Title: Stay Woke: Remaining Vigilant in Spirit and Flesh

Sermon Summary: This sermon emphasizes the critical importance of spiritual vigilance and awareness in both the natural and spiritual realms. Drawing from Jesus's experience in the Garden of Gethsemane, the message challenges believers to stay alert, prayerful, and committed to God's will even when their flesh is weak. The pastor addresses the gap between verbal commitment and actual follow-through, using Peter's denial as a cautionary example. The sermon stresses that while our spirits may be willing to serve God, our flesh remains weak and susceptible to temptation. Therefore, believers must actively watch and pray, remaining "woke" to the enemy's tactics and the challenges of maintaining faithfulness. The message balances spiritual truth with practical, real-life applications, acknowledging that even saved people struggle with their flesh and must continually submit to God's will rather than their own desires.

Key Points:
- The importance of backing up verbal commitments with actual actions and faithfulness
- Jesus's preparation of His disciples for trials they didn't yet understand
- The need to separate ourselves for consecration and prayer, choosing close companions wisely
- The distinction between being spiritually willing and physically able—the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak
- Prayer as a means of keeping our spiritual connection fresh and sensitive to God
- The necessity of submitting to God's will even when it conflicts with our own desires
- Staying alert and vigilant against temptation, particularly in areas where we previously struggled
- The reality that our flesh is not saved—only our spirit is redeemed
- The importance of dealing with issues promptly rather than walking past problems repeatedly
- Even strong people need moments to release and be vulnerable before God
- Watching must be accompanied by prayer to be effective

Scripture Reference:
- Matthew 26:35-41 (primary focus)
- The account of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane
- Peter's declaration of loyalty and subsequent denial
- Jesus's prayer: "O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt"
- Jesus's admonition: "Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak"

Stories:
- Peter's bold declaration that he would die with Jesus rather than deny Him, followed by his three denials
- Jesus taking only Peter and the two sons of Zebedee deeper into Gethsemane, demonstrating the importance of choosing close companions wisely
- The pastor's personal experience of falling asleep while studying the sermon, waking up to see the scripture "the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak" on his computer screen
- The pastor's example of procrastinating on fixing loose boards on his deck for his mother, finally completing the 10-minute task after walking past it repeatedly
- Reference to the TV show "Good Times" when Florida dropped the punch bowl after trying to be strong for everyone following James's death
- The illustration of eating something you know you shouldn't eat and suffering the consequences later

The message from Numbers 23:11-20 reveals a powerful truth: when God places a blessing on our lives, no force in heaven or earth can reverse it. We see this through the story of Balaam, who was hired to curse God's people but found himself unable to do anything but bless them. The prophet declared a profound statement that resonates through the ages: God is not a man that He should lie, and what He has commanded cannot be undone. This speaks directly to our own lives, where despite opposition, setbacks, and enemies who wish us harm, God's blessing remains intact. We are reminded that every morning we wake up is evidence of an irreversible blessing already at work. The narrative also includes the fascinating account of Balaam's donkey speaking, showing us that God can use anything and anyone to accomplish His purposes. Sometimes others can see dangers and opportunities in our path that we cannot perceive ourselves. This message challenges us to walk confidently in the assurance that if God has blessed us, no weapon formed against us can prosper. We must acknowledge our blessings, thank God for bringing us through situations where others did not survive, and recognize that our very presence today is a testament to divine favor that cannot be taken away.

Title: It Won't Work: Standing Firm Against the Enemy's Weapons

Sermon Summary: This sermon delivers a powerful message of assurance and victory for believers facing opposition and spiritual warfare. Drawing from Isaiah 54:17, the pastor emphasizes that while God does not promise a life without opposition, He does promise that no weapon formed against His children will prosper. The message acknowledges that believers will face battles—physical, spiritual, emotional, and verbal attacks—but the enemy cannot determine the outcome because God is in control. The pastor encourages the congregation to remember their heritage as servants of the Lord, which includes divine deliverance and protection. Through personal testimonies and biblical examples, the sermon reinforces that regardless of what the enemy attempts, God's power ensures that "it won't work." The message calls believers to maintain their faith, continue praising God, and trust in His ability to bring them through every trial, reminding them that their God is able and that past victories should strengthen their resolve not to turn their backs on Him during current challenges.

Key Points:
- God does not promise a life without opposition, but He promises victory over every weapon formed against us
- Weapons will be formed specifically against believers, but they will not prosper or succeed
- Opposition must be expected and can come in various forms: physical, spiritual, emotional, and verbal attacks
- The enemy cannot determine the outcome of our battles; only God determines the outcome
- Faith does not eliminate opposition, but it ensures that opposition will not succeed
- Deliverance and protection are part of the heritage of God's servants
- Believers must continue praising God even during attacks, as worship disrupts the enemy's plans
- Personal testimonies demonstrate God's faithfulness in bringing His people through trials
- Weak moments are normal for believers, but past experiences of God's faithfulness should prevent us from turning away
- Victory requires being in a fight; we cannot have victory without opposition

Scripture Reference:
- Isaiah 54:17 (primary text): "No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper, and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord."
- Romans 8:31 (referenced): "If God be for us, who can be against us?"
- References to Satan as the "prince of the air"

Stories:
- The pastor's personal testimony of surviving a car accident in November/December where both he and his granddaughter walked away despite significant damage to the vehicle, demonstrating how the enemy's plan to harm them did not work
- The pastor's experience with COVID-19 and two accidents, showing God's continued faithfulness
- Multiple testimonies shared during Wednesday night service and prayer calls about how God brought people through various trials
- The biblical account of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (Daniel 3), specifically their declaration that their God is able to deliver them from the fiery furnace, but even if He doesn't, they will not bow down to another god—illustrating unwavering faith regardless of the outcome
- References to congregation members' testimonies over recent weeks about God's deliverance and faithfulness

Sermon Scripture: Psalm 124 Focus verse is 1

Sermon Topic:  If not for the Lord, where would we be? 

• This Psalm was written by David to be a song. 
• Sometimes we have to look at ourselves and wonder what would we be if the Lord was not on our side?  
• There are so many things that we as a people have accomplished and we still have more to go.  But where would we be without the Lord on our side. 
• We cannot forget where we came from, especially during this month
• God has empowered and preserved us.  
• We are resilient people. 
• You are resilient yourself.  When things are not going the way we think that they should, we can find a way.  Mothers are so good at this.  
• You have celebrated when things are done for you that have gone unsaid. 
• You do not get thanks for everything that you do.  But most don’t want to be celebrated, the joy comes from doing what you were going to do for the people that you were doing it for. 
• We still have to fight for things.  We thought some fights were over, but you find that the fight is coming back. 
• The scripture says that if it was not for the Lord, when the enemy came against us, they would have swallowed us up in their wrath.  
• It says that the waters would have overwhelmed us and the stream would have gone over our souls.  
• You can overcome things sometimes if you have the system right - just like the underground railroad.  There were systems in place that people adhered to to make it work. 
• Sojourner Truth said “Am I a woman…”  She knew her worth and you have to know our worth. 
• When we were locked out of universities, we made our own.  When one road is blocked, we make our own. 
• When you think about history, a lot of things that happened in civil rights were not that long ago. 
• The fight has to continue to go on. 
• In the scripture it says that we have to bless the Lord for what He has given us.  Bless the Lord for the accomplishments that he has given us.   Bless the Lord because he is by our side.
• We have to keep our faith.  Faith is a motivating thing that will keep us moving.  
• We do not want to be stagnant.  
• The scripture says that our soul has escaped.  It is so important to keep your mind clear.   
• We have to keep our mind clear.  You can escape a lot of things, but you cannot escape yourself.  You are who you are and need to keep your mind clear. 
• We are still in the fight. 
• We are a powerful people, but we cannot let the things that have happened before be in vain.  There is a battle going on right now
•  to take all those things away. 
• We have to be proactive and not reactive. 
• If it had not been for the Lord on our side, where would we be? 

Sermon 2-15-2026

Sermon Topic:  The Miracle can happen through you!

• God is able to use all of us.  You have to be able to tell someone about the Lord.  We are his representatives and should be able to tell people about the Lord.
• The first time we saw Elijah was during the reign of King Ahab who made the Lord God angry more than any other king before him.  
• In 2 King Chapter 2, the Lord was going to take up Elijah to heaven.  He was in Bethel, and he knew that he was going to be taken up into heaven by a whirlwind. 
• Not only did Elijah know, but the sons of the Prophets also knew that this was happening.  These were the prophets that were training at the school in Bethel.  They told Elisha, today your leader is going to leave  you.   Elisha said that he knew and that the prophets should have peace. 
• Elisha told Elijah that he was going with him to Bethel.  Then Elijah said that he was going to Jordan and to Jericho, and Elisha followed him there too. 
• It is as if Elijah was saying this goodbyes to everyone.  It seems that all of this was happening in one day. 
• Everyone kept reminding Elisha of what was going to happen, but he already knew. 
• Elijah told Elisha to ask what he would of Elijah because he was leaving him 
• Elisha could have asked for anything but he asked Elijah for a double portion of his Spirit. 
• He wanted to be able to do MORE once Elijah left. 
• Elijah told him that this was a hard thing, but if he saw Elijah when he left, it would happen for Elisha, but if he did not see him when he left, then it would not. 
• Suddenly as they were walking, a chariot of fire and horses and a whirlwind came and took up Elijah. 
• Elisha cried when this happened and was in sorrow.  He took his own clothes and tore them off of him.  
• Elisha then took up the mantle of Elijah and went back to Jordan. 
• Now Elisha was alone.  He was without his mentor, his leader.  He had walked Elijah all this time, and now he was gone. 
• When he got to the Jordan, he asked “where is the Lord God of Elijah” and he smote the waters.  
• The same God of Elijah also parted the waters of the Jordan for Elisha.  
• Though Elijah was gone, Elisha realized that he still had the power of God that was with Elijah. 
• If you have God on your side things will work out. 
• Elijah did a lot of things by himself.   He faced Ahab and the priests of Bael.  
• Elisha had to understand that he would also have to do some things alone, but God was with him and would work through him, just has he did Elijah
• There are times when we get our best strength when we are in our alone hours, in your quiet time with the Lord by yourself.  He will be with you when no one else is. 
• When the sons of the Prophets saw Elisha, they said that the Spirit of Elijah rested within Elisha.  They fell down and worshiped. 
• Though Elisha was now by himself, he knew that the work still had to go on!  
• Though he was by himself, he still had God with him and the work would go on through him.  

Sermon Scripture: 1 Samuel 30:1-10 Focus Verse is 8

Sermon Topic: Recover and Restore

• There were so many things that were going on this week.  We have another half of the  year to go.  Our motto for the rest of 2025 is RECOVER  AND RESTORE!   This is what God is telling us to do in the 2nd half of the year. 
• In this scripture, the Amalekites had invaded David’s camp and taken everything.  
• Saul had disobeyed God earlier and was punished for his disobedience.  If Saul had done what  he should have done by the Lord, this battle would have happened.  That is why we should not disobey God because your disobedience could affect the future. 
• Now as a result of Saul’s disobedience, the Amelekites were able to invade the South and take over David’s camp.  But they did not slay anyone.  They just took everything of value, including the wives, sons and daughters of David and his men
• It was strange that no one was slayed, which is the custom, but it seems as if God had a lesson waiting in this. 
• When the men got to the camp, they saw that the village was burned and everything was gone.   
• Then David  and the people, who were coming home from  war, waiting for their wife and kids to greet them, and saw that they were gone, they wept.  They all cried until they could  not cry anymore.  There will be times when things are so devastating that you cry  so much that you cannot cry anymore.
• Then you realize that crying will not help, but you need to get that out emotionally.   But then you need to go and do what you have to do. 
• David’s  2 wives were also gone,  Anihoam and Abigail (wife of Nabel)
• The people were so mad about this that they wanted to stone (kill) David. 
• David had to encourage himself in the Lord.   There will be times where you will not  be able to get any support from anyone, but you can turn to the Lord.  Nobody else will be dealing with you, but you can get encouragement from the Lord YOUR GOD.   You have to know who YOUR GOD is.  If you are unsure, you are worshiping something.  You need to know who and what you are worshipping. 
• David wanted to get in prayer at this moment and forget about everyone and everything around you.  Sometimes you have to remove yourself from others and to do God.  Davide prepared himself to speak to God by putting on his priestly garments and went before the Lord.
• He asked the Lord if he should pursue the Amalekites and would he overtake them?
• God answered him “Pursue for they shall surely overtake them and WITHOUT  FAIL recover all!”  
• God let David know that he pursued, he would recover all.  David did  not even ask that.   But God gave David a guarantee of victory. 
• In the rest of the story, David pursued with 600 men.  But by the time they got to the brook, 200 of them were  faint, they were tired and could go no further. 
• David knew what the mission was.   He knew that he had to keep going even though ⅓ of the men could go no further.  Sometimes everyone is not going to go with you.   You have to keep going with what you have.  
• The Lord let David know that he would recover all and then David could restore all that was lost. 
• In the 18th verse - David recovered all that was carried away and rescued his 2 wives.  
• David startedwith praying and asking the Lord but knew that this was a battle that had to be fought.  He recovered his 2 wives.  There will be times when you will have to go in the midst of the battle and recover what was lost to you. 
• There are times when you have recovered and restored everything and there will be people who did not go all the way with you and want to participate in your victory. 
• In the 21st verse, the 200 that remained at the brook wanted to participate in the victory.  There were some who did not want them to get any part of the victory, other than their wives and children.  David let them know that they would receive their share.   Just because they did not go all the  way with you, you still have to do what is right by them. 
• The rest of this year, God is going to bless us to recover and restore, just like David did. 

Sermon Scripture: Joshua 3:14-17 Focus Verse is 15

Sermon Topic: Step into the OVERFLOW

The overflow means that there is more than enough for you to partake in.

God has an overflow planned for us, but you have to step into it.  

In the scripture  the Lord was telling them that he has already made a way to get through your obstacles, but you will still have to go through it. 

We know the story of Moses parting the Red Sea.  He lifted his arms and the water parted and they walked on dry land.  There are similarities with that miracle and this one. 

When the water was parted, it was gradual. The winds started to blow, and the water receded overnight. 

Here in this scripture the water overflowed immediately.  The difference here is the attitude of the people.

Moses’ people had a slave mentality and some thought they were better off with the Egyptians.  They did not know a lot about this God. They did not know who he was. They were murmuring and complaining. 

By the time we get to this scripture and the Jordan River, the people thought differently. These people knew God. They knew of his miracles and how he had been there for him. They had experienced God for themselves.  Their mindset was different.  

The people at the Jordan not only knew who God was, but they knew that they had God with the

They had the Arc of the Covenant with them, so they know that God was right there in the midst of them.  The Arc carried the tablets written by the hand of God. 

We are like those people because we know that the Lord is with us right now, living right inside of them. 

In the scripture, the priests with the Arc of the Covenant went before the people. That means that wherever you were in the crowd, you were following the Spirit of the Lord.   We should be the same and follow the Lord. 

When the people bearing the Ark came up to Jordan, they did not know right away what to do with this water. But the Lord had already made a way.  When we get to obstacles, if we are following the Lord, he has already made a way for you to get through it. 

If you get there, the Lord will take you through. 

There are those of us who are right at the edge of our miracle, but we would not step in.    If you just make a move, step on in, God will make a way 

At the Jordan River, these people had to believe, in spite of what they saw before them, they had to believe in God to make a way. 

The priest decided to believe in the Lord and stepped in the River and there was an overflow. 

God had a plan for them all along. 

Those that held the Arc, stood at the brim of the water and dipped their feet in the water. 

They decided right then that they would not hesitate because they had the presence of the Lord with. They decided to step on in the water. 

When they stepped in the water, the water above them stood up in a heap, even the salt sea was cut off.  The Lord blocked the water from all sides. 

The Lord made a way for them because they stepped in the water. 

The Lord put the water in a heap around them and they stepped on the dry ground in the midst of the Jordan River. 

God can make things happen for you right in the midst of your situation.   God can make a way for you if you are following the way that he wants you to go.

When God makes a way for you, you feel like a conqueror because God has you protected on all sides just like the priests were protected in the midst of the Jordan. 

Not only did they walk through on dry land, but they walked through clean! 

These people had a different attitude because they were going to the promised land.  

After they came out of the midst of Jordan, and when the soles of all  the feet were lifted up on dry land after the crossing, the Lord returned all the waters of the Jordan back to normal. 

If you dip your feet right now in the overflow, God is able to bring you all the way through until you get to the other side.  

Be willing to step into the overflow. 

God is waiting to bless you, you just have to step in.  Do not stop.  Do not just stand at the edge of the overflow, step right into it and trust God to bring you through it. 

You can be happy where you are but know that the Lord did not take you this far to leave you right on the brink of  your miracle. 

The people at the Jordan could have died at the river because they were scared to step in.  Some of us are dying at the river because we do not step in.  

The people could have said that God only opened the water up of Moses, and this is Joshua.  The water may not open up. 

But we have to understand that whatever God did before, he can do again even greater.  If you are looking for what God did the last time, you may miss the blessing because he could be coming another way. 

God showed that he could work with Moses and he could work with Joshua.  

All of us had people that preached to us and influenced us in the past, but God may have sent you a new thing, a new preacher.  Understand that God is still that same God, you just may have a new messenger. 

Do not just die at the edge of the river. 

You are right there where a miracle can happen, but the next step is yours. 

Step into the overflow because you want to go to the other side of your blessing. 

Make that move and step into the overflow

God is ready, the next move is yours.

Step into the Overflow.