Pastor Joey Rogers and I want to give you a special invitation to join me for the upcoming Prophecy Files Conference. This Bible Prophecy Conference is going to be filled with information concerning the end times and how you can be prepared for the imminent return of Jesus Christ. This year I'll welcome my special guest, Jeff Kinley, Pastor Shane Warren, William Federer, and keynote speaker, Pastor John Hayden. I want you to join me for this year's Prophecy Files Conference. Registration is available online at PaceAssembly.org and lunch will be provided for a cost of $10. We look forward to seeing you right here at PaceAssembly on August the 16th and 17th for this year's Prophecy Files Conference. Pastor Joey Rogers and I want to give you a special invitation to join me for the upcoming Prophecy Files Conference. This Bible Prophecy Conference is going to be filled with information concerning the end times and how you can be prepared for the imminent return of Jesus Christ. This year I'll welcome my special guest, Jeff Kinley, Pastor Shane Warren, William Federer, and keynote speaker, Pastor John Hayden. I want you to join me for this year's Prophecy Files Conference. Registration is available online at PaceAssembly.org and lunch will be provided for a cost of $10. We look forward to seeing you right here at PaceAssembly on August the 16th and 17th for this year's Prophecy Files Conference. Pastor Joey Rogers and welcome to PaceAssembly Live. We're glad that you've joined us today. In just a moment we're going to go into the sanctuary where we're worshiping the Lord in every portion of the service, from giving, the lifting of our hands, singing and the word of God that's going to come to your way today. We hope that you will engage the service right there where you are and that the presence of God will be made real no matter where you are around the globe. We know that we're reaching so many people around the world right now and our effort and every part that we do is about reaching one more soul in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Thank you for helping us accomplish that through your giving and your prayerful support. May God bless you now. We enter into the service. Let's go live into the presence of God. The service this morning. You push back everything. You want some laid backs, live with the Christian.  Say, quit trying to search for your victory somewhere else. You'll defeat it every single time you try to do it on your own. But the Bible says that God, you don't have to fight your battle. All you got to do is trust him and some other thing or someone else and everything like that. But God said, you don't need to do that. All you got to do is trust me and let me fight the battle for you. And then when you get the victory, I have to say it was my thing that did this. It was that thing. No, no, no. You just said, if it had not been for God, where would my victory be? Because you're in a war, child. Physically but in the spiritual realm, there is war going on. In your mind, in your heart, in your body, in your family.  Your victory is here. I don't know what you came in here this morning with carrying on your back. But your victory is right here. You don't need another sermon. You don't need another pastor or someone lay hands on you. What is in chains? Break off this morning.   Everything you took from me, I'm going to take it back.  You took my business, I'm ready to take it back. You stole this from me, I'm ready to take it back. Okay, I got to stop this morning because glory to God. You may be seated in God's house this morning. Amen. Well, if this is your first time here, we're so glad that you came to Pace of Sinly, whether it's you or with your family. We want to welcome you this morning. At the end of service day, if you'll step out into the floor, you're over to the left-hand side, we have a place called Guest Central. If you'll step in there today after the end of service, again, whether it's you or with your family, we want to get some information about you, let you know how you can stay connected to our church and how you can let you know about the events that are going on and Pastor Miss Rita have a special gift just for you. So, home full, give it all over again here and those of you who are watching around the world, a great big hand. Let them know that they're welcome to Pace of Sinly this morning. So glad that you joined us. Just a couple of announcements I wanted to make you aware of this morning is that this coming of Saturday, I'm super excited that this Saturday, August the 12th is our one night fearless youth conference with our special guest, Reggie Dabs. Amen. I'm super excited about this. We've got churches that I've already registered planning on their coming. So, again, this is not just for, you know, a lot of youth professionals may ask me, is this just for youth and young adults? No, no, no, this is open to everyone. Anyone can come. I want to fill this entire house with people, especially young people and young adults because this guy right here, I've heard him multiple times.  So, if you will not want to miss this night, this coming of Saturday, doors open at five, service starts at six. So, bring you, bring your whole family and everything. It's going to be a fantastic time. You're going to love to hear him. Also, that coming of Sunday, after the Saturday night, that Sunday, what we call is Extreme Sunday. Reggie Dabs will be our special guest speaker too, as well. He'll preach that Sunday morning service. And then as soon as the service is over, please, for every student, every child, do not leave right after.  We have a special gift for every student and every child. So, make sure you're here that Sunday.  So, you will not want to miss August the 13th, that Sunday morning Extreme Sunday. This whole month or this whole year, we've been doing back to the Bible. How many people brought their Bible this morning? Amen. Well, if you didn't, you might be the lucky winner this morning.  If you reach under there, I promise you it's there. We don't make this up, okay? We don't make this up. Who got it? Amen, amen.  Now, if you, again, when we say to look at you, we're not making this up, okay? There really is something underneath your seat, okay? So, some of y'all think like, they're just making this up and giving it to somebody. No, there is actually something underneath your seat, I promise.  How many glad givers are in the house this morning? Amen. It's a privilege to give in God's house this morning. Also, this is the first Sunday of the month, so it's also missions Sunday as well. So, give whatever the Lord lays on your heart. There are multiple ways you can give. You can give in an envelope and drop it in the black buckets. If you're giving cash, you can give on the app, or if you're watching online, there is a giving button right there that you can click. So, unless I ask God to bless the offering this morning, Lord, we thank you to Jesus for your presence that's already in this room. We ask that you would bless the rest of this service from the beginning to the end, as you would bless the offering, bless the gift and the giver this morning, multiply it for the needs of your kingdom, and we thank you for it in Jesus' mighty name. And all God's people said, amen. All of you here in the sanctuary and those of you joining us online, there is no doubt the presence of God is real in the house today. We're glad that you're here. As you can tell, Rin and I are on the road today, and we're preaching this morning at the Brazos Valley Worship Center in Brazos, Texas, and then we'll travel tonight to Fort Worth, Texas, where we're opening up a Bible Prophecy Conference for two nights. So, you be sure to be praying for us as we're on the road and for the folks that will be receiving the word of God today. Several weeks ago, the former superintendent of the Ascambia County Schools, Malcolm Thomas, called pastors together to be able to have a time of prayer, especially set aside for the Ascambia County School System for this coming year. And in doing so, there's over 150 churches today that will join in prayer for the Ascambia County School System. How important that it is, and I'm so glad that he's led this charge. In just a few moments, you're going to hear from him. And then following his short video, one of our own, board member Jeremy Tuckins will come and lead this congregation in prayer. Prayer is the most important ingredient that we can apply to this coming school year over our children, the faculty, and staff, and all the administrators of the Ascambia County Schools. So, let's hear from the former superintendent, Malcolm Thomas, and then get ready, let's call the Lord, for all of our children and those of you following by our own board member Jeremy Tuckins who will lead us in prayer today. The thing that unites Christians is prayer. No matter what difference we have in what we believe, we're all moving to power. One of your college's last serves the Ascambia County School Superintendent. Our teachers are going to walk back to the classrooms, our students are going to go home, but make no mistake about it, in 2023, there is a battle that's happening for the hearts and minds of our students. This is the battle of our students and I know we're prepared to fight on our own. Our solstices cannot wage this war very, very effectively. This is a job for the church, for the ancestors, for the Christians to stand up and unite in prayer. That's why this year before school begins, we're calling the pastors and churches and Christians all across our community on the same Sundays that we would unite in our churches, our synagogue, our temples. We would all come together with one mind and one core, because we know that when we are united, powerful things can occur. We can always accomplish so much more together than we can ever accomplish if we just descend on our own ability and our own strength. This year, we have a website unitedinprayer.us. That's unitedinprayer.us. That's all of us coming together before school starts to pray for our teachers, our employees, our students that this year we fight back the power of the darkness and that the spirit of life can transcend our solstices throughout this school year. Join us in the prayer for our children and for our schools. Mr. Thomas is someone that means a whole lot to me. He's a mentor and been a leader. But before we get started today, I think the song that the choir was singing has a direct impact on what I'm and this congregation is going to pray because we are going to war. But before they do that, and if they could be getting ready, the things that our school systems are seeing is like none other. I've been in this for 28 years now and the things that I see and that students are having to go through and that students are challenged with and that teachers are having to go through, bus drivers, you name it, anyone in the school system is having to go through is like none other. And at this point in time, it is time for the church to come alive and it is time for the church to go to war. And in a second, we are going to pray. We're going to pray for our bus drivers. One of them in the back, back there, David, is one of our best bus drivers, but he's seen things last year that you would never think would go on. We had the state attorney come to Escambia County this week and say that the number one county or counties as far as opioid deaths is Northwest Florida. More than Miami, more than Hillsborough, think about it. We are a corridor for that. Satan has unleashed on our district, on our districts. The deputy superintendent, when we were going some things, it's all out in the news, you've seen it, brought things to a calm by saying it's all for the children. You heard pastors say that. It is all about the children and if we'll remember that, everything will go in the right direction. But here's what I want you all to sing. The war song that you just sang, we're going to go into it. We're going to sing this song and then we're going to go to war. This means war. This means war. I think it's fitting for this. Hey Pace Assembly, come on up around the altar. Let's go to prayer, score whatever. Come on up, just keep that going. If you've got kids and you've got grandkids, we're going to pray for them next week too. But come on, this right now, we're praying for Escambia County School District, County's Charlie, come on up here with me. We're praying for every faculty member, every teacher dear God. Lord, I plead the blood over everything. There is a blood line that the devil cannot cross. And this morning we draw a line that he, Dan, cannot cross. God, we thank you this morning. Here, I draw that line in the sand this morning. My parents did it to me and I do it to every one of my kids before they go to bed at school. The blood over every of my student, my child, every morning when they go to school. That no weapon formed against them shall ever prosper. That anything that tries to come against them, they will not be seduced by it. Because parent, the government doesn't own your child. The school district doesn't own your child, you own your child. And you instill in them the values and principles of God's Word. And when you do that, when you honor God's Word and instill that in them, instill that inside of them, the devil cannot have them. The devil cannot have them. So you pray this week. We are going to pray for everybody on the extreme Sundays. He well said, but we're going to also be in prayer this week for Escambia County, for Santa Rosa County. We go over everywhere, everywhere. Because we need God's presence in our schools in every part of our schools. So as you're in this atmosphere of worship, only take your elements of communion in your hand this moment. The Bible says first for let a man examine himself. Because you have to be, if you have anything inside of your heart before you take this bread and this cup, if you have anything inside of your heart then it doesn't mean anything. It's just another bread and another cup. The Bible says for let a man examine himself to show that he is holy and acceptable under God. This bread symbolizes the broken body of Jesus Christ. His body that was bruised and broken as the stripes that were laid upon his back for your healing, what the Bible says. This bread represents his broken body of Jesus Christ. So I want everyone to do for me. I want everyone to hold that bread up in the air for me. And right before we pray, I want everyone right now to examine their own heart right now, right where they are.  And let's pray over the bread this morning. Yes, Lord. You said do this often in remembrance of me. To Jesus today, we remember the cross where love came down and rescued me. For it were not the nails that held you to the cross, but it was your love for me and for everyone else in here. So Lord, today we choose to remember where you said it is finished, teletestide. He said paid in. Your sins and mine today are paid in full. And we remember the victory that was because love came down. So now let's take the elements and remember who made the victory all possible. Jesus name. You may take the elements. The cup represents the blood of Jesus Christ that was poured. The blood heals. The blood saves. The blood delivers. The blood washes everything clean. There's power in the blood. There's healing in the blood. There's salvation in the blood. The blood is enough for me. The blood is enough for me. Again, it symbolizes the blood of Jesus Christ that 2,000 years ago he poured it out for me and for you. So as you take that cup and hold it up, we're going to ask God to bless the cup this morning as Pastor Victor comes and prays over the cup this morning. And he took the cup and gave thanks and we give thanks for the cup. And he gave it to them saying, drink ye all of it, for this is my blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. And we accept that today. We come in dirty and we leave clean. But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom. And as we take the cup, we say, even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus, that we might drink it a new with you in the Father's kingdom. And together we drink.  Receive today your healing. Receive today your strength. Let the blood cleanse us from all under righteousness. Go, we give you honor. We give you praise. We give you thanks for the blood. There's nothing that can pass the blood. Your blood brings healing. Your blood brings deliverance. Salvation, freedom, strength, peace that passes all understanding. It's today, it's all about the blood. It's all about the blood. It's all about the blood. It's all about the blood. It's all about the blood. Here's what you need to know. For every sin. It's more for every sickness. It's more than enough. For every broken heart. It's more than enough. It's more than enough to stretch your hands up to the Lord this morning. The Lord is moving in this service. I believe this is the appointment for someone today. No weapon formed against you. The word of God says we'll prosper. And His victory is secure today. We thank you today, Lord Jesus. We thank you for your victory. Hallelujah. Cause the God I serve. Help us sing. Everyone, let your hands all over this place right now. Yes, it does. All the voices sing. Victory of your situation and your problem. Come on. Say it again. One more time. Say. Now worshiping all by yourself. Come on. Victory. Now we just music. I want everyone to open their mouth all over this place right now and lift up your own song to Jesus Christ. Declare your own victory this morning. Declare your own victory this morning. Over your mind. Over your heart. Over your body. Over your soul. Over your spirit this morning. The victory belongs to you. And only you alone are worthy. Victory belongs to Jesus. Victory belongs to you. Come on. One more time before we go further in the service. Everyone lift your hands right now all over this place right now. Come on. Just open up your own song in your own heart right now to receive. Receive God. We've received the victory this morning. We've received it this morning. Before we even see it done, God, you're going to give me the victory. You're going to step right in the midst of my problem in my situation and give me the victory that I need this morning. Thank you to our God for the victory. We thank you that the battle is won that you've already gone out before us through our situation, through our struggles, through our problems. We thank you for that this morning. If you're thankful that God has already given you the victory, given you one more great ovation of the morning, you remain standing. I want you to take your Bibles with me this morning and turn to the book. We're going to look at the book of Isaiah chapter 22 verse 23. Again, Pastor and Ms. Rita are in Brazos Valley, Texas, preaching this morning. And then later on they will drive from there to Fort Worth due to a prophecy files conference tonight and Monday night. So you'll be praying for them as they travel and be traveling back. I know Pastor is not able to watch because he's in the pulpit this morning, but I know my mom is sitting down. She said, I've heard your dad enough.  I've already heard it enough time. So if my mom is listening, we love you. This church is praying for you that you have a safe trip.  I don't count this as a right because the pastor is my dad. I don't feel like this is my right or this is where I need to hear whatever like that. No, no, no, I count this pulpit with honor and respect. I want to make that disclaimer this morning. This is not just because, yes, I am the pastor's son, but this doesn't give me the right to stand up here. This is a privilege and an honor and I respect this pulpit. Not only as my dad, but he is my pastor too as well. So I want to make that disclaimer. I treat this with honor and respect more than anything else that happens throughout the rest of the service. But if you're ready to receive the word of the Lord, turn to Isaiah chapter 22 verse 23, and if you have it, say amen. One verse of Scripture that will set the tone for the rest of the service. Very short, but it reads like this. And I will fasten him. Who is him? None other than Jesus Christ. I will fasten him as a nail in a sure place. Where is that sure place? Well, it's at the cross of Calvary where Jesus Christ paid it all. I will fasten as a nail in a sure place and he shall be for a glorious throne to his father's house. If you're ready to receive it this morning, then throw both hands up in the air and let's pray before we go any further. Lord, I thank You, Dear God, that Your presence is in this room. We invited You in here with our praise and with our worship. So I asked, Dear God, that You would invade this house. Lord, I ask right now that the dove would hover over Pace Assembly this morning. Let us feel Your glory. Feel Your presence, Dear God. Let our ears be opened and our minds are standing on hearts to receive Your Word this morning, which You would have to say to the church, Lord, giving the anointing and the strength that makes me easy to preach this morning. And we thank You for it in Jesus' mighty name. And all God's people said, Amen. Turn to the person on the left and right before you sit down and tell them, Nail it. Nail it. Amen. I was to say this morning, if this is your first time here, if you've seen the Father, now you've seen the Son. But the only difference between the two of us is that He has hair and I don't.  And so I just said, you know what, I'm just going to shave it all off. Why don't you do that? It would shock everybody. It would shock everybody online who would expect to see my dad with hair. He said, I don't know. I said, well, let me do it. I can do it very easily. But He said, I don't think that would be a good idea. I said, one day it will happen. One day it will happen. But again, that's the only difference between my dad and me is the hair part. So, but I said, you know, forget it. I'm just going to shave it all off. So, but I love the worship this morning. They probably didn't even know anything I was going to preach. But every song that they sang this morning deals with what I'm going to give to you this morning. I love it. But I'm going to ask you a question this morning to ask yourself in your mind there or answer this in your mind. What would you say courage is to you? What would you define as courage in your life? Because courage means different things to a lot of different people. Courage does. So, ask yourself or answer this question. What is the one thing in your life that you would need courage to do? What are you going on in your life right now that you're dealing with or that you're going through that you say, you know what, I would need courage to handle that. I would need courage to overcome that. There's a famous saying that says when God speaks his voice will call for an act of courage on our part. When God speaks, he speaks, then we do our part. Having that courage to do what seems impossible but when God speaks we need to act upon that. So courage means this in Webster's dictionary. It says the ability to do something that frightens you or having strength in the pace of pain or grief. Courage, that thing that frightens, that thing that scares you just out of nowhere and you're able to have the courage and it's not just something that frightens you but even the courage and the pain of pain or grief. What is that pain or grief that you deal with that you know I need the courage to get through this? The biblical meaning, that's Webster's dictionary, but the biblical meaning of courage comes out and it says, it means this, it means boldness, confidence, the opposite of fear. The opposite of fear, the biblical meaning of that. So there are many characteristics and characters, characters I should say, of courage that are in the Bible and in our history today. Just a few of them, you can throw them up on the screen right here, David and Goliath. David was a small boy, 10, 11 years old and out of the whole army of Israel, no one would fight this giant except David. David said, why are you so scared? The Lord is gonna have a for you. So David said, I will fight this giant even though he was totally outnumbered, totally, you know, not even the spectrum but God gave him the courage to defeat the giant. Another one is Joshua in the Wall of Jericho. Joshua was the leader and God gave Joshua the battle plan of how to defeat Jericho. Jericho was so tall, so big that it says that they raised chariots on top of the walls. God gave Joshua the battle plan and if Israel would follow the battle plan they would win the victory.  I mean that seems very, very, you know, abnormal and not normal, but God said if you do it I'm gonna give you the courage to do it to win against the city and they did. Paul being beheaded for the faith. I believe this shows us a major act of courage for someone that says I'm gonna preach the word of God no matter all the situations, the ridicule, the backbite, all that kind of stuff. I'm gonna do it and then lay my head down for the faith. That's a major act of courage. Let's look in our today, in our history today, soldiers on D-Day were God, we're stormed the beaches on D-Day knowing more than half of them knew that they would never, ever return home. That is an act of courage if I've ever seen it to know that I'm gonna lay down my life for my country, for my freedom to defend the freedom that our country holds dear. That is an act of courage. That is an act of courage to me. And then the last one, Christians who are giving their life for the faith that are happening back then and are happening today for that matter that they will stand for what they believe in and not be swayed to the right or to the left and say you know what, I'm gonna stand for the cause of Christ. No matter what you do to me or what I believe in. So there are many characters of courage that show us courage today and there are many more that I could go through. These are just a few. And there are a lot of things that may frighten you this morning, that may frighten you but God has given you the courage and the strength to nail it this morning. To nail it this morning. I wanna relate to you though this story that most of you have probably never heard of is not one story that you normally hear or preach behind a pulpit. But I'm gonna relate this story to you this morning that shows you an act of courage and it shows what you need to do to have that courage. So this story is in Judges chapter 4 verses 1 to 23 and I'm not gonna read it this morning. I'm gonna tell it the way I tell it upstairs to my students. Because they like for it to come to life so I'm gonna make it come to life to you this morning. So, but it's found in Judges chapter 4 verses 1 through 23. Now let me give you an overview of the book of Judges. The book of Judges, the entire book, Israel was basically in a cycle through the entire book. And it's right up here on the screen. It says that the cycle that Israel was in was the first one, Israel served God and experienced peace right at the top. Then Israel does evil in the sight of the Lord. Israel experiences war and slavery. Israel cries out to God. Israel turns to God and repents. Then God raises up a judge to deliver Israel. The whole book of Judges, Israel was in this cycle. Every time you read a new chapter, Israel had done evil in the sight of the Lord. Even it was basically a huge cycle that Israel was in this day. And God will judge a nation and a people for the choices that they make. God is the righteous judge, but He will judge a people. He will judge America for the choices that we make. He will. He will judge the church for the choices that we make. But today, whatever cycle, if you're in this cycle today or whatever cycle that you're in today, today is the day to break that cycle and nail it once and for all. So Israel is in this cycle. And if you're in this type of cycle, whatever cycle that you may be in, today is the day to break that cycle. Well, you know, this has passed down from my family. No, today is the day you can break that cycle in your life or that curse in your life today. So in Judges chapter three, let's back up one chapter before chapter four. And it says in Judges chapter three, there was a godly leader, a godly voice, a godly influencer in the land at that time. Ehud, which was the judge of that day in chapter three, he was a righteous judge, a godly voice, a godly leader, a godly influence. And as long as the people, as long as he lived, the people of Israel, as long as they followed God and served Him, they had peace for 80 years, as long as Ehud was alive. Peace for 80 years. No war, no nothing peace for 80 years. But when Ehud passed off the scene in chapter four, is that Israel went back to their sinful ways. We listen, we need a righteous voice, a godly voice, a godly leader to speak into our lives. And if you're the head of your household in here, sitting in this room this morning, you are that voice to speak over your children, to speak over your home, to speak over your business, your finances, your marriage, you are that godly voice and that godly leader. To speak, to speak with, because listen to me, someone has to grow up and be that godly voice in the church and in their community. We've got to raise up our students and our children to say you need to raise up and how hold the values that we hold, the godly values, so you can be that voice when I'm off the scene. Because our young people and our children, they're the next generation and they're going to hear it, everything that we leave behind and they need to know this next generation needs to know the god of their fathers. Because they're going to inherit things that probably a lot of us have never ever experienced in our lives. But as long as we instill the godly values and the godly principles and everything that we hold dear that when they're old, they will not depart from it, is what the Bible says. So E. HUD had passed off the scene and Israel went back through their sinful ways and so that was in chapter 3, so now let's jump into chapter 4 verses 1 and 2. This is where the story begins. It says, again, the Israelites did evil in the sight of the Lord, now that E. HUD was dead. So the Lord sold them into the hands of Javan, king of Canaan. Israel started to worship new gods. They turned their back on Jehovah God and began to worship the god of the Canaanites. So basically the cycle starts. The cycle starts. As Israel we belled against God, the Bible says that God sold them. So the biblical meaning of sold right here is to turn over or to give up. In other words, God, he didn't leave them. God abandoned them to the life they chose for themselves. God will never leave you if you make a decision, because all of us have a choice. We have the will, the ability to choose what we want to do, good or bad.  I'm going to let you go through this right now. So God basically abandoned, turned them over, gave up them to the Canaanites for the choice that they make. They paid a terrible price for the choice they made. They were basically driven from their homes because of the choice that they make. And there is still a high price to pay for our own disobedience to the will of the Lord. You will pay a high price for your disobedience to God. Disobedience to God. And you will suffer the consequences of the choices that you make. Good choices, good consequences, bad choices, bad consequences. And God will judge that. And God will say, you know, this is the choice you make here. I'm going to let you do what you want to do. And at the end of that, you will find not only mess ups, confusion, destruction. And you will pay a high price for that. You will. Because sometimes God will make you go through some hard times to expose the sin that's in your own heart. A lot of times, you know, we want to say, when we go through a hard time, we want to say, well, Satan made me do this. He's making me go through this and everything.  Because we love to, you know, we love to blame people.  You need to stop for a moment.  No, it's actually really my fault. It's in my heart that I need to get out. So the hard time that you might be going through, you need to realize or maybe look at it and say, is this really God letting me go through this? So in verse three, we look in verse three, it says that Cicero, the commander of his army, he had 900 chariots fitted with iron and had crudely oppressed the Israel for 20 years. They cried to the Lord for help. So there's a commander of the army of Javon the king against Israel and his name is Cicero. Cicero was the commander of the army and he was a very evil commander. He was a murderer. He would murder anyone that he wanted to. He raped every woman in the nation of Israel during this oppression. He made a serious taxation on Israel and then enslaved them in their own land for 20 years. Why? Because for 20 years, because Israel rebelled against God. They had peace for 80 years. Now they're coming to be oppressed for 20 years and they're crying unto the Lord for help at this moment. This is as far as Israel was concerned, Cicero was basically undefeated. He had never lost a battle and he had 900 chariots of strong iron and Israel had none. Now at that moment, you would say, you know what, I need God's help at that moment, okay? We ain't got Jack, you know? This is the way I talk to my students, okay? I'm gonna be real with you. This is the way I talk to my students. We don't have Jack, we have nothing. We have nothing at all. And so in Judges, if you look ahead though in Judges chapter 5 verses 8, it basically tells us that Israel possessed no weapons. They were no match for the enemy. They were a defeated people and they were people without hope. Israel was a people without hope because Cicero, who is a type and shadow of Satan, comes into our tent or into our heart for that matter and he will make you feel defeated, make you feel like there is no hope, also make you feel like God has left you, that God does not care, that God, you know, has abandoned you and just gave you over to where there is no hope and a lot of people believe it. Our world today feels like there is no hope but I'm here to tell everyone and everyone that's watching the hope that you have is Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Your hope is in Jesus Christ. Your hope is in Him and nothing else. Nothing else and the enemy will make you feel that way. He'll make you feel defeated. He'll make you feel like you're left out and everything and then we ask ourselves this question, am I still called, am I still chosen? Listen to me, just because you sin and mess up, I tell my students, you are still called, you are still chosen, God has slow pointed you and you still have a purpose for your life and your hope is found in Jesus Christ but Israel forgot that. Israel forgot Deuteronomy 31-6 and a lot of times we forget this scripture, be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or terrified because of them for the Lord your God goes with you, He will never leave you nor forsake you. God will never leave you out to dry. God never left Israel. He let them go and do what they wanted to do for their choice but He never left them and God will never leave you. He will never forsake you and Israel forgot that scripture. So as the people of Israel cried out for help there was a prophetess and a judge in the land of that day and her name was Deborah. Now, Deborah, give you just four things right here. Deborah as the prophetess, that was her position in verse four and five. It tells us that she was the Israel, Israel came to Deborah and said judges for what we had done, we need help. So her position was the prophetess to hear the voice of the Lord and to judge the nation for that day. Deborah's name means this, Deborah's name means be, like the bumble bee. She was busy as a bee. Her name suggests the work of a bee, meaning industrious, great, useful, sweetness to her friends and sharpness to her enemies. Verses six and seven. So we know her position. Now we look at verse six and seven and this is her prophecy. She heard the voice of the Lord, got the command of what to do and it says that Deborah went to a man called Barak. Everyone say Barak. And Deborah received the word and went to Barak and said take 10,000 soldiers and go to war against Cicera and the enemy. And the Lord promised to defeat Cicera for you. God promised them a great victory if they will simply trust him and go to war. Listen to me.  Fight.  He says get up and fight this morning. Go to war but put your trust in me.  No, God saved you to put you in the middle of the battle and go to war with it. So he said, Deborah told Barak go to take 10,000, go to war. Put your trust in God and go to war and God will give you the victory. That was her prophecy. Then we look into verse 10 or then we look into verse 8 and 9 and we figure out that there is a problem with that. This is Deborah's problem. Deborah had the word from the Lord. She shares it with Barak and she finds that Barak is somewhat afraid of the prophecy that she made. He's willing to go to battle. He's willing to go to war but he says this to Deborah, I will only go if you go with me. I'll only go it if you go with me but so Deborah agrees to go with him. But Deborah says, since you relied on a woman then this is woman power if I've ever seen it in the Bible.  I'm gonna deliver Cicera into the hands of a woman because you relied on me to go with you. So that's a verse 8 and 9 then we look at her partner which is in verses 10 through 24. Barak and Deborah and the nation of Israel go to war against Cicera. They go out of war against Cicera and Barak gets 10,000 men and God gave them a great victory. God gave them the greatest victory and since Israel had, but you gotta think since Israel had no weapons no standing army not anything that they have what Barak and Deborah did was an amazing act of courage to obey the prophecy that Deborah got and delivered it they trusted God and he gave them a great victory. Why? Because they obeyed and trusted God and they had the courage to do what they thought was impossible to do what they thought frightened them they still had the courage to do it because they put their trust in God so stop putting your faith and your trust in material things your money or your success or your education or your car or your house or your business or whatever like that stop putting your faith in material because those things are temporary and those things will pass away and things will come and go I mean you put your faith in money you will never if you put your faith in that you will never have enough money to satisfy your life because those things will temporarily fade away but your faith in the cross of Jesus Christ will never fade away this book right here will never fade away so we need to put our faith in our trust not in things that will fade put in something that will stand the test of time and will never ever be destroyed because the storms may come and the enemy will come and you'll feel like you are outnumbered on all fronts like Israel felt at one time but know that the Lord has gone out before you has gone out and stepped in front of you and already has gone ahead of you and before you know it he's already ready to fight for you all you have to do is put your trust in him put your faith in him put your faith in the cross of Jesus Christ and have faith in him that you will be able to do the impossible because the enemy you might feel like this morning you're sitting in this room and you feel like the enemy has you outnumbered on all accounts on all fronts and you feel like the world is crashing all around you there's nothing good out of anything but God is telling you this morning put your trust in me you're putting your trust in in this and that and everything but stop doing that quit watching Oprah or Dr. Phil, okay and put your trust in me I have every answer you have need of in this book because the storms will come and you'll have to deal with some things and God says that you don't have to have some great gigantic faith we think we have to have some, you know great faith to do the impossible no no no God says in Matthew 17 20 if you have faith as small as a mustard seed you can say to this mountain move from here to there and it will move it doesn't say it will slightly move or it will kind of know it says if you speak it and you have that faith it will move then it goes on to finish that says nothing will be impossible for you you have faith as small as a mustard seed you can say to your problem say to your mountain and say to your storm be removed from me and it has to go and then I love it he didn't say that some things will be impossible for you or little things no it says nothing someone say nothing nothing will be impossible for you so you don't have to have some gigantic great big faith just little faith little faith so let's get back to the story here in verse 15 it goes on to tell us that as Israel fought against Cicera God allowed he brought the armies together and brought them to a river and the river is called Kaison so God allowed the Kaison river to overflow and the 900 chariots of Cicera's army that he had got stuck the bible says he got stuck in the mud and the soldiers were swept away by the river and then the rest of the army says that all the soldiers of Cicera were slain and I love what the bible says after that he says no one was left no one was left except one person and that was Cicera and the bible says that Cicera being the coward he is with the experience of no courage at all got off his chair once he saw that his enemy was defeated he jumped off his chair and fled for his life showing no acts of courage at all and he went to a tent this is why there's a tent some of y'all have been wondering about this tent right here he went to a tent and the man's name was Heber and he was a he was a Kenanites and the Kenanites in that day were a group of people who aligned themselves with Israel they aligned themselves with Israel they were a friend to Israel but this particular family had left their tribe left their people and everything like that and aligned themselves with Cicera and his army and the king of that time they left they turned their back on him and they were part of Cicera army so Cicera flees to this the tent of Heber he went into the tent thinking he will find refuge there and Heber's wife woman in the bible by the name of Jail everyone say Jail he went to her tent and Jail greets Cicera as he is running for his life he greets him he says come in come into my tent and find rest come into my tent and find rest and so he he gets inside of her tent and in that culture in that culture it says that women were responsible for setting up the tent and breaking them down that's woman power right there you know now men do not go home and tell your wife it is your responsibility to you know set it up and take it down okay because what I'm about to tell you might happen to you I hope not but it was the woman's responsibility in that culture to put up the tent and take it down and then a husband and wife had separate tents that they were in so Jail had her own separate tent and invited Cicera in so come in here and rest yourself and I think the reason why Cicera went into her tent and go into her husband's tent and everything came into her tent because he probably thought that this woman won't harm me she won't do anything to me she's too weak to harm me but what he did not know what he did not know is that the spirit of the Lord had already given Jail the strength to do what was necessary so he goes on to say that she invited him into the tent and she hid him from his pursuers but Rock and Desperado were pursuing Cicera running after him so he invited him to hide him from his pursuers then Cicera asked Jail he said give me some water to drink I'm exhausted, I'm tired but instead of giving him water she gave him milk instead and the offer of milk that she gave him serves two purposes first it eased the mind of Cicera and he was convinced that he had entered the tent of a friend of refuge and that he was safe and then Jail asked Jail, she said stand outside of the tent and if any man comes to you and asks is there anyone here you tell them no you lie to them and tell them that no one is here so it eased the mind of Cicera what was the milk? Secondly the milk would have helped him fall asleep he was already tired and worried and exhausted from the battle that when he drank the milk he laid down in the darkness and wasn't long until sleep overtook him I tell you what if you give me a glass of milk and some chewy chips of hoy that you get at Publix or some Oreos sleep will overtake me in a moment it will not take me long to fall asleep milk is a great sleep inducer and I'm not talking about the hard chips I'm talking about the one that was chewy you put them in the microwave for about five seconds so they're all gooey and nasty or you take Oreos and dip them in and you make chocolate milk out of white milk you know milk is a great sleep inducer and I will sleep my wife will tell you I will be out you will not see me until the next morning because sleep will overtake me Lord take me right now so and so some of you are going to get an afternoon nap and sleep is going to overtake you so but he offered him the milk which one he says my second of all he was asleep overtook him as he laid down and he fell asleep and it says that jail put a mantle over him as he slept he fell fast asleep he slept basically you know he slept hard where nothing budged him at all and so jail threw a mantle over him to cover him as what the Bible says then we look into verse 21 verse 22 that said jail Iber's wife picked up a tent nail a tent nail and a hammer and went quietly to him as he was fast asleep exhausted and she drove the nail through his temple into the ground and the Bible says he was dead now some of you are like is that really in the Bible I guarantee you it is okay I've never seen it in my entire life so husband if you wake your woman mad hide every hammer and every you know nail in your house okay and if you make your woman mad sleep with one eye open I'm looking around okay but he says that she drove the nail through his temple didn't just nail his no put it right to his temple where your headache happens all the time and nailed him to the ground and he was dead and then just then Barak and Deborah were pursuing and jail met and said come I know for whom you seek come and let me show you and as the Bible says they walked inside the tent and there they found sister with the nail still in his temple and the Bible says dead straight up dead the man is dead so jail see jail was used to swinging a hammer she was used to setting up the tent and driving a nail into the ground so she was used to that used to that this woman was not stupid by any count at all when she saw sister come to her tent on foot she knew that he had been defeated he knew she knew he had been defeated so she also knew that if she was caught hiding sister in her tent then possibly by the time Barak and Deborah showed her that she would probably put to death with him so she saw that Israel had come on top had won the battle and she wanted to be found on the right side when all the dust settled listen to me you need to be on the right side when all the dust settles in your life listen to me if you're on God's side you will win every single time when the dust settles you need to be on the right side on the winning side when all the dust settles when the storm is over when the situation is over when God comes through for you you need to be standing on the right side when everything else is done said I give God the victory because he won the victory for me and I'm on the winning side this morning so tell somebody say nail it come on turn to somebody else and say nail it that's why I titled this nail it we do some say nail it alright so many times we let things inside of our tent or inside of our heart that does not need to be there we let and we don't rely on God to give us the courage to do what is necessary to do what is necessary and we let it stay in our heart or in our tent and it becomes comfortable there it becomes comfortable in our heart we give the devil just a little bit of a foothold and he'll come in and he'll make himself at home and a lot of times we don't have the courage to get him out so we let him stay and he becomes very comfortable in our home and our life and our children's hearts and our mind and our heart too many people are letting the devil come in and make himself at home in their house and they wonder why can I not get through this thing that's going through something you need to clean out your tent clean out your home and don't give the devil any foothold at all but too many times we let things get into our life and we make it let that thing inside of our life so comfortable in our heart it makes us almost comfortable and we become fearful and wonder why can I not get rid of this sin that's in my heart why can I not get rid of this thing that's in my heart well possibly you've made a comfortable place on a bed for that thing and you haven't like I said before you haven't been able to do what is necessary to get rid of it and like I said you become fearful you become afraid because you don't want to do something that's going to rock your boat and so you back up and you shun yourself and curl up yourself up in a ball and hide your face because you don't want to do anything that might mess something up and everything and we're afraid of that listen if you're a child of God you ain't going to be afraid of the devil you don't if you got all the authority and power in your life with God in your life that you don't have to be afraid anymore second Timothy 1.7 for God has not given us a sphere of fear so God has not the object of fear Satan is the object of fear and God has given us power and love to defeat the fear that's in our life so there are some things that might be in your tent today and it might not be anything I mentioned here today it might be something totally different but these are just a few things that might be in your tent that you need to clean out one is depression depression is a big deal with a lot of my students upstairs that they deal with come here Paul actually I'm going to have you help me here really quickly come right up here on the platform for me so depression is a big deal hold that no the depression, no just that one anxiety so people have to take so many medicine and everything for their anxiety and everything like that and they feel like I can't ever get rid of this thing and anxiety might be you might be dealing with relationships I tell my students some days between a boy or a girl or relationships you have that might be talking in your ear telling you things a lot of times we don't want to lose our relationships so we tell God don't mess with my stuff don't mess with my or my friends for that matter because if I lose them we don't want God to mess with our stuff God don't mess with my stuff so we let these things inside of our tenant and inside of our just stay there and lay there next one is your finances your money you're putting your faith in your trust all of your money and your finances and everything like that where you think that's going to get you out and like I said before there will be never enough money never enough that will be able to fill the void in your heart if you'll still be reaching for it every single day of your life if you put your trust in your finances and in your money some of you leave your money all in the altar and say God take care of it right now worry worry about everything worry about everything fear right here fear of your past fear of your present day right now fear of your future Satan is the object of fear and I believe that everything that I'm talking about today when Satan unleashes something everything has a spirit behind it fear is a demon worry is a demon doubt is a demon everything is a spirit for that matter and so suicidal thoughts I was upstairs doing a Q&A with my students and I asked them we got on the subject of suicide and I said how many of you upstairs are dealing with suicidal thoughts and hands went off all over the place because this world has told our students that there is no hope there is nothing right now you don't have to so it's better for you just to take your life because there's no hope there's nothing like that so the thoughts are coming through our students' minds and everything we need to renew our mind clean out our mind and put the thoughts of God inside of our mind instead of what the world is trying to tell us that we have to be so don't be conformed it will be transformed by the renewing of your mind low self-esteem people who do not like themselves they hate who they look at they look at themselves in the mirror and they hate what they see and my students deal with this all the time and I'm listening we saw a new series of stairs called identity and they said listen to me look at yourself like yourself because God made you for one thing and God never makes anything 99.9% perfect God makes everything 100% perfect and you are made in the image of God and if you are made in the image of God then you're perfect in everything in everything so low self-esteem let's go do sickness the diagnosis I believe sickness is a spirit for that matter the diagnosis you got that's good and bad sickness you might be dealing with doubt you might be dealing with doubt about God doubt about this doubt about that and then our friends we don't want to lose our friends we don't want to lose our friends but let me tell you something you need to really back up and listen and start listening to who is speaking into your life what friends do you have they're speaking into your life they might need to get rid of today but we let these things inside of our heart and we want to clean out our tent and everything let me see those and we clean out and say yeah I want to get rid of it and what we do is that we start cleaning out our tent and we just let them go all over the place and we kind of push them under the rug thinking we have done the right thing we just you know we just love to just take them and just put them up in a pile and just push them under a rug and just leave them there and think we have done what we needed to do and then we wonder why does the fear keep coming back why does the doubt keep coming back why does why well probably because you didn't do what is necessary you didn't have the courage to do what is necessary all you did was clean out your tent and just shove them underneath the rug and left them there and it keeps coming back and keeps coming back and then we become so scared to do what God has instructed us to do yeah you cleaned out your tent you cleaned it out and everything but you didn't you didn't fully follow all the way through it you just swept it underneath the rug and left it there and then fear like I said fear keeps coming back you know doubt keeps coming your suicidal thoughts keep coming back your friends keep coming back and you're wondering this is crazy I thought I did what I did was necessary I cleaned out my tent and everything like that but you didn't fully go all the way through you didn't fully go all the way through but the one thing out of all the stuff that you're dealing with you have one more thing inside of your tent you have one more thing that God has given you out of all the stuff that you deal with God's giving you one more thing God's giving you a nail and a hammer God's giving you a nail and a hammer you say, well Pastor D where do I nail it to? Well Isaiah 22 23 tells us that I read to you this morning I will fasten him as a nail to a sure place and he shall be for a glorious throne to his father so who is he well it's none other than Jesus Christ where is that sure place well it's at the cross of Calvary where he was crucified that's where it is the things in your life you've got to nail it you stop counseling it stop talking to it stop letting it talk to you stop wrestling with it this is the season in your life where you gotta say you know what no matter what I go through no matter what situation I'm going to nail it I'm gonna nail it right there I'm gonna nail it there and there and there and there because what I'm dealing with I didn't stay with me anymore I've got the nail and the hammer in my hand and I'm ready to stop I don't want it to talk to me I don't want to counsel with it I don't need to do anything else except take it to the cross of Jesus Christ and this is the season in your life where you've got to nail it to the ground someone say nail it come on say nail it if you don't nail it to the ground it will nail you first God has come to say sister came and jail and put the enemy in a vulnerable place God is here to tell you that he's about to put your enemy in a vulnerable place this morning I said in a vulnerable place this morning and God is going to put the enemy in a vulnerable place so basically if you want to nail it this morning for your kids to get saved you've got to nail it there for your business to prosper you've got to nail it right there you want that finance job that job that you need nail it right there you want your business to thrive that new job you want your marriage to be fixed you've got to nail it right there you've got to nail everything the door that God opens for you nail it right there the door that God sheds for you nail it right there you've got to nail it to the ground and nail it to the cross of Jesus Christ every situation every problem everything that you're facing with you've got to nail it for my business for my kids for my home for my family when jail nailed sister to the ground it said the war was over when you nail that thing into the ground God came here to declare you that when you nail it the war will be over the war will be over your sister your problem will be over your situation will be over your marriage will be fixed your finances will thrive as long as you nail everything you have need of to the cross of Jesus Christ someone say nail it come on give God some great praise right now like I said if you don't nail it to the ground it will nail you first God is telling you to get up and fight this morning get up and fight for your kids get up and fight for your job get up and fight let the enemy know that we are at war this morning that I've come to declare to the Satan himself that you are not going to nail me I'm going to nail you first and I'm going to nail it to where it does not budge I'm going to nail it where it does not move I'm going to nail it this morning Isaiah 22-25 says in that day sayeth the Lord of hosts shall the nail that is fastened in a sure place be removed and be cut down and fall and the burden that was upon it shall be cut off for the Lord has spoken it meaning this the nail that is in the sure place is Christ at his crucifixion and he was cut down not for himself for all of humanity but through his resurrection when the power of God hit Jesus Christ on that third day on resurrection morning the nail that is him was put back firmly in place and it will never ever be removed it will never ever be removed it will be in that sure place so again like I said you can't slightly nail it you can't softly nail it you can't nail it just lightly hoping it would not you got to nail it like I said where it does not move nail it to where it does not budge and you nail your things to the cross your fear, your sickness your doubt and everything that you are dealing with right now nail it to the cross because this right here is the perimeter of where everything needs to be at again you can push it under the rug all you want to but it will keep coming back you can side it over to the side but it will keep coming back but when you do what is necessary and do what God has asked you to do and God is good to give you the strength and courage to do it God said take your stuff and put it at the cross of Jesus Christ and when Jesus died on the cross 2,000 years ago when he shed his blood for me and for you all your anxiety all your depression, all your doubt and fear when he hung his head and said it is finished and said that he took his blood and he covered every bit of your stuff all over he covered it by his blood he covered it and covered it all to where it is not there anymore he took it all for himself and covered it by his blood somebody give God some praise this morning you got to nail it you got to nail it this morning you got to nail it let's say quit counseling with it God already paid the price 2,000 years ago for it he said nail it to the cross and when my blood hits it it will never be there again we got to have the courage to do what is necessary to clean out our tent and take it all the way to the cross of Jesus Christ where do I put my fear to the cross where do I put my depression to the cross this again like I said this is the perimeter where everything else is temporary and it will fade away man's philosophy is that I'm going to put my trust in my money in my car and my success and everything like that but when you put your trust and the perimeter out of the cross you will receive love, joy, peace long suffering, maintenance kindness all the fruits of the spirit and your trust and you'll be wondering what is the truth I don't even know what is true here you will know the truth and the truth shall set you free he covered it he covered it he covered it you got to make up in your mind that if you want your victory you got to nail it to the cross the only way that you get the freedom that you need is because you made up in your mind I'm going to nail it to the cross and no one can make up your mind for you no one else can do it for you the only one that can do that is Jesus Christ but you got to make up in your mind and say I'm so sick and tired of the Satan touching with my family I'm so sick and tired of him touching with my home I'm sick and tired of him touching in my life I'm so sick and tired of the devil trying to mess up our churches mess up our homes mess up our students and say you know what I'm going to nail my life to the cross and everything I'm going to nail to the ministries to the cross I'm going to nail Pace Assembly to the cross I'm going to nail my business to the cross I'm going to nail my ministry to the cross everything you have need of you nail it to the cross of Jesus Christ so this morning I asked you a question what do you need to nail this morning what do you need to nail this morning what storm is in your life right now that all you've done is push it under the rug and you haven't done what is necessary you haven't done what is necessary because the blood the blood of Christ the blood that was for all the sins the blood paid the price the blood is the only thing that can set you free when you take it to the crowd the blood there is a line in the sand that you need to draw a blood line in the sand that Satan cannot cross you need to let Satan know that Satan I'm so sick and tired of you messing up my home and messing up my life where I'm going to draw a line in the sand with a blood line because Satan you don't understand you do not understand that I got one more thing left in my tent I've got a nail and a hammer and if you come against my life I'm going to nail you to the ground because God has given me all power and all authority to do it and it will be done it shall be done so Satan I dare you to come at me I dare you to come and come to my life I dare you to come and try to get my family I dare you to come and try to get my church and if you do that I'll let you know something I dare you to try because in my hand is a nail and a hammer which is the word of God your hammer and your nail is the word of God it is your sword I'll fit the weapon so Satan throw everything you want to in my life throw what you want to I'll tell you if you come against me I'm going to throw it right back at you for God has not given me a spirit of fear but a powerless I don't have to deal with fear because it's at the cross of Jesus Christ I don't have to deal with doubt because it's at the cross of Jesus Christ I don't have to deal with depression because it's at the cross deal with those suicidal thoughts because it's at the cross why? because I nailed it there I nailed it there I nailed it there and left there listen to me you can't just nail it there leave it there and then pick it back up and walk out this door a lot of times we say yeah God I want you to nail it but a lot of times we love to pick it back up and walk out the door and thinking why did I do it when you nail it leave it there leave it there I don't care what it is leave it there and don't pick it back up and walk out this door because you know as a hammer when you nail something you can take the nail out with the backside of this hammer don't ever use the backside of a hammer nail it and leave it there leave it there God is saying if you leave it there as long as you leave it there I'll do it all quit sweeping things under the rug quit keeping things under the rug for it to come back out you gotta do what is necessary and that is nail it this morning that is nail it this morning there are things in my life as I was preparing for this that I said you know what there are things in my life I need to nail because I'm not exempt just because preachers preach the word of God and everything doesn't mean that they're not exempt we're just as human just like you and me and we mess up and make mistakes just like you and me but you're nailing to the crowd it's not the same as my nailing what you put under the blood is not the same as mine everyone has their own thing they've got to nail and you don't have to tell nobody quit trying to tell people your situations for you to feel for them to feel sorry for you and have a little pity party quit talking to people just say let me go talk to one person and that is Jesus Christ let me talk to him because God says I don't want you to talk to anybody just to make them feel sorry for you you can do that all day on Facebook you can put all your stuff on there and you'll get people feeling sorry for you all over the place make you feel good about saying because they didn't post this one person didn't post then I don't feel like they love me and I feel really sorry for you for putting your stuff out there because no one else can help you we think some other person is going to... no one can help you out except Jesus Christ he's the one who died for you he's the one who got up for you he's the one who stood to the right hand of the Father interceding for you but you've got to go to war like we're saying this morning you've got to go to war you're in a war you're in a fight God wants you to stand up and fight like he said you know take ten thousand men go ahead and go against the enemy and I will give you the victory as long as you trust you got to trust him and go and fight go and fight this morning and you might say you know what I'm wrestling with this thing keep on fighting keep on fighting because the devil when you nail it sometimes he'll try to get out all you got to do is go right back to the cross and nail it again and say you are not going to move you are not going to get away I laid you there and that's where you are there at the cross is where death was defeated where Satan was defeated everything was defeated and the victory was won at the cross of Jesus Christ everyone stand for me all across this building right now again I'm going to show you the word of the Lord this morning I gave you everything I could give but again and now it's up to you it's your choice and you have the ability to choose whether you wanted to stay there whether or not you want to walk out here and keep messing up your life but I give you an opportunity today with everyone head bowed and their eyes closed all across this building I'm going to ask that if today is your day if you want to break the cycle in your life you're dealing with that same old sin same old thing over and over again the cycle in your life or are you saying today I need to nail some things to the cross you need to get rid of some I need to clean out my tent I need to clean out my heart I need to put some things under the blood I need to put some things there and nail it there and don't pick it back up I need to nail it there and leave it there if that is you today then I want you to be bold enough as they sing this song come straight to this altar and let's nail whatever it is that you're dealing with come right now all over the cross this building come right now this is your cross nail it and leave it there come and nail it here at this cross at this altar here at this altar pray for someone around this altar right now prays this morning we'll see you Wednesday night good morning and we pray that God has touched your life in a powerful way if you've given your life to Jesus Christ or you're feeling the tug in your heart to do so why don't you surrender to the Lord today asking to come into your heart forgive you of your sins he'll do exactly that when you place your faith in what he said at the cross and then we want to hear from him would you send an email and let us know what Jesus Christ has done in your life let us know where you're watching from and I believe that God is going to touch your life and bless you in the days that are ahead if you count Pace Assembly as your regular church of worship then we certainly want to be able to hear from you there's information on the screen that you can send your email to and we look forward to you being a part of every service right here at Pace Assembly every Sunday every Wednesday and special services throughout the year God bless you for joining us today Father I pray that you would touch the life of my friend that today they would never be the same that your presence would surround their life and peace would be their highest blessing we give you praise for it today in Jesus name Amen God bless you friends and until we get together again remember Jesus Christ is coming soon


If you want to grow an audience, you need to create consistently. To create consistently means that you need to question your discomfort during the very act of creation. So, for example, I did not feel like starting this video. Why am I recording? Because I know that I will feel glad that I did at the end. And that is how you know that you are in a moment of personal growth. You are stretching beyond your comfort zone. And of course, you don't feel like stretching beyond your comfort zone because it's comfortable here. You don't feel like it and yet you stretch anyway. And afterwards you feel glad that you did. Then you know that you have just experienced personal growth. So many of us have this illusion. I don't know where we got the idea. Well, I think I do know where we got it. It's from Hollywood that the creative person is the one who is like inspired. I mean, this is what we see in the movies. That we see those rare, I mean, that's what we see on screen, right? We see those rare moments of inspiration.  And then they go in and then we see scenes of them madly creating some making some invention or creating some piece of art. We grow up with those images with those ideas in our heads. So we think, well, you have to be struck by lightning metaphorically, hopefully before you can create. Well, I have this secret that I share with many other creators. When I say creator, I mean writers, video makers, artists, business creators, inventors. The secret that I share with many of them is that I don't feel inspired to create until after I start working for a while. For example, I am just starting to get into feeling inspired to make this video. Not quite there yet. You'll you'll you'll see the difference. Those of you who watch my longer videos, the ones that are, you know, usually 20 to 20 minutes or so long, 20 to 30 minutes, you'll notice that my energy shifts throughout the video. And that's the root of that because you'll notice that I get more and more inspired throughout the video. And by the end, towards the end of the video, well, maybe there's a kind of an arc like this like in the beginning I don't feel inspired. And right now I'm still in that state I'm observing myself I'm still making myself talk. Yeah. Did you think that I'm just naturally before I start the camera I'm just like going around spouting wisdom or whatever you want to call this. Before this I had just gotten up from a nap and nap right here on the on the office floor you don't you don't see the mess right behind me because I'm clever while you see the dog bed right there. But there's two dog beds. When when this one big one is usually used by the cat. So the dog is like backing off there. So that's all we have this smaller dog bed for the bigger dog dogs bigger than the cat but anyway. I just got up from a nap. And then I'm like all right, it's time. My schedule says that it's time to publish my blog post and make a Facebook live video this is done on Facebook live. And so I just simply and humbly try. That's all. The next thing I'm asking of you is to simply, if you wonder what that was just a cloth that I put on cloth that I put over the table to absorb sound, just some logistical stuff for making videos just try to have fewer flat services. Anyway, I just simply show up and try. That's it. This could be one of my mediocre videos. I'm trying to make it mediocre. I'm trying to show up for you. And to share some kind of energy and wisdom that could actually help you move forward. That's what I'm here to do it now. What helps me is that at the beginning of each creation session at the beginning of each work session. I do my energy reboot practice. I followed my content for a while, you know, I talk about the energy reboot a lot because I do it very often. I did it right before I made this video. And before I made this video, I was finishing some, you know, the blog post that that's associated with this video and I did my energy reboot before I started editing and completing the blog post. So I do the energy reboot practice as often as I can throughout the day. It's usually at least twice an hour. And if a task is difficult, I will do it. You know, every five to 10 minutes I do the energy because only takes 30 seconds, usually less than 30 seconds. If you don't know what the energy reboot is just go to Google search energy reboot. And then find my article and video about it. All right, so I simply and humbly show up to what my schedule says to do. If the schedule says to write a blog post I simply and humbly show up, and I try. Like I already told you, it can take me five writing actually takes me quite a bit of time to get into feeling inspired feeling like I want to do it. Yeah, usually when I look at my schedule and it says this afternoon I have to write. I feel some dread. I do. I kind of dread my schedule my oh, I got a right later, because I don't think I'm a good writer. I don't. You might say George that's a negative affirmation blah blah blah yeah it could be. But here's the. Here's the weird thing about it. Sure, you might feel more inspired with you use positive affirmations and, you know, but I just am trying to be honest with myself yeah I'm sure I'm a harsher critic of myself than anybody else maybe. I saw all the time. I know my mistakes right, but I don't think I'm a good writer. I still don't to this day. And now you might say George I beg this differ your, your, your posts are getting a lot of likes and you're only seeing my 10 to 20% good stuff. You don't see, I mean, most of the time, because I've written over 1000 social media, well over 1000 social media posts and blog posts. When I say social media posts, I mean it's could be like a short blog post and a blog post is a bit of a longer one anyway, I've written over 1000 pieces of writing over the past, you know, seven years, over 1000. And so, you don't see most of those 1000 these days because I've written so often. I now post mostly the best of my past stuff. Did you think I was brilliant, like all the time. No, you're only seeing my best 20%. You don't see my, the other 80% that went nowhere. I posted it and they barely anybody liked it because barely anybody understood it. So, this is what happens when you are uninspired, but willing, you show up. You just try. And in that period of trying, in that period of just trying to write something. Oftentimes, something, I mean, usually when you try writing something or you try speaking something this video by the way, for some reason I'm still not feeling inspired by it. Whatever I'm still here. Right. But, you know, usually I feel inspired within five or 10 minutes of a video but let's let's let's let's continue on and see what happens. But like, with with writing, you know, I had a hard time and those of you who have read my blog post about writers block I have had writers block most of my life. So with writing, I show up not excited to write not interested in writing not inspired, but I just say well, I'm going to pick a topic now you might say well we're ready to get your topics. Okay, so this is the part where inspiration comes in. I'm inspired, like one to 5% of the day. So when when is that usually like if I'm walking that when I'm walking the dog. I'm taking a shower. When I'm working on some other project, I might feel inspired about something else. So it's one to 5% of my day suddenly there's a moment of oh there's an idea. Ah, there's something I could write or speak about Oh that's a business idea I could build into my business or what like like a short short percent a small percentage of the day, I'm inspired. And when the ideas come. I quickly write them down on my phone. So that's what I do with inspiration I try to capture inspiration as quickly as I can. If I'm in the shower, I will memorize the idea. And then, when I get out of the shower I will write it right down as quickly as I can. And then, when it's time for me to work. I then go to my list of ideas that came in the 5% of my day that sometime in the past, I wrote it down. So when it's time to work so for example when the schedule says write a blog post, I will go to my blog post ideas. I will see which one seems most, you know, energizing to me at this point, even though I'm still not excited to write because the writing process is hard. For some of you the writing comes easy and you should be very blessed and I hope you write much more than the most of us do. But for a lot of us writing comes hard. I mean the finish starting from an idea and finishing a piece is is hard work. Now, hard work doesn't mean we have to suffer. Pain doesn't mean we have to suffer. Pain is required for growth, but suffering is optional. The pain I'm feeling right now not being inspired by this video. And I can I think I can tell you why I'm not inspired by the video to be honest, I've already recorded this video two other times, because the first time I recorded this idea of uninspired but willing was probably, I don't know, I made one in 2019 I know that but I might have made another one in 2017. I've recorded this idea of uninspired but willing several times already. So at this point I'm doing it because I'm about to publish my job for productivity books so I'm kind of updating the chapters and uninspired but willing was one of the chapters so whenever I update a blog post I also make a video to go along with it. It's just my rhythm. Right. So this is like the third time I've said this same and not just the third time I've already, I've also said the same topic, dozens of times in my client group over the years. And so I'm not feeling inspired about this topic anymore. It's, it's like an old, old hat for me and I'm just saying it because it's part of my blog post to have a video. And so, but I'm still here and some of you are hearing for hearing this for the first time this uninspired but willing idea. I'm here for you, who are hearing for the friend some of you are hearing it for the second or third time and hopefully it'll remind you and give you some energy and some reason to create more consistently. That's my hope. So, like I said, the tiny percentage of the day when I'm inspired I write down the ideas quickly as I can. And then at the end of each day, I categorize my ideas into the appropriate buckets. I have, I have another blog post called capture, categorize calendar, capture categorize calendar that's how I work with ideas. So you can look that you can Google that and find it. So I capture ideas when they come to me as soon as I can. I categorize them at the end of the day, meaning, oh, this idea is a blog post idea. Okay, I'll categorize that blog post ideas. Oh, this is a idea to improve my marketing. Okay, I'll categorize that in marketing improvement ideas. Oh, this is a blog. This is an idea for talking with this client when I see them next time. Okay, I'll categorize that idea in client notes for that client. So like I get inspired, I capture the ideas, I categorize them at the end of the day. And whenever my calendar says to do something, let's say it's to write, I look at I go to that category blog post ideas, I choose an idea, and then I do the hard work of writing. Now, when I said we feel pain, those of us creators feel pain, pain is, so this is what I hope you will normalize. You're supposed to feel pain when you create. I'm going to say it right now. And by pain, I don't mean physical pain and like emotional agony. It doesn't go that far. That's when you have given too much energy to the pain and you're now in the land of suffering. Right pain. I could see. I'm using the word pain, we can easily use the word discomfort, or uncertainty, or doubt. These are all pains, right the feeling of doubt is painful. Right, it's not she it's not fun to feel doubt, the feeling of uncertainty is painful. It's not great I hope I feel uncertain about this, whether this thing is going to be successful or not. Nobody wants to feel uncertain everyone's know. Oh, if I'm working on something that I know that's going to impact a lot of people everyone wants to feel that everyone wants to feel that way. But the reality of the creation process is painful. There's uncertainty. There's doubt. There's self, you know, judgment. There's frustration that the thing isn't quite coming together just like I said this video isn't coming together the way I hoped it would. There's lots of, yeah, the mental and emotional blocks. Those are all pains. Right, you know, those are all feelings of discomfort. And if you thought that you're not supposed to feel those things when you create.  But the reality is when I sit down to write. I don't know if I could even write a few sentences about that topic. I've got the topic. Okay, I've got the idea. I don't know if I'm going to write a few sentences and if I write more than a few senses I don't know if people are going to understand it if it, if it's just all my head, how do I structure this thing so that it makes more sense. Should I add more, should I write, those are all doubts, and those doubts are painful. But what I've learned and practiced over time and this is the practice, the practice is to go. Well, to do my energy reboot in the beginning, and if my uncertainty doubt self punishment or or self judgment and frustrations start to reach a level of suffering. In other words, when I'm starting to give more energy to those negative emotions and thoughts than than needs to, then I catch myself and go, I'm starting to spiral. Right. I do my energy reboot again. And that resets me to at least at least a little bit higher higher up the spiral of creation, rather than spiraling down into suffering and like quitting and things. There's a little bit higher up where like there's a possibility here. I doubting, but there's still a possibility that this might work out. Okay, I still have some optimism and help some a little bit. And that's when I continue to work. That's when I continue to write another sentence, or try editing that previous sense, or try starting another, you know, paragraph with a different idea that's related and maybe you'll be able to put this somewhere else. The writing process is like that. Right. Same thing with any other process of I know a lot of you. If you're if you're working on building your business you have to work with technology. And a lot of you don't love working with tech, because it didn't you didn't grow up with it. You think doesn't come naturally for you. Right. So, when it comes to working through a technical technological problem like trying to figure out how to run Facebook ads or trying to figure out how to automate a particular business process. Again, it's the same pain is there that the pain of not knowing whether you're doing the right thing. I'm feeling like, oh, I don't maybe there's maybe I'm at a roadblock. Right. So feeling a little bit a little bit of despair, right, all those pains. What do you do with it. Do you let those pains do you focus on those pains, and they're go there by go into the land of suffering and thereby quit. Right. Or do you catch yourself sliding down that spiral into into hell, essentially, right. What's on earth is your emotions when when they are spiraling into into fierce negativity. Right. Do you find yourself spiraling down and you catch yourself go. Oh, I'm giving a lot of attention to this negative, these mental negativity, giving a lot of attention to it, catch yourself, and then do whatever you need to get back and reset to that smidgen of optimism and hope and thereby positive action to keep looking for a solution to keep trying to work with what you have. What do you do. I'm curious, when you are uninspired. What do you do to get back to the point of willingness. Right. Uninspired, but willing is how I work through my whole day. Pretty much. The exception is when I'm in a meeting when I am talking with one person when I'm helping one person. Then it's so much easier, isn't it, because the other person's requests and the other person's energy naturally inspires you to do things. What's usually uninspiring is working by ourselves when we're not in a meeting we're not helping somebody when we're not teaching a group of people or whatever, you know, that is the superpower that I hope you will practice and develop. You, if you do your whole business and your whole work is just responding to other people, whether it's being in meetings and responding other people or responding people's emails, or social media posts. You're only responding to others. You are sure you might be a brilliant or helpful responder. You are not practicing the area of value creation that is that all of us self employed people need to eventually practice which is working by yourself when nobody is asking you for anything. Nobody asked me to post this. Nobody asked me to write about uninspired nobody did. I thought, you know what, one day I got this idea uninspired the willing. I wrote it down. Didn't really know what more to say about, but then when I sat down to write I started writing more and it's like well let me think about what I could say about this. Okay, and then this became like this blog post and this video. So, the superpower to practice is to work by yourself. When there's nobody asking you for anything or requesting anything to create value that you then deliver to others, and whether or not they find valuable, you keep creating day after day. Now, one thing that does help me to get into the process I mentioned, you know, my energy reboot. I said that, but also focus mate. I point focus mate because I have an old phone that I don't use anymore and I put on a tripod this is like $20 about years ago this gorilla pod, and this is my focus mate station so it's always next to me, my computer and pretty the only thing I open on this phone is the focus mate website and I schedule a session and I, you know, I do focus mate as often as I can whenever I'm not in the meeting during the day. I'm usually on focus mate, and I recommend that you give it a try as well. So, long story short. However, the only doubt you should be doubting in your creative process, whether you are writing making videos, building your business, create inventing something, you know, or working with technology, or any process that helps move your goals forward. The only doubt you should have is the, the only doubt you should have is that discomfort is not right. That's what I hope you will doubt. No, no, no, no, you should, you know, you should say to yourself, no, no, no discomfort is evidence that I am stretching beyond my comfort zone. It's literally how you grow. You should never stretch beyond your comfort zone. You know, you would still be a, you know, baby or I guess an adult on the floor, not knowing how to walk or talk. Right. Thank goodness as a baby you didn't have these self doubts. Right. Thank goodness we weren't born with all these doubts about, oh I can't walk. I can't talk. I don't know if babies just try to talk and then eventually mama or papa, right.  Oh walking how many times you fall I don't know all of us babies right we had to, but thank goodness. So, go back to the beginner's mind, the mind of a baby that the part of the mind of a baby that doesn't have any doubt. And just as I'm going to try walking. I'm going to try talking. I'm going to try writing. I'm going to try making a video. I'm going to try working with this tech that's previously frustrating for me. I'm going to try improving my marketing. I'm going to try reaching out for clients or for collaborations. I'm going to try, even though I'm uninspired, because now I understand that discomfort is supposed to be normal in the creative process. No matter how many affirmations you do, no matter how spiritual and holistic and enlightened you are this comfort is the definition of getting outside your comfort zone something you haven't done before. And so you might fail. You might make a mistake. Normalize that feeling of discomfort. When you normalize it, then you realize you don't have to slide into the hell of emotional frustration confusion doubt self punishment self judgment. You don't have to slide down there anymore because you're oh it's normal to feel this way but I can go back. I can go back up with my energy rebate practice, whatever practice helps you to get back to a little optimism and hope and possibility that I just need to work through this discomfort. To the other side, which is value, which is having created something that may or may not help others, but at least you tried and thereby you grew. Because when you stretch beyond the comfort zone. It's not comfortable during the process but afterwards you go, look at me. I did that. Don't know what the results going to be that's beside the point. That's a different topic. But I showed up sat here, worked through it did my energy reboot or whatever to reset myself to not go into to negativity. And I've created. It's what I hope for you. So go forth.  When you feel uncomfortable next time, because you don't know how how something's going to turn out. Keep creating knowing that all of us are doing the same along with you, all of us creators. Yeah, we're here with you. So keep going. Start something today or keep creating. And I look forward to hearing how it goes. Be well. Take care.