Letting Go: Embracing God's Renewal in Our Lives

Jul 27, 2025

Devotional

Day 1: The Dangers of Spiritual Hoarding

Spiritual hoarding occurs when we cling to old traditions, past hurts, or outdated methods, refusing to let go even when God is trying to do something new in our lives. Like the Pharisees in Matthew 12:38, we can become so attached to what was that we miss the presence and power of Jesus right in front of us. This attachment can stem from fear, trauma, or even good intentions, but ultimately it keeps us from receiving the fresh move of God. Ask yourself: are you holding on to something that no longer serves you, preventing you from experiencing the fullness of God’s grace and direction? [03:07]

Matthew 12:38 (KJV)
Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee.

Reflection: What is one tradition, memory, or belief you are holding onto that may be keeping you from embracing what God wants to do in your life today?

Day 2: The Need to Clean and Fill the House

It’s not enough to simply get rid of the things that weigh us down; we must also allow God to fill the empty spaces with His Spirit and new purpose. Jesus warns that if we only clean out the old but do not fill ourselves with something new, the emptiness can invite even greater struggles back into our lives. True transformation comes when we not only release the past but also open ourselves to receive God’s presence, healing, and direction. Don’t just treat the symptoms—invite God to address the root and fill you with His Spirit. [31:44]

Matthew 12:43-45 (KJV)
When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished. Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.

Reflection: After letting go of something unhealthy, what is one way you can intentionally invite God to fill that space in your heart or life today?

Day 3: The Power of Forgiveness and Releasing Bitterness

Holding on to bitterness, unforgiveness, or resentment can block our prayers and hinder our relationship with God. The Bible teaches that if we do not forgive others, it affects our own forgiveness and spiritual connection. Releasing those who have hurt us does not mean reinstating them to their former place in our lives, but it does mean freeing ourselves from the weight of pain and making room for God’s healing. Don’t let the actions of others keep you disconnected from God’s love and blessings. [38:33]

Psalm 66:18 (KJV)
If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.

Reflection: Who is one person you need to release from your heart today—not to restore the relationship, but to free yourself from the weight of unforgiveness?

Day 4: Renewing Your Mind and Being Filled with the Spirit

Lasting change requires more than just outward actions; it demands a daily renewal of the mind and a continual filling of the Holy Spirit. The Bible urges us to take every thought captive and to be filled with the Spirit, not just once but every day. When we allow God to renew our minds, we break the cycles of old patterns and make room for His power to work in us. This is how we move from being weighed down by the past to walking in freedom and victory. [48:08]

Ephesians 5:18 (KJV)
And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;

Reflection: What is one negative thought or pattern you need to “handcuff” today, and how can you invite the Holy Spirit to fill your mind instead?

Day 5: Naming and Releasing What We Hoard

Freedom begins when we honestly name what we are hoarding—whether it’s grief, worry, old wounds, or unhealthy attachments—and bring it before God. By identifying and releasing these weights, we create space for God to fill us with His peace, purpose, and presence. This act of surrender is not a one-time event but a daily practice of letting go and making ourselves available for God’s new work in our lives. Don’t let the past or your pain have the final say; let God fill your “storage” with His goodness. [55:35]

Philippians 3:13-14 (ESV)
Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Reflection: Take a moment to write down one thing you need to release to God today—name it, pray over it, and ask God to fill that space with His presence.

Sermon Summary

This month’s journey has been about encountering God by removing the things that block our connection to Him. Today, we explored the idea of “hoarding”—not just in the physical sense, but emotionally and spiritually. Using the story of the Pharisees in Matthew 12:38, we saw how clinging to the past, to traditions, to pain, or to trauma can keep us from receiving the new things God wants to do in our lives. The Pharisees were spiritual hoarders, holding tightly to old laws and customs, unable to embrace the living Christ standing before them. Their story is a mirror for us: we, too, can be weighed down by what we refuse to release.

Hoarding can have many causes. Sometimes it’s sentimental—holding on to memories or objects that remind us of loved ones or better times. Sometimes it’s about aesthetics or usefulness, or even creativity. But often, it’s rooted in trauma, fear, or patterns passed down through generations. We may hold on to things because we fear loss, or because having control over objects feels safer than risking relationships. These patterns can be so deeply ingrained that we don’t even realize we’re carrying them.

But Jesus offers a way out. He teaches that it’s not enough to simply “clean house” by getting rid of the obvious clutter. If we don’t fill that empty space with something new—if we don’t allow God’s Spirit to fill us—then the old patterns, the old pain, will return, often stronger than before. It’s not just about deleting the files; it’s about making room for a new download from God. Forgiveness, release, and openness to the Spirit are essential. We must name what we’re hoarding, bring it to God, and let Him fill the void with His presence, His peace, and His purpose.

This is a call to honest self-examination. What are you hoarding? Is it grief, bitterness, unforgiveness, or old traditions that no longer serve you? Are you so full of yesterday that you can’t receive what God wants to do today? The invitation is to let go, to make room, and to be filled daily with the Spirit. Only then can we truly encounter God and walk in the freedom and fullness He desires for us.

Key Takeaways

1. Hoarding is more than a physical issue; it’s often emotional and spiritual. We can be weighed down by memories, trauma, traditions, or even good intentions that have outlived their usefulness. Recognizing the hidden things we’re holding onto is the first step toward freedom. [15:07]
2. The roots of hoarding can be healthy or harmful. Sentimentality, creativity, and usefulness can lead us to keep things, but trauma, fear, and generational patterns can trap us in cycles of emotional clutter. We must discern the difference and be willing to break unhealthy cycles, not just for ourselves but for those who come after us. [26:23]
3. Simply removing the clutter isn’t enough; we must fill the empty space with God’s presence. If we only “clean house” without inviting the Spirit to fill us, the old patterns and pains will return, often stronger than before. True transformation requires both release and renewal. [35:26]
4. Forgiveness is a key part of making room for God. Holding onto bitterness or unforgiveness blocks our prayers and our relationship with God. Forgiveness doesn’t mean reinstating someone to their old place in our lives, but it does mean releasing them—and ourselves—from the power of the past. [38:33]
5. Daily renewal by the Holy Spirit is essential. We must ask God to fill us every day, to renew our minds, and to saturate our hearts. Only then can we resist the return of old weights and truly walk in the newness God has for us. The Spirit’s filling is not a one-time event, but a daily necessity for victorious living. [49:53]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:32] - Introduction: What Are You Hoarding?
[01:59] - Hoarding vs. Weight: TV Show Parallels
[03:07] - The History of Israel’s Oppression and Change
[08:45] - The Rise of the Pharisees and Spiritual Hoarding
[15:07] - Causes of Hoarding: Sentimentality, Trauma, and Fear
[26:23] - Cleaning for the Hoarder: Jesus’ Parable
[31:44] - The Phone Storage Metaphor: Deleting and Downloading
[35:26] - Emotional Hoarding: Bitterness, Unforgiveness, and Connection
[38:33] - The Power of Forgiveness and Release
[41:45] - Consequences of Not Dealing with Hoarding
[44:19] - Treating the Root, Not Just the Symptom
[49:53] - The Need for Daily Filling by the Spirit
[55:35] - Naming and Releasing What We Hoard
[57:46] - Personal Story: Grief as a Persistent Weight
[63:33] - Invitation to Respond and Practical Steps
[69:19] - Announcements and Community Life
[72:48] - The Importance of Fellowship and Closing Remarks

Bible Study Guide

Small Group Bible Study Guide: “What Are You Hoarding?”

Bible Reading

Matthew 12:38-45 (ESV)
38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, “Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.”
39 But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.
40 For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
41 The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.
42 The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.
43 “When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, but finds none.
44 Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds the house empty, swept, and put in order.
45 Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there, and the last state of that person is worse than the first. So also will it be with this evil generation.”

Observation Questions

In Matthew 12:38, what did the Pharisees ask Jesus for, and what does this reveal about their attitude toward Him?
According to the sermon, what were some of the things the Pharisees were “hoarding” spiritually, and how did this affect their ability to receive Jesus? [[08:45]]
In Jesus’ parable (Matthew 12:43-45), what happens when the “house” is cleaned but left empty? What is the consequence?
The sermon mentions that hoarding can be rooted in trauma, fear, or generational patterns. What are some examples given of how these roots show up in people’s lives? [[15:07]]

Interpretation Questions

Why do you think Jesus used the example of an “unclean spirit” leaving and returning with seven more spirits to describe the danger of simply removing something without filling the empty space? How does this relate to emotional or spiritual hoarding? [[35:26]]
The Pharisees clung to old traditions and laws, even when Jesus was offering them something new. What might be some reasons people today hold on to old ways, even when God is trying to do something new in their lives? [[08:45]]
The sermon says that forgiveness is a key part of making room for God. How does holding onto bitterness or unforgiveness block our relationship with God, according to both the Bible and the sermon? [[38:33]]
The pastor shared a personal story about grief being a “persistent weight.” What does this teach us about the nature of emotional hoarding and the need for daily renewal? [[55:35]]

Application Questions

The sermon challenges us to name what we’re hoarding—whether it’s grief, bitterness, unforgiveness, or old traditions. What is one thing you sense you might be hoarding in your own life? How does it show up day-to-day? [[53:02]]
The pastor said, “If the house is clean, but empty, it’s coming back.” After you let go of something, what are some practical ways you can invite God’s Spirit to fill that space? [[35:26]]
Think about a time when you held onto something (an object, a memory, a grudge) because of fear or trauma. What would it look like to release it to God? What’s one step you could take this week? [[15:07]]
The sermon mentioned that sometimes we hoard things out of sentimentality or because of generational patterns. Is there something you’re holding onto because “that’s just how it’s always been”? How might God be inviting you to break that cycle? [[15:07]]
Forgiveness was described as “release, not reinstatement.” Is there someone you need to forgive—not to let them back into your life, but to release yourself from the power of the past? What’s holding you back? [[38:33]]
The pastor talked about the need for daily renewal by the Holy Spirit. What is one way you can make space each day for God to fill you—through prayer, worship, or another practice? [[49:53]]
The sermon ended with a call to honest self-examination and making room for God’s new work. What is one area where you want to experience God’s freedom and fullness this month? How can the group support you in this? [[53:02]]

Closing Prayer Suggestion:
Invite group members to silently name what they are hoarding and ask God to help them release it and fill the empty space with His Spirit, peace, and purpose.

Sermon Clips

“Hoarders want to keep on and hold on to everything. And I want to introduce the message like this because, in a real sense, the scripture that I read before you earlier, the context really, in a real sense, they didn't call it that, but that's really what it is. It's really hoarding at the foundation of this text. It's hoarding because... It's hoarding because...happened in the Old Testament really probably around the 5th century BC up into the 2nd century BC a lot of shifts were happening governmentally and the children of Israel had been kind of oppressed and marginalized and disenfranchised for centuries you can really go back way to the book of Exodus to see their marginalization when the scriptures suggest that for 430 years those Hebrews had been in captivity in Egypt 430 years and that's why God sent Moses and so they had had a history of of disenfranchisement and struggle so being overtaken by the Egyptians before being released and then ultimately the Syrians came on the scene with Sennacherib and the Syrians also treated them in a very harsh manner after the Syrian domination you saw the rise of the Babylonians with King Nebuchadnezzar and Nebuchadnezzar and it was through the Babylonians that they took the Hebrew people into a 70 year period of captivity and so over”

“and over again they found themselves on the lower rung of everything in terms of that which was successful that was really a low trajectory for them even though they were the people of God and so imagine coming you're the darling of God's eye but you've been suffering from the Egyptians for 430 years you had to deal with the Assyrians and Sennacherib then you have to deal with the Babylonians and Nebuchadnezzar for 70 years and then ultimately what happens is God allowed the Persians and King Cyrus and Darish the first to come along the scenes at the conclusion of the 6th century BC and so they faced just oppression after oppression and so much had been shifting for them and so what happens in their own government as a consequence where there used to be governmental leaders on one side and high priest on the other side the high priest represented God their their their faith matters their spiritual matters in terms of the temple their sacrifices to God and so on one side you have the high priest that was the one who went to make atonement for the people once a year when they would go up and the high priest would go behind the veil for them every year to make intercession and atonement for the people so you had the high priest on one side but then you had the governmental leaders whether it be the kings or the military leaders on the other side and so they had a real clear demarcation between what was what was sacred with the high priest and what was secular what was godly with the high priest and what was governmental with their leaders whether it be a king or a monarch and so they were able to kind of parse in between what was godly what was governmental what was sacred and what was secular but then around the second century after all those struggles what happened they decided some some person decided what we're gonna do is we're gonna merge the two positions and so the government we're gonna take responsibility for what was godly the sacred is gonna take”

“responsibility the secular is gonna take responsibility of what was secular and so what happened the governmental leaders or the military leaders said tell you what we don't need god no more we don't need religious leaders no more we gonna become the spiritual leaders and we gonna run government and so that's what we're gonna do we're gonna be the president and we don't we're gonna be the Pope at the same time so it's gonna it's gonna be not two offices it's gonna be one and so one person is gonna be the person that's gonna lead okay y 'all finally got it so we don't we're gonna blend these two positions and so what what happened is and I'm just saying what I'm saying for those who offended if you're triggered you just triggered but but but what happened a group arose that said we don't like this things are shifting too much we got to get back to the God's way and so what they decided is so we're gonna hold on to everything that used to bewe're gonna hoard everything from the Old Testament every law every precept every principle so we gonna stay stuck we want to hold on to everything that's been because so much is shifting and changing and so this merger of the high priest office and the military leaders made them act in such a way that they had this attachment and an extreme affinity for what was are you with me so this is kind of the context that was going on in the first century and now here this field preacher from Galilee named Jesus comes on the scene and he comes on the scene and says you know I and when you see me you seen the father he comes on the scene is that I am the way the truth and the life no man can come to the Father except by me and so what happened there was a group that arose called the Pharisees it was a spiritual group it was a religious group they they they didn't believe in this duality of governmental and godly leaders being one they didn't believe that the governmental leaders should also operate as the high priest and so they wanted to”

“go back and so they they came in defiance they didn't want anything that was new they wanted to keep it the old way and no matter what God was trying to shift or new dispensation nope we we're gonna hold on to everything that was and so in a real sense hoarding was the context of the Pharisees whole plight and perspective are you listening to me and so this group of hoarders is on the scenes and now Jesus comes into the world and he is a Jew but he represents everything they didn't represent you know Jesus was not a hoarder as a matter of fact Jesus comes on the scene and what Jesus says is this I've I came to fulfill the law Jesus comes along the scene and why they believe that on Saturday on Sabbath that you shouldn't heal you shouldn't pluck corn that it was the day of the Lord well here Jesus come on the scene and he is a man with a wooden hand on the Sabbath so in their estimation they can't even celebrate the miraculous nature of this man's hand being healed why because they were hoarding these Old Testament principles if you were hungry on the Sabbath day the Pharisees didn't care if you had pellagra or malnutrition die just don't eat that corn because they were holding on to these old customs and ways and didn't want anything to change and so Jesus comes on the scene and they had all it they had issues with them they were always trying to tempt them in and trap him because they couldn't get out of what it was and I thought about it in a real sense because as relates to us many of us may not have hoarding like the Pharisees had it but in a real sense if you're not careful all of us can be guilty of hoarding and when I talk about hoarding I'm not talking about artifacts that you keep at the house and some of y 'all are like that some you got artifacts at the house everywhere right but I mean it's possible to hoard physically but it's also possible to hoard emotionally and and instead of meeting the possibilities of what Christ and what a new day may bring we”

“still have this affinity for what was so I want to talk about this I gave you a little context just to make sure that you understand I'm within the context here but I want to talk about the causes of hoarding the causes of hoarding I share that with you a little bit of the history with the Pharisees just under let you know why why am I why am I labeling this line like that they were spiritual hoarders in a real sense but what are the causes and the Pharisees listen they thought they were right they thought they were being spiritual so they were holding on to what was the vestiges of the law but I also looked at a little deeper from a psychiatric perspective and as a psychiatrist whose name is Dr. the Carolyn Rodriguez and Carolyn Rodriguez she puts another perspective on it that made me appreciate it she said some of us hoard because of sentimentality sentiment sentimental value sentimental value for example when my sister passed away my mother and really my mama was a hoarder my mama my mama was a hoarder I mean she I mean she had stuff from 1960 I mean I mean she had her 4 -H she was a hoarder you know I'm saying I mean she kept everything baby shoes from from from from from when I was 18 months old I mean just like what are we doing with this like what like what is the purpose I mean I can't wait please no more she would probably just I mean she would hold on to things like that and when my mama passed away my sister was such a hoarder that she wanted to hold on to everything that belonged to mama all mama's clothes all mama's plants all mama's hats and my mama had hundreds of hats my sister has never worn a hat in her life unless it was a baseball cap so you take all this stuff from mama's house and don't want to give it away don't want to bless nobody it was so bad that she had to get three pods to go in the back of her house come on come on now come on don't don't y 'all judge my sister because some of y 'all got eight eight pods right and and she and she for”

“years because it brought sentimental value so sometimes sentimentality makes us hold on to things in a real sense that the Pharisees was kind of sentimental to what was prior to that secularization of the high priest's office and so and which so it's not really a bad thing that can be some healthy origins you know it can come from a healthy place it's a sentimental value but also the aesthetics you know how something looks when you see something that's beautiful if you if you if you're walking through the beach I don't know if you if you like this or not but if you walk through the beach some of you like to pick up seashells right some of you collect seashells are there any persons who collect seashells when you go to to the beach I see all right you just collect seashells and you take it home with you right and and they're beautiful and you see how they're made now you can't sell it we have to do it is to do it and it can have you hopeswon't help you to pay rent but you the aesthetics of it right or you may be at a flea market you may see something that you like a picture a photograph so something is aesthetically pleasing and so you just you just grab it so so that's not a bad it's a healthy origin the third thing is usefulness of it you may see something that's useful man I this you know this this I can use this for something you know somebody may need this for something you know you know oh man this this this extension cord right here I know somebody may can use this extension cord so I'm gonna get this extension cord because one day you know I might I might can use now you got 50 extension cords in the house but but but but this is this this is another extension cord that I can I can use somebody one day I can put a Christmas decorations or I can use this and so we sometimes my health perspective hoarding can come from sentimentality it can come from aesthetics it can come from usefulness so you can have positive intentions with hoarding I really believe that”

“the Pharisees had positive intentions initially they were trying to keep these these clowns from weighing the Pope's guard they were trying to make sure that you kept separation I believe it came from a good place because hoarders sometimes they do things to conserve energy conserve resources hoarders are typically creative they can a hoarder can see a toilet paper roll right when the toilet paper is finished and they don't throw it in the trash they said you know what I can use these to make binoculars for my grandbaby right so they're off I'm serious I'm saying this is true I'm not trying to be fun they they they they they they're very creative and they take things you know I can do this with this now they they can have a vision for something but never plan and so in that moment they see creativity with it they take the item they keep it now nothing ever transpired from it but it came from a place of creativity oh y 'all listen to me I'm going somewhere and so these are the healthy origins or causes perhaps of hoarding but at the same time on the other end of the coin hoarding can have come from a harmful origin one place that hoarding can come from is trauma when you've been traumatized a lot of our senior citizens and our seasoned saints who came through poverty they will hold on to stuff right and not throw stuff away because they remember not having right and and and and and they came up saying don't you throw that away right a friend last week who's Jamaican told a story about when he was grew up in Jamaica very poor that he rarely got an opportunity to get a snicker bar and whenever he get a snicker bar he eat one bite out the snicker bar and he'd cover that snicker bar up and put it in the refrigerator his entire life he came now this guy came to the United States to play play professional football but even when he was grown whenever he bought a snicker bar he'd eat one bite out of the snicker bar fold the paper up and put it in the refrigerator well by”

“the time his wife and kids come along and they see the snicker bar in the refrigerator and somebody would go to the refrigerator who's hungry and see that snicker bar the piece of it so guess what they would do they would eat the snicker bar and it would trigger him so you got a six foot five three hundred pound man who's triggered over a piece of snicker bar now he can have four of the snicker bars in the house but because from a place of trauma poverty it's been said that sometimes people who hoard people who've been evicted or people who had foreclosure and they've had to see that stuff put on the streets in a few days to pack everything up that what they do because they had they experience loss they hold on to stufffeelings of loss this is what the pharisees were going through they were trying to hold on to what was they they they they lost their identity they lost what they thought with their history some of us are right now are hoarding pictures uh on your mantelpiece at the house of somebody that you no longer with oh god y 'all got y 'all got y 'all got the break y 'all got the brakes on me y 'all got the brakes and so divorce breakup they're no longer your boo they're no longer you obey but if you look through your phone right now you got photographs of a person you got artifacts and things that they purchase you that you won't get rid of boy i should probably get off that because it it really is a trauma response so trauma can make you do it fear can make you do it not not having i saw something about a psychosocial dimension of trauma of hoarding that blew my mind it said that some people like to have objects because they've been controlled all their lives and so because they've been controlled all their lives or have lost control now having objects gives them them the ability to be in control then others say i like to have myself surrounded by objects and not people i'd rather have objects in the house and not people why because objects don't betray you”

“so they found a sense of safety and being surrounded by things and objects because they found so it's really a cycle response then thirdly a trauma can be hereditary really at the time of jesus these pharisees are now living out the same trauma that was going on for 200 years prior to their existence in other words these pharisees in matthew 12 38 these are not the pharisees that saw the secularization of the high priest's office they weren't born in they weren't born in but they heard it passed down through generations you know what they did back in the day and so those stories they're regurgitating them in their lives so they are fighting battles really that their ancestors fought so the same hoarding spirit that had been going on for generations is now in them and this is why you and i got to be careful about what we pass on you know it's almost like david killed goliath but goliath had some brothers and david killed goliath but he didn't handle his brothers and guess what happened when david was gone those brothers still came back and caused problems for the people of god why because david didn't kill all of his enemies and because david didn't kill all of his enemies his offspring had to fight in battles that he himself did not fight my question today is are you hoarding something from your father a trauma response that because of what you hoard hoarded emotionally you can't have a civil conversation with your child so you're passing on that trauma from what you've experienced down to the next generation because you and i sometimes have to fight battles that are not our own are y 'all gonna help me preach here and so trauma it can pass evictions death divorce because what hoarding is i didn't know this for the person who's having this issue and trauma response whenever they get something it's like a shot of dopamine goes to their brain so the moment you try to take away if you watch the show when you try to take something away from themthey go crazy and you”

“think it's about the stuff because you think it's you think it's about the stuff because you know it's about it that day the program has passed away from them and it's about the thing that they've been able tothe stuff it's not about the stuff it's what's behind the stuff and this is why you don't have to be careful what people are dealing with because you don't know what people are carrying you don't know what what kind of things people are harboring in their emotions and right now some of us are heavy emotionally because you're holding on to artifacts that have no value you're holding on the stuff that does not profit or benefit you in life so my question to you today is what are you hoarding see for some people it's a bunch of what we think is junk in the house for other people it can be my 600 pound life some of us are not 600 pounds physically but you're 800 pounds emotionallyso weighted down suffocated by stuff that you're carrying that you refuse to get rid of and you can be right in the presence of jesus breakthrough can be right at your door but you can't recognize jesus that you're talking to you want to sign the pharisee they realize you don't need a sign when you're standing in front of the saviormy thing is what are you hoarding who are you hoarding what do you have on you that's of no value what are you still keeping on your person that really is a reminder of your pain y 'all got the brakes on do it this morning so the causes of hoarding hoarding can be trauma fear hereditary it also can can can come uh hoarding can also come from sentimentality aesthetics usefulness and so i believe the pharisees may have had good intentions oh we're gonna father law but now they want they look down on everybody else some of you some of some of us are religious hoarders yeah yeah we're religious orders when people come in church that don't have a suit and towel y 'all quiet on me some of you hoard the traditions of what you were told church was and so it's giving an”

“old time religion it's good enough for my mama you hold on to that and you miss jesus some of us make church about clothes and not about souls some of us get more upset about a fellow having on a hat than than a religious leader having hell in their hearts that's why god that's why the bible says that man looking at the outer appearance but god many churches are nothing but ecclesiastical hoarders we hold on to things from the past that were useful in our traditions that work one time not realizing that god is taking us from glory to glory and faith to faith and i believe that's why the scriptures say god i will do a new thing in you now our message will never change the message is jesus and him crucified the messages if i be lifted up the messages he still saves from the utmost to the gutter he says the message never changesbut the methods and many of us are hoarding methods from 1965 that we miss what jesus is trying to do in 2025.what are we hoarding what are you hoarding number two that's the causes of hoard number two let me deal with this uh the cleaning for the hoarder the cleaning for the hoarder jesus said you know what jesus said you know i'm tired of y 'all pharisees he said i'm so tired of y 'all so he takes it a step further in in verse 42 and 43 he says let me tell y 'all let me let me let me give y 'all a parable to let me to let y 'all know what i think about y 'all verse 43 matthew 12 he says when the unclean spirit is gone out of a man he's a man can have an unclean spirit and when the unclean spirit is gone out of the man he walketh through dry places and sickcan rest and find of none right he said so he says and when he says he says I'm looking for a house because the picture here is that a man had an unclean spirit right and that man somehow cleaned the house to get rid of the unclean spirit and the unclean spirit left the house that that that spirit that that man or woman was hoarding thank God something happened to get rid of the unclean”

“spirit isn't that beautiful that something happened to get rid of the unclean spirit and that blessed me because what it says is even if you are hoarder or carrying something that's unhealthy you can make the effort to get rid of it as a matter of fact let me just celebrate those of you who've been carrying some stuff and you've been trying to get rid of it I mean you've been trying to pray about it and seek therapy and have good accountability groups and talking to your friends I want to thank you for the effort to fight your demons I want to celebrate you for your efforts to to get clean to clean some stuff up it's a blessing so something must happen for this man because there was an unclean spirit in him but one day it that spirit left the man got rid of the spirit it it it was there but they were able to get rid of it they got rid of it but the problem is they got rid of it but they weren't ready to receive nothing they they got rid of the unclean spirit but couldn't download anything new because if you get rid of the hoarding lord have mercy you got to be open to receive something so you're not empty see if the Pharisees got rid of those old perspectives but didn't replace it or fill it with nothing new it meant that it really was not cleangoing to therapy alone may solve emotional problems but there's some stuff you got to have Jesus in okay so so a friend of mine Cory has a he he does something he's a trainer he does something called revenge bodies and what he does he finds ladies who've gone through break up with their men a divorce and he markets this whole thing by saying this listen if you want to get back at him come and sign up in my program and the whole time he's training you he's talking about make him make him want you when you poke these pictures so he'll know what he missed out on and you got women on the treadmill doing pilates so the whole time that's they're trying to rid themselves of pain but the reality is but if every day i'm still working”

“out and got a picture of him on the treadmill i'm gonna get even even if you get rid of that if you don't feel that was something else y 'all got the brakes on me sometimes we need to have a download of something else and sometimes you can't download anything new until you ask God to totally delete what was there the Pharisees didn't want to delete and they didn't want to download now let me show you what this really happened and you can't get you can't get rid of of this so guess what you can go and clean something you can clean a hoarder's house you can throw everything away but if you have not dealt with the psychological ramifications because it ain't about the stuff they're keeping it's about the void that's y 'all quiet on me you can go to doctor now in Houston for 600 pound life you can eat cauliflower every day you can go have all the cert as you want but if you hadn't replaced the brokenness and had a download to ask yourself what was it that caused me to get like this in the first place hospice we have that we always do be one way to go we have to make a good we have to doWhat we do often, we treat the symptom and not the root of the problem.But I came with a word from heaven today. God said, I'm going into every crevice, every crack, and everything that's unhealthy, negative, and toxic, I want to root it out. If it was abuse, I want it gone. If it was low self -esteem, I want it gone. If you were the black sheep of the family, I want it gone.”

“They said, Pastor, you got so many videos and pictures that date back so far.Pastor, have you gone through that stuff? I said, no. I said, Pastor, what the problem is, either you got to back that stuff up to the cloud, or you got to delete.Because you got so much stuff in your phone that if we want to download something that's powerful, you can't even receive it.Because you ain't got no room.Y 'all got the brakes on, dude. It's so much stuff. It's so much stuff. It's so much stuff. It's so much stuff. It's so much stuff. It's so much stuff. It's so much stuff. It's so much stuff. It's so much stuff. It's so much stuff. It's so much stuff. It'sso here I am trying to buy a new phone.Then they told me, and pastor, what you can do too, there's a service that you can buy more memory.So what happens a lot of times, they say what people do is they don't delete, they just keep spending money.It's costing them something to hold on to something that they don't even need. I'm preaching better than y 'all acting at this 730 Presbyterian church service.And I want to ask y 'all a question, what are you holding on to?You took 40 pictures of the same scene, and I ain't looked at them pictures in 10 years, but still holding on to them. You took videos that's in your phone that's taking all your memory of somebody that you can't stand no more. Y 'all got the brakes on me here. And then every now and then, I”

“think the Holy Ghost will try to send you a reminder. Because sometimes on Facebook, something will pop up called memories.And you will know whether you're healed or ready for a new download based upon your emotional response to a memory.If the memory come up and it triggers you, you ain't healed yet.But the memory come up, you ain't got to look at it, delete it out your phone. Because what God is saying is, I'm in your presence, Pharisees, and I'm trying to download grace to you, but y 'all still stuck on what? Why?I was talking to Jason, our creative consultant. He said, Pastor, he looked at his phone and said, I got stuff from 2001. I said, why?I don't want to get rid of it. I said, why? He said, cause I may use it. May use it when? May use it why? You ain't use it in 24 years.So we hold on to things that hold us down, that cost us more, and prevent us from receiving.God got a fresh load right in front of the Pharisees.But they want to upgrade their service rather than delete the files and the stuff that's no longer useful. What's in your emotions? Are you hoarding bitterness? Are you hoarding unforgiveness? Could that be why your prayers ain't been heard?You do know the Bible says that if I regard, in Psalms, if I have iniquity in my heart, the Lord won't hear me?You know what Jesus said when you pray? You pray, forgive me as I forgive those who sin and trespass against me. In other words, Lord, if I don't release them, don't you release me?Do you not know that your forgiveness from God is based on your and my forgiveness to let go of those who offended you?But you can't do it because you think forgiveness means reinstatement to the position. No, forgiveness don't mean you get reinstated. It means you get released. Yeah.I release you from the pain, not necessarily reinstate you to the same position.How many of us would rather hold on to the anger to use that as motivation? And that's why you got to be careful with this stuff. I'm going to let my haters be my”

“motivators. Be careful with that.Because what you've done, you've given your haters too much problem.Why do you need a hater to be your motivator when you got a creator?One who loves you and bless you and brought you. Some folk are not worth messing up your relationship.with God. I need God to forgive me too much for me not to allow somebody else to mess up my relationship with him.And so, they made the effort, and I went home with a brand new phone with instructions on how to download and how to delete, but couldn't do it because I didn't have no Wi -Fi.You know why some of you, some of us can't download, can't back thing up to the phone, to the clouds. You know why?I said to the clouds. You know why? You know why? You know why? Because you ain't got no connection. God don't let anything disrupt my connection with you.I don't care what they did, what they said. Yeah, they lied. Yeah, they betrayed. Yeah, they told, yeah, they stabbed you in the back. It's holding on to that work being disconnected from him.I can't, I can't, I can't forgive you ain't never got to speak to you again.But you ain't gonna hold me, you're not gonna hold me back. You know why? Because I, I need my connection. I need my connection because what I am, he made me. What I have, he gave me. What I know, he taught me. And where I am, the Lord brought me. Can somebody say, IThese Pharisees right here couldn't download him.They wanted a sign and not the Savior because they were filled with stuff they were hoarding from their past.”

“He said, Pharisees, I'm so sick of y 'all.Y 'all still holding on to that? You can't have that and me. Which one you want? You want that or you want me?You want all the traumas of your ancestors or you want me?You want all the sentimentality and stuff your dad didn't taught you or you want me? What do you want? You want that or you want me?”

“So what was hoarded as one weight, one demon, one toxic entity, one thing that was traumatized. He said, well, I'm going to do this time.Since they don't understand it's deeper, they're still treating it. They're trying to lose weight.But you can get muscles, but if you ain't change your mind.Y 'all quiet, y 'all quiet, y 'all quiet. Y 'all quiet. See, fellas, you think because she's fine.So you're looking at the fact that she's fine, but she ain't got no faculties or no focus.See, you can be a physical giant and an emotional midget.So if I lose weight or lose this, but haven't treated what was behind it. See, so don't just get me off alcohol. Like, right? Like, well, Pastor, I've been drinking a lot of brown liquor. Okay, I get it.But if you just stop drinking the brown, I got to stop drinking the brown liquor.Well, if you stop drinking the brown liquor that you were drinking every day, but don't address why you were drinking it.Pastor, why do I keep running after every man? I'm going to stop. I'm going to take 90 days to be celibate.But until you excavate and identify what is it behind the scenes that still got me running to the same type of dude.Because some of you, you've got a complex about yourself.It's a codependent Messiah complex.So what you do, you need a project and not a partner.So having a project increases your sense of self -esteem. So you don't want a whole package.Some of you fellas, you've been hurt by a woman in the past, so the next time, I'm not going to get no strong woman.I'm always getting one that's dumber than me.Because the giving sense of control. Y 'all got the brakes on me. I don't want a strong woman because I can't dominate her.Y 'all got the brakes on through this morning. Y 'all got the brakes on through this morning. You're insecure. You're insecure. You're insecure. That's why you're mad because she's making more money than you. What is your deal, brother? What is your deal?Your wife, your woman making more money for you doesn't make you less of a man, man.You got a girl that's making more money than you and love you. She get a raise, go get her pom -pom from high school out in the closet. And marry, marry, she's out, you celebrate.Because when she got a raise, we just got one. It don't take”

“nothing from you.But if you are insecure within yourself, you keep running to the same. So the spirit, I'm going back and guess what I'm going to do? I'm finished. I'm going to take seven more partners with me.And then this is what he says. He says, and the final state. Look at verse 45.And the final state of the man is worse than the first.So what started as hoarding is now hoarding times seven.Because now the alcohol has come back.The illicit sex has come back.The spending the money has come back. The eating has come back. The low self -esteem. Now what started as one thing that was terrorizing me, now comes back seven times stronger.Because you got clean, but you didn't get filled.You can't clean it and leave it empty.You got to change your mind.You got to change your mind and ask the spirit, Lord, renew my mind every day. Renew my mind, Lord, every day I get up. The Bible says that for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God, to the pulling out of strongholds, cast down imaginations, and bring the captivity of every thought. That means you got to put handcuffs on your thoughts.Every day you need to be deputized to have some handcuffs.Thoughts, you have the right to remain silent.Anything you say thought can be used against you. And you take them handcuffs out that you've been deputized, and you handcuff that thought in Jesus' name and put it in prison. You can't let that thought run rampant in your brain.Y 'all got the brakes on to do it. Proverbs 23, 7 says, For the man thinketh in his heart, so is he. So if it's in my mind, it's going to be in my members. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.so God help me to renew my mind every day, then spirit I need you he says the problem with y 'all, y 'all won't receive the kingdom message, you won't receive, you're not receptive to the kingdom message, you're not refueled by the spirit and you won't be renewed with your mind the only way you're going to do this is you got to ask God”

“daily, that's why Paul says in Ephesians 5 18 and be not drunk with wine wherein is excess but be filled with the spirit, see a lot of times now we argue over the baptism of the Holy Ghost that's one argument that's one theological argument and it's important but something we argue over the baptism of the Holy Spirit but we never argue over the feeling of the spirit the baptism of the spirit occurs once the feeling of the spirit should occur every day so so what you've been baptized but you ain't filledyes by one spirit we all baptized in one body but Ephesians 5 18 and be not drunk with wine wherein is excess every day of the every day of your life he says as a drunk man leaves the house drunk a child of God should never leave home soberevery time you walk out the house going to work I'm stumbling not off Kavase but off Christ y 'all quiet on me here not not over a shot but the spirit of God I need you to come saturate my mind my thoughts my efforts my foundation go before me Holy Ghost walk stay in me Holy Ghost lead me every day of my lifethat's why Paul said greater is you greater is he that's in you than he that's in the world so if I'm filled with the spirit guess what happens when them demons comeno vacancy here matter of fact I'm going to take I'm going to take the key and evict everything that's unlike God out of my emotions out of my spirit I'm closing here but you know what the Lord told me this morning he said he said dude I want you to tell them something I said what he said I want you to tell them some of them are holding on to toxic stuff from a person who's deadthey mad at a dead daddy and a daddy who's a dead beat never gave him a dollaris now diminishing their deliverance how is it that he did nothing for you in life and now he's dead still dominating your life cause you blame him for everything you mad with him you got a heavenly father who's always provided always made a way always been there but you can't receive that because you won't release”

“what they did what are you hoarding what are you hoarding what are you hoarding listen what I want you to do is when you came in and I want you to do this I want to close this month out but I want you to do this I want you to think about this message and there are some we're going to have some sharpies and some sticky notes they're up here there are tables throughout this place and we got some up here and what I want you to do is if you feel so lit the Lord says there's something in the back too in the right back behind the media center and this is what the Lord said I want you to name itI want you to name what that demon is name what that name that object that you something you can't release something you're holding on to you can't download part of the problem is we don't take the time to go through the pictures and see I don't need this no more this right here no longer serves me why am I holding on to something that no longer serves me I can't even download something to inspire me because I got so much junkand here's what I didn't know they even got a they even got an option to phone out that will let you get rid of duplicatesso if you ain't ready to get rid of all that yet just create room are you are you open do you have do we have margin for God to fill us with something and one reason why God can't fill us because we are filled with everything elseI want you as you so led I'm going to give you a moment now and even after the service but I need some of you to move there's some sticky notes and some sharpers here here in the back if you feel so led I want you to get up I want you to just write I don't need your name I want you to write what you may be feeling and I want you to come and I want you to just stick that sticky note right here on this right up front I don't need your name I just write it on that sticky note and I want you to come and I want you to just stick that right here what we gonna do God said we gonna name it we gonna name it and we gonna”

“release it it could be a hurt and see and it could be a hurt you can it could be somebody that and there's some there's some there in the back back there too on the back table some back there too back tables there are yeah so I want you to get and I want you stick it right here on the front right here on the front yeah on the face yeah thank you Stephen yeah yeah stick right there yeah I want you right there yep I want you to come stick it Yep. I don't need your name. We're going to leave this all week. I'm going to give you instructions. That's it. Thank you. What is it? For some of you, it could be more than one thing.Let me tell you what's funny, y 'all.We had our creative meeting for this service Tuesday night.And I told Jason and I told Braxton and Kayla and Andy, I said, you know, I said, the thing that I've been hoarding is grief.I said, for the past nine years, grief is my roommate.As a matter of fact, it's so bad, you know, I got a guest bedroom in the house, right, that when the guests come, they can stay in their room. They've got a bathroom attached to it.And every time I had a guest, they'd stay in that room.I'd sink in there, shower in there.But you know what grief do?He come in my room.He won't even stay in that room.I go, I go to the refrigerator, get some water and grief in the refrigerator waving at me.It's so bad now that when guests come to my house, my family come to my house, a friend, I open the door for them, I let them in. They ring the door bell, I know they're coming. Grief, he don't call.He don't ring the door bell.He got his own key.He just come in when he get ready, just come in.Put his feet on my counter, everything. It's just everything.Don't take his shoes off, just. It was Thursday night. I said, man, I'm so sick of grief, I'm so sick of people leaving. And it wasn't 24 hours later I get a call that my godmama, Luria's mama, Luria Reed.Just, I said, Jason, what did I just tell you yesterday?I said, I'm still, man,”

“still deal with this. And then it hit me that Luria's, Luria's mama and my dad, and Luria's mama and daddy birthday the same day mine. My mama's, my daddy's. My daddy's birthday is June 8th, Luria's daddy's birthday is June 8th.Luria's mama's birthday is June 9th.My daddy went to 4th valet and Luria's mama went to 4th valet. In school together. I said, man, how is it that this woman who helped raise me when I was 17 years old, without her, y 'all wouldn't know me. Wasn't 12 hours later. I said, boy, here grief come again.And I'm sick of it, it's just coming ways. I'm sick, I got to find a way to get rid of it. I ain't used to being, I'm not used to nothing controlling me and dominating me like that.If I say I want you out of my house, you're supposed to leave.But this joker just is persistent. And I, I bought a new AR -15, I can't shoot him.If I could shoot, if I could shoot grief and kill him, I can't. So I gotta, I can't stay empty.I gotta, I gotta get that thing out, out. Whatever it, that's the weight. What is yours? What is yours?Because if I don't deal with my grief, if I just, if I shoot him, if I could shoot him if he left, but I ain't feel, if I ain't feel myself or nothing else, guess what he gonna do? So he gonna come back, and when he come back, you know what he gonna bring with him? Hennessy. The white kind.Weight, physical weight, stress, insomnia. Tequila.I'm telling you, he gonna do that.You gotta, you gotta know what, who his friends are.I want you to stand with me. Everybody stand.Some of you is not a thing, it's a person.Could be your grandson that's got you so worried.It's a weight, not a demon, it's a weight.Got you so filled with worry.It could be a health challenge. What is the thing that's weighing you down?He wants to feel you, but he can't feel you until you deal with this.”

“The problem with emotional hoarding is sometimes you're hoarding, you don't even know you're a hoarder.You don't know you're hoarding. So Lord, help me to be filled with it. I don't know about y 'all, but I want everything God got for me.Everything God wants to pour on me, I want it all. I don't want anything to encumber and hinder what God wants to do with my life.”

“And my prayer is that everything that's up here, everything that's going to be up here for this entire week, that God's going to move it, God's going to fill it. And guess what? I speak over your life like God spoke to Moses. This enemy you see?He ain't come back seven times. This enemy you see?You will never see this one again. If you believe that, clap a hand and give God glory to that. You're not sending this one again. That's the kind of God we serve.”

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