Living A Life That Makes Your Enemies Lion Food

I do want to just really encourage you before we jump into this message and pray, don't forget Saturday and Sunday, those that are watching around the world, for this global prayer walk. It's not something that we are, it's not our organization, it's not a, it's just literally asking people to pray over your cities and over your countries, and that's, and that's simply all it is. We will meet here on next Sunday for the 10 and the 1, and then we're going to encourage you to pray. Go with us. Cindy and I will go and pray over New York City, that God would just work a miracle. What war are we praying for? God, stop here. There are culture wars that we need for just a miracle in this city. We need a miracle for God to work in this city. But Sunday night is going to be a special night. We will pray for the nation of Israel. We'll be joined with a worship team from Jerusalem, Solu will be with us, and we'll be singing songs and be joined online and on the screen with people praying in Hebrew and people praying for the nation of Israel will be going back and forth. Then we'll be praying for the Middle East on Monday night. We'll be praying for what's happening. We're going to have just some great news of what we're getting ready to do in Iran and some of the, some of the initiatives that you've made possible, we'll talk about that. And then finally, we'll be praying for the Ukraine and the, and also the war with Russia. Let me just tell you something, just for a moment here. Almost every prayer and fasting, we usually make a real focus on praying for things in your lives. Can I just really encourage you, this is going to be bigger than you. It's praying for the world, it's praying for a miracle that's happening. So some of you are going like, well, they're not praying for the Holy Spirit, they're not

praying for healing, they're not praying. Can we just put us aside for a second and pray for people that are really in a crisis just all over the world. So I'm going to ask you, would you make a pursuit to be here with us each of the three nights and then you can join our Bible college on Wednesday night. Now, just before we pray, our general overseer, the man, my predecessor, Pastor Carter Conlin, who served here for 30 years, still serves, our general overseer, he told me about something that happens when you come into the city. Our family had a chance to take a few days off this last week, I'll talk to you about that in a few moments. And so we were in New Jersey and he said, Tim, he said, there's going to be moments that you're driving in to the city and you're going to, as you get to the Lincoln Tunnel, no offense, Lincoln Tunnel, but when you get to the Lincoln Tunnel, he said, you're going to feel a weight come upon you. He said, Pastor Carter called it, the grand piano comes on your shoulders, you're going to feel a grand piano, you're going to carry a weight, and sure enough, as we drove in Saturday morning, I felt that weight come on me, and I asked the Lord, in the middle of the tunnel, which there was a lot of traffic, I mean, if you're not from New York, it takes an hour to go a mile once you get through the tunnel. So there's a lot of time to pray, and I just said, Lord, what's the weight? What's the weight? What's that weight that you feel? And I felt strongly, because, because we're speaking to so many around the country and around the world, the weight that hit me was, God, give, let me just make sure I'm sharing the right word. Let me make sure that I'm encouraging the body of Christ, let me make sure that I'm not just, just taking anything and just going, well, I got this offline, and I got this from a podcast. I want something from the throne of God. I want to hear what the Holy Spirit has to say.

And truly, that becomes the weight. And I have to tell you something I've been, I've been carrying with me, and I just don't know how it's going to come out today. And I, and as I prayed in the sanctuary yesterday, I said, God, please, I don't want to preach this message. I want something else. And how many know that's usually a no from God? We never used to say I want something. We're going to end with joy, but I want to talk to you about this. Living a life that makes your enemies lion food. Living a life, and we're going to talk about Daniel. Living a life that makes your enemies lion food. It's about pleasing God, we'll feed our enemies to the lions that were meant for us. The things that were on, that things that we were going to be attacked with, God turns it around for the people of God. That the very things that were coming against us. It's a message, I didn't want to preach, it's a message to prepare us. It's a message about courage, but it's going to end with joy. So let's pray. Father, in these next few moments, I'm asking you to help me. I'm asking you, God, that you would begin. I know what you put on my heart. I'm just asking for clarity. I'm asking God that I would speak with with just such Clearness that the Word of God begins just to touch people's lives today Give us a hope that God is with us God is fighting our battles for us as we serve him. He will fight for us So I'm gonna ask you God work miracles today in Jesus name and everybody said amen. God bless you. You may be seated Thank you, Willie. Thank you worship team. Thank you choir. I met with a government official not too long ago and his job is intense as he is Calls him to areas of the world that are really volatile In fact, there's times that he's shared with me that he could have lost his life except it was God's intervention

that helped him in those situations and I heard those stories and And I see him very much as a Daniel or a Joseph in The establishment and where he works that God has raised up someone with an extraordinary spirit and a godly character However, as he walks with integrity and godliness He is a target in this in this government position and what has arrested my attention in our last meeting is he was Sharing with me some of the things he is battling Internally not even in these volatile countries that are trying that that many times that he could have lost his life But what is happening internally in those organizations? I looked at him and I just said you have such an amazing piece about you Like I just look at you and it feels like you just you just know God is with you He told me the story of some senior leaders that wanted his role and waged the war against them That he said these men were trying to get me removed and the people that were trying to get me removed as I just trusted God they were removed He said it was and he's looking at me with this piece I said, you know and he wasn't saying this gloating and he was but he was saying it with a calmness and Really a peace that God is with him that wherever God puts you God will fight your battles And I looked at him and I said to him I said you're acting like a Daniel you're working in an antichrist system But you have a piece that is protecting you that God is working on your behalf you and I said these words you have the peace of Daniel while being about being sent to the lion's den as if Daniel knew that God would close those mouths of the lions for him, but open them up on his enemies It's when I realized that the greatest weapon to fight my enemies is living a life that pleases God Let me explain it to you with this simple verse when a man's ways are pleasing to the Lord He even makes his enemies To be at peace with him Let me look you need to see that again put that back up because some people are just Looking for something in your in your wallet or look at take a picture of this Here it is when a man's ways are pleasing to the Lord. He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him This message is going to be important for some of you to grip hold of it may be a message Not only for the future, but for the near future

Today in the times that we live in as committed Christians Your enemies are going to increase Let me say this again. I'm not saying that you're not going to increase your enemies Let me say this again The more you are committed to Christ the more you will become a target The more that you will serve Jesus and believe this Bible as God's holy word you will face the enemy You will face things that will come against you You're going to be a target of a culture an antichrist culture because you will be a conscience to a moral depraved Society and there will be people that want you out that want you out of their sight that don't want you even in their presence You will have enemies if you don't affirm you'll have enemies if you don't agree you will have enemies if you even tell people you are a Christian and Immediately you will be a target and you will be someone they will go after but I'm here to tell you when a man's ways Are pleasing to the Lord? He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him I remember that I was reading this verse for the very first time. I remember the details I remember how old I was where I was in in this in my bedroom I remember the book I was reading and the color of the Bible that I looked it up in just to verify it I was a junior in high school And I was reading a book that someone put in my hands By a revivalist called Leonard Ravenhill and the name of the book was America is too young to die He mentioned a verse from Isaiah 5 and as I was sitting Sitting on the side of my bed, I picked up a brown, New International Version, hardcover Bible to see if this was really in the Bible. I couldn't believe that these were the words that it said. Isaiah prophesied these words. He says, woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness, who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. I thought, this is impossible. People that will call good evil and evil good?

It doesn't even make sense to me. And so, this is years, decades ago, that it just didn't even make sense in a culture and a society that we lived in. People calling wrong things right? I said, maybe I understood that if you go all the way back in the book of Genesis to think of a city called Sodom and Gomorrah, but I just can't, I can't see that ever happening in parts of the world. But folks, can I just tell you, we are in those days. We are in that time right now. A verse that seemed impossible for a junior in high school is now beginning to play out, which literally, we have got to understand that the way that we fight our enemies is by pleasing God. Folks, and that's what I wanna talk to you about today. Because we're living in that kind of culture. I wanna make a statement to you that I totally believe is true about our society, and that's this. If you remove God, then people become God. Put that on the screen, please. Yes, no, thank you. If you remove God, then you become God. Folks, you have to understand something. Our society had begun the strategic dismantling and removal of God in our culture, school, and government over 60 years ago. They have removed, this has been going on for 60 years. When you think about what has been taking place, the removal of prayer from our schools in 1962,

the Supreme Court case of Engel versus Vitale, which ruled that mandatory school-sponsored prayer violated the First Amendment. Then you saw the removal of the Ten Commandments in 1980 from any government building, the U.S. Supreme Court on November 17th, 1980, in the case of Stone versus Graham. As you keep dismantling God from our society, from our education, from even our government, and forgot who we were and that God is responsible for any blessing that we have today, then all of a sudden, you're making people God, a Supreme Court, a politician. Can I just tell you, there is one God. There is only one person that we serve and choose today. These things are removed so we can replace God. You cannot make evil good and good evil unless you get God out of the way. Listen to me. If there is no God, listen carefully. Listen, folks, I'm an old man, so I can say whatever I want. Let's listen for just a second. If there is no God, then people get to choose their gender. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Think about it.

If there's no God, we have been created in the image of God, male and female. If there is no God, man becomes God, and man chooses what they will be. Not true if God exists. You cannot have God existing and you choose a gender. God is the only person that can do that. The only one. Some of you are going, he's just starting. Why is he so controversial today? It's what is ever in this book is what we begin to choose. If there is no God, then there is no sin. Think of it for a moment. You decide what's right and wrong. You decide what is true, what is not true. That's why you hear this phrase all the time. Well, that's your truth. No, no, no, no, no, no. Folks, there isn't your truth and my truth. There's one truth. Now, you can have your opinion, but it's not truth. Let's just be clear. Let's just go for broke today. I've had a few days off, so I'm ready to go today. I'm just telling you right now. But this is not a fight between a Christian and a culture. Can I just tell you? This is a fight between who is God. That's the fight. Who is God?

We're living during a modern-day Mount Carmel moment. When Elijah the prophet will face 400 prophets of Baal and it all started, the battle started with these words. You call on the name of your God. I will call on the name of the Lord. And the God who answers by fire, he is God. Folks, I'm telling you today, and all the people said, that is a good idea, and if there's ever a time that we have got to be ready, this is that time. This is the time that we have to understand. When I went to a school in England, I would walk by a memorial each day called the Martyrs Memorial. It was in St. Giles on Mortaland Street when I would pass it every single day. It was a fairly large monument that was there for two men that died for standing for truth. It was for Hugh Latimer and Nicholas Ridley. They called them Latimer and Ridley, who were burned right, many believe either there or just right there in the vicinity in the 16th century. They were convicted, they said, because of their beliefs in the Bible, they were immediately burned to the stake. I went to, when I was there studying apologetics, I was reminded as I would daily walk by and saw where Latimer and Ridley were burned at the stake, I had to walk over that area where it happened, and it was sobering to me.

It was sobering for a man that would stand for his faith, a man that would have enemies, a man that would face, in that time, in the 16th century, a culture that would say, if you don't agree, we're gonna kill you. I mean, think of how intense that was. He said once when he was, Latimer said once when he was found he was gonna preach before King Henry VIII of England, he thought about this great responsibility, and he said immediately his emotions and mind battles started to take place. This is what he said in his mind. I wanna read to you what he wrote, that he said, this is what my mind was saying to me. My mind was saying, Latimer, Latimer. He says, do you not remember that you were speaking before the, he says, that you were gonna preach before the King Henry VIII of England? Not this one yet, sorry. That you were gonna preach before King Henry VIII of England? He said, as I thought about this great responsibility to bring a message before the king, I realized that the message that God put on my heart was not the message that a king would really want to hear, because I was gonna preach it right from the word of God. So he said, when I was battling that thought, should I do this, he said he began

to have this internal fight go on, and then he spoke these words in his heart and soul. This is what he said. He said, Latimer, Latimer, do you remember that you were speaking before the high and mighty King Henry VIII, but he, I'm sorry, speaking before the king of kings and the lord of lords before him, and whose throne Henry VIII will stand before him, to whom one day you will give account of yourself. Latimer, Latimer, be faithful to your master and declare all God's words. He says, that's what won the day. He says, not who I was standing before physically, but who I was standing before was the king of kings and the lord of lords at that moment. I had to raise children at a time where it wasn't near what we're faced today with what your children and grandchildren are faced with today, an indoctrination in a culture that's trying to remove God and make man God. It's trying to take God out of society or just relegate God to a day of the week or to a building and say, do your thing in there, but don't dare bring him outside of this building. Don't ever do that. I think to myself, the kind of culture and what we're doing with our children and what we're faced with, and I thought about today, I don't even know what it would be like

to raise children in a day like today. I don't even understand. That's why we have to pray for our 212 youth that are even meeting right now, that are getting ready to even this summer. We've gotta pray for a boldness among these young people. We've gotta pray a clarity of what truth is amongst these young people. As we're on college campuses and high school campuses, we need Latimers to stand up and say, my life is being lived out before the king of kings. We need people like a Daniel that says, regardless of the consequences, we will do what everybody, not what anybody wants, but what God wants us to do. I like what Billy Graham said. He said, courage is contagious. When a brave man takes a stand, he says, the spines of others are often stiffened at that moment. We need people to take a stand today for the things of God and the things of truth. I have to tell you, I was contemplating whether to say anything, but I knew I needed to, not only of this, but even for us personally. Even this week, as I was thinking about this message and going, God, thank you that I didn't have to raise children during this time. My daughter just celebrated her 19th birthday. I'm gonna have four kids in their 20s in just about 11 more months.

Every kid will be in their 20s. They've got their face, they'll walk with Jesus, and they'll have their own fights. But then, I have to tell you, something happened this week on vacation. I have to tell you, just so you know, I got up one morning, and my son and his wife of six months just came to us, and they said, we're gonna get the pastries for this morning. I opened the pastry box up, and there, sitting in front of me, was an ultrasound picture. And it said, you're gonna be a grandpa. I said, grandpa? I said, what? And they had written on my coffee cup, Grandpa Delina, and all those things, and I was going, oh, Lord, now we gotta raise grandchildren in a time like this. I thought to myself, and one of my daughters was going, how did you feel about that? I said, I didn't feel right. It's like a name that hasn't been used. It's like it belongs to my dad or Cindy's dad. It doesn't belong to me. I said, I feel like I'm ripping off a name here. Grand said, what are they gonna call you? Someone's asking. Is it gonna be like, you know, Grandpa,

or Grandma Peepaw, or Momma, or whatever? I said, I want something cool. I wanna be called G-Daddy. No, I'm not gonna be called that. If I call G-Daddy, then I've gotta start doing some songs for Spotify, and everything else. The greatest weapon that the early church had against 300 years of persecution was living a life pleasing to God. It wasn't fighting enemies, it was living to please God. It was living to please God, to say, I'm not fighting people. The Bible tells us that in Ephesians 6. My enemy is not flesh and blood. My enemy is not flesh and blood. I don't fight people. I wanna fight to live a life pleasing to God, and then let God fight my battles. When I was reading about even that first century, and thinking about it, when a man's ways are pleasing to the Lord, even he makes his enemies, God, God makes his enemies to be at peace with him. Think about that. It's so important to realize, either your enemies, think about this, either your enemies will be at peace with you, or your enemies will be eaten by the devices they devised against you. Keep that on the screen for a moment, because this is important.

I'm gonna show you, Scripture-wise, that when you pursue to please God, God takes care of the enemies. He'll take care of everything that comes against you. I've watched this, but my job is to please God. My job is to say, God, I'm not fighting this way. I am just saying I wanna please you in all that I do. I was thinking about the fate of the first, of the Christian church in the first 300 years. The first 30 Roman emperors, think about this. The first 30 Roman emperors over 300 years, the governors, high officials, who literally distinguished themselves to fight anyone that would serve this resurrected Jew. Anybody that would begin to associate themselves with this Jesus, who was raised from the dead, became their one goal for 300 years, to persecute. And what was crazy is that the more that they persecuted and tried to kill them, the more that this group called Christianity started to grow with a force all over the Roman empire. They said that Christians would begin to just see God begin to do all these great things. But all of these that persecuted Christians, they said they would watch their own devices turn against them. They said for these governors and for these emperors, he says that had a bitterness towards Christianity. Said they would see them begin to become mentally deranged. One was slain by his own son.

One drowned, one strangled, one died in captivity. One fell dead in a manner that we can't even repeat. One died of a lotham disease. One was, two committed suicide. A third attempted it, but had to call for help to finish the work. Five assassinated by their own people and servants. Five others died from excruciating deaths. All of them. And the worst of them was a man called Julian the Apostate, who was literally, he would talk about being in this personal battle to kill, he used to call Jesus, the Galilean. He said, I'm fighting this Galilean. And finally, when he was dying on the battlefield, they said he lifted up his fist and said, you have conquered and you have beaten me, you Galilean. Can I just help you? Jesus always wins. He conquers death, the grave, he always wins. Every single time. What your enemies may be plotting against you will turn on them. If you do one thing, pursue God. Pursue to please God. Defend yourself. Stay off of social media. Let me say that again, because only one person said, Amen. Let me just say that again. Don't defend yourself. Here it is. Stay off of social media.

Stay quiet. Trust God. Pray on your knees. Submit to God. Use Calvary as your example. The schemes and conspiracies that have been devised against you will become your enemy's downfall. Listen to this. I'm going to just read it to you. Psalm 715. They dig a deep pit to trap others, and then they fall into it themselves. The trouble they make for others backfires on them. The violence they plan falls on their own heads. I will thank the Lord, because He is just. I will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High. Psalm 35. I did them no wrong, but they laid a trap for me. I did them no wrong, but they dug a pit to catch me. So let sudden ruin come upon them. Let them be caught in the trap they set for me. Let them be destroyed in the pit they dug for me. Then I will rejoice in the Lord. I will be glad, because He rescues me. With every bone in my body, I will praise Him. Lord, who can compare with You? Who else rescues the helpless from the strong? Who else protects the helpless and poor from those who rob them? Psalm 21. Although they plot against You, their evil schemes will never succeed. For they will turn and run when they see Your arrows aimed at them.

Rise up, O Lord, in all Your power. And with music and singing, we will celebrate Your mighty acts. Oh, we're not done, but God is my helper. The Lord keeps me alive. May the evil plans of my enemies be turned against them. Do as You promised and put an end to them. Evil is looping back on my enemies. And if you don't get any of this, maybe you understand this one. No weapon formed against you shall prosper. And every tongue which rises up against you in judgment, you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the Lord. And the righteousness is from me, says the Lord. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. It was in the book of Esther. Haman, the Jew, the man who hated the Jewish people, built gallows to hang the God-fearing Jew, Mordecai, and all the Jews upon. And God, through a prayer and fasting, would turn the whole thing against him. Think of this. Then Harbonah, one of the eunuchs who were before the king, said, Behold, indeed the gallows standing at Haman's house, 50 cubits high,

which Haman made for Mordecai, who spoke good on behalf of the king. The king said, Hang him on it. So they hanged Haman on the gallows, which he had prepared for Mordecai. God turned it around. God always turns it around. God fights in behalf of his people. The piece of Daniel that I saw in my friend who serves in government, I saw it, comes from the story of Daniel 6. Daniel was promoted, and Daniel's co-workers did not like it. They wanted him out. Some of you know about that. That they didn't want, they don't want you around. They wanted what you got. Listen to what happened. Seemed good to Daniel, I'm sorry, to Darius, to appoint 120 satraps over the kingdom, that they would be in charge of the whole kingdom. And over them, three commissioners, of whom Daniel was one. Now at this moment in Daniel 6, Daniel is 85 years old. He is gonna outlive five different kings, and this is what it says, that these satraps might be accountable to them,

and the king might not suffer loss. Then this Daniel began distinguishing himself among the commissioners and satraps, because he possessed, I love this, an extraordinary spirit. And the king planned to appoint him over the entire kingdom. Then the commissioners and the satraps began to find a ground of accusation against Daniel in regard to the government affairs. They wanted to see how they can nail him on his job. But they could not find no ground of accusation or evidence of corruption. Inasmuch as he was faithful, no negligence or corruption was to be found in him. Then the men said, we'll not find any ground of accusation against Daniel, unless we find it against him with regard to the law of his God. Daniel distinguished himself with an extraordinary spirit. It's amazing to see his work ethic. No lying, no money under the table, no inner office romance. He was the best worker. He showed up on time. He showed up on time. He showed up on time. Just trying to help you. Just trying to help you with an extraordinary spirit.

These co-workers divided the plan catch him in his government work, and they couldn't find anything because he possessed an extraordinary spirit. You know what you should pray every time you go to work, whether you work on Wall Street or at the U.N., whether you work on Broadway or you play professional sports, whether you're working in the finance or the medical field or in technology? Pray this in the mornings. God, give me an extraordinary spirit, that no one can find fault in me in the job that I'm doing, that I'm walking as an example. That will please God. But, your enemies will come against you, because they don't want to see that. You're the moral compass. You're a moral compass. So what happened was these co-workers devised a plan to catch him in his commitment to God, that they would try to get him. He would be penalized for praying. That's what they were trying to get him. They said, we can't get him on the job, but we can get him with his commitment to God. For us today, it's going to be the same thing. For us today, it's going to be, we can't get him on the job. Well, let me just say this. We're praying they can't get you on the job. We've got to walk with an extraordinary spirit. We have to walk with a godly spirit. Folks, I'm just telling you, the Bible even tells us, I have to say this, when you work, the Bible says, you can work for an ungodly boss. The Bible talks about that. But you're not working for them. You're working as unto the Lord. That's what it says. Don't say, I don't like my supervisor. It doesn't matter. You love God. So do what's right. Let God work all the details out. My job is to please him. Then he will put me at peace with all my enemies. Now, Daniel has enemies. Daniel is now a target for, and I'm telling you, what's going to be attacked may not be the praying part, but it will be what your biblical stance is on issues. They're going to ask you. There's going to come certain months of the year. They're going to ask, do this, celebrate this, do all these things. And you're going to have to say, based on what this Bible says, I can't do that. You will become a target. No matter how high you up are in the process. Folks, I'm just telling you what's happening. You can look at me like you're going, wow, this is why I didn't want to come to this church today. So just stay with me for just a second. So verse 7, all the commissioners of the kingdom, the Bible says, and the satraps, the prefects and the satraps, the high officials and the governors, have consulted together that the king should establish a statute to enforce an injunction

that anyone who makes a petition to any God. They're thinking about Daniel here. So this is all bogus. They're not trying to get anyone. They're trying to get Daniel. Makes a petition to any God or man besides you, O king, for 30 days shall be cast into the lion's den. They knew they were going to get Daniel. Because Daniel's the man that prays. Daniel's the man that prays three times a day. So they knew they were going to get him. And the Bible says so, when Daniel knew that the document was signed, he entered his house, now on his roof chamber, opened the windows towards, I just love that part in parentheses. It wasn't like he was even hiding. It was like, I'm going to pray. I know that there was an edict to get thrown into the lion's den. And Daniel, can you imagine him getting up in the morning, opening up the windows and going, hello, Holy Spirit. And there he is. And the Bible says this and he continued kneeling on his knees three times a day, praying and giving thanks before his God. And he is, as he had been doing previously, the Bible says, and these men came by agreement, found Daniel making petition and supplication before his God. Why? Because they knew he was doing this every day, three times a day. Then they approached and spoke before the king about the king's injunction. Did you not sign an injunction that any man who makes a petition to any God or man beside you, O king, for 30 days to be cast into the lion's den? The king replied, the statement is true according to the law of the Medes and the Persians, which may not be revoked. Then they answered and spoke before the king, Daniel, ah, the extraordinary spirit, the guy you thought was so great, is one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention to you, which is not true, O king, or to the injunction which you sign, but keeps making petition three times a day. Then as soon as the king heard this statement, he was deeply distressed and set his mind on trying to deliver Daniel even until sunset, he kept exerting himself to rescue him. The king was bound to punish Daniel, which he didn't want to do. And now Daniel would be thrown into a lion's den. But always remember this, always keep this in mind, when a man's ways are pleasing to the Lord, even his enemies will be at peace with him. And the very things that the enemies wanted to do was to get this man destroyed by lions. You're going to see something extraordinary. You're going to see this verse played out. Then the king gave orders and Daniel was brought in and cast into the lion's den. The king spoke and said to Daniel, your God, whom you constantly serve, will himself deliver you. I love that part. This is a king saying, this

isn't even three Hebrew children going, God will deliver us. The king saying, you serve God, he's going to take care of you. And a stone was brought, laid over the mouth of the den and the king sealed it with his own signet ring. And when the signet ring of his noblest But nothing would be changed in regard to Daniel. Oh, they may have put a stone over that. Sounds kind of like a resurrection, but something was about to happen. They put a stone over that tomb. They thought Jesus was dead. They put a stone over this very lion's den, and I'm telling you, there's another resurrection here. The king went off to his palace, spent the night fasting. No entertainment was brought before him. His sleep fled from him. Then the king arose at dawn, break of day. Sounds like a resurrection morning. Went in haste to the lion's den. When he came near to the den of Daniel, he cried out with a troubled voice. The king spoke and said, Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you constantly serve, been able to deliver you from the lions? Can you imagine, as everybody is waiting here, all the guys that threw him in there are just going, yes, he's been eating lion's food, he's gone. And all of a sudden is the stillness of the air and the cave that they rolled the stone over and put in these lions. And all of a sudden, you hear this.

O king, live forever! He goes, my God sent his angels and shut the lion's mouth and they have not harmed me in as much as I was found innocent before him. Also, towards you, O king, I've committed no crime. He's still defending his king, no crime here. And all of a sudden, then the king was pleased, gave orders for Daniel to be taken out of the den. So Daniel was taken out of the den. No injury was found on him because he had trusted in his God. Then the king gave orders and brought the men who had accused Daniel, cast them, their children, their wives into the lion's den. And they didn't even reach the bottom of the den before the lions overpowered them and crushed all those bones. This God who shut the lion's mouth, reopened the lion's mouth and said, no weapon formed against my people shall prosper. Then, then Darius, the king wrote to all the people's nations and men of every language who are living in the land, may your peace abound. I make a new decree that in all the dominion of my kingdom, men are to fear and tremble before the God of Daniel. He is the living God and enduring forever. His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed. His dominion will be, hallelujah, forever. He delivers and rescues. He performed signs and wonders in heaven and on earth who has also delivered Daniel from the power of the lions.

So this Daniel enjoyed success in the reign of Darius and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian. Daniel made it because Daniel pleased God. Hallelujah. Listen to me. Daniel did not stop praying. He did not stop praying. He did not stop and say, oh, I've got to fail. I can't do this. Daniel kept right on praying. Opened the windows and prayed. Daniel continued to pray because it pleased God. When you stop doing what you will be told is illegal, immoral, and against company policies, then you lose the fight. Daniel did what was forbidden to him. You lose the fight. Daniel did what was forbidden because God saw it as honoring him. We are approaching a new moment in our culture, a moment that really says, as they did in the early church, we must obey God rather than men. I'm telling you today, folks, the disciples in Acts were told not to speak in Jesus's name. Don't use that name, Jesus. It's easy to do it in church when Ricardo and Elder Vicki are telling you this thing. We speak the name of Jesus. That's easy in here.

Speak it out there. We can say, come on the streets. We shouted on the streets. Folks, that's really gonna be the test. This is what it says. When they brought them, the disciples, they stood them before the council. The high priest questioned them, saying, we gave you strict orders not to continue teaching in this name, and yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, intending to bring this man's blood upon us. But Peter and the apostles answered and said, we must obey God rather than men. Then the God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you put to death by hanging him on a cross. He is the one whom God exalted to his right hand as prince and savior to grant repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins, and we are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him. This is amazing. We ought to obey God rather than men. Think about this for just a moment. Daniel kept praying when we're told to stop. The apostles kept saying Jesus died for your sins when they're told to stop. What we are told to stop is the very thing that pleases God. So I'm gonna say, keep on going.

Keep doing what God has asked you to do. I had a pastor call me a few years ago. Said he's in a fight with all of his leaders and his church board. He said, I need advice. He said, I don't know what to do. I feel like I'm fighting this internal battle. He said, I had one denominational leader talk about, well, read these men the bylaws and you can start working through the bylaws. Another young pastor, his peer said, we'll get more people on the board and outnumber the ones that you don't like. And another guy said, well, why don't you just get a lawyer and then you start fighting these people. And he looked at me, he said, what do you think I should do with these three things? I said, none of them. I said, it's all wrong. He said, I said, your denomination leader is wrong. All of your hip friends, they're wrong too. I said, you may be the problem. He said, what? I said, you're the problem. Because the Bible says when a man's ways are pleasing to the Lord, he makes his enemies to be at peace with him. I said, if your enemies are not at peace, let me just tell you this. I said, you gotta look at your own heart and say,

am I doing what's pleasing to God? I said, you're looking to leaders and lawyers, look to God and say, am I pleasing you? Then fight this battle for me today. That's what we have to do. To fight the devil, the Bible says, submit to God. It says, therefore, submit to God, resist the devil, and he will flee from you. To fight my enemies, I must please God. When a man's ways are pleasing to the Lord, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him. To fight the enemy, I submit to God. To fight the enemy, which is people, I pursue to please God. See, pleasing God is a learning process. It's an ambition that we have to have. Listen to these words, Ephesians 5, 10. Trying to learn, Paul says, what is pleasing to the Lord? He says, I'm always trying to learn what pleases God. He later on says in 2 Corinthians 5, 9, therefore, we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to him. An angel shut the mouths of lions against Daniel, reopened them for his accusers. Lions intended for you to open up their mouths against, I'm sorry, lions intended for you will open up their mouths for your enemies. Do you have enemies? Then those who plot your demise and destruction, then what do you do with those moments?

You pursue to please God. Listen, I understand this. I told you last week, we're in a little bit of a fight that, as we've told you, that we wanna answer, we wanna answer Times Square by putting LED walls on the building on the corner. We wanna answer it that way. And we're in a little bit of a fight. And I'm just going, God, I can't fight this. We're gonna just have to make sure we please you and let you fight this battle for us. We're gonna have to let you begin that those that don't want that word to go out and rather have the stuff that's up there. I said, then God, we're gonna have to trust you. But I think God is beginning to speak to us that I'll tell you later about what we're seeing take place and what God may be even giving us even a greater footprint to answer the billboards on Times Square. I do, I want Jesus shouted from the streets, not just inside of a building. I want the message outside these doors. And I wanna do that. I want you to jot this down. And this is so important. I started to go through the scriptures. Then what pleases God? God, if you said that when a man's ways please me, I will fight for you. I will make enemies at peace with you.

I'll remove them. I'll turn lions upon them, gallows, but I'll begin to fight for you. So I started to ask myself, what pleases God? Jot these down. Number one, the fear of the Lord pleases God. Listen to Psalm 147, 11. But the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love. You know what else pleases God? Faith, faith pleases him. And without faith, it's impossible to what? For whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him. You know what else pleases God? Doing God's will. Hebrews 13, 20. Now the God of peace that brought you again from the dead of our Lord Jesus Christ, the great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, may you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight. through Jesus Christ to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. Okay, young people get ready for this. You're not going to like it. You know what else pleases God honoring your parents. Yeah, I knew that there'd be an older Amen. And here, children, be obedient to your parents and all things. For this is well pleasing to the Lord, all the next gen are going, okay,

continue on to the very next one. Let's go on to the next one. But that pleases God, please God and no fight your enemies. Listening to Jesus and following his example. Listen to Matthew 17, five, while he spake, behold, a great cloud overshadowed them and he behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved son in whom I am what? Well, please then listen to him, hear he him. Listen to what God says the one I'm pleased with follow him. And finally, you know what else pleases God by giving God a sacrifice of praise. Listen to Hebrews 1315, as the band comes by him. Therefore, let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually. That is the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. But to do good and to communicate forget not for with such sacrifices, God is what well pleased. This is so important. Let me just go just a little bit deeper here just for a moment, just for a moment. Because this sacrifice of praise, let's just take that one for just a second. Could you just ask her? Could you? Could you turn the keyboard down just a little bit in the monitors a little too loud for me? Just for a moment, I want you just to listen. Because even he says, if you want to please God, it's honoring parents following what Jesus said, doing his will. It's beginning to realize all these things, the fear of the Lord. But even if you just take this last one, let's take one that would be a little bit easier for some of us. When we give a sacrifice of praise, God is honors. Can I tell you, I was reading through the book of Psalms of all the different expressions of praise. I want to just read them to you. You know what it talks about? You want to talk these expressions of praise from the Psalms that you see happening when you come into this church. Number one, Psalm 47. One says this, you should be

clapping before the Lord. That's why it's okay when a song is done for you to clap, to clap when the song is going on. You know what else it says? Standing. Psalm 44, it talks about, I'm sorry, singing. Psalm 33, one, sing to the Lord. I'm just, I'm sorry, I've turned the thing. There you go. Thank you. Singing. Psalm 33, one, it's just singing before the Lord. So which means as you're there, clapping, open up your mouth. Sing the words that are on the screen while I'm singing in my head. No, sing with your mouth and open up your lips. You know what else? You can praise the Lord with instruments. Psalm 150, when you look at these musicians as they're playing, as they're beginning to play their string instruments. I look over here at our drummer. I see JD. He's got this giant smile. If there was ever somebody that said at the crashing of the, praise him with the crashing of the symbol. He's a symbol crasher. That's what he does. He crashes symbols, but he doesn't do it for you. He does it as unto the Lord. That's what he does. So while you're going like, hey, I wish that guy would come down and that little fish tank over there. I wish he wouldn't say anything. I wish he would just come down. Hey, crash the symbols and go ahead and let God be pleased with what you're doing. He's trying to please God, not you. Psalm 44 says, stand in the presence of God. So that while you're sitting there on your phone, trying to text God, just stand and worship me. Stand in awe of who I am. It also says kneeling in Psalm 95, six to go ahead and begin to kneel before him. Tough in here in a Broadway theater to kneel, but also says Psalm 63, four to lift up hands before the Lord. Worship him with your hands. The hands that would clap are also the hands that would go up. The Bible says you, Oh, you're not going to like this

one. Dance before the Lord in Psalm 149, verse three. Some of you don't want to dance in a club, but when it comes to church, something comes over you. And all of a sudden you're sophisticated that when the Bible is so, so incredible, because it says, it tells us in Romans chapter six, it says that the same way. Oh, let me read it to you. I wasn't planning on doing this. It's not this. Why not? Let me just go ahead. Let's go for broke here for just one moment. In fact, do what do what that says. Would you stand with me as I read this very bad passage to you? Listen to these words, Romans chapter six, and it says these words, it says, do you not know this is verse 16. Do you not Know that when you present yourselves to someone as a slave of obedience, you are slaves to the one whom you obey, and sin resulting, um, uh, no, I'm sorry, verse 19. Yeah, that's it. Verse 19. Here it is. Listen to these words. Romans 6, 19. I'm going to speak in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. Just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification. You know what he's saying? The same intensity that you used to do it at the club. He says, I'm just reading it to you. Listen. He said, for just as so now, for just as you used to go out on Friday and Saturday night, just as you're going, Knicks, the Knicks, the Knicks, the Knicks. He's worthy to be praised. It should be louder at 51st and Broadway than at Madison Square Garden because he is worthy. Hallelujah. If you don't know what to do, Psalm 121 says in those lift your eyes, lift your eyes into what you just did. Psalm 100. Shout to the Lord. Shout to the Lord. Clap. Psalm 47. Sing. Psalm 33. Instruments. Psalm 150. Stand. Psalm 4. Kneel.

Psalm 95. Lift hands. Psalm 63. Dance. Psalm 149. Lift your eyes. Psalm 121. Shout. Psalm 100. It's called the sacrifice of praise. It's praising God. Here it comes. Despite your personality. It's doing what, here it comes. Oh, here it comes. It's doing what pleases Him than what, instead of what's comfortable to you. Oh, Jesus. It's about pleasing. Folks, I'm just, that's what, this is what it says. How do you worship Him? He doesn't leave it to you. He doesn't leave it to your personality. He says, clap, shout, dance, stand, kneel, lift up your heads, lift up your eyes. He says, that's what I want. And some of you have chosen what you're comfortable with instead of what pleases Him and wondering why your enemies are not being defeated. I'm telling you today, please God. Please God today. The Lord is my light and my salvation. Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the defense of my life. Whom shall I dread? When the evildoers come upon me to devour my flesh. That's the song we sing, Breakthrough. I always used to be offended, not offended, I always used to feel uncomfortable. Elder Vickie would sing Breakthrough and he'd go, the enemies come and devour my flesh. I used to go, what are people coming in off the streets thinking? Like they're going like, what kind of church is this? They come devour my flesh. And Elder Vickie, I mean, she's jumping and looking up and when the enemy comes in and devour my flesh. I could just see people going like, that lady's out of her mind. Like the song you sang, they may think we're out of our mind. It's the Bible. It says my adversaries and my enemies, they stumbled and fell. Though a host encamp against me, my heart will not fear. Though war arise against me, in spite of all this, I shall be confident. For in the day of trouble, he will conceal me in his tabernacle. In the secret place of his tent, he will hide me. He will lift me up on a rock. Here it comes. Now my head will be lifted up above my enemies that are around me. I will offer in his 10 sacrifices with shouts of joy. I will sing. Yes, I will sing praises to God because he has done mighty things. He has delivered me. He has set me free. When my ways are pleasing to him, even my enemies are at peace. Even my enemies are at peace. Don't mention who they are. How many have enemies? Would you raise your hand? Raise your hand. How many don't know you have enemies yet? Would you raise your hand? Let me help you. You got enemies. How do I fight them, pastor? Please, God. Please, God. We sing the song, you are the undefeated one. My light and my salvation. When the wicked, my enemies and my foes came upon me. Here's the part. This is the cringe part. To eat up my flesh,

they stumbled and fell. Omnipotent almighty defender, my victory, my refuge, the one I run to. And then you begin to declare you are the God. You are the God of the breakthrough. You'll shut lion's mouths. You'll take gallows that were meant for me and turn it against my enemies. You'll defend your people. No weapon formed against me can prosper. Then we sing breakthrough. You are the God of the breakthrough. When I can't see my, and I really don't know, I look to you. Breakthrough. Walls fall down when I shout through. Storm holes break when I pray through. So I'm going to praise you. You are the God. You are the God of the breakthrough. Hallelujah. And then we get to that part. Breakthrough. Breakthrough in my heart. Breakthrough in my mind. Breakthrough in my spirit. Breakthrough in my soul. Breakthrough in my weakness. Breakthrough in my struggle. You are the God. You are the God of breakthrough in my worship. Breakthrough in my praise. Breakthrough when I lift and glorify your name. Breakthrough when I dance. Breakthrough in my heart. Breakthrough in my mind. Breakthrough in my soul. Breakthrough in my weakness. Breakthrough in my struggle. You are the God. You are the God of breakthrough in my worship. Breakthrough in my praise. Breakthrough when I lift and glorify your name. Breakthrough. One more time. One more time. Heart and mind. Heart and mind. Breakthrough in my heart. Breakthrough in my mind. Breakthrough in my spirit. Breakthrough in my soul. Breakthrough in my weakness. Breakthrough in this world. You are the God of the breakthrough in my worship. Breakthrough in my praise. Breakthrough when I lift and glorify your name. Breakthrough in a dance. Breakthrough in a shout. You are the God of the breakthrough. You are the God of the breakthrough. When I can't see, I really don't know what to do. I know to you I'll break through. Walk on down. Sure goes right. So I'm gonna break through. You are the God of the breakthrough. You are the God of the breakthrough. When I can't see, I really don't know what to do. I know to you I'll break through. Walk on down. Sure goes right. So I'm gonna break through. Sing that bridge. Come on. Lift your hands. Breakthrough in my heart. Come on, church. Breakthrough in my mind. Breakthrough in my spirit. Breakthrough in my soul. Breakthrough in my weakness. Breakthrough in this world. You are the God of the breakthrough in my worship. Breakthrough in my praise. Breakthrough when I lift and glorify your name. Breakthrough in a dance. Breakthrough in a shout. Praise the room of hope!

Praise to the Mother of God! Praise to theexistence! Praise to the soul! Praise to the completeness! Praise to the renewal! Praise to the apostle God! Praise to the extraordinarily splendid works! Praise praise praise! CONGREGATION yeah CONGREGATION NAMATA erk more than that! Yeah!! Praise Jesus for it is true! You are the God of the breakthrough! You are the God of the breakthrough! When I can't see my way And I really don't know Just what to do I know to you Won't slow down Won't slow down Won't slow down I'm gonna praise you I'm gonna praise you You are the God You are the God Praise you Praise you Praise you

Praise you Praise you Praise you When a man's ways are pleasing to the Lord He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him Some of you have fought the wrong battles Please God Do His will Fear the Lord Give Him a sacrifice of praise Follow Jesus That's how God begins to work on your behalf He shuts the mouths of lions He takes what devices that have been supposed to come against you And folks, the enemies are going to increase today We need people that please God today That's our pursuit Please God today So you start today by worship Don't be offended I haven't talked about worship It's to get us pleasing God on every capacity I'm just gonna tell you

I need God fighting on my behalf How many need God working and fighting on your behalf? I do. I need it And finally, you know what pleases God? And I'll close with this What pleases God more than when lives turn their life over to Jesus Christ When they just say come and change me I just don't know how you fight I don't know how you win without Christ. I can't win without Jesus Then it's a fight Then you have to go after people You make the enemy Can I just tell you this? I want you to hear me good My enemies are not people from different religions I let God take care of that Do I believe that Jesus is the way to heaven? Of course I do because Jesus said it Jesus who cannot lie. I believe that But I'm not fighting people. I'm called to love people Let Him fight those battles So if those people are angry with me I let God fight that What do I have to do? I just please Him

I please Him and let Him fight the battles for me I don't have to fight those battles I don't have to fight them on my job I don't have to fight them in the streets I don't have to stand in the subway and wait for a train God fights those battles God fights those battles How do you make it without Christ inside of your life? How do you make it without a faith in Jesus that says, please me and I'll fight your battles I'll deal with enemies Bow your head with me please for just a second It's not an evangelistic message but I just It's not an evangelistic message but I just have to make a call to those that would say I want I want that I want a breakthrough in my life I need I need God on the inside I need Jesus to come in and take over my life I need a God that shuts the mouths of lions When we talk about peace with our enemies, we're talking about pleasing God

We're not fighting people This isn't a battle against people We love people My goal is to please God The greatest way you can please God is surrender your life to Him Surrender your life to Him I have no other way to say it Surrender your life to Him If you're here today and you say Pastor Tim, would you pray Would you pray I need a breakthrough in my life I need God to come in and change me I need Him to break up hard ground, I need Him to break up the cynicism, I need Him to break up the hardness, I need a breakthrough I need God in my life We're going to close here in two minutes But if you're here today and say I need God in my life today Would you just pray for me All I'm going to ask you to do is raise your hand Hold your hand up as high as you can I want to see it Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. Come on, pray this with me. Say, Jesus, I need you in my life. I need a miracle. Come in and change me. From the inside out, I receive you as Lord and Savior. The Jesus who resurrected from the dead. Come and change me. Forgive me of my sins. Change my life. May today be breakthrough. In Jesus' name.

And everybody said, Amen, and Amen, and Amen, and Amen, and Amen. Do me a favor, if you prayed that prayer, you can text the word decided to 51,000 online. You can just type growth. If you also prayed it, we have teams over here at Exit 7. They can meet with you for just about five minutes, get you a Bible. But man, I want a breakthrough. Anybody with me? Let's please God today. Let's sing just this as we close, and then we'll pray you right out of here. This will be your dismissal. You are dismissed while they're singing, and our prayer teams will come up. Come on. Tell the person next to you, say, I want a breakthrough. God bless you.