True Prayer: Shifting Focus from Self to God's Purpose - Dan Mohler

Come on. If we're not careful, we live in an American culture, a Christian world, that we're Christians for our own sake. We're Christians for what he can do for us and how he can provide for us. And we're Christians and all our prayers are centered around a better life instead of a transformed one that manifests Christ in the midst of everything I'll ever face. And that's why people grow weary and welloing. That's why people give up. That's why people even turn on God, change their the theology three, four times in their Christian life because they're

letting life speak louder than truth >> and they're saying, "Well, this went this way, so God must this, and I used to believe this, but because this turned out this way." No, there's laws of sewing and reaping. There's the power of life and death in your tongue. >> He told you to not fear, and some people live in fear. >> He told you to use the authority of his name, and I gave you all authority in heaven and earth, >> right? He gave you all power meaning all power. He said all authority in heaven and

earth be given under me now go in my name. So he gave us all power or authority over all the power dunamis of the enemy. Watch and nothing by any means shall harm you unless your motive doesn't understand why you have the authority. So if you just have the authority to shout blessings and command blessings and command provision and all the stuff we tend to pray for and focus on instead of a transformed heart and an eye that looks through his love and a mercy and a love that never fails where I'm never judging a

man according to the flesh. But I see a man for what he's created for. So now I'm not angry at people. I hurt for people. And if they don't live what they're called to, I realize they don't see. And these words just ring IN MY HEART. FORGIVE THEM, FATHER. THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY DO. THEY CAN'T KNOW WHO THEY ARE. BECAUSE IF THEY KNEW WHO THEY ARE, THEY WOULDN'T BE DOING WHAT THEY'RE DOING. GOD, YOU DIDN'T TAKE MY LIFE PERSONAL AND I'M NOT TAKING THEIRS. I ASK YOU TO HAVE MERCY ON THEM AND MOVE and

minister them and meet them in the middle OF THE NIGHT. GOD, JUST RAVAGE THEIR HEART WITH A REVELATION OF YOUR LIFE. THAT'S CALLED INTERCESSION AND PRAYER. NOT GOD, I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU LET THEM DO THAT TO ME. THEY'RE HURTING SO MANY PEOPLE. YOU GOT TO CUT THEM DOWN. GOD, YOU got You know what the Bible says? There's a big old field. It's called the world. And in that field, the people saw that there was wheat. And in the middle of the wheat was tears all through the wheat. You know what God said? Don't mess with

the field. Don't go trying to pull out tears because in the process of pulling out tears, you just might pull out some wheat. Just let the angels deal with it in the end. Let me be in charge. You >> just let the field go. Because in the process of you thinking you're pulling tears, you actually might be pulling weed. Let me be the judge and let me work this out. You just keep your eyes fixed on me, why I'm in you, and who you are. Because there's no way that you can get distracted with that

stuff and tell me you're living by the spirit and hearing the Holy Ghost and walking in love. Never, never convince me. That's not even a judgment. That's a guarantee. If I take an account of a suffered wrong and keep it alive, I'm outside of love. And if I don't have love, I have nothing. Or I might have a ministry. I might go on mission trips. I might give to the poor. I might pray in tongues. But if I don't have love, I've missed the whole reason he hung on that tree. cuz America thinks he hung

on that tree so I can go to heaven when I die. Selfish, selfish, selfish, selfish doctrine we preach all the time. And we teach people how to be discouraged and how to believe God failed them. A loved one dies, they can never pray again. Why? Because they covet their loved one above the coveting God because they don't understand and they think God's here to serve them, not be their father. >> And now God failed me because he let so and so die. No, he let so and so live or they wouldn't be your relative. He

let you be born or you wouldn't be here. And it's not so you could have things go your way. It's so you can manifest him all the way through. >> And one day stand and rejoice in the fact that nobody ever lost. All we lost was some temporal time. We were in a war. We were fighting the good fight of faith. We weren't fighting people. We weren't even fighting with the devil. Oh, there was a wrestling and it wasn't flesh and blood. But the fight is the good fight of faith. Keeping my eyes on truth,

keeping my eyes single, and my whole body is flooded with light no matter what I've been through. Come on. That's unstoppable. That's unmovable and unshakable. It's how Jesus lived. I see. We sang the song in his righteous blood revealed God's love. You better settle on that. God's love isn't revealed through your circumstances. I've heard Christian after Christian in 30 years said, "But I thought God loved me." Why is a car wreck challenging God's love? Well, I just got laid off and my spouse is acting crazy and everything's caving in and I don't know what I

did wrong. See how insecure we are? And we think everything that happens reflects on my actions and doings. We don't even understand. We're in war. >> We don't even understand. We're surrendered and love not our own life unto death. And we denied oursel and there's a war against the kingdom of God. And that's in you. So if you take adversity personal, you're going to make a great mistake. If you realize everything against you is trying to stop the kingdom in you, you won't make mistakes. [clears throat] >> Come on. We're in A DEMON WAR. IT'S

DARKNESS TRYING TO QUENCH LIGHT. THAT'S RIDICULOUS. HE CAN'T STOP GOD. SO WHAT'S HE SAYING? LET THEM GO TO CHURCH, BUT GET THEM SO CONFUSED THEY NEVER SHINE. LET THEM FILL EVERY CHURCH. LET THEM PAY THEIR TI. LET THEM DO 24/7 PRAYER. LET THEM GET THE SONG RIGHT. AS LONG AS THEY DON'T SHINE IN THE MOMENT, AS LONG AS THEY DON'T SHINE IN THE CIRCUMSTANCE, AS LONG AS THEY DON'T MANIFEST JESUS IN THE TRIAL, I'M WINNING. BECAUSE THEN THE PURPOSE OF THE CROSS IS QUENCHED. LET THEM HATE EACH OTHER, GOSSIP, BICKER, BACKBITE, SWITCHES, GIVE UP ON

CHURCH. >> It's called the devil because he can't stop God. So he's convinced he can stop God in you and me. >> And unfortunately most of the time he's right because we aren't surrendered. We're in this for blessing for what we can get instead of what we can become. >> He did not die on the cross to fill your vats and barns. He died on the cross to pay the price to get sin off your life so the spirit of God can get in your life so that you could walk in the light AS NOT

SOMEWHAT LIKE KIND OF close as he's in the light. That's first John 1. Yeah. Right around verse six, 7ish. Ephesians 5 says, "Walk in love as dear children just as Jesus loved." Do you know church will teach you that that's not possible? Because it focuses on man's experience, humanity, the fallen man. But my Bible says to walk in love just as Jesus loves. But you go up here, well that was Jesus. I promise you that's not honor to him. It probably makes him cry. If he would cry, that would make him cry. Well, that was

Jesus. That's not honoring him. He's saying, "Yeah, and I've se seated you in heavenly places in me and told you to follow me. And the things I did, you'll do if you believe. You're the first born. I'm the firstborn among many brethren. You're predestined to be conformed to my image. You're the body of Christ. [laughter] Come on. You need any more scripture? I got a few more." No. NO. I READ THIS BOOK. YOU'RE TOO LATE. [laughter] NO. Religion doesn't have a chance. There's knowings in my life. I've walked through things for 30 years. Your heart

can be free. You can walk in love. You can show mercy. You can have compassion. You don't have to take life personal cuz you took him personal. And then you recognize everything and you get sensitized to what's happening and you just won't make mistakes and you'll sniff out lies in a heartbeat. >> Why? Because you're living for the kingdom of God. You're not living for well-being. If you're living for well-being, you're going to stay self-focused AND SELFCONSCIOUS AND LIFE IS going to decide how you're doing and who you are, >> not him. And it's a

given that we do that because when you ask people how they're doing, they don't mean evil and they're not doing anything necessarily wrong except their focus is wrong. When you say, "Hey man, how's it going?" "Oh, I've been good. I've been good, but man, I'm glad you asked though. I mean, you can keep us in prayer." And that tear fills the eye and the lip trembles. The last six months have been challenging. I mean, but we're okay. We're good. We just keep us in prayer, man. You spend this happening and this. So, we answer how

we're doing by how it's going. >> Which is a giveaway that our motive got skewed. And some of us never changed our motive when we came to Christ. We came to Christ because of trouble. Came to Christ cuz things were going bad. We came to Christ cuz our marriage was falling apart. We came to Christ because we were using. We came So, we run to God. But, but we got to make this switch. At some point, we got to realize, I don't come to to God for my sake. I come to God for his name's

sake. I come to God for his glory, not my well-being. If you're a Christian for you, you will never live what he paid for. No, this is real. LIKE HE SAID, YOU GOT TO PUT YOUR HAND TO THE PLOW AND NOT LOOK BACK. THIS IS NO EASY ARTICLE. IF YOU DIE TONIGHT, pray this prayer so you can know you're GOING TO HEAVEN. I'M NOT EVEN SURE HOW WE MADE THAT THE GOSPEL. I'M SAYING THAT ON VIDEO IN AMERICA. WE'RE BRAINWASHED WITH GOING TO HEAVEN instead of living Christ. >> I'm excited. I'm living forever in him.

I'm excited about heaven. I'm not mad AT IT. IT'S NOT THE GOAL. HE'S NOT THE WAY TO HEAVEN. HE'S THE WAY BACK TO THE FATHER. TECHNICALLY, YES, HE'S THE ONLY WAY TO HEAVEN. I GET IT. BUT HE SAID he said, "I'M THE WAY BACK TO THE FATHER." THAT'S PERSONAL. THAT'S RELATIONAL. THAT'S INTIMATE. THE WAY WE teach it is destination. >> It's amazing, BUT IT'S NOT SURPRISING. WE'VE preached a gospel to serve us. >> And we're trying to keep people Yeah, [snorts] that's a rough word. Thanks for doing it for me. She said, "Happy. We're trying

to keep people motivated by trying to minister to God will come. God will meet every one of your needs." NO, HE'S [screaming] NOT. NO, SOME OF YOUR NEEDS ARE WANTS. >> SOME OF YOUR NEEDS ARE IDOLATRY. >> SOME OF YOUR NEEDS ARE DICTATING YOUR DISPOSITION AND YOUR ATTITUDE, AND THEY'RE MATTERING MAY WAY, WAY MORE THAN LIVING CHRIST. NO, HE'S NOT HERE TO MEET ALL YOUR NEEDS. HE'S MY SHEPHERD. I SHALL NOT WANT. HE'S HERE TO MANIFEST HIMSELF TO YOU AND THROUGH YOU AND OVERCOME ALL DARKNESS WITH THE LIGHT OF WHO HE IS IN YOUR LIFE.

HE IS NOT HERE TO MEET WHAT YOU THINK IS ALL YOUR NEEDS. >> BUT THAT'S WHAT PREACHERS WILL DO. AND THE MUSIC'S RIGHT. PEOPLE ARE CRYING CUZ THEY'RE OVERWHELMED and burdened. God is here. Take heart. He is here. And he is here to meet everyone of you. That's a good way to run Holy Spirit out of a meeting. >> That's right. >> And that's why people are let down, don't pray anymore, and gave up on God because they were lied to. that the motive of God was to meet every one of your needs. No, the

motive of God is to talk you into denying yourself by seeing what Jesus did so you can realize you were never made for you. You were made for his image so you can walk in love. >> What good does it do if your needs are met and you don't walk in love? >> Then the seed never fell to the ground and died and it's going to abide alone. So at the end of the life, you just say, "Thank you, God. You gave me a good life and every nook and cranny was filled, man. Thank you."

OKAY. BUT DID YOU MANIFEST CHRIST? >> Did you walk IN THE LIGHT? DO PEOPLE know him cuz you knew him? Or did you just get through life and wow, what a great ride. Made it. WE'RE NOT HERE TO SURVIVE. WE'RE HERE TO SHINE. We're not trying to make it. I've seen too many people disheartened that say they're Christians. When you're disheartened, IT'S A SIGN THAT YOU'RE SELF FOCUSED. If you're seeking FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD AND his righteousness, DISHEARTENESS, I UNDERSTAND WHERE IT COMES FROM IN CIRCUMSTANCES AND but to be disheartened to where you give

up, to where you back off, to where you question God, to where you don't pray, that's self-centered. That's deception. >> You love not YOUR OWN LIFE UNTO DEATH. IT'S THE WAY WE OVERCOME. How can you be disheartened if you love not your OWN LIFE UNTO DEATH? IF IT'S NOT ABOUT YOU, YOU'RE FINALLY OUT OF THE WAY AND YOU'RE FREE. SO NOW I'M FREE FROM ME AND I'M FINALLY FREE FROM YOU. NOW I DON'T HAVE TO DEPEND ON YOU AND NEED YOU FOR MY IDENTITY, MY SECURITY. I DON'T NEED YOU TO TELL ME I'M AWESOME TO

BELIEVE I EVEN MIGHT MATTER. >> I know who I am in him. >> You all could turn on what I'm saying. You could all run out of the room and say, "I'm a heretic. I that's not going to hurt me. It's going to hurt me for you. >> I'm not going to change. You can't change me. It's too late. No, you can't. I I was in a home group years ago. I was nine months saved in a home group. I had a shirt on, had buttons like this, and I was in my home group. It

wasn't fair to my home group. I had an encounter with God in my bedroom. I was up there for hours, and then my home group showed up, and I came out of the bedroom. >> [panting and sighs] >> But he spoke to me. He gave me a revelation in my life that there's no thing that could ever happen that changes who I am and why I'm here. No matter how traumatic, no matter how dramatic. It doesn't mean there's not feelings attached to it. Doesn't mean there's physical loss. Minus physical loss. It doesn't mean I won't

miss some people if something like that happens. But why I'm here never changes. Who he is in me never changes. The purpose of my life never changes. Everything around me is a blessing and a gift. But the reason I'm here is why I'm to live. >> This is why Jesus said, watch this. This is why Jesus said, "Unless you," Watch this. Unless you love less, some translations say hate. It means love less. Unless you love less your mother and father, who you're supposed to honor. Lest you love less your mother, your father, your spouse, your

precious children, your houses, your land, and yes, Kevin, even your own life. UNLESS YOU LOVE ALL THAT LESS, YOU'LL BY NO means fulfill what I paid for and why you're here. YOU'RE BY NO MEANS WALK OUT YOUR destiny cuz something on THAT LIST WILL GET IN THE WAY AND CAUSE you to stop running the race that I started. So if you come to me, I need you to DENY YOURSELF, NOT PRAY A PRAYER TO go to heaven. I NEED YOU TO DENY yourself because you were never made for you. AND SELF-CENTERNESS IS THE BIGGEST PRISON

YOU'LL ever live in cuz you think you're in control, but everything around you is dictating you because what they said hurt. What they said made me angry. Well, I don't appreciate them. Well, they started. Well, they shouldn't have. Ain't nobody talking to me like that. I AIN'T A DOORMAT. NO, YOU'RE BEING A DOORMAT. >> YOU DON'T EVEN UNDERSTAND IT. YOU'RE BEING DICTATED BY EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENS when you're self-centered. Your mood, your disposition, YOUR EXPRESSION IS ALL CONNECTED TO YOUR STORY. And you think you're in control. No, you're being controlled by a motive you were never

created for. People think life is tough, challenging. Life is hard. Christians say, "Well, life is just really hard. This Christian life is tough." No, no, no. I caution you on that. It's because you're on a road you were never created to travel. And why would God fill your gas tank to travel on a road you were never meant to be on? He loves you too much to fill your tank to drive on a nowhere road. No wonder you feel dry. He's anointed your head. Your cup runth over. That doesn't sound dry. I don't look dry

to you. There's no one drinking out of my cup. It's called saucer overflow. Christ in me. Fill the thirsty flood the dry ground. If you're drinking out of my cup, I'm going dry. You can't even reach my cup. There's no way. Cuz I live out of Christ. It's not going. I've been traveling a lot lately. You know, people really pulling on me. You know, there's just this is wearing on me. I I just got to get away. [snorts] [laughter] We preaching mountain valley, mountain valley. Got to get up on the mount of the Lord [snorts]

and then go down into the valley where you all are. Till you pull on me and drain on me and grade on me and demand of me and pull on me and weary me till I if I'm not lucky I oh if I am lucky just in time I get back up onto the mountain of the so I can come back down into the valley where you >> [laughter] >> I'm making it sound so weird and ridiculous. So you never believe it again and live there. [applause] >> You live in Christ. It's a well that

never runs dry. One drink and I'll never be thirsty again. You know what's wrong with me? I'm sure I was like this when I was here the first time. I'm sure I was like this when I was here the second time. I'm sure life happened between then and now. I'm sure circumstances happened between then and now. I'm sure accusations happened. I'm sure unfairness happened. I'm sure betrayal happened. I'm sure life happened between then and now. But you get the same old damn. Why? My single and I understand why I'm alive. And is so much freedom.

>> Oh, my heart cries that we get this and stop being a Christian for ourselves and be so self-centered and circumstance driven. And the only prayers we pray benefit us. The only prayers are our needs. It's our list, not just communion. And God, thank you for putting your life in me. I so appreciate that you would love me and Holy Spirit that you would empower me. You walk through Jesus through this earth. He asked me to follow him. And I thank you that you're walking me through this earth, letting me see through your eyes and

love through your heart. God, I thank you when I see men. I see what you see. And if they don't know you, I get that. I don't internalize that. Father, help my life make a difference. And let people know who you are. cuz I'm privileged to know you. Cuz I want to shine. Thank you for making me a light on the earth. That's prayer. Not just can you make the car run? It's sputtering at intersections and I'm really nervous cuz we don't have much money. And God, if I don't get the promotion, I don't know

what I'm going to do because, you know, I've been swiping my card cuz I have to and I'm a little over budgeted and I need to get some balance, but would you bail me out, God? And please, it's so hard to even go to my job because my boss is such a I can't say it, God, but he's such a [applause] You know why you're laughing? Cuz I'm not far off, right? And that's all you pray. It reveals your eye and shows it's not single. You're a wide open target. And then when things happen, you

say, "Why is God letting all these things happen?" No, he's not letting anything happen. You're positioned for it. >> Isn't that something? Are you guys okay? Yes. >> Come on. That's why we're on the earth. We're on the earth to shine. If we don't shine, which means walk in love. The only way to expose and remove darkness is light. >> And you, you, church, this is Jesus talking in Matthew. You, this isn't Pastor Dan talking. This isn't my sermon. This is Matthew. You are the light of the world. You You are a city set on

a hill. >> That's not arrogant. That's humbling. >> And it can't be hidden. And once this light is lit, there ain't nobody that puts a basket over a light when it was lit to light a room. So once this light said, nobody's supposed to ever put a basket over this light, but instead sit the light on the lampstand to give light. That's who I'm talking to this morning. The light of the world, the body embodiment of Christ. So we got to follow him. What's follow him mean? Look at his life. People think about it. Think

about putting himself in Mary's womb. That's radical. Think about hanging out in her womb for nine months and doing this as a man empowered by God, fulfilling what man failed. He didn't just he didn't he didn't just pull an old Star Trek movie and and in the desert and pop out from around a cactus, hey guys, and John say he's here. No, no, no. He came as a man on purpose because he came to fulfill what man failed. And in the process of that, he modeled the life we were created to live. And in the

process of that, he showed us the father. Which were to manifest the image of. >> So he said, I only do the will of him who sent me. And when you see me, you see the father. So if I follow Jesus, who are you seeing when you see me? The father. Why? Cuz I'm made for his image. Yay. Come on. This isn't hard. And then we've turned it into blessings, provision, protection. I didn't tell you what I said in that home group. I was on it. And I'm back there now because of the Holy Ghost.

Some of you probably thought you never finished the homeroot story. I finish every story and have no idea what I'm doing. It's so good. I came down. I'm on my knees. My room, my house was packed. There was too many people in my house. It wasn't our vision. Our vision wasn't. But people saw life in me. I was I was invited to speak in churches when I was nine months saved. I had tw 10 to 12 phone calls a day at four four to six months old in the Lord for counsel ministry and prayer because

people saw life in me. You know what happened to me? I finally died. I used to go to church. I grew up in church. But I finally died. And he lived and people saw him. And they didn't care if I was 6 months old. They didn't care if I was nine months saved. I would go into churches, they call me Reverend, pastor, Minister, Mhler. I'm nine months saved. I'm like, [laughter] I was nine months saved. And every gift that you can see listed in the nine gifts of the Holy Spirit had flowed through my life

before I was a year old without even knowing what they were and didn't even know how to teach on them. I didn't even know where to list them in a scripture even though I've read them, but I didn't see it as a sermon because I never read my Bible for sermons. I wrote read my Bible ever since to to know him. In fact, the Lord said, ' Don't ever read your Bible to preach a sermon. Read your Bible to know me. And only ever speak out of who I am in your life, and that'll carry

weight. >> That's why I'm a mad man. That's why I'm intense. That's why I can't calm down. >> No, it's the truth. And you can hear the conviction of it. And you could tell that at least I believe it. >> Are you seeing? >> So, I get down on my knees. I get out there. There's 70 people trying to stuff in my home. I'm like, what is going on? And then I give them the thing God gave me in the bedroom, which really wasn't for them. They weren't ready for that thing. They were looking at

me cockeyed. It was a good way to thin out my house. Maybe I No, people loved and respected me. And they were powing into my house cuz they saw life. I'm on my knees. There was nowhere to stand. The room was so filled. We had people in this room, up the stairs. I had faces back in the blue room. I'm like, "There's too many people in my house. I look at my wife." She said, >> [laughter] >> My street was so parked full. We didn't have We were just living a side street. I had to

go love all my neighbors. Please forgive us. We're working on this. [snorts] But you ought to come over. So, I'm on my knees in the middle of everybody and I'm spinning on my knees in circles trying to see people's faces. And I just have a little space. And I know you can't imagine me that passionate, but I was so passionate. [snorts] I had my shirt like this and I said, "Guys, I just saw something today. I just saw something about my life, my destiny, my purpose, my calling." I looked over at my wife. I said,

I was crying. I was so intense. I said, "See that woman over there? That is my wife, and I love her. I love her." I was a mess. I said, "She is the mother of our two children, and I love her. And those two children of mine, I love them, but you take her from me. Now, I wasn't asking for tragedy. I was making a point. Hit my heart in the bedroom. I said, "But you take her from me. You stripped them kids out of my life. You burned down this house." And I was so

intense. Right when I said it, my buttons tore. It was so powerful. IT WAS SO TIMELY. I WASN'T I was just overwhelmed. I said, "You take this shirt off my back. Watch what I said. I said, "You can't touch me now. You can't touch me now. You can't stop this thing. Cuz I know why I'm here." >> And everybody's looking at me like, "Not sure that's the message we came for." Like, Why? Cuz most people are Christians for the well-being of that list. And God forbid anything happened on that list or we change dramatically and

we sympathize with each other. We empathize with each other and we agree with the change and relate to it and know we do the same. And we call that love. Sensitive, ain't it? pretty intense. Hard to even talk plain nowadays. There's so much hurt. We've experienced so much. It's hard to even talk plain without people getting hurt. Doesn't it mean does it mean we're so spiritual we don't experience grief or physical loss? They never said that. Paul said we just don't grieve as the pagans who have no hope. So if a tragedy happened, I wrap

it around eternal life and hope and I'm living for that day. When I stand before God and I'm storing my treasures in heaven, I'm not going to feel sorry for myself now and take an identity that relates to the tragedy. I'm not going to wear the coat of the outcome of tragedy. I'm going to wear the robe of righteousness the same as I did before the tragedy. Why? Because I'm no less anointed, no less called, and have no less purpose. and I love less my father, mother, spouse, children, houses, land. But in today's American church,

those things are the reason we come to God. >> Oh, you know, I'm telling the truth at large, those things are the reason we're Christians. For heaven, blessings, provision, and protection. And if anything is ruffled in that list, we are way ruffled wondering what we're doing wrong. What door do we open? We're reading faith books. We're wondering what we're missing. And then ultimately, why is God letting this happen? And now your view of him even gets skewed. >> And if your view of him is skewed, you are not living on fire in the Holy Ghost.

And if your view of him is skewed, you are not having intimacy getting pregnant and having children to him. Yeah. >> See, because every time I'm with him and he comes into me and he impregnates me with who he is, everything coming out of my life and everything I give birth to looks like it's father. >> That's called intimacy. >> If you'd see me right now in the spirit. You women understand. If you see me in the spirit right now, girl, I'm about ready to bear down and push. [laughter] And that thing that comes out

of me is going to look just like its father. Woohoo. But if I'm hurt and offended, if it's all about me and I'm self-conscious, self focused, I'll never even have that. And at best, I'm a concubine. At best, I just serve him and brush against him now and then. >> Need a prophecy to assure me that he still knows me. >> You're a bride, not a concubine. You don't serve the Lord. You live through him, not for him. You're not a concubine. You don't hang out in his chambers and hope to rub against his glory

at an order call. >> You live in his presence >> cuz you know him. >> Cuz you're his bride. >> And you don't look back cuz you're not Lot's wife. >> You look up from whence comes your help. >> Cuz you're his bride. >> Are you with me? >> So keep your hearts in this place, people. Guard your heart out of your heart. lose the issues of life. After a service like this, how do you respond? You weigh your heart. You look at your motives. You make sure that you're in this thing to know him

and become love first and foremost. You're seeking first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and everything you'll ever need to manifest what he created you for will be added to you. >> That's the antidote for worry in your Bible. Because worry reveals self-focus. worry well-being equals self-centered and we think that's all normal and everybody and we brother you're just that's hypospiritual you need to relate and keep it real no we need to keep it Christ >> cuz we will be so busy comparing ourselves among ourselves and finding truth for our own lived lives and

experience that we will sell cheapepe the grace of God that's here to transform me and we'll say, "Yeah, but everybody has their stop." I'm not following everybody. Yeah, but you can't tell me we don't all stop. I'm not following we don't all. I'm following him. >> And if I can't find it in his life, you're too late to talk to me about it because it's not going to be in mine. Are you hearing me? >> Yeah. But brother, everybody has their moments. You ask Jesus if that's true. If you have the nerve, ask Jesus if

everybody has their moments because he's everybody because we're following him. You see a meltdown in Jesus. He's done wrong every day. He's being betrayed every day. They can't even ask him a sincere question. They're asking him trick questions constantly. Every day they're taking his words and twisting them. Could you imagine Jesus walking the earth today? All these Christians out there quoting Christians. social media would be blown up and and a rat race wrecked over the life of Jesus if he was on the earth today. Most people that are Christians would buy in and have him

not this not the Lord. >> I don't know why we think it would be different in today's society than it was then. >> Like it's the church has become so religious if we're not careful. You can learn to not believe your Bible going to church. >> Watch this. walk in the light as >> most churches don't even believe that's possible. If you start talking like that, they tell you to calm down and face reality cuz we're just people and we have our flaws and until Jesus comes, that won't change. But yet Jesus said we can

walk in the light as he's in the light through scripture. You know what the next chapter says in 2 John verse 6? If any man says he abides in him, he ought to walk even as he walked. >> There's no limit in that. Find me a limit. But religion TELLS YOU THAT'S NOT EVEN POSSIBLE. AND MOST CHURCHES WOULDN'T LET you even speak that because human reality and human tendency and human experience says we ain't even close to that. But you can't erase it out of John 2. First John 2, you know what first John 3

says? It's a mindboggler. 1 John 3 says, see, chapter after chapter, John had a revelation. >> He was confident enough to say the disciple that Jesus loved. Social media would call that arrogant >> and self-righteous and impose on John's motive [snorts] stuff just it just gives us away, man. It shows how far we are >> from what he paid for. >> Cuz who's walking in the light? Who's walking in love? Who's overcoming evil with good >> instead of repaying evil for evil? live in Christ >> cuz he said if you say you abide in me

then you are to walk even walk in 1 John 3. You know what it says? It says in that day when he comes we'll see him as he is and we'll become like him. And anyone anyone who has that hope in him. Now watch. I'm not being mean this morning. I'm just being convicting. Watch this. How many of us since we've been saved have walked up being driven by the hope that we're going to see him one day and be like him? Most of us aren't even thinking that. We're just thinking about our bills. We're

thinking about the weather because I wish it would get warmer. I'm being honest. LIKE, WHEN'S THE LAST TIME YOU WOKE up with the motivation of having a hope in you that you're going to face him one day and be like him? >> It says anyone who has that hope in him purifies himself. Watch. Even as he is pure. >> No, that's heresy, brother. John messed up. That's why the Bible ain't the written word of God. See, nobody can be pure as Jesus. That's what we're trained to think that he's somewhere here and we're somewhere. But

he seated us in heavenly places in Christ. He made us one. He gave us the same spirit to raise him from the dead to quicken our mortal body. And here's the catch. See, we're trained to believe there has to be something different about Jesus's purity and our purity. But pure is pure. There's no way around it. There's no level of purity. It either is or it isn't. YOU HAVE PURE SPRING WATER. YOU DROP ONE TINY LITTLE DROP OF TAP WATER IN THERE. It's no longer pure spring water. >> BE PURE AS HE IS PURE. IT

JUST MEANS NO PRETENSE, NO INTERIOR MOTIVE, single eye. I'm on the earth and I'm selfless AND I'M HERE TO MANIFEST THE FATHER. AND NO MATTER WHAT THEY CALL ME, NO MATTER WHAT THEY ACCUSE ME OF, NO MATTER WHAT THEY SAY WHEN I HEAL ALL OF CAPERNAUM, NO MATTER WHAT THEY DO TO ME, MY EYE IS SINGLE. AND I'M WALKING THIS OUT AND MAN CAN'T CHANGE ME CUZ I KNOW WHO I AM, WHERE I CAME FROM, AND WHERE I'M GOING. AND HE'S ALWAYS WITH ME CUZ I ALWAYS DO WHAT HE ASKS. That's Christianity. But I've been

saved 30 years, and I'm not being mean. I haven't seen people going after that. I get called an enigma. That's not a compliment. That's a tragedy. People say, "Boy, YOU'RE REALLY DIFFERENT." I SHOULDN'T BE DIFFERENT. I SHOULD BE like him and so should you. One of the biggest compliments people give me, which isn't a compliment. Don't give it to me. You know what I like about you? You're just for real. Well, WHAT ARE YOU? IT'S NOT A COMPLIMENT THAT WE'RE LIVING IN A CHRISTIAN AGE WHERE THE THING YOU TELL ME IS THE REASON YOU APPRECIATE

ME CUZ I'M REAL CUZ YOU'RE SO JADED and messed up by all the THINGS THAT AREN'T REAL. YOU JUST BE REAL AND GET YOUR EYES OFF OF EVERYTHING THAT'S NOT REAL AND JUST YOU BE REAL. [snorts] >> This whole room can choose to not be real. I still have to answer with being real. >> Are you guys okay? >> I got to stop here saying, do you know what John chapter 4 has the nerve to say? It talks about God being love in the whole chapter. Here's one thing it says. It says, "Love one another."

Why in the world? Why in the world would I love one another? Because God is love. And everyone, not most, not some, everyone who loves, cuz he's talking about agape, God's love, unconditional, never changing, thinking no evil, taking no account of a suffer wrong, and never failing, never changing its mind about a person no matter what they've done, seeing their highest potential. That doesn't enable them to stay there. You still, if you have relationship and pure love, you don't even have the ability to correct somebody if you don't truly love them in God. Why would

God go with your correction if you're only correcting them because they're wrong? That would make you right. He rules his kingdom, not in rightness. Righteousness, what's the difference? Right points out and exposes wrong. Righteousness empowers wrong things to be made right. >> And there's a massive difference. >> Massive difference. People are saying, "Well, we got to call this out." Well, people you got to call spade a spade. Nope. You got to follow Jesus because if he called you a spade, a spade, you wouldn't be filled with his spirit. You know what First John 4 had

the nerve to say? It says, "If everyone who loves is born of God and knows God, watch. He who loveth not." That's take no account of a suffer wrong. Don't seek your own. Think no evil. and never fail. He who's not living that way doesn't know God. Didn't say you're not sincere. Don't see your need for a savior. Don't believe that you need forgiven of sins. Doesn't say you don't serve in a church and you aren't pure in your motives in that way. But it does say this. If you don't love, then you don't know

him like you could. What's that saying? The whole reason of the cross is for you to love, not attend church and have well-being. The whole purpose 1 Timothy 1:5, the whole purpose of the commandment, the whole goal of our instruction is love. And it flows out of a pure heart, a clear conscience. They all go together. Pure heart breeds a clear conscience. A clear conscience, a sincere and childlike faith. You violate your conscience, you'll shipwreck your faith. You get it? >> If your heart's not pure, your conscience will go on tilt because you know your

motives. The goal of our instruction is love. If you love not, you knoweth not God. Doesn't mean you don't know about him. There's a huge difference between knowing about him and knowing him. He's saying the manifestation in your life of knowing him is your love. That's the barometer. He's not saying you're not going to heaven. He's not saying any of that stuff. He people say, "Well, he doesn't say you're born of God." No, no. He makes one simple statement and he doesn't have to talk about anything else. If you don't love, there's one reason. Not

one of two. It's not multiple choice. It's not ABC or D. It's a you don't know him. Which is so encouraging and inviting because it means I can't know him without becoming like him. That's why he says, "Any man that says he abides in him ought to cuz wonder if you're hiding behind words. Wow. >> Wonder if you're trying to sound spiritual, save face, buy time. Oh, I love the Lord. I I I spend so much time in the Lord. I do my devotions. No. Doing your devotion can take the place of knowing him. Do

your devotion in him is a totally different thing. >> Watch. He says, "This is how verse 17, this is how we know love's been perfected in us. that in the day of judgment, you look up the great and terrible day of the Lord. You do a little study on the great and terrible day of the Lord and you see if you can find the word boldness in your study. You'll find dread, fear on the souls of men, anguish on the souls of men, trepidation, darkness, gloom, and people wanting to die before they have to stand

before him. They want a tree or a rock to consume them. At least they face the glory of who they haven't lived. But in that chapter, you and I can have boldness when he comes. Why? Because as he is in the whole chapter, he is love, he is love. If he loved us this way, ought we not love one another. Love one another. But love it if you love. It's because you're born of God and you know God. If you don't love, you don't know God. This is how we know he loves us. Cuz he

sent his son. And if he loved us this way, we love this. It's redundant the whole chapter. Love, love, love, love, love. And he says, "This is how we know we've been perfected in this truth that when he comes, we have boldness." Cuz as he is, so are we right now in this world. It doesn't mean I haven't missed a service for 15 years. It doesn't mean I serve in a ministry and I serve well. No, no, no. As he is, so are we. You leave here today and find 10 Christians out there and you

ask them if it's possible to be pure as Jesus is pure. They will not only say no, they will say no with aggression, agitation, and wonder why you ask them such a ridiculous, blasphemous question. Because we've been trained by our own churches to not believe the Bible. And we've believed our own lives way more than we've believed his grace. I'm serious. You ask 10 Christians that you don't know if it's possible to live as pure as Jesus lives, they would like, "What? Who can live?" That's why are you even asking me that question? Who where

do you go to church, Pastor Kevin? Don't do that. Don't do that. Don't do that. Don't Don't do that. Don't do that. Are you guys okay? >> I am honored that I got to be here. I want to pray something over y'all. I'm going to let your pastor close out. >> Uh oh my goodness. He's uh he's going to get mad at me, but you got to love me. You have to forgive me and love me. He was going to get up and take an offering for me. I told him, "No, I don't want an

offering. I'm here. I'm just going home. I'm already here. No, don't take an offering for me. I'm not here for one. Don't Nobody give nothing. No. No. Listen, I'm so paid in full. It's ridiculous. I don't even know what to do on the inside of me sometimes. I I'm here because I got to be. I understand you want to give. understand giving and receiving. I get it. There's something God's doing with me. There's something pure about me traveling and not taking things. Something feels right about it. It's not 100% of the time. It's about 70.

So 30% it seems to be okay. But in my conscience, this is one of those 70% times. And I'm asking you to just honor my own conviction. And you could argue with me all day. You could teach all the teaching, giving sermons to me you want. It's my conviction. So we're just not going to take an offering. I'm here cuz I'm honored to be here and I understand giving and you could give to me and it would be beautiful and you would give from your heart. I get it. It's something the Lord's doing in me

and I've been talking about it and it's been fun. This is about three years in a row. About 70% of the places I go I leave and take nothing and it costs me to get there. It just feels good. [clears throat] So, thank you. Love you. I was going to pray, but I I think I just need to sit down. Go ahead. You can [applause] pray. Wow. I don't know what to say. Wow. Thank you, Lord. Uh, you know, I really want to encourage you. uh you know when we were worshiping the word that my

wife brought >> about the Lord removing unbelief washing it away from us you know we can develop and and that's for me I'm not just sitting here listening to brother Dan speaking the word as I have everything figured out I mean I'm in the journey too but you know what I really believe he's speaking to us is that we start to see ourselves self in the way he sees us. And I think you know we have those unbelief areas in our minds where it's not realignment with the word but rather own personal circumstance. And so

my encouragement is that in this season you continue to go back to the word. I really felt that when he spoke this it was not just brother D speaking it was the Lord speaking through him. Stop watching all the stuff on social media. Let's stop just having podcasters becoming thus sayeth the Lord. Let's stop just allowing what we think is right in a way that seems right to us become the only way. Let's go back to the word of God. Let the word become the final authority of what God is speaking on the earth. Yes,

God is using people. But I really believe the Holy Spirit speaking through him. I mean, I almost sat there and felt so convicted and I felt really just the heart of the Lord of man, what about us locking oursel in our closet, shutting the door, opening up the Bible and saying, God, there are so many voices. There are so many things that are telling me in this world of what I should be or what I should become. Who are you? Who are you, Lord? Reveal yourself to me. And I think as you get in revelation

of who he is, you have a revelation of who you are. That's how it works. And I think we all seeing him dimly right now. But but the journey is to see more clearly because truly when we see him as he is, the Bible said we will become like him. And thank you so much. I really want to encourage you, man. Get back to the word. Study the word. Believe the word. Let the word become your foundation. And I know that that is that is your heart. But man, I'm so sometimes so tired and bombarded

by so many things like this is the new thing to believe now, right? This is the new thing to believe now and this is the new thing and oh, he's the voice or she's the voice. Have you seen that person, man? God is using him or her to expose in the body and there's so much accusations and no matter how many times somebody would stands up and really repent which we don't even know what they're repenting of behind the scenes we still are seeing in a different way because we only getting one perspective. So I

want to encourage us. Listen, we desire truth, but in the end of the day, let's seek Jesus. >> Let's live a life that is filled with the love of God. And let's be single- eyed like just brother Dan said. And let Jesus be the only truth, right? And let's so shine because truly he made us the light of this world. Come on everybody say God doesn't have anyone else. >> God doesn't have anyone else. >> Right? Moses and Elijah is not here. We are here. And what an amazing amazing blessing that a small Iranian like

me could carry the fullness of God. And if God can use me, he can use anyone. Amen. >> So Lord Jesus, can you just stretch forth your hand? Lord Jesus, thank you for the impartation of your word. And Lord, we just pray just with a word that came forward and was spoken this morning. Truth coming forward in righteousness that cuts so deep in our hearts because that's what your word does. Lord, we thank you that in this season that you're going to remove strongholds as we're going to open up the word. We're going to see

the word as we have never seen it before. We pray for wisdom and revelation and that with all our understanding, we will get understanding in Jesus' name. Lord, we pray that we will not be ignorant and stay ignorant, but with all our getings, we will get understanding and that you increase our knowledge in the Lord. And Lord, I thank you for this amazing bride. Yes, like brother Dan says, we are not Lot's wife. We are your bride in Jesus mighty name. Lord, we give you the glory and we thank you that we refuse to lower

the standard as a church in this city. No matter what it would cost us, who will speak bad against us, Lord, we will suffer for righteousness sake because what you paid on that cross was precious. It was your blood. Can you say amen? >> Amen. >> Amen. Can we just honor the Lord again for brother Dan? [applause] Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. God is good. [applause] He is so so incredible good. I'm not taking an offering. So [laughter] >> Oh, that feels good. >> This is so weird. It's like It's

like taking a bath with your socks on. I don't even know what to do. It's like, you know, >> Jesus. >> Lord, we love you. Have an amazing Sunday. >> [clears throat] >> Yeah.