Hey, this is Pastor John Ryan Cantu from PNEUMA Church in Houston, Texas.

Thank you for listening to the message today.

I hope that it blesses you and all those that you share it with.

God bless you.

Just a minute.

Amen.

And it's good to be in the house of God this morning.

Amen.

Amen.

I'm, I'm, I'm still feeling fired up from night of worship.

Amen.

If you were here night of worship, it was a, it was a beautiful, beautiful

time in the presence of God.

And, um, we're, we're going to have, we're going to have another

one soon on good Friday plan.

Plan to be there.

Plan to be here.

Amen.

Good Friday.

We, uh, we, we love to worship together.

Uh, another night of worship.

We just get into the presence of God and it's, it's a beautiful, beautiful time.

I want to, before we get into the word, I have a couple of

announcements that I want to make.

Um, but I first want to challenge you, the church, the body PNEUMA.

Somebody say me.

I want to challenge you to begin.

And I do this every, every, um, every Easter season, challenge the

church to invite somebody that might not normally come to church.

Resurrection Sunday is a day where it seems like every church in the state

in the United States is full, full of people who don't normally go to church.

And it's the, it's the perfect time to present the gospel of Jesus

Christ, that saving, powerful, double, double-edged word into somebody's spirit.

And so I want you, I'm challenging you.

If you, if you have a friend who doesn't come to church, raise your hand.

Amen.

All right.

And y'all know what I'm going to say to those who don't, if you don't have any

un-Christian friends, you got to get one.

Okay.

Because you're called to be the light into the world.

Okay.

All right.

So if you don't have any Christian friends, don't go doing what they're doing.

Okay.

But, uh, be a light to them and, um, invite them to church.

Um, start praying for them today.

That, that one person that you're thinking about, maybe it's a family

member or a friend, start, uh, to pray for them and ask God to have his way in

their life, because I believe, I believe that God is going to speak.

Um, one, one announcement before we get into the word, I want to say, thank you.

Um, we have been all, all year long, um, with this project vision, trying to,

trying to reach our goal of 200,000 by the end of this year.

And I'll tell you where we're at today.

Uh, we've received a total of $27,000.

We have almost 60,000 and pledges.

Um, and so I, if you haven't, if you haven't given, or maybe you pledged,

but you haven't, you haven't given yet.

Um, I would encourage you to do that.

You can speak to sister Claudia, um, about project vision, but, but because

of what we have so far, we're going to actually begin phase one of our

fellowship hall renovation.

Come on.

I do better than that.

Thank praise God.

Praise the Lord.

Our kids don't have to worry about that ceiling falling down on them much

longer in Jesus name, we just got to pray really, really hard that it

doesn't fall on them until then.

Uh, um, so we're going to be redoing our, our, our ceiling, uh, and renovating

a little bit, and it's going to be, it's going to be great.

Um, so we'll start that project may, may or June.

We're still trying to coordinate with our calendar.

Um, but praise God for that.

Amen.

Praise the Lord.

So thank y'all.

Thank y'all for those who have given, um, this morning, I'm taking

a break from, from preaching.

Um, and, um, I, I had thought to ask this person later this month.

Um, but she came through, I asked her, I asked her Friday, I asked you Friday.

I asked you one of those days and I was like, Hey, you can say no.

I know it was really last minute.

I don't like to do that.

Um, but she's always ready.

And she preached recently a word that I'm excited to, to hear again to our English.

Uh, so pastor Maritza, would you come up and take this mic, the

anointed pastor Maritza, thank you.

Thank you.

Pastor Ryan.

Let me get situated here.

I didn't realize my iPad was so dirty.

Amen.

So I just want to let each one of you know this morning that I am running

on coffee, black coffee and water.

If every parent that is a parent of a three year old and under four year old

and under, would you please raise your hand?

I want to speak a word of encouragement into your life this morning.

My sister went out for an anniversary, um, this past week and I've been

watching her baby girls, my nieces.

They're right here for the past week.

And I just want to speak a word of encouragement to you.

That even though you may walk through the valley of shadow of death, God

will not leave you, you will overcome.

Now I want you to raise your hand.

If you are a parent of a teenager, Santo Dios, I am praying

for each and every one of you.

I have a 14 year old, a 16, 18, sorry, Madeline, and a 20 year old.

Pray for me too.

The Lord will see us through.

Hallelujah.

So that is the reason I am running on black coffee and Jesus because

I took care of my nieces.

But you know, when you're given the opportunity to share the word of God,

it is a privilege to do so.

And of course, every night was, they were good, except for last night.

I'm running on two hours of sleep, glory to God.

And I said, Lord, is this a form of fasting?

Because I don't even feel my body.

I just feel like, oh my God, my spirit is about to come out

because I have had no rest.

But like I said, glory to God.

Thank you, Pastor Ryan, Pastor Melissa, for this opportunity

to share the word of God.

Hallelujah.

Well, this morning, um, as I was reading through, um, this sermon, uh, the Lord

is still in my heart, this, this sermon that God put in my heart for the Spanish

service a couple of weeks ago, I preached it.

So you, if you were here a couple of weeks ago, then you're going to hear it again.

This is a word that even when I was going through it and adding stuff last night

and the night before the Holy Spirit was just ministering to my life.

So I know that there are people in here that need to hear this word.

So I'm going to ask for your undivided attention, not because I'm up here, but

because God has a word for your spirit this morning.

Amen.

Would you please stand to your feet to read the word of God?

We're going to be reading out of second Chronicles 21 through 15.

And if I forget my English, I apologize.

You get used to ministering in Spanish.

So if all of a sudden I say,

All right.

There's a couple of old school folks in here.

Amen.

We're going to be reading second Chronicles 21 through 15.

If you haven't read the word this week, you're about to make up for it.

It says like this, if you could please say an amen, if you're already there,

y'all are pretty fast.

After this, then Moabites and Ammonites and with them,

some of the Munites came against Jehoshaphat for battle.

Some men came and told Jehoshaphat,

a great multitude is coming against you from Edom, from beyond the sea.

And behold, they are in Hazazon, Tamar, that is in Gedi.

Then Jehoshaphat was afraid and set his face to seek the Lord

and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.

Pastor Ryan, you can proclaim a fast over all PNEUMA.

And Judah assembled to seek help from the Lord from all the cities of Judah

that came to seek the Lord.

And Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah in Jerusalem

in the house of the Lord before the new court and said,

Oh, Lord, God of our fathers, are you not God in heaven?

You rule over all the kingdoms of the nations in your hand, our power and might

so that not one is able to withstand you.

Did you not, our God, drive out the inhabitants of this land

before your people, Israel, and give it forever?

Give it forever to the descendants of Abraham, your friend.

And they have lived in it and have built for you in it

a sanctuary for your name, saying if disaster comes upon us,

the sword, judgment or pestilence or famine,

we will stand before this house and before you, for your name is in this house

and cry out to you in our affliction and you will hear and save.

And now behold, the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir,

whom you would not let Israel invade when they came from the land of Egypt

and whom they avoided and did not destroy.

Behold, they reward us by coming to drive us out of your possession,

which you have given us to inherit.

Oh, our God, will you not execute judgment on them?

For we are powerless against this great war that is coming against us.

We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.

Meanwhile, all Judah stood before the Lord with their little ones,

their wives and their children.

And the spirit of the Lord came upon Jehaziel, the son of Zechariah,

son of Benaiah, son of Jael, son of Methaniah,

a Levite of the sons of Asaph in the midst of assembly.

And he said, Listen, all Judah and inhabitants of Israel and King Jehoshaphat.

Thus says the Lord to you, do not be afraid

and do not be dismayed at this great multitude,

for the battle is not yours, but God's.

Let us pray.

Father, we come before your very presence, Lord Jesus,

thanking you, Father, for a new day, a new day to worship you,

Father, in spirit and in truth.

Father God, a new day, Father God, to proclaim victory, Lord God,

over our lives, Lord Jesus, over our families, over our children,

over our marriages, Lord God, we thank you for the opportunity

that you give us to step foot into this place, Father God,

to worship with all our heart, with all our soul and with all our might.

Father, as I begin, Father God, to express your word,

expose your word to your people, I pray, Father, that it is not me,

as I told you before, that it is all you, Lord Jesus.

And if I need to shut my mouth, I will do so, Father.

So your spirit will move, Lord.

We thank you for your goodness, for your grace, because you are good.

In the name of Jesus, I pray.

Amen and amen.

You may take your seat.

Hallelujah.

Santo eres, Señor.

This morning, I would like to talk to you about your battle,

what it is that you're facing this morning.

Each one of us faces circumstances in our lives that are difficult.

If you were to sit down with anybody around you,

if you were to sit down with pastors, leaders, teachers, anybody,

they would be able to share with you the battle that they are going through,

their problem, their tribulation, their giant, their mountain, their Goliath.

And I want to share with you what it is that your battle,

faith and praise have in common.

Turn to your neighbor and say, don't get stuck.

Like I like to say to the Spanish congregation,

say it like you ate frijoles this morning.

Don't get stuck.

Turn up the volume.

Say it with confidence.

Don't get stuck.

Turn up the volume.

Today, the Lord has sent me to tell you, don't get stuck.

Don't stop.

Don't get distracted.

Turn up the volume of your life.

Turn up the volume of your worship.

And that's the title of the sermon.

I almost did turn up, but my kids would have been like, mom,

because what is that saying that they've been saying lately?

You ate and you left no crumbs.

Yes, I said it from up here.

Hallelujah.

Throughout the if you want a definition of that, please ask your children.

So throughout the Bible, we are able to see that in ministry

and in the lives of many women, excuse me, men and women of faith,

including our Lord Jesus Christ, each one of them

faced obstacles, difficulties and struggles.

No one, absolutely no one

can walk the faith that a believer walks

without encountering difficulties, disappointments, pain or illnesses.

Now, if you're a new convert and someone lied to you and say,

this is the most beautiful walk that you will ever walk, they lied.

It is the most difficult thorn filled.

Walk away, you will ever walk through.

The difference is that we don't walk it alone.

So these challenges, I want you to hear me

are permitted by God and designed by the enemy

to try to hinder and stop God's plan for your life.

That is why we should not give up in the face of difficulties

or be discouraged by obstacles.

These are necessary for us to mature and manage what God has given us.

Now, there are different types of obstacles that we go through.

And in one way or another, God sends encouragement

from heaven to help us continue our walk, to help us continue in our faith.

One of the most striking examples is the life of Jesus,

that even though he was the greatest preacher,

the greatest pastor, the greatest teacher, he faced obstacles

and was rejected. By his own.

But that rejection did not discourage him

from continuing on on God's purpose in his life.

The enemy will raise obstacles to bring discouragement, fear

and to shift your focus away from the God of the impossible.

Now, I want you to hear this a couple of Wednesdays ago,

we had a study on Second Corinthians 12, and I studied through it

and that impacted my life in a mighty way.

This study taught us that there are two agents at work in your life right now.

There are two agents.

The goal and the strategy of one of those agents, Satan, is to destroy your faith.

The word says that he is here to kill, steal, kill and destroy.

And that is his plan for your life.

He is constantly working to bring you down through thoughts,

through people, through actions.

He is working diligently.

We cannot outsmart the enemy, people of God.

You know why? Because he's been here way longer than we have.

He understands strategies and schemes, and he will find a way

to get to you to destroy your faith.

Hear me now.

There are situations that you are facing at this very moment

that the enemy is using to tear you down and kill you because that is his plan.

He is an agent that is working against you.

And on the other hand.

God has a plan, God has a goal,

a strategy to develop your faith through the adversity.

He allowed the enemy to inflict on you.

One is intended to destroy.

The other one is intended to develop, to grow, to stretch, to mature.

Now, I'm going to pause here for a little bit just because I love that study.

First, we must understand this.

God knows how to balance blessings and afflictions in life.

Now, hold on.

God allows both.

He even prescribes both.

There's nothing that happens without the Lord allowing it to happen.

He is God.

He is sovereign.

The enemy is not God's equal.

We have to understand that.

We can't give him that much power.

Come on.

We all want blessings.

Amen.

We don't want any afflictions, but God desires death and maturity.

And he knows the perfect combination of afflictions and blessings.

Paul received blessings, revelations, visions, and supernatural power.

But he also endured many afflictions that we haven't even seen in our life.

Job was a righteous man.

Talk to me about Job, people of God.

Santo Dios.

He was a righteous man and an upright man.

He prayed for his family.

But one day, God said to Satan, have you considered my servant Job?

Santo Dios.

Now, if I were Job, I would say, really, God?

Out of all the people in this world, you choose me.

You gave him my name.

You allowed him to shake me up.

But that's how it was for Job.

He was to be afflicted.

The thorn that Paul endured was given by God.

It was permitted by God.

Even though Paul asked for the thorn to be removed.

And we're not going to sit here and discuss what that thorn was.

We don't know what it was.

You put a name on it.

Put a name on your thorn.

And God responded, my grace is sufficient for you.

My power is made perfect in weakness.

Like Paul, like Job, they also had two agents working in their life.

God and Satan.

The messenger, this evil agent, had a goal and a motivation.

And God who permitted it also had a goal and a motivation.

But both were very different.

Now, listen carefully.

Satan's goal and strategy were to destroy Paul's faith.

God's goal and strategy was to develop Paul's faith through the adversity.

He allowed the enemy to inflict.

One was to destroy.

The other one was to develop.

We often say this is from the devil.

I know it's from the devil.

But then what?

Then what do we do?

What is the action that we take?

Do we believe in a sovereign God who has control of our lives?

We need to learn how to war against the enemy using our spiritual weapons.

And if you're new to the faith, let me say welcome to the Christian race.

You're about to battle for the rest of your life.

But you have the victory in Jesus Christ because he said so.

And it's in his word.

Hallelujah.

We are all being attacked by the enemy.

Keep in mind that we are currently facing what we are currently facing

is meant to develop our faith.

The thorn was given by God to strike and afflict Paul to keep him from becoming prideful.

God uses a mix of blessings and afflictions to form great men and women of God.

We often look up to these great women and men of God and we say, I want to be like that.

God used me like that.

I want to be able to cast demons out.

I want to be able to lay hands on the sick and they will heal.

I want to be able to preach and 3000 come to your very feet.

God, I want that.

But do we want to cross through that valley?

Do we want to be beaten and bruised and persecuted and thrown in jail?

Do we want that?

That comes with that calling.

God uses a mix of blessings and afflictions to form great men and women of God.

It's like sodium.

And I'm about to get nerdy.

Sodium, guys, is a poison.

Chlorine is also a poison in its pure form.

I think the only one that would know this would be my brother-in-law, Keaton.

But when they are mixed in the right amount, you get sodium chloride or table salt,

which most of us cook with and find beneficial to seizing our food.

In the same way, God knows how to bring out the best flavors in your life

by adding blessings and afflictions.

Now, you might even think, oh, Lord, that person needs more affliction.

They need to be shaped by you.

How many of us can think of someone?

Don't raise your hand.

Don't raise your hand, guys.

If someone is going through an affliction, my brother and my sister, pray.

Pray for them, that in that moment of affliction, they don't let go of God,

but they believe that God is with them and is shaping them.

As much as it hurts, as much as it hurts for a potter to have to break something

that he just created because it didn't come out perfect, just like that,

we are in the potter where he is shaping us.

Now, the problem itself is not what matters, but rather the attitude towards the problem

as that will determine our victory or our defeat.

How do you face your difficulties?

Now, Jehoshaphat was no exception.

And saying that name is so hard that I don't know how his mom would scream his name

when he would get mad, Jehoshaphat, like, how do you do that?

But he was no exception.

Now, to give a little bit of context in what I was reading, Jehoshaphat had just come

out of war, barely escaping with his life.

Then the Moabites, the Ammonites, the Edomites, and all the mites were coming up against him.

Jehoshaphat was told, a great multitude is coming against you.

This expression suggests a massive army that is coming against Jehoshaphat.

For King Jehoshaphat to be afraid, they were used to war, but he was afraid.

The Bible says it means that he was facing a military force so enormous

that he could not defeat it with his own strength.

Not enough manpower, not enough soldiers to fight against the enemy.

He was afraid.

They're coming.

They're coming to get me.

They're coming to get everything that God gave me.

They're coming to take the city.

They're coming to take me.

There was desperation in his spirit.

He didn't know what to do.

He didn't know what he, how he was going to get out of it.

There are giants that have risen in our lives that we receive news that shake us,

rob us of our sleep, make us sick, and make us feel like everything is falling apart.

There are other situations that are possibly, I could say, easier.

We figure out how to pay the bill.

We deal with a rebellious child.

We resolve a fight with our spouse.

But there are certain situations that hit us in the heart.

A sudden blow, like a punch in the gut, that leads you to complete desperation,

like you don't know what to do.

For example, it's not that bad, but for example, when Hurricane Harvey was here in 2017,

we were living in our old house and our house was propped up.

There was like four steps to lead to the house.

And water was rising.

It was up to the second step.

And I was, I was, I was in desperation.

We had just bought a new stove.

We had just bought a new refrigerator.

And I'm like, babe, we have got to pick this up and put it in the little rest area on our stairs inside

because I don't want that to damage.

They weren't five dollars.

They were expensive.

So I was telling him, let's do it.

He's like, chill.

I'm the worrier.

I worry about these things.

And I want to share what my husband was doing during that time.

There's a picture somewhere.

If I find it, I'll share it.

There's a picture somewhere.

Cuando el pastor, Daniel, he's shirtless, wearing basketball shorts, wearing his Texan boots.

He's baptized Texan because he was born in California.

And a huge American flag.

And he is running on an acre of land, water up to his knees, running like we're not about to lose everything inside the house.

But he had peace.

And I was frantic because I didn't want to lose anything.

Two different situations there, two different reactions.

And this was Jehoshaphat.

They came to kill him.

They were on their way to kill him, to take Judah away from him, to leave him with nothing.

And in that situation, who wouldn't run and hide?

They're coming to get your family.

They're coming to get your job, your possession, your car.

What do you do?

Do you get on your knees and pray?

Or do you run for cover?

Do you hide?

I don't need this in my life.

I don't need people to be going after me.

I don't need this.

I need to stop going to church.

That it just hit me as soon as I walked into church, all these things started hitting my life.

I need to get out of here.

Jehoshaphat was facing that situation.

We pray to the Lord in those moments of desperation, unless it's just me, I say, God, get me out of here.

I don't want to face these giants.

I don't want to go against the current.

I don't want to lose anything.

Lord, get me out.

Save me.

Sometimes, church, we will have people that will lift us up in prayer.

Sometimes we won't.

Sometimes there will be a group ready to pray for us.

Sometimes there won't.

Sometimes people will understand us.

Sometimes they won't.

We have to remember to lean on God.

God has sent me to tell you that God never allows a battle without a strategy.

The crisis may be hard, but God provides a way out.

Whatever it is that you are facing, God is providing the perfect strategy for you to come out alive in the name of Jesus.

How do you face a battle like this?

They were coming to kill him, to take everything from him.

What did Jehoshaphat do?

Let's read 2 Chronicles 20, verse 3.

And if you want, you can put your name on there.

Then Maritza was afraid, but she set her face to seek the Lord and proclaimed a fast.

It was vital, and they felt the vital need to seek after God.

It was a moment of difficulty.

It was a moment where he was supposed to be getting his soldiers ready to fight and figure something out.

But he sought God.

He decided to do what people normally don't do and look for resources.

He decided to seek God.

He humbled himself and sought the Lord's direction involving the people.

He recognized the greatness of God, and he acknowledged that the solution was not within himself,

that he could not win with his own strength.

It had to be an act of God.

There was no solution.

There was no strategy.

There was nothing that he could do.

It had to be God.

Have you faced a situation where it has to be God?

Are you in a current situation where it has to be God?

Let me tell you, God will act in your behalf.

You must only seek his face first.

Jehoshaphat said, don't clap yet.

That's not my puncture.

We don't know what to do, but our eyes are set on you.

We don't know what to do.

We don't have any resources.

We don't have any answers, but we set our eyes on you.

We focus on you.

Church, the battle that came against Jehoshaphat represents your giant.

There are things that rise against you, battles that you don't even see coming,

and Jehoshaphat said, we turn our eyes to you.

This is the attitude we must take.

I don't know what to do.

I don't have answers, but I turn my eyes on you.

God was listening to the cry of his people through Jehoshaphat, son of Zechariah.

The spirit of God spoke, do not be afraid or dismayed because of this great multitude,

for the battle is not yours, but God's.

Dismayed means distressed, troubled, shocked, overwhelmed, intimidated by what's going on.

He responded.

God responded to the call and the cry of his people.

This is not your battle, said the Lord.

This is my battle.

And we get that word from God and we say, yes, Lord, this is your battle.

I don't have to fight.

I will keep my arms crossed here, watching you do what you do best.

And we sit here and we wait, wait for God to do something.

We say, that's it.

I'm done.

I wash my hands.

Let God defend me.

But you know, that's not what God asked Jehoshaphat to do.

He had a specific assignment.

He said in verse 16, tomorrow go down against them.

Behold, they will come up by the ascent of Ziz and you will find them at the end of the valley

and from the wilderness of Jeril.

You need not fight in this battle.

Station yourself, stand and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf.

Oh, Judah and Jerusalem, do not fear or be dismayed.

Tomorrow go out to face them for the Lord is with you.

And continuing on to the next verse, Jehoshaphat, after hearing all of this, bowed his face to the

ground and all the people of Judah and Jerusalem fell down in worship before the Lord.

Then some Levites from, I'm not going to be able to say those words,

stood up and praised the Lord, the God of Israel with a very loud voice.

Now, I'm going to go back a little bit on the Levites.

The Levites were descendants of Aaron that had specific role within God's people.

They had priestly roles, but they were also the musicians and the worshipers.

They worshiped.

Why did they worship?

They hadn't even been delivered yet, church.

They began to worship and they had not been delivered.

No, but they were sure that they would be.

Their enemies weren't dead.

No, they were very much alive, but they were certain that they would fall because God had

said that they would.

So what did they do?

They worship.

Their devotion came from hearts full of confidence and gratitude.

There are many who have discovered the secret to overcome any circumstance.

You heard it here first.

There is a secret to overcoming every circumstance.

What is that secret?

The world and those around you may wonder, Pastor Heather, why do you worship?

Why do you sing songs of praise out loud?

Why do you dance?

Why does the joy of your salvation not match the hardship that you're going through?

How is it that you're still standing?

It seems irrational.

It doesn't make sense to worship in times of despair, in moments of pain when the problems

seem absolutely endless.

The real battle first is in our minds.

Do I trust God or do I not?

Do I believe that I am in the palm of his hand or do I not?

Or do I choose only certain circumstances in which I can trust him?

Is he sovereign or not?

Am I his child or am I not?

There is a battle in our mind that, first of all, we have to address.

We have to battle against it using the word of God, using scripture to battle against

it.

That is one of our greatest weapons.

It's not just worship.

It's using the word of God to combat every thought that the enemy has sent against us,

every arrow that he has sent towards us.

We must put it out with the word of God.

The army arose the next day, led by Jehoshaphat.

They were strengthened.

They were encouraged.

They were reassured by the word God had given them.

They prepared for war, probably enjoying their morning coffee and their tacos de barbacoa.

I'm hungry.

But they did not forget the most essential thing.

Their praise alone was the most secure piece of armor.

The most secure piece of armor that you have is your worship.

So I want to see all the ones in the back up front in a little bit, because the ones

in the front worship.

The most secure piece of armor is your worship.

There is power in your worship.

I'm going to take you back a little bit.

Acts 16 25 talks about Paul and Silas in the depths of the prison, the most wretched part

of the cell they were in.

Paul and Silas had been beaten for obeying God.

They didn't complain.

They didn't give up.

They had lost their freedom.

They had suffered injustice and endured physical pain.

Oh, but at the midnight hour, while they prayed and sang hymns, a great earthquake shook the

prison, breaking the chains of every prisoner.

Do you understand that that was their worship that did that?

So that means that every time that you lift your hands and your voice to worship, chains

will be broken.

Chains will be broken.

People will be free.

We don't just say it, brother and sister.

When you've been through the gutter and you worship through that, you understand that

your worship has weight, not because you do it, but because you serve a God that can do

it all.

Oh, hallelujah.

Every prisoner was released.

And now I take you to David and Absalom.

And if you haven't read that, go back and read it this week.

Second Samuel 15.

David was fleeing from his son, his flesh and blood.

He was running away from him because he was seeking after him to kill him, his own people.

He was out there looking for his father to kill him and take everything that he had.

You want a novella?

Read that.

He faced a battle that came from within, from his closest circle, his own son whom he loved,

blotted to take his life.

And what did David do?

The Bible says he went up to the mountain to seek the Lord and worship.

From this experience came Psalms three.

It says, Lord, how many are my foes?

How many have risen up against me?

Many are saying of me, God will not deliver him.

But you, Lord, are a shield around me.

My glory, the one who lifts my head high.

I call out to the Lord and he answers me from his holy mountain.

I lie down and sleep and I wake again because the Lord is the one that sustains me.

He sustains you, church.

And now we look at Job once again.

120 describes Job's immediate reaction after receiving devastating news of the loss of

his children and possessions.

And if you haven't read that one, I urge you to go back and read that.

What did he do?

The word says at this, knowing that all of this had just happened.

He lost everything that he had.

The guy was a rich man.

The guy had a large family.

He had everything that anyone would want.

And God allowed the enemy to step in and remove all of that, but not to touch his soul.

And it says he fell to the ground in a worship.

Worship, church is not a song.

Worship comes from your heart, from the inner being of your soul, from your spirit.

It's not a song.

In his deepest sorrow, Job expressed his grief through traditional signs of mourning.

Yet despite his immense pain, he chose to bow down and worship God, demonstrating unshakable

faith and submission to divine will.

This act of worship in the face of suffering highlights Job's exceptional devotion.

There is power in your worship.

When you and I lift a song of praise to the Lord with tears in our eyes, when we can't go

on any further, when our resources run dry, we must raise a song to worship God and recite

these verses that say, not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, says the Lord God

Almighty.

If God is for us, who can be against us?

The weapon of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God.

To the pulling down of strongholds, we must fight in our worship, brothers and sisters.

Hallelujah.

And this isn't it.

Jehoshaphat was so confident on what God had instructed him that he made a bold decision.

I need two strong men.

I need two strong men.

Y'all don't think y'all are strong?

I'm right there.

Right in the front, brother.

Now, if you could come down, I'm sorry.

Right in the first step.

He trusted God so much.

He didn't place the strongest soldiers, Heather, first.

The word of God says that he positioned Levites in the front.

This does not make sense.

You're coming up against the enemy, not just one army.

You're coming up against thousands and thousands of soldiers.

And here we are, King Jehoshaphat with his little people.

And he says, you know what?

I trust my God.

I know who I serve.

And he gave me a word.

So you know what?

It's gonna be through worship.

It's gonna be through worship.

And he set the big men in the back.

Because he wanted the enemy to see that it wasn't by manpower.

That it was by the worship and the praise of his people.

When we lift a song of worship, my brother, my sister.

Things begin to happen in the atmosphere.

Things begin to occur in the atmosphere.

And I want to think.

And I want to think.

That as they're walking towards the enemy in that very moment.

They begin to march towards the enemy.

Mind you, mind you.

It's thousands upon thousands.

And I have the Levites with me.

And I would like to think that they began to sing.

Or share it with your friends on social media.

And tag us at mypneumachurch.

Thanks again and God bless.