First Peter, chapter 2, we'll start in verse 9 to 11.
It says this, but you are chosen race.
Come on, who we talking about this?
Who's that? Who's the chosen race we are?
You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a
people for God's own possession, so that you may proclaim the
excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into a
marvelous light. Aren't you glad you've been
called out? For you once were not a people,
but now you are the people of God.
You had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from
fleshly lusts which wage war against your soul.
So here Peter is reminding us as believers, he said, now listen,
we were away, but we're a different way now.
We were not with God, but now we're with God.
We were in a domain that was rebellious to God, but now we're
in God's Kingdom. We, we were not even a people,
but now we are people and we're chosen of God.
Now what we have to do is we have to make sure then we
abstain. Meaning we've been given the
power to now stop what used to control us when we were in the
domain of darkness, the things of the flesh or the lusts of the
flesh, right? Those things ruled us and we had
no weapon against it. But now that we're born of God,
in the Spirit of God lives on the inside of us, we can
abstain. Now, what does abstain mean?
It's a word called abstinence. Abstain.
It means don't. Do you understand?
There would be no sexual diseases if abstinence was being
practiced prior to marriage and when then when you were married,
husband, wife, male, female, according to Scripture, that is
a undefiled bed. And you know what?
There would never be any sex sexually transmitted disease
ever, right? Isn't that amazing?
One generation could come and say we're going to wipe out
sexually transmitted disease, We're just going to abstain.
Hallelujah. So you have to, he tells us to
abstain from this. That doesn't mean to dabble,
right? 10 percent, 90% abstain, you
know, don't do. But 10%, you know, it's like
what my aunt told my mom one time and she was wrong because
when I was a younger teenager she was saying.
Now she said now Peggy, look, it's OK if he looks as long as
he doesn't touch. No, it's not OK to look 'cause
looking gets you lusting and looking goes to touching, right?
Looking will go to touching it always moves that way all right,
and so it just says abstain. We are to maintain purity.
Now what does this mean the fleshly lest they wage war where
against our soul they're not waging in our spirit because our
spirit is born of God. We are the righteousness of God
in Christ. It's within our soul realm that
this war takes place, and in order for us to make sure that
we maintain a pure soul, continue to purify it, wash it
with a watering of the word, we have to abstain from some things
of which we have the power of by the Holy Ghost to do so through
the grace of God as we trust Him according to His Word.
So the things of the world are waging war against our minds.
The good news is, is that we can win that battle.
I said we can win that battle. That is really good news for the
believer. We can win that war, Hallelujah.
We do not have to just suffer like the rest and know we're
going to heaven when we die. No, we can win that war.
Have Peace of Mind. Oh my gosh, real Peace of Mind.
So in first Peter chapter 4, he goes on to say verses one
through 2. He says this.
Therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm
yourself also with the same. We're not yelling at you because
they're all caps. OK?
I'm like, why is it all caps? Mine are not all caps, but
sometimes in my translation, if it's referring to an Old
Testament scripture, it'll put in old caps, you know, So
obviously when I was reading the the other one, I was thinking of
that, but they're all, all, all caps.
Therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm
yourself also with the same purpose, because he who has
suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin, so as to live the rest
of your time in the flesh. No longer for the lust of men,
but for what? The will of God.
So before I was born of God, I lived in my body for the lust of
men. I was dead in my trespasses of
sin. It the the lust, the pride of
life, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes.
All those things control my life.
They were actually part of my nature.
I was rebellious to God. But God being rich in his mercy,
while I was still a Sinner, He died for me.
He gave me the opportunity to come over into His Kingdom, of
which I did. And that old spirit man that
could not obey God, did not want to obey God, was evicted out of
my skin, suit, this body or flesh.
And all of a sudden on the inside, a brand new creature in
Christ who is recreated or created in the image of the king
and made righteous, came inside, attached itself to my soul, of
which the Holy Spirit came in as well and bears witness with that
spirit. Now you're a child of God.
You function different, you think different, you perform
different, you behave differently.
And I'm going to train the soul realm that was disconnected or
was connected to a dead spirit and could not.
We have hooked up a live spirit unto God and now we're going to
go through and renew this mind. We are going to push out all the
junk that would keep you in bondage because it now has no
power over you ever again. So the Bible tells us here in
first Peter chapter 4 that Jesus, when he emptied himself
of his glory in heaven and came into a skin suit or the flesh of
man, he functioned as a man anointed of God.
Now Jesus was a man who knew no sin, yet He was tempted on all
accounts like we are. So in essence, when it says he
suffered in the flesh, that means that Jesus was tempted,
like all of us have been tempted.
And most of us, well really all of us have fallen to temptation
and gone into sin for all of it. For we've all sinned and fallen
short of the glory of God. Jesus, however, didn't.
He never sinned. He suffered because the
temptation came and it came against him at such a level that
he had to by faith stay with his Spirit and the anointing of God
on his life. Cast down those thoughts, those
actions, those behaviors that he never dealt with in heaven, but
when he yielded to only it is written and following the Holy
Ghost he sees from sin. Why because he did not allow the
temptations to overtake him and there's a suffering there.
Not only is there a suffering of the temptation to sin, but then
there's the suffering of the people as well because you
understand in heaven Jesus is glorified he they are talking
only well about him. It is well with his soul there.
I mean he is honored people bow to him.
I mean, he is, he is amazing. However, whatever on planet
earth, he was despised, right? And he's being despised knowing.
But I'm here to help. You're calling me a devil?
You think I cheat, Swindle. I mean, it's not even my nature.
I'm not doing anything like you, right?
What did Jesus say a couple times She was on his side.
How much longer must I suffer with thee?
You know, put up with your lack of faith, your inability to
recognize me for who I am. You know your stubbornness to
not yield and submit to my word. I mean, how much long?
But you know what? I do it as long as the Father
has me, because I'm suffering too.
But I'll do it without sin. So here Jesus suffered in the
flesh, yet ceased from sin. And he's telling us here in
first Peter, that we because we're living in our bodies, but
we are never to live for the lust of men, but we are here
only to live for the will of God, which tells us that I'm not
even connected to what man's doing.
I'm so disconnected from it. And we all as a church, as we
continue to progress before the return of Jesus, we want to make
sure our actions, our attitude are always connected to an
eternal purpose, not just a, well, I may die, you know, by
the time I'm 8090, a hundred years old, you know, and we're
kind of gauging how we live life based upon a time frame that is,
that is nothing compared to the eternal scope of our life, the
eternal scope of mind. And I'll be honest with you, I
could say some things that some people just think is crazy, but
you know, the kingdom's just different than the world.
It's just different. Now, I, we can say, you know
what, there are things in life that we do.
That's not a problem as long as it's not putting God second, as
long as his agenda is not the most important agenda.
OK, but yet we we think that you know, and how we're let you know
the way we live in as as U.S. citizens, people 500 years never
thought like this. I mean it wasn't even in their
psyche. The thing and we've not evolved
to such a a place of enlightenment.
I mean, you know, sins abounding.
I mean, honestly, sin is worse on the planet today than it was
500 years ago. Now what do I mean by that?
I'm just saying that God came to a point at the flood of Noah
that he's like, I regret I made man.
It has gotten so bad here that I'm going to destroy it with a
flood. Well, you understand when Jesus
is coming back, he's coming back to take the Church of which
that's, you know, according to scholars, 7 year period before
he comes back again. And during that period the wrath
of God will be poured out. Well, why is the wrath of God
being poured out? Then something's going on in the
earth that at this time God's not doing it, but he's going to
do it then. So things are happening on the
planet that is worse. So that God's wrath is like, I
cannot be merciful anymore. I must act on my word concerning
what I do, what I do for those who are disobedient.
Are you hearing me? OK, So we need to make sure
we're like, OK, let's continue to live in the grace of God that
He's given us, and let's be ever more present to be doing His
will in our lives every day, every day, OK.
And so let's turn over to Galatians chapter 5.
Galatians chapter 5, Look what it says here, verses 16 to 18 it
says, but I say walk by the Spirit and you will not carry
out the desires of the flesh. So let me read, let me finish
this passage and then I'll explain some things.
For the flesh sets its desires against the spirit and the
spirit against this flesh, for they are in opposition to one
another so that you may not do the things that you please.
Just the beginning part of 18 says, but it but if you are led
by the spirit or are we supposed to be led by the spirit.
Now that is if it's a conditional statement which
tells us that just because you're born again does not mean
you are being led by the Spirit. So the new birth experience
alone does not mean you are being led by the Spirit.
It gives you access to the spirit.
It allow it gives you the ability so that the spirit
within you can train you to follow him.
But you don't. You do not have to.
OK, I'll give you a case in point.
All right, Let's do an example. Simon Says Anybody ever heard
that before? Let's play a little.
Simon Says All right. Simon Says, Raise your right
hand. All right, Nick's finally done
it. He's he's about to prove my
point already. Right.
Simon Says raise your right
hand. Simon Says Put your right hand
down. Simon Says Put your left hand
up. Simon Says, Put your left hand
down. Simon Says.
Raise your right hand again. Wave your white hand.
Ah, now you know you weren't supposed to do that, so you're
out. Let's just be honest.
Come on, come on. Just come on and repent.
Just put your hand down. You're out of the game.
OK, All right, now I'm going to do Simon Says again.
Put your hands down, everybody. I'm going to say.
Simon Says, put your right hand up.
And I want all of you to put your left hand up.
OK, well, I said, I'm going to say Simon Says put your right
hand up. But I want all of you to
actually put your left hand up. OK, Simon Says put your right
hand up. Does anybody have their right
hand up, actually? Oh, that's fine.
I knew there would be someone. Sure.
I got it. Because he's like, I refuse to
disobey. Look at the rest of these
rebellious people in the room. Thank you, son.
I appreciate it. Because the rest of them are
rebellious. And when I give an altar call,
you can stay in your seat, but the rest need to come down
tonight. OK?
I'm not Simon, people. OK, yeah, this is really.
I'm not Simon. But I was able to convince you
to do something against Simon and everyone did it but my son
Sean. And y'all thought he was being
rebellious. But this is what it's like when
you actually follow God and not the world because the majority
can go in a different direction and one say, you know, I heard
what he said, but I'm going to stay with Simon because the rest
of the world has already been given permission to raise the
left hand. Even though Simon's saying raise
the right by some other authority or somewhere,
something which means God cannot make you follow his spirit just
because you're alive to His spirit.
So it is a lie to believe that because I'm born again, I only
follow the Spirit. Paul would not have written to
the Galatian church if being born again was the only
qualification to be able to be led by the Spirit.
He's actually telling the church, do not go and live the
old nature that you were delivered from because you're
still, you can if you choose, but it's never what God
intended. God did not save you and because
there was nothing you could do to be saved, so now there's
nothing you can do to stay saved.
That is not scriptural. That is not scriptural.
We'll talk about these things later because I think as we get
closer to the return of Christ, I'm just going to have to get
off into more and more stuff that is unfortunately
controversy only to tradition, but not to a believer who
actually takes time and reads the scripture.
Because if you do, it won't be controversial.
You'd be like, well, that makes that's perfect sense, but the
religious will hate it. I'm telling you they'll hate it.
So here we see that he's telling us, look, your flesh and your
spirit are in opposition. These are born again believers.
He's talking to a church. He's saying, listen, your flesh
is fighting against the Spirit of God in you and your spirit
that's made of God. So here's the thing, Jesus has
already stripped the devil of all of his power.
So the devil is not your problem.
He's not your problem. Your biggest opposition in the
earth is your flesh. Now I'm not going to tell you
that you cannot arrive to a place in the Spirit, meaning
growing in the Spirit, being led by the Spirit, having revelation
of by the Spirit concerning things of God, and being used of
God in great clarity of His Kingdom, that the devil himself
will show up to try to destroy your life.
However, he is defeated and he can make your life miserable
because he has plenty of people following his voice, even
believers, even believers because they've not learned how
to discern the voice of the Lord.
They're still being led by how they feel.
I remember a particular believer, Pastor Mike, and I met
with them and they were just beside themselves, that I wasn't
saying we're going to heaven forever.
And so we pulled the Scripture out, read the last two chapters
of the book. New Heaven, New Earth, Jerusalem
coming down to the earth, God being on planet earth within the
New Jerusalem. I mean, what's this word?
EARTH? How do you say that word?
Because it, it doesn't say heaven.
I mean, this individual stepped back and said, I, you know, I
just believe it to be heaven on earth.
I said I, I don't disagree that it's heaven on earth, but it's
still earth. It's still earth. 98% of all the
church does not say this. I mean, I, so I mean, what, what
am I supposed to do? Side with the religious
tradition or read the actual back of the book instead of
saying, I've read the back of the book and we won and we'd
have actually read it, right? And again, what I said, what's
it matter? You'll be with Jesus.
I mean, really, what are you, what are we doing right now?
If Jesus is here, what's the problem?
And if he calls it Earth, what's the problem?
But religious tradition, we want to hold on to certain things
that we think we're right the whole time and sometimes find
out it was wrong. And the reason why we hold on to
stuff because we weren't studiers anyway.
Are you hearing me? So again, your biggest challenge
in life or your biggest opposition is your flesh.
But here's great news. You can just, you can beat your
flesh. No problem.
This is really not an issue because the spirit in you is
greater than your old nature or the flesh that is always
opposing the spirit. It's not the devil coming after
you. It's just your old nature, your
old flesh, the things of the world that you used to practice,
but now you've been delivered from Hallelujah.
So let's look at this verse 17 from some other translations
real quick. The amplified says it this way.
For the sinful nature has this desire which is opposed to the
Spirit, and the desire of the Spirit opposes the sinful
nature. For these two, the sinful nature
and the Spirit are in direct opposition to each other
continually in conflict so that you as believers do not always
do whatever good thing you want to do because the Bible tells us
there's a way that seems right to a man.
So again, you, it can seem right, but it's not.
I'll, I'll give you a great example of my own personal life
where I was dead wrong. I used to dip tobacco crazy.
My dad smoked and you know, he had major health issues as a
result of that and die. So you would think that, you
know, when you have a father who smoked and drank and they die as
a result of those things, you would want to abstain from
those. But you know, the same spirits,
you know, and things in the world are your flesh that kind
of attack you and pull on you, you know.
So instead of smoking them, I decided I would just dip it.
Stupidity, right? OK.
And it is. So, you know, I used to do that.
And the day I realized I was addicted, I was in Gainesville,
FL at on Archer Rd. about to turn left onto 34th St. and it
was early in the morning. I think it's about 7:20.
I had to be at work at 7:30. And I was in my truck popping my
dip can like this. And I looked over and somebody
pulled out a cigarette and was lighting it.
And I said, man, you know, you got to be addicted to smoking
the cigarette to be smoking this early.
And then it hit me. It didn't hit me that I had cans
from a full size GMC truck that was from the one side of my seat
all the way to the other side of the bent seat holding up to 12
inch subwoofers that was in a box behind the seat.
I mean, they were full butt to butt.
I mean, that should be enough to let you know you have a problem.
You have a problem. OK, so I realized then I have an
issue. I have an issue.
Met my wife, decided I probably should quit all this because
we're going to follow God, but then saved me going to church.
Want to be an example, you know of God had a friend I used to
run with when I was saved, but live like the world.
He never would have known I was born of God because the things
he did, I did right. You know, I had the same goofy
theology. Well, at least when I die, I go
to heaven. Craziness.
Not helping him one bit. My Jesus has no power because he
lives this way. I'm living like him and we think
we're having a great old time. But now I'm changed.
I've decided I'm following Jesus.
Well, he worked. We ended up working together in
the guard and you know, so I'm wanting to witness.
And so here's the thought. I don't want him to think I'm
better than him. Ain't that a good thought?
That's a good thought, right? That's a good thought.
I don't even think I'm better than him.
So I would go out to talk with him and if he pulled out the can
to dip, I would take one. Why?
I don't want him to think I'm better because this dipping is
not going to put me in hell. You know?
I just want to be relatable. See it sounds right, sounds
good, but yet all the while I'm like this is stupid.
I'm wrong. I sure not telling my wife
brushing teeth before you get off work right because I'm being
relatable. I mean surely she would
understand. I just want to bond so that we
can get him right with God. And honestly, my thinking was
not, I wish I could dip again. My thinking was I don't want him
to think I'm better than him now.
But you know what? I God made me better.
God delivered me and God wants him better and God wants to
deliver him. So why am I going back to
relate? Because if I go back, he's like,
you're not different. And why would I follow your
Jesus? I mean, I had to repent and tell
him to forgive me and, and had to do all kinds of stuff.
I've done it to some of my schoolmates, you know, that I
graduated from, you know, I say mates, they're not friends
because if they were friends, they would show up here.
What Eric did anyway, They're acquaintances.
But I remember calling and talking to some through the
years and I'm like, I'm sorry, what for What?
I was not good in high school. I was a bad witness.
And they were like, Earl, no, not you.
You were great guy. No, I was not.
I was evil in my actions. My fruit was bad.
I did not live right. I need you to forgive me.
Yeah. Because popularity meant
nothing. I was wrong.
And So what he's saying here is that these things are in
conflict. Why?
Because there are times you'll want to relate for the desire to
see them changed. But if you're not trained in
righteousness, you'll compromise righteousness and the Spirit is
in opposition to those things and say, wait, you don't have to
go that. No, no, no, you don't have to do
that. Don't do that.
I'm going to be honest with you. The world wants you to not do
what they're doing now. They're not going to tell you
that because it eases their guilt when you participate in
things that they're guilty of. And what you don't understand is
when you ease guilt by participating in things that
aren't what the Spirit would have you do, then you actually
create a stumbling block. Say Amen.
Anyway, this is a very fun, great message.
I need more smiles. Hallelujah, Amen.
I need somebody maybe to run a couple of times because this is
really good stuff, right? You know, woe is me.
And again, if Reverend Randy's got you all jacked up from the
communion, you know, just repent now, OK?
I mean, he let he's let you suffer long enough.
Hallelujah. The God's Word translation says
this. What your corrupt nature wants
is contrary to what your spiritual nature wants.
And what your spiritual nature wants is contrary to what your
corrupt nature wants. They are opposed to each other.
As a result, you don't always do what you intended.
Hallelujah. Aren't you glad you can talk to
the Spirit about how to handle every situation?
Glory to God. The remedy says it this way.
For the selfish nature desires to promote self at the expense
of everyone and everything else. And this is exactly opposite of
the spirit of love, as the spirit of love desires to
promote the good of everyone else at the expense of self or
two self. The selfish nature and the
spirit of love are diametrically opposed to each other.
So if you follow the spirit of love, you will no longer do what
your selfish nature wants. Hallelujah.
I'm so glad I've been born of the Spirit of God and the Holy
Ghost lives in me. Amen.
Because I'm renewing my mind.
See, the opposition is trying to wage war against my soul.
But the good news is, is I can't protect my mind.
Helmet of salvation is a protection for me.
I've been saved. That's one of your first ways to
combat the selfish nature or things of the flesh is I've been
saved. I'm a different person.
I've been blood bulb, blood washed.
I'm alive unto God and Jesus would not do these things.
So I'm not doing these things because I'm of his nature.
I'm saved. The message says it this way,
for there is a root of sinful interest in us that is at odds
with a free spirit. Now that doesn't mean that your
spirit man has sin in it. We have to be very clear here.
This is not a yin and Yang stuff.
When everything that's good, there's a little bit of eve on
everything that's even there's a little bit of good.
No, in your spirit that's created in Christ is only good
period where residual of sinful nature exists is unrenewed mind
and then your body that's attached to the things of the
world. But your spirit is so alive and
so powerful and has God on the inside of you that these other
two aspects of who you are can even compete or hold a candle in
opposition to the Spirit. When you yield to it and let it
have its work, it dominates. It dominates and the church is
to dominate. The spirit within you is a
dominant spirit. It is not.
It doesn't cower to the flesh. If flesh rises up, it puts it
right up underneath its heel immediately, No problem.
We just have to yield. If really, if we were like
looking at this from a natural perspective, we in our soul and
body are down there trying to pull the foot of the spirit off
the flesh and release it. I mean, we're fighting against
the spirit to let this thing of flesh come back on us.
That's what we're doing. But we don't do this.
Hallelujah. We're different.
Amen. Galatians 524 and 25 says this.
He says now those who belong to the to Christ Jesus have
crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
If you live by the Spirit, let us also walk, walk by the
Spirit. Now, living and walking are two
different things because he's saying now if conditional
statement, you're born again, since you're born again, are you
allowing this to happen? You're deciding are you doing
this? If you're living by the spirit,
if you're saying that, then your walk, meaning the fruit of your
life is going to demonstrate that.
My wife and I were having a conversation about something
earlier today and she had made a comment and I said that's just
not a true statement. Now, not that she was.
She was given an analogy of something I said.
That's just not a true statement when someone says that because
their walk is not what they say. So, you know, I said, sometimes
you just got to call it for what it is.
Sometimes people say, well, I, I mean, you're like, you're saying
something, there's no walk in it.
Don't say something that there's no walk in it.
Because if you're living by the Spirit, you're walking by it.
Because anyone can say they're living by it and yet not walk by
it. But you can't walk by it unless
you're living by it. You're not walking by the Spirit
by accident. It's intentional.
Isn't that right? It's intentional.
You're like intentionally saying I am doing this.
You make a conscious decision, you cast that down, you take on
God's thought, and then you act on it.
Intentional, so you know, don't blow me around.
Don't blow your hot breath on me with words that your actions
aren't following right. Hallelujah, say, well, let's see
some evidence. That's why John the Baptist
says, why don't you keep alive, have a life in keeping with
repentance. You're telling me that you've
repented? Well, how come I'm not seeing
it? Amen.
And listen, God is the least fooled.
He's fooled how many times? Zero.
He knows it all. Hallelujah.
Now love believes the best, but Love's not ignorant either.
Thank you Jesus. So crucify the flesh.
Again. This is the opposition we have.
It lets us know now those who belong to Christ Jesus have
crucified, which means we have the power to crucify the flesh.
The flesh doesn't have the power to crucify the spirit within us.
We have the power to crucify the flesh.
We're the ones functioning with the power.
That's just such good news. This is such good news because
it eradicates this idea of sin consciousness in in us as
believers because you're like, sin has no dominion on me.
It cannot dominate me. The law of sin and death is not
for me. I've been delivered.
I have the dominant nature, and that which opposes me is a
conquered thing in Christ. And I have because I'm in Him.
And so we're going to dominate the flesh.
So I'm not a sorry Sinner saved by grace.
I was a Sinner. I've been saved by grace through
faith, and now I'm a believer that dominates my flesh.
I dominate, I crucify it, I do not let it gain an advantage at
all. Praise the Lord, I said.
Praise the Lord. Galatians 220 says it this way.
I've been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but
Christ lives where in me and the life I now live in the flesh,
which is your body. I live by faith in the Son of
God who gave who loved me and gave himself up for me.
Look what it says in Romans 1314.
These are some awesome things because there's an opposition
when it comes to our flesh. The devil's really not our
problem. Although he can mount an attack
and amount and and the attack the enemy can put against you is
a lot is different than the carnal attack.
No different. They are way different.
How? And the reason they're different
is because the spirit uses carnal man and he's, you know,
very tactful and he has them lined up to where it's like,
will we ever get a break here? However, carnal people, it's
different. They don't have the same
tenacity, but the enemy, he knows he's defeated and he has
great tenacity because he knows his time is short.
But even him can only go so long because if the Father somewhere
along the line, Jesus himself is like 40 days.
Is it bro, we're done. And it said he left him and look
for another opportunity later on of which he infiltrated his own
staff in order to bring this. But Jesus was not ignorant of
that. He wasn't ignorant of the fact,
however he did that. But he was able to say we're
done and we're finished. And that tack was so bad that
angels manifested to be able to minister to Jesus in that
moment. Hallelujah.
And none of you've had an attack that angels have shown up, that
you're aware that they're there to help you.
Because most of us don't get past the opposition of the
flesh. Hallelujah.
But not here, not at Anchor Faith Church.
We dominate the flesh. This is why we've said for years
we are not a flesh friendly church.
And that's not being negative, that's being rise to the
occasion of your spiritual walk. You should, honestly, you should
feel extremely uncomfortable if you're living fleshly sitting
here, if you are comfortable. I'm not preaching the word of
God, right? And it's not a condemnation,
it's that the Spirit and the flesh are in opposition.
So if I'm not preaching the Spirit of God in his Word,
anything you're going got going on in the flesh should be should
be feeling attacked and it and the Lord wants to attack it.
The Lord wants to crucify it. The Lord wants it beat down.
He's not he's not friendly to it.
Didn't I say now I know you've had a hard day, brother, I know
that hurts. I know that hurts.
That hurts. Let's talk about the hurt for a
while. Let's just talk about it.
How's that make you feel? And then what do we do?
I feel so much better because we talked about it.
Well, you just talked about what you feel, but you never had an
answer because Jesus say, how's that make you feel?
You want to quit feeling that because we can stop that feeling
right now. We can move to a different
feeling, a feeling of the spirit, a feeling of freedom, a
feeling of no more bondage, a feeling of you know it's, it's
no longer a part of your life. It cease to be a part of you.
It's not your identity. The reason why many people do
not openly crucify their flesh is because they've identified
with it too much. It's it is their identity.
Amen. So again, we're not a flesh
friendly church now we are friendly church, but we're not
friendly to the things that the Spirit is in opposition to say,
Amen. I wish I had some born again
people in here. I tell you, I need some of my
leaders to learn how to stand up in these moments and like bring
encouragement to those that are just here in the church.
I mean, listen, we got to do some training.
I need all my staff to shout, stand up and shout right now.
Seriously, I need y'all stand up, shout.
Thank you. I mean seriously.
I mean, have you not crucified your flesh?
You cannot sit around on your booty when there's people trying
to overcome it and you're not giving any doggone testimonies
that has happened in your life. So I'll correct you and let them
know that this is unacceptable behavior for someone who's
overcome the flesh as much as you have and not have a better
testimony. But sit down on your booty.
So let's fix that. Hallelujah.
Now you can be seated. Thank you, man.
We, we have people that are on the verge.
I mean, they are between two places and if we don't have some
kind of demonstration of victory, why are we not?
I mean, again, they'll just go back to the drugs, go back to
the women, go back to the men, because you sit there and go
glory to God. I mean, are you religiously vein
washed now 'cause we've heard it for so long?
No, don't let it happen again. I mean, let's give God praise.
I mean, I'm not here to lecture you.
I'm here for you to participate in a service where God has
delivered us and set us free. This is not a lecture time.
This is participation time. This is where we get ready with
the Spirit. Because if you would have this
kind of response on Sundays when guests are here, they'd be like,
what in the world do these people have, right?
Hallelujah. Thank you, glory to God.
Now again, if I was a coach and I just made you run another wind
Sprint, you know, it'd be like you'd hate it, but you'd be more
conditioned at the end of the fourth quarter.
You'd be like, thank you coach, so you can thank me on the way
out. Hallelujah.
All right, so Romans 141314 says, but put on the Lord Jesus
Christ and make no provision for the flesh in regards to its
lust. May none 0 come on.
So who has the power to make no provision?
You can't say man, man, it's tough.
It's what it's not tough. You have the power to say no,
no, no, no, we ain't putting that on.
No, no, no, we ain't letting that no provision.
No, I'm not letting you around. I'm not doing this.
I'm shutting that down. I'm doing this.
I'm doing that, yeah. I have deleted so many apps at
times, especially through social media, that because you know,
there's just algorithms out there and you would you're going
through and the next thing you know, things are popping up and
you're like, what is this? So you know what I do delete, I
can keep it off for a while and then all of a sudden something
I've saved on that particular app, I need to go back and get a
recipe so I can go. But guess what?
All of a sudden it's not bothering me.
But then all of a sudden it'll try to drop another little and
you're like, I make no provision for you.
Delete no provision 0 because you're in a world that is
attacking you. There's always going to,
especially men. You're things are always going
to be vying for your eyeballs, but you got to be able to learn
how to say I make no provision for that.
I make no provision for that. I'll cut that off.
I cut that off, I'll do this. I don't understand why a man
would want to even entertain alcohol.
Because you want to get your mind messed up, then your eyes
are gonna get messed up. I mean, you'll slow down all
kinds of senses. I remember 1 particular guy long
time ago, marriage wasn't great, but he said I desire the finer
things in life. Next thing you know, found out
the guy was in Las Vegas. Love these big cigars.
He loved this, you know, fancy bourbons and, and, and vodkas.
And I'm like, and he's supposed to be a believer.
The fine, the fine. These are not the finer things.
There's nothing fine about that. I can show you where it's
destroyed lives. It always starts with a sip.
But when you make no provision, I mean, don't come up here and
preach to me about moderation. Don't come up in here and try to
preach to me about I understand that in the whole grand scheme
of things, because of the blood of Jesus, that if you get drunk
one night that and you died on the way home, that it's all of a
sudden you're not going to heaven, I understand.
But that's not the living that God wanted us to live.
We were delivered, set free, something different.
I mean, I don't want the Lord to say, well, Pastor Earl, you're a
little early. If you wouldn't have been drunk,
you wouldn't have died, son. I mean, I don't want a prison
ministry because I killed somebody while I was drunk.
Yeah, it didn't make me go to hell.
I get it. But now I'm having a confined
ministry just because I wouldn't put myself with no make no
provision. I say Amen.
Come on, say Amen. Glory to God.
Hallelujah. Hallelujah.
So, you know, we just we beat the, the opposition.
We are we put on the Lord Jesus. You cannot make no provision for
the flesh without first putting on 'cause if you're not putting
on the Lord, you are naked when you go out to battle.
The Bible tells us to put on the full armor of God.
So you put on the armor you put on Christ.
That way you make no provision for nothing else.
That's how you do it. And if you're here today and
say, man, I've got some flesh challenges, guess what, repent.
It's so awesome that God will will let you repent, wants you
to repent. It's telling you to repent and
then we'll look at you and like, I don't even know you did it and
you'll be like you don't even know I did it.
I don't even know you did it. It's done.
It's like you've never done it before.
What are we even talking about right now because I've removed
your sin as far as the east is from the West.
I've thrown them into the sea of forgetfulness.
I don't even know what you're talking about right now.
Closes the blood. All I know is that you're the
righteous of God in Christ now. You're more than a conqueror
Now, the next obstacle you have, don't worry about it.
You'll be overwhelmingly conquer.
I'm going to cause you to triumph in Christ.
The next time temptation comes, you're going to dominate that
thing. You're going to dominate it.
You're going to know how to beat it because I'm in you.
I train you. I'm with you.
You got this thing. I said.
You got this thing. Whoa.
Glory to God, you have it. Thank you, Jesus.
I mean, close with this. I'm not even going to finish
this whole message. I'll just stop right here in
Ephesians 4. Ephesians 422 to 25 says, Is
that in reference to your former manner of life?
Oh Jesus, you lay aside the old self who lays it aside.
Do not tell me that you can't help it.
Don't tell me you can't help it. That's not true.
And quit saying the devil's after me.
Devil's not after you. If you can't lay yourself, if
you can't lay your old self, the devil doesn't have to show up at
your house. He doesn't have to know your
name. In fact, he's not omnipresent
and he's not omniscient. He's not all knowing nor all
present. I mean Christianity has put the
devil as if he's everywhere. He cannot be after someone in
Saint Louis and simultaneously be after someone in Florida
because he is 1 being that cannot be in two locations and
he's not all knowing. I'm just to be honest, he don't
even know your name. I do not believe the devil even
knows your name. Doesn't have to.
He's done such a work in the flesh.
Simple man has such a work by itself.
But God says I'm here to fix it all.
I'll give you a new spirit then. I'm empowering you now to clean
the rest up. You can do it.
And all you have to do here, it is in reference to your former
manner of life. You lay aside the old self,
which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of
deceit. It's deceiving you that it's OK
to do what you used to do and God's OK with it.
It's deceiving you and that you be renewed in the spirit of your
mind and you put on the new self.
Now that's not in the Spirit because God gave you that spirit
that is putting on the new self in your mind.
That's you waking up every day and saying I'm a child of God,
my daddy owns the planet and heaven.
My dad created everything. I'm of his nature, I'm of his
being. And my father and my brother
Jesus have never sinned and neither has the Holy Ghost.
They are perfect in nature and in love and in righteousness.
They are pure. They are holy and there it and
that is in me and I put it on. I put on the new self, which in
the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and
holiness of truth. Therefore, laying aside
falsehood, speak truth. Each one of you with his
neighbor for we are members of one another.
This is why as the body, we're like, hey, hey, what's going on,
man? That's not you.
Instead of going, don't judge me, no one's judging you.
We want to be in opposition to the flesh.
That's in opposition to your spirit.
Because if I'm talking to you about something of the flesh,
I'm not talking to you anyway, because you're born of God.
That's not the real you. That's the old you.
As David Mackie would say, the old man, that's the old man, and
the old man's dead. The old man has no right to you.
And you know what? Not only do you have a new
spirit and the Holy Spirit, but you actually do have the
willpower connected to those to dominate the flesh and the old
way of living. Wow, isn't that awesome?
That is such good news. Praise the Lord, because you
know what I'm telling you? This generation coming up that
we do not have tons of in here, Generation Gen.
Z, they're tired of fake, honestly, you know what they're
actually tired of? They're tired of religious
meaning. I'm right with God, but I still
live like they're like really. I mean, I don't know that I want
that there's, there is something in them saying there's got to be
something better. And you know what?
That's in that generation because that generation is, is
is one of the largest generations now on the planet
that God put in the earth for the end times.
And he's put a generation in the end times that is not going to
allow the flesh to rule them. So they are already opposed to
places where the flesh still rule believers.
And the problem is they can't always find these locations on
medias because those types of places typically are not having
the platforms, they're not being pushed by the principal power of
the air. They, they're not preaching in a
way that there's popularity to where flesh is OK in the room.
So they've got to seek it. But that's good because if
they'll come seek it, they'll find.
And when they walk in here, we don't want to say we've
abdicated our spiritual walk. We want them to say I have found
the group. I have found them It's and you
know what I I don't mind that they're skeptical.
I don't mind that they sit 4 minutes ago.
Let's just see if these people are the real deal.
Something's different here, You know, they, they, they ain't
acting like, you know, living like the rest of the world, you
know, and going to heaven when you die is OK, Dad, there's
something different about these people.
And I'm looking for something that really looks like a holy
God. And you're just like, just let's
just be bold. Like Paul, look at him and say,
because I'm going to look at one right now.
Imitate me as I imitate Christ. Now, most believers aren't going
to make that confession. Imitate me as I imitate Christ
because to a younger generation, you want to see what God just
watch me because I'm dead to myself and you watch me get in
conflict. You're going to see how God
would respond. Just stick around.
You're going to find out. In fact, there's things that's
going to be happening that you won't even know about because I
won't even let it be known. And then when you find out later
on by the Holy Ghost or something, a manifest that the
Lord says this person was going through this and this attack
happened. You're going to be like what?
What? And you're going to know we were
authentic.