Just Hold On | Pastor Bryan Jarrett | Northplace Church

Hello, my name is Brian Jarrett, and my wife Haley and I have had the privilege of pastoring North Place Church in the Dallas-Fort Worth area for almost 20 years. We're one church that meets in multiple locations, even on multiple continents, and today you are one of those locations. The church is not about buildings, it is about people, and we have the privilege today of sharing the hope of the gospel with you right where you are. There is no way I can know exactly what you're going through or dealing with right now, but for almost 30 years I have preached about a God who I know, I am confident, knows you, your struggles, knows the very hairs on your head and the thoughts that you think before you think them, and He is passionately in love with you. And our prayer today is that in our time together you feel our love for you and His presence, and we pray that this time together gives you hope. Thank you for joining us. Come on, why don't we stand. His name is above every name. We can look to Him, we can trust in Him. Come on, if you know this song, sing it out today. Sing, I know a name that can silence roaring waves. I know a name that can empty out a grave. I know a name, it's the only name that saves, and it's worthy of all praise. I call you Jesus, I call you, I call you healer. Risen and reigning in power, something comes out of the grave. Every time I call you Jesus, I call you, I call you Savior. Worthy of glory forever, something comes out of the grave. Every time I call your name, I have a key. With dominion over death, He holds the keys. In His holiness, He is the key. That has crushed the serpent's head, resurrected great again. Sing, I call you Jesus, I call you, I call you healer. Risen and reigning in power, something comes out of the grave.

Every time I call you Jesus, I call you, I call you Savior. Worthy of glory forever, something comes out of the grave. Every time I call your name, chains break, tribals wake. Every time I call your name, the gates of hell shake. Every time I call your name, what happens? Chains break, tribals wake. Every time I call your name, the gates of hell shake. Every time I call your name. Come on, He's always faithful. He's faithful over the storm. Oh, Jesus. Put all our trust in you, Lord. Come on, we sing this full of faith today. We're all dead. When all death is now, you're staying. When all great, you're victory. You sing. When all death is now, you're staying. When all great, you're victory. We're all dead. Come on. When all death is now, you're staying. When all death is now, you're staying. ♪ The way of our victory, Lord ♪ ♪ Dead things come alive today ♪ ♪ Dead things come alive, dead things come alive ♪ ♪ Dead things come alive in the name of Jesus ♪ ♪ Dead things come alive, dead things come alive ♪ ♪ Dead things come alive, in the name of Jesus ♪ ♪ Dead things come alive, dead things come alive ♪

♪ Dead things come alive, dead things come alive ♪ ♪ In the name of Jesus, dead things come alive ♪ ♪ Dead things come alive, dead things come alive ♪ ♪ I call you Jesus, I call you, I call you healer ♪ ♪ Risen and reigning in power ♪ ♪ Something comes out of the grave ♪ ♪ Every time I call you Jesus, I call you, I call you savior ♪ ♪ Worthy of glory forever, something comes out of the grave ♪ ♪ Chains break, trials wait, every time I call your name again ♪ ♪ Something comes out of the grave, every time I call your name ♪ ♪ Dead things come alive, dead things come alive ♪ ♪ Dead things come alive in the name of Jesus, dead things come alive ♪ ♪ Dead things come alive, dead things come alive ♪ ♪ In the name of Jesus, come on someone lift up a mighty praise to Jesus today. Oh, we lift your name up, Jesus. Oh, thank you, Lord. Your name stands above it all. Over every storm, every worry, Jesus, we lift your name up. Every knee bows to you, Lord. We thank you, God. Come on, let's continue to press into the name of Jesus. We cast all our worries to you, Lord. Bless that precious and holy, glorious name, Jesus. ♪ I could sing your name for all my life ♪ ♪ And still find more to love each time ♪ ♪ Jesus, be the name ever on my lips ♪ ♪ It's sweeter every time that I call on it ♪ ♪ There's just something about your name ♪ ♪ There's just something about your name ♪ ♪ There's just something about your name that makes me cry all new ♪

♪ There is no other name, there is no other name ♪ ♪ There is no other name, oh Jesus, your word, Lord ♪ ♪ You have been the friend who never left ♪ ♪ I won't forget your faithfulness ♪ ♪ Jesus, be the name ever on my lips ♪ ♪ It's sweeter every time that I call on it ♪ ♪ There's just something about your name ♪ ♪ There's just something about your name ♪ ♪ There's just something about your name that makes me cry all new ♪ ♪ There is no other name, there is no other name ♪ ♪ There is no other name, oh Jesus, your word, Lord ♪ ♪ There's just something, there's just something about your name ♪ ♪ There's just something about your name ♪ ♪ There's just something about your name that makes me cry all new ♪ ♪ There is no other name, there is no other name ♪ ♪ There is no other name, oh Jesus, your word, Lord ♪ ♪ Oh, you're worthy of our praise ♪ ♪ Oh, you're worthy of our praise ♪ ♪ Jesus, your name is like the morning light ♪ ♪ The one the darkness can't deny ♪ ♪ The resurrection and the light ♪ ♪ Jesus, Jesus, your name can save the day ♪ ♪ Your name can heal, your name can make the storm be still ♪ ♪ You never fail, you never will, Jesus ♪ ♪ Jesus, the way and the life, broken and crossed ♪ ♪ The wounded and the worthy one ♪ ♪ The worst and last and still to come, Jesus ♪ ♪ Jesus, the King, the one, the wealthy and great ♪ ♪ The Lord who will forever reign ♪ ♪ With name above all other names, Jesus ♪

♪ Oh, Jesus be the name, Jesus be the name ♪ ♪ Jesus be the name that gives all the glory, Jesus ♪ ♪ Jesus be the name, Jesus be the name ♪ ♪ Oh, Jesus be the name that gives all the glory, Jesus ♪ ♪ Jesus be the name, Jesus be the name ♪ ♪ That gives all the glory, the glory, Jesus ♪ ♪ Be the name, Jesus be the name ♪ ♪ Jesus be the name, Jesus be the name ♪ ♪ Oh, Jesus be the name that gives all the glory, Lord ♪ ♪ Oh, Jesus be the name that gives all the glory, Lord ♪ ♪ There's just something about your name ♪ ♪ There's just something about your name ♪ ♪ There's just something about your name ♪ ♪ That makes me cry holy ♪ ♪ There is no other name, there is no other name ♪ ♪ Jesus, you're worthy ♪ ♪ Oh, he's the worthy, worthy one ♪ ♪ Oh, Jesus, receive all the honor, all the glory ♪ Come on, can we just speak the name of Jesus over this room? ♪ Oh, Jesus, shout Jesus from the mountains ♪ ♪ And Jesus in the streets ♪ ♪ Jesus in the darkness over every enemy ♪ ♪ Jesus, for my family, I speak the holy name, Jesus ♪ Come on, can we speak his name? ♪ Shout Jesus from the mountains ♪ ♪ And Jesus in the streets ♪ ♪ And Jesus in the darkness over every enemy ♪ ♪ Jesus, for my family, I speak the holy name, Jesus ♪ ♪ Shout Jesus from the mountains ♪ ♪ And Jesus in the streets ♪

♪ And Jesus in the darkness over every enemy ♪ ♪ Jesus, for my family, I speak the holy name, Jesus ♪ ♪ Your name is power ♪ ♪ Your name is healing ♪ ♪ Your name is power ♪ ♪ Break every struggle ♪ ♪ Shine through the shadows ♪ ♪ Word by God ♪ ♪ Oh, your name is power ♪ ♪ Your name is power ♪ ♪ Power, your name is in it ♪ ♪ Your name in us ♪ ♪ Break every stronghold, shine through the shadows ♪ ♪ Burn the light, burn ♪ ♪ And shout Jesus from the mountains ♪ ♪ And Jesus in the streets ♪ ♪ And Jesus in the darkness over every enemy ♪ ♪ And Jesus for my family, I speak the holy name, Jesus ♪ ♪ And shout Jesus from the mountains ♪ ♪ And Jesus in the streets ♪ ♪ And Jesus in the darkness over every enemy ♪ ♪ And Jesus for my family, I speak the holy name, Jesus ♪ ♪ And shout Jesus from the mountains ♪ ♪ And Jesus in the streets ♪ ♪ And Jesus in the darkness over every enemy ♪ ♪ And Jesus for my family, I speak the holy name, Jesus ♪ This week, I walked into a coffee shop on the Fort Worth side of the Metroplex, and I was wearing this North Place hoodie, and a bubbly young lady was working the cash register,

and she just, we didn't exchange pleasantries, we didn't say anything, I didn't turn in my order. I just walked up to the counter, and she read my shirt. And the first thing she said is, if you dress like that at your church, I wanna go. And I said, well, I normally dress up a little more than this, but I promise, if you'll come on Sunday, I will preach in this shirt on Sunday. And she said, okay, I may do that. She said, where's the church? And I told her, and she asked me what I was preaching on, and I said, well, that's what I've been in your coffee shop working on this morning, finishing it up, and I'm gonna go. The title's gonna be Just Hold On. And I just kept, I told her that I kept feeling this stirring in my heart from the Lord that I was supposed to speak life into the hearts of battle-weary believers, people that are spiritually and emotionally and physically exhausted, that I'm supposed to offer hope in the room as if I were pumping oxygen into people who are gasping for breath. That the word of the Lord this weekend to people is just hold on, don't let go, you can't give up, help is on the way, you don't have to be a hero, you don't have to have all the answers, you just gotta hold on, you're gonna make it.

And for a minute in that description of the sermon, she just forgot she was at work. She froze as if time stood still for a moment, and she became obviously emotional, and she looked at me with emotion in her face, and she said, I can't tell you how much I needed that today, and I need the rest of it. So on a day when it's way too hot, I check the weather out, it is way too hot to be wearing a hoodie today. I'm keeping my word to Erica. I almost changed into something nicer for the baby dedication, and she may have already been here, but I thought sure as the world as I do, she'll walk into this service. So I'm wearing the hoodie for Erica to keep my word today, just in case she shows up to hear the rest of it. But the word today isn't just for Erica, it's for every one of us that has recently thought or said, I just don't know how much more I can take. You're tired, and you're fatigued, and your fingers are at the end of that rope, and they're starting to slip. And the Lord is saying to you today, just hold on. That's what Paul's message to us was when he said in Galatians 6, let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time, we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Just hold on.

If I'm gonna deal and hope today the way I believe the Lord wants me to, then you gotta understand what hope is and what hope isn't. The culture's version of hope is an uncertain hope. It's I hope so kind of hope. It's a I'm not really sure kind of emotion, and that is the exact opposite of what the Lord is trying to impart into your soul today. Biblical hope is more than a motivational thought or a fading daydream. It's not a wishy-washy vague wait and see. It's an action that we choose every day. We take it on purpose when we choose to hope in, trust in God's sovereign control of our life, of our situation, and we choose to trust in his promise that regardless of what the circumstance looks like right now, we're trusting in how God is going to work this out. That is the kind of hope that Jesus embodied. The writer of Hebrews said of Jesus' hope, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him, he endured the cross. He was able to endure unimaginable suffering because of that hope. God had given him a promise of how this is gonna work out, and because of the joy, the hope that was out there in front of him, he endured the cross. When you have that kind of future-oriented hope that is anchored in what God said,

that's the hope Jesus embodied, when you have that, you can endure the present. Whatever is going on in your present because of the joy that is out there in front of you that is anchored in what God has promised, that's biblical hope. It is out there in front of you, so just hold on. It's that kind of hope that stabilizes our frantic thoughts and our emotions and keeps us steady in the face of strong headwinds and adversity. Real hope is this constant expectation that something good is about to happen because God is still at work. It's this awareness that God is actually looking and longing for an opportunity to show you his goodness. Listen to the psalmist in Psalm 27. Wait and hope for and expect the Lord. Be brave and of good courage and let your heart be stout and enduring. Yes, wait for and hope for and expect the Lord. You know what the psalmist is saying here? Just hold on. Hope dares to believe in the face of impossibility. Hope is what says, you know what? God might just turn this thing around. Hope is this unexplainable but always undeniable feeling that today would be a really bad day to give up. The entire time I was preparing for this message, I kept seeing myself as your trainer in your corner of a boxing ring

while you're in the fight for your life. You've gone the distance against the enemy and now it's the 12th and the final round and he's about to get the best of you. You're laying flat of your back in the middle of the ring and the referee is counting the 10 count and he's almost finished, it's almost over and I'm over here in your corner yelling, get up. It's not over. You've got more in you. God's got more plans for you. This is not the way it's supposed to end. This is not the story the Father has written for your life. You are a child of promise and this moment is not gonna define you, so get up. You're down but you're not out. You're confused but you're not directionless. You may be bent but you're not broken. You may have failed but it's not final. You may be hurt but you're not hopeless. Get up and hold on. It reminds me of what the Apostle Paul said to the Corinthians in 2 Corinthians 4. We are pressed on every side by troubles but not crushed and broken. We are perplexed because we don't know why things happen as they do but we don't give up and quit. We are hunted down but God never abandons us. We get knocked down but we get up again

and we keep going, we hold on. Somebody needs to say it with me. The Bible says, encourage yourself in the Lord. Some of us need to preach it to ourself. Come on, say it with me. Just hold on. It's what the writer says. of Hebrews was trying to tell us when he wrote in Hebrews 6, therefore, we who have fled to him, to Jesus, for refuge, can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God's inner sanctuary. Jesus has already gone in there for us. There's a powerful and overlooked promise here in these verses for all of us who have put our faith in Christ and have fled to him as our refuge. Pay attention to what verse 18 says again, as we hold to the hope that lies out there in front of us. Okay, it's a front-facing, future-oriented hope, but now listen to how the writer describes that hope. That hope is an anchor, a strong and trustworthy anchor for your soul. Now, if you think this through, it's unusual imagery. Usually, we will drop an anchor right beside the boat to hold us in one place. We don't throw anchors out in front of us like we're casting a fishing line. We drop anchors beside us to hold us in one place, but when the writer of Hebrews is talking

about this anchor of hope, he's talking about an anchor of hope that is out there. It's out there in front of us, and his original readers would have immediately understood the imagery he was using to illustrate this point because he is referring to an ancient practice of sailing that they would have all known about. It's called kedging. When storms or turbulent seas would threaten a ship and a ship would go into a inlet or a cove for refuge, and the winds and the waves were so bad that they were threatening to crash the ship against the bank, dash it against the rocks, a crew of sailors would literally get in a smaller boat, take the actual anchor of the big ship, and they would haul it out into the sea as far as the anchor rope would allow them to go. They would let the anchor down from the little boat, and then it would tie off on the bottom, and the ship, the big ship, would then pull itself forward against the wind into the storm toward deeper water by tugging on the anchor rope. That's kedging. And that's what the writer of Hebrews is telling you to do. He's saying, hold on to that anchor rope. Kedge against the adversity because Jesus has gone into the storm ahead of you. He went on your behalf. He's gone into the inner sanctuary of God,

and he has dropped your anchor in the holiest of holies in heaven. So once you've given your life to Jesus, for the rest of your life, you're gonna be kedging against the storms, holding on to the rope that is anchored to a strong and trustworthy anchor. It is the hope that lies before you. Listen to the promise again. This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God's inner sanctuary. Jesus has already gone in there for us. You and I are still on this earth, but our anchor has been dropped in heaven. Jesus went ahead of us and dropped our anchor. So no matter how bad it gets, no matter how tired you are, no matter how stacked the odds are against you, you can't let go of that rope. You have to keep holding on. You don't have to be good. You don't have to be strong. You don't have to be smart. You just gotta hold on. It's exactly what the psalmist was telling us when he said that God's people are like palm trees. In Psalm 92, he said, but the godly will flourish like palm trees and grow like the strong cedars of Lebanon, for they are transplanted to the Lord's own house.

They flourish in the courts of our God. The palm tree will lie almost flat on the ground during a hurricane or a typhoon. It bends under the pressure of the storm, but it doesn't break. It holds on. And when the howling winds are over and the storm has passed, that palm tree will gradually stand right back up. The godly will flourish like a palm tree. That's what the writer was talking about. Those who have been anchoring their lives in Jesus see what Paul was saying in the verse that we read a moment ago. We get knocked down, but we get up again and keep going. The righteous will flourish like a palm tree. We hold on. This is what King David was trying to tell a group. of battle-weary soldiers that were underneath his command. In 1 Samuel 30, David and his army are out dealing with the military skirmish against the Philistines. And while they're preoccupied, an enemy raiding party comes in and attacks David's encampment at Ziklag, and they burn it to the ground. And they take David's wife and children and all the other soldiers' wives and children, they take them captive. The Bible is very descriptive of the level of shock and grief and rage in David and the heart of his men when they arrived home to see what had happened

to their village. So David takes 600 of his mightiest soldiers to pursue the raiders in an attempt to get their family back and their possessions back, and they're in pursuit. And in the heat of that pursuit, 200 of the 600 men were so battle-weary they could not go on. And these men are not cowards. These are some of David's mightiest men. They are proven warriors. David hand-picked them for this mission. But at this particular moment, they are so wounded, are so injured, are so exhausted, so sick, that they just could not go on. So the king says to these men, we're gonna drop our supplies right here by the Brook Bay store, and I want you to stay here and guard the supplies. You just stay here and guard, and we'll go lighter and faster with 400 men. You stay here and guard the supplies. So David and 400 men overtake the raiders, they rescue their families, they get everything back that was taken, and a whole lot more. And when David starts to divide the spoils of war, the 400 men that went to the front lines of battle didn't believe that the 200 men that stayed back to guard the supplies deserved anything back but their families.

But David had the heart of God in this moment. Listen to how he addressed those battle-weary, those 200 battle-weary soldiers. Then David returned to the Brook Bay store and met up with the 200 men who had been left behind because they were too exhausted to go with him. They went out to meet David and his men, and David greeted them joyfully. The king greeted them joyfully. In verse 24, King David orders, the share of the man who stayed with the supplies is to be the same as that of him who went down to the battle. All will share alike. That verse, verse 24 in the King James Version reads this way. As his part is that goeth down to the battle, so shall his part be that tarrieth or stays by the stuff. These men didn't have it in them to go to the front line of the battle. They were too wounded, too injured, too tired. But they stayed behind and guarded the supplies. They stayed by the stuff. They didn't quit. They held on to their convictions, and as best as they could under the circumstances, they held on for the honor of their king, for their families. And when David saluted these men joyfully, he was saying to them, well done.

You've been faithful. You didn't give up. You held on. You honored me. And this is what God is trying to say to you today. So when prayer is a chore, hold on. When duty is a burden, hold on. When questions out there are being spoken about you, or when self-doubt has you asking questions within you, hold on. When you're physically weak and emotionally drained, just hold on. When you're in the heat of the battle and victory seems beyond your reach, hold on. When everybody else seems able and you're not, just hold on. If you keep stumbling, but it doesn't matter as long as you keep getting back up. Don't give up. Don't give in. Because today is a really bad day to quit. You gotta hold on. The reason the palm tree can be blown parallel to the ground in a hurricane and still hold on and weather the storm and then stand back upright when it's over is because it's anchored. It's weighted in the bottom. And when I thought about that, it reminded me of a toy I had when I was a kid, and I asked them to get me one for today,

and they're gonna bring that out. You had to have one, too. I know you did. These things got sand in the bottom so that when you punch them and kick them. Now, poor fella didn't start out with a bandage, but I beat on him so much, our safety and security team bandaged him up today. So he's got a little. a bit of bandage on him today. So I want them to put that verse we looked at a moment ago, 2 Corinthians chapter four, because this is when the punches come. We are pressed on every side. Knocked him into next week, his bandages came off. We are pressed on every side, but we're not crushed and broken. We get up, we hold on. We are perplexed because we don't know why things happen as they do, but we don't give up and quit. We hold on. We're hunted down, but God never abandons us. That's why we can keep holding on. We get knocked down, but we get up again and we keep holding on. That's what we do. The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree. We just keep getting back up. So my word to you today, God's word to you today, get up.

It's not over. Don't quit. He's not finished with you. He's not finished working in that mess. He hasn't given up on your kids. He hasn't given up on your marriage. He hasn't given up on you. He hasn't given up on that miracle. You gotta hold on because you're gonna make it. It's why the old timers used to sing, I've anchored in Jesus the storms of life, I'll brave. I've anchored in Jesus, I'll fear no wind or wave. I've anchored in Jesus for he has power to save. I've anchored to the rock of ages. When you're weighted, anchored, all you gotta do, don't let go of that rope, just hold on. While I was preparing for this a few weeks ago, the Lord brought a song into my path. It was not new, but it was new to me. As I listened to it, I thought, man, that's kind of like the last part of my sermon that day. So I came to our team and I said, can you learn this? I really feel like we're supposed to do this song and when I preach that on this day and when I offer hope, we're gonna get to that in just a minute. Through the years, I've told a story, and you may have heard me talk about this at a funeral or maybe at a graveside, but it's so full of hope, it would be a shame to reserve it for our deepest griefs when we need this kind of hope in our everyday lives.

Over 30 years ago, I met a guy named Rex and Rex owned his own accounting firm. He was significantly older than Haley and I. We were barely 20 years old, just married, newlyweds, new in ministry, and Rex started investing in our ministry, said, I'm gonna come alongside you kids and help you, and he did. One of the times he came into our, he invited us into his office, was right after the passing of his mom in a long battle with cancer. He said, Brian, my mom was a brilliant woman. She was an incredible writer, a devout follower of Jesus, and she was all those things all the way up to her death. She never gave up her faith. She never quit being a brilliant woman, and she wrote all the way up to the day she went to heaven. She journaled every day. In a deeply humbling gesture, Rex said that he felt like I was supposed to have his mom's journals because there was so much in there that other people needed to know about and hear that he felt like if he kept them, he would limit the impact of what his mom had invested in, and if he gave them to me, they would make their way into sermons or devotions, or I could publish them in some way. Somehow, they would help more people,

so I walked out of the office that day as if I had been entrusted with a family treasure, and as I read through those journals, I noticed something interesting. As she got toward the end of her life, obviously, the entries got shorter, but she seemed to have this fixation with midnight. For multiple days in the last few weeks of her life, it was just one line. She would say, if I can just hold on till midnight. A couple days later, it's all, if I can just hold on till midnight, and then a week later, she would change it up and just say, just make it till midnight. Until the last couple days of her life, all she wrote was midnight, nothing else, just midnight. So I went back to Rex, and I asked him, man, what's, I read these journals, but what was your mom's deal with midnight? I mean, did they come in at midnight and give her morphine to help manage the pain? I mean, what was she hanging on? until midnight for, and he said, no Brian, my mom took the promise of lamentations literally, that God's mercies are new every morning. And if she could just hold on until midnight, that God would give her a fresh touch of mercy so that she could endure one more day. It's incredible. Here's the promise she held on to.

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases. His mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness. I believe God brought a song into my life that's supposed to help you today, kind of put a bow on this message. And as you prepare for this song, as I prepared for today, this has been my prayer. God, will you be what you were to the psalmist in Psalm three, verse three, where the psalmist said, thou, O Lord, art a shield about me. You are the lifter of my head. And when I pray today for somebody that's in the fight of their life, you're one of the 200, you're so tired, you don't know how you're gonna go on. Your head is downtrodden. The nail-scarred hands of your Savior are gonna reach into this room and grab you by the chin and pull your head up. He's gonna be the lifter of your head today because you're gonna make it. He's not gonna quit on you. You just gotta hold on. Come on, will you listen to the words of this song? It's called, You Asked Me How It Is

and I'm Still Standing. You wonder how I'm still standing. I ain't made it through the storm. I can't boast of any special powers. There's no secret, I just held on. So I held on till the storm was over. I don't have to be a hero and I don't have all the answers. I held on till the storm was over. It's not because I'm good, not because I'm great, not because I'm strong, I just held on. I can tell that things are finally happening. Oh, I've got blessings I can call my own. But there were so many times I wondered if I would make it. I was wondering, I just kept on holding on. So I held on till the storm was over. I don't claim to be a hero and I don't have all the answers. But I held on till the storm was over. It's not because I'm good, not because I'm great, not because I'm strong, I just held on. You see, I held on to faith and I held on to God. I would not be good letting go. My feet were planted on the ground. See, I held on to prayer and I held on to God. I held on to all that I had left. Oh, I held on till the storm was over. I don't have to be a hero and I don't have all the answers. Just hold on, till the storm is over Oh, it's not because I'm good, not because I'm great Not because I'm strong Just hold on

Despite of everything I've been through I'm still standing on your faithfulness This is my testimony I'm still standing on his word So keep fighting, keep waiting, keep pressing through Gotta remind you that Just hold on, till the storm is over You don't have to be a hero You don't have to have all the answers Just hold on, till the storm is over My God It's not because you're good, not because you're great Not because you're strong Just hold on Come on Would you stand to your feet across this room and give Jesus praise today? He's worthy Just hold on Prayer team, would you come and make yourself available to serve this body today? Can I just say this to encourage you and honor the Lord as well? Tuesday, November the 18th will mark my 35th spiritual birthday November the 18th, 35 years ago in 1990 was on a Sunday Saturday night, the 17th I was at a party I was under the influence of who knows what I came to church that day still inebriated underneath all that And I had an encounter with Jesus Changed my life, changed my eternity For 35 years I've just been stumbling Just refusing to let go And there's one thing I can promise you

I'm not the smartest man in the world But I can put my, I bank my life on this He will never fail you He may not come through when you want Him to, the way you want Him to Doing everything exactly like you ask Him to But He will never fail you You can trust Him Somebody today, they think, well this has been a great, nice devotional thought I'm not preaching to the people that think this is a nice devotional thought I'm thinking, I'm preaching to somebody today that need this as a lifeline You're sinking And these are not the words of a preacher today I did this because the Lord asked me to today The Lord is trying to talk to the deep places of your heart and encourage you You're gonna make it You just gotta hold on So when we open these altars in just a minute If you need somebody to help fight this battle with you Then let us pray with you, that's what we're here for If you wanna write where you are If you wanna just fight, get up off the mat and fight back right where you are And we're gonna keep the environment worshipful for you to do that But today is a really bad day to give up You gotta keep fighting Lord, would you drive a backbone of steel in the hearts of your people today? May there be an unction from the Holy One As the scripture says, that comes into our hearts today That puts more fight in us when we thought we had lost it May there be a tenacity to our hope today that doesn't give up I pray Lord that you turn this thing around

If we can just hang on Help is on the way I pray you bless them and keep them You make your face shine down upon them That you're gracious to them And that you turn your countenance their direction today And you give them peace and hope God help them just stay by the stuff And not let go In Jesus name, amen And amen These altars are open today God bless you Hey friends, I just wanted to spend a second with you At the end of this message today And just encourage you If in some way you've made a spiritual decision Maybe you've given your life to Christ today You've recently given your life to Christ You want to talk to somebody about giving your life to Christ Our team would love to help you We're on the Pando app and have several ministries into various prisons Because God has called us to you We have a heart for forgotten people and forgotten places And that means we love you We serve widows, and we serve orphans, and we serve special needs kids, and God has given us a heart for men and women in the prison system, because I believe Jesus died for you. He has a plan and a purpose for your life, and we want to help you know that and discover that. There is an address on the screen that you can communicate with us.

We have a team of people that would love to hear from you, especially if you've made a decision to follow Jesus, so that we can resource you and point you to tools that can help you grow. Just know that we're praying over you, and we're genuinely honored that you've taken time to watch our channel and these messages from North Place Church.