Be Careful What You Let In

How many love your pastor today? Amen. Love Brother Smith. Love the whole Smith family. Don't forget I guess she stepped out, but also be praying for Sister Smith. As you can imagine, your dear pastor here hasn't been the easiest to live with. We love him anyway. Me and Drew tried to tell him, man, you don't need to be walking. Chicago, we wanted to Uber, but he wouldn't listen to us, but we're glad he made it. He's here today. I love him. Love the entire Smith family. Appreciate them so much. I love Elder Brother Smith and his wife. Amen. Let's go to Genesis chapter number 35. I'm going to be quick today. He can get back to that recliner. I know that I'm I'm the one standing in between him and that recliner, so I want to hurry today. Genesis chapter 35 and verse number one. The Bible says, "And God said unto Jacob, 'Arise and go up to Bethel and dwell there. And make thee an altar there unto God that appeared unto thee when thou fledest from the face of Esau thy brother.'" Then Jacob said unto his household and to all that were with him, "Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change your garments, and let us arise and go up to Bethel. Bethel means the house of God. And I will make there an altar unto God which answered me in my distress and was with me in the way which I went. Verse number four. It says, "And they gave unto Jacob all the strange gods which were in their hands and their earrings which were in their ears. And Jacob hid them under an oak which was by Shechem." So, before they could go to the place that God wanted to take them, they had to first give some things up. Before they could get to the level that God was wanting them to be at, they had to sacrifice some things and they had to consecrate some things. One more verse, Romans chapter 12. Romans chapter 12 and verse number two. The Bible says, "And be not conformed." That word means to be fashioned similar to or to have the same characteristics as the world, but be you transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." You know, I was thinking the last Sunday of this year and I'll get into it here in a little bit, but may maybe there's just some things that we've picked up along the way that as we're going into this next year, it represents a fresh start. It represents a lot of people have New Year's resolutions and maybe we could go a little deeper than that today, but it's a fresh start. I just wonder if today we've picked up some things through this year that maybe maybe we could lay down today. I just want to preach to you the burden that I feel today. I want to preach on this subject. Be careful what you let in. Be careful what you let in. Would you lift your hands right now and help me pray? God, help us today, Holy Ghost. We feel your presence. We know you're in this house. God, I'm asking you to anoint me. Anoint the ears of every listener that's in this house today. God, let us apply the word. Let us not just be hearers of the word, but let us be doers of the word. In the name of Jesus, we ask all these things. Would you put your hands together one more time? Amen. You may be seated today. Thank you for standing. I want to talk just for a few minutes about consecration. if there has ever been a day and age in which we need to be separate from the world that is around us, and in which there needs to be a clear line in between the church and the world, and the people of the church and the people of the world, can I tell you that I believe it is the day and age in which we are living in right now. it has always been the will of God and the plan of God and the desire of God to have a people that was separate from the world that was around them. You can find this starting all the way back in the Old Testament when God had a chosen people, the children of Israel. And there were certain things that they were not allowed to do. There were certain foods that they were not allowed to eat because it was God's will and God's desire that they be different from

everybody that's around them. And all my life I've seen people who want to get as close to the world as they can possibly get without being a part of the world. And they want to look like the world, and they want to act like the world. But can I tell you today that that's not the will of God for your life or my life? we have not been called to look like the world, and we have not been called to even be liked by the world. we've not been called to dress like the world, and we've not been called to talk like the world. But I've come to tell you that God has still called out a people who would be a chosen generation, who would be a royal priesthood, and would be a holy nation, and a peculiar people. I've I've to tell you today that we've got to do what it takes to let the world see, "Hey, there's something different about that person. I can't put my finger on it. I don't know exactly what it is, but there's something on the inside of them, and I've got to figure out what it is." If there's ever been a day in which the church needs to understand consecration and dedication and separation I believe it's this day and this age that we are in today. but we are seeing the church world and Christianity as a whole being affected and influenced by the circumstances and and the problems that are in our world. And we are seeing church people feel the need to get involved in in different movements going on in our world and and different political things that are going on in our world. And And they make it seem that if we don't get behind every movement and if we don't get behind everything that they're wanting to do that we are closed-minded people and and we're just people who is full of hate. but I just want to tell you if there's ever been a day in which Deuteronomy 22 and verse number five has made perfect sense it's the day and age in which we're living in today. Hey, I know it's not socially acceptable. I know it's not politically correct. But I've come to tell you in the year 2021 the Bible still says a woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man neither shall a man put on a woman's garment for all that do so are an abomination to the Lord thy God. I was talking to a pastor friend of mine several months ago. He began to tell me about a new television show on Disney Junior that has recently come out. It's about a Muppet. Sure many of you have heard about this. It's about a Muppet by the name of Gonzo. there's a male character, a young boy by the name of Gonzo. and he became infatuated with a dress that a princess was wearing. he was informed by two other characters that because Gonzo was a boy that he could not wear a dress. that because of as they worded it, because of the social restrictions that were placed upon them that Gonzo would never be able to wear this dress. later on in the episode, Gonzo proved these other two characters wrong when he is granted a wish to look like a girl and to have a dress. later on in the episode, I began to read about this and it said that Gonzo came and he called all his friends to him. This is all on their website and he said there's something that I need to tell you. He said the princess that came to your ball tonight was actually me. he said I am Gonzorella. He then goes on to explain that he attended this ball in disguise because of gender restrictions. He said you all expected me to look a certain way, but I don't want to just do things because that's the way that they've always been done. He said I just want to be me. According to the exec- executive producer Tom Warburton, the series had always planned to celebrate Gonzo's gender non-conforming identity. very early on, we wanted to do a episode where Gonzo just showed up wearing a skirt and it was just no big deal. the story editor and co-producer and her team wanted to take it a step further and do a story about Cinderella, but do it with a boy by the name of Gonzo. Muppet Babies is not the only Disney animated series with LGBTQ plus representation. Another Disney Junior show recently introduced its first non-binary

character who uses they and them pronouns. The series also established the main character as parts of the LGBTQ plus community. And I tell you today that this is the world in which we are living in. Kids are raised to think that this is completely normal and that this is a completely natural part of society. And now you may be wondering today who is this show intended for? What are the age groups that this show is targeted for? I looked it up online and I found that the target audience for this particular show are children from the ages of two to seven. Children from the ages of two to seven are taught that if you are born a boy, but you decide that you're actually a girl that there's nothing wrong with that. they're taught that if you're a boy, but you're attracted to another boy that that that's natural and there's nothing wrong with that. But I've come today to stand upon the word of God and tell you that according to what the Bible says, hey, it's not cute. It's not innocent. It's not just another cartoon. And we're seeing Pentecostals feel the need to be more open-minded and feel the need to be more accepting. But I've come to tell you today I've got to stand upon the word of God. I hope we're seeing why the elders said no to the I hope we're seeing why the elders said, "Hey, we just can't do that. We just can't partake of that. I've got to stand as a part of that generation and say I rebuke that spirit in the name of Jesus Christ." Hey, it's finding its way even in the church. It's finding its way even onto the pews, but I'm believing today there's some one God believers who say not in this church. I wish somebody would give God some praise right now all over the house. Because God has not called us to blend in. God hasn't called us to be more open-minded. God hasn't called us to be more accepting of sin. And I tell you that cultural accommodation always leads to biblical compromise. Cultural accommodation always Everybody say always. Always leads to biblical compromise. When the church feels the need to accommodate the culture when the church feels the need to say, "Man, we don't want to come across as being closed-minded and old-fashioned and we don't want to come across as being a group of people who says that not everybody is going to be saved." Hey, I've come to tell you today that we've got to be grounded in the word of God. Hey, it's not up to you and it's not up to me to decide what's right and what's wrong, but we've got to get in the word of God and see what does the Bible say. I've come to tell you today that God still hates sin. Hey, we haven't been called to hate the sinner, but we have been called to hate the sin. I've come to tell you today fornication is still a sin. Adultery is still a sin. Gay living like a gay is still a sin. I've come to tell you if the Bible says it's a sin, you've got to realize your opinion is irrelevant. My opinion is irrelevant. We've got to stand upon the word of God. If you believe that, I wish you'd clap your hands all over the house. Israel was in Egypt. They were in Egypt. Can I tell you some of them made up in their minds, I'm not going to let Egypt get in me. And we're in the world. We've got to make up in our minds we're not going to let the world get in us. Hey, it's not the water that's around the ship that sinks it. It doesn't matter how much water is around the ship. You know the only thing that matters? How much water is getting in the ship. And it's your job and it's my job to make sure that we don't let water in our boat. It's up to you and it's up to me to make sure that we don't let the water inside

of our vessel. We've got to be a holy people. We've got to be a consecrated people. I read in your hearing where Jacob was told by God to arise and go to Bethel. Bethel literally means the house of God. Somewhere along the path of life Jacob had let some things into his life that had no business being there. Jacob had allowed some things to come into his life that were separating him from getting to the level in God that God wanted to take him. Jacob because of his wives had learned what it was to tolerate idols and false gods and jewelry. And God appeared to Jacob and said, "Jacob, I want to show you some things. I want to take you to a level, Jacob, that you've never been before." But he said, "Jacob, you've picked up some things that you're going to have to get rid of first." The members of Jacob's household had become pagan worshipers. And now it was Jacob's job to bring them into the house of God and to make an atonement for their sins. It was a time of consecration. It was a time where things that were hindering them from going to the place in God and the depths in God that God wanted to take them. It was a time to consecrate them and lay them down somewhere and then never pick them up again. Jacob realized, "God is calling me deeper in God. He's calling me further." But he had to take some inventory of his life and he had to look at the things that maybe seemed innocent in the beginning, but as he allowed them to come in, they began to grow and grow. And he realized, "If I ever want to get to the place in God that God is wanting to take me, I've got to give these things up." And God was saying, "I want to change your name, Jacob. Hey, you're no longer going to be Jacob, but you're going to be Israel. Hey, I know you've had experiences in my presence. I know you've tasted of the gift of God, but Jacob, I've got more for you. I've got deeper levels for you. But Jacob, until you lay some things down, until you dedicate some things to me, you'll never get to the place that I'm wanting to take you. I've come to preach to somebody today in the last Sunday of 2021 and say God's got an anointing for your life. God's got a plan for your life, but until you give up some things that God's calling you to give up, you'll never reach it. I'm thankful today for what I've seen. I'm thankful for the miracles that God has showed me. I'm thankful for the experiences that I have had and laying in the presence of God, but I've come to tell you in this next year, I'm hungry for deeper levels. I'm hungry for a deeper relationship and I've come to tell you I've got to take inventory of my life and say what am I doing with my time? What am I doing with the 24 hours that you've given me each and every day? It's cliche, but I want to tell you today that if you want to get what other people don't have, you're going to have to do what other people aren't willing to do. Hey, if you want to go to another the level in God, you've got to have something on the inside of you that says I don't care what it is, I'll give it up. I don't care if it's something I enjoy doing. I don't care if it's a relationship. I don't care if it's a friendship. If there's something hindering me from going to the level in God that he would take me, hey, I'm willing to cut it out. I'm willing to give it up. The problem with many Pentecostals today is that we all want a relationship with Jesus, but nobody wants to carry a cross. Hey, we want a relationship. we want the blessing, but we don't want the burden. But can I tell you to get to deep levels in God, I'm trying to learn this myself. There's things that maybe they're not on the surface some evil thing. But can I tell you that Instagram Instagram can get in between you and getting to the level that God's wanting to take you. Hey, spending too much time on games and maybe a relationship that doesn't seem too sinful. I've come to tell you that that as time goes on and and things

begin to progress, you can find that this is the thing that's hindering me from going to the next level in God. You know why? Because things that start out as little pet sins, they grow. They grow. Pet sins grow. I'm talking about things like technology. I'm talking about things like social media. Just some things that maybe maybe maybe maybe are hindering you from getting to the place that God has wanted to take you. Come to the music, please, quickly. Speaking, there could be no better way to begin this next year than just with a clean slate. How many times do we carry one of thing that we should have left in a previous season and we carry it into the next season. How many people here today you've been dealing with the same stuff for months and months and even years. you know what it is to really feel like you've got deliverance from something, but somehow you wake up one day and you're back in the same mess that you were in before. Hear me today when I tell you listen to this right here. Jacob, Jacob when God appeared to him and said there's some things you need to give up cuz I want you to go to the house of God and make a sacrifice for me. Jacob did not simply put it in a place where it was still easily accessible for him. A place where it was not right at their fingertips. I'm told now, I'm not much of a I'm not very good at sticking to a diet. Brother Smith will tell you that. but but what I'm told is that people who start a diet one of the best things you can do is go through your house and take all those favorite snacks and your favorite foods that always seem to mess up your diet and get it out of your house. That way if it's late at night and you're wanting those snacks that you know you shouldn't be eating that you'll have to get dressed and you'll have to get in your car and you'll have to drive to the store. That way it's not easily it's not easy for you to access it. It's not easy for you to get to it. And that's exactly what Jacob did. I want to tell you today that in a moment of spiritual strength do what you need to do to make sure you won't fall in a moment of spiritual weakness. In a moment of spiritual strength do what you need to do to make sure you won't fall in a moment of spiritual weakness. you know, Joseph didn't wait until he was being tempted by the wife of Potiphar for him to decide that he would not defile himself. he was far away from his brothers. He was far away from his his brothers and all of his family, but Joseph had already made up in his mind that this ain't about my brother. this ain't about anybody else that's around me. He said, "How could I do this and sin against the Lord, my God?" He made up in his mind long before he was ever in Potiphar's house what he was going to do. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, they did not await until they were in Babylon to make up their mind what they were going to do. Hey, Daniel didn't wait until they threw him in the lions' den for him to decide if he was going to serve God or not. Hey, Paul and Silas, they didn't wait until they were thrown in prison, but somewhere long before they had already made up in their mind, "Hey, I'm going to serve God. I'm going to have a relationship with God." You see, they're just for a couple more minutes. You can begin to play, please. In the year 1519, a man by the name of Hernán Cortés, along with 600 other men, arrived on the shore of Mexico. They came with the intention of overthrowing the Aztecs and stealing all their gold and silver and treasures. When Cortés and his men arrived to Mexico, he realized that the odds were greatly stacked against him. He realized that they were outnumbered and out-weaponed and out-powered. but he realized, man, we've come too far to turn back now. he immediately, after they arrived to Mexico, although they wouldn't look back, he ordered for all of his ships that had carried them into this land to be destroyed. You see, the ships were the only way of turning back. the ships were their plan B.

it was a a device that if things went bad, if they begin to lose the battle, that they could retreat and run back to those ships and hopefully make it home. But after these ships were destroyed, they realized, "We've got to do everything in our power to stay alive." They realized that if we ever want to see our families again, we've got to fight and win every single battle that we come against. See, this was their plan B. Retreat, these ships. it was a way out. and this idea, although it seemed to be cruel, turned out to be quite genius. the men certainly wanted to survive, of course, and wanted to see their families. And because of this, and because they had no way to turn back, because there was no plan B, every single battle that they came against, although all the odds odds were stacked against them, they began to conquer and defeat the enemy battle after battle. It's because they made up in their minds, "There's no way out. There's no way back. This is my only hope." I want to tell somebody here today that if you would make up in your mind that God is my only hope, I promise you your life would get so much easier. Hey, you know one of the hardest things to do is to serve God halfway. Cuz the Bible says no man can serve two masters. I was thinking about when Jesus came to the disciples. Jesus was feeling rejection. Jesus was feeling abandonment. He said, "Will you also betray me? Will you also walk away?" You know what the response of the disciples would Where would we go? Hey, we don't have anywhere else to turn. We don't have anybody else to turn to. I remember thinking not long ago, "God, if this don't work out for me, I I don't have any other plan B. There's nothing else I can fall upon." Somebody today, you need to make up in your mind, "Hey, there's no out route. There's no way of getting out of this thing. I've got to serve God." And I'm telling you, when you make up in your mind, "I'm doing this thing all the way." Hey, I promise you, serving the Lord gets so much easier. Stand with me today. I want to tell one final story very quickly. My mother is an amazing woman. She was raised atheist. She was not raised in the church. and at the age of I believe it was 16 or 17, she was invited to church. As I said, she was an atheist. She was raised to believe that there was no God, but she came into the house of God and began to feel something that she had never felt before. She got the Holy Ghost and she was kind of in that awkward phase where it was so new to her and she realized that her entire life was going to change if she went through with this thing. So, she'd come to church and she'd look one way and she'd behave one way, but she'd go out with her high school friends and she'd be a completely different person. she had her church friends and she had her worldly friends. pulling her in two complete opposite directions. she would hang out with Holy Ghost-filled people and the next night she would hang out with drug addicts and people who did things very contrary to the word of God. She would wear pants and makeup and then the next night she would be wearing a skirt and she'd be in the presence of God. She was going into her first year of college and she made up in her mind, "I'm sick of this double life." she said, "You know what? I'm either going to serve God all the way or she said, "I'm going to completely quit going to church and forget everything that I've ever known about God." Well, I thank God today and I'm here today because she made the right decision. She did not understand certain standards. She did not understand why we did certain things, but she made up in her mind that I'm not only going to have to have faith in God, but I'm also going to have to have faith in my man of God. She was on the ninth floor of her college dorm and it was the day before the first day of college, her freshman year, and she had not met a roommate yet, but when I was asking her about this story, she said that she made up in her mind that she didn't want her roommate to know two Kathys. she didn't want her to know the church Kathy and the worldly Kathy, the Kathy that would read her Bible and then the Kathy that would do drugs and hang out with with other people. pants was one of her biggest struggles. it was one of the things that really hindered her at the beginning from really going all the way in. And she said she only had three skirts. She didn't have many options, but she had a whole lot of pants. but on that day, she finally made up

in her mind that she was done living a double life. she made up in her mind that she was going to serve God all the way. She said she took a pa- a stack of pants. It was like 30-something pairs and on the eighth floor of that dorm, she began to take those pants and she dropped them out the window one by one. She said the girls down at the bottom began to gather around and it was like they thought it was a candy rain, but they began to gather those pants, but each time she dropped a pair of pants, what she was doing was saying to herself, "Hey, I'm done with this double life and I'm done serving God and serving the world, but now I've made up in my mind, hey, there's no turning back." She didn't take those pants and take those things that were hindering her and put them in a closet to where if she made up in her mind, "Hey, this Pentecost isn't working out for me. I'm going to go back to my former life." But, she said, "I'm going to take these and I'm going to get rid of them." I've come to tell somebody today there's some things we've picked up along the way, maybe this past year, maybe some habits, maybe some things, but I've come to tell you today if we could lay them down not in an easy accessible place, if we could get rid of some apps, if we could delete if we could delete some subscriptions. We could get rid of some clothes. Get rid of some makeup that we've got hiding. I promise you if you just get rid of it if you just get rid of it, I promise you God will take you to a level that you've never been at before. I wish you'd lift your hands right now. Come on, what would your prayer be right now at the beginning of this altar call? Would your prayer be, "God, reveal to me the things that's hindering me?" Come on, some of you the Lord's already spoken to you through this message. You know some things that God is saying, "Hey, if you'd give that up, I'd take you to another level." Hey, I've come to tell you today it may be hard, it's not easy to sacrifice, it's not easy to consecrate, but I promise you if you'd give it up hey, it's worth it all, it's worth it all. I wish you'd really lift up your hands all over the house. Help us today, Holy Ghost. Help us today, Holy Ghost. Come on, quit having one foot in and one foot out. Why don't somebody make up in your mind there's no plan B. I'm destroying the ship. There's no way out. God, you are my only hope. Come on, I wish somebody today would find a place to pray. Come on, I promise you. Come on, I promise you if you give some things up, if you lay some things down at an altar and never pick it up again, I promise you God will take you to a level you never thought was possible. In the name of Jesus, help us today, Holy Ghost. God, reveal to us some things that are hindering me and my relationship with you. Hey, I want to talk to a Jacob, one that God is desiring to take you to another level and tell you he'll do it, but the only way he'll do it is if you lay some things down. Help us today, Holy Ghost. Help us today, Holy Ghost. Come on, would you lift your hands all over the house and lift up your voice? In the name of Jesus, God, reveal to me anything that's hindering me. Come on, whether it's social media or whether it's a relationship or whether it's a friendship, why don't somebody make up in your mind, I'll lay it down. Come on, the Holy Ghost is talking to some people. Come on, the Holy Ghost is showing you some things that's hindering you. Why don't you make up in your mind, I'll get rid of it. Come on, I'll get rid of it. Come on, maybe it's not some evil thing on the surface, but I'm telling you it's hindering you from going to the place in God that he wants to take you. Come on, what are we in this year, right? Why don't we lay it down and never pick it up again? Come on, why don't we start this new year with a fresh start? Why don't we start this new year and not carry all the baggage from the last several months into it