Embracing Challenges: The Journey to Our Best Life

Here are the selected quotes from the sermon transcript:

1. "But as the family of God, we unite as one under the Lordship of Jesus Christ, under the leadership of the Holy Spirit. And I believe the Lord is releasing a spirit of perseverance over us, a spirit of endurance, one that says, don't give up. You're almost there. Don't give up. You're almost there. You see, on the other side is your best life. Just on the other side." [62:14] (45 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


2. "And the Spirit of the Lord says, keep pressing. The Spirit of the Lord said, keep moving. The Spirit of the Lord says, don't give up. And as one body, brothers and sisters, in Christ, we thank you, Father, that you've put endurance into this. We thank you, Father, inside of us. You said that the race is not given to the swift or to the strong, but he or she that endures to the end. Don't give up." [63:20] (41 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


3. "It's what we desire. It's what we want we want to encounter the goodness of God I've said it many times that God is not mad at you he's not angry he doesn't have a vendetta he wishes the best for each of us he has something beautiful in store in fact as he looks at you he knows your name as he looks at you he says you know what I want to walk you into your best life I know it's hard to believe when we consider our various circumstances we're saying how can that be we're gonna talk about that but he looks at you and he says I want to walk you into your best life I don't care how dark it is I don't care how difficult it may seem I don't even care how it feels I want to walk you into your best life that's what he says and so Isaiah begins this awesome God encounter" [73:57] (73 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


4. "But be careful because the very thing that God wants to use to usher you into your best life, you might despise because you don't recognize it. You don't recognize his goodness in operation. You're mad about it. Attitude about it. Fussing about it. Talking about it. But you're not recognizing the fact that God is actually trying to walk you in to your best life. You see, this is what Isaiah is trying to tell us." [81:02] (36 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


5. "You see, just on the other side. Of tragedy, difficulty. Rough circumstances. Is the very thing. That God is calling you into. It's just it's just right there. Literally, it's right there. Now, we can't see it. We can't see the forest for the trees, but it's right there. And so many times we get right there. And what do we do? We pull up. We pull up short. And God is just saying, hang in there. Hang in there. Come on, hang in. Don't give up so easy." [82:32] (53 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


6. "Repentance becomes the door that we open to get to our best life. Repentance becomes the door that we open to get to our best life. Repentance becomes the door we open to get to our best life. God, I'm feeling all that you're feeling about my situation. I know I'm receiving a lot of negative pressure at work, hard times. And I haven't been looking at it as something you want to use. Instead, I'm, I'm mad about it. I'm gossiping about it. I'm going for that eye for that eye. I'm taking up arms. And God says, no, no, no, no, no. That's not how we do things." [98:19] (61 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


7. "For observe this very thing that you sorrowed in a godly manner. What diligence it produced in you. What clearing of yourself. What indignation. What fear. What vehement desire. What zeal. What vindication. In all things you proved yourself to be clear in this matter. What is he saying? Let me see if I can modernize these words. He's saying, you are more alive now. He said, you're more concerned. You're more sensitive. You're more reverent. You're more human. You're more passionate. And you're more responsible. The very thing. That could have destroyed you. God is using to free you and move you into your best life. Do you see it? Do you see it? This is hard to see, but I'm telling you." [100:07] (59 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


8. "God is good. Tell your neighbor God is good. Tell your neighbor, God is bigger than your circumstance. Tell your neighbor, God wants to use your circumstance. He'll even use your sin. Yes, He will. God's not afraid of your sin. He already conquered that thing that you struggle with. I said He conquered it. He put it to bed on the cross. He'll use it if you don't give up. If you keep pressing one foot in front of the other, just do the next right thing. Don't pull up short. Don't come out half -baked." [101:24] (67 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


9. "Let's just make sure next year we're better than this year. Come on now. Don't let us find you in the same place next year. Talking the same way. Acting the same way. Thinking the same way. Running with the same folk. Huh? Just a little bit further next year. Right? We can do this. Why? Because He's good. His very nature is good. Good is inside. It's part of His very fiber. It comes out of every part of His very being. He's good. And when He speaks over you, it's good." [103:06] (44 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


10. "I believe there are many who are right at that threshold. And whatever your situation or circumstance is, you're feeling this temptation to back it up. You're feeling this temptation to lay down. To stop moving. And I want to pray. And I want to pray over us that we will have a supernatural strength to keep moving. I'm even going to pray that God begin to show you glimpses of your best life. Again, it doesn't matter where you are in the age spectrum. I want God to show you glimpses of your best life. I don't know how He's going to do it. He might come to you in a dream. He might whisper it in your ear." [104:24] (50 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)