Speaker 1: 0:00

But we're going to continue our series on marriage and now I have a few hopes and prayers for this message series. First, I hope some of you get married, but not right now, not today, don't worry. But because of what you're learning about marriage, that you will see that man this is something that I want to do. There's others of you that I hope that some of you who are dating, that you will have a real talk moment with the person that you're dating, because if you're with the wrong person, how will you ever find the right person? And then the third thing I'm hoping for those who are married. I'm praying for your marriage. I'm hoping that you won't break up, I promise, but I am praying that you will break up with some bad habits in your marriage and that you will see God come through in some powerful ways there. This series is called Save the Date and we're talking about date and sex and marriage Basically all the things that the culture is already talking about. Here you go.

Speaker 1: 0:56

One of the biggest questions that people ask is this how do I find the right person to marry? How do I find the right person to marry, which is a fair question. That's a fair question. And, let's be honest, dating today is a little different. You know it's not as easy. What do you do? Do you slide into someone's DMs Like is that what you do? Do you swipe right? Is that how you do it? Do you hope that Facebook will pair you with your soulmate? Is that how it is? Do you go to church with some spiritual cologne on and say, hey girl, if that's not the incense of the Lord smelling, that's me. Don't do that. That'd be weird. Okay, don't do that. You know, I don't know. I don't know how do you do it. But here's what I do know. Maybe the better question to ask isn't how do I find the right person? Maybe the better question is how do I become the right person? How do I become the right person? Because, at the end of the day, at the end of the day, you and me, us we attract not what we want, we attract who we are. We attract who we are, we attract who we are. And so I like how Andy Stanley puts it. He says this. He said a good goal would to become the type of person the person you're looking for is looking for. Now, here's the thing as everyday people who are learning how to become Jesus followers. All of us are in the process of becoming someone. Aaron and I have been married for 10 years now. Come on, and here's the truth I am different today than I was on August 10th of 2014. I'm a way different person, and so is Aaron. So it's not a question is if you're going to change. The question is who are you changing into? Who are you changing into?

Speaker 1: 2:46

Whether you're single, dating or married, the goal isn't just to find the right person. It's to become the right, the kind of person that the right person would be looking for. So what I want to do? I want to give us three qualities that can strengthen our relationship, strengthen your marriage, your dating, single or just friendships, too. You can apply these principles to friendships as well, okay, okay, but here it goes.

Speaker 1: 3:07

When it comes to dating, there is a lot of not good advice out there. There's a lot, you know. You may have grew up in a church and you heard dating isn't in the Bible, so you need to court somebody. You're like I take them to court. Like what does that mean? I don't even know what that means. Or maybe maybe you watch the Bachelor. Maybe you watch the Bachelor and the advice that the Bachelor gives you is what you casually date around 20 people, make out with at least five to seven of them 20 of them, yeah, fall in love with at least two of them, give a rose to one and then three months later, break up. Break up, you know, maybe that's the vice.

Speaker 1: 3:49

Or maybe a well-meaning pastor told you or a spiritual leader told you make a list of everything you want in a person and don't do anything but what's on that list? Now, aaron and I, we were working with a girl one time, a young adult, who made a list and her list somehow she was reading it to us and it was had to be tall. He had to be tall, strong, big muscles, long black hair and we said whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. We don't think Jason Momoa goes to VCU. You may be missing the mark a little bit, okay, so you may have had a pastor tell you to make a list and then maybe another pastor told you rip up that list and just follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. You're like where is he leading me? I don't see nobody. You know. Meanwhile you got three friends saying you need to get on dating apps. Then you got other three friends saying you need to get off those dating apps.

Speaker 1: 4:45

And so, instead of turning to the Bachelor or TikTok or your single friend who's been in five situationships this year, maybe the best place to look is to what God says. What does God say? What does God say about this? We're going to look at 1 Corinthians 7, and this chapter is all about relationships. Okay, now, culture and even a lot of Christian circles often make it seem like marriage is the ultimate goal in life, but Paul actually teaches that being married is not our purpose in life. Check this out Marriage is a gift, but it's not the finish line. If you look at Scripture, you'll see this clearly. John the Baptist not married. The Apostle Paul not married. Jesus not married, not married. Okay, god's greatest calling for your life isn't to get married, not married. Okay, god's greatest calling for your life isn't to get married, but God's greatest calling for your life and for my life, for our lives, is to know him, and not just know him intellectually, but to know him personally and to follow him, and to follow him where he's leading. So here you go.

Speaker 1: 6:04

Paul says like this I wish that all of you were as I am, but each of you has your own gift from God. One has this gift, the other has that. Now, to the unmarried and the widow, I say it is good for them to stay unmarried, as I do. Essentially, paul is saying that singleness is a gift. And some of you are saying can I exchange that gift? Yeah, that singleness is a gift. And some of you are saying can I exchange that gift? Yeah, where do I go? Do I go to Kohl's and do that At the Amazon? Take that. What do I do? He goes on. He says like this I'm saying this for your own good, not to restrict you, but that you may live in a right way.

Speaker 1: 6:38

Check this part out An undivided devotion to the Lord, undivided devotion to the Lord, undivided devotion to the Lord. Now, I want you to keep that in your head. So if you're not married and there's no one else pulling for your attention or your time, no divided affections, you're free to give your whole heart to God. That's essentially what Paul is saying here. Marriage isn't the goal, god is. Now. We bought into this idea that life really begins when you find the one, whatever that means. But that's not true. What if life is happening right now? What if life is happening right now. What if the deepest, longest of your soul isn't actually for a spouse, but to know God? But to know God Again. Marriage is a gift, but it's not the mission. The mission is to pursue God with your whole heart, to live fully alive in Him, whether single or married. Now, because your story is not on hold until you find the right person and your story is not incomplete as well what do I mean? Check this out.

Speaker 1: 7:44

Our purpose is to live a life for and this is for married single people is to live a life with undivided devotion to Jesus. That is our purpose and if you're married, this is also your purpose. Now I want to speak to some spouses in here today. Okay, it's easy to let life revolve around your kids. It's easy to let your life revolve around your kids and their schedules and their sports and their friendships and their activities, but if you haven't had a real conversation with your spouse in weeks, let alone been on a date night, it might be a time to make an adjustment. It might be a time Because, as much as you love your kids, they are not your purpose and the best thing you can do for them is to model what a life of devotion to God looks like, and what a healthy and happy marriage looks like. Okay, let's keep going, and I want to show you these three qualities that Scripture highlights to strengthen those relationships. Okay, here you go.

Speaker 1: 8:44

Number one is this you got to find security in Jesus. First thing is we got to find security in Jesus. A big mistake we make is hoping that people or a person will fill the hole in our hearts that only God was intended to fill. Now I'm going to say that again. A mistake that we make all of us make is that we hope that people, our person, will fill the God-sized hole in our heart that only God was meant to fill up, that only God was meant to fill.

Speaker 1: 9:16

Insecurity isn't just a feeling, it's a wound, and relationships, by their very nature, press on our wounds. Maybe here you go, maybe you've been rejected before, maybe you always felt like you were second best, maybe someone you trusted deeply let you down, and so now, without even realizing it, you carry that weight into every relationship you go into. You're waiting for the moment for that person to let you down. You're waiting for the moment that they're going to trick you, the bait and switch to happen because there's a wound there, and there is nothing like relationships to press those wounds even harder. There's nothing like trusting someone with your heart to discover how wounded your heart is, and so and so here you go. But we weren't meant to live like that. Your heart was made for love, for trust, for a deep and secure knowing that you are worth fighting for. The question is will you let God heal those wounds? Because until you do I want you to hear this Until you start the process of letting God heal the wounds in our heart, no person in a relationship ever will, and they will always feel a little bit empty. Okay, because this is what happens.

Speaker 1: 10:42

Insecure people need more, but they settle for less. Need more, but they settle for less. Insecurity creates a hunger that no human relationship can satisfy. And when we don't know who we are, when we don't believe we are deeply loved, we start looking for someone else to tell us. And in dating, you might choose someone who gives you attention but doesn't build you up, and there is a difference. There is a difference. So, and in a marriage, in marriage, your spouse, they might not compliment you as much as they did when you first started going out. They may look at you and say man, what happened to that six-pack that you used to have? They may look at you and the things that once were cute, they now drive them crazy. And then, in that process, what can happen? You can find yourself seeking affirmation from others.

Speaker 1: 11:43

See, we all heard the classic love quotes right from movies. We all know about them. We watch too many movies and we're like man, how can I get a life like that? For example in the Notebook. Come on, it's a good one. The Notebook Noah says. He says every day with you is the best day of my life. That's a good line, fellas, try that out tonight, okay. Titanic, come on, rose promises Jack, I'll never let you go. And then she let him go. There is plenty of room on that thing. He could have hopped up on that. She was being stingy. And then there's Jerry Maguire Come on, this is the ultimate line, right?

Speaker 1: 12:29

He runs to where Renee Zellweger was and delivers the famous line you complete me. Oh, bs, baby, I'm joking, sorry, okay, no, no, I tried this line on Aaron before. I said you can completely make me a sandwich. She said get your own sandwich. It didn't work, okay. So here you go. Here's the real problem. Here's the real problem.

Speaker 1: 12:55

This is the message that so many people have believed for a long time that love is like a fairy tale, it's a road. You know all this stuff, the other person's going to complete you and when you find them, you'll be completed. And I say all that to tell you that marriage doesn't complete you. Marriage will actually show you how incomplete and selfish and ego-centered you really are. And some of the married people like preach it. Don't get too excited. But it is Jesus and Jesus alone that completes you, that completes us. Marriage never will make you whole, but marriage can make you holy and Jesus alone will make you whole. The Apostle Paul puts it this way. He says For in Christ, all the fullness of the deity dwells in bodily form and you have been made complete in Christ.

Speaker 1: 13:56

The challenge is everywhere you go you hear counter-godly messages. The predominant cultural message is you can't be happy without your soulmate In church. Come on church people, you'd be driving crazy sometimes. The church can sometimes apply that you aren't complete until your marriage, that you're a second-class Christian if you aren't married, and then the devil. The devil will take that and whisper into your ear you're not married. There must be something wrong with you.

Speaker 1: 14:28

Oh, you got something going on, and this I want to say to someone today if it's been a long time for you, I want you to know. If it's been a long time since you heard this, I want you to know that you are valuable, that you're valuable. You're so valuable that God sent his one and only son to die a death that we deserved, but rose again for you. That's how valuable you are. He did it for you and so and so, and that's why we don't have to lower our standards because of what Christ has done on the cross for us. You don't have to compromise your values to settle for less, because secure people need less and expect more. Come on, if I could tell this to every young person, I would Secure people need less and expect more. For a secure person, you should have high standards.

Speaker 1: 15:23

For Aaron and I, we were both married when we were young. We got married when we were young, so I think it's safe to say that we were not completely secure in Christ when we first got married. Safe to say that. I think. Aaron, though, made some incredibly hard and godly choices when she was single, and that she's going to talk more about next week when she preaches next week. I'm excited for that. But she made some extremely tough decisions that made me look at her and say, man. But she made some extremely tough decisions that made me look at her and say, man, I want to be with a girl that values herself like that, that has those kind of standards for herself. And so, for us, our security is in Christ and by the grace of God. Our security in Christ took deeper roots in our marriage and it can happen for you too. It can happen for you too. It can happen for you too. So here you go Again.

Speaker 1: 16:10

I'm speaking to two different kind of people grouping here today. I got people who are single, people who are dating, and I got married people. Okay. So, but how do we find security in Christ? Let's get a little bit more practical to it. Okay, we become strong in godly character. We find security in Christ by becoming strong and godly character. I'm not going to lie.

Speaker 1: 16:29

I am most attracted to Erin, not when she's wearing a swimsuit there in the summer, not when she's in that certain outfit, not when she's wearing those nice headbands she's been wearing. She does look cute in those. I do like that. But I am most attracted to Erin and I know this sounds cheesy, so grate me some cheese I am most attracted to Erin when she is spending intentional time with God man, when she is developing herself and developing her relationship with the Lord. I'm like girl. You turn that page in the Bible, you write that devotional girl Dude. It's so good. I'm telling you. And the reason why. And the reason why because her physical body can be booming, but if her attitude, if she's rude to cashiers, if she's constantly yelling at kids, if she's caught up in drama or gossip, here's the thing you can be hot and not at the same time and so it's about her character. It's when she's developing her character that looks great.

Speaker 1: 17:34

Jesus says it like this. He says but seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Jesus says this right after he gives us the command not to worry but to seek first God's kingdom and his righteousness. And righteousness that's become such a religious word we don't even know what it means like righteousness. But what does that mean? The word means to be right, to be just, to have good character, to pursue good character. Seeking God leads to good character. We often think of character as something we either have or we don't, but character is something we form and develop over time.

Speaker 1: 18:16

You don't wake up one day suddenly holy man, I'm so holy today, it's great. Must have been all that candy I ate before bed. You know? No, it doesn't work that way. You become holy through small daily choices. You don't become faithful in marriage the day you say I do. You become faithful in marriage making small daily decisions. You don't suddenly develop integrity when it's tested. Your integrity is shaped by what you do when no one else is watching. Here you go. Every choice you make moves you a little bit closer toward or away from the person that you want to become. Every decision we do, and so the question isn't what do I want and espoused? A better question again is who am I becoming? And I love these five qualities that Paul highlights for Timothy.

Speaker 1: 19:10

In 1 Timothy he says this. He says set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity. How do we pursue holiness? And again, what does holy mean? To be set apart? How do we look different from the culture around us? Let's break down this. Let's break this down First, paul's saying your words, words.

Speaker 1: 19:31

How's your character? Jesus said out of the overflow of the heart what the mouth speaks Out of the overflow. In other words, if you want to know what's in your heart, just listen to what's coming out your mouth and listen and listen to what's coming. This is actually a good one. And listen and listen to what's coming. This is actually a good one. Listen to what's coming out of your mouth when you're reacting or responding to something that someone did to you. That's a tough one. That's a tough one. But are your words life-giving? Do they build people up or do they sound more like a late night TV, mature Netflix special, sharp, sarcastic, cynical.

Speaker 1: 20:15

Now, it's easy to think. It's easy to think about how we talk to others, but there's more to that. How's your self-talk? How do you talk to yourself? How do you describe yourself when you're thinking about yourself? Do you say words about yourself? Like man, you're never good enough. You'll never do that. You're going to mess this one up too. Nobody cares about me. I'm all by myself. I don't have anyone for me. I've got to do it by myself. I've got to make it on my own. I'll never be lovable. I'll never get that? How's your words about yourself? How do you talk to yourself? What's the voice in your head saying?

Speaker 1: 21:04

The truth is, we live in a culture where words are cheap People. People throw them around in the comment section without ever looking at someone in the eye. People handle conflicts through emails. But words matter and they shape us. So what if we started paying attention? What if, instead of speaking words of fear, we spoke words of faith? What if, instead of tearing people down, we built people up? What if, instead of agreeing with our worst thoughts about ourselves, we agree with what God says about us? Because character isn't just about the big decisions. It's about the little words we say every single day, and they're shaping us. They're shaping us to who we become.

Speaker 1: 21:49

Second thing he says behavior. Character isn't just about what we think or believe. It's about how we act when no one is watching. Your behavior is an outward expression of what's happening inside of you. How do you treat others? Do you respect people, even when you don't get anything in return? Do you show kindness, even when it's inconvenient? Are you honest, even when a little lie people wouldn't even notice? How do you act when no one is watching? Again, integrity isn't proven when people are looking at you. It is tested when no one will know the difference. And how do you handle pressure? Hard times don't create character. Hard times, well, they reveal character. They reveal it.

Speaker 1: 22:35

Third thing is there's love. Love is rooted in God, not just human strength, because, let's be honest, loving people is hard. There's sometimes people do stuff, people just be peopling sometimes and you're like man, why they do that for? And it's hard. People will hurt you, people will disappoint you, people won't always deserve your kindness. You're like wow, jacob, thanks, that's so encouraging. No, no, no. That's why real love starts with God. We love because he first loved us. If your love is dependent on your own strength, it will run out. If your love is rooted in God's love, it will make it through the hardest storms. The closer you are to Jesus, the more his love flows through you.

Speaker 1: 23:28

Fourth, he says faith. How do you grow your faith? How do you grow that trust in God? You spend daily time with him and friends again. That's why we're pressing into Lent. We want to create spaces as a church where you can intentionally press into the presence of God, where you can say God, I'm going to give up something if that means getting closer to you. It's worth it. For 40 days, god, I'm going to do these daily devotionals that we're going to offer Because, god, if I can press into you and it grows my faith and it grows my trust in you, then, man, it is worth those 40 days. Look at the 40 days. I'm not just spending 40 days. Look at that as an investment. I'm invested in my relationship with God, and when you invest in your relationship with God, there's always a good return on the other side, always, always, always. And then purity Again.

Speaker 1: 24:21

Let's talk about sexual integrity for a moment, because I've heard people say man, I got a lust problem, but once I get married, I'll take care of it. Nope, it won't, it won't. Here's the thing Marriage doesn't cure lust, it relocates it. For a season you struggle with lust. Now, putting a ring on your finger won't magically make it disappear. What happens instead is that the lust problem before marriage becomes a lust problem in marriage. This is why I say that. Why do I say that? Because you have to allow God to press into the wounds. You have to allow God. You got to create spaces.

Speaker 1: 25:00

And as I was praying for this message this morning, I felt the Holy Spirit. This morning I feel Him again saying there's some of you. It is time to take a next step into counseling. There is sexual brokenness in your life. It's deep. Okay, I hear Holy Spirit saying, not from a place of shame, you don't need to handle it because you're just ashamed or God's ashamed. No, no, no, no, no, god wants you to take a next step, because there's freedom for you, there's joy that you never thought imaginable, there is hope, there is actually a you where you can look in the mirror and see yourself and see your reflection back and you're happy with the person that you see. The shame can go away for good. So I'm going to share that. I'm going to be obedient to what the Lord has said to me. There's some of you. That's your next step to get into counseling, preferably Christian counseling, that can help you discover, wrestle with, figure out in a very safe place what are some of those spiritual, those sexual brokenness that you have. No, that's heavy, that's heavy, but I only say it because I love you Again, I want the best for you and that's why character matters.

Speaker 1: 26:35

So, last point, last point, we're going to be planted in healthy community. We're going to be planted in healthy community. We're going to be planted in healthy community. I'll say it this way the strength of your community will shape the quality of your marriage. It really will Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers much harm. Your community matters because you become like who you hang out with, and that's why, at LVC, we value small groups and we encourage you to attend a group, and we try to make the groups a place where you can connect, where you feel protected and you can grow. That's the heart by our groups.

Speaker 1: 27:14

For example, though, imagine, imagine that my three closest friends not people that I'm friends with, because I think we should be friends with people who aren't like us, and we should be friends with people who are far from the Lord I think. I think that's God calls us to do that. But imagine if my three closest friends, the three friends I lean into for everything Imagine if one of them was a porn addict and he thought there was no problem with his addiction. The second one the only way that he could relax is if he had something to drink and something to smoke. And the third one cheated on his wife and wore it as a badge of honor. Imagine if those are my three closest friends and I lean into them for everything right. I probably wouldn't get good results at the end of that, wouldn't? I Probably wouldn't really know how to treat my spouse or my kids right.

Speaker 1: 27:59

Obviously, that's an extreme example, but I do believe the people who you connect with the most, the closest man they're going to shape you, inform you. So you have to be cautious about the people that you allow, because here's the bottom line In so many ways, the life you have is a result of the people that you hang out with. One of the reasons why Aaron and I started dating was because my closest friends, who knew where I was trying to go in my life and my values, looked at me and said yes, she's good for you, jacob, she's good for you. And then I went old school with it. I went old school. I asked her parents for permission to marry her, and if they would have said no, I was prepared to ask how can I prove myself worthy? Likely they said yes, so that made it easier.

Speaker 1: 28:46

But your community matters. Your friend circle matters, and if you don't have one, my hope for you at LVC is that you can grow a community here that it'll be a friendship. There'll be friendships here that you can do life with, together. We're not just about putting more people in chairs so we can say look how big our church is. We want to develop friendships so that people can do life together through the struggles, through the hardships, through the good things. Doing life together as a community, moving towards Jesus, being with Jesus, becoming like Jesus, so that we can do the stuff that Jesus did. That's our heart here, because the strength of your community will impact the quality of your life.

Speaker 1: 29:27

So what do we do? Instead of just focus on finding the right person, let's shift the question. God, how can you form me into the right person? If I want to become the right person, what should I do? I should look, I should find security in Christ, I should develop strong character in God and be planted in a healthy community. Character matters. Character matters because many marriages fail not because of lack of love, not even because of bad decisions, but because of lack of love. Not even because of bad decisions, but because of lack of character. It's character. So how do we find the right person? Do we slide into their DMs? Do we swipe? Do we say it's hot in here? Or is that just the Holy Spirit burning in you? Girl? Don't do that one either. That would be weird.

Speaker 1: 30:23

Your purpose isn't to get married. Your purpose is to be holy and fully devoted to Jesus, to walk towards Him, to pursue Him with everything. And as you're walking, every now and then you look to your left and you look to your right and you see who's walking with you. And if there's someone walking with you on your journey to know Jesus more, maybe you grab them by the hand and maybe you walk together. And when you discover that we can serve Jesus better together, maybe you walk down the aisle. And then, for those who are married, maybe you grab your spouse's hand and you ask yourself this question. You ask yourself do we reflect Psalm 34? Do we glorify the Lord? Glorify the Lord with me. Let us exalt His name together. Glorify the Lord with me. Let us exalt His name together. Glorify the Lord with me. Let us exalt His name together, and together we can praise the Lord, move towards God, build a healthy community together, as a team, with both of us moving in the right direction. And so, for those who are already married, may this be your call Recommit to Jesus, fall in love with your spouse a little bit more each day, because marriage isn't the finish line, but it's another step in your journey of learning how to follow Jesus.

Speaker 1: 32:04

So, questions two, questions of application for us this week. Question one how can you intentionally develop godly character this week? I'll give you an answer to that one. Join us with Lynn. Join us with Lynn on Ash Wednesday at 6 am. We're going to have a prayer call at 6 am on Ash Wednesday. Start it there and then say God, how can I, for the next 40 days, develop godly character? That's the first one. I'll give you an answer. That was easy. I gave you an answer for that one, but pray about it. The second one is how can you spend daily time with God this week? I got an answer for you for that one. Join us for Lent, and that can be where you start.

Speaker 1: 32:48

Let's pray God, jesus, holy Spirit. We acknowledge, Lord, that we're broken. We make mistakes. Even last night I was frustrated about some other things and my son was just not listening and I wasn't mad at him. I took it out. I said man, do what I asked you to do, yelled at him. We all make mistakes, lord. I know as everyday people, we don't get it right, lord, but we want to take steps closer to you, jesus. We want to know you more, jesus.

Speaker 1: 33:36

And with relationships, lord, they're so hard, they're so complicated, they're so complicated, there's so many dynamics to it. But, lord, you can take these very relationships and you can use them to make us holy, to make us more like you. So we say will you do it, lord? Will you use our struggles, lord? Will you use our hardships and our pain and our brokenness? Will you use it, lord, to strengthen us, to help us find security in you, to develop our character in you, to be planted in a place where we can flourish. Come, holy Spirit. We are not in a rush. It's hard to follow you, god, in a hurry, so we're not in a rush.

Speaker 1: 34:59

I pray strength in marriages. In Jesus' name, I pray that you open up lines of communication. In Jesus' name, I pray, where there is demonic strongholds on marriages, that they will be broken. In Jesus' name, I pray against generational patterns of divorce and separation and I pray freedom. In Jesus' name, surprise spouses with the freedom of confession and open communication to each other.

Speaker 1: 35:53

For our single people. They are valuable that you love them, lord, they're not less than let's just remind John 10 10, for the thief comes to steal, kill and destroy. The reason why you feel pressure and persecution and pain is because the enemy knows that you are valuable, because a thief will only try to steal what is valuable. You're valuable, but Jesus says for I have come, that you may have life, and life to the full. And so, lord, help us be people of good character, not perfect, but letting you shape us and form us into the likeness of your son. May the fruit of the spirit grow in us, son. May the fruit of the spirit grow in us. May the parents in here be playful with their kids. May they show them that life is worth enjoying. I pray for date nights in Jesus' name.

Speaker 1: 37:32

I pray against the hesitation of opening up to your spouse out of fear, and I pray, little Holy Spirit, that those of us who have struggled with sexual brokenness will find freedom in Jesus name, that our futures would no longer be determined by the trauma of our yesterdays but by the victory of your cross and the power of your resurrection. It's freedom. And if you're here today and you're like Jacob, all that sounds good. But I don't know this, jesus, personally. If you're in here and you want to make a decision to trust Jesus with your life for the first time, maybe recommit Just right where you are.

Speaker 1: 38:30

I want you to pray this simple prayer with me. I'm going to ask you to toss your hand up in the air so I can see who I'm praying for, but I'm not going to call you out or have you come up front or nothing like that. I just want to see who I'm praying for. So if you want to make a decision to trust Jesus with your life for the first time, I trust him again. On three, just toss your hand up in the air. One, two, three, amen, amen, amen. You can just say this prayer. You can say it out loud or you can say it in your heart. Just say Jesus, forgive me for my sins, make me new Today. I trust you with my life In Jesus' name, amen, amen, amen. Let's give God some praise in here today.