BREATH OF LIFE MINISTRIES PRESENTS: 00:00:03.30\00:00:06.57 SERMON 612 "One Voice, One Heart and One God" 00:00:06.60\00:00:12.94 [BREATH OF LIFE THEME MUSIC] 00:00:12.97\00:00:21.22 PB: Second Chronicles 7:14. "If my people which are called by my 00:00:21.25\00:00:29.09 name shall humble themselves and do"--what, everybody? Pray. 00:00:29.12\00:00:34.13 PB: Seek my face. Turn from their wicked ways. 00:00:34.20\00:00:38.93 Then will I hear from heaven, forgive their sins, 00:00:38.97\00:00:44.41 and I will heal their land." Father, right now, 00:00:44.44\00:00:49.08 thank You for change. Thank You that You changed us. 00:00:49.11\00:00:53.88 Thank You that You arrange and You re-arrange us, 00:00:53.92\00:00:58.25 that we can be the people we are today. And so, Lord God, 00:00:58.29\00:01:02.36 this day as we emphasize the power of prayer, we do it 00:01:02.39\00:01:07.66 with one voice. One heart. And to one God. Breathe now in 00:01:07.66\00:01:16.24 the aisles of the Oakwood Church, over the airways. 00:01:16.27\00:01:19.97 May Your anointing fall today and may we be able to say 00:01:20.01\00:01:24.85 it was good to have been here in this house. Change somebody 00:01:24.88\00:01:29.65 today. God, change 'em today, I pray. And we be careful to give 00:01:29.68\00:01:36.32 You the praise, the honor and the glory. In the name of Jesus, 00:01:36.36\00:01:39.13 begging for forgiveness of sin. Let everyone say amen. Aud.: 00:01:39.16\00:01:46.70 Amen. PB: And amen. One voice, one heart, and one God. Everybody say "one voice." 00:01:46.74\00:01:54.44 Aud.: One voice. PB: "One heart." Aud.: One heart. PB: 00:01:54.48\00:02:01.08 And "One God." Aud.: One God. PB: Today it's very important 00:02:01.12\00:02:05.02 that you understand the importance of prayer. We can 00:02:05.05\00:02:09.56 preach; we can sing; we can testify, but nothing takes the 00:02:09.59\00:02:18.97 place of prayer. [Aud. reaction] PB: One of my favorite writers 00:02:19.00\00:02:21.90 said "Prayer is the opening of your heart to God as your 00:02:21.94\00:02:25.57 friend." "Prayer is the place where pride is abandoned, hope 00:02:25.61\00:02:31.05 is lifted, and supplication is made." "Prayer is the place of 00:02:31.08\00:02:36.15 admitting your need, adopting humility, and claiming dependence upon God." 00:02:36.18\00:02:42.12 Everybody up in here needs prayer. I don't care if you're 00:02:42.16\00:02:49.50 white or black, rich or poor, young or old, male or female, 00:02:49.53\00:02:57.41 Adventist or Baptist, Catholic or Protestant, Christian or Jew, 00:02:57.44\00:03:05.31 Democrat or Republican, church member or community resident, 00:03:05.35\00:03:09.75 everybody up in here needs prayer. [Aud. reaction] 00:03:09.78\00:03:13.29 PB: And if you don't know how to pray, you'd better 00:03:13.32\00:03:18.26 learn how to pray, because the world we're living in 00:03:18.29\00:03:22.36 is a mess. And the only thing that's gonna help us get 00:03:22.40\00:03:27.07 through stressed relationships, wayward children, 00:03:27.10\00:03:32.41 backstabbing friends, trifling employees, oppressive employers, 00:03:32.44\00:03:40.32 gossiping coworkers, nagging illnesses, foreclosed homes, 00:03:40.35\00:03:47.26 immigration harassment, border separation, Russian collusion, 00:03:47.29\00:03:54.10 fake news, alternative facts, and racist subjugation is some 00:03:54.10\00:04:00.77 downright, knee-falling, prostrate-bowing, 00:04:00.80\00:04:06.88 crying-to-the-Lord in prayer, because as the old folks used to 00:04:06.91\00:04:10.35 say, "If we ever needed the Lord before, we sure do need Him now. 00:04:10.38\00:04:16.48 And so God says in the text, "If my people, which are called by 00:04:16.52\00:04:21.72 my name, would humble themselves and"--do what, everybody? 00:04:21.76\00:04:25.26 Aud.: Pray. PB: Pray, and seek my face, and turn from 00:04:25.29\00:04:27.23 their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and forgive 00:04:27.23\00:04:28.90 their sin and heal their land." Now, quickly, in the context 00:04:28.93\00:04:32.13 surrounding this text, speaking to Solomon after the completion 00:04:32.17\00:04:36.04 of the temple, God says, I have heard your prayer. I have 00:04:36.07\00:04:39.54 chosen this temple as the place where I want you to sacrifice 00:04:39.57\00:04:44.05 to me. And He says, "If my people, who are called by my 00:04:44.08\00:04:47.98 name, I they will just humble themselves and pray, I will hear 00:04:48.02\00:04:50.69 their prayers made in this place." So God wants His 00:04:50.72\00:04:54.92 people, God wants those who have been called by Him, God wants 00:04:54.96\00:04:58.83 us to pray. He wants to hear the prayers of His people, 00:04:58.86\00:05:03.33 not just individually but He wants to hear them collectively. 00:05:03.37\00:05:07.17 But we need to pray with one voice, one heart to one God. 00:05:07.20\00:05:14.64 So these three points I'll make then I'll sit down, 00:05:14.68\00:05:17.15 number one: pray with one voice. Pray with what, everybody? 00:05:17.18\00:05:20.55 Aud.: One voice. PB: Now part of the challenge that 00:05:20.58\00:05:22.78 we face today is the fact that there are many different 00:05:22.82\00:05:25.25 voices speaking. Liberals are speaking; conservatives are 00:05:25.29\00:05:30.53 speaking; politicians are speaking; pundits are speaking; 00:05:30.56\00:05:35.76 the common people are speaking; black people are speaking; 00:05:35.80\00:05:39.57 white people are speaking; yellow people are speaking; 00:05:39.60\00:05:41.67 red people are speaking; Baby-Boomers are speaking; 00:05:41.70\00:05:44.37 Generation Xs are speaking; Millennials are speaking; 00:05:44.41\00:05:47.24 everybody is speaking, and when everybody is speaking 00:05:47.28\00:05:49.91 and you're speaking at the same time, you've got confusion. 00:05:49.94\00:05:53.05 You don't believe me, let's remember the tower of Babel. 00:05:53.08\00:05:56.02 Babel, Babel, tomato, tomato. The children of Israel were 00:05:56.05\00:05:59.12 trying to reach heaven. They were trying to build a tower 00:05:59.15\00:06:01.02 to reach heaven, but that wasn't the will of God. 00:06:01.06\00:06:02.96 And if it's not in God's will, God's not gonna let it happen. 00:06:02.99\00:06:05.56 Are you hearing what I'm saying, everybody? They're trying 00:06:05.59\00:06:07.83 to build a tower to reach heaven, but God confounds them 00:06:07.86\00:06:10.00 by language. Everybody speaks a different language, and there 00:06:10.03\00:06:12.47 is confusion. There is what, everybody? Aud.: Confusion. 00:06:12.50\00:06:14.77 PB: But God is calling us today to speak with one voice. 00:06:14.80\00:06:17.81 The Bible is complete with examples of miracles happening 00:06:17.84\00:06:20.58 when the people of God come together and are of one accord 00:06:20.61\00:06:23.78 and are speaking with one voice. I like the Book of Acts, 00:06:23.81\00:06:26.95 because it gives us three examples. Quickly, example 00:06:26.98\00:06:30.42 number one, Acts chapter 2. The Bible says that on the day of 00:06:30.45\00:06:33.42 Pentecost, when all the people were of one accord, in one 00:06:33.46\00:06:36.06 place, there came a sound from heaven like a mighty rushing 00:06:36.09\00:06:38.59 wind, and the Spirit of God was made manifest and 3,000 people 00:06:38.63\00:06:42.13 were baptized in one day. EWxample number two, Acts 00:06:42.16\00:06:46.67 chapter 16. The Bible says Paul and Silas were in a Philippian 00:06:46.70\00:06:50.74 jail at night. It was only two of them, but the Word says wherever there are two 00:06:50.77\00:06:53.58 or three gathered in My name, I shall be in the midst. 00:06:53.61\00:06:57.18 Paul and Silas touched and agreed in that jail cell. 00:06:57.21\00:07:00.25 God delivered them. They had one voice. 00:07:00.28\00:07:03.32 Example number three. Acts chapter 12. Peter is in his jail 00:07:03.35\00:07:07.79 cell also at night. Soldiers are to his left; soldiers are to 00:07:07.82\00:07:11.46 his right. Soldiers are at the door. There's another door 00:07:11.49\00:07:14.00 outside the jail cell and another door outside of that 00:07:14.03\00:07:17.97 cell, and soldiers are by it. Soldiers are all around him. And 00:07:18.00\00:07:21.07 the Bible says, "Sixteen in all." The Bible says that the 00:07:21.10\00:07:27.34 church was back at Mary's house. [Aud. reaction] PB: And they 00:07:27.38\00:07:31.91 were praying for him. The Bible says they were touching. They 00:07:31.95\00:07:36.45 were agreeing. The Bible says a light shined in the prison cell. 00:07:36.48\00:07:40.92 Now clearly, if it's dark in the prison cell, if God shines a 00:07:40.96\00:07:44.73 light, everybody should see a light. But the Bible says nobody 00:07:44.76\00:07:47.60 saw the light but Peter; which means, when God comes 00:07:47.60\00:07:51.43 to deliver you, it's all about you. Are you hearing what I'm 00:07:51.47\00:07:54.40 saying? [Aud. reaction] PB: The Bible says the chains fell 00:07:54.44\00:07:57.14 off. Surely, if they didn't see the light, they would have heard 00:07:57.17\00:07:58.91 the chains, but the Bible says they didn't even hear the 00:07:58.94\00:08:01.21 chains either. God delivered Peter from the prison cell, 00:08:01.24\00:08:04.21 off the prison property. One voice. The church that prays 00:08:04.25\00:08:09.22 together stays together. The church gathered to pray for one 00:08:09.25\00:08:13.76 of their own. They had come together as a family to seek 00:08:13.79\00:08:16.49 God's help for a brother that was in need. Their prayers had 00:08:16.52\00:08:19.63 power. Why? Because they were in agreement, and they united in 00:08:19.66\00:08:24.20 one voice in their walk with God. That's why--some of you may 00:08:24.23\00:08:27.74 take offense with it--but I'm clear when I say this. That's 00:08:27.77\00:08:30.07 why everybody can't pray for me. [Aud. reaction] PB: Because if 00:08:30.11\00:08:34.91 we don't pray together, we've got to touch and agree for the 00:08:34.94\00:08:38.95 same thing. Are you hearing what I'm saying? That's why, when I 00:08:38.98\00:08:41.92 go to the hospital, I visit people. If there are people in 00:08:41.95\00:08:43.92 the hospital room that don't believe that God has the power 00:08:43.95\00:08:46.89 to raise people up off their bed of affliction, you need to get 00:08:46.92\00:08:50.03 up outta that room when I'm in there, 'cause we don't need conflicting spirits. 00:08:50.06\00:08:53.90 It may be a crisis facing the entire church or a crisis facing 00:08:53.93\00:08:59.90 one individual, but because we're admonished to bear one 00:08:59.93\00:09:02.84 another's burdens, what confronts one should confront all. [Aud. reaction] 00:09:02.87\00:09:06.31 PB: But you know what? Our differences often hinder our 00:09:06.34\00:09:09.78 prayers. We want to see people saved; we want to see people 00:09:09.81\00:09:12.91 rescued; we want to see people delivered; we want to see strongholds pulled down; 00:09:12.95\00:09:16.22 we want to see chains broken; we want to see our children come 00:09:16.25\00:09:19.32 back to the Lord. We want the power of God on this church, on 00:09:19.35\00:09:22.86 this community, on all of our churches like it was on the Day of Pentecost. We pray, 00:09:22.89\00:09:26.33 we pray, we pray, but one of the reasons we do not see the power 00:09:26.36\00:09:29.93 of God manifested in our midst is because we have allowed petty 00:09:29.96\00:09:33.00 differences to divide us. Aud. reaction] 00:09:33.03\00:09:36.14 PB: We sweat the small stuff. We major in minors. We engage 00:09:36.17\00:09:41.51 in the paralysis of analysis. We project erroneous thoughts, 00:09:41.54\00:09:46.08 flawed notions, inaccurate perceptions on other people that 00:09:46.11\00:09:49.78 just aren't true. Catholics are controlling. Methodists are 00:09:49.82\00:09:57.13 mean. Pentecostals are Holy Rollers. Baptists think they're 00:09:57.16\00:10:02.93 better. And Adventists have attitudes. [Aud. reaction] 00:10:02.96\00:10:07.70 PB: But when the people of God come together, 00:10:07.74\00:10:11.24 and when the people of God are in one accord, 00:10:11.27\00:10:15.74 when we touch and agree, when we call out to God 00:10:15.78\00:10:20.42 with one voice, the sick will be healed. The dead 00:10:20.45\00:10:25.25 will be raised. The lame will walk, the dumb will talk, 00:10:25.29\00:10:30.03 the blind will see. Habits will be broken. Children will 00:10:30.06\00:10:35.16 come back to the Lord. Jobs will be found. Children 00:10:35.20\00:10:39.10 separated from their parents at borders will be united. 00:10:39.13\00:10:43.04 Cancer will be killed. High blood pressure made low, 00:10:43.07\00:10:47.14 and hearts fixed. Great things happen when God's people 00:10:47.18\00:10:51.55 speak with one--what? Voice. Aud.: Voice. 00:10:51.58\00:10:54.75 PB: Now, let me be clear. We have differences that 00:10:54.78\00:10:58.75 divide us, but I believe we have more commonalities that 00:10:58.79\00:11:02.36 unite us. And the reality is, in this world, in Huntsville, 00:11:02.39\00:11:06.56 in this community, there's enough dope, there's enough 00:11:06.59\00:11:12.00 meth, enough crack, enough murder, enough theft, enough 00:11:12.03\00:11:18.27 rape, racism, poverty, illiteracy, delinquency, debt 00:11:18.31\00:11:22.18 and deceit in our world, that we need to collectively tackle than 00:11:22.21\00:11:25.31 to be arguing over foolishness. So, in the words of Martin King, 00:11:25.35\00:11:29.18 it's not just applicable to blacks and whites, it's 00:11:29.22\00:11:31.62 applicable to all of us--Adventists and Baptists, Methodists and Presbyterians, 00:11:31.65\00:11:35.06 Church of God and Christ, and Pentecostals. It's applicable to 00:11:35.09\00:11:38.06 us. Either we will learn how to hang together like brothers and 00:11:38.09\00:11:40.80 sisters, or we'll simply and tragically die like fools. 00:11:40.83\00:11:44.53 There's a conspiracy led by the devil to destroy the black man, 00:11:44.57\00:11:49.34 the white man, the yellow man, the red man, the Adventist man, 00:11:49.37\00:11:52.37 the Baptist man, the Methodist man, the Christian man, the 00:11:52.41\00:11:55.38 Jewish man, the Catholic man, the Oakwood man, the A&M man, 00:11:55.41\00:11:58.98 the UAH man, the Morehouse man. It's a conspiracy to destroy all 00:11:59.01\00:12:02.78 men. Society is trying to eliminate each other but the 00:12:02.82\00:12:05.32 devil is trying to kill us all. [Aud. reaction] PB: But in the 00:12:05.35\00:12:10.56 name of Jesus-- [Aud. reaction] PB: The devil is a liar. We are 00:12:10.59\00:12:16.03 all sinners, saved by grace. If it had not been for the Lord on 00:12:16.06\00:12:21.77 my side, where would I be? There are no big Is and little yous; 00:12:21.80\00:12:26.17 the ground is level at the cross. Praise God for Jesus. 00:12:26.21\00:12:30.08 Praise God for His blood. Praise God He cleanses us all 00:12:30.11\00:12:34.32 from sin. Pray with one voice. Number two: pray with 00:12:34.35\00:12:42.32 one heart. Now, in the Bible, the heart speaks of that 00:12:42.36\00:12:47.03 hidden part of you that nobody sees, but you and God. 00:12:47.03\00:12:51.17 The Bible says man looketh at the outward--what? 00:12:51.20\00:12:53.84 Appearance. But God looks at the what? Aud.: Heart. 00:12:53.87\00:12:56.77 PB: Love the Lord thy God with all thy -- Aud.: Heart. 00:12:56.81\00:12:58.57 PB: Blessed are the pure in -- Aud.: Heart. 00:12:58.61\00:13:00.48 B: God will give you the desires of your-- Aud.: Heart. 00:13:00.51\00:13:02.54 PB: Heart. Trust in the Lord with all your what--heart. Aud.: 00:13:02.58\00:13:05.15 Heart. PB: When the devil attacks you, he's going after 00:13:05.18\00:13:08.68 your heart. [Aud. reaction] PB: He's trying to get the hidden 00:13:08.72\00:13:11.02 person, the part that nobody sees. Because he knows if he can 00:13:11.05\00:13:13.36 disrupt your heart, he knows that he has you. Are you hearing 00:13:13.39\00:13:17.33 what I'm saying? But God wants to protect our hearts, 00:13:17.36\00:13:19.89 because God wants our hearts, and when you give God 00:13:19.93\00:13:22.13 your heart you're giving God you. [Aud. reaction] 00:13:22.16\00:13:24.37 PB: Now understand, the heart is used in Scripture as the 00:13:24.40\00:13:28.07 most comprehensive term for the authentic genuine person. 00:13:28.10\00:13:31.91 It is the part of our being where we desire, we deliberate, 00:13:31.94\00:13:35.14 and we decide. The heart has been described as the place of 00:13:35.18\00:13:38.28 conscious and decisive spiritual activity. The heart is the 00:13:38.31\00:13:41.98 center of the person; it's the place to which God turns. 00:13:42.02\00:13:45.45 So then, I was reading, and the story is told of a soldier 00:13:45.49\00:13:47.66 in Napoleon's army. Napoleon was the French general who wanted 00:13:47.69\00:13:51.46 to conquer the world. His soldier was wounded one day by a 00:13:51.49\00:13:54.60 bullet that hit and entered his breast right above his heart. 00:13:54.63\00:13:58.90 The surgeon, he was operating on him, and he was probing him 00:13:58.93\00:14:02.70 for the bullet. But the soldier said, "An inch deeper and you 00:14:02.74\00:14:06.57 will find the emperor." My question to you today is this: 00:14:06.61\00:14:12.48 If your heart were laid open, would Jesus be found there? 00:14:12.51\00:14:19.99 All of our hearts should be places where Jesus can be found. 00:14:20.02\00:14:24.09 Yes, we should speak with one voice in prayer. But a lot of 00:14:24.13\00:14:29.76 people can talk the talk, but they don't walk the walk. 00:14:29.80\00:14:33.90 And the only way you can walk the walk is when you've given 00:14:33.94\00:14:36.77 God your heart. But also, speaking with one heart. Let me 00:14:36.81\00:14:41.24 say a little bit here. We cannot pray from selfish hearts. 00:14:41.28\00:14:45.81 We've got to pray from sacrificial hearts. Now, 00:14:45.85\00:14:51.35 remember when the children of Israel, when God spoke to 00:14:51.39\00:14:54.22 Solomon in Second Chronicles 7:14, after the completion of 00:14:54.26\00:14:57.33 the construction of the temple, God told him that He had chosen 00:14:57.36\00:15:00.50 this temple as the place where He wanted His people to 00:15:00.53\00:15:04.97 sacrifice to Him. Now remember, we teach this. We teach that our 00:15:05.00\00:15:08.50 bodies are the temples of whom, everybody? God. But not only 00:15:08.54\00:15:11.81 are our bodies the temples of God, our bodies are lying 00:15:11.84\00:15:16.34 sacrifices. "Present your body a living"--what, everybody? 00:15:16.38\00:15:18.95 Sacrifice. "Holy and acceptable unto"--whom? God. So then, when 00:15:18.98\00:15:22.55 we pray from this bodily temple, we're praying from a spirit 00:15:22.58\00:15:27.39 of sacrifice. We're praying, and should be praying, from a 00:15:27.42\00:15:33.46 sacrificial heart because we're saying Lord, not my will but 00:15:33.50\00:15:38.07 Thy will be done. God wants a heart of sacrifice. That's why, 00:15:38.10\00:15:45.34 when we talk about prayer, we talk about fasting and prayer, 00:15:45.37\00:15:47.88 because when we fast, we're sacrificing something physically 00:15:47.91\00:15:51.01 so that we might gain something spiritually. 00:15:51.05\00:15:53.85 But as I get older, it's not popular to talk about sacrifice 00:15:53.88\00:16:00.82 anymore. It's more popular to talk about success. Nobody wants 00:16:00.86\00:16:05.93 to talk about sacrifice, but news flash: you can't have 00:16:05.96\00:16:12.17 success without sacrifice. I wish I had a church in this place. [Aud. reaction] 00:16:12.20\00:16:14.97 PB: But people don't want to sacrifice. They want to 00:16:15.00\00:16:20.14 hobo in on what somebody else has. Their name is Jimmy, 00:16:20.18\00:16:24.45 and they want you to gimme. But it doesn't work that way. 00:16:24.48\00:16:28.45 You've got to sacrifice. You've got to give up something. 00:16:28.48\00:16:32.62 You can't snatch what God has for you while still holding 00:16:32.65\00:16:35.76 on to what you did for yourself. You gotta let go of some 00:16:35.79\00:16:39.13 things so you can lay hold on some things. If there's 00:16:39.16\00:16:42.06 anything in your life that you're holding on to that's 00:16:42.10\00:16:44.07 greater than God, you've got to get rid of it. 00:16:44.10\00:16:45.73 Speaking of sacrifice, let me tell you this: the students 00:16:45.77\00:16:47.44 are gone, so I can say this. So that we'll be ready when 00:16:47.47\00:16:50.31 they get back. We're raising a generation of kids, of 00:16:50.34\00:16:53.51 young people, who know nothing about sacrifice. 00:16:53.54\00:16:56.41 [Aud. reaction] PB: And that's why many of our young 00:16:56.44\00:17:00.42 people are failing, because no sacrifice means no success. 00:17:00.45\00:17:06.39 Can I be real? [Aud. reaction] PB: Sometimes little 00:17:06.42\00:17:09.16 Johnny needs to go to school. But I hurt my toe. 00:17:09.19\00:17:14.00 Put a Band-Aid on it. Go to school. See you at the 00:17:14.00\00:17:18.80 end of the day. Back in the day--my daddy's sitting right 00:17:18.83\00:17:21.84 here- -back in the day, he raised us to be tough. You don't 00:17:21.87\00:17:26.27 wimp out on everything. You gotta learn, everything somebody 00:17:26.31\00:17:29.51 says about you or to you should not hurt your feelings. 00:17:29.54\00:17:31.85 [Aud. reaction] PB: Get outta yourself. But now we're 00:17:31.88\00:17:36.08 raising kids to fail. Oh, I don't feel good, something's 00:17:36.12\00:17:39.62 wrong with me. Well, just stay home. No, get up and go to 00:17:39.65\00:17:43.19 school. [Aud. reaction] PB: Here's some fruit. Here's some 00:17:43.22\00:17:47.10 toast. Here's a bottle of water. Good-bye. See ya later. 00:17:47.13\00:17:50.20 Sometimes you have to sacrifice. In life there are 00:17:50.23\00:17:53.90 some good days. In life there are some bad days. 00:17:53.94\00:17:57.67 There are some hills to climb. But when I look around 00:17:57.71\00:18:01.91 and I think things over, all of my good days outweigh my bad 00:18:01.94\00:18:08.32 days. [Aud. reaction] PB: I won't complain. You've got to 00:18:08.35\00:18:10.85 give up something to get something. But some folk don't 00:18:10.89\00:18:15.86 want to make any sacrifices. Can't compromise about a thing. 00:18:15.89\00:18:19.13 I left her because she can't cook. Well, buy some microwave 00:18:19.16\00:18:23.16 meals and eat that. Do I have a witness in this place? 00:18:23.20\00:18:26.07 I left her because her hair is coming out. Get her some 00:18:26.10\00:18:28.10 weave and keep it moving. Are you hearing what I'm saying? 00:18:28.14\00:18:31.27 I left him because he has no hair. Get him some Rogaine 00:18:31.31\00:18:34.08 and it will be all right. I'm leaving him because he lost 00:18:34.11\00:18:37.08 his job. Take him on a job search. Tell him, Honey, 00:18:37.11\00:18:40.75 I know you been knocked down, but you gonna get up again! 00:18:40.78\00:18:45.55 A saint is just a sinner who fell down but got right 00:18:45.59\00:18:49.62 back on up. I got your back! I'm believing God for you. 00:18:49.66\00:18:53.09 I'm praying for you. There is no good thing that God shall 00:18:53.13\00:18:56.67 withhold from His people, to those who walk uprightly. 00:18:56.70\00:18:59.67 I believe in God for you. I already pressed your shirts. 00:18:59.70\00:19:02.87 Here's your tie. Now we going to get this job in the 00:19:02.90\00:19:06.98 name of Jesus. Sacrifice! Let me tell you. You need to 00:19:07.01\00:19:11.48 be with somebody with you through the good times and 00:19:11.51\00:19:13.35 the bad times. You need to be with somebody in the 00:19:13.38\00:19:15.98 ups and the downs, the rights and wrongs. Sacrifice. 00:19:16.02\00:19:19.65 You've gotta give up something to get something. 00:19:19.69\00:19:21.39 Through the storm, through the rain! Through sickness, 00:19:21.42\00:19:24.86 through pain. You've got to push. You've got to pray until 00:19:24.89\00:19:28.36 something happens. Pray your children off those drug. 00:19:28.40\00:19:31.87 Pray your children off the street. Pray 'em out, 00:19:31.90\00:19:34.94 don't fuss 'em out, don't cuss 'em out. Pray 'em out! 00:19:34.97\00:19:38.21 I dare you to ask God for your children back! I dare 00:19:38.24\00:19:41.78 you to ask God for your marriage back, for your 00:19:41.81\00:19:44.51 health back, for your job back, for your finances back. 00:19:44.55\00:19:49.18 Hallelujah! Aud.: Hallelujah. PB: People don't want 00:19:49.22\00:19:53.09 sacrifice. [Aud. reaction] PB: Running up to me, "Pastor Byrd, 00:19:53.12\00:19:57.39 I want your anointing. Lay your hands on me." I can lay 00:19:57.43\00:20:03.73 my hands on you till my handprint is in your head, 00:20:03.77\00:20:07.27 but let me tell you something. You won't get any 00:20:07.30\00:20:12.67 anointing until you're willing to sacrifice. 00:20:12.71\00:20:15.64 [Aud. reaction] PB: Until you go through what I've 00:20:15.68\00:20:18.85 gone through. Suffered like I've suffered. Cried like 00:20:18.88\00:20:23.85 I've cried. Endured like I've endured. And then, 00:20:23.89\00:20:28.56 the Bible says, after you've suffered a while, 00:20:28.59\00:20:31.23 God says then I will establish you. I will settle you. 00:20:31.26\00:20:35.43 I will make you perfect. [Aud. reaction] 00:20:35.46\00:20:38.40 PB: I can't give you in 46 minutes what it's 00:20:38.43\00:20:42.64 taken me 46 years to get. You gotta sacrifice. 00:20:42.67\00:20:48.38 I've learned--can I be honest with y'all?-- 00:20:48.41\00:20:52.21 Aud.: Yes! PB: I've learned, you have to preach 00:20:52.25\00:20:54.82 when your feelings are hurt. You gotta preach when 00:20:54.85\00:20:58.69 your heart is broken. [Aud. reaction] 00:20:58.72\00:21:00.86 PB: I've learned, you gotta preach when you being talked 00:21:00.89\00:21:05.66 about. [Aud. reaction] PB: I've learned, I've got to stand 00:21:05.69\00:21:07.50 up here and look and smile, even though the devil 00:21:07.56\00:21:09.20 is trying to knock me down. Even though sometimes 00:21:09.23\00:21:11.67 people look at me with rocks in their jaws, 00:21:11.70\00:21:13.74 I gotta still preach the Word! You've gotta preach, 00:21:13.77\00:21:17.41 even after you've lost a loved one. And then, 00:21:17.44\00:21:23.18 the Bible's clear: After you've proven yourself 00:21:23.21\00:21:26.08 to be faithful, the anointing will fall on you. 00:21:26.11\00:21:31.62 Somebody went through something to get where they 00:21:31.65\00:21:35.32 are today. That's how they got their degree- 00:21:35.36\00:21:37.49 -they suffered. That's how somebody got a job- 00:21:37.53\00:21:40.90 -they suffered. Somebody, that's how we got this church, 00:21:40.93\00:21:44.00 that's how we got the Family Life Center. You gotta 00:21:44.03\00:21:46.84 sacrifice. We need people who can take something, 00:21:46.87\00:21:48.40 people who can take a licking and keep on ticking. 00:21:48.44\00:21:51.07 [Aud. reaction] PB: Am I preaching to anybody up in this 00:21:51.11\00:21:53.84 church? [Aud. reaction] PB: Let me tell you something: 00:21:53.88\00:21:55.38 the pastors will tell you, you don't get to be happy every day. 00:21:55.41\00:22:00.82 [Aud. reaction] PB: Let me tell you: there is a difference 00:22:00.85\00:22:04.72 between happiness and joy. [Aud. reaction] 00:22:04.75\00:22:08.96 PB: Now, I have to preach sometimes, and I may not be 00:22:08.99\00:22:12.93 too happy, but the good news is, I've still got my joy. 00:22:12.96\00:22:16.83 [Aud. reaction] PB: Because you see, happiness is 00:22:16.87\00:22:19.70 based on something that is external. If you tell me 00:22:19.73\00:22:23.17 I preach well, I'm happy. If you tell me I sang well, 00:22:23.20\00:22:26.17 I'm happy. If you tell me I dress well, I'm happy. 00:22:26.21\00:22:29.61 But if you don't tell me I preach well, I'll encourage 00:22:29.64\00:22:35.62 myself in the Lord. [Aud. reaction] 00:22:35.65\00:22:40.22 PB: If you don't tell me I look well, that's all right. 00:22:40.26\00:22:42.66 Because my joy is not based on you. Your joy should not 00:22:42.69\00:22:50.10 be based on me. But there's joy that I have. The world 00:22:50.13\00:22:55.84 didn't give it, and the world can't take it away. 00:22:55.87\00:23:00.11 You don't get to be happy every day. 00:23:00.14\00:23:03.78 There are some things I've learned in my life, 00:23:03.81\00:23:07.72 you learn by being miserable. You can't learn it 00:23:07.75\00:23:13.56 being happy. You've gotta learn it while they're 00:23:13.59\00:23:16.59 lying on you, while they talking about you, 00:23:16.62\00:23:19.83 while they stabbing you in the back. That's how you learn. 00:23:19.86\00:23:21.83 If God be for ya, He's more than the world against ya. 00:23:21.86\00:23:27.30 Sacrifice. Is there anybody in here who got what 00:23:27.34\00:23:30.54 you've got because you sacrificed? You prayed and 00:23:30.57\00:23:33.78 you cried, you suffered and you did without. 00:23:33.81\00:23:36.51 God blessed you. That's why you can't worry about people. 00:23:36.54\00:23:41.58 You better tell somebody, you don't know what I 00:23:41.62\00:23:45.29 went through to get what I've got. Worked 14-hour days. 00:23:45.32\00:23:49.39 No vacation. Preached for years with two suits- 00:23:49.42\00:23:53.43 -a black suit, a blue suit. I just changed to 00:23:53.46\00:23:56.46 certain ties and nobody knew the difference. 00:23:56.50\00:23:58.13 Come on, say amen. [Aud. reaction] 00:23:58.17\00:24:00.60 PB: Talked about 'cause you have good morals and ethics. 00:24:00.64\00:24:06.04 Criticized 'cause I had vision and I was passionate 00:24:06.07\00:24:10.15 about that vision. Lost a daughter, 4 ½ months old, 00:24:10.18\00:24:15.45 lost a daughter killed in a car accident. You don't know me. 00:24:15.48\00:24:19.62 I've been here six years but you don't know me. But you'd 00:24:19.65\00:24:27.00 better ask somebody. Anybody, you been through sacrifice? 00:24:27.03\00:24:33.17 [Aud. reaction] PB: That's why, she sing that song 00:24:33.20\00:24:34.77 "He's that kind of friend; He'll walk right in front of you." 00:24:34.80\00:24:38.27 You all don't know what that means to me. Because if 00:24:38.31\00:24:40.91 you sacrifice, you will suffer with God, and God will 00:24:40.94\00:24:44.55 open up the windows of heaven, pour you out a blessing! 00:24:44.58\00:24:47.48 [Aud. reaction] PB: There shall not be room enough 00:24:47.52\00:24:50.35 to receive it. Hey, hey, hey hey! You will never have 00:24:50.39\00:24:53.96 success without sacrifice. So when you pray, you must 00:24:53.99\00:24:59.26 pray with a heart of sacrifice. One voice, one heart, 00:24:59.29\00:25:10.01 but then number three: one God. You hear me say it all 00:25:10.04\00:25:15.88 the time. I love it. He's God. I said He's God. CEO of 00:25:15.91\00:25:22.72 the universe. You didn't vote Him in, an you can't vote Him 00:25:22.75\00:25:28.02 out. You can't impeach Him and He's not gonna resign. He's God! 00:25:28.06\00:25:34.73 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 00:25:34.76\00:25:40.34 He's God! The Bible says in Luke chapter 11, verse number 1, 00:25:40.37\00:25:44.74 that one day Jesus was praying in a certain place. And when 00:25:44.77\00:25:48.11 he had finished praying, one of his disciples said to him, 00:25:48.14\00:25:49.98 "Lord, teach us how to pray. Just like John taught his 00:25:50.01\00:25:55.88 disciples." You see, back in the day in the Jewish faith, they 00:25:55.92\00:25:58.65 had been taught how to pray. John the Baptist taught his followers about prayer, 00:25:58.69\00:26:01.26 so it was natural for them to ask Lord, teach us how to pray. 00:26:01.29\00:26:04.93 So Jesus did. In Luke 11, verses 2 through 4, Jesus said to them, 00:26:04.96\00:26:10.67 "When you pray, pray like this: Our Father, which art 00:26:10.70\00:26:17.44 in"--where? Aud.: Heaven. PB: Heaven. "Hallowed be thy"--what? 00:26:17.47\00:26:19.27 Aud.: Name. PB: "Thy kingdom"--what? 00:26:19.31\00:26:20.61 Aud.: Come. PB: "Thy will be"--what? 00:26:20.64\00:26:21.84 Aud.: Done. PB: "On earth as it is in"--where? 00:26:21.88\00:26:23.88 Aud.: Heaven. PB: "Give us this day our daily"-- what, 00:26:23.91\00:26:25.95 everybody? Aud.: Bread. PB: And then he said, "Forgive us 00:26:25.98\00:26:29.45 our sins, and we also forgive everyone that is indebted to us, 00:26:29.48\00:26:31.02 and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from"- 00:26:31.05\00:26:32.49 - what, everybody? Aud.: Evil. PB: Evil. Now, notice, 00:26:32.52\00:26:35.22 quickly. I'm almost done. Notice, when Jesus told the 00:26:35.26\00:26:37.16 apostles, the disciples, how to pray, the first thing Jesus old 00:26:37.19\00:26:39.79 us to do when we pray is to say "Our Father." [Aud. reaction] 00:26:39.83\00:26:42.83 PB: Which means then, the God to whom we pray is not 00:26:42.86\00:26:47.34 a computer. The God to whom we pray is not some cosmic bellhop 00:26:47.37\00:26:52.04 wanting to be wound up. But the God that we pray to is a very 00:26:52.07\00:26:55.54 loving, very special, very personal God who wants us to 00:26:55.58\00:26:59.75 call him "Father." [Aud. reaction] PB: Now, we're praying in one voice, 00:26:59.78\00:27:02.48 one heart, to one God. The doctrine of God. The doctrine 00:27:02.52\00:27:08.22 of the Trinity. The doctrine of the Godhead. There is one God: 00:27:08.26\00:27:12.93 Father, Son, Holy Ghost. Three co-eternal persons working to 00:27:12.96\00:27:19.80 bring about our salvation. There is one God. In the beginning, 00:27:19.83\00:27:24.74 God created the heavens and the earth. There is one God. 00:27:24.77\00:27:28.94 Exodus chapter 20, God said, "I am the Lord thy God which 00:27:28.98\00:27:33.25 hath brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house 00:27:33.28\00:27:35.65 of bondage. Thou shalt have no other"--what" "gods before me." 00:27:35.68\00:27:40.02 There is one God. He is the great I AM. In fact, He said, 00:27:40.06\00:27:46.26 my name is I AM that I am. God, what is Your name? I AM 00:27:46.29\00:27:52.07 that I am. I AM everything you need. I AM everything you need. 00:27:52.10\00:28:01.14 >: Thank you very much for tuning in to this week's 00:28:01.18\00:28:03.71 Breath of Life broadcast. We hope and pray that you've been 00:28:03.75\00:28:07.38 blessed by Dr. Byrd's inspirational message. 00:28:07.42\00:28:10.09 If you would like to hear the sermon in its entirety, 00:28:10.12\00:28:12.35 please feel free to visit us at www.BreathofLife.tv, 00:28:12.39\00:28:18.36 or, call us at (256) 929-6460. 00:28:18.39\00:28:24.30 END] 00:28:24.33\00:28:39.35