Red Flags and Roses | Read The Room | Kyle Rodgers

City first put those hands together give Jesus one big shot of praise All of our locations are locked in Cape Coral Janesville God behind bars. It's a great day to be in God's house. Amen Amen. Hey, I'm honored that I get a chance to bat lead-off in a brand new series called red flags and roses It's a relationship series where we are taking a look over the next month at relationships from a number of different perspectives Now if you're new to city first you return here from Easter and no matter where you find yourself on your faith journey I believe that this is going to be a pivotal series that could mark the rest of our year because how many would agree? Relationships matter because people matter Okay, that's 15 people. That's enough to keep preaching. Here we go The other part of this is while people are God's greatest and best creation. They're also his messiest Okay, it got quiet there. We in the right spot to start. There it is So today's message if you're taking notes, it's called stay guarded stay guarded The scriptural reference for this comes from Proverbs chapter 4 and verse 23 and it reads like this above all else guard your heart for Everything you do flows from it. I'm gonna read it again above all else guard your For everything you do flows from it The tone of the book of Proverbs is a father speaking to his children in many cases specifically his son So there's big-time masculine energy that you'll find in the book of Proverbs It's not talking at someone or yelling to them It is literally just pulling up a chair at a coffee shop Look at a young man dead in his face and going I would love for you To know the wisdom that I have found so that you can live a life giving Experience here on earth that that glorifies God and blesses other people around you It's in this now that King Solomon is writing this and he's Communicating this message to not only his children But to those of us who lean in to the Proverbs as well And you'll find a very interesting word in the book of Proverbs verse 23 of chapter 4 It says the word guard guard in the original language literally means something active Something intentional it requires Effort if you're gonna guard your heart, you're not gonna guard your heart on accident You're gonna guard your heart because you meant to do so and notice the priority level that Solomon places on

Guarding your heart. He says above all else not second not when it's convenient, but first and foremost guard your Heart because everything that happens out of your life flows through it Directly pointing here to a skill called wisdom Wisdom is not a feeling Wisdom is not a post Wisdom is not a one-liner that got dropped in your group chat wisdom is a skill to be cultivated and Developed and the productivity of wisdom is shown by having active boundaries in your life Boundaries matter because boundaries are involved in all of the relationships that we share in our lives I want to pause right here just for a moment and let you know that there's a book that I'll cross-reference a little bit Today the book is called boundaries by dr. Henry cloud and dr. Townsend. The reason why I referenced this book is for one reason one reason alone Dr. Cloud and dr. Townsend take time to extract Biblical principles to help us to put boundaries into the relationships that connect our Lives in the book. They actually unpack seven different Relationship arenas if you will for the sake of our time today, we'll look at four of them in particular These four arenas of relationships impact us. The first one is family How many know the phrase she get it from a mama might actually be true We Talk about family family is the default wiring For how we have relationships how we handle pressure How we navigate conflict how we deal with the holidays. Come on somebody Yeah, these these things happen because we're in relationships with family another arena of relationships is the relationships with friends Why can't we be friends? I'll tell you why And Relationships they either flourish or die right here when it comes to the healthiness of boundaries I'll give you one in particular in every friendship There's got to be at least one person that knows how to use one word two letters. No Okay, it's quiet that means I got to the right spot in every friendship somebody has to be able to activate the word No. Any strong friends in here,

you're the strong one in the relationship, just wave a hand at me, let me know. Okay, cool, cool, cool. I'm gonna do you a favor right here. I'm gonna give you seven days of PTO from being a strong friend. There it is, absolutely. Some of y'all nervous, because you're like, I don't know what to do with myself. I can tell you what to do. Go have fun, enjoy yourself. But in the meantime, when they text you and ask for prayer, text them back, you pray for yourself this week. Somebody's like, that's harsh, no, that's real. I hear being strong for everybody else, but crumbling behind the scenes, come on. Yeah, five people, that's enough to keep preaching. There it is, there it is. Another relationship arena is the relationship we have with ourselves. This one might shock you a little bit, because the relationship you have with yourself often determines the relationship you will have with others. An area of boundaries that we have to investigate personally. Do we have the inability to delay gratification? Like, do I have to have that pair of shoes? Do I have to get those new rims on my car? Do I have to, you fill in the blank. Here we go, do I have to buy the thing I saw

when I was doom scrolling on Instagram? Okay, y'all judging me, I'm not gonna talk to them over here. The relationship you have with yourself, are you able to delay gratification? Are you able to keep up with the commitments that you have made to yourself in the self-imposed deadlines? Boundaries that help a healthy relationship with ourselves to remain healthy or to become healthy. And last arena we'll discuss really quickly is the relationship we have with God. I'm concerned, and I'll tell you where my concern comes from. I'm a pastor's kid, which means I've been to more services than any human being should ever have to go to. But I've also been a pastor for almost two decades now. And the relationship with God, I notice sometimes there's a distorted view of God in relationship because of unhealthy relational patterns that we have projected on him. Like if he's only good when we feel blessed, is he actually good at all? I'm from the old school, so God is good? And all the time? If you don't remember anything else that I say today, I'd love for you to write this down and take it with you. Every relationship in your life is only as healthy as the boundaries that guard it. This is why I encourage you to stay guarded, not defensive. Dr. Cloud in his book, Boundaries,

actually says it like this, that a boundary is a fence with a door. It's not a wall to keep things out. It's a fence with a door so that you can control what comes in and control what goes out. For working definition of boundaries, let's establish today that a boundary is a God-given property line that determines who has access to what God placed inside of you, at what level, and for what season. Let's stay right there with that quote just for a moment, that working definition. Let's go back to that just for a second because that property line that we have, it determines who has access to, here we go, what God placed inside of you. How many know not everyone is going to understand the purpose that God has given you? And it's not everyone's responsibility to do so. But it is our responsibility to cultivate that God-given purpose and make sure, here we go, not that we have walls, but that we have lines to know where someone's opinion stops and where the truth of God's word begins. When I think of access, I think of, I went to go visit a friend of mine who plays football and I had a ticket to get into the game, but to get to the place where he was going to be after the game, I had to have a wristband. Now, the people who were in the stadium,

they all had tickets, they all got in, but you had to have something different to be able to gain access to this specific space. I'm concerned that in relationships, just because people are around us doesn't mean that we should give them access to what's going on in our lives. Here we go, not because they are a problem, but because we have to make sure that they have proven that they're supposed to be in that space. And the last step of that working definition is to know how long people should be or what season of life people should be a part of this journey with us. I like to say it like this, some people in our lives are seasonal and some people in our lives add seasoning. You know what a seasonal person is, right? Seasonal person is someone who they were good for that 60, 90, three years, 60, 90, 100 days, three years that they were connected to it. Like they added value. Sometimes this is a mentor. Sometimes this is a coach. Sometimes this is a teacher sometime. Here we go Sometimes it was somebody you were dating and realized that after day 93, they were no longer good for you anymore Okay, y'all want to be quiet today, all right They were seasonal but then some people are they just add Seasoning I'm from the south. I'm from Florida. I don't trust food. That does not have the right Seasoning come on somebody. Yeah. Yeah, you understand what I'm talking about. Thank there it is right there. Yeah back home We say child you put your foot in that thing Let's you know, they got seasoning you gotta ask yourself when it comes to the people around you Are you better when you leave them or are you becoming bitter because you wasted time with them?

Here we go Am I angry when I leave you or am I at peace I didn't mean to describe your last holiday with your in-laws Who who's in your life, oh they add in seasoning my wife and I will celebrate 15 years of marriage this year I was just talking to say yeah, amen Amen We are so in love right now, let me tell you right now Mm-hmm I was talking to somebody the other day. They said Kyle was one of the greatest decisions you ever made I said it's easy two of them serving Jesus with my life and marrying the woman that I found Yeah, I'll tell you why I'll tell you why One of my favorite things about my wife One of the ways that she adds seasoning to my life is that she is willing to walk with me Through the developmental process of who I have been and who I'm becoming and she encourages me every step of the journey Cuz I may know you don't need to be married to somebody who you bout to bust the windows out their car I'm from the hip-hop generation. If you couldn't tell it's bound to come out at any moment. Here's a principle I need you to take with you. Whatever you let in finds its way out and your thoughts your words your decisions and your Relationships. This is why Solomon is adamant guard your heart set a boundary above all else stay guarded Because out of it flows all of the matters of life. I Said it earlier, but I'm gonna say it again because I believe that repetition make sure that we understand what is valuable and what we need to remember Every relationship in your life is only as healthy as the boundaries that guard it Without boundaries people can take more than they should Speak into places they haven't earned Influence areas that don't belong to them. I Never forget. It's at every Transitional chapter of my life. I Told you we've been married almost 15 years when I was getting ready to get married. I never got more unsolicited advice in my life

And I had to run it through the filter of how does your marriage look Because I'm not judging anyone but we have been called to inspect fruit Don't tell me it's an apple, but it looks like an orange How did you investigate in that chapter are you and your spouse roommates or are y'all still in love Come on I know we go through tough chapters. I know there's rocky seasons, but just one example. I need to here we go I'm looking for consistency not perfection over time Without boundaries you become drained Confused and disconnected from who God created you to be Now it's probably fair for here for me to step back and acknowledge in front of you that um at some points I'm gonna get passionate about this message And I'm not getting passionate and angry and yelling at you I just I get amped up because I lived a lot of my young adult life Teenage years and young adult life is what I would consider to be an unboundaried individual I'm gonna say this please guard your mind not to let it go to some area of wild sin Bring your thoughts back for a moment and go being unboundary just means here we go I didn't have a property line for who I allowed in or what I allowed to stay And when this happens You forget what your responsibilities actually are and you're moved by anything and everything that happens around you Dr. Cloud says it like this in his book, we are responsible to others and for ourselves. Sometimes I think we get it confused and believe that we are responsible for others and to ourselves. When in actuality, no, you are responsible to others and for yourself. A scriptural example of this,

Paul, who is a church planter and a leader, someone who mentors a lot of leaders himself, makes this statement in the book of Galatians chapter six in verse two, he says, bear one another's burdens. And then in chapter six in verse five, just three verses later, he says, each one shall carry his own load. Notice there's two things to carry here. Number one, you carry another's burdens, but number two, everyone has the personal responsibility to carry their own load. Let me dive into this for a moment. When he says to bear one another's burdens, this means that sometimes you are the one who's been earmarked, you've been trained, you've been developed, you've been cultivated, life experiences, the word of God, the spirit of God speaking to you, giving you wisdom through the word and life experiences. You can carry certain things that other people cannot. Some of you know what this feels like in your own family units, where you are the one that carries certain things for the family because no one else is going to be able to break the cycle because no one else has been called to break the cycle. You're bearing burdens for others. I had an example of this the other day. I had to buy a new lawnmower. And when we went to go get the box,

the box weighed 80 pounds. How much does the box weigh? 80 pounds. My daughter, she's 10 years old. She was really, she got nervous for a moment. She goes, dad, this box weighs 80 pounds. Are you gonna be able to carry this? I said, I appreciate your concern for my muscles and my ACLs, come on. I said, but I need you to do some quick math. What's eight times four? She says 32. I said, so what's 80 times four? She says 320. I said, that's what I just lifted and deadlifted at the gym the other day. We gonna be all right. Got the box in the car, got home. The two days later, there was a 40 pound box that was at the front door. And my son, who's six, said, dad, I wanna try to carry this box inside. I said, son, yes, you do. I said, now lift with your legs. My man don't know what that means yet, so he's full on back lifting right now. Stuff you can do at six. You can't do that at 41, come on. So he's going to lift. I said, all right, breathe.

And all of a sudden, I hear this noise. It's this, eep. I said, you all right? He's like, eep. I said, well, here's what we gonna do. I'm gonna go carry the other side of the box and I want you to take the back end. Because any good dad will tell you that I'm not just trying to take away an opportunity to help you grow. So I got all about 38 and a half pounds in my hands and he got the rest of it in his. And we're moving the box in the house, sets it down. He about faints and I go, you gonna be all right? What are you saying, Kyle? Sometimes you bear the burdens because you carry things someone else can't carry. But at some point, you gotta set it down. Here's the other side. Don't take away the opportunity for others to take personal responsibility and carry their own stuff. It gets tough here because sometimes you see people carrying it and you go, you're not carrying it right. How many would agree sometimes pain is the greatest professor? Come here. Sometimes they're not carrying it at all and it's causing disappointment or pain to others.

But how many know if we rob people of the opportunity to take personal responsibility, we have crossed over the boundary ourselves. We gotta leave space for people to grow, develop. Here we go. And prove that they are ready for the access we would like to give them. Here's a challenge. Many of us were taught love means no limits. Caring, caring for people means saying yes all the time. Being kind means avoiding tension. But that's not always healthy. You know what is healthy? Knowing what is yours to carry is only half of the equation. The other half is who you are walking with while you carry it. This now interjects, if you will, an opportunity for us to not just look at the relationships that we have, but also look at the individuals we're walking with in those relationships. The book of Psalms, at the very beginning, chapter number one, gives us a process, if you will, for investigating who we walk with. Then it reads like this. Blessed is the one who doesn't walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers. Notice there are three different postures that the writer points to here.

It's walk, stand, and sit. These three break themselves down and help us to see that most boundary issues don't begin with big moments. They start very small and escalate quickly. The first one, be careful where you walk. Why? Because you are going to be moving in the direction of their advice. You gotta be careful whose advice you take in the culture we live in. You gotta investigate that advice to see if it lines up with scripture. I was in a conversation with someone just recently, it was a little small group conversation, and there was an older gentleman that was talking to a younger guy. An older gentleman looked at the younger guy and said, hey man, whatever you decide, just listen to your heart. And I hate being in those moments, but now I'm caught in the middle. Because listen to your heart sounds good on like graduation cards and Instagram stories, but how many know listening to your heart ain't even biblical? You don't listen to your heart, it gets you heartbroken. You don't listen to your heart, it gets you, don't forget Jeremiah 17 and nine, your heart is deceitful, and above all things, desperately wicked.

Rhetorical question next, who can know the depths of it? Why? Because the heart wants what the heart wants, and it's not going to stop at anything to get it. Why would you listen to something that could lead you down an unhealthy path? Be careful where you walk. The writer then says, walk, stand, standing. It's halfway, meeting temptation, halfway. You walk long enough, you end up moving in the direction of something that you were not designed to participate in. Growing up in high school, we had about 10 minutes in between periods, and so for nine and a half minutes, my homies and I would call, we used to post up in the hallway. Anybody ever posted up before? Might be a Florida thing, but just lean in with me for a moment. Posting up just means you would literally stand, you would back up against the wall. Teachers would be like, where y'all going? Nowhere. You going to class? Probably. When you going to get there? At some point. What y'all doing? We posted up. Okay.

Then you realize that fights broke out in the hallway just because people were standing around doing nothing but being posted up. You realize gossip would escalate from one person to 12 in a nine and a half minute period in high school. Why? Simply just because people was posted up. You realize that issues would escalate for no other reason than people acting like they didn't have nowhere else to go. They were just posted up. I'm concerned that this high school mentality has carried into our relationships. That we haven't made enough decisions about moving in the direction of something intentionally, therefore we just stood still. And in standing still, we're halfway between where we should be and possibly something that's disastrous for us. It's probably fair for me to stop here and just go, affairs don't start overnight. Divorce doesn't just show up with one conversation. Families don't have strife because of one argument. In many cases, it's because we just stood halfway, posted up, acting like everything was gonna be all right. Instead of having a posture, here we go, of moving in the direction of what's best. The writer says, we walk, we stand, and the last one is we sit. Sitting is the finality of this process.

And in this case, be careful that you're not sitting, here we go, in sin's seat, enjoying the pleasures of sin. God says the blessed man, the blessed individual in relationships is someone who pays attention to where they walk, where they stand, and where they sit. If not, these small steps escalate quickly. Adam and Eve show us what this is in real time. And you find this in the book of Genesis, the very first book of the Bible. Chapter number two, lean in with me really quick. Verse 15 says, the Lord God took the who, the man, and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. And the Lord God commanded the who, the man. You're free to eat from any tree in the garden, but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it, you will certainly die. Who did God talk to? The man. One chapter later, Genesis chapter number three, the Bible says this, now the serpent, hang on, was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. And he said to the, wait, time out. In chapter two, who did God talk to? In chapter three, who does the enemy talk to? The one. If I was back home, I'd say it like this, ain't it just like the devil?

That you're gonna try to creep your way into this relationship and find where the weak link is. And I'm not calling the woman the weak link, hear me. Y'all not getting me in trouble in any of these locations. Uh-uh, uh-uh, no ma'am, no sir. No, here's where the weak link was. The enemy didn't talk to the one who God talked to. He talked to the one who got secondhand information. And what does he say? Did God really say that? Did God really say you must not eat from any tree in the garden? The woman said to the serpent, we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say you must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die. What does the serpent say next? You will not certainly die, the serpent says to the woman. Notice that it's in this process now. That the enemy is getting the woman to rethink the boundary. This is what the serpent says. For God knows that when you eat it, when you eat from it, your eyes will be open and you will be like God, knowing good and evil. The boundary is clear, but it was questioned. And then it was adjusted, and then it was crossed. And that's often how it happens. Compromise is often the first move

before a boundary collapses. How do you know the boundary collapses? Because Adam eats this piece of fruit after he sees Eve take a bite and not drop dead. So Adam rationalizes in his mind that God must have made a mistake or that he's come up on some knowledge that God didn't want him to find. Please understand, it wasn't that God did not want them to participate in fruit from that tree. He just wanted it to take place in his timing and in his way. So he gave a boundary because he knew what was best. And sometimes what happens with us is that we cross boundaries when we try to get what we think is best and negate what God says is best. Genesis 3 and 12 always makes me mad when I read it. I'm getting heated right now just thinking about it. The Bible says this, the man said, the woman you put here with me, Adam, you ever read the Bible and just go Adam emphasis on dumb? Adam, not only did you blame Eve when God gave you the instruction, but now you're also looking at God saying, it's also your fault. Remember we talked earlier about the jaded perspective we have towards God. We're not looking at God saying, we talked earlier about the jaded perspective

we have towards God. Sometimes God gets the blame when we have to experience the consequences for decisions we made in living an unboundaried life. Can I stop right here and just encourage you? Having consequences doesn't mean God doesn't like you. It just means this is the result of the decision you made. But Adam not only blames God, he also blames Eve. Like Adam, where was the same energy a week ago when the candles was low and the music was on and Eve was fine and everything was right? Keep that same energy now. No, be careful. Because when boundaries are crossed in one area, boundaries continue to get crossed. This part of Genesis also reminds me of something that's said next in Psalm 1, not only verse one that we looked at, but now verse two. The Bible says that the blessed individual, they delight in the law of the Lord and meditate on his law day and night. Are you looking for a way to recognize who should be brought closer in relationship with you? How much of God's word do they, here we go, read, memorize, and put to work? Because patterns will tell you a lot about a person. And when you're deciding who's gaining access to you and how deeply are you involving them in the matters of your life, look at the patterns, not their promises.

Words can be empty, but actions can validate what you believe about someone. Character is what qualifies people for depth of relationship. Not history, not familiarity, not because they've been your A1 from day one, not because they went to high school with you. No, no, no, no, no. What are they actually doing? Here we go. And one of the worst things to consult when it comes to bringing people close are your feelings. No, this is heavy, I know. I'm Kyle, I'm your friend. Feelings make incredible indicators, but they're terrible drivers. So what do I look for, Kyle? You look for fruit of repentance in relationships. The standard is God's word. The standard is what he says is best. The standard is making sure that they are rising to the level of God's word, not moving down to the level of culture's expectations. It's probably fair to ask this question. What do I do when I need to redraw a line? We'll land the plane here. You forgive because God requires it. You reconcile because their character earns it. Kindness and clarity are not enemies. And the person who lives wise holds both at the same time.

Forgiving someone doesn't require them to apologize. Forgiving someone is an obedient next step that God has called us to as believers and followers of his. Jesus said in the gospels, if you don't forgive others, I won't forgive you. I don't know how much more clear it gets. Here's the hard part. Reconciliation isn't the same as forgiveness. I grew up hearing this over and over again. Forgiving someone is an obedient next step. Reconciliation isn't the same as forgiveness. I grew up hearing this over and over again. Forgive and no thank you. Forgetting gets you in the same cycle over and over again. If someone's behavior doesn't line up to the thing that they apologize for, you draw a new boundary and give them space to show you, here we go, that the repentance is not only in word, but it's also in deed. This'll help you. This'll help you not run and go save your adult kids anymore. Kyle, that's a little audacious to say. I know, but if I don't say it, how is it gonna come across? You're looking at someone that made a series of irresponsible financial decisions as a young adult. And I'll never forget what my dad said. He looked at me and said, Kyle, I'm not helping you. You're on your own, figure it out. If you want me to pray for you, I'm there. If you got questions, I'll answer, but this one's on you.

Years later, my mom said it was one of the hardest conversations they ever had with each other because she wanted to help. My dad said, if I come rescue him from this scenario, he will not become the man I believe he can become. To reconcile the relationship, I had to put in the work and take personal responsibility. One of my favorite moments in life is a few Christmases ago, I was able to gift my parents every dollar that they spent in helping me get out of certain situations I was in as a young adult. And I don't say that to be impressive. I say that because to whom much is forgiven, much is required. Stay guarded. And as a pastor, I know that in moments like these, they're very uncomfortable because we're being confronted with areas of our own lives that may be unboundaried or relationships that are on the proverbial struggle bus because of boundaries that either haven't been set or boundaries that have been crossed. Wherever you find yourself in this space, I just want you to know this one thing and. One thing alone. The faster you hand over your guilt and your shame, the quicker that you will receive from Jesus the healing and the help that he has, all it requires is a surrender. You know what surrender looks like? Laying it down on Sunday

and not going and picking it back up on Tuesday. Surrender looks like, God, in my hands it's chaos, but in your hands it becomes healed and complete. It just requires courage. Sometimes I find that courage in prayer. And in preparing for this message, I wrote a prayer that you can take a picture of, a screenshot, I'd take it with you all week long. As a matter of fact, I'm gonna ask you to read it with me. And I have it on the screen here. One, two, three. God, this is not easy, but you did not call me to easy. You called me to be healthy. Helped me to draw the lines that need drawing, have the conversations that need to happen and trust you with what comes next. In Jesus' name, amen. That took 20 seconds. But I believe in the principle that things compound. And if you do this every single day, I believe the results will compound as well. The hardest part of that prayer for me is, God, I'm gonna trust you with what comes next. In my hands, I feel like I'm in control, but the longer I live, the more I realize I'm not. And surrender is what's required. So in a moment, as you stand with me all across this room and all of our locations, come on, hop to your feet real quick. Our team is here and they're just gonna lead us

in a simple prayer. And it's a familiar chorus that many of us have sung called I Surrender All. But if you find yourself in a spot where there's a relationship or part of a relationship that needs the hand of God, I'm gonna ask you to be courageous for 30 seconds to just raise one or both of those hands, just as a sign that you're handing over to God that challenge in the relationship, and you're receiving from him the strength and the courage to take the next right step to move your story forward in this relationship. So many hands are lifted because these are people's lives and relationships that are on the line in this moment. As we lean in, let's declare this song out loud today. ♪ I surrender all ♪ ♪ I surrender all ♪ ♪ All to thee my blessed Savior ♪ ♪ I surrender all ♪ Come on, sing that again. ♪ I surrender all ♪ ♪ I surrender all ♪ ♪ All to thee my blessed Savior ♪ ♪ I surrender all ♪ ♪ All to thee, and all to thee my blessed Savior ♪ ♪ I surrender all ♪ ♪ I surrender all ♪ With heads bowed, with eyes closed, just for a moment.

I don't wanna leave this opportunity without giving someone the chance to surrender all to Jesus today. Every relationship your life will ever touch is fully impacted today and eternally by the decision you make to have relationship with Jesus now and forevermore. Hundreds of us have already made this decision and we know how important it is and we're all in this room, all of our locations gonna pray this simple prayer of commitment out loud. And all that matters is that with the words of your voice, you believe what you're saying in your heart and Scripture says you will have relationship with Jesus today and every day moving forward. So city first, let's pray this out loud like we mean it, Jesus, I need you. I've tried on my own and I failed. Today, I hand you my sin, I receive your forgiveness. I hand you my life, I receive your leadership. Be the Lord of my life and the King of my heart today and every day to come. In Jesus name, amen, amen. Come on, put those hands together. Wow, what an absolutely incredible message. I hope it was an encouragement to you as we talk about relationships. And I just wanted to say congratulations if you made that decision to make Jesus the leader and the forgiver of your life.

That's the most important relationship you will ever have. And we are celebrating with you because it's the best decision you can ever make. And so if you did pray that prayer and you said, okay, I'm gonna make Jesus the leader and forgiver of my life maybe you have questions of going, okay, well now what, what do I do next? There's a couple of things we'd encourage you to do. Number one is let someone know. Do you have a family member, a friend, a coworker? You can drop it in the chat, let one of our pastors know because we want to come alongside you and help you begin to navigate your new journey of faith. The second thing is this, there's a QR code that is on your screen and it's gonna give you access to a thing we call New Beginnings. It's a 14 day devotional that's really gonna help you begin to establish that relationship with things like, where do I start reading the Bible? How do I pray? Some basic questions that you may have about this newfound relationship. And then Jenny's gonna share something else with you that's super helpful as well. And then once you sign up for that 14 day devotional, you'll also get access to three videos from our pastors that just give next steps for prayer, reading the Bible, surrounding yourself

with the right friend group and all that kind of stuff. So make sure to do that. And then also we have something called Growth Track, which is a great next step to be able to discover your divine design and the life that God's called you to live. You can get connected here at City First a little more with dream teams and life groups and all that kind of stuff. But this is for anybody. If you've been here with us for 10 years or if this is your very first time, we encourage everybody to go through Growth Track. Yeah, and if you need prayer for anything, you can drop it in the chat or you can go on the app and just simply put that request in. We do have people that are praying 24 seven around the clock, and so we'd love to pray for you. And then also, if you have an answered prayer, maybe even believe in God for something and that answer has come through, would you share that with us so we can celebrate with you all that God is doing? And then the last thing is this, we'd encourage you to get back to church next week. We'd love to see you again. Yep, we love you, church. We're praying for you. Next week, we continue our series, Red Flags and Roses. Invite somebody to come to church with you and we'll see you right back here.

We love ya.