This week, Amy reminded the congregation that broken people often do broken things simply because they don’t know who they are or whose they are. When we forget our God-given identity, we let trauma, words, the opinions of others, and the lies of the enemy define us instead of the truth of Scripture.

She acknowledged that even though identity is a familiar topic, it’s still one we wrestle with daily. We live in a world that constantly tries to redefine us — and as believers, we must stand firm in who God says we are.

Referencing her earlier messages on convictions and the church’s “Guardrail” series, Amy reminded everyone that convictions are what keep us aligned with Christ. If we trade conviction for convenience, we lose the foundation of who we are.

She pointed out that life feels increasingly complicated, tense, and confusing — because we live in a culture that celebrates what God calls sin, questions what He has made clear, and mocks those who stand for truth. Yet, our call is not to withdraw, but to stand firm and love well.

Amy turned to the story of Daniel, drawing parallels between ancient Babylon and our modern culture. Babylon didn’t just conquer God’s people physically — it tried to redefine who they were.
King Nebuchadnezzar renamed Daniel and his friends, attempting to reshape their identities around false gods. Daniel’s name, which means “God is my Judge,” was changed to Belteshazzar — meaning “Bel protects the king.” This was more than a name change; it was an attack on identity.

Amy explained that Satan still uses the same tactics today — whispering lies like “You’re not enough,” “You’re too broken,” or “You can’t be used by God.” But God’s Word says the opposite: You are chosen, forgiven, victorious, fearfully and wonderfully made, and more than a conqueror.
“When the enemy tells you who you’re not,” she said, “remind yourself who God says you are.”
Just like Jesus did when tempted in the wilderness, we defeat deception with truth — through Scripture.

Daniel “resolved not to defile himself” (Daniel 1:8). That means he made up his mind before the temptation even came. Amy urged the church to do the same — to decide in advance what they will and won’t compromise.

She gave examples of these commitments:
“I will seek God first every day.”
“I will worship faithfully.”
“I will reserve intimacy for marriage.”
“I will not join the crowd when it goes against God’s ways.”
Daniel didn’t protest or shout to make his point. He acted with wisdom, respect, and compassion — choosing to make a difference rather than just make a point. His quiet faith changed lives, including the guard assigned to him.

Even in exile, Daniel’s story shows that God was working behind the scenes. What the enemy meant for evil, God turned for good. Amy reminded the congregation that no matter what happens in our culture or nation, our King is still on the throne.
Psalm 103:19 declares, “The Lord has established His throne in heaven, and His kingdom rules over all.”
When we live out who God says we are, our lives become living testimonies that influence others — just like Daniel and his friends influenced kings and nations.

Amy was transparent about her own journey — admitting that even after years of studying identity, she still finds herself struggling to fully live it out at times. But she emphasized that it’s possible to stand firm without conforming.
“You can live in Babylon,” she said, “without letting Babylon live in you.”

Practical Ways to Walk Out Your Identity
Amy closed the message with seven practical ways to live out your identity in Christ:
Live Out Your Faith Authentically (Matthew 5:16) – Let your good deeds shine so that others see Christ in you. Be consistent, real, and genuine.
Be a Person of Integrity (Colossians 3:23) – Let honesty and excellence define you. Be the same person in private that you are in public.
Share Your Story – Your testimony is proof of God’s transforming power.
Show Love and Compassion (John 13:34–35) – Love is your loudest sermon. Don’t just win arguments; win hearts.

Speak Truth in Love – Truth without love is harsh, but love without truth is hollow.
Pray for Opportunities – Ask God daily to open doors to share His love.
Reflect Christ’s Joy – In a dark world, joy shines brightest.

Amy ended with a heart-searching prayer:
“Lord, help us be the best version of ourselves in You. Father, do people see the ‘me’ that You see and want me to be?”
She reminded everyone: You may live in Babylon, but Babylon doesn’t have to live in you.

We Are Better Together

We just finished an incredible series on guardrails, and it left many of us doing some serious self-reflection. At times we could celebrate the areas where God has helped us grow and strengthen our boundaries. Other times we realized there is still work to do as we align who we are with who God created us to be. One of the greatest truths that stood out is this: I am not myself, by myself. God never designed us to reach our full potential alone. We need the family of God, the community He places around us, to become the best version of who He made us to be.

To illustrate this, consider the Canadian geese. When they fly in their well-known “V” formation, each goose creates an airlift for the birds behind it. This allows the flock to travel 71 percent farther together than they could on their own. If one goose falls out of formation, it feels the drag of flying solo and quickly returns to its place. When the lead goose tires, another steps forward to take its place. The geese honk to encourage each other to keep going. If one is injured or sick, two geese drop out of formation to stay with it until it recovers or passes away, then join another flock. Their teamwork allows them to travel hundreds of miles each day, pressing on toward their destination. The lesson is clear: together is always better.

In the same way, God created us for community. Yet our culture often pushes us toward independence. Over the last fifty years we have seen the family unit drastically change, dinner tables sit empty, and neighborhoods fill with strangers who never speak. We have traded face-to-face connection for digital interactions. Social media, food delivery, and endless entertainment have made isolation easy, but isolation was never God’s design.
The book of Acts shows us what God intended. Acts 2 describes the early church as a community devoted to teaching, fellowship, prayer, and sharing life together. They met daily, broke bread in each other’s homes, and cared for one another so that no one had a need. Their generosity was not forced but was a joyful response to God’s generosity toward them. That same spirit is what we are called to live out today.

Community touches every part of our lives. Spiritually, we are meant to pray, worship, and grow in the Word together. Physically, we are called to meet each other’s needs with tangible acts of love and service. Emotionally, we are wired to find joy and strength in relationships. Studies even show that people are happier when they are with others, no matter if they are extroverts or introverts.

The truth is that isolation is one of the enemy’s greatest tactics. When we allow fear, offense, or self-centeredness to take over, we drift toward loneliness and miss out on the very thing Jesus asks of us. Genuine fellowship is not about scheduled events or perfect homes. It is about letting others into our daily lives, even in the messy moments, and being present for each other in both joy and sorrow.

Scripture is full of “one another” commands. We are told to serve one another, encourage one another, forgive one another, carry one another’s burdens, and love one another. None of these can be lived out in isolation. They require intentional, authentic relationships that go beyond a quick greeting on Sunday morning.

At the heart of it all, Jesus said in John 13:34-35, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” Community is not just about us becoming stronger or happier. It is about showing the world who Jesus is through the way we love each other.

The message is simple but powerful. We need one another. We are better together. And when we choose to live in true biblical community, we experience the fullness of God’s design and reflect His love in a way that changes lives.

Daniel 1:8–21 | Proverbs 11:3

Most of our regrets could have been avoided if we had guardrails — boundaries in our lives that protect us from drifting off course.
The good news? Future regrets can be avoided if we choose to put those guardrails in place now.

Why We Often Don’t Have Guardrails
We avoid setting personal guardrails because we think they’ll limit our freedom. But the truth is, no guardrails doesn’t mean no tension — it means chaos, destruction, complications, and deeper consequences. Culture isn’t going to help us here. It won’t encourage you to stay on track. Culture will bait you toward the edge and then mock you when you fall off.
We have to decide ahead of time where our lines are — make up our minds before we know the end of our story.

Daniel’s Guardrails Invited God’s Favor
Daniel and his friends were exiles in Babylon, living in a godless culture. When offered the royal food and wine, Daniel “made up his mind” not to defile himself. This was his guardrail.
Daniel’s response initiated God’s response.
“But Daniel…” became “Now God…”
While Daniel didn’t know it, God was already moving on his behalf behind the scenes.

Verse 9 says:
“Now God had given the chief of staff both respect and affection for Daniel.”

God was actively working to bring Daniel and his three friends favor with the king’s officials. Daniel’s obedience activated the supernatural.
He didn’t see immediate results in verse 10 — and neither do we always see instant miracles — but God was still working the entire time.
Whether the miracle comes now or not until eternity, God is always moving on behalf of those who trust Him.

Faith Tested and Proven
Daniel respectfully asked to be tested for ten days on only vegetables and water. At the end of the test, Daniel and his friends were healthier and stronger than all the others.
Because they kept their guardrails, God gave them unusual wisdom and understanding — and gave Daniel the special ability to interpret dreams.

King Nebuchadnezzar found none equal to them. He placed them in royal service, and this favor launched a chain of miraculous events: fiery furnaces, lion’s dens, and the power of God displayed to entire nations — and it all started with one decision.

Guardrails Release the Favor of God
If you don’t actively look for the hand of God, you’ll miss it. You’ll only see the chaos and evil around you. But guardrails release the favor of God.

“The integrity of the upright guides them,
but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity.”
— Proverbs 11:3

Daniel’s integrity guided him. He refused to compromise.
And God responded with supernatural movement and lasting influence.

The Challenge for Us
Like Daniel, we have to decide.
We must put guardrails in place before the temptation comes.
If we refuse, it won’t remove tension — it will only weaken our ability to say no.
God will honor your decisions.
God will react with favor.
God will respond with supernatural movement.
But you have to reject the lie that life without guardrails is freedom.

In reality, no guardrails means:
chaos
destruction
more complications
deeper consequences

Daniel still faced the lions’ den — which shows us something vital:
Sometimes when it feels like God is breaking you, He’s actually building you.

You will never know what God wants to do through you until you do what Daniel did:
Make up your mind.
Choose your guardrails now.
God will use them not just to protect you — but to direct you.
Your decisions today can shape the future of kingdoms, nations, and hearts.
It only takes one choice of obedience to start the ripple.

Daniel 1:8–9

This week’s message centered on Daniel’s decision not to eat the king’s food, reminding us that his choice wasn’t about the menu—it was about allegiance. Daniel knew that obedience to God was more important than fitting in with Babylon’s table. His guardrail wasn’t about diet, but about devotion.

The Big Deal About Guardrails
At first glance, refusing royal food might seem small. But small choices reveal big loyalties. Who are we following? Who are we obeying? Daniel’s decision drew a line in the sand: his heart belonged to God.

In the same way, our guardrails protect us from compromise. Saying “no” to temptation is more than just self-control—it’s a declaration of trust in Jesus, the One who made us pure, turned our sorrow into joy, and transformed us into light.

Satan’s Subtle Strategy
The enemy doesn’t come waving red flags. He comes disguised—appearing helpful, friendly, even godly—only to pull us toward destruction. Temptations always look attractive, but they aim to erode our faith step by step.

“But Daniel… Now God”

Verse 8 begins, “But Daniel…” and verse 9 follows with, “Now God…” That’s the principle at work: when we act in faith, God responds in power. Daniel’s small, private decision to draw a guardrail became a defining moment that shaped his entire future.

God uses our guardrails not just to protect us, but to direct us. What we say “no” to today can become the very thing God uses to set the course of our lives.

Defining Decisions
Our choices are never neutral. They impact us, those around us, and even those who come after us. Every “yes” and “no” carries eternal weight.

Daniel likely didn’t realize the full ripple effect of his stand, but his determination encouraged others and influenced generations. Likewise, there may be people in your circle waiting for you to show them a different way.

Cause and Effect
Daniel acted in righteousness—and God responded with favor and compassion. The natural obedience of a faithful servant released the supernatural response of a holy God.
Even when Daniel couldn’t see it, God was moving behind the scenes on his behalf.

Takeaway: Guardrails may feel restrictive in the moment, but they’re actually gateways to God’s direction and blessing. When we refuse to compromise, we invite God to work in ways we could never imagine.

The further back you stay from the lines of temptation, the easier it is to resist them.
Some of us need new guardrails. Some of us need to move the ones we already have closer. Some of us need to reinforce them higher. Guardrails aren’t weakness—they’re wisdom. And make no mistake: we have a role to play in protecting ourselves. That’s why God says, “Ask and you shall receive. Seek and you shall find. Knock and it shall be opened.” Those are action words. First we act, then God steps in with His strength.

Let’s look at Daniel. In 605 B.C., King Nebuchadnezzar conquered Jerusalem. He was brilliant, strategic, and subtle. When he took captives, he didn’t just lock them away. He hand-picked the best and brightest—young men like Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego—and put them in Babylon’s reprogramming system. He gave them luxury food, world-class education, and high status. To most, it probably felt like an upgrade. But Nebuchadnezzar wasn’t being generous. He was slowly stripping away their identity and their faith until they looked more like Babylonians than followers of God.
Most celebrated the perks. Daniel saw the trap. He realized compromise doesn’t remove temptation—it just weakens your willpower. Compromise doesn’t solve conflict—it postpones it. And compromise reveals whether you’re living for God or for your own comfort.

Daniel drew a hard line. He decided he would not eat the king’s food. That was a bold refusal to let Babylon redefine his values. It was offensive to their system, but Daniel had already made up his mind. Think about that—he didn’t wait until the pressure was on. He decided ahead of time. He was young, far from home, surrounded by power, and under threat of death. But he chose not to defile himself before a holy God.

Every time we compromise, it gets easier the next time. Every time we give in, our spiritual strength fades. But every time we stand firm, we strengthen our resolve. Your God-honoring beliefs will offend worldly standards. The question is—are you ready for that fight?

Daniel made his choice before he knew the end of the story. We already know how sin’s story ends. That’s why we must decide now—before the pressure comes—to draw our lines and not defile ourselves in the presence of a holy God.

Push Back: Why We Need Personal Guardrails
Every one of us can look back at regrets in our lives and see a pattern: those regrets often came from times when we had no moral guardrails in place. Guardrails are those spiritual convictions and personal boundaries that keep us from wandering too close to danger. They may feel restrictive in the moment, but in reality, they protect us from destruction.
The truth is, common sense alone tells us that we need these guardrails. Even without the Bible, we know that life works better when we set boundaries. Yet we resist them. Why? Because our flesh whispers that guardrails will keep us from something we want. That’s how strong temptation is — we can know the truth, understand the consequences, and still reject it.

The Danger of Living Without Guardrails
When we refuse guardrails, we begin living only for ourselves. That leads to no convictions, no discipline, and eventually no growth. If left unchecked, it can even leave us with no real relationship with Jesus.
James 2:18–24 makes this clear. James points out that even demons believe in God — but their belief does not transform them. They know who He is, they even tremble at His power, but they do not obey Him. In the same way, Christians can have plenty of head knowledge about God but lack a true, life-changing fear of the Lord.
James is not teaching that we are saved by works, but that real faith always produces action. Abraham’s faith was proven by his obedience. Our faith, too, is proven not by what we say we believe, but by the way we live. Faith without works is useless.

The Tension We All Feel
If we’re honest, many of us resist setting up guardrails because they feel too hard. We prefer the thrill of “living on the edge.” But the tension we feel between the Spirit and the flesh will never go away. Refusing guardrails does not remove temptation — it only moves the battle line closer to disaster.
The further we walk into temptation, the harder it becomes to turn around and say no. Each “yes” to sin complicates the consequences and makes them greater than they would have been if we had stopped earlier. The enemy’s bait always looks fun in the moment, but it trades the eternal for a temporary vapor of pleasure.

Guardrails Protect Us Before It’s Too Late
Think of it this way: every one of us has a point where we want to hit the brakes. But the longer we ignore guardrails, the less room we have to stop. If we cross too many lines, it becomes nearly impossible to escape without damage.

Romans 13:11–14 warns us that time is short. We are called to “put on the shining armor of right living” and clothe ourselves with the presence of Jesus. Guardrails aren’t about killing joy — they’re about living ready for eternity.

Galatians 5:16 reminds us that when we let the Holy Spirit guide us, we won’t be feeding the cravings of our sinful nature. Our appetites are never fully satisfied. The more we feed them, the more they grow, demanding more and more. If we constantly feed the flesh, our spirit will starve. But if we live by the Spirit, we find real life..

Living for Eternity, Not the Moment
Guardrails are not meant to rob us of life, but to protect us from destruction. They are an act of love — love for God, love for others, and yes, even love for ourselves.
So ask yourself: If I really loved myself the way God loves me, what boundaries would I put in place to protect me?

Common sense says we should draw the line far enough back that temptation is manageable. Saying “yes” to the flesh only brings us closer to pain, regret, and loss. Saying “no” may feel hard in the moment, but it leads to growth, freedom, and eternal joy in Christ.
The call is simple but challenging: stop living for the moment, and start living for eternity. Stop feeding the flesh, and start walking in the Spirit. Guardrails may feel like restrictions, but in reality, they are the path to life.

Seeking First the Kingdom in Our Finances
Jesus’ words in Matthew 6:33 are both a promise and a challenge: “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need.” The question for each of us is simple: What comes first?
Many times our excuse is, “I can’t afford it.” But God’s Word says otherwise. The truth is, both rich and poor struggle with giving—the poor often think they have nothing to give, while the rich think they have too much to give. Fear holds us back, and it cripples the church from stepping into its full calling.

God’s Financial Design
God’s plan is clear: Give first. Save second. Live off the rest.
When we trust Him with the first portion, we show that He—not money—is our source. Tithing isn’t about generosity; it’s about obedience. True generosity begins when we give above and beyond the tithe.

Why Tithing Matters
The Bible teaches that tithing serves a bigger purpose than just “keeping the lights on.”

Tithing:

• Provides for God’s house
• Declares our trust in Him
• Reminds us He is our source
• Connects our money to Kingdom purpose
• Gives our work eternal significance
• Transforms our money into seed
• Crushes greed and self-reliance
• Declares to our own hearts that God is first

To withhold is to cripple the mission of the church. To obey is to release God’s blessing.

The Danger of a Poverty Mindset
When the church only has “just enough,” it can’t fully live out its calling to meet the needs of the broken and hurting. Instead, those needs fall to governments and systems that were never designed to replace the role of the church. God’s design is for His people to live with more than enough so the church can reach more people, help other churches, plant new campuses, and support pastors and leaders who advance the Kingdom.

Some argue that tithing was part of the Old Testament law, but Jesus Himself affirmed it: “You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things” (Matthew 23:23). Tithing wasn’t abolished; it was affirmed. And now we give not from law but from grace—from what Christ has already done for us.

Obedience Unlocks Blessing
Malachi 3:10 makes God’s heart clear: “Bring all the tithes into the storehouse… If you do, I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in!”
This isn’t about rules—it’s about trust. When we put God first, we invite Him into our finances. When we hold back, we grieve His Spirit.

The Choice Before Us
Every believer must decide: Will I live with my hands tightly closed, or wide open? Will I settle for doing ordinary things for God, or step into the extraordinary?
Tithing is not an act of generosity. It is an act of obedience. Generosity begins when we go above and beyond the tithe. And when we do, we not only honor God—we open the door for His church to thrive, grow, and impact the world with the Gospel.
As Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 9:7-8: “God loves a cheerful giver… and God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.”

Pray with us:
Father, thank You for every blessing You’ve entrusted to me. Forgive me for the times I’ve clung too tightly to what was never mine to begin with. Teach me to put You first in every part of my life, including my finances. Help me to give with open hands and a cheerful heart, not out of pressure, but out of obedience and love for You. May my giving be a seed that grows Your Kingdom, blesses others, and brings You glory. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

This message wraps up our series on guardrails in the area of money, possessions, and “stuff.” Last week we saw God’s promise from Matthew 6:33: “Seek first the Kingdom of God and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need.” That promise comes with two conditions:

Seek God’s Kingdom first — make Him your top priority, above your feelings, rights, and opinions.
Live righteously — not just avoiding sin, but actively pursuing holiness and reflecting God’s character.
This requires a shift from “more of me” to “more of Him” (John 3:30). Jesus calls His followers to deny themselves, let Him lead, and crucify sinful passions (Matthew 16:24, Galatians 5:24).
The danger comes when, like the Israelites in Numbers 13–14, we double down on bad ideas instead of trusting God’s promises. They were on the edge of the Promised Land, saw its abundance, but let fear and doubt drive them back toward slavery. Many of us do the same—returning to old habits, unhealthy coping mechanisms, or worldly thinking—because change feels “too hard.”

The truth is, transformation is a process, not an instant event. The journey from bondage to freedom takes time, patience, and willingness to be teachable. When we resist change, remain stubborn, or cling to worldly views, we prolong our wilderness season. Difficult seasons are meant to refine us, expose what needs to be healed, and draw us closer to God—not send us back to Egypt.

Your choices today don’t just affect you—they impact generations. Guardrails in your finances, relationships, and daily decisions protect your future and keep you moving toward God’s promises.

If something you’ve believed or practiced is wrong, don’t double down—renew your mind, adjust your path, and embrace the life of freedom, generosity, and “milk and honey” that comes from walking with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

What is going to COME FIRST

Matthew 6:33 – “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

We have been talking about where we need guardrails in our lives: relationships, temptations, money, possessions, and the way our lives get wrapped up in stuff. The point wasn’t that God cares about money for money’s sake—He cares about where your devotion is. The real competition for your heart isn’t the devil; it’s the pull to trust in wealth, consumption, or security instead of trusting God.

Jesus tells us not to worry about daily needs because our Heavenly Father already knows them. Worry isn’t a neutral habit—it’s the default posture of those who don’t truly trust God, described in the text as “unbelievers” or “pagans” in the cultural language of the day. A true follower of Christ is someone who isn’t ruled by worldly anxiety but lives from the assurance that God knows and cares.

That leads to a bigger diagnosis: much of modern Christianity has become superficial, flimsy, and self-centered. Saying “I believe” is not enough. True belief is a full-life commitment—picking up your cross, following Jesus in a way that reshapes priorities, actions, and identity. Too many Christians live with anemic faith: they go through the motions, seek personal gain, and only “believe” when God delivers what they want. That’s a vending-machine version of God instead of a relationship rooted in trust, regardless of timing or circumstance.

So what do we do while we wait? Jesus gives us the answer in Matthew 6:33:

Seek God’s Kingdom above all else. That means making God’s rule, values, and purpose the priority—aligning heart, mind, and actions with His direction. It’s not a weekend checkbox or superficial lip service; it's a lifestyle.
Live righteously. This isn’t legalism. It’s transformation—pursuing holiness, love, justice, and reflecting God’s character from the inside out. True righteousness springs from relationship, not just rules.
If what we say with our lips isn’t matched by our calendar, our checkbook, our speech, and our actions, then we’ve muted the impact of our faith. God must reclaim the rightful place as King of our hearts—not just in words, but in how we order everything else around Him.
A practical outworking: when it comes to finances, the formula is clear—Give first, save second, live on the rest. Don’t fall for the lie “I can’t afford it.” Whether rich or poor, God honors faithful, obedient giving. Often what we hoard or consume reveals misplaced trust. Giving isn’t about what happens after you give—it’s about obedience and trusting God regardless of human mishandling. Even if others mismanage what you’ve given, your faithfulness still carries eternal value.

Generosity needs guardrails too. We aren’t called to hoard time, talent, or treasure. God invites us to reorder and renew our minds, to unlearn unbiblical habits, and to grow teachable. Too often we become rigid—defending old beliefs or cultural positions (even political ones) more fiercely than we pursue God’s truth. That stubbornness stunts transformation.

Takeaway / Call to Action:

Examine where your trust really is. Are you anxious about needs, or are you seeking God’s kingdom first?

Measure your life: do your priorities, your giving, and your daily choices reflect a heart submitted to Christ?

Commit to faithful, obedient generosity—give first, trust God with the rest.

Stop “acting Christian” and start living in authentic relationship—renew your mind, stay teachable, and let transformation grow from the inside out.

If revival and real transformation are going to happen—in your life, in the church, in the culture—it starts with putting God back in His rightful place: not just on Sunday, but as King of your heart every day.

Who’s Your Master? Trusting God Over Worry
In Matthew 6:24–34, Jesus draws a sharp line:
“You cannot serve both God and money.”

Let’s be clear—Jesus isn’t just talking about finances. He’s talking about your focus. Your loyalty. Your heart. You will be devoted to one thing and despise the other. So which one is it—God or worry? Faith or fear?

“That’s why I tell you not to worry about everyday life.”
—Matthew 6:25

God doesn’t need your money. But He doesn’t want your life ruled by worry.

Worry Isn’t Harmless
Jesus asks a tough question in verse 27:

“Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?”
The answer? A resounding no.

In fact, worry and anxiety often do the opposite. They steal your peace. They exhaust your mind. And in today’s culture, the world offers a counterfeit cure: marijuana, escape, numbing out. But new research is confirming what God’s Word has always said—these quick fixes don’t fix a thing.

Despite what culture has promised, marijuana doesn’t bring peace. It actually increases anxiety and damages the brain’s memory and emotional regulation. The enemy will use anything—drugs, distractions, consumption—to dull your mind and distance you from God.

Don’t let the world choose your god.

Living Like There’s No God
When we’re consumed with the future, we start living as if God can’t or won’t intervene.
As if He doesn’t know. As if He doesn’t care.

But He does.

“Your heavenly Father already knows all your needs.”
—Matthew 6:32

Worry dominates the thoughts of unbelievers. So when we let worry take the wheel, we start living like God isn’t in control.
That’s why Jesus calls us back—back to trust, back to faith, back to Him.

So What Should We Do?
If Jesus tells us not to worry about what we’ll eat, drink, or wear…
What should we do while we wait for God to show up?

We shift our focus.

We live as though God: Knows exactly what we need, cares deeply about our life,
and acts in ways we can’t always see. That kind of belief leads to peace—not the kind the world offers, but the kind that lasts.

When you truly believe God knows and cares, you can trust Him with all of it.
Not just your Sunday mornings. Not just the big decisions. All of it.

Because when God is your foundation, your life becomes:

Steady
Dependable
Peace-filled
Free from fear
Let This Be Your Shift:
From stuff-centered to God-centered.
From “God, sit and stay until I need You”
to
“God, walk with me through every part of this.”

Let go of the worry.
And live like you know your Father is already on it.

Never Be Owned by What You Own

This week’s message in our Guardrails series focused on a powerful truth: money and possessions are not just practical parts of life – they reveal the devotion of our hearts.

Why does God talk so much about money?

It’s not because He needs it or wants to take it from us. Money itself isn’t the issue.
What is the issue? Our devotion.
Jesus taught that money is God’s #1 competition for our hearts – not the devil. We often trust in what we own instead of the One who owns everything.

Who is your master?

Matthew 6:24 says:

“No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.”
We may say God is our Master, but our choices often reveal that money and possessions rule us instead. We put our trust in wealth over God, forgetting that He alone provides what we truly need.

Two dangerous ditches:

The message described two ways we go off track:

Consuming – spending everything that comes our way on ourselves.
Hoarding – keeping everything tightly to ourselves out of fear.
Both of these are fueled by greed. Jesus defined greed simply:
The assumption that everything that comes to me is for me.

When we live like this, we act as if there is no God, except for when life gets hard. Then suddenly, God becomes our backup plan, and we cry out – but often, we’re really just asking for more money or stuff, not for Him.

Do you treat God like your backup plan?

The truth is, God wants to be more than just our helper when we’re in trouble. He wants to be our Ruler, Master, and Provider every single day. Yet often, we only turn to Him when our finances are threatened. We freak out when we lose money because our peace and joy were rooted in money and possessions instead of in God.

Choose your master wisely

We can only be servants in one house. We must choose who we will serve:

Money and stuff, which promise everything but can only give us “never lasting,”
Or God, who offers everlasting peace, joy, hope, resources, blessings, and favor that this world can never match.
If our ultimate dependence and reliance is on our income, finances, and stuff, then greed is fueling us. And if greed fuels us, we’re essentially living like God doesn’t exist… until a problem comes up.

Final encouragement:

God doesn’t want to just help you get by.
He wants to be your first plan – your Master, your Provider, your peace.

Let us never be owned by what we own, but instead devote our hearts fully to the One who owns it all.

Most if not all of our greatest regrets either have to do with sex or money. Our culture totally dismisses what the Word of God has to say about sex and money. Yet the #1 reason that the world contacts a church or a pastor is about their struggle with sex or money.


“If the entire country were to TAKE THE BIBLE ‘SERIOUSLY’ about what it teaches about SEX & MONEY for just 6 months, We would have a CULTURAL REVOLUTION.”
Andy Stanley

The reason God says so much about money in the bible is because it has everything to do with your devotion. Money is the number one competition for your heart. It's not the devil, it's your internal struggle to put your dependence on God or continue to place your trust on your wealth and consuption. He knows that the majority of our time - talent - and thought life is spent thinking about money.

“No one can serve TWO MASTERS. For you will HATE one and LOVE the other; you will be DEVOTED to one and DESPISE the other. You cannot SERVE GOD and be ENSLAVED TO MONEY.”
Matthew 6 : 24

Jesus is trying to get us to recognize that there is a tension within all of us that when it comes to who will be the master of our lives, we tend to place our trust in money over our dependence and trust in God.

Jesus says that when we put our trust in money we become a servant to money. Then, there is no way that you can be a fully committed servant of God.  When we put our trust in money we are running around making money in the name of peace and security, spending money in the pursuit of happiness and pleasure. God isn't even in the picture or on your schedule. OUCH. Because God loves you, and knows what is best for you, he wants your undivided attention.

2 ‘DITCHES’ for Finances & Possessions: ‘CONSUMING' & ‘HOARDING’

We THINK that ‘Hoarding’ is WAY WORSE than ‘Consuming’

‘Consuming’ means that – EVERYTHING THAT COMES YOUR WAY – YOU CONSUME

When this is OUT OF CONTROL…Consume, Consume, Consume....Then we become the Person who has ‘CONSUMER’  ‘DEBT’.

Hoarding is all about – ‘WHAT IF?’ ....Hoard, and Hoard, and Hoard.... None of that is about trusting God. Hoarding comes from fear and control.

‘Consuming’ & ‘Hoarding’

•These 2 Kinds of people – USUALLY ‘MARRY’ EACH OTHER
•‘Consumers’ – ‘SPENDERS’ / ‘Hoarders’ – ‘SAVERS’
•Dave Ramsey – ‘FREE SPIRITS’ / ‘NERDS’

The PROBLEM with being a Consumer or Hoarder is that both are very self-centered. Both leave you living as if there is no God. Both are fueled by greed. Greed is almost impossible to see in the mirror. Jesus defines greed as the assumption that is all for my consumption. You can be poor and greedy and rich and greedy. Greed is simply if anything comes to me, its for me. It leaves you living as if there is no God. It doesn't mean that you don't believe in God. It means that finances, wealth, posessions, things, stuff are your chief pursuit instead of God.

Suggested Guardrails for SINGLE People:

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1. Just gouge your eyes out with a spoon.

“IF YOUR EYE CAUSES YOU TO STUMBLE, GOUGE IT OUT and THROW IT AWAY. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.”
Matthew 5 : 29

- this is a joke. Please don't really gouge your eyes out with a spoon. ;) 

Okay, for real now....
Our first suggested guardrails for singles are to: apply the marraige guardrails in your relationships with married people. Your job is to establish guardrails that make all married couples feel safe with you in their lives. Don't do anything to cuase a married person to stumble into an inappropriate relationship with you.

Suggested Guardrails for Married People – applied to you:

•Don’t TRAVEL ALONE with a Married Person of the Opposite Sex
•Don’t EAT ALONE with a Married Person of the Opposite Sex
•Don’t CONFIDE IN or COUNSEL WITH a Married Person of the Opposite Sex ALONE
•When You Feel Your Heart or Desire DRIFTING Towards a ‘SPECIFIC’ Married Person – TELL SOMEONE
•Don’t have an INDEPENDENT Relationship with ANY Married Person

Our second suggested guardrail for a single person is: NO SLEEPOVERS with members of the opposite sex. Remember, if you struggle with homosexuality, you will need to apply these same guardrails to people of the same sex. 
Simply just decide no sleepovers with my boyfriend/girlfriend. If you grew up with or currently live sith parents who don't care about sex before marraige, your guardrails are going to have to be really strong and really high. Is it a sin to have a sleepover? No. But this quote says it all:

“If I NEVER put myself in a POSITION of being ALONE with someone other than my wife, I WILL NEVER FAIL IN THAT AREA”
Rev. John Stutzman

The third guardrail for a single person is this: Sex is not required for dating. A date does not mean sex.

 If you establish guardrails similar to these ones and keep them in your life you will live with less regrets later on. Extreme guardrails now is how you have an extremely amazing marraige. One of the biggest things that fuels intimacy in marraige is exclusivity. When your spouse believes that they are the only one for you, and that begins with having guardrails.



“RUN (flee) FROM sexual sin! No other sin so clearly AFFECTS THE BODY AS THIS ONE DOES. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body.”
1 Corinthians 6 : 18



“Don’t you REALIZE that your BODY is the TEMPLE of the HOLY SPIRIT, who lives IN you and was given to you by God? YOU DO NOT BELONG TO YOURSELF,”
1 Corinthians 6 : 19

Suggested Guardrails for MARRIED People:

1. Don't travel alone with members of the opposite sex.

Just decide not to get into a car with, fly with, travel with anyone that is the opposite sex. If you are married and it doesn't make you uncomfortable being alone with someone of the opposite sex, you are playing with fire. This marraige guardrail should be a standard operating procedure if you are really serious about maintaining and protecting moral boundaries with your spouse.


2.Don’t  eat alone with members of the opposite sex.

Decide to not eat alone with, meet up with, don't stay late at work with anyone other than my spouse. Will there be times where you can't avoid it? Maybe, but so few that you can't even remember the last time it happened. If it does happen accidentally you call your spouse immediately to let them know it is happening. Let your spouse decide how to continue with that situation. Bottom line is that meeting alone with the opposite sex should never be planned.

3. Don’t confide in or counsel members of the opposite sex.

Don't fall for the trick of the enemy thinking that they NEED you. They need MY help. -that is a lie. It might not sound compassionate towards them, however it shows alot of compassion for your marriage and their future. It is dangerous when your emotional world gets tangled in their emotional world. All we ever want is intimacy. That is why our enemy loves to leverage it for our destruction and demise. If you are married, get them help, but refuse to be the shoulder they lean on.

4. When you feel your heart or desire drifting towards a specific person, TELL SOMEONE.

Maybe you don't have anyone safe enough to tell... that is why you have to work on developing Godly friends that are a safe place for you to share your struggles with.
The rest of you need to be the kind of friend who will keep their struggle confidential. Not keeping their sin a secret... but help you establish some guardrails for that specific person that you are feeling drawn to.

One of the biggest traps in any marriage that leads to inappropriate relationships that lead to either an emotional affair or sexual infidelity is this: Independent friendships with the opposite sex.

5. No independent friendships with the opposite sex.

Decide that all interactions with someone of the opposite sex will only be work-related. All other independent friendships with the opposite sex will directly involve my spouse. Work-related still doesn't mean that you meet with them at work alone... you have to apply the other 4 guardrails to this one. This guardrail especially includes online independent friends of the opposite sex. Social media. Online chats. gaming.

The #1 sign that a relationship is getting inappropriate is when your spouse get's defensive when asked about a relationship with the opposite sex. if they say, 'it's none of your business they're MY friends.' You have a problem in your marraige. The bible says you USED to be independent. Now, you are no longer two, but ONE FLESH. One of the most unhealthy signs that someone is really not committed to the relationship or marraige is that they have 2 seperate groups of friends, 2 seperate sets of bank accounts in case things don't work out. That philosophy will definitely lead you right into a divorce. It screams division. It is not a sin to have friends of the opposite sex... but we place this guardrail in place so that your spouse feels safe and has trust in you. Your spouse needs to know where your guardrails are so that they can call you on it. Your spouse needs to be comfortable with your guardrails to ensure a healthy marraige.

This week we learned that our body is a temple of the Holy Spirit. Your body is supposed to be a 24 hour dwelling place for the Spirit of God. Now that God lives in you, you must take Him into consideration with every decision, thought, word, and action. You don't have to do what your desires tell you to. You are the master of your own body. You tell it what to do. If it is dishonoring God, don't do it.

"Don't you realize that your body is a sacred place, the place of the Holy Spirit? Don't you see that you can't live however you please, squandering what God paid such a high price for? The physical part of you is not some piece of property belonging to the spiritual part of you. God owns the whole works. So let people see God in and through your body." - The Message

"For God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body." - 1 Corinthians 6:20NLT

This next area may be the most important, needed, and most resisted area despite all of God's warnings on this subject. The majority of believers today completely ignore God's word in this area however, if we as a culture would establish some guardrails in this area of our lives, it would impact poverty, reduce the numbers in prison, transform inner cities, more children with both parents, and dramatically affect the healthcare system. But the only way it can happen is if we establish some standards of behaviors that bother our conscious before we step over them.

In every area of our lives where there is a desire, we need guardrails. But especially for physical and sexual intimacy, we need our guardrails to be made of reinforced steel. The reason is because you can fully recover from any other kind of disaster, but sexual disasters is almost impossible to fully recover from.

Given enough time and discipline, you can fully recover from a financial disaster.
Given enough energy and focus, you can fully recover from an educational/professional disaster.
Given enough himility and forgiveness you can fully recover from a relationship/marraige disaster.

But when it comes to the area of our sexuality, it is not just physical... it is spiritual.
When we cross over certain lines of our desire for physical intamcy, there are things we carry with us for the rest of our lives. Our culture teaches us taht sex is only physical. But WE know better. If there is any area in our lives where we NEED guardrails, this area is it. Because the damge that is done in this area follows us all throughout our lives.

1 Corinthians 6 : 18

“RUN (flee) FROM sexual sin! No other sin so clearly AFFECTS THE BODY AS THIS ONE DOES. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body.”


1 Corinthians 6 : 16 – 20  (MSG)

There’s MORE to sex than mere skin on skin. Sex is as much SPIRITUAL mystery as physical fact. As written in Scripture, “The two become one.”

Since we want to become spiritually one with the Master we must not pursue the kind of sex that avoids commitment and intimacy, leaving us more lonely than ever- the kind of sex that can never become one. There is a sense in which sexual sins are different from all the others. In sexual sin, we violate the sacredness of our own bodies. These bodies that were made for God given, God modeled love, for becoming one with another.

FLEE from sexual sin.
Our culture baits us to the edge of disaster and then mocks us when we step over it.
In our culture, everyone agrees that teenage pregnancy is a problem, but through marketing strategies we bait teenage girls with inappropriate clothing...then when one of them gets pregnant, we shame them. Men on have a real battle that we face every day of our lives and they need to set up some serious guardrails to protect themselves from sexual sins. Women need to have serious guardrails to protect your marriage from boredom.

We tend to flirt with promiscuous ideas or fantasies. Fertilizing these desires to become actions. You need to decide where your guardrail is and stick to it. Regardless of what people say or do to me, I am going to make a big deal out of being 5 yards away from disaster. Come up with a plan to implement anything the holy spirit highlighted or pointed out to you.

Run - Flee- from sexual sin. No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does.

“I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. NOW YOU ARE MY FRIENDS, SINCE I HAVE TOLD YOU EVERYTHING THE FATHER TOLD ME.”
John 15 : 15

What it means to go to slave to friend:

“I’m no longer calling you servants because servants DON’T UNDERSTAND WHAT THEIR MASTER IS THINKING AND PLANNING. No, I’ve named you friends because I’ve LET YOU IN ON EVERYTHING I’ve heard from the Father.”
John 15 : 15 (MSG)

You are a friend of Jesus if you allow Him to disciple you.

How do you honor your friends? You honor them by honoring their guardrails. You are not going to pull Jesus over or away from any of His guardrails. If you are not going to pull Jesus away from His standards, then that means if you don't have the same standards as your savior you are not heading in the same direction as He is. In order to have a intimate friend, you will probably have to share the same guardrails, even with fellow believers who are not heading in the same direction as you or the Word of God.

2 Thessalonians 3 : 6, 14 – 15
6 In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers and sisters, to KEEP AWAY FROM every BELIEVER who is IDLE and DISRUPTIVE and DOES NOT LIVE ACCORDING TO the teaching you received from us.
14 Take special note of anyone who does not obey our instruction in this letter. DO NOT ASSOCIATE WITH THEM, in order that they may feel ashamed.
15 Yet do not regard them as an enemy, but WARN THEM as you would a fellow believer.
For people who KNOW THE ‘TRUTH’ – KNOW what they ‘SHOULD’ BE DOING – but DON’T DO IT

Paul says, ‘Have No Fellowship With Them’ so that they feel the pain of the loss of their connection with you so that hopefully they will see their error and correct themselves and return to the fold. The goal is not to 'cancel' them, but to eventually restore them - build them up and strengthen them.

Initially it is your faith in Jesus that begins the relationship. But to become a friend of Jesus, the relationship must go deeper.
 
John 15 : 1 – 21
1 “I am the TRUE grapevine, and my Father is the gardener.
2 He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more.
3 YOU have ALREADY BEEN pruned and purified by the MESSAGE I have given you.”
An ‘ENCOURAGING WARNING’…
4 REMAIN IN ME, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.
You are a ‘FRIEND’ of Jesus
If you ‘REMAIN’ IN HIM
In order to STAY IN a Relationship and KEEP IT HEALTHY & STRONG – It takes ‘WORK’
What is going to make it HEALTHY and INTIMATE is if – YOU FOLLOW THE SAME ‘TEACHING’ – ‘TRUTH’ – ‘VALUES’ – ‘MORALS’ – and ‘GUARDRAILS’
5 “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, WILL PRODUCE MUCH FRUIT. For apart from me you can do nothing.
6 Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned.
7 But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted!
8 WHEN you PRODUCE MUCH FRUIT, you are my TRUE disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.

You are a friend of Jesus if you produce fruit for the kingdom of God. You are a friend of Jesus if you obey his guardrails.

God’s Commandments:
· PROVIDE ‘BOUNDARIES’ & ‘GUIDANCE’
· HELP US in living a more PURPOSEFUL & INTENTIONAL LIFE
· PREVENT us from VEERING OFF COURSE
· PROTECT us FROM HARM and from HARMING OTHERS
· PROMOTE ‘WISDOM’
· ‘KEEP’ US IN ALIGNMENT WITH THE ‘WILL OF GOD’

Another ‘ENCOURAGING WARNING’…
18 “If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first.
19 The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you.
20 Do you remember what I told you? ‘A slave is not greater than the master.’ Since they persecuted me, naturally they will persecute you. And if they had listened to me, they would listen to you.
21 They will do all this to you because of me, for they have rejected the one who sent me.

If you have the same guardrails as me, the world will treat you the same way it treated me, if and when they do, that is when you will know that you are on the right side of the guardrails.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here are some of the things that Jesus wouldn't compromise on. His guardrails to keep Him from wandering away from His relationship with His Heavenly Father.

Guardrails of Jesus:
1) TIME & PRAYER with His Father

2) OBEDIENCE to His Father

John 5:19 à Jesus ONLY DID WHAT HE SAW HIS FATHER DOING
John 12:49-50 à Jesus ONLY SAID WHAT HE HEARD HIS FATHER SAYING
He ‘FOLLOWED’ THROUGH – EVEN TO DEATH ON A TREE –

3) AVOIDING TEMPTATION

4) UNCONDITIONAL LOVE

5) DISCIPLING OTHERS

6) Never falling for satan’s lie that He was not enough. 

5 ‘Suggested’ Friendship Guardrails:

When it dawns on your that your core group isn't moving in the direction you want your life to be moving in, your conscious should light up when you realize that your friends are not working toward the same eternal goals or the life that you are working towards. When that dawns on you, you should be concerned. Sometimes it does dawn on us that they do not want what we want from life but we excuse it anyway. It should concern you enough that you do something about it and not wait until there is a problem. If you are unwillling to leave the unhealthy group you are in right now, at the very least, find yourself and additional group of people who ARE moving in the right direction. If you realize that you do not have a 'safe' group that should also concern you.

When you catch yourself pretneding to be someone other than you really are. When I'm with them I try really hard to fit in, ignore certain values, morals, and beliefs. Your concious should light up anytime you move away from who you really are. Some of us are like that on Sunday's, but we reveal our true colors Sunday afternoon through Saturday night.

It takes a lot of work to pretend doesn't it? It also takes a lot of work to grow spiritually and be godly but it takes way more effort to pretend to be spiritual and 'godly'. Your heavenly Father knows the real you.

13  Evil people and PRETENDERS will go from bad to worse. They will fool others, and others will fool them.
14  But I want YOU to CONTINUE TO FOLLOW WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNED AND ARE SURE ABOUT. YOU KNOW THE PEOPLE YOU LEARNED IT FROM.
2 Timothy 3 : 13 – 14

What are you doing when you are willing to pretend to just fit in? You are feeding an insecurity in your heart. In your attempt to feel better about yoursel, you are pretending to be someone you are not. It should be a guardrail that causes us to pull back and be curious as to why am I willing to lower my standards and ignore my convictions to the point that I even compromise my personality for them.

When you feel pressure to compromise your conscious should ight up when you realzie that what has never been a temptation before suddenly becomes an option. Not when you do the behavior. Your guardrail needs to be when you consider it. When it comes to any behavior/choice/decision, slow down your reaction time, pay attention to that still small voice, and learn not to ignore it.

“Obviously, I’m NOT trying to win the APPROVAL OF PEOPLE, but of God. IF pleasing people WERE my goal, I WOULD NOT BE CHRIST’S SERVANT.”
Galatians 1 : 10

The conversation that we have with ourselves is usally one that talks ourselves into the behavior we already know is wrong and talk ourselves out of what we know is right, true, and godly. Then we begin to withdraw from the group of people we used to agree with. That alone should cause us to be curious about why. Why would I be willing to walk away from people who had my 'best interest' in mind. Why would I exchange that for another person or group who doesn't care where I end up, but will accept me as long as I participate with them.

When you hear yourself saying, 'I'll go, but I won't participate", your conscious should light up when you begin to think you can be in satan's pont and not fall for his bait. If you don't participate, they will reject you. If you go, you will have to partcipate. So just don't go.

“GUIDE ME AWAY FROM TEMPTATION and DOING EVIL. SAVE ME FROM SINFUL HABITS and FROM KEEPING COMPANY WITH those who are experts in evil. HELP ME NOT TO SHARE IN THEIR SIN IN ANY WAY!”
Psalms 141 : 4

What you’re saying is – "I'll just be in the proximity of fools, but I'll stay safe by not doing what they do."

Solomon's warning is that it's not necessarly that you do what they do, but you are there when they do it. It's about staying away from anyone who knows the difference between right and wrong but doesn't care. Solomon might say maybe you ARE wise enough to not participate, but you never know when they'll get busted and you're involved just by in the proximity of them when you hear yourself saying I'll go, but I won't participate... that should be a guardrail. You need to stop and reconsider.

When you hope the people you care about most don't find out where you have been or who you have been with, your conscious should light up when you realize that you're hiding things and friends from the people you love most. It is your sign that your gaurdrail to stay away from that person or that pace. If you have to create a defence in your mind about people and places, that should bother you so much that you take a giant step back.
‘
This series that creates a lot of tension can move and motivate you to make some wise decisions. Once you have faced and experienced the consequence of being around wrong people in the wrong place at the wrong time then you would be willing to go back and risk all kinds of embarrassment. You would be willing to do anything to keep you from all the suffering and pain and regrets.

Don't misunderstand what we are saying about friends and unbelivers. The body of Christ was created and this building (church) was built for those who are lost and far from God. However, never confuse compassion with wisdom. When you use compassion/love as an excuse to remain in unhealthy relationships/places, you are lying to yourself. There is a lot of misguided compassion in our culture today. Don't blur the lines of compassion and wisdom. They go together and flow together.

“The BEST thing that you can do for a person you LOVE and for the friends that you have COMPASSION for, is to STAY ON ‘THIS SIDE’ OF THE GUARDRAIL, so that when they ‘crash’, YOU’RE HEALTHY ENOUGH TO ACTUALLY HELP THEM.” - Andy Stanley

You might say it's not compassionate to end an unhealthy relationship, but when people crash, who do they run to? Typically those who kept their guardrails in place. They run to those people because they are healthy. Drawing back a relationship or a group may be the most compassionate thing you do or express for that person/group.

Here is what we need to face up to whether it is hard, uncomfortable, or seemingly uncompassionate...

“WALK WITH the WISE and BECOME WISE, for a COMPANION OF FOOLS SUFFERS HARM.”
Proverbs 13 : 20

Proverbs 13 : 20: “WALK WITH the WISE and BECOME WISE, for a COMPANION OF FOOLS SUFFERS HARM.”

This passage is God’s way of asking; who is speaking into your life? Wise or foolish people?
What is concerning is that some of us don't even know. This is serious if we are going to mature and grow spiritually. If they act foolish - give foolish advice, believe foolish things, go to foolish places, etc... if they are toxic for you.... end the relationship. If you think God has called them to be your 'Becky' then minister to them, but don't be a companion of them.

The first part of proverbs 13:20 is a promise. - Wisdom is contagious. This means if you surround yourself with people who the bible conciders wise, you just being in their presence will make you become a wiser person.

 “I am the vine; you are the branches. IF YOU REMAIN IN ME AND I IN YOU, YOU WILL BEAR MUCH FRUIT; APART FROM ME YOU CAN DO NOTHING.”
John 15 : 5

“For the Lord gives SKILLFUL and GODLY Wisdom; from His mouth come KNOWLEDGE and UNDERSTANDING.”
Proverbs 2 : 6

That is why you need to be careful about who is giving you advice and pay attention to where you are going for advice. You may be going to people who you know will tell you what you want to hear - not what you need to hear.

If anyone is either telling you anything that is contrary to God's Word, that is your sign that they are the wrong person to be going to advice for. Not everyone who is giving us advice has our best interest in mind. The truth is, sometimes they're telling you what to do so that they can get something from you.

A wise person is a person who understands that all life is connected. What you do/decide/think about today will influence who you are tomorrow. There are no isolated events, thought patterns, relationships, eating habits, addictions. A wise person makes decisions based on tomorrow. Scripture teaches that if you hang out and do life with people who make decisions based on how it will impact everyone around them, it will impact how YOU view the world, yourself, choices, morality, and your life around you. That's the promise. But be warned, foolish principle works a little differently that the wise principle. The warning is not that you will automatically become a fool by simply hanging out with fools. A companion of fools will eventually be impacted by the behaviors of the fool. You may never see the world they way a fool does, or even behave the way a fool does... but eventually the shrapnel of that comes from the explosion of their life will impact you.

A ‘Fool’: is someone who knows the difference between right and wrong but doesn't care.
They're not open to correction. They reject dicipline and are not teachable.

The 'wise' on the other hand, are open to correction and leads into discipline, and is teachable.

4  DO NOT ANSWER a fool according to his folly, or you yourself will be just like him.
5  ANSWER a fool according to his folly, or he will be wise in his own eyes.
Proverbs 26 : 4 – 5

Verse 4:

Don't lower yourself to the fools level by answering his silly questions or arguing with him because eventually you may be impacted and led to utter folly yourself. Eventually, you will take on his opinions or even practices.

Verse 5:

Answer according to his folly as his folly deserves, expose his foolishness. Eventually you may be deceived into thinking in your mind that he had said something worth hearing. Or his foolish talk might sound like superior intelligence which will cause you to confused in the moment and then be silenced. Answer a fool in such a way that brings shame to his foolish behavior. When you expose his foolishness it automatically brings shame with it. We expose and shame the folly of a fool to bring them back to a better mind. But don't try to correct or answer a fool because they don't care. You can't give a fool new information. If you do try to answer a fool, use sharp wisdom that cuts like a double edged sword. You need discernment. Don't lower yourself to his level.  

Scripture teaches that the keeping the company of fools eventually causes you harm. Remember, your friends ultimately influence and may even determine the quality and direction of your life.

At Some Point in your life, you are going to find yourself close to people who are moving in the opposite direction that you are moving in. When that happens, you have to have a space (guardrail) in place or they might end up taking you out.

“DO NOT BE YOKED TOGETHER WITH UNBELIEVERS.”
2 Corinthians 6 : 14

Being unequally yoked is not just about dating and marriage. It is a warning against forming close/intimate relationships with anyone who does not share the same faith and values as you. It doesn't mean to not have any unbelieving friends, it just means to be careful because eventually their belief system might influece you.

It is important to create some space in every relationship with guardrails. It gives you space to disagree and the space to say no.

Maybe categorize your relationships. Who do you want to be close to so that they can disciple you? Who do you want to be not so close to, but close enough to disciple them.
You may want to lay out your guardrails from the beginning of those relationships. When their behavior becomes too much for your guardrails, end it immediately and don't feel bad about it.

James 17 : 16
YOUR – ‘IN’ – THE WORLD
JUST DON’T BE – ‘OF’ – THE WORLD

You're in the world for a reason - to be a light in the darkness - and to be a witness for the lost. However, be careful and make sure that you are actually witnessing to and not participating in whatever sin they are.

The tension of moving in the opposite direction and being too close to the wrong people began for us in childhood. Our parents constantly freaked out about who you hung out with. Do you know why?

Proverbs 22 : 24 – 25

24  DON’T BEFRIEND (make friends with) angry people or ASSOCIATE WITH hot-tempered people,

25  OR YOU WILL LEARN TO BE LIKE THEM and ENDANGER YOUR SOUL.

Your Parents UNDERSTOOD this Very Important ‘PRINCIPLE’. Your friends ultimately influence and determine the quality and direction of your life.

All of us have to understand something about friendship:

“The thing that makes Friendship so  ‘GREAT’
is the thing that makes Friendship so  ‘DANGEROUS’”
Andy Stanley

When we are wiht our friends we drop our guard. Dropping our guard is great because we will tell them anything. However, it is dangerous because we will do anything just to keep them in our lives. When we are with people who accept us, we are the most open to influence than we will ever be. Acceptance leads to influence. We shut down with rejection. We open up with acceptance. We ignore our guardrail to keep a friend.

Do not be misled: “BAD COMPANY corrupts GOOD CHARACTER.”
1 Corinthians 15 : 33

“The righteous CHOOSE THEIR FRIENDS CAREFULLY, but the way of the wicked LEADS THEM ASTRAY.”
Proverbs 12 : 26

Your greatest regrets don't revolve around your enemies. Your greatest regrets revolve around being with friends. Things and behaviors that we used to consider sin, and now, you're not only open to them, you hear yourself defending them.

Because Friendship can be dangerous. We need guardrails. Making wise friend choices is a serious matter.

James 4 : 4

“You ADULTEROUS people, don’t you know that FRIENDSHIP with the WORLD means ENMITY (hostility, friction, opposition, conflict, discord) AGAINST GOD? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world BECOMES AN ENEMY OF GOD.”

Ephesians 5 : 15 – 17

15  “BE VERY CAREFUL, then, HOW YOU LIVE — NOT as UNWISE but as WISE,

16  MAKING THE MOST OF EVERY OPPORTUNITY, BECAUSE the days are evil.”

17  “THEREFORE DO NOT BE FOOLISH, BUT UNDERSTAND WHAT THE LORD’S WILL IS.”

•“UNDERSTAND” in this context means stop deceiving yourself! Stop trying to see how close you can get to sin without sinning. Paul is talking to believers who already know the words of God, His commands, principles, promises, and plans for their lives.  

Then – Paul gives us this illustration:
 
18  “DO NOT GET DRUNK on wine,…”

“I’m always amazed at how much ‘Christians’ are always trying to see how clsoe they can get to the fire without getting burned." That is one way to try and live your life, but how about try and see how you can live a righteous life in front of a holy God instead.

Proverbs 23:

30 “Those who LINGER OVER wine…”
31 “DO NOT GAZE at wine…”
32 “In the end it BITES like a snake and POISONS like a viper.”

That is Drinking without self control...remember, be careful how you represent God and His Holy Word.

“I have the RIGHT to do anything,” you say — BUT NOT EVERYTHING IS BENEFICIAL. “I have the RIGHT to do anything” — BUT NOT EVERYTHING IS CONSTRUCTIVE.
1 Corinthians 10 : 23

The Point is… I’ve NEVER had someone say to me – ‘You know Mark – We were having SO MUCH TROUBLE in our Marriage – BUT THEN WE STARTED ‘DRINKING’'

I’ve never heard… ‘AND ONCE WE INTRODUCED  ALCOHOL EVERYTHING GOT  ‘BETTER’
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


This is one of the reasons that Ephesians 4 teaches us that unity is not just about not fighting, it's also about all of us growing together.

“UNTIL WE ALL REACH UNITY IN FAITH and IN the KNOWLEDGE of the Son of God AND ‘BECOME’ ‘MATURE’,…”
Ephesians 4 : 13

#1 – WE DON’T ‘COMPARE OURSELVES’ WITH EACH OTHER’S SPIRITUAL MATURITY

#2 – AS WE GROW ‘TOGETHER’ WE DON’T ‘GIVE UP ON EACH OTHER’

‘We ROW Together – To GROW Together’

WE ‘ARE’ GOING TO ‘BANG HEADS’ TOGETHER WHILE GROWING UP TOGETHER

This is why you being filled with the Spirit of God is so crucial for the body of Christ so that you can give as much mercy and grace as God gives you on a daily basis to others as they grow up in Christ.

‘KNOW’ YOUR ‘BIBLE’ FIRST....‘KNOW’ THE ‘CONTEXT’ before you use it as a reason for you to drink. Wine was different back then. Water and milk were not sanitary or as safe. Wine was concidered the basic drink and it was healthier at the time. It was also 3 times as diluted as it is today. So all we are saying is be careful. You are bumping up against one of God's guardrails.

Back to Ephesians 5… Paul says …(“Do not get drunk on wine,…”… )…

…which leads to DEBAUCHERY: ‘extreme indulgence that results in a loss of control’
‘excessive self-gratification that leads to corruption, immorality, wickedness, sinning, impurity, lust, promiscuity, abandonment, pleasure-seeking, etc.’

In Galatians 5 – Paul includes “DEBAUCHERY”  & “DRUNKENNESS” TOGETHER – in his LIST OF THE ‘ACTS OF THE FLESH’ & ‘SIN’

Listen to how serious it really is – “…that anyone living that sort of life WILL NOT INHERIT THE KINGDOM OF GOD.”

All of Scripture says that anything in our lives that leads us to a lack of self control, your heavenly Father is against. Paul is saying, any area of your life where you have a tendency to hand control over to somebody or something, you need to a guardrail. Be careful how you walk because the days in which we live are evil.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Back to Verse 18… he says… “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to DEBAUCHERY.”

…INSTEAD, BE FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT,”

The Point that Paul is making is this…

Your Heavenly FATHER WANTS TO BE THE GREATEST INFLUENCE IN YOUR LIFE

When you put your faith in Christ, the Spirit of God comes to live in you. The Holy Spirit inside of you will prompt you, guide you, and direct you on the path of life.  The Holy Spirit is like the megaphone - the still small voice - of our consciousness. When you sense that warning on the inside, Paul is saying, your life is too valuable for that. Time is too short. Your loved ones are too important for that sin and your calling is to keep others from stumbling too, so be careful.

Because your Heavenly Father loves you, He says, "I want you to be careful how you walk not as unwise, but as wise. I want you to take advantage of every opportunity. Redeem and leverage time. Face up to what God has for your life, and establish boundaries.

You need personal standards that become a matter of consciousness that guard you from whatever is on the other side of that personal struggle.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Over the Last 3 Messages, something very specific has come to your mind and heart. An area of life where you have been dancing on the edge of the yellow line. You need to back up and set a standard that keeps you away from that line. Maybe its something Financially, relationally, lustfully, or professionally that you are doing.

Remember…

“Sin will take you farther than you want to go. Keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay."

In the last message, we learned that Guardrails are a Personal STANDARD OF BEHAVIOR that becomes a MATTER OF CONSCIOUS and that we don't all struggle in the same areas. Our guardrails will look very different from your neighbors. We cannot shame someone because they won't go where we will go. We also have a biblical mandate to make sure that we don't cause them to stumble over their own personal standards.

If you want to move or tear down your guardrails, you can because God gave you the free will to make your road as wide as you want it to be. The Word of God is clear: those who choose to make their roads wide will not reach the preferred destination. Sin should bother our conscience. It's about responding to the guilt of bumping into one of your guardrails then making the necessary adjustments to your driving (to your life) so that it doesn't happen again.

This Topic is ALL THROUGHOUT THE BIBLE because God has intived you to talk to him and relate to him as a heavenly Father. Good fathers say to their children -

"In order to keep you out of danger, I want to set up some protective barriers because I would rather have conflict with you here in my home, in my presence, than over there.
The conflict here within our relationship is much easier to resolve however the conflict over there leaves you with bruises, scars, memories, and things that you wished you didn't have to deal with so I want to make sure that the boundaries are so far away from the edge of danger that if WE end up in a conflict, we are going to have a little wreck against the guardrail instead of going over a cliff." 

Ephesians is
•LETTER that the Apostle Paul Wrote to CHRISTIANS in Ephesus
•A Culture that was MORE ‘AMORAL’ & ‘IMMORAL’ than OURS
•What WE would consider ‘ADULTERY’ was part of a ‘RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE’ for them
•Paul goes through a LIST of – ‘Be Careful’ – ‘Don’t Do This’ – and ‘Be Honest’ – ‘Stop the Extra-Marital Sex’ – Stuff that WE would ‘EXPECT’
•Paul starts to sense his Audience wondering – In THIS ‘CULTURE’ of NO GUARDRAILS – HOW DO WE PULL ‘THAT’ OFF?
•Paul EXPLAINS – HOW a person AVOIDS the ‘DITCHES’ and STAYS BETWEEN THE ‘LINES’

Ephesians 5 : 15 – 17

15  “BE VERY CAREFUL, then, HOW YOU LIVE — NOT as UNWISE but as WISE,

16  MAKING THE MOST OF EVERY OPPORTUNITY,

Paul is saying… pay attention to how you are living your life. Be intentional. Walking through life carefully. Spending your time wisely. These are dangerous days today to live in. We have to becareful financially, morally, in your marraige, in the way you deal with kids, temptations, and more! We live in a dangerous world and you have to becareful how you live.

17  “THEREFORE DO NOT BE FOOLISH, BUT UNDERSTAND WHAT THE LORD’S WILL IS.”

The english version of the word understand can be confusing. Paul COMMANDS us here to understand something which doesn't make sense... you can't just command someone to understand something. Paul is actually saying that I want you to face up to - accept - embrace - what you already know in your heart what God's will and plan is for your life.

Understand means that you already know.

Remember, Paul is talking to believers who already know the words, commands, decress, promises, warnings of God and His plan for their lives.

In your heart, wehre the beat of your relationship with God exists, you already know this. If you have forgotten, you are under the rule of deception. If you don't care or not paying attention, you are under the rule of the flesh. If you have flat out rebelled against it, you are under the rule of the world.

Paul is saying - I want you to face up, embrace, accept what God's plan is for your money, marraige, friendships, dating relationships, time, and possesions. He is saying to stop playing games, pretending, watering down the gospel and fogging up the truth and be honest with yourself that you KNOW what is on the other side of that gaurdrail. You don't need any new information.

This message is like a spiritual 2x4 upside our heads and once in a while we need that because all of us have the tendency to play as close as we can to the edge of disaster in many areas of our lives. 'How close can I get to sin without sinning?'
Quit flirting with disaster and embrace what you know in your heart that God wants you to do and be.

‘Guardrail’ - A system designed to keep vehicles from straying into dangerous or off limit areas. You will find guardrails in four areas: bridges, medians, steep embankments, and curves. Guardraise are not actually located in the most dangerous part of the road. Guardrails are located and constructed in areas where you COULD actually drive. The danger is located just beyond the guardrail. The guardrails are strategically placed just before the danger to keep us from moving into an area where there is actual danger. The theory behind guardrails is that you will do less damage if you just hit a guardrail than if you actually hit what was on the other side. The idea is that it is better if you suffer a little bit of damage in order to keep you from experiencing a lot of damage.

We will be talking about gaurdrails as it relates to other areas of our lives. The truth is, your greatest regret - relationally, financially, morally, ethically, professionally - could have been avoided, if only you had some guardrails in those areas of your life.

Spiritual Guardrails are a personal standard of behavior that becomes a matter of conscious. These guardrails are just for you. It is not the law for all people, just like convictions are personal, guardrails are personal to you. That doesn't mean what God calls a sin, a standard, or a command, is up for debate. If you are not being convicted about God's standards, doesn't mean that it shouldnt be a standard in your life. It just mean that it isn't a standard in your life yet. We are all convicted about hte truth at different times. Just as the Holy Spirit works in all of us individually. Some of our guardrails will be the same, and others will be very different because we don't all struggle in the same areas.

Matter of Conscious: Behavioral pracitces that you are so committed to that when you violate them, it bothers your concsious. It makes you aware of, awake to, wise to, what is happening in you and causes you to respond. I'm hoping that you learn to set up some Godly standards in your life and be so committed to them so that when you break them, you will feel like you have actually done something wrong. You will feel guilty. Guilt from God is the good kind of guilt. It is supposed to slow you down and help you gain control. It will keep you from driving dangerously again.It is about responding to the guilt of bumping into one of your guardrails and make the nesessary adjustments to your life so that it doens't happen again. Intentionally setting up guardrails in your life will send a signal to your conscious that when you begin to bump up against your guardrails, warning lights will go on and red flags will wave indicating danger.


“So we must listen very carefully to the TRUTH we have heard, or we may DRIFT AWAY (slip away, stray) from it.”
Hebrews 2 : 1

“When people do not accept DIVINE GUIDANCE, they run wild.”
Proverbs 29 : 18


“DON’T COPY (conform, observe, follow, agree with, acknowledge, respect)  the BEHAVIOR and CUSTOMS (patterns, influence, mold, style) of THIS WORLD, but let God transform you into a new person by CHANGING THE WAY YOU THINK. THEN you will learn to know GOD’S WILL for you, which is GOOD and PLEASING and PERFECT.”
Romans 12 : 2


You need to Understand that we cannot allow our culture to dicate our guardrails. In our culture, most of us agree about certain things that are on the others side of the guardrail that everyone should avoid. However, culture's way of developing guardrais is very weak. Examples of this are drink resoponsibly, just have safe sex, talk to your kids about drugs, consolidate your debt. etc. Undrestand that cultture does not respect the Word of God.

Ask yourself: do you have a system designed to keep me from straying into dangerous or off limit areas? Am I willing to establish some personal standards of behavior that I am committed to, so that when I violate them it bothers me? Will I allow God and the truth of His word to dicated my personal guardrails and not my feelings or culture?

Flirting With Disaster - Guardrail Series Part 1

“For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—COMES not from the Father but FROM THE WORLD.”
1 John 2 : 16

“When we come to the Lord there is a HUGE CHANGE and SHIFT in what we VALUE…”
Amy Buehrer

Natural guardrails on the roadside are saftey barriers that are there to shield a motorist who has left the roadway. Spiritual guardrails are your moral standards/biblical standards that you put up in your life as a believer. When a beliver establishes guardrails in their life, the world will constantly lure and bait you to go to the edge of disaster and eventually get you to step over your guardrails. The enemy of your soul will  fight for you to return to your old wordly values. That is why there is a need for personal guardrails in your life, so that you can maintain and keep your new biblical values. Your spiritual convictions are what establish your spiritual guardrails. Your number one guardrail is scripture.

God talks about us being on a path. He warns us not to leave that path and also shows us how to stay on that path.

Proverbs 4 : 18 – 27

18  The PATH of the RIGHTEOUS is like the morning sun, shining ever brighter till the full light of day.

19  But the WAY of the WICKED is like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble.

20  My son, PAY ATTENTION to WHAT I SAY; TURN your ear to MY WORDS.

21  DO NOT LET them OUT OF YOUR SIGHT, KEEP them WITHIN YOUR HEART;

22  for they are LIFE to those who find them and HEALTH to one’s whole body.

23  Above all else, GUARD your heart, for everything you do FLOWS FROM IT.

24  KEEP your mouth free of perversity (lying, gossip, swearing, deceit, inappropriate talk); KEEP corrupt talk far from your lips.

25  LET (focus, purpose, keep, make) your eyes look straight ahead; FIX (be intentional about, keep) your gaze DIRECTLY before you.

26  Give CAREFUL THOUGHT to the PATHS for your feet and be STEADFAST in all your ways.

27  DO NOT TURN to the right or the left; KEEP your foot from evil.

From this, we can conclude that guardrails keep you safe from the edge of disasterous cliffs. Guardrails are everywhere but they don't get much attention until someone hits one of them. We know that they are there, but we don't think about them much until they are impacted. As long as we keep our 'vehicle' between the 'lines' on the road... as long as we keep our lives betweens the lines on our spiritual road we never have to even worry about getting close to the guardrails. The lines represent our convictions, which keep us on the narrow path and give us just a little more space to pull over or mess up a little and fix our projectory before bumping in to any guardrails. We have to be cautious of lines that have been painted on the road by us - me - myself, instead of God. There is only one painter we should hire to paint the lines on our road - our spiritual journey - and that is the Holy Spirit.

Sometimes we flirt with the things of the world. We dabble in sin. Because life is short we are moving fast towards our judgement day and we don't have time to even be close to the guardrails of our lives. Just fliriting with sin can cause us to become stuck or hung up in that sin for a long time. One wrong move plowing into your guardrails could fall into a disastrous season of your life.

That is why your number 2 guardrail should be accountability. Who in your life is going to help you follow through with your convictions? The number one reason why so many Christian leaders have falling into sin is because they had removed the guardrail of accountability in their lives. Very few people finish strong without accountability.

Guardrails are things that you put into place in your life to keep you from backsliding, comprimising the truth, and excusing and justifying sin. If you go at sin hard enough no gaurdrail is 100% safe. Pay attention to your convictions and respond to them. If not, you will find yourself flying off the narrow road and falling fast into deep, dangerous, territory that you may never return from. Don't follow your own road to your own destination, but put up guardrails in your life right now that will keep you safe along GOD's road to HIS destination for your life. Our biggest fear should be losing God's favor. Remember, God is your guardrail. He guides us, and guards us.

He’s our ‘ROCK’ – ‘SHIELD’ – ‘PROTECTOR’ – ‘FORTRESS’ –  ‘REFUGE’ – ‘STRONG TOWER’
Psalms 121   (MSG)


1-2  I look up to the mountains; does my strength come from mountains? No, MY STRENGTH COMES FROM GOD, who made heaven, and earth, and mountains.

3-4  He won’t let you stumble, your GUARDIAN GOD won’t fall asleep. Not on your life! Israel’s GUARDIAN will never doze or sleep.

5-6  GOD’S YOUR GUARDIAN, right at your side to protect you—Shielding you from sunstroke, sheltering you from moonstroke.

7-8  GOD GUARDS YOU from every evil, HE GUARDS YOUR VERY LIFE. HE GUARDS YOU when you leave and when you return, HE GUARDS YOU NOW, HE GUARDS YOU ALWAYS.


 “…HE SHIELDS ALL WHO TAKE REFUGE IN HIM.”
Psalms 18 : 30


“For YOU ARE MY HIDING PLACE; YOU PROTECT ME FROM TROUBLE. YOU SURROUND ME WITH SONGS OF VICTORY.”
Psalms 32 : 7

When conflict happens what do we do? Rise up against the enemy of your soul, instead of whining and complaining. Those of you who are fighting, we are so proud of you. Don't ever let your guard down or stop fighting for a better version of yourself because the devil will take you all the way to your limit.

With these sermons, I am trying to equip you to push your limit even further. I am trying to get you to create distance from the enemy. I want to equip you and you need to grow in your understanding of the battle for your soul and mature in Christ. You need to mature spiritually so much so that satan sees you as the spiritual giant.

Ephesians 4 : 11 – 15

11  Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers.

12  Their responsibility is to EQUIP God’s people to do his work and BUILD UP the church, the body of Christ.

13  This will CONTINUE until we all come to SUCH unity in our FAITH and KNOWLEDGE of God’s Son THAT WE WILL BE MATURE IN THE LORD, MEASURING UP to the FULL and COMPLETE STANDARD of Christ.

14  THEN WE WILL NO LONGER BE IMMATURE like children. WE WON’T BE tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. WE WILL NOT BE INFLUENCED when PEOPLE try to TRICK US with LIES so clever they SOUND LIKE the truth.

15  INSTEAD, we will speak the truth in love, GROWING IN EVERY WAY MORE AND MORE LIKE CHRIST, who is the HEAD of his body, THE CHURCH.

If we are ALIGNED WITH and MATURE IN the ‘HEAD’ of the ‘CHURCH’ – JESUS – WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR YOU AND ME?

“…I will BUILD my CHURCH; AND THE GATES OF HELL SHALL NOT PREVAIL AGAINST IT.”

Satan should cower and shrink when you walk into a room. he should recoil and flinch when you make a move, and tremble when you worship and pray. he should fear you!

Do we consistently proclaim what Jesus already did on the cross when we are struggling, or have we forgotten and have come up with new ways. Do we just wanna be entertained and numbed? Where do you turn for answers today?

This Sunday we sang that 'Jesus is enough for me'. Introducing a worldly point of view into our minds is not only inviting the demonic into your minds, it is trapping the demonic point of view into our belief systems. If you are tired of being trapped, hyou have to stop using things of this realm to 'fix' it. satan is supposed to be YOUR hostage, you're not supposed to be his.

So what do you do?

We find the answer in Ephesians 6…

Verse 11… “PUT ON the full armor of God,”

Verse 13… “Therefore PUT ON the full armor of God,”

The Armor of God is your spiritual attire. God wants you to dress for success. It's all about what you wear and the armor is God's clothes. The armor is spiritual realm clothes.

In other words…
•You can ‘wear’ DECEPTION – or TRUTH
•You can ‘wear’ FEAR – or PEACE
•You can ‘wear’ DEPRESSION – or JOY
•You can ‘wear’ DOUBT – or FAITH
•You can ‘wear’ SIN – or RIGHTEOUSNESS
•You can ‘wear’ a WORDLY VIEW – or a BIBLICAL VIEW

When you get dressed for cuccess you will be able to handle anything that satan throws at you. Your trials will not have the last word.

God gives us six pieces of armor. Six items that God divides into two categories of three things.

The first set all begin with the word - having/with.

14  Stand therefore, HAVING/WITH your loins girt about with truth, and HAVING/WITH on the breastplate of righteousness;
15  And HAVING/WITH your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

But the next 3 begin with another verb… TAKE/TAKING
 
16  Above all, TAKING the shield of faith,
17  And TAKE the helmet of salvation, and TAKE the sword of the Spirit,

He moves from ‘HAVE’ to ‘TAKE’. What does have mean? The first three you have all the time, don't ever take them off. It means that you always live in the truth. You always walk in righteousness. And you always produce peace.

Take means the last three you pick up as needed. It means when you doubt God, you pick up your salvation. When you hear deception, pick up the word of God. God gives you the armor. He doesn't put them on you. He will give you the attire, hang them in your closet, but you have to get dressed. Through grace, God has supplied everything that you need.

I want to CLOSE OUT this series with this…

I want to close out this series with this illustration:
You know his name… Thomas Anderson… Thomas Anderson is a computer programmer… part time computer hacker… but one day Thomas Anderson was introduced to a New Realm… a Realm called ‘THE MATRIX’

Thomas Anderson was told that behind the Physical Realm that he lived in was another Realm… and he found out that this OTHER Realm controlled HIS Realm with computers… and these computers and machines in this invisible realm were DICTATING what was happening in his realm…

He got transported into this other realm called the Matrix… In this New Realm… HIS APPEARANCE CHANGED… I’ll let YOU DECIDE what look YOU THINK IS BETTER

When he got there, he also discovered some things… He discovered that in this other realm that – he had POWERS that he DIDN’T have in his normal realm… he also discovered that – his MIND could THINK things that it COULDN’T THINK in his normal realm

He also was given a ‘NEW NAME’… NEO … His Old Name couldn’t really DEFINE who he REALLY was in this new realm… he discovered in this new realm a ‘NEW LOVE’… her name was TRINITY… a love that he never experienced in his old realm

He eventually discovered in this new realm that he was… ‘THE ONE’… in this new realm he had a ‘PURPOSE’… he was called to something BIGGER than just punching computer keys from his old realm

He found out that there was a significant CALLING on his life… His calling was to have a HUGE IMPACT on this Invisible Realm that would AFFECT the Physical Realm that he was from

In this new realm he was even given a WHOLE NEW SET OF CLOTHES

WHY?... Because his Old Clothes in the old realm – WOULDN’T WORK for his new assignment in the New Realm… he had to DRESS FOR SUCCESS

Now there were PROBLEMS in this new realm… there was satan… Mr. Smith

Mr. Smith had some duplicate demons to help him in his evil deeds… their job was to DESTROY Neo… and they would all ATTACK him and anyone who supported him…  BUT… in this new realm… Neo had the ability to do this

Neo learned that he had the ABILITY and POWERS to AVOID the enemy's BULLETS through SUPERNATURAL MOVES in this new realm that he DIDN’T HAVE in the old realm

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

When you accepted Jesus Christ into your life, he crossed you over to another realm. You have a new name now. You are a son/daughter of the living God! You have a new love now. His name is Trinity. God The Father. God The Son. God the Holy Spirit

In this new realm… satan will come at you, but God will give you the ability and the power to bounce, dodge, shake, and move around the enemy's bullets. Remember, 'greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. In this new world, you are the one. God has a purpose, a reason, and a design for you. No longer does hell have a hold on you as long as you operate in the new realm under the protection of God's umbrella.