SERMON #514 How to Handle Haters 00:00:07.34\00:00:12.47 BREATH OF LIFE MINISTRIES THEME [Music] 00:00:12.51\00:00:20.38 PB: The Word of God says to us from 1 Samuel chapter 18, 00:00:20.42\00:00:23.65 verse number 6. If you have it, let me hear you say amen. 00:00:23.69\00:00:27.09 "And it came to pass as they came, when David was returned 00:00:27.12\00:00:31.66 from the slaughter of the Philistine, that the women came 00:00:31.69\00:00:35.26 out of all cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet 00:00:35.30\00:00:39.17 King Saul, with tabrets, with joy, and with instruments of 00:00:39.20\00:00:43.44 musick. And the women answered one another as they played, and 00:00:43.47\00:00:47.34 said, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten 00:00:47.38\00:00:53.78 thousands. And Saul was very wroth, and the saying displeased 00:00:53.82\00:00:57.35 him; and he said, They have ascribed unto David ten 00:00:57.39\00:01:00.09 thousands, and to me they have ascribed but thousands: and what 00:01:00.12\00:01:03.36 can he have more but the kingdom? And Saul," the Bible 00:01:03.39\00:01:09.06 says, "eyed." Everybody say "eyed." Aud.: Eyed. 00:01:09.10\00:01:11.73 PB: "David from that day and forward." Today I just want to 00:01:11.77\00:01:14.50 spend some time and challenge this class and everyone else 00:01:14.54\00:01:16.64 with the subject, How to handle haters. How to handle haters. 00:01:16.67\00:01:24.31 God, bless us now as we speak this word to Your people Hide 00:01:24.35\00:01:26.92 us behind Your cross and forgive us of our sins, in Jesus' name 00:01:26.95\00:01:32.12 we pray. Amen. On the count of three, everybody say "haters." 00:01:32.15\00:01:35.09 One-two-three! Aud.: Haters. PB: Come on, say it like you mean it. One-two-three! 00:01:35.12\00:01:37.29 Aud.: Haters. PB: One of the things I believe that makes 00:01:37.33\00:01:41.36 ministry effective is when we can just be real. If we can stop all the pretension, 00:01:41.40\00:01:47.20 all the fake, phoniness and be read. Because too oftentimes the 00:01:47.24\00:01:52.07 church is unable to live in reality and we live in ideality 00:01:52.11\00:01:57.71 because we become so blinded by our own stuff. That's why the world sometimes doesn't feel 00:01:57.75\00:02:04.62 a connection to the church, and the church struggles to connect 00:02:04.65\00:02:09.52 with the world. And if you can't connect, you can't convert. Do I have a witness in this place? 00:02:09.56\00:02:15.10 So we've got to be real. Everybody say "real." Aud.: 00:02:15.13\00:02:18.23 Real. PB: One of the things I've had to learn how to do and I'm 00:02:18.27\00:02:20.80 continually teaching myself as a pastor, it's to listen to what's 00:02:20.84\00:02:24.47 happening outside the four walls of the church. To be able to understand what people are 00:02:24.51\00:02:28.48 really going through and what they're really dealing with so I can be able to come 00:02:28.51\00:02:31.88 back to the Word of God and give people a practical, spiritual 00:02:31.91\00:02:37.75 response to the issues they face every day. And so today we're going to deal with a very, 00:02:37.79\00:02:41.99 very real issue that's in the world and in the church. Now for 00:02:42.02\00:02:48.20 the seasoned saints in the church and for those who have 00:02:48.23\00:02:52.40 been insulated by the four walls of the church and those who have 00:02:52.43\00:02:55.07 not been able to tap into what's going on outside in the world, let me tell what a hater is. 00:02:55.10\00:03:02.34 It's something that our young people describe as a person who 00:03:02.38\00:03:08.35 has two fundamental problems with you. Number one, they're 00:03:08.38\00:03:15.09 jealous of you; and number two, they envy what you have. Let me 00:03:15.12\00:03:21.30 try it again: number one, they're jealous. They're what, 00:03:21.33\00:03:24.00 everybody? Aud.: Jealous. PB: Jealous of you, and number two 00:03:24.03\00:03:26.43 they envy. They what, everybody? Aud.: Envy. 00:03:26.47\00:03:28.40 PB: What you have. And when you put envy and jealousy together, 00:03:28.44\00:03:32.74 guess what you've got. Aud.: A hater. 00:03:32.77\00:03:37.11 PB: A hater. These are people who can't stand to see you 00:03:37.15\00:03:41.92 blessed. All they do is talk about what you have and try to 00:03:41.95\00:03:45.92 figure out how you got it. Haters are people who are jealous and envious 00:03:45.95\00:03:50.09 and spend all their time trying to make you look small so they 00:03:50.13\00:03:54.36 can look tall. You have something they want, so they try 00:03:54.36\00:03:59.70 to minimize you, thinking it will maximize them. They're bitter about something. 00:03:59.73\00:04:04.64 Instead of counting their blessings, they start counting 00:04:04.67\00:04:09.48 your blessings. Haters don't want to see you happy. Haters don't want to see you blessed. 00:04:09.51\00:04:16.15 Haters do not want to see you succeed. Haters do not want you to get the victory. 00:04:16.18\00:04:23.69 Everybody is not happy about what God is doing in your life. 00:04:23.73\00:04:29.26 Everybody is not happy when you get that new job, that new car, when you get the new house. 00:04:29.30\00:04:33.67 Everybody is not happy when you find that special someone. Young 00:04:33.70\00:04:38.64 people, everybody is not happy when you graduate, because everybody can't handle 00:04:38.67\00:04:43.28 your blessings. Because the same people who used to give you a 00:04:43.31\00:04:47.88 ride sometimes can't handle you getting a new car. The same folk 00:04:47.92\00:04:53.69 that used to let you sleep in their spare room sometimes can't 00:04:53.72\00:04:57.19 handle you getting your own place. The same single people who you used to hang out with 00:04:57.23\00:05:04.90 sometimes can't handle your engagement. That's why, ladies, 00:05:04.93\00:05:10.71 when you go to the beauty shop, stop talking about your man. 00:05:10.74\00:05:13.51 [Aud. reaction] PB: 'Cause the same sisters you're talking to 00:05:13.54\00:05:15.58 about your man are the same people trying to get your man. 00:05:15.61\00:05:17.78 I wish I had a witness in this place. [Aud. reaction] 00:05:17.81\00:05:20.68 PB: Some people can't handle your blessings. Some friends you 00:05:20.72\00:05:28.42 make at one level aren't able to transition to the new level. 00:05:28.46\00:05:34.40 Let me tell you something. I've learned in my life--I graduated 00:05:34.46\00:05:37.33 from here 22 years ago--people will come in your life for a 00:05:37.37\00:05:42.34 reason, a season, and some for a lifetime. And you've got to know 00:05:42.37\00:05:49.08 that everybody that comes in your life, it has nothing to do with them but everything 00:05:49.11\00:05:53.08 to do with what God is about to do in your life. I told this 00:05:53.11\00:05:57.52 before, I'll tell it again today. It's like a space shuttle. The laws of 00:05:57.55\00:06:02.66 gravity say that what goes up must come down. So based on the 00:06:02.69\00:06:09.36 laws of gravity, space shuttles shouldn't be able to go up in orbit. I'm going somewhere. 00:06:09.40\00:06:13.13 Gravity is a force that pulls you down, and in order for a 00:06:13.17\00:06:17.54 rocket to escape the pull of gravity, it has to attain an 00:06:17.57\00:06:21.98 escape speed of 6.96 miles per second. The space shuttle takes 00:06:22.01\00:06:26.95 off. It has two rocket boosters on the side of it. 00:06:26.98\00:06:30.82 These rocket boosters are designated and designed to help 00:06:30.85\00:06:35.22 that space shuttle get to a certain altitude and achieve 00:06:35.26\00:06:39.03 that escape speed. But when the space shuttle reaches a certain 00:06:39.06\00:06:45.93 altitude, you will notice the rocket boosters fall off. Now, 00:06:45.97\00:06:50.47 when the rocket boosters fall off, one of the reasons they fall off is because the 00:06:50.51\00:06:53.94 engineers determined that the rocket boosters are designed to 00:06:53.98\00:06:57.15 get the shuttle to a certain altitude, but they were not 00:06:57.18\00:07:00.52 built to fly in the shuttle's orbit. There are some people 00:07:00.55\00:07:06.12 in your life, thank God for the season that they came in your 00:07:06.15\00:07:10.46 life, that they were able to get you to a certain level. 00:07:10.49\00:07:13.76 But with what God is trying to do in your life, 00:07:13.80\00:07:17.13 some folk will just fall off because they were designed 00:07:17.17\00:07:23.04 to fly in your orbit; and some folk won't even fly in your 00:07:23.07\00:07:28.38 orbit, they won't even make it off the ground, because they 00:07:28.41\00:07:31.15 represent the gravity that's trying to hold you down. I wish 00:07:31.18\00:07:33.78 I had a witness in this place. [Aud. reaction] 00:07:33.82\00:07:36.52 PB: That's why you've got to be careful--I'm preaching to 00:07:36.55\00:07:39.39 myself- -who you share your blessings and your dreams with, 00:07:39.42\00:07:43.29 because some folk can't stand to see you blessed. If you don't 00:07:43.32\00:07:47.76 believe me, ask Joseph. Because if your own flesh and blood can 00:07:47.76\00:07:51.97 turn against you, God only knows who else will turn against you. There are some people 00:07:52.00\00:07:55.50 who also have spiritual jealousy. Spiritual envy. What am I talking about? 00:07:55.54\00:08:02.54 Think about some of your former friends. Some people will always 00:08:02.58\00:08:05.31 give you a cigarette after you've quit smoking. [Aud. 00:08:05.35\00:08:08.82 reaction] PB: Some people will always offer you weed after you 00:08:08.85\00:08:13.25 quit smoking it. Oh, don't act like you don't know what I'm 00:08:13.29\00:08:15.39 talking about. Some people will always offer you a 32-ounce after you've stopped drinking. 00:08:15.42\00:08:21.50 Some people will always offer you a good night after you've decided to be abstinent. 00:08:21.53\00:08:26.00 Some people will bake you a free cake after you start your diet. 00:08:26.03\00:08:31.44 [Aud. reaction] PB: Some people can't handle your 00:08:31.47\00:08:38.05 newfound focus, your spiritual growth, your commitment to Christ, your self-control, 00:08:38.08\00:08:42.08 your discipline, your plan of action, your focus and your will 00:08:42.12\00:08:46.99 to succeed. They can't handle your blessings--why? Because you 00:08:47.02\00:08:49.99 remind them of their own failed efforts. In a sense, you're leaving them behind, 00:08:50.03\00:08:55.03 and they know it. You see, misery still loves company. 00:08:55.06\00:09:01.10 Birds of a feather still flock together. Bad habits still corrupt good morals. 00:09:01.14\00:09:07.94 The name for these folks--haters. They're jealous, 00:09:07.98\00:09:14.92 they're envious, and they hate. Ellen White says in "The Testimonies" that "envy grieves 00:09:14.95\00:09:21.89 God." But Proverbs 14:30 also says "A heart at peace gives 00:09:21.92\00:09:25.46 life to the body but envy rots the bones." In the text, David has just accomplished an 00:09:25.49\00:09:32.20 incredible victory over Goliath. It's a time of celebration to 00:09:32.23\00:09:35.54 the nation of Israel as they have overcome the Philistines. 00:09:35.57\00:09:38.34 David has gained instant popularity; David has become a 00:09:38.37\00:09:43.48 national hero; David has become an overnight celebrity. People 00:09:43.51\00:09:48.12 sing his praises, but just as everyone else is celebrating the 00:09:48.15\00:09:51.65 victory, the Bible declares that King Saul starts hating. Because he now feels threatened, 00:09:51.69\00:09:57.79 because the people now sing "Saul killed his thousands, 00:09:57.83\00:10:01.33 but David killed his ten thousands." Now, everybody--especially Saul- 00:10:01.36\00:10:09.70 -should have been happy because of David's defeat over Goliath. 00:10:09.74\00:10:14.68 But I've learned firsthand that the greatest moments in your 00:10:14.71\00:10:18.05 life often produce the greatest moments of envy and jealousy in 00:10:18.08\00:10:20.72 somebody else's life. And I don't know, but it seems as if 00:10:20.75\00:10:25.32 the haters really don't start hating until God has done or is 00:10:25.35\00:10:29.42 doing something great in your life. You see, they didn't have anything to say when 00:10:29.46\00:10:32.56 you were working at Walmart; but the minute they hear you're 00:10:32.59\00:10:36.13 working downtown they start hating. They had no problem when 00:10:36.16\00:10:39.27 you were walking or riding your bike, but when they find out 00:10:39.30\00:10:43.00 you're driving a Beemer or a Benz, they start hating. 00:10:43.04\00:10:46.04 They were okay when you were their coworker; but when they 00:10:46.07\00:10:50.38 found out you were their new supervisor, they started hating. 00:10:50.41\00:10:54.62 When the women in verse 7 started singing Saul has slain 00:10:54.65\00:10:58.09 his thousands, David his ten thousands, jealousy and envy 00:10:58.12\00:11:02.52 rose up in Saul alike never before. But the song wasn't designed to disparage Saul. 00:11:02.56\00:11:07.66 The song was supposed to celebrate the victories of Saul 00:11:07.73\00:11:12.57 and his understudy David, because often when you're the 00:11:12.60\00:11:17.14 coach, even though you don't play the game you still get the credit. But with David's 00:11:17.17\00:11:22.84 rise in popularity among the people came the deterioration of 00:11:22.88\00:11:26.35 his relationship with Saul. So, the Bible says, he became 00:11:26.38\00:11:29.98 jealous. Jealous of Israel's new hero. The Bible goes on in verse 00:11:30.02\00:11:34.09 8, "Then Saul became very angry, for this "saying displeased him; 00:11:34.12\00:11:38.16 and he said, They have ascribed unto David ten thousands, 00:11:38.19\00:11:40.93 and to me they have ascribed but thousands: and what can he 00:11:40.96\00:11:42.76 have more but the kingdom?" Notice the Bible says Saul was 00:11:42.80\00:11:48.50 wroth and displeased. The word "wroth" in the Hebrew literally 00:11:48.54\00:11:52.11 means hot and furious. The word "displeased" means to quiver or 00:11:52.14\00:11:56.71 to shake. So, in other words, Saul became so angry he started shaking. Saul says, 00:11:56.75\00:12:01.92 They're giving more credit to David than me. What about me? 00:12:01.95\00:12:07.29 And when people become fearful, when people are insecure, 00:12:07.32\00:12:09.96 they'll try to block what God's doing for you so you can't 00:12:09.99\00:12:13.13 get to where they are. The Bible declares that Saul "eyed David 00:12:13.16\00:12:19.23 from that day forward." The word "eyed" means to watch with 00:12:19.27\00:12:25.21 jealousy; or to pay close attention to somebody, implying having a bad feeling 00:12:25.24\00:12:29.54 about the object being watched. You know what it is to eye 00:12:29.58\00:12:32.35 somebody. You know what it means to give somebody the evil eye. 00:12:32.38\00:12:40.46 Saul started eyeing David jealously. Saul could not enjoy 00:12:40.49\00:12:46.23 what he did have, because he was too busy watching what David had. And you really 00:12:46.26\00:12:49.86 can't enjoy what you have when you're too busy watching what 00:12:49.90\00:12:53.70 somebody else has. You see, David had the crowd, but Saul 00:12:53.74\00:12:57.91 still had the crown. But Saul couldn't enjoy the crown because 00:12:57.94\00:13:01.48 he was too busy focusing on the crowd. So it's where it started. 00:13:01.51\00:13:05.91 Saul begins to look at David not as an understudy, not as an 00:13:05.95\00:13:12.92 aide, but as a rival for his throne. David has done nothing 00:13:12.95\00:13:18.66 wrong. David has done nothing to merit such suspicion, but Saul's 00:13:18.69\00:13:23.57 paranoia- -imagination that was filled with paranoia--ran away 00:13:23.60\00:13:27.40 with him. And so Saul, in a jealous fit--you know the 00:13:27.44\00:13:30.74 story--while David is ministering to him on his harp, Saul throws a javelin at him 00:13:30.77\00:13:34.01 and tries to kill him. Envy can make you do some mean things. 00:13:34.04\00:13:38.75 Jealousy can make you do some ugly things. Hatred can make you 00:13:38.78\00:13:44.55 do some bad things. Hating makes you talk about people. 00:13:44.59\00:13:47.76 Hating makes you character-assassinate people. 00:13:47.79\00:13:52.39 Hating makes you spread lies on people. When people don't know 00:13:52.43\00:13:55.56 what's going on in your life they speculate, and when they think they know, they fabricate, 00:13:55.60\00:13:59.50 and when they do know, they hate. Remember, friends, 00:13:59.53\00:14:05.14 people only rain on your parade because they're jealous of your 00:14:05.17\00:14:08.31 sun and tired of their shade. But what do you do when somebody scandalizes your name? 00:14:08.34\00:14:14.75 What do you do when somebody character-assassinates your 00:14:14.78\00:14:20.16 name? What do you do when somebody disrespects you? What 00:14:20.19\00:14:25.96 do you do when somebody hurts your feelings? What do you do when the same person 00:14:25.99\00:14:28.93 who talks you up when they're in front of you is the same person 00:14:28.96\00:14:31.93 who talks you down when they're behind you? What do you do when 00:14:31.97\00:14:36.44 you find out who you thought was your ally is really your 00:14:36.47\00:14:40.54 adversary? What do you do when the one you help is the one trying to hurt you, 00:14:40.58\00:14:44.38 because the people you help the most hurt you the most. What do 00:14:44.41\00:14:48.68 you do when the one that talks to you is the one who talks 00:14:48.72\00:14:53.22 about you? What do you do when the one that looks like they're 00:14:53.25\00:14:56.12 pushing you up is really pulling you down? How do you handle 00:14:56.16\00:15:00.76 haters? How do you deal with wolves in sheep's clothing? Young people, remember these 00:15:00.80\00:15:07.04 things, and then I'm going to sit down: Number one, know your 00:15:07.07\00:15:10.37 purpose. Know your what, everybody? Aud.: Purpose. 00:15:10.41\00:15:11.97 PB: With purpose you can focus without being distracted. 00:15:12.01\00:15:14.51 With purpose you don't get flustered with every little 00:15:14.54\00:15:16.68 thing somebody says about you. With purpose you don't get upset when you're not invited 00:15:16.71\00:15:19.78 out with your friends. With purpose you know God's will is 00:15:19.81\00:15:23.69 what you want for your life. Your purpose is not defined by 00:15:23.72\00:15:27.46 what other people think about you, because if it is, you will always try to get stuff 00:15:27.49\00:15:30.46 because you think the more stuff you get, the more it will prove 00:15:30.49\00:15:33.29 what folk think about you. Your purpose is not defined by how 00:15:33.33\00:15:37.93 others think about you or how they think they can outperform 00:15:37.97\00:15:42.34 you. If I know my purpose, I then don't care what you think of the job I'm doing. 00:15:42.37\00:15:47.31 I've been through too much to let you keep me from my purpose. 00:15:47.34\00:15:53.92 Friends, I don't come to church to make friends, join cliques or 00:15:53.95\00:15:59.32 to get somebody's number or business card. I know my purpose, which means 00:15:59.35\00:16:04.43 if I don't get friends; if I don't join cliques; if I don't 00:16:04.46\00:16:09.23 get somebody's business card that's all right, because I've 00:16:09.26\00:16:12.70 come to church to find Jesus. [Aud. reaction] 00:16:12.73\00:16:15.64 PB: God has a purpose for your life. God has a plan for your 00:16:15.67\00:16:21.58 life. I say it all the time. I've learned over the years that 00:16:21.61\00:16:25.61 too many people aspire to what they see up front, so they aim 00:16:25.65\00:16:30.55 for the person in the position up front. So we have people 00:16:30.59\00:16:35.46 operating outside of God's purpose because they want to do 00:16:35.49\00:16:38.16 what they see rather than what God sees. Everybody wants to do 00:16:38.19\00:16:41.73 something they think is important and significant because they believe if they 00:16:41.76\00:16:44.00 do something that is important, that will make them important. 00:16:44.03\00:16:45.93 But all that glitters is not gold. What's on the outside may 00:16:45.97\00:16:49.37 not be what's on the inside. What you see may not be what is. 00:16:49.40\00:16:51.71 You can have more titles than space to put them; more degrees 00:16:51.74\00:16:54.44 than a thermometer; more letters behind your name than the 00:16:54.48\00:16:57.28 alphabet. But if it's not what God for you, you will become 00:16:57.31\00:17:01.12 nothing but sounding brass and tinkling cymbals. Be careful--listen to me--of 00:17:01.15\00:17:05.52 wishing you were somebody else. I've never known anybody who was 00:17:05.55\00:17:10.76 unbelievably powerful who was not equally painful. People 00:17:10.79\00:17:15.40 always want your power but they never ask for your pain. And if 00:17:15.43\00:17:18.20 you're not willing to carry my cross, you can't wear my crown 00:17:18.23\00:17:20.97 because my crown is created by the intensity of my cross. 00:17:21.00\00:17:23.34 God, what is Your purpose for my life? What is Your plan for my 00:17:23.37\00:17:31.65 life? What have You called me to be? If it's to be the best 00:17:31.68\00:17:36.89 pastor, then be the best pastor. If it's to be the best 00:17:36.92\00:17:40.29 president, be the best president. If it's to be the best doctor or lawyer, 00:17:40.32\00:17:43.73 be the best doctor or lawyer. If it's to be the best teacher, 00:17:43.76\00:17:46.56 be the best teacher. If it's to be the best accountant, 00:17:46.59\00:17:49.10 be the best accountant. Just be what God has called you to be. 00:17:49.13\00:17:52.80 It's dangerous to be like somebody else. If God wanted you 00:17:52.83\00:17:57.57 to be like somebody else, then God would have given you what He 00:17:57.61\00:18:01.78 gave them. Can I be vulnerable? In the church--not just Oakwood, 00:18:01.81\00:18:07.88 but the Church- -people are always running up to me and asking me, what do you want to 00:18:07.92\00:18:10.25 do? What's your next step? Where do you want to go? What 00:18:10.29\00:18:16.79 ultimately do you want to do? Do you know what my response is? 00:18:16.83\00:18:19.73 I want to be the best Carlton Byrd that God has called me to 00:18:19.76\00:18:26.20 be, because what God has for me, it is for me. But when you know 00:18:26.23\00:18:34.28 your purpose- -listen to me--it will make you a target. Because when you're operating 00:18:34.31\00:18:38.45 in God's purpose for your life, it will make you a marked man or 00:18:38.48\00:18:42.42 a marked woman. You see, the brighter the light the more you 00:18:42.45\00:18:46.89 attract bugs. [Aud. reaction] PB: Whenever you're doing something for the Lord 00:18:46.92\00:18:55.40 and you're fulfilling God's purpose, there will always be an 00:18:55.43\00:18:58.90 element that envies what you have and will plot against you 00:18:58.93\00:19:03.57 and undermine you at every turn. This element is a part of the process. Young people, 00:19:03.61\00:19:08.58 when you graduate from Oakwood there will be somebody at grad 00:19:08.61\00:19:10.81 school who does not like you. That's a part of the process. 00:19:10.85\00:19:16.02 But you've got to keep your eyes on Jesus. You've got to know 00:19:16.05\00:19:20.42 your purpose. There are some folk who don't like you on your 00:19:20.46\00:19:23.56 job because they think you're going to take their position. There are some folk who 00:19:23.59\00:19:26.96 don't want you to serve in ministry because they think 00:19:27.00\00:19:29.83 you're going to take their position. But the truth of the matter is they don't 00:19:29.86\00:19:32.60 have a thing. And how can you want nothing? 00:19:32.63\00:19:37.81 I'm over here at Oakwood fighting over a position. 00:19:37.84\00:19:39.41 Everybody makes $40,000 a year. Come on, say amen. 00:19:39.44\00:19:42.08 [Aud. reaction] PB: That's why you've got to make up in your 00:19:42.11\00:19:48.02 mind that you don't want negative folk around you. If I'm 00:19:48.05\00:19:53.32 going to do bad, I can do bad by myself. People who don't--excuse the double negative, 00:19:53.36\00:19:59.06 I know what I'm saying--but people who don't want nothing, 00:19:59.09\00:20:01.56 don't have nothing, and they don't want anybody else to have 00:20:01.60\00:20:06.47 nothing. Tell somebody, I'm changing my crowd. I'm tired of 00:20:06.50\00:20:12.07 hanging around folk who aren't going the same way I'm going. 00:20:12.11\00:20:16.28 Blessed is the man who walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly nor standeth 00:20:16.31\00:20:20.38 in the way of sinners nor sitteth in the seat of the 00:20:20.42\00:20:22.45 scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in his 00:20:22.48\00:20:25.62 law does he meditate day and night. I'm calling the devil 00:20:25.65\00:20:28.82 out. I'm changing my crowd. When you leave Oakwood, seniors, 00:20:28.86\00:20:32.59 put away childish things. You are not going to the 17th grade. 00:20:32.63\00:20:38.57 [Aud. reaction] PB: 'Cause you're going somewhere. 00:20:38.60\00:20:44.91 And what God is trying to do in your life, tell somebody- 00:20:44.94\00:20:46.84 -Don't hate me. Just love me. Because it's of God, and it 00:20:46.88\00:20:52.61 ain't of me, so don't hate the player, hate the game. Are you hearing what I'm saying? 00:20:52.65\00:20:55.68 When you're fulfilling your purpose, you will always become 00:20:55.72\00:20:58.19 a target. Number two. Know your hater's purpose. Knot your 00:20:58.22\00:21:05.79 hater's purpose. What am I trying to say? Recognize who you're dealing with. 00:21:05.83\00:21:08.40 When we get upset and frustrated with our haters, we often 00:21:08.43\00:21:11.13 fail to realize that it's not the hater you're dealing with, 00:21:11.17\00:21:13.90 but you've got to look at the big picture. It's demonic attack 00:21:13.94\00:21:17.41 in disguise. You've got to know that your haters are being used 00:21:17.44\00:21:21.51 by the devil. In other words, the real person you're dealing 00:21:21.54\00:21:25.05 with is really someone that is hiding behind the hater, and 00:21:25.08\00:21:28.85 that's the Enemy. And when I recognize who I'm dealing with, then I don't try to 00:21:28.88\00:21:32.85 deal with them by getting even; I just stand still. Let the Lord 00:21:32.89\00:21:37.76 take my battles. Because vengeance is mine, saith the 00:21:37.79\00:21:41.73 Lord. I wish I had a witness in this place. [Aud. reaction] 00:21:41.76\00:21:43.16 PB: If you get hated on because the Lord blessed you with a new 00:21:43.20\00:21:46.74 house, recognize it's nobody but the devil. If you get these 00:21:46.77\00:21:51.54 comments about you having your own business, recognize it's nobody but the devil. 00:21:51.57\00:21:55.74 If you go to school, stay out of trouble, graduate and still get 00:21:55.78\00:21:58.98 talked about, it's the devil. And when you recognize it's the 00:21:59.01\00:22:03.72 devil that ;you're dealing with, you will not fall prey to the 00:22:03.75\00:22:06.72 devil's favorite tool of deception. And if he can deceive 00:22:06.76\00:22:10.33 you into getting angry and frustrated with your brother and sister, then you will 00:22:10.36\00:22:13.50 respond by saying or doing something that is out of line 00:22:13.53\00:22:18.67 with God. Ellen White says, "Testimonies, Patriarchs and 00:22:18.70\00:22:21.67 Prophets," "Satan seeks to incite envy among God's people." 00:22:21.70\00:22:26.27 She says, "Envy is of Satan, but people who love God cannot 00:22:26.31\00:22:30.85 harbor envy." Which means, you can't love God and be envious of 00:22:30.88\00:22:33.82 your brother. You can't love God and be envious of your sister. 00:22:33.85\00:22:36.79 Stop fussing and fighting with your brother that is hating on 00:22:36.82\00:22:39.35 you. Stop going toe to toe with him. Your enemy is not the 00:22:39.39\00:22:42.32 person seated next to you. Your enemy is not your brother; 00:22:42.36\00:22:45.46 your enemy is not your sister; your enemy is not your spouse; 00:22:45.49\00:22:48.40 your enemy is not your teacher; your enemy is not your 00:22:48.43\00:22:51.60 classmates. Your enemy is the devil. We wrestle not against 00:22:51.63\00:22:55.50 flesh and blood but against principalities and powers, 00:22:55.54\00:22:58.11 rulers of the darkness of this world, spiritual wickedness in 00:22:58.14\00:23:01.34 high places. What am I trying to say? The hater is supposed to 00:23:01.38\00:23:05.85 hate. They're used by the devil. Stop moping around here, having 00:23:05.88\00:23:12.29 a pity party, feeling sorry for yourself. Why are they hating on 00:23:12.32\00:23:17.89 me? Why won't they leave me alone? They're better off than 00:23:17.93\00:23:21.73 me, why are they hating on me when they have more than what I 00:23:21.76\00:23:24.23 have? Why are they hating on me when they're living better than 00:23:24.27\00:23:26.60 me and driving better than me? But what I've come to understand 00:23:26.63\00:23:29.77 is that even though they may be better off than you--better 00:23:29.80\00:23:32.71 driving than you, better living than you--even though it may 00:23:32.74\00:23:36.11 seem like they have more than you, the different is you have something they don't have. 00:23:36.14\00:23:41.15 [Aud. reaction] PB: You have something they don't have, 00:23:41.18\00:23:43.39 and what you have that they don't have, they don't want 00:23:43.42\00:23:46.96 you to have it. Listen to me, young people, listen good. 00:23:46.99\00:23:49.42 Don't let somebody who gave up on their dreams talk you out of 00:23:49.46\00:23:53.66 yours. [Aud. reaction] PB: That's a hater. Know your 00:23:53.70\00:24:01.50 purpose. Know their purpose. The devil uses them to hate. 00:24:01.54\00:24:06.84 You gotta understand that whenever the haters attack you, 00:24:06.88\00:24:08.91 they're not fighting you but they're really fighting God. 00:24:08.94\00:24:11.28 And I know there have been a lot of folk that have tried 00:24:11.31\00:24:14.18 to fight God, and they lost. They lost. Goliath tried to 00:24:14.22\00:24:18.45 fight God, and he lost his head. Pharaoh tried to fight God, and 00:24:18.49\00:24:23.22 he drowned in the Red Sea. Jezebel tried to fight God, and 00:24:23.26\00:24:28.90 the dogs ate her. Herod tried to fight God, and the worms got Him. Haman tried to fight God, 00:24:28.93\00:24:34.74 and his own gallows got him. Stop trying to fight with your 00:24:34.77\00:24:39.14 haters, because if you try to get them back, you've taken the 00:24:39.17\00:24:42.38 focus off of God's purpose for you, and you've started focusing 00:24:42.41\00:24:45.41 on them. Don't worry about your haters; God's got your back. 00:24:45.45\00:24:50.05 It's not your job; it's not my job to take care of the haters. 00:24:50.09\00:24:53.69 That's God's job. And if God took care of Goliath; if God took care of Pharaoh; 00:24:53.72\00:24:57.76 if God took care of Jezebel; if God took care of Herod; 00:24:57.79\00:25:02.20 if God took care of Haman, then I know God will take care of my 00:25:02.23\00:25:08.90 haters. And let me throw this in: If you're hating, stop. 00:25:08.94\00:25:14.48 You don't know what people have gone through to get what they 00:25:14.51\00:25:18.05 have. You see people's glory, but you don't know their story. 00:25:18.08\00:25:21.35 If the grass looks greener on the other side, 00:25:21.38\00:25:23.05 you'd better believe the water bill is higher. 00:25:23.08\00:25:24.75 Are you hearing what I'm saying? [Aud. reaction] 00:25:24.79\00:25:26.96 PB: Imitation leads to limitation. Finally, number 00:25:26.99\00:25:34.76 three. Rejoice when your haters hate. Rejoice? Everybody say 00:25:34.83\00:25:42.74 "rejoice." Aud.: Rejoice. PB: What do you mean rejoice, Pastor 00:25:42.77\00:25:44.97 Byrd? How can I rejoice when somebody's hating on me? 00:25:45.01\00:25:47.01 How can I rejoice when somebody's dogging me out? 00:25:47.04\00:25:50.01 Paul said it best in Romans 12:14 and 15: 00:25:50.05\00:25:51.75 Bless them which persecute you. Bless and curse not. 00:25:51.78\00:25:56.99 Rejoice with them that do rejoice and weep with them that 00:25:57.02\00:26:00.09 weep. Now, rejoice when haters hate. And the reason you should 00:26:00.12\00:26:05.13 rejoice when haters hate is because haters never hate on 00:26:05.16\00:26:07.93 somebody that's not doing anything. [Aud. reaction] 00:26:07.96\00:26:11.20 PB: Haters only hate on folks that are doing something. 00:26:11.23\00:26:15.14 I wish I had a witness in this place. If David had never 00:26:15.17\00:26:17.51 defeated Goliath, then the people would not have had 00:26:17.54\00:26:20.41 anything to sing about, and Saul would not have started hating. 00:26:20.44\00:26:23.08 But because David was doing something, then David was 00:26:23.11\00:26:27.68 attacked. Stop wondering what you've been doing to be treated 00:26:27.72\00:26:31.65 in a certain way. Stop wondering why trouble is in your life. 00:26:31.69\00:26:35.52 Stop wondering why you're being attacked by the devil. If you 00:26:35.56\00:26:38.73 weren't attacked, I'd think something was wrong with you, because if you're not 00:26:38.76\00:26:41.63 being attacked you and the devil must be running in the same 00:26:41.66\00:26:45.33 direction. [Aud. reaction] PB: I get delighted when haters 00:26:45.37\00:26:51.27 hate. When folk talk about me, that's good advertisement. 00:26:51.31\00:26:54.18 Come on, say amen. Byrd's doing this; Byrd's doing that. 00:26:54.21\00:26:56.85 Good. They come see what Byrd's doing. Are you hearing what I'm 00:26:56.88\00:27:00.15 saying? [Aud. reaction] PB: I get delighted when haters hate, 00:27:00.18\00:27:02.48 because that lets me know that God is getting ready to do 00:27:02.52\00:27:06.09 something greater in my life, or God has already done something 00:27:06.12\00:27:11.16 great. So let the haters hate. My haters are just my elevators 00:27:11.19\00:27:17.13 that make me walk higher in Jesus Christ. But not only does 00:27:17.17\00:27:22.14 it let me know that I'm doing something, but it also lets me know I'm doing something right. 00:27:22.17\00:27:28.01 You see, if I'm doing something wrong, haters really don't have 00:27:28.04\00:27:32.35 anything to hate on you about. And the reason they have nothing 00:27:32.38\00:27:35.65 to say is because you're doing wrong, and they believe they're 00:27:35.68\00:27:38.29 doing right, so then they don't have to say anything to try to push you down beneath them. 00:27:38.32\00:27:42.26 But it's when I'm doing right; when you're doing right; when 00:27:42.29\00:27:47.93 you're going in the right direction; when you're saying the right thing--that's when 00:27:47.96\00:27:53.30 you get attacked. That's when I get attacked. So go on and talk 00:27:53.34\00:27:59.51 about me, and the Lord is going to keep blessing me. Go on and 00:27:59.54\00:28:06.55 talk about what somebody else can't do. Go on and talk about 00:28:06.58\00:28:11.25 the successes that >: Thank you for joining us for another 00:28:11.29\00:28:13.36 exciting Breath of Life television broadcast. 00:28:13.39\00:28:15.62 Tune in next week at the same time, 00:28:15.66\00:28:17.83 as Dr. Byrd will deliver another dynamic message 00:28:17.86\00:28:20.70 from the Lord, just for you. 00:28:20.73\00:28:22.66 Until next time, may God bless you. 00:28:22.70\00:28:25.17 END 00:28:25.20\00:28:40.22