Stuck In A Cycle

Am — Galatians chap 5, verse 1. I'm going be reading one scripture today. So if you didn't read your Bible this week, you still got to read it later. I'm not helping you out today. But Galatians chapter 5, verse number one, in the New King James Version, it says it like this. It says: "Stand Fast therefore in the Liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage." "Stand Fast therefore in the Liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage."

How many people believe that Jesus still sets the captive free? How many people still believe that whom the Son has set free is free indeed? I believe in that. But I also believe that we should listen to scripture when it tells us that we need to be careful, that we don't return to the yoke of bondage. Yoke is not a good word, ladies and gentlemen. It's a negative word. And we need to make sure — because Paul's warning us — that we don't return back to things that we used to be, or that used to keep us down, but that we continue in the freedom of Jesus Christ. Amen. Amen.

Today I want to preach on this title: "Stuck In a Cycle." Stuck in a cycle. I want us to do this: I want us to bow our heads, and I want us to pray right now, for the remainder of service today.

"Jesus, we love you. God, thank you so much for being in this house today. God, thank you for your presence that we feel so strongly in this place. God, may we never take it for granted that you would come and visit us. Lord, I pray today, Lord Jesus, that in this house, God, that you would notice, God, the individual that are in this place that have been stuck in a cycle for some time. God, and I pray that today, Lord, that you would intervene, and that you would begin to break cycles all over this place. God, I pray, Lord Jesus, those that are struggling with patterns, God, that have become unproductive — God, I pray that you would move in a powerful way, and that you would minister to every heart and mind that's in this place. In Jesus' name we pray." Everybody say amen. Amen.

The dictionary, it defines a cycle as a series of events that are regularly repeated in the same order. And most often the cycle leads back to the starting point, where the same series of events happen again. Sometimes with a different look. Sometimes with a different season. Sometimes with a different name. Sometimes with a different place. Sometimes with a different job. Sometimes in a different city. But the same old cycle, over in and over again.

I feel today, led by the Holy Ghost, to preach to folks that may feel they are stuck in a cycle. Stuck in a pattern of living. Stuck with habits that are not healthy and are not conducive to spiritual growth.

Today I want to preach on "Stuck In a Cycle." Cycles — regardless if you know it, they're happening all around us. They are happening virtually in every area of our life. There are patterns. There are cycles that take place on a daily basis. Right now, in Middle Tennessee, we are in a weathered pattern called Summer. And summer is warm in Tennessee. It's humid here in Middle Tennessee. I've been thanking God for the last two days that a little bit of that humidity has been turned down. Yeah, come on. I get a witness in the room right now. Some of you that haven't shouted in a long time, you just started shouting right there.

But we're experiencing summer here right now. Regardless of the Weeping and nashing of teeth in the youth section, August means back to school in Middle Tennessee. We're going back to school. Can I get an amen? Amen. All right, we'll pray for that. Pray for that attitude. Some of you, in about an hour or so, you're going to start getting hungry. Dare I say hangry. Some of you, I can look at your eyes right now, you're already at that place. Because we have an eating cycle. Right now it's starting to get close to lunchtime. I know breakfast — morning is breakfast, lunch is — or afternoon is lunch, and then evening is dinner. We are in a cycle. And we experience cycles in our humanity. But we also experience cycles in the spiritual RAM. And some of you may be shocked hear this, but your God is a God of cycles. I know that sometimes it feels like God is working sporadically in our life, and is somewhat unpredictable. But if you look at scripture, if you look at the word of God, you will see that our God is a God of pattern, and he is a God of cycles.

In fact, when he brought Israel out of Egypt, he set a Divine Master calendar for them in the Old Testament. And on that calendar he put seven annual Feast, centered around seven holy days. In Luke chap — or excuse me, Leviticus CH 23:4, we find that: "These are the Feast of the Lord, holy convocations, which you shall Proclaim at their appointed times." That Hebrew word "moad," it literally means an appointed time in holy convocation. It literally means a dress rehearsal. So in other words, what God is telling us here in Leviticus chapter 23 is that he is setting a pattern. And that we are to celebrate these feasts. And all these feasts and patterns that God had set up in the Old Testament, they pointed towards the New Testament and the coming of a Messiah by the name of Jesus Christ. And these — and I could go over all the feasts and explain them in great detail, but for the sake of time I'm not. But I will let you know: they will end — the celebrations of the feast will end — when Jesus makes his return again. When Jesus returns, and he establishes his kingdom, and rules and reigns forever, then the end of the feast will take place.

Now, I want to go on record to say — and say this, and I hope this is understood: we should not be surprised that Jesus Christ is returning. We should not be surprised that he is going to make a triumphant reentrance into this world. We know that — we don't know the day, we don't know the hour. But we understand there is ano appointed time. The Bible says in Thessalonians that we are not people in the dark, but that we are people that live in the light. We don't get our spiritual Revelations from things like CNN or Fox News or MSNBC. We get our revelatory word from the back of this book. We know what thus saith the word. We know that God says he's coming back for a bride, and we have to be ready. We're not surprised today that the world is getting more wicked. We're not surprised today that folks are becoming even crazier. We are not surprised by anything things, because this is what the word of God says. It says that perilous times will come. We understand this. We comprehend this. But what we need to make sure that we understand today is that we understand that there is not some battle waging right now in the Heavenly realms. We need to comprehend that there is not a spiritual fight that's going to take place. I want to remind somebody today that we win. I want to remind somebody today that in the back of this book, the church has the victory.

Right now, in the spiritual realm, there is not a war going on between our Lord and savior and our adversary. I need somebody to hear this and to understand that the battle has already been won. Your victory has already been won. Listen, listen, listen: on Friday and Saturday, that was the closest your adversary ever got to winning, when they nailed Jesus Christ to the cross, and when they hung him between Heaven and Earth, and when they saw him die. I want you to know, the enemy, they thought they had won. Demons began to hiss. The devil thought that he had the victory. But we know that Friday and Saturday did not end the story. Because there was a Sunday. And on that Sunday, the stone rolled away. Your savior, he cannot be contained by the tomb. Those grave clothes could not keep him down. He was in a borrowed tomb, but he did not borrow it for long.

You, today, you have the victory in Jesus Christ. Our God has the victory. And our God is a God of patterns. But the reality is also, our adversary uses cycles to interrupt what God is trying to do in our life. The Bible is clear that the enemy attempts to use destructive patterns in the lives of humanity: cycles of sin, cycles of bondage, cycles of addictive behavior, cycles of fear, cycles of failure, cycles of Shame, and cycles of self-destruction. The enemy, he wants to grab a hold of us and not let us go, with cycles of patterns and habits that will destroy our soul.

In fact, the enemy — you can see it in the Book of Judges. It's throughout the Bible. But in the Book of Judges, it's pretty clear. In the Book of Judges, the Bible says seven different times, "But Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord." And what's interesting, but also alarming, about this phrase is that every single time the Israelites got thems in trouble, and got thems in an unhealthy habit, or a cycle of life that was destructive to them — the Bible says they cried out to their Lord, and that God, he heard their cry, and he would receive their repentance, and that he would come, and he would restore his people back again. It happened in Judges chapter 2. It happened twice in Judges chapter 3. It happened in Judges chapter 4, 6, 10, and 13. Every single time God brought his people out, the Bible says, "But Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord." There was this cycle of sin, bondage, repentance, and in restoration. And the enemy knew that if it could keep God's people in this cycle, that they would never be able to accomplish what God had purposed for them to do.

Listen to this: God knows that he has great plans for you. But your enemy also knows that. And your enemy is going to try to keep you in a cycle. Is going to keep you in habits, in patterns of living life that are not beneficial to your kingdom assignment or your kingdom purpose, but are there to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. The enemy knows, if he can keep you in a cycle, if he can keep you narrow-minded, if he can keep you near sided, that he can keep you from what God wants to do in your life.

As I studi this in scripture, I became so aware of the fact that Old Testament, New Testament — there are times when folks would find themselves in a lengthy cycle that was destructive for them. Length and duration was provided many times in the gospels, to tell us exactly — or even in the Old Testament — to tell us exactly how long folks were living in these harmful cycles. The Bible tells us that the Israelites, they wandered for 40 years, be, when they came out of Egypt, before they went into the promised land. The Bible tells us that they lived in Babylon for 70 years. And I asked myself: why the scripture tell us and inform us of how long these cycles last? Why would scripture tell us that they wandered for 40 years? Why would scripture tell us that they had to live in Babylon for 7 years? Why would he feel like that was important for us to hear? And I think the reason he shares that in scripture is because he wants some of us to know that just because you've been settled in a cycle of defeat for a season, it does not mean that the enemy gets to write the rest of your story.

I think the Scripture — it doesn't do anything halfhazard. It doesn't do anything by accident. So the Lord, he provides the length, so that we can be encouraged, knowing that despite the length of the addiction, and despite the length of the cycle of Destruction that we're — that God can still write a new story for us. I believe God wants us to know today that if it's been a few years, it's still okay. I know some of you are getting nervous right now. But the reality is, is that God, even in decades, can still work. Even if it's been a long time. Even if that habit has been there for several years — decades, even — God can still rewrite your story. You've hear this today: you've not gone too far, you've not done too much, that God can't reach you, and that God can't change you, and that God can't rewrite your story.

The Devil, he will rise up — there's no doubt about it. The devil will try to interfere. The devil will try to mess up God 's plans. But my Bible says, "Greater is he that is in me than he that is in the world." Somebody needs to wake up and realize today: he's greater than your struggles. He's greater than your addictions. He's greater than your cycles, your habits, your destructive patterns. He's greater than those things. Jesus is greater than any cycle that you find yourself in today.

Today, I want — and I hope this comes across the right way — but I want you to hear this today from this preacher: you are not capable of breaking yourself out of that addiction. There are things that are going on with your children — you're not capable of breaking them out. There are things going on in your family that you're not capable of breaking them out. But Jesus — but Jesus — in the Old Testament, Jeremiah, he said of Jesus that he will break the Yoke from your neck. The prophet Isaiah said it this way. He said he will "loose the bands of wickedness, unto the heavy burdens, and let the oppressed Go free," and that he will break every chain that is holding you back. The prophets, they knew that Jesus could break every chain. And today, I wonder in this place: is there anybody who believes that he can still Break Every Chain? Do you believe it? There is a Messiah. There is a Savior. And he is here today. And he is here to break cycles. He is here to break change. He's here to restore lives. He's here to put things back together again. If you believe that, why don't you say amen? Amen.

I believe that my God, he can break the cycle. I believe my God can break a cycle. I believe my God's already broken cycles. And I believe that if God can do it for me, then he can do it for you. And if he's done it for other people in this room, that he can step into your mess, and he can pick you up, and he can put you back on the rock, for you to stay. I know I'm getting excited up here today, but I believe what I'm preaching here. I believe that Jesus can break every chain of addiction. I think he can make the depressed feel Joy again.

Our world — and I don't mean this in a harsh way — but our world is so consumed with mental health, for a good reason, for a good reason. There are a lot of destructive patterns out there in the world right now, that are especially for you all, that will harm generations. But I want you to hear this: the answer is still Jesus. It's still Jesus. Jesus is still the chain breaker today.

I've got three points, and I'm going to try to preach it as quick as I can. Got three points. All that was just an intro. I'm kind of out of breath, but that was just an intro. I've got three points today. Cuz what I feel in the Holy Ghost is, there are some folks in here — you've been going through it too long. Some of you in this room, you have almost given up hope. I want you to hear this preacher today: it's not time to throw in the towel. It's not time to give up. It's not time to say it's over. If you're here today, and you still got breath in your lungs, then there's still a chance that God can change your story.

Okay, my notes. Three points. Here we go. The first point is found in John chapter 5. We find a man who is had a condition for 38 years. 38 years — that's two years shy of four decades. I'm going to say this while I can say this: I'm not even 38 years old. I've got a year and a half left to say that. This guy has been going through a cycle for 40 years. For 40 years he's been held captive. For 40 years he's been held Paralyzed by this cycle. The Bible says that people have to come, and they have to help him get dressed, and they get him into his routine for the day. The Bible says that this man, he would find himself by a place called Bethesda, by the pool there. And at Bethesda, there was five porches. Now I love that, because you may not know this, but in the Bible, when the number five is given, it represents Grace. And so if I'm struggling, and I'm in a bad cycle, I'm in a bad season of my life — please, Lord, place me where Grace is at. I believe Amazing Grace can still save a wretched soul like mine. I believe that if I'm going to be hurting, and I'm going to be in a cycle, and I'm going to be in some pattern, some habits that are unhealthy — place me by grace. And that's where he finds himself. He finds himself by this place called by grace.

And we know the story. We know blind barus — he's there in John chap 5. This man in John 5 — they're blind, they're lame, they're impotent. And the Bible here, it says that he is desperately wanting to get his healing. He desperately wants it. He desperately wants to be touched by God. And Jesus comes on the scene one day. I might have say blind Bar M — I meant that later. I'm sorry. I'm getting excited today. But he wants something from God so bad. He wants this breakthrough moment from the Lord. And he's sitting there, and every day he wants a healing touch in his body. He's in this cycle. He's in this pattern. He's in this habit, where he doesn't listen. 38 years is a long time to be there. 38 years is a long time to suffer. 38 years is a long time to not have the answers. And there's one day where he looks up, and he recognizes that there's a man by the name of Jesus that's coming to him. And Jesus asked the question. He says, "Sir, do you want to be made whole?" "Do you want to be made whole?" He like, "Yeah, I do. But Jesus, I don't have a man. Every day I'm even sometimes the second one there, but I don't quite get to the pool. I don't quite get there in time for my healing." He's telling Jesus, "Yeah, I want to, but I've got a reason I can't."

And this is my first point today, is that if you keep an excuse, you'll never break your break through the cycle. He had an excuse as to why he couldn't receive, and those excuses were keeping him from his deliverence, from breaking through in his life. The cycle that he was going through would not be broken by making excuses. Hear me today: excuses will only empower the cycles to continue in your life. At some point, if you are going to break the cycle, you're going to have to stop using excuses as to why you can't. I don't know what your excuse is today. I don't know if your excuses: "I wasn't born in the right family," or "I don't have the right last name," or "I made too many mistakes," or "I don't have any money," or "the church hurt me," or "so and so dis —" I don't know what your excuse is. But as long as you keep that excuse alive, you're going to keep that cycle alive as well.

The man, he says, "I don't have anybody that's there to help me. I don't have anybody there that will carry me into the pool." He says, "I want this healing, but I've got nobody that will take me there."

Hear this preacher today. Hear me well today: there is not going to be a man that will show up in your life, or a woman that will show up in your life, that will help break the chains that are taking you down. Men will always disappoint you. Women will always disappoint you. People will always disappoint you. He couldn't get there in time, cuz people kept letting him down. "I don't have a man," he said. And Jesus is like, "That's right. Because a man can't solve your problem. A man can't fix your situation. A man can't restore your life. A man can't put you back to —" But I want you to know, I'm not just a man. On that day, he met not a man. He met a different kind of man. A man that knew everything about him, and knew how long he had been sitting there, and knew exactly the words to put his life back together. He asked the question, "Do you want to be made whole?"

Hear this today: when Jesus asks you if you want something in your future, just say yes. It's an easy answer. "Yes, Jesus, I want what you're offering me."

Hear this: Jesus is calling some of you today to be great businessmen. He's calling some of you today to be a great mother. He's calling some of you today to be a husband, to be a soul winner, to be a Bible study teacher. And some of you have allowed your past to give you an excuse to say no to Jesus. Jesus looks, he says, "Do you want to be made whole?" He — listen — he does not consult his past to determine the man's future. He doesn't say, "Well, you've been here a long time. Maybe we should give up hope." I want somebody to hear this right now. I want you to hear this preacher right now: your past does not determine your future, right? Your past mistakes do not define what God does in your future.

Oh, I feel today in the Holy Ghost that God wants to start rewriting some folks' stories. He wants to get in to where you're at and say, "Nope, that's not how the story ends. Nope, that's not who he's going to be identified as forever. Nope, that's not how she's always going to live. I can change their life today." Jesus can change your life. He's not held hostage by your past. He sees your future, man of God. He sees your future, woman of God. He sees your future. And he knows your future is too great to let your past keep you back.

Point number one: stop making excuses. Everybody say, "Stop making excuses." Stop making excuses. I got to keep going, cuz I know I'm on the clock here. People are getting hungry.

Point number two is: we need to be aggressive. We need to be aggressive. There needs to be an aggressive spirit that rises up in the church today. In Mark's gospel, Mark chapter 5, we find the woman with the issue of blood. She's struggled with it for 12 years. Over a decade of desperation. How do I know she's desperate? Because she spent all of her money trying to find a cure. The Bible makes it clear: she doesn't have two nickels are rubbed together to make a dime. She's out of luck. She's out of money. She's tried everything. She's tried every cure. She's tried every doctor. She's tried every person that she thinks can help her. But everybody has failed her. Everybody, up to this point in her life, has disappointed her, has not come through clutch like she needs them to be. And so the Bible says that she has this issue of blood. And this issue of blood makes her unclean. So for 12 years, she has to announce to everybody, "I'm unclean. I'm unclean. Not — I'm not worthy to even be in your presence right now." And I wonder to myself: did that start getting to her? Am not talking anybody this afternoon — is what you're having to admit about yourself, and what other people are saying about you, is it starting to mess with your psyche? Has it started making you believe that you can't be what God wants you to be? She gets to this place where maybe she really thinks, "Am I untouchable? Am I as messed up as they say that I am? Am I this failure that everybody is wreck? Am I still this mess?"

She's known as the woman with the issue of blood. And I find that ironic, because some 2,000 years later, you know what — we still labor her as the woman with the issue of blood. That's how we still recognize her. We call blind barus — what, blind? Some 2,000 years later, after he received his healing, we call him blind barus. Oh, I wish a Holy Ghost filled person would hear me right now. We are guilty sometimes of Laing other people, and even ourselves, on who we were before God healed us. Before God restored us. Before God changed our life. She was the woman with the issue of blood. She's no more. Barus — he was blind, but he saw when Jesus came in. And everybody called him Messiah. He saw that with his own eyes, when he rode into Jerusalem. Blind barus, he didn't die blind. He could see, just like you and me.

We got to stop labeling ourselves by who we used to be, and allow God to label us on who we are today. But the only way we're going to get there is by being aggressive. How was she aggressive? I'll tell you how she was aggressive. When there was a crowd there, she broke through the crowd. And you know what else she did? She started having some crazy talk. You know, Bishop, you preach on Crazy Praise. You know what she did? She would did some crazy prophecy. She just spoke a word. She said, "If I can just grabb him by the Hem of His Garment." How many times in the Bible had that happened prior? Have you thought about that? She's saying something as if it's a guarantee: "If I can just touch him, if I can just grab the hym of it, I know he can put my life back together." Let me tell you what that is. That's called being aggressive. That's saying, "I don't care what anybody else thinks about me. I've got a problem. I've got a need. I've got a situation. I've tried everything else, and I hear that Jesus is about to pass by."

And so what she does — come here, boys. Come here, real quick. Fast, fast, fast, fast, fast. Come here. These are some good-looking boys. All the boys — if you're a boy. Maybe not the one that with the broken leg. You can go sit there. Come here. Come here. Cuz I'm about to be ruthless here. Come here, y'all. Just like — yeah, yeah, right here. Come on, just right here. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You know what she did, when she heard Jesus was coming? She was like, "Jesus — if I can just touch his him. If I can just touch a piece of the Garment. If I get out of here —" And they broke through. On man, that felt like football right there. Get back together. Yeah, that felt pretty good.

She didn't sit there and say, "Well, there's a lot of people between me and Jesus." She didn't say, "Well, nobody's ever done this before, so I'm not sure if it's going to work. She was desperate. She was desperate. She said, "I'm tired. I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired of being — I've got to try something. I've got to do something. I hear that Jesus can change my —" So here's the deal: some folks here today, y'all are just going to be the crowd. Other people had needs in the situation, in the area where Jesus was at. Some of y'all are just going to be the crowd. But that's okay. She said, "I see the crowd, but the crowd is not a hind. I'm going to get through the crowd. I'm going to get through the crowd. I'm going to get to where Jesus is."

Thank you, guys. You can be seated.

Today, in this place, I wonder: is there anybody that's willing to be aggressive for a miracle? Is there anyone tired of the cycle of life that you find yourself in? Is anybody else tired of not getting the news, the report that you — is anybody here today desperate for a touch of the Holy Ghost? She said, "I've had enough. I've tried everything. I'm getting to Jesus. I'm getting to Jesus." She has this conversation in her mind that says, "If I can just get to Jesus." Some of you today, right here — this is where you need a win, between your two ears. Oh, you know, she was unclean, so she didn't have friends to talk to. All she had was herself. And she's having this crazy conversation, saying, "If I can just get to Jesus, then he can make me whole."

Today in this place, I'm looking for a person who is tired of going through the motions. Who's tired of the cycle of life that you find yourself in. Who's ready to get that miracle you've been longing for. But it's going to take you taking control over your conversations with yourself. You're going to have to start — this preacher cannot believe for you. I wish I could. Some of you, I wish I could have the faith required to get you through. But you are going to have to have your own faith. You're going to have to believe it for yourself. You're going to have to have your own crazy conversations, where you push yourself to fight through the crowd and get a hold of his hymn, to get a hold of His Garment.

When I was in basketball — when I played basketball — some of you are surprised I played basketball. I did play basketball. Thank you for asking. I wasn't good, but I played basketball. We had cheerleaders on our team, and that's all want to say about that, because I'm married and I'm not going to get myself in trouble. But I remember one thing, and only one thing, that they did. It's the only thing I remember they did. They had this little cheer, and it was, "Be aggressive. Be — be aggressive." I think that was the only cheer they ever learned. Because all game long, it was, "Be aggressive. Be — be aggressive. AG G G R E S I V E. B aggressive. B, be aggressive." And I be like, "Will we all just please be quiet? We're clearly being aggressive out here." But there were sometimes, in a fourth quarter, when the game was tight — sounds weird, but just hearing that cheer, "Be aggressive, be —" it would motivate me. I'd go there, and I would try harder. I feel like some of you — you're in the fourth quarter of your life right now. You're ready to throw in the towel. You're ready to give up. But I feel like God sent this preacher to cheer you, to encourage you today, that it's time to be aggressive. It's time to be aggressive. It's time to seek after what it is God has for your life.

I hope this is okay. But passive people, they don't receive the miracle. P people that sit on the Pew, they don't get. It's the people that are willing to take the steps necessary to get to where Jesus is at. To where they know that Jesus is moving today. I feel in the Holy Ghost to tell you: be aggressive. Be aggressive. Stop making excuses. Be aggressive.

And the last point that I have for us today, as the music comes, is that we need to learn how to let it go. Because here's the deal: God is a cycle breaking God. God is a chain breaking God. Our God is able to step into any situation today. He's able today to step into any cycle, any unhealthy habit, and he's able to change a person's life forever. I've seen it, folks. I've seen people addicted to drugs come to an altar, and one experience with God changed everything. I've seen people addicted alcohol come to an altar, cry out to Jesus, and Jesus healed them of that addiction, and they walk out different. I've seen people who have struggled with depression for generations, for years, come to an altar, get a hold of Jesus, and walk out with the joy of the Lord. I've seen it time and time and time again. I've seen the sun set people free. I've seen Jesus set the captive free.

But what I've also seen is, I've seen people go back and pick it back up. I've seen people get healed of something at an altar, and then walk out those back doors, and let the enemy lie to them, and tell them what they received wasn't real, and what they got wasn't sufficient. I rebuke that in Jesus' name.

I wholeheartedly believe that a person can come to an altar today, no matter what cycle you're facing, and be completely changed forever. Completely change forever. But the only way you can do it is if you learn to let your past identity go. That's when blind barus was about to receive his healing — the Bible says that he took his garment, and he threw it off. That garment, in that time and age, it represented an identity. When he took his garment off, he was announcing to Jesus and everyone else: "This is no longer who I am. I'm no longer the beggar. I'm no longer the blind man. I'm no longer the one that is in an endless cycle of harm and destruction. I'm no longer the person that's going to live in this cycle forever. I'm taking off that old identity, and I'm casting it to the side."

Folks, today, some of you — God's going to touch you. He's going to change your life. He's going to break cycles. But what you've got to do, when he's done doing the work, is you've got to learn to let it go. Will people still say things about you? Yeah. I just said it earlier: we still call barus blind, poor gentlemen. We still call the woman with the issue of blood, the woman with the issue of blood. People are going to still say things about you. Let it go. Let it go. Let that old identity go. Let it be who you us to be, not who you are defined by anymore.

Paul told the church in Ephesus, in Ephesians 4:22 — and y'all can stand your feet — he said that you put off concerning your former conduct, the old men, which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lust. And be renewed in the spirit of your mind. And that you're put on the new man, which was created according to God, in true righteousness and Holiness."

2 Corinthians 5 tells us that anyone who's in Christ is a new creature. All things — all things — the things you don't want anybody in this room to know that you did: the old things. The places you used to go: the old things. The websites you used to visit: the old things. The drinks you — the old things. They pass away. Thank you, Lord. And he makes all things new.

In this house today, I feel like the Lord is looking at a group of individuals. Some of you, you've been going through it for a long time. You've cried out to God: "God, when will this cycle end?" And I feel like today could be that day for you. Yes. Just stop making excuses. Stop buying the LIE from the enemy, on all the reasons why you can't, and why you shouldn't, and why you're not good enough. Stop making excuses as to why it can't be you, and it can be for somebody else. Be aggressive today. Get to an altar. Get the spirit of jakeob on you. Say, "God, I'm going to wrestle with you. I'm not letting go of you until you bless me." When's the last time you had that Spirit on you? When's the last time you fought for your family? When's the last time you fought for your spouse house? When's the last time you fought for your kid? Be aggressive today. And then, when God does the work, let it go. Walk out those back doors saying, "God did the work. He spoke the word. He's able to do exceedingly abundant. He was able to do it just in the nick of time." And walk out with a confidence saying, "He did it. He is a cycle breaker." Yes, he's a cycle breaker, right now.

I'm going to ask for every head to be bowed and every eye to be closed. I want somebody today — if you can be honest enough — I want somebody today, right now, to lift up their hand, if you're going through it. You're in an endless cycle. Nobody's looking right now. I want you just to lift up your hand. I want you to let it be known that I'm going through a cycle right now. I want us to pray, church.

"Jesus, I pray right now, God, for every single person that just lift up their hand. God, I pray for every single person that's in this endless cycle of Shame, endless cycle of guilt, God, endless cycle of hurt, God, endless cycle of depression, God. I speak right now, Lord Jesus, God, that your blood and your mercy and your grace, God, would begin to cover them, Lord. And God, I pray that right now, Lord Jesus, that you would do a work in this house, God, the likes of which you can only do. God, I pray that today it would not be our might, and it would not be our power. But, God, it would be by your spirit that changes lives, that restores people's futures, God, that puts families back together again. God, I pray right now over every cycle — every harmless harmful cycle that's in the room — God, I pray in Jesus' name, you would begin to speak to it right now."

I'm going open up this altar. I'm going to ask for everybody to come up here. Maybe today you're facing a cycle. Maybe today you're in a cycle. Maybe today it's been a couple decades' worth of patterns, of habits. Maybe no one else in this room knows it, but you've been going through it for too long. And even this Sunday, it was hard for you to get dressed and make it one more time to the house of God. I'm going to ask that you would all come forward right now. Right now. Why don't we begin to seek after God? Why don't we right now begin to believe in a big God, that he can do a big thing in this house? Come on, right now. Could Faith rise up in this house? Could an expectation rise up in this house? Come on. Can we stop making excuses as why not us? Can we start being aggressive right now? And can we learn to let it go? It's prayer time, church. It's prayer time.