Sermon #S043 - When
Enough Is Enough (Part 2)
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Welcome to the Breath of Life
Television Ministries broadcast
with Pastor Debleaire Snell!
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In today's episode, Pastor Snell
will continue part two of the
powerful Message “Enough is
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Enough.” Now, let's go
deeper into the word of God!
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Pastor Snell: And so, I need you
to know friends of mine, that
one victory. Oh, let me slow it
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down. See, when you celebrate
the victory, it's not just about
how God allowed you to conquer
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what was in the past. It's
actually God strengthening you
for what's ahead. See some of us
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still nervous, you're scared in
the house of God. See, I need
you to know that man, you are in
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one of three phrases as it
relates to trials. You either
coming out of a trial, you are
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either in the trial, come on,
talk back to me, or you are
about to go right back into a
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trial. Are y'all hearing what
I'm saying? So that you'll go
from one uncertainty to another
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uncertainty, one hardship to
another hardship from one loss
to another loss. But before you
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get discouraged, what I need you
to be careful of is never
confuse graduation with
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promotion. [Congregation:
Clapping] No. Saints never
confused graduating with being
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promoted. Now, I hated to be the
barer of bad news. Were coming
to the end of a school year. So
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my kids men who are singing
across town, it's crazy because
man, they are so hype, man. My
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oldest is so hype about going to
the eighth grade. And it's crazy
because man, he is like the
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eighth graders get to bring
their phones and the eighth
graders get to have longer
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lunch, and the eighth graders
get to do this outside. I can't
wait to get promoted to the next
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grade and listen, I don't want
to be a jerk, but I'm like, son,
do you realize what it means to
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be promoted? Promotion is when
the teacher certifies. That you
can handle a certain amount of
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work on this level. So they
going to promote you to handle
work or stress on another level.
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And see, I need you to know what
promotion is. Promotion is when
God says you could handle this
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level of faith. So I'm going to
send you to another level of
faith. But never confuse
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promotion with graduation
because you just going to get
promoted from one level to the
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next level. As we await for the
commencement, there is a
graduation. Oh y'all not hearing
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me. There is a graduation when
the trumpet sounds, oh God,
there is going to be a
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graduation from life's sorrows.
And guess what? You won't have
on a graduation robe, but you'll
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put on a long white robe. God is
not going to give you a
graduation cap, but he's going
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to give you a crown of life.
That God won't let you graduate
summa cum laude or magna cum
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laude. But when we see the scars
in his hands, we'll say, thank
the Lord. I'm grateful for the
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graduation that takes place when
Jesus comes. Are y'all hearing
the word today friends? So
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Elijah, friends of mine, I need
you to get, he has a moment, but
Elijah, he is an authentic
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follower of God. But we find him
in this moment in a place of
despair, dissonance, and a fatal
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jadedness has tapped its way
into his soul. So man, she tells
Elijah, man, you got about 20...
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you got to the same time
tomorrow to be about... you
ain't got to go home, but you
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better get up out of here. And
it's crazy because man, Elijah
man begins to take his stuff and
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he begins to bounce. He begins
to go to Bathsheba where he
drops his servant off and he
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goes so far into the wilderness
where he cannot be detected by
human inquiry. And the Bible
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friends of mine literally says
that he sits down under this
juniper tree and he tells God
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I'm done. He hands God his
resignation and he says, I'm no
better than my father's and I
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need you to know that he is in
such a dark place. That death
feels like a way up from where
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he is. He says, God enough is
enough. Church, have you ever
been in that place where you
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just felt like enough is enough.
Man, I know you love the Lord,
but have you ever been in that
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space where you just felt like
you've had your tipping point,
where you felt like God had
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wrongly assessed how much you
are able to bear, where you felt
like you had gotten to your
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breaking point, where you just
felt like you could not take it
anymore? And It's crazy because
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Elijah is in a dark place. And
you know friends, one of the
things I love about the Bible is
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that it's not just a hype book
for Jesus. The scripture is
transparent with man's flaws and
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frailties and how we come short
of the glory of God. And see
what Elijah's story teaches us,
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is that even when you're a
person of faith, you can get
overwhelmed as a person of
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faith. You can become anxious.
As a person of faith, you can
get sidetracked. As a person of
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faith, you can get tempted and
fall. As a person of faith, you
can get so depressed that the
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only way out seems like it is to
leave this life. I need you to
know that even the greatest
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amongst us lose our hold on God.
And Elijah lets us know how dark
life can get and what place you
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can find yourself in. But I do
want to encourage you not to
just agree with one portion of
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the story because this is what
Elijah shows us. Elijah says
it's possible for you to drift
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into the dark place, but it also
teaches us that if you can get
into it, then God can bring you
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out of that same place. So
Elijah, Y'all Go get mad. I got
mad. He listens, man. He
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don't... he sends the resume
resignation and signs it at the
bottom. He says, God, I quit. He
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says, God, I'm done. He says,
God ain't fooling with you no
more. He says, God, enough is
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enough. And there is this
critical truth that I need the
church to understand. It is this
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that you don't get to tell God
when you've had enough. God
tells you when you've had
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enough. You don't get to tell
God when you quit. God tells you
when your work is done. You
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don't get to tell God when you
are finished. God tells you when
you are finished. Do you realize
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Elijah has so little sovereignty
over his own life that he can't
even die on his own terms? God
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said, who gave you permission to
die? I hold the least on your
breath. I got the remote control
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to your heartbeat. I'm the
Bluetooth to your brain
activity, as long as I will you
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here. Get up because we still
got some work to do. Are you
hearing me today friends? And
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see there's some things that God
does for Elijah that I'm going
to talk about in just a moment.
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But see there is a larger
principle for the body of Christ
to digest. And it is this that
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we are not our own. It is why
Ephesians says that you are
God's workmanship and that
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create good great works, have
been created in you ahead of
time. Are y'all hearing what I'm
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saying? And see, we've got to
get to the place where we accept
some realities that we are
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potter. Excuse me, that he is
potter, and that we are clay,
that we are instrument and he is
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musician. That we are tool and
he is contractor. That he is
remote control and we are the
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vehicle. Are y'all hearing what
I'm saying? And see I need us to
understand this, because there's
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a question that some of us need
to evaluate as we think about
setting aside or stepping away
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from certain responsibilities.
The question is, did you quit or
did God release you? No, this is
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a question you got to answer
yourself. Because see, I need
you to understand that a purpose
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of God, you don't get to quit.
Ooh, y'all going to get mad. You
got to be released from an
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assignment. So, that your boy
Moses, when he struck the rock
the second time, he didn't quit.
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God just said, listen, all right
Moses, you're done. Let me call
somebody else in. You've taken
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it as far as you can go. In
other words, you're not quitting
the job, but guess what, Your
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work is done. I'm going to let
you die Moses. But guess what,
I'm going to take you on back up
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to glory. And see there's a word
for the people of God because
true workers of God don't
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retire. They repurpose So I know
ministry leader, you resigned.
But the question is, were you
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released? Volunteer, I know you
resigned from the position, but
the question is, were you
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released by God from the
position? I know you quit your
job over there serving those
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folk, but the question is, did
God release you from serving
those folk you didn't want to be
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around? I know you quit or
divorced the remarriage. But the
question is, did God release you
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from the marriage? And see, I
need somebody to get that when
you quit, I need you to know
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that it disrupts the flow of
God's blessings toward your
life. But guess what? When you
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are released by God, there is a
peace and God blesses you for
the next venture that is ahead
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of you. But I need somebody to
make sure that you know the
difference between peace and
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ease. There is no peace when you
quit. But guess what? There is
an ease when you quit. In other
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words, it's easy for the moment,
but I need somebody to
understand that that ease is
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temporary. It's going to
ultimately be replaced by
regrets and what ifs and
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questions. And did I bail out on
God too quickly? Are y'all
hearing what I'm saying? And
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see, I need somebody to
understand why God won't let you
determine when you've had
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enough. Y'all still here church?
There's a reason why God won't
let you make that assessment.
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How many of us believe that as
humans we all have a breaking
point? The reason God won't let
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you make that assessment is
because your breaking point is
perceived. How many of us know
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that what you think is your
breaking point is not your
actual breaking point? How many
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of us know that you think you
can only go this far but God
knows how far you can go? Do you
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realize there's a difference
between what you think you can
bear and what God knows you're
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able to bear? And see, that's
why God will not allow you to
determine when enough is
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actually enough. Only the one
who created you knows where the
actual breaking point is. It's
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crazy. I remember being right
here in this city. I was
pastoring in another place at
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the time I was a little bit
younger and I had got a grown
little weary mark with small
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church life and no growth and
things not moving forward and
some of the messy, dramatic
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politics of church life. And I
was just like, man Lord, there's
got to be more to it than this.
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And it's crazy because I was
here at camp meeting man walking
around full of frustration and
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anger and my father-in-law at
the time was doing some work
documenting the great evangelist
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EE Cleveland. And so he took me
over to his apartment, and it's
crazy because when I was there I
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didn't say really anything
besides hello sir and goodbye
sir when we left. But it's
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crazy. This man was so filled
with the spirit of God when he
found out where his Pastor is.
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He says, I knew there... he says
many pastors went there to die.
But he looked at me, he said,
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you don't look like one that's
destined to die. And he says, I
know it may be hard, but he said
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something I'll never forget. He
says, it may bend you but it
ain't going to break you. And
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it's crazy. He laid hands and
prayed and it changed the whole
trajectory of my life because I
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need you to know there was a
point where I thought I couldn't
take it no more, but God was
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bending me but it was not going
to break me. And God's word to
somebody is you are in a bending
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season but there is no breakage
anywhere close by. Alright. See
some of y'all are still looking
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at me strange. Can I get the old
folk to help me preach for a
moment? Can I get some folk
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who've ever been through
something to help the preacher
out? Anybody ever had a season
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in life? Whether it was a death,
a loss, a job loss, a slander, a
betrayal man. And it was so hard
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you thought you wasn't going to
never make it through. Anybody
ever had that illness that had
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you calling on God and wondering
if God heard. You ever had that
season in your marriage where
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you saw the travail of your
soul, and you wonder whether or
not God had forgotten about you.
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Anybody ever had a pain in your
body so great that you didn't
think you were going to make it
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to the end of the week? Has
anybody ever been in that season
where you thought you were at
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your breaking point? But here's
the shout. That was 10 years
ago, 20 years ago, five years
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ago. And there was a point you
thought you couldn't go no
further, but you look back on it
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and realize that was light
affliction and you've been
through 10 things harder than
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that one thing. And it's why God
won't let you determine when
you've had enough. Because God
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knows what's in you. He knows
what has to be done and there is
strength you can't see. A
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portion, you can't access, a
hope that you can't glean. And
if you hold on to God's
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unchanging hand, if he brought
you to it, he'll see you through
it. Stay with me church. Why do
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you pay a personal trainer? You
don't pay them to tell you what
to do. You pay them to push you.
00:19:42.28\00:19:51.92
Oh God. In other words, when you
would do 10 by yourself, when
you get to 10 the trainer says
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give me five more. See, their
job is to get out of you all
that he's put inside of you. And
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I need you to know Jehovah is
the personal trainer for the
character of the saints of God.
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And when you think you can only
get to 10, Jesus says, give me
five more, give 10 more, give me
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15 more. There's more in you.
And when you can't take it,
Jesus gives you a spot and
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carries what you cannot carry.
Are y'all hearing the word today
friends? Listen, I'm almost
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done. Third, next thing is to
teach you real quick, the reason
Elijah had enough is because he
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didn't have enough. Now I'm
praying this course helps
somebody to course correct
00:20:49.64\00:21:03.32
today. Now, this going to help
somebody very practical thing
and listen, I'm almost done. But
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see we find Elijah here, man
your boy, he's done man. He is
emotionally depleted man. He's
00:21:11.87\00:21:22.31
mentally scarred man. He is at a
place of complete disgust and
suicidal man. He don't think he
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can go no further. And it's
crazy because I don't know if in
the first time Elijah falls
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asleep or if he just passes out.
But I want you to see the
miracle in what God does and
00:21:35.39\00:21:41.13
then what God doesn't do. So
Elijah goes to sleep, angel
comes, wakes him up, and guess
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what he does? He's got some
bread baking on coals and he
tells Elijah to eat something.
00:21:46.94\00:21:52.37
Then he lets Elijah go to sleep
for a long time. And when he
wakes him up, guess what he
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does? He tells him to eat
something again. Some of y'all
have missed this. Understand
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that when Elijah is at his
breaking point, the God doesn't
give him a vision. God doesn't
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give him a dream, God doesn't
give him more of the Holy Ghost.
God doesn't tamper with his
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mortal nature. What God simply
does is help Elijah get back in
rhythm by giving him rest and
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nourishment. See, the reason
Elijah had enough is because he
didn't have enough. See, I need
00:22:21.07\00:22:24.21
you to get that on the worst day
of Elijah's life. You know what
God did? is he helped him get
00:22:24.24\00:22:29.08
his life back in balance. See, I
need you to understand that
Elijah has began to develop some
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habits that even though they
made him strong in the
spiritual, they created some
00:22:36.28\00:22:43.06
detrimental effects that will
harm anybody that's still
touched by mortality. Are y'all
00:22:43.09\00:22:49.03
with me today Friends? So
remember now man, because of the
drought man, Elijah has not
00:22:49.06\00:23:02.21
eaten in some time. And then
after he calls fire down from
heaven and the prophets of Baal
00:23:02.24\00:23:08.18
are executed, go back and read
it. The Bible says that he runs
ahead of Ahab on foot all the
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way to the land of Jezebel. So
Elijah's in a place where he is
physically depleted, he is
00:23:15.52\00:23:25.73
already worn down. And guess
what? He is so overwhelmed
because of what he does not
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have. Now watch this. Elijah is
spiritual. He is on pursuits for
God, he is running divine
00:23:37.51\00:23:52.63
errands. But I need somebody to
get this point that a spiritual
surplus will not eliminate an
00:23:52.66\00:23:59.00
earthly deficit. Oh God. In
other words, just because he is
strong on this side doesn't mean
00:23:59.03\00:24:02.67
he gets to neglect the other
areas of human experience. So,
that a part of your assignment
00:24:02.70\00:24:11.45
is to be filled with the spirit.
Come on and say amen. It is to
accomplish what God has put
00:24:11.48\00:24:16.48
before you. But guess what? You
cannot like Elijah, get to a
place where your withdrawals
00:24:16.52\00:24:22.29
have exceeded your deposits lest
you are destined for breakdown.
Are y'all hearing me today? And
00:24:22.32\00:24:29.10
see the rhythm reason that some
of us don't have enough is
because we are out of the rhythm
00:24:29.13\00:24:37.94
of rest and nourishment. See,
the reason that some of us are
messed up is because we have
00:24:37.97\00:24:45.51
succumbed to what Dr. Daniels
refers to as grind to culture.
In other words, we're man man,
00:24:45.55\00:24:57.09
I'm just going to grind. I just
got to go out and get it man. I
got to go and overwork myself
00:24:57.13\00:25:07.30
and see what it is, is where man
I compromise my inner wellness
in order to procure outer
00:25:07.34\00:25:18.58
wellness. In other words, where
I compromise my health, my
family, my inner being, my
00:25:18.61\00:25:28.22
spiritual life for the
procurement or the... to be able
to have access to things which
00:25:28.26\00:25:42.94
ultimately perish. See, grind
culture has began to infect the
church so much so that man we
00:25:42.97\00:25:51.98
have gotten out of the rhythm of
rest and even sabbath because we
think that we got to go and
00:25:52.01\00:25:58.22
build this empire. Why you
trying to build an empire when
you ought to be living for the
00:25:58.25\00:26:13.20
kingdom? Are you hearing what
I'm saying? It's crazy. Malcolm
I was listening to a podcast
00:26:13.23\00:26:20.18
this week where Steve Harvey
man, and I get what he was
trying to say. He made a
00:26:20.21\00:26:24.38
statement, man, that essentially
man alluded to grind culture.
Which essentially said man, that
00:26:24.41\00:26:31.62
there's no way you can sleep
eight hours a day and be a
success. And he based it on the
00:26:31.65\00:26:39.83
formula that eight hours is one
third of the day. So he said if
you sleep eight hours a day,
00:26:39.86\00:26:47.27
then you sleep one third of your
life. But I would rather sleep
eight hours a day and live 90
00:26:47.30\00:26:56.64
years than to sleep four hours a
day, have a house and live to be
45. Are y'all hearing what I'm
00:26:56.68\00:27:02.12
saying today? And see there is
somebody that will not receive
this because you're not in touch
00:27:02.15\00:27:09.72
with your mortality yet. There
is an effect of imbalance. Do
you realize man, God blesses
00:27:09.76\00:28:12.65
Elijah with a nap. He lets him
sleep because you realize that
there are some specific
00:28:12.69\00:28:31.21
detriments that are the result
of sleep deprivation. There are
some specific health maladies.
00:28:31.24\00:28:46.25