Let's take a moment and pray.
Before I begin, Heavenly Father, we do humble ourselves before you. Lord, I just thank you for your presence that is here today, regardless of what the weather may be doing outside and how we may feel. Lord, we walk by faith, not by sight in our life. Lord, whatever issues that would be going on that we're facing, we thank you, Lord, that you have a word-induced season here today.
So I ask that you speak through me, give to your people what they need here today. Amen. Amen.
I just want to do a little sound check. Is the sound okay? I'm feeling a little echo, so I don't know. Give a thumbs up or whatever if things need to be adjusted. If everything's okay, then we'll continue on.
There is a slide before this slide, and it's a photo. Are you able to pull that up? It's two runners; it's actually a statue. So maybe you could pull that up. If there isn't, then someone wave at me and say no. Okay, I added that and it's gone.
Anyhow, I think there's golems that come around. You know, the picture you should have seen that would have been there is actually based on this race here. This guy, you know, celebrating beforehand, and we get the picture. But actually, it actually happened, and it's the story of Roger Bannister, who was the first man in the world to run a mile in under four minutes. That was back in May, excuse me, 1954.
Well, the next month, since someone broke that record, Roger, Australian John Landy, broke the record by 1.4 seconds. So one month later, this guy, Landy, broke the record.
So in August 1954, the two fastest mile runners in the world met for this historic race at the British Empire Games in Vancouver, Canada. The race was dubbed the Miracle Mile, the race of the century, and the dream race.
As the story goes, during the race, as Bannister and Landy turned for the last lap, Landy was ahead and looked certain to win. But as he neared the finish line, he lost focus and allowed his mind to wander about Bannister's position. Unable to stand the strain, he finally looked back over his shoulder while Bannister was on his side. When he did this, his stride faltered, and Bannister passed him and broke the tape.
He said this, and this is what I want us to grab as we move forward here. He said, "I would have won the race if I hadn't looked back." Think about that. "I would have won the race if I hadn't looked back. If I hadn't taken my eyes off the goal, I would have run the race." Can somebody say amen or oh me?
Well, this is the second week in our series, and we're talking about being unstuck, and I subtitled this, "Just Keep Moving Forward." We need to continue to move forward.
One of my texts is Luke 9:62. Luke 9:62, Jesus said to him, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back to the things left behind is fit for the kingdom of God." Wow.
You know, looking back is actually a reference to the world and its attractions. How many of you here today, God delivered you from some stuff? I mean, I know people you talk to who say, "You know what? I used to smoke four packs of cigarettes a day," or "I used to be addicted to this," and "I was an alcoholic," or "I was," and God delivered you. Amen?
But the enemy wants us to look back to those things, to draw us back, to go, "You know what? Is this really exciting for you?" It would seem like he blinds us to the foolishness of our past sins.
So this is the warning, and it actually says that to look back to things left behind is not fit for the kingdom of God. We're not fit. It means that what happens when we look back, we have a divided heart. Our hearts are distracted, and our mind and our emotions, there's a duplicity in our emotions, and there's this thing about still loving the world.
How many of you know the scriptures speak about that? To love not the world and the things of the world. So it's a reminder to that, and also it is to a plowman. We're in a farm community, and everywhere you look, there's land, and the farmers are out there. I love this part of the year. You know, the freshly plowed fields, and that black dirt is turned up. I mean, we are blessed in this nation. We really are.
But it's a picture of that, where he has to continue to look ahead. Yes, there are times he's got to look back, but he's got to stay on the straight and narrow to guide the plow and ensure that they have a straight furrow.
This text that we've been talking on these last week and this week will be Philippians 3:13. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider that I have made it on my own yet. But he says, "This one thing I do." Can we say that? Say "one thing."
Doesn't say a lot of things. It says "one thing." This is an important one thing to do: forgetting. Somebody shout "forgetting." What lies behind, reaching forward to what lies ahead? Forgetting.
In other words, I don't consider myself a winner yet. I mentioned last week about, in the Greek, that word means to overlook. How many know the Lord wants us to overlook some things? Some things that have happened to us. Things that want to shipwreck us or get us, you know, halted in a stuck position.
I actually mentioned that in the Greek, it means at times failing to notice. How easy is that on the interstate when someone cuts you off? Come on, somebody. Just fail to notice. And don't look back.
That actually means to lengthen my stride. I'm stretching forward. And that's the posture that the apostle is telling us to take.
So let me just say this by way of introduction. You know, Americans are the most unhappy they've been in 50 years, a recent polling says. Think about that. Some of you go, "Yeah, you know exactly why." And to me, that's not a bad thing as a minister.
So why? Why is that? Well, if it drives people to know Christ, to dig deeper, to find faith in the Lord, how many know that's a good thing? How many know when things are going good and bright, and the sun is out, and it's warm, and you're happy? And that's okay. That's good. God is not against that.
But when passivity sets in, when indifference sets in, when believers are really not the salt and the light of the earth, come on, somebody. And I know I'm preaching to the choir. I know I am. You're all here.
But, you know, how many know that sometimes it takes a little bit of an up… The boat has to be rocked for people to wake up. Wake up. And we're seeing that. We're seeing that in our nation.
This polling says just 14% of American adults say they're very happy, down from 31% who said the same back in 2018. And so, you know, I say it's very… In many ways, it's understandable. Why? When we look at what's happening, just turn the news on, it is one bad thing after another.
It's like, how can you outdo the bad, what I just heard? But they're able to do that. Humanity, man's heart, the wickedness, what's going on. One thing after another, you know, whether it's, you know, someone posting a post, you know, you're not going to be able to do that.
I'm about a pet that dies, and they're grieving, which I'm not minimizing that. Or on a more serious note, the loss of a loved one or a family member, which is absolutely horrible. Our current justice system feels like it's been hijacked.
We see this tsunami of anti-Semitism against the Jewish people. We've got universities across America in total anarchy. It's crazy. It's like, what is going on? And they're even pro… Terrorist groups and shouting it out.
The 2024 polling says that 30% of Americans feel isolated and lonely on a weekly basis, 30%. And 10% feel it daily. At 330 plus million in this nation, that's a lot of people walking around feeling depressed.
You know, you dig deeper, there's some crazy things. A lot of the affluent and even everyday average Americans are building fallout shelters. Have you ever heard of that? Some of you have them.
I mean, look at, you know, Vivos and Rising S. They're bunker companies. They soared after the war with Russia and Ukraine. I don't know if you knew that. People just ordering, you know, bargain basement ones, or some of that are real fancy that are in the millions of dollars. It's like a city under the ground, hoping that tech billionaires, they're prepping for doomsday.
In certain segments of the Christian society, they're stargazing. They're straining to read the signs of the times. And the solar eclipse, whoops, that didn't happen. I'm sorry, we're still here. Monday, the rapture, we're still here. Help me with me, say amen.
Yeah, that was very weak. You know, some of you, I was so excited the rapture happened. Monday, they, no, it didn't. Unless you're all as heathen as me, and we missed it. Come on, somebody.
But think about it. I mean, people are straining for answers. You know, what's going on? What's going on to make sense? And they're stuck. They're wanting an answer. And the answer is, I believe, right before us. The Lord, God Almighty. Can I get an amen?
A person that was interviewed said something about the current chaos. And he said, "The worst thing about all of this for me is after so much that's happened is that I don't know what's going to happen next." That's the sentiment with a lot of people. They're in tremendous sense of dread and anxiety for the future.
That's not what God has called us to. In the midst of all of it, we are still to be overcomers. Did you hear that? We are still, we are called to be overcomers in our marriage. I mean, how else can you identify in the world would see when all hell seems like it's breaking loose, that the Christian families have hope?
There's a different spirit about them. And that is attractive to the world. Can I get an amen? Proverbs 13:12 says, "When hope is crushed, the heart is crushed. But a wish, a desire, a longing that comes true, it fills us with joy."
It fills us with joy. And so I believe one of the main roots of all the troubles, the fear, the uncertainty, the dread, the lack of hope for the future result, I think it really ties back to a spiritual deterioration and decline in America. Amen?
And here's the thing. It's not just that there are people that have maybe backslidden. There's a whole segment in America that has just fallen back. They're stuck somewhere. And we're kind of addressing that with the series.
But there is a huge segment of society that has come about in the last 20, 25 years. They don't even know the Lord. They don't even know the Bible stories. They don't know the Old Testament stories.
Some of you that are 40, 50 years plus older remember some of the moves of God when God poured out a spirit in the 50s, in the 60s, the 70s, the charismatic renewal, and how people came into the kingdom of God in droves.
We have a whole segment now of society that doesn't even know what I'm talking about right now. They have no idea. That's why we need God more than ever in our church services, in our lives, in our families. Can I get an amen?
And so there's this deterioration of society. And so once again, I believe in the midst of all of it, God's plan still is for us to continue to move forward, to not be stuck and to overcome in situations.
Because here's the thing. We are on this earth, and I believe this, we are training to reign with him. In other words, what happens to us here on earth is in prep for future reigning as we overcome here.
Here on earth, we are overcomers there. Some of you don't believe that, but when we get to heaven, you go, "He was right." I believe it. We are being, we are training to learn to reign, to trust God in these situations because we're not going to be sitting around, sorry for some of you think, and just, you know, floating around like fat little angels with little wings.
We are going to be moving and building and doing what God wants. There is something more than that for us. Amen. Anyhow, I'm digressing here. Let me stay on path here.
I think a large part is with us not dwelling on the past. And, you know, I shared this last week, not looking, focusing on what didn't work. We live in regrets.
There was a slide I had that I pulled up about a rearview mirror. Some of you may not have been here last week. I talked about this, that, you know, there's a big windshield out there, but what's in your past? It's this small little mirror. It's important. You need to use it.
Well, how many know now they got backup cameras and they're pretty cool? But even with a backup camera, sometimes I'll look in the rearview mirror, and sometimes my wife says, "It's right there. Backup right there." The camera shows it.
But I still got to, come on somebody, you know, I still got to look. And she trusts them. She backs right up, and the camera says it's good. It's good to go.
But the point is this: where we're going is much more significant than where we've been. It's just an illustration with that. When you see a large windshield and a small little rearview.
So yes, we've all had unfair pasts. We're not debating that. What we're saying is we don't have to have an unfair future. We can have a future that is not loaded down with guilt, regret, and all of that that holds us back.
I kind of finished last week with a quote and won't get into the story. You can listen to last week's message about how I was struggling with some things at a recent retreat. This word came to mind, a quote from Dr. Henry Cloud. He said, "The faster you let things go," speaking about the past, "the less tomorrow will resemble today."
That actually encouraged me. I made a decision at that retreat to do that, and it's actually affected my life. It's changed my life for the better. Can you say amen?
I just want to quickly continue here. The Holy Spirit desires us to focus on what we can change and not focus on the things we cannot change. Let me explain.
How many know what's done is done? If somebody has offended you, mistreated you, or maybe disappointed you, how many know you can't undo that?
I think of one of the lessons I had to learn. I was back in my, let's see, late 20s, early 30s. I purchased some land. We purchased 20 acres just outside of town. This is back in the 1990s. I had just moved from Boston, and we kind of scraped together.
Back that time, land was about $750 an acre to $1,000. Yeah, I know. Not now. But there was a parcel of land. I actually had deeded property, 66-foot access to my property.
I was like, well, maybe this individual that owns this land would ever sell. Well, he put it up for sale, and it was about four acres. Without getting into all these details, he wanted an exorbitant amount, I felt at that time.
Well, $1,000 an acre instead of $750 or $1,000. So we're talking in the 90s now here. I was like, man, that's just too much.
So I went on this prayer spree. Like, I'm going to start to change this guy's heart through prayer. Come on, somebody. And I prayed. I was like, "Lord, soften his heart. It would really be nice. You know, I'd like to do this development out here in this subdivision with all these 20 acres and all."
I went on for a few months with that. But every time I prayed, it felt like a lead balloon. You need to follow after that. That is a sign that you just, like, step back and say, "Wait a minute. I don't feel God's grace in this area here. I don't feel his presence on this."
You need to follow that lead. Don't push past that. After a while, I just said, "You know what? I just give up." I just kind of quit.
In the moment I did that, some property opened up in another community, actually near my home city. I purchased that and did the subdivision out there. We built a house on it. We lived out there for 10, 12 years.
My point was this: it came to a point where I had to move on. I had to let that go. Some of you, I don't mean this to be mean or ugly or anything like that, but we continue in some things, and we press in, and perseverance is necessary. It's good.
But some things we just need to say, "Lord, you are asking me to move on," and need to move on from this. Amen.
I just want to encourage you in that. So, you know, whatever happened to you in the past, big or small, whatever it is, God wants us to—He doesn't want that to poison our future.
I could have been bitter about that. I could have been angry about that. I'm like, "Why, Lord? How come God? And how come you didn't change His heart?" And that's not our place and our role to that.
God's given people free will, I believe, to choose in that. So I had to let that go. But the moment I did, another door opened up, and God was able to move.
What happens is when we hold on to hurts and pains of the past, it poisons us. It poisons everywhere you go. I hear the example of Snoopy and Pigpen, and everywhere he went, it was this cloud. You know, he couldn't get rid of it.
Even though if he stood out in the rain, the rain stopped, the cloud came back. I mean, we don't want to be that. Amen. We don't want those people, when they come, people just go, because the cloud comes.
Just keep looking forward. The cloud comes. Here they come. It's always problems. Problems. It's problems. Problems constantly.
It would be shocking if you showed up and you just said, "You know what? Things are going great. God is blessing. I'm just excited to be here."
Anyhow, moving right along. I've been in those traps. I've been in the cloud. And it's not fun. It's not fun.
This is where, let me just say this, a true friend is vital in your life. When you have a brother or sister that sticks closer, it's someone that's closer, even than a family member.
Even, I'm talking about spouses too, that I'm going to interject this word, lovingly let you know how you're behaving kindly. I said that kindly. You're acting like an idiot right now. You know, kindly.
We've all done that. But, you know, it's huge to have someone that you can get feedback from and someone that can show you, "You know what? My thinking in this area is really, it's not right."
It's amazing. It's amazing. People are searching for that. But I find that, sadly, some people, they don't really, they know they need it, but they don't want it.
And we're talking about a friendship relationship. We're talking about someone that you know cares about you, loves you, supports you. They're there with you.
I mean, understand what I'm saying. I'm not talking about a passerby that doesn't know you. Somebody that has invested their life in you. It's vital. It's vital to have that.
But you have to be vulnerable. Thank you for that one. Yup.
And so we need to, you know, I don't. I believe the Lord wants us to live our life looking through a rearview mirror. And, you know, He wants us to refocus and begin again.
We all have had difficult times and, you know, dreams that have died. And how many of you know that your life is not over just because you've been through a difficult thing? It's not over.
And you wouldn't be alive unless God had another triumph in front of you, another victory. I believe that. You're here today. You made it through whatever it was. That painful experience and learning.
We need to learn to let go of what didn't work out. Now, just practically speaking, and I'm not a Christian psychologist or psychiatrist. But how do you let it go? For each person, it's different.
A lot depends upon the circumstance and the situation. But I just wrote down a few things here. The first thing is you got to quit thinking about it.
Well, that's impossible, Pastor Mike, because I can't. It's in the forefront of my mind. I get that. How many know that in order to stop thinking about something, you need to start thinking about something else, right?
And so you choose to replace that thought, especially with the Word of God or other things. Letting go of the past. Some of it, some of you have to practice. I think the word would be called self-compassion.
You need to forgive yourself. You need to forgive yourself and how you acted, how you behaved. And how many know forgiveness is a process?
And it may take time, even though it's a decision and an act of your will. Those emotions don't wrap. They don't wrap right in that immediately. Okay? That's the facts.
And so that's where we need to ask the Holy Spirit to help us. Help us in that area to let it go. And the need to hold on to resentment and anger and focus on moving forward for what the Lord has for us.
You know, the other thing I think that helps too is you have to create new memories. What do I mean by that? You know, I grew up in a family, and I know in their own ways they loved me and the way they knew how.
But in many, many ways, you know, I felt neglected. We were number, I was number two of eight. So the uncles were like, "Which one are you, number six or seven?" You know, you're just a number.
You know what I mean? You grew up in a large Italian family. But my point was this: it was just this sense of, like, not belonging. It's like, who am I? And, you know, why can't I be loved? What's wrong with me?
You know? And that just was on me. And I always, growing up, just thinking, you know, if I ever get married, if I ever get married, I'm going to have a family, and I'm not going to have what I had growing up. Right?
But I knew I needed God's help in that. But I'm so thankful I married a wife that she's very detailed and she cares about the memories.
So in our house, we have volumes of photos from years of us being married. She's so organized. And they're all these huge, like, you can buy these things and put all the pictures in. It's every year.
And so then I think she took on about a year and a half ago to digitalize everything. So she scanned it all. And she gave it as a gift to the kids. And it's like a terabyte each. "Here's your gift."
But it's huge. I mean, it's like all these memories. And I thought, I have a loving family. And I took them on vacation. We did. We went to places. We've been to their graduations.
Come on. And I look back and I was like, you know what? I did not perpetuate the curse. The curse was broken. Amen?
And my wife was just so great, you know, gifted in that. And just, it was just, I love it. I look back and sometimes you just think, like, wow, look at with this fun times.
That was a difficult time. Destiny ran into a tree. Look at her black and blue eye. And all these little things are memories. What did we do? We created new memories.
Even though my past was painful, we have a better future. How many see that say amen?
And so I know it's simple. It's not deep. It's just sometimes we have to, you know, quit thinking about things. Replace it with different, and talking about it.
How many know it's okay to talk with a mature Christian friend? You have to. To people that say, "You need to forgive and let it go." And they walk away like, "You don't understand pain. You don't understand betrayal. You don't understand hurt."
But when you have a mature person that you can walk with and talk with and help, get that off your chest and you can process. How many know people are verbal processors?
A lot of people, some visual, and some people, they just process it differently. So each person is different. But the thing is, is that forgiveness is a process.
You can make a decision, but it's a process to go through that. And I love even some of, from last week, some of the texts and testimonies that people have sent me and how we said we just went and made things right.
Or we went here or so and so. We made peace with that situation. And then that blessed my heart that it was speaking to people.
In some situations, you got to just, you know, distance yourself from what that caused the hurt and all of that. But we have a choice in the matter. You are not a victim. Can I get an amen?
Now, one of the most powerful gadgets in the house is a remote. Come on, man. Amen. This has started so many fights. Actually, it's created more TVs in the house. "I'm not watching this."
So the remote control. But here's the thing about the remote control. How many of you know when pictures come up in your mind, you can change the channel? You really can.
That's what we're talking about. You have that power. How many of you know you don't have to dwell on and watch everything that comes up in your mind? That's a novel thought.
I mean, you can take charge of your thoughts. John 1:12. The scripture says, "But to as many as did receive and welcome him," that's Jesus, "He gave the right, the authority, the privilege, the power to become children of God."
That is to those who believe and adhere to, trust in, and rely on his name. That Greek word for power is exousia. And what does that mean? It means, I like this, the right and ability and authority to do something.
You have the right and the ability and the authority to do something. Can I get an amen? You do. You're not a victim.
And so even though you may have been a victim, but now through Christ, that verse is saying, "I'm not a victim." That's what that's saying. That's saying, "No, I have ability."
It's like, "I can't. I've been through this. My dad abused me. My mom, she didn't love me. This, that." And we just, you know, constantly bring that up.
But somehow, those things are going to dictate the rest of your life. Don't let them. Amen? Don't let them.
So, you know, when I think about, you know, just the involvement, like, the overcomer, little Noah Stry said to me this the other day. She says, "You know, Pastor Mike, all my family's serving. They're on the worship team, back in the sound booth and whatever. And I want to greet people on Sunday. And I want a name tag badge or whatever."
I'm like, "Okay." You know, she's going to be a greeter. And I just love that. I said, "What a mindset of overcoming. Like, I'm coming to church to serve."
I love that. I love that. And so here's the thing. We don't want to keep reliving negative memories and thinking about how, excuse me, unfair things were.
And how many? Like, if you ever pulled a Band-Aid off and on and off, it just doesn't heal. And God wants us to heal.
How many know that the mind is very powerful? And when you replay negative experiences, you begin to feel the same emotion as you did when it first happened.
Before long, what happens is you'll be sad. You could be angry, depending upon the circumstance, depressed, bitter. And you may not know why.
Sometimes that's where you need someone or a spouse to say, "What's going on? What are you thinking? What's going on in your mind at this moment?"
Well, I'm thinking this. Whoa, let's talk about that. And for some people, though, the picture that comes up in their mind is like this movie screen, these negative memories.
Instead of maybe changing the channel, switching to something, they pull up a chair, so to speak. They microwave a bag of popcorn, and they watch it for the next 15 minutes.
I will say this in a very sad and humiliating way. I've done that for years, sadly. I remember this one pastor one time saying, "You know, you need to quit thinking about that. That happened five years ago."
Wow. I was like, "He's right." He's right. Why am I bringing that up? Is anyone here this morning?
I'm almost done. Scripture says in Philippians 4:8, it's a long verse, but what I want you to see is this. When Paul talks about whatever's true, whatever's honorable, worthy of respect, right, firm by God's word.
Whatever's pure, wholesome, whatever's lovely, brings peace. Whatever's admirable and of good repute or report. If there is any excellence, if there's anything worthy of praise, and this is the admonition, think, continually think on these things.
Can we say that? Say, "Think continually on these things." In other words, center your mind on them. Implant them in your heart.
So there's something about taking charge of our thoughts. Um, and so you have to be disciplined in your thought life. You really do.
And you have the power and the ability to do that. Deuteronomy 30:19 says, "This day I call heaven and the earth together as a witness against you that I set before you."
The Lord's saying this. "I set before you life and death." See, there's a choice. And I happen to believe that we have choices, that God has given us a free will.
Uh, not as a point to our contention, but I just believe that God has given you a choice. He says, "There is life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life."
Choose life in your present. You can't change the past. Choose life for your future so that you and your children may live. Wow, that speaks to me as a parent. Amen.
I want my children to live. I don't want them to live up under and get under what I grew up under. Can I get an amen?
And so, yes, negative memories, they try to replay again and again. But we have to take charge of our thoughts. And we use the word of God to do that.
I believe some of you here today would actually go to a new level if you would simply start changing the channel of what's going on in your life.
Uh, another verse is very powerful. 2 Corinthians 10:5. I love this verse. But actually in the New King James, it says this way that we're to cast, casting down imaginations. That's what we do.
We do that. And every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. Bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.
Here's the thing. Capturing, watch this, your thoughts, it requires stillness in your soul. I'm going to meddle here for a moment.
You know, most people have no time for stillness. Prayer, meditation, stillness, quiet time. It's busy. It's constantly busy.
So they surround themselves with noise. Whether it's the TV's got to be on, music's got to be on constantly. There's no stillness in their life.
Why? Because in stillness, there's reflection and there's transparency. Am I speaking to anybody today?
When you don't have that, you can't still your soul. Because why? I just want noise going on because I don't want to face the past. I don't want to face what happened. I don't want to deal with it.
God is bringing to you a place of stillness and say, "All right, it's here. It's right before me. Lord, I release that."
He wants to bring us to a place of stillness so we can be healed. And so I, I, I don't get up in the morning to pray or to study and to read my Bible because that's my job.
Before I was a minister, I had that habit. Because I needed the stillness to get healed. I wouldn't be healed today from some of many of those wounds if I didn't have this time of stillness and draw near to the Lord.
I just, I, I just pray that I came across in a life-giving way. I want you to know that God, there's a stillness. There's a stillness in our soul.
And the busyness, that constant noise. I think the enemy keeps us in on that treadmill. We just keep going and going and going. Because it's just like, it's too painful. It's too painful to face.
Um, I saw this, you know, this illustration. It really spoke to me. I'll just explain this picture right here.
How many have ever traveled internationally? Many of you have. Some of you. And even, I think even in the States, there's these double doors.
And I noticed them specifically when you travel internationally. Um, there's usually a security person. There's a security person that's there when you leave the secure portion of the airport or wherever you're at, whether it's a government building or whatever.
You have to, how many, you have to just keep moving forward. And so when you stand up to the door, the door opens automatically.
Then you go into an area that's either 10, sometimes it's 15 feet. It's like a corridor, but there's another set of doors.
Until you go through the first set of doors, wait for them to close, you have to keep moving. The second set of doors will not open.
So in other words, you go to the first set of doors, stand there, it'll close. Both doors are closed and you're there.
Obviously, the point is this: you got to keep moving. You have to keep moving. And, uh, as long as you stay at the first set of doors, that second set won't open.
And it's the same principle in life. It's a simple illustration, but it's very powerful. If you're sitting around nursing your wounds, feeling sorry for yourself, you know what?
We all do because things are very painful that we go through. How many of you know you're not going to see anything new or break forth in your life? You're stuck.
And God wants you to be unstuck. That may not be proper English, but you have to continue to move. It doesn't mean there isn't a season of healing and being touched by God.
But when you continue to move and get back up, that second set of doors will open. It will open.
And so what you choose to see determines your reality. Please stand with me if you would. I want to just bring this to you.
I want to bring this to a conclusion, and we'll see what the Lord has next week. I have some things, some Bible characters I want to talk to you about. They struggle with letting go.
They struggle with letting go, and there's some biblical pictures in that. But Proverbs 23:7 says this: "For as a person thinks in their heart, so is he or she."
Have you had a bow out here this morning, if you would, please? Because what we think on, it builds. It builds thoughts. It builds thoughts.
They become, I could say it this way, like physical substances in your brain. And what we allow in our mind determines our reality and ultimately our legacy.
That's why the enemy wants to corrupt our thinking, corrupt our mind, get us stuck somewhere. It isn't that the situation was absolutely devastating. That's not the point.
The point is, is the enemy wants us to get stuck. He wants us held back. He wants us not to get back up. He wants us to have this attitude of, "What's the point? What's the use? I'm hurting so bad."
I believe the Spirit of God is here today to touch us and heal us so we can move forward. And some of you are, you're like those double doors.
You walk through one, something happened, felt like a bomb's gone off in your life, whatever it may have been, and you're just, you're stuck, and you feel like I'm caged in here.
I can't move forward. Many times forgiveness, over and over again, it's just the releasing this process helps you move forward.
It was in my case, making a decision, confessing with my mouth, until actually my heart lined up with my mouth. And I saw God just open a new door, a new door.
Because I was able to, through the power of the Holy Spirit, break the curse, what I grew up under, that I felt, and bring freedom.
So my family would not have to experience that. God has that for each and every one of you.
You're here this morning with every head bowed. He said, "Pastor, I know I'm stuck. I'm stuck in my faith. I feel like I am just, I'm not moving forward."
For whatever, a disappointment, maybe it was a hurt or a pain, a prayer that didn't get answered. Lots of a long one, a painful situation. Why did they die? I don't know.
And I'm definitely not minimizing that pain. I've walked through many of those situations. I've walked through many of those scenarios with some of you, but God wants us to move forward.
God wants us not to be stuck. And some of you spiritually, you're stuck. It's like, how do you break free?
The Bible says, if we confess with our mouth and believe in our heart that God raised Christ from the dead, we shall be saved. That's the first step to getting unstuck.
That you come into right relationship with Jesus Christ. And then maybe you've said a prayer years ago, and you've kind of, you've just been on a standstill.
I'm going to ask you to pray again. Confess with your mouth. To surrender your life afresh and anew. And watch and see what the Lord will do.
I believe he will unstick you and help you move forward. Help you walk that walk of faith. If you surrender your life afresh and anew today.
If that's you, pray with me. Say this with me. Say, "Jesus, forgive me. I'm a sinner. Jesus, I release that. I release that situation to you. Holy Spirit, heal my heart. Jesus, I confess today. And I make you Lord and Savior of my life. Thank you for forgiving me. I believe you died on the cross for my sin. Jesus, fill me with your spirit. Heal my heart. Enable me to move forward. In Jesus' name. Amen. Amen.
Friends, if you prayed that prayer and you meant it, I believe God meant it. And his presence is here. I believe that his presence is here to continue to heal you.
on Apr 29, 2024
