James Greer: 00:01 Morning Journey Church. Hey, first of all, let’s welcome Alexandria campus, Amen. And we want to continue to remember brother Darrell, that he lost his father, his father went on to be with the Lord. But I’m going to tell you Darrell, you did a great job honoring your dad in the message that you brought, so we’ll continue to remember them. Man, I’m so excited that we want this year to be your best year ever, Amen?

James Greer: 00:24 And to do that, we’re going to give you some resources. I want to take some time to kind of go over those first. First of all, if you don’t have a bulletin raise your hand, and we’ll get you one. Does everybody have a bulletin? Within the bulletin, there’s going to be several things. Number one is going to say To be the Church, now to sign up for this free online course that has things like, who you are in Christ, how to better handle conflict, how to handle a crisis, how to raise your EQ and rejection. And so to do that, you have to drop this in there with your email. We have to have an email to send you the link, we can’t just give it to you. You’ve got to give us your email, fill this card out, put your email, and drop it in at the end of the service. Now, for some of you, I think the majority, I mean if there’s a few of you that maybe are still not on computer. If so you fill that out, and we’ll actually send you or get you the actual book itself, but the rest of you are to online and do it. And you’ll have that opportunity at the end of the service. The other thing is, you’re going to get at the end of the service, come down and get one of the abundant life books. That’s our gift from me, and Journey Church, to you. And in there, the very first week it says, how to have the best year ever. And so you can use that in several ways, you can use it as a personal devotion, it’s fifty-two weeks, you can use it as a family devotion, you can use it at your work. Now, if you use it at work and you want to, you can call the church and get ahold of Richie, and we will provide you with free resources. In other words, if you say, man, I got 10 people at lunch and we’re going to do the devotion once a week, you can call up here and Richie will provide you a 10 books to do that with. Or you can do it in a hobby group. We had one of the staff who said they’re going to do it as their family devotion. What we do as a staff, we usually take one a week, and we share our insights during the staff. So, however you do it, that will help you grow. Because we’re learning if you want next year to be your best year, it won’t come simply by trying, it’ll come by training. It won’t come by trying, it’ll come by what? Training. And we want to help you train.

James Greer: 02:39 Another thing that’s right here is, it says my next step. You’re coming to the front to get a book, if you want to enter your eight week free course, which I suggest everybody should. Everybody needs to learn how to handle conflict and communication and rejection better, and you drop that in. But when you do, you can tear this out and say, hey, I’m ready to take my next step. Everybody has a next step, and so you may just want to say, hey, I don’t know if it’s salvation, baptism, I want to get into small group, membership, serve, tithe, or just write other. So those are the things you can bring at the end, and drop them in there.

James Greer: 03:14 Also, I love this, you should keep this all year, it’s the spiritual checkup, from the neck up. People, a lot of times they say, you know, I’d just really like to know where I am spiritually, I’d like to grow spiritually. In fact, we did a personal assessment test, the whole staff did this week, to find out where we need to grow the most at. And we’re going to tackle that, and then we’ll go to the next one. But listen, you can simply go down this and say, hey, this is the area I’m not doing, and I want to be blessed and used by God. I want 2019 to be the best year ever, and you can just keep it with you. The best thing to do, is to do something like this, stick it in your Bible and go over it every quarter or so. I mean, I had somebody I was talking to this week, and he said, 2019 going to be the best year ever. I said, man, it is. He said, I’m going to send you your 2018 message, you said the same thing. I said, well, I thought 2018 was going to be the best year ever. He said, well, I want to tell you, he says, financially It was not my best year, but my family, it was the best year ever. I sent him a text back and I said, you know, your family’s going to last forever, and our finances won’t. I said by the way, I can understand that, I’ll show you later on. I said it wasn’t the best year ever for my health, but it’s the most fruitful year ever, and that’s going to last forever. And so I want you to make sure that you sign up for the free resources. Because you can’t grow, and you can’t have the best year ever, simply by trying. You have to train. Amen?

James Greer: 04:48 See, this is the way we go through life, you ready? We’re drifting through life, we’re driven through life, or we go through life by design. Now, the drifters, they just, whatever comes up, you know, we just kind of go with that. They don’t have any vision, they don’t have a goal, they don’t have any plans. And so they really never get anywhere, they just drift around. Then there’s those driven people. They will get you in trouble. They’re better than drifters, but the driven people are like, man, I tell you what, I’m going to go to work, I’m going to conquer this job, and I’m just driven all the time. You know, and that’s okay, but what you do, you’re usually driven in one area. It may be exercise, it may be like it was with me, my job. Whatever it is, you’re just driven in that area, but what happens is then the other areas around you suffer. Or you can live life by design, and when you began to live life by design, is when you can have the best year ever.

James Greer: 05:43 Ecclesiastes chapter five, I was just reading that, just found it yesterday, and it says, “And you know what is a good thing is a good thing to receive wealth from God, and the good health to enjoy it.” You know, good health is a blessing, Amen. Man, you don’t really realize it till it touches you a little bit. God said, listen, it is a good thing for you to have wealth from God, it’s a good thing for you to enjoy health, to enjoy your work. Hey, and accept your lot for life, this is indeed a gift of God. Your health is a gift from God, Amen? Your wealth is a gift from God. Every good thing in your life is a gift from God. Then it says, look, God wants to keep such people so busy enjoying life that they can’t even take time to pout or to worry over their path, that’s the kind of life I want, Amen. That’s the way I want you to have the next year, It’ll be training, not trying. It’ll be intentionality, not just good intentions.

James Greer: 06:42 So that’s what I kind of want to share about. One of the reasons that we’re not more successful in life is because we’re trying so hard. You ever got on your child, and they said, well, I’m trying. You’ve been at work, and somebody said, but you know you just don’t realize how hard I’m trying. But the problem is, I’m trying in my marriage. But see, trying will not allow you to have the best year ever. You have to train, train, not simply try. That’s why we’re giving you the free resources, the abundant life book, and the sign up for the new course, and we want you to do that. And like I said, I was telling talking to those guys and I said, you know, 2018 was not my best health year, but it’s my most fruitful year. And the fruit’s going to last, and the health won’t. Even if I live to 100 or 110, sooner or later I’m going to go be with the Lord, Amen? But I’m thankful I’m doing better every day, I’m so excited.

James Greer: 07:42 But God blessed us last year, man. We had new members, a total of 281 new member, woo, Amen. Hey, Alexandria, 50 of those were you all, Amen. We had 136 baptisms last year, Amen. Thirteen of those were at Alexandria, yeah. Can you all remember a few years back, we had a big celebration? We said if we could ever baptized 100 people, I mean the newspaper was here, I got a plaque on my wall, and last year man, we were fruitful. And so I just thank you, and Alexandria you all had 13 of them, so God is blessing both campuses, Amen. Do you all, I don’t know some of you all participate, and a lot of you all participate in Say Yes. It was a two year commitment, and you all are still doing it. Do you all realize, I looked at it this weekend, we have had $380,000 given, that is a lot of money, Amen.

James Greer: 08:33 So I want you to know, God wants to build his church, the devil wants to destroy the church. If we have time to get to it, I hope we do the second part of the message, How the devil often brings oppression into your life, into your family, as a way of destroying the church. But did I mention to you that we have free resources? Amen. Because your generosity we are able to give them out free. You know, we were more concerned right now about helping you train, then try. What would you call this, what if somebody said, listen, I’m going to give you material that’s going to help you in every area of your life, all you do is have to come take it for free, or sign up for free and then use, it and you didn’t do it. What would you call that? Somebody guess. Stupid I would say, yes, that would be stupid. That those people who say, man, I want to have a better year, I’m always having problems, but you don’t train, you try. And so we have [inaudible]. But Proverbs 12:1 says this, I love it. “Whom so ever loves instruction, loves knowledge. But he who hates correction is (Is what?) stupid.” I don’t want to have a bunch of stupid members at Journey Church, Amen. Let me give you some important insights about the difference between stupid and unstable, and stability and wise. Stupid people usually are unstable by the way, while stable people are usually wise people. One listens and learns from the people wiser than they are, and they become stable. The other, they’re stupid and unstable, won’t listen and they won’t learn. See the wise and stable, they keep learning, they keep training. The stupid and unstable, they don’t know. Bless their heart, they don’t even know they don’t know. So we don’t want to be a bunch of stupid members, Amen? The main difference between stupid and stable, one listens and learns to those are that are wise, and one will just not listening and will not learn in spite of the problems they continue to go through. If you go through the same problem over and over and over and over, and you don’t apply God’s word, God says that’s foolish, that’s stupid, don’t do that. The Proverbs 12:15 says, “The way of (What?) a fool is right in his own eyes, but he who heeds counsel is wise.

James Greer: 10:55 So there’s three things that I want you to focus on this year, and they’re not in your bulletin, but we’ll get to the oppression if we have time. Three things, number one, I want you to focus this year and do more training than just simply trying, and it applies to every area of your life. You know, we did this, a test assessment, a life assessment in our staff, except for two people. Two goody goodies, you know? Anyway, all the rest of us, we have to do better on our health next year. Of course we have two, they eat right and exercise every day, but the rest of that was the number one thing we had to work on. So in the second week of January, we as a staff, we’re going to try to start getting healthy. But you know what I’ve already done? I drove by the gym two or three times, and I looked at it, and I’ve talked about eating better. That’s trying. Well, I mean how many you all even drove by? I talked to my wife and I said, I want to start eating better. But you know what? So far I have not got a bit better. But I’ll tell you, I am reading, I’m learning, I’m training in what I can do, because I know that I need to get physically in better shape. See, and you might need to get in better physical shape. I can tell you, it does not happen by driving by the gym, I’ve already tried it. It doesn’t happen by learning to eat better, which will be one of the main ways we get in better condition, it happens by training. So I’ll encourage you, if you want to get better physical shape in 2019, you will have to train, not simply try, Amen? Look at this, First Timothy 4:8, I love this, “Physical training is good.” One of the translations said it’s really not that good, but it’s good. I mean, I need to get in better shape, you need to get in better shape, we all need to be in better shape. Okay, it good. But you know what? Training for godliness, you know it’s better, it promises benefits to this life and the life to come. So number one, if you want to get better physically, you have to learn and train and eat right, correct?

James Greer: 12:53 But number two, what if you want to get better spiritual condition, which it says is much better? It still, it takes training, that’s why we’re giving free resources. And I’m going to tell you, 2019 if you’ll allow it to be your best spiritual year in your life, the rest of your year will be better.

James Greer: 13:09 Okay, third, what if you want to get in better financial condition? America Today, they said that you know, 80 percent of America is not in good financial condition. They said 70 percent of the people are struggling with physical health. And see, I believe that we as a church, we should encourage each other. I’m definitely not where I need to be, but I know I want to get better. So I need to get better physically, I need to get better spiritually, I need to get in better financial condition. In fact, we’re praying about even having a seminar on helping people set budgets, and how they can get in better financial condition. But for the most part we have a lot of free resources that will help you there.

James Greer: 13:55 Fourth, you ready? You want your marriage to be in a better condition, Amen? I mean if I said, how many here want their marriage to be in a better condition next year then it was the year before, I hope you would all say Amen, right? Well, let me tell you what, I can tell you what, if Lord willing, if we have time. Next Sunday, I’ll be sharing some insights on how to have a better marriage than you’ve ever had before, and most of those insights I’ve never shared before. So what I would do if I want to have a better marriage next year, if I want my marriage to be in a better condition than it was this year, I’d be here next Sunday, Amen? What I wouldn’t do is say, well, I’m going to try. When you say that, it makes me want to say ugh. No, you say apart from emergency, we’re going to be here, Amen. Because see, I don’t think you ever learning stop learning, I don’t think you ever stop trying. Me and my wife did 45 years in February, Amen. And we’ve only just begun, I can’t wait for the next 45, Amen? But you know what? I’m still reading books on how to have a better marriage, I’m still training, I’m still trying. But you know what? My trying doesn’t do near as good is me training, so I would be here next Sunday, Amen. Don’t just try, be there.

James Greer: 15:19 So there’s three main things, if you’ll focus on next year, it’ll radically change your life. Number one, you’re going to focus on training, and don’t just say, I’m trying. Amen? Number two, you’re going to learn to invest, make deposits, build equity, before you make withdrawals. Now I’m going to be teaching on that later, but this is what happens in marriage. You want to make a withdrawal from your mate, and you’ve never made a deposit into their life, and so what you do is you suck them dry. And it happens in your financial life, you know, you want to take out more than you put in. It happens in your spiritual life. The Bible says, you know, to build your house upon the rock. You’re building, and your building, and your building, then the storms come and the rains come, and you’re still standing. You learn to, you invest, before you withdraw. It applies to every single area of your life. It definitely applies to your emotional life. There is a section in Be the Church that talks about EQ, and it’s about your emotional intellect, and it will help you in your emotions like nothing else. So, what I’m trying to tell you, in 2019, learn to invest. Invest is the word, invest before you withdraw. Everybody in this society wants to withdraw without making the investment, that they want to come to church, and just withdraw, make an investment. Where your heart is, so is your treasure. I mean I want to invest in my marriage, I want my marriage to be a priority, I want to have the best marriage I ever can. I don’t care if you’ve been married 6 months, or 66 years, Amen? It’s invest, before you try to make a withdrawal. Third, 2019, don’t just simply come to church. Man, learn to be the church. I was going to preach a whole message on that today. In fact, the first half of your outline, it’s on how to be the church, so you can take it home and read about it. Amen.

James Greer: 17:12 But in the truest sense is this, Colossians 3:17 puts it this way, “And whatever you do.” What does whatever mean? Whatever. When you go to work, when you come home, when you go to church, whatever you do. “Whatever you do in words, the way you speak, whatever you do in deeds, the way you work, in your action, doing all of the name of Lord Jesus Christ, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” That’s basically how you become the church, you learn to add a spiritual component to any and every area of your life, that’s what I’m saying. If you are on the job, and you want more of these, Richie will do anything in the world. He’ll get you books, he’ll bring you books, he’ll lead the first one for you. Whatever you want, because we want you to not just come to church, we want you to be the church. Amen. And so that’s one way you can add a spiritual component.

James Greer: 18:00 You know, Matthew 6:33, “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and live righteously, everything else will be taken care of.” See, when you have your right priorities, you’ll have the right life. It takes being intentional, it takes a training. But I’m going to give you a simple insight that I’ve just started doing, that I want you to do. Let me tell you a thirty second insight that gives you a spiritual component to every area of your life, that will radically change your life. It’s the thirty second rule, and before you go to work, your job, hobby, church, wherever you’re at doing, stop right there and simply ask God, is there someone that you’d like me to minister to, speak to, pray for, invite to church, or just encourage. Thirty seconds. The best thing to do is when I got out of my driveway the other day I was driving down, and I said, God, I’m trying to practice, is there anybody you want me to speak to, or pray for? He said, yep, sure is. Now God doesn’t speak to me audibly, he might do you all, but he just impresses upon my heart. And I said, well, what would you like for me to do? He said, I’d like for you to go pray with so and so. I said, God, I don’t like that person. I mean, God knows it anyway, I mean, you know. I said, I really don’t like that person, I don’t like him in my life, I don’t like my kids life. And he said, you know, that’s kind of not what I said, you said you’re going to practice the thirty second rule. I said, God, you hadn’t been speaking to me like that. And he said, you hadn’t been given me thirty seconds. Ask me if I drove over there? I did. Ask me if the person was there? No, they weren’t. Ask me if I was glad? Yes I was. But what was great is I left, and God says, see, I just wanted you to be obedient. And what I want you to do is I want you to begin to hear from God like you’ve never heard from God before. Every one of you can practice the thirty second rule. The best thing to do this when you get out of your driveway, but especially before you go to work, before you play some hobby, before you walk into church, whatever it is, and allow God to speak to you. Okay?

James Greer: 22:35 All right, well what I’m going to try to do is real quick, I’m going to go over something I didn’t think I was going to have time, but if I do, it would really be so important this time of year. And it’s in the last part of your outline, but you might want to just pay attention, because I’m going to try to rock and roll. I’m going to give you a 45 minute message in 10 to 15 minutes, amen? I can talk fast, I just don’t know if you can listen fast. One of the things that the devil uses to try to destroy your 2019 that most people don’t even understand, and is very seldom preached about, is oppression. Now, oppression is a spiritual problem, depression is a chemical problem, oppression can lead to depression. When I say, oppression, it means to exercise harsh control over another person, it means use your power against another person. It means to try to weigh them down, to press down, to bind them, to afflict them, to feel crushed. You’ll do it sometimes, you don’t know what’s going on, and you feel this heaviness come upon your life. And oppression is to hold you back, and to suppress you. But what you don’t understand, it’s the devil’s way of trying to control, or limit, your divine potential that God’s given you. Everyone has a god given potential. Listen, I’m not one of those that preaches a devil’s behind every door. What I want you to learn about, is a spiritual oppression that comes upon people in church, and leadership, because God’s blessing them and the devil wants to stop it. See, you’ve been endowed with a special power to be used by God, oppression seeks to hold that down, it seeks to control you, that you can’t reach your full potential. He wants to try to stop you from maximizing your divine, ordained, reason for being here. It involves restricting your God given human potential, to try to stop God’s plan. We call it pressure. But some of you have been under extreme pressure, you didn’t really even understand where it’s coming from, you don’t even understand what it’s about. It’s so heavy, it’s like a fog you’re lifting, and you can almost feel like you have to carry it. The devil wants to bring oppression, God wants to bring freedom. There’s a battle going on, and you can’t see it, but you can often feel it. Ephesians 6:10-12 puts it this way, “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might. Put all the whole armor of God, that you might be able to stand against the wiles (Which is the trickery.) and stand against the devil. (Which is false accusations.) For we don’t wrestle against each other.” Really battles are not with our mate, they’re not with our kids. And see man, that is a trickery, or that is a lie, from the devil. See who you’re having your greatest battles with right now, the Bible says, not brother James, “Is not against flesh and blood, but it’s against (What?) principalities, and against powers, and against rulers of the darkness in high places, and wickedness in places.” See, it’s all about a spiritual battle. So right now I’m praying, whoever you’re having your greatest battle with, that God would open your eyes and allow you to know is really a spiritual battle, and you better learn to fight spiritually. Amen.

James Greer: 23:25 So how does Satan do it? How does Satan oppress even a true believer? He tries to control by deceiving you, or denying the truth. The main operation of oppression is a taskmaster, is through your thoughts and imagination. Your imagination, I tell you what, the devil will influence you, and he’ll plant a thought in your mind, and before long you’ll think it’s yours. And he’s done it to you most of your life, and so if you’re not really aware of what’s going on, you’ll let it happen. And then your imagination starts running away with you, and it’s bigger than it really is. You’ll have a little problem, a little marriage fight, a problem with job, you’ve got a financial problem, and the devil said Amen, and he’ll just cram it down your throat. And then you get a phone call saying, man, it’s going to be bad. Hey man, that most of that’s a lie right out of hell, Amen? The Bible says that Jesus came, that you can know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. It’s through God’s word, the devil’s trying to trick you. Therefore, the son makes you free, you shall be free indeed. See, the devil does not want you to believe that you can be free, and free indeed. See, Satan most often uses guilt, doubt, and anxiety, to bring about oppression. Guilt of your past, now, it’s not always what you did in your past, it can be what you didn’t do in your past. You know, I wish I’d of been a better dad, I wish I had been a better pastor, you know. And you just let the guilt build and build and build. And sometimes it’s about what you did do, and you go man, I just wish I hadn’t done it. Can I tell you 2018 as of tonight is over, and you can’t do anything about it, but you can have a great 2019, Amen? Let go of that guilt. The other is doubt, he uses doubt, doubt in the present. And then you’ll start saying, are things ever going to get better, am I going to have to live like this the rest of my life? Is my finances, my marriage, my relationship, is it all going to be like this? See, and he’ll just get doubt, and then he’ll get it to be bigger and bigger and bigger. And the third is anxiety, anxiety about the present, but a more anxiety about the future. How am I going to be able to live then, how am I going to retire? Andy Rollin’s just retired, Amen. Congratulations, woo, he retired from the prison last week, so congratulations. But you’re not anxiety about your future, because you made plans in the past. But he’ll start making you think maybe I’m too old, maybe I’m too young, maybe I’m not in good enough shape, maybe I’m in too good of shape, whatever it is. And so he’ll bring this unbelievable anxiety into your life, and it’s a lie from the devil. The devil has been a liar from the beginning, he is the father of lies.

James Greer: 26:09 But Acts 10:37 says this, Did you know what happened throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after John had been preaching the message of baptism. Look at what happened, you ready? And you know that God, he anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit, and the power. Do you know what he anointed Jesus with the Holy Spirit, and the power to do? Listen to this, then Jesus, he went around doing good, and healing all those who were what? Oppressed. What were they? Oppressed. Who were they oppressed by? The devil. And God was with him. I’m going to tell you what, see Jesus is the deliver, the devil is the oppressor. If you look in Luke 4:18, it says, “He came to set the oppressed free.”

James Greer: 26:56 Okay, we, we got a rock, man. I may have to this kind of tell you the story. You do understand the Old Testament really happened, but it was a physical picture, of spiritual application. It says in First Corinthians 10:11, it said, “These things happen for an example.” Another translation said, “They were object lesson.” Here’s the example. Exodus chapter one, verse six, Joseph died. Joseph had blessed, and been used greatly by the king, and all his brothers in that generation. But the children of Israel, listen you all, are you all ready for this? They were fruitful, they were increasing abundantly, they had multiplied, and they grew exceedingly mighty in the land, and they began to fill it. So there was something that happened because of Joseph, God had blessed him, and the Israelites had become fruitful, abundant, mighty, and exceedingly great. But now there arose another king in Egypt and he didn’t know Joseph. And he said to the people, you know, look at these people, these children of Israel, there are more and mightier than we are. Let us come and deal shrewdly with them. And lest they multiply [inaudible] we have a war, and they joined the enemy that we fight against them, so they come up against us. So therefore, let’s send taskmasters over them to afflict them, and burden them. That’s what’s oppression is, it’s sending task masters to afflict you, and burden you.

James Greer: 28:14 Now let me give you an insight. When the new king came and he saw the children of Israel, that they were being blessed, and they were being fruitful, he wanted to afflict them. They were fruitful, they increased, they multiplied. Why in the world do you think the devil would want to bring oppression to Journey Church? Because God has so blessed us, and if you don’t realize we have been fruitful, we have increased abundantly, we have multiplied, and exceedingly great. And so that’s what happened, and if you follow it on to Exodus chapters 3:7, “And the Lord said, I have surely seen the oppression of my people in Egypt, but I heard their cry because of a taskmaster, for I knew their sorrow.” Can I tell you something? I don’t know what your sorrow is, I don’t know what your heartache, I want you to know that God hears your cries, he hears your prayers, and he knows your sorrows. And then he said, listen, I’m going to send down a deliverer. Back then he sent Moses, and today he sent Jesus Christ. Today he sent his word, which is the word became flesh, and it’s just like Jesus speaking to you. And he said, I want you to bring them out to a land flowing with milk and honey. And then he said, therefore behold, the cry of the children of Israel has come to me. I’ve seen the oppression, which the Egyptians oppressed them. Come now, therefore, and I’m going to send you Moses, God later sent Jesus, to Pharaoh that my people, the children of Israel be may set free.

James Greer: 29:38 Now you understand oppression, it’s holding you down, it’s affliction, burden, and pressure. But God said, that I have a remedy. He said, number one, remember this, we’re God’s people, just like the children of Israel were God’s people. He said, I heard the cry of my people, Journey Church if you’re saved, you are God’s children, Amen? You have the new covenant, you’re in there. John 1:12 says, but as many as received him become the right to become the children of God, you’re a child of God. Number two, be willing to cry out for God to help you. Say, God would you help me? You know Romans 10:12, it says, “There’s no difference between the Jews and the Greeks. There’s one same Lord, rich overall, and whosoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” That word means to be delivered, to be healed, to be made whole, and to be protected. The Lord’s prayer says, God delivers from the evil one. In John Fourteen, it says, listen, greater works through you. Now, God said, I’m allocating authority to you, if it lines up with my word. Okay, ask for help. Ask for help.

James Greer: 30:44 Where two or three have gathered, there he is also. Man, what a better time, no better time than right here in a minute, we’re going to give an invitation anyway in just a minute. You can come get a book, you can put it in there, you can ask somebody to pray with you, and to pray for you. The Bible said, one chases a thousand, two chases ten thousand. But I want to tell you to relax, because God has allocated his authority to the Christians. In Luke chapter 10, he said, listen, the seventy returned to joy, and said, even the demons are subject to us, God and your name. Behold, you’ve given us authority to trample over serpents, and all the power of the enemy, nothing by any means can hurt me. We cry out for God just to deliver us. Here’s one of the ways that we do that. If you feel like you’ve been oppressed, you pray a prayer like this. You just say something like, dear Heavenly Father, I tell you what you all say that. Dear Heavenly Father, I acknowledge your presence in this room. You’re the only one who is all knowing, all present, and all powerful. We’re depending on you, because apart from you we can do nothing. We stand in truth that all authority in heaven and earth has been given to you. But listen to this, because we’re in Christ, we share in the authority to make disciples, and set the captives free. As a child of God, seated with Christ, in the name and authority of our Lord Jesus Christ. We command, Satan, all evil spirits to release me, the staff, your extended family, and church members. See, I’m a child of God, and the evil one cannot touch me. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

James Greer: 33:02 Let me pray with you. Father, you’re in charge, you’re the ultimate authority. God, we want 2019 to be the very best year ever. God, it starts with Jesus being the Lord of our lives. If there’s anybody here, God, this never accepted Christ as their savior. I pray right now, today, they would do that. If they feel like they’ve been in bondage today, that they will enjoy a freedom like never before. I pray, God, that every single person makes a commitment to join the online course where they can learn they can be set free. They can learn who they are in Christ, they can learn how to handle criticism better, and conflict better, and rejection better, God. And then God, I pray that you would take this new devotion book, on the abundant life, and God, that you would radically change people’s lives. Maybe there’s someone here today, God, today’s the day they decided to join the church, to rededicate their life. Maybe they’re here and they’re discouraged, and they feel defeated, and they want somebody to pray with them, and pray for them. Maybe they’ve never been biblically, publicly, baptized, and today’s the day they’re going to do that. God, let your will be in each person’s life. It’s in your name I pray. Amen.

Recorded in Pineville, Louisiana.