The Wartime Mindset

If you have a Bible, we're going to go to 2 Timothy chapter 2. I'll read verses 3 and 4. And as you're turning there, how many people got a bulletin on your way in this morning? Now I'll be honest with you, I feel very confident in the Word of the Lord. I've been with God this morning, but I'm only a man. And while I feel confident in what the Lord will say, I'm only a man. And so when I sat in the office earlier this morning and opened the weekly message from Pastor, I was tempted to take my text from the fourth paragraph in the third line, because it was such a clear confirmation of what I'll preach to you today. He writes, Ambition and money have paid the road toward heartache. The fifth paragraph in the second line, put aside things that keep you from a lifestyle of holiness and godliness.

The investment in the church has always give greater return than any material venture. Here in a little while, you'll understand why this was such a needed confirmation for me this morning. The Bible reads, Paul writing to the young man Timothy, Thou therefore endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man, he says, that Warreth entangled himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier. And I preach today, the wartime mindset, amen. Let's pray together. Father, we love you. We thank you for the opportunity to gather in this great house of people of like precious faith. Your word is already anointed. It's already powerful. But I pray you would anoint me and you would anoint us collectively to hear and respond to what the Spirit would say to us this day. Accept you build this house, our labor is in vain.

God, there's nothing that we can do without you. So we pray now for your help by your spirit and everybody said in Jesus' name, amen. You can be seated, the Lord bless you. David had humble beginnings, a mere teenager shepherding his father's sheep when he is called forward and anointed by the great prophet Samuel. And then only a chapter later, by the assignment of his father, he makes his way to the valley of Elah where his elder brothers are among those Israelite soldiers who are at war with the Philistines. And the stage is now set. That familiar unction that baptized him with courage on the backside of the desert, that moved him to courageously rescue his father's sheep from the mouth of a lion in a bear stirring in his heart once again. The feeling is so familiar but the context is much different. It's not Jesse's sheep this time, but it's the sheep of the Lord himself, the house of Israel.

The future of which was prophesied to David is seemingly in this moment in jeopardy of being lost. And he feels compelled to act. Both his brothers and King Saul seem uncertain, one of his motive and the other of his ability, but still he persists in the face of much fear and seeming overwhelming uncertainty. He is adamant, this is my battle. And you know the story. His defeat of Goliath propels him to the national spotlight. Saul has slain his thousands and David his ten thousands. While it would take another sixteen years, a decade and a half, before it would come to pass just as the prophet said, David becomes king. There's so much to look at and to celebrate in the life of this young boy. In fact, a testimony of the Scripture concerning his life is that he was a man after God's own heart.

What a compliment. But even David with all of those accolades was not without his struggles. 2 Samuel 11. It came to pass after the year was expired at the time when kings go forth to battle. David sent Joab and his servants with him and all Israel. They destroyed the children of Ammon and Besiege, Rabbi. But David tarried still at Jerusalem. It came to pass in an evening tide that David arose from off his bed and walked upon the roof of the king's house. And from the roof he saw a woman washing herself. The woman was very beautiful to look upon. And while the text does not explicitly state David's motive, the interpretation of the text and the events that follow suggest this. His duty became secondary to his desire. Every detail of the Scripture is noteworthy. He rises from his bed the place of comfort.

He sees a beautiful woman. This is to lust. The luxury of being king had somehow in the progression of David's life taken precedent over the burden of war. Pleasure took priority over responsibility and the end would be costly. One decision leads to another and ultimately innocent blood is shed until God puts a word in the mouth of the prophet to confront the king. And I find much similarity in David's story and ours. So may it be a lesson to us all today. The Christian church in this nation as we know it has been struggling from over 300 years of dominance and affluence. From the Puritan onward Christian ethics have been the dominant value of America. Christianity has widely been embraced and its contributions were not just tolerated but even widely embraced and welcomed as they were considered beneficial to the whole of the American people.

And this environment stands in stark contrast to the hostile atmosphere of the Christians in the first century. Now it is indisputable. These ideals have bowed well for the development of the Western world. And still I feel pressed of God today to ask us to consider now where we are. Is it possible that what we call a blessing is in fact a burden? Can the very things we have and enjoy actually hinder us? We may find that these circumstances which seem favorable have in fact resulted in deeply ingrained ideas which in some cases are unbiblical mindsets considering that beliefs determine behavior this is dangerous. The ideas which perhaps have been around for so long that they now live uncontested in our mind and in our actions. And one such idea today is that we are consumers. Consumers entitled to plenty and pleasure. Now the practice of buying and selling has no moral or spiritual effect in themselves.

But the attitudes behind these activities can be. And perhaps this seems like an unusual subject to preach on a Sunday morning. And I would submit that is because our perception of stuff. Stuff meaning money and materials is skewed. We have grown accustomed to consumption and comfort. That we never stop to ask the question concerning the label of consumer that is imposed upon us. And this disturbing fact does not go unnoticed by modern industries of fashion and lifestyle and entertainment. In fact it's their advertisements that propagate this message while simultaneously preying on our lack of contentment. Even more disturbing is the lie they tell us that our identity and our value is woven into the items that we possess. This harmful message is a lie. But it is so subtly woven into all forms of modern media that it has grown unchallenged in our culture. The intent is clear.

Clothes, cars, costly hobbies and the latest technology. They say all of these and more is necessary to be happy. You have to have this to get that and that is contentment. And the problem with this idea my friend is it stands in direct contradiction to what the Lord himself said in Luke 12. Take heed and beware of covetousness. Be on guard against covetousness. Why? For a man's life does not consist in the abundance of things which he possesses. I rise to this pulpit on this Sunday morning to tell you the idea that all we are is consumers of goods, is not good. Now economists and philosophers alike will wrestle with the subject. One will calculate numbers and the other will ponder the motives and the implications of these ideas upon people and the collective society. My qualifications are far insufficient for either of these titles.

I'm only a preacher. But I rise to this pulpit to confess to you in the past three years as I've traveled this great nation. I am wrestling with the word I preach. And I rise to invite you into the fight. I fear the pulpits of America have been too silent on this uncomfortable subject. I have my thoughts but I cannot claim to know why. But what I do know is we do not get the liberty to be silent when the scripture speaks so plainly. It is time for us, for me, for you, for the American church to wrestle with the word of God so we can be free of this prevailing spirit that is entangling lives in hindering churches. The psalmist said, if, if riches increase, set not your heart upon them. It is the duty of the pulpit to guard against the concepts of culture

that may otherwise permeate the church and rob us of our power. And the danger, you say, what danger is buying and selling? How evil can consumerism really be? The danger of embracing a consumer-minded Christianity is that consumerism puts self at the center. Entire industries are reformed in the interest of the people they serve because self is at the center. And is it any wonder of the last days? Paul said, for men shall be lovers of their own selves. Peter, in a similar vein, a revelation said that the last days would be marked by men walking. How? Not according to the vision of the church. Not according to the commandment of scripture. Not according to the voice of the spirit that he said men would be walking after their own lusts. I rise this morning to say, we must be different. We seek to serve, not to be served.

We may have some things, yes, but we refuse to be controlled by them. We may get a little here and there, but we're going to give a lot everywhere. Why? Because we are not consumers. We are Christians. And it is in that parable of the sower that Jesus explains to us why some erred. Not progressing in their faith, never maturing in the power of the spirit, falling short of the potential God invested into them. How? Now we find it in that third and final problematic soil, the thorny ground, Mark 4 and 19. And the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches, the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. Now in my youth, I was certain the devil was my biggest opposition. Whatever sense of destiny God may have for me, I knew the devil was my greatest adversary.

Now I don't claim to be old, my kids would tell you otherwise, but I'm not so sure I can claim to be young anymore either. But either way, I do feel confident standing here today, having lived and led long enough to know that the enemy, which often distracts believers, it hinders churches, it's not just principalities and powers, it's not spiritual darkness, it's not just demonic power, it is the other things. The other things that enter in, what are other things? They are earthly ambitions, carnal passions. It produces much activity, but it has so little eternal worth. It is the lust of other things that leads to full calendars, full closets, full homes, and full garages. It's the lust of other things that motivates you. It says get more, get newer, get bigger, get better. More, more, more, but never moderation. And our days become so busy in pursuit of more,

so much that we get too busy and our Bible sits untouched and unopened. We read the news and we watch sports, but we don't do what Jesus said, watch and pray. We know the interest rates, we can talk about investment numbers, but we don't know scriptural references for fundamental doctrine. We can stand and testify of productive careers and new possessions, but we remain silent when the conversation turns spiritual. How can this be? Why is it we can talk about sports at length, but grow quiet when we talk about spiritual experiences? Jesus said it, the cares of this world have choked out the word. And I've wondered as I've traveled and I've seen such a free flow of God's power and foreign soil, but what seems like an apparent struggle to experience the miraculous here in America, I have wondered, God, what is the obstacle to the miraculous among us?

Certainly it can be our faith. The issue is not if he can or if we believe. We know he can. We believe he can. This room is full of people today who have faced overwhelming difficulty, but in the face of uncertainty and pain, and when you've been walking through valleys of suffering and trauma, you rise in courage and lift your hands in worship, and you say even when doctors say it can't happen, you rise and say, no, I know my God is a healer. I believe he will heal me. So the issue then cannot be if he can or if we believe. So what then is the issue? And I'm pressed today of the Lord, because I believe the hindrance at hand is often the other things. The lust of other things, meaning the things we like. I submit the obstacle to the miraculous is materialism.

Paul would speak to us in Philippians 3 of those that he calls the enemies of the cross, and the Bible says whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, whose glory is in their shame, whose mind earthly things. These are those who have no regard for God's agenda. They serve their own appetite. It is the prioritization of the physical over the spiritual, the temporal over the eternal. These are those who pursue the other things. They work so tirelessly not to satisfy the Lord, but their own earthly craving. They consume what they want, when they want, and they do it all without any consideration of the cost. Nobody stops to ask, is this wise? Is this godly? Is this healthy? Does this conflict with biblical values? Will it save my family? Does it honor the Lord? Will it edify our church? Does it set a godly example?

Will it breed confusion to those who see me? It begs the question, how did we end up here? And to this, the Scripture speaks. The deceitfulness of riches. We have been deceived. You think what? No, I know the truth. I know how to be baptized. I know I gotta talk in other tongues. Oh, I know. We know the doctrine, but the issue with our faith is not the confession of it. It's the lifestyle of it. And the Scripture warned us of the deceitfulness of riches. Literally meaning riches deceive you. How do they do this? Because money promises you something it cannot give you. You know what I'm talking about? Think back with me a few years. Go down memory lane a couple of promotions gone by when you were making less, living lower, didn't have the house you had now, weren't driving the car you had now,

and you thought, well, if I can just get out of this apartment, if I can just, you know, build that new house, and we can just take one more vacation. If I can go there, do this, buy that, then finally I won't feel like this anymore. And five years down the road, you got the bigger paycheck, better vacations and new stuff, and that little voice is still whispering in your ear, more, more, more, more, suffocating the principle of moderation and drowning the American church in the ideals of consumerism and materialism. Sometimes as I travel, I just shake my head in amazement as I see these massive storage facilities driving in the middle of nowhere. You'll find this massive facility, hundreds of thousands of square feet, hundreds of rental units, and I think, my goodness, how can we possibly have that much stuff but riches have deceived us?

It tells us, oh, it's okay, just get more and you'll finally be happy. Buy that and you'll experience peace. Go there and you'll tap into more joy. That is a lie of the enemy and of all the sins which kindle the anger of God and would provoke him to jealousy. Idolatry was foremost. A violation of the first of the Ten Commandments. Sinful behavior was in no way excused but it grieved God to see the people he loved so dearly ascribe such value to things other than him and Paul would write in Colossians 3 that covetousness, which is idolatry. Covetousness! What an unwelcome subject for a Sunday morning. Covetousness has no respect for persons. It will corrupt the heart of the one with great sums of money and it will bind up the heart of the one who has no money. It matters not what you have or don't have.

I don't want you to misunderstand the preacher today. To have money is not evil. The Bible is often misquoted but Paul said it was the love of money that was the root of all evil. It's not wrong to have. It's wrong to pursue. To crave. To desire. To lust for. It's not an issue to have. It matters not if you have it but what you do with what you have. But the question that we must consider today is why would we give our lives to pursuing something that deceives us so easily? Now, lest you think I'm an old Scrooge, the Bible doesn't forbid fun. Not all pleasure is bad but I do have a caution for you today. You might not like it but I've got Bible for it. Beware of pleasure in volumes of plenty. Jesus spoke of the negative effect of the pleasures of life in Luke 8.

Hebrews 11 speaks of the pleasures of sin being good for only a season and all of this is given for our learning. Why? Because it is in pleasure that unchecked carnality exists. Dangerous ideas, doctrines of devils, even seducing spirits will cloak themselves in pleasure. I don't preach against fun. I like having fun but I do contend that we examine ourselves lest we get caught up in the current of consumerism that is suffocating souls and robbing churches of its power. I'll tell you today my plight as a preacher has unwelcome as it may be. It is easy to preach against what is sinful. When the Bible says no, we can stand with confidence and say no. It speaks with no respect for your opinion. We must obey but the challenge today is to preach against what is not inherently bad but may still become unnecessary. I would submit it is this.

It is the excess of the unnecessary that has created the financial crisis of this nation and a spiritual crisis in the church. We must be different. The priests of the Old Testament were mandated to live with less attachment to the material world. Less privilege, less possessions, less land. But you know what they got? They got what brother Grant was just up here singing about. More of God. Deuteronomy 18. They shall have no inheritance among their brethren. The Lord is their inheritance. The Lord is their possession. God said I don't want you getting tangled up with stuff in this world. You said what? Who? Me? Yeah. Because Revelation 1 and 6 says you have been made kings and priests unto God. I know we don't have to live as they did in the Old Testament but the principle holds true. We have got to get untangled

from the affairs of this life. It was never God's intention for us to be caught up in this material world. Yes, I am literally preaching. We may have to impose upon ourselves restrictions and self-control to have less privilege, less possessions because less here equals more there. I don't know about you but I want more of God. I don't know, maybe it's just because I'm not gifted in that area. I'll confess to you, I'm not a businessman. It's just, I don't know, I don't know. But I sit at tables and I hear conversations and in the one hand it challenges me but I walk away and wonder where is the ferrancy of conversation concerning the things of the spirit. Where are those who will talk about spiritual experiences like they'll talk about sports. Where are those who will untangle themselves from this material world and say I want more of God.

I don't want more things. I want more of God. Paul, he said, I know what it is to abound and I know what it is to lack. In 2 Corinthians 6 he said, I have nothing but yet I possess all things. What? Paul, it doesn't make sense. I know to you it doesn't because it's incalculable by our standard. It does not make sense to the American mind. It conflicts with our value system because how can you have nothing but possess all things because we determine possessions based on this material world but Paul did not. He did determine it based on his comprehension of God, his knowledge of the Lord, his experience with the Savior. So with a flooded city and a leaking roof and a car that wouldn't start and bills that still need pain and a body that's aching and problems for which he can't see his way out of.

Paul would say, I know I don't have anything. Everything. Because I have him. I'm telling you the greatest measure of joy I've ever seen in the face of a human being was about five hours into a dusty desert in Kenya when there was a swarm of children probably between five and ten years old kicking an empty gallon milk jug because they didn't have a real soccer ball and as I watched them running and laughing and smiling God smoked my heart because here in America oh no I ain't doing that I ain't going to play unless I get the best shoes and a certain ball and at the field's wet or this and we'll pick it apart and we'll do this why? I'll tell you why because we bought into the ideals of consumerism and we're caught up in consumerism's child called materialism and the church is being robbed

of its power listen I don't have it all figured out I told you I'm wrestling with the word I preached to you What does our value system move us to pursue earthly gain or the glory of God because to have God is to have everything the dynamics of war are such that its burden engages far more than generals and trained soldiers alone President Roosevelt was confronted with unprecedented challenges in the early 1940s his fireside chats by radio reached into the home of every American family he appealed for a different way of life that was necessitated by the circumstances of the second world war the day was so different no modern news as we know it no smartphones no media messaging it didn't exist news simply did not travel then as it does now so perhaps it may have been easier for those who were removed by lands and oceans

to feel so far from the reality and burden of conflict that they could live their days unaffected by world events the president Roosevelt stepped into the homes of every American family by way of radio it was his intention to awaken the American population to their part in claiming victory the wartime mindset called for a heightened awareness a shared preparation by all people characterized by self-denial and the reallocation of resources the president challenged the American people saying and I quote it means cutting luxuries and other non-essentials in a word he says it means an all out war by individual effort and family effort in a united country simply put you can't get to entangled here the corporate victory demands the death of every self-centered desire your comfort doesn't mean as much as their salvation and the fact has demonstrated no clearer than by the Queen Mary

which sits today as a floating museum in the harbor in Long Beach, California during peacetime Queen Mary was built for comfort and the affluent guests who could afford its luxury but suddenly the demands of wartime required a radical reprioritization because comfort is not a value contended for during a conflict now efficiency matters effectiveness is required as a luxury cruise liner the Queen Mary's rooms were intended to hold three people but as a transport for soldiers in war they bunked a minimum of 12 men per room and tended to accommodate 3,200 people in luxury and comfort in its repurposed state ready for war it regularly transported up to 15,000 men to this day the Queen Mary still holds the world record for the most people on a single ship with 16,683 soldiers and crew anything but comfortable peacetime we seek comfort we pursue luxury

but when the demands of war are imposed upon us there is a clear call to action we must change wartime is the thing that demands a radical reprioritization of what we do how we do it and why we do it and in case you wonder how this interesting fact of history relates to us here this morning I want you to hear me we we are oh yes, yes I know it's a vastly different conflict than that of the 1940s but I would tell you as crazy as it might seem the consequences are far more costly I'm talking about eternity and Isaiah would say therefore hell hath enlarged herself and opened her mouth without measure I tell you today we're in a war we're in a war of eternal consequence this isn't games this is not a spiritual cruise ship this is not a little Sunday morning

no, no, no this is eternity we're talking about and while we sit here in a beautiful building with lives that for the most part are pretty comfortable even the poorest among us in this room is among the wealthiest in the world we can sit here in our comfort and forget there are millions of people who have not yet experienced biblical salvation this spiritual conflict that we can talk about raging on foreign soils is not just overseas but it's right here at our home broken marriages hurting families drug addiction, alcoholism, anger and greed spiritual wickedness false doctrines, lies with no joy no peace, no hope we have a hundred and six thousand reasons that are summoning us to the spiritual battlefield I know I'm as guilty as you I like comfort, I do I like things, I want it to be easy but I must confess to you

as a student of scripture in history penny cost is not a peacetime religion God's church has always thrived in adversity and so perhaps perhaps perhaps it is that the trouble that we hate is actually serving as our deliverance from the idolatry of our own comfort and covetousness perhaps then it is the absence of a problem and not the presence of one that should concern us listen, I know when you talk about money and stuff people get uneasy I haven't preached long enough to know but I'm not here today to give you parameters and percentages but I do rise to this pulpit to tell you I fear the church is being robbed of its power from the idolatry of the American dream you don't have to like me you can judge the word but I rise to this pulpit today to call out the covetousness that is hindering the progress

of the American church there is a calling greater than your career consumerism it might be good for the economy but it's terrible for your soul greed is a monster that can only be conquered by giving selfishness can only be subdued when you humble yourself to serve God serve his church and serve the lost and here Jesus sits with those esteemed disciples the ones who were entrusted with the revelation that would change the world he starts talking to them about another kingdom another set of values a different way of living it's so contrary to everyone around you and wouldn't you know in the middle of that revelatory discourse they get worried about things well Lord where where are we going to stay what are we going to wear what are we going to eat Jesus you know these are the things I'm worried about and speaking to his disciples

concern for things he simply says seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness almost like he was reached back to that first commandment thou shall have no other gods before me I'm telling you I've talked to the Lord this morning and I feel like I have a boldness by God like he said to Jeremiah to not be afraid of your faces there is a mandate imposed upon us by the mission that's at hand I know it's been a few months but does anyone remember what pastor said 20 months 20 months what is that it's the call of the general it's the voice of the shepherd echoing into the home of the saint saying we are at war it's not a time to be at ease in Zion it's not the hour to seek comfort for yourself war imposes upon us a way of living a moderation

a self denial oh you thought oh you thought pastor could do this by himself you thought the staff you thought a handful of leaders no no the general and the infantry cannot do it alone it required the uprising of the American population to join hands though they were removed though Moses goes to the mountain and you stay down you've got to stay in line with the vision yes they're going to go some places you can't go they will do some things you can't do but the president understood it takes the uprising of the American population to join hands with the army by means of production seek ye first the kingdom of God there is a calling higher than your career there are matters more important than your money there are possessions more worthy than your stuff stand with me now what are you saying I'm saying we're at war

it's not time to be at ease and the prophet Amos spoke to the people of God the new living translation says woe to them who lounge in luxury a false sense of security brought about by material gain and earthly comfort oh how dangerous it is to be deceived by riches we think well we must be blessed we have money we must be blessed a new car paid my mortgage my question is where are the miracles where's the glory my wife's in the middle of writing a book she was doing research on the old revival that swept Atlantic Canada they said men by the dozens would stand up in the back of pickup trucks and potato trucks and drive an hour down dirt roads because they heard about what was happening when the Holy Ghost was being poured out for the first volunteer to show up

at New Life on some Sunday morning and there are already be hosts of families lined up waiting to get in because they heard about what God did here the week before for your doctor to be sitting beside you a couple months from now because God took away what the doctor said would never go away I've not seen everything I want to see but I want it to be more than lyrics on that screen that sound good to be the value system I want more of him and if more of him means less here then let it be said of me like the writer of Hebrews said of them you joyfully watch the plundering of your possessions listen I'm not I'm really not a prophecy guy I'm not an end time guy but I've long felt that the only way the world will ever see a one

world economy was for the collapse of the American dollar and I'm not claiming to prophesy right now but as America isolates itself on the global scale and loses its international trading partners listen I don't want to be a bearer of bad news I'm not an economist but only 3% of the clothing sold in this country is made in this country and there ain't no way any man is going to move the production for clothing to this nation and the prices stay the same don't make sense the economist can't figure it out but I'm not an economist I'm just a preacher and it might very well be that God's going to do what he said he was going to do he's going to start shaking things until everything starts falling apart except the one thing that can't fall apart I want you to hear me

because the real intent of my message to you this morning is not even about money or the offerings that we give and I am not preaching against stuff and saying that we have to go without this is what I'm contending for for the re-prioritization of the values which drive us every day I want you to hear me we can give so much that we become proud of our own offering so the challenge of the spirit today is not just for your stuff because you can give your stuff and still serve yourself God's demand upon us at wartime is a mindset that says I will give myself he doesn't just want your money you ought to pay your ties you ought to keep giving because we're about to pay the mortgage off you don't just want your money he wants you oh you you think we're going to have a thousand people

just because pastor went on another fast oh no no no no no no the voice has got to echo into the home of every family where they hear the word cut out the unnecessary remove the non-essential get rid of the luxury oh god I've sat in planning meetings for organizational conferences they're talking about offerings and goals you want a million dollar offering you've got 34,000 people here you do realize that's like 30 something dollars a person oh I know but they're kids and they paid to get here oh yeah I know they pay for a lot of other junk too like $10 Starbucks drinks I know but you know they've already given so much to give here oh I know yeah so in between services why don't you just walk through the corridor of that conference and take note of how many of this brand you see and that brand you see

you say are you shaming people oh I'm not trying to get in anybody's business I'm not going to give you percentages and no I'm just asking you to get honest with God I'm not preaching against stuff I like stuff I like suits I like shoes but I can tell you in the fear of God that my greatest investment both with my time and my money at the conclusion of the calendar year it won't be the house I live in the car I drive or the clothes I wear it's going to be in the kingdom he told Abram Abram you're exceeding great reward you said you were going to give me Isaac oh I am but Isaac the possession the promise was only in the incentive I spoke into your heart to cause you to pursue me the goal was never for you to serve Isaac

it was to serve me Abraham Isaac is only the blessing I'm the reward what are you saying your house, your car, your clothes all that stuff it's just the peripheral blessing the real reward is him but I'm concerned I'm concerned that the American church might not really believe that I know I'm preaching to a church that has sacrificed immensely and I'll honor you for it but the sacrifice of this season we're about to pay off the mortgage church but our sacrifice can all be limited to money it's not just a mortgage payment it's not just a mission Sunday our lives have to be saturated with spiritual purpose and when I was in one of those services where God was asking for sacrifice why I was on my knees crying God if I just had it to give I would you know God I'd give it

I'll give everything if I had it to give God spoke to me he said I know you would but you don't and the reason you don't have it to give is because the things that you did not pursue and even that is sacrifice in my eyes I don't really have a fancy ending I'm just concerned that we could miss the season of our visitation because I know I got a budget I got an excel sheet and I've been working on it because I know when the mortgage is paid that's a line a pretty drastic line that changes and there's something that rises up that says well it's going to get good now comfort's coming back and I feel the Holy Ghost I don't know if that's the way you're supposed to live so if you're here and you just got some things you need to work through

if you want to wrestle with the Word of God today if you maybe you don't even know where to begin but you just want more of God these altars are open I wonder what our mission is going to look like when we don't have a mortgage payment anymore I wonder who will give to where will we build buildings where will we build Bible schools what missionaries will we send what church planners will we help you said I thought it was just getting good now it's not peace time it's war time at new life 106,000 souls crying out we're in a conflict with hell hell has enlarged its mouth all the borders of hell are ever expanding the devices of the devil are always at work the church cannot be at ease in Zion