In this sermon, the preacher addresses those who have lost peace, hope, and purpose in their lives. He emphasizes that God wants to restore what has been lost and give a new heart, spirit, and mind to those who have strayed. The preacher uses the story of the borrowed ax head that fell into the water to illustrate how God can make the impossible possible. He highlights the power of the cross and encourages listeners to embrace their identity in Christ and walk in authority over their enemies. The sermon concludes with the message that through the preaching of the cross, bondage and captivity can be overcome.

I'm not sure whether to say Happy New Year or not this morning, depending on the season we're living in right now. It can be a Happy New Year. If you're willing to hear the word that the Lord has given me this morning, I believe it can be a very Happy New Year this coming year. I feel that by February of this year that we're going to know how deep and dark and difficult this recession is going to be. It never goes away in my heart. It's something that God has been speaking to me for almost a year now, that it would be this coming February that we really begin to realize how difficult the days ahead of us are going to be. I've been in prayer for the poor, for the widows in our society. In Matthew 24, do you remember Jesus said, pray that your flight not be in winter. I've been praying, God, please don't let the poor be put into the streets of this city in the wintertime. And if people come into difficulty, that's the hour that you and I need to be the church of Jesus Christ. Remember Pastor Williams said today, it all hinges, our love, the whole relationship we have hinges on our love to God first and our neighbor second. Beginning in the household of faith, then outside of the household of faith. There's an opportunity for you and I to be the church of Jesus Christ in this generation. If we let our hands be the hands of God and our hearts carry the compassion of God, we will see a great harvest. There'll be fellowship. I've heard Pastor David prophesied a few years ago that the fellowship that we're about to know will be sweeter than anything on earth we've ever experienced. It will be completely Christ centered. The communion meal will mean more than it ever has in our lifetime. Now this morning I want to speak to you about how to embrace the power of the cross. This is a new year's message. And folks, I want you to give your best year and the finest of your heart today because this will make the difference of whether or not you make it through and I make it through the coming days. We need to embrace the power of the cross. It's not just a concept. It's not just some fuzzy thing that we somehow aspire to. There's some very real and practical reality to this. And that's why I've entitled it How to Embrace the Power of the Cross. I'm going to spend a considerable amount of time this morning discussing the cross, the victory, the triumph of the cross, the power of the cross. I'm going to finish with your part. The whole beginning and most of the message is God's part. And then the end of it is going to be your part and mine. Let's pray together. Father, I just thank you, God, with all my heart for the strength of the Holy Spirit. I thank you, Lord, that you're going to carry us through the coming days. You're going to give us the power that we need, Lord, to be a victorious church, to sing a triumphant song, to have another world value system that allows us to reach out with the compassion of the living God to those who are going to be in such desperate need in the days ahead. Lord, you say that those whose hearts and eyes are fixed on you will not be terrified, no matter how evil the report is, how difficult the news might be, that our hearts will be fixed. You've given this promise in Scripture. I pray, God, in this church that you fix our hearts on eternity, fix our hearts on the living Christ, another reality greater than everything that we see with the natural eye and understand with our natural mind. God Almighty, would you give weight to your word today? God, would you put a weight on this word that I'm about to speak that can only come from heaven, Lord. It doesn't come from my delivery. It doesn't come from any amount of exuberance or lack thereof. It's got nothing to do with me, Lord. It has everything to do with you. Oh, precious Holy Spirit, would you ignite the word of God today? Would you cause it to burn in our hearts? Would you give all of us an understanding of these truths, oh Lord? You went to the cross for this truth, Lord. You died that we may understand these things. God, bring us into the knowledge and the practical experience of these simple words today. Help us to understand. Don't let anybody end up in hell who's listening today, who's at the sound of these words, God. Don't let anybody miss eternity, God, because they didn't understand it. I pray, God, that you take this simple word that I have, Lord, and multiply it a thousand ways and speak to every heart. God, everybody who has a need, everybody who's got an unanswered question, multiply this word today and speak into the deepest recesses of the heart. Oh, God, help us to be strong and solid for the days ahead. Help us not to run from human need, but to move towards, God, the mountain of human need that's coming our way, Lord. Help us, God, to be a people calling the city to prayer, calling the churches to righteousness, oh God. Oh, Jesus, give us grace and strength to face this year that's ahead of us, Lord. God, we're going to need something so far beyond exuberance. It's going to have to come from heaven itself. If we yield our bodies to it, oh God, we yield our minds, we yield our spirit, oh God. We ask you, Lord, to give us the strength that can only come from you, Lord, only come from you. Oh, Jesus, above all, would you be loved and glorified. Would your name be spoken with reverence throughout this city? God, would you move upon New York City, deliver us from greed, oh God, and every other spirit in this city that has dominated it for so long and for a season, oh God, for a season, Lord. Let the compassion of Christ abound in our streets. Let a river of God's life flow, Lord. Let the poor find the treasure of heaven in you. Let the skeptic find his questions answered, oh God. Father, we thank you for this. We praise you in Jesus' mighty and holy name. Hallelujah. 1 Corinthians chapter 1, beginning at verse 17. How to embrace the power of the cross. 1 Corinthians 1, beginning at verse 17. The words of the apostle Paul. For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect. For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness, but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this world? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For after that in the wisdom of God, the world by wisdom knew not God. It pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. For the Jews require a sign and the Greeks seek after wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified. Unto the Jews a stumbling block and unto the Greeks foolishness, but unto them which are called both Jews and Greeks, Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For you see your calling brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called, but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise. God has chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty and base things of the world and things which are despised as God chosen. Yea, and things which are not to bring to not things that are that no flesh should glory in his presence. But of him are you in Christ Jesus, who of God is made to us wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption. That means he's our wisdom. He's our knowledge and understanding. He's our cleanness in the sight of God. He is the power of God to live a holy and a separated life from the things of this world and he is our salvation. That according as it is written, he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. Now Paul describes the cross as a way to a supernatural life and power that makes no sense to the person who's walking in his own reasoning and trying to live by his own strength. He describes it as the infusion of the life of God in Christ into his own. It's the life of another being lived inside of my life. The life of Christ inside of me. The greatest miracle of all time. That God, God, God would rend that veil in two that separated him from his own creation and that God would abandon an earthly temple made with human hands and take up residence in the temple which he had made for his own glory, the human body, yours and mine. God, not a concept of God, not a feeling of God, not a thought about God, but God took up residence in you the day that you received Christ as your Savior. The Holy Spirit who's the third person of the triune God came and took up residence inside of your life. Not a concept, but actually God himself living inside of you. Paul says in Galatians 2.20, it's not I, but Christ that lives in me. Acts 17.28, in giving a defense of the gospel, he said, in him we live and move and have our being. In him, it's in Christ. Paul knew this. Philippians 4.13, Paul said, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Everything God's called me to be, I can be. Everywhere he's called me to go, I can go. What he's spoken, those sweet whispers of the Holy Spirit that he's spoken through his word into my heart can be a reality. Only unbelief now can stop what God has destined to do through every child of God that is gathered in this house today. Paul said, I know how to be abased. I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things, I'm instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and suffer need. Paul said, I can have everything or nothing. It doesn't really matter anymore. I've found a way through this life. I've found a source of life and strength and power. I've found a reality higher than everything that my natural mind can conceive and everything my natural eye can see. In every report that my natural ear can hear, I've found a higher reality. The reality of Christ living his own life inside of me. And we talk about the cross being the power of God. The cross is something that is foolishness to the natural man, to those who are pursuing their own sense of righteousness or cleanness that is apart from what God offers in Christ. And for those who are seeking through wisdom, natural wisdom to find their way through. The whole world now seems to be in confusion, folks. I don't know if you're reading what I'm reading, but now there's all of a sudden this great concern about the future of the planet and all these other things. Everything, everything moving exactly the way God said it was going to move in the scriptures. We're living at that time now that the scriptures told us about and warned us about. Now the Old Testament gives us numerous examples of the power of the cross that is available to us today. It was all through the Old Testament, folks. Everything from Genesis right through to the book of Matthew, everything was a shadow play of Christ going to a cross and having a bride in the earth called the church of Jesus Christ. It was all a shadow play. It was all leading to it. Everything is a type of it and it's amazing when you begin to see it. For example, in Numbers chapter 17, in chapter 16 of Numbers there was a rebellion and there were 250 men of renown and they said to Moses and Aaron, you take too much upon you because all of the congregation, we're all holy, we all hear from God, we're all walking in proximity to God, we're all walking close to God. And of course those 250 men of renown and their families died because of this arrogance that was in their heart. And the Lord said in chapter 17, he said, I want, I'm going to show you a sign indicating the mark that would show in reality who is called and who is walking in true relationship with me. He said, now I want every man to take a staff. Now that staff is a representation of the cross. I'll show you that in a moment. And I want one staff representing every tribe in Israel. And he said, and Aaron's staff is going to be appointed to the tribe of Levi. That's the priesthood. That's those in the old Testament who were called to minister to the Lord and walk in proximity with him. And the Lord said, now I will show you who is walking close to me. A lot of people go to church folks in this society. If you ask them, are you saved? Oh, absolutely. Are you a Christian? Oh, without a doubt. Do you, do you believe that Jesus Christ was the son of God? Do you believe he went to the cross? Oh yes, of course they believe it, but there's an evidence if you've appropriated it, if you've truly embraced the power of the cross, there is an evidence. And overnight something miraculous happened in the morning when they went into that place where these, the staffs of all these different people who claimed to be walking in proximity. Now there are people here today. If I were to ask you, are you walking close to God? Most here would say yes, but I want to challenge you on that statement because there's an evidence if you're walking close to God and it's an irrefutable evidence in the morning when they got up, it said the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded and brought forth buds and blossom blossoms and yielded almonds. In other words, that means those who are walking close to Christ, you have a new life, you have a new fragrance and you have new fruit every day growing in your life. You are growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ. If yes, you can say you believe, but if you're not growing in grace, if the fruit of Christ is not part of your life, if you can't honestly say morning by morning, I see new mercy in my life. I'm I'm I, yes, I go through struggles and trials. We all do, but I see the grace of God in my life. I'm changing. My family can bear witness to it. My children know it. My wife or husband know it. Those that used to know me know it. Folks of your old friends don't see any difference in you because there is no difference in you. You go to church. A lot of people just go to church and that's all they do. But when they go into the marketplace, they go back into the workplace. They claim this proximity with God, but there's no new life. There's no new fragrance and there's no new fruit, not just buds, but almonds, a present fruit and a promise for tomorrow, a continual life bearing from the dead. You were dead in trespasses and sins, but because of Christ, if you have come to Christ, there's now a new life being lived out inside of you. And the evidence of that life of God in Christ is a newness of life in your own heart. Every day there's a newness of life. There's never a stagnation come into you. If you'll go to the book of Ephesians, please just go ahead from Corinthians to Ephesians chapter two. Listen to what the apostle Paul says in verse one. He says, and you has he quickened who are dead in trespasses and sins, wherein in time past you walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now works in the children of disobedience. In other words, you walked like a dead man because you were a dead man. You did things of death. You lied without even giving it a second thought. How many here don't have to raise your hand. We don't want to deal with that, but as pastor Neil would say, but you didn't even think twice to tell a lie. If it served your purpose, that's the spirit that works in the children of disobedience. You were dead, but to come to Christ, Paul said, you've been quickened. You've been raised from the dead. You've been brought into the power of an endless life through Jesus Christ. Among whom verse three, we also had our conversation in times past in the lust of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind. And we're by nature, the children of wrath, even as others, but God who is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins as quickened us together with Christ for by grace, you are saved and has raised us up together and made us to sit in heavenly places in Christ. Jesus quickened like Aaron's rod brought out of death and brought into life, given the new life, given new hope, given new fruit, given a new mind, a new heart and a new spirit. In the old Testament, we also see Moses staff called at 80 years of age to go and deliver 3 million or so people out of bondage who had been in bondage for many, many years. And God puts in his hand all that he needs to do this. He puts his staff, which to you and I is a type of the cross of Jesus Christ. And when he put that cross in your hand, when you came to Christ, you entered into the same power that Moses walked in. There is no former captivity that can hold you any longer. If you belong to Jesus Christ, you can walk out of every prison. You can walk out of every torment. You can walk out of every former captivity. If you belong to Christ, you do not have to be captivated by sin. You're no longer in the same cage that you were in. The devil had you in for most of your life. You have the power to walk out. Now you have the power to enter into a new life. All you need is the cross of Christ in your heart. All you have to do and I have to do is to understand what transpired on Calvary. It's best symbolized. Remember when he threw the staff down on the ground, it became a serpent. You can't get any closer to the type of what happened in the Garden of Eden with the serpent and the cross of Jesus Christ. And when he threw it on the ground, it became a serpent. And God said to Moses in Exodus 4, 4, he said, pick it up by the tail. Now the only way you pick a snake up by the tail, it's got to be going in the other direction. And when you begin to move in faith, the enemy is immediately, what does it say? Resist the devil and he will flee from you. He will flee from you the moment you resist him. The moment you stand up and say, no, I don't have to live this way anymore. I don't belong to the prince of this world anymore. I belong to Christ. He has redeemed me. He has called me out of darkness. He's called me to be a partaker of his marvelous life and light. And the moment you face your old enemies, the moment you face Satan himself, he begins to flee. And when he grabbed that snake by the tail, it became a staff in his hand again. And he walked in that authority into Egypt and 3 million people are brought out of bondage from one of the most powerful armies in that generation on the face of the earth. An 80 year old man, his 83 year old brother go in and the power of God is operating through them. The preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness, but to we who are saved, it is the power of God. You don't have to live in bondage. You don't have to live in captivity. You don't have to live in the torment of the past any longer. Exodus chapter 15, turn there please if you will with me. Exodus chapter 15, the children of Israel are heading out of bondage and into this newness of life that is promised them in the promised land. And they came to a place of bitter water. In Exodus 15, 23 it says, and when they came to Mara, they could not drink of the waters of Mara for they were bitter. Therefore, the name of it was called Mara. And the people murmured against Moses and saying, what shall we drink? And he cried unto the Lord, this is Moses. And the Lord showed him a tree, which when he had cast into the waters, the waters were made sweet. There he made for them a statute and an ordinance. And there he proved them and said, if you will diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord, your God, and we'll do that, which is right in his sight and we'll give ear to his commandments and keep all his statutes. I will put none of these diseases upon you, which I brought upon the Egyptians, for I am the Lord that healeth thee. And they came to Elam where there were 12 wells of water and three score and 10 palm trees. And they encamped there by the waters. Now the people came to a place on their journey and it's almost as if the devil said, I'll stop them exactly the same way I stopped Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden. I'll get them to complain. I'll get them to complain about the journey, to complain about the faithfulness of God. I'll get them to complain about their leadership. I'll just get them to complain because you see that he was able when he drew Adam and Eve into this complaining spirit, that's what caused Satan to fall from heaven in the first place. He was simply not content to be where he was and to be doing what he was doing. And it boggles the mind when you realize he was in the presence of the Holy God of all creation. And yet even in God's presence, that discontentment got a hold of his heart and he began to complain. And it's as if Satan said, if I can get these people to complain, I can draw them right back into the same captivity, the same bondage, and I can bring upon them the same plagues that are part of fallen humanity. Despair, suicide, disease, alcoholism, drug addiction, immorality, you name it, all these plagues, I can bring them on God's creation. The same way Satan says I did it in the garden of Eden, I can do it all over again. I can stop them by causing them to complain against the faithfulness of God. And he cried to the Lord and says, the Lord showed him a tree and when he cast it into the waters, the waters were made sweet. There's the power of the cross again. Folks, there are certain points in our journey that you and I need Jesus Christ more than we've ever needed him before. We say, oh God, I can't get through this without you. I don't know how to get through. I've never gotten through it before. You've got to come and be my strength, Lord. And the Lord says, listen, I had every right to complain. I had sitting at the last supper, I had Peter with all his idle boasting of his abilities and his loyalty, which were all going to fail. And Judas was going to sell me out for 30 pieces of silver. But yet in the power of the spirit of almighty God, I went to the cross and won the victory. Over all of this, that Satan would have wanted to infuse into the life of Christ himself and wants to infuse into the lives of God's people. Folks, we're living in a time when everybody is complaining. Everybody is complaining. Everybody is blaming somebody for the mess that seems to be gathering and ever increasing momentum all around us. I might want to suggest to you that we ought not to be that kind of a people in this generation. A tree when it was cast into the waters, the cross of Christ, the power of God in Christ for you and I to overcome every obstacle that the enemy would ever set before us. And many who are here today, having spent time with your families over Christmas, you know how easy it is for bitterness to get ahold of you one more time. The bitter memories, the bitter words, the same old things that wounded you when your child coming back into your memory again. Some of the same words that were spoken over you years ago were spoken again. I know I'm speaking to somebody here this morning and this rage that wants to rise up inside of you. He threw the tree into that water, but it says he proved them there. And he said these words, if you will hearken to the voice of the Lord, your God, and do that which is right in his sight and give ear to his commandments and keep his word, I will put none of these diseases upon you, which I brought upon the Egyptians for I am the Lord that heals you. What were the diseases upon the Egyptians? The death of their firstborn. Just think about it. The pride, the arrogance that would not let them bend their knee before God. The darkness, the lice, the plagues, the frogs, the evil spirits that were all around them. And ultimately the inability to finish the journey when they began to pursue the people of God, they drowned. The disease was a disease of the mind, folks, and a disease of the heart. And the Lord said, if you will choose to do what is right, it's not always easy, folks, to choose to do right. Sometimes it's impossible. Most times it is apart from God. He said, but if you will listen to the voice of the Lord, your God, and do that which is right and give ear to his commandments and keep his statutes, I'll put none of these diseases upon you. As you see this society around us begin to unravel and blame and fingers being pointed and angry words that are going to get more angry as time goes on. That's a disease, folks. It's a disease of sin. And he said, if you'll do right, if you'll listen to my word, I will not put any of these diseases upon you. I am the Lord that heals you. And lastly, if you'll go to second Kings, please go ahead in your Bible to second Kings chapter six. I want to finish with this one scripture, this particular chapter, and it's the story of Elisha and some of the sons of the prophets who went to build themselves a place to live. And as they were doing these things, there was one fellow who was swinging his axe and cutting down a tree and the axe head fell off of his axe and into the water. And it says in chapter six of second Kings in verse four, so he went with them and when they came to Jordan, they cut down wood. But as one was felling a beam, the axe head fell into the water and he cried and said, alas, master, for it was borrowed. And the man of God said, where fell it? And he showed him the place and he cut down a stick, again, a type of the cross of Christ and cast it into there and the iron did swim. Therefore, he said, take it up to thee and he put out his hand and took it. And the story of the axe head is in the cross of Christ, the impossible becomes possible. What people said you could never be, you will be. What the devil said you could never do, you will do. When he's told you, you'll never have the strength to get through trial, you will have the strength. Not only will you get through, but you will be a great blessing to many other people as well as you go through the trial that you and I both are going to have to go through. It shows us that God cares for the little things. Sometimes we get a picture of God, he's up in the cosmos and he's just concerned about all the big leavers, all the nations, all of the big things. But this scripture shows me that he's concerned about the little things in my life. He's concerned. He's concerned about my future. He's concerned about my children, my grandchildren and yours. He's concerned about what I'm going to... He's concerned. That's why he tells me not to be concerned about what I'm going to eat tomorrow and what I'm going to wear. Because he's concerned about it. He already knows about it. He said, you just seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. I'll look after these things. I am concerned about you. Not even a sparrow falls to the ground without me knowing about it. How much more value are you than a sparrow? It speaks about a supernatural regathering of that which was lost. The Lord says, I'm going to give you back what sin took from you. Some people here, sin took your mind. You live in torment. You're tormented at night when you go to bed. You're tormented in your dreams and you're tormented when you get up. The Lord says, I'm going to give you back that peace that you lost because of the way you lived. The carelessness, I guess, of how you dealt with what was given you. Other people, you've lost heart. You have no hope for the future. You just live a day at a time and you hope that one day you can die soon just to get out of here and get it over with. You've lost heart and you've lost purpose for your life. The Lord says, no, I'm going to give you back that which you lost. No, I'm going to put a new heart in you. I'm going to put a new spirit in you. I'm going to give you a new mind. You're going to live in a manner that's going to glorify my name in the earth. Now this man said, this axe head, he said, oh, last master, it was borrowed. In other words, this life was given to me. It's not my own, but I lost it before I knew what was happening and I cannot get it back. Now I know many people are sitting here and that's the thought of your heart. I lost my life. Some ladies here, you say, I lost my purity. I lost, men are saying, I lost my honesty. I lost my integrity. I lost my, I lost that which was closest to me. I lost my future. I lost my hope. I lost so much. I lost a great part of my character because I allowed things into my life and God gave me a life, but I was careless with it and I was just swinging it all over the place thinking there was a million tomorrows and suddenly it just seemed to be out of my grasp and it sunk in a place where it can't be regathered. Not by natural strength, not by any power, not by any wisdom. There's no books I can read. There's no religion I can join. There's nothing can give it back to me. I lost it. The man of God says, you showed him the place, you cut down a stick and cast it in and the axe head floated back to the surface again. I am the Lord that healed Timothy. There comes a point where you and I have to believe this. I came to open every prison door, give sight to every blinded eye, to heal those that have been wounded in heart, to preach the gospel to the poor. I came to tell you that this is the acceptable year of the Lord. There's got to be a moment where you and I believe it. We step out in faith and we act upon it. The cross of Jesus Christ gave us back our life. Not just eternity but our life. Everything we lost was regained on Calvary. Hallelujah to the Lamb of God. Hallelujah we should be shouting it from the mountaintops. We should be giving God glory. We're no longer captives to sin. We're no longer under the dominion of a fallen nature. We're no longer subject to the elements of this world. We belong to God and God belongs to us. We have a hope, we have a future. Now we come to the part of the title of this message, if I remember correctly, was how to embrace the power of the cross. Everything I've spoken about so far is God's part. What's my part in all of this? Verse 7, therefore he said, take it up to thee. And he put out his hand and took it. That's your part. That's all of your part. That's your part. I could have stared in unbelief. He could have stared in unbelief at a floating ax head and said, I don't believe it. Can't be happening. Every book I've ever read, every religion I've ever been part of, this thing sinked and never come back to the surface. It can't happen. He could have stared at it in unbelief and he could have walked away saying, wow, it was marvelous, but I just don't believe it. Or he could have put out his hand as he did and took it. And that's your part. That's how to embrace the cross. You put your hand out and take the victory. God says it's yours. No argument, no ifs and ends necessary. No second thoughts, no further discussion. Oh Jesus, thank you. God almighty. God almighty, you're offering me life and victory and redemption. The power to be a new person. Hope for the future. Strength for today. Provision for tomorrow, God. You're promising all of it. I take it. You're promising freedom from prison. You're promising me a new mind, a new heart, a new spirit, a new life, a new purpose, new giftings, new fruit in my life. You're promising the power to walk away from all captivity, to take serpents by the tail literally in the power of my Christ on Calvary. God almighty, I'd be a fool to hold my hands to myself. You're promising me a way out of sin and into a new life in Christ. Oh Jesus. Oh Jesus. Oh Jesus. I simply put out my hand and I take it. By faith I take it, oh God. By faith I believe you won the victory. By faith I believe it is finished. By faith, by faith, by faith my sin is dealt with on the cross. By faith my weakness becomes the strength of God. By faith I will have to give when everyone else is taken. By faith. Hallelujah. Now keep one thing in mind. You cannot have sin in your life willfully and have anything I've preached on today. Don't go home to your living girlfriend and talk about how wonderful this was today. It doesn't work that way. It's not for you. Until you decide to walk out of sin and into the life of God in Christ, then the power of God becomes yours. You have to choose to do right. If you will take heed to my word, he said, remember, and diligently walk in it, I'll put none of these diseases upon you. I am the Lord that heals you. Hallelujah to the Lamb of God. Thank you Jesus. We're going to worship for a moment and as we do, God's been speaking to you. And you say, Pastor, this is for me. I need victory in my life and I am by God's grace and strength going to reach out and I'm going to take it by faith. And folks, when you do, something supernatural happens in your life. It's foolishness to the religious person and it's foolishness to the man who walks in his own wisdom. But to we who are saved, it is the power of God. It is the miraculous. You're reaching out to that, which makes no sense to the natural mind, but you're reaching out by faith and saying, God, this is mine. I'm walking out of this prison. I'm walking away from this sin. I'm walking out of this fear. I'm walking out of this depression. I'm walking out of everything the devil has tried to do in my life and I'm walking into the power of God. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. As I said earlier, it can be a happy new year, but it's your choice now. So what kind of year this is going to be? It can be year of the most incredible victory that you've ever known in your entire life. And your part is to agree and receive it. If you can do that today, I want you to come to this altar as we stand in the annex. You can step between the screens and we're going to pray and we're going to rejoice together with God. Hallelujah. Let's stand together, please. The Lord's drawing you. You come to this altar, step out of where you are. Everyone who needs freedom from sin, you step out unashamedly, make your way here and we're going to pray together. Then the book of Hebrews, the scripture says, if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. Folks, God has extended an incredible hand of grace and strength to us. A victory that was won at an incredible price. The drawing back is when I pull my hand back in unbelief or deception saying, I want the freedom, but I don't want to walk in that freedom. Don't draw back. Don't draw back. Don't go half measure in anything that God calls you to be in him. You embrace this victory and embrace where the pathway is going to lead you on. The honesty, the caring, all of this life that will come into you. Embrace the whole journey. Turn away from everything that you know to be sin and let God become your victory. Father, I just thank you. I want to thank you, Lord, for those who have responded in heart at this altar today and in the education annex and all of the overflow rooms today. Lord, I believe that we're sincere in our hearts to say, Lord, that we're reaching out to lay hold by faith of the victory that was completely won for us. When you died on the cross 2000 years ago and said the words, it is finished. You had triumphed over all the power of sin and death and hell and evil. You had triumphed over all the diseases that had come into the human mind and spirit because of sin. You triumphed over these things, Almighty God. And so Lord, we reach out by faith, God. And Lord, we just say thank you, Lord. We reach out to take this victory that you won for us. We take it with an honest heart. We take it with sincerity. We take it saying, Lord, we want to live lives that will be glorifying to you, Lord. We want to be forever grateful to you and we want to be an extended hand to the poor and the downtrodden of this world all around us. Oh, God, thank you, Lord, for the promise that in our lives will be this continuous flow of new life and fruit. God, thank you that we'll never be able to be taken captive by anything that the enemy sends against us. No poison water can take us down. Oh, God, we thank you for this, Lord. We thank you, God. We thank you, Lord, that you will have a supernatural people in the earth, Lord, carried and sustained by the power of Almighty God walking through the darkest days, perhaps ever known to mankind. But God will go through with a song and will go through with the power of heaven living inside of us. Oh, God, Lord, we thank you for this. We praise you. We bless you in Jesus mighty and holy name. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah.