victor. You're the one that I need for this situation. That's what it means to call the name of the Lord. It's why Christians pray in the name of Jesus, because we understand that we don't have the power to resolve the situation, but Jesus does. We recognize if he can be raised from the dead, he can raise our situation, that's why Christians pray in Jesus' name.
Doyle Jackson: 14:07 Now, the second principle that David teaches us, is that faith paints a picture of God's victory. Faith paints a picture of God's victory. See David, he knows that they're hot in pursuit of him. He knows he has to leave Ziph. He knows he's got to do something, he's either got to stand and fight, or he's got to run. He says, God, what do you want me to do? God, I'm trusting you to be my victory. So he begins to paint a picture in his mind. Well, I guess I'm moving to En Gedi, I guess that's my response today, because I'm not going to fight against the anointed one Saul, the King of Israel. See, David learned from the Lord when he was running from Saul, that he was not to touch the hair on Saul's head. He would trust God to deal with Saul, if he would honor Saul as God's anointed, than he would be honored as God's anointed when he became king. See, he begins to paint a picture of how his victory would come. He says, God, you're going to deal with these evil, wicked people that are speaking against me, God, you're going to deliver me from this situation. So faith begins to paint a picture of how you're going to get out of that? Well, God's going to deliver me, God's going to help me, God's going to deal with those people.
Doyle Jackson: 15:24 Final fact, praise from our lips paint's it on our hearts, praise from our lips, paint's it on our hearts. So this is what you do. You begin to imagine God being applied to your situation. So if you need a job right now, you say, God, I know that you're the one that provides everyone the promotion that they get, says, that you're the one that puts kings and princes in their place, then you'll give me the promotion I need, the job that I need. And Lord, I just see myself sitting at my desk, and I'm working with a team of people that are great to work with. And then you say, Lord, I praise you, that you have the perfect job, for my shape, for my gifts, and my abilities. And I'm just trusting you Lord, that you're going to open that door, that's what it does.
Doyle Jackson: 16:15 When I was a young, young boy, you've heard me tell a story before, my brother Philip and I were riding on the back of the tractor. Philip slipped, he got caught in the wheel of the tractor, and just before my father rolled over him, he stopped, and we had to Philip Dad pulled Phillip out between the tractor and all that, he felt Phillip's leg, and he knew that the leg was not supposed to bend the way it did. Our father was a veterinarian, he knew immediately that that was a break in the leg. As blood running down his leg, I remember mama and daddy putting him in the back of the car, and then heading out and leaving for the hospital. And Alan and I went to the house, and I was crying, tears were streaming down my face, and we looked through the front window of the house and I remember seeing them pull out the driveway going left towards town. And Alan and I praying for Phillip, and just saying, Lord, I thank you that Phillip is going to be okay, that you will watch over my brother. And later we heard that on the way to the hospital that Mama and daddy and Philip prayed in the car, and they put their hands up and thanked the Lord, and Philip felt something happened in his leg. When they walked into the hospital, the doctors did x-rays, and they came out to my dad and said, we took x rays and we can't find a break, we're going to take x rays again. And my dad put his hands up in the hospital, he said, praise the Lord.
Doyle Jackson: 17:51 Learn the principle to thank God for the victory in advance. Learn the principle that God is the answer. We're not praising God for the terrible circumstance, be clear on that. We're praising God, that you are the God that leads me through the shadow of death, and I will fear no evil. For they Iraq and staff, they comfort me. You are going to guide me, God through this hard place in my life. And if you're in a hard place today, I'm not telling you to say thank you God for the hard place. Say thank you God that you are the light unto my path, that you're going to get me out of a dark place, that you're going to get me out of a hard place. That's what David understood. His life was constantly under pressure. He was constantly having someone trying to take his life, and trying to ruin him, and you and I live in a world will evil is constantly trying to destroy you.
Doyle Jackson: 18:47 That's why David was so concerned about his soul, always. And when you and I begin to believe that God will get our soul through, and our body, and our life to the other side, that's what he does. Let me give you a little process that will help you, if you want it, alright. How it works. Number one, or A. What is my current condition? Evaluate, where am I? You know, what is my current situation? Do you need a job? Are you wanting God to work in your marriage? What is it that you need God to work in? Number two. What does God's word teach? What does God's word teach about your situation? Number three. How would Jesus apply the promises? See people would come to Jesus, and they knew their conditions. They were sick, or they knew that they were vexed by a demonic force. They realized that something was harassing their life, and they would come to Jesus and say, Jesus, would you set me free? And Jesus would say, you are healed in the name of the Lord. He would say to some people, you are forgiven. Pick up your mat, and walk. In other people's case he would say, your sin is forgiven. That means that that sometimes the real thing that needs to be applied, is different to each situation, but that's what Jesus always does. Paint a verbal picture of Jesus touching your life. Begin to imagine, what would it look like if God healed your marriage?
Doyle Jackson: 20:25 I'll have people come to Jennifer and me, and they'll come for counseling from other churches. Not this church, be clear on that, alright? And we'll sit down and talk with them, and they're just fighting, you know, just world war three. And we say, well, okay, I get all that. He was wrong, you've been wrong. I get all that, you know, all that stuff. But would you do me just one quick, just tell me this. If all was good today, if you were being kind to one another, and you were loving one another and everything. If all this stuff was forgiven, and all this junk you've been fighting about was gone, alright? If it was just, if it was resolved, and you woke up tomorrow morning, God had done a miracle and he had healed all this junk. Okay? How would you treat one another? And they'll sit there in stunned silence for several moments. I said, no, no, no, just imagine for a moment that everything was great. How would you treat one another? And they'll say things like, well, we probably hold hands more, I'd probably use kind words when referring to one another. Okay, what else? Well, we'd probably be happy, and we would laugh more, we would smile. I said, well picture it. What would it look like? Well, we'd probably have breakfast together, and we would just enjoy one another more, and we'd just have a great day together. I said, okay, go home and do that.
Doyle Jackson: 22:02 See if you begin to paint a picture in your mind, a verbal picture of what it would look like, you in that new job, you making all A's in school. How'd that feel? How about you with the business that you've always wanted to have? See, David begins to paint a picture of what it would look like for his enemies to be dealt with, and for him to have victory. Begin to paint that picture verbally. Jesus, I just see you healing that spot in me that was so damaged when I was a child, by that person that shouldn't have done that to me. And God, I just forgive them right now, and I see you bringing healing to that place, so that I can attach to people again. I can show love, and give love. See you just begin to apply it, and pray it through. In the same way that that woman thought, if I could just touch the hem of his garment, he will heal the issue of blood in me. And see David would reach out with his psalm and say, okay God, I see you rescued me from the hand of the Ziphites, I see you rescuing me from the hand of the Philistines, I see you rescuing me from the hand of Saul, I see you taking me into Jerusalem as king. I see you, I see you working in my life. It's not me winning over my stuff, it's Jesus working in me. See the Holy Spirit, that is the counselor that's going to walk you through that, and just welcome him to walk you through. It.
Doyle Jackson: 23:48 Finally, begin to celebrate with thanksgiving, God's authority. Begin to celebrate, God, you're going to do this, and I trust you. When Jennifer and I were living in Cincinnati, and we felt God saying, I'm going to move you. And we began to pray about that, and we spent months and months and months praying and fasting, some of you have heard us tell that story. We get to this one point and we felt like God, we needed just to thank God that he was going to take us to the new place, and ultimately it came to Columbus. Okay? And we felt like God said, you need to thank me about this, and so we felt like our response was to give an offering to God. And it needed to be more than just a verbal offering, just more than just praising him and lifting our hands. We need to do something that impacted the way we lived, so we went out and we bought some gift cards. It was like a Home Depot kind of store, a Lowes kind of store. We got gift cards for our neighbors that we're fixing up their house. We said, we want to give this to you because we want you to know that God loves you, and we love you, and it's just to let you know that you're important in our lives. And then we went to this other couple that was getting started with young kids, and we knew they were having a hard time making ends meet, but they've made some real God steps in their life. And we said, we want to give you just another push of God's love in that. So we brought this offering. We said, Lord, we're giving this to these families because we're a young family like them and we're just trusting you for our future. And see, God will show you that thank offering, and you do that, and it's an act of faith. Because you're saying, God, you have the authority ,and it wasn't long when bam, we get the call from Columbus. And then God began to walk us through that, and we knew this is the place he's bringing us to.
Doyle Jackson: 25:30 Listen to David, how God walked him through this process, when he had sinned. See, God can bring you out of a sin too, with the same process. David did something horrible. He took on a relationship with a woman that was not his wife, another man's wife. He acted inappropriately, ungodly. It was awful. Then he had the man murdered. These are things that you should never do. Yet he goes to God, realizing he's brought this curse on his life. He's brought God's judgment on his life, that he's brought himself into a bad place, and look what he says. Psalm 51, just the first two verses, this is what he says, "Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love, according to your great compassion. Blot out my transgressions, wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin." See David's honest, David's honest about his condition. I'm a sinner, I've screwed up, I knew better than to behave this way, yet he does it. But what is it that he does? He goes to what? God's word. What does God's word say? God loves sinners, God is a forgiving God, a merciful God, a loving God. And can do that for you, He can do that for me. And David says, have mercy, O God, have mercy according to your unfailing, your endless, deep love. God would you just apply that to me? So he applies the promise. Then he begins to picture himself experiencing God's compassion, and being washed by God. And he says, God, you have the authority to do this, cleanse me and wash me. He goes on, says, wash me with hyssop, make me whiter than snow. See David, this is what he does. He paints the picture, and in faith he begins to see himself that way, and you know what it does? It transforms his heart, and his life, and he says, I can live beyond this mistake because you God, you can set me free. I've tried to set myself free, and it never worked, but every time I go to you, you deliver me. Don't rely on yourself, to set yourself free, you can't break the ropes. Samson broke the ropes in his life, through the power of God and his Holy Spirit. You will break the ropes in your life, through the power of God's grace and his mercy. Cry out to him the way David did, set me free.
Doyle Jackson: 28:00 We're all designed to celebrate, and I think there's three important principles about that. You have the ability to praise God, to shout to God, to clap, to dance, to celebrate. And I have to be honest with you that I've struggled in this area. It is my personality to hold things in, and not necessarily be an exuberant celebrator. I was reading in my quiet time one day, I'm reading these psalms. I'm talking to God like, God, I'm wrong, forgive me. I hold back too much, forgive me. I just walked around my home saying, Lord, forgive me, I repent, that's wrong of me, I thank you. And I begin to thank him, and celebrate some of the things he'd done in my life. And if you're like that, if you're a hands in the pocket kind of person, get them out. Get them out, and say to God, forgive me, that's not the way you want me to be. Because see, this is what I think is important. We should celebrate when we succeed, because that's gratitude. See, it's appropriate when someone gives you a blessing to say thank you. That's why we teach our children to say thank you, we want them to be grateful for what they have. Don't we? We don't make excuses for that. It's time for us to stop making excuses in our lives for why we don't celebrate God's goodness, and just be grateful.
Doyle Jackson: 29:16 Number two, principle of celebration is we celebrate when others succeed, that's called friendship. You're not really a friend if you don't celebrate when your friends do well. When your friend gets an A, and you get a B, give them a high five say way to go. Would you just now anoint me with oil and pray over me to have the ability to make an A, that's all I'm asking right now. Well maybe some would rub off of you, and on to me. But can I tell you this? It's not going to rub off on you, until you celebrate with them. Celebrate with them, and say, teach me how you do it. And then they teach you their plan, and their strategy, for A's, and you'll start getting A's. If your friend gets a new car are you jealous? Do you walk around and say, well, I wouldn't have gotten this model. You're going to find yourself very lonely, because did you know grumpy people are lonely. Wonder why? Because nobody wants to be around a grumpy person. If that's you, just repent. Leave your grumpy's here today., we'll sweep them up, and throw them in the trash after you leave. Okay? Because see, God designed you to celebrate. Celebrate with one another, say way to go, celebrate with other people and say, take me for a ride. Wait a few minutes before you ask if you can drive. Okay?
Doyle Jackson: 30:43 And number three, we need celebration in troubles, because it provides hope. See what David would do when he was troubled, the reason that he would picture all this, and begin to believe in faith for it, and then begin to praise and paint the picture, to paint his way out of the situation. Because if he didn't, he was going to die of depression. He was going to die of inward thinking, woe is me, but he chose not to. He chose to paint a picture of pathway out. And the reason you praise God, is it brings hope to your life. And as you say it out loud, say God, you're going to get me through this, you're going to get me past this grief, you're going to get me past this loss. God, you're going to get me to the other side, because I will praise you, and I will trust you, because you're a mighty God. The reason he did that, because he knew that that was the only way through. Hope gives light to your situation, and that's why you do it, and I do it.
Doyle Jackson: 31:40 Listen to Psalm 56, once again, another group of people has sold. David out. Another group of people has thought, the money was more important than God's way. You got to avoid that principle. Always choose God's way over money, always choose God's way over money, it's better for you. "Record my laments, list my tears on your scroll, are they not in your record?" David teaches us this principal. He's crying now, at the beginning of this he's crying. He's like, God, once again, I've been sold out. Why can't I just lay my head somewhere, and have sleep, and have peace? You need to realize, the reason David talks about sleep in his psalms, is because when he got a little bit of rest, it was a good thing. God is the one that gives you rest, David understood that. But he also understood this principle, that if you and I forgive, if we will cry out to God, if we all give our grief, our tears to God, God will list them, and you and I can travel light because we don't have carry our grief. Hear me on this, if you're still carrying around unforgiveness, if you're still carrying around a bitterness, or an anger in your life, it is a weight. You cannot run into battle with that. And David understood, I'm going to forgive these people, you've heard my tears, I'm going to trust you God. And so when you cry out to God, this is so comforting to me. God keeps a list of my grief so I don't have to keep the list, it's done. And see, David trusts God to deal with the people that have grieved him, the people that have harmed him, the people that have come against him. Then listen to his shift. Then my enemies will turn back when I call for help, by this, I will know that God is for me. In God whose word I praise, in the Lord whose word I praise, in God I trust, I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? I'm under vows to you, O God. I will present my thank offerings to you, for you have delivered me from death and my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before God in the light of life."
Doyle Jackson: 33:54 David praises God before he has the victory, the victory begins in your mouth. The victory begins in your mouth, when you begin to thank God. I thank you Lord that I am going to graduate, and be done with all this school. I thank you God, that my children are going to grow up, and learn to love you and cherish you. I thank you Lord, that they are going to honor you all the days of their life. I thank you Lord, that you're going to pay off my house, Lord, and I'm not going to have debt. I thank you Lord, that you are a good God who loves me. I thank you God, that I am going to sleep well at night. I thank you God, that I will have peace in my heart. See victory declares in advance what God is going to do in your life. What do you want God to do in your life? What words do you need to speak this week, so God can move in your life? Write them down, every week I challenge you on that comment card, give your heart to God. Say, Lord, I'm going to thank you, that you are giving me victory in this. This habit is going to be broken over my life, and I'm going to be free. I'm not going to have to stop every so often for this habit, I'm moving on. God, I thank you that I'm no longer going to be the grumpy Gus I've always been, I'm going to be a happy, joyful person. I thank you lord, that I'm going to learn to celebrate all my days with you. What is it you need? Write it down on your comment card, before you leave today. Drop it in the offering in the back and say, God, this is my offering to you, I want to see you work in my life in a mighty way. I'll agree with you this week. I'll praise God with you, because your life was meant for more than the valley you're in right now. You do not have to live in fear any longer, because God is with you. Amen.
Doyle Jackson: 35:59 Here's our prayer this week, I wrote it at the bottom, it's just a statement of a new way of thinking. As a result of this, it says, Lord save me from unclean lips. Surely you can help me be an ambassador of praise. I want to declare, you are my deliverer, all my troubles are nothing in your presence. Keep my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before God in the light of life. These are just David's words, applied to our life. If you want to say those, I invite you to stand with me. I give you permission to hold your neighbor's hand, especially if it's your spouse. This could be the best moment of the week, and we'll say this aloud. alright? Lord save me from unclean lips. Surely you can help me be an ambassador of praise. I want to declare, you are my deliver, all my troubles are nothing in your presence. Keep my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before God in the light of life. God bless you, have a great week. alright? If you're a guest, please stop by in the back, they have a gift for you. If you'd like to say hello, I'll be down here.
Recorded in Columbus, Ohio.
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