So we're going to talk about Kingdom Healthcare tonight.
The title, my message is Oh my somebody look across the
sanctuary, say Oh my, look the other way, say Oh my and it's
obstacle or operative. Oh my is an interjection to
express either concern. I could say Oh my like I'm
concerned about something or Oh my, like I'm delighted in
something. So we're going to see tonight.
The choice is yours. What Oh my, are you saying the
key scripture I'm going to launch out of tonight and I read
is several different translations of this because
it's just a such a rich scripture.
We're going to look at Proverbs chapter 4, verses 20 through 22.
So we're gonna on the first scripture that we read.
Obviously we stand to honor the word of God, just like Ezra did
with that congregation. So I'm gonna read this.
It says my son attended my words.
Incline thine arrow unto my sayings.
Let them not depart from thine eyes.
Keep them in the midst of thine heart, for they are life under
those that find them in health to all of their flesh.
You can be seated. The Living Bible says it this
way, those same verses that says listen, son of mine, to what I
say, listen carefully. Keep these thoughts ever in
mind. Let them penetrate deep within
your heart, for they will mean real life for you and radiant
health. The Message Bible says Proverbs
chapter 4, verses 20 through 22. Like this, Dear friends, listen
well to my words. Tune your ears to my voice.
Keep my message in Plainview at all times.
Concentrate. Learn it by heart.
Those who discover these words live.
They really live, body and soul. They're bursting with health.
How many of you want to be bursting with health?
So am I. The choice is yours.
The Amplified says it like this, my son, pay attention to my
words and be willing to learn them.
Open your ears to my sayings. Do not let them escape from your
sight. Keep them in the center of your
heart. For God's words are life to
those who find them in healing and health to all their flesh.
You notice we have a part to play in this church.
We have to attend incline, keep in the midst of our heart.
We have to attend to it, incline to it, keep it in the midst of
our heart. And then if we do that, guess
what? We'll be radiant with health.
We'll be bursting forth with health.
It's God's will for you to be healthy.
And I submit to you, there's a thing beyond healing called
health. Did you get that?
Health implies you really don't need healing?
But are we doing our part? Are we attending?
Which means are we paying attention?
Are we hearken into the Word of God?
Are we inclining to God's sayings?
Are we turning to them in the midst of everything?
Are we stretching out towards God's saying?
You know the Bible says if you draw near to God, he will draw
near to you. We need to draw near to the Word
every single day. And then it says if you keep the
Word, that word keep is interesting 'cause God told in
the original creation back in Genesis 2, chapter 2, verse 15,
he put Adam in the garden and he said you're to keep same word
for keep in Proverbs 4. That means there's a
responsibility Adam had. But what did Adam do?
He quit attending. He quit inclining his ear to
God. He listened to the wrong voice
and he got the wrong results. So in in order for us to obtain
what God wants, we got to listen to the right voice to get the
right results. He so he didn't keep, he let the
enemy in. And man, the enemy would love to
have you sick, broke, disgusted and busted.
You could be saved, but you could be living on a low level
in your spiritual walk if you're not keeping and inclining and
attending to what God's saying and he said keep them in the
middle or the midst of your heart, right in the middle, the
very center of your being. You want to keep the word of God
daily in your heart. And when you do that, man,
there's going to be health and health means this.
There's going to be a healing, a cure.
It's going to be profitable. 1 Trans.
One definition of health is it's like medicine.
So God's Word is like medicine. The great thing about God's Word
is you can't overdose on it. You could take as much as you
want of it, and all it's gonna do is perpetual, continual
well-being. Matter of fact, the more Word
you have in you, the more life you're gonna have in you.
The more Word you have in you, the more health you're gonna
have in you. The more word you have in you.
When you get squeezed, guess what's gonna come out?
The Word, if you don't have the word in you and you get
squeezed, what's gonna come out? Probably your flesh and your
emotions. So we need the word, say I need
the Word, say this. He sent His word and healed me.
In Exodus chapter 15 verse #26 I'm reading this from the NIV.
It says God said to them, if you listen carefully once again, we
have to listen carefully. We need to to the Lord our God
and do what is right in his his eyes.
If you pay attention to his commands and you keep all his
decrees. Don't that sound familiar to
Proverbs chapter 4. He said I will not bring any of
the diseases I brought on the Egyptians for I'm the Lord who
heals you now God doesn't bring disease.
This verse is in the causative sense, just like if I told my
daughters and the young, they're young, don't touch the stove,
and they go ahead and touch the stove.
Guess what happens? There's a 'cause, right?
They burned their hand, but it wasn't my will.
They brought that on themselves. That's what God's saying.
If you would keep my word and do it, don't touch the stove,
everything will go well for you, right?
So in Jeremiah chapter 30 verse #17 it says from the New King
James Version, I will restore health to you and heal you of
all your wounds, says the Lord in John chapter 6 verse 63.
I'm just laying some foundational scriptures.
That is God's will for you to be well, healthy and whole.
It is the Spirit who gives life. The flesh profits nothing.
Jesus said this. The words I speak to you,
they're spirit and they are life.
In John 10/10 he said I came to give you life and to give it to
you more abundantly. Moses in Psalms 91 says he will
satisfy me with the fullness of my days.
So God, unless you're martyr, God is expecting to live a full
life full of health and well-being.
In first Peter chapter 2 verse 24, the Amplified Bible says
this talking about Jesus. He personally carried our sins
in his body on the cross, willingly offering himself on it
as an altar of sacrifice so that we might die to sin, becoming
immune from the penalty and power of sin and live for
righteousness. For by Jesus wounds you who
believe have been healed. So this word health means this
God wants you at peace, He wants you complete and he wants you in
welfare, not like the bad system welfare to be well.
God wants us to be blessed and in that blessing He wants us to
be healthy. Scripture diagnosis.
Sin prescribes repentance and administers grace.
The result can include physical vitality, mental stability, and
relational wholeness flowing from God's authority in his
Word. And this is God's desire for us.
Now when I brought up the the title, Oh my which could be a
concern or Oh my which could be a delight.
The choice is yours daily. So I'm gonna give you 2 keys to
walking in health and and healing tonight, OK?
And you got to decide is it am I going to do this or am I going
to have an obstacle or am I going to have operative?
Obstacle means this, it can impede progress or results.
Obstacle means there could be delays.
But operative means this. It produces an effect, it works.
It exerts force or influence into your life.
When something's operative, it's working.
Thank God. So the number one key I want to
give you is this to walking in divine health and healing is a
thing called forgiveness. That's number one.
And Pastor Apostle Earl actually covered some of this last week,
but I'm going to review it 'cause if it's owed to you, then
it's not real to you. And wisdom has taught us that
fundamentals is critical to success.
So there's some things we just need to go back to all the time.
You brush your teeth every day, right?
That's a fundamental in life. You quit brushing your teeth.
What's gonna happen in a month? They're gonna fall out.
Yeah. Especially if you have a lot of
sugar. So fundamentals are good, right?
But he brought this up from first Peter chapter 3 verse #7
he said husbands likewise dwell with your your wife with
understanding. Give an honor to the wife as to
the weaker vessel and as being ears together in the grace of
life that your prayers may not be hindered.
So it's an obstacle. If if a husband does not treat
his wife well, that becomes an obstacle.
It becomes, Oh my, why is why does it seem like heaven is
silent with my prayers? Well, you better repent, man.
Buy some flowers, do some dishes.
Glory to God, rub the feet. Glory to God.
I only got 1. Amen.
It's from my wife. I guess everybody's doing pretty
well for those that are married in their covenant.
Amen. Do some laundry, fold some
laundry. You gotta dwell with your wife
according to knowledge. You know, I know my wife.
She doesn't mind folding 'cause I, I take my time folding, but
she likes help. I take my time in life.
Glory to God. I had one time just pause right
here for a little story and we lived all the way out of that
Heritage on 13 Heritage Landing, right?
I made it from Heritage Landing to the church with a stick of a,
a deodorant bumper on my a deodorant on my bumper.
I've hit the speed bump so slow I've rolled backwards.
So glory to God, she doesn't mind phoning it, but she likes
help putting it up right. So you got to know your spouse,
right? And you got to treat them the
right. Then that goes both ways, right?
But if not, it could be an obstacle.
But if not, it could be operative.
And God wants well operative marriage covenants, but He wants
a well operative body, your body, He wants it to be well.
It's hard to do your purpose when you're not feeling good,
right? And this, this can go whether
you're sick and I'll say disease, which is dis ease.
Say your mind feels like it's got a vice grip around it.
That's how you're gonna function at a high level doing God's work
if you're constantly like constrained.
And God does not want your life like that.
So you have no mind moment say I need to get out of the obstacle,
getting it into the operation of God, right.
So I brought up first Peter 37, 'cause there can be obstacles
and forgiveness can be an obstacle to your healing.
Forgiveness can be an obstacle to your healing.
I was listening to the founder of the Bible school that we
graduated from back in 2000, Apostle or Marcy, my, my wife
and myself. Obviously that's Kenneth E
Hagin. His son, Kenneth W Hagin, you
know, obviously took over as the president.
But Kenneth E Hagin had the impression in the leading by the
spirit to open the Bible school. And he said this if if if
healing's not working in your life, the number one thing I
would check is your love walk. Which brings me to forgiveness.
Cause Galatians chapter 5 verse #6 from the amplified Bible says
this. If we are in Christ Jesus,
neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything
but only faith activated and expressed working through love.
Only faith activated and expressed working through love.
See faith is only activated. It's only operative.
It's only put in operation. It's only expressed, which would
mean it's only manifested and revealed and shown by walking in
love. You can't say I'm a a man or
woman of faith if your love walk is not intact.
So in Mark Chapter 11, I'm going to read verses 22 through 26.
Jesus says this. This is after the fig tree
withered at his command. The disciples were mesmerized by
the authority and power of Jesus.
And Jesus says this to the disciples have faith in God.
One translation says have the God kind of faith.
For assuredly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain be
removed and cast into the sea, and does not doubt in his heart,
but believes that those things he says will be done, He will
have whatever he says. Therefore Jesus said whatever
things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them
and you will have them. What if you have a a mountain of
sickness or a mountain of disease?
Can it be moved and cast out of your life?
Yes. Let's read on though 'cause
after verse 24 we go to 25. There's an an there.
And what does an mean? It connects it to the previous
verse. Whenever you stand praying, if
you have anything against anyone, forgive him that your
Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.
But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in
heaven forgive your trespasses. This is red letter in my Bible,
which means Jesus said this. Talk about an obstacle.
Talk about a hindrance. Talk about unanswered prayer.
I mean, you could read every healing scripture, declare every
healing scripture every day. But if you are harboring and
holding on to ill will or animosity or anger towards
somebody else, God can't do anything on your behalf.
It's and it's not his fault or his will.
You're, you are putting a hindrance or an obstacle between
an open heaven and a closed heaven and man, some, some
things that have been done to us or some things that have been
perceived on to us, they seem like mountains.
They seem insurmountable, like man.
I don't know if I could ever forgive that person or let that
go. Or even with yourself if you
failed, if you fall and if you've come short.
Sometimes we're very self condemning and self critical.
And like Kennethy Hagin said, this is the first place I'd
check. If you're not receiving your
healing is how's my love walk? And in my love walk, how's my
forgiveness 'cause if I'm not forgiving?
And what does forgiveness mean? It means release it, drop it,
let it go. Forgiveness means to release it,
drop it and let it go. You're saying but you don't know
what they did to me. Well, this is where faith comes
in. Faith doesn't go by my feelings
or by my emotions. Faith goes by the word of God in
Romans chapter one verse #17 it says that just shall live by
faith. And let me tell you, this is a
daily. This is a daily thing.
You can't. You could go weeks and months
without evaluating or checking up on yourself with your
forgiveness walk. But I'm telling you if you
really want to mature and God wants you to mature.
This is something you need to practice every day.
Matter of fact that this disciples came to Jesus and said
if my brother comes to me seven times a day and ask for
forgiveness, should I forgive him?
And Jesus said not up to 70, but 70 * 7.
Where's our mathematicians? How many times is that?
490 times? Somebody break that down.
How many hours are you up a day? 20 you're up 24 hours a day.
Wow. We're gonna get to you on health
then in a second. That's that's the problem.
What's that come to per hour? Say I'm up for 12 hours in a
day. I'm, I'm waiting, I'm really
waiting on Reverend Randy, 'cause he's the mathematician,
so he's going to get me an answer here in a second, 40 an
hour. Thank you, Reverend Randy.
I knew you'd have it. That's why I was kind of glanced
at 4:00. So somebody comes to you 40
times in an hour. That's almost what every minute
and quarter, half somewhere in there.
That's a lot of time to forgive, right?
You know what the disciples said to them, increase our faith.
They said that to them. They said, increase our faith.
What an answer to the Messiah. But the seriousness of it is
he's forgiven us. We got to extend that grace to
others. And is this just to people that
we like? Let's look at Matthew.
In Matthew chapter 5, verses 43 for 48 through 48.
Matthew chapter 5, verses 43 through 48, you have heard that
it was said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.
But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse
you, do good to those who hate you.
Pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that
you may be sons of your Father in heaven.
For he makes his sunrise on the evil and on the good, and sends
his reign on the just and on the unjust.
For if you love those who love you, what reward have you?
Do not even tax collectors do the same?
And if you greet your brother, not only what do you have more
than others? Do not even tax collectors do
the same. Therefore you shall be perfect,
just as your Father in heaven is perfect.
That's interesting. How many of has of us have
enemies on our prayer list daily?
We got our family, we got our friends, right?
We got our relatives. But I submit to you, Jesus said
to pray. So I'm adding a goal to you for
the rest of 2026 cause some people celebrate you, some
people tolerate you, and some people hate you.
And you should be praying for all those people.
And you may say, Lord, well, I'm praying for my enemies.
I've been doing that, but it doesn't seem like they're
changing. It may be getting progressively
worse, but God said it doesn't matter, just do my word.
Maybe it's just to keep your spiritual attitude right and
healthy. Yes.
And keeps you in the position of love 'cause if you start
harboring the ill will and the animosity towards the enemy
'cause it's easy to really like people that like you.
But when you extend love to your enemies, it's going to keep you
in in your love walk and keep you healthy and whole.
How you going to fulfill your purpose if you're holding on to
anger towards your enemy because God said I'm not going to
forgive you if you don't forgive others.
Look at look at Stephen in Acts Chapter 7.
Now Stephen was one of the six that was chosen back in Acts
chapter 6 to, to wait on the tables.
And but we see a story really unveil and unfold in Acts
Chapter 7. At the end of Acts chapter 6,
he's doing miracles and signs in the name of Jesus.
And guess what? The religious people get mad.
So they, they bring him before him and he just has a, a, a
lengthy sermon really in Acts Chapter 7.
And, and basically then his sermon, he said, you're stiff
necked and you've resisted God. You have an obstacle in your
life. There's not an operative word
working, right? You're having an Oh my.
But there's a lot of concern, 'cause you're not following God.
And they got so mad at him that they killed him.
So let's read the account in verse 54 through 60.
It said when they heard these things that Stephen had just
spoke, they were cut to the heart.
They gnashed at him with their teeth.
But he being fooled. The Holy Ghost gazed into heaven
and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right
hand. Jesus, what now we hear about
Jesus seated at the right hand of the Father.
What would make Jesus stand to welcome you into heaven?
He said, look, I see the heavens open, the Son of man standing in
the right hand of God. Then the religious people cried
out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, ran at him.
With 1 accord they cast him out of the city, and they stone him.
And the witnesses laid down their clothes at a the feet of a
young man named Saul, who later become the apostle Paul.
An interesting apostle Paul said this one thing I do, forgetting
those things that are behind. Don't you think that the devil
tried to say you killed Stephen? How could you ever serve God
with what you've done? So the apostle Paul practiced
forgiveness. He forgave himself for the
wrongs that he did. He said this one thing I do, I
forget those things that are behind and I'm pressing on.
And you, you got to have some talk.
You know what I mean? You got to be vocal in this
thing. You know, the devil may come and
you know, be saying all kind of things.
Well, you need to talk back. That's not me anymore.
I've repented. God's forgiven me.
I've forgiven myself. So go to hell, devil, I'm in the
right position with him. The blood's been applied.
If anyone confesses his sin, he's faithful and just to
forgive me and cleanse him, I'm cleansed.
I'm in right standing with God. Nothing is hindering.
There's no obstacle. I'm in right alignment with the
Father. So you got to be vocal with
this. Forget those things that are
behind. If you've messed up, if there's
been something that you've done wrong, repent.
You know, repentance isn't just a one time action that we do to
get saved. We're continually growing.
And so it said they stoned Stephen.
He was calling on God. He said, Lord Jesus received my
spirit. Then he knelt down, he cried out
with a loud voice and he said, Lord do not charge them with
this sin, ain't that amazing? He's getting stoned to death by
his enemies. And he said, God forgive him.
What a man stayed in the position of love and forgave.
Now in Ephesians chapter 4, the church at Ephesus was a spirit
filled church and this is kind of interesting cause by
inspiration in the Holy Spirit. The apostle Paul pins this in
verse 32 of Ephesians chapter 4. He says be kind to one another
and interesting you got to tell a spirit filled believer to be
kind, tenderhearted. It said forgiving one another
even as God in in Christ forgave you.
The message Bible says this Be gentle with one another,
sensitive, forgive one another as quickly and thoroughly as God
in Christ Jesus forgave you. Forgiveness is a central theme
in the Christian teaching, rooted in the forgiveness
believers received from God. Forgiveness in that day was
counterculture and I would submit, even counterculture
today. If somebody does you wrong, you
should do them wrong. Matter of fact, I call them the
sons of Thunder, James and John. When somebody wasn't really
expecting Jesus, they said, let's call down fire from
heaven, Lord, smite our enemy Lord.
And Jesus said, you don't know what spirit you're of.
So the the Greek word for forgiveness, me, implies A
gracious pardon, not based on merit, but on grace.
Not based on somebody else's works, but on grace.
The way that God has forgiven us.
We're to forgive others. That doesn't that.
That means I'll forgive you if you start doing this.
You know, I don't go to Angie and say, listen, I'll forgive
you if you cook me a meal five times a week and rub my feet.
Then we'll have perpetual forgiveness.
No, it's not based on merit. It's based on grace in
Colossians chapter 3 verse #13 the new Living translation says
this. Make allowance for each other's
faults and forgive anyone who offends you.
Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.
I just pray that we keep that in the forefront of our mind as we
walk as disciples and sons and daughters of God.
That as God has forgiven us, we forgive others.
We don't condone sin. We don't want sin to run
rampant. We have a standard of living, of
holiness. But ultimately, if somebody does
me wrong, guess what I'm gonna do?
I'm gonna forgive 'cause that keeps me holy.
If I don't walk in forgiveness, I'm walking in unholiness.
And God said to be holy as He is holy.
And I remember as I was listening to Kenneth Hagin last
night or last week, as I shared with you, he was ministering a
series, I think it was 3 or 4 weeks at the same church on
healing and the power of God. And you know, back in those
days, they would stay at a church for 3-4 weeks.
It wasn't uncommon for them to be there and do day services,
night services. People were hungry for the
things of God, right? So he would build up on the case
of healing. Matter of fact, he wouldn't even
have a healing line until somebody was there so many times
just to hear the word of God, cause faith comes by hearing and
hearing by the word of God. But he shared this testimony
that there's this one lady here, that Lady at the meetings that
she was dealing with an ailment, she was sick, she wasn't doing
well, and he was talking about forgiveness.
So he's ministering on forgiveness, ministering on
forgiveness.
Well, it got in her and the Holy Spirit really prompted her that
she had a animosity towards her brother for it was a long time,
it may have been a decade plus. And, and the Lord told her what
you need to do is call and make it right.
So she, they ended up talking to her brother on the phone and
said, I just want you to forgive me.
And the brother was saved too. He said, no, I was the one that
wasn't wrong. I want you to forgive me.
So they're kind of bantering back and forth one to forgive
one another, But they, the, the relationship was reconciled.
Well, she went back to the service that night and she's
like, I'm going to go down and get the healing that I want from
my body. Well, what whatever ailment she
was having, she went to touch it before she went to the healing
line. It was gone.
So he tells a funny story. She's like trying to find
something to go down front for, but she's well, why 'cause she
forgave. And so if you just forgive, you
don't even made, but you may not even have somebody lay hands on
you necessarily 'cause you just got operative instead of an
obstacle. And all the sudden that the, the
flow of the anointing, the power of God can be demonstrated in
your life when you forgive and put yourself in a position to
love. So that's one key to walking in
divine health, wholeness and healing.
The second key I want to share with you tonight is a thing
called stress. Oh my, Oh my.
There's 3 levels of stress I want to give you.
Not like put on you, but I sent these but I forgot to tell them.
Actually, I don't know if you put these on a slide or not.
You stress. Yeah, he got them all right.
You stress distress and hyper stress.
Say that with me. You stress distress and hyper
stress. You stress is a positive stress.
It could be like creativity hitting you before a deadline is
due. It could be like I'll go with
football field goal kicker at the end of the game or say it's
a basketball game and they got to make the the free throws and
hit the three pointer to win it, right.
Well, that's, you know, the crowd's going crazy.
There's a lot of noise, I mean that that's stressful, right, to
win the game, but it's a positive stress that allows you
to perform in the moment. Matter of fact, a guitar, even
though I'm not musically inclined, a guitar you like that
guitar needs enough stress for it to tune, right?
But too much stress could what break it.
So there's you stress, there is a positive stress, but then
there's distress. This is stress.
This is when the stress response becomes negative or destructive.
So you could you could go from a positive stress to distress when
the stress response becomes negative or destructive.
Hyperstress is is excessive volumes of distress.
If you don't deal with this tissue, aging can occur at a a a
cellular level, your immune system may malfunction.
There could be cardiovascular catastrophes which could result
in a stroke or a heart attack. Hyperstress hyperstress.
Now you know in Luke chapter 21 verse #19 Jesus says this by
your patients possess your soul. One translation says in your
patience, possess your soul. That word patience means this
steadfastness, endurance. It's the characteristic of a
person who is not swerved from purpose or loyalty to God, no
matter the greatest trials or sufferings.
But the root word of this word, patience.
It means even in the even in the midst of trial or sufferings,
there's still a hopefulness or a cheerfulness.
Sounds like James chapter 1, doesn't it?
Count it all. Count it 50% joy when you have
trials and sufferings, moan half the time and cry the other half,
right? Run to Ben and Jerry's.
Somebody just woke up, right? Emotional eating.
Glory to God. No, it's cheerful or hopeful.
Even when things aren't going your way.
You know, there's mountaintop experiences, but then we have to
walk through the valley. Sometimes you realize that
things grow in the valley. Sometimes we're like the Apostle
Paul over in in Corinthians, he said, Lord, make this thing go
away. I'm done dealing with it.
This and Paul really if you in contextually in hermeneutics, if
you study this out, it wasn't an eye disease as some theologians
say that, but they're really not correct because he's talking
about Judaizers people that would go around or behind him
after he spread the gospel in a theologically sound word and
went unraveled. They would try to get people
back under the law of Moses in Galatians.
When he wrote that I I said even you would give your eyes to me.
What he was saying was that have you He said this earlier in the
chapter. He said have you started in the
in the spirit. Are you down being made perfect
by the flesh? So these Judaizers are coming
in. They're trying to put people
back under the yoke of the law of Moses.
And that's what was frustrating him.
You know, over in Galatians 6, it says what a large letter I, I
wrote to you. He wasn't writing in 32 font
because he had nine disease. It's an expression of, you know,
it's this expression of love. You know, when I say I have a
chip on my shoulder, it's not literally I have a chip on my
shoulder. It's a it's an expression,
right? So if I wrote a large letter,
Angie, it's not because, well, she has glasses now, but but
it's, it's out of the abundance or the magnitude or the, the,
the, the, the overflow of my heart, right?
So where was I going with that? Hallelujah, the apostle Paul
Valley remove this. There you go.
So he was saying remove this from me.
He he literally played and God said my grace is sufficient for
you. He wasn't saying no, I, I want
you to go be broken. But he's saying even in this
situation that you're walking through, my grace is going to
get you through it. Now listen, church, we have to
have discernment. Are you with me?
There's some things that we take authority of that the devil's
trying to do that we bind up. But there's some things you are
going to walk through in life and you have to have
discernment. OK, Lord, is this something I'm
walking through or is there something I'm putting my stop to
right now in the name of Jesus Christ, Right?
And this is where you have to have wisdom from God.
This is why your prayer life needs to be strong because some
things you do rebuke, some things you do cast off, but some
things you're going to walk through.
Case in point, remember when Jesus went, he said to the
disciples, get in the boat and go to the other side.
Well, they were right in the middle of his will, but guess
what, a storm arose and man you can think just cause a storm
came, I was outside the will of God.
No, Jesus said to get in the boat, but what he did, he gave
him an example. He said peace be still.
He spoke to the winds and the wave and guess what, they were
calm. So we have to just have
discernment. Are we walking through this and
I just need the grace of God or do I need to rebuke the
situation? But with this particular case I
mentioned about the apostle Paul, God said, my grace is
sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in your
in your weakness. So by your patience, we need to
possess our soul. Now there's there's three
spheres of symptoms I want to go over real quick when it comes to
stress. And one of the reasons I went to
Luke 19, Luke 2119 is because that word soul, before I define
what the first symptom is, that word soul in the Greek is
literally where we get the word psychology, psyche.
If you look it up, 559-O in your strongs, that's where we get the
word psychology. So we have psychologists today
that are doing work outside of Christ, but we in the church
understand that we are a spirit, we have a soul and we live in a
body. So when you see the word soul in
the in the Bible, it really means where the seat of the
feelings and desires and affections are.
We know it's your mind, your will and emotions.
So the first sphere of symptoms that I'm gonna give you is
psychological or we could say soul realm symptoms, right?
And this is to identify where you are in stress or stress
related. Are you in eustress?
Are you in distress? Are you in hyperstress?
So the psyche is the most or the we could say the soul's the most
common point of entry for stress.
I'd say it's really the main point of entry.
You know, I wouldn't say the only but with symptoms and the
symptoms include this depression, withdrawal, apathy,
mental fatigue, anxiety. Negative, stinking, thinking,
difficulty making decisions, worrying, anger, impatience,
forgetfulness and confusion. These are all psychological
symptoms or soul realm symptoms. When stress, when you're in
distress or hyper stress, these are gonna manifest in your soul.
Now after that, there's, there could be physical symptoms.
So we go from psychological symptoms because of stress to
physical symptoms. And physical symptoms are, is
our response to stress. Stressors not only take place at
the thought level, but also the organ and the cellular level.
Such physical symptoms include this rapid pulse.
You know when you're stressed, your, your pulse can go up.
Palpitations increase blood pressure, hyper acidity, ulcers,
tightening of the muscles, headaches, weight changes, a
compromised immune system, fatigue, rashes, insomnia and
shortness of breath. These are all physical symptoms
of stress and the next sphere of symptoms.
Is this behavioral? So what our mind and our body
experience, our behaviors are gonna start to express.
So if we are psychologically depressed and physically
exhausted, we will begin to act in a manner consistent with
these symptoms. Behaviors can be this irritation
with people. Thank God Jesus Christ wasn't
led by just his soul and his body, right?
There could be outbursts, withdrawal and detachment.
There could be weeping. There could be bossiness there.
We could be changes in eating or sleeping patterns and ultimately
unresolved, repetitive, prolonged and undealt stress.
We could say distress, hyper stress can lead to breakdown or
burnout. Now bringing this all up, 'cause
there's hope. God wants you to be well.
God wants you to be healthy. Are you a person that walks in
forgiveness and love? Secondly, how are you managing
or not managing your stress in your life?
Ephesians chapter 6 verse #18 the NINIV says this and pray in
the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayer.
See how that's plural kinds of prayer and requests.
There's just not one kind of prayer.
We I'd say university is a church.
We think prayer is always asking God for something, which we
would classify as the prayer of faith because faith will ask and
faith will make a request, right?
And faith will work. That prayer of faith, it will
move mountains in your life. I cannot pray for Thaddeus,
though, and expect a result just on my faith without him.
Now, I could pray for revelation.
I could pray for people to go across this path to preach the
word of God to him. But there's another prayer
called the Prayer of agreement. The prayer of agreement means if
any 2 of you on earth touch and agree anything concerning the
will, if Thaddeus says, hey, Pastor Mike, I want you to agree
with me for favoring this job. He's in faith.
I'm in faith. We've just came into the prayer
of agreement and what we touch on according to the word, it
shall be done. Then there's the prayer of
consecration. Now some people when it comes to
healing, they prayer that they try to pray this prayer, but it
doesn't work 'cause it's not scriptural.
The prayer of consecration is. Lord, if it's your will, I'm
dedicating my life to you. And some people when it comes to
healing, they said, Lord, if it's your will, well, no, the
prayer of faith is what you need to pray.
It is the will of God. That's why I opened up with
Jeremiah 3017 over in Exodus 15, first Peter 224.
That's why we bring you scriptures at Anchor Faith
Churches to establish what does the word say 'cause we base our
life on the authority of the Word.
It is God's will for you to be well.
But if, if you put it, if it's your will, guess what you did?
You put an obstacle, remember the lepers came to Jesus said
Lord, if it is your will, he said it is my will.
Now the pair of consecration is this when I you know, when I got
born again in 1997. I can't find chapter and verse
where it said, Mike, I want you to move from the great state of
Ohio. That's for your brother Jesse.
We could have an Ohio. They're not recording tonight.
So I feel you though, to go to broken Eric Lahome.
I couldn't find chapter and verse for that, but what was it?
It was a prayer of consecration. Lord, what do you want me to do
in my next step? And that involved the leading of
the Holy Spirit. Steven, just calm down and
forgive over there, brother. Come on, you Michigan Indian.
It's OK. Walk in love.
Go back to the first one. You'll be well.
I see. I see your eyes rolling in the
back of your head. Yeah.
We can have a lot of fun on Wednesdays.
Kind of like our core group of people.
Amen. And they're not filming cause
everybody's gone. So I don't have to worry about
them editing this three minute clip right now.
Glory to God. So, but it's, it's, it's, you
can pray that over and over again.
Lord, what is your will? It's, it's just really a
dedication. Whatever God, whatever you want
me to do, whatever direction you want me to go, Father, you know,
it's established fact that you want me to be well.
So I'll, I'll believe God for that.
I don't have to say if, but you know, like if God wanted me to
move somewhere, I got to be open to whatever God wants me to do.
And that's where the leading of the Holy Ghost comes in.
This is why your prayer life is so dynamic and and so necessary.
It's 'cause you need to be listening.
As many as they're led by the Spirit.
These are the sons of God. I do want to say this.
If you don't forgive, hardness sets in and the ultimate end of
hardness is death. If you don't forgive, hardness
sets in, and the ultimate end of hardness is death.
I'm just not talking physical. It could be death financially,
death in a marriage covenant. There's more than one type of
death, right? How do you think divorce
happens? How do you think somebody leaves
an employer, you know, without being blessed or promoted?
Or it's just the will of God? It's 'cause could have got
offended, right? So if, if, if it goes with a
prayer of consecration, but there's another prayer.
So, you know, when we have sports, you can't have the
sports played, right, If you're trying to play football with
basketball rules and vice versa, right?
Luke's a baseball guy. I can't, I can't go play
pickleball with baseball rules. It wouldn't work, right?
Same thing with prayer. We got to understand the rules
that govern prayer to be God wants it to go well for you.
Church and people perish because of a lack of knowledge.
Thank God for this Bible that brings clarity, that brings
truth. Man, I love this word.
As a church, we love this word. There is nothing more important.
Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that
comes out of this book. This is a love letter that he
wrote to us that is expresses his will, his intention and his
plan. And we want to be intimate with
this thing. This is why we encourage you at
Anchor Faith Church. Read your Bible through every
year, journal, meditate, think on this thing.
You know, when you're in love with somebody, you think about
them. I know God's thinking about us.
Let's reciprocate and think about Him.
Amen. So the prayer of commitment is a
prayer of casting your cares on the Lord.
And I'll give you several verses for this.
Philippians chapter 4, verses 6 through 8, it says this.
Do not be anxious or worried about anything, but in
everything, every circumstance and situation, by prayer and
petition with Thanksgiving, continue to make your specific
requests known to God and the peace of God.
That peace which stands guard over your heart and your minds
in Christ Jesus, that peace that reassures the heart, that peace
which transcends all understanding, that peace which
stands guard over your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus
is yours. Finally, believers, whatever is
true, whatever is honorable, worthy of respect, whatever is
right and confirmed by God's Word, whatever is pure and
wholesome, whatever is lovely and brings peace, whatever is
admirable and of good repute, if there is anything excellent, if
there's anything worthy of praise, continually think on
these things. Send your mind on them and
implant your heart on them. I love this verse, 'cause he
said, cast all your anxieties, all your worries, all your
concerns on Him. But not only that, but then he
says, think on these things. So do we have an obstacle or are
we operative? Are we thinking on these things?
Are we casting all of our cares on him?
In first Peter chapter 5, verses 6 through 7 from the Amplified
Bible, first Peter chapter 5, verses 6 through 7, it says,
therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God.
Set aside yourself righteous pride so that he may exalt you
to a place of honor and His service at the appropriate time,
casting all your cares, all your anxieties, all your worries, all
your concerns, once and for all on him.
For God cares about you, for God cares about you.
For God cares about you with deepest affection, and God
watches over you very carefully. What a confession we should, we
should say to ourselves. God cares about me, and because
he cares about me, I'm casting every concern, every worry,
every anxiety unto Him. You know he never sleeps nor
slumbers. So even when I'm sleeping, I
could sleep in peace 'cause he's working it out.
Guess what? If you're stressed, you may not
rest well 'cause you're trying to figure it out.
But when I cast it on God in faith, I'm really at peace.
Now the devil may say, Hey, what are you gonna do?
Well, I've given it to the Lord, so he's got the answer.
I'm at rest in this in Mark chapter 6 verse #31 this is
Jesus talking to the apostles and listen what he says to them.
He said to the apostles, come away by yourselves to a secluded
place and rest a little while for there were many people are
continually coming and going. They couldn't even find time to
eat. Talk about stress and what's
Jesus say Just keep on working until you keel over.
No, he said come aside and rest for a little bit, get refreshed,
get renewed, get reinvigorated. Even God created the Sabbath
day. And I'm not saying we have to
have a day, but there is a principle of rest and rest just
isn't physically. Are you resting in your mind
'cause you could be sitting there inactive, but your mind
could be going 100 miles an hour.
I know for me, when it came to the Sabbath day and just a, a
thought about having a day just to kind of disconnect and
decompress, it's it's tough for me to sit.
So I realized I got to take the principal, what he did in the
old covenant. He said you're going to prepare
the day before and get your mind ready and a, a Sabbath day is
not a law or legalism. It's just a day you can set
aside. You can set aside some hours
just to rest. Really we should have them being
Sabbath throughout the day where our mind's just at rest, right?
But it could be something you enjoy doing.
It's not limited a number of steps.
It's the principle God was trying to establish with us.
Our finished rest is in Christ, but in that we have a rest
physically, a rest from worry, a rest from concern.
In Matthew Chapter 11 verses 28 through 30, this is the message
Bible and boy does this read well.
Matthew Chapter 11 verses 28 through 30, it says, are you
tired, worn out, burned out on religion?
Come to me, come to Jesus, get away with me and you'll recover
your life. I'll show you how to take a real
rest. Walk with me, work with me,
watch how I do it, Walk with me, work with me, watch how I do it.
Learn the unforced rhythms of grace.
I won't lay anything heavy or I'll fitting on you.
Keep company with me and you'll learn how to live freely and
lightly. I remember my journey with the
Lord right before I came on to the church in 2009.
My wife and I moved here in 2004.
We were house parents at Saint Augustine Youth Services for
several years before God LED us. It was a prayer of consecration.
Lord, what is your will? What is your will?
Well, the Lord put in our heart to adopt some of the boys from
the group home. So I had to leave and get other
employment. I end up Angie, end up going
home to stay home with the boys that we were adopting, and I end
up going to Enterprise Rent a car to work.
Glory to God, we'll pick you up. I remember somebody said to me,
what's so stressful about renting cars?
Hallelujah. They just don't know.
At Enterprise, you kind of run the business like it's your own.
They provide obviously the location, the cars, obviously
the software, the finances, but really as a branch manager,
that's what it became. There was a very excruciating
test that you had to pass both written and verbally to become a
branch manager. And I was able to do that in my
career with them. But when you're when you're a
branch manager, you get paid a percentage of what the income of
the branch is. So it motivates you obviously
for the branch to make money. And so at that time, I was at
4313. It was AI was at 4355 first.
That's the name of the branch. They had them all numbered.
Still get those in my noggin, man.
Wow. 4355 and 43134355 was at Bozard. 4313 is across the
street. I was 4355 was the branch
manager there first, then 4313 after that.
So, but when the thing with Enterprise is they want you to
be at about a 93% occupancy rate, meaning if I have 100
cars, 93 needs to be rented at all times.
Not only that, but they want you to have a, a top, bottom score
in UESQI index. So you're going to get a call on
your rental experience and it's not like if you get an A to U
pass, it's either on their eyes. It's either pass or fail.
How many of you went to a rental car place before and they didn't
have your reservation that you put in?
Yes. So the niche for Enterprise, I'm
letting in on a secret. They're probably going to come
after me now. The dark things of Enterprise,
their niche in the market is replacement vehicles.
So Andy Tato, the founder, he actually back in, I think it was
in the 50s, he went to take his vehicle in to get service and he
got stuck at the dealership. He was like, man, it'd be nice
to have a car so I don't have to sit here all day, right?
So he came up with the concept and started an enterprise.
And so there are niches, you know, if your vehicle's in the
shop or it's in a wreck, that's enterprise.
About 8085% of their business is generated from that industry.
So you can imagine if you're a residential customer, one
person, one rental per year versus State Farm who's given us
300 rentals a year, who am I going to take care of?
So guess what, with insurance companies, when you get in a
wreck and you take your car in The Body Shop, they really
prefer you to drop off on a Monday and try to pick up by a
Friday. For the rental car business, if
you have rental car insurance, it's for us at Enterprise.
It's great 'cause it's calendar day billing.
That means this is great, Luke, if they brought it back on a
Friday, I could rent on a weekend special.
I got double pay on that car. For a residential, it's 24
hours. For the insurance, it's it's
calendar day means they pay for the whole day.
But I say all that because they typically would drop off on a
Monday and try to pick up by a Friday 'cause you know, the
insurance company don't want to pay for rentals over the weekend
if they don't have to. You could imagine even though
it's maybe $60.00 in their pocket, but if I have 1002
thousand people times that amount, guess who's?
So they're motivated with The Body Shop and us to try to get
the car in by Monday and out by Friday.
All that being said, this is going to come full circle in a
second. I'm going to have it really out.
You're going to be out of here soon.
Glory to God. All that being said, I was
coming to a point stress so they would just to do weekend
specials. You may used to see them for
999. Why would they do that?
Because out of 100 cars, if I had 93% occupancy, you know, and
I get 30 cars returned on a Friday night.
For me that's stressful because I don't want 30 cars sitting
three days without any occupancy.
So we run the weekend special. The problem with the weekend
special is most people come at 4:00 or 5:00.
And the problem with The Body Shop is they want you to drop
off first thing Monday morning. Do you see where I'm going with
this? So we could have 35 reservations
on a Monday morning from all these insurance companies, but
we could have had 93% occupancy. All 35 cars that I needed aren't
coming back till 4:00 in the afternoon on Monday.
So guess what we're doing? We're taking people to work.
We'll deliver the car to you. 4:00 comes around.
I'm just praying. They used to have a 30 minute
grace period. I'm praying that car comes so we
can get it clean and 'cause people are like, hey, where's my
car? And you want me to get 100% on
the service score. So all this being said, I was
that. When was that 4355?
I remember, man, we were so tight.
There was no cars. There was a corporate customer
waiting for a car. I had my, those that were
working, my, my, those people that were under me at work and
they were out doing things that even the car preps were trying
to get cars. I was the only one at the branch
at Bozard Ford. And this corporate customer's
just like he's waiting like an hour and I, I'm like, my head is
ringing. I'm stressed.
I mean, like, I have a literal headache.
The phone's ringing off the hook.
I'm just thinking if a Bozard customer comes over right now,
'cause sometimes they, they, you know, out off the spur of the
moment, we're in Bozard 4, they would need a car to rent.
I don't have anything. A car came back, I run out, I
wash it. It's like July and they made you
wear this stupid tie and shirt. Now I go into Enterprise.
I'm like, you guys have it so lucky you got the dry fit on.
Come on, give me a break with the Enterprise logo, you know,
and you got facial beard. They didn't even let us, we had
to shave. What kind of bondage is this?
So I remember I'm, I'm, you know, and I, hey, I would get
the my tie sucked up in the vacuum.
I got sweat running down my back and I took that car and I
delivered it to the corporate person and I started walking
back and my mind is like blown. I'm like, there's probably a
line of people and in Bozar we were at that time, they built a
whole new building now, but we were behind the service riders
kind of tucked away in the back and my mind and I'm just this is
like hyper, hyper stress. I think it was that day or so
now I went home and I crashed, but I was like, Lord, I need
something. I cannot I, I realized by my by
the spirit, I cannot keep this up.
So there was a book that I found from a Christian author on goal
setting and man, it was like, have you ever had a resource
come and do season where it's like God knows you needed that
material then? And so I read through this book
and I start applying the principles and it was real
simple, like read your Bible every day.
I used to have the big enterprise desk calendar and I
would just like read your Bible, pray, drink water.
That was how my goal started 'cause I wasn't drinking water,
right? But they've expounded that was I
still have, I'm still a day timer guy.
I got, probably got 15 years of calendars, you know, the action
day. Now I have of all my goals that
I put and track and everything every day, right?
But I'm bringing that all up because as I've grown in goals,
I realized, man, one of my goals is to make sure I'm taking care
of my soul realm 'cause we are a spirit, we have a soul.
So am I casting, you know if you're casting your cares on the
Lord or not, right? So thank God I was able to.
I, if I would have continued like that, I probably would have
broken down or burnt out. I wouldn't be here today if I
didn't learn how to set goals and in those goals, learn how to
cast my cares on to the Lord. And guess what?
I still have to practice it. I have not arrived.
So I got to keep this before me
everyday. Forgiveness.
Guess what, I have not arrived and I will not arrive.
It's it's a daily practice that God our Father wants us to
participate in for us to be healthy and well.
God has called and commissioned us to be fruitful, productive.
So we, we, this is the, the four PS that God gave me when it
comes to stress, we are, we are a body of believers that plan.
God is the master. Plan hasn't just 'cause you're
at just 'cause you're cast your cares, doesn't mean you don't
plan or you don't do anything. No, God planned to build the
ark. God planned to send a savior.
God planned to send the Holy Ghost.
We plan, we prepare, we're purposed, There's a purpose for
you in the earth we pursue, but ultimately we're at peace.
Do you think Jesus was frantic at his mandate in the earth?
Do you think Jesus ever got so stressed out?
And he's our highest example of leadership.
And the Bible says we're to be like he was in the earth, right?
So I want to close with this. This is my final chapter I'm
going to read. This is a whole chapter.
I was going to say, can I please have all the worship team come
up, all three of you? That's what I was thinking.
That's why I had such a long pause.
But this is about King David and it's Psalms 55.
And it is only 23 verses, so we're closing with this, but I,
I want you to just listen to the life of David.
Listen to what he was going through.
Listen to the emotions, listen to the feeling, but then listen
to the resolve as he gets to the end of this chapter.
You got it. So listen, listen to all the
stress he was going through, but look how he handles it.
So in verse one it says, this is Psalm 55.
Give air to my prayer, O God, and do not hide your face from
my supplication. Attend to me and hear me.
I am restless in my complaint, and I moan noisily because the
voice of my enemy, because of the oppression of the wicked,
for they bring down trouble upon me, and in wrath they hate me.
My heart is severely pained within me, and the tears of
death have fallen upon me. Fearfulness and trembling have
come upon me, and whore has overwhelmed me.
So I said, Oh, that I had wings like a dove.
I would fly away and be at rest. Indeed, I would wander far off
and remain in the wilderness. I would hasten my escape from
the windy storm and Tempest. Destroy, O Lord, and divide
their tongues, for I have seen violence and strife in the city.
Day and night they go around it on its walls.
Iniquity and trouble are also in the midst of it.
Destruction is in its midst. Oppression and deceit do not
depart from its streets. For it is not an enemy who
reproaches me. Then I could handle it.
Nor is it one hate who hates me, who has exalted himself against
me. Then I could hide from it.
But it was you, a man of my equal, my companion, my
acquaintance. We took counsel together and
walked in the House of God in throng.
Let death seize them, let them go down alive in the hell, for
wickedness is in their dwellings and among them.
As for me, I will call upon God, and the Lord shall save me.
Evening and morning and noon I will pray.
Evening, morning and noon I will pray and cry aloud, and he and
He shall hear my voice. He has redeemed my soul in peace
from the battle that was against me, for there were many against
me. God will hear and afflict them,
even he who abides from of old, because they do not change, they
do not fear the Lord. He has put forth His hand
against those who were at peace with him.
He has broken his covenant. The words of his mouth were
smoother than butter, but war was in his heart.
His words were softer than oil, yet they were John's swords.
David is talking about a relationship that's went South.
Even though they were talking good, war was in their heart.
It was somebody he used to go to the House of the Lord with that
turned on him. You know, David had a broken
relationship with Absalom and David had a broken relationship
with Joab, his military commander.
They turned on him. But here's the resolve that
David has, and here's the resolve that we need to have.
Verse 22 Cast your burdens on the Lord and He will sustain
you. He will never permit the
righteous to be moved. The amplified says He will never
permit you to slip, fall or fail if you cast your burden onto the
Lord.