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I’m excited to jump into the word today

if you’re ready for the word I need you

to type I’m ready

type I’m ready I’m ready I’m ready if

you’re sitting next to somebody I need

you to elbow them and tell them to get

ready we are in week 9 of a series

called relationship goals reloaded

clack-clack you know what I’m saying I

ain’t got the noise that Pastor Mike but

I got clack clack yeah it’s about to hit

different I’m telling you right now it’s

week 9 of our series is gonna be amazing

today I believe I got a word for you and

what I know is the Holy Spirit is so

amazing that he knew that in this time

we would need to be talking about

relationships like the Holy Spirit is so

powerful that he knew in a time of

tension in the middle of a pandemic in

the middle of racial injustice in the

middle of one of the hardest times he

knew that relationships our relationship

with him in our relationship with others

would be so important and so I’m

believing that today we’re gonna take a

step further in this thing I need you to

get out your Bibles get out your

smartphones as pastor Michael say your

dumb phones any kind of thing you have

we are gonna be in first Timothy 6 first

Timothy 6 is we’re gonna be today we’re

gonna read some good Bible I’m excited

for the word I believe it’s gonna help

you today I would encourage you to take

notes I always make a lame dad joke

every time I talk about taking notes but

here’s the thing I know you write down

things that you want to remember and I’m

believing today that there’s gonna be

something in here that helps you and

encourage you whether it’s in this

season or a season to come so first

Timothy 6 starting in verse 11 this is

what the Word of God says it says but

you Timothy are a man of God so run from

all these evil things pursue

righteousness and godly life along with

faith love perseverance and gentleness

fight the good fight of faith of true

faith hold tightly to the eternal life

which God has called you which you have

declared so well before many witnesses I

charge you before God who gives life to

all before Christ who gave you a good

testimony before a Pontius Pilate that

you obey this command without wavering

then no one can

fought with you from now until the Lord

Christ returns verse 20 Timothy guard

what God has entrusted to you avoid

godless foolish discussion with those

who oppose their so-called knowledge

some people have wandered from the faith

by following such foolishness may God’s

grace be with you oh I want to take a

moment and pray just that God would

speak to us in this moment Lord God we

love you you’re so good you’re so

gracious Holy Spirit speak through me in

this moment we surrender this service to

you and I thank you that healing will

happen today in the name of Jesus we

pray amen it is Father’s Day and I gotta

admit as a father it’s it’s weird

experiencing Father’s Day for the first

time now this is not my first Father’s

Day my first Father’s Day I had one kid

now my second Father’s Day I got one and

a half kids now some of you are asking

Charles what are you talking about well

we have a little baby girl that’ll be

here in like 35 or 40 days it’s crazy

but it’s weird fatherhood changes a lot

I was not prepared for how much would

change and indeed dad will tell you this

you’re a lot of things change when you

become a dad there’s so many things that

change the way you think changes you be

just your interaction with poop changes

you hear what I’m saying it’s just weird

like you just it’s weird stuff you’ll do

I’ll be licking my finger and rubbing my

son’s face on all this stuff that you

swore you wouldn’t do you do as a father

like I kiss Arlo right on the mouth and

I probably will until he’s 35 so and

there’s nothing he can really do about

it but a lot of things change when you

become a dad one thing that changed that

I honestly was not prepared for I have

to kind of go back to give you some

context for it but when I was young I

you know there’s like they say you

either have fight or flight I had like I

had like fight fight fight and oh you

really replicate like that’s what I had

in me as a kid what I mean and I was I

would run my mouth I was sure I was

small I’m still kind of sure but I would

just talk so much trash when I played

sports in school if people are trying to

pick on me I would just like what’s up

there come on like I would just be

saying all kinds of dumb stuff and then

when I realized they were actually going

to fight me

like hey listen homey listen bro is cool

you ain’t really gotta like I was I was

ready to go until I realized that they

were actually going to hit me and then I

was like nah I bet I’m good I’m good I’m

good but listen when I became a father

something switched like it switched so

fast I remember when I became a dad

we’re in the the rumor of Abby’s about

to have the baby and we’re sitting there

and she’s doing all of her breathing and

Heather put this mask on her and I’m

like low-key try not to freak out and

literally Arlo comes out and immediately

something swish and I thought I will

fight this doctor right now if I have

like I immediately I was ready to fight

somebody like it just felt like I am a

dad and I will fight any Joker that

pulls up to me Danny Mario you know what

I’m talking about you just ready to

fight people we were on a date night the

other night and Abby she’s pregnant

she’s so beautiful girls oh my goodness

she is who I just had a moment right

there but I am ready to fight somebody

and I don’t really know why we were at

dinner the other night on date night and

this guy he kept looking over Abby and

he just kept looking and I just started

staring my said hey bro what’s up like I

literally was staring him right in the

eyes and he was grunt probably six six

just huge he was sitting there staring

at Abby and I was like I will fight this

man right now I don’t even care I don’t

even know you and Abby was like you are

a pastor he could go to TC I said I

don’t care where he go he can catch

these hands he keep looking at you like

I was just I was ready to fight just for

no reason but I realized that when I

became a father when when the burden of

father was placed on me there was

another fight that was always in me that

that needed the right thing to be put on

me for it to come out you see there was

always this inner fight on the inside of

me there was always this protective

spirit on the inside of me there was

always something that was willing to put

my life on the line there was always a

fight in me but it needed the right

thing to be placed on me for it to come

out

I came to encourage somebody maybe

you’re looking at 20/20 and it feels

like it hasn’t gone how you thought it

would it feels like your plans have

changed but I came to tell you there’s

another fight on the inside of you

there’s something that’s about to rise

up that you’re about to realize that you

were born for this moment

when I became a father I found my fight

you see when I was a kid I didn’t have

anything worth fighting for I didn’t

realize there was anything on the inside

of me that made me ready to stand up but

what happened is when something was

placed on me I found the fight that was

always in me titled my sermon today as I

found my fight

I came to challenge somebody and

encouraged somebody I know it’s hard

right now I know you’re going through

something tough but I believe by the

power of the Holy Spirit you’re about to

find your fight the enemy’s been trying

to attack you he’s been coming against

your mind he’s been coming against your

family but today you’re about to find

your fight I need you to type it right

now say I found my fight I know they

doubted me but I found my fight I know I

still barely holding on to my mind but I

found my fight oh my goodness I’m about

to preach with this stool out the way I

found my fight

I’m not playing today I’m screaming in

this empty arena and I’m ready to go but

the enemy has been playing games for too

long and I’m done playing there is too

much on the line and the God is so big

on the inside of you for you to step

back and be worried about this little

stuff that is in front of you I know

you’re in a hard time right now and I’m

not trying to pass over it but the Bible

says the same spirit that raised Christ

from the dead lives on the inside of you

so what’s a pandemic what is injustice

when God is still seated on the throne I

found my fight I found it I found it it

was lost for a little bit but I found it

I doubted myself for a little bit but I

found it today you’re gonna find your

fight now some of you you say I ain’t

gonna found I’ve always had my fight I’m

a thug some of y’all just like I’m a

thug I’ve been having my fight you say I

been had I realized stuff like that that

I’d be say I’ve been had my fight but I

realized that some of you maybe you

don’t realize that there’s actually two

types of fight that I want to talk about

some of y’all just ready to throw hands

you had them friends in school listen

you know someone who’s in here right now

who was like that Chris Harvey was God

Chris was ready to throw hands I’ve

heard

are you a middle school just one of the

you know two boys that do these right

here what’s up blood

that’s some of y’all right now that

ain’t godly but it’s okay there’s two

types of fight I want to talk about two

types of fight and I want to look at

Scripture I am dying think of that story

I’m like this is hilarious two types of

fight that I want to talk about look at

what it says in first Timothy 6 he says

but you at Timothy are a man of God what

I love in the scripture is first there’s

a qualifier before he starts talking

about two types of fighting what he’s

saying is is there is a standard for you

that is different than other people you

are a man of God you are a woman of God

so how everybody else responds how

everybody else decides to fight how

everybody else decides to speak out you

act differently because of who you are

it says run from these evil things and

it goes to verse 12 it says fight the

good fight for the true faith fight the

good fight for the true faith if there’s

a good fight that made me think that

there’s a bad fight like I mean just

it’s very like some of y’all be thinking

the Bible be so deep sometimes sometimes

it’s very like if there’s a good fight

there must be a bad fight and I want to

give you something today that I believe

is going to help you in a massive way I

want to talk to you about the difference

between the good fight and the bad fight

I want to read the rest of the scripture

it says it says for you have been called

to I want to back up and says fight the

good fight for truth faith and hold

tightly to eternal life to which God has

called you I want to tell you the

difference between the good fight and

the bad fight write this down the good

fight fights to change forever the bad

fight fights to change feelings I want

to help you today this is relationship

advice this is for your marriage this is

for your business this is for injustice

the good fight fights to change my

forever it fights to change things that

are eternal the bad fight fights to

change my feelings some of you in your

marriages in your relationships even in

the season we’re in right now you are

fighting simply to change how you feel

and I understand I’m not trying to move

your feelings I’m not trying to skip

over your emotions the only problem is

if you’re fighting out of feelings

you’ll make decisions that affect your

forever and many of us are fighting in

relationships and we’re not fighting

with forever in mind we’re fighting with

how I feel in the moment in mind so what

happens is is your with the argument

with your spouse and your talking and in

the moment you have an emotion and

instead of thinking about forever

instead of thinking about how this will

affect your family instead of thinking

about how this will affect your children

and the generations to come and in the

house you’re building and the culture of

the home and the love you want to show

you respond out of feelings and it

changes your forever you respond out of

the hurt of the moment instead of

realizing that hold up there’s something

a lot bigger than this I’m fighting the

good fight I’m not fighting the petty

fight I’m not fighting the fight that I

listen I’m not even going to fight the

fight that I would be entitled to fight

because sometimes there are things that

you feel that you are completely

entitled to you are complete but does it

have forever in mind does it take into

consideration it says take hold of the

eternal life you have been called to it

didn’t say take hold of life that

everybody you’ve been called to it so

you got a fight different and I want to

come to help you today and say listen

there is a fight on the inside of you

but please don’t waste it the thing I’ve

realized is the good fight and the bad

fight they take the same amount of

energy so like you fightin the same

amount you’re using the same amount of

energy to fight about petty things to

fight about the thing they said six

years ago that you never let go of the

thing that like you fighting this using

the same amount of energy but you’re not

seeing the same results because there’s

a good fight and there’s a bad fight the

good fight says you know what I’m

fighting to change something that that’s

forever I’m fighting for eternal things

I’m fighting beyond this moment I’m

fighting beyond just simple this moment

I’m trying fighting to change the

trajectory of a nation we’re not we’re

not fighting how we feel right now about

racial injustice that’s not why we’re

fighting we’re fighting to change

forever we’re fighting because we’ve had

we said this is enough where it’s it’s

happened in our generation we’re

fighting to change something bigger and

fer

other than us but that means you have to

submit how you feel to what God has said

that means you have to say you know and

I’ve heard there’s so many people when

it comes to emotions or how you feel or

or or what is right or wrong

sometimes I’ve and I grew up I’m a very

emotional person like I’ll probably cry

in this sermon I was just super

emotional but I grew up sometimes a

church is like your feelings are the

devil your feelings have a devil who you

got emotions though I was like how did

God create me with these things and they

somehow the devil sometimes and what I

realized is it’s not that feelings by

themselves are bad or emotions by

themselves are bad because God had

emotion like he walked in with righteous

anger and flipped tables he had

compassion on the people he’d like when

God the Bible says he gives you a peace

that surpasses all understanding that’s

not a piece of paper that’s something

that you feel on the inside of you what

I realized is emotions not submitted to

God are the issue so when you start

fighting out of your emotions that are

just how you feel and what you’ve been

through and what you saw your parents

and how they handled arguments and how

they handled conflict that’s where the

issue comes but today we are fighting

the good fight today I want to talk

about how we fight and and really

continue to move forward in this thing

and and here’s the thing have you ever

been I was thinking about this the other

day have you ever been in a fight maybe

with your spouse or a friend or and you

got so deep in the fight that about like

halfway through you kind of forgot what

y’all was fighting like you ever been

like so like you’re like an hour and a

half deep in this thing you don’t throw

something you were talking about their

mama and you’re like so what about again

I realized that sometimes it’s bad to

forget what you’re fighting about but I

realized there’s something worse Demario

you know what’s worse than forgetting

what you’re fighting is to not be clear

on who you’re fighting it’s one thing to

forget what you’re fighting about but

what happens oftentimes is the many

enemy gets you so caught up with what

you’re fighting about that you get

distracted and forget who you’re

fighting I want to help you today I want

to help you because some of you you have

been so distracted by the physical

thing of what you’re fighting that you

have not realized who you should be

focusing on and who you’re actually

fighting write this down

don’t let what you’re fighting distract

you from who you are really fighting

don’t let what you’re fighting distract

you from who you are fighting look at

Ephesians six a final word be strong and

Lord and in his mighty power put on all

of God’s armor so that you will be able

to stand firm against the strategies of

the devil for we are not fighting flesh

and blood enemies hold up we we’re not

fighting what we think we’re fighting

you’re not fighting what’s actually in

front of you you’re not fighting the

thing and what happens is you get caught

up with what you’re fighting that you

get distracted and forget who you’re

actually fighting listen I want to

challenge you today you know what we

need that argument that you got in last

week with your wife you weren’t fighting

your wife like you you’re not you’re not

fighting your spouse you’re not fighting

just on the surface level you’re not

fighting in this time there’s so many

people like this isn’t justice so we

need to define the police at work do you

know we’re not fighting the police I

listen this is not list some of you

we’re not fighting a pandemic this is

month the Bible says we are not fighting

flesh and blood enemies you are not

fighting depression you’re actually

fighting demons now let you’re not

you’re not fighting your spouse you’re

fighting evil spirits you’re not

fighting there are things that are a lot

bigger this and I’m not saying this to

scare you I’m not saying this to worry

you but what I’m doing is I’m trying to

get you aware of who you’re fighting so

you don’t get so caught up with what

you’re fighting about because here’s the

thing you need to understand when you

don’t understand who you’re fighting you

don’t know how to fight if you don’t

know who you’re fighting you won’t know

how you should fight let’s think let me

help you I’m gonna give you illustration

has anybody seen rocky anybody seen

rocky rocky – rocky 3 rocky 48 what are

they on right now I don’t even know

there’s so many Rocky movies there’s a

rocky movie where Rocky – actually he’s

gonna fight Apollo Creed Apollo Creed is

quick Apollo Creed is a G pretty much I

mean he’s just he’s just good

and in rocky there’s a moment where his

trainer he gets him in like this little

cage and he has a chicken he’s like

alright here’s what we got to do I’m

about to blade this chicken down and you

gonna chase this chicken and I saw that

and I was like what that is so dumb like

but what he realized his trainer knew is

that who he was fighting should change

how he would fight you see in Rocky one

he was just in the meat cellar just

slamming up against a carcasses but what

his trainer knew is that who you’re

fighting is a little bit quicker so how

you would normally fight has to change

in this season you see if you don’t know

who you’re fighting you’ll fight the

wrong way what I love about this is he

had to do something that would look

foolish to other people but he realized

that if he actually wanted to win he

would have to change how he would

normally fight there are some of you

there are some things you’re gonna have

to do in your relationships there are

some things you’re gonna have to do in

your family that may look foolish to

other people but because of who you’re

fighting you’re gonna have to change how

you fight I know you grew up in how your

family would normally fight is everybody

just start yelling at each other like

everybody just start screaming everybody

start throwing stuff everybody start

calling people’s names and talking about

what they did but you got to understand

you’re not fighting that your spouse or

that individual you’re fighting

generational cycles so because you know

that it’s bigger than this you’re going

to change how you’re fighting doing the

same thing over and over again and

expecting different results is the

definition of insanity and for some

reason we are fighting spiritual battles

with earthly weapons it’s like those

moments I don’t know what movie it was

but this guy he’s about to fight and he

whips out a knife and everybody else

pulls out guns it’s like oh snap and

they said you brought a knife to a

gunfight

some of y’all have brought words to a

heavenly fight like you brought emotions

to a spiritual battle you’ve bought like

you’ve dropped like you’ve showed up

with weapons and like all watch this I’m

about to rip them apart with my words

that’s great but the demons ain’t afraid

of your button you got

show up with some different weapons you

got to understand who you are fighting

in it should change how you fight how

you fight changes when you know who you

are fighting I love the scripture in

Ephesians because what it does is it

says hey listen we have to understand

that we’re not fighting like a normal

battle this is not flesh and blood but

it’s a lot bigger than this it goes on

to list it’s like this is not flesh and

blood but we’re fighting enemies and

principalities of this Dark Age and and

it’s what it’s doing is it’s giving us a

heavenly perspective many of us we enter

into the arguments that we face we enter

into even this season right now it’s

just such a trying time and so many

different point of views and so many

different emotions and so many different

perspectives and we have to understand

if we get so caught up with the surface

level thing we expend all of the same

energy with no impact I call it it’s

like a treadmill fight like it’s a fight

where you doing all the stuff like

you’re expending the energy you’re doing

but you’re not making any movement today

I want us to find a fight that makes a

difference I want to find a fight that

moves things not just in an earthly

perspective but in a spiritual

perspective today we’re gonna find a

fight that moves things in children that

aren’t even born yet we’re gonna move

some things in business ideas that

haven’t even come up yet we found a

fight that’s different and it’s not

petty it’s not low-level but it’s a

spiritual battle that is moving things

on your behalf I found my fight I found

my fight Ephesians 6:14 it moves on and

it says okay now if we know that there’s

two kinds of fight there’s a what you

fight but then you got to understand who

you’re fighting and who you’re fighting

should change how you fight Ephesians

starts to give us such a clear playbook

on how we should fight it’s so clear

says stand your ground and putting on

the belt of truth the body armor of

God’s righteousness for shoes put on the

peace that comes from the good news so

that you will be fully prepared in

addition to all these things hold up the

shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows

of the devil put on salvation as your

helmet and take up the sword of the

Spirit which is the word of God when you

understand who you’re fighting it should

change how you fight

and today I came to challenge every

single person that feels like there’s a

fight on the inside of you feel like

there’s a battle that’s in front of you

you feel like there’s something that you

haven’t figured out how to face yet

there’s a giant in front of you that has

plagued you and it’s actually not just

you it was your father and his father

and there are father’s even right now

that the fight that you’re facing right

now it’s not even yours it’s not

something that that you it inherently

had to deal with but it’s grandfathers

and great-grandfather’s that the Giants

that they didn’t slay you know there’s a

revelation actually with Goliath that

the Goliath was not the first giant from

the city of gasps that the children of

Israel actually fought you see they

fought that battle before but they

didn’t defeat it and so Goliath showed

up and David had to fight the Giants

that his grandparents wouldn’t beat up

and there are some of you today that

there are some Giants that have plagued

your great grandfather and your

great-grandfather and your grandfather

and your father but today you’re making

a decision that it stops with me not

another day where my family deal with

that issue not another day will I allow

that thing to stand up not another day

when I allow myself to walk in anxiety

and fear and worry no today we’re

finding a fight and it stops with us

it’s got to stop today it’s got to stop

today I want to give you something I was

going through this and I was like do I

need to preach every single one of these

but I want to give you something I wrote

it down I called it the weapon

revelation I’m about to give you one

line for each one of these things that I

think is so powerful on how we should

fight how we should fight the first

thing it says says put on the belt of

truth I started thinking about a belt

and I actually forgot my belt today I

got these big pants on but I realized a

belt provides security you’re up saying

like well you got a belt on you can go

you come up and and it says I started

thinking about it but I said for the

belt of truth you should fear your belt

you should put on truth and I wrote this

statement down let your security come

only from the truth of God’s Word that’s

what this when you get your where you

get your security where you find your

foundation where you you put your hope

it should be found in the truth of God’s

Word it says for body armor put on the

body armor of righteousness the Bible

says he who knew no sin became sin so

that we could be the righteousness of

God

I’m protecting my body understanding

that when God looks at me he doesn’t see

me it says he who knew no sin Jesus

became sin for me so that I could become

the righteousness of Christ when you

stand before God when you walk into a

room the way you carry yourself the way

you walk the way you talk it is covered

understanding that you are in right

standing with God you don’t have to walk

like everybody else you don’t have to

walk in shame you don’t have to walk

with your head down you don’t have to

walk in fear but you walk knowing that

you are the righteousness of Christ it

says put on shoes of peace I’m believing

there are some of you that when you’re

finding your fight every single room you

walk in there’s gonna be peace every

time you walk in there’s gonna be a

peace that surpasses all understanding

every time you walk in a room when

there’s chaos when there’s worry when

there’s confusion you can walk in and

there will be peace it says take up the

shield of faith I thought about this one

many of us in our life when it comes to

being in arguments or fighting in

relationships or fighting for something

we believe in the shield we often take

up is not the shield of faith it’s the

shield of fear think of like think of a

shield you would only throw your shield

up when something’s attacking you when

there’s something that’s coming against

you and you’re worried and you think oh

gosh I got to protect myself but what

this is saying is when you put your

shield up when you go to protect

yourself it’s not out of fear it’s not

out of worry it’s out of faith

understanding who is on your side and

some of you today you need to pick up

the shield of faith you’ve stopped

believing you started doubting but today

you’re finding a fight that is

foundation is in faith it’s not in fear

it’s not in worry it’s not an anxiety

but you are picking up the shield of

faith the last one it says the helmet of

salvation I said we need to protect our

thoughts with the fact that my eternity

is secure in God I was working through

this sermon and I was thinking of so

many different things I was thinking you

know what okay we got what kind of fight

there’s a good fight and there’s a bad

fight there’s a fight that is eternally

focused and there’s a fight that’s

earthly focused there’s a fight that is

found

as emotions there’s a fight that’s

foundation is with changing the

trajectory of your family and so many

different things and okay there’s our

what you fight then you got to

understand who you’re fighting and then

you got to understand how to fight and I

was going through all of these and I

realized that there was still there was

still one missing and it was why and

that’s really where I want to camp out

today why are you fighting like what I

know I know like you have like a reason

like you’ve gotten in an argument you

like we fighting because her his day is

just trifling and they just be doing

dumb stuff that’s that that’s a reason

but I want to I want to talk about

really like why are you fighting what is

it on the inside of you what what hurt

what insecurity what what pain why are

you fighting you know what I realized

when I became a father and I think it’s

so funny you know there’s so many I had

this sermon for a little bit actually in

the example was talking about becoming a

father and it just worked out that I

ended up speaking it on Father’s Day but

I realized that the what of of whether

it was people or individuals you know I

talked about you know when I became a

father I feel like I found a different

fight that was on the inside of me I

realized nothing changed with people

that I saw or what there was just a why

that was worth it like it was the same

people that I felt like if you looked at

me funny or did something before I’ll be

like I’m good or I tried to talk myself

out of it but there was a fight that

rose up on the inside of me that said

you know what if it comes against my

kids if you’re talking about my wife if

you like if whatever it was there was a

lie that was worth it and I really

believe when it comes to finding our

fight when it comes to fighting and

justice when it comes to fighting the

the the really cycles that have that

have plagued you and your family for

years you’ve got a friend the right why

and many of us the the tension that

we’re in right now is we are at a time

in a season where we are so caught up

with all the different what’s we are

fighting there’s something there’s not a

shortage of things to fight for right

now

there’s not a shortage of people to

fight against there’s not a shortage of

those things but today I really want to

talk about why are you fighting you know

I I titled this sermon I found my fight

and it was you really as I started

thinking about it I realized that I had

to name it that because I found it

because it was lost for a while it

really was it was um it was pretty tough

and I grabbed my stool that I threw out

of emotion earlier but I realized that I

I found my fight because I lost it for

for quite some time actually and I want

to talk and be real for a second because

sometimes as pastors as leaders it’s

easy to look at someone’s life and think

that it’s always perfect that there

aren’t hard days that there aren’t times

where you want to give up but there

aren’t times where you don’t know what

to do that there aren’t times where it’s

hard and if I’m being honest the first

part of quarantine or really the month

of March I lost my fight bad a lot of

people don’t realize this but there have

been some pretty dark times in in my

life and I remember the first time I

felt the emotion was in sixth grade I

told you I would always try to act like

I was a big dog and yell at people and

talk tough but the truth is I was really

hurting and I really cared what a lot

what people thought about me and sixth

grade I remember packing a bag and I was

gonna run away from home because I was

so like just worked up about people

making fun of me and feeling like I

didn’t fit in and feeling like I was

just different and weird and it just

didn’t make sense and I packed my bag I

was like 1:00 in the morning and I went

to go leave and my little brother woke

up and started crying and if he wouldn’t

happened to woke up that night I would

have said I don’t know what would have

happened my parents probably would have

found me but that was the first time I

started dealing with these dark emotions

that were on the inside of me that I

didn’t know

to do and I don’t really remember

feeling it again it kind of got rough

maybe again when I first moved to Tulsa

in 2014 but when Arlo our our first son

was born my wife will tell you about a

month into him being born I went what I

would say dark what I mean by that is I

was overwhelmed by depression and worry

and anxiety and confused emotions and

not knowing how to process them and I

felt I felt so overwhelmed that I

literally there was a span of probably

almost two weeks where I just didn’t

talk and this is tough because I could

my job is to come up and talk in front

of people about Jesus and how good he is

and how much he loves you in the faith

but I would get up and I was talking I

would preach and I would lead a staff

meeting and I would do something on a

weekend and I’d go home and just sit in

my room wouldn’t say anything

and through that I kind of worked

through it and in fast forward a year

later around the exact same time in

March he just got it got tough I got

more overwhelmed than I’ve ever been I

felt the pressure of trying to be who

God had called me to be in fact feeling

like I wasn’t good enough feeling like I

didn’t have it feeling like I’d never

would be enough in and it’s crazy

there’s this book that is up here that I

brought today and this is a journal

called Psalms 151 there’s 150 books in

Psalm and this was my book that I was

going to leave that I was going to leave

to whoever would read it on March 29th

or no fast-forward actually it was in

April April 28th my wife had maybe one

of the person knows a story but I

crawled up under my desk at work we were

in the middle of quarantine and nobody

was up at the office and so I kept going

up there to work and stuff but I crawled

up under my desk and I was crying and

journaling

trying to debate whether or not I should

keep on living and it’s weird to tell

the story in the empty arena full of

thousands of people are not full of

thousands of people but I wrote this

down I said Congrats you’ve built a life

that you’re not connected to you built

something so great and you still feel so

empty the plane is going down and it’s

your fault

you’re the pilot you’re responsible

there’s no one else to blame but you and

now you have a chance you have a choice

you can pull the ejector seat and hope

that you land on your feet or you can

breathe some of your last breaths on

your way down and I go on to write some

things that I wouldn’t even bother

reading right now but the beginning of

this thing almost took me out and I

realized the reason was because I didn’t

know why I was fighting like I didn’t I

wrote these words so confused and so

hurt and many people didn’t even know

like I would come up and I would yell

and scream and hallelujah and Jesus is

gonna heal you and it’s funny I go back

and listen to prayers that I was just

hoping that thousands of people were

hearing but really they were just

prayers to God for myself and I realized

that I wasn’t I didn’t have a big enough

why in the moment I thought I was

fighting I was fighting just for me I

was fighting so that I would be able to

keep going but I had to realize that I

wasn’t fighting for me

I realized that I was fighting for my

son

there was a moment y’all I’m not like

there was a moment where I did not I was

seriously thinking about I wouldn’t be

here and I realized that without the

right why your fight always dies and I

had nothing left like I read my Bible I

had prayed I had spoke all the

scriptures and done all the things and

there just wasn’t anything there and I

had to find a why that was that was a

lot bigger than just this moment it was

a why that was realizing that you know

what like I’m not I remember somebody

would somebody even text me other day

they said hey how you feeling and I

realized that through all this crap that

I went through I realize it doesn’t

matter how for you I literally thought

they said how you feeling I said it

doesn’t matter because I’m called and I

realized that after all the stuff that I

went through and some of you’re like yo

what is going on this is super deep but

I know there’s somebody right now that

you have been in the fight for your life

and you’ve questioned if it’s worth it

you’ve questioned if you’ve made all the

right decisions you’ve questioned why

you here you’ve questioned your purpose

your question what to do you’ve

questioned if you’re going to give up

your question that should we even

continue to fight for racial equality

when it’s been so bad for so long should

we even continue to fight for this

marriage when it’s so broken should I

can even keep going in this and I came

to encourage you that today you’re going

to stand back up now I wrote this down

in my notes I said the devil thought he

had me but I found my fight like he

really did Josey like

you know what I realized

he is so scared of me and not even me

but he’s afraid of what God put on the

inside of me and I realized that you

know what it’s an honor that he came

from my life you don’t say it like I bet

you are so afraid of what God put on the

inside of me I bet you are so afraid

that I would stand up right here and say

that you know what the devil thought he

had me but I found my fight you know

what the devil thought he was gonna take

me out but I’m still here and I’m loving

my wife and I’m raising my kids and as

for me and my house we will serve the

Lord and there’s somebody right now that

you have been doubting you have been

worried and you have almost given up but

today you’re gonna find your fight today

you’re gonna stand back up you’re gonna

raise those kids regardless of who comes

and who goes today you’re gonna stand up

and you’re gonna love your wife

regardless of what happens today you’re

gonna stand up you’re gonna stand up for

racial and inequality and racial

injustice regardless of if other people

agree with you regardless of what your

family says regardless if something else

happens regardless away you’re gonna

stand up and you’re gonna find your

fight what you need to realize is

there’s something different on the

inside of you there is and I know you

don’t feel it I know it’s hard and I

know your question it but there’s more

in you I know it there’s more in you

because I didn’t believe it but there’s

more in me I didn’t think I’d be here

but there’s more in me and today I just

I felt the burden of every single person

who has doubted who has felt like giving

up who has felt like man I don’t even

know if this is worth it that um man the

enemy I remember my dad would say this

but it’s like you don’t uh and it really

is just some thought that I’m having

right now even but like you don’t attack

the player on the team that you’re not

worried about

like you you only you only come after

people that you realize could make a

difference and there’s some of you that

you thought the attack was a sign of a

lack of your ability a lack of of your

calling you thought you’re being

attacked because God wasn’t with you you

thought your mind was being attacked

because God didn’t have a plan for your

life you thought you were being attacked

because your marriage wasn’t gonna make

it but could I present to you today that

maybe just maybe it’s because the

enemies knows what’s on the other side

of this he knows that on the other side

of your fight there’s a completely new

story for your family on the other side

of your fight

there’s curses that have plagued you for

years that are being broken on the other

side of your fight is seeing a nation

changed forever and I’m gonna start

saying that the devil thought he had me

he really did and it’s so funny because

now I’m sitting at a place where I’ve

worked through it I moved on it and now

I realized that you know what like now

it’s my burden to encourage people who

feel like they have lost their fight and

I want to take a moment I want to pray

for every single person I want to pray

for every single person who feels like

there’s a fight that you’re facing that

you have no idea how to be that there’s

maybe a journal some things you’ve

written down some thoughts you’ve

believed they just simply aren’t true

it’s not the Word of God it’s not the

truth over your life and in this time

right now I think we’re all fighting

something we’re all fighting different

things we’re all fighting different

emotions we’re all fighting the fact

that 2020 hasn’t gone according to plan

it hasn’t gone how he thought it hasn’t

gone how he intended but

I just know that God’s not done with

this year he’s not done with your life

he’s not done with your marriage he’s

not done with your relationships he’s

not done with our nation he’s not done

with but I’m believing there’s a

generation of people that are gonna

stand up today and you’re gonna find

your fight you’re gonna find something

deep on the inside of you that doesn’t

give up that doesn’t lose heart

Galatians 6:9 don’t grow weary in doing

good fry at the proper time you will

reap a harvest a blessing if you do not

lose heart wherever you are right now I

want to take a moment I want to pray

over you I want to pray that by the

power of the Holy Spirit that you would

find a fight on the inside of you that

does not come from your own strength

that does not come from your own power

but it resides because the same spirit

that raised Christ from the dead lives

on the inside of you and I’m declaring

over every single person right now that

the enemy has tried to come for your

mind he’s tried to come for your purpose

he is trying to come for your family he

has tried to come for your children he’s

trying to come against what God has said

but today you are finding a fight that

is not a subject to what has happened to

you you’re finding a fight that is not

dependent on how you feel but you are

finding a fight that comes from God the

Bible says that the battle is not ours

but it belongs to the Lord and I am

believing that today you are finding

another fight on the inside of you the

marriage is gonna last because you’re

gonna fight for it your children are

gonna know God because you’re gonna

fight for him but you’re not gonna fight

the same way everybody else does come on

you’re gonna fight with faith you’re

gonna fight with people around you come

on you’re gonna fight with prayer and

with fasting you’re gonna fight with the

Word of God you’re gonna fight with the

shield of faith come on you’re gonna

gern yourself with the belt of truth

you’re gonna walk in peace come on

you’re gonna fight different there are

some new weapons that you need access to

there are some of you right now that

even your prayer languages go into

another level come on your spiritual

discipline is going to another level

come on when people try to fight on the

outside you got a prayer on the inside

that stands up on the inside of you and

you say I don’t have to fight in my

words because I can fight in the spirit

my God is fighting for me come on I

believe that you are finding your

right now god I thank you that there are

people that are finding another finally

inside of them they’re gonna fight for

their marriage they’re gonna fight for

their family they’re gonna fight for

their children they’re gonna fight for

this nation they’re gonna fight for the

idea that you said it’s gonna come to

pass and I thank you and right now I

come against every lie of the enemy and

will not happen you will live

I speak against the spirit of suicide I

speak against depression I speak against

anxiety in their name and the authority

of Jesus Christ you have to go and you

cannot come back you have to leave and

you can’t come back on the next

generation you can’t come back on the

generation after that today we declare

that there is no weapon there is no

weapon formed against us that will

prosper come on some of you you need to

believe that there’s no weapon it can

form but it won’t prosper they can talk

about me but it ain’t gonna work they

can they can say something and say

whatever they want but it’s not gonna

work

would you right where you are would you

just lift your hands when you begin to

worship and let’s sing this out that no

weapon will work come on let’s see

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he will

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against a masher

Oh prosper

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what I’m fighting for

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I don’t know what you’ve been going

through I don’t know what the enemy has

tried to convince you isn’t worth it but

uh evens every father out there every

person watching today we found our fight

this is a one of the reasons I fight I

fight because he’s not gonna have to

deal with the stuff that I dealt with it

stopped right here and he’ll have

different things that he goes through

and different battles that he has to

fight for his kids but today I want to

encourage you that no matter what you’re

going through no matter what lies the

enemy has sent your way that you can

fight because it’s not even your battle

we know the end of the story we know at

the end of the book like the truth is

that we know that in the end that that

God wins and we know that the battle it

belongs to him and so I want to take a

moment I just want to seal this in

prayer look god we thank you for your

grace for your love for your mercy

little god I pray right now for every

person who has doubted their fight with

every head bowed and every eye still

closed there are some of you right now

that the fight that you’re fighting for

it really is for your life fight it’s

because you can’t do it by yourself you

can’t do it on your own you can’t do it

by yourself and some of you’ve been

fighting and you haven’t made any

progress you’ve been fighting and

nothing has changed it’s because you

need to have somebody on your side you

see I would not be standing here in my

own strength I’m not standing here in my

own power I’m not standing here because

I just decided to get stronger I’m

standing here because I realized that I

needed something that was more powerful

than me I needed something that was

beyond me and it was my Lord and Savior

Jesus Christ and there are some of you

the reason you’re here today

is not just to hear a sermon it’s not

just because you got on just for any

reason it’s because this is the moment

where you decide to surrender your life

to Jesus you what you need to know is

there

was a fight there was a fight that

happened over two thousand years ago the

Bible says that that Jesus he hung on

the cross and he went down into hell and

he fought the enemy and what you need to

know is that he won and the Bible says

he rose with all power in his hands and

it was so that you wouldn’t have to

struggle by yourself and so that you

wouldn’t have to fight by yourself and

so right now there are some of you that

today you’re gonna surrender your life

to Jesus you’re gonna say god I’m done

fighting by myself and I’m done fighting

the wrong things but I’m finding a fight

that is found in you what I’m gonna do

is right where you are I want you to

pray this prayer with me if you want to

accept Jesus Christ into your life if

you say you know what I want to

surrender to him I’m done fighting some

of you you’ve been fighting the very

thing that you need to save we’ve been

fighting the person that’s been trying

to save you your whole life and today

you’re gonna surrender right now where

you are if you want to accept Jesus into

your life would you take a moment and

just pray this prayer with me say dear

Heavenly Father thank you for loving me

dear Jesus I admit I’ve made mistakes

save me change me transform me in Jesus

name I pray amen

thank you so much for watching this

message and if this has impacted you in

any way I’m asking you to do a couple of

things number one join transformation

nation join us right here every Sunday

gather your friends and your family and

be a part of not just this moment but

this movement the second thing I would

ask you to do is share share this with

your friends your co-workers people that

are around you because transformation is

just one click away the last thing I

would ask you to do is partner with us

financially if this ministry is

impacting your life transforming you I

would ask you to consider pray about

what you could give to help us take this

message to the whole world I want you to

know that we love you and your best days

are right in front of you this week I

want you to live a transformed life see

you next week

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