Don't Forget The First Fight | Student Pastor Zach Hammond

scripture all day long is has come to my mind and I love it when the Lord speaks to us individually but I'm also thankful for scriptures that just hits us all the Bible says while we were yet sinners while we were yet sinners were you say well I've come in tonight and I'm I've got some things in my life I need to set straight while you were where you're at tonight Christ died for you knowing whether or not you chose to make a decision tonight to turn he still died for you not knowing if you would ever turn your life over to him he still died for you and those of you that have given your life to him and know the goodness of God I wonder if while we were yet sinners Christ if that would just do anything to anybody for a moment then it would just stir you up just to say while I was in my mess while I was defying his name while while I was running from him he was running to me while I was in I was a sinner he still died for me for each and every one of us and it just swells up inside of me and I'm so thankful for a church that gives God what he what he deserves every single time we come together I thank you for your worship I thank you that that is culture here that it's it's not something that uh you stick out if you worship that's right stick out if you don't you know that's the way it ought to be right and uh I'm thankful for a church a church that worship my what a word from the Lord that we heard this morning from Pastor want don't we give the word of the Lord the man of God big hand I asked him twice If part three could be tonight and obviously I'm here tonight so he declined so maybe you'll get that Wednesday night Wednesday night or uh Wednesday night part four Sunday morning part five Sunday however it goes It goes but uh I'm thankful for the word of the Lord I couldn't help it this morning Pastor says it he says there's nothing nothing makes you want to preach more than good preaching but when he said that they nailed the tongue of John the Baptist John the Baptist had one message he'd have had a small church people would have got tired of it after week two this guy don't have anything else repent repent those of you that didn't last week repent guess what you may not realize it but you need to repent again and you need to repent again that he has had one message it was a voice crying out in the wilderness and it didn't have but one tone it didn't have but one message it didn't have but one one thing just repent and Herod if you'll cut the head off repentance you'll close the mouth of the Gospel you'll never get a word from Jesus if you behead repentance you can nail the tongue down of your flesh and say I'm going to keep living like I'm living but you can forget the promises of the word of God you can forget the good news and the gospel that's going to come to you if you don't allow yourself you say that you know what bitterness really is you thinking that they don't know what they've done to me they they don't know what they've done to me guess what repentance does it reminds you that you've done the same thing to somebody else it reminds you that while you were yet sinners Christ died for you and if you were perfect I guarantee you there's somebody waiting on an apology from you yes sir and repentance reminds us that bitterness is something we could all we could all jump in that bucket we could all get on that train we could all follow along but I'm so thankful that tonight we're able to come together as the people of God and realize that wow we were all Sinners if it was not for the grace and the mercy of God my title tonight is don't forget the first fight don't forget the first fight Deuteronomy chapter 25 says remember amalec remember what amalec did unto thee by the way when you were come forth out of Egypt how he met thee by the way and smoke the hindmost of thee even all that were feeble behind thee notice that these are some people that he attacked he met thee by the way and smoke the people in the back not I'm not talking to the people in the back of the church he just smoked the people that were running behind that were feeble behind thee that was faint that was weary that feared not God therefore it shall be when the Lord thy God has given thee rest from all thine enemies round about in the land the Lord thy God giveth thee an inheritance to possess it that thou shalt blot out the remembrance of amalec from under heaven but Thou shalt not forget it children of Israel never never fought until they meet amalec and he says it may be blotted out from under heaven but don't you ever forget it don't forget the first fight I want you to lay your Bibles down Lift Your Hands to Heaven I've got a message from you tonight that I believe all of us I know the Lord has dealt with me and I pray that you would lift your hands right now and ask God to speak to you to deal with you come on make it a personal prayer God take my mind take my heart God God mold me shape me God do what you want to do with me God for your word is so powerful sharper than any two-edged sword Lord It's that lamp that light Lord I pray that it would shine upon us this this evening Lord I pray that it would show us God that it would be all that it is in my life tonight God touch my family tonight we'll be so careful to give you the glory that you deserve it's your word it's already anointed speak in the name of Jesus in the the name of Jesus we pray amen and amen you can be seated tonight our opening text is a reminder of the first fight for Israel that they must engage in after their Deliverance he said Thou shalt not forget it You' probably heard of it but just so just so we're reminded of it tonight let's let's read the the story it's just eight verses and if you'll turn to Exodus 17 or follow along on the screen I'll give you this story as quickly as possible then amalec and uh then came amalec and fought with Israel in refidim and Moses said unto Joshua choose us out men and go out fight with amalec tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in my hand so Joshua did as Moses said unto him and fought with amalec and Moses Aaron and her went up to the top of the hill and it came to pass when Moses held up his hand that Israel prevailed and when he had let his hand down his hand amalec would Prevail can you imagine that's quite the the the the wave going on there that as he would lift up his hands we start winning but as his hands would fall we would start losing anybody ever heard this story before it's a it's a great Sunday School Story it's an easy one to get the kids attention and and it just Moses's hands were heavy and so they took a stone and they put it under him and they sat him down and Aaron and her stayed up his hands they lifted up Moses's hands one on one side one on the other and his hands were steady until the going down of the Sun and Joshua discomforted amalec and his people with the edge of The Sword and the Lord said unto Moses write this for a memorial in a book and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua the Next Generation and I will utterly put out the remembrance of amalec from under heaven and Moses built an altar and called the name of it Jehovah for he said because the Lord has sworn that the Lord will have war with amalec from generation to generation now this gets very interesting you say who is amalec well first of all you just you can't forget your fight with this guy that's the main thing you need to remember and it's going to to be in the form of generation to generation he declares amalec happens to be another famous character in The Bible's grandson Esau amalec is Esau's grandson the descendant of the despiser of his Birthright The Offspring of the one who for a morsel of meat would sell or trade his inheritance the grandson who would be seen as the one who was worldly maybe today in his occupation and in his aspirations Esau was one who didn't see much value in his inheritance and after all he was quick to jump to the obvious and and and just throw it away for something that he desired in such a moment that's a message for another time but this is something quite interesting in the Bible as we look in the Old Testament and we peel through the types and the Shadows of the Old Testament there's very obvious ones you have Moses is a type or a shadow of many would say Jesus and Pharaoh perhaps is the type and Shadow Of Satan maybe and Egypt is perhaps the world and Israel is this this the the the the shadow of God's people in bondage or perhaps the churches coming out the people of God coming out the Wilderness is the trial and the teaching time and I I as I looked into the the scripture I believe that even even the smallest of details can have great foreshadow shwing that I believe nothing's in your Bible by happen stance and as Esau hated jaob it's no surprise that grandson amalec would now fight with Israel as Esau hates you have the Israel name which is a spiritual name a spiritual man a Heavenly name and amalec which means fleshly and warlike to battle so Genesis Esau hates Jacob and exodus Amite amalec fights with Israel the flesh here the type and the shadow is the flesh is Waring against the spirit the flesh the despiser the one who traded it was in the roof if we could say it that way of amalec but then you have Israel the spirit of Jacob there the fighting now with a name change the flesh is Waring against the spirit Paul refers to it quite a number of times in Galatians 5 he says the flesh lusteth against the spirit that there's a battle a struggle going on you say oh quite obvious I deal with it about every single day and those that don't deal with it every day are just ignorant to it right we battle with it every single day I'm not telling you something you don't know but I just want to let you know that in the very first battle of the people of God it seems to be a war with the flesh the first fight that God brings Israel to is a war within that's the type that's the shadow can I conquer my flesh it's a fight against against the flesh don't forget this fight remember amalec for generations to Generations that's one reason we see is about the man of God's arms being held up it's about the man of God's arms being lifted up Verse 18 in our opening text he said I'm going to smoke the ones that are that are the highmost of thee those that are feeble behind thee those that are faint and weary those that feared not God those that were fleshly weak do you see that AMC amalec is coming after those who who just in the flesh were just oh I can't keep up I can't seem to keep up with the crowd and they fell behind and they were weary and they lost their fear of God they they was just like that old Spirit you could see it in the flesh you can see it that they they just lost the the the the true understanding of The Inheritance so what what they they they fell behind so he says therefore I'm coming after these the enemies round about thee and amalec is coming after you you may get tired you may get weary you may lose your fear of God but don't you forget the battle with amalec don't you forget the Battle of your flesh because when you become comfortable you'll quickly become captive oh yeah it's a fight with your flesh you have to keep your hands up you have to keep your hands up Moses that's why we see the battle is not one with the Sword and the battle was not one one with the word it was it was one with the flesh he said my arms are getting weak but I got to have somebody to help me hold them up it was all about a flesh battle I'm here to encourage somebody tonight maybe it's a mom who's getting a little weary and you're falling behind I'm here to encourage you to get your hands back up get your hands in thee I know you can get weary in well doing I know it can seem like all hope is lost and things aren't going the way you thought but get your hands back up in the air somebody reach over that's what the body of Christ is for and you see somebody going through something I'll reach over and Aaron and her pick your hands up a little bit you say why do you come together and magnify the Lord with me it's so that when somebody's going through something and most of the time it's a fleshly battle it's the first battle I need somebody to help me praise him oh magnify the Lord with me let us exalt his name together because if I can exalt him I can change my perspective of where I'm at and the battle begins to go my way if I can just keep my hands lifted it's a picture for us he say my flesh is weak but let the spirit keep your hands up Let the spirit keep your hands up it's stay surrendered Dad I know it's a war I know it's a struggle I know it's a battle we're in this world but we're not of this world but keep your hands up keep fighting there's no coincidence that when we we watch and we just finished up with the Olympics and you watch those guys and they can they can fly and some of those people they're running long distances and they come and they run across that that piece of tape or whatever it is across that line what's the first thing they do huh they throw their hands up if the cops come in this side door right now holding a gun what you going to do thank you for all the wise ones huh the world we live in today a cop pulls me over I have a friend of mine there a State Trooper right over here he pulled me over on 4:11 the other day thank God I knew him I was in a hurry and I always I just put my hands somewhere where they can see them why cuz I want him to be comfortable walking up to my car we live in a crazy world huh he said when they come in I going to throw my hands up you said well that means surrender all through the Bible yeah but it also means Victory so my victory is in my surrendering you say how in the world could God be fighting a battle in a valley with a man on a mountain with his hands up because it's a symbol to you and I I know the flesh is weak I know you want to give in I know you want to throw in the towel it's a tough day and age to live in maybe you're fighting some generational curses maybe you're fighting some problems maybe you're on the brink of divorce but I've come to tell somebody under the unction of the Holy Ghost tonight get your hands up surrender it to God give it to God watch him work in your Valley uh there's some people in this place tonight that'll help hold you up it's a battle it's a fight but it's just a fight with the flesh don't be weary and wello keep your hands up keep your hands up you say well this Sunday I don't have much going on welcome to church Aaron and her and that wasn't a pronoun that was his actual name you know there we go there we go that's what we come to church for some Sundays you're the one in the back that's right weary been beat down it's been a long week some weeks you're on the Mountaintop you're feeling good go pick somebody else's arms up worship for somebody next to you do something for somebody else Shake somebody's hand ask them how they're doing because you sure want somebody to ask you how you're doing when you're down in the valley but it's all about lifting each other up why cuz it's just a it's just a little flesh battle it's a battle of the flesh can I keep my hands up when the world is battling against me wanting my flesh to give in Galatians 4 says but he that is born of the flesh persecuted him the born after the spirit even so it is now there will always be a struggle nevertheless what saith the scripture that's always a good place to look Paul cast out the Bond woman and her son you have to know that a fleshly fight is not something that is just one single moment if there's nothing else you get from this tonight you're going to realize that a flesh fight the first fight he puts the people of God through is a fight against the Flesh and he reminds over and over again don't don't you forget it it's generational don't just the flesh is still fighting the spirit you want to do good but there is a first adom inside of you fighting what the second Adam has freed you from and so we see this generational struggle 1 Samuel chapter 15 and verse number one Samuel also said unto Saul the Lord has sent me to anoint the king over the people over Israel now therefore hearken he anoints him King and he he begins to speak to him now I don't know if this is Saul's first fight or not but it makes sense in scripture those of you that are Scholars of the scripture you could probably catch me on this but I I'm I'm not saying that it is I'm just saying that if I looked at that first scripture it could be thus sayith the Lord of hus I remember which amalec did to Israel now he laid was for them and in in in which he came up from Egypt for them when they came up from Egypt and now go and smite amalec and utterly destroy all that they have spare them not but slay both man and woman infant and suckling ox and sheep and camel and ass why does he say that huh because ever since they told him about Esau's grandson it's been a generational thing so he says Saul if you're going to kill this you got to kill all of it yes he said well that's awful brutal he said man woman kids donkeys Ox sheep everything and sa gathered the people together and numbered them and tell am 200,000 footmen and 10,000 men of Judah and Saul came to the city of AMC and laid weight in the valley sounds familiar because he don't want you to forget for some reason and we keep fighting this amalec character now go down to verse 13 and Samuel comes to Saul I'll spare you the whole process and Saul said unto him blessed be thou of the Lord I have performed the Commandment of the Lord now this is where a lot of us live we come back to church or we come back to the voice of God and we say I've done what you've told me to do and Samuel said what meth then is the bleeding of sheep in mine ears and the Lo of oxen of which I hear and Saul said they brought them they did it I didn't have nothing to do with it them folks over there did it because that's the natural thing to do blame those people right it's not my fault these people did it I'm supposed to be the leader but they did it I'm supposed to be the parents but they let's move on they have brought the amalekites he said but I hear what sounds like something out of the Amite amalekites camp and Samuel now he he says into Saul stay and I will tell thee what the Lord has said to me this night and he said to him say on and Samuel said when thou was little in thine own sight was thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel and the Lord anointed thee King over Israel and this story becomes so interesting because he tells him he said destroy everything and obviously he didn't he didn't kill the king and there's so many things there that that you can preach and you can see but they see something good in what God saw said to get rid of they see something of we're just going to keep a little bit of the world we're going to keep the best of what they've got and the problem with that is that we have a a world today especially in the area that we live in you know sometimes we can mock those that are in areas and maybe talk about those that maybe you hope maybe that state would just break off and become its own thing because it's so liberal or whatever but you know it's much easier to be a light in a dark place the greater the circumference of light the greater the circumference of Darkness as the light gets bigger so does the darkness and so we see that you can be in a dark place and look a whole lot brighter but here in East Tennessee everybody's saved everybody goes to church so if you're not careful you'll let good folks convince you that you can bring in some of the oxen and you can bring in some of the sheep and you can bring in some of the things that God says we're not going to have that in our camp in fact I told you to get rid of it I told you to destroy it I told you that we were in this world but we're not of this world and no matter how good it seems you can't let your flesh get in the way because amalec the flesh has been fighting us now for quite some time and I need you to get your flesh under control if you're going to be the king over the people of God so he showing us all these things and he says destroy it all no flesh is going to glory in his presence get rid of all of it we've got many people just trying to take the best of what the world has and bring it into homes and bring it into churches if God calls it sin no matter what you compare it to that makes it look okay it's still sin many people feel good about themselves but by whose standard whose standard are you comparing yourself that you think that you it's like I go in the gym and and these boys are dunking on an 8 foot goal it look like Michael Jordan but you're not playing to the standard laying down on the ground taking pictures posting them online that's not real but you've made yourself think because of social media and a comparison culture that all of a sudden you are somebody cuz you got you a group of friends you can go compare your deficiencies and your lack of commitment and discipline and say I look pretty good compared to them some of you sit by folks some of you go eat with people some of you hang out with people because you try to create a culture that coddles your carnality and if we're not careful we will allow in our homes because we've started to run with this one and run with that one and this one on Facebook you know I know Pastor said this but these people on Facebook said that we really didn't have to do that you know pastor preached this last week but I don't really let's we'll let that sheep on in the camp and we'll let that go before you know you thought you let a sheep in but you let a wolf in in sheep's clothing and he's devouring your kids and you can't figure out why they won't listen to anything or anybody why this is go the way you thought it was I bring them to church every week yeah but you got things living in your house that God said to destroy you've got things in your camp that he said no we got to utterly destroy that we got to get it out he said I the man of God comes up he says I hear some things oh we better always be listening to the man of God that says hey I hear some things in your life I hear some things in your Camp by all means he told us he had a bunch of footmen he had a bunch of soldiers but he's emphatic to specifically tell us that he has a tribe from the tribe of Judah some soldiers some Fighters God knows what Judah means in a camp where praise is present in a camp where praise ought to be lifting up their voice in a in a camp where there ought to be some some lifting up a shout of praise and sending up Judah As we sing it all I can hear is the bleeding of in a place where we ought to be hearing the victory of a completely annihilating what has held us captive for Generations what should have destroyed us we now sit back and he says I don't hear any praise I don't hear any cries of Victory all I hear is the bleeding of a sheep and the Lo of some oxen not loud not like he got a pterodactyl in there or something huh I mean you talking about a quiet Camp huh talking about a quiet Camp he specifically tells us there's there's a bunch of folks from Judah up in there that had we truly been Victorious 10,000 from the tribe of Judah but all I can hear is the sounds of the world Saul has an opportunity to conquer amalec Moses paints us the perfect picture of this fight of the flesh the surrender the Victory and it's just there for Saul to take he's gotten all the all the things he needs in 2 Samuel chapter 1 begins with the confirmation you can mark it down maybe you mark it in your bible to read it a little bit later but 2 Samuel chapter 1 in verse number five a man named David shows up and Saul and Jonathan are dead and he said how can you how can you know the story begins to pan out and Saul falls on the sword Saul has an opportunity to destroy in a book earlier what will now kill him because when you don't conquer the flesh it'll eventually conquer you that's right when you don't fight the flesh it's eventually going to come back around and what was meant to destroy them now is destroying you David rent his clothes they mourned and wept and fasted and Saul and Jonathan his son the people of the Lord and for the house of Israel because they had fallen By The Sword and David said un the young man that told him whence art thou and he answered I am the son of a stranger an amalik here we are still battling the flesh it's one of those promises that we read that we don't want to embrace he said you're going to fight this from generation to generation and it seems that opportunity comes and goes and that's why he tells God speaks and says don't forget amalec don't you forget the fight of the flesh Don't You Forget from generation to generation you are Waring against amalec I laid the foundation scripture but we cannot disconnect ourselves I want to preach to you for just a few moments and I wish that you'd lean in and just fill my heart for a moment I've with a couple of friends of mine have endeavored on a quite a a few different studies and read some books and I just finished a a a book and I read I say I finished it I read it the way I read it it's 515 pages I thought I would never get through it but it's called Generations by Dr Jean twinge I've read every book that she's published since 2017 when the iPhone came oh when she began to do a research on the iPhone and how it affect generations and she's measured and it's full of charts and all kinds of information as I dive into this I'd like to kind of just bring into modern day what was happening in the scripture we were just reading you and I no matter what we try to do cannot disconnect ourselves from the life we' have lived or the life that was lived before us in our family our story who we came from we must acknowledge and be aware of even if we seek to disconnect from it judges is 300 years of everyone did what was right in their own eyes while at the same time the story of Ruth is playing out Ruth happens to be nestled behind judges but but they're happening at the same exact time so while there is yet a people that there is no King and they do whatever they want there's a story of redemption going on and you get to choose which book you want to be a part of you and I living in this dispensation of Grace we get to choose that through the blood of Jesus Christ that we can step into a bloodline that perhaps we weren't born of that we can step into and so I ask you tonight you can follow your flesh for Generations or you can be a part of a Redemption story which book are you in the Lord is coming and at the same time there will be a great Falling Away there will be the greatest Revival the church has ever seen which book will you be in there is so much trauma today in our world please hear me for just a few moments brain studies have shown recent studies at the University of Pennsylvania and the University of California have shown that that the traumatic effect on the brain activity of an individual is something that can't be compared to the brain actually shuts down when you go into something of trauma your brain will shut down it's not often times a a lot of doctors will diagnose it as a concussion they say but it's because your brain shuts down in trauma that you truly can't remember often times what happened you were in the car wrecking you can't remember the traumatic all things you were in a situation you can't remember all the bits and pieces and some of this is left out and some of that is left out but it's it's what happens in the brain when trauma comes into your life it wants to shut down it's clinically proven and it's agreed upon by all studies that when you get in a traumatic situation what it does it shuts down when it shuts down it leaves pieces out of the story and so things have happened to you that have altered how you look at life and they've affected how you see others but there's bits and pieces of it that are missing that are driving you crazy because we all want to know what happened people that were physically AB abused emotionally abused verbally abused trauma and the story frustrates you they call it repetitive repetition compulsion or traumatic reenactment syndrome subconsciously going on and on in your mind but it's bu deep inside of you because you don't have the answers to all of the story right so it gets buried deep and deep and deep perhaps deeper within each time you try to do what God's called you to do to start that relationship to step out into Ministry to do this or do that there's something inside of you that's keeping you from being able to truly serve and do what God's called you to do subconsciously it's going on in your mind and you want to know why and you don't even know one and three of this generation are being abused one in five sexually abused in our world today trauma fighting hatred abuse flesh it's a war that's been going on for Generations it's a fight it's a fight that most of who we are all linked to we're all linked to where we came from the counseling world is trained when you lay down on that couch you know like they show you in the movies you know none of us must have ever been there you know but you saw it in the movies or whatever they sit you down in the chair and they're what kind of uh kind of Life did your grandfather have that's the training no matter if it's Christian counseling or the most secular liberal form of counseling they're going to start with what's Mom and Daddy been through and what's Grandma and Grandpa been through because ultimately each and every one of us can only be more aware of it we can't deny it I know that's hard that's not the way it's always preached and we'll get there in just a moment Dr Jean twinch and many others studying this generation says the problem in your mind comes from three and four generations you were inside your grandmother's womb process it think about it you were the DNA inside your mother inside her womb it affected you you were there he says in the scripture over and over I don't have time to get in the scripture how many times he says I'm a jealous God and I visited you in the iniquity for three and four generations of them that hate me generation to generation is fighting this fight that came first I read recently and I watched I couldn't hardly stand I had to turn it off as they got to I watched through a a a a a interview with a 911 Survivor and then they went on to a a survivor of the holocausts they begin to express and begin to talk about the things and these survivors they've been researched and as they begin to talk about the things that they went through they had their their they had their brains hooked up and they were testing all the things and their their blood lacks certain elements and they lacks certain levels and they they said that their their C levels are are low due to trauma and all of these things are happening to these people and the thing is these 911 victim and Holocaust victims and people who have been through traumatic things now have kids and those kids have the same blood level issues kid didn't go through the trauma but kid was in mom so the kid's born with the same levels the same issues the same problems symptoms of something they never went through fighting something that wasn't really ever their fight bitter about something that I didn't have nothing to do with right frustrated about this weight and this thing inside of me that I can't figure out you can't change your history you can't do you you you there seems to be this thing I can't get it outside of me I I can't change you know in in history we know in scripture and through the spiritual Viewpoint and the the thing of of God and the the thing of Christ and how we all can view it is is is we know that history is not necessarily connected to our destiny but you have to do the right thing with the history and ignoring it is not going to get us where we need to get to right I know this is what you came to hear on a Sunday night you know Satan is only a thief he cannot create anything he can't create anything that's why I it gets kind of crazy when people refer to you know music music he he stole worship he stole he didn't create it it was ours to begin with that's why we ought to do it better than anybody but he has a way he has a way of manipulating to steal to kill to destroy and he has figured out especially in scripture that's why this begat that and this one begat that one and you see it all through scripture they want to let you know who came from who so why is all this in the Bible because they want to let you know where so- and so came from because it matters and the devil has learned that if you you don't have to damage the tree you just have to damage the seed because the seed it's within itself I I read this story and and and and I I don't want to I don't want to take credit for it I did not find the story I heard it mentioned and I went and found it for myself a friend of mine named pastor pastor Matt Tuttle and a couple others we were discussing this story he's referred to it a few times but I just want to read you the story so you know the UN you see it in full full it's mind-blowing a man named a boy named Jesse hadn't had a full night's sleep in over a year he had to drop out of college and forfeit his basketball scholarship as a result Dark Shadows under and around his eyes hinted of insomnia while the blankness of his stare suggested something deeper though only 20 years of age he looked 10 years older no doctor was able to give him hope as a cure Jesse had been a star athlete straight A student before inexpensively becoming down with insomnia he has now derailed his entire life he doesn't know what's going on with him there's something inside of me sleep has always come easy for me until one late night after the next after his 19th birthday when he would awake time after time again this time after his 19th birthday he wakes up at 3:30 a.m. he was freezing shivering unable to warm no matter how hard he tried he felt consumed by a strange fear that something awful was going to happen at him and he would let it wouldn't let him fall back to sleep and so every time he went drifting off it would just jolt him awake with a shiver fear and a cold chill up and down his spine if I go to sleep I'll never wake up if I go to sleep I'll never wake up he said over and over again in his interview these words echoed through my mind for hours as I would see the sun come up the study details of Jesse Str ask him if he had had any relatives who suffered with trauma in their life involving cold freezing to death being asleep or for that matter even being 19 years old they're trying their best to figure out Jesse revealed that only recently his mother told him about a tragic death of his father's oldest brother an uncle who he never knew he had his uncle was 19 when he froze to death checking power lines in a storm in Northwest Canada his body was eventually found faced down in a blizzard having lost Consciousness from hypothermia his death was so tragic the loss of the family they never spoke of it again now three decades later Jesse was unconsciously reliving aspects of the same experience say how in the world once Jesse made this connection he finally had an explanation to what he was experiencing and the process of healing could now begin because he acknowledged the issue that he was being you say how can that be passed down when I tell you there's hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of stories that just go generation to generation that's why he tells us time and time again throughout those first few chap chapters Moses the writer says don't forget amalec don't you forget the first fight it's the fight of the flesh so let's let's go a little bit further the unmet needs of a mother or father can't help but move to the generation that they will parent conditioning our culture today we we must see the need we must be aware of the things we must be aware and acknowledge any lack stop trying to be somewhat else and let God be who he is in our life so that be we when God is who he is in our life then we can be who God's called us to be time and time again social media has driven our culture today to to leave our individualism or behind and seek to follow Trends and to follow patterns and to follow this one and follow that one and it's exhausting I'm just here to tell some tonight be you even if you've got a traumatic past even if you've got some parents that were crazy even if you've got a an inheritance that you would rather not be a part of right be you cuz that's the only way God can use you being you is the the Fulfillment of you on Earth I told this the young people Wednesday night you are the only you and you are going to be frustrated trying to be somebody else you are born into where you were born to and I know you can look around and you can you can get bitter and you can get frustrated but do not try to be somebody else because it's way worse that's right acknowledge where you're at acknowledge the pain acknowledge the mistake acknowledge the fight that you're in acknowledge that you don't have it all together one of the best statements that I've ever heard in my life thank God I heard it when I was young and I read a book that says I am not but I know the I am I am I will never be but I know the one who will be there is not one ounce of me that could do what I'm doing right now but there's a God working through me am I going to fail you better believe it are you going to fail you better believe it are we going to offend each other are we going to hurt one another yeah but the sure way that I can fall into hypocrisy and I can fall weary and I can fall behind when everybody else is moving forward if I'm trying to be you my God it's hard enough to be who you are it's one thing to be comfortable in your own skin it's one thing to and another thing to be comfortable in your own skin trying to be somebody else right I am setting myself up for failure to try to be Pastor we've messed it up too many times we tell them we say you know I'm going to be David you're not David you're not sorry and don't try to be do not show up anywhere with a rock and a rag going to be weird all right you're you're not you can look at the heroes and I'm going to be like Abraham and I'm going to be you're you're not and I know that's just demoralizing and it's not fun for the Sunday school class but you're not but let me tell you this is what the scripture says when we turn the page in the New Testament and we come out of the book of Acts you may not be David but you have a David you might not be Abraham but he said you have the god inside of you of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob and so you don't need to be David you need to be you you God didn't want another David or he have made him he's called you for such a time as this to be where you're at and he's given you the Holy Ghost which is the greatest thing you'll ever get and he's empowered you in this moment to do what he's called you to do so here we are be who you are you say well you don't understand I came you can't even relate I know I can't I promise you but maybe it's a addiction I've come to just warned somebody tonight that Dad you're not hiding anything you're handing it down I pray to God you're not hiding that addiction you're handing it down Mama you're not you're not hiding that uncommit untrusting fearful gossiping actions so you know you're just pushing it to another generation who's going to have it much worse you see why in the world are you preaching this I'm preaching it for us to realize that we are not doing what we're doing in this room tonight it's it's not just me it's not just us maybe there's 650 people here tonight there's thousands of people in this room tonight there's thousands I'm talking I'm doing what I'm doing for my grandkids I'm doing what I'm doing when I come up and pray it's not just about me or anything I'm going on I'm praying I'm trying to win a battle so that my grandson and great grandson and I hope you can understand so when you step out and worship you're not worshiping for you you're worshiping for Generations that are in the womb of some child in this it's from generation degenerate when you fight that battle you're winning for more than just you hallah I I hope you can see it I'm not I'm not looking we are crazy and not Kingdom Minded if we look over this crowd of people and just see these people no there's Generations yes yes yes it's it's so it's so far-fetched to think about but even those of you that have walked in here so proudly with newborn babies it's so much bigger than just that child it's going to go from generation to generation the there's too much at stake for us to take a day off there's too much at stake for us to stop praying as a family there's not enough money in this world there's not enough things in this world the kingdom of God is at hand there's a battle that has to be won and my prayer today and for days to come is for what's in my kids I want the DNA day of fac to be the same Generations from now let us not let it not be said brother Jacob that just years from now just a generation from now that we come into chapels and hear the Lo of oxen and the bleeding of sheep let it never be said that there used to be a fiery prayer room at that church down on 1331 it used to be a packed parking lot with committed people somewhere they let flesh step in somewhere they wanted it to be a little bit easier we must keep it in the DNA it's a thing you hear it and I hear it or there's like somewhere when this church it just didn't get to the young people it just didn't get into the Next Generation God forbid because that's not just a youth group that's thousands of people that'll come from that group of kids in changing your life in committing to God every time you worship you break and defeat spiritual strongholds every time you pray you're breaking down that that that chain that just that you maybe don't want to be a part of I can look back and many would look at my life and yes God's been good to me and I'm not a good example of coming from something but I thank God for my Heritage I don't have some crazy story other than my grandfather was a Moonshiner he was a Moonshiner who every day would tell me to remember who I was because I wasn't a moonshiner's grandson anymore but yet from that Moonshiner who had made a big conversion and was pastoring and preaching and a minister from his from his DNA come a minister a preacher a Christian and a convict he had my dad who was helping him minister to the church and in between services on Sunday morning and Sunday night they would go visit my uncle in the jail every Sunday couldn't hold an office in an organization because his son was in prison because both point at each other he's from your loins he's from your family he can't do this you can't do that and it becomes a thing where there's dysfunction and we as people begin to look around in this generational curse can I stop it and it becomes the thing where I just want to preach to you tonight do not forget amalec the Lord Lord is longsuffering and of great Mercy forgiving iniquity and transgression and by no means clearing the guilty visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children under the third and the fourth generation over and over and over in your Bible he uses this word iniquity with generation after generation just like he did with amalec we hear this throughout the Bible and you you'll see it even even the disciple adapted to it they they walk up and in one of the gospels said there there's a blind man and Pastor they said what did his parents do naturally in their mind they thought they thought now get this now I'm gonna have to move on the actions of the father blinded the son he his iniquity blinded the Next Generation that's the way they thought that who who did something wrong if they if they were outside the camp they were unclean had anything wrong with them somebody had sinned because they believed in generational curses so strong if there's something wrong with you it's got to be Daddy's fault that's not something new that's not something where I can't believe they're coming to the altar you know who they're from you know what family they come from you know what they used to do the OWN disciples walk up to a man that's blind said Jesus what his dad do huh so you see this narrative and and we we the Deeds of the father affected the blindness of the boy they thought Bible begins to tell us how we can change it how we can acknowledge it it's not extremely spiritual in how we categorize things although everything's spiritual but if I can talk to you in the way that you think everything's spiritual there's not nothing you do that's not spiritual the sun coming up in the morning is spiritual he changes that dial we're all dead that's spiritual everything's spiritual how you conduct your day is spiritual don't get into the the the the curse of Christianity that says I got my spiritual life and I got everything else I do I got church life and I that'll mess you up every everything's spiritual but what we would deem is this big spir spiritual moment having a conversation with the Next Generation about some things that happened in your life and acknowledging them I struggle with this and I don't want you to now that's way too simple of teaching for today but it's very practical and a lot of there's a lot of young men that and and and they become fathers and sadly they become leaders and some of them become pastors and they never had a conversation with Dad or Mom about some of the things that they went through so what did they do they fell in the same hole that's right of sin they tripped over the same issue he said you can you you can change it tonight having a simple conversation talk with your family talk about these are the things that we struggle with we don't want you to go through the same things we struggle with something as simple as insecurity we struggle with something as simple as this dad had a problem with this or dad used to have a drinking issue and we have a problem with dealing with this or dealing with that that's a good conversation to make sure that you don't just not talk about it then all of a sudden they don't struggle with it they're from you I know it's very practical and I'm I'm going to get I'm going to get to a close and some of you are like please but the iniquities of the father sin and inqu it are used very differently in the Bible sin is a word that means miss the mark he says all have sinned all have missed the mark But iniquity means lawlessness the character behind the action yes it gets in you explain it this way there is those who let's say because it's such a Hot Topic they're searching the internet and they come up something they shouldn't be looking at and they scroll away they turn it off they block it they miss the mark could we say it that way it is a sin when you look upon something you're not supposed to look at it's a sin we should repent don't fall into the the thing of just categor oh that's just whatever everybody else is looking at no it's a sin we should repent of it if God calls it a sin we should repent of it that's right that's missing the mark but someone who has an iniquity you can't put enough filters on a phone you can't put they'll find mess on Pinterest they'll find a way to navigate to get to where they want to go why because it's not a sin it's an iniquity it's something in you and you don't even know why you want it but you want it and you'll go looking for it it don't come looking for you it's in you and you got these parts of the stories and I don't know why I feel this way towards people and I don't know why I have this Rebellion that Wells up inside of me towards this or towards that and I I don't know why I struggle with this but there's this character that's been passed down you drawn away but some of you don't need to be drawn away you'll go there yourself and you've got an iniquity in you and we need to change the tra trajectory of your life at an altar every single day don't you forget about amalec David comes after Saul we find him he's rent his clothes they mourning and weeping he's a killer brother er's already mentioned it he's the guy he's a worshipper and a warrior he's a singer songwriter the guys he's something but he finds himself on top of a roof regardless regardless of how you want to play it out for the man after God's Own Heart this isn't the first time he's been on that roof he calls for her commits adultery has a child and kills a man he lusted and then he acted on that lust and so David has a problem now he didn't just happen upon this he was very active to seek it out he calls for her there's a lot of signs that show that this is not some knee reaction David's got a problem David's problem was never on the battlefield it was always in the palace David Gets Spears th thrown at him in the palace he he just can't he don't do well in the palace because the flesh will get comfortable in the palace and perhaps Mel wouldn't I just get into my theories but perhaps Mel was ridiculing him through the window because he wasn't at home who he was out there dancing you say now you're just getting farfetched it's not the Bible it's just a thought but there's there's obviously an iniquity in David because I can prove it to you who's David's kids he's a man after his God's Own Heart and he sure wrote some Psalms he didn't make the same mistake twice and God thanks I thank God that there's somebody we can look to like David as a symbol of mercy upon our lives but David had amnon who raped his own sister that's right and David had absin who would have sex on a roof in front of the whole city city with a bunch of people and Solomon didn't have hundreds of wives because it was the thing of the day it was because he had an addiction of his iniquity come on now come on brother it had been passed down and down and down because nobody would confront the issue what was in David was now in amnon and what was in amnon was in abson what was in and sadly you can trace it back what David thought he had hid would eventually destroy Generations what David thought he had hid in Psalms 51 the header says after he has called in he's called in the adultery he begins to write these words have mercy upon me oh God according to thy loving kindness according unto the multitude of thy Tender Mercies blot out my transgressions Wash Me thoroughly from mine cleanse me from my sin for I acknowledge my transgressions and my sin is ever before me against thee and thee only have I sinned and done this evil in thy sight and mightest be justified when thou speakest and and be clear when thou judgest behold here it goes David said I did this because I was shapen in iniquity yes he finally there's this thing linging o lingering over me that I don't know why Brother P that I feel this way but all of a sudden in a deep cry unto God in a broken moment of his life he says it was because I was born in iniquity my daddy had an affair I was born outside of it I was Bor I was shaping in this and I've walked in this and although I've killed Giants and I've killed lions and I've killed Bears there's something inside of me that I can't seem to dodge and I can't seem to get around and I can't seem to get over it and I wish I could deal with it Wash Me from mine iniquity cuz it's always there it seems to always be in me I can't seem to get away from it I'm fighting what Mama thought I want to dance and I want to sing songs and I want to kill Giants but I've got an iniquity and he says in Psalm 653 this iniquity prevails against me too many of us I've come to speak against it tonight under the unction of the Holy Ghost you are sitting here fighting things that you don't have to fight you just have to acknowledge hiding it a't going to do nothing but push it down the road listen to church and daughters and sons are going to fight it just like you fought it oh yes and it's so it's so sad that David may have been a man after God's Own Heart and did what C God called him to do but you can do what God called you to do and your son's not because you wouldn't completely destroy amalec you let it live and it destroyed you you've covered it up but the next generation won't don't let your Giants you kill cover up the fact that there's iniquity in you depart from me I never knew you because why you worked in iniquity you did Works in my name you were an impostor because you did these things but you had iniquity in you all along and you must address the fight against the flesh first before you fight anything else should stand to your feet tonight I want I want so bad for you to be able to say on a Sunday night of September in 2024 I acknowledged my iniquity because you can change it it's a decision at an altar it's not necessarily a shout or a dance it's not necessarily a sling and a stone it's an honest step toward God you can't hide it the minute you hide it is the minute it will manifest so strongly in the Next Generation I want you to hear this verse and I pray that it draws you to an altar tonight Ezekiel 18 and verse number two says what mean ye that you use this proverb concerning the land of Israel saying the fathers have eaten sour grapes and the children's teeth are set on age because of what Daddy did it's in their DNA they didn't eat nothing but their teeth are ready to I I as I Live Verse three I this is the way I want us to come to this altar tonight as I live sayeth the Lord God the ye shall know not have occasion anymore to use this proverb in Israel where's Israel for us it's right here it's the the church where can generational curses be broken he said you can't cook them in the milk of their mother you'll see it over and over again he uses different analogies and foreshadows to say you have the ability you don't have to live in the dysfunction you don't have to live in the trauma you don't have to but you do have to acknowledge it you've got to talk to God about it you've got to be honest and acknowledge the fact I can't hide this anymore it may have been verbal abuse it may have been sexual abuse some of you simply just walk without confidence because you feel like nobody has believed in you there's so many different things and issues and the St statistics are against us I get it but I believe that if we will conquer amalec each and every day it's no coincidence that the gospel's record each time take up your cross and follow me that cross is something that symbolizes pain and Trauma to the in it's there's nothing compares to that right but the doctor Luke prescribed the greatest thing when he wrote it just a little bit different brother sister he said take up your cross daily we don't have the Leisure to take a day off when it comes to an altar of repentance that's right that's right Honest altars are the only thing that's going to save my family that's right Honest altars are the only thing that's going to keep your kids from fighting the same thing that you fought honest open family prayers and conversations are the thing that's going to keep us oh we're Victorious over this first fight you say well I want to kill Giants and I want to conquer the city and I want to conquer the I want to take the land I want to do everything no we don't get to take any steps forward until we conquer the first fight don't forget amalec as you close your eyes I wish you would hear me one more time to know that when you step out of your seat tonight you're not stepping out just for you although you may step out for yourself but you're stepping out for a generation you're stepping out for thousands of people that are represented that are going to come generation to generation to generation to generation come on if that's you if you want to be open and honest with God tonight come on you don't hide it you're just going to push it down the road tonight is a night for you to have a breakthrough to let release that stronghold to remove yourself I I I may I may mess up and I might slip up but I'm not going to become a character I'm not going to walk in the iniquity come on I know it's been hard I know you've been fighting it for some time I know there's some things you can't seem to understand why do I desire this why do I keep falling into the same cycle why do I keep come on get rid of that iniquity come on I'm encouraging somebody to find a place we can make this whole church an altar today but if you're physically able to get down on your knees before God I want to make that ssong I want to make that songm ring so true tonight God your kingdom is Everlasting and your truth and your grace and your mercy endures the all generations come on dad come on dad you the the Lord's looking for for you to come to him and and pour your heart out to him tonight come on Mom just just just just lift your hands up come on I I'll just telling somebody that's weary tonight it's been beating you up just get your hands up tonight come on just give your heart to him just surrender to him tonight come on break the chains tear down that stronghold in the name of Jesus come on I need an Aaron and a her to find somebody right now come on you need to find somebody right now if you see somebody praying you don't know what they're going through I wish you'd grab the hand come on grab the shoulder or somebody there's victory in this house tonight there's a breakthrough in this house tonight oh God oh God oh God hallelujah hallelujah come on that's it Church encourage somebody right now you don't know what they're fighting you don't know what they're dealing with come on This Promise This Promise is unto you and your children all that are a far off even as many as the Lord Our God shall call come on This Promise is generational the good of God is generational but we've got to win the war of our flesh oh God oh for oh mighty God Mighty God Mighty God oh God oh God oh God God oh God church family if I could have your your attention just one more moment if you're praying I want to leave this with you as this scripture is so powerful obviously there's so many things that begin to happen in the New Testament that he said for This Promise is unto you and to your children and all that are far off those things that we begin to access we get if we win the fight with our flesh but I want you to see this in Isaiah chapter 6 in verse number five then said I woe is me this is where we have to get to if we want to deal with an iniquity for I am undone because I am a man of unclean lips and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips for my my eyes have seen the king the Lord of hosts and I want you to see how powerful this is because I believe God's going to move in this room here in just a moment for every mom that's carrying around the Brokenness of a prodal for every father that's carrying around something that keeps you from being able to live who God as as God's called you to be for every young person that feels inadequate you carry around something inside of you that you really can't identify but it just keeps you from where you're supposed to be and it causes a cycle within you and you can point at this one and that one and he says I'm around people broken people mine eyes have seen the king the Lord of hosts and then flew one of the seraphim and I just believe spiritually this is about to happen in this place tonight that the Lord is going to send a move he said I have a live coal in his hand which he has taken from the altar that signifies what repentance honesty an open mouth and he says he laid it upon my mouth so as you begin to call out on God he said I've touched his lips and thine iniquity is taken away and thy sins purged I wonder as if they sing this evening if you could lift both your hands as Moses did on that mountain if you would lift your Lords up right now say woe is