Running For Your Life

I want somebody to know right now, at the very beginning of this message: God knew you were going to be here today. God does no things by accident. He doesn't do anything by a happen stance. The fact that you're here today, it tells me God's got something for you in this house today. Let me try again. It doesn't matter who you are. It doesn't matter what kind of week you've had. It doesn't matter what kind of mess you've been dealing with at home. I want you to know God's here today, and he's here to do a work in your life this afternoon. Something could change. Something could shift. Something miraculous could take place in the house today. I'm not looking for boring church today. I'm not looking for a water down message today. I'm not expecting God just to do a, pour out a little blessing on the church today. I believe that we serve a big God who can do big things, who can speak to mountains, who can call us out when we're in the valley, and he can change a person's life forever in One Singular service. Amen. I, I'm excited about what God is going to do here today.

Today I want to preach on this title: running for your life. Running for your life. That shouldn't scare anybody. I'm not talking about some enemy trying to chase you. I'm talking about: we are in a race. We are running for our life. Eternity is on the line. We are running for our life. The Bible says in Hebrews, the 12th chapter and the first verse — that's where I'll be reading from today — it says this. It says: therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight — tell your neighbor, every weight — and the sin which so easily ens snares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the Throne of God. For consider him who endur such hostility from Sinners against himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your soul. Jumping down to verse number 11 of the same chapter, it says: now chastening seems to be joyful for the present — now, no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful. Nevertheless, afterward it yields the Peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather be healed.

Today we're going to talk about running for your life. I feel the Lord is trying to encourage and remind somebody today, that this thing called life is a marathon. It's not a Sprint. It's not a Sprint. No, no single thing could ever happen to you that could change you in a negative way, that could ruin your chances of Eternity. If you've made mistakes, if you've messed it up a time or two, you're in good company, because there's a lot of folks in this room that are imperfect, right? But God wants to remind somebody: you're in a marathon. There is a ray set before you, and you can finish it in jesus' name, in Jesus name. Running for your life.

The Apostle Paul, here in Hebrews the 12th chapter, he tells us we are in a race. This word race that's used is from the Greek word Aon, and Aon is where we get the English word agony. And so from the very beginning of this text, I understand — because I've been in a race or two, I've, I've gone for a jog or two — and I understand that jogging and running, it can sometimes feel like pure Agony. Can I get a witness in the room? We have at our church a lot of connect groups, small groups, and one of those connect groups is a running group. And through conviction, a few years ago, I joined this running group. Some of you are laughing. I appreciate that. I've even been challenged by members on the, in the group: why, Wes, did you join the r? You don't seem to be a runner. All right, I run to the kitchen sometimes. I run to the grocery store. Get behind me, devil. You know, I do some running. It was a few days ago, brother Fred Johnson, he sent out a text in the, in the group thread — I'm still in it, for some reason, don't show up, but I, it's by faith I stay there — he sent a message a few days ago, and he's like: hey guys, at 5:00 a.m. we're going to do a fivemile run. I'll be honest, brother Fred, I haven't told you this, but that made me laugh. I was like: no, you are going to do a fivemile run. I ain't doing that FIV mile run. 5:00 A.M, that's, that's a good time for me to maybe find a deer stand, or when the CPP are spawning, maybe find a boat and get out on the lake. But a 500 a.m. run, that don't, that doesn't sound appealing. There's some Agony there. There's some hurt there.

Paul, he, he's saying: hey, th, this thing called life, it's like a race. And we're not talking about the Turkey Trot. This isn't a joy jog. Yes, there's, there's moments of Joy there. There's, there's Seasons when you're right smack in the middle of the will of God, and everything seems to be going right in your life. But there's going to be times, there's going to be moments, there's going to be storms, there's going to be trials, there's going to be disappointments, there's going to be moments where you don't have the answer, where you're not sure what's coming next. And Paul says: Hey, I want to remind you, we're all in this thing called a race. It's going to take endurance. It's going to take you having faith. And he says: hey, I want you to know, but you're in this race, but you're not in this race alone. Further more, there are other people who have already accomplished this thing called a race. They have achieved the race. They've accomplished. They've kept the faith. They've obtained the crown. He tells you: hey, there, there are people that have gone before you. We're surrounded by this cloud of witnesses. People have gone before you. People that you didn't think would make it. People that when you looked at them, and you judged them by, by the, their face or their appearance, you thought they didn't have a chance. Or they were going through a situation or a trial, and you thought they would never get through it. But Paul says: hey, we're surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses. There have been people who have made it, who have gone through much worse than you're going through right now. So keep the faith. Keep the faith. Finish the race that is set before you.

Paul, he's speaking to roners here in the book of Hebrews, that were of the — they were once, you know, in the Jewish faith. They were once in the old Covenant. And so these folks, the, this letter to the Hebrews, it's, it's written to Jewish people. And so Paul, he's, he's communicating to a group of people that I'm sure are facing a lot of backlash because of their decision to give up on the old Covenant and pursue this man by the name of Jesus. They had decided they were no longer going to make the old sacrifices or do life the old way, but that they were going to follow wholeheartedly Jesus. And we know that in the Bible, during this time, that the temple in Jerusalem was still erected. It was still offering sacrifices on a daily basis. This, these sacrifices were still happening in the temple, yet Jesus had already come. We know that when Jesus was on the cross, and when he gave up The Ghost and died, the Bible says that the veil was rent from top to bottom. This, this lets us know that while Jesus was alive, the temple was still being used as it was in the Old Testament, within the old Covenant operation. But the Bible says that because the lamb had come, and that the blood had been applied, that no longer was God some far off God, but that he was a very present help. And that his blood that was shed on Calvary, it could cover the multitude of sins, and that we did not have to be perfect anymore, or go through the old sacrifice, but that his blood was sufficient for each and every one of our sins. In fact, if I could, if I could describe the book of Hebrews and with one word, that one word would be better. The book of Hebrews is saying that Jesus is better. That, that Jesus is better than Moses. That, that Jesus is better than the angels. That Jesus is better than the Lamb of the old Covenant. In fact, Jesus was the lamb. When John the baptizer saw Jesus walking to the river called Jordan, he looked Upon Jesus and he said: Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.

These Jewish folks, they had decided that, that Jesus was better, and so they were pursuing him with all of their mind, and pursuing him with all of their heart. They were, they were living and sacrificing for the kingdom of God. But don't you know it, life got hard for them. They were no different than us. They went through circumstances and situations that were challenging. And the Bible says in verse number three of Hebrews 12, that they were in danger of fainting in their mind. They were going through so much in this thing called life. They, this journey was so taxing on them, that it had demanded so much out of them, that they had considered it time to give up. Paul says: when you're faint in mind — now, now he's not talking about a physical faint, all right. If I see blood, I may faint. I may faint. A lot of times in my life — some of yall know, youall know, since first grade, I have a tendency of just falling out. Not in the presence of God, but in the presence of blood. Paul saying: hey, you may be faint in mind, but here's what's dangerous about being faint in mind: being faint in mind, it's often times done secretly. What I mean by that is: not everybody around you is going to know that you're weak in your mind, that you're going through some stuff, some situations, some trials, some frustrations, and it's causing you to be weak in your mind. It's causing you to consider giving up. It's causing you to consider throwing in the towel, waving the white flag of surrender, and saying it's never going to get better than this. Some of you came in on this Sunday, and you're close. You're, you're, you're, you're weary right now. You're, you're struggling through life. Yeah, you look the part when you walk through the back doors, right? Yeah, you know how to come into church and go through the motions. Yeah, you know how to lift up your hands and sing praise. You know how to speak in tongues. You know how to give an amen to the preacher at the right time. You know how to look the part, Talk AP part, smell. You know how to do the things that we're supposed to do in church. But the reality is, your mind's weak. The reality is, you're not sure how you're going to make it another day. That's right. How I'm going to make it another week. How I'm going to keep going through this thing, and struggling with this, with this thing. I don't know how many more days I can, I can keep Faithfully serving the king, because I'm struggling with what I'm going through. I'm struggling, and I, I'm trying to keep it secret. But the reality is that I'm not sure I can finish. I'm not sure I can do it. I think this is too hard for me. There, there's too much Warfare. There's too much opposition that I'm going through. I'm getting faint in my mind.

Some of you, you've mastered going through the motions. You've mastered what it looks like to be the part of a member at Centerpoint. You think to yourself: I'll just keep going through the motions. I'll raise my family. I'll work my 9 to5. I'll come to church on Sundays. I'll pay my tithe. I will worship during work. But Paul says: some of you, you're going through this season, and you feel alone. You feel like you're not going to make it. But there is encouragement in the word of God for us today. We can finish the race. I want somebody to hear this today: you can make it through. You can make it through. You have not done too much, and you have not gone too far, where his hand cannot reach you, and his love cannot save you, and his grace cannot change you. Today we need to shift our perspective. We need to change the way we look at our hardships. I felt in the Holy Ghost early this morning that some of y'all were going to come in limping. You've been bruised. You've been, you've been hurt by this world. You've been spit up, ch up, whatever, and sped out. And you're thinking: how in the world am I going to keep going? We're going to, we're going to change the way we see our situation today. The Bible says: those that are struggling, you need to consider Jesus. Consider Jesus.

Sometimes when we get into a tough trial and a tough season, we find ourselves in the valley. It's, it's easy to get narrowly focused on self. Paul's saying here: hey, hey, if you're going through it, consider Jesus. Consider Jesus. Verse number three of Hebrews 12: for consider him who endured such hostility. Problem is, when we're running the race and all hell is breaking loose, and opposition's coming in every direction, hardships, hindrances, and we're dealing with disappointments, we're dealing with let towns, it's easy to let the pain speak to us and tell us we can't make it. But I believe in the Holy Ghost today, that God is wanting some of us to change our perspective and to consider Jesus. Consider him, cons — instead of considering where you're at, consider Jesus. Consider where he is. Consider that he's on the throne. Consider that he's still the King of Kings and the Lord of lords. Consider Jesus. Consider Jesus. When we're looking at our own pain, it's, it's easy to believe we can't finish the race. When we're looking at our own, our circumstance, it's, it's easy to believe that we should just throw in the towel and give up. But Paul says: consider Jesus. Consider him. It's embarrassing sometimes, the things we give up on in the Kingdom realm, because of a couple pain points. When you consider Jesus, it's kind of embarrassing, the things we give up on, because of the things that he had to endure.

I want to say this: I'm not belittling anything anybody's going through. That's not what this preacher wants to do today. That's not what — but I'm telling you, when you consider Jesus, there, there, there's no, there's nothing the doctor can tell you, when you consider Jesus, that can get you down. There, there, there, there's nothing that this world can do to you. Even when everybody around you says there's no hope, no chance. When you consider Jesus — it's when, when the boss tells you, no longer have a job here — you can still consider Jesus. You can still consider the things that, that he went through. When's the last time — and I ask this question sincerely — when's the last time you consider Jesus? When's the last time that you looked at your mountain, and instead of looking at the mountain and being labeled by it, you consider Jesus? When's the last time, when you were going through a little bit of pain, you thought to yourself: this pain is nothing compared to the pain that my savior went through at Calvary? I want somebody today to look back 2,000 years ago, at a man who, whose beard was plucked, whose side was pierced, whose back was beaten, whose Crown was given, a crown of thorns on his head, who was beaten to his last breath. And when they hung him between heaven, and he looked at those people that had done this crime to him, this, this, this crucifixion to him, and instead of saying: God, finished them, or God, kill them, he said: God, father, forgive them. Forgive them. Consider Jesus. Consider Jesus. When you're going through a bad day, consider Jesus. And I know the Pain's real, but consider Jesus. The next time you feel that pain, NE, the next time you look at your mess, consider Jesus. Consider what he's done for you. Consider the fact that he made it through Calvary. Consider the fact that, for the joy, he endured the cross, and he despised the shame. Consider the fact that hell could not hold him, and that Rome could not kill him, and the cross could not keep him. Consider the fact that Jesus has gone through so much, for you and I. We can make it. We can make it. We can get through it.

Let me tell you how I know we can make it through. Because the same spirit that Rose Christ from the grave, the same power that took Jesus out of the Tomb, the same power, the same Authority that said on the third day, that Stone's going to roll away — that same power and that same Authority lives inside of you. I need some help right now. I need some help right now. I need some Holy Ghost individuals to sincerely believe, and the power and the authority that the Holy Ghost has given you. Are no bump on a log. You're not just a member at a church, but you are a holy ghost filled individual. You have the spirit of the Living God inside of you. There's nothing you can't do. There's nothing you can't get through. Great is he that's in me, than he that's in the world. Some of y'all, y'all need to wake up and smell the coffee today. Some of y'all need to realize: you've got the victory. You've got the power. It's inside of you. The devil can't take it. Hell can't steal it. It's in you. It's in you. It's in you. It's the same power, power. It's the same power. You didn't get a junior version of the power. You didn't get 3.0 of that power. This, it's the same spirit. It's the same power. Some of y'all need, you need to stand up today, when you leave this place, and you need to stick your chest out a little bit, and you need to let every demon know — every demon in Hell realize — that you're not walking out of this place the same way you walked in. The struggles no longer Define you. The hurts no longer label you. The mistakes no longer are telling you who you are. You are a blood bought child of the king.

This room is full of people. This room is full of people who are, who are different than they were a year ago. This room is full of people who are different than they were 5 years ago, 10 years ago, 15 years ago. And the difference is not because you decided to be a better person. The difference is because Jesus got a hold of your life. We're going to have to change our perspective on our problems. Got to stop seeing pain as punishment. You got to stop seeing pain as, as, as God getting on to you, and you can't have nice things. That's not, that's not what pain does in our life. Pain is a great teacher. Pain has a great purpose. The Bible says in Hebrews 12:10 — some of you ask, well, do I have Bible for that? I do, thank you for asking — Hebrews the 12th chapter, the 10th verse: for they, your Earthly fathers, indeed, for a few days chastened us. I got to ask Paul, what's going on here? For me, it was more than just a few days. My Earthly father got me for a couple years. In fact, I turned 37 tomorrow, and I'm so glad today is not my birthday, brother Jason. I don't feel like it was just a couple days that my father chastened me. But some of y'all, maybe just a couple days took. It's all it was needed. Says here that, that they, the Earthly father's Chast seemed best to them. They do it because they want you to be a better person. But he, Jesus, he does it for our profit, that we may be partakers of his Holiness. This, this word prophit is unique. It's not speaking to money. It's not saying: hey, you're going to get corrected by God, God's going to fix who you are and make you more like him, so that you can profit in the business realm. Yes, this word profit, in the Greek, it is, it is defined in the Greek by becoming one with, becoming one with. And so what, what Paul is saying here is that when you are corrected by God, when you are chastened by God, he does it on purpose, with a plan in mind, so that you can become close with him.

Adam, when he sinned, thought he had to flee from the presence of God and hide. And I wish Adam was the only one who ever experienced that, but truth be told, when any of us experience shame, and when any of us experience and take place, take part in a mistake, our tendency is to do what? Separate ourselves from God. Oh, I messed up, so God doesn't love me anymore. I'm, I messed up. God, he won't forgive me this time. I me, they know I'm messed up, and God can't use me anymore. I rebuke that in Jesus name. The Bible says that he corrects us so that he can become one with us. Jesus — oh, I feel this in the Holy Ghost — Jesus knows you can't make it to heaven without him. I got to be careful here, because I'm not, I'm not insinuating that sin is okay. I'm not an advocate. I'm, you're not going to get that kind of preaching here. Sin is Sin, and the wages of sin is death. But I will tell you this: there are times and moments and Seasons where God will use our pain, yes, and he will use our hurt, and he will use our mistakes, as a tool to get us to where we need to be, in him, in him.

I've come to this realization this weekend in study. This realization is mindboggling. I'm not good enough on — I'm not good enough. I can't make it to heaven on my own. I can't do enough good things. I can't live a good enough life. I'm going to stumble. I'm going to fall. I'm going to mess up. I'm going to make mistakes, just like the rest of you. God spoke to me very clearly this week. He said: Wes, if you're going to make it, you're going to have to let me chassen you. You're going to have to let me correct you. You're going to have to make me, allow you to make me one with you. Cannot do this. Some of you think tradition's going to get you to heaven. Some of you, some of you think looking the part will get you to heaven. Jesus, our lord and savior, he does not look on the outside and check it and say: you look good enough, you looked apart, come on in. The Bible says he looks on the N word. He looks at our heart. He looks at our thought. I'm not trying to be mean, and I'm not trying to be a bully today. I'm just trying to tell you what God's put inside of me, and that is this: you are not good enough on your own. You need a relationship with the Holy Ghost. You need a daily Walk With Jesus Christ. You need to give him permission to search you, to examine you, to decide if there's anything inside of you that's not right with him, to God. Some of you, some of us need to use today as an opportunity to become one with God again. Don't let your mistakes push you out and keep you the same way, Lord. Don't, don't, don't keep slowly fading away from God. Allow your mistakes to draw you closer to him.

I decided: this is that, if I'm going to have to be corrected, if I'm going to have to go through the pain, if I'm going to have to go through the hurt, I might as well reap something from it. If I'm going to go through the pain, I'm going to get the profit. If I had to go through the heartache, I'm going to let God teach me the lesson. I fear this: some of you are repeating the same mistakes, repeating the same mistakes. And the devil's lied to you and said: you can keep doing that, and one day it's going to get better. The devil's a liar. The devil's a liar. Some of you need to realize: that mistake, that, that, that, that, that pain, that should be a trigger to getting right with God. That should be a trigger to surrender everything over to Jesus. If I'm going to go through the pain, I might as well get the prophit. If I'm going to go through this, I might as well get closer to him. If God, if God is going to let the fire be turned up in my life, I'm going to pursue him and be changed. Outside, on the other side of the fire, I'm not going to remain the same person. I'm not going to be the same person anymore. I'm gonna let God work on me.

Tough times push some people away from their relationship with God. Some of y'all, y'all treat God like the Tennesse volunteers. What I mean by that is: in the good times, you're a fan. But when times get tough, Jesus, you start asking yourself: what's Vanderbilt doing? What's Bama doing? Watching the game last night — and I'm not trying to embarrass my son, but he said something, because tennessy wasn't winning at one point. He said: dad, I don't like the vs anymore. I said: Son, there's been seasons in my life where I felt the same way. But what's sad is that some of you are not six. And when God does not do what you want him to do, you tell God: I don't like you anymore. I don't like that answer. I don't, I don't like this problem. I don't like this dilemma. So God, because I don't like it, I'm gonna walk away from you for a little bit. Some of y'all, you need to stop treating Jesus like he's Santa Claus. You stop treating the Savior and the King of Kings and the Lord of lords, like he's just somebody on your Amazon wish list. It doesn't work that way. I love our pastor. I love when he says this. He says: he's either God of all, or he's not God at all. You need to make a decision today: who is your god? And if it's Jesus, he desires everything in your life. You can't just decide: well, today doesn't seem like a pleasant day, because I'm going to have to go through something, I'm going to give up on this. No, that's not the way it works.

Some of you have been convinced that, because you're going through something, that God is a bad father. Now yeah, I want somebody to hear this today: he's a good father. He, he's a good God. He is a faithful God. The psalmist said — he said: if I Ascend into heaven, you are there. But if I make my bed in hell, behold, you are there as well. We need to understand and settle the issue today, that no matter where we find oursel, and no matter what we're going through, he is still faithful. He is still gracious. His goodness and his Mercy, they will follow me all the days of my life. There is no issue big enough. There is no problem too scary. There is no pain too great that can separate you from the love and Grace of Jesus Christ today. I believe God just, he's reaching for somebody, somebody to get closer to him. He's reaching for somebody to draw closer to him. He, he's, he's trying to tell some of you: hey, there's nothing you can go through that's bigger than me. There, there's nothing you're facing right now that's greater than me. There's no diagnosis on this earth that is greater than your God. There is no marriage too jacked up that he cannot fix. There, there is no Financial struggle that's too deep that he cannot repair and restore. There is nothing too hard for our God. There's nothing too hard for him. There, there's no mistake — listen, there's no mistake you can make that's too big that he can't fix. There's no pain that you're having to endure that he can't deliver you from.

Listen to this. The psalmist said in psalm 34:19: many are the afflictions of the righteous. This week I read that verse, and I said: God, I wish you had just said some, or a handful, or a Baker's Dozen. A Baker's Dozen would have been nice. He doesn't say that there will be some Affliction, or there'll be a handful of Affliction, or that on Mondays there's Affliction. Why does the Bible say many? Many are the Affliction of the righteous. We're going to go through it. We're going to face it. We're going to go through some fiery trials. But the Bible doesn't stop there, does it? Goes on to say: but the Lord, but the Lord, but the Lord — he delivers them out of them all. Oh, some of y'all, Y don't understand the word all. Some of y'all are not compreh—. I'm not getting any help on this side; I'm going go over here. Some of youall are not understanding what the word all means. That three-letter word right there, it can get me to dancing. It can get me to shouting. It can get me to praising. I can start thinking back, think about the fact that he says all — not some, not most, not the majority, but all, all, all. He can deliver me from them all. He can deliver me from — I want somebody to hear this today: you have not made a mistake too big for your God. He can deliver you from them all. Well, I messed up this time. Oh well. I said something I should have said. Oh well. Well, I did this today in traffic. Oh well. I didn't read my Bible yesterday. Oh, why, I threw my Ministry away 5 years ago. Oh well. I haven't spoken in tongues in a few years. Oh — there is nothing, there is nothing that God can deliver you from. There's not an addiction here. There's not an addiction here in this place today he can't deliver you from. Well, I've been dealing with this since I was 12. I don't care. All, all. Well, well, my dad did this, and my granddad did this, so I'm G to have to struggle with this as well. All, all. Well, I don't have the right connections. I, my ministry will never Thrive because — oh well, I'm the only one in church that's having to face this situation. Oh, some of you got to get that in your spirit today. We don't serve a part-time God. We don't serve a God who can do most of the things we need him to do. We don't serve a God who, the majority of the time, can fix our situations. My Bible says he can Deliver Us from them all. There's nothing too big for him. There, there's nothing. There's no hurt. There's no bitterness. There's no rejection. There's no crisis that's too big for our God today.

In the Holy Ghost, I feel like the Lord wants to tell some of you: just keep running. Run for your life. Keep running for your life. Life, keep, keep running, because you're not running by yourself. You're not running so low. You're not running by yourself today. You're not alone in this. He's right there beside you. He's right there beside you. And he's saying: you can make it. You can get through this. I know that the fire's been turned up. I know hell's pushing you hard right now. But you're bigger than that. You're greater than that, because I'm with you. I'm IDE you. I'm right there holding your hand this whole time.

We got to fix our posture, people. We got to fix our perspective. The Bible says that the Hebrews, they had let their shoulders droop. Their hands had gotten weak, and their knees were feeble. I don't know much about running, but I know if you're running and these three things are happening to you, you're not getting very far. Your body language is saying: I've given up. I'm quitting. I can't make it. Just a quick Google search on how I should run — maybe I've been inspired by this Google Search — it says, for you to be a good runner, you got to keep your head up. You got to keep your back straight. You got to keep your arms moving. You got to look 20 feet ahead of you. What I fear is, too many of you are running like this: you're running with your head down, your shoulders drooped, your hands are getting tired. Some of you, it's, it's struggle just to get your hands in the air. I'm not belittling that. I'm not, I'm not making fun of that. I know that pain. I know that hurt. But for you to be a successful Runner, you're going to have to learn how to keep your head up, your back straight, your arms moving. And hear this: you're going to have to learn how to look ahead. You're gonna have to learn how to look forward. Too many of you are looking in your rearview mirror, looking past at your problems, looking into, to your past at your mistakes. Why, I've got this talent for the kingdom of God. Pastor, I did that. I made that mistake when no one was looking. I did this thing, and it's disqualified me from pursuing what God wants to do in my life. Good Runners don't run backwards. When you're a successful Runner, you look forward. That's right. Forgetting those things which are behind you, look towards the prize which is ahead of you. Oh, oh, I feel this in the Holy Ghost. Some of you came to church somehow today, looking out your rearview mirror. But I want you to leave this place looking forward. I want you leaving this place looking ahead. I want you to start thinking about what God can do with your life. You've not disqualified yourself. You've not gone too far where he can't restore you, where he can't — you, he can still use your life. He can still use you for the kingdom of God today.

In our VIP meeting, or meeting before — we call, I don't know what we call it now, maybe just a pre-service meeting; we've gone through different names — La span said this. He said: everyone's a greeter. I love that, La. Let me tell you what that says: everyone needs to be in Ministry. Everyone's a minister. Everyone needs to be doing something for the kingdom of God. Nobody needs to be sitting on the bench, watching everybody else do the work. But often times, the enemy will tell us, the reason we're on the bench is because we put ourselves on the bench with our mistakes. That's not true. That's — I don't care what you did even yesterday. Today's it, his mercies are new every single morning. My question to you today is: what's ahead of you? What's ahead of you? What is God wanting to do with the rest of your life? Jesus, when he died on the cross for us, he didn't die on the cross thinking about what Judas did to him. Jesus, Jesus didn't sit there on the cross and think to himself: I can't believe I'm here because of that Judas. He didn't sit there on that cross and say: man, I'm going through this pain right now, and I'm not sure it's worth it. I'm not sure if this Blood that's dripping from my — I'm not sure if it's worth the, every ounce of my blood for these people. The Bible says: for the joy, he endured the cross. Let me tell you what that Joy was. That Joy was today. That was, that, that Joy was when he looked some 2,000 years down the road, and he saw a drug addict get his life together. When he saw that, that, that woman who was broken get her life repaired. When he saw that prodal child come back home. He said: for the joy, for the joy, I'm going to go through this. For the joy, I'm going to endure this cross. For the joy, I'm going to endure this pain, for the — because there are people that are going to be able to change their life forever. I can get through this, because there is going to be purpose on the other side. Hall — and just like that, today, I feel this for you today. Some of you, you're going through pain right now, unimaginable pain, pain that I would not wish on you even if you were my worst enemy. And none of you are. None of you are. You're going through it. But I want you to hear this preacher today: there's purpose in the pain. There's purpose in what you're going through. God's going to use this season. He's going to use this hurt. He's going to use this, this problem at work. He's going to use it for the furtherment of his kingdom, if you allow him. If you allow him, for the future, Jesus can stay on the cross. And for the future, we can get through every bit of our pain, every bit of our strugg, struggle, every bit of our heart, every bit of our scar.

Hebrews the 12th chapter, and the 12th and 13th verse — I'm going to give me about 10 more minutes, and I'll come to a close — it says this in verse 12. It says: therefore strengthen the hand which hang down, and the feeble knee, and make straight paths for your feet. Something I feel like we need to understand today is that when we go through our seasons of pain, and when we go through our seasons of hurt, and when we go through our seasons of frustration, when, when we're let down, when we are disappointed — I want you to hear this today: it's so important that we keep our path straight. It's so important that we keep our path straight. Pastor Wes, why does it matter whenever I feel like a chicken with its head cut off? Why does it matter where I'm running? I want you to hear this, because other people are watching you. Other people are watching you. Other people are, they're know: hey, I know what, I know what he's going through. I know what she's— the Lord started convicting me this week. He's convicted me about this before, but this week, when I was studying for this, I felt the Lord convict me. He said: Wes, you have little eyes and little ears at your home, and they follow you wherever you go. They follow you wherever you're walking. Hear me today: pain, hurt — it, it's not fun. It's not pleasant. But it's also not an excuse to do something that's wrong. It's not an excuse to get off path. It's not an excuse to make it your own way. It's not a license to do whatever you please. But in the moments of hurt, in the moments of pain, it is so important that we stay on the straight and narrow path, because other people are watching. Other people are sensing what we're doing. And you may not realize this, but you have people that are following you. People in your office are following you. They might not even be aware that you're discipling them, but they're following you. May be the only hope, the only Bible, that somebody reads this week. They're following you. They're following you. Just because you're hurt, it doesn't give you — it gives you an excuse to be an idiot. I hope that's not too strong of language there. Just, just because, just because you're upset doesn't give you permission to be a jerk. People are following you. People are looking at you. The Bible says that we are a city set on a hill, a light that should shine bright for the world around us. People are following you, center point. They're following you on a daily basis. Paul said: imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ. My question today is: where are you running? Where are you running? We're all running somewhere. We're either running where we're supposed to run towards, we're running away. Jonah Tau us: there's no benefit to run away. You're going to find yourself in more mess. Just because you make a mistake doesn't mean that you should just keep running away. No, no, no. It's time to get right with God. It's time to get right with God.

People are following you. It's a few weeks ago, my family and I got a trip, an opportunity, to go to some national parks in California: Yos, seoa, Kings Canyon, Joshua Tree. Four amazing Parks. Beautiful place. If you've never been, I would encourage you: go. It's the best, most wonderful place in the world. I really do believe that. I was there, and seeing these Canyon, seeing these trees, seeing all of God's creation, and I thought to myself, time and time and time again: if this is what God did on Earth, what is heaven going to look like? What is heaven going to look like? I thought to myself: guys like John mure, who I read up a lot on him before we went — he was one of the Pioneers, one of the English Pioneers that, that mapped out the whole area — and I thought to myself: how bizarre it must have been for him to One Day land on a seoa tree, you know, something that looks like a skyscraper, you know, something you probably have not planted in your own backyard. I'm, I'm just guessing here. It must have been Majestic for him. But then thinking about the millions of people that have followed his path. There are probably many days where he was out there in the cold, by himself, thinking to himself: I could just be back in the city. I could be living easy. But I'm out here trying to pay the way for somebody in the future. I'm trying to explore all of God's creation, so that other people can see the Majesty that is our God. Folks, you're running. You're running. And some of you may feel like Pioneers, because nobody in your family's done it before. Nobody in your home has ever lived for God the way that you feel like you need to live for God. And I felt this in the Holy Ghost today: some of you are those Pioneers, some Pentecostal Pioneers, for your home. I want you to know: keep going. Keep running. If you don't have all the answers, keep running. Keep trusting God, because you are Paving a way for future generations to follow you, and to experience God just like you have experienced the Lord.

I'm going to come to a close. I'm going to ask that the musicians would come. Keep running. Run like your life depends on it. Some of you, on this first Sunday of November, you're not sure how you're going to make it another week. Life has been hard on you. Life has been tough on you. You're thinking to yourself: tonight it's getting dark at 4:30. How in the world am I even going to survive tonight? This whole fallback business — 202 — before we should stop that. How am I going to do it? How am I going to keep my family together? How am I going to keep my mind together? How am I going to keep my business going strong? Everything feels like it's against me. How am I going to keep doing what I know God has called me to do? The pain, it's real. The hurt is deep. The questions are many. But God, he's not fatigued with where you're at. He's not weary. He's not tired. He knows the beginning from the end. Before you ever found yourself in this Valley, he knew you would be there. He already knows the way you should take. He knows how he's going to get you back on that mountain toop. He knew exactly where you're going to be today. He knew about that work situation before it ever happened. He knew about what's going to go on in your home before it ever took place. He knew some of you today, you would be running on empty. You're running for your life, but you admit: I've got no more energy. Pastor Wes, my gas tank is on E. I'm exhausted. I'm tired, weary.

There's this thing, when people go running, called glycogen. I hope I'm pronouncing that right: glycogen. And it's, it's the part of your, your body, your, your belly, basically, where you're — when you eat carbs and stuff like that, when you go and you start using energy, it burns that, that glycogen in your body. And so, like for some of y'all, y'all eat those protein bars — in Jesus name, those things are gross. We can do better. God made chickens and eggs for a reason. But you eat that protein bar, and you go for that run. And especially if you're going for a marathon — you go on that Marathon run, that, that one bar is not going to last too, too long. And then your body is going to go through every bit of energy you've given it, all the food that you've been recently eatting. It's going to burn all that energy up. And it's going to get to a point, especially if you're running a long race like life, where you're going to get to a place, and you're going to be on E. Everything you've put in you lately is going to be expired. It's going to be gone. It's going to be burned up. And your body is going to tell you, for about 10 to 12 minutes: I can't keep going. There's that proverbial wall that the runner hits. And when they hit it, your body says: I can't anymore. You keep running, because you've been doing it for so long — I think just momentum at that point. But your body's on E. There's nothing there. But your body is an amazing thing, because after you've burned all that glycogen, the B, the body starts going towards bodily fats. Sounds gross. Some of y'all thought fat was a bad thing. I'm joking. When, when the runner gets to the point, and they, they've got no more glycogen, no more — those, those carbs are in — it's going to start going back to its fat. It's going to start eating and using up that fat, to get them through the next portion of the race. If you can just hold on for that 10 to 12 minutes, scientists say your body will kick in, and it will find the energy that it needs to find, to finish the race.

Some of you, the last conference, it's not getting you through this situation. Some of you, the last camp meeting, it's not getting you through. Some of you, on Saturday, are thinking yourself: that last Sunday service, it's not — it's a, it's gone. This mountain is too great. And everything inside of you says: it's time to give up. It's time to wave the White Flag. It's time to throw in the towel. But I promise you, if you will hold on, there's some fat inside of you. There's some things that your body can cling to. There's some things in your past that your faith can cling to, and it's going to help you get through this moment.

I went through a season recently where I — I'll be honest, I was a wreck. Is it okay to admit that in church? I was messed up. I was believing things that weren't true. I was, I was letting the devil speak to my situation. And I thought to myself: I can't get into the word enough right now. It seems like I'm reading the word, and I'm just distracted by, by what's taking place. Anybody ever been there before? Anybody been in a prayer meeting, and you're like: God, I'm praying, I'm trying, but I'm not feeling much, right? I'm, I'm not feeling that hope I need to feel. Recently was going through this situation, and I thought to myself, as this Runner: I, I've, I've burned up all my glycogen. I, I've got nothing left in me. And it was in that moment where I feel like it was done, God began to remind me of things he's done in my past. He said: hey Wes, this feels tough right now, but you remember 5 years ago? You remember nine years ago, when I did that work in your life? You remember 15 years ago, when, when you thought you couldn't live for me, and here you are today, serving me? He said: Wes, I want you to look in your past, your reservoir, of all the god moments, of all the times where you said, I can't make it through, but you made it through because of me. I want you to go back. I want you to look and find some faith in those reservoirs that you stored up, that you thought you would never need again. And I want you to tap into those moments. I want you to remember the times and the seasons and the experiences around an altar like this, where, where you said a mountain couldn't be moved, and I moved the mountain. I want you to remember the storms, and when I spoke to the storms, and I told the winds to be still. I want you to remember those wests. I want you to remember all the hard times that I got you through. And then I want you to look at your present situation — yes Lord — and I want you to ask yourself: can I make it through? Can I get through this? And you know what happened when I started doing that? I started realizing once again: my God's faithful. My God's faithful. My God is good. He's good at all times. There's not a day he takes off. There's not a moment that he walk. He is good at all times. I have tasted and I have seen that he is good, that he is faithful, that he is righteous, and that even in my moments of mistakes, he is still on my side.

So today, as we stand to our feet, I wonder: is there anyone in this room, you're going through it right now? You've been going through it. You have gone through it so long now, that you don't even remember what it was like to not go through it. You're in a moment, in a season, in a valley, and all you can feel is pain. All you can feel is hurt. I ask you the question today: can you go back? Can you go back, when you were in the myy clay? Can you go back, when you had no hope, and he found you, and he pulled you up, and he sat you on the Rock? Can you go back to when he first called your name, and you experienced his spirit for the first time? Can you go back to when you were buried in his name in baptism, and you felt all those sins completely washed away? Can you go back to that time where he healed your body? Can you go back to that time where he restored your marriage? Can you go back to that time when he saved your family? Can you go back? Because I want you to hear this today: if you can go back, and you can pull from those reservoirs, what's going to happen is: you're going to have a praise. You're going to have a praise on your lips, cuz you're going to remember his faithfulness. You're going to remember his goodness. And you're going to say to yourself: I've been going through it, but now that I remember, I'm starting to sense some Joy. I'm starting to feel some peace. I'm starting to remember that he's a good, and he's a faithful God. If you can go back and grab a hold of that last miracle that he did in your life, I promise you, if you can latch on to it, you can start running forward again. And you can run, and run for your life, and run for your eternity, and get to the point where you can hear: well done, th good and faithful servant.

I'm coming to a close, but God simply want to remind somebody today: run for your life. Keep running for your life, because, because you can make it. You can make it. Every head bowed, every eye closed. God, I have delivered what I have felt you put on my heart this week to preach. God, I delivered, God, how you have been faithful, and you have been faithful every time. God, you are a miracle worker today. God, you are a way maker today. And God, if there's a person in this room that fills no hope, and fills no joy, and fills no peace, God, I pray that today would be a day of restoration for them, where they can go back to a stored up praise, where they can go back to a stored up miracle, and they can again cling to what you have done in their life. Church, it's prayer time. Well open this altar right now. I'm going to ask that you would come forward. By coming forward, it's not saying I'm going through something. It's just saying: I have faith that he's a good God. If he's done it before, he can do it again. If he's made a way, he can make a way again. If he was faithful then, he's faithful now. Come on, church, it's prayer time. Come on, Church, let's find a place to pray. Let's tap into the goodness of our god. Let's tap into the kindness of Jesus. Come on. He never promised that the cross wouldn't be heavy, but he promised that he would never leave us, that he would never forsake us. He promised: the strength is coming, that my grace is sufficient. Come on, this altar is a safe place to get your life back together. This altar is a good place to find strength for your body, to find peace for your mind. Come on, Church, let's consider Jesus. Let's draw close to Jesus today. Let's get a revelation again of who he is, and who he is for us. Hallelujah, Jesus.