In his sermon 'Fill Me or Kill Me', Shane Idleman emphasizes the urgent need for spiritual revival and the dangers of arrogance and division within the church. He shares his personal journey of transformation from a life of arrogance and debate to one of humility and desperation for God's presence. Idleman calls for believers to seek a deeper relationship with God, to be filled with the Holy Spirit, and to engage in the world with both truth and love. He stresses that true revival comes from brokenness and a heartfelt cry for God to awaken His people, urging the church to move beyond complacency and into a passionate pursuit of God's will.

Hope is yours to take. Peace is found in grace. So God bless you, and let's welcome Pastor Shane Eilman. Thank you so much. When we started the church, planned the church, I said, let's just go non-denominational to avoid all the squabblings. And that didn't help. Everybody still wants to argue and debate. You know, gifts of the Spirit to women pastors, to Calvinism, to the rapture, to eschatology, pneumatology, theology. Everybody wants to argue and debate. Now some things are essential, but I see so much division in the body of Christ. And it's not healthy. The Holy Spirit's not divided. And you can have different views. I have different views than some of my friends on eschatology, meaning the end times and rapture, and salvation, losing your salvation, retaining your salvation. And they're good things, but when it begins to puff us up, and we want to win the argument and show how smart we are. And that happened to me in 2005. I was reading, and I went from never reading, because I couldn't read well with dyslexia and learning disability. I think I talked about that before. And to now devouring the Word of God. Devouring book after book after book after book. Theology from Hodge on Calvinism to Norman Geisler on Arminianism. And from Wayne Grudem to John Calvin. And just reading all these books and all these books. And I was ready to debate. I could quote the five points of Calvinism. And the irony is John Calvin wasn't a five-pointer. He was a four-pointer. And I'm not a Calvinist. I'm not Arminianist. And what does the Bible say? And everybody wants a debate. And I want to debate. And my eschatology and end times and how it's going to view. And pneumatology and hermeneutics and homiletics. And my mom finally said, Shane, your family doesn't want to be around you. You're so arrogant. And that was the breaking process. Because I think it's good to be educated, but when knowledge puffs up, you're going to lose the power of the Holy Spirit in your life. Because God looks at brokenness, not arrogance. And it's still a breaking process. Because I like to argue and debate and different things. Because it's God's Word. It's important. And I'm not minimizing. I think we need to have strong views. And we need to point out things. And I was on a radio interview. I think you can hear it if you subscribe to my YouTube channel. Moody. I actually did it at 6 in the morning from Galle Lake. Had a good reception. Went on 55 stations live. And they're asking me about being bold, but also loving. Because that's a challenge right now, isn't it? I mean, we're angry. But if we become arrogant... And rightly so. I'm anger at the agenda of... Especially in California. Especially in Los Angeles County. You know, we've got people going to the school board meetings and trying to make a difference. And I think we should be the salt and the light in all those areas. And so, in pondering those things, and being up here and on that call, just realizing how important it is to have truth and love. And without both of those... Because if you just have love, you're going to be sappy. Golly darn it, we just don't want to upset anybody or offend anybody, and we just want to love them. Okay, but you've got to sometimes drop the hammer. God's Word is not a soft pillow or a feather. It's not My Word like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces. It's not My Word like a fire that devours. It's a sword that pierces. So you can't just have sappy love without... Usually this is cowardliness, if I'm just honest with you. You know, we don't want to offend anyone. In doing so, you're offending God. And so the truth side... We've got the truth. And if you listen to my messages, you know I say it often because it's so true. You can be straight as a gun barrel, theologically, but just as empty. I know a lot of modern day Pharisees that know the Word, but they don't know the Savior. And so, of course, people try to... Where are you at in Southern California? I get the controversy going on. I say, well, I'm between John MacArthur and Bethel. Not theologically, I'm just saying location-wise. But just the squabbling and the arguing and losing that fire and the zeal for the Holy Spirit. And so, waking up early, just writing all these things down on a messy notepad, texting Michael, even I said, let me pray about it. The elders at our church are like, but Shane, you're on vacation. What about the rope swing at Galt Lake? What about hiking up to Agnew and Thousand Trails and bringing your fly pole? I know, my flesh doesn't want to do this, but what does God want? And so, just finally submitted and said, okay, Lord, I'll share this. But then back to that whole concept with maybe doing something in Bishop. A neutral location, a valley-wide event, just bringing that sense of awakening the High Sierras. If we're awakening the high desert, why not awaken the High Sierras? And what does that look like? So hopefully, I'm just praying for everything from sound to what it looks like, logistics, sponsors. But just be in prayer about it. We'll see what God wants to do. If God wants to do it, it's going to happen. If it's just a good idea, it'll probably fade away in about a month or so. But the title this morning, you ready for this? Fill Me or Kill Me. And if you haven't followed the ministry too much, I have a tendency to have controversial titles. The most recent article caught a little bit of heat, but I think most people understand is the bride of Christ being raped. And I heard it at a conference, and we began to weep over the condition of the church and what's happening to our children. And rape is being taken advantage of and being silenced, and I believe that is happening in the church. And we say, well, Shane, the church has always had to go through persecution and things like that. True, but we're not in early Rome. We're not in Iraq or Syria. Young adults, never forget this. God gave us America, a wonderful gift. A wonderful gift where we can actually elect leaders that fear God. Imagine that. Imagine that. Why do I want to get into politics? It's messy. Well, let me tell you, the church is messy. God wants us to be in all areas of influence. And so I believe He has given us this gift because you can look at the writings of the founding fathers, those who actually were against slavery, those who fought for equality, women's rights, and you read the other side that's evil and wicked. So you have this struggle early on. The Puritans, the Mayflower Compact set for the glory of God and the advancement of the Christian faith. You couldn't run for office unless you professed a faith in God and Jesus Christ. The rules of Harvard. Harvard University. Harvard, you ready? It said, lay Jesus Christ as the foundation of all your learning. It told the students that. Princeton, Yale, they were seminaries. John Jay, first Supreme Court Justice, gave credit to Jesus Christ. And we see that God was working. Yes, so was evil. I got that. But God has given us a gift. The Puritans said, you shall be a city upon a hill. One of the founders said, you've been given a republic if you can keep one. And so politics isn't bad, it just means governing or leading a group of people. Now, I don't know how I got into this because none of this is in my notes, but I think it's important because if you love those struggling with same-sex attraction, but you don't like the agenda, you're a homophobe. If I love America, I'm a Christian nationalist. If I'm against critical race theory and talk about the destructive nature of it, now I'm a racist? See, they want to label you to silence you. That's the whole point of labeling. So I believe you can be filled with the Spirit of God. Speak boldly and lovingly into these issues. Because that's our mandate. That's our calling. And leadership matters. Leadership matters. Just read the Old Testament. If you don't think leadership matters. Wow, Christians, we shouldn't get involved in that. Said who? Says who? God says, I will be your king, I will be your judge, I will be your lawgiver. The founders used that to reference the three forms of the branches of government. Did you know that? They referenced the Bible four times more than any source when forming the Declaration of Independence. They weren't deists. Some of them were, but many of them were solid believers. And so God, here's your gift, if you can keep it. And so that's why I think we're in a whole different... You can't compare us with early Rome, where they had no vote, no right, no thoughts. You think, Jesus, hey Shane, I don't want you guys to get involved in any of those type of areas. Just preach the Gospel. Okay, the Gospel has changed his life. He's on fire for God. Now he wants to do something about abortion. No, no, you can't go there. Just stay in your little wheelhouse here. Well, now I want to do something about the sex trafficking and get politically involved. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. You can't do that. You see, the Gospel, it changes all areas of life. And so I think one of the biggest lies right now is to say, no, don't be political. Oh, you mean don't be biblical? Now, I understand. I'm not running for office. Have you noticed I have not endorsed a party? I haven't endorsed a person. I'm looking at what God's Word says about all these issues. Do you know His Word has a lot to say about our borders? About equality? About racism? How do you fix racism? You change the heart. You change the heart. We don't have a skin problem. We have a sin problem. And so preaching the Gospel, they might want to make a difference in the political realm. They might want to make a difference in Hollywood and different things, but my message to you this morning, 15 minutes into this, is fill me or kill me. And the verse is, will thou not revive us again that your people may rejoice in thee? Love the King James on this one. Will thou not revive us again so that we can rejoice in thee? That word rejoice is interesting. If you ever think about putting re in front of something. Renew. Restore. Revive. Rejoice. To bring back joy. Any of you lost your joy? No? Move down where we're at in L.A. County. You watch what's going on. But God, would you not... You see, it's a heart cry. Will you not revive us again so that we can rejoice in you? And in 1999, I was miserable. I was on the fence with God. Have you ever been there? When you're a prodigal son or daughter, you have no purpose. You're hopeless when you're half-hearted. And so it was 1999. I'll never forget it. God broke me. God revived me. And then I rejoiced in that work of the Holy Spirit. That was the turning point in my life. And that's where my passion came from. That's why we have different callings. Different giftings. And so many people aren't going to be going in the same direction as me. And I'm not going to go in the same direction as them. But it's all the body of Christ. And the desire God has given me from early on was this desire for a spiritual awakening. For people to be revived. Because that's when you go from church is boring to I'm on fire. That's when you go from why do they do so much worship to I wish there was a worship night. Because see, you're on fire for God. That's the difference maker. And I was miserable until God revived me. Why is this topic so important? Of all the topics in the church, this is the only thing that's really going to change a nation. It's going to restore families. It's going to restore your marriage. It's going to restore your passion for God. Did you know a lot of people don't have a passion for God? They're in the church. And they just sit there like they just drank prune juice. I'll come when I can. I'm kind of bored. Kind of fed up. Kind of angry. Blah, blah, blah, blah. They do nothing for God. They've never led anyone to the Lord in a long time. They have no passion for God. They'd rather put on their secular music or secular programs and not worship. Why? Because they're dying spiritually. So the greatest need, the greatest need in the American church today is to be revived. Oh God, would You not revive us again? Think about that. Just take your own personal survey. How many of you already don't like what I'm saying? Don't raise your hands. Why is that? It's an interesting word called conviction. The conviction of the Holy Spirit. Convicting us to draw closer to God. And do you know that's the point of conviction? Not to upset you. To draw you closer to God. That's why this is so important. Can you imagine if the pulpits across America were filled with the fire of God? If I could preach one message, it would probably be this one throughout the United States. Can you imagine churches today having pastors being broken in their prayer closet, coming up and preaching with the fire of God to change and ignite? Not worried about people pleasing. And I don't want to burst anybody's bubble, but I'm not really concerned how you leave here, what you think of me. I don't like that guy. He's a little bit hardcore. Good, you need a little hardcore right now. We need a little bit extreme. We have extreme mountain biking. There's some mountain bikers. I'm just thinking extreme makeovers, extreme cooking, extreme you name it. And we can't have extreme Christianity? As a matter of fact, biblical historical Christianity is rather extreme. It fights the culture, but it loves the culture as well. There's an extreme. There's a difference. The Bible, you can call me extreme or a holy roller or charismatic or whatever you want, but don't call me lukewarm. Jesus had some strong rebukes for those who were lukewarm and half-hearted. But it comes from the fire of the Spirit. You can't manufacture that. You can't work it up. It comes down from Heaven. And what happens? It falls upon a broken, humble sinner in need of a sanctifying Savior. You say, God, I've been a Christian so many years, but I still need the fire of God. I still need to be broken and humble before You. That's why this is so important. Anybody ever read Pilgrim's Progress? You should. It was written by John Bunyan. Twelve years in prison for doing what I'm doing. And America's going back there pretty soon if we don't wake up and leadership matters. Again, here we go. But he was what they would call a tinker. Did you know that? How many of you knew that? Tinker. He would work on metal. Fix metal things. Pots, pans would break. Not like us today. What's your background? Construction. Oh, wow. You don't have a degree at the upper echelons of a university? No, give me a shovel and a digging bar and I'll be pretty happy. Actually, if you could drop off a 410SG John Deere bat coil, I'd be really happy. But see, God takes the least likely so He can confound the foolish people. No flesh will glory in His presence. What in the world am I going to say? I've written twelve books. I have no degree. I shouldn't be writing books. You think I'm going to take... I laugh at that. I barely got through high school with a 1.8. Stuttering. Speech impediment. Couldn't read. Don't want to be in front of people. And I write, give me a break. God has got a sense of humor. And so no flesh is going to glory in His presence. So John Bunyan the Tinker and a man by the name of John Owen. Ever heard that name? Prolific author. A Puritan. That's serious. Very deep theology. Two hour sermons. Puritan John Owen had a theological degree. A doctorate degree in theology. And they'd say, John Owen, why do you go and listen to this Tinker? And he said, I would give up all of my education if I could preach like that man with the fire, the unction of that Tinker. See, we rest too much in our degrees. Our pedigrees. Whatever you call that. And look what God... It's self-promotion. It's self-exaltation. It's a stench in the nostrils of God. And just to clarify, so no parents get upset. If you can get an education, absolutely. But don't rest in it. One of the top questions I get, and this cracks me up. You know, pastors, they'll ask you, oh, how big is your church? How near am I to Christ? What theological seminary did you go to? Can you please tell us about your degree and your education? Because they want to nail you down. Oh, Westminster Theological Seminary. Master's Seminary. God forbid, a charismatic seminary. There's so much pride and arrogance in the church. But I just want the fire of God. I want the filling of the Spirit. All these people you read about, they've come before us. Wesley's and Whitfield's and Spurgeon's and Tozer's and Leonard Ravenhill's. I can go back into Welsh Revivals and New Hebrews Revivals. All these people. Oswald Chambers. My utmost, first, highest. Did you know his wife put that together after his death and it was the byproduct of finally being filled with the Spirit? He said, I taught in seminary and I was dead spiritually. It wasn't until God filled me with His Spirit, now the joy of the Lord is in my heart. D.L. Moody. You hear of D.L. Moody? You didn't know of D.L. Moody before he was mightily filled with God's Spirit? He was a pastor that was dead spiritually, dying spiritually. He's trying to build the ministry of D.L. Moody. And God met him on the streets of New York and broke him and broke him and broke him. And he came out and said, not my will, but Your will be done. No flesh will glory in Your presence. And then God filled him. See, if you're so full of yourself, God will never fill you. The filling of the Holy Spirit. This hurts. It's meant to hurt, by the way. So on this fill me or kill me, I remember that was 1999. I don't know if I said these exact words at all, but Lord, I don't want to live like this anymore. You either fill me with Your Spirit or You kill me. You either awaken me or You take me. I can't live. This middle ground is miserable. Did you know that? Read about the prodigal son. Was he happy? He was eating with pigs. And when I speak to young adults, I remind them you're trying to be popular, but to be spiritually powerful, you've got to break free of what other people think and the opinions of others. You're miserable. You're miserable drifting from God. Now how long will you waver between two opinions? If God is God, we follow Him. But if Bell be God, follow him. On Mount Carmel, the prophet cried those words. And the Bible says something very interesting, and the people answered him not a word. Silence. So if you desire that this morning, I want to just share four things with you that will be life changing. And I don't say that to just say it. Oh, that's a good tagline. Because I believe if you're open, you can walk out of here different than when you arrived. I don't think everyone is here by chance. Are you a chance person or are you a sovereignty person? I believe God draws, and God wants to speak to some individuals here this morning. I've got to share something with you. It's so funny. It's so out of characteristic of me, but I go to Loony Bean, right? Mammoth? Because I want an apple, not a scone. So it's out of characteristic for me. I decide to put a book on a car. One of my books on a car. That person's here. They said, did you put a book on my car? He's coming anyway. And then another lady, I stopped and did a podcast at the Crawley Lake Park, invited her to church because I'm coming anyway. What in the world is going on here? And I almost shouldn't be here. Because I was wrestling like, ahh, fun with the family? Women, when you feel pregnant, you've got to get it out, right? So that's how I feel. When God deposits, if I just hold back, I'm miserable. And there has to be an outlet. And that's why I truly believe. I don't get excited or passionate for no reason. I believe that the living God, and the Bible says, thus saith the Lord, He who dwells in the high and holy place, He will be with those who have a broken and contrite heart. I am just naive enough to believe it, that God can fill you above capacity. That you can leave here with a passion and desire for God, more than you've ever felt before. I run to people every single week, we hear from people, God has changed my life by the power of the Spirit. I was arrogant, now I'm broken. I was carnal, but now I'm full. And I've never experienced so much joy in my life. See, this isn't just a social event. Hey, that was pretty cool, what are we doing after this? This is a life-changing time, where we hear from God Himself, through His Word. Through His Word. So the first thing you have to do. Okay, first point, half hour in. Here we go. I like this one service though, we want to go back to that if we ever... Yes. Number one, you must... Gosh, I really want to get this point across. This is where it all begins. You must dig deep with desperation. You must dig deep with desperation. Desperation is the catalyst to a spiritual awakening. Desperation. If you're not desperate, do you think God hears the cries of a passive child? Like, God, you know, our nation's going to hell in a handbasket, but I'm hungry. King's stomach is on the throne, let's go eat. Or hey, tonight we're coming back at six, we're going to pray, we're going to seek the heart of God. We're so desperate to hear from Him. What prayer is He going to hear? Because it's the heart cry of desperation. We became so desperate at Westside Christian Fellowship that we began a 6 a.m. prayer and worship morning. Sometimes there's over 100 people there. Before the services start. 30 people to 100 people. There's a desperation. Moms crying on the altar for their prodigals. God, You've got to change our nation. And that desperate cry. And I believe that's why we're seeing lives radically change. If this is the church of the living God, not this one exactly, but in America, where is the changed lives? Have you thought about that? Did Jesus say, go in, do a few songs, make a quick announcement, do a quick little sermon, and then we'll see you next Sunday. The New Testament church, I think, would even mock our church. Where's the healings? Why are you praying over people when that demonic realm was being broken? Where's that? Well, we don't do that stuff. That's a little too controversial. He who believes on Me, as the Scriptures say, out of his belly will flow stagnant, monolake waters. Out of his belly will flow rivers of living, vibrant water. His Word is in my heart like a fire that's been put out. No. The prophet said His Word is in my heart like a burning fire. It's shut up in my bones. I'm weary of holding it back, but I cannot. Do you know how many times, I hate to be too transparent, but I've wanted to quit? No, you have no clue. If you're a minister, you might know. If you're a worship leader or pastor, you definitely know. You want to just quit and give up. But His Word is in my heart like a burning fire. Well, I don't need that. I'm not a pastor, but you're a parent. If I was a young adult today, I don't know if I would make it. The stuff on your phone. Darkness is being called good. The witchcraft. The this and the occult and the darkness. Young adult, you need the filling of the Holy Spirit like never before. And I assume sometimes theologically that we're all on the same page. But what I'm talking about is the Bible is crystal clear that without Christ, without repenting, without embracing the wonderful gift of the cross and Jesus' sacrifice, without that, we are lost. We're lost. For God so loved the world that He sent His only Son that our brother read this morning. He died upon that cross. And once we repent, truly repent, don't trust in your parents' salvation like I did for many years. Oh yeah, my parents are Christians. I went to a Christian school. I was born in America. I'm a Christian. I had the Hank Williams Jr. song down. Country boy can't survive. I ran trout lines. I skinned a buck. I had this 12 gauge shotgun always in the back seat. I was a Christian until the Gospel radically exposed my hypocrisy. And once you repent and believe, the Holy Spirit comes in and gives you joy unspeakable. And you have more grace with others because now you yourself understand the grace that was given to you. Who am I to judge? Do you know I don't talk to people as individuals like I do preaching? Preaching, you can let it loose. But individuals, there's more love and grace. And sometimes you've got to hit hard. But so you believe and you repent. And that's what sets Christianity apart from every other religion. I don't even call it religion. It's a relationship. But that's the difference. God reaching down to man, filling him with His Spirit. Now there's a clear distinction, a clear difference. But then what do you do with that gift? Do you quench and grieve the work of the Holy Spirit in your life through besetting sin? Or through arrogance? Or through doubt and fear and unbelief and anger? You can begin to quench and grieve God's Spirit. So to get that filling of the Holy Spirit back, you have to dig deep with desperation. Desire God more than anyone or anything. Let's ask back row. Back row Joe. I used to be one of you. Do you desire God more than anything else? Oh, yeah, yeah. Okay, let me see your calendar and your checkbook and I'll tell you. We have to start putting God on the front burner. That desperation, that desire. It's not popular, but it is powerful. I try to tell my kids all the time, don't worry about what people think. If they hated Jesus, they're going to hate you. The world is not going to like your stance. And my daughters too. My daughters are so passionate. Wait until you get in the real world. When the atheist scoffs at you, when people begin to mock you, you have to have that solid relationship with Christ. And here's what's interesting about desperation. Desperate people do... Let's all say that together. Desperate people do desperate things. I was kidding, but that sounded pretty good. But isn't that true? If I'm desperate, I'm going to restructure my life. I don't need to hang out with the boys that are causing me to go down. I don't need to watch my Netflix binges if it's taking me away from the Lord. I need to get into the house of God and I need to worship. I need to pray. I need to fast. I need to pull down heaven. All the old saints used to call it the morning watch and the evening watch. They would travail before God and they would get up from that prayer closet and say, God heard our prayers. How do you know? Because my heart cries, Abba Father. I'm not too busy for God. I've spent time on the backside of the desert and I've heard from the risen Savior. And that fire, that desperation, God says, that's the desperate cries of my child. I hear that desperate cry. Think about you and your own parenting. You have your little infant. If they're just kind of fussy, you don't do anything. But oh, if you hear the mommy, daddy, help! Help! You hear that cry, you run. You break down anything that's in your way and you want to... What's wrong, child? I'm so desperate. Can we get the church back to that point of desperation? And I talk to pastors about this a lot and our focus is so off. You know, one song, a couple of announcements, four songs, get your message in 30 minutes. I talked about this two weeks ago. Closing song, let's get out of here. King's Stomach's calling. King's Stomach needs to be dethroned. Did you know that fasting used to be part of the early church for centuries? Somebody, I don't remember his name, fasted for 40 days and nights. Isn't it interesting, Jesus didn't even begin His ministry. Goes into the wilderness for 40 days and fasting of denying the flesh. The Bible says He comes out in the fullness of the Spirit and then begins His ministry. Coincidence? But see, it's denying the flesh. Your flesh says, feed me so I can destroy you. That's all it is. Fasting isn't some work they did in the monastery. It's saying, God, I desire You above even my natural appetite. It's a desperation. It's a desperate call. Awake me or take me. Revive me or renew me. And that's why every quarter or so, we're doing it again, if you ever want to make the trip out there, October 31st. October 31st, we are starting church every night at 6. And we go for a few hours just worship the Word, prayer, the altar's full. And every time we do this, we did it once last year and again, and I can already hear it come, but that's Halloween. Well, I don't care. We're celebrating the risen Savior. We're going to pray, we're going to worship, we're going to seek the heart of God. But anyway, back to when I talk to pastors, they're like, but Shane, people's attention span isn't that great anymore. We're not going to be able to have as many people. If we get too crazy, if we get too much worship, the service is too long, kids get antsy. Their attention span. I mean, if I go over 25 minutes, I start losing people. I said, then you need to get in the prayer closet and be filled with the Spirit of God because the Holy Spirit holds their attention. Because hungry people are saying, give me more spiritual food. Convicted people want me to hurry up and get out of here. But the people wanting more spiritual food will say, give me more, I want to hear more from God. There's a desperation. Isaiah said, oh God, would you rend the heavens? That's where we get the term rend the heavens from. And I don't think he was calm about that. Do you? Oh God, would you rend the heavens someday? Anytime there's an oh God, it's oh God, would you rend the heavens? And come down and visit your people. Come down that the mountains might shake in your presence again. Come down that Mammoth Mountain might shake in your presence of God. Jeremiah, oh my soul, I'm pained in my heart. If my head were waters and my eyes were fountains because of the sins of my people. Hosea says, break up your followed ground. It's time to seek the Lord. Joel said, blow the trumpet. Sound the alarm in Zion. Call a fast, consecrate a fast. Call a sacred assembly. Have my people come into my house. Amos said, seek me while I can still be found. Zechariah, the Lord said, return to me and I'll return to you. The prophets would cry out, backsliding Israel. Return to God. There was a passion. There was a desperation. So to be filled with God, there has to be a desperation. The irony is I'm fairly conservative. I don't want to get excited. I don't want to get too loud. Actually, before I did this, I was a motivational speaker. And then God began to break and humble and fill me with the Spirit. And the word is just, when it's burning, what do you do? When you're on fire, you've got to get it off. Well, I've got to get it out. And let's say if nobody listens, I can go home and say, Lord, I did what you called me to do. That's all that matters to me. That truly, truly does. I don't want to say, great job, we love that message. I'm not here for that. Because actually, difficult messages, they're going to ruffle feathers. That's just the way it is. Let me tell you a true fact here. A true fact. It's a funny word to use. But those who are on fire for God, filled with God, need to be encouraged by God, they say, amen. Oh God, we need to hear this. Those who love their carnality, how dare this guy. Who does he think he is? What in the world? He's just crazy. I bet he's whatever. Excuses. Because carnality doesn't like to be changed. When revival comes, carnality will divide those from who are filled. Those who are arrogant from those who are humble. There's a difference in the church. When you're filled with the Spirit, don't you see Christians doing things that are not Christian? On Facebook, Instagram, wherever, you're like, what's going on? What's the difference? The difference is that filling of the Holy Spirit So number two, ask for, I'm going to use a new term here, humble boldness. Humble boldness. We need to ask for humble boldness. Let me explain. I'm going to release an article next week. You can find it, I think, on my website, and we'll release it. Some of the major Christian headlines, pick it up. The question is, is this hindering another spiritual awakening? And something is hindering another spiritual awakening. Because what is hindering it? Because we have arrogance without brokenness. There's so many mad, angry Christians, but are they broken? I was going back and forth on whether I'll say this, but I'll go ahead and say it. We complain about Biden, but are we broken? We complain about school districts, but are we desperate? Everybody's upset about the big college bailout, but are you sold out for Christ? Complain about VP Harris, but do you have holiness? You see? I'm angry. And I'm going to let them know on Twitter, and Instagram, and Facebook. Okay, well, anger never gets you anything. Any spiritual awakening, all spiritual awakenings are birthed in the womb of brokenness, not arrogance. And so you have to ask for humble boldness. What is that? Well, I'm glad you asked. And I prayed about this all week before releasing this article because I want to make sure. Here's what we need. Humble boldness. What this is, it's a zeal, a zeal for the truth of God coming from a person touched by God, representing the character of God. See, you can be as bold as a lion if you represent the character of God. You can be as bold as a lion. Can you not? Jesus was. Let me give you... Think about this for a minute. Jesus said, turn the other cheek. Correct? What happened when he was hit? He didn't turn the other cheek. What, what, what, what? Hold on. You're breaking scripture? No, I'm not. See, we are to err on the side of grace. But there comes a time when you say, you want to try to do that to a kindergarten student? I'm not going to bow down to your woke agenda. I'm going to lovingly confront that as bold as a lion, as mama bear. And we're going to say, no, no, no, that's not right. I love the Lord. I'm going to represent his character. I'm going to stay as humble as... But you're going to push me, sir. You are crossing a line on which you do not want to cross. See, there's a love for others. There's a compassion. There's a gentleness. But you stand up bold, and that kind of person cannot be moved. Because God just says, having done all, stand. Shane, having done all, stand. I'm going to take a stupid construction worker. I'm going to put the fire of God in his belly, and you're going to upset entire school districts. I've got L.A. County telling me I can't ever pray again at their board of directors meeting because I prayed in Jesus' name. And you're going to take... He's going to take you and you and you and fill you with holy fire. If you're saying, I don't want that, let me tell you, you do. Because that's where true joy comes from. That's where true joy comes from. Most Christians are miserable. They're miserable. Because who they are on Sunday is not who they are on Monday. Oh, I did it. I did it in my 20s. I'd rather be seen walking into a bar than a church. I would sit in the back. Hopefully nobody noticed me. I'd go to church, please my spouse or whoever. And then on Monday, oh yeah, hang out with the boys. Not going to post anything. They didn't have things to post back then. But you're not going to post anything about church and God because now you're a coward and you're wimpy. We need that humble boldness. If we've never been touched by God and filled with the Spirit, we'll lack humble boldness. We'll be angry, but not broken. And we'll be ticked off, but we will not be tender. I want you to just think about for a minute this topic of humility and contriteness. Have you ever read that in the Bible? Contrite, humble, broken. And this is one reason why I texted Michael. These Scriptures, I don't know why I was there this Monday. I don't know why I woke up that early. I usually get up early, but not that early. And I just began weeping over these Scriptures because something leaped out. Isaiah 57. You can just listen. Here's what I find interesting. We know that the Bible is the written Word of God. And anybody who doubts, I'd love to point you to the right information about it written over 1,500 years, three different continents by 40 different authors all saying the same thing. And I've even challenged atheists. Show me one area where the Bible completely missed it scientifically. Completely missed it. I can tell you where we've missed it scientifically. Remember back when they recommend smoking for pregnant women? DDT for mosquitoes? Asbestos in your pipes? We miss it. Forty years ago, you would lose your license as a doctor if you recommend fasting. Now it's a big craze because they see, oh, the body's system needs to shut down for a while and let healing take place from autophagy, stem cells, the telomere being born again and renewed on your DNA. I don't want to get into that topic. But anyway, my point is we know that it's God's Word. But listen, sometimes He says as the prophets are speaking, thus saith God. Wait a minute, I thought all of this was right, but there comes a time where God puts down the explanation point. Thus says God. Isaiah 57, for thus says the High and Lofty One who habits in eternity, whose name is holy. His very name is holy. I dwell in the high and holy place. Oh, that's so attainable. That's unattainable. I can't reach that. But wait a minute, and I dwell with Him who has a contrite and humble spirit. God says, thus saith the Lord, I will revive the spirit of the humble. So if you came in here proud, you can leave humble. You can leave revived and fill the spirit of God. And the reason I'm passionate is because I see the difference. People come to the altar at our church and they're so broken and they leave. I've never experienced this joy before, Shane. I was mad at God. I was kind of mad at you. I didn't like what you had to say. But now I'm filled with joy and speakable. What do I do with this? You go out and you disciple and you make a difference. And they've been crushed by the hammer of God. Remember, the same sun that melts the wax will harden the clay. The same sun. Think about this. How is this even possible? After the message, some are going to be touched and transformed. Tears in their eyes. Others are going to be like, how in the world was I invited to this place? I need to get out of here. I'm just saying the same thing. I'm not speaking a certain way to this audience. Let me change my tone and my mannerisms to you. It's the same Word of God. What it is, it's the conviction and hard arrogance. Hearts do not like to be challenged. This message would have made me so mad in my twenties. Whew! Man! Isaiah 66, thus says the Lord. Isaiah is saying what the Lord says throughout all the chapters, but he stops here. Thus says the Lord, heaven is my throne and earth is my footstool. Where is the house you're going to build for me? And where is the place of my rest? Kind of like mocking, no, not really, here it goes. But on this one I will look. Do you want God to look on you and to acknowledge you and to direct you and to fill you? This is the one, and I will look on this person, on him who is poor and of contrite spirit and who trembles at my Word. That's who God's going to look at. That's who God's going to fill. Those who are broken and poor in spirit and contrite. And then Jeremiah, God said to Jeremiah, because you speak My Word, what's going to happen? I will make My words in your mouth fire and this people wood and it shall devour them. Is he talking about a physical fire and they'll evaporate? Of course not. What's he going to do? His Word comes alive in the heart of Jeremiah. He said, I'm going to annoy you with My words. Your words are going to be so powerful that it's fire and it devours the heart, proud, arrogant heart. They even tried to kill Jeremiah. And I'm pretty sure if it was legal today, people would try that with me. Can you imagine me standing on the corner of Sunset Boulevard preaching this? In Hollywood, if you don't know where that's at. And this is what's missing in many sermons across America. Your favorite guys on YouTube. This is what's missing. God says, because you speak My Word. Not what's seeker sensitive. Not what's friendly. Not what people want to hear, but what they need to hear. Not the latest fad. Not based on demographic studies. Not based on what your elders want. Not based on what people think that you need to speak on, but what has God put on your heart in the prayer closet because the prayer closet becomes the power closet. And then you come out and the Word of God pierces and it encourages. It builds up. It strengthens. It convicts. It divides. Because the Spirit of God is moving. That's what we need in our nation. I will make My words in your mouth fire. See, that's the spark to revival. Anytime God brings revival. What is a revival? Just in case you have a weird idea in your mind what it is because you saw something on TV. Or went somewhere where we're like, wow, we're having revival. The word is biblical. Reviving. It's making alive. It's like somebody has their dead and what do you have to do? Or they're dying. Physically, we have to do the same thing spiritually. We have to resurrect. God has to resurrect them spiritually. Wilt Thou not revive us again so that we can rejoice in You? Oh God, would You rend the heavens? Would You come down and visit Your people again? And God says, if you plow the hardness of your hearts, if you remove the fallow ground, the hardness in the stones, I will rain down a rain like you've never experienced before. And you will experience abundant fruit of My Spirit working in your heart. But you've got to plow the soil. You've got to plow the soil. You've got to get rid of the hardness. And listen, I'm not coming here condemning anyone. I was the hardest. In my twenties, oh my Lord, I just, oh, and I thought I was so humble. Isn't that funny how that works? I'm a pretty good guy. I'm a pretty good guy. I'm humble. I give a little bit now and then. Oh my goodness. Pride and arrogance. And then number three, you have to secure the presence of God. I'll go quickly. You have to secure the presence of God. What do I mean by that? Andrew Murray, I don't know if you've read anything by him, but his books on prayer, he said you have to secure the presence of God. And what that means is in simple terms, did you know you can experience God? The presence of God? Many times we'll go into a prayer and in just a few minutes let me read my devotional. Okay, let me read that. Okay, that's good. I've got this going on. And there's no time for God. See, it's in the waiting time. It's in the waiting time, Samson, that your hair will grow back. Not physically, but the spiritual strength. The waiting on God. The petitioning. And what happens after 5, 10, 15 minutes and you're seeking God, you're repenting, God, I need to hear from you. The well springs are finally broken open. And even this morning, I don't remember, I don't know who sings that. Probably won't tell you who sings it because then you'll judge me. But there's a song, the more I seek you, the more I find you. The more I seek you, the more I find you. I just want to rest in your arms. I just want to hear from the Father. I'm hitting rewind, rewind, rewind because God is filling me in the secret place, in the prayer closet. It's dark out. You can see the stars. No one's up yet. And I said, God, I need your presence this morning. We need to hear from the living God because we didn't come here to play church. I don't know about you, but I didn't come to play church. I got a lot of things I can be doing right now. But we came to hear from God and there's a desperation and you secure the presence of God. There needs to be a point in your life where you say, like Jeremiah, I believe it was actually Isaiah, in the year that King Uzziah died. See, he remembers. And I can say, remember I told you in 1999, in the year that the Backstreet Boys were popular. In the year that Tim McGraw and Faith Hill were at the top. Oh, that was the year that God broke me. My eyes have seen the King, the Lord of Glory. He has touched my heart. He has touched my lips. Oh, I dwell among a people of unclean lips and I have seen the Christ. It's that time with God, securing the presence of God. Is there a time when you have fully yielded your life? Again, hard hearts must be crushed by the hammer of God. We must allow God's fire to devour our pride. Rekindle spiritual fire in the prayer closet. Isn't that a cry of desperation? Oh God, would you rip open the heavens? God, I want to hear from you again. Some of you, you remember. You remember. You remember when God touched your heart. You remember when you couldn't stop reading the Word. You remember when worship was coming alive. You remember. Jesus says, return to your first love. Return to that passion, that desire. Break the pride and the arrogance out of your heart and confess, Lord, I have drifted. I need you to speak boldly into my life. I need to hear from you. Lord, the prodigal is coming home. I'm done playing games with you. I want all of you, fill me or kill me, the desperation that comes from that. And as always, I'll get it on this. I get emails, why are you so loud? Why, why, why? I go to church, or just, just monotone. I'd say, I don't know. We're talking about the God of the universe who changes lives, who brings prodigal sons home, who's brought me out of the pit of darkness and despair. You know, you might get a little bit excited about that. I don't know. Some of you, some of you get more excited about baseball games. Okay, listen. I'm glad I remember this for a sermon illustration. I'm on one of the lakes, you know, and you hear it's like, Oh, people are so excited. Oh my God. And you hear it across the lake. It's this deafening, this excitement, and they pull out a 14 inch trowel, like big deal. What in the world? Who cares? But they're so excited. Why don't you get that excited about God? And there's church tomorrow, the passion for God. You see, the reason is you're dead spiritually. You're dying spiritually. Only the word of God can wake you up. And in the church today, we don't need elevator music. We need a little Jay Camelton, right? Judgmental Jerry's are going to get me on that one too. It's almost like you can't mention anybody because are you associated with this one? Are you associated with this one? Where's the body of Christ? On fire for God. Don't get me wrong. I point out false doctrine. I call teachers out. But the heart has to be erring on the side of grace. Are you weeping before you're rebuking? All these hard-hearted, arrogant people. Like look, Jesus drove people out. He made a whip and he turned over their tables. I like that. Okay, but do you know what he did first? He looked over Jerusalem. And he wept. Jesus cried, Oh, Jerusalem, Jerusalem. I wanted to gather you like a mother gathers her hens. Can you imagine that? That just blows my mind. He's weeping. Here I am. Here I am, your Messiah. The procrastination will lead more people to hell than anything else. Here I am, your Messiah. And you rejected me the day of your visitation. You have rejected me. I'm weeping. Why? I'm weeping because I see in about 40 years when Titus comes in and conquers the city of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. And a million Jews are slaughtered and blood runs down the street. Josephus wrote about this historical day. He said, I see it and here I am. Here I am, your Messiah. Here comes John the Baptist, a voice crying in the wilderness. Turn to the Christ. Turn to the risen Savior. He weeps. And then he goes in and whips. He drives him out because my father's house shall be called the house of prayer. And you have made it a den of thieves. Sadly, many replace intimacy with God with social media distractions. Don't let Instagram hold your attention. Let God grab your attention. Fix your gaze upon Him. Secure the presence of God again. That might mean for some of you, get rid of the junk that's in your home. You don't need to listen to garbage and watch garbage because as a man thinketh, oh, you're not that strong to live in the middle. Oh, I love my Netflix, but I love the Lord. Maybe a few things. I tried once. There's like 99.9% of the stuff that's garbage. Ah, but I love my Breaking Bad and I love my Tiger King. And I love my... Is that what it's called? Tiger? Whatever. Christians tell me, you've got to check this out. I watch a trailer. Check this. This is the most ridiculous garbage I've ever seen. Because remember, what you go to bed with is what you wake up with. If you go to bed with the Word of God and meditating on Psalms, you're going to wake up hungry for God. But if you go to bed with garbage, you're going to wake up with garbage. Ah, I'm too tired. I want to sleep. Try Ian Bounds. Just read any book from Ian Bounds on prayer. And I'm just weeping before I go to bed. I hurry. Is it 4 a.m. yet? Is it 4 a.m.? I want to get up. I need this time with God. Because see, the old Shane Idleman should be dead, buried in Lancaster, or on my fifth marriage, or hung over this morning. That's where I should be. It was grace that brought me here. It's grace that will take me home. I used to listen to the ACDC song, Highway to Hell with those bass just pumping and a six pack on the next seat. And God says, young man, I'm going to call you to call the prodigal sons back to me in the way we're daughters. So shouldn't we be excited? Shouldn't we be excited? We see felons on our altar with correctional officers. We see those that have a crystal myth addiction, alcohol addiction, pornography, brokenness at the altar, being broken by God, broken by God, because we believe in a Jesus Christ who can change lives, not just a sanctified Savior who's way up there, but He says, I am way up there, high and lofty, but I dwell among the people who are broken and contrite. I will fill you with My Spirit. Then Psalm 91, He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. Ever heard that term for God, El Shaddai? El Shaddai. That's what Almighty is in Hebrew. He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High. I don't know about you, but I want the secret place of God. I want to go where no man's been. In my heart. D.L. Moody, before he started his ministry, he heard a speaker, I don't remember his exact name, but he said, the world has yet to see what God will do with a man fully surrendered to Him. And D.L. Moody said, I am to be that man. Can we imagine if we leave here with that same attitude? Oh, listen, doesn't mean you won't struggle. You think the enemy likes me giving messages like this? Doesn't mean you won't go through challenges. Doesn't mean all your kids aren't going to walk with the Lord every day of their life. No health issues. I just feel the presence of God all day long. Sometimes I get in a bad mood. Do you? And then we just give up. Instead of look to God. He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of El Shaddai. The greatest power in the universe wants that relationship with you. Quantum physics can't explain Him. The law of thermodynamics can't contain Him. Calculus can't duplicate Him. Psychologists can't understand Him. Politicians cannot govern God Almighty. The media can't mislead Him. Armies can't overthrow Him. Kings can't rule Him. Satan can't defeat Him. So who can stop God Almighty? There needs to be a heart cry back to God. And I know people's hearts are right. And I hope this might be some of you. Because people come up and say, But Shane, can we really make a difference? Look at Sacramento. Look at the shenanigans and politics. Can we really? Shouldn't we just wait? Haven't you read the Bible? Shouldn't we just wait for the rapture? I don't know. That's not the Bible I read. The Bible I read says, Expose ye in fruitful works of darkness. It says to do business till I come back. It says to be a voice for those who have no voice. It says to protect the fatherless. To stand up for truth. To tremble at God's Word. And to make a difference. And to fight what is evil. And to expose it. And to put people in positions of leadership that can govern according to God's Word. So I will fight until the day I die. I'm not jumping off the Titanic just because it's hit. I know the welder who can fix it. But again, be careful of pride. Right? We get all fired up. Yeah, yeah, yeah. We're all angry and arrogant. No, no, no, no, no. Leave here gentle and broken and humble. Have you ever heard the famous words that were said before the Titanic launched? Not even God Himself can sink this ship. See, that's my concern, guys. And I travel. I know I could mention Christian leaders that you all know. I know them as well. And business as usual is not going to cut it. We can't do these mean memes and in your face, and like, who's the lady that just lost? Chaney? I mean, I'm glad she lost, but the things I saw about it, like throwing her in the trash can and kicking her, like, what is this? Really? That's going to usher in revival. God's really pleased by that. Hmm. But what's missing? Brokenness. Humility. Not weeping. Not weeping before you whip. Because if you weep first, you'll be very selective with who you review. Because if it wasn't for the grace of God, there go I. Something I often do is I reach out to pastors that fall. And sometimes people say, you shouldn't have anything to do. Listen, they're probably going through suicidal thoughts as it is. They need encouragement. Who am I to judge? Do you know one wrong decision and my ministry is over? Think about that. The weight of that. Hey, I'm going to grab a 12-pack at Mammoth and start drinking on the way home. Pulled over. Done. Gone. Gone. You understand? Everything's gone. Books are gone. Ministry's gone. Church is gone. That's the jagged edge I live on. Trusting in God. Who can stop God Almighty? But what was my point with that? The point is humility and brokenness keep you close to the Savior. Arrogance is what destroys us. Arrogance is what will take us down. Who can stop God Almighty? So finally, point number four. Now this is a common word you've heard a lot, but turn to repentance. Turn to repentance. It's a play on words because what does repentance mean? It's turning. And it's a beautiful word. Do you know that a lot of pastors don't want to talk about this word? Why? Because it's not a very appealing word to those who are unbelievers. It means you're wrong. God is right. Acknowledge it. Repent of your sin. Turn to Christ. And people get visibly upset. How dare you say your religion is the only way? Actually, I'm not saying that. Don't believe anything I say other than if it's not grounded in God's Word. Did you know Jesus said, I am the only way. But actually, the only way is the emphasis there. I am the only way, the only truth, the only life. Nobody comes to the Father except through me. Now that's pretty narrow. He was a good teacher. No, he wasn't a good teacher if that's all he was. C.S. Lewis said he's either a liar, a lunatic, or the Lord Jesus Christ. He's a good teacher. Actually, he said some very weird things if he's not the Messiah. Whoever drinks of my blood and consumes my flesh, is that representing communion? I will go to my Father. I will return. I will be raised from the dead in three days, destroy this temple, and I will rebuild it. I'm the only way to the Father? That's blasphemy to the Pharisees. Who is this carpenter? Can anything good come from Galilee, Bethlehem? And so, he's not just a good teacher. You can't have all these choices on a buffet. Actually, when it comes to Jesus, there are no choices like a buffet. One choice. I am the way, the truth, the life. Nobody comes to the Father. No other way. There's no other way. He cried out in the Garden of Gethsemane, Father, if there be any other way, if there's any other way, take the cup of Your wrath and indignation. Take it from Me. But Father, not My will. Your will be done. And that one time price on the cross, the sacrificial offering for our sins, He said it is finished. It is over. It is done. And you have to repent of your sin. You have to repent and acknowledge it. And I've seen this in the American church a lot too, talking with kids and young adults. Yeah, I've been a Christian all my life. Yeah, I think I did that. I don't know. I've known God all my life since I was two. But if you ever, and I've asked people, have you ever repented of your sin? I'm a pretty good person. Oh. Be careful. See, there has to be a clear repentance. I think it's mataneo or nacham in the Hebrew. It's a turning. It's a complete turning from the old man to the new life in Christ. That's for unbelievers. But do you know believers need to repent as well? I'm repenting more now as a believer than I did as a prodigal. Because be killing sin or sin be killing you, the Puritans would say. And the word repent, why do you have to repent? Because I'm broken. I'm fallen. D.L. Moody said you have to sit underneath the fountain of living water because I'm a leaky vessel. And so Lord, I repent of my hard heart. I repent of my attitude. I repent that I treated that person this way. I repent that I haven't been in your word. I repent that I've been arrogant and hard. I repent that I've been a difficult spouse and condescending and bitter. I repent of rebuking Biden, but I'm not broken. Now don't get me started, because I can rebuke until the cows come home on the direction of this current administration. And any administration. They're not Jesus. But are we truly broken and humble before God? Obedience motivated by love equals holy fire. You want the holy fire of God, you have to repent and get obeying God's Word again. Obeying God's Word. And so I'll close with this. Some of you, you need to make a decision today. Maybe in that area, have you truly really surrendered and repented? Have you repented and said, I'm a sinner. I need a Savior. Do not leave here missing this opportunity. And some of you, you've grown cold and callous and hard. I know these are hard things. If it were up to me, I would leave this mic here. I would walk out that door. I'd get in my vehicle and I'd leave. Because I said, Lord, I did what You've called me to do. But some of you have grown hard and callous. God has been trying to get your heart. God has been trying to wake you up. How long will you waver between two opinions? Procrastination will kill your spiritual progress. I just told a young man, I'm so proud of him, I think he's about 17, and where he was at a year ago, he was actually going to try to come this morning, and where he was at was not good. I said, man, I praise God for what happened. That change at such a young age. Because I was so stupid, I waited until I was 29. Fighting God. I'm not going to go to church with a bunch of holy rollers. Look how weird they are. Blah, blah, blah, blah. Bless the Lord, oh my soul. Bless... Why did I hate that? Because I was dying inside. I was feeding the carnal man. I couldn't wait to get home and get a Mickey's Big Mouth. I don't know if they still have those. I couldn't wait to go party. From Vegas to Bakersfield. From Laughlin to you name it. That's wow, I can't wait. I'm so excited. Four hour drive, now we can't sit through a 40 minute worship service. What's the difference? There's no spiritual hunger. The things of God have died in your life, and you need to repent and restore those. Oh, God created me a clean heart. Renew a right spirit in me. Do a deep work in my heart. I've sinned, I've drifted, and I need to come back to the loving arms of a father. How long will you waver between two opinions of God be God? Follow Him. Now here's the biggest challenge that can take place. My mom was a registered family therapist. A Christian one. And she almost lost her license probably many times because she would give biblical advice. And she said, Shane, also, when I started the church, you have to be very careful. Because in therapy, people think just because they heard it, ah, I heard it, He's right. Nothing changes. Nothing will change. Be doers of the Word, and not hearers only, or you will live in deception. So, this type of call has to be followed by some type of action. I mean, driving home. In 1999, I remember the couch. I remember the room. I just fell on the carpet. I cried out to God, fill me or kill me. Awake me or remove me. So at some point, you have to get to somewhere. Jesus, why would He go to the mountain to pray? Why would He be in a wilderness? There has to be a quiet place. You need a quiet place, a quiet heart, and a quiet hour. David McIntyre, get his book on prayer. A quiet place, a quiet hour. There needs to be an action plan. And finally, I realized, because so many people will clap. Oh, I need to hear that. And then we'll get the text later tonight. Oh, he's drunk again. He's beating me. Wait a minute. He just clapped. Oh, tears are coming. What happened? I heard it, but I didn't apply it. And A.W. Tozer, I love what he said. He said, don't come up here and cry about it. Go home and live it out. That's where the rubber meets the road.