Kingdom Living Part 2

You may be seated tonight. It's so good to see you on Wednesday night. Many of you have not been home. Uh you've not ate supper. And I I thank you for driving your long distances to be here today. Matthew chapter 7 is where I will lift the word that the Lord has given me for this evening. It's part of Jesus closing as he stands to close what I would say probably the greatest sermon that he ever preached. We call it the sermon on the mount. And in Matthew chapter 5 through verse 7, chapter 5 through verse 7, Jesus is recorded teaching his disciples what it looks like to live as citizens of his kingdom. When we arrive at Matthew chapter 7, I was in Matthew chapter 6 last week, but I just felt compelled to keep going in this kingdom living principle. When we arrive in Matthew 7, Jesus concludes a series of truths that cut deep into their heart and likewise into our our hearts, causing us not just to listen but to act. Do you know what the most damaging thing in the heart of a spiritfilled believer is? To hear and not do. That's the most damaging thing you can do is hear truth and not obey truth. Hear truth, not respond to truth. And what what I as I begin to do this study and it come to me today before Jesus performed a miracle on a body before he began his healing ministry. If I read the word of God correctly, he was more concerned to deal with the matters of the heart, getting his people prepared for the miraculous journey that Jesus was about to be on for the next several years. And it come to me, we can't be so caught up and hungry for the miraculous and not be more concerned with the condition of our hearts. Hallelujah. Because if he performs a miracle in our body, but our heart remains bitter, what good is the miracle? If he heals us from a disease, but there is something uh there is odd against a brother said, "What good is that miracle?" Matter of fact, he said, "You would be better to pluck your eye out, cut your hand off. It he'd rather go to for you to go to heaven maimed than to walk through life thinking everything's okay and have offended someone." So tonight I I I want to I want to help us tonight from Matthew chapter 7. Jesus begins with these famous words per se. Everybody say in verse number one of chapter 7, judge not that you be not judged. That's what the book said. He is not forbidding discernment. He is warning against the spirit of harsh condemnation. He was looking at these mountainside dwellers appearing to address their hunger but would transform their thinking by his message. The King James version uses the word judge. But when you look at its translation, it means condemn. So if you read it that way, uh, Jesus was basically saying to them, "Condemn not that you be not condemned." Y'all still with me tonight? I believe Jesus knew his audience. I believe Jesus knew his audience too well. And he had witnessed the hypocrites routine. He had witnessed the hypocrites routine uh of pointing the finger at someone else uh when they had things in their own life. Come on now, somebody help me. Uh but you know what? Jesus would let them know the way you condemn is the way you're going to be condemned. The way you issue condemn the way you issue condemnation is the way condemnation's coming about to you. So, I just say as your pastor, be careful pronouncing condemnation on someone when you don't know where they've been. You don't know what they've been through. Come on, help me tonight, somebody. It's easy to be the spiritual spectator on everybody else's life. But the Bible says, I'm going to tell I'm going to go I'm going to go biblical on you. He tells us to remove the beam from our own eye before addressing the speck in our brother's eye. That's what the book says. We must somebody say, "I must walk humbly." If we are to correct someone, we are to correct with love and selfawareness, not arrogance. very very important. Before pointing fingers, I must examine my own heart because the spirit will help you see yourself more clearly. Anybody believe what I'm preaching tonight. He's g you got to put in context what he is what he's doing here. Jesus is about to begin his earthly ministry. He is coming out basically of hiding. I would call it coming in to who he was created and who he is. God manifest in the flesh and about to reveal the power of God through human flesh doing signs, wonders, and miracles. But Jesus was giving them this spiritual principle. We got to get this right because you're going to see things that you don't understand that I'm going to do. You're going to see me heal somebody or offer hope to somebody that you're going to call a dog. You're going to see me extend my hand of mercy to somebody you walk by in a ditch. You're going to see me do things on the Sabbath that you don't understand. But I've not come to do away with the law. I've come to fulfill the law. I've come to not let the word heal, but the spirit make alive. That's the beauty of the gospel. That's the beauty of his spirit. When it's leading and guiding us, uh it's making us alive in him.

He proceeds to keep teaching. When he would say it's it's quick how he shifts, it was a call to prayer. He shifts from condemnation, not giving condemnation, and if you do, the measure you meet, it's coming back to you. And then he says, you know what? While we're here on this subject, I'm going to talk to you about prayer. I'm going to talk to to you about a call of persistent prayer. And he would say these words, ask and it shall be given you. Seek and you shall find. Knock and it shall be opened unto you. Now, let me just add this in there for good measure. I believe this is put in here right on purpose because it's going to be hard for you to pray when you got your eyes on a brother or sister in this house. It's going to be hard for you to pray when you ain't dealt with condemnation. Oh, I wish I had some help in this house. It's going to be hard to pray. So Jesus was saying, I'm more interested in your heart. Get your heart right. Get the judgment or condemnation dealt with because I'm getting ready to show you. When you pray and you ask, it shall be given unto you. When you seek, ye shall find. When you knock, it shall be opened unto you. I I don't think that's put in there. He didn't put prayer before judgment or condemnation. He just went on down the line and started talking to them. Jesus was teaching that there is power in persistent prayer. Not giving up. Not giving up. Well, I asked and it didn't happen. What did you seek? Well, I thought if I asked it'd be given. Sometimes there is a persistent prayer that you get in that says, you know what? I've asked God. Now, I'm going to start seeking. I believe seeking is when we start seeking his will because sometimes uh we can be in the flesh when we start asking. We can we can be asking him uh what we think we need at that moment. Uh and God said you can ask and if I don't ask start seeking and if seeking don't get it start knocking. There is power in persistence not giving up. I'm glad that little lady didn't stop going to the unjust judge the first time she didn't hear her case didn't get heard. I just wonder how many prayers are not being answered because we've stopped after the first time that we pray. But if we understand the heart of God and that's the context of the scripture that stood out for me. For everyone that askketh receiveth, and he that seeketh findeth, and to him that knockketh, it shall be opened. Or what man is there of you? Whom if you ask bread, will he give a stone? Or if he ask fish will he be given a servant, a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him. That's the word of God. I believe Jesus was trying to get us uh to wrap our minds and wrap our spirits around that compared to God's generosity uh to we when we compare the generosity of God to an earthly parent if imperfect fathers know how to give good gifts uh how much more does our heavenly father know how to give good gifts to those who ask of him. Oh, hallelujah. Sometimes I think we just think God's just sitting high with on the judgment seat. He's sitting with a stout and he's just waiting to hit us over the head uh when we make a mistake. Well, I've just come to inform you until that trumpet sounds and until the great white throne of judgment appears before you, he's still on the mercy seat. He's still giving mercy. He's still giving grace. And I I just dare some of you to ask God, God, help my family. help my situation. Help me on this job. You know what I need? And you know what? If he don't answer or he don't give you what you want the first time, ask him again. Seek his will. Be persistent. Knock on that door. I've lived long enough to understand if you call yourself filled with the Holy Ghost, you're going to be a praying individual because we are spiritled. We should be known for our prayers. Short prayers, long prayers, two minutes, five minutes, 30, I don't care what it is. As long as I can be found guilty of praying. Power and direction come through knocking on heaven's door until prayer until prayer is made and until the direction and answer comes. Amen. If you believe that, say amen. Amen. power. I'm just telling you what I felt today in prayer. Your your answer, the power and direction comes through knocking on heaven's door until the answer comes.

Jesus would then shift. So we we handled condemnation. We handled prayer. You you see the matter of the hearts being handled through all of this. And then we we're escorted to verse number 12. Therefore, all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them. For this is the law and the prophets. This simple rule sums up the law and the prophets. Look at it. The way we treat others should not be based on what they deserve. Amen. Now, how many's a Christian? How many's got the Holy Ghost? According to scripture, we are not to treat others based on what they deserve, but on how you want yourself to be treated. How do you want to be treated? I I think sometimes we forgot how much grace that we've been we've been beneficiaries of. We we forget how much we've been forgiven of and and and God's put it into that sea of forgetfulness. And it's easy and I'm going back to the earlier part of the it's easier to point out the flaws and the imperfection of others. But listen to your pastor tonight. We as spiritfilled individuals uh better treat others not based on what they deserve, but how you want to be treated. Come on. How would I want to be treated? I'm going to get real per how would you want your child treated if it was yours? Amen. How would how much mercy would you want them to get if the shoe was turned or if the tables were turned? So, I'm just saying to all of us here at the SEC, won't you turn to your neighbor and say, "Be nice. Just be nice. Just be nice. It ain't that hard, is it, Brother Kenny? Sister Nick, it ain't hard being nice to you, is it? We are brothers and sisters. Somebody say, "I'm your brother." All the sisters, say, "I'm your sister." And we can't let spirits arise in us to break the bond of unity. for but the others in here. We can't let a spirit put a wedge in the unity that God has for our church. We have the Holy Ghost. Somebody say, "I've got the Holy Ghost." If you've got the Holy Ghost, we call ourselves Christians and I say to us, "Let's act like it." That's what Jesus calls us. We can't be guilty of treating somebody in the world better than we do a brother and sister sitting on the pew that we worship with every Sunday. Come on now. We can't be that flawed in our perception and holding things in our heart. We can't let the hear me. I sent this to several people this afternoon because I felt it. We can't let the spirit of Cain loose in the church. Somebody needs to hear what I'm about to say in the Holy Ghost. We can't let the spirit of Cain loose in the church. We may not all agree. We're going to talk about a project. We talk about a couple projects here after service tonight. And there may be a few of you. You may not say nothing, but if you harbor something in your heart, come talk to me afterwards. I maybe can explain it more perfectly. But there are things and we're putting things in motion. And there is no doubt. Somebody may have a different opinion. But let me tell you what the the spirit of Cain is. After this all happened today and I I was talking to some friends and that spirit of Cain rose up and and we started communicating about it was and I've never heard I've never felt it or seen it quite like it was said today. The spirit of Cain cannot get loose in the church where we would rather kill a brother than admit we were wrong. That's the deadly spirit in the apostolic church. when we cannot admit, you know what, I've got a difference of opinion, but that doesn't mean we can't walk in unison. We may not agree eye to eye, but we walk hand in hand and say, you know what? I may have could do it a little different this way. I like this. I like the old songs. I like the new songs. I like the lights. I don't like the lights. I like I ain't going to start opening all the can of worms around here. But you know what? We're here. We got another generation that's coming. We're reaching for him. We've got a worldwide audience looking into what we're doing in this church. And the greatest catastrophe would be the spirit of Cain start destroying the apostolic church here in Hartzel because you know what? I can't coexist with you because I won't let my pride be crucified. I'd rather kill a brother than admit we were wrong. God, help us crucify our pride. Let the spirit guide our actions in love. Let the spirit guide our actions in mercy. Let the spirit guide us in oldfashioned kindness. I don't think that's too much to ask in the apostolic church. You know what's going to attract people? when they walk in this church and they look around and they see all races, all kinds, and they walk in here, man, these people really do love each other and they love who they are and the God they're serving and the songs they're singing and everything that's happening. Man, this is a place I can I can I think I can go to heaven from here. Is it perfect? No. But you know what? It's a whole lot better than where I used to be. It's a whole lot. Come on. I wish there would be some people that would rise like, "No, I'm sure he looked at them boys when they was fussing, chewing him out. My god, the stink so bad on this boat. No, I can't believe." And I just wonder if he looked at them at a time or two and said, "Son, are you rather have the stink or do you want to get out there in the storm? I'll take the stink all day long and let's work through it because one day the rain's going to stop. One day the door is going to open. One day we're going to understand this thing better by and by. And when that happens, it's going to be worth every long mile. It's going to be worth every hard trial. It's going to be worth it all. So hear pastor tonight. Don't let the spirit of Cain get in your heart where brother is against brother, sister is against sister help us crucify our pride.

Verse 13 and 14. Watch the progression. Enter ye in. You know with every progression it gets a little narrower. with every he's thinning the crowd out. I don't know if all of them stuck with him till he got to this point. I don't know how many got chapter five, go read it. Chapter six, go read it. Chapter seven, we're coming down. I feel like he was caught musicians come. He's getting ready to close his sermon. And he's got a couple more points to make. He said Jesus Jesus would say these words, "Enter ye in the straight gate, for wide is the gate, and broad is the way that leadth to destruction, and many there be which go in there at. Because straight is the gate, and narrow is the way which leadth unto life, and few there be that find it. Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. You're going to know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns or figs of thistles? Even so, every good tree bringeth forth good fruit, but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit. Neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. But every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is heuned down and cast into the fire, wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. Look at this with me. Jesus contrasts two gates. Wide gate that leads to destruction, narrow gate that leads to life. A wide way, if I could say it like this, is the crowded or the popular. But the narrow is the costly and it's the disciplined. That one leads to eternal life. I stand before you as an humble servant of the Lord to remind you everybody's not going to heaven. I wish that was so. I believe it's the will of God for everyone to come to repentance, be baptized in Jesus name, and be filled with the Holy Ghost. I believe it's the will of God according to scripture. But if I read scripture right, hell hath enlarged itself. It lets me know that hell's on an evangelism campaign. They're on evangel. It's enlarging itself. They're trying to get all they can. Herald, the devil, bells up, you name, whatever you want to call him. And all of his angels and imps trying to campaign as hard as he can so that everyone that he can influence and deceive will burn with him forever. A lake of fire with everlasting torment. But the church, but the church, I come with positivity. We know the gates of hell cannot stop the church of the living God. We are going to see people saved. We are going to see people delivered. We're going to see families restored. We're going to see those uh who want to be delivered and be delivered. I do believe while this narrow way may be it may not be popular but there will be a remnant that will walk against culture. There will be a spirit enabling us to stay on the narrow way even when it's not popular. Even when persecution comes the Bible said persecution's going to come. But I've come to tell you holiness is still right. It's still the narrow way. We've got to be okay with everyone not understanding after you've tried to explain it, but still be holy. We just got to be okay. It's a narrow way, not a Broadway. You got to be okay saying no to things that culture in the world says you can do it. It's okay. You're just a Jesus fanatic. You don't understand. And the list could go on because I'm telling you in the Holy Ghost tonight, Jesus follows up on this portion of scripture with this and they go hand in hand. It was a call to beware of false prophets. Wolves in sheep's clothing appearing spiritual, but their fruit reveals their nature. Can I tell you what I felt today in reading this portion of scripture? We better be careful. Our friends can become wolves as well. Friends can try. They can't stand for you to succeed more than they are. They can't stand for God to be doing signs and wonders. They can't stand promotion or elevation. So, what they're going to try to do is pull you back down to their level. We better be careful the voices we listen to. He said, "Beware of false prophets." I tell you, beware of false voices that would speak into you, trying to steal the joy that God is causing to come alive in you from your life being surrendered to him. You got to be careful what voices you listen to. Those peer groups, those friends group, it's hard to be spiritual when your peer group is all carnal. If they were right and you were wrong, you wouldn't be here today. If they were right and you're wrong, why are you here today? Why am I sitting in the sanctuary? Why am I hungry for more of God? Because I wasn't getting what I needed where I But God sent you into the sanctuary. God brought you in a relationship with his truth. And the spirit, the Holy Ghost gives you discernment to test fruit, not just see fruit. The discernment is to test the fruit, not by the appearance of the fruit. And this is where Jesus shifts our attention to the dangers of deception and the need for discernment. I should have had some fruit out here. I I just didn't think about it till I was right here. A real banana and a fake banana. And see which one of you from a distance could tell which one was real or not. But he gave two powerful examples, two trees. And I guess I've studied this portion of scripture for years and never seen it like this. One good. And he doesn't call the other one bad. He calls it corrupt. It's not bad. It's corrupt. I I I think that I didn't get in the Greek and Hebrew on that, but that just makes me think that's bad and worse than bad. But these trees he's trying to get them to see represent two types of lives. I could say two types of individuals, two types of ministries, and ultimately two eternal destinies from these two trees. Jesus said, "Beware of the false prophets. They appear harmless dressed in sheep's clothing, but their nature is predatory like wolves. This reminds us, not everything that looks spiritual is spiritfilled. Be careful them YouTube sensational preachers that you listen to. Be careful what I'm telling you. You can get off in false doctrine just that fast. You can start following someone. Boy, it just tells me exactly what I want to hear. And we think that's right. Paul said, "Though an angel come from heaven preaching on any other gospel, let him be accursed." I don't care what they say and how good a halftruth is a whole lie. That's right. Not everything that looks spiritual is spiritfilled. Not every voice is heaven sent and not every movement is God ordained. We as a church must be discerning. We cannot go by appearance alone. We've got to go deeper to the heart of the matter. Jesus said, "Let me give you a test. You're going to know them by their fruits." Amen. What's a good tree represent? It represents a life rooted in him, filled with his spirit, anchored in his word. The fruit of such life is good fruit. A good tree produces good fruit. love, joy, peace, and and the list goes on. Let me just throw some other uh attributes of good fruit. Holiness, humility, obedience. Can I tell you this fruit is not manufactured? It flows naturally from the life of Christ by his spirit within us. You think you can be holy just in your flesh? No. You're going to fail me. Matter of fact, you're going to get plum aggravated trying to do this. It becomes a rule. It becomes a ritual. It becomes a that that's phariseical. But when you let Jesus put something on the inside of you called his spirit and there is a hunger and thirst for righteousness, good fruit begins to manifest. And you wake up and understand, I'm not my own. I've been bought with the price. I don't even own the body that I'm living in. It's the temple of the Holy Ghost. It's his. He purchased me with my own blood. He purchased me with his own blood. I don't even have my own birth certificate when it comes to when it comes to him. He purchased me when he hung his head and spread his arm and said, "It is finished." He bought me on that good tree. But oh that corrupt tree, it represents a life not rooted in God. Corruption, it's rooted in the flesh. It's rooted in the world. It's rooted in deception. It's rooted in the works. No matter how hard it tries, it cannot produce godly fruit. A corrupt tree can never produce good fruit. Amen. If if you think you Jesus said it plainly, a c a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. And here's what I like it. The fruit may look appealing for a season, but it's rotten at the core. Oh, I got my suit on. I got my dress. I I got my tie. I I I got everything. I got my nice little family. Got my career. got my but be careful. Fruit may look appealing for a season, but what's the core look like? What at the core? Is it selfishness? At the core, is it pride? At the core, is it immorality? At the core, is it false doctrine? You got to look at the core of who you are. God looks at the heart. God looks at the heart of the matter. That doesn't disqualify the outward appearance and the outward holiness principles that we live and believe and and and teach. No. But what good is all this if this is corrupt at the core? Because I've seen far too many witnesses where we look good, but the core is corrupt. The core is corrupt. We got to reverse this. Notice these absolutes. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit. It's what the Bible says. A corrupt tree cannot bring forth good fruit. Why? Because the root determines the fruit. Why does the Bible talk about the root of bitterness springing up, devouring many? Because he has an understanding. He has a he has the understanding and the wisdom that what's in your in your root system is going to eventually come out in your fruit system. He would go on to write in verse number 19, every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is heuned down. In other words, the corrupt fruit or the corrupt tree is heuned down, cast into the fire. I started I I I looked at this and it was very sobering to me. Unfruitful lives, false teaching, corrupt trees end in judgment. The destiny of the tree is tied to its fruit. So I say and I I submit to us all tonight, check your fruit and that's where your destiny will take you because our fruit points us forward to the final judgment where every life is measured by what it produced. Jesus repeats, "Wherefore by their fruits you shall know them. Not by their gifts, not by their appearance, not by their charisma, but by their fruit." Spiritual fruit is the evidence of spiritual life. God's calling this great church in this season. We are in an unbelievable season of growth, excitement, people hungry, but at the same time, don't you think there are lurking spirits that are trying their best to slip in? We must guard against deception by testing everything against the word of God. Is it in there? Is the principle of that in there? Is there a scriptural mandate? Is there a scriptural principle? Is there something in there that, hey, you know what? It may not say, "Bless God, if you do this, you're going to be a corrupt tree." But I always, and you've heard me say it for 16 years almost now, it may not be a sin, but it could be a seed. You don't see it today, but it could be a seed of something that may come up in your children. It may come up in your grandchildren. We got to guard against deception. Spiritual fruit, not personality, proves authenticity. We must examine ourselves honestly. I sat in my office most of the day and I had to self-reflect as I lead this church to the best of my ability and me as your pastor had to say, "God, I think I know what kind of tree I am. What kind of tree am I? What fruit is my life producing? Am I rooted in you? Am I trying to Some of you may be sitting there. I'm trying to look the part, but I I need true transformation in my life. You can only last so long with a facade. There comes a time in your worlds that true transformation has to take place. I've got to I'm rooted in Christ. This is where I belong. This is my church. I'm a part of this kingdom. I am going to affect my world to the best of my ability. When I do that, something happens where abiding daily takes place. The only way to bear good fruit is to stay connected to the source. Corruption happens when there is a disconnection from the good source. He that abideth in me John 15 and5 and I in him the same bring bringeth forth much fruit for without me ye can do nothing. I do not think it's by accident that Jesus set before us two trees, two fruits, two destinations. It was a choice to be made made clear. Be the good tree. Be the tree rooted in him. Bear fruit that glorifies God. Be conscious and aware of deception. Walk in discernment. And above all, ensure our lives are producing the kind of fruit that points others to him. I want my life to point someone. I want we're we're book. We're like a book. We're we're we're we're read of all men. What are people reading when they read our lives? Oh, that's convicting. That's that's Oh, you know what? It should bring a level of conviction and cause us to pray daily and ask ourselves, "What kind of tree am I?"

I close with this. In an age of deception, we better know this word. Our Christian liberties are being attacked every day. I had these I I had all of this in my notes even before the tragedy that happened today. We must know the word. We must stand up for the word. We must be sensitive to the voice of God. And we must be called to true disciplehip because not everyone that says Lord Lord's going to make it. That's that's the ending of the scripture. Not not everybody that says Lord Lord is going to enter the kingdom. Lip service is not enough in 2025. Miracles and ministry without obedience means nothing. Jesus looked for those who would do this one thing. Do the will of the father. And can I enlighten everyone under the sound of my voice? The will of the father is more times it it's most of the time not what your flesh wants to do. It's not what that old flesh appeals to do. Condemn not. I want to see him get vengeance. I want to see them pay. I want I I I But true disciplehip, let me take up my cross and follow him. When you got a cross on your shoulder, when you're following him and the anthem is where he leads, I'll follow. I live in obedience, not just emotion. I'm not just on a Sunday morning high. I'm on a daily relationship with him. True power comes from submission to him. You know what true submission is? I had to tell a a dear friend today. I said, "Do you really want to know what submission is?" I said, "Submission is not in agreement." Oh, I'm submitted to the word. No, you're not. True submission is when the level of agreement is different, but you still submit anyway. That's true submission. As long as we agree, as long as we got the same, that's not we just we're just agreeing. Submission is I submit to the mission of another. Even when I don't agree. That's true. True power comes from submission to him. Oh, that you mean the word says I've got to forgive. I don't want to. My flesh don't want to. My emotions. You got to forgive. To forgive, you submit to the will of another. To let a bygone be bygone, you got to submit to the will of another. To to let go of the wounds and the hurts of the past, you got to walk in freedom. And to do that, you've got to submit to the will of another. Well, I want vengeance. Well, you can't have something that don't belong to you. Vengeance belongs to God. And when we're walking as a true disciple, and we're walking in the true power of his spirit. We come into relationship of a true submission. I may not agree. I may not understand, but God, I submit. He ends this. I got two minutes. He ends the parable. He ends the parable. You're going to build. You're going to build on a rock. You're going to build on the sand. This is a long message. He preached this longer than I did. He had three of these chapters that were transcribed. The beauty of the story is it rained on both of them. Well, it's not fair. I can't believe this. It rained on both of them. It rained on the one that was on the rock and it rained on the one that was on the sand. But the foundation was the determining factor of which one stood the test of time. You build on momentary satisfaction, sand. You build on the rock Christ Jesus, it'll stand. It's all in what you decide. Do you want a sand castle or do you want a Do you want the streets of New Jerusalem? Do you want that that those walls of jasper, that gate of pearl, that new Jerusalem coming down from heaven above? Is that what what do we we want? Just momentary satisfaction. When we come in agreement, the spirit empowers us to not only hear the word, but live it out daily and to walk in humility and grace and realize I've got to build my house. I've got to build my house on the firm foundation, not whims, not feelings. Your feelings will trump the spirit most every single time. But when you walk in humility and grace, when you pray with persistence and faith, when you treat others with love and mercy, when you stand strong on the narrow way, when you guard against deception with discernment, when you obey the will of him wholeheartedly, build your life on the solid rock, Christ Jesus, as you stand to your feet today. As you stand to your feet, decisions will be made this week. Decisions will be made this week. Hearts will be charged and challenged. Will you say yes to his will? Will you say yes to his word? Will you say yes to what he will lead you to this week? He's going to cross your path with someone that needs to hear your story, your testimony. They need the taste of your fruit. They need the taste of your love and goodness and mercy and grace. Would you lift your hands right now all over this house, Father, right now in the name of Jesus?