This sermon addresses the battle with familiarity, exploring why it becomes a struggle and how it leads to boredom. Drawing from Ecclesiastes, the speaker warns against becoming bored with the blessings of God and emphasizes the importance of stirring up the gifts of God within us. The message highlights the need to ask, seek, and knock for strength, joy, and supernatural empowerment to overcome familiarity and remain faithful to God's calling.

I want to talk to you this morning from my heart about the battle with familiarity. And why does familiarity become such a struggle to us? We approach anything new with tremendous zeal, and everything that we seemingly undertake, it's almost as if I've waited for this all my life, from relationships to jobs to the house of God. And then over time, something sets in to that new thing that we found and starts to erode it from its foundation. We find ourselves bored. Why does that happen? And how can we fight it? And how can we prevent that from happening here in the house of God? The blessing that we're experiencing this morning, presence of the Lord that has been so powerful with us today and meets, God meets with us every week here. There's no debate about that. You're visiting here today, you already know that. There's a very, very, very special presence of the Holy Spirit here that meets with us every time we gather together. But how do you and I get to the place where we don't become bored with the familiar? And why do we become bored? I hope that I can answer those questions today from the scriptures and from my own experience and heart. I've been 35 years walking with God. I've had to battle through all of the things I'm going to speak to you about today, just as you have to battle through it. But I can report today that I do believe I'm more alive in Christ than I've ever been in my life today. I thank God for that. So I'm not speaking from the struggling side so much as that I've walked through some of these things and by God's grace, I'm living in the victory of it. Now, Father, I thank you with all my heart for the word of God today. Lord, all scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for doctrine, for teaching, for instruction in the ways of righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished to all good works. Would you help me today? Would you help us to hear? Would you speak something very, very deeply into our hearts that others before us may not have fully grasped? God, give us the grace that we finish the way we started, in the house of God. One more time, Lord, I lift up a city and a nation before you. Lord God, I ask you to come to us in an unprecedented manner. Give us the grace to love your presence and to walk with you all the days of our lives. I ask it in Jesus' name. Ecclesiastes, please, chapter two. It's a book that Solomon wrote right after Proverbs is Ecclesiastes. We've got Psalms, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes chapter two. I want to talk to you about the battle of familiarity. Ecclesiastes chapter two. Now, you keep in mind, this is Solomon writing this. This is the man who built his scaffold in the middle of the temple after he built the temple. This is a man who prayed and the glory of God came down so powerfully that people fell on their faces, terrified, filled with awe. God had come into his house. This is the man who was given the commission of maintaining the house of God and the testimony of God in the earth at that time. It's a man who was given incredible wisdom to undertake that task and there was nothing withheld from him. God himself appeared to him twice and asked him this one question, ask of me what you will and I'll give it to you. It's a man who asked for wisdom to be able to govern the house of God and God gave it to him. But here are the words at the end of his life and stands to you and I today as a warning that what happened to him, what's happened to others throughout the course of history could easily happen to you and I if we don't win the battle of familiarity. Start at verse three. I sought in my heart to give myself unto wine, yet acquainting my heart with wisdom and to lay hold on folly until I might see what was that good for the sons of men which they should do under the heaven all of these of their life. I made me great works. I've builded me houses. I planted me vineyards. I made me gardens and orchards and I planted trees in them of all kinds of fruits. I made me pools of water to water there with the wood that bring forth trees. I got me servants and maidens. I had servants born in my house. Also, I had great possessions of great and small cattle above all that were in Jerusalem before me. I gathered me also silver and gold and the peculiar treasures of kings and of provinces. I got me men singers and women singers and the delights of the sons of men as musical instruments and that of all sorts. So I was great and increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem. Also, my wisdom remained with me and whatsoever my eyes desired, I kept not from them. I withheld not my heart from any joy for my heart rejoiced in all my labor and this was my portion of all my labor. Then I looked on all the works that my hands had brought and on the labor that I had labor to do and behold all was vanity and vexation of spirit and there was no profit under the sun. Imagine getting having all that he had and getting to the end of your days and looking back on the works of your hands and even though these works he said my heart rejoiced in them even though they brought about a momentary when we are outside of the will of God for example there's momentary pleasure in what we do from buying cars to going to events to traveling around the world to new relationships there is a momentary pleasure that is afforded by these things but at the end of his life he gets to the point where he's old and he looks back and realizes oh God everything I put my hand to and I thought was going to fulfill me was empty. I've wasted the prime of my life as it is on nothingness. Now incredible as it may seem this man was in charge of the temple of God where the God himself at that time in the form that he chose dwelt in that temple. People would come from all over the world with questions that would be answered through the presence of the Lord and Solomon is given wisdom to guard that temple he's given giftings he's given peace actually his father David was a man of war but he was a man of peace he's given wealth and treasure and abundance everything he needed was given to him to maintain this testimony of God and from my study at least it appears that for approximately 20 years or so he was very faithful to that. He came into the temple and you can see us in the early years coming in as you and I when we first come to Christ it would say oh God how wonderful it is what you're doing in the earth and how wonderful that you've called me to be a part of this how privileged I am how marvelous to have these giftings of God that have been given to me that I know that I don't naturally possess you've gifted me you've answered me you've appeared to me you've my prayers have been so directly answered by you and I can just envision in my mind as year after year he's coming into the temple and suddenly something is coming into his heart and he's not aware of it and doesn't realize how deadly it is it's the battle that you and I all fight with familiarity familiar with the presence of God familiar with the glory of God familiar with people coming in and finding what they were looking for familiar with the sacrifices that are going on in the temple familiar with so much and just as Satan himself the scripture intimates clearly in heaven no matter what he was called to do he was in the presence of God and given something to do by God he had access to God like you and I do today like Solomon did in his day and Satan himself became bored with the familiarity and started to think that there must be something outside of just being in the presence of God and doing the work of God that I was created for in the book of Ezekiel it says you were perfect until iniquity was found in you and really that word means lawlessness and ungovernable spirit came over this created being and he fell from the presence of God and brought that same spirit into the garden of Eden and sewed it into the human race through Adam and Eve Adam and Eve were in the presence of God like you and I are today every day they met with God in the cool of the evening and they were given things to do by God and that should be sufficient should be sufficient for you and I forever that's the way it will be after we die in the presence of the Lord we'll be right back to that place that Satan himself fell from and yet suddenly there's a discontentment they're familiar with the garden they're familiar with God coming down and the thought now comes into their heart sown there by the devil himself that somehow this familiarity is not fulfilling me I was created for more than this you ever had that thought come into your heart this is the problem that we all have to fight with this is part of our sin nature it's that tendency to become bored with what we're doing I think of the numbers of marriages that end and such pain and heartache because one or both of the partners looks at the other and in spite of their sweet words on the first day that they spoke to each other these foolish and selfish words come from their lips you no longer meet my needs that was never part of the vow in the beginning I'll stick with it as long as you meet my needs I'm unfulfilled in you it's at the altar they felt that this was the answer to their deepest dream but then they become familiar with one another every day interacting in similar manners and then suddenly that battle with familiarity begins to take over and that thought that sin-generated thought that I was created for more than this my life was meant to measure up or amount to more it's rooted in selfishness you know that I think of the numbers of children that have suffered many in this sanctuary have suffered because parents convinced that their children and their grandchildren which is the true strength and heritage of their lives it's not enough to stay I was made for more than this I was made for more than to be given to another generation and to nurture and care for that which God has placed in my hand think of employees who start out with such zeal and promise in their interviews you all know what that's about oh teary eyes I'll be the best employee you ever had others may leave at five I will not I will be here till 5 36 o'clock you can count on me oh we are so sincere with our padded resumes that we present to our potential employers hallelujah I love the words on resumes I like reading them sometimes you know that people will take something like I took out the garbage and they will create it into an engineer's position in the firm and we are so filled with promise and we are so sincere this job is all I've ever wanted and I'll be the best I'll work all my days here only within a short season to become bored complaining unproductive checked out watching the clock think of believers in Christ to find the answer find the answer come into the house of the Lord and some are like that here today this is what I've looked for all my life this is what I've searched for this is the meaning of my life this is why I was created and suddenly come to the realization that there's a Christ who went to a cross who died to pay the price for that which was sown into my nature called sin and caused me to walk away from that which really will bring me to a place where I'm fulfilled and suddenly turning from sin the indwelling life of Christ comes and we start to be changed from the inside out it's a miraculous life it's awesome it's wonderful and just like Adam we come now into the house of God and we're placed in the house of God the scripture says in Corinthians not by our choice but we are placed where the Holy Spirit says we should be and we're given the giftings of God to do what we're called to do and then for a season we come in and we do it with all our heart it's the delight to go to prayer meetings because God is answering our prayer I can think of Solomon in those early years how he would have delighted to come in to the house of God and maybe ascend that scaffold or a similar type from time to time saying oh Lord would you touch my life again would you do in me what you once did would you stir my heart they come in to find the answer only over time to succumb to new questions that lead them away from their God-intended purpose it's amazing you know Solomon did he basically said I wonder what makes other people happy he found the answer and he left it to pursue the questions where do we go Peter said to Jesus even if we don't understand even if it looks hard even if the way forward we can't quite see our way through it Peter at least had the sense to say where do we go you are the only one that has the words of everlasting life there's nowhere else to go there's nothing else to do but to walk with God and believe that I'm going to fulfill that God-intended purpose on my life and so the question comes what if I'm struggling inside as others have what if the words that I whispered to Jesus on those first days are losing their meaning I've been there and you're going to if you're not there yet you're going to get there where those sweet words Jesus I give you my life Jesus take me and use me for your glory Jesus flow through me Jesus touch other people's lives through my life Jesus change my heart change my mind give me a new spirit oh God Jesus use me for your glory do something so profound in me that people around will look upon my life and begin to ask me for a reason for the hope that is in me especially in this despairing time but what if that first ball I made at that altar is starting to lose its meaning what if winning the lost meeting the needs of others and being part of the family of God are losing their power to make me want to stay it's tragic but Solomon's situation repeats itself over and over and over again throughout time and throughout history people come in filled with the fire of God filled with the zeal of God and over a season this coldness starts to grow in this nature that was sown in us the sin that is part of the human nature starts to rise up and say well I was made for more than this I have a destiny of happiness and I'm not being fulfilled here and what if I've been losing my zeal and I'm starting to check out or I'm checked out already what if I'm bored in the house of God I'm bored when I go to a prayer meeting I'm bored when I read my Bible I can hardly share Christ because I'm not excited about him myself why would I share something I'm not excited about or my heart is not fully captivated with what do I do how do I get out of this the apostle Paul said these words I'll just read them to you too a young man who was coming up after him now Paul I like to study the life of Paul I like to spend a lot of time reading his words because Paul was a man who finished his race he finished it just as alive as when he started he finished it full of passion he finished it with the fire of God at the very center of his heart and soul he finished it with a ministry that didn't look like very much in the eyes of people can you imagine his friends oh poor Paul I mean you imagine Paul now I'm part of Paul's entourage talking about him after he's in jail poor Paul miracles were being done through his life so powerful that he was sending handkerchiefs in the mail and people were getting healed now I'm not saying that to validate some flake out there that's sending stuff in the mail and poor Paul he could have had such a terrific ministry but he insisted on sticking to what God had called him to do and where did it get him poor Paul in jail bound between four two or four soldiers and all he's got is a parchment and a pen and instead of doing miracles all over the world all he can do now is write some letters to some friends like this guy called Timothy in a church called Ephesus poor Paul but see Paul had Paul had a passion and a love for the work of God in his heart Paul was a man who said what I started I'm going to finish and I do declare we could use a little bit of that in the church of Jesus Christ today the fact that our divorce rate as I'm told is equaling that of the world tells us something is dreadfully wrong in the house of God dreadfully wrong the fact that people have to be entertained to stay in church tells me that something is dreadfully wrong no no we need a little bit of that that says what I started what I began by the grace of God in my life is going to be brought to a conclusion I'm going to finish this journey and I don't care if it looks big or I don't care if it looks small as long as I know I am in the will of God that's all that matters to me now if I could have had a microphone one day that sent my voice around the world and I might finish little more than a whisper in the dust but it means no difference to me whatsoever as long as I know I'm running the race that God has set before me it doesn't matter if it looks big in the sight of men do you understand? and there's no promise when you come to Christ that the Christian life is going to be easy as a matter of fact there seems to be more evidence in the scripture that the Christian walk is going to be a difficult one you're going to have to go through fire you're going to have to walk through flood there's going to be difficult times there's going to be times when everything inside of you is screaming I want out of here but it's only the grace of God that will keep you where you are when the whole world is running when the whole world is dissolving when the whole world is abandoning one another when the whole world is abandoning truth and the cross of Jesus Christ God has to have a people that are saying others may go in that direction but by the grace of God we are going to finish the race the way God said it should be run Paul said it this way 2nd Timothy chapter 1 verses 4 to 7 I'm greatly desiring to see you being mindful of your tears that I might be filled with joy when I call to remembrance the unfeigned of his unpretended faith that is in you verse 6 he says wherefore I put you in remembrance that you stir up the gift of God which is in you by the putting on of my hands for God has not given us the spirit of fear but a power and love and a sound mind Timothy you know what is right and you don't have to be afraid of walking where you don't think you can go in your own natural strength I put you in remembrance Timothy that you stir up the gift of God which is in you by the putting on of my hands Paul was saying Timothy when I touched you and this is something I feel the Lord saying to us as a church and to as many as can listen in this generation God himself is saying when I touched you when I touched you there was something of the life of God that came into you and you were called for a specific purpose on the earth you're called to do something that nobody else is going to do you were given giftings of God and called into a ministry it might be seen on the earth it might not be seen but I guarantee you one thing it is recorded in heaven you were called Solomon was called he was called he was called he was called to maintain that testimony of God in the earth until the day he got bored and his life ended up in a heap and a tragedy because of it and he left behind him a weak son and a divided nation and he set the stage for the conquering of the nation of Israel when you and I if we don't finish our race to the end it's not just me and it's not just you that are affected it hurts a lot of people coming after us it hurts a lot of people who could have known God people who could have walked with God people who could have known the strength of God he had the opportunity to pass on the strength that his father gave him to his son and he didn't pass it on he left him weak impulsive an unspiritual man who made foolish decisions and split the nation when you were called for the purpose of God that's in your life you were given gifts and passion for what you need to do you were given the gifts and the passion and the heart to do it God doesn't just give us the gift and say now stir up the heart he gives us the whole thing the gifts and the heart I know this when I came to Christ I was stone cold inside odd sporadic little spurts of emotion and benevolence but essentially inside dead and when Christ comes he calls us to do something but he gives us the heart to do it if I would have been Solomon and God appeared to me you know he only if he only would have just said give me wisdom and the heart of my father David he would have made it the wisdom was not enough the wisdom couldn't keep him he need a heart wisdom is not enough without the heart to obey it Bible knowledge is not enough without the heart to get to the end of the journey knowing truth is not enough without the heart behind it and Paul said Timothy this heart was put within you Jesus told us this in the parable of the talents in Matthew he said there's the kingdom of heaven is like a man who went into a far country but before he went he took his goods and he gave them to his people and that means he took of himself and he deposited himself within us he didn't call us to do things on our own he called us to be vessels through which he could continue his work on the earth I thank God for that knowledge with all my heart the only thing that can stop you apart from unbelief is the tendency of our own hearts to become bored when the blessing of God on our lives becomes familiar that is the battle we become bored we become bored sharing the gospel we become bored singing songs we become bored going to church we become bored with prayer because that's our sin nature it's a much bigger battle than you and I realize and Paul said to Timothy stir up the gift stir it up stir it up now I know the obvious question is how how do I stir it up? it's it's really not complicated I can I can tell you from my journey of 35 years this is as as deep as it's ever gotten for me ask and it shall be given you seek you shall find knock and it shall be open to you for everyone that asks receives and everyone that seeks finds and everyone who knocks to everyone who knocks it shall be open if you being evil know how to give good gifts to your children how much more will your heavenly father give good things another gospel says how much more will your heavenly father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him ask it's no deeper than that there's no formula to this there's no seven steps now I could tell you today start reading your Bible and those things are good and they will produce some kind of life but if you're reading your Bible and you're not asking you end up like Solomon with this hodgepodge of wisdom that leads you nowhere no no ask ask ask there's a grave danger in experiencing what we are experiencing today and what we're going to go through in the days ahead there are many seasons throughout history where God in his mercy has sent an awakening to his own people first and secondarily to the nation but the grave danger of an awakening is if we don't understand that we have inside of us an inherent ability to become bored with the presence of God and how that can lead us so deeply astray that's the danger that we do like Solomon you have all of this presence of God the glory, the wisdom, the giftings, the ability and then this question comes in your heart I wonder what makes people happy for all of his wisdom how could a wise man the wisest man that ever lived ask such a foolish question he knew the answer to that but he had no heart to follow the answer he simply became bored God had given him gifts when you come into the house of the Lord and I do the Lord will give us giftings that we didn't naturally possess you look at it in the scriptures there'd be people who you couldn't put on your socks in the morning now all of a sudden you have a gift of administration in your life it's given to you for the house of God for the work of God but suddenly because these giftings are there imagine let's remember what Solomon did he said I headed out he said I built gardens I built houses I planted vineyards I started choirs I made pools of water I gathered silver and gold became an art collector in a sense I gathered the treasures of kings and provinces I got singers and I invented musical instruments and there was a delight my heart rejoiced for a season and all these things that I was doing until I got to the end and folks I got to tell you it's one of the greatest dreads of my life if I have a dread that would be it that I'm 60 years old very shortly that I get to 75 I get to the end of this journey I'm close I'm telling you I can see it now and I get to the end of this journey and look back and say oh God if only I had done it this way and that's my constant prayer you know when I tell you ask and seek and knock I said Lord I don't want to finish this journey with if only's in my life I want to finish it like Paul I have run I have fought a good fight I have finished my course there is a crown of righteousness laid up for me I still have authority to bless my children and bless my grandchildren even on my deathbed I can stretch out my hands and the power of God will come on those that are going to follow after me that is the cry of my heart ask and it shall be given you ask for the ability to love your family to love those that God has placed in your life ask for the ability to honor authority ask for the ability to be the best person you can be on your job and not succumb to the discontent that dominates the lives of so many who don't know God around you seek and you shall find Jesus give me the power to enjoy what I'm called to do when I read Paul he liked what he was doing you have to be divinely inspired to be shipwrecked, stoned, betrayed left for dead everybody runs out on you he writes to one of his compatriots and he says everyone has forsaken me but yet you look and it's filled with joy he's walking the course of God and he doesn't know but his words are going to encourage multiples of multiples of millions of people for ages and generations to come until Christ returns and be recorded as the text of scripture through eternity oh Jesus give me the power to enjoy give me the power give me the grace Lord to not just slug it through with gritted teeth and clenched fists I'm going to serve God if it kills me I'm going to love my kids I'm going to be a good husband I'm going to be a good wife no for the sake of God pray for the power to enjoy there's joy in it there's joy in what we're called to do and the scripture tells us Jesus said knock and it shall be open to you in other words lead me into the supernatural and let me never never be bored with the work of God and one of the ways not to be bored is to say Lord just keep placing new places before me that I need your strength to go through and when you go and that door opens before you you know you can't go through it in your own wisdom or strength the giftings of God come it makes this life a supernatural life it sparks faith in the heart and then you begin to realize I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me I can enjoy where I am I can sing in the midst of sorrow I can oh God get through and be a testimony and live in victory even though in the natural it doesn't look like victory but the victory is not in the natural the victory is in the supernatural of God that is in my life I used to wonder why remember the parable said man left and he took his goods and gave them to his servants he gave one guy five talents he gave another one two he gave another one one man with five made ten the man with their woman with two made four and the man the person with one didn't do anything with it and so Jesus said take away that talent from the person that wouldn't use it and give it to the person that had ten I used to think that was odd he already had ten why would you give it to the poor person with only four or somebody that only made two and then I began to realize the person with ten is somebody who was just absolutely I said it one time before I'll say it again you're addicted to glorifying God it's the person at the back of the room that says me send me I need somebody to do something that's impossible this person wouldn't do it send me send me I'll go I'll go through that door oh God I've been there before I understand I know what you gave me I put it to use and it multiplied and it doubled and I've seen your supernatural hand I've walked through impossible doors I know what you can do oh God give it to me Lord if nobody else wants it give it to me if this whole nation abandons their spouses and abandons their families God almighty give it to me if they don't want it give it to me give it to me I'll be a good husband I'll be a good wife I'll be a good father give it to me if everyone wants to betray everybody else around them God give me the power to be honest and what I say is what I do and what I profess is what I am by God's grace by God's power by God's glory give it to me oh God give it to me Lord Jesus if nobody else wants it give it to me if there's poor people in my neighborhood if there's people who are despairing around me and nobody wants to go to them and everyone seems to be concerned about themselves all around me even those who profess to know Christ if nobody wants to do this God give it to me we are called to be a supernatural church not a natural people we're not called to walk by human reasoning but by the power the glory the love the goodness of God within us that's what we're called to walk in we have an opportunity now in this failing generation rapidly descending into chaos we have an opportunity to be the people of God we have an opportunity like Solomon once had to be a testimony in the earth that when difficult times come people can come the stranger the widow and say would you tell me why do you have such hope in the midst of such hopelessness I've often said it from this pulpit that David the king before he fought Goliath he couldn't have fought Goliath if he hadn't have won in those secret places we have to win these secret battles now it's pointless of talking about bringing a nation back to God it's pointless if we're not content with where God has placed us and what God has given us to do all we would do is add another layer of discontentment to the nation through the church ask and it shall be given you I don't know I don't know what you need I don't know what your battle is I don't know what it is that you're in in your heart now listen to me carefully I don't want anybody condemned here today because I know the divorce rate is very high in this nation but just because you were divorced does not mean you have to abandon your children you can write letters you can make you can send birthday cards you can give calls you don't have to abandon your house you do the best you can and trust God to get the letters through you still have power ask oh God help me Lord Jesus to finish the journey I've begun help me and give me the power to enjoy where I am oh if Solomon would only have prayed it if Satan would only have prayed it if Adam would only have prayed it help me God to find fulfillment and to enjoy the very place I am and not to be living somewhere else in my mind lead me David prayed it lead me in the way that his life everlasting God almighty take me where ordinary people can't go and let my life be a testimony of the grace of almighty God hallelujah now I've shared a lot of things and I know that God has spoken to many hearts and you know what the struggle is in your heart today where this potential discontent might be drawing you away from something that could be an incredible blessing in your life where you need strength that only God can give natural strength can't take you through this place don't be discouraged because the end of the natural is the beginning of the supernatural if you and I could do this if we could walk through all these doors and go into all these places in our own strength then ultimately we wouldn't need God in our minds and hearts that's the conclusion we would come to but I thank God that he has made me dependent on him for breath and life and everything that I'm called to do I'm dependent on him I thank God for that with all my heart it does make it it's not easy but it makes it an incredible journey and whatever it is that God's calling you to do and if you're becoming bored you're dealing with that battle of familiarity in some area of your life everything from your family to your workplace to your marriage to your prayer life to your service to the house of God and you just want to get back I speak on Christ's behalf when I say stir up the gift of God stir it up ask seek and knock we're going to stand we're going to worship for probably 10 minutes or so and if God is speaking to your heart and you need that strength that we're talking about as we stand I'm going to ask you to join me please here at the front of the sanctuary you can do the same at Roxbury and at home in your living rooms for those that are listening just come and join those that will be coming just slip out please make your way down God bless you let's take a moment to worship would you lift your would you lift your hands please Father I pray God for this church oh Jesus son of God we would be your church Lord in these last days of time give us the heart the heart Lord the heart to find victory in the hard places the heart that stays enamored with you and alive in our God until the end of our days the heart that we saw on David we saw it in Daniel we saw it in Paul we saw it in Esther the heart Lord give us the heart to never grow weary with your work give us the heart to obey what we know is right what you tell us is right give us the heart to do what is right and to find joy in doing what is right give us the heart to stay when everyone else is running give us the heart to reach out when everyone is drawing back give us the heart to love when everyone is hating God make us your church Lord we thank you for it I pray now as a pastor Lord for marriages that are in trouble here do a miracle today a miracle ask you for those who've had a terrible attitude at work that there be just a change of heart today and Monday morning that business that place gets a brand new employee I thank you for that God with all my heart I thank you for for words of life and love that husbands and wives can speak to each other after this day I thank you for children who will feel valued and treasured loved and honored and feel as if they are the inheritance of God given to their mothers and fathers ask you Lord for all of us Lord all of us God if you would appear today and I were Solomon and this were his congregation I would say that we may have a heart to follow you all of our days that we would never grow bored with your house that we'd never grow cold to your work that we never grow complacent to human need that we could be the church of Jesus Christ on the earth by the grace and by the power of our God that's what I would ask for Lord oh Holy Spirit come to us and give us the strength Lord that we need Jesus we take you at your word how much more will your Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask we know we can't do any of these things without you Lord but with our God we can do all things we believe that we stand on that that's our testimony that is the strength of our lives Jesus don't let this testimony ever die you've walked with us 26 years in this house don't let it die let it live when my day is finished and we pass the torch on to the next generation I pray that this church be more alive than the day we received it Father thank you protect us from passing on as Solomon did a weak kingdom to weak sons and daughters keep us alive in you now I pray for the blessing of God to be on this congregation you bless our coming in and our going out Lord you give us wisdom authority and power and a song that can't be taken away thank you for meeting all of our needs as we seek you first in the kingdom of God all we need will be provided to us we believe that and we thank you for it bless this city through your people Father thank you for it in Jesus name Amen Amen God bless you God bless you God bless you take time turn to somebody turn to five ten people whatever it is and just God bless you should be good enough