Strength Training

Speaker 1: 0:00

All right, all right, all right, well, welcome again. Like Daniel said, my name is Jacob, I'm one of the pastors here and today we have a treat for you because we have one of my best good friends from Virginia Beach and I live in West Virginia, but it's still a Virginia. Why are we not East Virginia? That's a good question, I don't know, but he's from West, he's from the west part of Virginia and he's coming to speak with us today. Let me say a couple things about Darren before I hand it over to him Now.

Speaker 1: 0:29

Darren and his wife Liz were a part of our team down in Virginia Beach. Darren and I we were pastors down there for a long time and at one point before we left to start this church, we were pastors over the weekend service and Darren was the head usher one of the head ushers down there in Virginia Beach and his wife Liz was the service coordinator. So we got to work in ministry a lot to reach people for Jesus and put on services that was attractional for people and to help everyday people down there and learn how to become Jesus followers. But more than just working together in ministry, over time Darren and his wife Liz became good friends of us and not just friends like hey, you know, let's shoot the breeze, but spiritual friends. And you need people like that in your life, people that you can talk to God about, people that can encourage you in your walk, in your path. And Darren, the many years that's known each other. When they moved to West Virginia they were heavily involved at different churches and we've been able to be a voice for them and at the same token, they've been able to be a voice of encouragement for us.

Speaker 1: 1:31

And the one thing I want to highlight, because I just think it's beautiful, is when Aaron and I got the thumbs up to church plant, one of the first things that we had to do was tell the team our volunteer team had to do was tell the team you know our volunteer team that we were in charge of and you know people were, you know a mixture of excited and sad and all that stuff because we were leaving. But I want you guys to know the first ever financial gift that this church has got ever received was from Darren and Liz, and so they financially invested. Here you go. I'm going to say this is a big high-level thought. We're here today because of Darren and Liz's financial investment into this body, into this church, and so and so from yeah, yeah, it was awesome, and even even throughout COVID there, in the times when we barely we didn't know if we were going to make it, to be honest, liz and Darren faithfully gave to the church, faithfully gave financially and so, so that's a big deal.

Speaker 1: 2:24

But they also gave through prayer, through friendship, through encouragement and one of the things that I thought was really cool originally Darren was going to come and speak in May, but some scheduling conflicts happened and I asked him to come up in June and he didn't know. I would start in a series called Warrior, and so the message that he has for us today I don't want to take away your title fits perfectly with this series and it's just an expression to me of how God is in charge. At the end of the day, man, god is in charge, and if God wants something to be said, he's going to make it be said. And so I encourage you today to lean up hearts open, ears open, to receive the word that Darren has for us today, and I think it's going to be awesome. So, without further ado, darren Poore, thank you, brother.

Speaker 2: 3:12

Well, thank you for that introduction, jacob. I really appreciate that. And, by the way, I would argue that you guys, this church is not here because of Liz and I Certainly we obey the spirits prompting on that. You're here because God wanted you here, right? God put this vision on Jacob and Aaron. They planted this church in obedience to him and it's flourishing because of their obedience and, of course, we're glad to be part of that. But it's wonderful what's going on here and that praise time, by the way, was fantastic. Thank you guys. The worship team is great. So, forgive me, I'm an older guy. I need these cheaters to read my notes. But thank you again for inviting me here today. I really appreciate that.

Speaker 2: 3:51

I know Jacob is a fantastic preacher, so you're probably disappointed he's not up here today, but I will try to do my best to fill in the gap. But before I get into the message, would you just pray with me real quick for the Holy Spirit to come even more fully? I think you agree. He's here already, but let's just have him to come more fully, if you would please. So, father, thank you again for this time and for this opportunity to speak to your people. We just want to feel more of your spirit in this room today, lord. We want you to just penetrate our minds and our hearts, open our ability to receive from you. Lord, take over my mouth and my mind. Speak your word to your people, lord, as you would have them hear it. We know that this message is crafted by you and I'm just the deliverer, so we ask you to come now, lord, and speak through me to the people of this church in Jesus' name. Amen, all right. So the title of this message I'm not on the title slide because there was a spelling mistake on this slide that I did not notice until recently, but it is called Strength Training and, like Jacob said, god downloaded that message to me a few months ago when Jacob first asked me to come here. And you know, we didn't know that this was going to line up like it did, but God sure did.

Speaker 2: 4:59

But the question I have for you all to begin is don't we all want to feel strong? Don't we all want to feel like we're healthy and like we can take on any challenge? I mean we put a lot into it, right? I mean we train, we go to the gym Aaron, I think, is running a lot these days trying to get ready for marathons and stuff like that. I mean, we put a lot of time into being strong, into becoming stronger than we are. We're never really satisfied with it either, are we? We always want to be stronger and a lot of times we're disappointed in our progress. What Jacob usually says, what he wants, the hashtag HSB right, the hot summer body I'm a little less ambitious than this. I give the hashtag HDB, which is the healthy dad bod. That's where I'm at in this journey today. But anyway, we're all trying to get physically fit. But it's not just about physical strength either, is it? It's about spiritual strength and emotional strength. We want to feel strong and, by the way, a lot of people put they make a living out of strength, don't they? There's bodybuilders out there. There's professional wrestlers and boxers. There's UFC right, everybody likes the UFC, or a lot of people do, and they're physical trainers.

Speaker 2: 6:11

And my favorite of all is Arnold Schwarzenegger. Probably name is synonymous with strength, right and on display right. He started as a bodybuilder, of course, turned that into a very successful movie career and, by the way, I don't know if you heard this, but Arnold has a new movie coming out this summer. He's actually taking on a giant cockroach that has taken over New York City. You know the punchline, don't you? Yeah, it's called the X-Terminator.

Speaker 2: 6:39

Let me try a couple more real quick. So how does Arnold ask his wife what she wants for dinner Pasta or pizza? Baby, that's a slow landing plane. You'll get that on the way home. You got to make different kind of a movie reference there. Hasta la vista.

Speaker 2: 6:56

Okay, last one why did Arnold cross the road To get to the choppa? That's why I'm not a comedian, all right, but like Arnold, our heroes tend to be strong, right, all of our heroes. You look at the superhero movies, obviously, marvel, all of those folks are strong. They're strong characters, right, and we all want to be like them. But we're not always feeling strong, right, and that's the problem that we have is we feel weak in times where we feel like we need strength. So that's what this message is about how do we get strength when we need it? The Bible, by the way, has a lot to say about this. There's over 500 verses in the Bible that talk about being strong, or strength, or gaining strength. And we got. So we got a lot to get through, so I was told I was going to have enough time to go through all those, right? No, okay, but I will go over a few of those with you, and there's a few characters I'm going to bring up as well, but one of the characters I'm really going to focus on is Joshua.

Speaker 2: 7:55

So if you don't know, joshua is, he was Moses's second in command. Right as Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt, joshua was kind of there by his side and helping him, you know, shepherd the Israelites to the promised land. In fact, he was one of the spies that entered the land and gave one of the only two good reports about the encouragement they're ready to go in, and unfortunately, the Israelites did not believe that. So they spent 40 years in the desert. But now, at the end of Moses' life, joshua is now the chosen one to take over for Moses and bring them into the promised land. That's a pretty big shoes to fill, right? That's a pretty major calling.

Speaker 2: 8:30

So, as you might guess, joshua was probably pretty intimidated. He probably was lacking a little bit of strength at that time, right? But God, of course, in his wisdom, he tries to give Joshua some encouragement and you'll see the verses on the screen here, but these verses all happen in rapid succession at the beginning of Joshua, where God tells him three times hey, joshua, be strong and courageous. No, really, be strong and very courageous. No, this is my command to you, joshua. It's not just not, it's not optional you have to be strong and courageous. So Joshua's response is, of course, okay, I'll be strong and courageous. Right, that's. All you need is just someone to tell you says of course, okay, I'll be strong and courageous. Right, that's all you need is just someone to tell you to be strong. But I'm sure he didn't feel it right. He probably didn't know how he was going to accomplish this great task that God had put in front of him. We're going to come back to those verses a little later.

Speaker 2: 9:16

But besides Joshua, even other heroes in the Bible had times when they were known as strong people, but they had times of weakness. Moses, joshua's mentor, had many times of weakness. When he led the Israelites through the desert 40 years, he got tired of it. He was very frustrated at times and told God like, why did you put me in charge of these nuns? I mean, they're crazy. Why do I have to be the one to have to listen to these people complain all the time. He had weaknesses too. He even at first didn't want to follow his calling right. He was hesitant at the burning bush like I'm not ready for this, but he did it. God gave him the power to do it.

Speaker 2: 9:55

Ezekiel, one of the most famous prophets in the Bible, after defeating a hundred of Baal's prophets in a sacrificial standoff right, he goes and hides in the desert from Queen Jezebel and says God, kill me. Now. I, you know, I can't do this anymore. Right after that big victory he was, he had a moment of weakness. David, probably one of the most famous kings in Israel's history, won many, many battles, right, famous. He killed his, saul kills his thousands and David kills his ten thousands. They sang about him. Right, he was very famous for victory in battle. Yet if you look at the Psalms, many of which were written by David, a lot of those are Psalms of woe. And I'm weary, I'm tired, I'm afraid.

Speaker 2: 10:39

David showed many times that he was not always strong. And, of course, paul. On the next slide here he talked about having a thorn in the flesh that he couldn't get rid of. I'll talk a little bit more about that later. But he also talked about spiritual weakness. He said in Romans. I know that nothing good lives in me. That is my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can't. I want to do what is good, but I don't. I don't want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway. So even Paul, the greatest evangelist, probably of the early church, had moments of spiritual weakness. He had trouble.

Speaker 2: 11:12

And I can't go too much further without talking about probably the most famous strongman in the Bible. Who's that? Samson, of course, right, biggest strongman story, probably in the Bible, most famous one that we have, and most of us, when we think of Samson, we think of someone like this. Right, this is the character we tend to think about. I would contend, though, that I'm not sure that was true, because if you look at the passages that talk about him and Judges, at one point the Philistines say, as they're talking to Delilah hey, go to Samson and have him tell you what makes him so strong. What makes him so strong? Would you do that? By the way, if you're looking at a guy like that, would you say what makes him so strong? Well, of course, he works out how can he be overpowered and tied up securely. So they didn't know. They were mystified by how he was so strong.

Speaker 2: 11:59

And it actually says in the Bible, too, whenever Samson demonstrated a particular feat of strength, that the spirit of the Lord came upon him. Right, so it may not have been just physical strength that he possessed, it was something else. So I would contend that maybe Samson looked something like this that would confuse you, right? Like how can this guy tear a line apart? You know, I mean, that doesn't seem right, so to get into it. So how can we get? And obviously Samson had a lot of weaknesses. Right, he was strong, but when it came to spiritual strength, he didn't have it a lot of times.

Speaker 2: 12:40

All right, so I'm going to give you four basic principles about what does it take to get fit, to be strong, to gain strength when you need it. And you'll probably remember these from either a physical trainer talking to you or maybe you read it online. You know, of course, if you're trying to get physically fit, these things will ring true, but there's biblical principles behind these two that I'm going to call out. So the first principle is this You've got to eat right. Does that make sense? You have to eat right. You have to have a good diet if you want to build any kind of strength or muscle on your body. That makes sense to us. I think we all understand that we don't always follow it, but I think we all understand that principle. Just like you can't build muscle without a good diet, you can't build spiritual strength without feeding on God's Word, without having communion with our Lord and Savior. Right, if you don't do that, you're not going to get strong.

Speaker 2: 13:29

Jesus talked about this when he was tempted in the desert after 40 days and he was definitely weak at that point physically, and the devil tempted him to turn stones into bread. He said to him the scripture says a person cannot live on bread alone, but on every word that God speaks. So not only did he say that you've got to be meditating on God's word, but he also demonstrated it by having that meditation that he could call from right. He quoted scripture every time to the devil to say this is why that temptation doesn't work for me. You have to be in tune with God's word. Jesus also said this later when he was talking to a group of Jewish people and this was, by the way, after he fed them fed the 5,000 with the loaves and fishes that he multiplied to feed them physically, he said.

Speaker 2: 14:14

Later on he said this I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. Interestingly enough, they asked him to show them another miracle to demonstrate this concept of him being the bread of life, Like you just saw one just a little bit ago. What do you need another miracle for? But that's kind of where we are right. Sometimes we don't always believe, even after we see.

Speaker 2: 14:39

And just like a good diet of God's word is important for spiritual growth, sin is the opposite, is it not? Sin is like eating junk food and expecting to get healthy right. It's separation from God. It tears us up from inside. David said this in one of the Psalms. He said I am dying from grief, my years are shortened by sadness, sin has drained my strength. I am wasting away from within. So sin will do just the opposite of feeding on God's word. It will tear you down inside. So we have to get away from sin and get into God's word if we want to have a healthy start to our lives. So the second principle is this If you're going to work out, if you're going to get strong, if you're going to get healthy, you got to stretch first.

Speaker 2: 15:26

Right, you got to stretch your muscles.

Speaker 2: 15:28

Faith is kind of like that. Faith is like a rubber band. I've got a little demonstration here. If I have a rubber band and I try to capture these pencils with it and it's not under tension, it doesn't really do much good. Right, it doesn't hold these pencils together if there's no tension on it. But then if I start stretching it, well, now they're tightly held together. But I had to put it under tension first. I had to put some pressure on it. I had to stretch this rubber band to cause it to do its work. Faith is like that. You have to stretch your faith. If you want it to work, you have to go beyond what you currently see as a reality or a possibility. You have to stretch your faith beyond what your knowledge tells you is possible. That's what faith is about.

Speaker 2: 16:11

So Jesus talked about this. He said I can guarantee this truth. If you have faith and do not doubt, you will be able to do what I did. And that's when he cursed the fig tree for not producing fruit. He said you'll be able to say to this mountain be uprooted and thrown into the sea and it might happen. Wait a second, I read that wrong. It will happen, okay, it doesn't say that it's possible. It says that it will happen if you have the faith to make it happen. But you've got to stretch. You've got to stretch beyond what you know to be possible. Today he also said this the Lord said if you have the faith of a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree pull yourself up by the roots and plant yourself in the sea and it would obey you. These are things we don't think about as possible. But notice, he talks about faith as a mustard seed. That's pretty small. Have you ever seen a mustard seed? It's tinier than the head of a pin. But that's the kind of faith it takes. What does that say about your faith? If you can't make things like that happen, it's probably even smaller, right, but it doesn't take much. It takes faith in the Savior, the God, who can actually perform those miracles. We have to believe that he can do it. Okay, so you got to stretch your faith.

Speaker 2: 17:22

And then, of course, the next principle is repetition is what it takes to get results. If I take this weight right here, I'll show you my muscles here. Do one curl. All right, workout's done, ready to go on my day? Give me some popsicles. Okay, you're not going to build muscle that way. Right, you've got to have repetition. You've got to build sets in. You've got to come back the next day and do it some more. You've got to cycle your weight training around. You've got to do it often, right, just like that.

Speaker 2: 17:53

You won't get stronger if you're not continually interacting with God and with his word. You have to talk to him. You have to build a relationship with him. You don't build a relationship with someone by talking to him once every month, right, you have to talk to him continually. You have to be in communion with him. Repetition yields results. It says this in 1 Chronicles 16, search for the Lord and for his strength Continually. Seek him, not on Sundays, not on Easter and Christmas. That's not the only times. You've got to seek him continually.

Speaker 2: 18:29

Daniel demonstrated this also. He said it says in Daniel, after the king had decreed that everyone's going to worship this idol of the king. When Daniel learned that the law had been signed, he went home and knelt down as usual in his upstairs room with his windows open towards Jerusalem. He prayed three times a day, just as he had always done, giving thanks to his God. So Daniel had a habit even in captivity in a non-believing nation of Babylon and then Persia, he still maintained his relationship with God, regularly communicating with him three times a day, probably more. But those regular occurrences that he built into his habits are what created that firm relationship. And Daniel, by the way, because of that, had many visions that you'll probably read about there. And as well as he had, he was able to minister to this ungodly nation that he was captive in.

Speaker 2: 19:29

So it takes repetition. In Romans, paul said we can rejoice Interesting. We can rejoice when we run into problems and trials. That's a strange concept, is it not? We can be happy about problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop what Endurance, and endurance develops what Strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. So it takes not only does it take our diligent communication with God, but it takes us getting through problems with faith, depending on God to get us through it. That builds our character and our endurance with joy. Right, it's not that we're not going to face problems. We're going to face problems throughout our entire life. There's going to be repetition of problems right, but it's how we approach those problems with joy, knowing that God's going to help us endure it. That's the key. The final principle I'm going to talk to you about is you've got to use a spotter, okay. Just like you know, in physical training, if you try to lift weights on your own, sometimes you're going to run into problems if you're not using help when you need it.

Speaker 2: 20:44

When I was in high school, on the football team, I had a friend of mine who was basically competing for the same position, running back that I was. He's about my size, height-wise, physically, though, though, he was much bigger than I was like he was buffed like Jason Momoa or Momoa up there. That's the kind of guy he looked like. He was strong and it was because he disciplined himself, but I was like I got to get stronger if I'm gonna have a chance at beating this guy. So after school one day, I mean they're on the bench press and I'm gonna. I'm gonna knock out 235. This is my chance. I'm gonna do 235, because that was my goal at the time and it's the heaviest weight I'd ever lifted or tried to lift.

Speaker 2: 21:27

So I got that thing off the rack and brought it down, and that's where it stayed and I started doing this. I got to get this thing off and right, it seemed like it lasted for several minutes. It was probably only like 30 seconds, but right was. I was about to say I'm gonna have to let this thing go and just let my head come off my body, because this I can't hold it anymore. Suddenly a hand comes over my head, grabs the bar, lifts it up, puts it back on the rack, and I hear a voice say poor, don't you know that you should not be lifting weights ever without somebody here to spot you? And sure enough, I look over and it's Todd. He came in right at the right time and saved my life. But I learned a valuable lesson that day.

Speaker 2: 22:09

But you got to have a spotter. We all need help sometimes. Right, we can't do life alone. God didn't design us that way. We need help in times of trouble and, by the way, that's what this is, this community. Right here, you got a bunch of spotters in this room. Okay, we're here to encourage and to help each other in times of trouble.

Speaker 2: 22:30

Look at what the writer of Hebrews says. He says let us think of ways to motivate one another and to acts of love and good works. Let us not neglect our meeting together. We talked about small groups earlier. You've got to do that. Let's not neglect meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near. Anybody feel like the day of return is drawing near today? Yes, we got to help each other through these times In Acts, as they were just getting the church together, it says at one point they went from town to town instructing the believers to follow the decisions made by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem.

Speaker 2: 23:10

So the churches were strengthened in their faith and they grew larger every day. Can you imagine a church getting bigger and bigger every day? It could happen. You just need the right encouragement and the right connections with each other to help encourage each other.

Speaker 2: 23:25

And, of course, the best spotter that we have is who Jesus. He's the one we can always turn to. He says in Matthew. This is a famous verse, a little different version, but it says this do what I teach you to do, listen to my message and learn from me what is true. I am very kind and do not make myself important. I will help you. Jesus got you. He's going to spot you right. In another version, this verse talks about take my yoke upon you, meaning I'm going to share the load with you. Walk beside me and let me take some of the weight from you. He's the ultimate spotter.

Speaker 2: 24:09

What do all these things have in common? These are great principles, but they, you know, we're relating them to physical training, but also to spiritual strength building. What do they all have in common? We have one source of strength. It doesn't come from within. It's not something that we just reach inside ourselves and find the strength to get by right, like the world would tell you. It's not some self-help book that I read and I figure out how to get myself stronger. Our source of strength is God. It's Jesus Christ.

Speaker 2: 24:44

Moses said this right after bringing the Israelites through the Red Sea, One of the greatest miracles, probably in the Bible. Right, and Moses was there. He was the one raising his staff to divide the Red Sea and get people through right. Did he take credit for it? Absolutely not. That wasn't his strength. He said the Lord is my strength and my song. He has given me victory. That's where it comes from, david said in Chronicles after a major victory. He said both riches and honor come from you. You rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. God's your source. Moses said it, david said it.

Speaker 2: 25:36

Asaph, who is one of David's worship leaders, wrote this psalm. He said you think maybe I can attest to that, but God is my source of strength. And in the Hebrew translation of this it says God is the rock of my heart, he is the solid foundation to keep me afloat when I need it. He's mine forever. One of the more famous Psalms by David. It says he renews my strength right. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name. And I don't have this on a slide, but I read this this morning in my devotional. I think God was just giving me another little tip here.

Speaker 2: 26:16

Zechariah, he says this. He says Zachariah, he says this. He says Then he replied this is the word the Lord spoke to Zerubbabel you will not succeed by might or by power, but by my spirit. Going back to Samson, remember, the spirit of the Lord is what gave him strength. Two more verses here.

Speaker 2: 26:37

So let me go back to Paul. I told you he had this thorn in the flesh and he said three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it from me. But he said to me my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. That's something that's hard to understand. Wait, when you're saying, when I'm weak, that's when I should feel strong. That's what Paul says at the end of this verse. He says when I am weak, then I am strong, and I should delight in weakness, in insults, hardships, persecutions and difficulties. Again, rejoice when these things come. Why? Because that's when God moves. When you're feeling your weakest, when you're feeling the most down you've ever felt, when you're feeling like you can't make it through another day, that's when God shows up. That's exactly when he comes and does his best work.

Speaker 2: 27:34

This is one of my favorite verses about this is Isaiah have you never heard, have you never understood? The Lord is the everlasting God, the creator of all earth. He never grows weak or weary. The source of your strength never runs out. There's no blackouts with God's power. There's no. You didn't pay your electric bill this month. Turn it off. God's power never fails. No one can measure the depths of his understanding. He gives power to the weak, strength to the powerless. Those who trust in the Lord will find new strength, not the strength you relied on before. He's going to give you something totally new. They will run and not go weary. By the way, I'm ready to soar on high with wings of eagles, are you guys? I want to fly. I can't wait for that day. They will walk and not faint. So when Aaron's running for her half marathon, you remember, she can run and not grow weary because God's going to give her strength.

Speaker 2: 28:37

So let's go back to Joshua. Bring up those three verses again. God just didn't tell him hey, be strong and courageous. Like you got this pat on the back, go ahead, joshua, just be strong. You got this. He actually told him how to do it.

Speaker 2: 28:52

If you look at these verses carefully verse one he says be strong and courageous, for you are the one who will lead these people to possess the land that I swore to their ancestors I would give them. In other words, joshua, have faith. You may not see it today, but stretch your faith. You'll be able to see that I'm going to give this to you. I promised you I would do this and I've called you to take the lead here. You're going to do it. To take the lead here. You're going to do it. You've got to have faith.

Speaker 2: 29:23

Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Don't deviate from them, turning left or right. Then you will be successful in everything you do. What does that mean? You've got to eat right, joshua, stay in the Word, remember my commandments, follow the law and you will be successful.

Speaker 2: 29:47

So then he says hey, by the way, remember what I just said about commands. Here's my command Be strong and courageous, don't be afraid or discouraged. Be strong and courageous. Don't be afraid or discouraged. Be strong and courageous. Don't be afraid or discouraged. Be strong and courageous. Don't be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord, your God, is with you wherever you go. What's God, his spotter? God's his spotter. He's there. He's going to get you, he's going to take care of you. He's got your back.

Speaker 2: 30:20

And, of course, you can see the repetition right. You had to tell him three times. God has to tell me things three times too. By the way, sometimes I'm a little slow on the uptick and I got to be reminded. No, really, I do mean this.

Speaker 2: 30:35

So it takes faith, it takes obedience, but you got to remember that God's with you. Stay in connection with Him. Remember that he's God and he is your source, and you'll get strength when you need it the most. Can you pray with me? Strength when you need it the most Can you pray with me, god. Thank you again for this message today. Thank you for reminding me, reminding all of us, that you are the source of all strength, and even when we're feeling weak and weary or like we can't get out of bed the next day or the challenge that's in front of us is just too great, or God, why did you call me to do this? I don't feel like I'm equipped for this. Help us to remember, lord, that if we can put our faith in you, if we can stay in communion with you daily, if we can remind ourselves of the promises in your word to us and recall that you are the source of our strength, god, that you will get us through any situation that we face.

Speaker 2: 31:53

I feel like someone here today is in that situation. They're feeling overwhelmed. They're feeling maybe it's a medical condition. I feel like someone here today is in that situation. They're feeling overwhelmed. They're feeling maybe it's a medical condition, maybe it's a relationship problem that they're going through, maybe it's a job problem, a financial issue, and it just seems like it's too much. I don't have the strength to deal with this situation.

Speaker 2: 32:18

If that's you, I just want you to turn your face to God right now and just say God, I need the strength that only you can provide, because I'm tapped, I don't have enough, I'm tired, I'm weary. I have given it all I've got and I don't have any more to give. I need a fresh infilling of your spirit into me so that I can get the strength I need to get through this. If that's you, just pray in agreement. That's me, god. I need that. Pour your spirit into me.

Speaker 2: 32:55

If this is your first time kind of thinking about Jesus as your Savior, the only way that you can get the strength that we're talking about today is to have Jesus as your Savior. You have to believe that he died for you, that the sin that you've committed can be wiped away by the blood that he shed on the cross. And if that's something that you haven't done yet, that you haven't accepted that gift, that free gift, pray with me right now, jesus. I need that strength. I want the gift that you've given me with your death and resurrection. I know I'm a sinner. It's been eating away at me from the inside out.

Speaker 2: 33:36

Just like David said, I need new strength. I want what you have to give. Come and fill my life, take over my life. I'm giving it up to you. Be my spotter. I'm giving you my yoke. Let me walk with you, and I'll just ask you to stretch your faith a little bit. If you prayed either of those two prayers, can you, with no one looking around, can you just raise your hand and tell me yeah, I prayed for God to give me new strength or to be my Savior today. Thank you, thank you, all right, jacob, thanks.

Speaker 1: 34:18

And amen, man give it up for Darren.