 The title of my sermon inshore is rest, relieve, relay. But the full title and it's a little bit bigger. It says rest in his presence, relieve the pressure and relay the message. Psalms 91 verse two, it says this in the New King James. It says, he who dwells in the secret place of the most high shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will save the Lord. He is my refuge and my fortress. My God and him I will trust. The first thing that I wanna talk about today is rest in his presence. I'm gonna break it down because I believe that these are fundamental things that we can all use in our lives as believers. I believe that we are not meant to be a church that just gathers on Sunday, that prays for maybe 15 minutes every here and there. God is raising up an army, amen. God is raising up a people. He's raising up a remnant that is gonna stand and say, I'm a full-time Christian, not a part-time Christian. I want the full-time God. I want the all-time God. And God is raising up a people, amen. And I believe that through this, through this verse, it says this, he who dwells in the secret place of the most high shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. The New Living Translation says this, those who live in the shelter of the most high will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I wanna encourage someone today to get into your secret place. What does that look like? You know, for a long time, it was really awkward for me to get alone with God. I love morning prayers. I love night prayers. It made me feel a little bit better to see other people around me. It just eased up a lot of, you know, just a lot of worry inside of me. I had a lot of fear. And especially five years ago, I came for an internship and I was coming off of a very lukewarm life and I rededicated my life. And just to get into prayer was a really awkward thing. But one of the more awkward things was getting alone with God. You ever noticed how one-on-ones with just people can sometimes really freak you out? It can be kind of weird, it can be kind of awkward because it's vulnerable. It's intimate, right? It's your, you find things to talk about. You're trying to figure out, oh, okay. How do I talk to this person? How do I act? How do I, what do I say? What do I do, you know? But I wanna encourage you. When you get alone with God, it's just about, it's just about you and him. When you get to that place, in the secret place where it's just you and him. And I encourage you, find a place, find a time. Find a time. It's about priority, man. It's about priority. When we say God, all right, I'm gonna just be with you. You come with one expectation just for God to be God and you to present yourself as I'm available. Just watch what he does. So go to your secret place, get alone with God because it says he who dwells in the secret place of the Messiah shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. So he is the very secret place. The secret place doesn't have to be just based on a certain spot, you know, for a long time, I just felt this weird connection. I would go to my car to pray. And then at other times, it'd be I'd go to my room, I'd find somewhere because we had to remember church that we're a temple of the Holy Spirit. We're carriers of God's presence. The very temple of the Lord dwells within each and every single one of us. Can somebody say amen? Amen, so he is the secret place. And in Matthew 6, verse six, it says, pray to your father in secret and the father who is in secret shall answer you publicly. So he is there. You notice you don't have to tell God as if, you know, I don't have to tell God, God, I'm gonna meet you here and make sure you're there, okay? You never have to do that, because he is always there. He's waiting for you. When was the last time you had to tell God, God, meet me over there? As if he's never met you at the point of your need in the past. He has always met you in the point of your need. Even at times when you didn't see him, feel him, think about him, hear him, he was always there. Your mind church is gonna tell you so many things, especially if you get one-on-one with him, especially. But I wanna encourage someone today, focus on him. When you get one-on-one with him, just focus on him. Whether that's you just putting on worship, whatever it is that you gotta do, just do it. Just do it. Just do it, just be alone with him. It's about learning how to just be in the presence of the Almighty, because all we gotta do is remember, look at the word. He who dwells in the secret place shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. God does not contradict his word. He doesn't contradict his word. Focus on him. One of the things that I love is that, in Matthew 6, it says, shut the door. Shut out the noise. If it's your phone, social media, whatever it is that you gotta do, if you can find a time to just get alone with God, shut out the noise, silence the outer distractions. For some here today, it's like, Adrian, I, every time I go, everything's good up until I start praying when I make intention to start praying. Everything's, I felt fine, but then I started praying. Next thing you know, I'm thinking about my bills. I'm thinking about my family. I'm thinking about this. I'm thinking about that. Our minds are always gonna, he doesn't want you to get alone with God. He doesn't want that. Cause he knows that a believer who is spending time in the shadow of the Almighty, he's walking in the light. And he knows the moment he sees that, he's gonna say, I need to distract them. I need to distract them because they are a force to be reckoned with. You church are a force to be reckoned with. So I wanna encourage someone today, get alone with God, shut out the noise, shut the door, whatever it is that you gotta do, do it. Amen? Because like I said, our minds will often try and wander. Sometimes when we get alone with God, it's like, like I said, our mind gets so cluttered. We begin to, we focus, we say, yes, Lord, I'm here for you, I'm here for you. And next thing you know, you're saying, God, how am I gonna pay that bill? God, how am I gonna do this? God, I need to make sure I get my car over there. I need to make sure I do this. I need, it's like, all these things show up when we pray, right? I wanna, I wanna, this is awesome. You guys, these things, all that chaos, all that junk within, it doesn't just show up when you pray, it's revealed. When you get alone with God and His light shines upon, just like there's lights right here and you could see, you can kinda see right there, right there, there's a shadow. That's what happens when you get alone with God. His light shines upon you and it highlights things. And it's not to guilt, guilt trip anybody or put some shame on anybody. It's to highlight, Lord, I need you. I need you. I don't want this stuff that I carry. We get so caught up, how many guys can relate? We get so caught up in the things of this life and it's not to deny that they're fake or they're not real. I'm not denying that at all. They're very real. But God's Word, we live by a different reality. As believers, we don't set our minds on things right here. We set our minds on things above. Somebody with me? Somebody with me? We have the mind of Christ. When Jesus was operating and when He was here on earth, He wasn't dwelling on the things of this world, the things this right here. He wasn't dwelling on that. He said, I do whatever I see my Father doing. There's a connection. There's a relationship. There's an understanding that I'm thinking higher. I'm thinking above. The enemy, he's hitting me right here. He's hitting me right here and it's real and it hurts, but I set my mind up there because I know that I'm gonna fulfill that will. I know it may be hard, Lord, but I'm setting my mind on your reality, God, that you are for me and not against me, God. Present yourself before Him. It's not about being ready. It's about being available. A lot of times we wait until we get things in check and then I'll go pray. Then I'll worship. Seek first, not seek second or third or fourth. Seek first. I know it's difficult. Sometimes we wake up and we're in just such, just a mental distress. It's just so, it's so real. Silence the outer noise, church. Silence it. You have the authority. If you listen to Casey's message today, you have the authority and it's dangerous. The kingdom of darkness can't stand it because the kingdom of darkness has to fall to the kingdom of light. Because we were once all in the kingdom of darkness but we've been transferred into the kingdom of light. We've been bought by the blood of Jesus. The blood of Jesus that sanctifies. The blood of Jesus that purifies. Come on, the blood of Jesus that sets us apart. The blood of Jesus that wash me, cleanse me white as snow. So it doesn't matter the darkness that we face. Come on, somebody. It doesn't matter the darkness that we come across. The light of God is better. The light of God is brighter. And he is shining his light on some people's lives today. You don't have to live in that duress. You don't have to live within the storm because I will praise my God in the storm. I will praise my God in the storm and his word shall come to pass. Is there somebody saying, man, in this place? Hallelujah, hallelujah. Just be with him. Abide in him. Trust in him. Trust. Sometimes you need to tell yourself, God, I trust you. I trust you. I know this doesn't look well right now. It doesn't feel well. It doesn't feel good. But I trust you. When we get in his presence and we encounter that person, there's a relief that comes. What does Psalms 91 verse 2 say? He alone is my refuge, my refuge, and my fortress. After a long day of work, when you come home, what do you do? A sigh of relief. There's a weight that you're just like, oh my gosh, OK. That was a long one today. That's what God's presence does. He doesn't want you to live with your shoulders all tensed up, where you can't even turn your neck to your left and to your right because you're so filled with nerves. You're so filled with stress. God is saying, hey, hey. And it's not just about encountering. It's what happens in his presence. But it's all about encountering the person. He is there in the secret place every time you carry it. So wherever you go, he goes. Relieve the pressure. Point number two. Relieve the pressure. 1 Peter 5, 6 through 7 in the Amplified Version translation that says this, therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God. And I love what it says right here. Set aside self-righteous pride so that he may exalt you to a place of honor in his service. At the appropriate time, casting all your cares, all your cares, all of them, not some of them, all of them. How many of you guys know that our life in our own hands? It's not good. But in his hands, in the hands of the eternal one, watch and see the miracles that take place. Watch and see as we were singing today the breakthrough that comes. When you say, God, here's my life. When you say, God, here I am. Everything, everything that I am. Here it is, Lord. I lay it down. It's yours. All your anxieties, all your worries, and all your concerns once and for all on him, for he cares about you with the deepest affection. And watches over you very carefully. Lay down your burdens, church. Lay him down. You realize that you have the choice. We have the choice. In Psalms 91 it says, he who dwells, that means we have to make a conscious effort, a decision to say, God, I'm gonna dwell in your presence. I'm gonna dwell in your house. It says, surely goodness and love and mercy. Psalms 23-6 shall follow me all the days of my life as I dwell in the house of the Lord forever. We have to be intentional. That was a word that God put on my heart at the beginning of this year, be intentional. When you say, God, I'm gonna wake up with purpose and I'm gonna go to bed with purpose. I'm gonna wake up and say, God, I'm on the move. Let's do this. Not, God, drag me out of bed today. Wake me up, Lord. We gotta answer the call, right? We gotta be the ones that say, God, I don't feel like getting up, but God, it's not about my feelings. I gotta do this. We gotta make the conscious choice to say, God, my burdens, they're too much for me. But when I lay them at your feet, Lord, there's no place I'd rather be than in the center of your will, Lord. And in your presence, I cast my cares upon the Almighty because he can handle them. He can handle them. How many of us here? And I'll be the first one to throw my hands up. We say, God, I got this. I got it. I'm not afraid to say it, because I've done it. But that's not what he wants us to do. He's saying, cast your cares upon me. Give it to me. For those of you that are in ministry, you're feeling the weight of the call on your life. You're saying, God, I just wanna make sure I do well. I wanna make sure I do what you want me to do. And say what you want me to say, my friends, the best thing that you can do with whatever it is that you're carrying is give it back to God every day. Say, God, I'm your servant. I'm following you, but this is yours. The battle that you've been facing, what is it saying in 1 Samuel 17? The battle belongs to the Lord. God is more present in our lives. It's just a matter of how much are you lending him? How much are you hearing him? And I don't say that church to make you feel bad. I'm saying he's near to you at this very moment. And he's saying, hey, I can take that. I can take that. Just give it to me. Just relay it off to me. Give it back to God. Give it back to God. The battle belongs to the Lord. Give it back to God. I know the giant is intimidating. I know the mountain seems big. I know that the situation seems final, but I'm gonna tell you right now, he has the last say. He has the last say. As long as you still got breath in your lungs, you, he's got the last say. He's got the last say because you say, you go from God, my feelings say one thing, but your word says another thing. My situation says that I might lose my family member, but the word of God says, when I release my word, they shall be healed. My feelings and my situation may say, my family's lost, God. But the word of God says, me and my household shall serve the Lord. Maybe drowned out in fear, but God says I have not given you a spirit of fear, but I have given you the dunamis power of the Holy Spirit, a power, a love, and Jesus name. Church, it's all in there. It's the word of God. It's all there. The word became flesh. How do you think Jesus was able to do what he was doing? He spent time in the presence of the living God. How many guys know that you are who you surround yourself with? What if you surround yourself in the shadow of the Almighty? What would you look like? Your family won't recognize you. Your friends won't recognize you. Your coworkers won't recognize you because they're gonna see the eyes that are like flames of fire. They're gonna see that beaming light that just exudes from your very body. Every word that you release is gonna be like a sword in the spirit. And no matter what your friends tell you, your coworkers, all the gossip, all the garbage, you're gonna respond in such a powerful way that they're gonna be like, man, I don't even know why I was thinking that in the first place. Tell me about, tell me more about what you know. And you got to tell somebody, I know this guy, he changed my life. His name is Jesus. And I see him every day. I spend time with him every day. And I gotta tell you, he marked me forever. I can never be the same. I can never go back to that darkness. I can never go back to that sin because he set me apart. He set me on a journey. He set me on a path. When I was headed to hell, he said, my son, let me pick you up out of that and set you to heaven. And Jesus' funny name, Psalms 40 says that he has taken us out of the pit of the Myrie clay. And he set us on a firm foundation. He's taken us out of that darkness. What I love about the Lord, He never leaves us the same. He never leaves you the same. So even if you go into a secret place, you spend 16 hours with them and say, Adrian, but I felt, I didn't feel different. This is not our reality. Our flesh is not our reality. We're setting our eyes on him. And we trust in his word. Cause guys, no eye has seen. Come on, y'all know it. No ear has heard. And no heart or mind has imagined what the Lord has in store for those who love him. My friend, you're yet to see it. Even if you've already seen his goodness in action, there's still much more ahead. This is not the end. This is just the beginning of a great and beautiful journey. So I'm here to tell someone today, trust in him. Trust in him. What does it say in Isaiah 40? Those who trust in the Lord shall renew their strength, shall so high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They shall walk and they shall never faint. This is not in the PowerPoint, but something that I love that comes with God when spending time with him as you receive his peace. What does Philippians four, six through seven say? If you guys want to go there, you can meet me there. I'm going right now. So I'm gonna go for it right now. It says this, don't worry about anything and say instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done. The importance of having a heart of gratitude and thankfulness even in the midst of tough times is very important. This verse says it. Verse seven, then you will experience God's peace which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. His peace is unlike anything we could ever come across. We ever, you've ever just been in such a difficult situation where you needed to pay like a bill and you don't have the money. And for some reason you just feel this assurance saying, I know I'm good. My life may not look like it, but I know I'm good. I remember 2019 was a horrible year for me financially. I didn't know how I was gonna put my gas in my tank almost every week. And I remember telling my mom and having conversations with her and she's like, what you gonna do? And I'm like, I don't know. I don't know. But I know who my God is. I don't think it just, my mind is so cluttered at times but I know his word. And as long as I'm seeking his face, I know eventually things will turn around. So no matter the situation you're facing today church, breakthrough is coming. Breakthrough is coming. He will not leave his beloved ones in the hands of the enemy. No, you are not a victim. You're a victor in Christ's name. Ephesians says we were all once dead and lost in sin but we have been made new. The last thing I wanna say is relay the message. Why this point? I wanna say it to someone today. Continue to fight the good fight. Keep going. Don't stop. It's hard, yes. It's difficult, absolutely. It's so hard. But I love what it says this in 1 Peter 5, 10, in his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory but means a Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you. And he will place you on a firm foundation. And as I bring this message to a close, don't get so lost in your situation church. Keep your eyes fixated on him. Just refocus, whatever you gotta do, refocus. Remember why, what, and who we do this for. We know that the things of this life are temporary but God is calling us for something eternal. He's, this thing is bigger than we think or know. He's more present than we think or feel or know. Get back, get back to him. Why do I say relay the message? Friends, that's what we're called to do. I know your situation may make you feel inadequate. You may think, Adrian, man, I was just indulging in sin a couple of days ago, friend, you were bought by the blood of the lamb. You don't have to remain in that guilt. You don't have to remain in that darkness. God is not, he doesn't say, oh, my child is so full of sin. He sees the lamb of God. He sees the blood that is covering you. When he sees you, he doesn't see a child lost in darkness. He just sees a child that just needs to get picked up and just placed back on his journey, on her journey. So my friend, relay the message. The goodness that you've experienced, let us not keep it within ourselves. Let us tell the world about this person. Let us tell the world, there's a greater fight that I'm fighting. Let us tell the world that there is a journey that you're on, that it is no, it's nothing like you will ever come across in this world because there is a God in the heavens that called me when I was at my lowest, when I was in my darkest moment. He called me son, he called me daughter, and he said, rise up out of the ashes and I shall exchange it for beauty.