In this sermon, the preacher focuses on the message from Jeremiah chapter 4, verse 30, where the nation is described as being spoiled and chaotic. He emphasizes that the people are merely going through the motions and relying on external adornments, but they lack a true connection with God. The preacher also references Mark chapter 10, where Jesus teaches the disciples about the importance of serving others and staying focused on God's purposes. He encourages the listeners to surrender their hearts to God and allow Him to transform their lives. The sermon concludes with a prayer for God's power and a reminder to trust in His faithfulness.

This message is one of the Times Square Church Pulpit Series. It was recorded in the sanctuary of Times Square Church in Manhattan, New York City. Other tapes are available by writing World Challenge, PO Box 260, Lindell, Texas 75771, or calling 903-963-8626. You are welcome to make additional cassettes of this message for free distribution to friends. However, for all other forms of reproduction or electronic transmission, existing copyright laws apply. I had another title, but I think that's the right title for this afternoon's message. I Won't Let Go. Hallelujah. Father, we thank you this afternoon that your presence is truly among us. Lord, you've been speaking to us all of this week. It's been the most wonderful week of your presence, your dealing, your love. God, we thank you this afternoon that one more time we can stand in your presence. Now, Lord Jesus, I ask that you bring forth this word from my heart. Lord, you're the one that laid it on the very tables of my heart. I haven't had to change anything according to the natural mind. You birthed this in my heart. Now, Lord, bring it forth accordingly as you have put into my heart. You bring it forth by the power of the Holy Ghost. In Jesus' name, amen. Turn with me back to Acts chapter 21. We dealt with this scripture last Sunday night, and we are back again at it this afternoon. Acts chapter 21, and we'll read three verses together, the same verses we read on Sunday night. Acts chapter 21, verses 12 through 14. And when we heard these things, we both and they that of that place besought him not to go up to Jerusalem. Now, the people of that place, what he's talking about here are Philip, his wife, his daughters. Agabus had come down and had spoken to the Apostle Paul and taken the Apostle Paul's girdle, tied it around his own waist and said, the person who owns this girdle, so you're going to be bound and be handed over to the Gentiles. And so everybody of that place, there was Luke was there, Philip was there. He's the evangelist. His daughters are there who prophesied. Everybody who had gathered to hear the Apostle Paul. And they were all saying to him and besought him not to go up to Jerusalem. Then Paul answered, what mean ye to weep and to break my heart? Why are you trying to break the purpose of God in my heart? We shared a little of this last week. There was a purpose that they were trying to break. This man was committed to the purposes of God. And as the choir sang this afternoon, I won't let go. The Apostle Paul makes that statement. He says, for I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus. And when he would not be persuaded, we ceased saying, the will of the Lord be done. It's one of those cliche words that they end up saying. Well, like we always say, well, God bless you. The will of the Lord be done. I'm not sure that they believed it, but they said it anyway. So here is the Apostle Paul, and he has a purpose in his heart. Beloved, I want to speak this afternoon about the devil trying to disengage you from the purposes of God. He's always trying to get at your heart. This is a hard issue. We're going to see all through the message this afternoon, it's a hard issue. That the enemy is always trying to get at your heart to disengage you from the very purposes of Almighty God. As we heard this morning, if we could understand for just one second, one moment today, what the purposes of God really were for our life, if God would just give us a panoramic view of our whole life and what He intended for us, there wouldn't be a hesitation in any one of us today to give up sin, to walk away from our past and to engage in the things that God has for us. But we also have an enemy that's always trying to disengage us from the purposes of God. So the Apostle Paul, he won't give in to their fears. We saw that last week. He wasn't buying into their tears either. It was a false compassion. And there's a lot of people who have a false compassion towards maybe the struggles you're going through, but understand that when we go through trying times, it is God who is at work in our hearts and lives. And we shouldn't try to dissuade what God is doing in the hearts and lives of people. Paul lived by another code. We saw this as well. And that my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in the demonstration of the Spirit and of power. And the Apostle Paul said, this was my life. This has always been my life. My life has been lived by one code and one code only, and that is by the power of Almighty God. My life has been changed by God's power. I've lived by God's power. See, this was his doctrine. This is what he preached. This is what he lived. And so he's amazed at this point. I think that the Apostle Paul is amazed. He's perplexed that there is this dissuasion of these people to try and dissuade him from the purposes of God. I want to tell you, the devil hasn't changed. And if he can dissuade you from the purposes of God in your life, he's going to do it. He's going to do everything possible that he can to change your heart. I'm going to show that to you this afternoon, some of the most simplest scriptures, how the devil tries to come and dissuade you from that which God has called you to do. Now, the Apostle Paul's doctrine was one that was kept by the power of God. And in Corinthians he said, For the love of God constraineth us. You see, all along through his ministry, even when he was with the Corinthian church, he told them, he said, Now listen, you've got to understand and come to an understanding of one thing, that when God lays hold of your life, when God lays a hold of a man or a woman's life, he will keep them. The word constrain, the Apostle Paul using this word for the love of Christ, constraineth us, the word literally means to keep. So God says, and he's speaking through the Apostle Paul, and he's speaking to this church and he says, This is my doctrine, you have to get this settled in your heart. It's going to help you in fighting against the enemy when he comes to dissuade you from the purposes of God. You've got to get settled one thing in your heart, that when God calls you and he lays his hand upon your life, he's able to keep you. The love of God, the love of God is able to keep me. The love of God is able to hold me, even in a wicked world like we are living today. I'm confident of this one thing, that the power of Almighty God through his love is able to keep me. There's no fear in my heart that I'm going to go astray. There's something that God puts into the heart of the believer that God is able to keep us and to hold us. So the Apostle Paul says, this is my doctrine. Yes, I am kept from the power of evil. So when he talks about this word constrain, that the love of God is able to constrain us or keep us, he's saying, yes, I'm kept from the power of evil, but I'm also kept alive unto God. You see, when God keeps his people, it's always for a dual purpose. Yes, he's going to keep us from evil, but he's also going to keep us alive. Yes, he will keep us from harm of evildoers, but he'll also keep me as a light unto wicked men. So there's always the dual purpose. Yes, he'll keep us from harm, but he also is keeping us so that we can shine in the world. Yes, I am kept from hurtful temptations, but I'm also kept with insight and discernment to live for him. Yes, I'm kept from foolish and damaging lusts, but I'm also kept in holiness unto the Lord. Yes, I'm kept by the power of God, but for what? What is it that God has for my life? Why does he keep us? Why is this the doctrine of the apostle Paul, that God has the power with which to keep any individual who puts their trust in the living God, God is able to keep them. Because God has a purpose, he wants us to be engaged in a work and a purpose that he has that absolutely is mind-boggling. I tell you, beloved, this whole week, I've just seen people's lives touched. People have come to me so many times through this three-day fasting on how their lives have been changed, they've been delivered, they've been set free. If only we could have an understanding of the power that God and the life that God has for us. I think we are so myopic in how we see things. We only see our block. We only see where we live. We only see the little things we're about. But God sees things from all eternity's sake. We're dealing with Almighty God. We're dealing with a God who created the heavens and the earth. He's got a plan for us and a purpose for us, and the devil knows it. That's why he does everything in his power to keep you from the purposes of Almighty God. It's like my grandkids. I was sharing this on a Friday night one time. My daughter-in-law was dropped off at the front of the apartment, and we're on the 25th floor, and she had called ahead on the cell phone and said, could I meet you at the foyer just to help with the luggage and the kids? And I said I would, but I was busy on the phone, and so I missed her. So I finished up on the phone. I hung up, and I raced to the elevator. I went down, and I got to the foyer, and I missed her. I asked the doorman, I said, did you see a young lady here with two little things about this height and this height? And he said, yep, they've already gone ahead of you. So I raced back to the elevator, and I tell you, it's an amazing thing because only grandparents understand this kind of stuff. I was on about the 23rd or the 22nd floor, and I heard on the 25th floor such yelling like I have never... I'm three floors away from the floor where I live on, and I can hear these two grandkids yelling, Papa! Papa! They were screaming. My daughter-in-law said they were yelling louder than they've ever heard them yell before because I wasn't there to open the door. And the moment I walked out of that elevator, I don't know what they think about elevators, but they yelled my name, and here I step out of the elevator. And they were so excited. They jumped up and down. They ran to me. I picked them up in both arms. Beloved, let me ask you a question. What do these kids know about my life? They don't know my background. They don't know my life. They don't know where I come from. But all they know is that this is my grandpa, and when he picks me up, I'm safe. There's something that takes place, and as soon as I got them into my arms, they were kissing me on the cheek and hugging me and pulling my ear, and there was an impartation from my heart to them. They just know that there's something about walking with grandpa that they are safe. You see, this is the doctrine that the Apostle Paul was saying. I can't tell you how God imparts the understanding and the knowledge that when you commit to Him, that He has the keeping power to hold you regardless of the circumstances. I can't understand it. I can't teach you about it. We can talk about it, but only God imparts that unto the understanding of the person's heart. So when you commit yourself to God, there's an impartation. I can't tell you how He does it, but I know that when I commit my heart to Him, that there is an importation that comes to me that He is able to keep me through everything that I go through in life. Hallelujah! God is able to keep us. You can't learn it. It's something that is received by the Holy Ghost. Just like those kids, they didn't spend hours with their mom at two and one year of age, understanding where grandpa comes from, what he earns and where he lives, where he's going, and, oh, okay, I can trust him. It didn't come by knowledge. It came by an association that they see that we love each other. I love my son and my daughter-in-law, and they love grandma. It comes by this association that when we come into each other's presence, they don't care about the past. They don't care what they're going through. All they know is, here is my papa, and as soon as I held him in their arms, there was a tremendous joy in their heart. Beloved, that's what God is all about. That's what Christianity is all about. That's the importation of God that He gives to our hearts, a knowledge that He can keep us and hold us, no matter what we're going through. Our God is able to impart that assurance in the heart. See, this is what the Apostle Paul has received all of his life, all of his walk with God. We can read about all the stonings at Lystra and all the persecutions at Derby and Iconium and where he's left for dead. We can talk about the shipwrecks. We can talk about all the things that he went through. Why does he go back again and again, not being persuaded away from the very calling of God? Because there is a continuous importation of God and life into his soul. And he says, I'm not willing to give that up for any person. He says, I'm not willing to give up that which God gives to me by the power of the Holy Ghost, not for any... I'm not going to save my life for it. To be absent from this body is to be present with the Lord. Does that make sense to you this afternoon? There's an importation that God gives to those that love him. Now, beloved, the heart needs to be engaged. You see, there is a power that God will keep us and that knowledge is imparted to us. It's imparted by the presence of the Holy Ghost. There's a knowledge and understanding He'll keep us and that's given to us by the power of the Holy Spirit. But God intends, it's not enough just for you to have an understanding that God will keep you. He is wanting your heart to be involved. So many times we miss this crucial part. God, yes, He can keep us. He can guide us. He can take us through storms. But there's one thing that He asks of us. There's something that He requires that we engage our heart with His. That He has all of our... He might have my life, but does He have my heart? I might come to the house of God, but does He have my heart? And see, this is what God established from way back that He wants our heart involvement with everything that He does. The joy of the grandkids when they're in my arms and giving me kisses on the cheek and pulling my hair and my glasses off. It's their way of demonstrating. I've got their heart. They've got my heart. There's an issue of the heart that needs to be dealt with. And so here in these last few days of prayer and fasting, God has been speaking to us, ministering to us. And I tell you, the very thing that He's after is the issue of the heart. Does He have your heart? We can come and be blessed, but God wants to know, do I have your heart? You see, in Exodus chapter 12, and this is the scripture that the Holy Spirit put on my heart for this afternoon. In Exodus chapter 12, verses 5 and 6, it says, He's talking about the Passover. Your lamb shall be without blemish. So He's talking to the children of Israel and He says, this is the time of the Passover and you need to get a lamb. It needs to be without blemish, a male of the first year. In other words, it's going to be a year old. And then it says, ye shall take it out from the sheep or from the goats and ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month. And the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening. So God is giving these people instruction here. Now, don't miss what is taking place. You see, God has promised them. He said, on this Passover, this very first Passover, when they're going to be taken out of Egypt on this very first Passover, God is giving them the assurance. He says that when you take the blood of the lamb and you put it on your doorpost and you sprinkle it with hyssop on your house, and God is giving them a promise. He says, there is going to be a keeping power that will save you from death. God is going to say, He's telling them that you take this lamb, take the blood and you apply it to your household. And He says, then when the angel of death comes, it'll bypass you. There is a keeping power. You will not be hurt. There will be no damage to your life. God will keep you. But you've got to apply the blood. Now, don't miss the import of the verse of the scripture. It says, you shall take it out from the sheepfold and the goats, and you shall keep it up to the fourteenth day of the same month. Now, that was basically four days from the tenth to the fourteenth. So, I began to look this up in the scriptures, and there's a lot of commentators who talk about this as they're trying to find some deep significance on the four days. Why should we take this lamb and keep it for four days? I'll tell you why. They've got their own fandangled ideas. They've got all their kind of things. I just put that down. And do you know what the Holy Ghost said to me? He said, very simply, because I want your heart involved in it. I want you to get the lamb. I want you to look it over. This is what He says. He says, you shall keep it. You shall take it out from the sheep. You see, there's something that God wanted from the people. There's something. So, you take the lamb. He says, yes, the keeping power of God, the deliverance of God is going to be there for you. That's the assurance of who I am. I'm God. I'll keep you. But there's something I require of you. I want you to take that lamb out. And for four days, I want you to look it over. I want you to hold it. I want you to behold it. I want you to be involved. There's something of the heart that needs to be involved in this. I just don't want you going out on the day, on the night of the sacrifice, going in and taking something and slaying it and taking the blood. No. There's something. I want you to take it beforehand. And there needs to be a heart involvement of you in this. You need to see it. Let me read a scripture to you in John, just to show you this. In 1 John chapter 1, it says, That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon and our hands have handled, of the word of life. This is 1 John, the epistles of John. 1 John chapter 1, verse 1. And so here the apostle is saying, you need to look with your eyes upon this. Your hands have handled it, of the word of life. For the life was made manifest and we have seen it and bear witness and show it unto you, that eternal life which is with the Father, which is manifested unto us. That which ye have seen and heard and declare, we unto you, that also we may have fellowship with us. And truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ. And these things, right we unto you, that your joy may be full. See, it's the handling. There's something about the heart when we look upon Christ. Christ is the Lamb. And this is what he's saying in Exodus. He says, you've got to take this thing apart. Look upon it. Take four days. Make sure. In fact, Malachi says this. He proves that God was wanting a heart issue here, not just a sacrifice. Isaiah chapter 1, if you want to read that, it's a scathing report about them just taking sacrifices. God just didn't want sacrifices. He wanted the heart of the sacrificer involved with Him. God doesn't want people just to come to the house and just go through the motions. It's not enough. He says, I've got all this for you. I'll keep you. There's power. There's deliverance. My life will be imparted unto you. But there's something I require from you. I want your heart to be involved with what I'm doing. Don't be disengaged. And this is what the Apostle Paul is fighting. These people want to disengage him from the very purposes of God. He says, I won't be persuaded. I'm not going to be persuaded differently from that which God has put into my heart. And so this Lamb needs to be looked over. Your heart needs to be involved. It needs to be touched. Malachi says, and if you offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? If you offer the lame and sick, is it not evil? In other words, and he says, you try giving that to the governor. Malachi comes along and says, why don't you go to your pen and take some sick, lame, blind animal and try and take that to your governor and say, Governor, I brought this gift for you. He says he's not going to accept it. But we're doing that with God. He says, you're disengaging. You're coming in, but your heart is not involved. You're coming in, you're going through the motions, but where's your heart? Is your heart involved in what God has for us? He's looking to the heart. He wants to know, do I have your heart this afternoon? Check it out. You make the decision. You bring it to the Lord. So when Jesus, talking in Matthew chapter 21, and Jesus went into the temple of God and cast them all out and sold them that bought in the temple and overthrew the tables of the money changers and the seats of them that sold doves. And he said unto them, it is written, my house shall be called a house of prayer, but you've made it a den of thieves. And I asked myself the question, what is he talking about here? I believe that one of the aspects that they robbed, you see, this is what God was showing me in my heart. What they were robbing from the people was their heart involvement. God had said way back in Exodus, I want you to be involved with this. When I come into your life, I want your involvement. I want you to participate with me in what I'm doing. I've got a plan and a purpose, but I need your heart. I can't take you ahead if I don't have everything that is in your heart. And so what they were robbing from the people was this, that the leaders of that day had come and they said, we've looked over the lamb, we've bought all the animals that you eat, you don't have to be involved. All you need to do is bring us the cash. Just give us the money and buy your animal and just sacrifice to the Lord. You see, God says you've made it a den of thieves. There's something that God is showing to the heart of the person. He says, why have you robbed the people? How did he rob them? How did they rob them? They robbed them because they did not give the people the opportunity to have a heart in coming to God. That's why when afterwards he pushes all the tables over, we see that Jesus brings back the animals. He says he opens up the doors and he says, bring the blind and the lame. And they came to him in the temple and he healed them. You see, when God opened up the doors and allowed those people to come with their heart, they couldn't get there because the people had robbed, the leaders had robbed them from coming and bringing their heart to the altar and saying, God, I want to see God. God wants all of our heart at the altar. And so when they robbed them of that, they were held back. And when Jesus pushes all of those tables over, the doors then opened and the miraculous power of God. You see, what God is, I think, saying to the people at this point, he's saying that when your heart is involved, yes, I'll keep you. Yes, I'll deliver you. Yes, I'll do all those things. The keeping power of God is there. But when I've got your heart, then you will go forth with the mighty power of almighty God. You don't, you won't have the loss of speaking words that like the apostle Paul says, I didn't come with man's wisdom, but I came with the power and the demonstration of the Holy Ghost. See, many times that's what's lacking in so many people's lives. And it's not because God has failed, but it's because God hasn't had our hearts. But when we get our heart, when God takes a hold of our heart and he has everything that is in our heart. I tell you, I believe, beloved, those tables go over in our hearts of our lives. We no longer just letting somebody else get the sacrifice, but God gets all of our heart. It's at that point in time that we go forward in the name of the Lord. And we begin to see the lame begin to walk, the blind begin to see, the deaf begin to hear. Those that are dead begin to get raised. Their life begins to count by the power of almighty God. And this is, in fact, Jeremiah was having a problem. Let me show you something in the book of Jeremiah. Jeremiah chapter 4, this is what he says. He says in verse 30, he says the people were going through the motions. In chapter 4 verse 30, he says, And when thou art spoiled, what wilt thou do? In Jeremiah chapter 4 verse 30, he says, Here is the nation, the whole nation has been spoiled round about them. Things are chaotic. And he says, what will you do? And so, he sees the people, Jeremiah sees the people going through the motions. Though thou closest thyself with crimson, though thou deckest thee with ornaments of gold, though thou rentest thy face with painting. In other words, you deck yourself up, you put all your eye shadow on. He says, you make yourself look fair. You see, Jeremiah was dealing with the people who were going through the motions. They were disengaged from the very heart of God. They were there in the house. In fact, if you go to chapter 7, their cry is in chapter 7 verse 4, Trust ye not in lying words, saying, The temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord. See, they were going to the temple of the Lord. They were saying, don't we have the house of God? Aren't we coming? Don't we look fair on the outside? They looked like everything was just fine. Everything was great with their lives. Everything looked as if it was perfect. They've got all their right robes on, crimson. They've decked themselves out with gold. They've painted up their faces. They look themselves fair. Everybody on the outside looks at this holot and Jeremiah sees. And God says, even though they do this on the outside, they are just game playing. There's no power. Their whole life round about them is being destroyed. They don't even recognize it. They don't even recognize it all round about them. The whole nation is going to pieces. And there's a destruction taking place. They don't see it. They don't understand it. And they continue just to go through the motions. See, God isn't looking just for the motions. He's looking, is my heart involved in this? Does God have my heart? Does He have everything that is in my heart? And see, the tragedy of this, beloved, is in chapter 4. It says, verse 22, For my people is foolish. They have not known me. They are Sardish children and they have none understanding. They are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge. And so, He's saying that even though they go through the motions, they are wise to do evil, but to do good they don't have a knowledge of. He says, I want their heart. I just don't want their actions, even though they dress themselves up, even though they go to the temple, even though they go through the motions and they raise their hands. He says that God doesn't mind that, but He says, but there's something that's missing. And the tragedy of this that Jeremiah begins to speak out here in verse 23 is, I beheld the earth and lo, it was without form and void and the heavens, and that they had no light. And I beheld the mountains and lo, they trembled and the hills moved lightly. I beheld and lo, that there was no man and all the birds of the heavens were fled. And so, He goes on. So, what Jeremiah is saying is that when there's a people who go through the motions, and we see in the churches in the world today that there's a people who go through the motions, but the opposite, instead of it being a creative work that is taking place in the hearts and lives. See, God's intent for every single person, that He would impart to them a knowledge of His keeping power. He would impart to them, when God has a person's heart, He imparts a knowledge that I'll keep you, I'll deliver you. But there's something else that He imparts. He imparts a power that changes lives. See, Genesis is a creative work when God spoke, and the world, the whole world. You see, what encourages me is that when God spoke, it says the whole world changed. It was once void and in darkness, but as soon as He spoke the word, light covered the whole place. Life came about. Which means that God, when we take it to understand in our lives, is that when God speaks into our hearts and lives, it's the heart and the purpose of God, that wherever we go, that people's lives change supernaturally by the power of Almighty God. We heard this morning how many of us in our hearts struggle with speaking and praying for homosexuals as Pastor David had mentioned so powerfully this morning. Why don't we pray for some of these people? And as he mentioned, I know that I struggle with the same things. It just struck a chord in me. I don't pray for some of these relatives of mine or pray for some of these people who are way out there because in my heart, I don't believe that they can change. I don't believe it. And yet, the whole Scripture from Genesis onwards, there's an understanding that God says, of course they can't change. There's no power for them to change. There's no ability for them to change in their own strength. There's nothing that can cause them to change. That's why there's no program that can lead them to a place of change. They can try anything. There's no program. But God is saying, but when they come to Me, I can change them. I can take that world that is void and full of darkness and destitute of life. I can take the worst sinner that is so destitute of God. You see, that's what the whole message of Genesis is about. It's a place that is darkness and void and no life. But God speaks one word into that life. God speaks one word into that person who can't change and immediately there is change. The power, the almighty power of God comes into that place. You see, this is what God is wanting the church to walk in. I am firmly convinced that every one of our lives has a divine purpose with almighty God. And that when He gets the heart of somebody, He intends not only to keep you and deliver you, but He intends for you to take the very word of life to men and women. And when you speak it, God is there to change their lives. Hallelujah. I believe that with every single thing within me. But here we have a people who, in Jeremiah, who are game playing. Here are people who are, they go through the motions. And see, the reverse is taking place. Jeremiah says, don't you understand that when you get disconnected with my Holy Spirit, that when you don't have your heart involved in this, that the opposite begins to happen. The very life that was created begins to revert back to chaos. See, this is what he is saying. He said, my people who don't understand, there is a reversal that begins to take place. How many people, you know who the most miserable person on the face of the earth is? The most miserable person isn't only the sinner who is in the depth of their sin, but it's the backslider. The backslider who has tasted and tried and seen that the Lord is good. That person is most miserable because they don't fit into the world anymore. They try, but they don't fit in. How do you fit in with the world? You can't, you've been taken out of it. But yet you don't fit into the house of God. See, the backslider is the most miserable individual. Why? Because Jeremiah is saying that when your heart is not involved and you're just going through the motions, then there's an opposite work that begins to take place. That which was chaotic, that became light and life to you, goes back into the place of chaos. People's lives go back into a time of difficulty and hurt and pain. And so this is what Jeremiah is speaking about. And yet, he says further on in the Scriptures, he said, but if you come back to me, he says, if you come, he says in chapter 7, verse 3, thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place. The whole word dwell means that you will come into a place of life. He says, if you will just say in your heart, God, I come back with my whole heart to you, and you can have my heart, I'm not just going to go through the motions, I'm not going to come and play games with you, I'm not just going to raise my hands and pretend and paint my face and say, you know, I'm a good looking person and I'm in the house of God, I'm here worshipping, but you don't have my heart. But God says, if you will just come and give me your heart, he says, I tell you what I'm going to do, I'm going to cause you to dwell in this place. See, this is what Jesus was showing when he turned the tables over. Immediately, we see that the supernatural power of Almighty God began to change men and women's lives. The very second that those things are turned over, there comes light. God takes the blind, the lame, the maimed, and he begins to touch their hearts and their lives. And this is what God is speaking to those who love him and say, God, this is what I want. Turn with me to one last scripture this afternoon in the book of Mark. We see the same thing with the disciples. The enemy is always trying to disengage them from the very purposes of the Lord. In Mark chapter 10, verse 32, they were on their way to Jerusalem. And they were amazed and they were afraid. They were afraid to go on ahead. There was something that was coming that they weren't sure of. And they took the twelve aside and he began to speak to them what things should happen and saying, behold, we go up to Jerusalem and the Son of Man shall be delivered unto the chief priests and unto the scribes and they shall condemn him to death and shall deliver him to the Gentiles and they shall mock him and scourge him and shall spit upon him and shall kill him. And on the third day, he shall rise again. Now, immediately after that, and by the way, that's the third time he's trying to get this message across to them. And in chapter 8, verse 31, he told them that. In chapter 9, verse 31, he told them the same thing. And now in chapter 10, verses 33 and 34, he's trying to get this message across to them that things are going to change. And immediately he shares that with them. In verse 35, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, come to him saying, Master, we should that you should do something for us. We'd like you to do something. Well, what would you like me to do? He said, I'd like for one to sit on the right hand and the other to sit on the left hand. Immediately, you see, Jesus is trying to tell them the message of life here is that when you are about the purposes of Almighty God, the end result is going to be life. He says, yes, there's going to be scourging. Yes, they're going to spit on me. But he says, they'll kill him. But on the third day, he shall rise again. The whole purpose of God is that when the heart and the mind, the purposes are with the things of God, he says, the end result is always life. Immediately, they come and they try to think, well, is life going to be? Can I sit on this side and that side? And then he goes into verse 42, and he says to them, you've got to guard your hearts. Don't be disengaged from the purposes of God. In verse 42, he says, know that they which are accounted to rule over the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and their great ones exercise authority upon them. But so shall it not be among you. Don't let these things get in your heart. But whosoever will be great among you shall be your minister, and whosoever of you shall be chiefest shall be servant of all. For even the Son of Man came not to minister, but to minister and to give his life as a ransom for many. And so Jesus is saying, see, when your heart is connected rightly with God, when God has got a hold of your heart, the end result of that is the power of God being made manifest into life. And immediately he goes, as they're walking, they get close to Jericho, here comes blind Bartimaeus, and we see the power of God. What would you like me to do unto you? See, the whole lesson, don't just stop at this part when he's teaching the disciples. He's saying, don't set your focus on things that will disengage you from the purposes of God. He says, when God has got your heart, he says, there will come into your heart a purpose in you to want to serve and want to love people. It doesn't matter what background they come from. It doesn't matter where they're going or what they're coming from. God says, I'm going to put something in your heart to love these people. And at the end result of that, and then he walks on the way, and the end result is, here comes a blind person. See, every time that Jesus went and he communicated these things to people, the end result of his communication, if you read the Gospels, you find that there is the power to change lives. The power of God to set people free. The demoniac, everywhere he went, as he's teaching these lessons to the disciples, he says, you let your heart be so absorbed in the things of God. Let God have a hold of your heart. He says, the end result of that man's life, you will see the power of God touching men and women's lives, setting them free. Beloved, as we go into praying for our families and praying, as we heard this morning, for those that we would not normally pray for, let God, number one, get a hold of our heart. It's no good me praying for my relatives if God doesn't have my whole heart. If he doesn't have my whole heart, if I haven't taken time to hold and to see what he wants to do in my life, and say, God, take my whole life. Whenever God gets a person's life, the end result of that person is the power of God being unleashed in their hearts and lives. Hallelujah. Every time God will touch a life when you give him your heart. This afternoon, or when we come before the Lord, there might be a case. God, I've been going through the motions. Yes, you've touched me. Yes, I believe that you'll keep me. But there's areas of my heart. See, I believe that God will interfere. He's like a mother-in-law. He'll interfere. I believe that with all of my heart. I believe that God won't ever leave us alone. I think that God will come and he'll interfere in my being. He'll cause things to take place in my walk. He knows when I'm not walking with him. He knows when my heart is there. And he will interfere. We sometimes think that God is a stand-off God. He doesn't get involved in our lives. I've got news for you this afternoon. God will not let you alone. He will interfere with your life. He'll arrest you. He'll trouble you. He'll shake you up. He allows circumstances to come, and you'll get so shaken up in your heart and life until you say, God, I give you my heart. And as soon as he gets your heart, I tell you the end result of that is the power of God. Always the end result. Always the end result is that God wants to have creative work done in men and women's hearts, those hard areas changed instantaneously by the power of Almighty God. I can tell you, you have to know it by the Holy Ghost. This afternoon, is God interfering with your life? Has he been disturbing you of late? Have things not been going so well? It's not the devil. Or the devil might have a hand in it, but God's allowing him to do that. Are you shaken up? Are there questions? Are you troubled this afternoon? I want to tell you, it's not that God just wants to trouble you. He wants to get your heart. And as soon as he gets your heart, the end result is the power of God is made manifest. Darkness changes to light. Chains break. Life gets turned around. The purposes of God go on forward. Hallelujah. My altar call then is simple this afternoon. Are you troubled? Don't give up. Are you troubled? Then I can tell you right now, there's something that God is after in your heart. He doesn't have your whole heart. And if you're troubled, and there's something going on, I can tell you this right now. He wants to arrest it, deliver you from it, set you free, and then allow the power of almighty God to replace that which held you captive. Amen? Let's stand together. Lord Jesus, this afternoon, we know that you dig in our hearts. We know that you come by the power of your spirit to speak to us. Lord, it's always the work of the devil to disengage your heart. It's always the work of the enemy to get us into motions without it being our whole heart. It's like we can keep a reservation. But God, this afternoon, I believe that you are wanting to do some supernatural things in men and women's lives. There are people who are wanting to be used of God. There are people here today that you've put your call upon their lives. But they've been somewhere along the way persuaded. They've been persuaded differently to what you've spoken. And Lord, I pray that today you just arrest that area, bring deliverance, and the power of God into their lives. In Jesus' name, amen. These altars are open. In the annex, you come. If that is you, you feel troubled, it's a very specific call, but you feel troubled, and you want God just to touch your heart, you come this afternoon. God knows, and you know before Him that area that you just are troubled in. You trust Him this afternoon. God knows as you've responded to Him. He knows your heart. And the promise of Almighty God is this. As you give your heart to Him, He replaces every last bit of darkness with light. You see, the supernatural work of God is so simple. You can't learn it. You can't have people impart it to you. It's something that God and God alone does. It's an exchange. You say, God, I exchange my life for Your life. And in that moment of exchange, the power of God comes and changes and does a work that only God can do. It's a marvelous thing. You just raise your hands tonight, this afternoon. Let's pray. Lord Jesus, I want to give You my whole heart. Lord today, You know what's been troubling me. You know what's been troubling me. I believe that You've taken it and nailed it to the cross. I don't have to carry it. I might have participated, but I don't have to carry it. I give it to You today. Lord Jesus, I acknowledge that You are God and that You can change even the most stubborn and resistant areas of my life. I do not want to be persuaded away from the purposes of God. And this afternoon, I give You my heart. I give You the problems and I let the divine exchange, my sin, my struggle for Your Holy Spirit and Your power. God, I receive it. Change my heart, my life right now. I thank You that at this moment my life is changed. Not because I feel different, but by faith the power of God has come into my life and broken that area in my life. In Jesus' name. Amen. I give Him thanks. Hallelujah. Now Father, Lord, we thank You that You've done a work today and we leave the house this afternoon with the knowledge that You will keep it. Every good thing, Lord, You will keep it. We are convinced of that. Now Lord, bless Your church. Bless Your people. Let there be a joy unspeakable and full of glory this afternoon that there's been a divine exchange made and I'm different. Hallelujah. In Jesus' name. Amen. This is the conclusion of the message.