Running With the Horses

Guest speaker Neal Childs presents a message on the importance of embracing change. He challenges listeners to "press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took ahold of you...forgetting what is behind and straining toward what lies ahead (Phil. 3:12-13)." "Don't look back at past achievements," he said. "Have a next level mindset. Anything that is going to grow must change," he said.

Neal and his wife Danette Childs founded Unreached Nations International (RUN) in 2013 to facilitate their vision to reach the unreached. They have served in Niger Republic since 1998.

Todd Beal and his wife Sonja are the founders of New & Living Way Church in Kelso Washington, where he serves as lead pastor. Since the church's beginning in 2012, their desire has and is to see breakthrough in the lives of God's people and for the local church be a fresh, loving and vibrant community of people who are passionately serving God

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Such a joy to have with us uh Neil and Jeanette Childs. They have been friends of ours. We met them back uh over twenty years ago, we have known them. I met them in Little Rock, Arkansas, and uh when they just had a just a few years under their belt as missionaries to Africa and they were visiting the church there that I was on staff with, and there was just a connection of the Lord. And so when we planted the church back in 2014, or 2012 rather, I just knew that one of the missionaries that we wanted to support was Neil and Danet. And so they have been uh faithful there for decades. His father started the ministry. Let's welcome her and him also in the name of Jesus. It's so good to have them with us, amen.

SPEAKER_01 0:49

Hallelujah, Munadare, Sabu de Yesu. We have life because of Jesus, amen. It is a privilege to be here. We are honored to be your missionaries. We one of the reasons we want to come and visit our churches is to say thank you. In how so we say, Mungodi da Gazurfin Zuchermu. Thank you from the bottoms of our heart. We are grateful. We can't do what we do. Everything you see there, we show that so you see what you have been supporting on a monthly basis. And so we're honored to be an extension of New and Living Way Church. Amen. Are you ready for the word? Are you ready for the word? Alright, man. You I love this. This is a good response. Good Muna Dare. In Niger, when we say Muna Dare, the congregation answers Sabo de Yesu. Muna Dare is we have life, and you answer with Sabo de Yesu because of Jesus. And if I say Sabo de Yesu, you say Muna Dare. You got that? So I'll be testing you through the message a little bit. Muna Dare! Sabunda Yesu. Sabunna Yesu. Alright, well, we'll work on it. Amen. Amen. We are honored to be here this morning, and it is it is good. Are you are you ready for the word? Okay. Jeremiah chapter 12. If you have your Bibles. I'm having a hard time opening up my all right. Hallelujah. Jeremiah chapter 12. Last year we had, or actually, it's been a little bit over a year ago. As Danette shared with you, we've been experiencing some of a pretty heightened level of insecurity in the country. Terrorism has been on the rise. Displaced, many of our people, she she mentioned the 2,400 that have been displaced, not only from their homes, their farmlands, their way of life, in that region. We have 74 churches. This affected about 20 of our pastors, 20 of our churches displaced. And the Lord gathered, the Lord directed us to have this meeting. We gathered them together, and the Lord gave us a word for the ministry at that time. And the word was this out of Jeremiah chapter 12 and verse 5. So I'm going to read what the Lord gave us for our pastors, but what we realize later this wasn't just for our pastors, this was for us personally. And then I realized it wasn't just for us personally. I believe this is a message that is for the body of Christ. So I'm going to share with you out of Jeremiah chapter 12 and verse 5, it says, if you have raced with men on foot and they have worn you out, how can you compete with horses? You have stumbled in the safe country. How will you manage the thickets or the floodplain by the Jordan? I want to ask you today, are you ready to run with the horses? Are you ready to navigate the flood waters? Amen? Are you ready for it? You know, somebody asked me, Well, who runs with horses? That's a picture that God was telling Jeremiah. You've run with men and they warn you out. How are you gonna run with horses? You see, Jeremiah was at a place in his life in his ministry, he was frustrated. He was getting irritated because they would not receive his prophetic words. He was complaining, he was even upset that it seemed like the wicked were prospering and it was frustrating him. And so, you know, sometimes when we're dealing with things, we need a pat on the back and some encouragement, right? And sometimes you just need a kick in the backside. And this is the word that God gave Jeremiah. He says, You run, you've raced with men on foot, and they wore you out. How are you gonna run with horses? How many are run ready to run with some horses? You see, God was shifting Jeremiah's perspective. He, you know, he wasn't he was saying, You think this is bad, it can get a whole lot worse. But he was not just shifting his perspective. He wasn't just shifting his perspective, he he was saying you need to think about where you're at today. Not just think about where you're at today, but have a next level mindset. What are we thinking? What is ahead? We've got to be thinking about what is coming next. We can't get so caught up in seeing our current situation like it's a dead end, it's an insurmountable challenge. Because I want you to know God has a whole nother level for us, and God wants us to be next level minded. You've run with men and they wore you out. How are you gonna run with the horses? And I love the picture of horses. You know, he could have used camels or donkeys. You know, in Niger, we we they ride camels. If you see a camel running, man, it is not, it is not that pretty. Wish I could have put a little clip of a running camel, but he said, How are you gonna run with horses? Because he wants the picture of running with horses for his church. Have you seen a horse run? Majestic in beauty and the muscles rippling, it's majestic. You've run with men and they wore you out. Are you ready to run with horses? Don't get stuck in your current situation, but look ahead to what is next. So today I want to talk about running with the horses, having a next level mindset. You see, the the word, excuse me, the word level refers to measurements, right? We have in school, you have what level are you? Advanced levels or levels of difficulty, levels of distance, levels of progress. God is saying, I want my church to go to the next level. God was speaking to our pastors in the midst of probably one of the toughest things they'd ever face, the level of persecution. I mean, we had terrorists come into our churches and beat every member, and the pastor in front of all of them whipped them. And I asked them after they were telling me what happened. I said, Did you cry? They said, No. That's the next level. How many are ready to get to the next level and run with the horses? Amen. Well, the apostle Paul gives us some insights about running with the next level. You see, first of all, you got to have this revelation that God wants us moving forward. God wants us, he told Moses in every place with the sole of your foot shall tread upon. I've given to you. He repeated it to Joshua. God doesn't want the church just standing in one place, he wants us moving forward. Jesus said from the days of John the Baptist till now, the kingdom of heaven is forcefully advancing and the forceful shall lay hold of it. Are you ready to run with some horses? Are you ready to get to the next level? I love Jesus' parable in Matthew chapter 25. And I'm just getting warmed up. I'll get going here. It's taking me a minute here, but in the parable of the talents, I mean, there's so much you can unpack out of that parable, but there's one thing that's very clear. There is an expectation for us to increase. Maintaining is not enough. You get five and you add five, well done, good and faithful servant. You got two and you add two, well done, good and faithful servant. But you got one and you just keep the one, you maintain that one. Get out, you worthless. I mean, he used the word worthless. Throw them out because there is an expectation on us to run with the horses. There's an expectation on us that we will increase and we will grow. And so the apostle Paul gives us some insights for that. How many are ready to run with the horses? I know y'all are still checking me out. You're like, man, what's this missionary gonna preach about? Missionaries are supposed to bring a nice warm message, right? I'll get there eventually, but come on, let's stay with me now, okay? So, Apostle Paul, we're gonna look at what Apostle Paul has to say in Philippians chapter 3. Philippians chapter 3, starting in verse 12. Very, very popular verse. We probably most of us here have it somewhat memorized. But in this, there's gonna be five quick points we're gonna see about a next level mindset that the Apostle Paul teaches us that I think we can learn from today. Are we gonna learn from Apostle Paul here? It says, first of all, verse 12. Not that I have already obtained all this or have already arrived at my goal. The first principle we can see about getting into the next level, moving forward to the next level is this we cannot sit around thinking about all our past achievements. If you're so busy counting all the achievements you have, looking at the certificates and diplomas on your wall, counting all the churches you have, all the church members you have, all the levels of income you have in your bank accounts. If you're busy looking at what you've already done, you'll never have that drive to get to the next level. God is saying, do not consider all that you've done in the past. Thank God for what he's done in this church. God has made, God is moving in New and Living Way church. I look out across here and I say, wow, there has been a move of God. But you can't just keep looking past of what he's already done because God wants to take you to the next level. So Apostle Paul teaches us first right now. First off, you can't keep looking. He says, I consider not that I've already arrived or have achieved my goals. But he says, number two, I press on to take hold of that for which Christ took hold of me. There is a pressing in to take hold. You see, I talked about having a next level mindset. I believe here the apostle Paul is talking about that focused effort. You're pressing in to take hold of it. We've got to take hold of our thoughts and our desires and our intentions and our motives. We've got to take those and we've got to direct them into what is next, not what is just now. Now listen to me, I know it's real popular to say, hey, you got to be present in the moment. Present in the moment. You are present in the moment. But if you're so busy being present in the moment and reveling in the moment, in the current and the now, you'll miss what is next. God is saying, I want you to have a next level mindset. Don't get you ran with the horses and you and they wore you out. How are you gonna run with the horses? Run with men on foot? No. Next level. So you press in. You sit what is a mindset? A mindset is setting your mind. You you set your mind, you press in. There's a lot of distractions going on right now. There's a lot of things that can pull you out of really thinking about what is next. But the apostle Paul's saying, press in to take hold of that for which Christ took hold of you. If anybody was gonna have their life just automatically light out, it would be would have been the Apostle Paul on the road to Damascus. God grabs him, Jesus grabs him, knocks him, blinds him, and calls him. But even the apostle Paul, who had such a dramatic conversion, even he had to say, I have to press in to take hold of that for which Christ took hold of me. So it's a pressing and it's a mindset. So number one, we don't look back at all our achievements. Number two, number two, we press in to set our mind. And then he goes on to say, pressing in, I uh I do not consider myself to have arrived or have already attained my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ took hold of me. And we continue on, he says, brothers and sisters, do not I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it, but one thing I do. Third thing is that it's not just about thinking, it's not just about the mental gymnastics, it's not just about setting your mind. But if we're gonna get to the next level, yes, we have to not consider all our achievements. We have to set our mind in focus, and then we have to put it into action. He said, This one thing I do. You know what? Too many times the church is just busy talking about all the great things they're gonna do, putting it on the wall, on the on the overhead. They're talking about it, but the time comes where you talk about it enough, you gotta do it. Amen. So action, action, faith without action is dead, right? So we've got to do some things. Jesus said, I love when Jesus said, You're either with me or you're against me. You're either gathering or you're scattering. You see, there's no neutral position, there's no not just doing nothing. Come on, church, we're going to get to the next level. There's going to be some action involved. So we don't sit around considering all our great achievements. Number two, we set our mind, we're pressing in to take hold of it. And three, we put it into action. Number four, he says, this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind. You have to actively forget some things that have that you've been through. You ran with men and they wore you out. What are you gonna do? Keep rehearsing that race that you failed, keep on remembering how you ran that race and they took you down. If you're so busy remembering your mistakes and your failures, you can never get to the next level. The time comes you have to say, forgetting those things which are behind, I will reach for the things that are ahead. Mistakes, failures. Man, there's some people they went through a divorce and they think that God can never use them again. They got fired from their job, they think they'll never be a success. Forget those things which are behind. God wants to take us to the next level. How about offenses? If there's anything that keeps people stuck in one place and never moving forward, is when they keep rehearsing what that person did to them. The apostle Paul said, having this one thing I do, I forget the things which are behind. Let go of the offenses, let go of the people that have lied about you, let go of your failures, let go of your mistakes. Oh, I should have done that. No, forget about it. God is saying, I have something better for you. You think this was hard, it can get a whole lot harder. People are like, what did he just say? You think this was hard, it can get a whole lot harder. You run with men and they wore you out. How are you gonna run with the horses? Are we ready to get to the next level? This one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind. And then the apostle Paul says, I reach for the things that are ahead. Next level mindset. We've got to have that next level mind. You know, there was a one of the Americans, what considered to be America's greatest architect of all time, his name's Frank Lloyd Wright. How many have heard of him? Famous architect. He had a 70-year career of what is considered to be the greatest works in American architecture. And consistently and always, anytime he's asked by any reporter or admirer, what is your greatest work that you have done of all your great works? Every time he would say, The next one. He wasn't so caught up in all that he had already done, but he was always focused on the next one. God's taking us to the next level. So we don't consider all our achievements. We set our mind to press in and take hold, taking hold with a focused effort of what is coming ahead. It's not just a mindset, we put it into action. We actively forget the things that have tried to hold us back. And number five, the apostle Paul is saying, now you need to reach for the things that are ahead. There's a change of direction. I'm not gonna, I'm gonna forget the behind, and I'm gonna reach for the things ahead. We've got to change direction sometimes. Changing direction is not easy. Change isn't easy. If we're ever gonna get to the next level, we gotta learn how important it is to embrace change. I want to go over to Deuteronomy now, Deuteronomy chapter 2. Deuteronomy chapter 2, starting to read in verse 1. I'll actually read this one in King James. It says, Then we turned. I like it because it uses the word mountain instead of hill country. It says, Then we turned and it took our journey into the wilderness by the way of the Red Sea as the Lord spoke unto me. And we compassed Mount Sayer many days. And the Lord spoke unto me, saying, You have compassed or gone around, you have gone around this mountain long enough. Turn you northward. A change of direction. Have you ever felt like your wheels were spinning, but you're not getting anywhere? You ever seen somebody? It's like the way they start the year, and then the way they end the year, there's no change. There's no growth spiritually, there's no growth financially, there's no growth in any area of life. The way they start January is the way they end. And what's really bad is when you look back over your life five years and you realize I was farther ahead than I am today. The Israelites have been going around because the Lord had directed them into this place, and they'd been going around the same mountain for over 30 years. Come on, boy, take it. For over 30 years, been going around the same mountain, and finally God says, You've gone around this mountain long enough. Sometimes we need to recognize when it's time to change direction. We've got to realize how important it is to hear when God is saying, Now I have something more for you. If we're gonna get to the next level, we're gonna have to be ready to embrace change. Change isn't easy. People don't always love change. In fact, change makes you have to be ready to be vulnerable. Nobody wants change. It's tough. Well, sometimes they want change, but they don't want certain kinds of change. And God said to them, I want you to change. You know, some people have been going around the same mountain, no progress. Every year in, year out, no change. There's some people that wear it as a badge of honor. They're proud. We haven't changed in 30 years, and there's still no progress. Everything's just happening again and again. Same song, singing the same songs, wearing the same clothes. I'm kind of guilty of that. I have shirts I'm wearing from 30 years ago. Probably a good 20 years ago. But you know, sometimes you gotta take, throw that old shirt away. And I know us guys, and we don't want that. That's my favorite shirt. But sometimes we gotta get rid of something and say, God's got something new for me. I've been around this mountain long enough. He's saying, now go north. Are we ready to embrace the change? You know, so many people don't want to embrace change. Anything, if you're not ready to embrace change, you're never gonna grow. Because anything that's growing is gonna be experiencing change. When I was in high school, growing up in Nigeria, I was 6'1, 155 pounds. I could eat a pile of rice, and then we could eat rice back then. I could eat a pile of rice. But you know what? As I grew some things changed. And if I hadn't changed how much I was eating, I could have become fat. Man, y'all are a very polite congregation. They're all like, we're supposed to laugh at that. What's the point? The point is anything that's growing is gonna experience change, and we've got to make some changes, or failure begins to set in, or laziness begins to set in, or death begins to set in. We've gotta embrace the change because when we don't, things can die. Do you know that? In the 1990s, there was a company that was responsible for 90% of all photography. Kodak. 90% of all pictures had a Kodak product involved. In the 1990s, that's not even that long ago. What was it, 12 years later? After their peak, it was like 2010 or 2012, they declared bankrupt. Because they refused to change when things started changing in the marketplace and in technology. How about Xerox? Xerox is a company that founded the photocopy. And so for years we called photocopies Xerox copies. It was in like 1906 they they invented it. They dominated the market. Billion dollar company. They were a $32 billion company in the year 2000. Today they're struggling as a $1 billion company. You say $1 billion, that's not struggling. When you go from $32 billion Into one, and you're the one who invented it because they wouldn't make the changes. You see, anytime we don't embrace change, we stunt our growth. We'll never get to the next level if we're not ready to make the changes that we need to make. You've gone around this mountain long enough. Go north. Are we ready to run with some horses? We've got to be ready to embrace the change. Do you know that God changes? I got one yes on that. Thank you. Most people's minds are going right to Malachi. I am the Lord God, I do not change. I want you to know God changes. Now, who he is does not change. His character does not change. The doctrine of an immutable God is not a very true doctrine. He doesn't change who he is, and his character doesn't change. But what he does and how he does it does change, and it's all throughout the Bible. Hezekiah was told by God, this sickness you have is unto death. Get your house in order because you're gonna die. What did Hezekiah do? He cries out to God, God, remember all that I've done. God, I've been doing all this for you. Please, God, don't let this take. And God adds to his life 15 years. God changed his mind. How about when when Moses is coming down from the mount with it with the with the with the Ten Commandments that God had given him, and and they've and he arrives down and they've done this golden calf, and God is furious. And God says to Moses, We're gonna wipe them out. We're gonna start again. I'm gonna destroy them. And Moses cries out to God, No God, what will the people think about you if you destroy your people? And the Bible actually says, God changed his mind. Now, some translations say God repented. That's really strange. Or God relented. Depends on what translation you use. But the point is, God changes what he was planning. That's why the word that the Lord gave us, hold tightly to your purpose and loosely to your plans. Because, man, some things can change. God changes. The Bible says, God, with God, all things are new. He makes all things new. Behold, I make all things new. Because he's always changing. And we've got to be ready to hear what God is saying today. Amen. I want you to see this again. God can work in a different way to bring provision into your life. Let's go to 1 Kings. Chapter 17. 1 Kings chapter 17. Starting in verse 2. Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah, Leave here, turn eastward, and hide in the Kareth ravine, east of the Jordan. You will drink from the brook, and I have directed the ravens to supply you with food there. So he did what the Lord had told him. He went to the Kareth ravine, east of the Jordan, and stayed there. And the ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook. Man, this was God's provision in the midst of a famine. I mean, there was famine through the land, but God had a supernatural provision for Elijah. God is the one who sent him to that brook where he would have a supply of water and ravens would be bringing provision. He had all his needs met. That was God's provision. Now we keep reading the next verse. It says, it says in verse 7, sometime later, the brook dried up because there'd been no rain in the land. Man, right there, that'll knock some people's faith right down. I mean, some people turn on God when that happens. They've been doing what God said to do, they're experiencing God's provision, and then all of a sudden, it doesn't make sense. God, you sent me here, this was your provision, and boom. Now it's dried up. That couldn't be God. God changed his plans. That was good for a time, but now there's something new. We've got to be ready to hear the new plan. We've got to be ready to change. You've been around this mountain long enough. Now it's time to make some changes. And he goes on, and God, in the next verse, verse 8, it says, Then the word of the Lord came to him. Go at once to Zarephath in the region of Sidon and stay there. I have directed a widow there to supply you with food. Man, I can just imagine Elijah's thinking here. God comes to him and says, Hey, don't worry, I got a whole nother plan of provision for you. I'm sending you to this region, and I have prepared this widow to take care of you. In his mind, he's probably thinking, Man, a wealthy madame. She's got living in a mansion, she has her wealth, and I'm gonna just show up and she's gonna be taking care of me. How many know that sometimes the next level doesn't always look like a promotion? And you know, sometimes that next level provision doesn't always come in the way you think it's gonna. He shows up to the widow's place and he asks her for some food, and she says, I don't have nothing. I don't have anything, I've got nothing to give you. If I just have this little bit of food, I'm getting ready to prepare it for my kids. We're gonna eat it and die. This is God's plan for provision for the man of God. Man, do you know that sometimes that next level doesn't make sense? Sometimes that next level God's putting you in, it doesn't even look like a promotion. You know, when I left when we left Michigan, I don't know if you know my backstory, but before I got to Agape to go to Bible school there and to be sent out as a missionary out of agape church, we were serving in Michigan. I was a systems engineer with EDS, but then I worked in our church. I served as our youth pastor. I was actually like the associate uh pastor there in this church. We had a church, it was up to about 300 at one point. Pastor didn't have much staff, he had like a secretary in him, but I was his like number two guy. I and back then we used the term armor bear. I was his armor bear. When he left town, I directed the service, I preached in his pulpit whenever whenever he was needing a break. I mean, I got I got licensed through this ministry. This was up in Michigan. But then God said, Hey, I'm taking you from Michigan. I want you to go to Little Rock. This is where I'm gonna want you to be trained, and you're getting ready. That was my next level, okay? We show up in Little Rock, get to Agape church, and we become nobodies. And I'll tell you, it didn't feel good. Back in Michigan, we were like the whole church was looking at us as leaders. And now we show up at agape and we're nothing. We sat in the back, nobody knew our name. It didn't feel like a promotion. This was my next level. Sometimes that next level doesn't feel like a promotion. You know, when God took Moses out of Pharaoh's house, out of the, out of, out of the king's place, he sends him to the wilderness for his next level. Man, sometimes that next level doesn't always look like you want it to look. In fact, you know what? God, when he takes you to that next level, sometimes he does it in a way you would never think. When he uses a widow woman to bring to supply provision for the man of God, it's not the way we would plan it, right? You know, God does something. Sometimes the very thing that you the enemy wants to use to destroy is the thing that God's gonna use to take you up to that next level. God will put, God will, God will turn the enemy's plans around when he wanted to destroy you and he promotes you into the next level. It doesn't always look like you think it will. It doesn't always come like, hey, that's great. No. Elijah looked at that situation, but Elijah, under the anointing of God, said, Go and prepare the food, but give it to me first. Because God sent him there for her to provide for him. And so Elijah said, Give it to me first. Can you imagine what people would have said back then? Man, that man of God is taking the widows who lost food. Man, sometimes the word of God that comes through the anointed under the unction of the anointing, it's not always gonna agree with the whole masses. And sometimes people get messed up when God wants to do something because they get caught up in like, well, that's not right. And so God said, or so Elijah said to her, make for me. And we know the story, right? We know she goes and makes for him, and her last oil continues to never end through the end of the I mean it was God's second level provision. God wants us to walk into next level provision. God wants us to walk into next level ministry. God wants to take us to the next level. How many are ready to run with the horses? How many want to see next level provision in your life? How many want to see next level anointing in your ministry? A next level evangelism, next level miracles, next level responsibility. How about a next level authority? How many want some next level authority? God wants to take you to the next level. How many are ready for some next level sacrifice? How many are ready for some next level giving? Come on now, let's pass the plate. Are we ready to run with the horses? It doesn't always, that next level doesn't always look like you think it's gonna. But we've got to hear when God is saying, now, you've been around that mountain long enough. I've got something, I've got something higher for you. I got some horses I want you to run with. You've been running with men, and even if you failed, there's another level I have for you. Because we're forgetting those failures and we're running with the horses. Amen. Let's go over to Hebrews. Hebrews chapter 5. He thought I was almost done. I'm with you. Pastor gave me a time limit. I'm in it. When I'm over it, I'll tell you when I'm over it, but I'm still in it. Hebrews chapter 5. Here we see the author of Hebrews again, revelation of next level thinking. He says here in verse 12, in fact, though, by this time you ought to be teachers. You need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food. Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teachings about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature. How many meat eaters do we got here? Come on. Solid food. But solid food is for the mature who, by constant use, have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. By this time, you ought to be teachers. Right there, that's telling us in the body of Christ, God always wants us going to the next level. I don't, you may never be a pastor, although in our churches, we're telling everybody be ready to be a pastor. Because we're in a land we need more churches, we need more leaders, we need more pastors. God calls. I mean, I don't don't think the missionaries just telling people to go be pastors. That's not what I'm saying. But I'm saying we ought to be teachers. To be a disciple, you need to make disciples. Jesus said, Follow me, and I will make you to be a fisherman. To be a disciple, you need to make disciples. We ought to be teachers. If we're going to the next level, we need to get to that next level. We need to stop drinking on the milk. Amen. And I'm just, I'm not saying you're all milk drinkers. I don't even know that. That's one reason why, you know, it's good for me. I can just show up. I don't know people's names and I don't know their stories. But I'm just saying we don't want to be milk drinkers, right? We want to be meat eaters. We want to be going to the next level. Next, we continue in the next chapter. That chapter ends. We go into Hebrews chapter 6, verse 1. It says, Therefore, let us move beyond. I love the word beyond because that's how I started my book. So I want to put a quick promo here. I have two books here. One is called Beyond One, talking about generational thinking. It's a, I mean, our whole ministry is based on taking what we've received from the previous generation and passing it on to the next generation, releasing them to go higher and go farther. And so that is really the foundation for discipleship. We should all be making disciples. The Apostle Paul said, he said, the things which you have learned of me, of many witnesses, commit thou to faithful men to teach others also. One verse, 2 Timothy 2, 2, has four generations. Then my latest book, Beyond Normal. Again, beyond. Next level, beyond normal. How many want to be beyond normal? This is the Apostle Paul based on the Apostle Paul's statement. Sorry, Danette, I'm making you get up and good exercise. It's based on the Apostle Paul says, I become all things to all men that by all possible means I might save some. It's an all-possible means approach. So the books are back there. We don't sell the books. We make them available for a $10 or more or less donation. Whatever you feel let in your heart, if you don't have much money with you, but you want to read the book and you will read the book, two bucks, five bucks. I mean, we just want people to get the books. Amen. Here the apostle Paul says, let us move beyond. Let's go to the next level. And I believe the Apostle Paul wrote Hebrews as well. I know there's some different thoughts on that. It says, therefore, let us move beyond. Now listen to this. This is where it gets really crazy. Let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ. And be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from works that lead to death, and of faith in God, and instruction about cleansing rites, and the laying on of hands, and the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. I remember when I first read this, it was almost shocking to me. It's saying, let us move beyond the very things that are the foundation of what we believe. Christ, faith, the resurrection of the dead, the laying out of hands, eternal judgment. Those are core beliefs that we stand on. But that's the foundation. How many are living in a house today where you just have the foundation? You get in bed at night and you're looking out at stars. That's all your house is, is a foundation. You see, here the author of Hebrews isn't saying that we don't stand on these things and we don't preach these things, but we move beyond them. We put some walls up and we put a roof on the house. Amen? We've got to build it. We've got to go to the next level. If we're just gonna stay in level zero and we're just gonna be laying the foundation and laying the foundation, and we keep laying the foundation and hey, let's lay the foundation again. More foundation. All your house is foundation. But God's saying, you've gone around this mountain long enough. Let's let's reach to the next level. Amen. I said it's time to go to the next level. I want to run with some horses. The apostle Paul said, again in Corinthians, 2 Corinthians 3.18 says, But we all with an unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into his image from glory to glory. See, I talked about we got to be ready to embrace the change. There's a new direction. God says, when we behold the glory of the Lord, unveiled face, well, I mean, we're standing before God. He says we will be changed into his image, from glory to glory. Another translation says, in ever-increasing changing, we're being transformed. Amen. We've got to be ready to get to that next level because God wants to take you from a level of glory that you're at to a whole nother level of glory. Everybody say, I'm going to the next level. From glory to glory. God has something more, something greater. You thought that was hard? It can get a whole lot harder. Everybody say, Come on, bring it on. Bring it on. I'm ready to run with some horses. My time is almost out, so I'm going to make a cool transition here. No, there's a couple stories I want to tell. One is from the book of Judges, and I think we probably all know the story, so I'm not going to read it. But we see the story of Gideon, right? We remember the Midianites are harassing Israel. They've come in, anytime they're bringing their harvest in, the Midianites come in and they scatter it and they burn it and they pillage it. And man, God finally says, okay, that's enough. It says the Midianites had 135,000 soldiers. Everybody say that number, 135,000. That is a big number. God comes to Gideon and says, Hey, Gideon, we need to do something about this. I want you now to raise up an army because we're gonna deal with these Midianites. Gideon's like, Me? I can't do that, but you know that part of the story. Well, finally, Gideon says, Okay, goes out and gathers up some Israelites that are ready to come and fight, and they gather up 32,000. So here we have 135,000, 135,000 against 32,000. The odds are not good for God's people. But what does God say? You're too many. I've got a whole nother level of faith I want you to walk in. I got a whole nother level of commitment and sacrifice that I'm gonna demand from you. So 32,000 is too many. You go and tell them if anybody has any fear. I'll tell you what, fear stops people from getting to the next level. In fact, fear keeps people stuck. Says anybody that has fear, send them home. We see 22,000 go home. Now they're down to just 10,000 against 135,000. And what does God say? You're still too many. There's another level of faith, there's another level of trust and commitment I want from you. I want you to walk in another level. So now he sends them, he says, I want you to go down and get the water, get get have them drink some water out of the river. Any of them that just put their face in the water to drink like a dog, send them home. Only those that are able to cup the water up, keeping an alertness and a focus, drinking the water, those ones will stay with them. And when they go down to the river, the only ones that remain cupping the water to their mouth is 300. And God says, Okay, 300 against 135,000. I like those odds. A whole nother level of commitment. You know, the higher the level you go, the fewer people you find. Because not everybody gets to those levels. Man, some people are just happy to be and consider, hey, I'm an Israelite, at least I'm in God's people, right? Or maybe you were happy to be in the 32,000. I was willing to go. Or you're saying, now I'm in the 10,000, I have no fear. No. Are you in the 300? What level? What level level of commitment? Are you ready to get to the next level? Do you know when Jesus was ministering here on the earth? He ministered to lots of different people. He ministered to the crowds of 5,000 and 4,000. Remember those stories? Some of y'all would be so happy. Hey, I was in. I heard Jesus. I was in that crowd of 5,000. But how many know there's a whole nother level? Then there's the 72. How many want to be in the 72? That's the level of those that Jesus could send out and give some responsibility to to go and evangelize. But even in the 72, there's another level. Everybody say there's another level. I want to be in the next level. In the 72, there was 12. They were the ones that spent time with Jesus. They were with Jesus all the time, traveling with Jesus, eating food with Jesus, everywhere Jesus was. The 12 were. And even in the 12, there were the three. Peter, James, and John. There's another level. You know when Jesus, when Jesus went on the Mount of Transfiguration and revealed himself in that really cool way, it was only Peter, James, and John that were on the mountain for next level revelation. How many want some next level revelation? When he healed Jirah's daughter, he sent everybody out, but only Peter, James, and John got in the room. How many want to be in the room? Say, I want to be in the next level. I want to run with the horses. I believe God is calling you as individuals to say, hey, I'm ready to get to the next level. We see Ezekiel has this revelation out of the temple flowing a river. Some of y'all have probably read it. I'm sure you have read it, but I just want to walk through it here. The word of the Lord tells Ezekiel, I want you to get into the water. You know, some people don't even want to get in the water. They like just being by the sides. But he get in the water. You get in the water. He says he got in the water to his ankles. Man, when you're in the water to the ankles, you can feel the temperature of the water, right? I mean, you know whether it's hot or cold, but man, you still have full control. That water's not going to really mess with you when you're only ankle deep. And then the word of the Lord says, and now I want you to step in up to your knees. He takes a deeper step, another level, right? Goes in and he gets up to his knees. When you're in the water, that's like ankle up to your knees. Now you can feel a little bit of the current. Now there's a little bit less movement. But you know, I mean, maybe you're starting to come to church. You're ankle deep. I mean, your knee deep. At least, at least, you know, you're in church, but you don't mess with all the requirements that the pastor's talking about. Not requirements, but where the Lord says, go deeper. I want you to go to the next level. He goes deeper, gets into his waist. And when you're in water, especially when it's fast moving and it's waist deep, man, you gotta really hang in there. Man, you're paying tithes now. I mean, you're like full-on tithers, you're feeling the pressure of the water flowing. But you know what? There's another level. I want you to go deeper. God said to Ezekiel, I want you to go all the way over your head. God is calling us to go all in. How many are ready to get to that next level and to go all in? I want to challenge you today as a congregation. I want to challenge you today to press in, to run with the horses, and to go after the next level. I'm talking to you not just as a church, but I'm talking to you as individuals. Maybe in your family, you know you need a next level. Next level finances, everybody. Yeah, next level provision. I have this cool testament, ridiculous provision. I don't have time to tell it. Pastor will tell it to you. We have experienced next level provision. We've been blessed. I had a prophetic word over us, and man has started releasing incredible, ridiculous provision. Next level. I mean, just heard about the 150,000 grant. We had a 50, a 60, a 75, 150,000 donation. We had several 30,000 donations just within the last year. We went years. Our biggest gift was maybe 10,000. But there's another level. And God is calling us to the next level because there's some next level responsibility. There's some next level ministry. How many are ready for some next level revelation? God, give me a download. I'm ready, God. I want to be in the next level. How about a next level intimacy with God? Next level worship. I mean, you guys are already at next level worship, but how many know there can be even another level? Next level, next level evangelism. You're inviting people to church that you never thought you would invite. Next level forgiveness. Oh man, God pushed me, God. Oh God, I want to run with the horses. I want to forgive the one that did that to me. God is calling us to the next level. Man, I could call you out. How many want next level provision? I know you'd all run. But are you ready for next level intimacy with God? How about next level marriage? How many some next level marriages? Next level relationship. I want to challenge you today. You know, I said it's not, you don't just sit back and look at all your accomplishments, and I know God has done some mighty things here in you guys' life. You wouldn't be here if it wasn't so. But we can't keep just looking back at all our accomplishments. We can't just, it can't just be something we agree with mentally. We got to take some action. So I want to challenge you today. I want to challenge you to get up out of your seat and say, I want to run with the horses, I want to have a next level. I don't know whether you need a next level marriage, next level provision, you want next level anointing in your life, but I want to open this altar here to be a next level outpouring in your life. How many want to run with the horses? Are you ready? Let's stand up on our feet. I want I want to say it's time for next level. Now listen to me before anybody steps out, listen to me. If you're not even in the water, meaning you don't even know Jesus is your personal Lord and Savior. I don't know if there's anybody here that has never stepped into the water, you haven't received Jesus into your life. It starts by a simple prayer of believing that Jesus died on the cross for your sins. He was resurrected from the dead, ensuring you would receive new life. If there's anybody here, raise your hand. If you know you don't have Jesus in your heart. Alright, I know I'm preaching to the church. If you know that you have G you do not know you have Jesus living inside of you, wave your hand at me. I think we're all here. Okay, we're we we are all brothers and sisters. Now listen to me. I want to challenge you and I wanna I want to just pray over anybody that is ready to go to the next level. Just step out and let's come up to the front and say, I want to run with the horses. And you can run like a horse if you want, but let's just come on up here and I'm just gonna pray over you. There's something about stepping out of your seat that says, God, I receive this word from the Lord. I want to have next level anointing in my life, I want to have next level revelation in my life, I want to have next level provision. God knows your heart and God knows what you need. I'm not gonna lay hands on anybody, I'm just gonna pray a release prayer for a next level anointing. But you have learned the steps, you have learned some things, you know what the Holy Spirit is speaking to you. Now, listen, it's so important that you hear from God what He's saying today. You remember Abraham. Abraham told Isaac, told God told Abraham to go and sacrifice his son Isaac. That was God's plan. And then God said, Okay, I have another level of provision. Don't. If we're not listening to what God is saying now, today, in this moment, sometimes we're gonna kill some things that don't need to be killed. But God has said, I want you, how many say, God, I want to hear from you? I want you to show me that where I'm gonna make some changes. Because I told you you got to embrace the change. So now we're gonna ask God, because not everybody has to change the same things. So all of us here in different places in our life, right? God has different things He needs us to change. So we're gonna start out, we're gonna ask God, reveal to me, reveal to me the changes I need to make. Father, right now, with our hands lifted, God, we're saying, God, speak to each one of our hearts, God. Speak to each one of our hearts, Father. Show each and every one of us, God, the changes that we need to make in our life, God. And I pray that you release that anointing to go into the next level, God. I pray that everyone here will be running with the horses, God. I thank you, God, that you are releasing an ability to set their minds on the next thing that you have for them, God. And I pray that you give them the courage and the mercy, the spirit of mercy to forgive. I pray you give them, Lord, the faith to step out and the courage to do what they've not done before, God. Lord, help them make those changes. Father, right now I pray over them in the name of Jesus. Release a next level anointing in this house, even on the same day that we are rededicating the nation of America 250 years. We are rededicating our lives to pursuing after you at a next level, Father. Oh, hallelujah, God. We release a next level anointing. Everything we saw is that there is an expectation of increase. Do you know that when you look at that story, there's another key that took them to the next level? It was faithfulness. He said when they were faithful with what they received, they got five more next level. When they when they were faithful with the two, they got next level. But the one that God only received one, he was fearful. He went and hit it, man. Oh man, get fear, throw fear away. Don't get don't don't let fear keep you from reaching out to that. Be faithful with what God has given you, and He's gonna take you from glory. You're in a level of glory right now. He's gonna take you from glory to glory. Everybody say glory to glory. I'm running with the horses. Amen. The Lord bless you this morning.