Faith | Sean Mooney

he is worthy what's his name one more time what's his name his name is Jesus and he is worthy and he is here today he's worthy to be praised he is full of glory in this house amen amen I'm excited that you're here here's what I'd like you to do I would like you just one time would you reach over and tell someone that you love them reach over and tell someone that Jesus loves them and that he's in this place maybe give somebody a hug maybe they're not a hugger I don't know if they got that look on their face just step back a little bit all right all right you guys can be seated man I am super excited to be here my name is Pastor Sean Mooney and I have a pastor of Relay Community Church in Spring we're in Old Town Spring thank you thank you thank you it's good to be back actually I love my Union Houston family you guys are we are cheering from the sidelines and watching you guys win every week it is a it is a huge blessing I'd like to honor real quick before before I really start to talk I just want to take a minute and honor your pastors you guys have amazing pastors Pastor Rod and Sarah you guys will never know the kind of blessing that they are to us they don't have to be but they are they are a huge blessing to us they encourage us and it is it's amazing for me to just be here I feel like I need to slow down a second and look around I love just seeing y'all's faces my brother Fabian right down here you what a place you guys always have so such great energy I can tell that you love the Lord I can tell that you love being in his house who loves to be in the Lord's house come on man what a place what a house it's a blessing I want to say great big welcome to all of the watchers online everybody who's watching online including the prison campus who's joining us can we give a big round of applause for those guys watching online ladies and what a blessing I don't want to take up too much time we're in a series right now in the summer called seeds we're in week two of a series called seeds how many of you guys have been joining seeds I hope it's been challenging your faith I hope it's been encouraging you and helping you to understand how God wants us to live and how God wants us to grow that's been a big part of seeds and here's the thing

you can't grow unless you're willing how many of you are willing to grow this morning we need the Lord to show us to open our eyes open our ears so we can know God how do you want me to grow how do I grow we're gonna look at that today and before we go any further I want to take just a minute they're gonna throw a picture up on the screen so you can see my family my wife is actually here with me today Angela she pastors the church with me yep there they are my son is somewhere in the back he's one of our team members and right in the middle there is my daughter Grace Jake's on the end on the far left there and my son my daughter Grace is in the middle she just got married this last November to my new son-in-law Jackson who's right next to her so you guys have have an idea of my beautiful family and we love your family and so today I want us to really dive into one one thing would you just say the word faith that's what we're gonna look at today and I hope to challenge your hopefully some misconceptions about the way you think about faith we think faith is oh I go to church I know the scriptures it's impossible to please God without faith anything is possible with faith and those are the big things we love to think we think that God can do it but mountains will move if I just have faith but I want to I want to dig down into it today and I want us I want you to walk away having a better understanding of where your faith has feet today where you need to believe what you need to look toward and what God has an expectation for you because I think we get stuck on the bigger sometimes see I think that's been something we've challenged this whole series is we look at that we want the big things we have big prayers we have big needs we have big expectations because God is big in fact I think we always think bigger is better right if $1 good the $2 is better if $1,000 is good $1,000 $2,000 is if one vacation is good two vacations is if one wife is good the two wives is okay all right that was a test most of you passed some of y'all didn't pass. I don't know what happened there. Let's look real quick at what Jesus says about faith. Let's look at Matthew chapter 13 verse 31. He talks about a seed. He talks about a seed growing and gives us a picture of a seed. He gives us a picture of faith. He gives

us an image and a perspective. He told the disciples another parable. He says the kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed. Everybody say a mustard seed. Which a man took and planted in his field. And though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree. So we're just talking about size. He's trying to get the disciples. He's trying to get them to understand that you may want something big but it starts with a seed. It starts small. It becomes a tree so that the birds can come and perch in its branches. So just before we go anywhere, imagine that the smallest of things becomes something bigger. It starts small. I think we all understand. I don't have to dig too deep into this. I don't have to camp out here. I think this right here and I think the reason that Jesus is telling them this is because I think this is where we get disconnected in our faith. We get a misunderstanding of faith because we're reaching for the big things. We're reaching for the mountain to move. We're reaching for the... We have this giant... We're looking for a miracle. Sometimes when we're looking for something big or how many of you have ever prayed for something big? We're praying for something. God, I have a desperate need. I have this huge thing that I need. I need a miracle. I'm standing on the amazing promise that God gave and I know that God wants big things for me and yet whenever I reach for that big thing, when I reach for that promise and I reach for that miracle, I don't get it or I don't see it and then all of a sudden there's a disconnect. God, I'm praying for a miracle. I love hearing this morning about your prayer teams and the things that you're praying for, believing for and sometimes we get so frustrated because we have this expectation. God, we're praying for this. If I just have enough faith, if I can just believe well enough or good enough or big enough, then this thing will happen and then we... I think that's when we get this frustration in our faith. We get a frustration in our... because we reached for it and it wasn't there and here's the dangerous part. You do that enough times and all of a sudden you're like, I guess we're done. We prayed. We did everything we could do. I guess it's not going to happen and so we just kind of like... we pace around a little bit and we're in prayer. Just maybe weeks, maybe months, maybe years. There are things that you pray for and then all of a sudden the dangerous part is where you come to a place of, I just never saw the thing. I never saw the miracle. I never saw the... never got there. Never answered. What happened God?

Maybe it was me. Maybe it was the church. Maybe it was God. Maybe it wasn't meant to be and so we just kind of pace around, shrug our shoulders and then we're done. We give up. As I was imagining this week... this dynamic of giving up, I was thinking about how my kids... my kids are grown now. I showed you their pictures. They're 21 and 23 but when they were little, I'd send them, hey, guys, go brush your teeth. It's almost time for bed. Go get it. You know what to do. It's not something you don't understand and then five minutes later I say, hey, did you brush your teeth? I couldn't find my toothbrush. Or I couldn't figure out... how many times do you tell kids to do something and then they come back, they just couldn't figure it out or I didn't see it and then when they're teenagers you say, hey, go grab something. Go grab my phone. Go grab my... I didn't see it. I don't know. I just... and then you walk over there and you're like, oh, it's right here. They have... it's easy to laugh at them. We do it too though. How many times we try something or we reach for something and then we just give up because it didn't make sense or we didn't see it. It wasn't right there. We just didn't try hard enough. I think that's the first thing I need you to pay attention to that there is an effort in faith that requires you to keep going and keep looking and you might have to open the drawer. You might have to look around a little bit. You might... you can't just pace around and say, I guess it's not going to happen. Faith goes beyond just like observing. In fact, the scripture says faith without works is dead. There's like an expectation that you have to do something. We don't see our miracle and so we just... we just give up. and I think that's scary there are some things in life that I have given up on completely and I'll just I made a list real quick I'll give you I decided two weeks ago one of our staff members went skydiving and I hey you want to go I'm like I never need to go skydiving again that I've given up on that but that part of my life I just can write it off I check the box don't need to do it carnival rides all together I don't need to ride one I'm done this summer my beautiful crazy wife decided she was gonna swim with sharks in Mexico and I never need to do that in my life one time right there's some things where I look at I just look around and don't need to do it by late-night drive-thru I never need that in my life again here's the here's the problem it's funny that

we don't want late-night Taco Bell we don't want all of those things that we give up on easily because it's there we don't need it we don't want it but what about the things of faith what about the things that God has for us and it was so complicated or didn't make sense and we couldn't figure out how to get there or we reached for it and didn't get there we prayed for it didn't happen and so we just kind of okay I guess I guess that's just not not planned for my life that's just not for me I promise you there I feel like that's the reason I'm here today because somebody maybe everybody in the room there's some things that God wants for you and you've kind of you haven't given up on late-night Walmart yet but you've given up on your faith you've given up on this this walk that God wants to take you on because it didn't make sense or you tried it it didn't work or you made the effort I tried church before pastor you don't understand I tried small groups before I tried getting involved and I tried serving I tried tithing but you know I tried reading my Bible in the morning I woke up early but you know what I I just got so bored and I just it just didn't make sense it wouldn't help in and like you didn't get the result you were looking for and so you've just shrugged your shoulders and said I guess that part of my life is done I don't know I'll go find something that works and here's the problem we've misunderstood what faith really is we didn't have a good we didn't have a good basis and a good foundation for like okay this is how faith works here's the mechanics of faith walk in it and it'll work so we're not just gonna try faith can you grab me that bottle of water we're not just gonna try faith we're gonna live faith thank you thank you this is a lot usually we get the tiny bottle I better put it down here so here's what I'd like to do I want to I want to take a few minutes and I want to unpack a passage from the Old Testament we're gonna look at the Prophet and how he takes the in just a short journey and just one story we're gonna see faith unpacked and we're gonna we're gonna see an example that I believe will challenge you but also instruct you on where do you need to have faith and how do you have faith and what are the things that God wants for you and where can you

begin to plant those seeds today are y'all ready some of y'all went to sleep already are y'all ready all right here we go get your Bibles out here we go 2nd Kings chapter 4 we see the Prophet who is Elisha who in the Old Testament we see Elijah who is the the predecessor the mentor the teacher the guide for Elisha they have similar names but Elijah and Elisha and so we're gonna look at the second one the younger one who is has so many miracles laid out we see him doing miracles and and speaking God's Word and he is God's man and we're gonna pick up in this one one story where he encounters a woman and her husband a rich a rich family but they want a child and so they come to the Prophet Elisha and say just we'll do whatever we have to I'm begging you give us a child and he says okay I'm gonna come back in a year you'll have a the Lord will give you a child and that's where we pick up in the story a little bit after that the child's growing up in 2nd Kings chapter 4 verse 18 it says the child grew up and one day he went out to his father who was with the Reapers in the field working in the field harvesting he said to his father my head my head his father told the servant carry him to his mother there's actually a lot to learn right there but we're not gonna spend too much time so if you are a parent and you if you're a dad how many dads we got in the room there's biblical foundation right there for you say go talk to your mom that I used to tell my kids when they were younger save the drama for your mama I don't want it just go tell your mom if you're gonna complain I don't want to hear it I feel like that's a little bit of what's happening right here where he tells it he says carry him to his mom I don't have time for this but what happens in the very next verse he says after the servant had lifted him up and carried him to his mother the boy sat on her lap until noon and then he died so I can backtrack just a little bit dad sometimes you don't need to send them to their mom sometimes it's a serious thing right so he he sends it to his mom and the the boy passes away of course this is devastating for the parents but I need you to see this I need you to see yourself in this picture maybe you're not looking for a child maybe you're not looking for a son or a daughter but

you have something you're praying for this is that spot you there's something that God has promised you or given you and maybe maybe it even showed up but then it died or then at this point they haven't given up on it mom and dad are desperate my question to you is are you gonna let it die because here's the thing God God protects what he gives us God has a plan and a purpose for all of the things that he has put in your life every promise every miracle that's supposed to come about we're the ones that give up on it and if God gives you a miracle that he can sustain it he'll provide for it but there is there is a requirement of us and it means that we we here it is we have to walk in faith we have to live by faith and faith is not just an observation it's not just a well I was here I was there no what are you doing what are you doing about that's the real question what are you gonna do about your faith ask the person that's sitting next to you what are you gonna do about your faith because we all have needs and requests and expectations of God God we want God to do but faith is you doing let's keep going in the story verse 27 so she goes to find the Prophet she said the Prophet he promised me this that God would give us a son now he's dead I'm gonna go find that dude watch this when she reached the man of God at the mountain she told it she took hold of his feet and Gehazi came over to push her away this is the servant or the helper the assistant for the the Prophet pushed her away but the man of God said leave her alone she's in bitter distress maybe there's somebody in the room today who's in bitter distress over an issue or a question or something that doesn't make sense and you thought it would be this way you thought it would be that way and it hasn't looked that way at all says but the Lord has hidden it from me even the Prophet doesn't know what's going on sometimes you come to your pastor are you put you come up to Pastor Rod Pastor Sarah Pastor Rod what what's happening they don't have all the answers I don't have all the answers faith is when we don't have the answers but we're just gonna trust God and we're gonna start doing I don't know all I know is that he's the answer let's keep reading he says the Lord has hidden it from me and has not told me

why and then she says did I ask for a son my lord didn't I tell you don't raise my hopes in other words don't give me something that's gonna be taken away from me don't promise me something that you can't fulfill God don't tell me what I can have and then don't give it to me so Elisha said to Gehazi tuck your cloak and this is what he does this will take this as the first action he says tuck your cloak evidently Elisha is a little older his servant his assistant here can can move a little faster so here's what he says we're gonna we're gonna take a first action tuck your cloak into your belt take my staff into your hand and run so not only does he tell him you go ahead you're faster you're younger take take my staff Don't greet anyone on the way, and if anyone greets you, do not answer. So don't delay, don't stop, don't get distracted. That's what we talked about earlier, looking for your toothbrush, right? Well, I don't know what happened. No. And lay my staff on the boy's face. Now that feels weird, right? Why would you lay your staff on the boy's face? The boys died, who knows how long ago, hours, days. Lay my staff on the boy's face. And so Gehazi went ahead, laid the staff on the boy's face, but watch this. The action of faith that they took, there was no sound or response. You ever felt that way before? You ever felt like, I prayed and then nothing happened? You ever felt like, I know this is what God wants me to do. I know this is where I'm supposed to be. I know that He promised, I know I'm doing exactly what I was told to do, and yet, crickets, nothing. Zero. There was no sound or response, so Gehazi went back to meet Elisha and told him, I did what you told me to do and nothing happened. The boy is not awake. So here's what, I'm going to give you a couple, I'm going to give you three points to understand faith, and the first one is this. Someone told me this probably 20 years ago, and so when I was looking at this message, I thought, I'm going to just tell you, because it stuck with me. So here's number one, when you don't have what you need, it's a seed.

When you don't have what you need, it's a seed. I know that rhymes, and it'll stick in your brain, but here's why it makes sense. Fruitful people are people of faith who understand the power of small things. And even though you may need something from God, I need a miracle, this boy's dead, we need life, we need a resurrection here, we have a promise. The thing that I'm looking for may be a mountain, and I don't have the mountain, I don't see the mountain, I don't have resurrection, I don't have the life that I'm asking for, I don't have the answer, but what I do have, whatever's in my hand, and at this point, it's a staff. Whatever's in my hand, it might not be the miracle, it might not be the mountain, but it's a seed. So what does he do with the seed? He takes it and runs with it. He puts the staff right on the boy, still nothing happens. But you know what happens when you plant a seed in the ground? You go out there and look at it the next day, what do you see? Nothing. Sometimes it's a very long time, you see nothing. There have been seasons in my life where I say, God, are you there? I mean, it's been... Come on, God. He's an on-time God, right? He's on time. No, hold on, don't amen, I'm telling you. That's how I feel. God, you're supposed to be on time. You're late. I feel like you're late. But he's not late. He is on time. So maybe you don't have the miracle. Maybe you don't have the thing that you're looking for, the thing that you need. Maybe your marriage feels like it's broken and you're like, I do not know what to do. And you're like, we tried everything. We put the staff, it's dead. We went to counseling. We tried talking it out. We even met with Pastor Rod and Sarah. Nothing. Watch what happens in verse 32. Finally, Elisha gets to the house. When Elisha reached the house, there was the boy lying dead on the couch. Still dead. We already did the thing.

It would be easy to say, well, why'd you even do that? Shouldn't have even ran ahead. I just wasted all my effort. Give me my staff back. We want to rewind. We want to back up and I got to start over. I just start all the way from the beginning. What was the point of even sending you to run? It was a seed. Watch what happens. When Elisha reached the house, there was a boy lying dead on the couch. And he went in, shut the door on the two of them and they prayed to the Lord. Action number two. He's like, I'll go in and I'll pray myself. Another seed. We're planting seeds. We're walking by faith. Now, we don't know how long he prays. We know he shuts the door and he just, he knows we're going to stay here. We're going to pray. We're going to believe God. We're looking for, it's no question what he's looking for. We're looking for this boy to raise from the dead. And so, the next action that he takes by faith, the next action is a very weird thing. I'm just going to forewarn you. Elbow them next to you and say it's weird. It says, then he got on the bed and laid on the boy, mouth to mouth, eyes to eyes, hands to hands. And he stretched himself out on the boy. And watch what happens. The boy's body grew. warm that's not what he was praying for that's not the miracle i mean it is a miracle if you have a dead body and then it becomes warm if he's already cold he's not alive he's not living he's not breathing he's not up it's not what we prayed for now we got a little bit of traction maybe god's there i mean it's impossible to not to deny that god's done something but it's not what we prayed for this is where we are so often my family my finances my emotional health my physical health god i'm we're dealing with something in my body and i'm not all the way healed but it got a little bit better i mean god i gotta give you credit for that the body grew warm so here i want us to park here for a minute elisha turned away and then it says that he walked back and forth in the room he turned away he didn't leave door stayed closed but what did he do it says he walked back and forth in the room i can tell you i i relate to this passage more than anywhere else probably in here because this is where i

feel like i am sometimes i'm like right there the the miracle's right there next it's almost there god what are you doing i don't know and then so i end up just like i'm gonna i'm praying we don't know how long he paces he's pacing god what are you doing what should i do here's a question when you're struggling in faith and and you know that god puts you there for a reason because sometimes we just know god i know you're in this i know you've spoken to me i know you led me to this place there's too many the coincidences there's too many things that have brought me to this point the body got warm i know something's gonna happen i know this is the church i'm supposed to be in i know this is a small group i'm supposed to be in i know this is the gift i'm supposed to give i know that this is the relationship that you want me to be a part of but we what we end up doing is we just end up pacing oh i don't know what are we doing here what's the next thing that i should do how do i proceed here god how do i get to the miracle i hope we pray watch this watch the next part it says he walked back and forth in the room and then got on the bed and stretched on out on him once more everybody say once more so it's almost like he just goes back to it i tried it already but then one more i'll do it again i'm going back again i'll keep planting seeds i'll keep doing what i know i'm supposed to do if you're in that place today where you're pacing back and forth looking at your life looking at a situation looking at where you need a miracle faith says go back and do it again planting those seeds of faith say i tried the staff i tried laying i tried doing the things but i'm gonna do it one more time i'm gonna stay with it i'm gonna go look harder i can't find my toothbrush i'm gonna look again i'm trying to use something so simple that we we've all been there there's some things that god wants you to go back get back to it you already know what to do you're looking for some spect you're looking for a revelation of some amazing thing god would you just teach me some special thing i don't understand help me understand just go back and do what you already know how to do you got to keep the main things the main thing i promise you showing up to church and worshiping getting into a small group building relationships and trust walking by faith having the right people around you opening god's word and studying and memorizing and praying well that's too simple i already tried that do it again because as you're planting those seeds and your faith is activating and every step that you're taking you're walking and growing something's happening you just don't see it yet today i brought a uh not an apple i brought something better i brought a tree with me it's not an apple tree this is actually the

the largest tree in the world doesn't look like it this is i bought it on amazon it says grow a tree it's a coast redwood a coast redwood right here in this little tin right they grow up to 380 feet tall the largest living beings on the planet right in fact right here on the side it says This kit, it's a hundred percent guaranteed to germinate I Don't know if I believe that or not a Little 100% guaranteed on the side of this little tin doesn't give me a little a lot of confidence But when I read God's Word and he says I guarantee I Promise you Then what happens we plant those seeds? You're here. Let me let me pull out the tree. Wait, it's not a tree yet Inside this little baggie There's some seeds right here. I just got some of y'all's attention. Wait a second seeds baggie right here. He got you got my attention Very tiny little seeds if I plant these seeds what's gonna happen? I Won't see anything for a while. In fact, if I don't know maybe years But the potential that exists in this seed or in all looks like six seeds the potential that exists right here in this little bag is the full 380 foot tree And here's what I think happens I think that God operates by faith that we go back to those scriptures where without faith It's impossible to please God and with faith anything is possible that we can speak to the mountain It'll be removed. Here's what happens. We pray God move the mountain And God says here's a seed God I need the tree to show up God. I need a miracle God I need this boy raised from the dead God. I need a financial miracle a health miracle. Here's your seed What are you gonna do with the seed so he took the seed and said I guess I'll just hang on to that because It's not a tree. I need a tree It's not a miracle. I need a miracle Get the seed back out and start playing seeds. You don't have a lack of seeds every one of us the Bible says that every one of us has been given a measure of faith and

All it takes is a small. Well, I don't have enough faith. Yes, you do You have a what did Jesus say about a mustard seed? If I got us just a just a small little almost invisible seed If you'll start planting seeds Well, you just don't understand how my kids are you don't understand man, they're just running from God plant some seeds you want the tree you want the miracle you want the you want the Resurrection to happen And yet you're not planting any seeds. So what do we see? What do we see? I should do he sends the staff he prays he paces he lays on the boy Face to face mouth to mouth hands to hands eyes to eyes. It doesn't make sense, but it's a seed I'm doing the things So watch this number two the number two thing. The first thing is that you have a seed You might not have the thing you're praying for but you have a seed number two is every seed of faith is coated with a miracle Every seed of faith is coated with a miracle meaning that if you'll just plant the seed your job is not to make the seed You're done. Your job is not to create it and perform some mirror Your job is to plant the seed and water the seed take care of seed Keep moving forward Keep taking steps So what is your faith DNA? This is where you think about your own self your own walk of faith your own life For those who are a part of this church, I'd say that your faith DNA includes the faith of your pastors We follow the people that we're with if I'm in a place and I know that God has done miracles and I see God doing It for other people If he'll do it then he'll do it now And some of you don't you've never acknowledged well, I just don't have any faith DNA you do And you got to start using it you got to start walking in it you got to start planting you got to start watering the seed Circumstances change but God doesn't change If he started it in you he will finish it So, can you plant seeds not can you perform miracles?

Not can you climb up to the highest mountain and can you be a an amazing incredible spectacular person? My question is can you plant seeds? Because instead of trying to be a king and a warrior and a An important person Jesus just described a farmer I Can plant seeds? You can plant seeds we can plant seeds Jesus Christ is the same yesterday today and forever and if he'll do it then he'll do it again and if he'll use them He'll use me if he'll use pastor rod. He can use me If he'll use Fabian he can use me and he can use you and he can use you and you some of us are just sitting back here like well I'm just a sixth row Christian I'm just you know I'm not really I've had people in my church say pastor you knew where I came from you wouldn't even want me here I didn't bring you here the Lord brought you here to plant seeds the Lord's got some things he want to grow you he wants to grow in you and all I'm here for is just to plant seeds okay I want to show you something why does Elisha go over to the room and pray and then lay on the boy and spread out eyes-to-eyes hands why does he do that well we know that his mentor Elijah similar names was credited for and recorded many many miracles in fact the miracles are they prayed for the rain to stop it happened prayed for God to multiply food and oil it happened prayed to raise the dead prayed for rain to fall for fire to fall from heaven for the river to split all of the miracles that Elijah did Elisha has the same types of miracles it's like a mirror well I saw him do it I can do it I want to read you earlier in the different it's totally different story but it's so similar watch this first Kings chapter 17 verse 19 Elijah the mentor is in a situation where a boy has died he says give me your son he took him from her arms carried him to the upper room where he was staying and laid him on his bed and next verse then he cried out to the Lord Lord my God you have brought tragedy even on this widow I'm staying with by causing her son to die and then he stretched himself on the boy three times and cried out to the Lord Lord my

God let this boy's life return to him so why did Elisha do that well I've already seen this I know how the story is it's not working right because I already tried it but wait here's what I imagine happened it says that he stepped back he turned around it says he started walking back and forth he's pacing God what is happening now do it wrong I think in that moment maybe he remembered wait Elijah did it he had to do it three times he had to do it three time I'll do it again let's go come on it says he went once again and did it what if I saw it happen three times I'll just say well I'll do it one time I'll do it three times let's go evidently it took him a little bit longer but I think it takes us a little bit longer sometimes because we're just pacing around it's not working I don't know what to do the answer is do it again and sometimes we need to remember what how do we challenge ourself how what what is the the introspection that needs to happen what's the memory that you need to pick up and maybe it's something that Pastor Rod Pastor Sarah said maybe it's something that you read in last week's reading maybe it's something that was preached on a month ago and some the Holy Spirit brings it back to us wait a second I think I'm supposed to I think I know what to do here I need a plan out of the seed I don't know what it looks like some of you might be sitting in the room thinking right now what's how do I take a step of faith how do what seed do I need to plant I don't know our church I love that you guys are 10 years old that's amazing relate our church is eight years old so we're younger than you guys but when we were getting ready to get started Angela I went to Birmingham and we were gonna we went to a meeting with other church planters people who were ahead of us people who were 10 years already 20 years people who have been doing it for for decades and planning churches and we were nervous and we're like we've never done this before we at work we know God told us to plant a church start a church from nothing it was just two of us and let's just go and see what other let's we need to be in the right place we need to be in the right environment so we can so we can see what they're doing see what they did and so we get there and

we're so we're like a little bit intimidated thinking man they are so successful like I don't know if we can even do what they do I'll tell you the one thing I learned more than anything else being there although it was amazing I felt like it was they were like superstars before I went and then they sat down they started telling us stories of all the failures and all the things that didn't go right and all we walked away from three days of meeting with all of these superstar pastors and the thing that we thought was these guys are not special if they can do it we definitely can do it if a guy like that can do it then I can do it. You know what else I've learned over the last few years of us bungling some things and trying so hard to do? People come to my church, they sit in the audience, they're like, Pastor, we're going to plant our church next year. And I think in my head, you just watch how bad I do it and you'll be so confident of yourself by the end of it. Because I'm not the special one. I'm not the one that does the miracles. I just plant seeds. I'm like a farmer, quit looking at me like I'm special. I can plant seeds. Stop discounting yourself because you're not a superstar or you don't think you can do a miracle or you think you're not good enough for the miracle because all you got to do is just plant seeds. You just have, that's having faith. Walking by faith, putting seeds in the ground, can just cover it up, put water on it. God doesn't use us because we're great. He uses us because He is great. But it matters who you're with. It matters the perspective, the environment. It matters that your faith is growing, not by itself. One of the cool things about these trees is they don't grow by themselves. You never see just like an open prairie with just one coast redwood. No, they grow together. The reason they grow to 380 feet is because their roots are connected. They're feeding off of each other. They're growing up strong and immovable. Even forest fires don't kill them. It burns the outer layer and then they grow back. We want to be strong. We want to be immovable. We want to be on planet on the solid foundation of God's Word and yet we, no, no, no, get away from me. I don't know you. I don't trust you. I don't like you. So the seeds of your faith are coated with DNA and you got to stop discounting yourself and that God can use you and that God wants to use you. God has powerful potential and purpose built into your life and into your

future and into your destiny. Don't just step back and shrug and pace back and forth and just decide, well, I guess that wasn't for me. I got to hurry. Here's number three. Faith, finally this is it. Faith is a process not a finished product. Faith is a process not a finished product. You're looking for the finished product. You're praying for the finished product and it's there but it starts with a seed. Big miracles start with small seeds of faith. Raising the dead is not a moment. It's a process of seeds that are planted and doing the next thing and putting one foot in front of the other and then God shows up and does the thing that we're looking for. Zechariah 4.10 says, do not despise these small beginnings for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin. Today I believe that in the room there are some small beginnings. There are some seeds that you've despised and I don't want to plant seeds. That's too small. That's too little. That's not what I need. But that's what God gave you. Some of you are leaving in two minutes left in the fourth quarter of the game. Nah, we can't win this one. I'm out. We're going to get to the car before the crowd comes out. God said, I got a plan to turn this around. You just got to stick with me and start seeing. So here's, here's where I'll close. Stop asking if and start asking how. Stop asking if and start asking how. How do you want me to move God? What, what seed do I need to plant? I got a financial problem. What's what financial seed do you want me to sow? I got a relational problem. What relational seed do you want me to sow? I got a health problem. What seed do you want me to sow God? What step do you want me to, it might not make any sense. Like I don't know how this makes sense. I, here's, here's something that when I was about 18 years old revolutionized my, like it turned my brain inside out. Tithing, what are you talking about? If I give then I'll be blessed. What are you talking about? 10% is going to, I will have less if I give 10%. What are you talking about? Laying on a dead kid. That makes no sense. Sometimes the things that God asks you to do, sometimes the seed does not look like a seed. Sometimes the seed doesn't make sense, but you just have to trust him enough. Here's what I would, here's where I'll challenge you. Don't trust your own thoughts because his thoughts are higher than your thoughts. His ways are higher than your ways. So just because it don't make sense. So here's what, here's what I would do. I would, if you're struggling and fighting and you need to get back to the basics, restructure things.

every time the doors are open. I'm gonna get into a small group, I'm gonna give in the offering, I'm gonna serve every month, and I'm gonna keep planting the seeds, and then the miracle's gonna show up because I'm gonna have done my part. So, 2 Corinthians chapter 13 verse 5 says this, examine yourselves to see whether you are in faith. Test yourselves. So, that's where I'll close. I want you to examine yourself. I want you to test, am I in faith? You have something dead in your life? You have something that is, stop breathing? Ask yourself the question, am I in faith? So, we know what happens with Elisha. He turns back, he lays, goes once again, and then the boy sneezes and wakes up. Something that God wants to bring back to life in you. Maybe it's a dream, maybe it's hopes, maybe it's trying again, but it's gonna take seeds of faith being planted. So, are you in faith? Are you walking by faith? Are you planting seeds of faith? Are you planted in a community of faith that is feeding you? Are you opening up God's Word and building your faith through the hearing of God's Word? Where you at? Some of you need to make a decision before you walk out of this place. Alright, I'm gonna try again. Once again, I'm gonna go again. I'm gonna reset, try again, I'm gonna put everything, I'm all in, God. The door's closed behind me, I'm not gonna leave, I'm going to put myself on the line. I'm gonna give you everything that I've got, God. So, would you just bow your head right where you are? I want you to make a commitment and I want you to pray with me.

Maybe just open your hands in front of you as a sign of surrender. Say, God, I'm in this, I'm available, I'm ready, I'm committing myself to this. I don't know how to do this, but I trust you. So, I'm gonna put one foot in front of the other. Here's what I think will happen. The Holy Spirit's gonna show you this step, the seed that you need to plant. The Holy Spirit's gonna lead you and show you where you need to reach out again. So, would you just turn your heart towards the Lord and in surrender. I'm gonna pray, but I want you to pray from your seat. Father, we trust you. God, we believe that you have miracles, signs, and wonders, and mountains to be moved. That there are people in this room that are struggling with health issues, God. There are people who are literally facing death and brokenness and divorce and strife and attacks from the enemy, God. We trust that you have answers to all these things and that you put the seeds of faith in us to walk forward and to grow and to be strong and thrive. Lord, I just ask right now that you would begin to lead us and that you would point every person in the right direction to know what step to take, where to put out their hand, where to plant a seed. We commit ourselves to you in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. Come on, church. Can we thank God for his word that has come to us today? It's time to try again. Can we rise up to our feet this morning? Pray for us. Please come up to the front. I know y'all gotta head up, but just before you go, if there's a need you have, if there's