John Gray - World War Me
To stop y'all joy, focus on her pain, she doesn't wanna change, she wants sympathy in this brokenness, and she wants y'all to pull up a chair to her pity party. And y'all keep obliging her, now you depressed for five days and don't know why. Because you just signed up for a war that wasn't yours. Let me help you to get free in here. Some wars are not yours to fight. I have come to the conclusion there are few things in my life that I'm fighting for. Most of them live in my house.
The first one is the fly chick with the black and white hat on to my left and your right who I been rocking with for six years. That's the first one I'm fighting for. Then I'm fighting for them two yellow babies that eat up all my food in my house and come to my bedroom every night. Bout to start locking the door 'cause I don't need y'all scarred for life if you walk in at the wrong time. I'm also fighting for a vision that I did not belong to but I've been grafted into. Lakewood was not my vision, but I served the vision of my pastors because I believe that Jesus Christ is the hope of the world. I sold my life into this church and then one of the extensions of that is what I do here on Sunday night, to serve the vision of my brother who is the leader of the ministry because it's worth fighting for.
Some stuff is not my battle, but best believe, if I sign up for your battle, I'm coming with my armor on and I'm coming to do some damage and you don't have to worry about whether or not I'm leaving before the battle is over. I'm ready to swing on the devil, I'm ready to stomp on his face, I'm ready to bind up spirits in the name of Jesus because if we gonna go to war, we gonna go to war for souls and I'm not gonna stop til somebody gets saved and I'm not gonna quit preaching until the devil is on the run. And I'm gonna keep preaching Jesus while the arrows, and the haters, and the whisperers keep talking. I'ma keep preaching, I'ma keep serving, I'ma keep loving. Is there anybody that's willing to sign up for the right battle?
I need a 15 second praise break. I want you to go insane in the membrane in here. 14, 13, 12, 11, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3... Let's go. I don't do this all the time because I feel it. There are times when I don't feel well. But you cannot expect to be in war and not get scarred. You gotta learn to stay on the front lines even when you're wounded. You know how much strength young believers get when they see you worshiping wounded? You can't lift up both hands, but maybe you can lift up one and just say, "Father, I'm hurting today but I'm gonna lift my hand," because it's a war.
Here's the thing about war, the enemy gonna hit you. And some of the stuff he throws is gonna hurt. It's gonna wound you, it's gonna scar you. Some of y'all like, "But I thought the Bible said no weapon formed against me will prosper. Oh my goodness". You need to understand that the weapons that the enemy form are to kill you. You need to do this, blink. Look at your hands, take a breath in and out. Are you alive? No weapon formed against you shall prosper. It didn't say the weapon wouldn't hurt, it just said it wouldn't do what it was intended to do. So if you're alive, you should probably be praising because everything the devil has tried has failed.
Your mom and dad broke up, you still here. Your mother don't see you, don't understand your gifts, you still here. You were abused by some ungodly person, you still here. Drug addicted but now you free, you still here. All those broken relationships, you still here. Look at all the stuff you came through and you still here. Some of y'all don't need to be sitting, you need to be standing giving God a praise because that lets the devil know you lost, because he may have wounded you, but he has not won the battle.
Now let me give you a couple things that I want you to write down as well. Because I'm talking about spiritual things but it's important that I give you some practical. Because there is a war in your flesh and some people think that it's cool to play games with God. I can assure you, it is not. You can play with a lotta stuff, but don't play with God. Don't play with his holiness. There are still things that God does not play with and his name is one of them. We need a generation that's not playing, stop being so casual, running around her, goofing off, snickering, smiling all the time. You get serious about the things of God because the enemy is trying to kill your generation.
The reason why you're here tonight is not just 'cause you wanna hang out with your friends, you're here because there's a seed on the inside that God wants to be watered by his word and by the fellowship of other believers. And God wants you to be stirred up in your spirit and somebody needs to encourage you and maybe somebody on your road needs some encouragement, just like I needed some encouragement tonight. So when my brother stood up, now I got the strength to stand up because every now and then, you need to know you not fighting by yourself. Then when I see my other brother, and my other brother, and my sister stand up, then I see people from different backgrounds and Mexican, and Columbian, and Nigerian, and Ugandan, and Kenyan, and white, and Swedish, and German, and Scandinavian, and black! And all of us in here, we all worshiping God and we all got battles and we all wanted to give up but we all still in here with our phones open, and our Bibles open, and our hearts open, and our hands lifted. This is the power of a warfare mindset.
Somebody say world war me. There's a war going on. Nobody war like my boy, David. You can write down 2nd Samuel 6:14. Bible says, "David danced before the Lord with all his might. David was wearing a linen Ephod", that's a priestly garment. It's a prophetic picture, are you a king? Are you a priest? Are you a prophet? He's like, "I'm all of that. Because through me, the Son of the Most High is going to come into the earth, the Mashiach is coming. I'm just a type, a shadow". He danced before the Lord with all his might. He ended up dancing out of his kingly clothes.
That boy didn't play when it came to worship. Let me just tell you, stop playing with your worship. If the only time you worshiping is in here, I can already tell, you gonna have trouble in the rest of your life. You better get up in the morning, while you over there trying to get cute so you can wait for somebody to pass you up in the hallway at your college or at your work and you got on 16 different kinds of cologne and 45 shades of mac and all of that stuff is nice but if he's from God, he gonna check your spirit. I don't care how fine you are, if you can't pray me out of a wet paper bag, I don't need you. Thank you, brother.
Let me tell you something, fellas. You want her beauty and her body but you better believe you want somebody that can get before God and say, "Father, I pray for this man that you've given me that you will cover him, make him a husband and father that honors you. God, I pray for his mind. I pray for his soul. Keep him from the wicked woman according to Proverbs seven. Open his eyes, God, keep him in the name of Jesus," and while you praying, you can be praying and wearing lingerie. Do you understand what a blessing it is? The enemy is counting on you to get weary because what you didn't know is your warfare was in your worship. If he can stop your worship, he can knock you out of position.
Well, in 2nd Samuel six, David danced out of his kingly clothes. By 2nd Samuel 11, Bathsheba was on the rooftop. I'm getting ready to go. What happened in five chapters? She's like, "Devil". What happened in five chapters that you went from dancing before the Lord with all your might to inviting your homeboy's wife to your castle? Help me, Holy Ghost. 2nd Samuel 11, the Bible says, "It happened in the spring of the year," it's about to be spring. You ain't gonna be in your winter clothes anymore. Have your shoulder out. Shirt down. Stop it! Watch this. "At the time when kings go out to battle, then David sent Joab and his servants with him, and all Israel, and they destroyed the people of Ammon and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem".
That's what happens when you rest on your laurels. You go from dancing before the Lord with all your might to trying to transfer your victory and your oil to somebody else who don't have your testimony or your calling. So now, you think you've arrived and nobody... Since I won all these battles, I can just chill. The enemy's like, "I got him. He's relaxed, he's got his guard down. All of his homeboys are gone, he's at the crib by himself. He's in the middle of his life, he's probably trying to figure out does he still have that thing 'cause they used to look at him but they ain't looking at him no more," so the enemy starts Messing with your flesh because all it takes is one bad day.
Trying to help somebody. We don't never talk about that. We get mad when people, "Oh, I can't believe they sinned", you don't know what happened in her life or in his life, stop judging people. You don't know what people are struggling with. All it takes is one bad day. All it takes is one bad moment. All it takes is one bad argument and somebody else slide in there saying what you wanna hear. Don't tell me it can't happen. I promise you. Don't beat people up 'cause you don't know they story.
Here's the thing, David in 2nd Samuel six, he was a praiser. He was a worshiper. Praise can be an expression of God for a particular moment, but you cannot build an altar to a moment. You need to write this down. I felt that one. And I'm almost done. I said you cannot build an altar to a moment. You get victory last week, don't be sitting up this week thinking the enemy's not gonna come back. The war is gonna be here until we cross over from death to life. Okay? Stay on guard. Tell somebody stay on guard. 2nd Samuel 11 says, "David remained at Jerusalem". But you're supposed to be out warring. No, I'm chilling, I got it. I already won these battles before, I'm good. Really? You good? Who is that on the roof?
And don't think Bathsheba was some innocent chick. She knew how close she was to the palace, she knew he was alone. She was alone, nobody else was around. "Seems like you're ready", don't act like you don't know that song either. That's right. The altar call in two minutes, all y'all need to be down here. All y'all. "Seems like you're...", okay, stop right now. Here's the thing, she caught his eye. I know people like to judge, they, but, he has, listen, look at that. That don't make no sense. Here's the thing, it can only catch your eye if it's seeded in your flesh. Write it down. It can only catch your eye if it's seeded in your flesh.
There are stores that my wife and I go to and get things for our kids, some things that are lower in cost. Different brands and things that they may not be the same quality as the other brands, I don't necessarily vibe with 'em. Even if they had it in my size, I wouldn't rock it. You understand what I'm saying? But if I pass certain stores, my eyes gonna go because I'm familiar with that brand, I like that brand. I'm getting ready to go somewhere. The enemy knows what brand of sin you like. Wooo! And he will be patient, he'll wait. Even if you don't pass that part of the spiritual mall, he'll wait for the time you slip up and think you got enough strength and he'll put it right in the window.
The next thing you know, you thought you had strength, now you in there browsing, checking the price. And let me tell you something about the enemy's price-tag, he'll always show one price. But he won't show you it's a no return policy. Some stuff you can't return from, put it down. Leave it alone, don't try that on. He not for you. Don't try that on, she not for you. Don't try them on, they not for you. Don't smoke that, it's not for you. It's a bad batch. All it takes is one bad hit and your mind is gone for the rest of your life. Don't take that chance.
You know how many times God kept you in the club? You know how many times somebody tried to slip something in your drink but God said NO? Are we sitting in here playing games? Some of y'all need to thank God that you still have your mind. You know how many times the protection you thought was in place wasn't in place but God kept you anyway? Some of y'all need to thank God, you ain't been saved your whole life. You ain't been filled with the spirit your whole life. Help me, Holy Ghost.
It was five chapters between David dancing and David in adultery. What happened? Three things. Complacency. Don't let young adults become a place of complacency. Let this gathering be a place of commitment and urgency. Complacency, number two, apathy. You can become apathetic, you can rest on your laurels. You know, I'm cool, it's cool. No, you gotta keep praying. You gotta keep fasting, you gotta stay in small group. You gotta get in these life groups, what are you doing? Number three, lack of accountability. If you don't wanna listen to anybody, the enemy's already throwing a party. If nobody can tell you you wrong, you in trouble. You need to stay out of my business, you need to worry about yourself. That spirit will get you caught up.
Complacency, apathy, lack of accountability. So then you know what happened with David? He got booed up. We know what happened. He took one sin and had to compound that sin with some more sin. Started with adultery, then he add lying to it, then he start trying to connive, that didn't work. Then he had to go to murder. And he still didn't confess til the prophet showed up, was like, "Man, what you been doing"? So tonight, as we close, I don't need to know what you've been doing, but you know what you been doing. David, here's how you help somebody in world war me. Here's how you help yourself.
Three things 'cause we'll, and you'll find it in Psalm 51. You wanna read that. But these three, number one, acknowledge. Acknowledge yes, there's a war and I lost this particular battle but Jesus won the war so I've got victory even though it has yet to manifest. Acknowledge where you failed. Watch this, and acknowledge where you're failing. Because we confess our sins one to another, he's faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Amen? What that means is find somebody you can tell the truth to that you won't hear that truth again.
If I'm trusting you with my most vulnerable places, that means you my friend. You not my friend if I haven't given you tools to harm me. We just surface. But my friends, they can damage me. Because I've told them the truth. Ah, help me, God. You need some people that know everything and still love you. They don't care that you fail 'cause they fail too. They be like, "Ah, that ain't nothing. Let me tell you what I did". That's what you need. You don't need someone that, "Mmm, mmm, mmm. You a mess". You need people like, "Ay, yo, we a mess, man. We what? We need to be under the rug when it's time for the doors of the church to be open". In a minute, some of y'all need to be, y'all need to be sliding down here now. Just be like, "Excuse me, 'scuse me".
Number one, acknowledge. I failed, there's some sin in my life, some things that I did wrong. Find somebody that you can be honest with. Number two, repent. Repent means you actually make a turn. Repent. So, many of y'all know, I've talked a lot about just kinda like my own self image and things that I've struggled with in my life and the last area, the last frontier for me has always been my health, 'cause I'm always traveling, always running, I'm always preaching, and then I'm eating, and then I'll be too tired to work out, and then I'm just, you know? And I'm not taking care of myself and then all of a sudden, a couple of years ago, all of these little health things start happening. And I was like, "God, I bind that". And he was like, "No, you don't. You don't really 'cause you haven't changed".