Walking Wisely or Just Trying Harder? A Review of ‘Morning Sermon’

[00:13:40] [SPEAKER UNKNOWN]:
Let's pray.

[00:27:31] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]:
I said earlier on.
[00:27:38] As I said earlier, let's pray for those that are traveling today.
[00:27:42] We have several families that's coming home today.
[00:27:45] And then we have the Bath family that we want to remember.
[00:27:48] Sister Shirley made her trip home this week and her service to us today.
[00:27:54] So let's pray for the family as they go through the grieving process.
[00:27:58] We rejoice for Sister Shirley and know that she's finally home with no more dementia and she's healed and happy.
[00:28:06] But the family always wants and needs your prayers.
[00:28:08] Thank you for being here.
[00:28:10] Amen.
[00:28:11] I want to talk to us just for a little bit about walking wisely in 2026.
[00:28:16] Say, I need to walk wisely.
[00:28:19] Amen.
[00:28:19] We all do.
[00:28:21] We need to walk wisely more than ever.
[00:28:24] The enemy has so many traps set for us that we have to be on guard all the time.
[00:28:33] You never know when the enemy is going to send something or somebody or some problem your way to try to trip you up, to try to get you to fail.
[00:28:45] So in 2026, our goal, our motto is going to be Walk Wisely.
[00:28:52] You know, I'm not too sure about you guys, but I've sat back this week and rested a little bit and I've wondered where did 2025 go?
[00:29:01] I mean, it's like poof.
[00:29:03] And my mom always told me, she said, you better enjoy your life to the fullest because when you get 50, the years are going to...
[00:29:12] God has been good to me God has blessed me beyond
[00:29:36] Even though we've all had our problems, our sicknesses, our issues, you're still standing this morning.
[00:29:44] Amen?
[00:29:45] You can say, God has been good to me.
[00:29:50] We go through the battles of life and they should be making us stronger.
[00:29:54] And we cannot stand 2025.
[00:29:57] We're out of 2025 and that means mentally, physically, and spiritually we've got to leave 2025 behind and move on to 2026.
[00:30:07] I can say that I stand here today because of the goodness of God in my life.
[00:30:13] I can say you are here in this congregation this morning because of the goodness of God in your life.
[00:30:18] And we have made it and we stand together knowing that God is on our side.
[00:30:23] and we are the wiser for all that we've been through but we're in a new year we have new opportunities new blessings and wait for us to reach out and take a hold of the reason we have we can face tomorrow is because Jesus Christ is alive and well because he lives you and I can face whatever is ahead of us in 2026
[00:30:50] Some of the things that we often say in the New Year is that, I'm going to turn over a new leaf.
[00:30:56] Or I'm going to do this better than I did that last year.
[00:31:00] I'm going to do it better in 2026.
[00:31:01] I'm finally going to go on that diet that I need to go to.
[00:31:05] Or I'm going to get organized and get rid of all that scrap paper I've got piled up.
[00:31:11] And we say we're going to do this and we're going to do that.
[00:31:15] And then sadly, however, change is very hard.
[00:31:18] And can we say change is very hard?
[00:31:20] We know that, don't we?
[00:31:22] but sadly we have to make a decision to start on a new path or we can quickly fall back to the old ways of 2025 but in order to change we've got to make an effort and we gotta decide we want to we can either stay on the old path or we can jump on the new path and make a decision and
[00:31:46] You know, in my message today, I want us to think about preparing ourselves for a closer walk with Jesus Christ and what's it going to take.
[00:31:56] Well, first of all, we must want a closer walk with Jesus Christ.
[00:32:01] You know, some people are satisfied knowing, I have made it, I can get inside the gate.
[00:32:08] That's all I want in life is know I made it to heaven.
[00:32:12] But there are some that says, I want to know more about God.
[00:32:16] I want to know more about His presence.
[00:32:19] I want to grow closer to the Lord than I've ever been.
[00:32:25] But we have to make a change.
[00:32:26] We have to make an effort.
[00:32:28] In Ephesians 5, chapter 5, verses 14 through 17, the scripture tells us, Whereforth he said, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
[00:32:54] Wherefore, be not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.
[00:33:03] Paul was telling the church that the time they were living in was evil and that they should make the best of the time that they had and live life wisely.
[00:33:14] Making the right choice to follow Jesus is one of the wisest decisions you'll ever make.
[00:33:21] But there is no doubt that you and I are living in evil times just as Paul said that they were.
[00:33:27] We too are living in evil times and we know that the world has gotten farther away from Jesus than they ever have before.
[00:33:36] We see it in a different perspective than what Paul was teaching to the new church.
[00:33:42] But yet we are born in this season, in this time and we thank God that He leads us in this life if we've chosen Him to guide us and direct us.
[00:33:54] But God wants us to take some responsibility of our Christian walk and He wants us to live wisely.
[00:34:03] Making right choices and not living in the gray areas.
[00:34:06] Do you think that the world today lives in a lot of gray areas?
[00:34:11] I think that's where we're seeing it's gotten us in trouble.
[00:34:15] But God wants us to take that responsibility.
[00:34:18] Make right choices.
[00:34:20] And living a successful life puts the responsibility on ourselves.
[00:34:25] It's our choice in how we live.
[00:34:28] But how do we as Christians in an ever-changing world live wisely?
[00:34:34] First of all, we need to depend on God to guide us and direct our path.
[00:34:38] We cannot live this life by ourselves.
[00:34:43] Too many people are saying, I can do it myself.
[00:34:46] And what happens?
[00:34:47] They fall and they flunder.
[00:34:49] And we can't do that.
[00:34:51] We were designed and made that we would have a dependency on God.
[00:34:57] So we have to try our best to live and depend on God's will for our life.
[00:35:06] If not, we're going to make a mess on it.
[00:35:09] Yet, when we trust in God, we follow His direction, we can make it through this crazy life's journey.
[00:35:16] So how do we do this?
[00:35:17] First of all, you and I need a deeper walk with God.
[00:35:21] And the only way that you and I can be closer to the Lord is draw nigh to Him as His Scripture says.
[00:35:29] He's already available to us.
[00:35:31] He's not a God that we have to go through many priests to get to Him.
[00:35:36] We have access to the throne of God, but it is our choice if we want to have a relationship.
[00:35:43] We need to walk with Him on a daily basis.
[00:35:46] Think about it like this.
[00:35:47] If you walk with somebody, it usually means that you have a connection with them.
[00:35:52] We don't normally just walk with strangers.
[00:35:56] But think about it.
[00:35:57] In some of your most relaxing times is when you're with someone that you love and you're walking down a path together.
[00:36:07] But how is this done?
[00:36:08] First of all, you've got to spend time walking with God.
[00:36:14] Time in His Word, time in prayer, time in worship, and fellowship with other believers.
[00:36:21] Making time for God is one of the most important things you can do in 2026.
[00:36:25] Time is what you can control.
[00:36:29] Do you know you control your own time?
[00:36:33] It's the most valuable resource that you and I have is our time.
[00:36:39] Time is important.
[00:36:41] We often hear the word now, time management.
[00:36:45] And basically, that is deciding how you choose to use your time.
[00:36:51] If you think that you will wait until you have time to walk with God, then friends, guess what?
[00:36:57] It's not gonna happen.
[00:36:59] The enemy has done everything he can to rob us of our time.
[00:37:04] I don't know about you, but I feel like that sometimes.
[00:37:07] I feel like, where has my day went?
[00:37:11] What have I really accomplished?
[00:37:13] But time is so important that we have to make time for God.
[00:37:20] He should be our number one time consumer in 2026.
[00:37:24] I cannot build a relationship without managing my time.
[00:37:30] I can't build a relationship without talking and walking with Jesus Christ.
[00:37:36] So let me ask you this, and I'm not going to ask you to raise your hand.
[00:37:40] Don't raise your hand.
[00:37:44] But if I was to ask you, think about this.
[00:37:47] How much time do you spend praying a day?
[00:37:52] How much time do you spend reading your Bible or the Word of God on your app phone?
[00:37:59] Using our time wisely pays off for us both physically and spiritually.
[00:38:06] Spending time with God will allow you to discern the world around you and be able to be wise about the decisions that you make.
[00:38:17] Desiring to do and actually doing are two different things.
[00:38:21] Do you get that?
[00:38:22] Desiring to do, wanting to do, I'm going to try, but doing it is two different things.
[00:38:29] 2026, set your heart that you're going to spend your time wisely by walking with God.
[00:38:37] God wants to use your life to bring glory and honor to Him and how can that happen if you're not spending time with Him?
[00:38:47] See, our human flesh wants to fulfill the fleshly desires and live for immediate satisfaction.
[00:38:54] If we depend on our feelings, our impulses, and our fleshly desires, then guess what?
[00:39:00] We're in trouble.
[00:39:02] Being wise is learning to have these issues of life under control.
[00:39:09] Sin will hinder our walk with God.
[00:39:12] Sin is anything that goes against what the Bible teaches that God has said.
[00:39:17] The opposite of wisdom is foolish.
[00:39:22] We think of the Bible's story of the rich man who built bigger barns.
[00:39:27] Do you remember that story?
[00:39:28] To store up all his goods.
[00:39:31] And when they finished his barn, guess what?
[00:39:33] He died.
[00:39:35] His soul was required of him.
[00:39:37] He didn't get to enjoy all the things that he had built up.
[00:39:42] See, foolish people will build up worldly happiness.
[00:39:46] Yet when it gets down to it, they're so unhappy because they're looking for happiness in the wrong places.
[00:39:53] But the wise will understand that the will of God is operating in their lives and they'll have eternal life.
[00:40:02] and Eternal Happiness because they're walking with God.
[00:40:06] Think about it.
[00:40:07] There's danger in walking in the flesh.
[00:40:10] Your flesh is going to give in to lust.
[00:40:12] Your flesh is going to give in to desires.
[00:40:14] Your flesh is going to give in to sin.
[00:40:16] But if you're walking in a relationship with God, your body is going to say, whoa, whoa, whoa, God don't like that.
[00:40:23] I can't do that.
[00:40:24] And you will wisely make a choice to follow God.
[00:40:29] In Galatians 6, the scripture says,
[00:40:38] and let us not be weary in well doing for in due season we shall reap if we faint not read that with me and let us not be weary in well doing for in due season we shall reap if we faint not see and 10 says
[00:41:04] and we have therefore opportunity let us do good unto all men especially them who are in the household of faith as we grow closer to God
[00:41:19] We will see that our lives are about service.
[00:41:22] Our lives is about giving of ourselves.
[00:41:26] When we experience the love of Jesus Christ in our life, we're going to have a desire to tell other people what's going on with us.
[00:41:34] Do you realize, and I've said this a thousand times and probably will a thousand more, you are the only Bible that some people read.
[00:41:44] They're looking at your life, how you live your life to determine how their life should be.
[00:41:51] When we experience the love of Jesus Christ, we want to share it with others.
[00:41:57] When we show the love we've experienced, we treat others with that same love, that same respect, and want to do good things for others.
[00:42:06] Walking with God will cause us to love others and want to help those in need.
[00:42:12] See, we get so comfortable in our lifestyles.
[00:42:15] We forget that there are people here in our community, in our area, that are starving for food.
[00:42:21] They're starving for somebody to say, Hello, how are you?
[00:42:25] Let me tell you about Jesus.
[00:42:28] And I'm thankful for our blessing box and those who's keeping food in it.
[00:42:32] You know, some people will never ever understand or even know the love of Jesus until somebody else steps up and introduces them to the love of Jesus Christ.
[00:42:45] Something so simple as a blessing box.
[00:42:48] Something so simple as a can of food.
[00:42:51] Yet week after week we're refilling it.
[00:42:54] Why?
[00:42:54] Because we're showing the love of Jesus Christ that we care for other people.
[00:43:00] See, our life is the light of Jesus Christ and you become who you spend time with.
[00:43:07] Okay, think about that.
[00:43:09] You become who you spend time with.
[00:43:12] Like it or not, it's the truth.
[00:43:14] So if you want to be Christ-like, spend time with Christ.
[00:43:19] If you want your life to be a light, then spend time with Jesus Christ.
[00:43:25] And when you do, that light is going to shine out to other people.
[00:43:30] Remember the words of Jesus in Matthew.
[00:43:32] He says, I tell you the truth, whatever you did for the least of these, you do it for me.
[00:43:37] Everything that you do in the love of Jesus
[00:43:44] You're doing it for Him.
[00:43:46] You're not doing it for yourself to get the glory and the fame.
[00:43:49] You're not doing that.
[00:43:50] You're doing it that He gets glory in what you're doing.
[00:43:54] And you know, I think this church is on the brink of doing some great and mighty things for the Kingdom of God in 26.
[00:44:00] And as we awake from our sleep, as we walk with God, as we live wisely, I think we're going to see some great things happen.
[00:44:10] Listen, we cannot live in the past if we want a future.
[00:44:14] You cannot live in your past if you want a future.
[00:44:18] Leave the old behind and look for the new.
[00:44:22] And how can you do that?
[00:44:25] By walking with God and choosing to live for Him.
[00:44:30] You know, I can replay the events of my life, just my life in the last two years, every day in my mind.
[00:44:38] But it's not going to change one thing.
[00:44:40] It's not going to make any difference.
[00:44:41] It's not going to reverse anything.
[00:44:43] But I want to tell you what.
[00:44:45] I've made a choice.
[00:44:46] I'm leaving it all behind.
[00:44:48] In 2026, I'm moving forward.
[00:44:51] I'm walking with the Lord.
[00:44:53] I'm making a choice that my destiny is going to line up with His destiny that He has planned for me.
[00:45:00] So are we going to allow God to do what He needs to do in us?
[00:45:06] So He can work through us?
[00:45:09] Think about that.
[00:45:10] Are we going to allow Jesus to do what He needs to do in us and the changes He needs to make in us while we're walking with Him so He can work through us?
[00:45:24] That's up to you and me.
[00:45:25] I think we all want God to bring new opportunities of service to us so that we can be that light.
[00:45:33] But next, we've got to look at the new year as time to make new commitments.
[00:45:42] By this, I'm not saying a new year's resolution.
[00:45:45] And I want to focus on one commitment that every one of us need to do every day of our life.
[00:45:51] And it's found in Mark 12, 28 through 31.
[00:45:59] And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together and perceiving that he had questioned them well, asked him, What is the first commandment of all?
[00:46:14] And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord.
[00:46:25] And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, with all thy mind, and with all thy strength.
[00:46:33] This is the first commandment.
[00:46:38] And the second is like namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.
[00:46:44] And there is none other commandment greater than these.
[00:46:49] We're overloaded with commitments.
[00:46:51] We've committed ourselves to go here and go there, to take part of this activity and that social function.
[00:46:57] And as a result, we soon begin meeting ourselves coming and going because we've overloaded ourselves in the area of commitments.
[00:47:07] But then when it comes to doing things for God, we're often too exhausted or too busy because everything else has took our commitment and our time.
[00:47:16] We are so overloaded with possessions.
[00:47:19] Our closets are full.
[00:47:20] Our garages are overflowing.
[00:47:22] We have storage buildings full of stuff that we'll probably never ever use and we've gone in debt to pay for all these things that we simply must have and we're overloaded with possessions.
[00:47:35] We have overload in the work area.
[00:47:37] We're overloaded in work.
[00:47:39] We get up early and fight the traffic and experience not some good circumstances because we have to go to work to pay for the possessions that we thought we really wanted.
[00:47:50] Well, I could go on and on, but you can get the picture.
[00:47:54] There's so many demands on our time, so many good things that need to be done, but yet we've let the enemy rob us of our time.
[00:48:05] The time that you and I should be walking with God, the time that we should be studying His Word, praying, the time that we should be in a church with our church family and doing things with our church family, and the time that we should be witnessing and serving our neighbor
[00:48:21] I can't because we're committed with everything else.
[00:48:28] There's only 8,760 hours in a year.
[00:48:34] What do you do with that many hours?
[00:48:38] What do you make possible in your life?
[00:48:42] The Bible says, as we've read in verse 16, redeeming the time because the days are evil.
[00:48:47] Church, we've got a work to do and our time is running up.
[00:48:51] We've got a work, whether it's our time that the Lord's coming back and going to take us out of this world or we're going to go to heaven and meet Him, time is running low on us.
[00:49:04] Walking with God means you must love Him with all your heart.
[00:49:07] That means you've got to make a commitment to put Him first in your life and have a relationship with God.
[00:49:14] It also means you want to help others and lead them to Christ.
[00:49:18] We've got to redeem the time that we have left.
[00:49:21] It means making a purpose choice to stay away from evil.
[00:49:27] Evil's gonna drag you down.
[00:49:30] Evil will destroy you.
[00:49:31] And for the most part, think about this, most people live an average of 80 years of life.
[00:49:37] What difference are you making in your 80 years for the kingdom of God?
[00:49:43] It's up to you.
[00:49:45] A new year is a great time to begin walking with God if you haven't already.
[00:49:50] Or it's a great time to say, in 2026 I'm making a commitment.
[00:49:55] I'm going to work for the Lord.
[00:49:56] I'm going to do more for Him.
[00:49:58] I'm going to spend time with Him so I can grow.
[00:50:01] And all the other things that's still in my time, I will redeem my time righteously.
[00:50:07] I will redeem my time making it right.
[00:50:12] The new year is a time to reflect and say, I'm done with the old, I'm moving on with the new, and I'm making a new commitment to follow Jesus all the way, walking and talking with Him, and allowing His Holy Spirit to guide me and direct me.
[00:50:29] 2 Corinthians 5, 17 says that if anyone is in Christ, they are what?
[00:50:35] A new creation.
[00:50:37] The old is gone, the new has come.
[00:50:40] We've got to rededicate our lives to Jesus Christ.
[00:50:44] We've got to say, I want you more than anything else in 2026.
[00:50:49] And you know what?
[00:50:50] When you do that and live that, everything else falls into place.
[00:50:54] In Christ you have the opportunity to become an entirely new person.
[00:50:59] It might not always look like it or feel like it, but it's true.
[00:51:03] God replaces the old person with a brand new one and the main change is your security in heaven.
[00:51:13] Guys, I would hate to know that I've lived in this life because I've heard this many times.
[00:51:18] It's hell on earth.
[00:51:19] But listen, it might be hell on earth, but you have no clue what the Bible says hell really is like.
[00:51:24] I don't want to go there.
[00:51:26] I don't want to go there and we have an opportunity to live for God and do what he's asked us to do by asking Jesus Christ into our hearts and live a new life committed to him so you can begin this new life in him this morning by praying for him to forgive you of your sins asking him to come into your life
[00:51:50] Well, I've already done that.
[00:51:52] Well, you know, we've all sinned, and we've all come short of the glory of God.
[00:51:56] What a better way to start the new year as to saying, Lord, refresh me again.
[00:52:02] Come into my heart.
[00:52:03] Stay in my heart.
[00:52:04] Refine, remake me into the vessel you can use.
[00:52:11] The next step comes that every Christian must make a decision.
[00:52:17] Whether to live for Jesus Christ or to live for themselves.
[00:52:22] The Scriptures tells us that we need to concentrate our lives to the Him.
[00:52:28] That means we're offering, He gave us life and we're giving our life to Him.
[00:52:32] Our minds, our work, our families, everything that's about this short 80 years or less.
[00:52:42] We're turning it back to Him.
[00:52:43] We're turning it back to Him.
[00:52:46] When we consecrate our lives to Him, He will work through us, moving us toward the perfect love of God and turning our desires away from sin and glorifying Him in every aspect of our lives.
[00:53:03] If you're tired of defeat, today is the perfect opportunity to start a new life in Jesus Christ.
[00:53:10] If you're ready to start 2026 with a fresh and a new outlook on life then it begins by walking and making a decision to walk in a deeper place with God.
[00:53:22] I cannot make it without God.
[00:53:25] I'm telling you, I cannot make it one day, one hour, one second, one moment without God in my life.
[00:53:35] It's going to take us making a commitment.
[00:53:38] Awake from thy sleepness and arise from the dead.
[00:53:44] See then that you walk circumspectly as wise, redeeming the time, understanding what the will of the Lord is.
[00:53:54] Now what do you think God's will is for your life in 2026?
[00:53:58] Do you think He wants your mind so saturated with worries and anxiety that you can't walk in the Spirit?
[00:54:06] Do you think He wants your calendar so crowded that you don't have time to talk to Him or walk with Him or read His Word or be in the house of God?
[00:54:15] What do you think God wants for you?
[00:54:19] What do you think His will is for you?
[00:54:21] Well, first of all, He wants you to establish your priorities.
[00:54:25] I'm assuming that since you're in church this morning, you believe that God should be a major part of your life.
[00:54:31] But when you begin to establish priorities, you have to decide just where He stands in your life.
[00:54:39] So ask yourself this morning, who or what is the most important in my life?
[00:54:47] And I'm hoping that your answer is my relationship with God through Jesus Christ is the most important thing to me.
[00:54:54] If so, then that will put Him at the top of your priority list.
[00:55:00] This will affect my decisions, my scheduling, my relationships with others, and my whole outlook on life when I decide that Jesus Christ comes first.
[00:55:15] I'll worship the Lord and I'm not letting anything interfere with it.
[00:55:20] Instead of playing the oldies and goodies, turn on a little worship music.
[00:55:24] Instead of playing the country blues, turn on a little worship music.
[00:55:29] That'll get the worship flowing in your life.
[00:55:32] Instead of worrying about what's on CNN, turn it off and get your Bible out and read what the Word of God says.
[00:55:39] Well, I don't really understand it.
[00:55:41] Then download a message version that you can understand.
[00:55:45] Together we can reach God's throne because I need you and I hope that you need me.
[00:55:52] But we have to make a conscious decision in 2026.
[00:55:57] We've got to walk with God.
[00:55:59] You also need to schedule some time every day to pray and read His Word.
[00:56:05] Pray for yourself, your family, for the people around you.
[00:56:08] Pray for our church.
[00:56:09] Pray for the missionaries.
[00:56:11] Pray for the Wave Christian Academy.
[00:56:14] See, you'll be blessed as you grow in your faith because you'll see that you will recognize the evil more.
[00:56:21] The more you're with the Lord, the more you'll see what evil is and you'll decide to leave it alone.
[00:56:27] See, the more you're with God, the more you'll be blessed and the more you'll grow and the wiser you become.
[00:56:34] I know I need wisdom in this world.
[00:56:38] The enemy wants to strip us up so easily.
[00:56:41] 2026 is going to be a great year.
[00:56:46] Say it with me.
[00:56:47] 2026 is going to be a great year.
[00:56:50] And together we're going to stand.
[00:56:52] We're going to make it.
[00:56:54] But it's going to take you and it's going to take me walking wisely with God.
[00:57:00] It's going to take us walking in wisdom every day of our life.
[00:57:04] Not letting our shield down.
[00:57:07] We've got to pick up that shield and follow Jesus Christ.
[00:57:11] Making sure that we redeem the time because the time is near.
[00:57:16] Church, we need the Lord more than ever in 2026.
[00:57:21] Don't let everything else take your time.
[00:57:24] Put Him first and I promise you, if you put Him first, you're going to see some amazing things.
[00:57:30] Ask Him to help you discern evil.
[00:57:33] And you know what?
[00:57:34] It may mean you've got to leave some people behind.
[00:57:37] But it's okay.
[00:57:39] You want to put God first in all that you do.
[00:57:42] Because you will stand before Him one day.
[00:57:45] Let's pray.
[00:57:52] Heavenly Father, I thank You so much for everything You have done for us.