1 00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:06,000 We come to praise Him. We come to praise him. 2 00:00:06,880 --> 00:00:13,400 Lift his holy name, Lift his holy name. 3 00:00:14,800 --> 00:00:18,280 Can we raise a hand? Clap right now unto that great 4 00:00:18,280 --> 00:00:22,160 God. We love you, Lord. 5 00:00:30,240 --> 00:00:39,600 I never shall forget the name. When all the burden to my soul 6 00:00:40,440 --> 00:00:49,960 rode away, He made me help be glad and free. 7 00:00:51,600 --> 00:00:56,200 I'm going to shout it for He's everything to me. 8 00:01:03,000 --> 00:01:12,320 Many years ago, wait out at sin, I had no hope, no peace within 9 00:01:15,600 --> 00:01:23,480 and turn into this inspiration. Now praise God, I remember. 10 00:01:26,280 --> 00:01:28,800 I'm so glad that the Lord saved me. 11 00:01:30,200 --> 00:01:32,840 I'm so glad that the Lord saved me. 12 00:01:34,280 --> 00:01:39,840 Had it not been for Jesus, tell me where would I be? 13 00:01:41,720 --> 00:01:45,440 I'm so glad that the Lord saved me. 14 00:01:55,600 --> 00:02:00,680 Hello. Can't no party do me like Jesus? 15 00:02:01,400 --> 00:02:10,720 Can't nobody do me like Lord? Can't no party do me like Jesus? 16 00:02:11,760 --> 00:02:20,280 He's my friend. Can't no party do me like Jesus. 17 00:02:21,120 --> 00:02:25,000 Ain't nobody ever, ever do me like to learn. 18 00:02:26,080 --> 00:02:34,240 Ain't nobody do me like Jesus. He's my friend. 19 00:02:39,080 --> 00:02:41,320 Nobody won't do me like yeah, yeah. 20 00:02:42,520 --> 00:02:50,200 Nobody, Nobody, nobody, nobody. Body of doom. 21 00:02:50,200 --> 00:02:57,880 And like Jesus, he's Then we go way back and say, well, Jesus on 22 00:02:57,880 --> 00:03:01,040 the main line, tell me what you want. 23 00:03:02,160 --> 00:03:06,040 Jesus on the main line, tell me what you want. 24 00:03:07,200 --> 00:03:11,200 Jesus on the main line, tell me what you want. 25 00:03:12,240 --> 00:03:18,880 Jesus on the main line. Tell me what you want, Call him 26 00:03:18,880 --> 00:03:22,840 up, tell him what you want. Call him up. 27 00:03:23,280 --> 00:03:29,360 Call him up, Tell him what you want, call him up, call him up, 28 00:03:29,680 --> 00:03:37,440 tell him what you want. Jesus on the main line now call 29 00:03:37,440 --> 00:03:39,280 it. Just bless his name. 30 00:03:47,360 --> 00:03:52,000 Those are just songs that we used to sing, dance to them, 31 00:03:52,000 --> 00:03:54,160 pray to them, pray for people through them. 32 00:03:54,160 --> 00:03:56,000 People got the Holy Ghost during them. 33 00:03:57,800 --> 00:04:00,720 I guess it's probably because I was over here on drums tonight 34 00:04:00,720 --> 00:04:04,360 and I haven't been on drums for years and used to be the drummer 35 00:04:04,360 --> 00:04:08,320 at the church when those type of songs were sung, when you just 36 00:04:08,320 --> 00:04:12,360 had like steady 4 or 4 beats and stuff like that and stuff. 37 00:04:13,200 --> 00:04:15,280 So there's probably some people think tonight he needs to just 38 00:04:15,280 --> 00:04:22,240 keep with preaching and you're right, but God is good. 39 00:04:24,240 --> 00:04:35,360 Amen. Shoo Daniel 6. 40 00:04:35,360 --> 00:04:40,480 I suppose before we turn it to this inspiration, take up 41 00:04:40,480 --> 00:04:50,360 another offering. Daniel chapter #6 going to reach 42 00:04:50,360 --> 00:04:54,240 us a few verses of Scripture, folks. 43 00:04:54,240 --> 00:04:56,760 I don't have. There's nothing, there's nothing 44 00:04:57,320 --> 00:05:00,560 in my estimation that's that's profound here tonight. 45 00:05:00,560 --> 00:05:02,000 This is like not on a high shelf. 46 00:05:02,000 --> 00:05:04,680 By no means this is on a shelf that everybody should be able to 47 00:05:04,680 --> 00:05:10,040 reach here this evening. Daniel chapter #6 and verse #7 48 00:05:11,120 --> 00:05:13,040 passage that may be familiar to some. 49 00:05:14,280 --> 00:05:18,200 I just seen that this was Brandon's like favorite past or 50 00:05:18,200 --> 00:05:22,040 book of the Old Testament, Amen. We're glad to have Zach tonight 51 00:05:22,040 --> 00:05:23,760 back there. Zach's glad to have you here 52 00:05:23,760 --> 00:05:26,000 this evening, Amen. The House of Lord. 53 00:05:26,000 --> 00:05:28,200 Josh, it's good to see you tonight, Amen. 54 00:05:28,200 --> 00:05:32,280 In the House of the Lord, Amen. And Carolyn, that's here, Amen, 55 00:05:32,280 --> 00:05:34,160 as well. Brendan, Kyle, that's here, 56 00:05:34,640 --> 00:05:35,760 Amen. All of you. 57 00:05:36,000 --> 00:05:37,640 It's made your way. Daniel 6. 58 00:05:37,640 --> 00:05:41,680 And starting with verse #7 the Bible says all the presidents of 59 00:05:41,680 --> 00:05:45,880 the Kingdom, governors, and the Princess, and the counselors and 60 00:05:45,880 --> 00:05:49,200 the captains have consulted together to establish a royal 61 00:05:49,200 --> 00:05:54,240 statute to make a firm decree that whosoever shall ask a 62 00:05:54,240 --> 00:05:59,440 petition of any God or man for 30 days, save of the of the O 63 00:05:59,440 --> 00:06:02,000 King, he shall be cast into the den of lions. 64 00:06:02,440 --> 00:06:06,120 This should ring a bell even if you haven't been to church since 65 00:06:06,120 --> 00:06:09,840 you were in Sunday school. Now, O king, established the 66 00:06:09,840 --> 00:06:13,560 decree, signed the writing, that it be not changed according to 67 00:06:13,560 --> 00:06:17,520 the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not. 68 00:06:18,000 --> 00:06:21,360 Wherefore King Darius signed the writing and the decree. 69 00:06:21,840 --> 00:06:24,760 Verse 10. Now when Daniel knew that the 70 00:06:24,760 --> 00:06:26,920 writing was signed, everybody say he knew it. 71 00:06:28,000 --> 00:06:32,880 He went to his house and his windows being open in his 72 00:06:32,880 --> 00:06:36,000 chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three 73 00:06:36,000 --> 00:06:45,480 times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God as he did 74 00:06:46,320 --> 00:06:50,080 a four time now. My son was trying to make a 75 00:06:50,080 --> 00:06:52,280 slide tonight. He said, Dad, what does a four 76 00:06:52,280 --> 00:06:55,080 time mean? King James language, right? 77 00:06:55,560 --> 00:07:00,680 Let's just state it then like this, as he did before. 78 00:07:04,160 --> 00:07:07,640 And I think the sweet spot for us tonight hinges on that last 79 00:07:07,640 --> 00:07:12,880 phrase as he did a four time or before. 80 00:07:13,560 --> 00:07:16,160 Amen. Let's pray today, Father, we're 81 00:07:16,160 --> 00:07:18,800 thankful, Lord, for your spirit. We're thankful God, for your 82 00:07:18,800 --> 00:07:22,560 people that have congregated together, Lord, on this Sunday 83 00:07:22,560 --> 00:07:25,840 evening, Lord, to once again pull ourselves up to Lord, the 84 00:07:25,840 --> 00:07:28,480 table of your word. I pray Jesus that you're able to 85 00:07:28,480 --> 00:07:32,640 inspire, encourage, instruct God help and aid Lord, through your 86 00:07:32,640 --> 00:07:35,040 word tonight. God, we Lord, submit ourselves 87 00:07:35,040 --> 00:07:38,040 to you. God for God, bless us, the Lord 88 00:07:38,120 --> 00:07:40,160 Jesus in this aspect and instruct us. 89 00:07:40,160 --> 00:07:43,360 Lord, I pray God for our tomorrow in the lovely name of 90 00:07:43,480 --> 00:07:46,600 Jesus Christ that I pray Hallelujah and Amen of the 91 00:07:46,600 --> 00:07:50,200 church say Amen, Amen. God bless you tonight. 92 00:07:50,200 --> 00:07:55,640 You may be seated in Jesus name as he did before we we come here 93 00:07:55,640 --> 00:07:59,840 this evening on the 1st Sunday night service of a new year and 94 00:07:59,840 --> 00:08:04,000 we're only four days within the calendar of a new year. 95 00:08:04,000 --> 00:08:08,880 And with that comes as we approach this January the 1st 96 00:08:08,880 --> 00:08:11,960 and now January the 4th. As we approach it, there is a 97 00:08:11,960 --> 00:08:16,080 sense perhaps of relief for some because as we typically as 98 00:08:16,080 --> 00:08:18,960 Americans approach a new year, it's as though we approach a 99 00:08:19,480 --> 00:08:22,120 clean slate that is that is before us. 100 00:08:22,120 --> 00:08:26,000 It's as though as an artist, having a new canvas that we can 101 00:08:26,000 --> 00:08:32,440 sketch our intended year's work upon every January of each year 102 00:08:32,440 --> 00:08:36,039 offers us a fresh start in our minds. 103 00:08:36,039 --> 00:08:39,360 Understanding as a matter of fact, whenever Julius Caesar 104 00:08:39,880 --> 00:08:43,400 reformed the calendar and started the new year with 105 00:08:43,400 --> 00:08:48,040 January 1st, eons of time, it would seem now ago the month of 106 00:08:48,040 --> 00:08:53,400 January was named after Janice, the Roman God who had two faces, 107 00:08:53,400 --> 00:08:57,360 one of them facing forward and the other one that was facing 108 00:08:57,440 --> 00:09:00,120 backward. And it's ever since that time of 109 00:09:00,120 --> 00:09:04,240 Julius Caesar until now that humanity has stood at that 110 00:09:04,240 --> 00:09:08,640 dividing line of the changing of a year, thinking and pondering 111 00:09:08,640 --> 00:09:13,080 on what has been and what possibly could be in the future 112 00:09:13,080 --> 00:09:15,960 months to come. And it's at that threshold, I 113 00:09:15,960 --> 00:09:20,520 don't know about you that we may be overtaken with a myriad of 114 00:09:20,600 --> 00:09:25,040 emotions could rush into our life in that moment right before 115 00:09:25,040 --> 00:09:28,360 the clock strikes midnight. Perhaps some of us are 116 00:09:28,640 --> 00:09:33,120 entertaining ideas and feelings of regret over things that we 117 00:09:33,120 --> 00:09:37,280 should have done the past 12 months of the previous year. 118 00:09:37,280 --> 00:09:39,360 Yet there may be others that stand there. 119 00:09:39,600 --> 00:09:43,920 Have a sense of gratitude for what they did to or what was 120 00:09:43,920 --> 00:09:46,520 accomplished within the calendar year. 121 00:09:46,640 --> 00:09:50,600 There's some of us with our hair all bedazzled, if you will, and 122 00:09:50,760 --> 00:09:54,280 just kind of like we've sticked our hand into a light socket and 123 00:09:54,280 --> 00:09:59,000 it's just, we're just thankful that we survived the year of 124 00:09:59,000 --> 00:10:03,360 2025 and hoping that perhaps the next year will be a little 125 00:10:03,360 --> 00:10:06,840 different perhaps than what our feet had found the previous 126 00:10:06,840 --> 00:10:08,840 year. And so it's in that moment that 127 00:10:08,840 --> 00:10:12,840 we become very introspective about about about life, about 128 00:10:12,840 --> 00:10:16,640 ourself, about the decisions that we made, about habits that 129 00:10:16,640 --> 00:10:19,240 we have kept and some that we have let go of. 130 00:10:19,240 --> 00:10:22,880 We are very introspective about failures that we may have 131 00:10:22,880 --> 00:10:26,160 approached and dreams and aspirations that have been 132 00:10:26,160 --> 00:10:28,600 fulfilled and others that we just let go of. 133 00:10:28,840 --> 00:10:34,000 It's a practice just as owed, if you will, as as Babylon itself, 134 00:10:34,000 --> 00:10:38,000 the very place that Daniel at one time had lived in and now 135 00:10:38,000 --> 00:10:41,080 lived in Medo, Persia. As a matter of fact, as far as 136 00:10:41,080 --> 00:10:47,120 the Babylonians go, they marked their new year with a AA12 day 137 00:10:47,320 --> 00:10:51,440 festival called Akita It. It wasn't really their new year 138 00:10:51,440 --> 00:10:54,440 as much as it was their new agricultural year. 139 00:10:54,720 --> 00:10:57,840 And it was during that celebration that they would make 140 00:10:57,840 --> 00:11:01,360 vows and they would make vows to themselves. 141 00:11:01,360 --> 00:11:06,480 Not to themselves, but rather to the gods and the Pagan multiple 142 00:11:06,480 --> 00:11:09,160 gods that they served. And the vows that they would 143 00:11:09,160 --> 00:11:13,320 make to these gods is that they would promise to pay their debts 144 00:11:13,480 --> 00:11:16,720 and they would return anything that they had borrowed. 145 00:11:16,720 --> 00:11:20,080 And they would have a new loyalty that they would submit 146 00:11:20,080 --> 00:11:22,600 themselves to the king. And these are some of the 147 00:11:22,600 --> 00:11:26,640 earliest records that we have historically of New Year's 148 00:11:26,680 --> 00:11:30,640 resolutions that were made even back in the times of Babylon. 149 00:11:30,920 --> 00:11:34,440 Centuries later though, in the religious world, we would hear 150 00:11:34,440 --> 00:11:39,880 of people like John Wesley who formalized a time of repentance 151 00:11:39,920 --> 00:11:44,800 and recommitment to God on a service the last night of the 152 00:11:44,800 --> 00:11:49,120 last year that they called watch night services. 153 00:11:49,120 --> 00:11:52,120 And, and even in the Pentecostal ranks over the years, has 154 00:11:52,120 --> 00:11:56,040 anybody ever attended a watch night service on the very last 155 00:11:56,040 --> 00:12:00,320 day of the year where where you sing every song, you know, you 156 00:12:00,320 --> 00:12:03,240 know, because you're trying to make it to midnight and you have 157 00:12:03,240 --> 00:12:07,160 4 to 5 preachers that preach. And sometimes you break for a 158 00:12:07,160 --> 00:12:10,080 potluck and eat some fried chicken before you go back and 159 00:12:10,080 --> 00:12:14,120 hear some more preachers preach and some testimonies are given. 160 00:12:14,120 --> 00:12:17,640 And everybody's watching the clock and wondering, like Lot's 161 00:12:17,640 --> 00:12:20,400 wife, they're looking back and they're seeing if they're going 162 00:12:20,400 --> 00:12:24,720 to be able to get, you know, out of this incarcerated type of 163 00:12:24,720 --> 00:12:26,640 situation of a watch night service. 164 00:12:26,640 --> 00:12:29,920 But we've seen some great things over those years that that 165 00:12:29,920 --> 00:12:33,680 midnight hour people are praying out the old year and they're 166 00:12:33,680 --> 00:12:38,080 praying in the new year and we even Bishop have some scriptural 167 00:12:38,080 --> 00:12:40,840 precedence. The Bible tells us of how we 168 00:12:40,840 --> 00:12:43,960 should be conscious and watchers of the night. 169 00:12:44,200 --> 00:12:48,360 The psalmist even said he said weeping may endure for a night, 170 00:12:48,360 --> 00:12:51,840 but with bated breath they're waiting for a new day because 171 00:12:51,840 --> 00:12:56,720 joy comes in the morning. The psalmist also said my soul 172 00:12:56,720 --> 00:13:00,200 waited for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning, 173 00:13:00,200 --> 00:13:04,120 making the comparison of someone that is watching in the night. 174 00:13:04,360 --> 00:13:07,520 As a matter of fact, the word watch was the word that Jesus 175 00:13:07,520 --> 00:13:10,240 gave his followers and his disciples. 176 00:13:10,480 --> 00:13:13,800 He says because you know not the hour of my return. 177 00:13:13,800 --> 00:13:16,600 He sets a watch. He says because it could be at 178 00:13:16,600 --> 00:13:20,240 even or it could be at midnight, or it could be at the cock 179 00:13:20,240 --> 00:13:23,000 crowing or the coming of the morning. 180 00:13:23,000 --> 00:13:25,880 The word was to watch. As a matter of fact, in the Old 181 00:13:25,920 --> 00:13:29,280 Testament scripture, like in the book of Exodus, the Bible 182 00:13:29,280 --> 00:13:34,000 declares that when God delivered Israel from Egypt that he said 183 00:13:34,000 --> 00:13:37,880 into them again, it was not their beginning of their normal 184 00:13:37,880 --> 00:13:41,240 calendar year. But he said this month shall be 185 00:13:41,240 --> 00:13:45,360 the beginning of months to you because what's going to happen 186 00:13:45,360 --> 00:13:49,720 in this month, your status is going to change from being an 187 00:13:49,800 --> 00:13:53,520 enslaved people to a free people. 188 00:13:53,720 --> 00:13:57,360 And as a result of that, there's blood up on the lentil and on 189 00:13:57,360 --> 00:14:01,600 the doorposts of a lamb over their households in Israel. 190 00:14:01,960 --> 00:14:04,280 Amen. With anticipation, with the 191 00:14:04,280 --> 00:14:08,560 robes on, news on their feet that the staff in their hand, 192 00:14:08,760 --> 00:14:13,680 they are watching through the night, waiting for what could be 193 00:14:13,680 --> 00:14:18,720 in their future rather than a legacy of 400 years of bondage 194 00:14:18,720 --> 00:14:21,520 that their families had known. You understand there is a 195 00:14:21,520 --> 00:14:24,720 watchfulness, there is a resolution, there is hopefully a 196 00:14:24,800 --> 00:14:28,480 alteration, a change with the changing of year. back in 197 00:14:28,480 --> 00:14:35,040 December, the 31st of 1862, the African Americans were gathered 198 00:14:35,040 --> 00:14:38,040 in churches all across the nation because they had a 199 00:14:38,040 --> 00:14:42,560 promise from their president that in the year 191863 was 200 00:14:42,560 --> 00:14:45,280 going to be the emancipation of the Proclamation. 201 00:14:45,520 --> 00:14:47,880 And it'll be all the Afro American families and their 202 00:14:47,880 --> 00:14:51,000 churches that waited on that night for the changing of the 203 00:14:51,000 --> 00:14:53,120 year. And they would forever call it 204 00:14:53,120 --> 00:14:56,520 Freedom's Eve because they knew when the clock struck midnight 205 00:14:56,720 --> 00:14:59,600 that everything that had been spoken to them concerning their 206 00:14:59,600 --> 00:15:01,840 enslavement was now going to be unlifted. 207 00:15:02,040 --> 00:15:06,320 And they were hoping or a better tomorrow, a deliverance from 208 00:15:06,440 --> 00:15:10,080 yesterday. And so throughout the history of 209 00:15:10,080 --> 00:15:14,000 our known world, new beginnings have carried, if you will, 210 00:15:14,000 --> 00:15:17,520 somewhat of a new resolve to do better, better. 211 00:15:17,720 --> 00:15:20,880 But somewhere along the way, resolutions have had changed to 212 00:15:20,880 --> 00:15:24,240 a certain degree. Instead of being God oriented, 213 00:15:24,240 --> 00:15:26,440 they've become very self oriented. 214 00:15:26,440 --> 00:15:31,400 Today, most resolutions revolve around health and habits and 215 00:15:31,400 --> 00:15:35,640 finances and eating less sugar and going to eat less gluten 216 00:15:35,640 --> 00:15:39,200 and, and going to exercise at least three times a week and 217 00:15:39,200 --> 00:15:43,560 going to be more productive. And studies tell us that nearly 218 00:15:43,560 --> 00:15:48,360 80% of all resolutions fail by February. 219 00:15:50,640 --> 00:15:54,280 I'm sorry, I, I, I know I just brought the great dark cloud in 220 00:15:54,280 --> 00:15:55,880 here. Amen for us. 221 00:15:55,880 --> 00:15:59,120 But about nearly 80% of them fell by February. 222 00:15:59,960 --> 00:16:03,680 And the reason why is because most resolutions are just 223 00:16:03,680 --> 00:16:11,360 chasing a moment, then cultivating a pattern, new 224 00:16:11,360 --> 00:16:15,480 behaviors, but no deep roots to support the behavior. 225 00:16:15,880 --> 00:16:19,800 But that's where our dear friend Daniel enters the picture. 226 00:16:20,200 --> 00:16:25,600 Daniel was facing a day in his life, an hour unlike any other 227 00:16:25,600 --> 00:16:28,400 hour. There was coming a change, an 228 00:16:28,400 --> 00:16:30,920 alteration from what he had formally knew. 229 00:16:30,920 --> 00:16:33,440 It was not the end of the year and the beginning of another 230 00:16:33,440 --> 00:16:37,000 year, but it was the beginning of something new is the 231 00:16:37,000 --> 00:16:41,000 beginning of a new circumstance in the closing of a door of 232 00:16:41,000 --> 00:16:44,040 something that he had known. We do not have Daniel. 233 00:16:44,040 --> 00:16:47,040 He's not congregating at this time in Daniel 6. 234 00:16:47,040 --> 00:16:50,480 He's not congregating in a watch night service somewhere. 235 00:16:50,640 --> 00:16:54,360 He's he's not waiting for Brother Fred the proverbial ball 236 00:16:54,360 --> 00:16:58,240 to fall at at Medo Persia Central or anything like that. 237 00:16:58,320 --> 00:17:00,800 What's happening though? He he's not even sitting there 238 00:17:00,800 --> 00:17:05,240 scratching out a list of goals. Amen for this new season, this 239 00:17:05,240 --> 00:17:08,839 new year even wasn't emerging per SE in his time. 240 00:17:08,839 --> 00:17:13,400 It's just new circumstances that were coming down the dusty Rd. 241 00:17:13,599 --> 00:17:17,760 He was facing a change from what was normal compared to his 242 00:17:17,760 --> 00:17:20,319 yesterday. He's facing a change. 243 00:17:20,319 --> 00:17:25,000 He is embarking again on the day unlike one that he has had 244 00:17:25,000 --> 00:17:28,240 before hit. The Bible says that a decree has 245 00:17:28,359 --> 00:17:31,680 been signed. Daniel is still yet a captive. 246 00:17:31,680 --> 00:17:35,520 Right now he's a captive in a foreign land, Amen. 247 00:17:35,520 --> 00:17:39,240 It's foreign, at least to him. And there's been a decree made 248 00:17:39,240 --> 00:17:43,160 by that king that's been sealed with the King's signet, Amen, 249 00:17:43,160 --> 00:17:48,120 Making that as so, Amen. And in this, this decree was the 250 00:17:48,120 --> 00:17:54,280 words that no one should pray to any man or any God for 30 days 251 00:17:54,600 --> 00:17:57,520 unless they would seek out, if you will, the face and the 252 00:17:57,520 --> 00:18:01,640 audience of the king. And so Daniel wasn't facing the 253 00:18:01,640 --> 00:18:07,000 challenge of trying to form a new habit or abide by some new 254 00:18:07,000 --> 00:18:11,120 pattern of life for 30 days, but he was being pressured to 255 00:18:11,120 --> 00:18:16,320 forsake a pattern he had already had established and had forged 256 00:18:16,640 --> 00:18:21,760 over a lifetime of practice. And so whenever David stood or 257 00:18:21,760 --> 00:18:25,680 Daniel stood at this crossroads, he was standing not at the 258 00:18:25,680 --> 00:18:30,640 crossroads of a calendar, but he was standing at the crossroads 259 00:18:30,640 --> 00:18:34,920 of his own convictions and what he was going to do about it. 260 00:18:35,120 --> 00:18:38,080 I want you to understand tonight that whenever I speak to you 261 00:18:38,080 --> 00:18:41,400 about the Daniel that's right here in this chapter, this is 262 00:18:41,400 --> 00:18:45,520 not some adolescent young man. This is not some young man that 263 00:18:45,520 --> 00:18:49,400 is wet behind the ears. This, this is not some immature 264 00:18:49,400 --> 00:18:53,560 individual standing here. As a matter of fact, Daniel is 265 00:18:53,560 --> 00:18:59,080 probably at least in his 80s. He has already endured on my 70 266 00:18:59,080 --> 00:19:04,360 years of captivity in Babylon. And now here he is with the new 267 00:19:04,400 --> 00:19:08,720 empire of Medo Persia. He is a man that's been around 268 00:19:08,720 --> 00:19:11,680 for a long time. He has lived through the 269 00:19:11,680 --> 00:19:14,440 heartache. He has lived through the despair 270 00:19:14,680 --> 00:19:18,120 of Babylon. He has served the kings of these 271 00:19:18,120 --> 00:19:22,640 foreign nations with the best of ability and the best spirit that 272 00:19:22,640 --> 00:19:26,400 he could serve them. He has been promoted during this 273 00:19:26,400 --> 00:19:30,440 time of captivity, from lower places to higher places. 274 00:19:30,600 --> 00:19:34,920 He's getting trust from others. He has been respected before 275 00:19:34,920 --> 00:19:38,160 these individuals. But with all of that said, he's 276 00:19:38,160 --> 00:19:42,680 still a captive in a land not his own. 277 00:19:42,920 --> 00:19:45,160 Daniel is standing though, here at a moment. 278 00:19:45,240 --> 00:19:48,120 He's not like the great African Americans of oath. 279 00:19:48,280 --> 00:19:52,480 He does not have a freedom's eve that he is entertaining. 280 00:19:52,640 --> 00:19:57,600 There's been no national revival in Medo Persia or in Babylon. 281 00:19:57,720 --> 00:20:02,080 He's not had a mass repentance of the leaders or the kings like 282 00:20:02,080 --> 00:20:05,480 Jonah had in Nineveh. He hasn't seen a grand 283 00:20:05,480 --> 00:20:09,200 deliverance like Moses did of the children of Israel. 284 00:20:09,440 --> 00:20:10,680 Amen. Out of Egypt. 285 00:20:10,840 --> 00:20:15,320 But he's been there day in and day out, and he's been serving 286 00:20:15,480 --> 00:20:18,680 and he's been keeping the right spirit, and he's kept his focus 287 00:20:18,680 --> 00:20:21,720 upon God. Babylon has remained Babylon. 288 00:20:22,000 --> 00:20:26,120 Vito Persia has remained Vito Persia, but Daniel has also 289 00:20:26,120 --> 00:20:33,040 remained Daniel, the story goes. Years of time have passed, 290 00:20:33,040 --> 00:20:35,480 Brother Fred, promotions have come. 291 00:20:35,800 --> 00:20:39,600 His influence in the communities in which he has lived no doubt 292 00:20:39,600 --> 00:20:44,000 have increased, but the environment has not changed. 293 00:20:44,840 --> 00:20:48,240 Israel, Israel struggling spiritually. 294 00:20:48,680 --> 00:20:52,800 She's where she is because she struggled spiritually. 295 00:20:53,240 --> 00:20:56,920 As a matter of fact, when the hand of oppression is finally 296 00:20:56,920 --> 00:21:00,720 been lifted from her and the Israelites are allowed to return 297 00:21:00,720 --> 00:21:02,920 home, there's a lot of them that don't. 298 00:21:03,680 --> 00:21:06,600 When they have the chance. They don't because they have 299 00:21:06,600 --> 00:21:09,760 grown accustomed to their surroundings. 300 00:21:10,120 --> 00:21:12,920 They've grown accustomed to their environment. 301 00:21:13,320 --> 00:21:16,720 And even those that did return home and had a mind, we're going 302 00:21:16,720 --> 00:21:19,520 to build the House of God. They just get a few years in it 303 00:21:19,520 --> 00:21:24,840 and then quit. This is the hour in which Daniel 304 00:21:25,040 --> 00:21:27,880 Amen lives. But you know what he's doing at 305 00:21:27,880 --> 00:21:31,440 each ticking of the clock, at each appropriate time that he 306 00:21:31,440 --> 00:21:34,840 and they custom in his life. When things have been bad, he's 307 00:21:34,840 --> 00:21:36,760 praying. When the day didn't go like he 308 00:21:36,760 --> 00:21:39,840 thought, he's praying. When he's been promoted, he's 309 00:21:39,840 --> 00:21:42,040 praying. Whenever the adversary and the 310 00:21:42,040 --> 00:21:45,200 voices of those that would be against him are coming, he's 311 00:21:45,200 --> 00:21:47,160 praying. He's prayed through every 312 00:21:47,160 --> 00:21:49,520 chapter of his life. He's prayed through the 313 00:21:49,520 --> 00:21:52,000 jealousy. He's prayed through conspiracy 314 00:21:52,280 --> 00:21:55,360 and now he's at the door front of having to pray through a 315 00:21:55,360 --> 00:21:59,640 death sentence. He's in his final chapter. 316 00:22:00,640 --> 00:22:05,560 So what does Daniel do? The Bible says in verse 10. 317 00:22:05,560 --> 00:22:08,360 Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed. 318 00:22:10,240 --> 00:22:14,960 In other words, what we see precipitate after this is not a 319 00:22:14,960 --> 00:22:17,360 Daniel ignorant of what has taken place. 320 00:22:19,480 --> 00:22:22,720 When he knew the writing was signed, he went into his house 321 00:22:23,600 --> 00:22:29,160 and his windows being open, which is a fantastic phrase, 322 00:22:30,600 --> 00:22:37,240 they're already open. The windows being open in this 323 00:22:37,240 --> 00:22:40,200 chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled down upon his knees 324 00:22:40,240 --> 00:22:47,720 three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God as he 325 00:22:48,160 --> 00:22:53,840 did a four time. What that tells me, Sister Cox, 326 00:22:54,320 --> 00:22:59,800 is that Daniel is not praying in this moment because a decree has 327 00:22:59,800 --> 00:23:04,600 been passed that says for 30 days you should not pray to any 328 00:23:04,600 --> 00:23:07,440 the other God. Daniel's not praying out of a 329 00:23:07,440 --> 00:23:10,640 spirit of rebellion. He's not praying out of a spirit 330 00:23:10,640 --> 00:23:14,720 of I'll show you Daniel is praying because Daniel had 331 00:23:14,720 --> 00:23:17,680 prayed. Daniel prayed many days before 332 00:23:17,680 --> 00:23:20,120 this, weeks before this, years before this. 333 00:23:20,360 --> 00:23:24,240 And Daniel just has the mindset, whatever is said, today's not 334 00:23:24,240 --> 00:23:27,960 going to change the practice of what I've already been doing. 335 00:23:28,240 --> 00:23:31,320 I'm going to go back on my knees, I'm going to lift my 336 00:23:31,320 --> 00:23:33,960 face. I'm going to cry out to God. 337 00:23:36,240 --> 00:23:38,200 He's not praying because of the law. 338 00:23:38,320 --> 00:23:41,920 He's praying despite what the law has been said. 339 00:23:42,160 --> 00:23:45,240 And so this was not a protest on Daniel's part. 340 00:23:45,240 --> 00:23:47,920 By no means. This was just us looking at 341 00:23:47,920 --> 00:23:52,960 Daniel in a regular ebb and flow and rhythm and practice of his 342 00:23:52,960 --> 00:23:55,240 life. It wasn't defiance. 343 00:23:55,520 --> 00:24:00,240 It was a discipline man doing what he always had done. 344 00:24:00,480 --> 00:24:02,880 He's not reacting to what the king is. 345 00:24:03,280 --> 00:24:07,560 It's just his natural reflex each day, three times a day, to 346 00:24:07,760 --> 00:24:13,240 go to God in prayer. What I'm saying is this whole 347 00:24:13,240 --> 00:24:15,800 crisis didn't create Daniel's prayer life. 348 00:24:18,720 --> 00:24:22,280 This crisis just revealed the prayer life Daniel already had. 349 00:24:26,440 --> 00:24:29,680 There's not one iota from what we can see in Scripture, Brother 350 00:24:29,680 --> 00:24:32,840 Fred, there's not one iota that Daniel backed up and said, well, 351 00:24:32,840 --> 00:24:35,160 I'm going to take in consideration what has been 352 00:24:35,160 --> 00:24:38,680 spoken and I'm going to see how I can, how I can maneuver this. 353 00:24:38,680 --> 00:24:41,480 I'm going to see how I can, you know, change this a little bit 354 00:24:41,480 --> 00:24:44,400 or alter this a little bit to make it a, a, a little bit more 355 00:24:44,400 --> 00:24:47,280 agreeable with what's been said. No, we don't see that at all. 356 00:24:47,480 --> 00:24:50,200 We see Dave, but we see Daniel on board calling David probably 357 00:24:50,200 --> 00:24:52,320 a few times a night. But we see Daniel. 358 00:24:52,440 --> 00:24:55,000 He goes in and he assumes the same posture. 359 00:24:55,240 --> 00:24:57,160 Hey, man, Yeah. He's like, I'm not going to, I'm 360 00:24:57,160 --> 00:24:58,920 not going to stand when I've always been kneeling. 361 00:24:58,920 --> 00:25:00,960 I'm I'm going to go in and I'm going to kneel. 362 00:25:01,080 --> 00:25:03,960 He doesn't hide his face. He's always faced toward 363 00:25:03,960 --> 00:25:05,840 Jerusalem. He said it's going to be that 364 00:25:05,840 --> 00:25:07,760 way. He's not whispering over here. 365 00:25:07,880 --> 00:25:10,960 I got to keep this quiet. I got to be a lower tone because 366 00:25:10,960 --> 00:25:13,200 of what said. No, no, he's just going to speak 367 00:25:13,200 --> 00:25:16,360 his words as he's always speak his words. 368 00:25:16,640 --> 00:25:20,760 He doesn't change his place. The windows are still open, the 369 00:25:20,760 --> 00:25:24,680 direction was still set, and his heart is facing home. 370 00:25:25,280 --> 00:25:30,760 He's not changing his pattern three times a day, morning, noon 371 00:25:31,240 --> 00:25:35,920 and night. This wasn't convenience, this 372 00:25:35,920 --> 00:25:42,960 was custom. Daniel didn't resolve to pray, 373 00:25:43,520 --> 00:25:49,320 he just refused to stop praying. Now look. 374 00:25:50,960 --> 00:25:54,120 Daniel, though, doesn't stand by himself in the portals of 375 00:25:54,120 --> 00:25:58,840 Scripture. The Bible says that whenever 376 00:25:58,840 --> 00:26:05,520 Isaac faced famine in Genesis 26, that unlike what God said 377 00:26:05,520 --> 00:26:08,240 some different times to even some of his ancestors, God told 378 00:26:08,240 --> 00:26:12,680 him don't go down into Egypt. Instead, the Bible says that 379 00:26:12,680 --> 00:26:17,440 Isaac did something intentional, and it records that Isaac builds 380 00:26:17,440 --> 00:26:20,640 an altar here. He calls up on the name of the 381 00:26:20,640 --> 00:26:23,400 Lord here. We've studied this in our 382 00:26:23,400 --> 00:26:26,440 Genesis study where we won't rehash it, but he went back and 383 00:26:26,440 --> 00:26:30,280 he re dug some of the wells that his father had dug there. 384 00:26:30,800 --> 00:26:33,880 You know what Isaac's doing? He's saying in these uncertain 385 00:26:33,880 --> 00:26:37,960 moments, I'm not on the verge of trying to invent something new. 386 00:26:39,400 --> 00:26:41,560 I'm just going to reopen something that worked in a 387 00:26:41,560 --> 00:26:44,760 generation before me. We're just going to go back and 388 00:26:44,760 --> 00:26:48,320 do something that was done a four time that worked. 389 00:26:51,880 --> 00:26:54,000 Listen, please understand me tonight, folks. 390 00:26:54,200 --> 00:26:57,280 I'm not against resolutions. By no means make them. 391 00:26:57,280 --> 00:27:00,280 Keep them. But here's one thing I know in 392 00:27:00,280 --> 00:27:03,480 the church world, it's not all about coming up with some new 393 00:27:03,480 --> 00:27:07,040 gimmick or newfangled thing. It's just about going back to 394 00:27:07,040 --> 00:27:09,080 the things that are tried and true. 395 00:27:09,280 --> 00:27:11,800 It's already been mentioned in this building and it's some of 396 00:27:11,800 --> 00:27:14,120 the things that our mind should be on at the beginning of the 397 00:27:14,120 --> 00:27:16,280 year. Just take me back to a prayer 398 00:27:16,280 --> 00:27:18,840 closet. Take me back to a Bible reading. 399 00:27:19,080 --> 00:27:23,000 Take me back to a fast day. Take me back to worship, take me 400 00:27:23,000 --> 00:27:26,200 back if you will, to arrive in a little early before church and 401 00:27:26,200 --> 00:27:29,880 calling on the name of the Lord. Just do what you did a four 402 00:27:29,880 --> 00:27:32,440 time. If you've lost touch with it, if 403 00:27:32,440 --> 00:27:36,080 you disengaged with it, if you forgot about it, if you've 404 00:27:36,080 --> 00:27:40,280 neglected it. What's about the Bible says 405 00:27:40,280 --> 00:27:44,080 whenever Jacob found himself afraid of Esau in Genesis 35 406 00:27:44,840 --> 00:27:48,680 that this is what God told him. He says, Jacob, he says, I want 407 00:27:48,680 --> 00:27:53,360 you to go up to Bethel. Jacob's not like, oh, that's a 408 00:27:53,360 --> 00:27:54,960 great idea. Never been to Bethel before. 409 00:27:54,960 --> 00:27:56,360 We'd love to go there. Check it out. 410 00:27:57,920 --> 00:28:02,320 No, God was telling him to go back to a ground that his feet 411 00:28:02,320 --> 00:28:08,440 has touched before because Bethel was the place that he 412 00:28:08,440 --> 00:28:12,200 went to before he exited from his mother and father. 413 00:28:12,200 --> 00:28:17,440 On his way out, he stopped at Bethel and that's where he had 414 00:28:17,440 --> 00:28:22,640 an encounter with God. So in this moment of having a 415 00:28:22,640 --> 00:28:26,600 little trepidation about going home and meeting his brother, 416 00:28:27,000 --> 00:28:29,120 God doesn't say go somewhere where you never been. 417 00:28:29,440 --> 00:28:33,320 He says, how about going back to Bethel where you had an 418 00:28:33,320 --> 00:28:37,760 encounter with me and go back to that altar that you made there. 419 00:28:37,920 --> 00:28:40,720 Go back to where you were a four time. 420 00:28:40,960 --> 00:28:44,520 The Bible says when the prophet Elijah stood on Mount Carmel and 421 00:28:44,520 --> 00:28:47,520 he's facing all the prophets of the bell and the prophets of the 422 00:28:47,640 --> 00:28:50,680 the Grove here he has all of these hundreds of prophets 423 00:28:50,680 --> 00:28:54,440 that's in opposition to him. Israel is in the balance. 424 00:28:54,720 --> 00:28:57,400 They're in between of what they want to do, whether or not 425 00:28:57,400 --> 00:28:59,600 they'll give their allegiance to God or whether they'll give 426 00:28:59,600 --> 00:29:02,640 their allegiance to other things in their life or even to the 427 00:29:02,640 --> 00:29:04,920 world. Elijah stood there as a lone 428 00:29:05,000 --> 00:29:07,640 man, it would seem, on the top of Mount Carmel. 429 00:29:07,880 --> 00:29:09,560 And here are the prophets of Baal. 430 00:29:09,760 --> 00:29:11,520 They're crying out to their gods. 431 00:29:11,680 --> 00:29:14,920 They're cutting their skin. They're asking him to come and 432 00:29:14,920 --> 00:29:16,640 answer their prayer. Amen. 433 00:29:16,640 --> 00:29:20,400 And I just say, perhaps your God is asleep or perhaps he is on 434 00:29:20,400 --> 00:29:22,520 the journey. And the Bible says when they 435 00:29:22,520 --> 00:29:24,640 have done all of this, you know what the Bible says? 436 00:29:24,840 --> 00:29:28,840 It doesn't say he goes and finds 12 new stones and makes a new 437 00:29:28,840 --> 00:29:32,240 altar next to theirs. No, it says that he repaired the 438 00:29:32,240 --> 00:29:34,320 altar of the Lord that was broken down. 439 00:29:34,600 --> 00:29:37,560 He says, you know what, we've used this altar before and we've 440 00:29:37,560 --> 00:29:40,320 heard the voice of God. I don't need anything new. 441 00:29:40,480 --> 00:29:44,760 Just let me go back to something that I've done a four time and 442 00:29:44,760 --> 00:29:49,400 let me restore something that's old and perhaps fire will fall. 443 00:30:02,080 --> 00:30:08,160 I'm convinced if we want the fire of Mount Carmel, no pun 444 00:30:08,160 --> 00:30:12,800 intended, we just need to grab a hold of some things that were a 445 00:30:12,800 --> 00:30:24,440 four time brother McGee. OK, if Jacob isn't enough, 446 00:30:24,440 --> 00:30:27,000 Elijah isn't enough for some of these people, Then let's 447 00:30:27,000 --> 00:30:31,600 consider the Lord Jesus Christ, who the Bible tells us a New 448 00:30:31,600 --> 00:30:34,880 Testament scripture as He's facing the greatest pressure of 449 00:30:34,880 --> 00:30:39,960 his earthly ministry and His earthly life in the Garden of 450 00:30:39,960 --> 00:30:44,760 Gethsemane, sins of the world being put upon his shoulders 451 00:30:45,120 --> 00:30:50,160 that he would bear in His body. The Bible tells us he went to 452 00:30:50,160 --> 00:30:52,880 that garden. He goes to that place in Luke 453 00:30:52,880 --> 00:30:55,520 23. The Bible says he went there as 454 00:30:55,520 --> 00:30:58,880 He was. Won't you know what that means? 455 00:30:59,280 --> 00:31:02,680 He went to a place that he typically went. 456 00:31:05,080 --> 00:31:08,680 He went to a place that he had went to a four time. 457 00:31:09,360 --> 00:31:13,640 And so as this pressure of Calvary is coming up on his 458 00:31:13,640 --> 00:31:18,040 life, he's just let me go find a place that I know I've been to 459 00:31:18,040 --> 00:31:20,640 before and where I offered prayer before. 460 00:31:20,800 --> 00:31:24,960 Let me go to a customary place of prayer because here's what I 461 00:31:24,960 --> 00:31:28,960 know about heaven and about God. God doesn't just respond to 462 00:31:28,960 --> 00:31:32,400 moments of passion. He responds to patterns of 463 00:31:32,400 --> 00:31:42,760 faithfulness. No, no, no, you don't understand 464 00:31:42,760 --> 00:31:45,640 me quite yet because I've stood in the church, sat in the 465 00:31:45,640 --> 00:31:49,200 church, participate in the church too long for people that 466 00:31:49,200 --> 00:31:51,640 have been disengaged from God, Amen. 467 00:31:51,640 --> 00:31:54,480 For people that's turned their back upon God, people that only 468 00:31:54,480 --> 00:31:57,080 want to show up for God whenever God's doing something for their 469 00:31:57,080 --> 00:31:59,000 life. And I've seen those people come 470 00:31:59,000 --> 00:32:02,760 in and the right song being sung and the right beat on the piano 471 00:32:02,760 --> 00:32:05,720 and the guitar and the drums being played, and they'll start 472 00:32:05,720 --> 00:32:08,440 dancing and shouting. They're having a passionate 473 00:32:08,440 --> 00:32:11,680 moment for God, but that doesn't sustain them for three months 474 00:32:11,680 --> 00:32:14,200 afterward because they need more than a moment. 475 00:32:14,440 --> 00:32:16,640 They need a faithful pattern in their life. 476 00:32:16,840 --> 00:32:24,480 They. Someone say man, and I'm all for 477 00:32:24,480 --> 00:32:25,680 it. I'm not preaching against those 478 00:32:25,680 --> 00:32:29,360 moments of passion. We need them, but we don't just 479 00:32:29,360 --> 00:32:32,720 need them by themselves. We need the undergirding of 480 00:32:32,720 --> 00:32:36,840 passionate moments, undergirded by faithful patterns of repeated 481 00:32:36,840 --> 00:32:39,880 patterns that are honorable in the sight of God. 482 00:32:40,080 --> 00:32:42,080 Because that's what's going to carry you. 483 00:32:42,320 --> 00:32:45,120 When you can't jump, you can kneel. 484 00:32:45,240 --> 00:32:49,680 When you can't jump, you can whisper the name of Jesus. 485 00:32:57,440 --> 00:33:06,440 Hey, man. But all that kind of raises an 486 00:33:06,440 --> 00:33:15,440 important question, doesn't it? Because some of us, as he did a 487 00:33:15,440 --> 00:33:20,560 four time means that we're returning to something we once 488 00:33:20,560 --> 00:33:25,520 did. For instance, there there was a 489 00:33:25,520 --> 00:33:31,640 season of time in your past that prayer was consistent or there 490 00:33:31,640 --> 00:33:35,760 was a moment in your past where the windows were open or the 491 00:33:35,760 --> 00:33:40,920 discipline was intact. So the call today, if that's us 492 00:33:41,800 --> 00:33:46,520 is to go back as you did a four time. 493 00:33:48,680 --> 00:33:53,120 But what does that mean for those of us that have no point 494 00:33:53,120 --> 00:34:02,120 of reference for an afford time? We don't have an afford time 495 00:34:02,400 --> 00:34:08,719 yet. Then I'm telling you my message 496 00:34:08,719 --> 00:34:12,000 to you tonight, it's not a message of condemnation. 497 00:34:13,159 --> 00:34:15,639 My message to you is a message of opportunity. 498 00:34:17,480 --> 00:34:21,920 My message to you was a message of assignment because before 499 00:34:21,920 --> 00:34:26,040 something can be done a four time, it first has to be done it 500 00:34:26,040 --> 00:34:34,360 with attentionality on purpose. Anybody know Bruce Lee? 501 00:34:34,960 --> 00:34:38,520 Not like personally you shook hands and you sparred with him 502 00:34:38,520 --> 00:34:42,080 or anything. But Bruce Lee said once he said 503 00:34:42,400 --> 00:34:45,840 he did not fear the man who practice 1000 kicks in one day. 504 00:34:47,480 --> 00:34:50,639 He said he feared the man who practiced one kick a day for 505 00:34:50,639 --> 00:34:58,920 1000 straight days. Listen to pastor on this 506 00:34:58,920 --> 00:35:02,320 beginning of the year. I'm not worried about you 507 00:35:04,320 --> 00:35:06,720 reading 20 chapters of the Bible a day. 508 00:35:09,160 --> 00:35:11,560 I'd much prefer you read a chapter for 20 days. 509 00:35:13,600 --> 00:35:16,760 I'm not worried about you praying one hour tomorrow 510 00:35:16,760 --> 00:35:19,600 morning. I just hope you can pull off 511 00:35:19,600 --> 00:35:23,240 maybe 5 minutes to start with for a few days in a row. 512 00:35:24,240 --> 00:35:27,840 Because you know what I know When you foster a relationship 513 00:35:27,840 --> 00:35:31,600 with God, even at an infant level, you'll start praying 514 00:35:31,600 --> 00:35:34,280 more. You'll start reading more. 515 00:35:34,760 --> 00:35:38,320 You'll start gleaning more. There'll be an empowerment come 516 00:35:38,320 --> 00:35:40,680 upon your life. There'll be a desire. 517 00:35:42,800 --> 00:35:45,040 I'm not asking for you to read it all tomorrow. 518 00:35:45,240 --> 00:35:49,120 Just every day, every day. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, 519 00:35:49,120 --> 00:35:52,520 Thursday, Friday, Saturday, holiday vacation. 520 00:35:52,520 --> 00:35:55,080 Just every day, every day. Get in your spirit. 521 00:35:55,280 --> 00:36:04,520 Every day get in your So start where you need to start. 522 00:36:05,360 --> 00:36:06,880 If it's a verse, start with a verse. 523 00:36:07,840 --> 00:36:10,600 Just start where you need to start and continue. 524 00:36:12,800 --> 00:36:15,360 Continue. Why? 525 00:36:16,280 --> 00:36:20,760 Because power just isn't built in one moment of intensity. 526 00:36:22,160 --> 00:36:26,640 It's built through repetition. That's how resolved gets formed 527 00:36:27,160 --> 00:36:30,000 through repetition. There's many of us. 528 00:36:30,000 --> 00:36:32,320 We don't need a spiritual overhaul, so to speak, although 529 00:36:32,320 --> 00:36:35,120 most times are great. We just need a repeatable 530 00:36:35,120 --> 00:36:39,520 pattern in our life. What does it look like? 531 00:36:39,800 --> 00:36:42,280 Sometimes it's just already putting the chair in the quiet 532 00:36:42,280 --> 00:36:45,480 room. Sometimes it looks like just 533 00:36:45,480 --> 00:36:47,440 putting the Bible where you eat your breakfast. 534 00:36:49,000 --> 00:36:52,480 Sometimes it's just deciding 5 minutes is OK for today. 535 00:36:52,480 --> 00:36:55,400 It's all ready for me to start. Not because 5 minutes is 536 00:36:55,400 --> 00:36:58,240 impressive, but because 5 minutes is sustainable. 537 00:36:58,240 --> 00:37:06,840 Again tomorrow. Just start today. 538 00:37:07,880 --> 00:37:12,320 Studies tell us, I've read them. They used to tell you that it 539 00:37:12,320 --> 00:37:16,200 takes 21 days to form a habit. That has really been altered in 540 00:37:16,200 --> 00:37:19,080 some situations with newer studies, because newer studies 541 00:37:19,080 --> 00:37:23,040 tells us that roughly it takes 67 days to form new neural 542 00:37:23,040 --> 00:37:28,640 pathways in your brain. See, we have default spots in 543 00:37:28,640 --> 00:37:33,000 our brain that get triggered. For some people, if they're 544 00:37:33,000 --> 00:37:39,720 watching TV, they'll eat. It's the default gutter that you 545 00:37:39,720 --> 00:37:42,440 go to. In order to alter that, you got 546 00:37:42,440 --> 00:37:46,680 to combat what your default is and your brain, The scientists 547 00:37:46,680 --> 00:37:48,440 tell you there's a plasticity to the brain. 548 00:37:48,440 --> 00:37:53,640 It can change, but it takes a repeated pattern in a different 549 00:37:53,640 --> 00:37:58,360 direction. That's the reason why whenever 550 00:37:58,360 --> 00:38:01,400 we say, and I know we usually mean it in a negative sense, but 551 00:38:01,400 --> 00:38:03,320 whenever you talk about somebody's mind being in the 552 00:38:03,320 --> 00:38:07,480 gutter, it's a pathway that's been forged over time. 553 00:38:10,560 --> 00:38:11,960 You know how ruts are in the road. 554 00:38:13,000 --> 00:38:16,360 If your tire even gets on the edge of them, it's going to pull 555 00:38:16,360 --> 00:38:19,640 right in there. But we need new repeatable 556 00:38:19,640 --> 00:38:22,440 patterns where we're doing a path. 557 00:38:22,560 --> 00:38:26,880 Maybe it's not a rut yet on day one, but if you're travelling 558 00:38:26,880 --> 00:38:30,800 again on day 2, it might be a very grassy area path that you 559 00:38:30,800 --> 00:38:33,480 walk on day one. It might be stomped down a 560 00:38:33,480 --> 00:38:37,000 little bit over a month, but if you keep it up, there's going to 561 00:38:37,000 --> 00:38:40,360 be bare ground there because you've done a repeated path. 562 00:38:40,600 --> 00:38:42,760 You say I can't do it from a Yeah, you can. 563 00:38:42,960 --> 00:38:45,080 By the power of God's Spirit, you can. 564 00:38:45,280 --> 00:38:47,920 You can do it today, you can do it tomorrow. 565 00:38:48,000 --> 00:38:58,560 You it'll change your mind. You'll change your mind. 566 00:39:00,680 --> 00:39:02,320 Not because I emotionally thought of it, no. 567 00:39:02,520 --> 00:39:05,520 But through consistency, it changes. 568 00:39:07,360 --> 00:39:11,640 Daniel didn't start praying when the decree was signed, but he 569 00:39:11,640 --> 00:39:14,160 had started somewhere, somewhere in the past. 570 00:39:14,640 --> 00:39:17,920 And so here's what I know is that what you faithfully do 571 00:39:17,920 --> 00:39:23,320 today will be the afore time for your tomorrow. 572 00:39:25,760 --> 00:39:30,240 It'll be the thing that you did before if you'll do it today. 573 00:39:31,240 --> 00:39:35,240 So whenever pressure comes and circumstances change, not going 574 00:39:35,240 --> 00:39:37,640 to rise to the level of your emotion because they can't be 575 00:39:37,640 --> 00:39:40,320 trusted, you're going to fall back on the level of your 576 00:39:40,320 --> 00:39:47,600 discipline because humanity is. I don't feel like it. 577 00:39:50,920 --> 00:39:52,280 Sister Jen Crews have been crazy week. 578 00:39:53,040 --> 00:39:58,920 I don't feel like praying today. I got a long list of things to 579 00:39:58,920 --> 00:40:01,120 get accomplished. I don't feel like reading my 580 00:40:01,120 --> 00:40:03,200 Bible today. I got a lot of stuff to do 581 00:40:05,280 --> 00:40:11,000 Alert, alert. From experience, you won't have 582 00:40:11,000 --> 00:40:12,880 enough time if you don't read for sure. 583 00:40:15,520 --> 00:40:17,960 Everything and everybody's uncle and every other. 584 00:40:18,040 --> 00:40:20,560 It will come on the plate and knock out what you even had 585 00:40:20,560 --> 00:40:27,800 planned. My wife told me of the things 586 00:40:27,800 --> 00:40:30,920 she was going to fix this week. I don't want to miss that day by 587 00:40:30,920 --> 00:40:35,640 fasting. That's my favorite meal. 588 00:40:37,600 --> 00:40:40,440 You understand what I'm saying? If we go by feelings, we have 589 00:40:40,440 --> 00:40:41,960 the ebb and the flow in the up and down. 590 00:40:41,960 --> 00:40:43,800 Because your feelings can't be trusted. 591 00:40:47,120 --> 00:40:48,840 I don't feel like worshipping tonight. 592 00:40:50,560 --> 00:40:51,720 It's been difficult. It's hard. 593 00:40:51,720 --> 00:40:53,360 I got a headache. My feet are sore. 594 00:40:53,640 --> 00:40:55,720 My feet sore right now. I'm getting old. 595 00:41:00,920 --> 00:41:04,120 But Mother alone, when I start reading things like thy word, 596 00:41:04,120 --> 00:41:08,960 have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against thee? 597 00:41:09,720 --> 00:41:11,880 That's enough reason to trump my feelings. 598 00:41:15,120 --> 00:41:17,720 You hear what I'm saying whenever I read things like that 599 00:41:17,720 --> 00:41:21,000 and I, I, I take things in like that of the promises of God. 600 00:41:21,160 --> 00:41:24,840 That's enough to trump all those things and lean on my discipline 601 00:41:26,040 --> 00:41:28,520 because you're not always going to feel like praying and you're 602 00:41:28,520 --> 00:41:30,960 not always going to feel like fasting and you're not always 603 00:41:30,960 --> 00:41:32,640 going to feel like showing up for church. 604 00:41:37,080 --> 00:41:39,760 But we can garner a Daniel's spirit and say I'm just going to 605 00:41:39,760 --> 00:41:47,880 do as I did, a four time stand with me. 606 00:41:48,200 --> 00:41:49,800 See, I told you I wasn't going to be bad on you. 607 00:41:51,400 --> 00:41:54,120 Mark this down. I've told the people for years 608 00:41:54,120 --> 00:41:55,920 that if I go long in one session, I'll go shorten the 609 00:41:55,920 --> 00:41:56,920 other. It'll all balance out. 610 00:41:58,600 --> 00:42:00,440 No one though. Take the times of all this year 611 00:42:00,440 --> 00:42:02,480 and see what the average is. OK, but I'm just saying. 612 00:42:06,000 --> 00:42:08,960 So he's saying tonight, I'm saying this for some of us. 613 00:42:08,960 --> 00:42:16,560 God is calling us to return. You say it wasn't yesterday, it 614 00:42:16,560 --> 00:42:19,200 wasn't last week, no, but can you look in the past of your 615 00:42:19,200 --> 00:42:25,240 life and say there was an afore time where I had it right where 616 00:42:25,240 --> 00:42:29,160 I was doing it faithful, where I was disciplined and it was 617 00:42:29,160 --> 00:42:33,760 intact when it wasn't an option. It was the process of my life. 618 00:42:34,040 --> 00:42:39,840 Then do as you did afore time, like crowded it out, pressure 619 00:42:39,840 --> 00:42:41,560 replaced it, whatever it may have been. 620 00:42:41,960 --> 00:42:45,640 The called in for us with that type of history is simply this. 621 00:42:45,640 --> 00:42:49,960 Go back to it. Go back to the place you want 622 00:42:49,960 --> 00:42:52,400 knelt. Go back to the practice where 623 00:42:52,400 --> 00:42:54,520 you were reading your about whatever it is, go back to it. 624 00:42:54,520 --> 00:42:59,000 What you did a four time. But if you don't have a point of 625 00:42:59,000 --> 00:43:04,280 reference to go to, then your call tonight is start today. 626 00:43:05,400 --> 00:43:08,320 Start small. If you need to start 627 00:43:08,320 --> 00:43:13,320 intentionally though, start consistently, set a time you can 628 00:43:13,320 --> 00:43:16,600 keep. This is very practical tonight, 629 00:43:16,600 --> 00:43:21,080 I understand, but if you don't work well in the evenings, it's 630 00:43:21,920 --> 00:43:23,800 probably not the best time for you to pray and read your Bible. 631 00:43:23,800 --> 00:43:29,640 This is being real practical if mornings and I get, I believe 632 00:43:29,640 --> 00:43:31,640 you know that we've preached for years and if you don't do it in 633 00:43:31,640 --> 00:43:33,680 the morning, it won't get done, you know, but I've had pastor 634 00:43:33,680 --> 00:43:35,120 friends, the time that they pray is at night. 635 00:43:35,120 --> 00:43:37,840 That works absolutely better for their makeup, their personality. 636 00:43:38,000 --> 00:43:44,840 And if that works, do it. Years ago, I, I don't remember 637 00:43:44,840 --> 00:43:46,160 what it was. I was trying to fight their day 638 00:43:46,160 --> 00:43:49,360 for my life, The gentleman said said the best plan is the plan 639 00:43:49,360 --> 00:43:55,880 that works. I'm not trying to stand here, 640 00:43:55,880 --> 00:44:01,120 compare myself to Sam or Reese, compare himself to Ray about 641 00:44:01,120 --> 00:44:08,000 time and situation. And if it works, if you get it 642 00:44:08,000 --> 00:44:12,040 accomplished on a daily consistent means, stay with it. 643 00:44:15,840 --> 00:44:17,680 I'm trying to give somebody hope here tonight. 644 00:44:20,000 --> 00:44:22,800 Here's why I say that, because I think we've cut a lot of 645 00:44:22,800 --> 00:44:25,600 people's feet out from under them, thinking that if it 646 00:44:25,600 --> 00:44:29,160 doesn't look exactly like this, then you're wrong. 647 00:44:34,920 --> 00:44:37,560 People slaughtered on the pews because they couldn't live up to 648 00:44:37,560 --> 00:44:41,640 somebody else's plan. Let me tell you what the plan 649 00:44:41,640 --> 00:44:43,760 is. Do it consistently, whatever 650 00:44:43,760 --> 00:44:45,680 time of day you can find it and it works. 651 00:44:45,680 --> 00:44:48,800 Do it if it works for you. It's a great plan in the Kingdom 652 00:44:48,800 --> 00:45:03,250 of God for you. But Daniel didn't survive the 653 00:45:03,250 --> 00:45:11,730 lions because of one prayer. They closed their mouths because 654 00:45:11,730 --> 00:45:16,890 he had a repeated pattern of opening his mouth days before 655 00:45:16,890 --> 00:45:22,880 the moment was ever needed. So I heard you tonight, either 656 00:45:22,880 --> 00:45:32,960 return or begin, Do it again or do it for the first time, but 657 00:45:32,960 --> 00:45:37,320 live in such a way that whenever the pressure comes, it can be 658 00:45:37,320 --> 00:45:39,240 said of you. It can be said of us. 659 00:45:39,680 --> 00:45:50,840 They did as they did before. Have you ever just been on the 660 00:45:50,840 --> 00:45:53,880 sidelines of someone's life and thought, I don't see how they're 661 00:45:53,880 --> 00:45:59,520 making it right now? How did hell know what they have 662 00:45:59,520 --> 00:46:04,400 set up in their life? A repeated pattern that pleases 663 00:46:04,400 --> 00:46:11,280 God, that's faithful to God and life happens, but they just do 664 00:46:11,280 --> 00:46:14,600 as they did a four time. The old preachers used to say 665 00:46:14,600 --> 00:46:18,280 when you don't know what to do, keep doing what you have done 666 00:46:22,120 --> 00:46:23,600 because there are times you just don't know. 667 00:46:23,600 --> 00:46:26,560 I'm just going to talk to God again. 668 00:46:26,560 --> 00:46:28,520 Just going to read my word again. 669 00:46:28,800 --> 00:46:30,360 Look at Daniel, he has no answer. 670 00:46:32,000 --> 00:46:33,720 Nothing has changed for him for years. 671 00:46:34,040 --> 00:46:36,280 Promotions, yes, but he's still in captivity. 672 00:46:36,280 --> 00:46:40,760 I'm just going to keep praying. I'm going to just keep talking 673 00:46:40,760 --> 00:46:43,600 to God, just going to keep faithful to God. 674 00:46:45,200 --> 00:46:47,240 Folks, sometimes that's just what it comes down in this 675 00:46:47,240 --> 00:46:49,040 Christian life. And I'm not trying to make this, 676 00:46:49,360 --> 00:46:52,480 you know, just, I know, elementary this evening. 677 00:46:52,800 --> 00:46:55,120 Sometimes it just comes down to you. 678 00:46:55,120 --> 00:47:00,680 Just practice the faithfulness of God because whenever things 679 00:47:00,680 --> 00:47:13,200 are sewn up, someday it will be my good and my servant enter on 680 00:47:13,200 --> 00:47:20,680 into the joys of the Lord. Corinthians, I believe it says 681 00:47:20,680 --> 00:47:22,920 one thing is required of a steward, and this could be 682 00:47:22,920 --> 00:47:25,640 steward over money, steward over anything, a steward, a manager 683 00:47:25,640 --> 00:47:27,040 of things. One thing is required of a 684 00:47:27,040 --> 00:47:31,040 steward that they be found faithful. 685 00:47:38,560 --> 00:47:43,320 So tonight can we on this first evening service, it is the only 686 00:47:43,320 --> 00:47:45,960 time I can say this this year, first evening service of this 687 00:47:46,000 --> 00:47:49,280 year, just find a place to talk to God. 688 00:47:50,640 --> 00:47:55,000 And if somewhere in your journey of last year you've become 689 00:47:55,000 --> 00:47:59,000 separated from a moment that was faithful and true and consistent 690 00:47:59,000 --> 00:48:03,360 and honorable on the side of God, then go and return to that 691 00:48:03,360 --> 00:48:06,960 a four time make a pact with yourself and the determination 692 00:48:06,960 --> 00:48:09,480 in your life. I'm going to do as I did that 693 00:48:09,480 --> 00:48:13,120 moment, you know, you hear me? Some people might have some 694 00:48:13,120 --> 00:48:15,880 wilted papers on your prayer room wall that you used to pray. 695 00:48:15,880 --> 00:48:18,000 That's not been touched in a long time. 696 00:48:18,480 --> 00:48:22,800 Just go back to the aforetime. Touch all those names again. 697 00:48:24,440 --> 00:48:26,640 Let the tears fall on that carpet again. 698 00:48:27,920 --> 00:48:30,960 If you've not done that tonight, you have a great opportunity. 699 00:48:31,680 --> 00:48:35,640 Look at all of these days, 361 of them ahead of you. 700 00:48:39,640 --> 00:48:44,480 I won't put the Bible on the kitchen table tonight or 701 00:48:44,480 --> 00:48:48,320 whenever you need to do it. Crack it open and just oh, and 702 00:48:48,320 --> 00:48:51,120 the Lord spake unto Moses saying command the children of Israel 703 00:48:51,600 --> 00:48:53,760 that they bring to thee pure olive oil beaten for light to 704 00:48:53,760 --> 00:48:55,120 cause the lambs to burn continually. 705 00:48:55,280 --> 00:48:57,560 Even if it's those just two verses you take those, read them 706 00:48:57,560 --> 00:49:00,440 a couple times that day and just think about what God is saying. 707 00:49:05,840 --> 00:49:07,720 Everybody done right. It's just about reset button. 708 00:49:09,520 --> 00:49:11,440 It's about reset. But let me tell you what Bible 709 00:49:11,440 --> 00:49:13,440 reading did for you. Again, I said this morning, 710 00:49:13,720 --> 00:49:16,800 you'll bring conviction in your life outside of service time. 711 00:49:18,800 --> 00:49:21,280 You know what else you'll do? It'll give you greater 712 00:49:21,280 --> 00:49:23,000 understanding when you're in church. 713 00:49:26,800 --> 00:49:28,120 I told you before, we need to start. 714 00:49:28,400 --> 00:49:31,560 We need to start a book club centered around the Bible. 715 00:49:35,200 --> 00:49:37,840 Sometimes you step here and that guy, I know that guy's preaching 716 00:49:37,840 --> 00:49:38,880 to me. I just don't know what he's 717 00:49:38,880 --> 00:49:43,280 saying, some of the causes, because we've never read what 718 00:49:43,280 --> 00:49:48,280 he's saying. The more you familiarize 719 00:49:48,280 --> 00:49:51,080 yourself with your Bible and you read it, you start picking up on 720 00:49:51,080 --> 00:49:53,560 names and stories, and before long, stuff starts piercing 721 00:49:53,560 --> 00:49:56,640 together from the Old Testament, the New Testament. 722 00:49:56,640 --> 00:49:58,960 You start seeing intersections of stuff that comes together 723 00:49:59,560 --> 00:50:02,800 just because you've read it over and over and over and over 724 00:50:03,680 --> 00:50:05,040 again. I said you don't have to read it 725 00:50:05,040 --> 00:50:07,120 all this year. Take three years to read it. 726 00:50:07,120 --> 00:50:08,560 I don't care. Just read it. 727 00:50:10,520 --> 00:50:16,560 Even if you got to read those good old genealogies, we are the 728 00:50:16,560 --> 00:50:19,240 most technological advanced society in the world. 729 00:50:19,360 --> 00:50:21,800 You got a phone that will read it to you and you can follow 730 00:50:21,800 --> 00:50:23,640 along. We have no excuses. 731 00:50:29,520 --> 00:50:32,400 I mean, my grandpap is trying to sound out Bartholomew and, you 732 00:50:32,400 --> 00:50:35,760 know, I got somebody to say it in the language that's Indian or 733 00:50:35,760 --> 00:50:39,200 in a language that's I'm just, you know, they've got an accent 734 00:50:39,200 --> 00:50:40,680 and they can have it. Talk to me like that. 735 00:50:41,680 --> 00:50:45,320 We have no excuses. I open these altars tonight. 736 00:50:46,080 --> 00:50:48,480 Open these altars tonight. Can we be introspective? 737 00:50:48,480 --> 00:50:51,600 I know we're already four days in, but can we be introspective 738 00:50:51,600 --> 00:50:54,040 tonight? God, are you calling me back to 739 00:50:54,040 --> 00:50:56,320 something or you calling me to something? 740 00:50:56,320 --> 00:50:59,680 God, that I've, I've never, I've never successfully started. 741 00:51:00,080 --> 00:51:02,640 If so, that's the pool, that's the call, that's the 742 00:51:02,640 --> 00:51:04,280 opportunity, that's the assignment. 743 00:51:04,520 --> 00:51:06,240 That's the assignment for our life. 744 00:51:06,760 --> 00:51:12,240 That's the assignment for our life and we we, we, we just 745 00:51:12,240 --> 00:51:16,360 raise our voices over this great Daniel story of how against all 746 00:51:16,400 --> 00:51:19,680 odds those 30 days he kept doing Amen. 747 00:51:19,680 --> 00:51:23,080 Praying folks. That was that was the results of 748 00:51:23,080 --> 00:51:27,160 a man that had spent a lifetime doing that prior to that moment. 749 00:51:30,000 --> 00:51:34,120 The success of those 30 days we're in, the success of 80 some 750 00:51:34,120 --> 00:51:39,520 odd years of just staying with something, being faithful to 751 00:51:39,520 --> 00:51:44,080 something during the strong winds and during animosity and 752 00:51:44,080 --> 00:51:46,400 during raging, if you will, enemies. 753 00:51:46,400 --> 00:51:47,880 It's just staying with something. 754 00:51:50,080 --> 00:51:54,040 God's calling you tonight. God's calling you to himself. 755 00:51:55,760 --> 00:51:59,880 This isn't a this, this isn't about necessarily this is about 756 00:52:00,480 --> 00:52:06,840 forging a closer relationship with God, forging a closer 757 00:52:06,960 --> 00:52:09,960 relationship with God. And there will be several perks 758 00:52:09,960 --> 00:52:12,240 and byproducts that will come out of that. 759 00:52:12,440 --> 00:52:16,360 But your number one priority need to needs to be forging that 760 00:52:16,360 --> 00:52:19,520 relationship with God. The other perks that comes, 761 00:52:19,720 --> 00:52:22,760 that's just a great byproduct, but that's not my, that's not my 762 00:52:22,760 --> 00:52:24,080 focus. That's not my goal. 763 00:52:24,160 --> 00:52:26,280 My goal is my relationship with God. 764 00:52:26,520 --> 00:52:30,080 And as I pursue that through these disciplines of prayer and 765 00:52:30,080 --> 00:52:33,160 fashion and Bible reading and attendance to the House of God 766 00:52:33,160 --> 00:52:36,480 and worship and all these things, God is just going to 767 00:52:36,480 --> 00:52:40,960 open up the windows of heaven and pour out upon you blessings 768 00:52:40,960 --> 00:52:43,800 that you have not room enough to receive. 769 00:52:44,960 --> 00:52:49,200 Because God honors His word. He honors His promises, even in 770 00:52:49,200 --> 00:52:52,200 your life if you're just starting or if you're going back 771 00:52:52,480 --> 00:52:57,960 as you have done a four time. Hallelujah. 772 00:52:57,960 --> 00:52:58,960 Let's talk to Him.