Step Up Part 2

Hello, hello friend. Thank you so much for tuning in here at Freelife Chapel where we help you discover and live the free life in Christ My name is Kati and I'm so glad that you're tuning in with us If you ever find yourself in the central Florida area come visit us. We want to connect with you face to face But until then visit our website freelifechapel.org to find out more about what's happening at your church There's a phenomenal message in store just for you. I hope you're encouraged. Well, so how many of you be honest? Don't lie. You're in church How many of you Kind of sort of made some Resolution things in your head like I got to move my life forward this year like there's gonna be some things change Anybody make a few? Okay, good. Good. I like that. I like that I'm not sometimes people laugh at mock and hate on resolutions. I'm not doing any of that. I think it's great. I think it's great Just so that you know, how many of you so far you still have those resolutions in place? I know it's only been 12 days, but like it's like a like a meal. Okay good Can I tell you something watch this this past Friday? Was is actually known as fail Friday That most people have already broken their resolution by the second February a second Friday in January So if you're if you're still going you are two days beyond everybody else who quit and if you quit like before Thursday I got you. Everyone else did as well except for the people that are here today. I love that There's resolution. What's something new to happen in your life? What do you need to happen new in this year and you could use some new money? Look if you won't raise your hand for that. I will I'll take yours and mine. I'll take everything left over a New job new friend not a new spouse like I just just need some new needs some new stuff going on in my life I'm not I'm not mad at any of that, of course Most people this time of the year begin to consider Moving their life forward, but usually they don't really think about adding spiritual goals Or spiritual growth to that Resolution in other words, we talk about our body. We're made up body soul and spirit in our body We're going to get into the gym. We're going to work it out Right and everybody who's been going to the gym in December the year before Knows that everybody who just joined the gym, they'll be gone by February. It's all good. It's gonna be just giving them in it

It'll slow down But but but body and health we begin to I'm not going to eat that I want to do this. That's good I love all that. We've got body goals and we have soul goals mind will and emotions education career path Relationships, we've got those goals. Those are good goals things to look at and I want to upgrade and move my life forward But we should also have some spiritual goals How about if your relationship with Jesus is stronger this year than it was last year? How about if you actually? Understand the Bible like you've never understood it before Like like I get it Like I see what he's saying and I don't feel like I'm just kind of drawing straws trying to figure out what to do But I'm starting to see that there's a pattern that something is working in my life. That's exciting Why would that not be a goal you see body soul and spirit? Why would you leave the spirit out of your growth? not including spiritual growth in your life this year is like skipping leg day at the gym Some of y'all don't get that's okay. Yeah, it's like having that's like having a birthday celebration without the cake Why even go? No, no, I mean we love the people you understand. Yeah. Okay. Okay. Here we go ladies It's like putting on that nice little black formal dress because you're going to a nice dress-up thing you got the hill the All y'all can leave I just need pastor George here and we're gonna be just fine I Got that nice little dress on and you got your hair did and you got that all that makeup thing like them eyelashes Fluttering out there like you got all that stuff going on Got your cubic zirconia is all tapped in like you like you are ready to go You slide on your Crocs and you walk out the place like that's something you can't pair that with Crocs. It don't fit Everything else is good. But that ladies and gentlemen don't get the outfit almost right Get it all right Let's include Jesus. Let's include our the growth of our spirit this year

It doesn't have to knock anything out But take Jesus with you through this year and let's keep getting better and moving forward There's there's three things we got to do in the beginning of this year and quite honestly, it becomes a routine We need to do throughout the year. Number one, you got to reflect. Think back. Think back on investments that you made in people that did not pay off. Think back. It's return on investment. Think back to things that you did that thought were going to be good but they didn't take you anywhere. Think back to what did work out well. We've got to look at all these. Did things add to or subtract from my life? I need to reflect. The Bible says this, consider your ways. Think about what you think about. Are you thinking about the right things? Are you going in the right direction? Do you need to change things? Are you doing it just because you saw your mom and dad do it? And so you're just doing it, monkey see monkey do? Or are you deciding for yourself? You got to reflect. Number two, then you've got to redirect. After you reflect on life and go, you know, I need to change some things, you got to redirect your path. I need to set a new focus, a new goal. I need to get a new vision for my life. The difficult thing about that is that new path is, watch this, it's unknown. You never done that before. All of a sudden you say you're gonna learn about money, you're gonna start investing. We never done that, I know. It's gonna take some learning. I got to start something new. I'm gonna have to read something I've never read, talk to some people I've never talked to, have some meetings I've never had, begin to invest. I've got to do some things different this year. If I'm going to redirect, I've got, I'm going to bring some new people in my life this year. There's gonna be some different pursuits in my life. And then after I reflect and redirect, then I got to restart my life. Now let's move. It doesn't matter if you've got all the reflecting and the redirecting. If you never get going, if you never start moving towards it, it didn't produce anything for you. You're missing out on the best of the best plans in the world being nothing without somebody taking a step. And I would rather make a wrong step than no step.

Let's just at least move it forward. But there's many people that get stuck in the middle ground, in that place of redirecting, in that new direction. Why? Because it feels weird. It's uncomfortable. It's going to involve people that I don't know. I'm not going to have it mastered. I'm not going to be the pro in the area that I know. I'm going to have to, if I redirect my life and move and I step into a life group, I don't know anybody here. Exactly. But that's why you're there to meet new people. It's different, but it's not weird. It's forward, but it's uncommon. And we've got to be willing to step into those places. That's exactly where advance is waiting on you. Advance is not coming to you. You go to it. And so that requires movement. Jesus stepped up in the book of Luke chapter 5 and he challenged people who thought they had their routines down. The professionals. I got it down. I know how to do life. Jesus spoke to them about a new direction and they struggled for a minute. Luke chapter 5 verses 4 through 7. Check this out. Here's what the Bible says. When he, speaking of Jesus, had finished speaking, he said to Simon, that's Peter, put out into deep water. Now, let me just say, one of our goals this year is to read out loud in our outside voice together. That's so good. Amen. Okay. So here we go. On the highlighted parts. When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, put out into deep what's good and let down the nets for a catch. There you go. There you go. He looks at Jesus had been speaking and he looks at Simon. He looks at Simon Peter. He said, listen Simon, I'm going to challenge you to go deeper. Go further than you've gone. And I want you to let down your nets for a catch. Do something that isn't natural for you. Go beyond what you think is necessary. I've been fishing here. What's going out a little bit further going to do for me? It's not gonna produce anything. If there's fish in the water, I would have caught them. Here, there, what it does, it doesn't really matter. That's, I've tried it already. Can I help you with something? Serving Jesus does not require you, in fact, I encourage you do not kiss your brains goodbye. But please leave the direction of your life to Jesus. Don't argue with Jesus. Argue with your spouse. You do that really well. You've been practicing for a long time in that.

You can argue with a lot of people. But don't argue with Jesus. He's going to lead you and tell you to do some things that are unnatural. On you you've never experienced it before it's going to be a little uncomfortable, but it's going to take that Uncomfortable level of faith to actually get your hands on the things that he wants for your life Everything that you can experience where you are. You've already got it If you're wanting more out of life, you've got to leave here and go there This is what Jesus was telling him. You see most people Most people when they hear that it's going to take new levels of faith They begin to cancel out real quickly because we don't really understand what faith is First of all, you need to understand you've got faith. There's some people that I talked to I've talked to him in the gym I've talked to him in different stores and we get it Somehow it just turns into a conversation about church and Jesus and relationship and and they say yeah, I'm just not a spiritual person Kiss my grits. Yes you are Because Ain't it funny let one bad text message come down the line. Oh Jesus. Oh Who why didn't you yell Oh Buddha or Oh Bill or Oh Betty? Why was it got to be Jesus? There's Everybody that Romans 12 says everyone has been given a measure of faith You've got it turn to someone tell him you got faith. You just tell him you got faith you got faith But let me help you with something Nobody lives in a spiritual faith zone 24 7 Just like electrocuted by heaven and just walking but not nobody does that None of us have it like that Nobody with faith lives without sin lives without doubts lives without failure It just does not happen faith doesn't mean that you live brainless as we talked about No, and and and faith doesn't mean that we're better or more special than anybody else because everybody's got faith It's just that we've got this thing of faith Inside of us that allows us to reach for and to believe for things that are not in our immediate But can be in our life and if you decide that it's not for me Then I hope you're enjoying where you are

But if you say you know what maybe I can give Jesus a chance and his word to move my life And if I operate in faith not because I see it But because he said it then I can actually get my hands on it. I believe in miracles You just sang it in this room today. I just wonder would it be alright if you got your hands on a miracle in 2025 if something hit Unexplainable that entered your family your life, of course you see people of faith Are those who have examined the Bible the teachings the truths? We've looked at the wisdom the evidence the reality of the things that are there And we just decided to put put more trust in God's Word than our own feelings and our own desires. I Have my desires, but I want what he promised. I Realize his way is better than my way So I choose to put me on the back burner to step into him this story continues You got to hear this in in Luke chapter 5 check this out. It goes on in verse 5. It says this Simon answered Master we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything But because you say so I will let down the nets when they had done So they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break We worked all night And got nothing for it And you say and push out a little bit deeper and that's going to change things Just a few more row row row your boat and all of a sudden that fixes it like don't you know? I know what I'm doing. I'm a pro I Got me down. I got a lot. I know me. I know my life. I know my people They crazy I know them There's a there's an ability to push back on God there, but but listen to me people of faith They follow illogical instruction to experience supernatural results It's it's illogical that Jesus says you didn't catch it there, but if you'll move it to there you'll catch it That doesn't make sense. I

Can't wrap my head around it, but can I tell you something throughout the Bible? There's all kinds of things that don't make sense that you and I buy into Salvation it doesn't make sense that you can live like a hellion for decades But realize that Jesus is the only answer to life open your heart and give him your heart Say come into my life forgive me for my sins, and he forgives your entire past It's gone and you get a Brand-new start in him. You can't explain that to me. That doesn't make sense But I'll tell you what it does do it resonates right here And it brings a peace and a rest to fill that backpack roll off of your life. I'm not living under that heaviness I've got a joy in the middle of difficult circumstances, but I know that God is good You can't explain that but it's real whoop. There it is You can't explain baptism You say yes to Jesus, you're perfectly dry. They put you under the water They pull you up before the bubbles stop and all of a sudden now you have walked in obedience to who he is Because you said I've died out to the old life and I've been resurrected Into a new life and because you walked in the footsteps of Jesus Another favor is layered on your life and you walk with a greater strength and authority as you're declaring That Jesus is the Lord of your life. We can't explain that fasting in prayer. You can't explain that What's it gonna do for me? Just do what he said to do Would you look at someone just telling just do it. Just do it. Just do it. Just do it Coming to church serving in church I Can't explain to you. Yeah, I bet you would like people to serve in this church The challenge is until you've experienced serving you think that it's what the church gets out of you instead of realizing how Serving is actually what's pouring into your life and then it's your blessing just to be a part of the place You can't explain it. It's got to be experienced There's there's these things that are that come pre-loaded that God says when you do these things You'll experience the the return on investment afterwards. You see God's Word is all about action It's not about just changing your thought life. It's about you stepping also It's it's about us moving our life forward. Don't let your relationship with God get stuck in maintenance mode

Where I'm just kind of here and I just keep doing the thing just to keep it above surface No, no. No, he wants us to move it forward. Let me let me finish this passage out in loop 5 what watch this Here's here's how it here's how it finishes up So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them and they came and filled both boats So full that they began to sing Jesus blessed him with too much Malachi and I and Talia we got this thing when I see my kids I say I love you too much I'll ask Malachi Malachi. How much does Saba love you too much? It's it's more Than you can handle it's exceeding Abundantly above all you could ever ask or think it's the Ephesians 320 It's the it's the Malachi chapter 3 that he'll pour out blessings on you So heavy that you're not able to contain it You need some other people to help you carry your blessing, which means your blessing gets on them Would you talk to someone tell him would you mind helping me with my blessing? Would you mind helping me with my blessing because because when you get around people that are blessed the blessing gets on you That's a good thing right there. That means God Jesus blessed Peter to be a blessing not only were Peters nets full He started shouting for his friends come take some of this I can't take it anymore would anybody just like it if God blessed you this year you said I do please stop I just can't take any more blessing. It's like way too much. It's way too much I got too much money coming in the bank says they can't handle commas and zeros anymore Just what said nobody Lord. I just it's just way too much peace too much laughter too much joy In fact, God will give you so much peace people want to be around you because your peace gets off on them And they just feel better when they're around you that hope that's alive inside of you People are hopeful because they got in your presence How many of you know that if you're going through a really tough time if you could spend about three hours with Pastor George? Your situation would change right now because of that joy inside that man Oh You got to hear him say us all right now

Not promise you it'll pry you out of a depression right where you are We need to be these people that there's I've got more than I need that means Jesus is turning you into a blessing I'm not blessed for me. I'm blessed to be a blessing I'm blessed with more than enough so I can turn around and help somebody else But the key to all this miracle Comes down to this verse 5 Peter said I've worked all night long. I'm tired and I failed. Here's what read it with me. Here we go But because you say so I will let Because you say so Peter said this I'm a pro at fishing. It's my business. I know these waters. I know what time of day to fish. I know what bait to use. I certainly know which side of the boat the net is supposed to go down on. I got that down and you stepping up in my world telling me how to change and redo something that I already have down. I've got life down. I've got this home down. I got my business down. I've got it all working just fine. But maybe you're like Peter. You're pulling up empty nets. Still not satisfied. Still empty. Still know that there's something missing in life and I can't get my hands on it. I'm working. I'm not lazy. I'm doing everything I know to do. I'm reaching. I'm talking. I'm not afraid. But it's just, are you serious? Like you're telling me to do. Look, because you said so. Not because it makes sense but because you said so. You see, the truth is according to Jesus, Peter was close to the miracle but he wasn't experiencing the miracle. He was so close. He said just go a little bit further, a little bit deeper. I'm so close but so far. Ladies and gentlemen, do you realize one step of faith can put you into the miracle zone in life? I can stay here and complain about my empty nets and try to work it all out myself or I can just say you know what? I've worked all night. I'm frustrated. I've been pulling. I've been trying and nothing else in my world seems to be working. I just need to trust Jesus and push out a little bit further and try what's uncommon, what's unfamiliar. Go to places I've never gone.

Try something illogical so I could experience the supernatural. This is what I need to do. In 2025, here's my challenge. Don't just get your body and soul together. I'm challenging you to take another step in Jesus this year. Move towards him this year. Just one more step. One more step. It might feel illogical to you and it might feel like a waste of time because I just went from there to there. I can see where I was. It's not like I went to a different universe. It's just so close but it was different because I did it because Jesus said to. Not because it was my idea. His Word spoke to me. His Word said to handle my finances this way. His Word said to handle my marriage situations this way. His Word said to handle my dating situations this way. His Word said to raise kids this way. His Word said to find peace this way. His Word said that my joy is wrapped up this way. It's not in things that all my professional living has taught me. It's in who he is and what he said to do. Once Peter did what Jesus said, he stepped into everything. Everything changed in his life. I came to let you know that your days of living with empty nets are over. It's time for increase and blessing. I know, I know you're tired. I know you're frustrated. I know you've been trying. You've been working and you're still coming up empty over and over again but I've got good news. Jesus is here and he's got a plan and he's not leaving you in the beginning of this year to experience another year like you had two years, three years, five years ago. It's time for something new in your life, in your heart, in your mind, in your reality. But let me just kind of tell you and you don't have to like what he's saying. You don't have to understand what he's saying. You don't have to wrap your head around it. You just got to do what Jesus said to do because the spiritually illogical produced the naturally impossible. The spiritually illogical produced the naturally impossible. Not because they worked harder but because they obeyed. God is famous for this stuff. He's like, faith check. It's gonna be a little crazy. Faith check. Israel, I'm gonna deliver you out of Egypt. Ten plagues. Boom. And they run into the Red Sea. It's like, God, did you take care of all the details there and you forgot this one? Do you realize that we zigged

when we should have zagged? Like could you not? No. I brought you to another impossible just to remind you. Don't think you got out of that by yourself. Let me open up the impossible and take you through. He's famous for this. There's a guy named Naaman. Naaman came to Elijah, I've got leprosy. I've got leprosy and I'm gonna die if you don't touch me and heal me. And Naaman goes, you know what, Elijah goes, go down to the Jordan River and dip seven times in the Jordan River. And when you come up the seventh time, you'll be clean. Can you imagine Naaman going, are you serious? Like, could you not just pour water over my head seven times? What's it gotta be all that for? The Jordan is nasty, it's dirty, seriously? If you want your healing, go do the illogical so that you can experience the supernatural. I'm gonna do something crazy with you, but do you trust me? Are you trusting me? Are you leaning into me or are you not? And Naaman goes down there and he dips once and he comes up and dips twice and he comes up. It's not working, there is nothing. I'm still just as white. Dip three, four times, five times. I can hear, I can see Naaman just start to walk out of the water and a little boy

with more faith than Naaman had. Keep on dipping, he said seven times. Number six, nothing. He went down and up six times, nothing changed. Number seven, he comes up and he's completely clean. I don't understand the illogical instruction to produce a supernatural result. All I know is God is famous throughout his word for doing this over and over again. Peter approached Jesus, we need money to pay our taxes. Jesus said, go fishing. I did that. No, no, no, get a rod and a reel and go down there and go catch a fish. Go fishing, go, Peter, go catch a fish. Only to catch a fish, pull it out and there's a gold coin in the fish's mouth to pay the taxes. Why couldn't God send a bird to drive? It would've been just as easy for a bird to drop a coin as it was for a fish to be swallowed a coin. Why does he do this? It's an opportunity for you and I to pry ourselves out of trusting us that even when I don't understand you, you're God and you're good and even when it bypasses my intellect, you remind me that I'll never be professional enough to run my own life. I need you to lead my life every step of the way.

Stop depending on your experience and education and business intellect and professional opinions. Stop just doing church on Sunday and then getting back to your real world. No, take Jesus into every aspect of your life with you and begin to ask him, what would you have me do? How do I step forward? What do I do in this situation? How do I handle this thing with my kid? How do I handle this school challenge? How do I handle this money issue? Start talking to him and expect him to show up and do the impossible in your life. Peter's success didn't come from working harder, just came from working in the right place and I want you to understand that your blessing is a proximity issue. He's got to move you from the familiar to the unfamiliar. Your miracle is one step ahead of where you're standing right now and it's gonna be an uncommon step and a little bit uncomfortable but you're gonna have to trust him. It's a step of faith and that's what 25 has gotta be about. One step forward. What does one step forward look like for your life? What does one step forward look like? Is it, I know I need, I just need to learn some more, I just, I need to, that's what life groups are. For somebody, life groups is one step forward this year.

It's that simple but it's that difficult. You mean I've got like to open an app and put my information in? Yeah, I know it's tough. Someone gonna call me? Yeah, there's people connected to this. Right, right. Why is it we want to live in a cocoon and expect everything to get better? When God will connect you to people so the blessing can flow in everybody and not just, God doesn't bless you as a silo, he blesses us in a community as a family. And this is what God's plan is, God's will, God's word for your life and my life is. Don't argue with him, just move towards the miracle, that's what I'm trying to tell you today. He's saying go further. He's saying go further and go deeper, keep trusting him. Isaiah chapter one, verse 19, I'm done with this. Isaiah 119 is a great verse to wrap this on. Listen to what it says, in fact, read it with me. One, two, three. If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the fruit. the best from them, willing and obedient. Willing is an attitude. Willing is an attitude. Obedient is an action. Get your attitude right so your action can be right. If you are willing, get your mind right,

then you can act right. Willingness and obedience. You know, the Bible in this passage, if you are willing and obedient, it does not say if you are convinced and excited. Can we just talk like real people stuff for just a second here? It's called Free Life Chapel. We just talk raw and real here. When Jesus told Peter, Pete, I need you to move that boat out further and drop your net on the other side. I know, you gotta understand, Peter is the guy who was cutting off ears later on. Like he's pulling out swords. Like Peter, Peter was from Polk County. He's carrying a blade somewhere, you understand. Like he's packing, he's packing. He's gonna set alarms off when he goes in places. That's who he is, right? This is Pete. Watch this. Jesus tells Peter, I need you to push out further, drop your net on the other side. I can hear Pete go, who in the heck does he think he is talking to me this way? Don't he know this is my boat? Jesus, you want me to do what? I need you to push out. Yo, Jesus, hey, you know, I've been doing this all night.

I'm T-I-red. I am tired, do you understand? I've been doing this all night. I've been Lionel Richie all over this thing all night long. I've been doing this all night. And you're saying me pushing out on the 10 yards and dropping my nets there on the opposite side of the boat, you're saying that's gonna fix this up. All right, whatever you say. He wasn't convinced and he wasn't excited. I can hear him talking under his breath to his boys. This is the craziest, most mixed up thing in the world, but people are watching. Row the boat, row the, row, row, row. And they rowed that boat out there. Dropped the net. Pete is the wrong side. I know it's the wrong side. He said to do it, just drop the net. Just get this over with. To drop the net and then it hit. And to the point that it's about to sink the boat and he's got a call for help. To come and get somebody, help me get this blessing in the boat. Empty nets are heavier than full nets. Empty nets will drown you. Full nets will liberate you. And Jesus wants to fill your net with so much life and so much joy.

He'll never remove the work because it's gonna be work pulling in the blessing, baby. Because it's more than what you can handle. But if you keep on, oh, some of y'all need, how many of you love to break a sweat pulling the blessing in in your life? Would it be okay if you had to sweat? If you got some calluses, if you had to pull, if you had to call for some help to get the blessing in? That's exactly what God's word is. Keep pulling. You don't have to be excited about it. You don't have to be convinced about it. You just have to be willing and obedient. And if you'll just do what he said, you'll experience everything he promised. Because he said, if you do it, you're gonna catch everything you're looking for. Would you stand to your feet, please? Reflect. Redirect. Restart. Reflect. Where was I last year? What needs to change? Redirect. New steps for my life. I'm spiritually motivated. I'm adding, I'm gonna build my faith this year. I'm not gonna remain the same.

There's no such thing as a professional Christian. It's all of us doing it together. It's a family. We're gonna run side by side. Let's go, let's go. Let's get about it, about it. Let's get it done. And now it's time to restart. 21 days in advance. First fruit. Let's reach in, life groups. This is your moment, ladies and gentlemen. It can all change starting today. All it takes is you being willing and obedient and he'll fill your nets full. Father, thank you for your word that speaks straight to our heart that doesn't let any of us escape. Oh God, this busts me up like it does anybody else. I gotta take another step. I gotta trust you greater. I gotta move towards you more. I've gotta rely on you instead of Scott. I've gotta trust your word. I've gotta discover what. You say what is your opinion about this and when you tell me to do the illogical It's because you've got the supernatural on your mind. I know it. I know it. I've seen it your character It's your way. It's what you've done throughout your word. You've done it in my life and you're gonna do it again But it's uncomfortable. It's uncommon. It's Unfamiliar. I'm not used to this but Lord at your word. I'll trust you

I'll take you at your word and I'm gonna do it just because you said so but I know that if I step out there My empty nets are gonna be filled that the blessing is going to hit with overflow that there's gonna be more than I need So I can be a blessing to others around me God. I want you to use my life for your glory So I'm taking steps. I'm taking steps in the beginning of this year so I can have everything you promised I will not stay here. I will not stay here and blame others for my situation I will not live as a victim in this year I will not live without this year if I got a fall down while I'm moving forward. I'll fall but staying here is no longer an Option I'm advancing my life and I speak miracles. I declare increase. I'm expecting my nets to be filled I'm expecting my home to overflow I'm expecting to have more than what I need that I can begin to scatter it to the north south east and west I want to be a blessing to people at work. I want to bless my family I want to set up a lineage and a heritage for my kids and my kids kids God use my life for your glory as I Step into this year. Let this you be a hallmark year where everything Transition as for me in my house. We served you and we came after you with all that we are This year God now is the time to do it We want your best for our life. So we surrender to your will We are willing and we are obedient and now we will have the good the best that 2025 can give Thank you for it. We bless you for it in Jesus name everybody said Amen, amen, if you receive it put your hands together today Did I or did I not say you were gonna be encouraged yeah Feel free to check out our website free life chapel org for more encouraging messages until then. I hope you have a great day You