Who Will You Be? // God Chose You (Part 4) // Charles Metcalf

God chose you, the question is, who will you choose to be? After you accept the freedom of “God chose me”, you still have to decide who you are going to be. In Week 4 of the God Chose You series, Pastor Charles reminds us that in order to become who God called us to be, we will have to become someone different. This is not a license to do whatever we want to do but the freedom to not be a slave to our impulses but have the opportunity to follow Jesus. By the end of this message you will learn the faith, fight and focus you need to become the better you.

Scripture References
Romans 6:15-23 NLT
Romans 6:16 TPT
Galatians 5:1 NLT

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:02):
Welcome to Transformation Church Podcast, where we represent God to
the lost and found for transformation in Christ. We're so
glad you're here and wherever you're listening from, we believe
God will transform your life. Do today's message.

Speaker 2 (00:16):
All right, We're gonna jump into the word today.

Speaker 3 (00:18):
Are y'all ready for the word? All right?

Speaker 2 (00:20):
We're gonna jump in.

Speaker 3 (00:21):
If you have your Bibles, open them up to Romans.
Romans chapter six is where we're gonna be. We are
in week four of a series called God Chose You.

Speaker 2 (00:34):
That is right in case you didn't know.

Speaker 3 (00:36):
The God of the universe, the God that put the
stars in the sky, the God who created animals in
the ocean. We still ain't discovered yet, just the flex
on who I don't know because we ain't gonna discover him.
But he's like Jesic, so you know, I got it.
I created seventy million species of butterflies because I can
that God is the same God the Bible tells us

(00:59):
has put your life together in such a specific way
and chosen you to be in the family you're in,
in the situation you're in, giving you the strength, the courage,
and the power to do exactly what He has called.

Speaker 2 (01:11):
And created you to do.

Speaker 3 (01:13):
God has chosen you. The question is will you choose you?
The jury is still out on that one, and that
is what we're gonna talk about a little bit today.
But in your bibles. Romans chapter six, we're gonna read
a good chunk of scripture here, and we are where
we're at here, Okay, Romans chapter six. We'll start in

(01:36):
let's see here. Let's start in verse fifteen. I think
I told y'all verse sixteen. My bad, Melissa. Anytime the
stuff is wrong on the screens when I'm preaching is
always me because I just be flipping through this book,
grabbing stuff on the way. So we'll start in verse fifteen,
says this Romans chapter six. Well, then, since God's grace

(01:56):
has set us free from the law, does that mean
we can go on sinning?

Speaker 2 (02:02):
Because this is.

Speaker 3 (02:03):
Obvi, this ain't even my sorry, but some people feel like, well,
if you preach too much grace, people are gonna start sinning.
So they need to know. You can't tell them they
got too much grace because what if people find a
license to sin? Let me tell you, some brother, people
don't need a license to sin. You worried about them
finding out God loves them too much and they might
get too free. Don't make no sense anyways, Moving right along.

(02:27):
Maybe that's why I didn't include verse fifteen, because the
Lord knew I was gonna go on that ramp. Anyways,
Verse sixteen. Don't you realize that you become the slave
of whatever you choose to obey. You can either be
a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you
can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living.

(02:48):
Thank God. Once you were slaves of sin, but now
wholeheartedly you obey the teaching that we have given you.
Now you are free from your slavery to sin, and
you have become slaves to righteous living because of the
weakness of your human nature. I am using the illustration
of slavery to help you understand. Previously, you let yourselves

(03:11):
be slaves to impurity and lawlessness, which led to you
deeper into sin. Now you must give yourselves to be
slaves to righteous living.

Speaker 2 (03:22):
So that you will become holy.

Speaker 3 (03:24):
When you were slaves to sin, you were free from
the obligation to do right.

Speaker 2 (03:28):
And what was the result. You are now ashamed of
the things you used to do. Come on, somebody. He's like,
y'all gotta be honest. Don't be playing me.

Speaker 3 (03:36):
Now.

Speaker 2 (03:36):
Y'all used to be on these streets. But now you
are free from the power of.

Speaker 3 (03:42):
Sin and have become slaves of God. Now you do
those things that lead to holiness and results in eternal life.

Speaker 2 (03:51):
For the wages of sin is death.

Speaker 3 (03:52):
But the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ.

Speaker 2 (03:56):
Jesus, our Lord, and the.

Speaker 3 (03:59):
Church said Amen. Title of my sermon today, if you're
taking notes, write it down. Who will you be? Who
are you going to be? Lor We thank you for
this moment to gather around your word, to worship you,
and for you to do something in us that man

(04:22):
can't do. Accomplishment can't do that. We cannot muster up ourselves.
We need a moment with you that will change and
transform us from the inside out. We believe all these
things in Jesus name. And everybody said Amen. Amen. I
recently became an author, been an author for like nineteen days. Now.

Speaker 2 (04:42):
It's great out here.

Speaker 3 (04:44):
Cause you're thinking about joining. I would encourage you highly recommended.
But one of the things is people has been still
I'm getting used to it, honestly, is people ask me
to sign their book, and we've had a couple of
book signings, and honestly, it's been awesome just meeting people
and talking to people. And I was signing one person's
book and they looked at my signature and they were like, dang,

(05:05):
You've really been working on that, haven't you. And I said,
let me tell you something.

Speaker 2 (05:10):
I've been working on my signature since two.

Speaker 3 (05:13):
Thousand and three, when I thought I was gonna be
the next Alan Iverson. So I have been working on
this signature for a long time.

Speaker 2 (05:21):
Not using it for what I thought I would, but
thank god, somebody want my signature.

Speaker 3 (05:26):
Not for a check that will bounce hello somebody. But
I looked up I was talking about them about making
it to the NBA, and I was having a conversation
with one of my friends about you know, the chances
you think you have when you're in your driveway shooting basketball.
The odds feel a lot more in your favor when
you and your backyard playing against your brother who's eight

(05:47):
years younger than you.

Speaker 2 (05:48):
It feels like, you know what, I might actually make it.

Speaker 3 (05:50):
This is crazy, but I looked up the odds of
making it, and according to Chad GPT could be lying
to me. I don't know, but we're all trusting it.
So it's the equal lie. So what does it really matter?
But six hundred thousand high school basketball players and in
the draft there's sixty slots. Point zero one percent are

(06:14):
the odds of you going in the draft? Now, I'm
not here to discourage nobody dreams because God tolds you.
You hear what I'm saying, and the facts are it's
point oh one percent. But this past week, the NBA
draft happened. A couple of weeks ago, and there was
the number one draft pick. Cooper Flag went number one,

(06:36):
and you got a sixty two million dollar contract, and
somebody are like, dang, I might be trying to play
some basketball, and uh, I was thinking about how crazy
it is that he got chosen to go number one,
and how his life's changed in an instance, And then
I started thinking about all the number one draft picks
that have happened. There have been some amazing hoopers that

(06:58):
have come through the NBA and SID this morning, for
my illustration, I'm gonna put up some of the best
and my favorite number one draft picks, and we're gonna
see who y'all know, and you gotta cheer for your
favorite number one draft pick. Okay, okay, okay, okay, okay,
go ahead, put the first one on number one draft pick.

(07:19):
I think it's nineteen seventy two, LaRue Martin. Oh, come on, y'all,
ain't gonna ya, Ain't got nothing for LaRue. LaRue got
drafted before Doctor j y'all out here hayting on LaRue? Okay?
What about Kawan Brown.

Speaker 2 (07:35):
Two thousand and one?

Speaker 3 (07:37):
Come on, kawal mee?

Speaker 4 (07:38):
Okay, my bad, Come on, he got drafted before he
found somebody to do them brains. But Michael Ola with
a candy nineteen ninety eight, boo, what's your boy?

Speaker 3 (07:51):
You don't even you don't even know it? What's you're booring?

Speaker 2 (07:54):
Okay?

Speaker 3 (07:55):
Who else we got on a draft list?

Speaker 2 (07:57):
Okay?

Speaker 3 (07:57):
Anthony Bennet he got drafted before Giannis number one draft.

Speaker 2 (08:01):
Okay, y'all surely gonna know this one last one? Sam
Bowie drafted before Michael Jordan. Okay, Charles, what's your point? Oh?

Speaker 3 (08:14):
Trust me, you're about to see one of the craziest
transitions ever.

Speaker 2 (08:21):
Just because you're chosen.

Speaker 3 (08:26):
Does not guarantee any of them a championship. Just because
you got picked does not mean you will, without a doubt,
reach your potential. Just because someone has chosen you because
they saw what was on the inside of you, and
that you knew what you had, what it took, and

(08:47):
they knew the greatness and they saw the workouts and
they did it. Just because you're chosen does not mean
you are guaranteed.

Speaker 2 (08:56):
And we talk about some of these draft picks.

Speaker 3 (08:58):
The reason you don't recognize them is because they had
a moment where they were drafted and by all of
the lists and measures, it made sense. Sambury's drafted before
Michael Jordan to go down one of the greatest basketball
players of all time. Cooper Flagg just got drafted number one.
But guess what, He's still gotta go to summer workouts

(09:20):
and he's still gotta see Will it translate from the choice?
Will it translate from the.

Speaker 2 (09:26):
Opportunity to an actual outcome?

Speaker 3 (09:30):
This morning, I want to talk to you today that
we have established and if you have not embraced it yet,
you need to know you have been chosen by God.
This is not up for debate. This is not a theory,
This is not an idea, This.

Speaker 2 (09:42):
Is not just a Good Sermon Series.

Speaker 3 (09:44):
This is theologically and for all intentsive purposes, the greatest
truth in your life. That the God of the universe
picked you, chose you. The Bible says, he gives us
the power and the desire to.

Speaker 2 (09:56):
Do what pleases him.

Speaker 3 (09:57):
God has chosen you. Estion is who will you be?
Because here's the reality for everybody in this room. After
you embrace the freedom that comes with God chose me,
you still have to decide who you're gonna be. And

(10:17):
many of us, if you're not careful, you think that
God choosing you guarantees you an outcome. That's not how
it works. God choosing you guarantees you an opportunity. These
are two different things. I'm trying to help you this morning.
Just because you have been given the opportunity does not
mean you're gonna actually believe it for yourself and put

(10:39):
the work in yourself and show up as yourself to
actually do and be who God has called you to be. Now,
in the case of these NBA players, it is a
very different story in the fact that if they don't
reach and do what they're supposed to do, they're gonna
get either traded or released back into what are they doing?

Speaker 2 (10:55):
God never does that with you. He will never throw
you away, He will never.

Speaker 3 (10:58):
Get rid of you. My question, how much potential have
you left on the table? How much of you is
on the table of what things you were supposed to do,
that were in your capability to do, but because you
couldn't believe it, because you didn't wrestle with it, because
you didn't think it of yourself, because nobody in your
family had ever done it, because nobody would support you,

(11:20):
because people didn't like your posts, because of whatever reason.
How much have you left on the table? How much
in you is the world waiting on? And God has
set time up and set people up and set life
up in such a way that he's saying, Okay, this
is the moment. I've picked you, I've called you out.
You're my first draft, You're the one I'm banking on.

(11:41):
But we stand at the starting line wrestling with well,
I just don't know if I can do it. I
just don't know if I have it. I just don't
know what.

Speaker 2 (11:49):
Happens if I and what do I do with this?
And what do I do that?

Speaker 3 (11:52):
And the question this morning is what and who are
you going to be?

Speaker 2 (11:57):
See the question.

Speaker 3 (11:58):
I found that many of us we start off when
God chooses us and when we have something that He's
called us to do, we start off, honestly, many times,
and I'll speak for myself, I start off.

Speaker 2 (12:08):
Asking the wrong question. Here's the wrong question.

Speaker 3 (12:11):
When you first start off and God choose you to
do something, he calls you and said, okay, this is
what I have for you. The first thing you go
to I was, Okay, what do I need to do?
God comes here. You have a moment, you're sitting in
worship or you come to prayer, and it's like, okay,
you heard pass.

Speaker 2 (12:26):
A Bree, we tell that beautiful story.

Speaker 3 (12:27):
Devin, what up?

Speaker 2 (12:28):
Devin's good to see you, brother.

Speaker 3 (12:29):
He tells his story about God changed his life through tribes,
and Bree's like, all you need to lead a tribe?
And your first thought is, okay, what do I need
to do? I need to scan the QR card. Dang,
I got this android. The QR codes don't always work
with the android.

Speaker 2 (12:41):
Let me no, I'm joking. I'm joking. I'm joking. Dang,
A lot more people got androids. That joke used to fly.

Speaker 3 (12:46):
Now you're like, hey, but you immediately go Okay, what
do I need to do? Okay, and you start going
through your list stuff to do is to see if
you're qualified to do it or not.

Speaker 2 (12:56):
Okay, do I have a space to do this thing?
What am I gonna Where am I gonna teach him?
What am I gonna say? What I'm gonna wear? My
house mail a litt funny because I got eight cats?
What am I gonna do about eight cats?

Speaker 3 (13:03):
And you start going through all the things, what am
I going to do? The only problem is what you
are going to do is based out of who you are.
A better question is who am I going to be?
What type of leader am I gonna become?

Speaker 2 (13:21):
What type of person? And I'm gonna be?

Speaker 3 (13:22):
For people when they share something, you have to start.

Speaker 2 (13:25):
With the question of who are you going to be?
Who a you're gonna be? Because here's the difference.

Speaker 3 (13:30):
Many of us. It's easier to think, Okay, if I
need to do something, I just need to change what
I'm doing. If I change what I'm doing, then it
will feel different.

Speaker 2 (13:38):
It's not the case. The truth is who you are.

Speaker 3 (13:42):
Is always gonna shape what you do, how you think,
how you operate. And here's the thing. What you're doing
is really just gonna take you planning on your calendar.
Who you're becoming is about your character. These are totally
different things. What you're doing is about just can I
work in some time to do something different so that

(14:03):
way I can reach what God's called me to reach.
Let me tell you, God is not giving you and
choosing you to give you a to do list so
you can just act like you're someone different. He wants
to change you from the inside out, so you become
a different person, so then you can do different things.
I'll illustrate it this way, y'all remember back in school
with it. Do they still do yearbooks? I don't know.

Speaker 2 (14:24):
Do they be doing yearbook? They do?

Speaker 3 (14:25):
Yes? No, okay, don't be looking at me crazy. That
stuff they don't be doing.

Speaker 2 (14:29):
All kids now got laptops.

Speaker 3 (14:30):
In school, we didn't have no laptops.

Speaker 2 (14:32):
But anyways, when you had.

Speaker 3 (14:34):
Your yearbook, they would write and sign it. And there
was one of the worst piece of advice you could
ever get as a sixth grader, never change. Some of
y'all took that to heart a little too much, but
the advice was, hey, stay who you are right now.
As comfortable as that would feel. The truth is, you know,

(14:57):
and I know, for you to do some things you
really want to do, you have to become somebody different.
I heard it said. I was having a conversation the
other day and somebody said, if you want to do
something you've never done, you have to be willing to
become someone you've never been. And many of us just
want to try to do something different without becoming somebody different,

(15:17):
because the truth is, if you want to become a
different person, it's gonna cost you something. It's gonna cost
you some where you get your.

Speaker 2 (15:24):
Security and identity.

Speaker 3 (15:25):
It's gonna cost you some discipline. It's gonna cost you
some things. And we have to talk about this because
the scripture Paul is talking about, he's talking to people
about this idea of freedom here in America. We just
celebrated the fourth of July. Some you almost blew your
fingers off trying to set off fireworks. No, Lie, I
was at my friend's house and we went and we

(15:45):
got kids, so we got the little kiddy fireworks. You know,
I'm not trying to be I'm passed trying to blow
my hands off.

Speaker 2 (15:49):
I don't need to do that, no more so.

Speaker 3 (15:51):
I got and I was like, okay, look at these guys.
We got four different colored smoke bombs for all the kids.
So I set up the smoke bombs. I lie them.
I'm like, all right, God, I'm standing like right here.
I was like, here's that go, and it's like and lit.
It was not a smoke bomb. And so everybody doctor
gay would shooting stuff up in tree. It was a
bad situation, but it just it felt like it was

(16:14):
supposed to be a smoke Hey, gonna make something that's
all one color and it's not a smoke bomb anyways,
But it's fourth of July. I was talking about freedom,
and I think many of us when it comes to
who we're gonna be. Here's the truth is, you gotta
deal with this word freedom because in our Western culture
and just the world, the way you define freedom is

(16:35):
I can do what I want, when I want, how
I want. That's what it feels like to be free.
Some of y'all in school right now, maybe you're in
high school or middle school, and you're like, man, I
can't wait to get grown, So I'm gonna eat what
I want when I won't. Let me, first of all,
tell you ain't gonna have no money. You're gonna be
eating Ramen noodles when you can, when you get it.

Speaker 2 (16:54):
You know what I'm saying.

Speaker 3 (16:56):
You're gonna be eating whatever you can get, whenever you
can get it. But we have this idea, and we
raise our kids with this idea that at some point
you'll be able to do what you want when you want.
And if you're not careful, you will mix that definition
with freedom, with scripture that says who.

Speaker 2 (17:14):
The son is set free is free indeed. And now
you think God choosing you and God.

Speaker 3 (17:20):
Equipping you is license to do what you want when
you want. And I've heard some people I've had to
even as I was writing the book, people are like, yeah,
God chose me, so y'all can't try to change me.

Speaker 2 (17:29):
It's like, okay, yeah, okay, yes, and.

Speaker 3 (17:36):
God chose you how you were, but He loves you
too much and your purpose is too important for you
to use that as an excuse to not grow, develop
and become the person that the world is waiting on.
Do not get it twisted. The idea that God has
chosen you is not a license to do whatever you want.

(18:00):
I just you know, God told me so. I don't
care what y'all think. Okay, And I preached a couple
of weeks ago about pleasing people. We ain't here to
please people, but you should be considerate of people. Somebody
be like, God chose me. I don't care about nobody,
forget them. They don't know nothing. Well, they might know something,
So before you use that as a means to get

(18:21):
out of watch this accountability and responsibility, because this is
what we love to do. We love to put God's
name on stuff he never did, just so we don't
have to be accountable to nobody. Oh I'm not even
gonna go there, but some of us will be doing that.

Speaker 2 (18:34):
I would preach to send you for a couple of
weeks ago.

Speaker 3 (18:37):
I ain't been back in a while, so I think
I did too much. But my role I told this
to tire youth pastor. I said, my role in saying
youth is to be the wild uncle that just come
in and say stuff.

Speaker 2 (18:47):
That can't really be said.

Speaker 3 (18:48):
I'm like, well, y'all having sex with people?

Speaker 2 (18:50):
What y'all doing? And they're all like, some of y'all
got nervous, y'all grown.

Speaker 3 (18:55):
I just said that to you, like, oh my god.

Speaker 2 (19:00):
It's true.

Speaker 3 (19:01):
Man, who's gonna ask him? Somebody gonna ask them direct questions.

Speaker 4 (19:06):
Sixth grader in a group talking about I gotta.

Speaker 3 (19:08):
Unspoken brother, you looked upon and we know what you did.

Speaker 2 (19:11):
Quit with the unspoken.

Speaker 3 (19:14):
Some of y'all in you tribe. I got a six unspoken.
So it's like, okay, brother, you are a gambler and
you need to admit that.

Speaker 2 (19:21):
Okay.

Speaker 3 (19:26):
We love to do that church, though, we use all
these God cards and facades to get out of what's
really going on. And if you don't address what's really
going on, you're not gonna get the real healing that
you need. This is not the place where you act like, yeah,
I'm fine and it's cool and we good. No, it's not.
And I don't know who you're doing that for. But

(19:47):
once you realize God has chosen you and he loves
you where you are, you then have the steadfastest and
the courage and continue to stay. Okay, I realize he
loves me where I'm where I am, but I cannot
stay here. And this is the message I want to
get to today. Some of you, you have been where
you are for too long, and what you don't realize
is it's costing you too much. You not becoming the

(20:11):
better and best version of yourself is costing the world,
your kids, your family, and your marriage way too much.
If we can lay it out on the table and
you could see, Okay, if you do this, it'll equal
that some of us be so disappointed to see what
have we left on the table because we wanted to
be free. I just want to do what I want

(20:33):
to do when I want to do it. I don't
want nobody telling me what to do. And that's fine,
except for when you come into contact with Romans chapter six.
Now I have to tread lightly here because there's some
strong language in this scripture.

Speaker 2 (20:47):
But I have to teach you something.

Speaker 3 (20:49):
Just because the Bible says something strong doesn't mean it's wrong.
Just because it says something you don't like and maybe
don't understand yet does not give us a license to
scoot around it and act like that's not what it says.

Speaker 2 (21:05):
We will do this. We'll read parts of scripture.

Speaker 3 (21:07):
And it's like, oh yeah, it definitely don't mean that
present your bodies as a living sacrifice. Like oh yeah, yeah,
you know, but not really, you know what I'm saying.
Just when you're in worship. There's really what he's talking about.
When youre in worship, you live your hands. That's like God, Yes, Lord,
that's really what he's talking about. In this scripture, Paul,
he starts using this language in this word a slave

(21:30):
to righteous living. As a matter of fact, if you
go read throughout scripture, Paul calls himself a slave of Christ.
This was common language in the New Testament. Now because
of American history, I have to stop it. Acknowledge the intensity,
the gravity, and the horrific nature that this word as
connotation can carry. And I want to acknowledge that. I

(21:52):
also want to go to the original language and the
original intent of what Paul is trying to communicate to
a group of people to understand what it means to
follow Jesus. Paul's using this word slave. Another word he
would use is bond servant. In this time, there's a
lot of different ways that this could go. One of
the ways would be people we can read about this

(22:12):
in the Old Testament, people to pay off debt would
become a servant, like, Hey, I ain't got the money,
you know, I'll get you tea every Tuesday for the
next fifteen years.

Speaker 2 (22:21):
We consider it a deal.

Speaker 3 (22:23):
He says, you have to become You used to be
a slave to sin. You used to be a slave
to your impulse. You used to be a slave to
whatever you were feeling. It's funny if you read his scripture.
What he's describing is what many of us think is freedom.
See many of us think when you're free. What you
think is I'm free to do what I want when
I want.

Speaker 2 (22:43):
That's not freedom. That's a slave to impulse.

Speaker 3 (22:47):
You're not free.

Speaker 2 (22:49):
You're a slave to your emotions. Because you pop off
and say whatever you want, whenever you want to whoever
you want.

Speaker 3 (22:53):
You are not free. You're a slave to whatever you're
feeling in that moment I'm gonna do. I will be
with who I want to be. No, you're a slave
to how you feel and your desires. You're not free.
You're a slave to your desires. I ain't nobody gonna
tell it. You're a slave to people pleasing. That's why
you don't do certain things. Let's not act like we
all ain't got one master. Whether you acknowledge or not,

(23:15):
you got a master.

Speaker 2 (23:17):
Ain't nobody tell me what to do.

Speaker 3 (23:18):
Okay, except for that feeling in you that wasn't addressed
when you were a kid. It makes you overcompensate by
talking down to people because you felt like nobody saw you.
You're a slave to what happened you when when you
were a child. Don't act like you being and bad.
We all have a master. He starts using this language
of hey, you used to be a slave to sin.

Speaker 2 (23:40):
You used to be a slave to the lesser version
of yourself. But God has chosen you. He has picked you,
He has given you true freedom. And here is true freedom.

Speaker 3 (23:53):
True freedom is not doing whatever you want when you want.
True freedom is the opportunity to choose who you want
to be. Because without this freedom, you don't have a choice.
Without grace, you're always gonna do the thing you don't
want to do. Without the Holy Spirit, you're always gonna.

Speaker 2 (24:12):
Fall to your desires.

Speaker 3 (24:13):
Without his empowerment, You're not gonna be able to keep
the marriage together.

Speaker 2 (24:17):
Without his joy on the inside of you.

Speaker 3 (24:19):
Always will fall subject to depression. And this is we
have to be careful because many of us think more
of ourself than we should. We think without his grace,
there's some stuff we can still be doing. The truth is.

Speaker 2 (24:28):
Without his grace, you don't have a choice. This is straight,
but it's true without his grace.

Speaker 3 (24:34):
As a matter of fact, Roman sixteen, Roman six sixteen.

Speaker 2 (24:37):
The Passion translation team do you have that? Can you
throw that up there for me?

Speaker 3 (24:40):
It says this in the Passion translation is so beautiful.

Speaker 2 (24:42):
Look what it says.

Speaker 3 (24:43):
Don't you realize that Grace frees you to choose your
own master, but choose carefully, For you surrender yourself to
become a servant, bound to.

Speaker 2 (24:57):
The one you choose to obey.

Speaker 3 (25:00):
Grace gives you the option to choose who you want
to serve. Without his grace, you're gonna serve yourself. You're
gonna serve your desires. You're gonna serve what you want.
You're gonna serve. But when Grace empowers you, he says,
I am the master that gives you the opportunity to
become something different, to become, an opportunity to be a
man that was never in the line of the men

(25:22):
in your family. I give you the opportunity to start
a business, even though everybody else has tried and it's failed.
I've empowered you. The question is who will you be?

Speaker 2 (25:32):
How will you live?

Speaker 3 (25:34):
What decisions will you make and you have to address
the truth of am I willing? This is strong language?
Am I willing to become a slave of Christ? Now?
These aren't the messages that usually people start doing laps
on and the organ is gonna kick on.

Speaker 2 (25:52):
That's not gonna happen with this one.

Speaker 3 (25:54):
But it is the message that empowers you to become
that version of.

Speaker 2 (25:59):
Yourself you think is possible.

Speaker 3 (26:00):
Right now, because here's some of the key details of
the original language and words that he is using to
become a slave in this.

Speaker 2 (26:08):
Concert, and say, I the will that I.

Speaker 3 (26:10):
Have is surrendered to my master's will. The identity I
have is surrendered to my master's identity.

Speaker 2 (26:18):
And depending on who your master is, this is.

Speaker 3 (26:20):
Either terrible news or the greatest news you've ever heard.
Some of us this idea, it's so hard to wrestle with,
and I understand it.

Speaker 2 (26:29):
But can I free you for a second to think, If.

Speaker 3 (26:31):
You want to become someone better, you've got to have
a master who's better than you. If you want to
become somebody different, you've got to have a master who
knows more than you. Any person that does anything at
any elite level, anybody who's mastered something knows this. People
who have mastered basketball don't eat whatever they want whenever

(26:53):
they want to eat it. They know. If I want
to master this, I have to have a master who's better.
There are a basketball player who are professional giddy Cooper
Flag who got paid sixty two million dollars. It's going
to go pay some six y two of the white
guy to look at his foot when he shoots and
tell him, hey, your foots that. Don't put your foot there.

(27:16):
Can't nobody tell me what to do. I'm a pro.
I made it, and that is the exact idea that
will have you in that contract and out of that contract.
It's the exact same idea that will keep you in
the same cycles of insecurity. It is that exact idea
that'll keep you in the same cycles of marriage breakdowns.
It's that exact idea. The question is is who who

(27:40):
are you gonna become?

Speaker 2 (27:41):
Are you gonna embrace the choice? God gives you this message?
The origin of this was I really felt this.

Speaker 3 (27:48):
Conviction of like man, I just here's here's what I felt.
I'll read it Galatians five, chapter one. So sorry, Melissa
didn't give you this one either, But it's all right
Galatians five, Chapter one.

Speaker 2 (27:59):
So Christ has set us free, that's the one everybody loves.
This is where the accountability comes.

Speaker 3 (28:07):
Now make sure you stay free. Freedom is not the issue.
It's who you gonna be once you get free. I'm
trying to tell listen, being free is not the issue.
It's who are you gonna be once you get free?
And many of us have been bound for so long.

(28:28):
You haven't thought past what happens when I get out
of the cycle of talking to everybody and just sleeping
with anybody. Who am I going to be when I
get married? You ain't thought about that? You just okay, yeah,
you know what I'm saying. I just want God to
get me out of this cycle and I'm gonna get free. Okay,
he gonna let you free. But if you haven't decided
to become a person of integrity, it don't matter how

(28:50):
many times he sets you free, because you're gonna go
right back to the same thing.

Speaker 2 (28:54):
It's not about what you're doing, it's who are you
going to be.

Speaker 3 (29:00):
The truth is, if you want to see something different
in your life, if you want to walk to the
fullness of the power of understanding, God has chosen you.
You're gonna have to make some decisions to say, Okay,
he chose me, Now I gotta be somebody different. Because
here's the trick. You're not trying to be somebody different
so that he chooses you. Let me get that straight.
Some of y'all, all your action and following, Jesus is

(29:21):
hoping that.

Speaker 2 (29:21):
If I read enough scripture, if I pray enough, if.

Speaker 3 (29:23):
I do enough, then he'll choose me. That's not how
he works. He chooses you, then he's empowers you to
become somebody different. You have to decide who you're gonna
be now, what you're gonna do. I just need to
stop doing this thing. You're doing that thing because you
don't know who you are. You figure out who you are.
These type of people don't do those type of things.

Speaker 2 (29:45):
Oh, I'm trying to help.

Speaker 3 (29:46):
You, okay, if you are going to get free for real? Again,
this is strong. But I'm just up here and I
got the mic, And if you don't like it, I
tried my.

Speaker 2 (29:57):
Best, but I said it earlier.

Speaker 3 (30:00):
But the truth is, if you're going to master anything,
if you're going to grow in anything, the option is
not am I slaver or am I free?

Speaker 2 (30:10):
Am I a bond servant? Am I free?

Speaker 3 (30:12):
The question is, like I said, have I chosen a
better master? My friend Will, he's sitting on the front row,
Will hackmebok. He's the associate campus pastor here. Will lost
a whole me in weight, literally much as that way,
how much way he lost? Will would tell you to

(30:34):
become free in his health. He has become a slave
to working out to become free in his health. He
has decided to become bound, to become under control, to
become in context with and unity with eating certain things
and not eating other things. You do not grow in

(30:57):
your health and make a massive transferm without deciding. I'm
choosing some things that are better for me and some
better things that get this the language of why master
is important because I'm gonna do it whether I feel
like doing it or not. This is what it means
to truly surrender your life. If you are going to
follow Jesus, if you want something different in your life,

(31:18):
you're gonna have to take the attitude of a servant.
I do not serve my desires. I serve this discipline.
I don't read the Bible when I feel like it.
That's not the times I read the Bible. Everybody read
the Bible when they feel like it. If you want
to become something different, it's what do you do when
you don't feel like it? How do you act when

(31:40):
you don't feel like acting the right way? How do
you talk to people when you don't feel like being kind?
How do you treat your wife when you're mad at
your wife?

Speaker 2 (31:47):
How do you talk to.

Speaker 3 (31:48):
Your kids when you feel they are on your last nerve?
This is the area that we have to talk about.
In this area, you cannot fake and you cannot use
religion and good deals and will power to consider this area.
This is the area of where all our downfall is
is when it's hard, when it's difficult, when we're frustrated
and we don't want to do anything, we result to

(32:09):
what to who we are. I'll tell y'all a real
story because it's the only way. The other day, me
and my wife we were navigating something and there was
a moment No, no, I'm not I'm not gonna tell
I want to go tell that story.

Speaker 2 (32:26):
It's the other story.

Speaker 3 (32:27):
Uh, there was a moment where I had thought that
something had happened that didn't happen. Let me I'm trying
to tell a story because my son's going to see
this thing.

Speaker 2 (32:39):
Anyway.

Speaker 3 (32:39):
Okay, we thought somebody for a second took my son's bike.
We have recovered the bike, so just but let me
tell you where your friend went.

Speaker 2 (32:50):
When I thought, my wife she said, hey, have you
seen blah blah blah blah.

Speaker 3 (32:56):
And she's like, hey, it's it's not out there, And
I said, WHOA, what you mean it's not I wear
where we left it. I go out there immediately when
I saw what was there, Immediately, the ghetto crazy.

Speaker 2 (33:08):
Side of me kicked in.

Speaker 3 (33:09):
The First thing I did is I sent a text
to two of my unnamed friends who have weapons.

Speaker 2 (33:16):
That's where I went straight to weapons. Man, I'm not
proud of it.

Speaker 3 (33:18):
So I went straight to oh you took my six
year old's bike.

Speaker 2 (33:22):
You think this is a game. I have friends.

Speaker 3 (33:29):
I'm not lying. I'm not proud of it, but that's
where I went.

Speaker 2 (33:32):
Then I went to.

Speaker 3 (33:33):
Crags list because I know people out here trapping is
trying to steal stuff posted on craigs List talking about
I'm selling this bike. I was gonna be like, hey, brother,
I'm interested. Where you want to meet at I'll pay
one thousand dollars right now for that bike, and then
y'all would have seen me in the news.

Speaker 2 (33:54):
Here's that's really what happened.

Speaker 3 (33:57):
I was and then we found a bike and I
was like, all right, yo, yo yo.

Speaker 2 (33:59):
Just cheer y'all foss alone.

Speaker 3 (34:04):
My bad, my bad, my band. Here's what I realized,
though the person I became there was a reflection of something.

Speaker 2 (34:16):
That was in me.

Speaker 3 (34:20):
How angry I got over a six year old bike,
was like, I will throw this all away. I don't
care about no book. I will go beat somebody with
a book if you gonna take my son's. But like,
here's what I'm saying. Whatever that area is for you,

(34:40):
wherever it feels like it goes right because we all
cool up until a point you and a arguing with
your spouse. You're like, yeah, no, I understand. And then
they say that one thing and you're like, hey.

Speaker 2 (34:51):
Hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey hey.

Speaker 3 (34:54):
Hey listen, listen, listen, listen, listen.

Speaker 2 (34:56):
I will.

Speaker 3 (35:03):
What if I told you that area is where some
of the most significant part of your purpose in transformation lies.
Wherever you go to where you stop being a slave
to Christ and you go back to being a slave
to your impulse and desire. Wherever you stop, where you

(35:23):
forget who you are and you go back to doing
what makes you feel good. Whenever you forget that God's
given you everything you need and you start questioning yourself,
whenever you forget who you are and how amaze you
and you fall subject to fear and whatever you fall
to that place, won't you do There is a reflection
of who you are. And I'm not going to sit

(35:43):
up here in church and give you a list of
things to do if you haven't changed who you are.
That's why church is so frustrating for some of you,
because you haven't become a different person. So you go
home and try to do my three points and it
don't work. Well, I did what they did, and I'm
giving them money, and I'm fascinating the mind. Drink the
kool aid, and I did the stuff, and I broke
a little cracker, and I took communion and I ain't

(36:04):
what's going on because you haven't become a different person.
This is why Jesus in the New Testament, he's talking
to his disciples, and he said, nobody could come and
follow me unless you've been born again, and they're like,
how we technically gonna be born again?

Speaker 2 (36:20):
You know, we can't go back into the wound. God,
that's kind of crazy.

Speaker 3 (36:22):
That's how you know they was all teenagers.

Speaker 2 (36:24):
They're just asking crazy.

Speaker 3 (36:25):
Questions and He's like, you don't, you don't you don't
understand that you have to. This is why if you
go on. In scripture, it says I have died. I've
died with Christ, and I've also been back to life,
brought back to life in Christ.

Speaker 2 (36:41):
I am a different person.

Speaker 3 (36:42):
The old has gone and the new is here.

Speaker 2 (36:46):
That's not just for baptism.

Speaker 3 (36:48):
That's an everyday decision in our life.

Speaker 2 (36:52):
You have to decide to put that version of you
to death.

Speaker 3 (36:56):
If you're gonna embrace that, God shows you that version
of you that does not I want to listen to
what he's telling you to do. You got to kill
that person every day. And I say it, that's strong,
because that's exactly how it needs to be. Many of
us we coddle this person, well, you know, they's been
through a lot and just got some traumas.

Speaker 2 (37:13):
They are trying to kill your family.

Speaker 3 (37:16):
Your purpose, your confidence. Do not play games with this,
Do not give it room or space.

Speaker 2 (37:22):
Just to sit around.

Speaker 3 (37:26):
Some of us, there are habits that are ravaging your
mind and your spirit and your soul and your family
and your marriage, and we're not staying free. That is
the issue. It's not that we can't come up to
the alter and have a moment where we pray and
lift our hands and someone prays over us and we
feel a brand new person. It's how do I stay free?
How do I stay back from going to that relationship

(37:46):
that's horrible from me? How do I stay out of
going to that addiction? How do I stay out of comparison?
It's not a matter of can I feel it for
a day as God has set me free? But how
do I stay free? If you go stay for You're
gonna have to become somebody you ain't never been before.
And I know it feels scary, and I know it
feels worried. But I came to tell somebody this morning
that God has given you everything you need to embrace

(38:09):
and become this person. You've never been a person of
consistency yet, but baby you wait, you've never been a
person of integrity.

Speaker 2 (38:16):
Wait, but you gonna be it.

Speaker 3 (38:17):
You've never been there before, but that doesn't.

Speaker 2 (38:19):
Mean you can't be it today.

Speaker 3 (38:23):
The devil has been spent too much time trying to
lie to you. That because that's who you've been, that's
who you are. That is a lie from the pit
of hell. And I stand up here as God's or
can say that is not the truth.

Speaker 2 (38:34):
Over your life.

Speaker 3 (38:35):
You will not always be worried and fearful, you will
not always have a lack of integrity, you will not
always compare yourself.

Speaker 2 (38:42):
You will be exactly who God called you to be.

Speaker 3 (38:51):
We can't play games with this thing.

Speaker 2 (38:55):
This is the.

Speaker 3 (38:56):
Realest part about following Jesus is the origins of this
message is radical commitment and radical living. It's not something
that's just like, okay, if you could just a little
bit of just it. I was talking to our kids
pastor Matt if you haven't met him, he is amazing
a new kids pastor, and I was talking to him,
and him and his wife spent ten years in India

(39:16):
as missionaries, and I was saying, I was just we're
having a conversation one night, and I said, what's the
biggest difference between churches here in the West and where
you were? And he said, well, over there, it just
cost you a lot more to become a Christian, he said.
Over there on Baptism Sundays, what we were preparing for

(39:38):
were not for tows and people to have a change
of clothes. What we had to look for is host
homes because when you go public with your faith over there,
your entire family renounces you and kicks you out of
your house.

Speaker 2 (39:52):
So the day of baptism.

Speaker 3 (39:53):
Was a very big deal at our church because people
were deciding, this is who I'm gonna this is who
I'm gonna be. Jesus is my savior. I don't care
what it costs me. I don't care if you approve
of me. I have decided to follow Jesus. That has
been the case for the message of Christ since its origin.

(40:16):
And there are moments where we can get in church.
It's like, man, I feel really good, and I hope
you feel really good.

Speaker 2 (40:23):
I really do, and I hope that feeling transitions into.

Speaker 3 (40:27):
An action that creates a lifestyle that makes you a
different person. If we just come to church and feel
good and leave, come on, you watched a couple movies
and felt good, but it didn't do anything in your life.
It needs something we need to become a different person today.
I want to give you three things to consider.

Speaker 2 (40:45):
Again. This is not like, hey, okay, I'm do these
and you mean tomorrow and.

Speaker 3 (40:48):
We'll be a different person. No, that's not Let me
tell you this. Becoming a different person is not a
finish line. There's no like, Okay, great, I am no
longer who I was. It's a journey, it's a process.
Is going to to the rest of your life.

Speaker 2 (41:01):
Let me just sell you on it now. This is
the greatest sales pitch ever. You will not get there
until you go to heaven.

Speaker 3 (41:08):
We're like, dang, that's kind of depressing until you consider
how you live in now, until you consider the other option,
until you consider going through our life without no hope,
until you consider out you a slave to this version
of yourself for the rest of your life and there
is no opportunity for you to become something different.

Speaker 2 (41:26):
We gotta be honest with you, Okay.

Speaker 3 (41:28):
Three ways to help you.

Speaker 2 (41:31):
Become the better you. First thing, it's going to take faith.

Speaker 3 (41:38):
Now. When I say faith, I am talking about faith
in God and faith that he can do anything. And
the subset or more important matter I want to draw
your attention to with this one. If some of you
do not have faith that you could ever become anything different.

(42:01):
The issue is not your faith. If you believe God
can do a miracle, because you believe that, you don't
believe you.

Speaker 2 (42:08):
Could go to the gym consistently.

Speaker 3 (42:12):
God just do something miraculous and you have faith for
Him to do a miracle. You don't have faith in you.
You don't have faith in His power in you. It's
not a matter of God could make a way and
you miraculously get a deal where you're gonna write a book,
or that you start writing a book. You don't have
faith that if you wrote it it would have any value.

(42:33):
You don't have faith that if you got accepted to
the college, you can make it through the college. So
you never applied for the college. Not because it's a
God issue. The honest truth is you don't have faith
in you. And here's what I'm saying. As you embrace
the Holy Spirit and His power on the inside of you,
you need to realize He can equip you to go

(42:53):
beyond where you are right now. Some of you husbands
do not have the faith to believe you could be
a different type.

Speaker 2 (43:00):
Of man than you were before you got married. I
just don't know. I just think it's kind of always going.

Speaker 3 (43:05):
Didn't Paul say he had a thorn in his sign?

Speaker 2 (43:07):
I think that's what it is.

Speaker 3 (43:08):
This is my thrown in my side, thrown in your side?

Speaker 2 (43:12):
Is not an excuse to be dumb.

Speaker 3 (43:15):
I thought I was gonna say something spiritual, No dumb
where I'm not saying you're not gonna have stuff you're
struggle in. But there's a difference between relinquishing your responsibility
and actively trying to make progress in something you know
is a weakness. And if you're going to become somebody different,
you've got to start with saying, do I actually believe
I could do this? Do I actually believe God has

(43:39):
empowered me to become somebody that I've never seen before?
Do I believe that God has equipped me with everything
I need to raise these kids even though I've never
seen it? Do I actually have faith? You gotta get
this faith right, because this next one is important. The
next thing is gonna be is it's.

Speaker 2 (43:54):
Gonna be a fight.

Speaker 3 (43:57):
You think the enemy gonna let you become somebody different
and not try to keep you from doing that. You
think he just gonna let you just be like.

Speaker 5 (44:08):
Oh, yeah, you're super insecure for thirty years, kept you
in that cycle. Oh you don't wanna do that anymore, Sure,
go ahead, that's not how it goes. And some of
this is I'm not talking about all of it, because
sometimes it'll be like all of it it's not all
spiritual attack.

Speaker 2 (44:23):
But don't get it twisted.

Speaker 3 (44:24):
There is some stuff that is definitely a spiritual attack, because.

Speaker 2 (44:28):
The enemy knows if you found out who you were.

Speaker 3 (44:32):
I don't know if y'all haven't seen those movies where
the chosen One don't know they the chosen one and
everybody else around, can I tell you that's a part
of your life.

Speaker 2 (44:39):
Some of y'all don't know who you are, and the.

Speaker 3 (44:41):
Enemy has kept you in habits and cycles and ideas
because he's praying and he's wishing and he's waiting because
he knows the day you find out who you at,
the day I found out who I was, the day
that God shows you who you are, you will be
a problem for Hell. So he is fighting with everything.

Speaker 2 (45:02):
He's got to keep you from knowing who you are.

Speaker 3 (45:05):
And let me tell you, if you're gonna change that,
it's not gonna get easier, it may get more difficult,
and this is where you have to go and address
your relationship with difficulty and with challenge, because some of
you will start to try to become a better person
and become a different person.

Speaker 2 (45:19):
And it feels like, oh, hell is breaking loose.

Speaker 3 (45:21):
Let me tell you that's because you got in the
game and wanted to make a difference. It's not a
sign you're going the wrong way. It's not a.

Speaker 2 (45:27):
Sign that God's not doing anything.

Speaker 3 (45:29):
It's a sign that something is changing. It's gonna be
a fight.

Speaker 2 (45:34):
Don't be surprised.

Speaker 3 (45:37):
It's gonna be difficult. Some friends are gonna leave you,
some people are gonna not be there for you. You're
gonna be disappointed, and you're gonna make a mistake.

Speaker 2 (45:47):
But here's the truth. It's worth it.

Speaker 3 (45:54):
And sometimes we forget how bad it actually was because
we get in the fight and it gets so difficult
and there's so many challenges and so many frustrations that
you're like the children of Israel and you're.

Speaker 2 (46:09):
Like, you know what, Egypt wasn't that bad.

Speaker 3 (46:16):
This is how it has exactly what we're talking about.

Speaker 2 (46:18):
They were slaves for.

Speaker 3 (46:19):
Four hundred years. God set them free.

Speaker 2 (46:23):
Then they free and they're.

Speaker 3 (46:24):
Like As a matter of fact, as I look at
the landscape, I think, I'm not mad at building the pyramids.

Speaker 2 (46:33):
And this is what happens if you don't expect to fight.
Because again, here's another idea.

Speaker 3 (46:39):
Jesus never promised you there wouldn't be a fight. It's
easy to get in charge and feel like, all right,
I raised my hand, I did the thing. I am good.
She said, in this world you will have troubles of
many kinds. When he put that many kinds in there
for somebody else's it's very he is type in different

(47:01):
stages and ages. But take heart, you're gonna it's gonna
take faith. It's gonna be a fight. The last one
is our word of the year. Focus. Now, when I
when I say focus, when I'm specifically and uniquely speaking of,

(47:23):
is what is at the forefront of your focus?

Speaker 2 (47:27):
What is the prevailing thought or idea?

Speaker 3 (47:31):
Because when you're becoming someone different, it's very very important.
What are you focusing on? Many of us to become
someone different. I know I struggle with this a lot.
Is I'm focusing on become trying to not be who
I was. Let me give you example how this plays out,
You're trying to become someone who is confident. So instead

(47:53):
of focusing on all the things you do have or
what you are, you're just not trying to be what
you were. So what does that leave you with? It
leaves you waking up with a list of don'ts. Don't
do this, don't do that, don't do this, don't say that,

(48:15):
and then I'll be who I want to be. I'm
not mad at you, and don't can be a motivator.
But what I have found in my own personal journeys,
as long as I give attention to what I can't
and what I won't and what I shouldn't, I get
crippled and I begin to live this small life that

(48:35):
is a list of things that I can't do, and
I feel restricted and I feel like, okay, just don't
mess up. And then you find yourself living life walking
through a minefield, and you're trying to not say that
and not do that, and not look that way and
not look this way instead of this life that's over
here where it's not about what you can't do, it's
not about what not to do. It is I have.

Speaker 2 (48:57):
Chosen a whole different life.

Speaker 3 (49:01):
Let me give you a real time example. When I
first got married. At first, I was thinking, Okay, just
don't mess up. Don't look at no hot girls, don't
look at porn, don't have sex with nobody.

Speaker 2 (49:09):
Key things, You'll.

Speaker 3 (49:10):
Have a great marriage. I got married at twenty years old.

Speaker 2 (49:13):
That's all the tools I had. I was talking to
a friend one time. It was an older gentleman.

Speaker 3 (49:19):
He was talking to me, and I was just talking
to him about being.

Speaker 2 (49:21):
Married, and he said, you know what I pray. I
pray that I've prayed for a long time. And I
was like, what is it? And he said, I prayed
for a long time.

Speaker 3 (49:28):
Guys, God give me eyes only for the one you
gave me. So instead of living over here, oh man,
I just can't do that, and I can't sleep with
that person, and don't do that, and don't say that
and bounce your eyes and do look, I go over
here to Wow, God, look at the beautiful wife person

(49:53):
you have given me.

Speaker 2 (49:55):
And what type of life could we build? What type
of marriage could we create? What kids could we raise
together with? What God?

Speaker 3 (50:05):
Where could we travel to? What could we see God
do in our life?

Speaker 4 (50:09):
God?

Speaker 2 (50:11):
It's a different focus. I'm not saying you can't make
it over here.

Speaker 3 (50:16):
What I am saying is your life is a lot
smaller over here, and many people live a lot of
their walk with Jesus on this side of the tracks.
You don't realize it, but this is the law. Don't kill,
I'm preaching. I know, page thank you, don't kill, don't steal,

(50:37):
don't cove it. That's the law romans Si is all about.
He's freed you from the law. Your life is not
a list of dues and dots. Your life is a
list of being and becoming and friend. The good news
this morning is God has set you free from your
to do list, and he's trying to empower you to

(51:00):
become a different person. And I know it feels like
it's impossible, and I know it feels like you've never
seen it, and I know it feels like you can't
do it. But I am telling you, I am a
living witness that if you will surrender, if you will
let him lead your life, if you will say, he's
not just my savior, but he is my Lord, and
he can tell me what to do, and he can
correct me, and I'll admit when I'm wrong. If you

(51:22):
will let him do it, the version on yourself you've
always dreamed of becoming.

Speaker 2 (51:30):
It's right around the corner this morning.

Speaker 3 (51:34):
I want to pray, not a prayer that you get free.

Speaker 2 (51:40):
I'm a prayer, a prayer that you stay free because.

Speaker 3 (51:43):
I know he can set you free. I'm a witness.
I got friends that are witness. He can set you free.
There's no chain he can't break. There's no addiction he
can't change. There's no marriage he can't restore. There's no
dead body he can't raise. There's no cancer that he
can't heal. There's no seed that he can part. There's
no person he can't deliver. There's nothing my God cannot do.

(52:04):
Trust me, whom the sun sets free is free. Indeed,
I ain't gotta pray if he can free you, what
I am gonna pray so that he would embolden you.

Speaker 2 (52:21):
You give you the courage to give you the strength
the belief to stay free.

Speaker 3 (52:35):
And I feel so strongly there are some of you
in here that you're about to give up because you're
just tired of fighting, because you're like, man, I just've
gotten free before.

Speaker 2 (52:44):
I don't even know if it's worth it.

Speaker 3 (52:47):
Some of you you felt depressed for so long you
don't know if you it's not that you can't feel
good for a couple of days.

Speaker 2 (52:54):
Can I stay free?

Speaker 3 (52:57):
And I want you to know we serve a God,
God who can set you free and he can keep
you free.

Speaker 2 (53:06):
That you by your hands to close your eyes.

Speaker 3 (53:08):
Dear Heavenly Father, all powerful King, mighty Lord, and gracious Savior.
We come to you right now asking that you would
do something beyond a moment, that you would do something.

Speaker 2 (53:21):
Beyond and experience and goosebumps.

Speaker 3 (53:23):
God, we are asking that you would empower us not
just to experience one moment of freedom, but that you
would give us the ability to stay free, to stay
free from insecurity, to stay free from comparison, to stay
free from that part of us that goes to the
lesser version of God.

Speaker 2 (53:42):
We want to stay free.

Speaker 3 (53:45):
I pray for all my friends under the sound of
my voice, and anybody watching this right now that has
found themselves in a fight to becoming the better version
of themselves. God, I pray that you would first meet
them and comfort.

Speaker 2 (53:57):
Them right where they are.

Speaker 3 (53:59):
I pray that you would encourage them in their faith,
give them strength to fight.

Speaker 2 (54:03):
And help them fix their focus. God I pray this week.

Speaker 3 (54:09):
This week, would you allow people to step from just
a moment of freedom to living a life of freedom.

Speaker 2 (54:18):
Every head bout, every eye close or some of you
in this room.

Speaker 3 (54:22):
We talk about the choice to stay free that only
comes from surrendering your surrendering your life to Jesus. And
it's a complete and full surrender. It's a moment off
you admitting you can't do it by yourself, a moment
where you realize you've tried to do it all and
it just doesn't work. You've tried to change your habits,
you've tried to become and be a good person, and

(54:42):
it just feels like.

Speaker 2 (54:43):
It's not working.

Speaker 3 (54:44):
This is the moment where you can become a different person.
God will. The Bible says he exchanges our heart of
stone for a heart of flesh.

Speaker 2 (54:53):
What does that mean. It means that part of you
that just feels.

Speaker 3 (54:56):
Frustrated at God and mad at God and doesn't even
want to do the right thing.

Speaker 2 (54:59):
He'll give you a new heart.

Speaker 3 (55:01):
Well, you'll start to develop desires that are completely different.
It's not a moment where everything becomes perfect, but it
is a moment where you can see your life.

Speaker 2 (55:09):
Start to make progress.

Speaker 3 (55:10):
If you're in this room or you're watching online, and
you accept Jesus as your Lord and savior.

Speaker 2 (55:14):
I'm gonna count the three. On the count of three,
I want.

Speaker 3 (55:17):
You to raise your hand, and you're gonna raise your
hand boldly, not embarrassed, not worried about what anybody thinks
about you. This ain't about nobody else but you and God.
This is your moment. Some of you need a fresh start.
Maybe you walked away from God. Maybe you're doing your
own thing. But today is the day you decide I
am becoming a new person.

Speaker 2 (55:34):
On the counter. Three, you're gonna lift your hand. One.
He loves you. Two. Today is the day of salvation.
Three right now in this room, lift your hand. All
over this room. I see you.

Speaker 3 (55:43):
I got you sis, so proud of you, all three
of y'all together. I see you back here in the corner,
a whole row right here, just God saved all together.
I see you, so proud of you. I got you
over here, so proud of you. I see you up there, dog,
I got you, so happy for you. I got you
right here, so happy for you. Hey, listen, everybody out loud.
I want you to repeat this prayer together.

Speaker 2 (56:04):
Everybody by your hands, clothes and right.

Speaker 3 (56:06):
Everybody say, Dear God, thank you for loving me. Dear Jesus,
I admit I've made mistakes, Save me, change me, make
me new in Jesus name, I pray.

Speaker 2 (56:21):
Amen.

Speaker 3 (56:22):
Can we celebrate everybody who just made the choice to
follow Jesus. Hey, listen, if you just made that decision,
it's the best decision you could ever make. If you
text the word save to eight two eight two eight two,
our team wants to help you. This is not a
journey you do and live by yourself.

Speaker 2 (56:41):
You need people.

Speaker 3 (56:42):
The other thing I'd ask you to do is tell somebody,
Tell somebody on your road, tell the parking lot of
tender as you drive out and be like, oh my God,
I'll get my life to Christ.

Speaker 2 (56:49):
And then they gonna cheer for you.

Speaker 3 (56:50):
But it's important to share this step. It's a beautiful,
beautiful thing. But we love you so much, so so
proud of you. Listen, We're gonna get out of here.
If you need prayer for anything, some of ours is
gonna be up here at the front and at the
back as you leave, And where's going to spend some
time worshiping? Feel free to stay, meet somebody, introduce yourself
to somebody next to you. But we love you so much,
and until next week, go out and live a transformed life.

Speaker 2 (57:14):
We love you.

Speaker 1 (57:15):
Thank you for joining us today. If you said that
prayer and accept it Jesus into your heart, it's the
best decision you could ever make. We want to celebrate
with you, and we have some tools to help you
on your journey. Tech saved to a two A two
A two and to find out more about TC text
connect to a two A two A two. Be sure
to subscribe and share this podcast with your friends. Thanks

(57:38):
for listening. Now go out and live a transform life.