Winter Season Part 1 // Nick Serban III

Winter Season Part 1 __ Nick Serban III

SUMMARY KEYWORDS

season, pray, lord, corporate prayer, winter season, god, gather, week, purpose, prayer, church, year, fast, corporately, scripture, today, moments, worship, happen, winter

This morning, I want to just minister for the next few moments, I'm not going to, I'm not going to preach very long this morning. I thought was people were gonna come out of their seat right there. Because I want to, I want to end our time together kind of as the first step into our corporate prayer, and to meet around these authors just for a few moments. And a few weeks ago, I sat down with my friend Joe marble in front of the house missionary to Ecuador, happen to be in the area, and stayed a couple of nights at the house. And so on the first night, he was there, we were kind of talking. And he's a very provoking guy, if you've not been around him in any of our services, and he's got a beard twice as big as Jonathan's. And he's just, it looks like Moses, when he lets his hair out. I mean, he looks like Moses and, and so we're, they're talking and he's like, Well, you know, I don't think he's going for you. And I shared a very, very pleasant, you know, things are good things are good things or whatever. But I, I said, you know, I wish things could be a little better personally. There's some moments I wish there could be things a little better, church wise, organization wise. And he said to me this, he said, you know, it sounds like that you're in a winter season, a winter season. And I thought to myself, you know, you know what, I you know, I can I can I can jive with that in my spirit. You know, this winter, winter deal. And Lord knows, I love winter. I'm praying that snows this week, six inches. I mean, I'm praying school clothes and the whole nine yards. No, really, I am. And. But I understand that there are there are seasons, and I go throughout Scripture. And scripture reminds me that there are that there are seasons, God and the prophets and the men of God speak to seasons, you know, winter, spring, summer or fall. All you've got to do now there are seasons. And in Ecclesiastes 313. I want to read this. And it says this For everything, there is a what? And a time for every matter under heaven. And this is Solomon, the smartest man in the world. Some people debate whether he, whether he was the smartest man in the world of the time, or whether you're the smartest man in the world ever. To me, it doesn't matter. Okay, but a time to be born in a time to die, a time to plant time to pluck up. What is planet, a time to kill and a time to heal a time to break down at a time to build up a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance. Time to throw away stones and a time to gather stones together a time to embrace a time to refrain from embracing a time to seek a time to lose the time to keep at a time to throw away a time to to tear at a time to show a time to keep silent, and a time to speak. A time to love a time to hate a time for war and a time for peace. And so just just very practical. This morning, I have a picture of seasons. And it's the same area. Although it's the different season, I was kind of hoping I was kind of hoping that this season here the fall season that the leafs were maybe a little further off kind of a barren time, you know, when all the leaves change. But uh, we know that there's there's a spring season, when things blossom when things are you know, things are being pollinated things kind of change that way. And then we know there's a summertime, and then somewhere we go to fall and then fall we go to winter. And the purpose of this message today is just in preparation of where we're going corporately, where we're going individually, and where we where we ask the Lord to help us in and maybe you find yourself today. Maybe that maybe the general question isn't you don't have to pipe up and but maybe you can. Can anybody identify what season urine? Is there? Is there anybody that can kind of identify? Mostly? Right. And so I think I think whether it's winter, spring, summer or fall, sometimes the seasons are longer. But here's here's here's the good news this morning. If you forget everything else I say today, don't forget this. The season will change. Now, if you're in a season that seems desolate, now there are a lot of great things that happen in winter season. Don't get me wrong. There are a lot of great things. In fact, oftentimes your lawn becomes fertilized much greater in this season than ever. You think that you know you gotta hire you know, true turf are the guys that come out and spray whatever. But I tell you what, what happens in a winter season whether there's snow or not. There's Actually stuff happening in the ground, there's actually stuff happening. And I want to remind you today, if you're in the winter season, there's stuff happening. There's growth taking place that you don't see, see these other seasons, you actually see some stuff. This season of the fall is a time where things are lost, and things are trimmed, and things are released. And you know what, there are some times that there are some things that need to be released in your life. There are some relationships that maybe need to be released in your life, there's some habits that maybe need to be released in your life. But no matter what, no matter what season you find yourself in, just know that that season will always change. Solomon, the smartest man in the world. At that time, today, everything has a season. Some of us find ourselves in seasons where whether you want identify it in a season, as far as a winter, spring, summer and fall, your season is raising kids. You are raising kids right now. Changing diapers, you are, everything's focused on the children, some of your seasons are, you know, you're just trying to pay off your student loan. Hopefully, you're not 50 years old and still paying off your student loan. Alright. So some of you just trying to establish certain things in your life. And as we enter into this time of prayer corporately, individually, I want I want you to hear that establishment of things in your life don't just happen by happenstance. Oftentimes, seasons happen by happenstance. But we have to purpose in our hearts to discipline ourselves through the seasons, there's oftentimes you can identify the season you're in. And then or oftentimes, you're just kind of like, I'm not quite sure what season I'm in. I don't think God has called us to identify the season. But I do think God asks us to identify and recognize what we go through in life. If you're in a winter season, hallelujah. You want to know why? Because Spring is coming. Maybe you're in a spring season, and again, doesn't always correlate to the weather outside is frightful type of deal. Here we are the first son, can you believe this is the first Sunday of 2024. Here we are gathered together. And we're in a natural winter season. But whatever season you find yourself in today, understand that God wants you to grow. I have another picture that I had last minute. Even the trees embrace loss, because they know it's only a season. So what season are you in? What season? Just know that in every season, we had to choose and discipline ourselves to grow. Just because you were in a winter season that seems like oh, you know, everything's frozen. Nothing's moving. You know, I'm just gonna sit and we're gonna wait. Winter, oftentimes, there's a waiting season. And it's okay, they that wait upon the Lord will renew their strength. So there are there are moments. And in fact, this is going to be crazy. I haven't expanded this teaching for this this further, maybe in a week's time you experienced in every season. Or in a month's time you experience every season. Because there's, you know, you say, Well, I'm producing fruit here, somehow, some way. Well, that, you know, I was in winter on Sunday, and now today is Wednesday. And it's a it's springtime, it's summer. The purpose is that we understand even the trees embrace loss, because they know it's only a season. Let me just focus to one of the Scripture. I don't think I have it on the screen. But in Daniel chapter, I believe it's chapter two, it could be 22. I do have it, there it is. Look how close I was. I hit the 20s in there. And Daniel answered and said, bless it be the name of God forever and ever for wisdom and might are His and He changes times and seasons. He changes times as he says, and if you if you go deeper to the root word of the changes, a word that can be associated with changes he expedites seasons. So when I was when we lived in the northeast, how many how many ever lived in the northeast, been to the northeast? How many don't want to go to the northeast? Anybody here? All right. So I figured as I figured we lived in the northeast and I tell you what, I couldn't golf from mid September to almost May. There were I mean you you couldn't get on a golf course because there was snow. Snow everywhere. It was cold is freezing. Down here. You can almost go up all year long. I mean, there are a few. There are a few days that are just a little too chilly. For for anything But I mean, winter is a long time. But when you apply God, when you embrace God, when you live for God, he changes the times and the seasons. Because sometimes in the winter season, it's a little gloomy. Sometimes in the winter season, it's kind of like, you know, what's going on here what's happening, but just know, in the winter season, things are growing. He removes kings and raises up case, he gives wisdom to the wise. Scripture tells us that if we pray for wisdom, he's not going to give us a snake. He's not gonna give us a stone, but he's going to give when is the last time and again, just just kind of throwing it out here. Welcome to full life that you actually prayed and your prayer time, Lord, give me wisdom. I mean, I'm not talking about thinking about it, you know, just kind of like, you know, whatever, but actually said it out loud, Lord, give me wisdom in this moment. Those are the moments that God downloads, you say, Well, I'm not quite sure I, you know, I might, I might hear from God. Let me go back to the seasons. You know, you may feel like you're in the winter season. You know, the heavens are brass. But there's still growth. And there's still things taking place in your, your life. Today is the first Sunday of January 2024. And as we as we navigate through this, normally we do, there's two things. This is Mission Sunday, which we've kind of been part of that. Aren't you excited? Anybody here excited for joining in? I mean, I tell you what. But also, we many of us have made goals and pledges and said, you know, we're gonna give above and beyond in our in our giving. The second thing we do on the first Sunday of the month, which we're gonna postpone until next week, and that's communion. And normally once a month, and there's actually communion in the hallway that you can take on the way out, and you can do you could take communion, on your own. But next week, we're going to participate, and I don't know how many were here. About four months ago, five months ago, we we took communion here in the front, we served it. And so next Sunday, we're going to serve communion. Kind of kind of at the end of our first week of prayer. Again, we're 21 days of prayer fasting, this first week, we are corporate, we're going to serve communion, we're going to gather and I just thought it would be a kind of a special, a special morning special time. So make plans for that consistency, repentance, intercession, evangelism, unity, spiritual gifts, and renewal is the direction we're going to head towards for our corporate prayer and corporate encouragement. But we're kind of modeling the Daniel fast. And how many have ever done a deal fast before anybody? How many. So the any facet basically, is broken down to vegetables, fruits, nuts, as opposed to eating meats. And we know this from the book of Daniel, or Daniel needed to hear from God. He wanted to hear you want to clarity. And Scripture tells us that he went on a 21 days, a fast, and there are so many different kinds of fats. Out there, there's the facet Jesus did, which was only water for 40 days, we have the Daniel fast. And I think in the comfort level of the world that we're in, we try to make it as easy as possible. But I tell you what, ask for wisdom as God, what he wants you to do, I probably tell you that God doesn't want you to fast. Probably doesn't want you not to fast, like Dunkin Donuts, and Starbucks and all kinds of know, whatever, whatever he puts on your heart, you know, whatever you think you can do. But I want to speak to you pester early today, do something. And I want you to do something, not only for yourself individually. But I want you to do something. Because of we're part of a corporate body. We're part of a church, we're part of a fellowship, a body, right here in this room and around the world, the the Assemblies of God, which were associated with, they have churches all around the world 30,000. There, hundreds of 1000s of adherence, people that attend churches just like this all around the world. It's the fastest growing the largest Pentecostal movement in the world. And I happen to be part of it, and I happen to serve in it. And I happen to happen to be able to give some direction, here in Tennessee, and even on a national level, as I sit on the general press, pretty bored. There's three guys from Tennessee, and of all the churches 200 Plus churches in Tennessee, and three men or women get to sit from each state, and I'm one of them. And so it's kind of a unique moment and a unique time, but I can tell you in my life, I often ask God, Lord give me wisdom. But as you enter into this fast for the next 21 days, starting today, after order what what to do, maybe it's maybe it's a meal, maybe it's you know the new the new terminology now is that the intermittent Fast, intermittent fast, you know you don't eat, you start eating at 12 You're gonna eat an awful lot of food from 12 to six. And just, I mean, I know how to do that. I mean, eat is loaded up, and then you don't eat. You don't eat till 12 o'clock the next day, you know, and that's that's kind of that's not maybe exactly how it works. No, it doesn't. All right. Yeah, but maybe it's a meal. Maybe it's two meals, but to something that sacrificial unto the Lord. You know, maybe maybe it's you know, you're not buying three Starbucks a day and maybe you've never done a one. You know, maybe it's maybe it's a you cut sugars out. But again, the Daniel fast is this. When it all comes down to it, do something unto the Lord, because of a fast must center around the Lord. So don't do this. To lose the weight, even though that's probably something that would happen. Don't do it frivolously, but purpose in your heart, I tell you what, if you put your mind to it, you can do it. Zacharias seven five says Ask the people this won't be on the screen as the people of the land of the priest when you fast it and mourn in the fifth and seventh months. For the past 70 years. It wasn't really for me, you fast it? Or was it for yourselves? And so I want to I want to purpose you and exhort you to come around myself, my family, this church, this body, that we do it unto the Lord. Yes. That we become closer to him. Yes, that we hear from him. Yes, that we experienced him. But we also pray for this corporate body, that as we expand as we grow, as we search as we as we look, it reminds us when we fast of who sustains us truly, He is before all things in Colossians. One, all things and in Him all things hold together. Just know this. God knows everything. He's everywhere. And he's all powerful. He knows it all. He's our focus. He's our direction, he is our purpose. And one of the things that fashion does, he helps bring balance to our lives. It brings balance to our lives. First Corinthians nine. Mourning hard for the finish line, I'm giving him everything. I've got no sloppy living. For me, this is the Message version. I'm telling, I'm staying alert. And in top condition, I'm not going to get caught napping, telling everyone else all about it, and then missing it for my self. Don't let non essential things take control. But let's put purpose in our hearts. There's 12 months in the year, we're focusing on 21 days that we would focus as men and as women. So me, some of you need to fast and pray because you're in a relationship situation that you need God to intervene in. Now, can God intervene? Whether you're fast or not? Absolutely, yes. But there's something about getting the heart of God, when we focus ourselves when we lock eyes with him face to face. And he changes things in our lives. So here are the Here are six, six areas I want to just share. And I think I'm ultimately going to share these and we're going to we're going to close in prayer and how spiritual that is or how moved you are. The end of the day is we are gathered together in his name. We have worshipped Him. In song. We worship Him in spirit and in truth. And we're going to focus but corporately today, there are six reasons why we're going to we're going to fast as a church. There are six reasons why that you're going to associate it with doing it individually, as well. The first is this corporate prayer encourages it's encouraging thing, life is hard. Anybody can do any agree with that life is often often hard to the con. On the side of heaven. We face sickness, we face sin, we face death, we face brokenness. And as followers of Christ, we can find that there are many words and ways to describe loss describe what we're going through. But we understand the goodness of God. We understand the sovereignty of God when we gather together together as believers. There's something about gathering together in this room today. I hope your faith has been stirred today. Hope you've been encouraged today. One way or another that you know there's a call of God on your life and just like Cheyenne steps out, you're willing to step out. It may not be going to Thailand, but it might be going to the national rescue mission. It may be part of the kids ministry across the hall here. It may be part of parking cars out in our incredible street ministry we have we have street ministry here. Have you noticed that? We got street ministry here and we park up and down but when it comes down to it, corporate prayer brings us together and encourages us. That's Bessel Ionians 511 says this, encourage one another and build one another up. Hope you're building one another up today. Hope you're purposing in your heart to build the person next to you the person behind you the person that cross cross the aisles, build them up and corporate prayer reminder ourselves that we are brothers and sisters, how many grew up during the age? I think some we do a little bit here. How many grew up during the, during the age or during the time where you refer to everybody as Brother Jonathan? Raise your hand roll. Hi. Everyone we're talking about alright. And there's nothing wrong with it. I mean, we got it, we got it. scripturally you know, it's funny, the General Superintendent for the Assemblies of God, the guy who's in charge of all those 30,000 in 100,000, whatever. He'll this interview himself. He's a call we call me Doug. Just Just call me Doug. Don't call me brother. Don't call me whatever you want to call me. You know, you know, it's almost like the Pope, if you could associate it that way. But uh, and I don't really anyway, I should have said that. But we're gonna we're season we're in a winter season. And we're encouraging one another. And we're encouraging we're knows as brothers and sisters, nothing can separate us from the love of God. And that we have a Savior who sympathize with our weakness Hebrews 415. The secondary is this corporate prayer disciples. When believers of varying ages and stages in their in their lives, gathered together and pray we learn from one another. Again, you've heard when we do baby dedications, I tell you that our kids in the other room when they watch on the video, they're watching, they're watching our services. And they're not literally watching, you know, the the speaker appear. They're watching to see what mom and dad are doing in worship. They're watching to see, do they respond? They're watching to see are they engaged. They're watching to see what season they're in. They're watching to see where the faith is. You know, I remember I graduated from I graduated from high school, and I got to college. I took a year off gap year. I'm all about gap years. And I worked construction for a year. And during that time, this is back in 1986 87. Some of you weren't even born yet. But there you go. I worked for Mr. Della viro. Every morning, I get up I made made a bunch of money. I saved money and of going to college. I remember going to theology one on one. Theology, one on one one of the classes there in Bible college. And while I was there, I remember getting out of the class and thinking to myself, Is there even a god? You know, I couldn't I was on a hard time correlating all this hierarchy, all this whatever, because the God that I served was the god my father served. I knew but how can I explain the baptism of the Holy Spirit? With speaking in tongues? I couldn't explain it to you. I just knew what my father spoke in tongues. When he talked about worship. And we talked about you know, Spirit led worship worshiping spirit and truth. I couldn't necessarily explain it to you. But here's what I can tell you. Guess what? My father did it. You know, and he spy me with lots of lifesavers on Sunday night. I mean, I just reach up he gave me a peppermint lifesaver. And I'd sit there I listened. I didn't understand everything, but I watched him. There is discipline. There is discipling. There is watching people are watching. People are watching you, whether you're in the house. Or whether you're outside the house, I'm gonna say whether you're in the outhouse. Alright. They're watching you. They're watching you. When you're in Publix, believe me, I've gotten I've gotten reports. If people come up to me and say, You know what? So and so was if you can nail it's a gossip or slander or whatever. They said, You know, I saw this happen in the store and this person was involved. They go to your church and deputy and I'm like, oh, oh, man, how are you treating your waitress and waiter? How are you treating your Amazon deliver? Because I know you're all getting the Amazon somewhere. all hooked up with prime prime Amazon's Mo. How are you treating other people? How are you establishing yourself? Are you going off the handle? Are you the man of God that you claim to be here on Sunday morning? Are you the woman of God that you claim to be on Sunday morning? And if you're not exactly where you need to be, that's okay. But as we gather, there is discipline there is disciples. It comes together Jesus taught the disciples to pray. And so on these nights corporately we gather together. We're gonna give you some acronyms. We're gonna give you a little direction. But I tell you what, make no doubt about it. We're going to pray. We're gonna seek the face of God. Number three, a corporate prayer aligns our habit of prayer. It aligns our habit of prayer. scheduling times the pray are important in your life. I can guarantee you this. I can guarantee you this. Just from personal personal observation, personal personal challenge. I can tell you this. Are you ready? If I don't purpose in my life, to physically get into shape, it doesn't happen. And quite honestly, physically doing something to get into shape, there is nothing inside of me that actually really wants to do it. And I'll tell you this, oftentimes, it may be a struggle coming to church, because it's not simply because other people can be doing something else, or you can find something else to do. But if you discipline yourself, the purpose to get here, it changes everything. Just like that to say that, I know, it's nobody here in the house here, but maybe somebody in here is struggling with their language. Maybe you got a, maybe you've got maybe you curse like a sailor. Alright, I don't know what that means. But I heard that somewhere. Maybe you got maybe you got bad language, or you're dropping the F bomb here, and everything's, you know, your, your, and it just not where it should be. I can guarantee you this, you can pray all day long. Lord, take this for me, Lord, take this from me, Lord, take this from me. And guess what? He'll help to take it from you. But he also has established something called self discipline, that you have the purpose to remove it. I know, years ago, I'm kind of picking on my dad this morning. And God delivered him from alcohol years ago, and God delivered him. It was basically one of those cold turkey moments, changes in his life, you know, just kind of made me the change made the turn, and all that. And there's, there are those experiences. So for some of you, using the example of the language thing, you know, you're gonna go home today. And it's kind of like those words, you know, just just randomly, no longer come to your lips to come to your thoughts. But the Bible says to capture those thoughts, and capture those things, say things that are honoring to the Lord. And I know we're in a culture today. And I know we're in a culture today, even in the church. One of my boys attended a seminar God Bible college, one of the great universities here across our lands, I won't tell you which one it was and and where it was. But he was astonished by the language that was used as they gathered from certain teams. And uniquely, he brushed it off saying, well, that's how they talk in California. And it's okay to drop the F bomb in the middle of a worship rehearsal. And I say to myself, I think that grieves the Holy Spirit. Because it grieves me. It doesn't, it doesn't line up. So let's not push the line so far, and push holiness so far, that we try to do anything we can to get by with those moments. And just one more caveat to the fast thing. It'll be very easy. If you choose if you choose to take this mission today. If you choose to embrace the fasting part, I can tell you what you can hop online and see how to prepare a meal, how to prepare whatever you can, I mean, basically, you can eat anything you want. I mean, there's stuff. There's all kinds of vegan stuff out there. But you know, you're eating vegan hotdogs, you know, isn't that fascinating? You know, little whatever. I encourage you, just to purpose in your heart to do something unto the Lord. Be disciplined about it. And I'm going to tell you, tomorrow when you wake up, if you if you start today on the fast when you wake up tomorrow, there may be this moment inside of you that says, You know what, I just don't know, you know, or I am so thirsty right now, or I am so hungry. Now. I can't do this, you know, praise often is a sacrifice. Being obedient unto the Lord and following his his way and will is often a sacrifice. You know, and saying no, and saying no, I'm gonna do this. And listen, you're not gonna give up doughnuts all you know, how many have ever had five daughters doughnuts? Anybody? I mean, that's glory right there. I mean, five daughters don't if you've never had one, we need to do a $5 on a Wednesday night. No. Bring it back, bring it back. Bring it back. But I just want you to hear me today. Listen, if you want to, if you want to lose weight this year, don't don't make it part of the data fast. But you know what, you will have the purpose to go to the gym, you have the purpose to be accountable. You have the purpose to eat less calories than you are presently taking in. And it's all practical stuff. But when it comes down to it God as a practical God, God, it's not as complicated as we think it is. And I tell you what, when you get into His presence, when you take time and pray when you take time and worship, it makes it that much easier, because we're doing it for a purpose. We're doing it onto a corporate body. We're doing it for ourselves, and we watch what God does corporate prayer aligns our habits. Ecclesiastes four nine says, I love the Scripture. Two are better than one because they have a good reward for their toil. I'll tell you what it is. It's why we do small groups. This is why We this is why we take you can't believe it. I mean, it's the craziest thing and and maybe it'll be a national movement here we take three minutes after worship on a time clock so that you people will move around the room and encourage one another to level one another. And I hope you do it after the service to without a time clock. But that there's discipline that there's moments of growing Two are better than one because they have a good reward for their toil. Number four, corporate prayer is needed for confession, needed for confession. When we pray with others and confess our sins, we expose it to the light of Jesus Christ. James exhorts us in James chapter five, verse 16, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed, healed now. And we're all aware. Anybody here thankful for the blood of Jesus that covers our sins, that changes us that that helps that helps us to live in freedom. And I thank God for the for the open door right now. We're going to Caesar right now. Repent, man, and there's sin in your life, repent unto the Lord, repent unto the Lord, thy Lord, I'm sorry, forgive me. But healing takes place. Scripture says, When we confess our sins, one to another interval of individual prayer only makes us part of the Weapon of Prayer, to battle sin, and there's strength and gathering with others. Now, I'm not I'm not there'll be a mic set up this week, and the opportunity to pray and everything. I'm not I'm not encouraging people to you know, is an open mic to confess your sins. That'd be deal. We've never done that before full life, and we're not going to start this week, okay. But I think what there's something powerful about, you know, a brother, a sister, that you can share, hey, I'm really struggling in this area. The because, because when you're struggling in the language issue, or you're struggling with a substance abuse issue, and that person holds you accountable, you're gonna maybe even think twice about doing it again. You know, are you are you gonna jar and you got to pretend dollars, and every time you drop, you drop the wrong word, or whatever it is, and give it give it and by the way, total time out here, I needed to make comment to this. And Cheyenne, Burkett is headed to Thailand. And she has persevered this past year raising finances. But if you're here today, and you want to contribute, she pretty much raised all the cash that she needed and all that but you know, their expenses on the way out, she's going she's leaving at the end of the week. And if you want to contribute to her, you can actually you can either see her on the way or you can give it through the church, that QR code or put it in an envelope, or you can even you can even put it in the envelope today and just put IOU maybe never get checked with you, whatever, put it in the, in the kiosk here in the back, and we'll make sure she gets it because you know, she gotta buy shampoo and boots, you know, like all the guys have. So please do that. And, and we get just, you know, we support her every month, we've been supporting her every month, and there are those that give above and beyond to her. And what do we do, we still give what we give monthly and we give that above and beyond. And so that's that's who we are as we want to do. And why not bless one of our own. But maybe somebody give her a Pentecostal handshake today. No, you know what that is? handshape with money in it. It's kind of it's kind of hidden your pocket and you get just kind of a shake up, shake hands. Nobody else sees it. But when you look down, hopefully it's a Benjamin or something like that. And glory to God, I just feel the Lord are everywhere. Here we go. Number five, corporate prayer builds unity. Get this. If you accept this mission, guess what you're doing? You are partnering with the body of Christ. You are partnering together as we do this. And so it builds discipline, but it also builds unity within the body. I say what, next week when we gather after this week of gathering, gathering and we partake in community together, I tell you what, I can almost guarantee you right now, I can almost guarantee you right now that worship will be another level next week. I can almost guarantee you right now the preaching will be be beyond your wildest expectations. I can almost guarantee you there'll be a spirit and a sense when you pull in the parking lot. And you won't be you won't be drifting to go to the gym. You're going to come here hi corporate prayer builds unity, you are partnering with the body. It's nearly impossible to hold a grudge against someone when you join him or her for prayer. Think about that. It's almost impossible to hold something against someone. This this, you know, we're calling it the week of corporate prayer week of whatever, it's the love week when it comes down to it. What are you gonna hold against someone who's joining you in prayer? That they looked at you funny. That didn't hold them. They didn't shake your hand during the three minutes they didn't get to you. What are you gonna hold against someone other than pray for that person, other than encourage that person partnering with this body. Was did have a scripture for that year Ephesians, four, three, maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, every single word peace. Say it again, peace. Number six. corporate prayer advances evangelism. It advances evangelism. What does that mean? That means we're going to get some insight from the Lord. I love the new. I love the new terminologies. Now, you know, I want to hear from the Lord. But I love this. I want to get a down load from the Lord. You're talking about? You know, I want to update the system. I want to update the software system. And guess what? Hear this the love of my heart. Some of you need to update the software system in your life. Somebody say ouch or Amen. Some of you need to some of you need to say you know what? 21 days, at a 12 months, I'm going to purpose. I'm going to build discipline to my life. I'm going to build direction in my life. I'm going to purpose to hear from the Lord. I'm going to learn to hear from the Lord. I'm gonna be part of unity, I'm going to be part of partnering with a body Luke chapter one looked up at 11 rather One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished one of the disciples said to Him, Lord, teach us to pray. corporate prayer advances us for evangelism because of this. When we come in the presence of the Lord, he helps to remove the things that don't need to be there. The insecurities, the fears, the doubts, the unbelief. When you get before the King of kings, and the Lord of lords, he changes things. He changes the way we see things. He changes the way we hear things. And so why do I say this point number six, in conclusion today, does it change? Does it change the corporate direction? Or evangelism is because when there's no more inhibition on your part, that you say there's the mountain like a Caleb, I want the mountain. I want to be God's hands. I want to be God's feet. Thanks significantly today as we as we prayed over Cheyenne, that Levitical fire went from the ear to the hand to the feet, because you got to hear first. You got to hear first. Hear I guarantee you this week, whatever this money back guarantee, I guarantee you, you will experience I guarantee you will hear from the Lord as you purpose in your life as you come as whether you can make it this week, or whether even on this 21 days if you'll purpose in your heart if you'll some things only happen through as he just said through prayer and fasting. If you'll separate yourself, separation and strength, go hand in hand. You're gonna be stronger and 2024 By the way, the new theme I guess I missed the themes here. We're in the winter season. More in 24 How many want more 24 Come on. We can stir that up right now more than 24 Right? I'll say it 100 times this year right more a 24 more relationship more love more encouragement, more peace more joy, more the Holy Ghost change gonna close with the Scripture And then we're gonna we're gonna gather just for a couple of minutes, I, I have like a whole nother message. And that was, that was kind of an intro there. And so with everything there will preach it next week and what I tell you, you come next week, it'll be off the charts, I mean, but this is the text we're going to use next week, you can start chewing on it, whatever good and put on the screen. Whatever you ask in my name, we're gonna talk about how to pray. Whatever you ask in my name, this will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything, in my name, I will do it. That word ask there. It's it's more than just you know, the ask. It actually points to things in your heart. actually points to things that you desire, actually points to things, things that may even be off off track. But as we pray for things, everything needs to line up with how God wanted. That's the alignment that God wants in our life, you know, so I'm not going to, I can't pray for for things that are not of the Lord. But if I can pray for things, and I can believe for things that are going to be in alignment with what God wants for my life, watch what happens. And so you can even ponder, ponder this the scripture this next week in John 14. So this week, I want you to ask, I want you to lay it out, I want you to journal things, write things down. I got journals. I got journals for the last 20 years, writing stuff down, worried about this time, how I wrote things down. I was praying for this praying for this praying for this. And guess what? I gotta tell you no lie. I got my boys names written out from 20 years ago. And guess what? The prayers that I prayed? And the hopes that I have? I see God fulfilling them in their lives if they have if it hasn't already happened. But the Bible says you have not? Because you asked not. You asked me anything in my name, I will do it. So we're going to ask the Lord to be with us this week. And as I often say this, I don't want to make anybody uncomfortable. I know there's a first time guests here in the room. But here's here's the intention to these next few moments are that we would stand or any good and stand with me right now. Across this, across this room, our worship teams are going to come and we're going to we're going to lead into that song, I will make room. I will make room and we're just consecrate our hearts. We're coming together. I'm gonna lead in prayer. But I want you to know this, even as you come this morning. If there's a need in your heart, I believe God can answer your prayer. I believe that if there's sickness, you know, healing from God can heal you. We can you can. At the end, we'll ask our ministry team to stay well we can pray with you. But this week with you. I'm not asking you to make the obligation to be here, whatever. But just corporately. In your in your heart. I want to gather here, the altar in the Old Testament. There was altars where things were sacrificed. They were sacrificed. But 100 years ago, a guy named Billy Sunday had something called an altar call. So that's how an altar call kind of came into the mix of people coming forward. And, and so this morning, we're going to come to the altar, the front of the church, who's gonna stand in His presence. We're gonna sing this song. And as we sing it, the words I will make room for you. Hey, isn't that a sign to the Lord, that you actually verbalize it out loud? I will make room for you, Lord. These next 21 days we do this corporately. Let's watch what God will do. Would you come just find a place spread it spread right across here. We can move this front row chairs back. Can you help me with that?