Drawing Closer to God in Perilous Times
In this message, Pastor Mary reminds the congregation that the troubling signs of these last days are not meant to instill fear but to call believers into deeper intimacy with God. Drawing from the lives of David and Enoch, she encourages the church to stay close to the Lord through honest prayer, Scripture reading, ongoing conversation with Him, and heartfelt worship in every area of daily life. The sermon offers practical, relatable encouragement for cultivating a personal, unshakable relationship with God amid the uncertainties of the world.
Overview
Preaching from 2 Timothy 3:1-9, Pastor Mary argues that the "perilous times" Paul described for the last days are visibly unfolding in the present cultural moment — not as a cause for fear, but as a summons to intimacy with God. Using the biblical examples of David and Enoch, along with personal testimonies, she distinguishes mere religious observance from genuine closeness with God, and closes with four concrete practices for cultivating that closeness: honest prayer, Scripture reading, ongoing conversation with God, and worship.
Key Scripture Passages
- 2 Timothy 3:1-9 — Paul's list of character traits marking "the last days," read by Pastor Mary as a description of present-day culture.
- Psalm 132:1-5 — David's vow of devotion to the Lord, cited as a model of staying close to God through every hardship.
- Genesis 5:21-24 — Enoch fathers Methuselah, walks with God 300 (365 total) years, and is taken up without dying; cited by the sermon (referenced there as Genesis 21:24) as the supreme biblical picture of intimacy with God.
- Isaiah 8:11-14 — the Lord warns the prophet not to call "conspiracy" what the people call conspiracy, and not to fear what they fear, but to regard the Lord alone as holy and to be feared.
- John 10:10 (alluded to) — Jesus came to give life "more abundantly," used to contrast life with God versus life apart from Him.
- Psalm 51:4 (echoed) — David's confession, "against you only have I sinned," underlying the sermon's picture of David as a repentant man who stayed close to God despite failure.
Sermon Outline
- Disclaimer: the message is not meant to instill fear, and it is not a fable (something invented).
- Sets the tone: the following content is sober biblical observation, not sensationalism.
- 2 Timothy 3:1-9 read and applied: the catalogue of "perilous times" traits (lovers of self, covetous, boasters, disobedient, unholy, having a form of godliness but denying its power, etc.) is presented as visibly fulfilled in the news, the workplace, and daily life.
- The point is not to produce dread but to recognize the hour and respond rightly.
- The call to "draw closer," not merely to "do more": God is not asking for more service or giving, but for nearness.
- Illustrated by a five-year-old student bearing unseen trauma — a picture of a generation that cannot trust and does not know closeness.
- Connected to the idea that people without relationship with Christ are anxious, medicated, and unsettled because they lean on government, substances, or jobs instead of God.
- David as a model of closeness through repentance (Psalm 132): every experience drove David to prayer; he was imperfect but continually returned to God, "begging God for his mercy."
- Named "a man after God's own heart" despite his failures.
- Enoch as a model of sustained, unbroken intimacy (Genesis 5): walked with God for centuries and did not experience death.
- Personal testimony about a godmother, Laura Walker, who reportedly knew in advance when God was calling her home — used to argue believers can cultivate the same sensitivity to God's timing.
- David and Enoch are framed as two different but equally valid patterns of intimacy: one through repentance, one through unbroken walk.
- Everyday intimacy illustrated through personal stories: a woman inviting God on a "date" (her restaurant bill was paid by a stranger), the preacher inviting God to her own dinner table and family cookouts, "orchestrating" even casual moments as time with God.
- Emphasis: closeness is not confined to church services or set prayer times.
- Dismantling excuses for distance from God and church: "church is phony," "they just want my money," etc.
- Reframed: every institution (politicians, utilities, subscriptions) "takes your money"; giving at church is voluntary, not coerced.
- Identity correction: Scripture calls believers "sons of God" and "the body of Christ," not merely "Christians," reframing belonging as relational, not institutional.
- Standing firm against worldly fear (Isaiah 8:11-14; referencing persecution of street ministers and societal hostility toward Christ).
- Illustration from Pastor David Yonggi Cho's testimony about racial division in the Body of Christ, used to underscore identity and destiny found "in Christ."
- Core contrast: fear the Lord, not the chaos of the world; "keep the fear in the camp" of the enemy, not in believers.
- Four practical ways to stay close to God (given as a concluding, numbered list to write down):
- Pray honestly — bring real struggles to God rather than polished words.
- Read the Word — know God's promises and covenant for yourself, your family, and your future.
- Talk to Him informally and continually, as to a close friend, throughout the day.
- Worship and praise — described as "the most powerful thing we can give unto God."
Theological Insights
- "Last days" eschatology: in New Testament usage the "last days" (Gk. eschatai hēmerai) began with Christ's first coming (cf. Hebrews 1:2, Acts 2:17) and intensify as history progresses — the sermon's claim is not that these verses are newly true, but that their fulfillment is increasingly visible, consistent with a continuous "already/not yet" reading of biblical prophecy.
- A "form of godliness... denying the power thereof" (2 Tim 3:5) highlights the classic biblical distinction between external religiosity and genuine transformation — a major undercurrent of the sermon's call to move from church attendance to actual relationship.
- Two paths of intimacy: David models closeness recovered through repentance (cf. Psalm 51), while Enoch models closeness sustained through an uninterrupted walk (Genesis 5:24; cf. Genesis 6:9, Noah "walked with God" similarly) — together they show Scripture does not require sinless perfection for intimacy, only continual turning toward God.
- Translated/taken without death: Enoch (Genesis 5:24) and later Elijah (2 Kings 2:11) are the Old Testament's two figures who bypass ordinary death, later cited in Hebrews 11:5 as commended "for his faith" and for "pleasing God" — the sermon leans on this as evidence that deep covenant walk changes even how one departs this life.
- "Men's hearts failing them for fear" (Luke 21:26) was referenced by the preacher as a once-puzzling verse now understood experientially — tying the sermon's theme of anxiety and trauma to Jesus' own end-times discourse about fear preceding His return.
- The fear of the Lord as reorienting anxiety (Isaiah 8:12-13): biblical "fear of the Lord" is reverential awe that displaces lesser fears (cf. Proverbs 1:7, Psalm 112:1), directly contrasted in the sermon with cultural fear, conspiracy, and dread.
- Adoption and identity: calling believers "sons of God" and "the body of Christ" (Romans 8:14-17; 1 Corinthians 12:27; Galatians 3:26) grounds Christian identity in relationship rather than institutional label ("Christian" as a term appears only a few times in the New Testament, e.g., Acts 11:26).
- The power of spoken words (Proverbs 18:21, "death and life are in the power of the tongue") underlies the sermon's warning against speaking negatively over children and family.
Word & Context Study
- "Perilous" (2 Timothy 3:1) — translates the Greek chalepos, meaning harsh, fierce, or dangerous; the only other New Testament use describes the violent demoniacs of Matthew 8:28, suggesting Paul envisions not mere difficulty but a hostile, volatile social climate.
- "Form of godliness" (2 Timothy 3:5) — the Greek morphōsis denotes an outward shape or semblance without the underlying substance (dynamis, "power"); it describes religious appearance detached from transforming reality, central to the sermon's critique of nominal Christianity.
- Enoch — the Hebrew name Chanokh is related to a root meaning "dedicated" or "initiated"; the phrase "walked with God" (Hebrew halak, "to walk/go") is a Hebrew idiom for sustained covenant fellowship and obedience, used elsewhere only of Noah (Genesis 6:9).
- Pastor David Yonggi Cho — referenced via a secondhand account of a vision concerning the transatlantic slave trade; Cho (1936–2021) founded Yoido Full Gospel Church in Seoul, long cited as the largest single congregation in the world, which is the detail the sermon alludes to.
Application
- Treat closeness to God as a relationship to cultivate daily, not a box checked by church attendance or service alone.
- Bring ordinary moments — meals, errands, work, family time — into conversation with God rather than compartmentalizing "spiritual time."
- Pray honestly about real struggles (habits, fears, relationships) rather than offering only polished or performative prayers.
- Read Scripture to learn God's specific promises and covenant over your life, family, and future, not merely to complete a devotional habit.
- When correcting or guiding children and grandchildren, point them back to God's Word rather than relying solely on personal authority.
- Refuse to let others' hypocrisy, cynicism about the church, or cultural fear dictate your pursuit of God — "it's going to be you and God alone" in the end.
- Replace anxiety about world events with reverence for God, actively choosing what to fear and whom to trust (Isaiah 8:12-13).
- Watch your words over yourself and others — speak life, not discouragement, especially to children.
Reflection & Discussion Questions
- Which traits listed in 2 Timothy 3:1-9 do you see most clearly in today's culture, and which ones might be easiest to overlook in yourself?
- Pastor Mary distinguishes "serving God" from "drawing close to God." What is the difference in your own life right now, and where might the two have become disconnected?
- David's closeness to God came through repeated repentance, while Enoch's came through sustained, unbroken walk. Which pattern feels more familiar to your own spiritual life, and why?
- What practical "excuse" (church hypocrisy, busyness, past hurt) tends to keep you from pursuing greater intimacy with God, and how would you answer that excuse honestly before God?
- Isaiah 8:12-13 contrasts fearing what others fear with fearing the Lord alone. What fears in your own life need to be reordered under the fear of the Lord?
- Of the four practices given (honest prayer, reading the Word, ongoing conversation, worship), which is currently weakest in your life, and what is one concrete step you could take this week to strengthen it?
Conclusion
The central call of this message is not alarm but intimacy: the same perilous conditions Paul foresaw for the last days are visible evidence that it is time to draw nearer to God rather than retreat into fear, cynicism, or empty religious routine. Whether through David's pattern of repeated repentance or Enoch's pattern of sustained, unbroken fellowship, Scripture shows that closeness to God is available in the kitchen, at the dinner table, in the car, and at work — not only within church walls. As the world grows louder and more volatile, the believer's anchor is not performance but presence: pray honestly, know the Word, talk with God continually, and worship — because in the end, every soul stands before God alone, and no excuse offered about the church, the culture, or other people will stand in that place.
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Amen.
So before I get started with this message, you know I'm not long-winded,
but I just wanted to let you know that this message, I'm going to give you a disclaimer.
This message is not a message to instill fear.
and it's certainly not a fable so those are my two disclaimers okay it's not to instill fear
and it is not a fable okay anybody know a fable is something made up right amen amen but i just
want to let you know that we're living in a time where the world stage is everything that the bible
said it would be. According to
2 Timothy verse 3, verse
1 through 9, if the media could put that up for me,
it says, this know also
that in the last days perilous times shall come.
2 Timothy.
2 Timothy 3.
yeah for men shall be lovers of them own selves covetous boasters proud blasphemers
disobedience to parents unthankful unholy without natural affection truth breakers
false accusers incontinent fears despise of those that are good false or one who um form its strife
traitors, heady, high-minded
lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God
having a form of godliness but denying the power
thereof from such turn away
for of this sort
are they which creep into houses and lead
captive silly women laden with sins led away
with divers lust
ever learning and never able to
come to the knowledge of the truth
Amen. Amen.
Let's bless the Lord for that word.
Everyone can see.
You can clearly see that these are attributes that we are experiencing.
The Bible is alive. It's alive.
We see it every day. You listen to the news. You see it.
You go to work. You see it. You're out on the street. You see it.
Everything that we do, we are seeing the word of the Lord being performed.
The earth is even shaken.
it's just what the Bible says
it's diverse
earthquakes
and diverse places
it's fires, it's floods
it's everything that he says
and that's not to instill
fear into us but it lets
us know that it is time
it is time
it's time not only to observe
but it is time for us to
draw closer to God
and this is what I heard the spirit of the
Lord said he said draw closer
to me it doesn't mean that you're not walking with him it doesn't mean that you don't serve
and you don't give unto him that's not what he's asking us to do today he's asking us to do what
to come closer amen hallelujah the lord want us to come closer because people that don't or are not
in relationship with jesus christ they are experiencing something of some sort i work
with them every day. Either they're on anxiety medication, they have PTS, they're on edge about
everything. Nothing is settled in their life. People are unhappy. People can't love one another.
They can't do anything. They're relying on the government, relying on their substance,
relying on their jobs. They're doing everything but what the word of God says. He said, draw closer.
just draw closer to me.
There was
a student this week that I had
and he was really misbehaving. I mean
and he's only five. Five years old and I
knew this child had experienced some trauma but I didn't know what the whole story
was and so I had to take him to the security officer. Now just
imagine a five-year-old me walking a five-year-old to security and so he asked the little boy he said
do you want me to call miss so-and-so and he was like i like i don't care you know like call her
so he did and she says i'll be there in a few minutes by the time she got there and she came
to my desk and sat down and she said did they tell you the story i says no i only have documentation
about his cognitive level.
That's all I had.
She said, let me tell you the story.
By the time this woman finished with me,
both of us was crying.
Now he's five.
He doesn't know anything about anything.
He hasn't experienced anything.
All he knows is that he has to depend on adults
for his guidance, for his food, for his shelter.
This is what he knows.
by the time she got finished telling me and I'm sitting there I am boohoo crying
it's I said God this is too big for me what what am I supposed to do with a child like this
how can a child like this experience something that their father impeded on them how I mean when
When I tell you this kid shuts down, he can look at you one minute and sometimes he just
walks in the door and just put his head on the desk.
As a teacher, that's very difficult for me to deal with because why?
I can't penetrate the mind at all.
I can't touch his heart.
And no matter what I do, it takes hours sometimes during the course of the day for me to even
bring him back.
And then when he comes, he'll come, he'll get real close to me.
And you know what?
All I could do is just anoint my hands and just begin to declare the mercies of God in
this little boy's life.
These are times that we're living in.
Kids are subject to traumas that are instilled by their parents.
You know, they can't trust anybody.
But this is what the Bible says.
i didn't understand that scripture when the bible says men heart would fail them not for what they
see but for what they would hear i couldn't see i'm like how could that be but now i i see it
i understand that more than anything but there are biblical examples of people that drew close to god
and the closer you get to him there's a song it's a secular song but i love it
because when I think about it, this is the closer I get to you, the closer I get to you.
That's how we have to think about God.
We have to get close to him.
Just keep getting close to him.
The enemy don't want you close to him.
David was close to God.
The Bible says in Psalms 132, David says, oh, Lord, he says, remember David.
and all the hardships he endured.
He swore an oath unto the Lord
and made a vow to the mighty one of Jacob.
I will not enter my house or go to my bed.
I will allow no sleep to my eyes,
nor slump to my eyelids
till I have found a place for the Lord,
a dwelling place for the mighty one of Jacob.
Every experience that David had resulted in a prayer.
He stayed close to God.
and David is known as a man after God's own heart this is how we have to do we have to stay
close to God may it be in your house may it be on your bed may it be walking the street going to the
supermarket whatever you do stay close and and don't let people spiritualize what staying close
to God really means staying close we have to go out you have to go to work you have to do all these
things. But what's wrong with staying close to God, even as you're walking, even as you're playing,
even as you're having your fun, you can still stay close to him. And I'm going to give you ways to do
it. Amen. There was a young lady that was on social media. She said that she got up in the
morning and got dressed and she said, hey, God, guess what? We're going on a date today.
it's just you and I we're gonna we're you going with me on a date so she gets up she goes to the
restaurant and get dressed and everything and she's sitting at the restaurant ordering her food
she's meditating on the word talking to God just by herself when the time came for the bill
she asked them for it and they said no ma'am no bill for you they said it's okay you could go
They let her walk.
Now, it's not father, gentlemen.
She invited him on a date, but didn't he pay it?
Amen.
He paid the bill.
She didn't have to worry about this.
And this is what I learned.
Even though this young girl said she was utterly shocked.
She said she was shocked.
But God is our father.
He's our saver, our redeemer, our helper, our counselor, advisor.
He's a friend.
He's everything unto us.
You don't have to like put him in this little box that I'm only going to meet him when I get to Grace International.
I'm only going to meet him on the line on Tuesday at 7 p.m. for prayer time.
No, you can meet him whenever you want to meet him.
You can invite him to your kitchen table.
I promise you he'll come.
Amen.
How do I know that?
Because he did it for me.
I literally invited God to my table.
I set a plate on the table and asked God.
I said, God, you're invited to my dinner.
I walked away.
I didn't even know.
I didn't even honestly.
I didn't even know what I was doing.
I just walked away.
I turned my back, staring at pots, and I turned around.
And just over my table, I see smoke hovering over my table.
Now, honestly, it scared me.
I'm not even going to lie about that.
It scared me.
It really did.
But that taught me the intimacy that you can have with God.
the intimacy
it's not all about being in the building
it's about having him here
it's about talking
and speaking to him
each and every day about
everything don't limit yourself
about what you want to talk
to God about don't let anyone
limit you about what
you need to say to him that is
your personal that's why
they say personal relationship
with him
I can have a cookout at my house.
I'm not just going to set everything up and turn on music and just go.
No, I have a practice.
Before I cook a meal for my family, before I do anything,
I get on my knees and I say, God, my whole family is coming.
And I said, I want to have peace.
I want us to be able to enjoy ourselves.
I want to be able to pray
and with no
you know no strife you know how some people you're inviting
like oh we're going to cook out and they turned it
into a prayer meeting no no
that's just not how I do it
and each time I watched the hand
of God I watched
his hand and people will come and say
anytime you have a cookout
can I come back to your house
because of the peace
the love the laughter
and the fun that they had
this practice
have broken things in people's
life where
they couldn't get together with their
own families
you know oh no we don't get together no I
can't have that over there it gave them a
blueprint amen
of how to do it and when they ask
the question I don't take
the credit for it I don't say
well you know because my family likes
this and so I just made them no no
I tell them the truth
no before you come i pray i tell god in my fun i'm inviting you into my fun amen these are ways
that we stay close to him amen another example of a person um that was uh very very close to god
It was Enoch.
The Bible says in Genesis 21 and 24,
it says when Enoch had lived 65 years,
he became the father of Methuselah.
And after he became the father of Methuselah,
Enoch walked with God 300 years.
He walked with God.
There he was no more.
There he was no more because God took him away.
365 years of walking with God,
he did not see death
he's the only
person that I ever knew
that to happen to
but we can choose
more to think we have more power
we can choose the way we want to do things
I told God when you come for me
I said God
I don't want to be in nobody's hospital bed
matter of fact I want to
be at church having a good time
I want to be
in the presence of the Lord
I don't want a car accident
i mean this is how we we engage i don't want a car accident i don't want no hospital visits i
don't want none of this stuff i just want to be at the house of the lord and you was like oh well
pastor mary that seems impossible no it no it's not the old the saints of old they knew when he
was coming for them they knew it my one of my god mothers god bless her soul name was laura walker
she came to me one day with a box and you know when you think somebody give me your gift you
become very excited i was so happy and excited she bringing me a box and she was a seamstress
she would make us dresses alike you know i was just so happy and when i looked in the box
i saw things like a cup and the picture i had given her of myself this and i asked her i says
what are you doing i don't understand i said i gave you some of these things she says i'm giving
them back to you she said because he's coming for me i said don't say that i mean i was what maybe
about 12 or 13 years old i was like don't say that she hugged me so tight she said he's coming
and this is what i want you to do when i leave you're gonna put this dress on me
and she had very long i mean she had long hair because she had native american ancestry she said
take my hair and wrap it like this and put this on me do this and that i was like you know what ah
i said no i said it's not time you need to stay with me i said i need you i need you she said
darling he's coming for me that sunday she got up she came downstairs she looked at me
Now, these were words.
She says, I'm going.
When she said I'm going, I'm thinking like going to church.
Okay.
But she came over and she gave me a very unusual hug.
I didn't think anything of it.
Within one hour, her husband came back.
She was in the house of the Lord.
She was just singing praises unto God.
And she left.
Took all her money, put everything in the offering.
As soon as she laid that offering down, that was it.
So just as Enoch had that relationship with God that he just walked out,
we can have the same type of relationship.
We can know when God is coming for us.
You can ask him to take you home.
I promise you he'll take you home.
He's not far from us.
Understand that when he dwells inside of you,
that is a power a power that cannot be reckoned with amen amen it's a power
so as long as we stay in close these are two different people you have david david didn't do
everything right david didn't he sinned he did all kinds of things but he always was at the feet
of God, just drawing close and
repentant. God, forgive me
for what I've done. I've sinned.
I've only sinned against you.
David was always there, begging
God for his mercy.
So guess what? And Enoch, the Bible
doesn't even indicate that
Enoch was, he was
just the opposite of David. But
what it does indicate that he was very,
very intimate with God.
And that's how we must be intimate,
even in our business, practices,
everything we do. So
oh, God, what do you want to do today?
Where are we going?
Ask him, what are we doing today?
The Bible said he orchestrates your footsteps.
He does sometimes when we're not even conscious
of how he orchestrates our steps.
He's still moving for us.
But it's just nice.
You know, sometimes when you want to engage with a person,
how do you get to know them?
You talk to them.
You spend time with them.
That's how you know.
You know when somebody says, oh, no.
Some people will come and say, oh, you know, Mary, she did blah, blah, blah.
They would say, no, no, no, no, she didn't do that.
I don't believe you.
Why?
Because I spent enough time with them for them to know who I am and what I'm like.
So when people said, they was like, no, I'm not the one I know.
No, that's not her.
And if that did happen, they'll tell you, what did you do?
Because that's not our character.
so our character should be in Christ Jesus
close just like David was
close like Enoch was
and we shouldn't have reasons
reasons for not staying close to him
God is not interested in your failures
he knows you're going to fail
you're going to have disappointments
he knows that
all he wants you to do is just be with him
I just want to be with you
that's it he just want to be with you
You know, even when your children come to you, my kids come to me, grandchildren, oh, grandma, you know, so-and-so happened to me.
But you know what?
I remember the prayer I prayed.
God, if my children and my grandchildren come to me, I says, I promise you I will always point them back to you.
They're grown.
I don't care.
I point them right back.
I point them right back to God.
I'm going to say, well, you know what?
That's why the Bible says you can't do blah, blah, blah.
You know, just casual.
I don't have to take the book and feed them and call them sinners and heathens.
I don't have to do that.
I just point them right back.
And so, believe it or not, that seed, it germinates in their heart.
How do I know that?
Because then I meet somebody else and say, oh, I met your son, and he really helped me out.
And I was like, really?
Because I'm thinking in my mind, how did he help you out?
Because I'm always helping him out.
So how did he do that?
He told me about this Bible scripture,
blah, blah, blah, and I'm like, he did.
But as you go, as you stay close to him in everything,
point your children right back to him,
point them back to their word,
point them back to what God said,
how he want things done.
Well, if it didn't work out that way,
but maybe you want to try it this way
and see how it works.
You're grown now, you're grown,
but this is what the Bible said,
and this is what you want.
So see which one work out.
Amen?
Amen.
Guess what?
It reduces my stress levels.
It reduces my stress levels.
I don't have to get upset about anything because guess what?
Everything is going to point right back.
Everything.
I even tell God, I said, God, even in my neighborhood when people see me,
I don't want to be like everybody else.
I want them to see you.
And when they ask the question, why are you always happy?
I said do you really want an honest answer do you really want it because I'm gonna give it to you
I said yeah because I said I tried to stay with my daddy I said God the father I said I can't
I said I can't live without him I said I don't know how people are doing it they're not doing
it really they don't you don't have life you don't have God you don't have life he said I came to give
you life and that more abundantly so what does that mean that means that while i'm in the earth
and i'm walking as long as i stay close to him does it mean that i'm not going to have problems
absolutely not does it mean that challenges won't come absolutely not but guess what when i stay
close to him everything works together for my good amen amen everything works together
them so i just want to uh some people say things like um i want i don't want to go to church
i don't like traditional church christians are phony they just collect your money you know and
the list kind of like goes on and on about christian people well first of all god referred
to us as the body of christ you know he doesn the bible doesn refer to you as christian he He referred to you as the sons of God the body of Christ You know he doesn the Bible doesn refer to you as Christian He referred to you as the sons of God The body of Christ That how he refers to us
Okay? So, that excuse
about people not wanting to go to
a traditional church because everybody was
phony and blah, blah, blah. But guess what?
I don't let people
talk to me like that because, you know,
I just tell them straight, the people on your job is
phony too. Your politicians,
they smile at you all day long and tell you they're going to do something and guess what and they never do it.
They're phony too. So don't use these things as an excuse.
Don't use the church as your excuse.
That you can't go because these things happen
at the church and everybody want to take your money. Well guess what?
Everybody's taking your money. Cables take your money. The electric
company is getting your money. The insurance company is getting your money.
the mortgage company is getting your money
everybody is getting your money
so why do you think it's a problem
when the church has to get money
amen
amen
everybody getting a piece of your money
we in America
subscriptions
that's what we do
subscriptions
amen
so you can't use that to justify
not being close to God
or coming around the saints
dwelling with the saints
listen
Listen, nobody at church holds you hostage and giving money.
Either you give it or you don't.
Amen?
Amen.
If you don't have it to give, you just don't have to give.
But that's not the objective.
The objective, if you're coming into the house of God so that you can grow,
so that you can develop, so that you can go out and show other people
what Jesus Christ really, really represents,
not that Christ that the world is presenting to us.
The world presents us a Christ that's not real.
Amen?
Now, that's phony.
That's what you call phony.
You're giving me a Christ that you're trying to tell that he's limitedless.
He doesn't have any power.
If he had power, then why did he let this happen?
And then he only subjects you to poverty and blah, blah, blah.
A phony Christ.
That's not the Christ that we read about in this word.
The Christ that we read about in this word, the Bible said that the earth is his.
And the fullness thereof and all that dwells therein.
That includes the phony people and everybody else.
It includes every creature, everybody.
Amen?
So don't try to present.
I just, I don't know if the Holy Spirit just allowed me to just see.
I just don't allow people to navigate my story, my walk with God.
I'm not going to let you navigate it because they've been selling lies to you in the body of Christ.
Everybody in here knows that the Holy Spirit is real.
Everybody knows that.
How could you go someplace and the Spirit of the Lord speak to you and you make a turn
and then all of a sudden, boom, the accident is right there.
you're not you can't convince me that he is not a real person he's a real person so guess what
i've got to stay as close to that person as possible amen amen so for those that want to
get on social media and uh you know talk about all these things and talk about the apostles and
the bishops and the blah blah blah you know what you're going to stand before the lord
and it's not going to be an excuse for you.
I don't know what you're going to tell him,
but you can't tell him it's because of the apostle or the bishop.
You will never be able to get away with that
because he made it too personal.
All you have to do is come and stay close to him.
Amen?
So let's not be bound by the words of the world.
Don't be bound by their words.
Don't be bound by the words
because when he gave us this,
to speak life to ourselves,
or you could speak death to yourself,
you could speak it to your children.
I don't know what's wrong with parents.
I am so tired of parents speaking down to their children.
Oh, this one right here not gonna be anything,
and this one right here, oh, she crazy, he crazy.
What are you saying?
What are you saying?
The words that come out of our mouth has power,
and they take form.
They take form.
You know, you don't allow people to speak over your journey with Jesus.
Don't allow people to speak over your children, over your family, over your business, over nothing that belongs to you.
You cannot go contrary with the word of God and then say that I belong to him.
You cannot do it.
And the world is going to do that.
They're doing it now.
The world hates Jesus Christ.
They hate him.
They hate him.
They don't want you to say anything.
How many pastors was the street ministries?
They're stabbing them.
They're pulling guns on them.
They're trying to hurt them.
Why?
I don't want to hear that message.
Because that spirit that rises up in them, that antichrist spirit, rises up in them for them to go against the body of Christ.
And guess what?
The Bible clearly lets us know that the day is coming where we'll be arrested.
All kinds of things will happen.
so you need to stay close
and you need to really
we all need not just you we
me too Pastor Mary
I need to be grounded in him
so when those things come
we don't have to shake
let me tell you something walking with Christ
is not for the faint
it's not for the faint
we have to be strong in the Lord
not in your own
thinking your own doing
because guess what
you try it if you want to
you'll see what happens you're not going very far amen amen amen standing with god you know
god's word is a structure it's a structure his prophets his promises it irritates those people
what are them people talking about god gonna do what he gonna give on what you know what but guess
what i'm not shaking because guess what i make the same money as you make and guess what but my
results are different. My results are different. My children
don't look like they're children. My children are not in the church. Yours not either.
But guess what? My children still look different than your children. Do you understand
what I'm saying? We're not supposed to be like everybody else.
We're not supposed to kind of like go along with the flow.
I think Pastor Terry was sharing with me about
Pastor Cho. He had the largest
church in the world. The largest church. I was so moved by this man's testimony that God actually
took him, gave him an open vision, an open vision, took him and put him in the bottom of a slave ship.
When God got finished with that man, that man came back and he says, black people, he said, I apologize
for seeing, going to other churches
and knowing that they was racially divided against you
and I never spoke up.
He said, I apologize.
And so when he said that,
he said there was something that God put in us.
God put something in black people
that was so special.
He said that if we ever find out
who we are in Christ Jesus,
the kingdom of darkness
was shake so badly
that they were shake
that's what he said that's what the whole 400
years of slavery was about
that's what's still going on today they
shoot our sons and daughters in the street and don't
think it what do you think it's
the destiny it's the
destiny of our people
he said it's so powerful
that their fear
is in the enemy's care
I say to you I say
to me stay close to God let's keep the fear in the camp amen amen Isaiah 8 and 11 says the Lord
spoke to me with strong hands upon me this is in Isaiah warning me not to follow the way of the
people he said do not call conspiracy everything that these people call conspiracy do not fear what
they fear and do not dread it. The Lord Almighty is the one you are to regard as holy. He is the
one you are to fear. He is the one that you are to dread. And he will be a sanctuary both for the
house of Israel. He will be a stone that caused men to stumble and a rock to make them fall.
Let me tell you something. When I read this scripture, God, don't do what people doing. Don't
call conspiracy so we can't get involved with everything we see the holy spirit told me long
time ago don't believe everything you see don't believe only trust me don't believe it don't hear
it either you have to hear the word of the lord that's what you have to believe that's what we have
to stand on is the word of the lord yes the earth might be shaken and quaking but do i have to go
along with they shaking and quaking no no not when i got a god he says he's the one you should fear
he's the one you should be dreadful for and i do fear the lord amen amen i'm dreadful it's a lot of
things that we all in here can do but we won't do because why we fear the lord i don't want to be
like everybody i can't go along with everybody am i perfect no but i don't want to go along with
nonsense and foolishness because guess what when i go to the lord who's going to be standing there
hey me you're going to be standing there nobody else is that you cannot justify anything or
anybody else it's going to be you and god alone amen amen so if you have your pens and paper
i need you to write these are ways that we stay close to god number one we pray honestly
honestly
an honest prayer
God pays attention to honest prayers
we were sharing
in Sunday school
Pastor Terry was saying she was telling God
that he had to be the one to deliver her from them
cigarettes me too
guess what but that was an honest prayer
to tell God listen I like doing this
but I need you to help me
that's an honest prayer
pray honestly read in the Bible
read in the Bible
Read the word of God.
Find out what he says, the promises of God.
Find out his covenant.
What does his covenant say about me?
What does it say about my family, about my future, about my destiny?
What is the word saying?
Thirdly, talk to him.
Like I said, it doesn't always have to be, you know, a whole drawn out prayer hour, two hours or whatever the case is.
It doesn't have to always.
Just talk to God like you would talk to your neighbor, your friend, your sister, your best friend.
I would say to your best friend.
Just talk to God.
You know what, God?
I'm not feeling good today.
I'm not well in my spirit.
I don't know.
Something doesn't feel right.
Something is off.
What's happening with me?
And let him talk to you back.
Amen?
Number four, worship and praise is the most powerful thing that we can give unto God.