The End of Your Faith

I'm so honored to be back at Arkansas International Camp Meeting. I want to give high honor to a man who's been a friend, a true friend to me. Pastor Holmes has been a rock in my life and I want to say I love you and I thank you for everything you've done for me. He and Sister Holmes are incredible leaders, obviously, for this church. You can see what God has done and the way this church is moving forward and I want to say we appreciate your leadership and I also want to give honor to the Bishop who has been so good to me, standing in the gap for me, helping me, praying for me, instructing me. I love you. I thank you. I'm thankful for this church, the spirit of excellence that is in this church and all that you do, your hospitality, your music, preaching, everything this church does, it does with excellence. So, we thank you very much. Thank you What incredible preaching we have heard already from the first night, Brother Tuttle preaching one of the most impactful and life-changing messages I've ever heard in all of my life. Followed up by Brother Patrick who has never ever ever missed as long as I've known him. We love him and then last night was just amazing as it always is by the Bishop. I thank God for what he's doing. You're going to hear some incredible preaching tonight and tomorrow night. Some of the greatest preachers in Pentecost, Brother Marks, Brother Urshan, Brother Fish are going to be preaching to you. And I am in the safest place I could be and that's right there in the middle. And so, I do thank God for that this morning. As you turn to Hebrews chapter 11, also missing my wife, my kids. We had our fourth child, our first girl, last month and so, she is home taking care of that. And we're figuring things out. I'm trying to figure out if I'm still the head of the household or if that little baby girl is now. Not sure how that works. Also glad to have my brother Clark here with me. Brian's here. We got some saints from Buford. So glad all of y'all I really believe and I I do not make a habit of saying this, but I believe specifically for this service, God has given me something that I'm to deliver to you. This is something I've not preached. And I was tossing and turning last night trying to pray that God would help his words to be in my mouth. My prayer above all else has been that God would use me to help his church. No matter what it looks like or sounds like, if it helps his church, that's what I want. I want to by the help of God give you something that will last. Hebrews chapter 11 and verse number one says, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good report. Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God. So, the things which are made or seen were not made of things which do appear." Let's skip down to verse number six. It says, "But without faith, it is impossible." Everybody say impossible. It is impossible to please him. For he that cometh to God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." You cannot reach him without faith.

Luke 22 and 31 quickly on the screen, Jesus speaks and says this, "Simon, Simon, Satan hath desired to have you that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for thee that thy faith fail not." That Peter, if you're going to make it, you're going to have to hold on to your faith. I want to make a statement that I will not give context for until later in this message. That is this. Everyone's faith has an ending point. And the place where your faith ends depends upon the foundation on which you choose to build your faith. What I intend to preach to you today is a message that is born not out of the re-examining of my faith, but of the re-examining the foundation upon which it had been built. I want to be vulnerable with you today. Tell you that I faced some things in the last few years that have tested my faith. I'm not going to preach about myself today, but I do want to quickly give you some context. During this time, I watched my father who was bar none the greatest man and Christian I've ever known, lose his mind to dementia a day at a time after giving his heart and soul to the kingdom of God for his entire life. Many said that he would live and yet he died. When he died, I saw people lose out with God wondering how such a terrible thing could happen to such a great man. When we lost him, it was like the floodgates opened. Precious saints, young and old, began to die one after the other in our church. This past November, our church building burnt to the ground. We're still not sure of what we're doing next. There's been a number of other things and I'm not here to complain, but the point is I had two options. I could conclude that God must hate me and that I must not have enough faith to change our situation. Or I could examine my faith to make sure that it was properly placed. Now, when I did this, I found that I had been using faith or trying to use faith to do things it was never intended to do. I found I'd been trying to utilize faith to get my way. Through this process, God has given me something that I want to try to give to you today if you'll help me. I want to preach to you about the end of your faith. The end of your faith. Would you lift your hands all over this house? God, you know how desperately I need you today. I need your help. I need your strength. Bring clarity to my mind. Touch my lips, Lord. Let me speak every word I should say and not speak a single word I should not say. Let my words be clear. Let your word be in my mouth. Let every heart and mind be receptive to what you desire to do. By the power of your word and your spirit, we glorify you. We honor you, Jesus, and we give you praise. Would you clap your hands and give him praise all I want to begin by drawing your attention to Luke chapter 4 where Jesus is preaching his first message in the hometown synagogue where he grew up. For the first time, his friends and neighbors are seeing him as more than a carpenter. For no carpenter ever spake words such as Jesus spake on this day. As he begins to teach, they are enraptured by what they hear until he begins to challenge their established thinking. Jesus states that he knows they've been wanting him to work miracles for them and that they're wondering why he's been choosing to work miracles for outsiders instead of in the town where he grew up. He then speaks of two of the miracles of their fathers. He reminds them how in time of great famine, Elijah passed by every widow of Israel and instead worked a miracle for a gentile widow of Zarephath. Reminds them also that Elisha had bypassed every leper in Israel and instead worked a miracle for a man who was a Syrian, Naaman, who was an enemy of Israel. Now, immediately there was a shift. The

crowd becomes filled with rage. So much so that they grabbed Jesus. They dragged him out of the synagogue up to the edge of a cliff trying to throw him down and kill him. Seems that they were angry over something that has made many people angry since then. Jesus was not aligning himself with their expectations. His power and his miracles would not go to those who men decided were the most deserving. But Jesus would work whenever and however and for whomever he wanted. As the events of this day have unfolded roughly 100 miles away, the man who had been Jesus' greatest follower sits languishing in a prison cell. John had turned his back on worldly comforts. He'd worn camel's hair. He'd ate locust and wild honey. He lived in the desert with nothing for the sake of Jesus. He'd prepared the way of the Lord. He'd baptized Jesus himself. He was Jesus' own cousin. But somehow the man that Jesus himself called the greatest ever born of woman is seemingly forgotten as Jesus begins to work miracles for others who have never even followed him a day in their life. See, John the Baptist has questions. And he seems to be getting no answers. John the Baptist has desires and expectations as every man does. Seems likely, if you'll allow me the liberty, it seems likely that John had imagined that he'd be right there with Jesus as he began his ministry. No one was more qualified than the man that had prepared the way. No doubt John would be with him all the way through. John would be there to reap the rewards of his faithfulness in preaching repentance throughout the land. John would be there to share in the triumphs of Jesus' ministry. He'd He'd be there TO SEE ALL THAT GOD would do. But what John doesn't know yet is that he won't get to walk with Jesus. He won't ever be one of his disciples. What John doesn't know yet is that his work is nearly done. What John doesn't know yet is that his final test will not be a test of his understanding, but it will be a test of his faith. John, can you be faithful when you do not understand? Can you be faithful when you desire a miracle and a miracle never comes? Can you be faithful when it seems you deserve TO BE AT THE FRONT OF THE LINE FOR favor and yet favor never comes your way? Can you be faithful WHEN YOU FIND that your desires and God's desires are not the same thing? I want to ask you this morning, what was the problem with John's faith? Jesus himself said in John 14 and 14, "If he shall ASK ANYTHING IN MY NAME, I will do it." Jesus said in Matthew 21 and 22, "And all things" Does everybody say all things? "And all things WHATSOEVER YOU SHALL ASK IN PRAYER BELIEVING, you shall receive." I WOULD ASK JOHN, "Do you not believe?" JOHN, CAN'T YOU JUST HOPE A LITTLE HARDER? WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU, JOHN? OF COURSE, WE MUST understand that NO MATTER HOW HARD JOHN believed or how hard he hoped, John was not coming out of prison because IT WAS NOT THE WILL of God that he come out. Now, lifted out of the context of the word of God, I would agree that the previous verses do intend to appear to me and that we can make any demand of God and he must comply. Without context, I could take those verses and I could demand to be the king of England and it must be so. But we use scripture to interpret scripture. And scripture makes it very clear that those promises only apply when our requests are in line with the will of First John 5 and 14 says, "And this is the confidence that we have in him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us. That if we ask it according to his will, he heareth us." I want you to hear me. This is why the

prosperity gospel and the name it and claim it doctrine is SO DESTRUCTIVE TO GOD'S CHURCH. THEY LIE TO PEOPLE AND TELL THEM IF YOU DON'T GET WHAT YOU WANT, THE PROBLEM IS WITH YOUR FAITH. I WANT TO TELL YOU GOD'S NOT MAKING A HABIT OF DOING EVERYTHING WE WANT, BUT WE'VE GOT TO GET OUR DESIRES IN ALIGNMENT WITH HIS DESIRES. WE'VE GOT TO LEARN TO SAY, "GOD, NOT MY WILL, BUT It's not a sovereign's God It's NOT A SOVEREIGN GOD'S JOB TO ALIGN HIMSELF WITH MY EXPECTATIONS. I've got to align myself with his will. When it says HE'LL GIVE YOU THE DESIRES OF YOUR HEART, it refers to a heart that is already submitted to his will. Surely you don't think God would ever give a carnal heart what it desires because it desires sin. But when you get your heart in line, God will give you your request. When you trust in him and you learn to desire things that are in alignment with his will, GOD WILL ALWAYS GRANT YOUR PETITION. I want to tell you the moment we are praying and we begin to make demands of God that are not in alignment with his will, then we have ceased to pray and we have begun to try to bend God to our will and our expectations. James was James was saying James 4 and 3, "Ye ask and receive not. Why?" Not because your faith is not enough, because you're misusing it. Because you're asking amiss that you may consume it upon your lust. YOU'RE NOT ASKING FOR WHAT God wants. You're asking for what you want. I want to tell you you can lay your hand on that new Lamborghini and claim it all you want. YOU CAN SPEAK THE NAME OF JESUS WHILE YOU DO IT, BUT UNLESS GOD WANTS TO GIVE IT TO YOU, YOU'RE WASTING YOUR TIME AND YOUR BREATH. YOU'RE NOT PRAYING. YOU'RE TRYING TO ALIGN HIMSELF To ask in his name is more than just speaking his name. Just as to believe in his name is more than just speaking his name. But to ask in his name is to be in alignment with the will and desire and character of THE GOD WHO GAVE you his name. You've got to be in alignment. So we must understand that faith is not the ability to twist God's arm. Faith is more than the power of positive thinking. It's not wording your prayer just right to convince God to see things your way. There's times you can pray AS HARD AS YOU WANT AND USE WHATEVER WORDS YOU WANT AND YOU STILL WILL NOT GET THE OUTCOME THAT YOU DESIRE. THIS is what John must understand in prison. In this moment, having faith means more than just believing for freedom. John wants an answer. John wants to understand. But in this moment, Jesus requires him to simply believe. JOHN'S GREATEST BATTLE WILL NOT BE WITH THE DEVIL, BUT HIS GREATEST battle will BE TO HOLD ON TO his faith when faith is not given the results that he wants. I want TO POINT OUT JOHN'S FAITH WAS NOT MEANT TO BE UTILIZED TO CALL DOWN ANGELS TO DELIVER HIM OR TO SMITE THE GUARDS WITH BLINDNESS OR TO CALL DOWN AN EARTHQUAKE TO SHAKE THAT PRISON AND LET HIM BE RELEASED, BUT JOHN'S FAITH IS MEANT TO HELP HIM DIE Hebrews chapter 11 is the scripture upon which we primarily base our concept of what faith is. There are many others that tell us what faith can do, but this one tells us what it is. That it is the substance of or the becoming of things that we hope for. That it is the evidence of things we cannot see and cannot understand without faith. We see this quality in Abraham who was called the father of the faithful. Genesis 15 gives us the first mention of faith in the Bible as Abraham had faith and believed God. It is important to recognize that he did not base his belief upon the words that God said so much as on the God that spoke those words. And that's an important distinction when it comes to having faith. Abraham did not just believe this singular promise of God,

but he believed God and therefore he would BELIEVE ALL THAT GOD SAID AND ALL THAT GOD DID. AND I WANT TO POINT OUT HIS FAITH WAS NOT IRRATIONAL. IT'S NOT WHAT FAITH IS. It's based upon something. It's not irrational. IT'S IT'S MUCH MORE THAN JUST A WISH. HIS FAITH was based upon the character of God. He could look back and remember God had kept Abraham when he left Ur. God was with him when he left Haran. God had blessed him in Egypt. God had protected him when Lot was taken by the five kings. Abraham could believe God because Abraham knew God. And this is important. It is not enough to know about God. We must know God. It is not enough to come to church and be raised around people that KNOW GOD. IT'S NOT ENOUGH TO HEAR SERMONS ABOUT HIM AND TO BE TAUGHT DOCTRINE ABOUT HIM. ULTIMATELY, YOU'VE GOT TO DIG DOWN DEEP AND SAY, "LORD, I WANT TO KNOW YOU. I WANT TO KNOW YOUR WORD. I WANT TO KNOW YOUR WAY. I WANT TO KNOW YOUR DESIRES AND YOUR EXPECTATION I THANK GOD today for the doctrines and teachings that my parents put in me. For I could not be saved without them. MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE, I'M THANKFUL FOR THE real tangible bedrock of rock solid belief and FAITH THAT THEIR WALK WITH GOD INSTILLED IN ME. WHEN I GOT TO WATCH THEM LIVE FOR GOD IN THE TOUGH TIMES AND AND THEY INVOLVED ME IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD. THIS GAVE ME ROOTS THAT TEACHING ALONE COULD NOT GIVE. I I DIDN'T JUST HEAR IT PREACHED, BUT I'M TELLING YOU I SAW IT LIVED DAY AFTER DAY AFTER DAY. I SAW IT LIVED ON THE MOUNTAINS AND IN THE VALLEYS OF LIFE. I I SAW IT LIVED IN GOOD TIMES AND IN BAD TIMES AND IT CREATED A FOUNDATION OF I WANT TO TELL YOU THAT FAITH will keep you when nothing else can. FAITH WILL CARRY YOU WHEN YOU DON'T HAVE THE ANSWERS AND WHEN YOUR understanding fails. We always want answers. There's many of us that would do anything for God if he just tell us how it would go. We always WANT THE ANSWERS. WE WANT TO KNOW EVERYTHING GOD'S GOING TO DO AND WHY AND HOW, BUT CAN I TELL YOU THIS IS VIRTUALLY NEVER HIS WAY. SOMETIMES YOU'LL GET A WORD, BUT IT WILL BE RARE. IT WILL NOT COME OFTEN. MOST OF THE TIME YOU'RE GOING to have to walk forward in faith. I want to build upon this statement that there is an order in God's kingdom and his perfect order is that faith goes first. It always precedes understanding. This is not something I made up. This is the order given in the word. From the very first use of faith the word tells us that Abram went out not knowing whither he went. God didn't explain it all. He just said, "Go." And when Abraham went, we have no NO RECORD OF GOD CONTINUING to talk. He just had to continue to walk in the direction God had sent him. He had TO GO IN FAITH AND KNOW THAT IF I JUST LET FAITH LEAD THE WAY, SOMEWHERE UNDERSTANDING IS GOING TO FOLLOW BEHIND. SOMEWHERE I'LL KNOW WHY GOD TOLD ME TO DO WHAT HE SAID, BUT BUT UNTIL UNDERSTANDING CATCHES UP, I'M JUST GOING Solomon understood this concept. CONSIDER THAT THE WISEST MAN IN THE WORLD tells us of the folly of wisdom and the greatness of faith. In Proverbs 3 and 5 when he says, "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thine own understanding." TO THOSE WHO ALWAYS WANT THE ANSWERS, I WANT YOU TO CONSIDER A MAN much wiser THAN ANY OF US SAID, "DON'T LEAN ON YOUR OWN UNDERSTANDING. YOU GOT TO HAVE FAITH. TRUST IN HIM WITH ALL YOUR HEART. IN ALL YOUR WAYS ACKNOWLEDGE HIM AND HE SHALL DIRECT THY PATH." YOU DON'T HAVE TO FIGURE OUT THE WAY TO GO. FAITH WILL LEAD YOU. UNDERSTANDING WILL FOLLOW, BUT YOU GOT JESUS taught this same principle. When the Jews marveled at his teachings in John 7

John 7 and 17 he said, "If any man do his will, the will of God he shall know of the doctrine. Do his will, then you'll know. Do his will, then you'll understand whether it be of God or whether I speak of myself." He's saying again, "If you take action first, then you'll know the doctrine." And so I want to tell you, you want to know, then do. You want to understand, then walk in faith. THAT'S THE ONLY WAY TO FIND UNDERSTANDING IN GOD'S KINGDOM. THE KINGDOM DOESN'T COME BY OBSERVATION. YOU YOU'VE GOT TO INVOLVE YOURSELF. YOU GOT NOW, IN THE world it's exactly the opposite. Remember this kingdom is an upside down kingdom. In the world, understanding and knowledge always go first. And when you understand or you know something or it's been proven to you, well, then you go forward. Your belief system follows what has been proven to you and what you know for sure. The world says, "Seeing is believing. You show me and then I'll believe and then I'll walk." But in the kingdom, it's backwards. BELIEVING CAUSES YOU TO SEE. WALKING IN FAITH CAUSES YOU TO UNDERSTAND. YOU CANNOT EVER UNDERSTAND EXCEPT YOU LEARN TO WALK. EXCEPT YOU This is a battle every single one of us fights. It is a natural part of our HUMAN MIND TO GRASP FOR KNOWLEDGE and understanding. WE WANT ANSWERS AND WE SHOULD SEEK TO understand and to know the ways of God. I I'M NOT EXALTING WILLFUL IGNORANCE. You should be able to explain him and his ways, but again, there is an order. And he wants to build your faith first. One of the primary tools that Jesus used to build faith. Make sure you catch this. One of the primary tools that Jesus used to build the faith of his followers was the miracles that he worked. In John chapter 6, Jesus has just worked the miracle of the loaves and fishes. He crosses the sea at night, leaves his followers behind. The next day he finds they followed him across the sea. They've loaded up in boats and followed him. It seems to be a wonderful thing that they are SO INTENT ON FOLLOWING, but Jesus reveals that they're following for the wrong reason. In John 6 and 26 he says, "Ye seek me not because you saw the miracles, but because you did eat of the loaves and were filled." In other words, I gave you miracles that you MIGHT LEARN TO FOLLOW ME WITHOUT A MIRACLE. THAT YOU MIGHT LEARN HOW TO FOLLOW ME IN FAITH, BUT INSTEAD YOU'RE STILL WALKING IN NATURAL UNDERSTANDING. He said, "THE FOOD I GAVE YOU PROVOKED YOU TO SEEK ME IN THE NATURAL AND THIS IS OUT OF ORDER." HE SAID, "LABOR NOT FOR THE meat which perisheth, but for the meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of Man shall give you, for him hath God the Father sealed." THAT THAT YOU'VE GOT TO LABOR FOR THE SPIRITUAL MEAT. THEY'RE FOLLOWING HIM FOR THE NATURAL. THEY WANT FOOD. THEY WANT FINANCIAL BLESSINGS. THEY WANT THEIR NATURAL MEAT NEEDS MET, BUT JESUS IS TRYING TO PICK THEM UP AND MOVE THEM BEYOND THE NATURAL. HE'S TRYING TO SHOW THEM THERE'S SOMETHING HIGHER THAN YOUR NATURAL NEEDS AND YOUR NATURAL UNDERSTANDING. THERE'S A KINGDOM ABOVE I WANT YOU TO CATCH THIS. AND SAID THEY UNTO HIM, "WHAT SHALL WE DO THAT BE THAT WE MIGHT WORK the works of God?" We need to know the answer to this question. What is the key to doing the will and the work of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, "This is the work of God. Here's the pinnacle, that you believe on him whom he has sent." I want you to catch it. Here is the miracle. HERE'S THE GOAL. NOT THAT YOU GET YOUR BELLY FULL OF BREAD. NOT THAT YOU GET YOUR BILLS PAID. NOT EVEN THAT YOU GET YOUR MIRACLE. THE ULTIMATE PINNACLE IS THAT YOU BELIEVE AND THAT YOU BE SAVED AND THAT YOU FOLLOW HIM. THAT YOU SAY, "HEY, IF EVERYTHING'S NEVER LIKE I WANTED IT, LORD, I'M GOING TO FOLLOW YOU. I'M NOT FOLLOWING YOU FOR NATURAL MEAT, BUT I'M FOLLOWING YOU FOR SPIRITUAL MEAT. I'M FOLLOWING YOU CUZ YOU'RE THE ONLY ONE THAT CAN SAVE MY SOUL.

COME ON, WOULD YOU CLAP YOUR HANDS AND GIVE GOD PRAISE? COME ON, HE WANTS TO DELIVER SOME PEOPLE OUT OF THE NATURAL TODAY. HE WANTS TO LIFT YOU UP. HE WANTS TO ELEVATE YOUR THE miracles were simply a tool to build their faith and to help them believe. this is the way that God has always worked. HE COULD HAVE BROUGHT ISRAEL OUT OF EGYPT IN A MOMENT, but he plagued Egypt and parted the sea for Israel that his people might believe. IT WASN'T ABOUT EGYPT. EXODUS 4 AND 5 LETS US KNOW IT WAS THAT ISRAEL MIGHT BELIEVE. GOD WAS TRYING TO BUILD THEIR FAITH. WASN'T ABOUT EGYPT. HE COULD HAVE BROUGHT JERICHO DOWN IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE, but he put them through a process that they might learn to believe. HE LETS LAZARUS DIE AND LOOKS at his DISCIPLES AND SAID HE'S GLAD THAT HE LET HIM DO IT, THAT HE WASN'T THERE TO SAVE HIM. WHY? Because he intends to use the miracle to help them believe. He's letting THEM KNOW THERE'S SOMETHING MORE IMPORTANT THAN WHETHER WHETHER OR NOT LAZARUS DIES. THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS THAT I CAN BUILD YOUR FAITH. THERE'S COUNTLESS BIBLICAL EXAMPLES we could go to. This is the point. Miracles are not the pinnacle of walking with God. I've seen many people fall away because ultimately they put their faith IN A CERTAIN DESIRED OUTCOME more than they put it in God. And when they didn't get their outcome, they didn't GET THEIR HEALING, THEIR FINANCIAL NEED WAS NOT MET, SOME TERRIBLE TRAGEDY HAPPENED, THEIR FAITH WAS DESTROYED BECAUSE THEY BEGAN TO believe that either they didn't have enough faith or that God was not faithful. THE REALITY IS true faith recognizes that God knows best and learns to accept whatever he decides. IT IS EXCEPTIONALLY IMPORTANT that you understand what I'm preaching to you today. A miracle is not a lifetime achievement award. A MIRACLE IS NOT A STAMP OF APPROVAL BY GOD THAT YOU'VE BEEN A GOOD CHRISTIAN. I can't tell you how many times I've seen PEOPLE ALLOW THEIR FAITH TO BE SHAKEN BECAUSE GOD DIDN'T GIVE A MIRACLE FOR SOMEONE THEY DECIDED DESERVED ONE. But God may heal a heathen and allow a DISCIPLE TO DIE. MIRACLES never once in your Bible do you get to pick what you get from God. Miracles are not promised as a reward of the righteous. The salvation is the reward of the righteous. THERE'S ONE GOAL IN MIND AND THAT'S THAT WE ARE SAVED AND WE MAKE IT TO BE WITH HIM. IT'S NOT THE REWARD JUST FOR DOING GOOD. MIRACLES ARE NOT TRANSACTIONAL where if we've been faithful, we get TO DEMAND THE MIRACLE THAT WE DESIRE AND GOD MUST CAPITULATE TO WHAT WE WANT. But that kind of thinking changes our relationship with God into a rewards based system where if I do GOOD SPIRITUALLY, THEN I DEMAND TO BE PAID FOR MY GOOD DEEDS IN THE NATURAL. WE UNDERSTAND, don't misinterpret me. God wants to give good things to his people. God will bless you in the natural, BUT THAT'S NOT THE PINNACLE OF LIVING for him. HE MAY GIVE YOU A MIRACLE OR HE MAY NOT, BUT IF YOU'LL JUST BE FAITHFUL, YOUR GREATEST REWARD IS WAITING FOR YOU ON THE OTHER SIDE. THERE'S A PLACE CALLED GLORY THAT GOD WANTS TO BRING YOU TO AND WHATEVER HE HAS TO GIVE YOU OR NOT GIVE YOU IN ORDER TO HELP YOU BE SAVED, HE'S GOING TO DO ULTIMATELY, we must understand every single decision that God makes concerning us is driven by his love for us. IF HE DOES NOT GIVE YOU WHAT YOU ASKED FOR, it's not because he does not care about you. It's not because HE DOESN'T SEE YOU AND DOES NOT LOVE YOU, BUT BUT HE'S LOOKING AT THE WHOLE PICTURE. HE HE KNOWS THE EFFECT OF EVERY ACTION AND INACTION ON THE KINGDOM. THERE'S A REASON FOR EVERYTHING HE DOES DO AND HE DOES NOT DO. WE GOT TO PUT MIRACLES IN THEIR proper

place in God's kingdom. They have many layers and motivations, but they have a primary purpose that is always there in every miracle. And that is this. A miracle is primarily a tool used by God to create belief. In Matthew 9, Jesus comes home. As he arrives, they bring to him a paralytic man laying on a stretcher. Scripture says Jesus seeing their faith looked down on the man and said, "Son, be of good cheer, thy sins be forgiven thee." Now notice they brought him to be healed, but instead Jesus forgave his sins. The unbelieving scribes standing nearby become angry. Jesus reading their anger says this in Matthew 9 and 5. He said, "For whether is easier to say, 'Thy sins be forgiven thee' or arise and walk?" Notice what he's saying is the greater miracle. The greater miracle is that he forgave sin. But the next verse says, "But that ye may know" Here's why I'm working this miracle. "But that ye may know that the SON OF MAN HATH POWER ON EARTH TO FORGIVE SINS." THEN HE THEN SAITH HE TO THE MAN SICK OF THE PALSY, "ARISE, TAKE UP THY BED AND GO UNTO THINE HOUSE." I WANT YOU TO GET THIS. HE HEALS THE MAN SICK OF THE PALSY NOT BECAUSE HE NEEDED A MIRACLE. HE HEALS HIM NOT AS A REWARD FOR ANYTHING HE'D DONE. BUT the scripture says Jesus healed him to create belief in the hearts of those around him. THE HIGHEST PINNACLE OF WHAT CAN be achieved as a result of a healing is not even the healing itself. But the greatest result is that you'd have greater faith, a deeper level of belief. The greatest result WOULD BE THAT THE MIRACLE WOULD WOULD PROVOKE YOU TO FOLLOW HIM IN FAITH THAT YOU MIGHT BE I KNOW WE WE LOVE MIRACLES. I LOVE MIRACLES. I've been a recipient of many miracles AND I THANK GOD FOR EVERY ONE. WE WE LOVE THEM BECAUSE THEY GIVE US WHAT WE WANT AND THEY ALSO BUILD OUR FAITH AND THAT'S RIGHT. THAT'S THE PURPOSE. IT'S TO BUILD OUR FAITH. ALL THAT IS WELL AND GOOD in proper perspective. A miracle should build faith and help you believe, but we should never require a miracle from God in order to believe. Miracles are meant to help us step out in more faith and not just have an amount of faith that is directly proportional to the miracles we have received and personally observed. If you require God to prove himself through a miracle every time you take a step, you're not walking in faith. But if he does give you a miracle, well now there's a measure of understanding what God can do that God has added in your life. He He's trying TO BUILD YOUR FAITH, BUT WHEN HE BUILDS YOUR FAITH, THERE IS AN EXPECTATION THAT COMES with great faith. And that is that as he adds understanding, THEN FAITH should be multiplied. FAITH SHOULD NEVER BE SHACKLED TO YOUR UNDERSTANDING, BUT WHEN GOD GIVES YOU A MIRACLE, IT'S MEANT TO BREAK THE CHAINS BETWEEN FAITH AND UNDERSTANDING WHERE FAITH RUNS FAR AHEAD AND YOU SAY, "I MAY NOT HAVE SEEN HIM DO IT JUST LIKE THIS BEFORE, BUT HE'S WORKED IN THE PAST AND I BELIEVE HE CAN DO ANYTHING." COME ON, DOES ANYBODY BELIEVE WHAT I'M PREACHING TO YOU TODAY? HE CAN DO If he healed me from a headache, I DON'T LET MY FAITH BE LIMITED TO ONLY WHAT I'VE SEEN HIM HEAL SPECIFICALLY. IN OTHER WORDS, I DON'T JUST BELIEVE HE CAN HEAL A HEADACHE, BUT IF HE BELIEVES HE CAN HEAL ME OF A HEADACHE, I BELIEVE HE CAN HEAL ME OF CANCER. I I BELIEVE HE CAN HEAL ME OF COGNITIVE DISEASE. I BELIEVE HE CAN DO ANYTHING. COME ON, THIS IS WHAT DAVID WAS SAYING. HE SAID, "YOU HELPED ME KILL A LION AND A BEAR. I BELIEVE A GIANT WILL BE NO DIFFERENT. MY FAITH IS NOT SHACKLED TO ONLY THE THINGS I'VE SEEN YOU DO, BUT I BELIEVE YOU CAN MOVE ANY MOUNTAIN. I BELIEVE YOU CAN MAKE ANY WAY. I BELIEVE YOU CAN ALWAYS GIVE VICTORY." COME ON, YOU NEED TO STOP LIMITING HIS POWER BY THE LAST THING YOU SAW HIM DO. ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE. ANYTHING IS So we thank God for miracles. The way they build our faith. But again, MIRACLES ARE NOT WHY WE FOLLOW HIM.

MATTHEW 6 AND 33 SAID, seek you first the kingdom OF GOD AND HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS. AND ALL THESE THINGS, THESE EARTHLY THINGS, THE THESE NEEDS THAT WE CAN BECOME SO OBSESSED WITH, ALL THESE THINGS WILL BE ADDED UNTO YOU. THEN IF YOU PURSUE THE KINGDOM, God will give you earthly blessings along the way. I I WANT TO MAKE SURE I KNOW I'VE GIVEN A FEW CAVEATS ALREADY. I I WANT TO MAKE SURE I'M NOT MISUNDERSTOOD. GOD DESIRES TO BLESS US AND GIVE US GOOD THINGS in this life. HE IS MOTIVATED BY HIS LOVE FOR US. HE'S FAITHFUL TO US. I'M NOT PREACHING A POVERTY DOCTRINE TO YOU. I'M SAYING IT MATTERS WHAT YOU'RE PURSUING and why. You've got to make sure you're seeking the right thing. Jesus said, signs would follow us. We don't follow them. If you find yourself chasing miracles instead of chasing the miracle worker, YOU ARE IN DANGER OF BEING LED AWAY INTO Deuteronomy 13, God warns that if a prophet arises with signs and WONDERS AND THE SIGNS AND WONDERS COME TRUE, BUT HIS DOCTRINE is wrong. He said, you better put him away, kill him, get him out OF THE LAND. DON'T BELIEVE HIS WORDS. DON'T BE AFRAID OF WHAT HE SAYS. HE'S LETTING THEM KNOW, YOU BETTER BELIEVE MY WORD MORE THAN THE MIRACLE OR YOU'RE GOING TO BE LED PAUL TOLD US IN GALATIANS 1, IF AN ANGEL APPEARS unto you, but the angel speaks false doctrine, let him be accursed. IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT YOU SEE OR WHAT YOU FEEL. IF HIS WORDS DON'T LINE UP WITH THE WORD, LET HIM BE ACCURSED. WE TRUST THE WORD ABOVE YOU CAN'T BE LED BY A FEELING. YOU CAN'T WE SEE A BACKSLID KING SAUL prophesying in 1 Samuel 19. WE SEE THE MAGICIANS OF PHARAOH MOMENTARILY MATCHING Moses miracle for miracle in Exodus chapter 7 and chapter 8. WE SEE SIMON THE SORCERER BEWITCHING THE PEOPLE OF GOD WITH WITCHCRAFT, BUT THEY THINK HE SPEAKS AS THE ORACLE OF GOD. IN REVELATION 13, THE FALSE PROPHET HAS POWER TO CALL DOWN FIRE OUT OF HEAVEN. AND CHAPTER 13 AND 14 SAYS, and deceiveth them that dwell in the earth. How? By the means of those miracles that he had power to do. You just examine your heart. Can you withstand a miracle that is combined with false doctrine? IF YOU'VE GOT THE GUTS AND THE FAITH TO STAND ON THE WORD OF GOD, NO MATTER WHAT YOU SEE AND WHAT YOU FEEL, to say THE WORD IS EXALTED ABOVE ALL. I'M TRYING TO TELL YOU MIRACLES ARE MEANT TO BUILD YOUR FAITH, BUT THEY'RE NOT THE FOUNDATION NOR THE PINNACLE OF YOUR FAITH. WE ARE BUILT UPON THE WORD OF GOD. AND EVERY GIFT, EVERY PROPHECY, EVERY MIRACLE, EVERY DOCTRINE, EVERY MAN IS ULTIMATELY SUBJECT TO THE WORD OF GOD. THERE'S NOBODY THAT RANKS ABOVE THIS BOOK. THERE'S NO SIGN OR WONDER IF YOU'RE JUST led by your natural understanding, your natural UNDERSTANDING CAN BE OBLITERATED BY A FALSE PROPHET. BUT if you put your faith in the word of God, the word will keep you safe. This word is more sure than signs and wonders. I want you to know you cannot live for God based on I need a sign. That can't be your belief system. I need a sign. THAT CAN'T BE WHAT YOUR FAITH IS BUILT UPON. WE DON'T SEEK A SIGN. WE Mark 8 and 12 said in his side deeply in his spirit, see the frustration of Jesus. He side deeply in his spirit and saith, WHY DOES THIS GENERATION SEEK A SIGN? Verily I say unto you, there shall NO SIGN be given unto this generation. Then if you just follow him for a sign, eventually he's got to shut the signs down. BUT IF YOU FOLLOW HIM FOR HIM, HE'S FREE TO DO ANYTHING HE WANTS FOR YOU. HE SAID, YOU DON'T seek me for a sign. MATTHEW 16 AND 4, HE SAID A WICKED AND ADULTEROUS GENERATION SEEKETH AFTER A SIGN. JOHN 4 AND 48, THEN SAID JESUS UNTO HIM, EXCEPT YOU SEE SIGNS AND WONDERS, YOU WILL NOT BELIEVE. HE HE'D BEEN IN

SAMARIA WHERE THEY BELIEVED ON HIM FOR THE SAKE OF HIM, BUT HE'S BACK WITH HIS BRETHREN AND HE KNOWS, UNLESS I WORK MIRACLES, YOU'LL NEVER BELIEVE. YOU'LL I'M NOT PREACHING AGAINST miracles and wonders. Again, I'm just preaching they're not There's a consistent frustration we can observe in Jesus when miracles don't produce the faith needed to then follow him without a miracle. John 7, Jesus and his brethren headed to the Feast of Tabernacles in Galilee. As they walked, they're telling Jesus there's going to be a lot of people here. You need TO WORK SOME MIGHTY MIRACLES that they might believe. But John 7 and 5 says something incredible. It says, for neither did his brethren believe in him. I catch that. They're telling him TO WORK MIRACLES, MIGHTY MIRACLES, but they did not believe in him. They believed he could do the impossible, but they did not believe him. It seems clear their entire belief system WAS BUILT NOT ON JESUS, but on his miracles. Not on Jesus, but on what Jesus could do for them. And because of this, according to the Bible, they're not even termed to be believers. These men walked with him. They talked with him. They knew him. They knew his teachings. They knew his ways. For us it would be they came to church. They They heard the teaching and preaching. THEY THEY FELT THE POWER OF GOD, BUT THEY WERE ONLY THERE FOR WHAT THEY WANTED. THEY DID NOT BELIEVE. THEY were only willing to follow if they God's church has always had signs and wonders following. It's right and it's his way. But there is a place on the pathway of faith that we all MUST EXPERIENCE WHERE WE'VE GOT TO WALK AND NOT SEE. WE'VE GOT TO BELIEVE WHEN WE DO NOT UNDERSTAND. JESUS TOLD THOMAS, THOMAS, because you've seen me, you believed. Blessed are those who have not seen, and yet have believed. HE'S LETTING THEM KNOW, THOMAS, THERE'S LEVELS TO FAITH. AND THANK GOD YOU GOT YOUR SIGN, BUT THERE'S A WHOLE LOT OF PEOPLE FOLLOWING WITHOUT ONE. THERE'S A WHOLE LOT OF PEOPLE THAT NEVER GOT THEIR WHEN YOU DON'T GET YOUR SIGN, you don't get your miracle, this is where you find out where your faith is placed. This is where you find out where are the end of your faith will be. And again, every man's faith has an ending place. IF FAITH IS OUT OF PLACE, if faith is based on desired outcomes, if faith IS BASED ON GOD DOING EVERYTHING FOR YOU THAT YOU WANT HIM TO do for you, then faith will inevitably come to an end in the midst of trouble. Faith will come to an end in the midst of loss. And you can spend THE REST OF YOUR LIFE WONDERING WHY GOD DIDN'T LOVE YOU ENOUGH TO DO WHAT YOU THOUGHT HE SHOULD DO. But if you build your faith on God and not just on your own desires, faith can carry you all the way to THE FINISH LINE. FAITH CAN TAKE YOU TO THE PLACE 1 PETER CHAPTER 1, Peter begins to write of the inheritance reserved for those who have been kept. THAT GOD'S POWER PRESERVED them and kept them. IT WAS WHAT BROUGHT THEM TO THIS PLACE. IT WAS WHAT brought them through all that they faced. And he writes this in chapter 1 and verse 7. HE SAID THAT THE TRIAL OF YOUR FAITH being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire. THAT THAT WHEN GOD TRIES YOUR FAITH, IT'S MEANT TO BE THE ONLY thing that lasts. That when EARTHLY POSSESSIONS AND DESIRES HAVE MELTED AWAY, YOUR FAITH IS MEANT TO REMAIN. HE SAID, "IT'S PRECIOUS TO GOD." HE SAID, "IT'S FOUND UNDER PRAISE AND HONOR AND GLORY AT THE APPEARING of Jesus Christ." And I want you to make sure you get

number eight. He said, "WHOM HAVING NOT SEEN You don't understand all his ways. You've not seen his face. You've not even seen all his glory, but having not seen, you love. YOU SEE THROUGH A GLASS DARKLY, BUT YOU LOVE. He said, "IN WHOM, THOUGH NOW YOU SEE him not, yet believe." I don't see him. I'VE I'VE NOT GOT MY ANSWER, BUT I'M YET BELIEVING. I'M STILL STANDING ON FAITH EVEN THOUGH I CAN'T SEE EVERYTHING THAT GOD IS DOING. HE SAID, "YET BELIEVING, YOU REJOICE." That we don't wait till we have understanding to rejoice, BUT WE'RE YET BELIEVING AND WE REJOICE WITH JOY UNSPEAKABLE AND FULL OF GLORY. COME ON, WE USE THAT PHRASE OFTEN, JOY UNSPEAKABLE AND FULL OF GLORY, BUT THE CONTEXT IS WHEN YOU'VE BEEN THROUGH THE FIRE AND THE CONTEXT IS WHEN YOU'VE HAD THE 11 WHEN YOU COULD NOT SEE HIM. YOU'VE HAD THAT FAITH WHEN YOU DID NOT UNDERSTAND HIM. THAT IS JOY UNSPEAKABLE SAID, "And when YOU CAN WALK WITHOUT SEEING, here's where the end of your faith is." He said, "Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls." CAN I TELL YOU THAT'S WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT IN THE HOUSE TODAY? EVERYTHING WE CAN PREACH, EVERYTHING WE CAN PRAY, ULTIMATELY, IT'S ALL ABOUT GETTING TO THE END OF OUR FAITH. IT'S ABOUT GETTING TO HEAVEN. IT'S ABOUT HEARING, "WELL DONE, GOOD AND FAITHFUL SERVANT." COME ON, THIS IS THE PURPOSE OF FAITH. IT'S THE END OF FAITH. IT'S THE FULFILLMENT OF FAITH. NOT THAT YOU GET WHAT YOU WANT, BUT THAT YOU MIGHT BE SAVED, THAT YOU MIGHT BELIEVE THAT GOD KNOWS MORE THAN YOU KNOW, THAT YOU MIGHT BELIEVE THAT HIS WAYS ARE HIGHER THAN YOUR WAYS. COME ON, WOULD YOU CLAP YOUR HANDS AND YOU CAN STAND across the house. The reward of the faithful is not his miracles, but it is him. OUR FAITH IS NOT ROOTED IN WHAT GOD DOES, BUT IN WHO GOD IS. AND ONE DAY WE'RE GOING TO ENTER HEAVEN AND FAITH IS GOING TO GIVE WAY TO SIGHT AND HOPE IS GOING TO GIVE WAY TO FULFILLMENT. WILL IT REACH THE END OF OUR FAITH? AND I PRAY YOU'LL GET A GLIMPSE OF HEAVEN IN YOUR MIND TODAY. COME ON, LET US NOT BE SO CONSUMED WITH THE THINGS OF THIS WORLD THAT WE DON'T THINK ABOUT AND PRAY ABOUT AND LOOK GIVE ME JUST a few minutes and we'll be done. What I preached to you today is the great commonality that binds the heroes of the faith together in Hebrews 11. That as you read their stories, what caused them to be counted among God's greatest was not how they walked with him in perpetual blessing and prosperity. BUT AS THE WRITER PUTS pen to paper, HE BEGINS TO WRITE OF HOW IN THE DARKEST DAYS OF THEIR LIFE, THEY TRUSTED GOD. THAT WHEN FACED WITH SEEMINGLY INSURMOUNTABLE OBSTACLES AND AND OVERWHELMING ODDS, THEY HAD FAITH AND THEY KEPT ON WALKING. I PRESENT TO YOU THAT THEY WERE GREAT NOT BECAUSE OF HOW THEY RECEIVED BLESSING, BUT PRIMARILY BECAUSE OF HOW THEY ENDURED OPPOSITION. THAT THEY WERE GREAT NOT BECAUSE OF WHAT THEY DID KNOW, BUT BECAUSE OF THE WAY WHEN THEY DID NOT KNOW, THEY STILL WE READ THAT Noah took action on things not seen of yet. ABRAHAM WENT OUT NOT KNOWING WHITHER he went. HE RAISED THE KNIFE OVER HIS SON NOT KNOWING WHAT WOULD HAPPEN. MOSES LEAVES THE PALACE not knowing what will become OF HIM. RAHAB BELIEVES NOT KNOWING IF GOD WILL SPARE HER. SAMSON PRAYS HIS FINAL PRAYER NOT EVEN KNOWING IF GOD WILL HEAR HIM. WE READ OF THE WORKS, the victories that happened by their faith. Verse 35 says, "Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, STOPPED THE MOUTHS OF LIONS, QUENCHED THE VIOLENCE OF FIRE, ESCAPED THE EDGE OF THE SWORD, OUT OF WEAKNESS WERE MADE STRONG, WAXED VALIANT IN FIGHT, TURNED TO FLIGHT THE ARMIES OF THE ALIENS. WOMEN RECEIVED THEIR DEAD RAISED TO LIFE AGAIN." NOW, STOP. I WANT YOU TO NOTICE the shift THAT TAKES PLACE WITHOUT GOD EVEN MAKING A DISTINCTION IN THE MIDDLE OF THE VERSE.

He said, "And others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, THAT THEY MIGHT OBTAIN A BETTER RESURRECTION. OTHERS HAD TRIAL OF CRUEL MOCKING AND SCOURGING. YEA, MOREOVER OF BONDS AND IMPRISONMENT. THEY WERE STONED. THEY WERE SAWN ASUNDER. WERE TEMPTED. WERE SLAIN WITH THE SWORD." NOW, THREE VERSES EARLIER, HE SAID THEY ESCAPED the edge OF THE SWORD. THREE VERSES LATER, THERE'S OTHERS THAT WERE SLAIN BY THE SWORD AND HE SEES NO DISTINCTION. BOTH WERE FAITH. IT'S JUST ONLY ONE KIND IS HE SAID, "THEY WANDERED ABOUT IN SHEEPSKINS AND GOATSKINS, BEING DESTITUTE, AFFLICTED, TORMENTED, OF WHOM THE WORLD WAS not a worthy. They wandered in deserts and in mountains and in dens and caves of the earth. And these all these all having obtained a good report through faith. THAT WHEN THEY DIED AS A RESULT OF WHAT WAS HAPPENING IN THEIR LIFE, affliction and torture and the sword, it was not THAT GOD HAD FORGOTTEN THEM. He saw no distinction. HE SAID, "ALL OF THESE WERE DONE IN FAITH. THESE ENDURED TORTURE AND DEATH AND NEVER lost their faith." I'm not here to imply to you that we must suffer such things. I will tell you that every one of us will reach a point in life we cannot make it through by our own understanding. We can only survive by faith. Some things can only be accepted by faith. He said, "There's some things only through faith We cheapen faith when we make it nothing more than a tool to get our miracle. Faith is what will keep you walking when you don't get a miracle. It's not a secret key to help you get your way. It's really the key to help you see things God's way. Sometimes faith is praying when you cannot feel him. It's walking when you cannot see him. It's trusting when you cannot understand him. This is what it means to walk by faith deeply regretted some of the prayers that I prayed. I've regretted some of the demands that As I lost my father, one thing that upset me so much is his lack of desperation for healing. I spent a whole lot of time praying for a miracle. He refused to pray for himself. He told me he would only pray for God's will. And he would not pray for healing. I'm ashamed to tell you today that his words made me angry. I prayed in anger. I fasted frustrated. I had an outcome I wanted. I refused to accept anything else. Brother Mark, I talked to you about this, told me to be careful how I prayed. That made me angry as well. But eventually I had to accept there was more at stake in the kingdom than what I wanted. And that to walk in faith did not mean to bend God to my will, but it meant that I would bend I'm about to open this altar and we're going to come together. We're about to give GOD SOMETHING INCREDIBLY PRECIOUS. He created mankind at its root because it seems God desired pure relationship. Pure relationship gives love that is unbound by demands. That love is given freely. When I went to the altar of matrimony with my wife, the focus of our vows was not what she would demand I do for her in exchange for her love. But the focus was a covenant that we were making. THAT NO MATTER WHAT CAME AGAINST US,

nothing would ever separate us. This is how we're going to come to the altar today. With a mindset of covenant. Many times we come desiring something from God, and that's okay. But today we come because we desire him. Today we come making a covenant that nothing will ever separate us from him. No trial, no unanswered question, no pain, no loss, no grief, that nothing will ever turn you away from him. If that's how you feel, I want you to make your way to this altar. Find a place to pray. You want to get your face in the carpet and make a COVENANT WITH GOD. GOD, I'M HERE AND NOT FOR WHAT YOU CAN DO FOR ME, but I'm here because I love you. I'M HERE BECAUSE I DESIRE YOU. I DESIRE YOUR PRESENCE. David said, "As the heart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?" Come on, if you need to repent of some things you've demanded, SOME PRAYERS YOU PRAYED, GET IT OFF YOUR CHEST. GOD, I'M SORRY FOR THE TIMES I DID NOT UNDERSTAND. I'M SORRY FOR THE TIMES I BASED MY LOVE FOR YOU on what you've done for me AND WHAT I WANTED YOU TO DO FOR ME. GOD, IF YOU'LL HELP ME, I'll love you with a pure love. I'll love you with a righteous love. I'll love YOU WITH A LOVE THAT IS NOT BOUND BY WHAT I WANT. WHAT I really want is you. What I really desire Come on, pour yourself out, every saint of God. You're giving him something precious. Come on, THIS IS WHAT HE'S WANTED. HE DOESN'T WANT YOU TO COME just cuz what he could do. He's wanted you TO COME BECAUSE YOU LOVE HIM. Come on, he's a miracle worker, but he's more than a miracle worker. He's a healer, but he's more than a healer. He's a provider, but he's more than A PROVIDER. HE'S YOUR SAVIOR. He's the one that came down out of glory and gave himself on a cross that you might Come on, as you pray, there's an interaction taking place. He's building up your faith, AND YOU'RE GOING TO UTILIZE THAT FAITH MORE EFFECTIVELY THAN ever before. YOU'RE GOING TO USE THAT FAITH TO believe him, to follow him. This faith will keep you in the worst TRIAL OF YOUR LIFE. THIS faith will keep you when your WORLD IS TURNED UPSIDE DOWN AND YOU'VE GOT MORE QUESTIONS THAN ANSWERS. THIS FAITH WILL teach you how to know THAT EVERYTHING GOD DOES AND ALLOWS IS DRIVEN BY HIS LOVE FOR YOU AND HIS desire to Come on, you need to dig deep. Don't stop until you know you're changed. Don't stop until you know there's a new found depth in your walk with God. Don't stop until you know that you made a covenant. Lord, I want to keep your way until the end. Nothing will separate us. Nothing will come between us. NO MATTER WHAT YOU DO, NO MATTER WHAT you allow, I'm going to follow you from THIS DAY UNTIL MY LAST DAY, THROUGH EVERY MOUNTAIN AND VALLEY, THROUGH THE LIGHT AND THE DARKNESS. I'M GOING TO FOLLOW