This sermon focuses on the secret war that every saint faces, emphasizing the mental battles and intense spiritual warfare encountered while walking with God, especially in challenging environments like New York City. It highlights the importance of not giving in to the voices of hopelessness and condemnation, but instead, trusting in God's power to lift our heads and bring victory in the midst of struggles.

This is not the message I had prepared for this Sunday, but as I sat down to write, I had finished it in rough, the message I was going to speak, and as I sat down to just write it out, as I do every week, the Lord kept putting a scripture in my heart. It just simply wouldn't go away. So I turned to it, and I felt the Lord wanting me to stand here this morning to encourage many who have decided to attend this service today. Psalm 3, I want to speak to you on the secret war of every saint. The secret war of every saint. There's no exceptions to this rule. It's more intense at some times than others. You're going to be a Christian in New York City, you're going to find a terrible mental battle to walk with God. There's some, there's a spirit in the city like none other you'll ever face in your lifetime. I remember Pastor David once told me he would hear demonic voices cursing him on the platform. I remember walking with him down the street, and there were two people sleeping on the side of a building, and one of them watching him walk by, not even knowing who he is, shouted out, we're going to get you, we're not finished yet. It's a demonic spirit in that man that saw him pass by. I used to feel upset that no demonic spirit ever spoke to me like that. And one day I was walking to church here in the morning several years ago, and the guy who was obviously full of the devil started following me, cursing me all the way down the street, not really knowing probably, or maybe he did. But anyways, I was just so glad, it made my heart glad, because finally the devil knows who I am, thank God. If you're going to walk with God in this city, you're going to fight. You're going to fight in your mind. It's the deepest battle you'll ever fight. I remember one time leaving this sanctuary, and we had just come through a terrible battle in this congregation that I really don't want to discuss this morning, but we'd just come through it, and the Lord had blessed, the altars had opened, it was amazing. People were, dozens and dozens of people were coming to Christ, unprecedented numbers in the history of the church. And I remember going down 8th, heading to the parking garage, and as I stood on the corner, a voice said to me, you're finished here. Your time is wrapped up, you've done what you're called to do, you'll be leaving shortly. And honestly, I'm not even thinking these things. It's just right out of nowhere, just confronted by this. It's a mental battle. I remember telling one of the pastors one time, you're going to find in your mind in this church like you've never fought in your lifetime. And he told me, he said he looked at me and and he just shrugged his shoulders in agreement, but he didn't really agree in his heart. He said, can't be any worse than anywhere else I've been. Six months later, he came and said, I've never fought in my mind like I fight in this city. And it never ends. It's not just a church-related thing, it's being a Christian in this environment of whatever it means to be a Christian in Manhattan, in New York City. I often wonder, is it possible that God has determined to do something in this city? Because whatever happened in New York City does affect the rest of the world. It is possible. I want to speak to you about the secret war of every saint. Father, I thank you, Lord God, for the anointing of your Holy Spirit. I thank you for your strength and your power. I thank you, God Almighty, for igniting this word in our hearts and using it to destroy every weapon of darkness that is formed against us. We curse in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ every tongue that rises against us in judgment. We have the right to condemn it. This is the scripture says, this is the heritage of the servants of the Lord. We have a righteousness given to us of God. We stand right. We stand clean. We stand accepted. And God, you have a plan for each of our lives that will not be short-circuited by the powers of darkness. It cannot be unless we choose to forfeit it. Now, Father, I thank you for this. I pray, God, with all my heart, Lord, let this word find its mark in every heart. Give us grace and victory this day in Jesus' name. Psalm 3, a Psalm of David, King David of Israel, when he was fleeing from his son Absalom who rose up against him in rebellion. Lord, how many, or how are they increased that trouble me? Many are they that rise up against me. Many, there be which save my soul. There is no help for him in God. That's an incredible statement. But thou, O Lord, art a shield for me, my glory and the lifter of mine head. I cried unto the Lord with my voice and he heard me out of his holy hill. I laid me down and slept. I waked, for the Lord sustained me. I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people that have set themselves against me round about. Arise, O Lord, save me, O my God, for thou hast smitten all mine enemies upon the cheekbone. Thou hast broken the teeth of the ungodly. Salvation belongs unto the Lord, and thy blessing is upon thy people. Selah. Now when David wrote this, he's struggling with a sense of past failure and present weakness. And that can be the portion of many of God's people. We look back and we feel like we, there are things in all of our lives that we would like to have done better. Mistakes that we made. David had made a terrible mistake at this case, this point in his life. He doesn't fully realize perhaps he's still on the victory side. God is still proud of him. The lineage of Christ is still going to physically flow through him. Plus the spiritual promise of the blessing of God through Abraham still is being furthered through his body. But he has a past failure and he has some present weakness. Deep sense of perhaps that I'm far from where I should be. I'm not what I'm called to be. I thought my life was going to, and my character was going to change more rapidly than it did. I never thought I would respond the way I've been responding to people maybe in the workplace, in your home, your family. I came home with such promise, but I seem to have made so many mistakes. Paul wrote about this in 2 Corinthians chapter 7 and verse 5. He talked about being in Macedonia, a specific part of his journey. And he said, our flesh had no rest. We were troubled on every side outside of us or without were fighting and within were fears. In other words, there are voices that have been raised against the apostle Paul and his company on the outside, mocking voices, cursing voices, all types of things that are coming against him. And it's producing inside of him an inner fear where there's now a new whole level of voices that Paul had to contend with. It's the voice of his own heart. It's that which found a seed inside of him, that which is threatening his life in Christ at this particular moment by taking away his faith and courage and putting fear again inside of his heart. Because of the depth of the struggle, David's heart became open to these condemning voices, both from outside and now from inside, coming out of the fears of his own heart. Many, he said, are troubling me. Many are risen against me. Many are saying of my soul, there is no help for him in God. You remember as he's leaving Jerusalem, even this unsavory character called Shimei is up on the hillside casting stones and cursing his name. David said, leave him alone. Maybe God will hear his cursing and choose to have mercy on me. Another psalmist in Psalm 77 describes it this way. He talks about his own infirmity. At the end of these verses, he said, then I realized this was coming out of the frailty of my own human heart. And we must be careful you and I, because we can get in situations where our own heart begins to take over for the voice of God. We create inner voices that really don't belong to God. They're not part of scripture. They're not true. But this psalmist was in a moment of despair as somebody is here this morning. And here's what he said. Will the Lord cast off forever? Number one mistake, he wasn't cast off, but he felt like he was cast off. And will he be favorable no more? Second mistake, he thought he had lost the favor of God on his life. But in reality, the favor of God was just as strong as it had been when he was living on the mountaintop. He just wasn't aware of it. We need to be careful what we start thinking when we find ourselves in a valley. Verse eight, he said, is his mercy clean gone forever? Has he forgotten to be mercy? Does his promise fail forevermore? Can I trust the promises of God? What happened to the promise of God that I would have a new heart, a new mind, and a new spirit, that my house would be saved if I believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and trust him? What happened to the promise of God that the woundings of the past wouldn't continue to burden me down any longer, and I wouldn't live with that continual sorrow and heaviness in my heart? Has God forgotten to be gracious? He says in verse nine, is he busy? Has he forgotten to be kind to me, or has he in anger shut up his tender mercies? The psalmist is saying, did I do something wrong? Did I offend God? Have I crossed a line? Did God finally look down on me and said, I've just wasted so much time with this person, I'm not going to waste any more time trying to infuse life and gifts and talents and such like when they're refused to be used? Has he shut up his mercy because he's found some flaw in me that I'm aware of, but he is more aware of even that I am? This is the secret war of every saint. Moments when we get weary with the journey, we get tired of seemingly always walking uphill. We get worn down by the voices that are constantly condemning our progress. We sometimes wish that we could just stay asleep and make it all go away. Has that ever happened to you? You ever just wish that you could stay sleeping because there's peace there, and you hate the moment when you wake up because you've got to face it all over again. You go to bed at night and say, oh would be to God I could die in my sleep and wake up in heaven. It'd be awesome. It's difficult to live in relationships or in a home, a household where you are demeaned. It's hard to be maybe the only believer in your house or one of two in a marriage and your partner's not saved and they mock you're going to church and they're so quick to point out your every flaw. You're believing God for change, but you have another voice when you get home that says, oh look at this, I thought you were a Christian. Look at that, I thought you were a Christian. Look at that, I thought your character had changed. They push all your buttons all day and when you finally respond to something, then out comes the threatening finger. Or you're in a school system that declares you as irrelevant. You're not a functioning productive member of society because you hold to these narrow bigoted views of Judeo-Christian ethic. And so we don't want to hear from you. We don't want to hear your argument. It's outdated. It's passé. We're now a post-Christian society. So get over that and come along with us on the journey of enlightenment and wonderment and freedom and all the rest of it. It's hard to be get up every day for college students and go into a classroom or high school students and go into a classroom where what you believe is mocked, as narrow bigoted, uninformed and uneducated. Or on a job where your integrity and worth work ethic are hated. You make the choice to be a good employee. You make the choice to to write honestly in the books. You make the choice to tell the truth about why certain appointments can't be fulfilled and such like. And you're hated for it by not only your co-workers but even some of those that are over you. Or to be in a place that declares your dreams unreachable. You can find yourself in a neighborhood, a culture, a society. We're all around you. You have an inner dream. It's put there by God. God spoke something into your heart and maybe like Joseph you've gone out and told somebody but you're in an environment that is completely hostile to it. You're told to wake up, get real. Nobody gets out of this place. You'll never be what you think in your heart has been given to you. It's hard to live in a society that calls the good that you embrace evil. And the evil that you hate they call it good. Every day walking through the streets the psalmist said there are many many voices which say there is no help for him in God. In other words nothing will make a difference. The downward spiral is irreversible. Give up the fight. That's exactly what the devil is after. Give up. Give up believing for your home. Give up believing that you can make a difference. Give up the dream that God has planted in your heart. Give up on your marriage and just simply walk out. Your partner's never going to get saved. Give up on the society around you and just shut yourself away and sleep away the rest of your life. Be satisfied with just being called the disciple of Jesus Christ but don't ever believe that your life can make a difference. There are so many voices now saying these things. I think about Lazarus and in my mind's eye after he was raised from the dead John chapter 12 says he was sitting at the table with Jesus raised from the dead and not only did people come to see Jesus but the bible says they also came to see Lazarus who was raised from the dead and even the Pharisees were hanging around outside the window plotting how to put this man to death because of him people were believing in Jesus. Imagine that poor fellow gets raised from the dead and now people want to kill him and I can see him it's only my imagination but I can see Lazarus at the table and people coming and saying how did it happen? How did you get this divine life infused within you? How did you get taken out of a hopeless place? I could hear him saying to the people I could increasingly hear voices I was I was so sick I was so down things were looking so bad. Jesus had come before and he was part of our family. I was sure he was going to come and help me but around me as light began to fade in my soul I began to increasingly hear voices talking about the hopelessness of the situation and how moment by moment it was getting worse. You ever heard a voice like that? The hopelessness of believing your children are going to come to God and how moment by moment even though you pray Jesus doesn't seem to be showing up and the situation seems to be getting worse all the time. You pray for the people on your job and moment by moment it's getting worse to the natural eye. Lazarus would say I heard voices around me when I was laying down in my place of despair declaring that for some unknown reason Jesus hadn't come and then finally I heard voices saying that the end had come many there be would save my soul there is no help for him in God. That's the ultimate goal of the devil is to get you to agree with that statement to get you to the place of saying not even God can help me now and I don't know why but even if I believe he could he's not going to he's he's found some flaw in me his promises to me no longer apply I've come out of favor and he's angry with me and he shut up his tender mercy from me and so finally this voice comes and says the end has come and Lazarus would tell them and also my own voice in a final inner cry for mercy before I fell asleep verses four and five he said I cried unto the Lord with my voice in verse five he says I laid me down and slept and some of you that's exactly where you are right now you went you cried when you went to sleep last night you don't know how you're going to get out of your situation you don't see any light at the end of the tunnel and before you fell asleep you cried one last and it's almost like a whisper in the dust a pitiful cry says oh God please help me I don't know how I'm going to go on I don't know how I'm going to get through this and that's what David said I cried to the Lord with my voice and I laid me down and slept just like Elijah after depression settled in on his life he'd won marvelous victories but he succumbed to a voice that said I'm going to take your head off before this day is over and it sent him to a place of seclusion and depression a place where all he could produce is a whisper for God and a wish that he could lay down go to sleep and never wake up again and Lazarus would have told them that's all I had left all I had left was a whisper Jesus don't forget me Jesus help me and maybe that's the only prayer you feel today that you've got left but then the testimony doesn't stop there as people gather in that room they gather around the table Lazarus would say to them but then there was one more voice and it was a voice like no other I had ever heard in my life I had heard this voice before but never with this kind of power it was a voice that had the power to call me out of hopelessness it was a voice that had the power to hold me in the palm of its hand it was the voice that had the power to give life where there is no life and give hope where there is no hope it was a voice that drowned out it was spoken so loud that it drowned out the voices of all the wailers all the weepers all the prognosticator all the ones gathered around where I was saying too bad so sad not even God could do anything now too bad he didn't come too bad it's too late suddenly I heard a voice and it was so loud it drowned out every other voice everything that was being spoken around me and it simply called my name that's all this voice did it called my name and called me to come out of where I was into another place that he had predestined for my life to live in him but thou Lord David said art a shield for me my glory and the lifter of my head the sound of this voice put glory the word means substance it means something of God that wasn't there or if it was I didn't know it was there something of God within me came to life this voice was the glory and the lifter of my head Lazarus could tell the people I suddenly lifted up my head and wanted to get up again I had slept long enough I heard a voice calling me I heard a voice saying I will never leave you I will never forsake you I heard a voice saying a nursing mother can forget her child but yet I cannot forget you I have engraved you on the palms of my hands I heard a voice saying to me I give you power to tread upon serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy and nothing shall by any means hurt you I heard a voice saying come to me if you're laboring and heavy laden and I will give you rest come learn of me I'm meek and lowly at heart and you shall find rest for your soul I heard a voice saying if anyone is still thirsty let him come unto me and drink he that believes on me as the scripture has said out of his inward parts shall flow rivers of living water I heard a voice saying I've come to give you life and I've come to give it to you more abundantly I heard a voice saying no weapon formed against you can prosper and every tongue that rises against you in judgment you shall condemn this is the heritage of the servants of the Lord and their righteousness is of me says the Lord I heard a voice louder than any voice I've ever heard before hallelujah to the Lamb of God I heard a voice that has the power to create I heard a voice that can say let there be light and there was light I heard a voice that can divide the waters from above from the waters beneath I heard a voice that can establish continents and oceans I heard a voice that has the power to create life where no life exists I heard a voice that breathed into a pile of dust in the face of the earth and said live and Adam became a living soul I heard a voice like no other voice verse 5 says I laid me down and slept I awakened and the Lord sustained me and what it means the original text it says it means abruptly awakened this voice called me suddenly this voice called me quickly and when it says sustained it means gripped me laid hold of me I wasn't expecting it I was I came to church like I always do every Sunday morning but this morning I was in despair like I've never been all of my life but suddenly I heard the voice of God and I heard God speak to me in a way that it awakened me it literally gripped me and laid hold of me and lifted me and gave me courage again to get up and not only get up but I was going to go farther than I've ever gone before I was going to go through an open door I only had a little strength but I heard this voice telling me you only have a little strength but I have set you before you an open door and no man no one can close that door that I've set before you that's why David said I will not be afraid of 10,000s of people that have set themselves against me round about in other words 10,000 people can't close that door that God has opened before me God destined my life to be victorious God destined your life to be victorious he called you to be a song of praise to his name on the earth he called you to be more than a conqueror he called you to be victorious he called you to stand when no one else can stand he called you to give voice to what God alone is able to do in those who are surrendered to him and he has opened the door before you in the littleness of your strength and 10,000 people can't close that door Lazarus would say I knew this voice had in it all authority all power all compassion and could raise even that which had died in me back to life again this voice was the author of my life this voice was my eternity and everything in between he was my glory and the lifter of my head hallelujah to the lamb of God that's why David said I will not be afraid of 10,000s of people that have set themselves against me round about arise oh Lord and save me oh my God for thou smitten all mine enemies upon the cheekbone you've broken the teeth of the ungodly one time years ago in ministry I had a an ungodly man rise up his voice against me it pretended to be my friend for a season but then when the opportunity presented itself out of nowhere he rose up saying all kinds of horrific things against me it was truly amazing and it was very hard to bear it but then one day I met him on the street and overnight his he put his teeth in a glass and his dog got a hold of his teeth and chewed his teeth I met him on the street and he couldn't I couldn't make out a word he said you see that's why the David said you've smitten my enemies on the cheekbone and you've broken the teeth of the ungodly it's hard to take somebody serious it has no teeth and they can't smile anymore with their condescending smile it's all gone they just look like a gummy bear trying to curse you I remember walking away and as I walked away I couldn't understand a word he said it was about that's all I could hear when I walked away that scripture came to my mind he had broken the teeth of the ungodly salvation belongs to the lord and thy blessing is upon thy people that's why Paul the apostle says it this way as it is written for thy sake were killed all the day long we are counted as sheep for the slaughter but in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us more than conquerors though an ungodly world stand against us though every demonic voice of hell oppose us though the condescending sneers of this generation look down upon us as if somehow we've just crawled out from under a rock and have nothing worthy to say no sir we are more than conquerors through him that loved us we live on the winning side we stand on a foundation of truth we are more than conquerors in Christ and Paul said I'm persuaded neither death nor life nor angels nor principalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come nor height nor depth nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people that have set themselves against me round about you are my glory Jesus Christ and you are the lifter of my head thank God the scripture says in Hebrews today if you can hear his voice don't harden your heart as they did in the days of provocation don't say as Israel once said can God furnish a table in this wilderness don't question my integrity the Lord says don't question my commitment to you don't question my power don't question the cross and what it was all about I said I will not leave you nor forsake you I will not fail you I told you that I would raise you up and be a testimony I have spoken to you and told you that all things that I've allowed into your life some things you understand and some things you don't but all things do work together for good because you are lovers of God and you're called according to the purpose of God everything I've allowed into your life has a reason and now I'm calling you to get up now I'm calling you to lift up your head I'm calling you your salvation is closer now than you ever believed it would be I'm calling you to sing that song that I promised to put within your heart I'm calling you to come back to faith again and truly believe that what you have put into the hand of God he's able to keep against that day he said I've placed you in my father's hand and nobody can take you out of the hand of my father you are not going down you're going up you're not going under you're going over you are an overcomer you are the bride of Jesus Christ he takes his life and his reputation on keeping you and establishing a testimony of victory inside of your life don't give up on your children sometimes the darkest part comes just before the morning don't give up on your family don't give up on people in your workplace they're testing you they're pushing you they're prodding you many people just want to know if what you believe is real they don't expect perfection they just expect reality that's all they're looking for in this generation this is a visual generation nobody reads the bible they're not going to read you can give free bibles out to all your workplace and nobody is going to read them they might use it as a coaster for their coffee but they won't open it they won't read it you are the only bible now that people are going to read so settle in your heart he is my glory he is the lifter of my head even though i might be depressed at night when i go to bed he's the one who'll lift my head in the morning he's the one who'll give me the strength to go through another day he'll give me the vision that he has set before my heart he'll take me out of wherever i am and if he's planted a dream inside of my heart it will become a reality because he has set before me a door that no man can close i don't care how many voices rise against what god has spoken in my heart hallelujah glory to the name of jesus glory to the name of jesus i read the end of the book and we win this war we win it oh thanks be to god thanks be to god thanks be to god thanks be to god don't be weary in well-doing there's great reward ahead of you for everyone who stood for god everyone who's gone through all of the valleys the trials the difficulties that all of us have to face there's a day coming you saw today the church saw fit to acknowledge and and say thank you for 20 years in this church but that's nothing compared to what awaits you one day in heaven when all heaven stands because you stood and you believed god you believed by faith that he was able to do everything he said he was going to do you refused the voices of liars david did come back into jerusalem and david did finish his course god did give david the pattern of a new testament temple and david did pass it on to his son solomon and the glory of god did come into that temple i'll tell you folks it's not over there's not a simple single voice in this world that can tell you it's over only one voice has the keys only one voice has the power only one voice is truth only one voice has the promises that never fail only one voice that will still be there when all other voices have lost heart and hope thanks be to god through jesus christ our lord who will never fail you he will never forsake you don't give up don't quit don't walk away don't lose heart don't listen to these voices don't give in to the spirit of this culture in this city stand in the truth that you know stand in the grace of god who's given you his son and his holy spirit within you stand on the promises that god has made to your heart and to your life stand and it doesn't matter who agrees with you as long as god does that's all that matters hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah i thank you god with all my heart that you've given me the ability to convey this word jesus son of god i ask you to destroy the weapons of the devil destroy the lies of darkness encourage us in the frailty of our own hearts and let there be a victory oh god in our lives in this generation that defies explanation apart from the promises of god thank you for this lord take us in our weakness oh god take us lord jesus christ in our confusion take us god in our struggles and we open our hearts and invite you to build a testimony of your glory inside of us as you did for lazarus you let him die so that you could raise him from the dead you yourself said this sickness is not unto death but for the glory of god i thank you lord that all of our struggles and trials and difficulties have a divine purpose there's nothing in our lives that you didn't allow there for a reason give us the courage to get up father we thank you for this in jesus name hallelujah for for those who need encouragement today you've really been battling and you say pastor i thank god the holy spirit put this message on your heart because it's my life it's the prayer i prayed last night it's the whisper in the dust that's become my prayer life but i hear god calling me god knew you were going to be here today that's why he interrupted what he had i had originally intended to speak he knew you would be here he led you here and all that remains now is on your part is to simply get up and move towards the hope that god is speaking to you the life and the victory the strength that you're going to need to get through this next week courage you need to stand in your marketplace your society wherever it is that you find yourself the faith to believe for your family the strength to endure the scorn that you face every day god will give it to you don't think that because you have a victory that there aren't people outside the window that want to kill you but you will stand and so as we stand up in the balcony the annex you could step between the screens the same in north jersey please and here in the main sanctuary all i'd like to do today is pray for you i'm not going to ask you to do anything if this has applied to your heart slip out come to this altar i'll be back in a few moments we're going to sing a few songs and then i'd just like the privilege of praying with you today god bless you let's stand together please be encouraged today the lord gave this word just for you we may not be the prettiest looking bunch of runners that ever ran the race of faith but we are going to get over the finish line we're going to do it together and we're not doing it alone others are going to come with us we thank god for that with all our hearts would you just lift your hands up please just for a moment to the lord father i thank you god for the blessing of truth you said you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free so we thank you for setting us free from the lying power of the enemy setting us free from the voices of condemning mankind and setting us free from even the fears of our own hearts god we lift our hands to you as a faithful creator who will never fail us and cannot forsake us you bound the integrity of your name in with the keeping of our souls truly lord when we do come into despair you are our glory and the lifter of our heads that's who you are father we thank you for lifting our heads today and putting promise back into our hearts giving us the courage to go forward into what looks to be impossible but when you've opened the door nobody can close it and so god thank you for opening the door of hope again to for our homes and our families for our the testimony of our lives for the workplace god wherever and whatever for the dream that you once planted within each of us thank you lord jesus christ and you can take us in our weakness and do much more through us than you ever could have in our strength thank you lord god that sometimes just sometimes you wait until there's nobody left but you lord to do the greatest work god that can be done the wine ran out at the end of the wedding and you produced another wine that was so much better than the first one we thank you god that lazarus had a first life and it was wonderful but his second life was better we bless you god that you don't come to us because we're strong you come to us in our weakness jesus son of god we give you praise for being so kind and faithful to us i pray lord the fact that we are more than conquerors let it be a reality now as we leave this church may we not leave our hope behind god may we take this with us all throughout the day today and tomorrow and the day after the hope that only god can give let that be what animates us and gladdens our hearts father we thank you for this god with all of our hearts we praise you and bless you for the victory in jesus mighty name hallelujah thank you lord hallelujah thank you god thank you god thank you jesus bless the lord don't lose your victory we have in christ a take-out victory you don't have to leave it here you can take it home with you it's a take-home victory and you can take it home you can share it with your friends but don't draw back from what god's doing in your heart and in your life thank god for you we meet again three o'clock this afternoon six o'clock this evening it's going to be a wonderful day in the house of the lord till then take a moment to greet one another encourage somebody and we'll see you again today at three o'clock god bless you