Nothing to say, yet
Transcription
The speaker begins by expressing gratitude for the presence of their father-in-law in church. They emphasize that they are there to support him and offer any help he may need. The speaker then mentions that they will be preaching from 2 Kings chapter 6 and how the story of Elisha's miracles demonstrates the power of God. They focus on a particular incident where an axe head falls into the water and Elisha miraculously makes it float. The speaker uses this story to talk about the need to recover the power of the Holy Ghost in our lives. They caution against false teachings and emphasize the importance of relying on the true power of God. They mention their own experiences at a minister's conference and how it inspires and challenges them. The speaker encourages the congregation to realize that there is a real power available to them and they should not settle for anything less. They use the example of David facing Goliath to highlight the importance of relying on what has been proven to I'm going to be turning to 2 Kings chapter 6 this morning. I certainly appreciate the Lord, and I've got so much to be thankful for. As my mother-in-law had already testified, we didn't know what was going to transpire. We had no idea what was going to take place, but I'm so thankful that my father-in-law is in the house of the Lord this morning. I know him. I feel like I know him pretty well. He's a very independent man. He's not going to ask for help, probably hardly at all. It's just him. So I do want him to know this morning, and I believe I speak for every man of God in here, that we're here for him. He is our pastor. Not only my father-in-law, he's my pastor. And we're here for him, anything that he needs, and I want him to know that. Appreciate the Lord. 2 Kings chapter 6 this morning. The Lord had laid this on my heart several weeks ago, actually, and even before I preached that Wednesday night that I preached, I kind of thought about going this route, but he changed my direction. And I feel like the Lord laid this on my heart, and I texted my father-in-law down in Tennessee there. I didn't know how things were going to happen, but I told him, I said, if you need me, I said, I will be ready. And this is what the Lord laid on my heart, and I desire your prayers. We know this story so well, 2 Kings chapter 6, we'll start at verse number 1. There's so many miracles that Elisha performed, but we all know that he couldn't have done nothing without the power of God. It wasn't Elisha, but it was the power of God that rested upon him. Amen. 2 Kings chapter 6, verse number 1. The Bible said, And the sons of the prophets said unto Elisha, Behold now, the place where we dwell with thee is too straight for us. Let us go, we pray thee, unto Jordan, and take thence every man a bean. Let us make us a place there where we may dwell. And he answered, Go ye. And one said, Be content, I pray thee, and go with thy servants. And he answered, I will go. So he went with them. When they came to Jordan, they cut down wood. But as one was felling a bean, the axe head fell into the water. And he cried and said, Alas, master, for it was borrowed. The man of God said, Where fell it? He showed him the place. He cut down a stick and cast it thither, and the iron did swim. Therefore he said, Take it up to thee. He put out his hand, and he took it. Put out his hand, and took it. Would you stretch your hand one more time toward heaven? Ask the Lord to come by and help us. I pray, Lord, as we move to an altar here in a few minutes, that You would help us. Would I fail to give You the praise, and give You all the glory? In Jesus' name we do pray. The church said, Amen, Amen. The man of God said, Where fell it? And he showed him the place. He cut down a stick and cast it thither, and the iron did swim. I want to preach this morning, if the Lord will help me, just a very simple message on recovering the power. Recovering the power. As I was studying this, and I've studied several months, even years actually, because I've preached from here before. But as I was looking at this the other day and going through this, Brother Michael, something just kind of stood out to me. You may not see this, and that's okay if you don't. But something that I looked at this, and I was looking here reading this, and the Bible says that this axe head, it fell off of that handle and fell into the water. And the man that was using it, he cried out to the Master, the last Master, for it was borrowed. And I began to think about that. And as I was thinking, Brother Austin, no doubt, we don't know who he borrowed it from. We don't know how far the person was from him who he borrowed it from. Amen. But I thought to myself as I began to read this, amen, and I began to think about it. And I thought, why couldn't he just say, well, I know there's another axe head somewhere to be found. I know there's another one around somewhere. I can just go get another one. I can just go get it and go back to work. Amen. And as I was praying yesterday, amen, and I feel like the Lord, amen, touched me in my prayer calls, amen, to tell you this morning, there is a real power, amen, there is a real Holy Ghost, amen, there is a real salvation, Brother Austin, there is a real, through God, amen. And as I was praying yesterday, and I began to say, Lord, I cannot afford, amen, for the phony stuff. I cannot afford, amen, for something else. I can't afford to stoop down, amen, and go with something else. For I know there is a real, true Holy Ghost. There is a real, true power that you and I can possess here this morning. There is a true, amen, power that needs to be recovered. Amen. Hallelujah. I'm not here this morning, amen, to preach about some new age religion. Amen. I'm not here this morning to preach about some name it, claim it, blab it, grab it. Amen. I'm on now. Amen. I know the prosperity preachers are out there. Amen. They're out there trying to teach some new age religion, amen, that we're little gods, amen, and that we'll tell God what to do. Oh, come on now, amen, it's not up to us to tell Him what to do, but He said, ask, hallelujah, in my name, and it shall be given. I'm telling you this morning, there's a true power of the Holy Ghost that's lacking in our services. There's a true power of the Holy Ghost that's lacking in individuals. There's a true power of the Holy Ghost that we need to realize this morning. We cannot live without Him. Amen. I'm telling you, Brother Michael spoke of a while ago, we had the opportunity to go down to the minister's conference. Amen. I said it. I think we was talking this time, I believe, if I'm not mistaken, I think Michelle or someone said this was our tenth year, and we've been going for ten years, I believe. Amen. It's about what this shit said. Amen. I'll tell you. Amen. If there was only one meeting of the whole year that I could go to, it would be that one. Amen. When I go, I get encouraged. When I go, I get inspired. Every time I leave, I leave challenged. Amen. But Brother Jameson, I want to leave changed. And I would to God this morning, as I get up here and I approach a pulpit, I've said it before, I never want to approach this pulpit, amen, with the intent of giving some kind of agenda. I don't ever want to approach it with the intent of I'm just up here wasting my breath and just passing time away. Amen. That we'll go eat somewhere after a while. I don't ever want to get up here, amen, with the intent, amen, that it's me, amen, that's doing it. But I want to always approach the pulpit and realize there are souls that are weighed in the balance. There are souls sitting here this morning. Amen. You may be lost, amen, or I may have a house full of Christians, amen, but I'm telling you, there's all kinds of flavors. Amen. There are situations in here this morning, amen, that I don't know what you'll face in. I don't know what you're up against. But I've come to tell you this morning, there is a power, amen, that can be invested, amen, that can be yours, that you can possess. Amen. There's a power that comes from on high. When Jesus told them, He said, tarry ye in Jerusalem till you be endued with power from on high. As I think about, amen, I don't want to preach too long, but I want to preach long enough. Amen. As I think about this, my mind goes back. Amen. As this man, amen, as that axe head, it falls into the water. Amen. Like I was saying, Brother Quentin, as I was asking myself, why couldn't he just go get another one? Why couldn't he just go borrow another one? Amen. My mind went, amen, to David. Brother Joe, as David was fixing to go down, amen, into that valley. Amen. Brother Camden, he was fixing to face the giant. Amen. And you know the story very well. Amen. As Saul looks at him, he first tries to get him not to go. He's trying to tell him, go, go down there. In my own words, you're crazy, David. What are you talking about, son? You ain't nothing but a youth. This man's a warrior. I'm telling you, don't go. Amen. But David made his mind up. I'm going down there. Amen. And Saul looks at him. He says, well, if you're going to go, take some armor with you. Amen. Here's my helmet. Here's my shield, my spear, my sword. Take all that with you. And the Bible tells us, David tells him, I can't take this, Saul. I've not proved it. I've not proved this. But I'll tell you one that I have proved, and that's Jesus Christ. That's God Almighty. He's been with me. I've been out in the field. He gave a bear to me. He gave a lion to me. And He'll deliver this uncircumcised Philistine into my hand. I'll take what I know. I'll prove what's been proven to me. Amen. And I believe this man could not afford. He realized, I've got a job to do. Amen. We're cutting down wood. I've got a job. Amen. I can't just throw it off on somebody else. Amen. I can't expect someone else to pick up my slackness. I've got a job to do. And what I was using, and what was getting me through, has now fell off. And it's in the water. Oh my. And I believe it was then. Amen. I want to preach. Amen. Three or four little points here. Amen. There was a concern. Amen. I'm trying to slow down here. Trying to preach to you here. There was a concern. Amen. Can I tell you this morning? Amen. As a man of God, I'm not here to lift up Anthony. Amen. But I want to tell you, I get concerned when there is no concern. Can I say that again? I get concerned, Brother Michael, when there is no concern. Amen. Can I slow down and preach to you a minute here? I feel like we have slipped into an hour. Amen. It may not be right here at Gospel Light Hole in this church. Amen. But may I warn you this morning? If you're not careful, you will get to a place where the Pentecostal holiness movement has really gotten to. Maybe not as a whole. Amen. But I'm seeing it in a lot of places. I'm seeing it more and more today. Amen. That the lack and the concern is lacking of the power of the Holy Ghost. There's not a concern like there needs to be today. There's not a hunger like there needs to be today. There's not a desire like there needs to be today. And I felt the Lord stir me in my prayer closet. Amen. You need to get hungry for it. You need to have a concern about it. You need to have more desire. Amen. I'm telling you, I'm sanctified in Holy Ghost's field. When I was hearing Brother David Webb preach, even when he talked about Stephen, when he said he was full of the Holy Ghost, I want to get to that place. There's a power that needs to be recovered. Amen. Vance Havener said this, Many of God's workers today have lost the axe head of power. They've lost the joy of salvation. Amen. They have not the upholding of God's Spirit. He said the power has fallen into the waters of worldliness, the ponds of indifferences, the swamps of sluggishness. They have the ability, the training, and the sincerity, and the earnestness. But sadly, they're chopping with a handle that has no power. I'm telling you, church, I can only preach to you what the Lord dealt with me in my prayer closet. Amen. We've got a man of God. Amen. That God has placed over this church. Amen. Hallelujah. He's here this morning. I'd love for Him to be preaching right now. I mean that with everything in me. Amen. Amen. That God has placed Him. Amen. Right here. Amen. And He told us He's got to go. Amen. To see 50 souls saved this year. Hallelujah. When I go to my prayer closet, I said, my Lord and my God, I want to see them. Amen. Coming in. Amen. It may not be. Amen. All just around here. But it could be somewhere else. But I'm telling you, when I get to thinking about it, 50 souls. Amen. Now to us, that sounds like a lot. Amen. And I'm telling you, this is elementary preaching. I know it is. Amen. It ain't no some deep theology. Amen. It's elementary. Amen. When I begin to thinking, as I was in my prayer closet, and the Lord began to deal with me, and my mind went back, Nathaniel. Amen. To the day of Pentecost. When number 120 was up in that room. And the power of God fell. And the Holy Ghost fell in that place. And it fell upon all of them. Where they were sitting. And they began to speak in other tongues. As the Spirit of the Lord gave utterance. And I'm telling you, that's wonderful. Amen. That's great. If we could stop there and shout glory, hallelujah. And say God is good. He filled them with the Holy Ghost. But it doesn't stop there. It goes on to tell us that Peter, being full of the Holy Ghost, he steps out and he begins to preach the Word of God under the power, under the unction, under the anointing of the Holy Ghost. He begins to preach. And the Bible tells us that 3,000 souls plus more was added that day. I'm telling you, church, there's a power we need to recover this morning. We ain't got time for the next revival. Amen. We don't have time to wait until Wednesday night. Amen. Hallelujah. Well, can I tell about Junior? Amen. I don't know if my wife is going to tell it, but she can tell it if she wants to. And she can probably tell it better than I can. Amen. I mentioned to you all the other Wednesday night as I was preaching about prayer that changes things. Amen. I mentioned to you all about Junior Knapper. Amen. And yesterday at the gas station, my wife and Jameson was there to get gas. Amen. And Junior was there. Amen. And she was heading over to witness to him. Amen. And he's seen her. Amen. He made eye contact. Amen. But somebody, amen, stepped in and cut her off. Amen. But I'm telling you what, that man's been on my heart ever since I heard, amen, about what he's facing. I know the man very well. Amen. And I know what he's facing. Amen. But oh, my. Amen. He's been invited. Amen. And I'm going to try my best to reach out to him personally and tell him, Junior, come to the house of God. But oh, when he gets here, amen, I want the power of God, amen, to fall in this place. Amen. I'm not here to embarrass nobody. Amen, brother Quentin. Amen. If the power of God just falls on Brother Tim, it is not going to help. Only if the power of God just falls upon the deacons, upon the preachers. No. Amen. Listen to me. This man here, he realizes everybody else is working. Everybody else has a handle. Everybody else has an ax head. But mine is not with me. I've got to get it back. I've got to have it. I cannot depend upon somebody else. I've got to have it for myself. And this morning, you've got to get a desire to have a power of the Holy Ghost living inside of you. Amen. We've got to have a concern. As soon as this man feels the ax head fly off, he cries out in despair. He knows that he cannot continue what he's doing until he recovers the ax head. The first step in recovering the power of the Spirit is coming to the place where we know we have to admit that we do not have it. Amen. I get concerned when I see a lack of concern. Amen. Oh, I know. Amen. It gets tight. I understand that. Amen. I get concerned when I see a lack of concern of holiness living. Amen. I'm on now. What is it that keeps us, amen, from sinning out here? Hallelujah. Amen. What is it, amen, that wakes me up in the morning and before I go out the door? Amen, there's something inside of me that tells me I don't want to look like the world. That tells me, amen, don't be of the world. He said, love not the world, nor the things that are in the world. Amen. The pride of life. The lust of the flesh. The lust of the eyes. For if these things are in you, the love of the Father is not in you. Amen. I'm telling you, listen to me. There is a power, amen, that you need inside of you that the Bible says will lead you and will guide you into all truth. Hallelujah. He'll not lead you astray. He'll not lead you into something, amen, that's worldly. He won't lead you into something, amen, that's false. Amen, that's contrary to the Word of God. But He'll lead you into all truth. Amen. I get a concern when I see the lack of concern, amen, of the feeling of the Spirit. Amen. There's people in the world today, I'm convinced, amen, that they're walking through life. They think they're filled with the Spirit, but they've lost the power, and they don't even know it. Oh my! My mind, as I was reading this and preaching, or studying the canon, I couldn't help but go, amen, to the man, Samson. Amen. This man, when the power of God came upon him, can do things, amen, that no natural man could do. Amen. When the power of God was upon him, amen, I'm telling you, strength came into him like no other. Amen. The Bible tells us that there was a day He came, amen, when He was in Delilah's lap, and He told her all of His heart. Amen. And you know the story, amen, how she cut His hair, amen, which was at Nazarene. Thou, amen. But you know, the Bible says that when she told Him, Samson, the Philistines, they'd be upon Me. Amen. And Samson stood up, amen, and wished not himself, as he did aforetime, but he knew not that the Spirit had withdrawn from him. And I tell you this morning, you can get to a place, amen, where you're dead, amen, where you're cold, amen, where you've grown silent, where your prayer calls in, amen, is a thing of the past. Your devotion is a thing of the past. Amen. And you'll wish, amen, and shake yourself, and the Spirit of God is not there. I'm telling you, I believe this morning, there's some sitting here. Amen. The Spirit of God is not there. Amen. You need to realize and get a concern and cry out, Alas, my sir! I've got to have it back! I've got to get it for myself! Amen. I've got to get it for myself. Amen. If we could just step back and look back at that church at the day of Pentecost. Amen. We can say, oh my Lord, I need that power. Oh, we're chopping, but nothing's coming down. Oh my! Amen. You may say, they were able to get the axe head because the prophet was there. And while that is true, amen, there's much more to that. Amen. He knew the prophet was there. Amen. But this man realized, amen, I don't have what I need and it's in the water. Amen. And I can't afford to go try to find something else to replace it. Because there is no replacement for the real thing. There is no replacement for the real power. Hallelujah. Oh my! You can search far and wide. Amen. You can search all over. Amen. But I'm telling you, you'll never find, amen, the real thing until you go to God and say, oh Lord, fill me! Restore to me the joy of Thy salvation! David had to pray that prayer. David realized, I've got to have it. I've got to be restored. Amen. I get concerned. Amen. When there's no concern. But oh my! Not only was there a concern that day, but there was a confession made. When this man realized that the axe head was gone, he immediately told Elisha what had happened. He confessed the fact that he had lost the axe head. He didn't try to cover it up. He didn't try to put the blame on someone else. He didn't try to come up with some lame excuse by admitting that the axe head was gone. He was also admitting the fact that it had become loose and he didn't bother to tighten it up. Our pastor made a comment a while ago. Amen. That the ministry, he wants them to tell us to come up higher. I don't ever want to get to a place, Brother Joe, amen, where I say I've made it. I don't ever want to get to a place, amen, where the man of God is preaching. I get out my spiritual pitchfork and I pitch it back. And I say, boy, I hope Brother Camden gets that. Amen. I hope Brother Austin is here. He needs to hear that. They know I'm just using them. Amen. But I want to get to a place, amen, where I say, oh God, it's not my brother, it's not my sister, but it's me, oh Lord, standing in the need of prayer. Oh my God and my Lord, amen, when He sends the man of God, amen, to preach to us, amen, a holiness message. We need to be willing to receive it. It says, Lord, if I need to come up higher, if I need to tighten up, if I need to move up, Lord, there's a power I need to recover. Lord, show me how to do it! Amen. We heard so much. I'm telling you, so much good preaching at the minister's conference. Amen. I went back and listened to a lot of it. And I'll continue to listen. Amen. And Jameson, he'll ask me a lot of times, he'll say, Dad, what was your favorite message? It's hard, amen, to have a favorite one. Amen. But as far as teaching and as far as inspiration and getting help and getting inspired, amen, Brother Dwayne Gallagher, amen, teaching about keeping your balance, brother, I'm telling you, it helped me so much. Amen. Amen. Because I don't want to go to one extreme or the other. Amen. I don't want to step out on some Anthony doctrine. Amen. And try to preach some agenda. And try to preach, amen, amen, my extreme or anything like that. But I want to get in the Word of God. And I want to study it. Amen. When I approach this pulpit, I know there's people out here that are lost or maybe weighed in the balance. Amen. Or maybe confused or not understanding something. Amen. And I don't want to make it any worse than it is. Amen. So how simple can it be? Amen. I'm telling you how simple it is. This morning, this man realized, I don't have it with me. Amen. And the Bible said he cried, Alas, Master! He cries out. Amen. He confesses. Amen. He has a concern. Amen. But I'm telling you this morning, we've got to realize, it ain't my brother's fault. It ain't my sister's fault. It ain't nobody else's fault, but mine. If I don't have what I need. If I don't have the power of the Holy Ghost. I felt in prayer. Amen. And I've heard preachers say this. Amen. But I felt it for myself in prayer the other day as I was praying. Amen. Listen to me. I'm not here this morning to brag on myself as I said a while ago. Amen. I'm sanctified with the Holy Ghost. I can take you to the places where I got saved. I can take you where sanctification began. I can take you to where the baptism of the Holy Ghost came into my life. Amen. And I began to think about as I was praying. Amen. Oh, I'm telling you, please don't fall out with me here. Amen. We put emphasis, and we should, on sinners being saved. Amen. Amen. You must be born again. Amen. Oh my! I don't ever want to ever get away from that. Amen. We've got to preach salvation to the sinners. Amen. That's what Paul was saying. When you're in Christ, you're a new creature. Old things are passed away. Amen. But I'm telling you, Amen. When you study it, and I've not studied it real deep, Amen. So, please forgive me. Amen. But oh my! When you study the life of Jesus, He has His twelve disciples. Amen. They come and follow Him. Amen. He talks to them about a comforter. He talks to them about the Spirit. He tells them, I'm going away. I'm not going to be with you all the time. But there is a comforter. There is a Holy Ghost who's coming after me. Oh! And He'll lead you. And He'll guide you. I'm telling you, church, we need more of it! Amen! There's a lacking of desire! There's a lacking hunger! There's a lacking concern of the baptism of the Holy Ghost! We need it! Amen. To guide us. And to teach us. Amen. I don't know if I can turn to it quickly here. Amen. Because I know I didn't mark it. Amen. Hallelujah. Bear with me here. I should have marked it and I didn't. Amen. Amen. But we know this. Amen. Hallelujah. We're about here. Titus. We know this. Titus 2.11. Amen. For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared unto all men, teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lust that we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world, looking for that blessed hope in the glorious appearing of the great God and Savior Jesus Christ. Almighty. Amen. The grace of God that bringeth salvation. It has appeared unto all men. But it teaches us. Hallelujah. That's the Spirit that we need dwelling inside of us. Hallelujah. I don't want just an axe handle. Amen. Or just an axe head. But I want the power that comes behind it to get the job done. I know souls need to be saved. I know souls need to be sanctified. And people need the Holy Ghost. And we've got to have a power. But it needs to be recovered here this morning. Amen. It needs to be recovered this morning. He didn't try to blame somebody else. Amen. I think one of the hardest things for any of us to do is to admit that we are lacking in some areas. Oh my! Amen. And I confess to you this morning. Amen. And don't fall out with me. Amen. Amen. That was a hard pill to swallow. I'm going to be honest with you. When our pastor preached that Sunday morning, I'm going to pray. You say, what, you don't pray, Brother Anthony? Sure I do. Amen. Sure I was. But not like I needed to. Not like I needed to. Amen. I don't say that boastful, Brother Joe. Amen. But I accepted the challenge. Amen. Because I realized, amen, there was something that was lacking. There was something that was lacking. Amen. And I had to get a concern. Oh my! Amen. I had to realize I've got to step up. I've got to get a little closer. I've got to see, amen, my family. Amen. Getting closer to the Lord. I'm telling you what this power will do. Amen. I'm telling you we need it in our homes. We need it in the house of God. We need it in our personal lives. I'm telling you there's homes today. Christian homes. Amen. That's plumbed out of order. And are busted up. Amen. Because somebody, amen, doesn't have the power of God living inside of them. But when you get it right, amen, I'll tell you, the home will get in order. Oh my! I've got to get away from that. Amen. That's a whole other message than it could be. Amen. Preached on for an hour. Amen. But there's a divine order. Amen. That God placed in the Bible for the home. Amen. And when it gets out of order, don't expect your home to be blessed. Amen. God is first. He put man in charge and the woman under Him and the children under Him. Amen. And I'm going to leave it there. Amen. I'm going to tell you, read it in the Bible. There's divine order. Amen. For things to go right. Amen. And when you get it out of order, don't expect God to bless it. I've come to tell somebody this morning, amen, you need to get a concern. Amen. Listen to me. Amen. I've seen people, amen, come in the house of God. Amen. Oh my. Amen. Listen to me. Amen. They'll chitchat with their partner. Amen. They'll hear me. Amen. They'll sit back there, balance their checkbook. Amen. Come on now. Amen. They're thinking about where they're going to go after church. Amen. They're thinking about everything else in the world. Amen. They're not paying a lick of attention to what the man of God is preaching. Amen. Come on now. Amen. I'm not throwing stones this morning. Amen. I'm not throwing stones around to you. Amen. But you need to come in the house of God. Amen. With a focused mind. And say, my Lord, whatever He has, Lord, deliver it to me. Amen. What I need to hear, what I need to feel, what I need to do, I need to get a concern about my life. I need to get a concern about my family. I need to get a concern about my church. Amen. Why? Because God is coming back. Jesus is coming back one day after a church that's made herself ready! Let me get a song, if you can. Coming back after a church that's made herself ready. Amen. The man realized, I've got a job to do. Amen. I can't depend on nobody around me. Amen. Amen. It's fell on me. And I've got to get this job done. Amen. There was a concern. There was a confession. But there was a coming back. Before the accident could be recovered, they had to come back to the place where it was lost. Oh my! Amen. You know this morning who you are. And you know this morning what you're lacking. And you know this morning where it was at where you lost it. Maybe it was on a YouTube channel. Maybe it was when you pulled that tight clothing off the shelf when you should have never pulled it off the shelf. Amen. Maybe it was when the skirt got short, when you knew it shouldn't have got short. Maybe it was when, men, amen, let them genes on my lens hope God help me here. Amen. I'm just going to be honest with you. I'll be blunt with you this morning. Amen. I ain't never seen anything so sickening. Amen. With them men. With them little bitty skinny jeans on. I'm telling you right now, such sissified, amen, clothing. And they put it on the shelves. And they'll pay $60 and $70 and $100 for the junk. Amen. I'm telling you what this morning, if you'll get a realization, if you'll get a concern in your life this morning, and realize I don't need no more of the world. I don't need anything else. But I need holiness. I need God. I need a power that dwells inside of me that will teach me and lead me into all righteousness. Into the truth. Amen. Amen. But they've got to get to the place where they realize I lost it. I lost it. I don't have it like I had it. And I've got to get it back. I'm telling you, there was a desperate cry from a man having to realize I've got a job to do. But I've got to have the power of the Holy Ghost to help me. Amen. As you're standing, I'm hurting too close. Amen. We were honest this morning. Amen. We can all pinpoint areas of our lives that stand between us and our having the glorious power of God in and on our lives. We need to go back to that point and make a course of correction. And when we do, we can prepare for the glory to be returned. Where's the power this morning? For some, it's in the bottom of the river. As I was looking at this, I was praying yesterday. I had never really thought about that verse 7 as much as I did yesterday evening when I was praying about this. And I went back and I wrote this down. There was a concern. There was a cry. There was a confession. There was a coming back to where it was lost. But church, there was a commitment. He cried to the man of God. Alas, Master! He had the concern. He confessed. It's my fault. I've got nobody else to blame. He came back to where it fell. Brother Quentin, it was up to Him. What did the Bible say? The man of God said, Where fell it? He cut down a stick. He cast it in the water. And the iron did swim. Whoa! Wow! Whoa! What a man of God! Look at it! It's floating! Man, how awesome! This man really is a man of God! Then he looked at him, Brother Quentin, and he said, Take it up. I feel the Holy Ghost. I came here this morning to pray on Anthony Young. And I feel like God, the man of God, can I inject this and not be out of the way? I feel like He said, I did my part. I did what you've been crying to do. I did what you've been asking. You cried out. You admitted. You know where you're at. You know you lost it. And I did what you asked me to do. But now, it's your time. Now it's your part. I made it swim. Now you've got to reach out and pick it up. There was a commitment made that day. He committed to receive what God had in store for him. He was not going to leave there without the power. And I went to God this morning that you come in the house of the Lord with a mind made up and say I'm not leaving the same way I came. I'm not leaving without the power of the Holy Ghost. I've come with a made up mind. I've come needing it. I've lost it. I've got to recover it. And it's here. It's floating. It's waiting for me to pick it up. How committed are you today? Or I'll tell you, church, I'm going to keep you standing. I'm afraid. I feel peace. I'm afraid. I know what the Apostle Paul wrote. I know what he wrote when he said be content in whatever state I am. I know that. But listen to me. He was not talking about a spiritual state. I'm afraid. We've got it to an hour where we're content with where we are spiritually. We're complacent. We're satisfied with where we are. I don't want to get there. I thank you so much. And I know all of you here. A man who remembers it so well. I'm telling you, it rolls over in my mind so much, Brother Quentin, the testimony of Sister Wanda Hart. That dear sister. She may be going on to glory. But I'm telling you, her testimony is left behind in many hearts of people. And I can hear her now, Brother Michael, as she stands up and says, I've not made it! Brother so-and-so. I've not made it! I can hear her tell the story when she thought she was filled with the Holy Ghost. And she was not. I can hear her tell all those stories. Hey man, I'm telling you, and it's still real in 2024. But church, we must get to the place and realize if I don't have it, I've got to get it back. I can't live without Him. I can't go another minute. I can't wait to get another service. Hey man, while she gets ready to sing, I'm done. I can't preach as long as I thought I would. I'm not sorry for what I preach. There's so much more I could cover. But I'm telling you, church, there is a divine order that God has placed. And it must be done His way or it'll never get done right. Hey man, I don't have to worry. I don't have to worry about if there are souls out there to be saved. Hey man, I know that sounds probably dumb. I don't have to worry about that. I know there are. Hey man, but I also know that there are souls that are sitting right in the house of God. Hey man, and you've been flinging that axe handle for quite some time. And the axe head's not on it. Hey man, and I've come to tell you this morning, you better get a concern. You better realize you need the power of the Holy Ghost. While they sang, this altar's open this morning. This altar's open this morning. Hallelujah. Hey man. Oh, let's come church. Come on. Let's come. I don't want the same old thing. I don't want the same old thing. Send the rain. Send the fire. Send the wind. Send the Holy Ghost and power. Send the rain. Send the fire. Send the wind. Send the Holy Ghost and power. Send the rain. We're ready for revival, Lord. We're ready to walk through that door. We're ready, Lord. Oh, let it pour. We're ready, Lord. We're ready, Lord. Enough is enough. We're ready to drink from your cup. We're ready, Lord. Please fill us up. We're ready, Lord. Send the rain. Send the fire. Send the wind. Send the Holy Ghost and power. Send the rain. Send the fire.
