Glorious Way Church
Glorious Way Church equips believers for the work of the ministry and stands for God’s truth in our culture. We serve as a regional center, where people from all backgrounds find refreshing worship and true communion of the saints.
Glorious Way Church
Keep On Keeping On | Jay Greiner
“Keep On Keeping On” is a message about staying spiritually strong and persistent through life’s challenges. Drawing from Psalm 23 and the story of the Shunammite woman in 2 Kings 4, it emphasizes that trusting in God leads to restoration, breakthrough, and victory. The message offers four key principles for enduring hardship: keep the faith, guard the heart, carry the fragrance of victory, and continue to praise. By applying these truths, believers are reminded to press forward with grit and determination, knowing that God is faithful every step of the way.
I just wanted to do something a little bit different. So we're going to I'm just going to read Psalm 23 and just y'all are just going to hold your Bible kind of like over your heart, and the Holy Spirit kind of showed me this earlier and then I'll pray. It says I'll haul off and read the whole all six verses. I know we have it memorized, but it's really good to just read. And if you don't have it memorized, this is a good one to get in your heart. Amen, good to just read, and if you don't have it memorized, this is a good one to get in your heart. Amen.
Speaker 1:The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want, in other words, I shall not lack. He makes me to lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul, he leads me in the paths of righteousness for his namesake, yea. Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me, your rod and your staff. They comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil. My cup runs over Surely. Surely, goodness and a mercy shall follow me. Anybody know that song All the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Speaker 1:This was today's first psalm, since today is the 23rd, and what stuck out to me is that he will restore our soul. Now, usually, soul means our mind, our will, our intellect, but in this regard, it means our whole person, our whole self. And so here we are, gathered together. So, heavenly Father, we just thank you that you're leading us beside the still waters, lord, the waters of your Holy Spirit. And so, father, we just thank you that you're restoring our souls, you're restoring our lives. Tonight, lord, you're pouring into us your Zoe life and our spirits are being reinvigorated tonight through restoration. Lord, we honor the watering process of the word and so things that we've heard before, lord, that we're attracted, spiritually attracted, to those and we soak those things up that you're trying to lead us and guide us in. And, lord, we make ourselves moldable and changeable to your heart and to your will and to your way. Tonight, and Lord, we're here to honor your word and to put you first in all that we do. And so, father, we just thank you for this transformation that's taking place in our lives tonight. Lord, we're grateful for Glorious Way Church. We're grateful for Wednesday nights, where we can come and top off the tanks in the middle of the week, and so, lord, we do this through honoring you all for your glory. In Jesus' name, amen, you may be seated. Hallelujah. Well, my wife is here as well. We're going to be opening up the altar, and so, if you're watching online, you have prayer requests, you feel free to go ahead, and you can email us those prayer requests at staff at gwccc, or you can put it right into tonight's live stream on Facebook comments if you want to, and so we'll be checking those later, and so tonight I just wanted to preach a message entitled Keep On Keeping On, and so I thought I would be bold enough to share a little TMI with you.
Speaker 1:Like several weeks ago, about three or four weeks ago, it was in the middle of the night and I woke up to use the restroom, and so somewhere between there, the bed and the restroom, the Holy Spirit said keep on keeping on. And I said what? And he's like that's your title, and so then he began to download a message, and so I grabbed my, my, my reading glasses and my phone, and I just began to to take some notes. That turned into this message. And and so I just I like how God does that, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You know, all of us we're always listening, right when he, when he comes calling, we're listening and so we're ready. I've been more.
Speaker 1:I don't know about you, but, like, I just encourage you, maybe you, maybe you feel like you, maybe you've been a Christian for a long time and you have things that you want to say, and so you have things that drop into your heart and you don't, you feel like you don't have an outlet to speak those out. I just encourage you to go ahead and sit down and write those out. Write, you know, write a preaching outline, and I'm telling you, god will begin to open the door and you can use that to minister to other people at any, you know, at the drop of a hat. You're ready. You've studied to show yourself approved, you're ready to go in a moment's notice. So I just encourage you along those lines tonight. But keep on keeping on. In other words, keep on, keep your heart right, keep on loving, keep on giving, keep on sewing, keep pressing in, keep the faith, keep your heart, amen. And so that's what I'm talking about tonight. Keep on keeping on.
Speaker 1:And so the devil, it's his job. He knows who you are, but he also knows whose you are and it's his job to get in the way of your communication. You know, I like what. I was listening to Pastor Joseph preach the Sunday night before last. I finally got around to listening to the podcast there and he was just talking about how that's. The devil's job is to steal, to kill and to destroy and to take those things away, take our communication away. And so if you have something valuable that he wants to steal, and that's why it's his job to steal it, but it's our job to not allow that to stand up to him in authority. We have that authority.
Speaker 1:And so I thought we could just read tonight in 2 Kings, starting in chapter four, about the Shunammite woman with Elisha, and so this might be a familiar story to you, but there's always things we can glean, extra things that we can glean tonight from God's word. So just turn with me to 2 Kings, chapter 4. We'll begin in verse 8. It says now it happened one day that Elisha went to Shunamm where there was a notable woman Everybody say notable woman, that means she had some money, that means she had some influence in her community, right? And she persuaded him to eat some food. So she must've been a good cook, right? So it was as often as he passed by he would turn in there to eat some food.
Speaker 1:And so, again, right off the bat, she's beginning to honor the man of God. She recognized his gift, she recognized him as the man of God, and so that man of God today is a type and shadow of the Holy Spirit right In our lives today. So we honor the Holy Spirit, we honor God's word and we're looking for ways to make room for him. Let's see how she made room for the Holy Spirit. And she said to her husband look, now I know that this is a holy man of God. Again she recognized that he was holy, who passes by us regularly. Please let us make a small upper room on the wall and let us put a bed there for him and a table and a chair and a lamp stand. And so it will be. Whenever he comes by he'll turn in and go there.
Speaker 1:And so she was hungry for the anointing right, and she was hungry for that anointing to dwell in her home. She wanted her home to have an atmosphere change, right? Verse 11,. And it happened one day that he did come there and he turned in to that upper room and lay down, and then he said to his servant Gehazi, call this Shunammite woman. And when he had called her, she stood before him and verse 13,. And he said to his servant say how to her. Look, you have been concerned for us with all this care. What can I do for you? Do you want me to speak on your behalf to the king or the commander of the army? And so you know, being in this church, we know all about politics, right. We, you know how our pastor, you know.
Speaker 1:So, right away, elisha was going to give her more influence and a strong. And she's like, oh no, I just dwell among my own people. So she might've missed an opportunity to grow in influence because that was political influence, right. So he was offering to speak on her behalf to the king, to the commander of the armies. She's like, oh no, I dwell among my own people.
Speaker 1:Verse 14. And so he said what then is to be done for her? He's, elisha is asking his servant. And the servant says actually, she has no son and her husband is old. And so he said, call her. And when he called her she stood in the doorway and then Elisha said about this time next year you shall embrace a son. And she's like, oh no, lord, man, man of God, do not lie to your maidservant.
Speaker 1:But the woman conceived and bore a son when the appointed time had come Everybody say appointed time when the appointed time had come, of which Elisha had told her. And the child grew. And then it happened one day that the child went out with his father, out into the field right, they were farmers. And then he complained about his head, my head, oh, my head, my head. And they carried him to his mother and verse 20, when he had taken him and brought him to his mother, he sat on her knee until noon and then died. So he died right there in his mom's lap.
Speaker 1:And uh, and she went in and laid him on the bed of the man of God. So she went into Elisha's room, right, let's just, let's just tell the story a little bit quicker. She laid, she laid him, her her dead son's body in Elisha's bed that she had she had made for him, and shut the door and went out and then called for her husband to get a servant with a donkey. And the husband's like why are you going to leave and go see Elisha today? And she said it is well, so, right away, she responded to such an emergency with faith. She responded to such an emergency with faith. Right, it is well. It is well with my soul. Is it well with your soul tonight? Do you have some faith stirring up in you or do you want to quit Now? Listen to what she did in adversity.
Speaker 1:She said in verse 24, then she saddled a donkey and said to her servant drive and go forward. Do not slacken the pace for me unless I tell you, in other words, ride fast. And so again, pastor Joseph and I, we were talking a few weeks ago and he's like man, I got this message going on the inside of me and he quoted this verse and he has this whole revelation that I'm going to let him share. I'm just seeding the people. See, for the next time that you preach, if the Holy Spirit, you know. But he has this whole thing about God, the Holy Spirit, showing him that she just had this small window of time and that she had to hurry. And what happens when we go slow? What happens when we're slowed down? What happens when we miss it? So I want you to get that tonight. If you're thinking about quitting, if you're thinking about drawing back, if you're feeling tired, if you're feeling under the gun and you just want to give up and retire and let it loose and just and act like there is no God and act like there is no tomorrow. And I just encourage you look at the reward for her not slackening the pace. Amen, and verse 25.
Speaker 1:And so she departed and went to the man of God. And so it was when the man of God saw her afar off that he said to his servant look, the Shunammite woman. Please run now to meet her and say to her is it well with you, Is it well with your husband, is it well with your child? And she answered it is well. So again, she responded to the servant by faith. She didn't. Oh, my God, you'll never believe what happened. You know my son is dead. No, it is well.
Speaker 1:And so then she came to the man of God, elisha, at the hill, and she caught him by the feet. But Gehazi came near to push her away. But the man of God, let her alone. Said let her alone, for her soul is in deep distress and the Lord has hidden it from me and has not told me. And so then she said did I not ask you? Did I, did I ask a son of my Lord? Did I not say do not deceive me? And then he said to Gehazi get yourself ready and take my staff in your hand and be on your way. In other words again, don't slacken your pace, hurry up. If you meet anyone, do not greet them. If anyone greets you, do not answer him, but lay my staff on the face of the child. And so I want you to see here in verse 29, let's just keep reading real quick.
Speaker 1:And the mother of the child said as the Lord lives and as your soul lives, I will not leave you. So he arose and followed her. In other words, she knew that her miracle was attached to Elisha and so she would not let him go. And so that forced him to get up and go himself with her back to her village, back to her town, verse 31,. Now Gehazi went on ahead of them and laid the staff on the face of the child, but there was neither voice nor hearing. Therefore, he went back to meet him and told him, saying the child has not awakened. And so I want you to notice right away that, even though things look difficult, even though things looked hard, even though that her son was still seemingly dead, she did not freak out, she didn't cry, she wasn't whining to God. Oh, why God? Oh, why did you allow this to happen? She remained in faith.
Speaker 1:And so verse 32, when Elisha came into the house, there was the child laying dead on the bed, and he went in there, shut the door behind the two of them and prayed to the Lord, and he went up and lay on the child and put his mouth to his mouth, his eyes to his eyes and his hands on his hands, and he stretched himself out onto the child and the flesh of the child became warm and he returned and walked back and forth in the house, elisha, and again went up and stretched himself out on the child. Then the child sneezed seven times and the child opened his eyes. In other words, the breath of God was breathed and life returned, amen. And then Elisha called for a Gehazi and said call the Shunammite woman. So he called her, and when she came in to him he said pick up your son. So she went and fell at his feet, bowed to the ground, and she picked him up and they went out. And so, boom, he was healed.
Speaker 1:But it wasn't exactly boom was it. It was a whole process that she had to remain in faith, that she did not give up, she did not turn back, she did not slack her pace, she was in a hurry to get to the man of God because she knew her answer was held in the power of God, that was in his life. And so again, that's a type and shadow of the Holy Spirit. We now, we have the same spirit of faith that Jesus had. We have the same spirit of faith. We carry the same spirit of faith right here on the inside of us that can attack any problem.
Speaker 1:And so I just here to remind you tonight that if you only knew what was behind that mountain that stands in your way, you would speak to it and it would dissolve If you could only see what God has in store for you. And he's waiting. Your mountain is waiting to hear your voice. You know, thank God for a praying mama and thank God for a praying pastor and thank God for a praying church. But I'm telling you, your mountain needs to hear your voice and you need to speak to that mountain and it will dissolve, amen. And so we can't be sitting on our hands in self-pity and denial and put our head in the sand and pretend that things aren't going on, that the devil's not trying to kill, to steal and to destroy. But Jesus came that we might have life, a abundant life, an abundant life. And I'm telling you we have the power and authority to stop the devil in his tracks, to back up any scheme, to back up any strategy from hell, and I'm telling you we can turn it around with our words and with our faith. And it's important not to give up and it's important to know that we have grit and determination by our spirit. And so you know, I told this story.
Speaker 1:I wouldn't plan on telling this story, but I've had a few people go back. See, it was November of of whatever year, that was 23, I guess, um me and all the motorcycle guys. We were going to go on a big ride to Arkansas and see all the mountain, you know, ride some mountainous roads, and and I had a pastor lined up in Fort Worth that was going to go and at the last minute, basically, it came down to it and nobody could go. And so I'm like, okay, well, I'll just go by myself, I'll go a little bit early, and then I'll, when I get out of the mountains of Arkansas, I'll cut over to Tulsa and I'll go to the men's meeting at Ramah. And uh, hey, that sounds like a good plan to me, and it was on the Tuesday.
Speaker 1:So I left the house and Selena was all for this and got her permission, and and so I knew it was going to be a little bit cold. So I had all the right gear and I'm layered up and all of that, and I get on 99,. I'm going to go straight up 59, basically into Arkansas Tamina, arkansas, if you know where that is and it starts raining on me right, just right past 45, all the way to 59,. Nothing but rain, and I'm getting a little bit cold, and but then the rain stopped and I'm like, okay, well, I could turn around now, but I'll just keep going.
Speaker 1:And so then, you know, one thing happened after another, and basically I get to Lufkin. I'm like I was going to pull over at the Cracker Barrel. I was like no, I think I can make it to Nacogdoches. So I'm trying to make it to the IHOP in Nacogdoches to eat some breakfast. It's, it's still like six in the morning, seven in the morning, whatever. The sun's really not up yet, and I just I got so cold the fact that my clothes were still wet and I'm riding in the wind and I just got so cold that I just started uncontrollably shivering and I finally make it to IHOP and I've, you know, ate a meal and had some hot coffee and finally warmed up, and then, while I'm eating, the sun comes out and then it's gorgeous. And so then I get back on the bike, but I'm just, you know, that feeling your body has when you've been shivering uncontrollably. I was just wore out and I'm not even a quarter of the way there yet. And so, bottom lines, I get to to, you know, I think I called Selena and Marshall and I keep on traveling north, you know, and so that helped to talk to her and she's encouraging me.
Speaker 1:And I get to Jefferson and I just did like a rookie move and I pulled the front brake when I was coming into a gas station. I pulled the front brake instead of the rear brake and so the handlebars kind of collapsed and the bike went down. It's 900 pounds and I start trying to pick it up by myself and this older guy jumps out of the truck and and starts to help me and I I'm kind of like lifting it, you know, behind and and I get it standing up and then I turn around to finish, finish the job and I like extend my leg like this and pop like a firecracker, my calf just boom and I had never felt that pain before and come to find out that it wasn't that. I mean, there was a whole lot of pain but your calf gets over it. That's a typical old man injury, right?
Speaker 1:I didn't know this, but my friend, pastor Profeto, in Fort Worth he went to sprint and he thought he could race his son, like he was young again, and he went on your mark, get set, go and boom and he popped his calf, but it was so painful I couldn't breathe. It took all you know. So then I just I kept going, though I just had something on the inside of me that said keep going, don't turn around. I could have given up. Then I could have called Ethan, I got him to bring my truck, I don't know.
Speaker 1:So I get all the way to Mina and the place that I was staying and I called my dad and I told him what happened and he's like so how much further did you drive? Did you ride after this happened? So it's just another couple hundred miles, no big deal. And he's like, oh, you did what he just couldn't. And so he's like, let me come get you. And he starts trying to work out his. I'm like, no, it's. You know, tomorrow's Wednesday you preach and this, that and the other. And so you know, the next day it didn't feel any better.
Speaker 1:But I got back on the bike, rode through the mountains, but then I cut my my mountain trip short and I just made it like, uh, west to Tulsa. And I got there on a Wednesday afternoon, checked into the hotel, went to Rhema Wednesday night and I didn't know this, I could barely walk. But uh, but I could control the bike, had enough control, I could press the rear brake, good enough to ride. But I didn't know all the things that God had in store for me that week. All the pastors that I met, all the people that I talked to, all the you know I went to. Y'all might remember Samuel Greer. He grew up in this church but he lived in Broken Arrow at the time and I went to dinner with him before service and got to catch up and minister and encourage and, you know, went to lunch with Pastor Trey Hill from Kennedy, texas, and he had a member of his church and we got to talk and just iron sharpens, iron All the things that God had in store for me that I would have missed out on if I would have just turned around and gone back home and thank God for live stream All of the meetings that I could have watched the videos later on of those meetings, but it wasn't the same as being there, just like you're here tonight.
Speaker 1:I respect all the people watching live stream, but there's people here tonight that have sacrificed to come out on a Wednesday night and fight the traffic and be here. There's a difference to be here in the anointing, and so I just. There's a big reward when we refuse to turn around, when we refuse to quit, when we have this grit and determination. You know what. We've set a destination and we're going to get there, and so that's really the Holy Spirit on the inside of me, quickening me, quickening my mortal flesh and bringing healing and restoration. I have no issue with my calf, it's like it never happened, but there for about a week it was really tough, but God, you know. So, like you know, you're going to, you're going to fight some pain. You're going to you're. You know, in this world you will have tribulation, jesus said it. But be of good cheer, I have overcome the world, amen. And so I just have four keys tonight to holding onto your grit. And grit is defined as firmness of mind or spirit. And so you know, right here we're going to talk about spirit, firmness of spirit, unyielding courage in the face of hardship or danger. And so, number one, four keys to holding onto your grit. Number one keep the faith. And so these are going to be familiar scriptures, but let's just read them anyways.
Speaker 1:First, john, five, one through five, says that uh, verse one whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves him, who begot, also loves him, who has begotten of him. By this we know that we have, we that we love the children of God. When we love God and keep his commandments For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments catch this. His commandments are not burdensome, in other words, they're easy commandments to keep right, because his yoke is easy and his burden is light. And so if you think it's hard to follow God, well, you just don't understand, jay. I just what I'm going through is just, you know it's just too much. No, his burden is easy and his yoke is light. For his yoke, you know anyways, verse four, for whatever is born of God overcomes the world, and this is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world? But he who believes that Jesus is the son of God.
Speaker 1:And so everybody you know, turn to your neighbor tonight and say I'm an overcomer, I know how to overcome and I overcome by faith. Amen, we have overcoming faith. We're not trying to overcome and I overcome by faith. Amen, we have overcoming faith. We're not trying to overcome faith. We have, but we do have overcoming faith. And so you know how many of you realize that perseverance isn't passive. It means you have to actively choose faith, again and again, no matter what you're facing, no matter how hard it is, no matter how hard the situation is that you're facing, you're choosing to respond in faith and not, you know, just react right. Sorry, I lost my notes, but I was in the middle of reading about perseverance.
Speaker 1:And so, you know, hebrews 12, 2 says looking unto Jesus, the author and the finisher of our faith, who, for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and he sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. And so, and then verse three says for consider him, who endured such hostility from sinners against himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls and that word souls means mind and will and intellect. And so think about, you know, we were Jesus's joy, the joy that was set before him. He went through such suffering for us. The whole time he was suffering on the cross, you were his joy, I was his joy, but I was also his guts. I was also his grit, you were his grit. Think of it that way. You know he did that so that we would have a relationship with his father, the same relationship that he had. We have right. So everything that Jesus has has been given to us. We walk in that same authority, we're able to have that same spirit of faith, like I said earlier.
Speaker 1:And so why would we give that up? Why would we let loose of that? Why would we turn our backs on that. Why would we slacken our pace from doing what God's called us to do? We better get after it and stay after it, amen.
Speaker 1:So number two ways to hold on to our grit is to keep your heart, and so Proverbs 4.23 says to keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it springs the issues of life, and I can tell some of y'all have some issues, y'all got some issues going on, and so out of it spring, but out of your. So if you don't keep your heart, you're not going to. You're just going to be reacting to every single problem that comes along and you're not responding with faith, you're not responding with God's word. You have no word in you, you like. If you don't, if you don't spend time keeping your heart, if you don't spend time pouring into, I will store your words in my heart that I might not sin against you. That's, you know, that's in Psalm 100. And so you want to do that. And so when temptation comes, when tests come, when trials come, you have God's word. You know, jesus was taken out into the desert and he was tempted by the devil, and he responded to every single temptation with the word. We do the same thing every single day, and so it's so important to keep your heart by keeping the priority of God's word in front of you, and meditate on God's word, amen.
Speaker 1:And in 2 Corinthians 4, starting at verse 16 through 18, it says Therefore, we do not lose heart, even though our outward man is perishing. Yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. You know, I'll stop real quick before I read on. Just how is this renewal happening? It's happening through our spirit, and it's that God is ministering to us, spirit by spirit. When we spend time praying and reading our Bible, we spend time with the Lord each day, and therefore our inward man is being renewed day by day, and so there's fresh revelation that the light of God's word is able to shine into our spirits, and illumination happens on the inside of us and we're led into areas that we didn't even know were possible. That happens every day, just by reading our Bible.
Speaker 1:Amen For our light affliction, verse 17. So 2 Corinthians 4, 17. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us, a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. And while we do not look at the things which are seen, but we look at the things which are not seen, for the things which are seen are temporary. The thing you're, the problem that you're facing, the mountain that seems to be right at the tip of your nose is temporary Amen. But the things that are not seen are eternal Amen. So it's it's important for us to open up the eyes of faith and see through the eyes of faith and know that it's God, that it's the authority that God has given us that destroys every mountain in front of us, everything that's holding you back. He's already destroyed every chain, every bondage that the devil could ever throw to us and try to ensnare us with has been broken, amen.
Speaker 1:So number three is to keep our aroma, keep your smell, keep your fragrance. If I'm preaching to women, keep your fragrance. And you're like Jay, that is not scriptural. What are you talking about? Second Corinthians, not just your perfume. Second Corinthians, 2, verse 14 and 15, starting at verse 14.
Speaker 1:Now, thanks be unto God, who always causes us to triumph in Christ and, through us, diffuses the fragrance of his, of his knowledge in every single place. In other words, you know, the apostle Paul is giving thanks to God for always causing us to triumph, you know. So it starts with Thanksgiving, right when we have Thanksgiving, for everything that God's doing, but God always leads us into triumph. We're not fighting for victory, we're fighting from victory. We've always already been positioned in a place where we win every single time, and so we're thanking God for that. So I don't know, like, if you're really facing a struggle and it's something new, maybe it's something that you're not used to dealing with the devil has just really thrown you a curve ball and you feel stuck or you feel all knotted up in this situation. No, start with by thanking God that he always leads you to triumph. You have the victory over that situation. You always walk in victory and through that victory, through that triumph, that triumph has an aroma to it. It has a fragrance to it, the knowledge of God. And everywhere you go, victory has an aroma, and so I just want you to smell, you know, to be able to smell that tonight. Smell that victory again.
Speaker 1:You know, you know my dad I'll finish this scripture, but he tells this story about he had gone through this period of time where he was out of the home building business and a long story short like you've heard him tell this story many times but he went into West University and he was walking around, just you know, he had this. The beginning of what God was leading him into is building homes again in the city of West University. And so he was over there, kind of just walking around feeling out, you know. And so he was over there, kind of just walking around feeling out, you know, is this really the Lord? And he walked up onto a brand new lot where they had crushed the home and they're just building in the fill, dirt, and just the smell of that dirt, that smell, the Holy Spirit hit him Like, hey, this is the right direction, this is the right thing. And then God greased the skids and opened up, you know, an avenue where he was able to start building homes again. And so Dominion Estate Builders, he formed another corporation and, boom, he was off to building homes again.
Speaker 1:And so, you know, god speaks to us through our smell, but also not just our natural smell. You need to spiritually smell the smell of victory. What just our natural smell? You need to spiritually smell the smell of victory, what that's like. Again, some of you, it's been a long time since you've smelled the smell of victory, and so I just encourage you tonight, through the word of God to get your aroma back.
Speaker 1:You know your victory has a smell, your triumph in Christ has a fragrance Verse 15,. For we are, to God, the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, and so that victory has a smell. It's obvious to those around you, it's obvious to those who who honestly, like this is talking about being a, a witness, and that's true. I'm not taking, I'm not taking this away, but I'm going to talk specifically about the fact that your victory has an aroma and God's bringing you in front of people, and those people right now are standing in your way, and when they smell the smell of victory, I'm telling you favor, god is there to open a door that no man can close, amen. And so if you'll just know that your triumph has a, has a fragrance, and you want to bathe in that cologne, in that perfume of triumph, before you go anywhere else, you know so. So get that, that, get that triumph smelling aroma on you, amen.
Speaker 1:And then, number four keep on praising. We need to keep on praising. His solution for you is for you to not try harder, but it's for you to draw closer. And so maybe it's been a while since you opened up your own mouth and you declared victory, and so paul and silas locked in jail. I think. I think of that the the story again, pastor joseph, you know, because it it was just fresh. I listened to that yesterday, that message yesterday, and so, uh, pastor joseph preached a really good message and his whole last part of it was about the power of worship. And so he said in that message that our worship is our war ship. And so that really hit me. And so you know, praise silences the voice of the enemy. Praise and worship silences the voice of self-doubt and condemnation, self-condemnation. It silences the voice of the past. It silences the voice of the flesh. It silences the voice of temptation. It silences the voice of that mountain telling you how big it is, and self-doubt and fear and anxiety. It can't stay inside of you when you're opening up your mouth and praise and worship to the Lord. And so I know, we know these things. But when we praise God, praise is thanking him for all the things that he's doing and worship is worshiping him for who he is. I know that's really basic and we probably all know that, but it's good to remind ourselves that it's important to do both and we're worshiping him for who he is. There's so many things that he is in our lives. He rescues us out of any mess. The Holy Spirit is not afraid of any mistake that you've ever done. If you made a mistake, with zeros on the end, I'm telling you there's redemption, there's healing, there's restoration. He can restore things that the devil has stolen and he can erase. He's the best editor of your story that I know. You know, sometimes in our testimony it's good that we hang on to some of those details to tell of what we came out of. But I'm telling you, in my life he has been the biggest editor and it's like taking a mistake and there is no evidence that that mistake ever happened. And so if he's done that for me, he's for sure can do that for you. Amen. The blood of Jesus comes in, and that's why we sing so many songs in this church about the blood. We honor the blood of Jesus because there's power in the blood. And so I'm telling you, when we keep the faith, when we keep our heart, when we keep this aroma of victory, and when we keep on praising and keep on worshiping, then we're going to hold on to this grit. We're going to hold on to this determination and we're going to refuse to quit. We're going to refuse to go back and turn around and be out of the will of God, but we're going to keep riding, we're going to keep going. We're going to keep God, but we're gonna keep riding, we're gonna keep going, we're gonna keep pressing and we're gonna attain all that God has for us. Amen, amen, well, I just hallelujah, father, we just thank you for your word. We thank you, holy Spirit, for tonight's, for your presence that's here tonight to heal and to mend and to restore, with speed and certainty and confidence and boldness, that our spirit, that there's fresh revelation and fresh illumination, lord, that the things, that any fear or doubt of your ability is dissolved tonight. In the name of Jesus.