Hallelujah. Well, Apostle Earl Marcy are out
this week. They are praying, preparing and
planning for next year. Hey, man.
So we just want to be in agreement with them that they're
getting a download of direction. Amen.
However the Holy Spirit wants to.
I'm working on saying not the Holy Spirit.
If you're with us over the weekend.
And Doctor Mary was with us and I got to thinking about when she
was saying that, I thought, well, I don't, I don't call him
the Thaddeus or the Casey. I mean, there is the Ohio State
University, but that's a place but to make it personal Holy
Spirit, right? So we want to be agreeing with
them for the, for Holy Spirit to be directing them, leading them
and everything that God has assigned this ministry to do in
2026 that we're on point, that were accurate, that were
precise, Amen 'cause we, we want to be effective and just not
busy, right? We want to be doing what God
wills and wants us to do as a ministry, and it takes all of us
to accomplish that. Amen.
And that's why you're assigned to this local body church,
Anchor Faith 'cause you are unique and there's a gift in
you. And so I want to start off
tonight just kind of talking just briefly about Doctor Mary
Francis. How many of you were in service
on Sunday night or Sunday morning?
Good a good majority of you, you know Paul sorrow when he talked
to me on Sunday about minister and Knight said, hey, I'm going
to be out have you cover on Wednesday.
He said maybe you can touch base on some things that Doctor Mary
had said on Sunday and so but then he also, I think he said,
said during introduction into one of the services, he may
expound and talk more on this Sunday, maybe possibly more
about what she covered or some things that she covered on
Sunday. So you don't want to miss
Sunday. Amen.
You want to come ready to receive whatever's on his heart
to minister Angie and I did have the privilege of taking her back
to the airport on a Monday. It was a great ride with her.
Just a sweet, sweet lady. She got as soon as we got in the
car, she got to talking and about a halfway through she said
I've been talking non-stop. Tell me about you, but real
sweet, easy to listen to and you know, I want I want to know more
about her husband and, you know, ministry things that she was
doing. So just a great ride to listen
to her. But 82 years old.
What an example that he's the author and the finisher of our
faith, right. So doesn't matter how young you
are or, or how old you are, God still desires to use you.
Amen. And it should get better as you
go on in life with Christ. You should have more wisdom,
more knowledge, more grace, more faith to pour on into the next
generation. And one thing that kind of stood
out when we were taking her back to the airport was, you know, at
this season of her life, I could tell how much she wants to
connect people that she knows with other people.
Like we're talking about the Apostolic anointing on a, you
know, pastoral, which she's really excited and really
emphasize that that flows onto the body itself too.
You know, so an apostle wants to build, has great vision and
wants to run with what God caused him to do.
But that really spills over into your life, too.
So she was excited about that. And she knows some other pastors
that have flown that are transitioning and start to flow
more in that Apostolic anointing.
You can see she wants to try to, you know, connect to Apostle
Earl with some of these people that are doing it now.
So, but 40 years of service, you know, she got called at 42 years
old and now she's 82, so still going strong.
And as a prophetess, you know, she wants her.
She wanted to encourage, correct.
Amen. Thank God if you got off course
like I did taking her to Jacksonville Airport that you
can get correction. Amen.
Yes, that's right. I was listening to her talk and
I promised I saw the sign that said Jacksonville Airport and
all the construction. And I, I got off of that exit
and I was like, this isn't going the right way.
So she's talking and I graciously said to my wife, hey,
can you put that in the GPS so I can get back on course?
I don't even know if if Doctor Mary knew what was going on, but
I was trying not to interrupt her.
And you know, I did a little hand back to my wife who's
sitting in the back seat, got the got the phone and kind of
put it up there and got her back to the airport.
Amen. But you know, as a prophetess,
you know, she encouraged, she corrects, she obviously impart
instruction and, and just wants to keep you on course.
Amen. And we know that in Ephesians
chapter 4, verses 11 and 12, the word of God says, and he himself
who is Jesus, Jesus gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some
evangelists, some pastors and teachers for the equipping of
the Saints. That's you.
You've been born again. If you've received Jesus Christ
as your Lord and Savior, you've been taken out of the Kingdom of
darkness. Now you're in the Kingdom of
light and you're not a Sinner. You're a St.
Did you get that? You, you're saved, you've been
delivered, the old sin nature has been taken out, you got a
brand new spirit man on the inside of you and you're now a
St. What's a St. mean?
You're separated, you're consecrated, you're dedicated to
God. Amen.
So it's for the equipping of the Saints.
That means the furnishing, the supplying, putting you, helping
put you in the fit in the place where God wants you to be in his
body, 'cause it takes all of us working together to accomplish
the the mission that the Father wants us to do.
So it's for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of
the body of Christ. And so we've been taken out of
darkness and brought into light. And now I want to say this way,
we are a part of our Father's business.
Amen. He is God Almighty, but he's
also father and in in in Luke chapter 2, verse 49, this is
when Jesus was 12 years old and there wasn't an Amber Alert for
him. But he got away from his parents
on the journey and they couldn't find him.
And so they were looking frantically for him, but they
found him in the temple. Really confounding the priests
religiously that day. And they said, did you not, did
you not know we were worried about you?
And he basically what he said to them, he said, did you not know
that I must be about my father's business?
Amen. And so God has called us into
his business. We are to, we are in his
enterprise, we're in his undertaking, we're in the
Father's mission. What the Father invests in and
his business we want to invest in and what God is investing in
his people. God wants to take his truth and,
and, and give it and impart it and give that instruction of
people. So we are in the Father's plan
of redemption. We're in the Father's business.
In Luke chapter 19 verse #13 the word says this.
He called his 10 servants and he delivered them 10 lbs.
And he said, Occupy till I come. So what?
Since we're in the Father's business, what he's called us to
do is occupy. Occupy means to carry on
business. It's just not that we're saved.
We're saved for a purpose. I'll put it this way, God wants
you to work in the business, His business, until everything feels
the impact of your presence. God wants you to work in his
business until everything feels the impact of your presence.
What Doctor Mary said one word that stuck out to me that I'm
going to actually title the message tonight.
She said contend for destiny. You remember that and we're all
destined for the Father's business.
What's important to him should be important to us.
What's in his heart should be in our heart.
What's in his will should be in our will.
What he wants done, we should be doing.
And basically as I was preparing for tonight, it came up in my
spirit that he's appointed you as like Aceo.
You know what Aceo is. That's what we in the in the
world, we called him a chief executive officer and their
responsibility at that at that executive level in a company,
they're responsible for making major decisions, managing,
managing overall operations and directing a company strategy and
vision. Now the CE OS not the owner, but
employed by the owner who's the owner of our life, Jesus Christ.
He is the King of kings and the Lord of Lords.
He's bought us, He's paid for us, He's redeemed us.
And Lord really means that. You're supreme in authority.
I belong to you. You are a master and you have
the final say. And you want God.
You want to listen to what God says 'cause he's got the best
plan and the best strategy and the best life for you.
It's a life of adventure. It's a life of joy.
There's going to be twists, there's going to be turns.
Hallelujah. It's going to be like a roller
coaster at times. Amen.
Now, not everybody likes roller coasters, but they are fun.
Early on in our marriage, Angie and I, when we lived in
Oklahoma, we went to Texas to Six Flags and we did a roller
coaster. That made her not one ever do a
roller coaster again 'cause we took two quick bank turns and
she blacked out. But you know, God has a way of
reviving you. So what I'm saying it's going to
be an adventure with Him. It's a life, it's an epic
journey with the Lord Jesus Christ.
And so we as Aceo, though there's responsibility that you
have, you are the really the keeper of your soul in a sense,
because one thing Aceo does is make choices.
And Joshua and Joshua 24 says, Rose, me and my house, we're
going to serve the Lord. He said, choose you this day
whom you going to serve. So there's a responsibility for
you to make the right choices every day, to be managing things
well every day, to make sure you're following His strategy
and His plan and His vision every day.
As much as you may come to church on a Sunday or Wednesday,
do your Bible, and it's really up to you to make that choice
'cause God can't make it for you.
He's sovereign, but His sovereignty is just over His
Word, not your choice. You are a free will moral agent.
And this is the question, how far do you want to go with God
'cause man, He could take your life and expand it and do mighty
things, or you could be mediocre Hallelujah and barely do
anything for the Kingdom of God. Are you still saved?
Yeah, but you could be living life on a low spiritual level.
But that's not God's will or God's best for you.
And really comes down to the power of choice.
Your choices determine your destiny.
We're talking about contending for destiny.
You got to make the right choices if you're going to stay
in the right destiny or the right pathway with God.
So every day, This is why it's so important to read the Word of
God and not only read the Word of God, but to meditate upon the
Word of God. The more you read the Word of
God and meditate upon the Word of God, the more it's in you,
the more your choices will line up with His will and His path.
The more blessed you'll be, the more influence you'll have, the
greater things He will do with you.
I think about Doctor Mary, when she started off at 42, guess
what her gift made room for? Because she made a choice to
give herself to that gift and that's why it's developed.
That's why she's been in over 40 nations.
She didn't go to 40 nations in four years.
This is 4 decades of being faithful to the service and
business of God. What's He have in store for you
over the next 40 years? Amen.
There's great things if you make the right choice, but this
really requires a life of consecration and dedication to
Him in order for Him to maximize your life in the destiny that He
has for you. And that word contend means
there's going to be some struggles, there's going to be
some fights, there's going to be some adversity.
It's not going to be like you're tiptoeing through the tulips in
a flower bed of ease and everything's just going to
always just go perfect. But when God is with you, who
can be against you? You know, I obviously one of my
passions in life is lifting and it always, it's not always easy
getting up at 5:30 in the morning, glory to God.
One person looked at me when we're on vacation.
I can't remember when we went to Vermont for my 50th but said how
did you get that way? I said, well, I started when I
was 13 and I'm 50 and I just have never stopped.
So how did Doctor Mary get that way?
She started when she's 42 and she just has never stopped.
She keeps, she keeps giving herself to the things of God,
right? And so there's going to be
adversity, there's going to be struggles.
Sometimes there's going to be some pain.
I like when we say in lifting, pain is just weakness leaving
the body spiritually. Some things you're going to go
through. It's just to strengthen you out
of your weakness. He's made strong.
I want to go to 1st Corinthians Chapter 9, verses 24 through 27.
And this is the Apostle Paul talking to the church at
Corinth. And this goes along with
contending for destiny and for the the the Father's business
and what he's called us into as a ministry.
And Paul says this to the church at Corinth.
And he's really, you know, when you're reading the epistles,
it's like reading a letter to yourself, even though the
apostle Paul's writing this to them this through time.
The anointing extends to us right now.
So it's a relevant word in due season says, do you not know
that those who run in a race all run but one receives the prize,
run in such a way that you may obtain it, and everyone who
competes for the prize is temperate in all things.
Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an
imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus, not with
uncertainty, thus I fight, not as one who beats the air, but I
discipline my body and I bring it into subjection, lest when I
have preached to others, I myself should become
disqualified. So the apostle Paul is given the
analogy or the metaphor that in this race with Christ, in this
contending for the destiny, it's like entering into a race.
And when you're running, that means that you're spending your
strength and performing to attain something.
That means you're there's, you're exerting yourself.
I could stop service right now and say, hey, we're going to go
run 2 miles outside all of us now, Christopher says no
problem, I'm an Olympic athlete. Yeah, but we, some of us will be
exerting more than others, right?
But in a race, it's a course or a destiny or a pathway that God
has for you. And you know what, I, when I was
thinking about this today, when it comes to the Olympics or
races, I remember back in May, we went to go see my niece's
graduation from Oklahoma Baptist University and they, she can run
a long time. Seth.
I'm not built to run a long time.
Seth. I don't have all those type 1
fibers, but it intrigued me to see them run all these
distances. But all these runners had their
own lanes that they were in. And the awesome thing about God
is we're not comparing ourselves to one another and measuring
ourselves by one another. You're in your own lane.
You're in your own race as part of the body of Christ.
And listen, God is cheering you on, but it's up for you to run
your race. And that means there's going to
be times we're going to have to exert.
There's going to be times of pain, there's going to be times
of trials, there'll be times of temptations or tests, but you
just need to keep going. You know, my niece is able to
break several records. It was her senior year, but she
was giving. This was her last time running.
She knew she wouldn't go on, go on beyond this.
So guess what? She decided to exert herself
with everything that she had, and because of that man, she was
running to win. And that's what God's saying to
you. You run your race to win.
Don't run your ways to lose. Who wants to lose?
Nobody. God wants you to win.
He wants you to be a champion. Matter of fact, we're of the
same DNA, the same fabric of God, and He is a champion.
Therefore, we are a champion. We are more than conquerors
through Christ, who gives us strength.
We can do all things through Christ who gives us strength
over and Deuteronomy says we are the head and not the tail above
and not beneath. If God be for you, who can be
against you? No good thing will you withhold
from those who walk uprightly. God wants things to go well for
you. He's cheering you on from
heaven, saying go son, go daughter, work until everything
feels the impact of your presence and there is a prize
we're looking for A prize is the award to the victor.
When I was going over today and studying, I thought when I got
to this, this point in the verse when Paul says run your race to
obtain the prize man, I tell you what the parable, the talents
just sprung right up in me. In Matthew 25, we get the
parable of talents where God gave 151211.
And what was he saying? This is your race.
I'm giving you 5 talents. I'm giving you 2 talents, I'm
giving you one talent. Now run to win, obtain the
prize. And we know the outcome of that
story right to the five man. He ran his race.
She ran her race. And she was they he or she was
looking for that prize right, and we know that the Father said
well done. My good and faith was serving.
You have been faithful over a few things.
Here's your prize. I'm going to make you rule over
many things enter into the joy of the Lord, the one that
received the two talents. This God said run your race for
the prize to obtain it. Same thing, even though they
weren't comparing themselves, the one that had five wasn't
jealous of the one that had two. The one that 2 wasn't jealous of
the one that had five. They said this is my lane.
This is my uniqueness. This is my gift.
This is what God's put inside of me.
I'm going to take what He put inside of me.
I'm going to with everything within me.
I'm going to run with all of my passion and pursue Him with
everything. The one that had the two got the
same thing had the prize. He said well done you good and
faithful servant. You've been faithful over a few
things. I'll make you rule over many
enter into the joy of the Lord but the one that received the
one talent did not run the race and what you miss out in
disobedience God can assign to somebody else who's going to
pick it up and run with it because the one that had the one
what was given to somebody else who was going to be productive
with it, right. And Paul goes on to say run in
such a way that you may obtain. We are to lay a hold of this.
We're to take possession. We're to be eager about the
Father's business. We're to be eager about a life
of consecration and separation of God.
This whole verse exudes with the Olympic Games and to be at that
level of an athlete takes a certain discipline and a certain
level of living of right choices, and you got to take a
hold of this thing. When I read this part of it, I
thought, man, this is the promised land in the Old
Testament. God brought them out to to bring
them in. God just didn't deliver you from
an altar just to leave you where you're at in life.
You, you responded by the Holy Spirit during an altar call to
give your life to him so he can bring you out, to bring you into
something. God took him out of Egypt, a
life of bondage and said I'm taking you into my desire, my
will, my plan was to take you to Canaan land.
But you realize a lot of that, a lot of those people for 40 years
meandered in mediocrity in the wilderness.
When God brought them out of Egypt, it was an 11 day journey
to get to the Canaan land. But because of their choices, it
took him 40 years. And so whole generation just
meandered in mediocrity. But there was a generation that
went into the land. Amen.
And Canaan Land is still the same today as it was for us back
then. It wasn't heaven 'cause there
were seven nations in Canaan land that they had to dispossess
enemies. And there's no enemies in
heaven. So it was real for them.
But it was also real for us because God said, I'm going to
take you into the land. It's a land that's flown with
milk and honey. It's a sweet life.
It's a land that's more than enough.
In the wilderness, you have just enough.
You may be saved, love God, but just you're barely getting by.
But that's not God's desire for you saying I want you to run
your waste race in such a way that you obtain the prize.
You take hold of everything that I have for you.
The modern day equivalent of this is John 1010.
He said the thief comes to steal, kill and destroy.
But I have come that I may give you life and to give it to you
more abundantly. One translation says a rich and
a satisfying life. So we want to take hold of this.
There were seven nations they had to dispossess in order to
take possession of the land. What is it that you have to put
out of your life to take possession of what God has for
your life? You know one thing Doctor Mary
said too, she kind of got on this evangelism.
I think it was the night service on Sunday.
As we're running our race, part of the Father's business is to
bring this good news, this gospel to everybody we
encounter. Amen.
As you're running your race, one thing we're trying to lay hold
of is the mercy, The grace that we've received is to impact
others with that. That's part of our assignment.
This church and churches should be growing because we are a
witness and a testimony to Jesus Christ.
And I want to remind you in Matthew chapter 5, the Bible
says that you are salt and you are light.
And part of part of the Father's business is when you go out in
your daily life, be salt and be light.
Light does not make a sound, but you see it.
So evangelism is not always just talking about Jesus, Jesus,
Jesus. It's not about It could be about
that, but it's also your conduct, your character.
How do you conduct yourself? That should attract.
Light attracts and your life in Christ should be attractive to
people. Hallelujah.
Salt, in order for it to work, needs contact.
So there are times you're going to say something to somebody.
Amen. So we got to realize when we
leave this building today, when we're going through our routine
tomorrow, when we're going to our jobs tomorrow, God has
called us into his business. And we want to make sure that
the goodness that we've received, the grace that we've
received, the life that we've received, man, we have a heart
to pour that out into a hurting and dying world.
But in order for you to obtain the promised land for you, what
do you need to cut off in order to receive His best?
You know, an athlete is temperate.
They're disciplined. And Paul talks about this in
this verse. They have a thing called
self-control. You know, they're not going home
tonight eating Ben and Jerry's ice cream, right?
So how? Yeah, I made your day.
You eat that enough for enough consecutive days, your day is
not going to be made. They're they're tempering.
They know how to say no to the wrong things and say yes to the
right things. And I wonder what I want to stir
you up by way of remembrance. There is so much God has put on
the inside of you. There's so much gifting, There's
so much grace. There's an assignment for you.
There's a purpose for you. There's a race for you and it's
up to you to be disciplined in that and that's what I want to
encourage you mostly in a nightmare means be disciplined
to do all that God wants to do with you for this lifetime.
So what what do you need to say yes to and what do you see need
to say no to? Are you with me?
You know, in this verse 2, Paul says that I I don't run with
uncertainty and I don't be there.
Meaning he was pregnant with purpose, He was contending for
his destiny. He knew why he was on the earth.
And when you know why, that'll motivate you for the what?
When you know when you're aiming for something and it's coming
up, that's going to create discipline in your life.
I was talking to my wife today and we're just talking about
certain goals. Goals help bring discipline.
When you have an aim from God that helps discipline you,
right? And we're just talking about we,
we'll go over goals every year, spirit, soul, body, family,
financially, socially and ministry.
And we were talking about somebody goals and and now she's
didn't commit to this. So I don't want you to run out
and telling her, but she was like, maybe I should run a
marathon. Jan ran what?
Well, what was it 5K? Sorry, I want to tell the truth,
but but you know that when you know that's coming, that's going
to create discipline in your life.
You don't want to be like Pastor Denise Burns from from Kenneth
Hagin Ministries and Rhema Bible Church.
She just got up one one. I think it was like a Monday.
There was a race that Sunday and she just decided to run it.
She said she went that next. It was like over the weekend.
So the next day she went to get out of bed.
She could hardly move. But that's not preparation,
correct? Preparation, right?
It comes training, there's nutrition, there's rest, there's
knowledge that you need, right? How much more this life of God
do we need these things to do all that He wants us to do?
I want to go to the book of Hebrews 'cause this is a
fascinating book. You know, the book of Hebrews is
written between 65 and 70 AD. And in this book, there's many
strong warnings in this epistle to the Hebrew Christians.
And a lot of them were in a backslidden condition.
They were in danger of apostatizing against Jesus
Christ and returning to Judaism. Faith and conviction and
enthusiasm were waning. So was prayer and public worship
and scriptures are being neglected.
Matter of fact, in Hebrews chapter 5, the author says by
now you should be teachers, but you still have need that one
teach you the AB CS of the gospel.
So there was really an correction coming trying to stir
them back up. Man, you should be beyond where
you're at spiritually. You realize when you get born
again. It's just like when you get,
when you're born as a baby, you are supposed to grow up.
So it's one thing for somebody that gave their life to Lord
last month, and it's different for somebody that's been walking
with Lord for 20 years, right? If you're 20 years old and
you're still wearing a diaper and have a passy in your mouth,
there's a problem, right? So the the writer of Hebrews is
really bringing a strong word to really try to stir them up.
It was really written to rekindle a dampening fire, a
feigning spirit, a dying enthusiasm, and a dullness of
hearing. The letter of Hebrews was a
response and it was sounding forth with teaching, with
warning, and with exhortation. And so there's 13 power packed
chapters in Hebrews to try to stir up the people of God to the
race that he's called them to. So I'm actually going to read 2
chapters now. I'm I want you to stay with me.
I thought about having all you stand up as I read.
And the cool thing about this, I'm only about two weeks behind
you on your Bible reading. I thought I could help you on
your Bible reading, but you're just going to get a repeat of
what was about a week or two ago, 'cause if you were, if
you're following your Bible reading plan, Hebrews 11 and 12
was about a week or two ago. All right, So if you're behind
two weeks, I'm really helping you out.
So thank you, Pastor Mike, for helping me get my Bible reading
done tonight. But there's a reason why we're
going here, Amen. So whether you're on your
digital device or with the paper Bible, I want you to follow
along with me as we read this, Amen.
So Hebrews Chapter 11 and chapter 12, there's nothing
better than the word of God, Amen.
It builds our faith, it renews our mind, it gives us
inspiration. Matter of fact, man shall not
live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of
the mouth of God. And you're going to get a good
meal tonight from Hebrews Chapter 11 and chapter 12.
And when we're reading this, I want you to think about what
we've spoken about so far, contending for destiny and
running the race that is set before us 'cause Hebrews Chapter
11 is really the Hall of Fame of faith of people that had have
already ran their race. And then Hebrews chapter 12 is
really an exhortation to us for us to run our race.
So listen to this now. Faith is a substance of things
hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
For by faith the elders obtained a good testimony.
By faith we understand that the world's were framed by the word
of God, so that the things which are seen were not made are the
things which are visible. By faith.
Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain,
through which Abel obtained witness that he was righteous.
God, testifying of his gifts, and through it being dead, still
speaks. By faith.
Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, did not taste
death. It was not found because God had
taken him. For before Enoch was taken, he
had this testimony that he pleased God.
But without faith it's impossible to please God, for he
that comes to God must believe that he is, and that he's a
rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen,
move with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his
household, by which he condemned the world and became the heir of
righteousness, which is according to faith.
By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the
place which he would receive as an inheritance.
And Abraham went out, not knowing where he was going.
By faith he dwelt in the land of promise, as in a foreign
country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with
him, with the same promise, for he waited for the city which had
foundations, whose builder and maker is God.
By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive,
seed, and and bore a child when she was past the age, because
she judged God faithful who had promised.
Therefore from one man and him as good as dead were born many
as the stars of the sky, multitude innumerable as a
sandwiches by the seashore. These all died in faith, not
having received the promises, but having seen them afar off,
were assured of them, embraced them, and confessed that they
were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
For those who say such things, declare plainly that they seek a
homeland. And truly, if they had called to
mind that country from which they had come out, they would
have had an opportunity to return.
But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country.
Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God.
He has prepared a city for them. Verse 17.
By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, who
had received the promises, offered up his only begotten
Son, of whom it it was said, in Isaac your seed shall be called,
concluding that God was able to raise him up even from the dead,
which he also received him in a figurative sense.
By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come.
By faith, Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each one of the
sons of Joseph and worship, leaning on the top of his staff.
By faith, Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the
departure of the children of Israel, and gave instructions
concerning his bones. By faith, Moses, when he was
born, was hidden three months by his parents, because they saw he
was a beautiful child, and they were not afraid of the King's
command. By faith Moses, when he became
of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter,
choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of
God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, esteeming the
reproach of Christ's greater riches in the treasure in Egypt,
For he looked to the reward. By faith he forsook Egypt, not
fearing the wrath of the king, for he endured as seeing whom
who is invisible. By faith Moses kept the Passover
and the sprinkling of blood, lest he who destroyed the first
born should touch him. By faith they pass through the
Red Sea as that dry land, whereas the Egyptians,
attempting to do so, were drowned.
By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they were
encircled for seven days. By faith the harlot Rahab did
not perish when she had received the spies with peace.
What more shall I say? For the time would not, would
fail me to tell of Gideon, of baracks, Samson, Shephada, and
of David and Sam and all the prophets who through face
subdued kingdoms, worked righteousness, obtained
promises, stopped the mouth of lions, quenched the violence of
fire, escaped the edge of the sword.
Out of weakness were made strong, became valiant in
battle, turned to flight the armies of the aliens, women
received their dead, raised to life again.
Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they
may obtain a better resurrection.
Still others had trials of mocking scourges, yes, and
chains, and imprisonment. Imprisonment.
They were stoned, they were saunas, and two they were
tempted, were slain with the sword.
They wandered about in sheepskins and goat skins, being
destitute, afflicted, tormented, of whom the world was not
worthy. They wander in deserts and
mountains and dens and caves of the earth and all these, all of
these, and I'll say this, that ran their race to obtain the
prize. They obtained a good testimony
through faith, but did not receive the promise.
God having provided something better for us, they should do
not be made perfect apart from us.
This specifically just went over the lives of 16 men and women
that ran their race and finished their course.
And I give that to you as an encouragement for you to run
your race and finish your course 'cause this Hall of Fame of
faith is not limited to Hebrews Chapter 11.
God is still authoring things today and still wanting to
finish things today. And God and in verse 40 said God
provided something better, that all these men and women, they
should be made perfect apart from us.
So chapter 12, even though the Bible's written in chapter and
verse, it's one continuous letter that's going on Chapter
12 comes to us today. Therefore, when it says,
therefore, you need to see what is there for we also, since we
are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses.
Listen, I've been reading a book by Kenneth Hagin, which they
recommended a Bible school for us to read once a year.
So I try to stay true to that. And he was talking about this
verse and what God revealed to him.
It's like you have this grandstand in heaven just like a
stadium. And he said you got all these
men and women of faith watching what you're doing.
And he said they're not so interested or do not so know
much about the natural things of life, but the spiritual things
of life. And so they're more interested
in what are you doing spiritually.
And it's like they're cheering you on.
You know, when you're running a race and you're tired, but when
you get somebody that's cheering you on, it makes a difference
when somebody's saying you can do it, you can finish.
Hey, they're catching up with you.
Run faster, kicking into higher gear and that's what all these
witnesses are doing. They are seeing your spiritual
race and they are cheering you on.
It goes on to say let us lay aside this is our
responsibility. Going back to first Corinthians
Chapter 9 member says in an an athlete is temperate and
self-discipline. They they put their body under.
Well, this author saying the same thing.
You need to lay aside every weight and the sin which so
easily besets you and run with endurance the race that is set
before you. You know, there's weights in
life that we need to throw off burdens, encumbrances.
I like what doctor Faith said or I'm sorry, Doctor Faith.
She's with faith Christian University doctor Mary said
Francis on Sunday when she's getting ready to take her
grandkids. I think to the store she went to
reach for the knob if you didn't hear the story, and she's just
going to take her grandkids out. And all of a sudden God spoke up
in a very authoritative verse and a voice and said you need to
quit worrying. And she's like, God, I'm only
taking my kids store. But what he was saying to her is
that becomes a weight or a burden to you and you can't run
your your race when you're weighed down with anxiety when
you're weighed down with stress, the the word of God tells us
that we are to be anxious for nothing but all things through
prayer and supplication with Thanksgiving.
Make your request known to God and it says the peace of God
that passes understanding will guard your heart and your mind.
God's not going to do that for you.
You should be responsible as Aceo of your life to make the
choice. Man, I'm casting that off.
I'm not going to let that be a weight or a burden somewhere
where you may have blown it in life and the devil wants to
come. And if you know, if the the
devil can't tempt you, he'll accuse you.
If he can't get you in temptation, he'll try to get you
an accusation. Oh, you thought the thought that
could be a weight to your race that you need to cast off first?
John 19 says if anyone confesses his sin, God is faithful and
just to forgive you and to cleanse you from all
unrighteousness. It's an Etch A Sketch moment.
You know what Etch A Sketch is? You know, you try to make all
the symbols and stuff with it and you shake it.
And what do you get? A clean slate And thank God for
the blood that's on the mercy seat.
And when you say, Father, I blew it, I'm sorry, please forgive
me. I want to receive your
forgiveness. He just has an Etch A Sketch
moment with you. Psalms 103 says as far as the
East is the West. He will remove your
transgressions. So if God doesn't remember your
sins, why are you remembering them if you've repented of them,
right? It says to cast off every weight
and the sin that so easily besets a sin means to be without
a share in, or to miss the mark, or to wander from the divine law
of God. Man.
Sin will cloud you. Sin will mess up your judgement.
Sin will slow your race down. Remember when I said St.
That means we're we are consecrated to God.
That you know, purity brings great focus, but sin brings
great distortion and we need to strip off weight and sin and the
Bible says it easily besets us. That means it skillfully
surrounds us and you need to take authority over weights and
sins and cast those off. Listen, all sin promises A
servant please, but it only enslaves and dominates.
In Hebrews Chapter 11 it says that Moses chose to forsake the
pleasure of sin for a season. The temptation of sin is nothing
to compare with the consequence of sin.
It's one thing to be tempted, but we're overcomers.
Jesus was tempted in all points, like we are, yet without sin.
So we're to cast off weights. We're to cast off sin.
We understand that they try to easily beset us.
They try to skillfully surround us.
And boy, the devil is a master. I was thinking about this.
Today, more than ever, we are skillfully surrounded by sin,
but we can overcome every time, 'cause the greater is he that's
in us than he that's in the world.
And so we're to lay aside every weight and sin, and we're to run
with patience. The race that is set before us.
That word set before means there's a destiny before us.
And we're to run that with patience.
That means to be steadfast, to be constant, to have endurance.
Patience means it's a characteristic of a person who
has not swerved or doesn't get off the path from his or her
purpose. They are loyal to the faith,
they're loyal to God. Even among the greatest trials
and sufferings. I I will not give in.
I will not relent. I will not negotiate with the
enemy. I'm going to say steadfast to my
king. I will not compromise.
And even in that, in that thought, I will not be mediocre.
I want to do everything that God wants me to do 'cause I'm
grateful that he saved me and set me free.
And it goes on in verse #1 Let me finish reading the rest of
this chapter. Are you ready?
It's hey, listen, it's only 29 verses verses the 40 that we
just read. It says, therefore we also,
since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let
us lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily ensnares
us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set
before us, looking unto Jesus, looking unto Jesus, looking unto
Jesus. Did he run his race and finish
his course? We're to look unto him.
That means our eyes don't need to get off on anything else.
They need to be fixed on Him. Listen, King of Country didn't
come up with this phrase. First, fix your eyes on Him.
It's found in Hebrews chapter 12 verse #2 Fix your eyes on Him.
The author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was
set before Him endure the cross, despising the shame, and sat
down at the right hand of the throne of God.
For consider Jesus, who endured such hostility from sinners
against Himself, lest you become weary and discourage in your
souls. You have not yet resisted A
bloodshed striving against sin, and have you forgotten the
exhortation which speaks to you as sons?
My Son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor be
discouraged when you are rebuked by Him for whom the Lord loves.
He chastens and scourges every son whom He receives.
If you endure chastening, God deals with you as a son.
For what son is there Whom does a Father not chasten?
But if you're without chasing none of which all have become
partakers, then you're illegitimate, and not sons.
Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we
pay them respect. Shall we not much more readily
be in subjection of the Father of spirits, and live?
For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to
them, but God for our profit, that we may be partakers of His
Holiness. Now no chastening seems to be
joyful for the present, but painful nevertheless afterward.
It yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have
been trained by it. Therefore strengthen the hands
which hang down, and the feeble knees.
Make straight your pass for your feet, so that which is lame may
not be dislocated, but rather be healed.
Pursue peace with all people, and holiness without which no
one will see the Lord. Looking carefully lest anyone
fall short of the grace of God, lest any root of bitterness
springing up cause trouble. And by this many become defiled,
lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau.
For one morsel of food sold his birthright.
For you know that afterward, when he wanted to reinherit the
blessing, he was rejected. For he found no place of
repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears.
For you have not come to the mountain that may be touched,
and that burned with fire, and to the blackness and darkness
and temptest, and to the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of
words, so that those who heard it beg that the word should not
be spoken to them anymore, for they could not endure what was
commanded. And if so much as a beast
touched the mountain, it shall be stoned or shot with an arrow.
And so terrifying was a sight that Moses said, I'm exceedingly
afraid and trembling. But you have come to Mount Zion,
the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an
innumerable company of angels, to the generally assembly,
General Assembly, and the Church of the first born who are
registered in heaven. Hallelujah to God the Judge of
all, to the spirits of just men made perfect to Jesus, Jesus the
Mediator of the new covenant, and the blood of sprinkling.
That speaks better things than that of Abel.
See that you do not refuse Jesus who speaks, for if they did not
escape, He refused him who spoke on earth much show, much more.
Shall we not escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from
heaven, Whose voice and then shook the earth?
But now he has promised, saying, yet once more, I'll shake not
only the earth, but also heaven. And now this yet once more
indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, of
things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken
may remain. Verse 28 Therefore, since we are
receiving a Kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace,
whereby we may serve God acceptedly with reverence and
godly fear. For our God is a consuming fire.
God is shaking things so that those things that can't be
shaken will remain. You know, when you're when
you're training for a race, there are things that you need
to cast off. And the reason that God comes
like in John 15, he has a spiritual scalpel to cut things
off that are ineffective or unproductive in your life.
Holy Spirit will guide you and lead you.
Amen. I want to encourage you as we
close with a few verses just to stir you up, encourage you and
make you realize there is a race set before you and you're to go
after that race with everything that you got.
Listen, there's a sphere of influence all of us have.
It first starts with you as a man or woman of God.
Before you conquer the world, conquer yourself.
Some of the greatest battles have not been on a field, but
between the two years you need to conquer your thoughts, you
need to renew your mind. You need to run that race and
you say, no, I am a man or woman of God that's going to meditate
on the word of God. Secondly, you have a house or a
home, you're to, you're to have that sphere of influence there
and run that race there. If you're married, be the best
husband, be the best father you can be with kids.
If you're, if you're married and you're a wife, you know, be the
best wife or a mother that you could be after that.
What are those assignments? You know, those seven nations,
when God said to go into all the world and conquered nations,
it's there's been a study that's gone around and really any
sector of society or any civilization has had always has
seven areas in it. And I call them a through A
through G arts and entertainment, business,
congregations, direct media, government, family education and
and government. Well, government was the last
one. Just like there were seven
nations that conquer in your race.
What has God called you to? Some are in the education field.
You're to go out there and run that race and that education
field and pour out that gift into it.
Some. Some might be called into the
political field, right? Some are called in the full time
ministry. Some are called into the
business sector of society. We need Kingdom businesses.
Amen. We're to go out and conquer
these nations and overtake them being salt and light by help and
anointing of the Holy Spirit. So these are the verses that I
want to encourage you with. God has a plan for you as a
pathway for you, as a destiny for you, but it's going to take
you contending for it. It's going to take you fighting
for it. So listen to Philippians chapter
3, verses 12 through 14. This is the apostle Paul.
Not that I've already attained or I'm already perfected, but I
press on that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has
laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself
to have apprehended but one thing I do, forgetting those
things which are behind, I reach forward to those things that are
ahead. I press forward to the goal for
the prize of the upward call in God, in Christ Jesus.
James chapter one verse #12 from the Amplified Bible.
Blessed, happy, spiritually prosperous, favored by God as a
man who is steadfast under trial and perseveres them when
tempted. For when he has passed the test
and been approved, he will receive the victor's crown of
life, which the Lord has promised to those who love him.
Man, I try to get my crew in the morning stirred up at the gym.
Yes, 'cause they, they, they encounter trials.
I have this saying. There's always five more reps.
I want to push you till you puke.
But I'm on a mission. No, you're in.
You're doing Pilates. I heard that back there.
It's a start. I'll see you in 2026.
Well, it's not that I want to see them just puke, but I know
there's so much in them. And I know this concept in
lifting the same spiritually. It's once you get past failure
that real growth happens. It's once you get past failure
that real growth happens. Meaning I've gone as far as I
can, but thank God for spiritual spotters 'cause I can get some
forced reps in there for you. And I'm not asking you to do the
five reps by yourself, but we should encourage one another
while it's still called today. You got this, you can overcome.
Don't give in, don't give up, don't draw back.
That's what Hebrew says. My soul has no pleasure in those
that draw back. We are to press forward into the
things of God. So when trials come, when
temptation comes, when test comes, bring it on.
All you're going to do is strengthen me because I'm not
going to give in. I'm going to go over Hallelujah.
Second Peter chapter 1 verses 10 through 11 says, therefore,
brother or believers, be all the more diligent to make certain
about his calling and choosing you.
Be sure that your behavior reflects and confirms your
relationship with God for by doing these things, actively
developing these virtues by actively you can't be passive in
this life in a race, you need to be active.
One thing about Doctor Marish, I heard her say several times,
I've learned how to exert my actively developing.
What does God put in you that you need to actively develop?
What gift in you needs fed and cultivated and incubated?
We should be focusing on this. We want to develop these
virtues. You will never stumble in your
spiritual growth and will live a life that leads others away from
sin. Are you leading a life that
pushes sin away or leads other people away from sin?
Your life has so much righteousness in it, so much
joy, so much peace that it pushes back the work of the
enemy. I mean, I want you to see
yourself when you go in that mission field of Walmart,
because it's not Publix. We're shopping as a pleasure, as
light. Literally.
You're just not going in there for just some items.
You're asking God, is there a divine connection, 'cause I'm
bringing light up in this place and I'm pushing back the work of
the enemy when you're at the gas station.
I went last week, I only got one more verse and we're closing
because I served my wife and in 2023 for Christmas we got her a
Keurig 'cause she likes coffee, but this Keurig did not have a
strong button on it. And the one at work has a strong
button on it. And she made a comment.
She said I did not enjoy my coffee this morning.
This was last week. Yes.
Oh my goodness, yes. And I even went and got black
rifle coffee that was beyond black thinking this would
satisfy my wife's craving. I'm sure she's, you know, don't
go bombard her after this. So I went, she's like, I'll just
order one online. I was like, no, I want to, I
want to go, I want to serve you. I want to go by Walmart and
look. And so I went and I'm in the
aisle and this this Walmart worker, you know, I want to get
in and out. You ever done that at the store?
And I'm there and he starts talking about my physique.
It wasn't nothing unrighteous. He just want to know how to
obtain in that race. How did you do that?
So you know, I, I, I'm not having this just I want to be in
and outside to pause patience and I'm listening.
Lord, is this an encounter? So about 10-15 minutes went by
and I'm answering questions as he's asking.
But then I said, I'm not going to miss out on this.
I said, do you worship anywhere? I said, 'cause that's the most
important thing of everything we just talked about.
And so he did. He said, I go up to a church up
in Jacksonville. Actually.
I said, good, 'cause you need to stay focused on that.
And he said, what church you go to?
I said anchor faith. And I'm thinking, Lord, we're
not trying to steal sheep. But he did ask me what time
services were, so I let him know.
So what I'm saying is when you, when you're out and about God in
this race that is set before you, we want to evangelize.
Now good news, I went from a $79 Keurig to a rollback Keurig that
was 109 dollars 'cause it was a multi faceted whatever stream
flowing. And you know what, coffee was
great for my wife. So it was a good day.
Got to evangelize and upgraded the coffee for my wife.
Took advantage of the seer of my influence.
Last Scripture, First Timothy chapter 6 verse #12 it says this
fight, the good fight of faith in the conflict with evil, in
the middle of the tests, of the trials, of the temp temptations
of contending for your destiny, fight the good fight of faith.
What's a good fight? One that you win.
I've never been in a good fight that I've lost.
Did you? You know God wants you to win.
And I'm not trying to be non sacred, but it's like Rocky
Balboa, you know, like Mick the corner man.
When when Rocky gets knocked down, Mick says get up your bum,
it ain't over, right. So in contended man, sometimes
you may get knocked down, but that's not the end.
A just man falls down, buddy rises back up again.
So fight the good fight of faith in the conflict with evil.
Take hold. Remember, he said in in First
Corinthians 9, he said, lay hold of each, lay hold of the race.
It's set before you. This source says, take hold of
eternal life. Make it yours to which you were
called, and for which you were made, which you made the good
confession of faith in the presence of many witnesses.