The Danger of a Divided Allegiance: When Politics Becomes the Gospel

[00:00:00] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]:
I've said this before.
[00:00:00] I'm going to say it strong this year.
[00:00:03] If you say you believe in something, then you must be able to follow through with the definition of what it is that you believe.
[00:00:10] If we're going to have a failsafe 2026, we've got to determine right now to believe in His Word.
[00:00:14] But this is what I want to be very, very careful about and be very, very direct about.
[00:00:18] This is a life and death situation that you and I are in right now.
[00:00:22] And we are closer now to eternity than ever.
[00:00:24] There's only one way in 2026.
[00:00:26] Know the Bible.
[00:00:28] And know how to use it.
[00:00:30] Hey everybody, welcome to 2026 and our message today is hopefully, and I do believe this, a message that will sustain you for the entire year.
[00:00:40] Why?
[00:00:40] It's not because I'm the one giving the message, but it's because the message is based upon the Word of God.
[00:00:47] Folks, listen, we're going to give you the argumentation as to why this year can be a year of profound spiritual advancement in your life.
[00:00:56] Call it a recipe for victory in the Word of God.
[00:01:00] It's going to be a tremendous year.
[00:01:02] Join us together as we walk with Jesus all the way through to the end.
[00:01:05] God bless you guys.
[00:01:06] Church family, I'm going to ask you to stand if you would and look to the screens and get your notes ready for this special message this day as we christen this new year.
[00:01:14] And we are looking at a message titled today, A Fail Safe 2026.
[00:01:20] A Fail Safe.
[00:01:23] a year of 2026 whereby you now today we together can start a brand new year in such a way that the last year is gone whatever great things have happened we leave that with him we don't keep looking back and say remember that great year
[00:01:38] Or whatever bad things that happened, we don't look back and say, I guess I can't move forward because of what happened in the past.
[00:01:44] I think you know what the Bible says about that.
[00:01:46] The Bible says forget about the past and move forward.
[00:01:49] And so God, in His remarkable, wonderful way, has given us the changing of seasons, and not only the changing of seasons, but of time itself.
[00:01:59] And so we're calling this special Sunday a fail-safe 2026 Sunday and we're going to be reading 2 Peter chapter 1 and I'll read verse 10 and if you read verse 11 that's where we'll go from there, okay?
[00:02:13] Nice and loud.
[00:02:13] You guys ready?
[00:02:14] You guys okay?
[00:02:16] Here we go.
[00:02:18] Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your calling and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble.

[00:02:29] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]:
For so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

[00:02:38] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]:
And all God's people said, Amen.
[00:02:40] You may be seated.
[00:02:41] A failsafe 2026.
[00:02:43] Is it even possible to go into anything, especially a new year,
[00:02:49] With the guardrails of God's guidance, so to speak, and the protection of God over what may come to any given day of our lives.
[00:03:01] And the answer to that is an overwhelming yes.
[00:03:03] That you and I are here today, for those of you who do not know your Bible, listen carefully.
[00:03:07] Maybe some of you are here today and you've come because you think it's a good idea to start the new year with God.
[00:03:13] That's great, just make sure you follow through.
[00:03:16] because He wants to walk you through this entire year every day.
[00:03:19] And what is important about this is that all the way through this year, every day, God is desiring that you walk with Him and that your life be a dynamic, powerful, Christian life this year.
[00:03:36] And if I were you, and I wish I were some of you who are younger, isn't this the thing?
[00:03:43] Do you remember your mom or dad telling you, if I only knew, if I could know what my... How does it go?
[00:03:51] I'm messing it up.
[00:03:55] Say it again.
[00:03:58] If I knew then what I know now, I would do this different.
[00:04:03] I would do the other thing.
[00:04:04] I would this and that.
[00:04:06] Hey, listen, church, we have the Bible.
[00:04:10] We can know what to do and we can know what not to do.
[00:04:12] And we can actually go through this year being led by God and look back and say, at year's end, 2026, we can say, I wouldn't have changed a thing.
[00:04:24] So church, building upon this message today, if you were here on our New Year's Eve service, we talked about Numbers chapter 13, and it's a segue into today.
[00:04:33] In Numbers chapter 13, God had told through Moses, Moses, tell the people that we're gonna get ready to cross over into the Promised Land, but before that happens,
[00:04:43] I want you, Moses, to send 12 spies to go into the Promised Land.
[00:04:48] If you were here, you remember that.
[00:04:50] And the 12 spies went into the Promised Land, and they saw this incredible, glorious land that is now called Israel, and flowing with milk and honey, is what the Scripture said.
[00:05:04] that the fruit that the rivers that the water that the greenery that the mountains all of this stuff spectacular and it was glorious and what happened was in the midst of all of the beautiful sights and sounds there were giants in the land there were Canaanites there were Hittites
[00:05:28] and there were Amorites and all of these dangerous pagan worshiping scary people including the descendants of Anak.
[00:05:38] They were giants.
[00:05:40] And the Bible talks about the giants that they had six fingers on each hand.
[00:05:45] They had six toes on each foot.
[00:05:47] They were massive.
[00:05:48] Their spears weighed 135 pounds.
[00:05:51] They had to have people carry their armor before they went to battle.
[00:05:55] They were weirdos, massive.
[00:05:57] They made Shaquille O'Neal look little.
[00:06:02] And so the 12 spies go back to Moses and they say,
[00:06:08] Well, two of them say, it's awesome.
[00:06:12] The land is beautiful, it's incredible.
[00:06:14] By the way, here's a cluster of grapes we brought back.
[00:06:18] The land is so plentiful that the grapes we've had to carry on a stake with them hanging down, they're so huge.
[00:06:24] Look at these things.
[00:06:25] And they threw in some pomegranates and some figs because the land was so beautiful and prosperous.
[00:06:31] And they said, this is the proof.
[00:06:33] But 10 other spies said, the problem is there's giants in the land and they'll eat us up.
[00:06:38] and we're like grasshoppers in their sight.
[00:06:41] Remember we talked about this?
[00:06:42] No more grasshoppers.
[00:06:45] And what was strange about their comment was the 10 fearful people, they said, yeah, the land's beautiful, but the giants are so huge, the people are so scary.
[00:06:54] We are like grasshoppers in their sight and we are like grasshoppers to ourselves.
[00:07:00] And what the funny thing was I pointed out on Wednesday night is that they had no idea what those giants thought about them.
[00:07:07] But they projected their fears even onto the pagans and onto the giants, onto the problems of life and said, look how little and insignificant we are compared to those giant things of life and we're gonna get eaten up.
[00:07:21] They're gonna eat us up.
[00:07:23] And Joshua and Caleb said, are you kidding me?
[00:07:28] Those guys are nothing.
[00:07:31] God's made the promises.
[00:07:32] God showed us the land.
[00:07:33] Everything he said about it was perfect.
[00:07:36] We're gonna go in there and take it.
[00:07:37] And God's gonna deliver the victory in our hands because through God, we are well able to take this land.
[00:07:43] And so 10 whined and complained, two stood firm.
[00:07:49] And what happened?
[00:07:50] The children of Israel, all of them heard the complaint of the majority and they started whining and griping about God and complaining about God.
[00:07:59] And God said, that's it.
[00:08:02] Joshua and Caleb and all the children 20 years of age are under who believe they go over with us the rest of you clowns you stay over here if you don't want to go in you don't have to go in and they crossed over and God delivered that is where we left 2025 today
[00:08:21] We look at this year in what I hope is a way that is fail-safe in our lives today.
[00:08:29] God is a God.
[00:08:30] Our God, the God of the Bible, is the God of true change.
[00:08:34] And time passes.
[00:08:35] And right now, we're in a time of a season.
[00:08:38] We're actually having a winter here in Southern California, which is radical.
[00:08:42] Sorry if you're visiting, but we're loving this.
[00:08:44] This never happens, but our God is a God of seasons.
[00:08:47] He's created times and seasons, the Bible tells us, and He is the commander of time.
[00:08:54] And in all of that, the Lord is so good to remind us that He is the one that is controlling all things.
[00:09:00] I want to give you this quote, if it blesses you, great.
[00:09:04] And that is this, God has given us times and seasons.
[00:09:08] Within those times and seasons, God has given us the moments.
[00:09:11] and the moments are where you and I live our lives in the immediate now and it is the immediate now that determines the trajectory of our future that's a very powerful truth everybody God is in control of time so church family get it under your belt now 2026 belongs to God and he knows the timing of it there's not going to be any accidents according to God you know that
[00:09:38] Whatever comes into your life, God knows all about it.
[00:09:40] Though you might find out about it, God knew about it.
[00:09:44] And so I want you to write these down before we dive in deeper.
[00:09:47] Number one, great scripture, Ecclesiastes 3.11.
[00:09:50] Love this passage, so do you.
[00:09:52] Ecclesiastes 3.11 says, he has made everything beautiful in its time.
[00:09:59] Not your time, not my time, his time.
[00:10:04] By the way, God's never early.
[00:10:07] It's never late.
[00:10:10] There's an old black negro hymn that our God is an on-time kind of God.
[00:10:20] I wish I could sing it for you, but I'm the wrong color.
[00:10:24] I would destroy it.
[00:10:27] He's an on-time kind of God.
[00:10:31] Always, always...
[00:10:33] at the right time.
[00:10:34] And he goes on to say, also he has put eternity in their hearts or our hearts, humans, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.
[00:10:44] It means that God controls it all, but he's put eternity in your hearts.
[00:10:48] And even if you're an atheist here today and you do not believe in God, we want you to know that we know something about you.
[00:10:54] We know that you're lying to yourself.
[00:10:56] You're welcome.
[00:10:59] You are actually lying to yourself because, listen, you keep telling yourself that there's no God.
[00:11:03] We want you to know that today would be a good day for you to change your mind because the time has come for you to put your trust in the God who governs time.
[00:11:12] And listen, just like you say, I don't believe in God.
[00:11:15] Well, listen, God doesn't believe in you.
[00:11:19] He doesn't believe in you.
[00:11:20] He doesn't believe in your view of life and your philosophy.
[00:11:24] There's only one way.
[00:11:25] Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, and no one comes to the Father but through Him.
[00:11:29] And so if you think you have the freedom to say, I don't believe in God, what if God was to say to you today, hey, you know, I'm the one you don't believe in.
[00:11:38] Guess what?
[00:11:38] What you believe in, I don't believe in.
[00:11:41] You should believe in me.
[00:11:44] And this God of ours, the God of the Bible, is a God who is saying to you that He makes all things beautiful in its time.
[00:11:52] Whatever you're going through, and I can feel the temptation in all of our hearts and our minds.
[00:11:59] Yeah, but I'm going through this right now.
[00:12:02] Do you understand that's the very reason why He said that verse?
[00:12:06] What is it that you're going through that's troubling you?
[00:12:08] God is saying, I'm gonna make in your life
[00:12:12] Child of God, all things beautiful.
[00:12:15] I'm going to be doing that.
[00:12:17] And then the Galatians chapter 4 verse 4 tells us, and we know this from the great Christmas advent, we know this in Bible prophecy, that Galatians chapter 4 verse 4 says, but when the fullness of time had come,
[00:12:35] I find this awesome, it's God's timing.
[00:12:37] And of course he says, God sent forth his son, born of a woman, born under the law, God, the governor of time.
[00:12:43] So if you're taking notes today, write this down if you would.
[00:12:45] Number one, we look at this today, and that is,
[00:12:49] Regarding this fail-safe new year that's before us is to believe in his word and you might say well What else are we gonna do?
[00:12:58] Yeah, but listen everybody with your permission or not.
[00:13:01] I'm gonna double down on this really hard I want you to make note of this that if we're gonna have a fail-safe 2026 we've got to determine right now to believe in his word, but this is what I want to be very very careful about and be very very direct about and
[00:13:16] Lisa and I both recently heard a man talking about how he had raised his children up in Sunday school, went to a church all their lives, and their oldest son went into college and in his first year in college lost his faith because everything the kid claimed to believe in, he could not back up.
[00:13:38] So when college professors and other students said to him, you believe in the Bible?
[00:13:44] Why?
[00:13:46] The guy answered and said, because it's the Word of God.
[00:13:49] You know, that's not the answer exactly.
[00:13:51] Yes, we understand that, but you've got to give reasons for that.
[00:13:55] So when we talk about a failsafe 26, we mean this.
[00:13:59] To believe in His Word means to be that you are able to argue why God's Word is worthy of your belief.
[00:14:08] And you need to know this.
[00:14:09] Dear friends, listen, I've said this before.
[00:14:11] I'm gonna say it strong this year.
[00:14:13] If you say you believe in something, then you must be able to follow through with the definition of what it is that you believe.
[00:14:23] To believe in God's word means what, honestly?
[00:14:26] What does it really believe?
[00:14:27] Listen, you would have to watch my life to see if I really believe in God's word.
[00:14:33] Let's be honest.
[00:14:34] Come on, everybody.
[00:14:35] Look how cute you are.
[00:14:36] You're all dressed up today.
[00:14:38] Look, I even have a jacket on today.
[00:14:41] But listen, it's Sunday.
[00:14:43] Anybody can look like a believer on a Sunday.
[00:14:47] But who am I?
[00:14:48] Who are you during the rest of the week?
[00:14:50] The fact about you and I in His Word, does His Word possess our lives?
[00:14:55] And listen, to survive 2026, these key things are a must, and that is to believe in His Word means this, what is His Word?
[00:15:05] The Word of God, yes, it's true, Jesus Christ, it's kind of fun to think about this, Jesus, the person of Jesus, the Christ that walked the earth 2,000 years ago, and
[00:15:19] to this very moment and forever is the physical manifestation, Jesus Christ, of the very will and word of God.
[00:15:28] That's why Jesus is called the word of God.
[00:15:31] He is the Word of God.
[00:15:32] You say, I wonder what God's will is about this or that.
[00:15:35] Look at Jesus.
[00:15:36] Look to the Scripture.
[00:15:37] Look at Christ's life.
[00:15:38] Look at what the Bible says.
[00:15:40] And Jesus was the Word made flesh and dwelt among us.
[00:15:45] Look at John chapter 1 verse 14.
[00:15:47] You won't see it on the screens.
[00:15:48] Write that down.
[00:15:50] And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.
[00:15:54] When we talk about the Bible, if somebody says, why do you believe in the Bible in 2026?
[00:15:58] You need to tell them this.
[00:16:00] It is God's word and Jesus Christ is the physical manifestation of God's word.
[00:16:05] And then they're going to ask you, what does that mean?
[00:16:08] Well, I'm glad you asked.
[00:16:10] Why don't you meet me at lunchtime or after school and we'll start reading in Matthew chapter 1 if you really want to know.
[00:16:18] I mean, that's kind of attitude, huh?
[00:16:23] But when somebody says something like that, well, I can't believe you believe in the Bible.
[00:16:27] I can't believe that you do not believe in the Bible.
[00:16:32] This is a life and death situation that you and I are in right now.
[00:16:36] And we are closer now to eternity than ever.
[00:16:38] And so when we talk about His Word, God's Word never fails.
[00:16:46] Who says this?
[00:16:46] God says this.
[00:16:49] Friend, listen.
[00:16:50] God says, my word never fails.
[00:16:52] Did you know that in Psalm 138, you need to write that down too, it's not on the screens.
[00:16:56] Psalm 138, it popped into my head.
[00:16:58] Psalm 138 will tell you that God says, I esteem my word greater than my own name.
[00:17:04] That's insane.
[00:17:06] That's unbelievable.
[00:17:08] Why?
[00:17:08] Because it is at the name of Jesus that every knee will bow and every tongue will confess and God says, I esteem my word above my own name.
[00:17:17] He's speaking to us saying this.
[00:17:19] I esteem my word because it's the manifestation of my integrity.
[00:17:24] There's no separation between my very person and the given revealed Word of God, meaning that you're not going to find any loopholes.
[00:17:36] A lot of people today are debating doctrinal issues of the Bible.
[00:17:40] Are you guys listening?
[00:17:42] A lot of people today...
[00:17:44] If they have a TV program, radio program, podcast, writing books, I don't care who they are.
[00:17:48] A lot of people today are somehow feeling that they've been given the green light by who I don't know to delve into the realm of theology and make stuff up or question eternal truths.
[00:18:00] You can question eternal truths, but to do that you ought to have a brain that's working properly.
[00:18:12] We ought to be more like detectives.
[00:18:17] We shouldn't take things just at face value, or when they're first presented, we should dig in and find out.
[00:18:26] Here's another verse that's not on your notes.
[00:18:29] My mind is just really, wow, scaring myself here.
[00:18:35] In Isaiah 1, verse 18, God says, Come, let us reason together, says the Lord.
[00:18:40] Come, let us reason.
[00:18:41] The word in Hebrew for reason is come, let us argue together, says the Lord.
[00:18:45] I love that.
[00:18:47] Again, going back to my friend who might be here today who's an atheist, or maybe my friend who's a Christian who's saying, I don't think God's got the control over my life that I hoped he had.
[00:18:57] Oh, no, wait a minute.
[00:18:58] God says, come, let's reason together.
[00:19:00] Let's argue.
[00:19:02] I told you before, please don't hold this against me.
[00:19:04] My mom, pure Portuguese, little tiny thing, just cleared, just almost made it to five feet in height.
[00:19:13] Little tiny thing.
[00:19:15] And what was tough for her is raising my brother and I, when we would upset her and she'd come after us with words we didn't understand, when she would reach us, we would just hold her by the forehead.
[00:19:32] and she's swinging at us.
[00:19:35] I know it's terrible, but don't tell anybody this because I'm a pastor and this doesn't sound good to admit things like this, but we would just hold and she's swinging and she's saying words, good thing that we didn't understand those words.
[00:19:51] What was going on?
[00:19:51] God, listen, in a way, you want to argue with God?
[00:19:53] God says, come on, come on, let's do this.
[00:19:56] And God just holds your forehead and you're swinging and you're, I can't believe you don't love me anymore.
[00:20:02] God says, I didn't say that.
[00:20:04] Your emotions are telling you that.
[00:20:06] I can't believe you're not with me anymore.
[00:20:08] I didn't say that.
[00:20:11] Have you ever heard somebody say something where you have to respond by saying, don't put words in my mouth?
[00:20:16] How often do we as believers do that?
[00:20:19] We put words in God's mouth that he's never said.
[00:20:21] Listen, if you're going through a rough time, Winston Churchill said, if you find yourself going through hell, keep going.
[00:20:30] That's a good word.
[00:20:33] If you're in it, don't stop and stay in it.
[00:20:37] Keep going.
[00:20:40] God is in your life.
[00:20:41] He's watching over you.
[00:20:43] And he's good.
[00:20:46] And to believe his word,
[00:20:48] is to know what His Word is.
[00:20:50] The unfailing, perfect, and errant Word of God, the Bible.
[00:20:57] And by the way, I should add this right now, everybody.
[00:20:59] Listen up.
[00:20:59] Young people, listen up.
[00:21:01] Go buy a Bible.
[00:21:02] You need to buy a Bible because there are those who, and we're gonna try to reveal this to you, that there's, in the online world, people are starting to tamper with the words of the Bible.
[00:21:16] and you need to know that.
[00:21:18] So just buy a Bible before things change and you can't get one.
[00:21:23] Get a physical Bible and hang on to it.
[00:21:27] Because listen, God's word is the final word.
[00:21:31] It's the authoritative word.
[00:21:34] And again, I wanna stress going into this new year that that's not true because we say it's true, it's true because it's true.
[00:21:42] And we're able to explain and to argue as to the reasons why.
[00:21:45] We talked a lot about that during our series on Bible prophecy and how God's Word proves itself to be true.
[00:21:54] And then the next thing is this, is how to use God's Word.
[00:21:57] To use the Word of God, how to use it, is an amazing thing.
[00:22:03] The Bible tells us, and we'll read it before our service is over.
[00:22:06] You've all heard this passage, right, of Scripture in Ephesians, where it says, take the sword of the Spirit.
[00:22:11] Paul told the church at Ephesus, take the sword of the Spirit.
[00:22:14] The word in Greek is machaira, the machaira of the Spirit.
[00:22:18] It's interesting because there are many swords that are known in antiquity, and in this case, in the Roman Empire, in the time of Paul.
[00:22:28] But the machaira, that was a different type of sword.
[00:22:32] You've all seen...
[00:22:34] The Gladiator or Ben Hur films like this where there's the great Roman broadsword I have one in my office it's massive you grab that thing it's huge right you've seen that you know I'm talking about that's not the sword that the Bible tells us to use as the word of God that's not the sword the word is the machaira which is an 18 inch 18 inch blade
[00:22:58] and it's strapped to the opposite so if you're right-handed it's strapped to your left side of your body so when you go to reach for it it comes off of your hip off of your upper thigh and you even when you grab it you start splashing with it you only pull it out when you listen when you are
[00:23:13] in physical hand-to-hand combat.
[00:23:16] You never pull the machaira out for any other reason.
[00:23:19] Guess what?
[00:23:20] Never in the Bible does the Bible in Hebrew, Aramaic, or Greek ever use the other word for the Bible being the broadsword.
[00:23:29] It only uses the word for the Bible to be the machaira.
[00:23:33] And what does the machaira do?
[00:23:35] You are in a battle and you don't even have to look.
[00:23:37] You're just grabbing your opponent and you're going like this, right?
[00:23:41] Because if you're using it, it's fatal to your opponent.
[00:23:45] And the Bible tells us to use the sword of the Spirit in the realm of our walk with God.
[00:23:50] In other words, there's giants to kill.
[00:23:55] Giants of fear, giants of difficulty, giants of those sins that seem to be little, but they keep gnawing on your feet or on your heart constantly.
[00:24:05] How do you get rid of them?
[00:24:06] The machaira.
[00:24:10] Are you timid?
[00:24:11] Are you prone to fear?
[00:24:12] How do you deal with that?
[00:24:13] The machaira, the sword of the Spirit.
[00:24:17] How to use God's word?
[00:24:18] The Bible tells us in Psalm 90 verse 12, great thing to keep in mind.
[00:24:22] So teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
[00:24:30] What a great word that is.
[00:24:32] Teach us to number our days.
[00:24:33] What a great verse for the beginning of a new year.
[00:24:36] So you guys last, you know, December 31st, we did, for the whole year of 2025, we did our 5 a.m. prayer meeting.
[00:24:43] And it's funny because just yesterday, somebody told me, oh, I can't believe you're not doing it in 2026.
[00:24:49] I really miss it.
[00:24:51] I was with you every day.
[00:24:52] I said, wow, that's great.
[00:24:54] So how come you get up so early?
[00:24:56] Oh, no, no, I watched it at 8 o'clock.
[00:25:00] I did it at 8 a.m. Well, then no wonder why you wanted to continue.
[00:25:11] That was for 2025.
[00:25:13] For 2026, listen, it's that we use the Word of God rightly.
[00:25:19] You want to be careful?
[00:25:20] You want to not be led astray?
[00:25:22] You want to not be deceived?
[00:25:24] You want to not be confused?
[00:25:29] Announcement.
[00:25:29] There's only one way in 2026.
[00:25:32] Know the Bible.
[00:25:34] And know how to use it.
[00:25:36] Friends, if you're being tempted with lust or temptations of sorts and you quote Genesis 1-1, it ain't gonna work.
[00:25:46] You say, wait a minute, I thought you just said use the Bible.
[00:25:48] I did say use the Bible, but I also said know how to use it.
[00:25:52] Oh my goodness, I'm being tempted with this issue of fear or lust or temper.
[00:25:58] In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
[00:26:01] Great verse, no doubt about it.
[00:26:05] but you'll have no of it will have no effect upon you because you are to rightly divide the word of truth you are to rightly use it which means you are to know the bible and every day so we started just the other day once again i think it's our 28th year of going through the bible as a church on january 1st and through the bible we go we do we go through the bible every year together but listen as good as that is what's even better is
[00:26:32] Dialing down on a verse or a word of the Bible and studying it.
[00:26:38] And know how to use the Bible.
[00:26:43] Listen, when the world throws at you or your flesh throws at you a temptation or an issue, that's when you step back and say this, Lord, you have called me to resist the devil.
[00:26:57] In the name of Jesus Christ, I resist the devil steadfastly
[00:27:03] I'm calling upon you Lord right now that I am bringing this thought
[00:27:09] under the captivity of the Lord Jesus Christ.
[00:27:12] And I'm grabbing it right now.
[00:27:14] I refuse for this thought to govern my life.
[00:27:17] And Lord, I give it to you.
[00:27:18] I hand it to you.
[00:27:19] I'm resisting the enemy.
[00:27:22] I'm humbling myself under your great hand.
[00:27:24] And I'm giving you, God, this attack because you have told me to bring every thought under your captivity.
[00:27:32] And I'm doing that now.
[00:27:33] And listen, if you've got to do that 5, 10, or 10,000 times a day, you do it.
[00:27:40] and you'll get victory.
[00:27:42] We'll talk more about that in a moment.
[00:27:46] Very, very comforting.
[00:27:50] We also know this, that to use God's word causes the enemy of our souls, the enemy of our lives to be held off.
[00:28:06] Look, I don't want to weird you out.
[00:28:07] I'll keep it veneer for now.
[00:28:11] With the rise of Satanism going on in our nation, the Christian better wake up.
[00:28:18] The Christian better know their stuff and know finally, it's almost as though that realm that the Bible tells us that we battle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers, forces of spiritual entities that are invisible to our human eyes, they are now manifesting themselves in the lives of people.
[00:28:43] And things are getting intense.
[00:28:47] The Christian should be the one that's fully awake in this area.
[00:28:50] Tremendously so.
[00:28:53] And then this is important.
[00:28:57] It's this, and that is that why is it His Word?
[00:29:04] Why His Word?
[00:29:07] The Bible is the only book, friend, listen,
[00:29:12] Time doesn't allow me to go through the books.
[00:29:14] The Tibetan Book of the Dead, the Quran, the Book of Mormon, the writings of Charles Russell, Baker Eddy, what's her name?
[00:29:25] Mary Baker Eddy.
[00:29:26] Include them all.
[00:29:31] The Gospel according to Oprah Winfrey.
[00:29:35] and her understanding, or Shirley MacLaine, or Sanger, or some of the others, the prophets of the New Age world.
[00:29:45] It's endless.
[00:29:48] Why His Word?
[00:29:51] Because there are no writings in all of the history of man that not only is true, it's true in all areas of life, if you will just take the time
[00:30:03] Investigate that.
[00:30:04] Is God's word true regarding what we're experiencing outside?
[00:30:08] Is the Bible from Genesis to Revelation consistent with meteorological events, meaning weather?
[00:30:16] What does the Bible say about weather?
[00:30:17] A lot.
[00:30:19] What about geological events?
[00:30:20] What does the Bible say about that?
[00:30:22] A lot.
[00:30:24] On and on it goes.
[00:30:25] I encourage you to read the writings of Christopher Columbus.
[00:30:30] He was the guy, they thought he was nuts.
[00:30:32] He was the guy that said, listen, God has put currents in the oceans and we need to know the right time of the year to get into the water because we'll not only have the right winds, but the currents are also are like, they're like wind in the water, in the current.
[00:30:48] Columbus read the Bible and figured that out among many others in their great discoveries.
[00:30:56] But also this everybody,
[00:30:58] Number two is this to act upon God's Word.
[00:31:00] In 2026, we're gonna act upon God's Word.
[00:31:04] Raise your right hand.
[00:31:05] Let's all get in trouble together.
[00:31:09] Now, if you're not a Christian, put your hand down.
[00:31:11] I don't wanna get you killed or anything here, but...
[00:31:14] I mean, let's just do this together.
[00:31:16] Let's repeat this.
[00:31:20] I will...
[00:31:21] I will...
[00:31:22] This year...
[00:31:23] This year... Give myself...
[00:31:25] to acting upon God's Word.
[00:31:31] Amen.
[00:31:32] To do that.
[00:31:33] Now you're going to remember that.
[00:31:34] The Holy Spirit will say, remember?
[00:31:35] You raised your hand that day.
[00:31:37] Remember that.
[00:31:39] But to act upon His Word.
[00:31:41] Vitally important.
[00:31:43] To act upon His Word, the Bible tells us a very important thing, and that is this, and that is, no pun intended, it's time to take a bold stand.
[00:31:52] I mean, it's time to take a stand.
[00:31:58] Let me put it to you this way.
[00:32:00] When will be a better time for us to take a stand?
[00:32:05] Think of it.
[00:32:07] If we're gonna act upon the word of God, the temptation that you and I have is immediately to push back into disconnect.
[00:32:17] Are you guys okay?
[00:32:17] You're very quiet, you all right?
[00:32:19] Is to disconnect, and then the second thing is, well, disconnect, disconnect.
[00:32:25] Number two.
[00:32:26] Created Defense.
[00:32:28] Here's my excuse.
[00:32:29] I can't get involved.
[00:32:30] I can't act upon God's word.
[00:32:32] I can't take a bold stand because I hope over the last three, four, five, six years, we've all learned that excuses don't work, everybody.
[00:32:45] God has been so good to us to reveal things, to pull things back, to reveal what the truth is to us in day-to-day life.
[00:32:52] And here's the deal.
[00:32:54] When we're called to act upon His Word, we're to take a bold stand.
[00:32:57] It doesn't mean that we're bold.
[00:33:02] Listen, if you look at it from God's perspective, none of us are bold.
[00:33:05] That would mean that God's Word would say, hey, everybody who has a bold personality, take a stand.
[00:33:15] Does God's Word say that?
[00:33:17] No, God's word tells us that all of us should stand bold and take a stand.
[00:33:24] Why?
[00:33:24] Because of who our God is.
[00:33:27] Listen, we're like grasshoppers in the sight of the enemy.
[00:33:31] If you take a bold stand, the enemy who might be a giant, they're the ones that are the grasshoppers.
[00:33:41] Think of it.
[00:33:43] In accordance to God and his greatness,
[00:33:46] God never told us to take a bold stand by ourselves.
[00:33:51] God is the one who takes the stand and then says, come and hide behind my knee like any five-year-old knows what to do.
[00:33:57] Five-year-olds, listen, I know they're, it doesn't have to be three, two, three, four, five.
[00:34:03] They're so great, they're harmless.
[00:34:06] But they know this, when they're in trouble, they go run and hide behind dad's kneecap and they peek out from time to time, see what's going on.
[00:34:15] God's like that.
[00:34:16] God is standing there.
[00:34:17] God is already standing in 2026.
[00:34:21] He's already standing in it.
[00:34:23] You need to remember that.
[00:34:24] And we just need to get behind His boldness, His greatness, and stand in Him.
[00:34:31] And so we need to act upon his word and we need to take a bold stand in Psalm 139 verse 16.
[00:34:38] This is a wonderful verse.
[00:34:39] Psalm 139 verse 16 says, Your eyes saw my substance.
[00:34:44] This is a great verse also for January, right?
[00:34:46] Pro-life month.
[00:34:47] This is what God says.
[00:34:49] By the way, just think right now.
[00:34:51] If you're pregnant, if you're in here right now and you're pregnant, God's working inside there.
[00:34:57] Isn't that kind of, isn't that amazing?
[00:34:59] Like a little factory.
[00:35:01] Like an assembly plan.
[00:35:05] Listen, your eyes saw my substance being yet unformed.
[00:35:11] And in your book they're all written.
[00:35:15] You ever read directions?
[00:35:16] How to put that bicycle together?
[00:35:19] How to put that bed together?
[00:35:20] What did you get for Christmas and you didn't read the directions?
[00:35:26] Men have an avarice to directions.
[00:35:29] We think directions were written by women for women.
[00:35:33] We are men.
[00:35:35] We're going to put it together on our own because only wimps look at directions.
[00:35:39] And then we wonder why the thing turns out upside down.
[00:35:45] And I'm wondering, you know, I'm joking but not.
[00:35:48] Women seem to have a much quicker rate of getting to the heart of God than men do.
[00:35:58] I don't know what that's all about.
[00:36:00] It's an interesting thing.
[00:36:01] You say, I don't believe you, Pastor.
[00:36:03] That's a mean thing to say.
[00:36:04] You think that's mean?
[00:36:05] I'll prove it.
[00:36:06] If I call a prayer meeting, you know who's going to show up?
[00:36:11] The ratio is something like 1 to 500.
[00:36:14] I'm just saying.
[00:36:19] Well, those men have got to work.
[00:36:22] Yeah, listen.
[00:36:26] I just realized I just alienated all the men for the entire year.
[00:36:29] This will be a church of women in 2026.
[00:36:35] Yikes.
[00:36:37] The day's fashion for me...
[00:36:42] I should probably retire today.
[00:36:44] It was great.
[00:36:45] After 36 years, it was great being with all of you.
[00:36:50] The days fashioned for me when as yet there were none of them.
[00:36:54] God absolutely knows.
[00:36:56] He knows, listen, He knew all about you before you were formed.
[00:36:59] He was with you while you were being formed, conceived and formed in your mother and all of your life days lived.
[00:37:09] He was ahead of you on those as well.
[00:37:13] Incredible.
[00:37:14] What does that mean?
[00:37:15] Stand bold, stand strong.
[00:37:19] In this year, we need not fear.
[00:37:21] We need not cower back.
[00:37:23] We need to remember.
[00:37:24] Next is this.
[00:37:27] It's to resist the world.
[00:37:29] Oh, here's a big one.
[00:37:30] Please understand this.
[00:37:31] To resist the world.
[00:37:33] Normally, the question would be, how do I resist the world?
[00:37:37] You resist the world, listen, you resist the world, as I've been saying, know your Bible, read it for yourself.
[00:37:44] Please, if this experience right now is the extent of your Bible, weekly Bible experience, you're not gonna make it.
[00:37:53] I love you, but I'm, well, this is why I'm telling you, I love you.
[00:37:56] If Sunday is your Bible time and that's it, not Monday, not Tuesday, not Wednesday, you're not gonna make it.
[00:38:06] You're not going to make it.
[00:38:07] Do you eat one day a week?
[00:38:11] Young men always ask me this, and this is the same answer.
[00:38:15] I don't know why my life is so messed up.
[00:38:17] I don't know why I keep falling into the same sin over and over again.
[00:38:20] Well, number one, young man, the reason why you keep falling into the same sin every week is because you love it.
[00:38:26] So let's just get that out of the way right now.
[00:38:27] Stop whining about it.
[00:38:29] You do it because you love it.
[00:38:31] Number two, to stop loving it, you need to eat the Word of God.
[00:38:34] That will cause you to begin to hate it because you'll see that it hurts the heart of God and you'll love Him more than you love that.
[00:38:43] Okay, and from that you move on and what you wind up doing is that you resist this world.
[00:38:51] And church,
[00:38:55] I can almost hear heaven say, how much worse does it have to get for you to get it through your head to start resisting?
[00:39:03] It's crazy time in our world.
[00:39:08] What does that mean for the Christian?
[00:39:09] It means that we stand up and resist the world.
[00:39:12] See, but what do you want me to do?
[00:39:14] Speak up?
[00:39:16] Show up?
[00:39:17] Look, it's a voting, thank you, it's a voting year, vote!
[00:39:21] And we'll help you do that.
[00:39:23] Get involved.
[00:39:26] Your kids, check their curriculum.
[00:39:28] I'm telling you right now, mom and dad, a lot of power there.
[00:39:32] Check the curriculum that's going on in your kid's school.
[00:39:34] If it doesn't meet your standards, pull your kid.
[00:39:38] What do you mean pull the kid?
[00:39:40] Do whatever you need to do to pull the kid.
[00:39:44] You mean I have to sell my airplane?
[00:39:48] Maybe.
[00:39:50] What about this?
[00:39:51] What about that?
[00:39:53] Save them.
[00:39:54] It's time to be radical for Jesus and doing the right thing to resist this world and all the evil.
[00:40:02] Notice, everybody, in the last couple of three months or year, evil has been on steroids, especially in the cyber world.
[00:40:12] Human trafficking, violence, evil, murder, all these things, what's going on?
[00:40:20] Evil's doing what it does.
[00:40:22] The world is doing what it does.
[00:40:25] But God says to us, it's an invitation for you to take a stand.
[00:40:29] Know what it is you believe in.
[00:40:30] Be able to defend it.
[00:40:32] Know how to use the Word of God.
[00:40:34] Show up, stand up, speak up.
[00:40:37] God is calling us, every single one of us, to make a difference.
[00:40:43] We were at a restaurant yesterday afternoon and a young lady in the city of Orange
[00:40:52] She took us to our table and sat us at the table and she had her cross.
[00:40:56] She was young and she had her cross.
[00:41:00] And I said, I appreciate your cross.
[00:41:03] And she goes, thank you, that's very awesome.
[00:41:04] It has my mother's birthstone on it or something like this.
[00:41:08] Something about that jewelry stuff.
[00:41:11] And she goes, and I go to your church.
[00:41:17] Yeah, it was great.
[00:41:19] So she took our orders and then I told my son-in-laws, you guys better tip her really big.
[00:41:25] You have to leave a good witness with a big tip.
[00:41:27] You know that, Christians.
[00:41:32] But we need to resist the world that is advancing.
[00:41:35] The world really feels like it's in control right now.
[00:41:43] And we're to expose evil.
[00:41:51] Can't say this without saying the other.
[00:41:54] We have to expose evil.
[00:41:55] We're commanded to expose evil.
[00:41:57] And listen, it means we stop being passive.
[00:42:05] Passive is not a virtue.
[00:42:07] I want you to know that right now.
[00:42:09] Passive is how Hitler conquered Europe.
[00:42:14] Passive.
[00:42:16] Look,
[00:42:17] I'm in a lot of trouble today, I can feel it.
[00:42:19] I'm just gonna go for it.
[00:42:22] So, it turns out that there's a lot of people in America this morning that have Venezuelan flags and they are rejoicing and thanking the United States military and President Trump for liberating their home country of Venezuela because 8 million of them fled Venezuela
[00:42:45] For freedom and safety, I didn't know this.
[00:42:48] I mean, I knew Venezuela had had some tough leaders, but I didn't know that the UN, nobody will have anything to do with this guy.
[00:42:55] And I didn't know that 8 million Venezuelans had fled the country to save their own lives over the last couple years.
[00:43:02] And the Venezuelans in the world, including those in Venezuela, are rejoicing today.
[00:43:07] And you know who's crying?
[00:43:09] They're all crying.
[00:43:11] All the Democrats in Washington are crying.
[00:43:14] They're crying and they're crying.
[00:43:16] I can't believe this is happening.
[00:43:17] Wait a minute, China's freaking out because they just lost double digit billion dollars with fentanyl.
[00:43:26] No more fentanyl into America from Venezuela.
[00:43:29] Excuse me, you have a problem with that?
[00:43:33] The removal of this drug pen who worked for China, China would ship them fentanyl so he would get it into the US with multiple billions of dollars that China would make and all of a sudden it got cut off in a matter of hours and China's furious at us right now.
[00:43:51] You guys, when elected officials in America are siding with China,
[00:43:59] Listen, that to me is a good opportunity to expose evil.
[00:44:06] You say, I can't believe you're saying this.
[00:44:08] This is the problem.
[00:44:13] This is the problem.
[00:44:14] The world, without Jesus, makes really bad and evil decisions and then acts upon those decisions.
[00:44:21] And the world, listen, over what, I forget hundreds, I'll just say this to be safe, hundreds of thousands of Americans die every year from fentanyl overdose.
[00:44:31] Did you know that?
[00:44:31] Is that important to you?
[00:44:33] Do you, how much do you really care about that?
[00:44:35] Do you really care enough about that to stop that kind of evil?
[00:44:40] Think about it.
[00:44:42] Well, you know,
[00:44:44] I think it's evil, but I don't think we should stop.
[00:44:48] Until your grandson dies of fentanyl.
[00:44:53] See, you know what I love about the Bible?
[00:44:56] The Bible is so practical.
[00:44:58] It just gets into everything of life.
[00:45:03] And we are to know right and wrong.
[00:45:08] The Bible tells us in Ephesians chapter 5 verse 16 that by resisting or exposing evil and resisting the world that we're redeeming the time because the days are evil.
[00:45:20] The word in Greek to redeem the time is an amazing word.
[00:45:22] You'll find it nowhere else nor the opportunity in humanity.
[00:45:26] It means to buy back the time, to get back the time.
[00:45:30] Did you know time is the most precious thing that you have?
[00:45:32] I don't know if you know that or not.
[00:45:33] It's not your money.
[00:45:34] You only think about your money when you're healthy.
[00:45:38] When you're sick, you think about time.
[00:45:41] And you can't buy time.
[00:45:44] Look at Mick Jagger, remember him?
[00:45:46] Is he still alive?
[00:45:47] Time is on my side.
[00:45:50] Yes, it is.
[00:45:51] Remember him?
[00:45:52] Have you looked at him lately?
[00:45:54] No, time has not been good to him.
[00:45:57] Time is not on his side.
[00:46:00] With all of his millions of dollars he'd give for more time.
[00:46:05] Listen, you and I, time.
[00:46:10] Time to be with your family.
[00:46:11] Time to make that thing right.
[00:46:13] One more year.
[00:46:15] One more hour.
[00:46:15] One more moment.
[00:46:16] Time.
[00:46:17] Time.
[00:46:22] And only with God can you redeem the time.
[00:46:25] You say, Pastor, my life has been a wreck.
[00:46:27] It doesn't have to be anymore.
[00:46:29] Only with God can you redeem from the years of the past and make the year that's ahead of you absolutely redeemable.
[00:46:37] And He will give you time.
[00:46:39] I don't know how He does it, but He will make a week like a month.
[00:46:43] He will make a month like a year.
[00:46:45] He's so good.
[00:46:47] He's so amazing.
[00:46:49] And then thirdly and finally it's this, and that is that we are to advance by His Word.
[00:46:55] We are to advance.
[00:46:58] You and I look at this year that's before us, for us it's brand new.
[00:47:02] What are we gonna do with it?
[00:47:03] The clock is ticking.
[00:47:06] We're gonna advance God's word.
[00:47:10] Number one, we see this by going on the offensive.
[00:47:17] Billy Graham, who does not respect Billy Graham?
[00:47:21] Billy Graham, now he's in heaven obviously.
[00:47:25] But you know what?
[00:47:25] No one ever said, but it's 100% true.
[00:47:29] Billy Graham is a man who's on the offensive.
[00:47:33] People would think that that kind of verbiage is too, what's the word?
[00:47:37] Too aggressive.
[00:47:40] Did you know that wherever Billy Graham went, I mean, I'm sorry, I don't know this for a fact.
[00:47:46] I am imagining that wherever Billy Graham went or was scheduled to go to preach the word of God to a culture,
[00:47:55] I betcha hell was concerned about that.
[00:48:03] Do you believe in your Bible?
[00:48:05] There's a real hell.
[00:48:07] There are real demons and there's a real Satan.
[00:48:11] And the Bible tells us that the devil veils people from seeing the truth.
[00:48:18] The Bible says in Corinthians that the God of this world has blinded their eyes so that they cannot be saved.
[00:48:23] so that they cannot understand.
[00:48:27] Satan wants you in hell with him.
[00:48:31] God wants you in heaven with him.
[00:48:35] And I would submit to you, as much as a gentleman and such a beautiful soul that Billy Graham was, I think on the inside of that man was pure armor.
[00:48:49] I think his skin was very thin, but not weak underneath.
[00:48:54] I think his skin was very thin with steel underneath.
[00:48:58] And where did that steel come from?
[00:49:00] From the Word of God.
[00:49:01] That man knew what he believed and he preached it.
[00:49:03] And listen, here's what I love about that.
[00:49:05] God is not a respecter of persons.
[00:49:08] That means that steel should be in you and I.
[00:49:17] In this world, we need to advance the word by going on the offensive.
[00:49:23] In 2 Peter 3, verse 10, the Bible tells us, But the day of the Lord will come
[00:49:29] as a thief in the night in which the heavens will pass away with the great noise and the elements will melt with fervent heat both the earth and the works that are in them will be burned up therefore in light of all that in light of all of verse 10 since all these things will be dissolved what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness
[00:49:49] Looking for and hastening.
[00:49:51] Such an amazing theological conundrum the word hastening creates.
[00:49:55] Looking for and, really?
[00:49:57] Having the opportunity to hurry up the coming of the day of God.
[00:50:04] How does that work?
[00:50:06] certainly by advancing the word of God because of which the heavens will be dissolved being on fire and the elements will melt with fervent heat nevertheless we according to his promise look for a new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells can I hear an amen to that that's our future that is our glorious future what a beautiful thing that is we can be bold we can go on the offensive church family
[00:50:31] Another point is this, is that by taking the hard places.
[00:50:36] Taking the hard places.
[00:50:38] In a militant stand, take the hard places.
[00:50:41] We need to advance the gospel like never before.
[00:50:45] And that's gonna draw, that's gonna draw, as we mentioned on New Year's Eve, that's gonna draw attack, but that's okay.
[00:50:53] We need to take the hard places.
[00:50:54] What are the hard places?
[00:50:56] Think about the hard places.
[00:50:57] I would say this, the hard places is the opinion and the worldview of your child.
[00:51:06] I'm not too concerned about Hollywood, I'm not too concerned about New York, I'm not too concerned about
[00:51:14] You know, the big stuff that makes all the noise.
[00:51:18] I'm more concerned about what is in my vicinity that I can do something about in the immediate.
[00:51:25] The hard place is making sure that my children and my grandchildren are able to really make an intelligent decision as to why Jesus Christ had to go to the cross, for example.
[00:51:40] Don't just say Jesus died on the cross.
[00:51:44] You need to be able to say Jesus died on the cross and here's the reason why.
[00:51:47] If you don't know the answer to that, then how do you know what it is that you believe?
[00:51:58] God made an agreement with himself that Christ would die in our place at the cross as our atonement.
[00:52:06] How does God forgive sins?
[00:52:09] Answer, on the basis of the cross.
[00:52:13] All sin must be forgiven through the cross.
[00:52:17] It's what Jesus did at the cross for you and I.
[00:52:19] It's the cross of Christ that sets us free.
[00:52:24] Presence on the cross that took upon Himself the punishment of all of our sin.
[00:52:31] Jesus took that for you and I.
[00:52:36] He paid that price.
[00:52:38] Our children need to know this.
[00:52:45] The hard places.
[00:52:47] The hard places, here's how, and then I'll move on.
[00:52:50] The hard places, we can detect them by our own evaluation, by examining ourselves to determine whether we are in the faith or not.
[00:53:00] When a hard place presents itself, if you say, I'm not gonna get involved in that, or that's too much for me, that's too hard for me, know this.
[00:53:12] You're in the valley of decision in that moment.
[00:53:16] To look at the giants and consider yourself a grasshopper?
[00:53:19] Or to look at the giants and say, compared to my God, they're the grasshopper.
[00:53:27] We will advance because the cause is right.
[00:53:31] We will advance because Christ is risen from the dead.
[00:53:35] We will advance because God has given us the truth.
[00:53:39] The world is lost.
[00:53:41] Evil is getting uglier.
[00:53:45] God has called us to take a stand.
[00:53:47] It's never been more evident, but we need to remember that it means that we're gonna go into the hard places.
[00:53:53] This is why getting out the gospel right now to the world is such an amazing moment that we're hurrying up about.
[00:53:58] You guys, on a side note, I gotta tell you, I don't understand the numbers.
[00:54:03] It's worthless for me to present them to you, but in the two and a half years of the birth of the Real Life Network, it is insane what has happened.
[00:54:11] We have reached millions
[00:54:14] of people millions of people with the gospel and we know this for a fact because there's technology that that analyzes all that stuff and you guys we had no idea we were hoping like gosh if we could just reach 200 000 people or a quarter of a million people in the first year we started to do that by the month why why here's why we don't know what we're doing
[00:54:44] It's because this message.
[00:54:46] Listen, we're not giving our own message.
[00:54:48] We're giving His message and God has put this thing on turbo charge.
[00:54:52] And so, listen, time is running out.
[00:54:54] He's advancing this word.
[00:54:56] It's going to the ends of the earth and we're saying, wow, hang on.
[00:54:59] It's amazing.
[00:55:02] Into the hard places.
[00:55:06] 2 Timothy chapter four verse tells us, for the time will come, it's now, it's 2026, when they will not endure sound doctrine but according to their own desires because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers.
[00:55:21] This is so sad.
[00:55:23] Because people have itching ears, they will go from church to church to church until they find a woke ministry to tickle their ears and that's where they'll stay because it won't,
[00:55:35] Get into the truth.
[00:55:36] And they will turn their ears away from the truth and be turned aside to fables.
[00:55:43] We're living in that time right now.
[00:55:44] And then this is the final point, by securing the victory.
[00:55:51] Folks, advancing into 2026, what's our goal?
[00:55:56] to secure the victory.
[00:55:58] So wait a minute.
[00:55:59] I thought the Bible says the war's done.
[00:56:02] The war's been decided.
[00:56:03] The war has been decided.
[00:56:04] Did you know that, everyone?
[00:56:06] You guys can all stand, by the way.
[00:56:07] You can stand.
[00:56:08] I know some of you are looking at your watch.
[00:56:13] I remember Pastor Chuck one time.
[00:56:14] You know, he never broke rank.
[00:56:18] And when he was teaching, he was like a machine.
[00:56:20] I remember one Sunday morning, gosh, I don't know, Peggy, Phil, if you guys were there or not.
[00:56:25] Oh my goodness.
[00:56:26] One Sunday morning, Pastor Chuck, he would look over, and you know, if you're watching him, it's like, he goes like this, and says, uh-oh, something's going on.
[00:56:39] And Pastor Chuck said, sir, you either have to catch a flight or take a pill.
[00:56:51] By the way you're looking at your watch, whichever it is, do it.
[00:56:57] We all just like...
[00:56:57] This is proof.
[00:57:04] You standing is proof that we are done.
[00:57:08] God has secured the victory.
[00:57:10] Listen, the war is decided.
[00:57:14] Because the war has been decided, yet there's mopping up to do.
[00:57:21] Just like when firefighters put out a forest fire, there are crews that stay behind to make sure there's no, what's it called, spot fires or something like this?
[00:57:33] That something doesn't flare up.
[00:57:37] The war has been determined.
[00:57:39] The battle belongs to the Lord.
[00:57:42] We're in the battle.
[00:57:44] And I'm going to ask you right now to look at Ephesians 6.
[00:57:49] In fact, let's put our hands up.
[00:57:51] Let's make this our prayer.
[00:57:52] Let's make this our dedication to the Lord.
[00:57:55] Let's do that.
[00:57:56] We lift our hands.
[00:57:59] Lord, finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.
[00:58:06] Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
[00:58:12] For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities and against powers.
[00:58:17] and against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in heavenly places.
[00:58:25] Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
[00:58:35] Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace.
[00:58:46] And above all,
[00:58:47] taking the shield of faith which will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one and take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit which is the word of God praying always with all prayer and supplication in the spirit being watchful to this end and with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints
[00:59:14] and all God's people said, Amen.
[00:59:17] God bless you.