 The Lord says, you draw nigh unto me. I withdraw nigh. The Lord says he dwells in the midst of praises. He said, when praises goes up, blessing, come now, hallelujah. Father, we come this morning, Lord God, in the precious name of Jesus, Lord God. We come this morning, Lord God, thanking you, Lord God, thanking you for your mercy, Lord God, thanking you for your grace, Lord God, your loving kindness, Lord God, and your tender loving mercy, Lord God. We thank you this morning, Lord God, for allowing us, Lord God, to see another day, Lord God, protecting us, Lord God, from any hurt home or danger, seeing our unseen, Lord God. We come this morning to glorify, to magnify your name, Lord God, to lift your name on high, Lord God, for your name, Lord God, is high and highly lifted up, Lord God, in all the earth, Lord God. Hallelujah, hallelujah, Lord Jesus. Hallelujah, Lord, you said those of us, Lord God, those of us that worship you, Lord God, we must, Lord God, we must worship you, Lord God, in spirit, Lord God, and in truth, Lord God, we ask you, Lord, that you receive this morning, Lord God, I will praise, I will worship, Lord God, that we offer until you this morning, Lord God, in the name of Jesus, Lord God, be glorified, be magnified, Lord God, this morning, Lord God, in Jesus' name, Lord God, Lord, as your message had come forth this morning, we ask you this morning, Lord God, that you would speak, Lord God, speak to Him, Lord God, give Him, Lord God, what you want us to hear, Lord God, in the name of Jesus, Lord God, help us this morning, Lord God, help us, Lord, to apply, Lord God, your word, Lord God, to all eyes, Lord God, that we as your people, Lord God, may live, Lord God, a holy and a righteous life, before you, Lord God, in the name of Jesus, Lord God, be glorified, be magnified, Lord God, in this service, Lord God, in the name of Jesus, Lord God, hallelujah, hallelujah, Lord God, we give you the highest praise, the highest honor, Lord God, hallelujah, hallelujah, Lord Jesus, hallelujah, Lord, for there is, Lord God, not like you, Lord God, not like you, Lord God, Thank you. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Jesus. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Lord. Praise your name. Bless your name, Lord God. Hallelujah, Lord. From the rise of the sun until the growing down of the same, the name of the Lord is to be praised, is to be honored, is to be glorified, is to be magnified. Hallelujah. In the name of Jesus, Lord, we ask you this morning, Lord God, that you will save this morning. Such, Lord God, that should be saved, Lord God. In Jesus' name, Lord God. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen. Amen. 61 versus 1 through 61 versus 1 through 8. And this is what the Lord of the Lord say. Lead me to a rock that is higher than I. I will give you the power for me and a strong tower from the enemy. I will abide in thy tabernacle forever. I will trust in the convert of thy wings, Sila. But thy own Lord has heard my vows. Thou has given me the heritage of those that fear thy name. I will belong in the king's life and his years as many generations. He shall abide in thy name, which may preserve him. So I will sing praises unto thy name forever that I may dearly perform my vows. And that's what the word of the Lord say. Amen. Amen. Joyce and the Lord this more. The Shield of Faith Long Beach Band will be coming with a selection. Amen. Oh, Bishop. Because he's great. Because we serve a true and somebody said it's not true. He is a healer. God is a keeper. He's a provider. He's our source of everything that we need. And he's able to meet our need and so need to praise him. Hallelujah. We need to give him glory and give him honor. The other song that the praise leader let us in is all that would praise the Lord. All that men would praise the Lord for his mighty acts. I think of the goodness of Jesus. All that he's done for me. My soul cries Hallelujah. I'll give him the highest praise in my vocabulary, which is Hallelujah. A portion of scripture that I was meditating on Psalm 92 when we need to be encouraged, the answer to that need is praise. Praise God. It is good. It's a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord and to sing praise unto thy name, Almighty High. Come on. To show forth thy loving kindness in the morning and thy faithfulness every night. Morning and night. Morning and night. Continually giving praise upon the stringed instruments of ten strings and upon the salt tree, upon the heart, upon the solemn sound. For thou, Lord, has made me glad through thy work. He said, I will triumph in the work of thy hand. O Lord, how great are thy works and thy thoughts are very deep. The Lord's thought of us is deep. Hallelujah. And it rejoices my heart that the Lord cares so much for us His people. I'm not the preacher for the day. I just had to get that out because it came so clearly with what the Lord is saying in our praise and worship. Oh, that men would praise the Lord. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. I'm glad to be here. Let me get off my horse. I'm glad to be here this morning. I'm glad for those of you who are with us today. Thank the Lord for coming to be with us. Do we have any guests in the house today? I believe we do. Why don't you come up here, young lady? Now, you all didn't know about my other daughter. All right. This young lady, we've known her since she was Yehi. Yes, that's right. And she's a wonderful, wonderful person and I'm so very proud of her. I told her when I saw her today that her age, I won't devote her age. She says she's 50. And I said that must make me 55. Why don't you have a testimony, young lady? Praise the Lord, everyone. Like Bishop said, I've known him my entire life and I live in Georgia now, but whenever I'm in California I make it, I put it on my calendar to come to church. This is my home. Wherever Bishop is, that's my home. It always will be. So I have come on a very hard mission this week to prepare to let my father go. And no other place could I be but church first, right? He's lived a long life and I'm just asking everyone to go ahead and pray for me and my family and my stepmother as we prepare to let him go home. Because he has 82 years, he's earned it and it's time to let it go. So I am so thrilled to be here. I couldn't be anywhere other than here any time I'm in California on a Sunday. During church time this is where I am. So thank you so much and I love you guys so much. I didn't tell you what your name is. Oh, Amina. I am Amina. I am for those of you who may know, I am Mother Maps Great Neese. Yes. So from way back when, what is it? What church now? Bethany. Bethany Apostolic Church on Lake Avenue. I spent many a Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday. And Saturday at the bake sale. This is home. This will always be home. Thank you so much. God bless you. Amen. Sister Amina, amen. God is good and I guess that song speaks to her situation. Jehovah has the final say. Amen. We're going to keep you in our prayers continually that the Lord will comfort you and strengthen you in this hour. All right. For those of you who have come to this time of year where you're going to be receiving your letters of contribution, they are now prepared. You may see minister Edwards after church for your letter of contribution. All right. So now I'm through. What we're going to receive at this time is a blessing. Amen. I want to introduce to you special music by the Shield of Faith Christian Center Long Beach Band. Let's say amen for the band. We're encouraged to praise God on the instruments and to play skillfully on the instruments. That's just what they do. So without further ado Shield of Faith Christian Center of Long Beach Band. Praise God. Praise God. Praise God. Praise God. He was God's grace. I wasn't good enough. I wasn't smart enough. I wasn't even good looking enough for a bishop. I find that hard to believe. But it was the grace of God. I so appreciate that. You know, it was see God love me knowing all that there is to know about me and he still love me. If you knew everything there was to know about me you might not love me or you might love me from a distance. But it was the grace of God. The grace of God. I'm so excited to be here today. Amen. Give the band a hand. Brother killed it on the guitar. Made me feel like playing my guitar but since I don't have one and I can't play it's probably best that I don't. But I appreciate that. I do. So I give honor to God. And I give honor to our bishop and to the ministry. To the ministers of God and to the saints. I'm just so glad to be home. I wasn't here last week and so I've been waiting all week to get home. It was interesting early yesterday morning. I was thinking about that scripture in Hebrews. It says seeing that we were compassionate about was so great a cloud of witnesses. Let us lay aside every weight. Weight is not a sin weights lead to sin. Lay aside every weight and sin that just so easily beset us. And it says let us run this race with patience. So I was excited to hear about that sister maps great somebody because I knew sister map and she took care of my grandmother and I would go over and sister map and we were talking she would talk about running the race finishing the race. She said God has saints all over the world don't think you're the only one that's going to be saved. I loved her. She was such a wonderful woman of God and see when you run the race what you do is you pass the baton and then your family picks it up and they run with it. Then your neighbor picks up the baton and the people across the street somebody's going to pick up the baton and run the race and not only run the race but they're going to finish the race. I can't help it when we all get to heaven what a day what a day what a day of rejoicing that would be when we all see Jesus to see him face to face the one that my soul loves I love my wife and my children I love my uncles and my aunts but to see Jesus on earth I long to be like him to see him face to face. Can you imagine? I love that song I can only imagine and then it said and looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith we can and we will and we must we can only do it when we look unto Jesus and he will see to it that we cross the finish line into heaven. I was looking at a video in 1992 there was a young man Derrick Redman and he had he had trained to run in the Olympics for years. He had trained for years and years and years and he was running in a meet and he pulled a hamstring in his leg and see, I've seen somebody actually do that and if you haven't seen it, it is an ugly thing there was a pop, it sounded like a shotgun and I watched this muscle shrivel up the back of his leg and he that grown man cried like a baby and all of us men standing around we felt like crying because that man was in excruciating pain and that young man pulled that hamstring but he was determined to finish the race see, I like that, he was determined to finish the race and all of a sudden a man came out of the stands and it was his father his father didn't stop him and didn't say you're in too much pain he didn't stop him but he helped him to finish the race and I thought that's just like Jesus when I think I can make it to give up, he will come out of the stands and put his arms around and say I'll help you finish the race oh Jesus, I tell you I watched it this morning and I cried don't tell nobody I cried, I cried because that to me was such a wonderful example of the love of God let's pray, Father we thank you for this time we thank you for the service thus far we thank you for your presence that we've already filled we filled and sent your presence right now Father speak to our hearts encourage our hearts we'll give you the praise, we'll give you the glory and we will be obedient to your word in Jesus name amen, somebody shout amen last week Bishop taught that prosperity and success are ours God promised it to us Bishop taught us with the promises of God there's usually going to be a struggle he taught us that the promise of God usually doesn't materialize overnight see we get a word from the Lord the Lord says I'm going to bless you we run outside is it here not yet but the question is are you really willing to go through the test and to the trial to get to the promise that God has promised you are you going to give up and go back Bishop taught us that the enemy is going to attack but God said be strong and courageous I like that said be strong and courageous in other words we've got to go out and get the promise that God has given to us it belongs to you God promised it to you if God promised it to you I can't stop you nobody can stop you but you the book of Joshua God says if you will be obedient to my word if you will continue to speak my word in other words if you will keep my words in your mouth you will cause yourself to be prosperous and have good success but if you don't do those things you may not be prosperous you may have some success but you won't have good success you may eat a bologna sandwich when you should be eating a steak my children you know they were smart I tell my wife I believe they must have got it from me she laughs when I say that she just doesn't understand but I told my children I love you but if you bring home some D's and else I love you you can live in my house and you can eat my food but we won't be going to Disneyland see if we want God's best then we have to give God our best and today the Lord he gave me a word it was burn the ship burn the ship burn the ship Philippians 3.13 but one thing I do forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things that are ahead and then he says I press see we've got to forget those things behind us our disappointments our failures we even have to forget our successes because if we live in that moment we won't reach forward to what God has for us we're stuck right there but God told me to tell you burn the ship burn the ship I'm sure you're thinking Ross what in the world are you talking about burn the ship and I'm glad you asked sometime in the early 1500s the king of Spain commissioned Heron Cortez to explore Mexico and to bring back intelligence concerning their great wealth and their natural resources and Cortez's intention was not only to gather the intel but to conquer some of the land that had never been conquered and other men had tried to do in failure and when Cortez landed on the shore of Mexico they unloaded the ships and Cortez commanded his men burn the ship sink the ship it was 11 ships he says burn them and sink them because when you do that there is no possibility of returning, of retreating of going back or going out and God said today you need to burn the ships because I don't want you to go back into the world I don't want you to slip back into the sea but you be faithful unto me and I'll take you through and deliver you burn the ships see for Cortez going back was not an option tell your neighbor going back is not an option it's not a choice see I want everything that God has planned for me so I'm not going back I'm not going to retreat I'm not giving but I'm reaching forward to the promise of God everything that he says I can have I'm going to have it everything he says I can do I'm going to do it but I've got to burn the ships so with 600 men and a few horses Cortez he brought down the mightiest known nation of that time because there was no retreat it was not an option we've got to burn the ships hallelujah burn the ships hallelujah we can't look back we can't look over our shoulder but we got to burn the ship it says I'm pressing forward to what God said I'm pressing forward to what God said I can have I'm pressing forward to the promise last week Bishop talked about how God desires bless us Proverbs 10 22 says and the blessings of the Lord make us rich and it adds no sorrow to it with it thank you and so when we know that we are in line see first thing of God we've got to be qualified for the blessing we become qualified by the experience of the new birth being born again being born of water and spirit baptize him in the name of Jesus and feel with the Holy Ghost see there's some things that we can try to do in the flesh but until you get power and the Bible said after that the Holy Ghost has come upon you you shall have power power that you didn't have power to walk right power to talk right so we've got to be qualified to enjoy the full blessings that God has for us as I mentioned earlier that even when we don't God continues to bless us but I want the full blessing I want everything that he wants me to have I want to do everything he wants me to do when the enemy says I can't have it if God says I can have it if I live right I'll get in the Bible says if you live right heaven belongs to you the enemy says you can't make it to heaven but if God says you can make it you can make it if you live right heaven belongs to you heaven belongs to you so we must come out of the world we must disconnect with the world and we must plug in to the spirit of God we must find our God what do you want me to do where do you want me to go how do you want me to live my life I'm going to plug into you and I'm not going to look back turning the Bible to Luke chapter 9 verse 62 Luke chapter 9 verse 62 and Jesus said unto him no man having put his hand to the plow and looking back is fit for the kingdom of God is fit for the blessings of God see last week Bishop reminded us how Lot's wife she looked back and she was turned until a pillar of salt the children of Israel did it they looked back all for the leaks and the onions that we had down in Egypt they forgot about the weapons they forgot about the beatings they forgot about how they were getting killed down in Egypt see the enemy will try to remind you of all the good stuff and make you forget all the bad stuff you can see because you came to Jesus for a reason you didn't just come to Jesus you came running for your life so we've got to remember that after Jesus was killed Peter went back to fishing and Jesus said get the disciples together and then you go find Peter because I'm not through with him but we cannot allow the enemy to convince us to go back out in the world see there's some things in those ships that we brought with us even though we got saved some of us were lies and thieves and we did all kinds of stuff you got to kill and burn the ship everything that's not like Jesus you got to cut it out of your life and everything that's like Jesus you got to turn in and lose my heart is fixed and my mind is made up I'm going to be saved and I'm going to sink the ship of the enemy in the name of Jesus he wants you to remember the good stuff he doesn't want you to remember the heartbreak the tears that you cried the morning after regrets we did some things at night and in the morning we had to walk the walk of shame see because when the daylight comes and the midnight is gone everybody can see what you did and you got to walk the walk of shame and we said you know what I ain't never gonna do that again I said that and next week I was walking the walk of shame again and I told the people you ain't never gonna see me do this again they said shut up we'll see you next week same time same back station and next week I was walking the walk of shame I hate that sister Bobby I felt so bad I thought I could do better but I didn't have the power there's something about the Holy Ghost when I was looking at that father that was helping his son walk across the finish line I thought about the Holy Ghost he says I will send the Holy Ghost to Paraclete the one that will walk alongside you and help you and he will make sure that you get where you need to go I don't care what the enemy said I don't care what the enemy tries to do I will make sure that you walk across that finish line in the name of Jesus we were messed up and towed up from the floor but God who was rich in mercy he saved us but God who was rich in mercy he delivered us but God who was rich in mercy he brought us out but we've got to burn the ships Ross why do we have to burn the ships because the ships are carrying that old mess that stuff that we brought out from our former life before we got saved those sinful habits those bad attitudes that foolishness say foolishness say foolishness since you know we were messy before we got saved look at your name and say you know we were messy we were a hot mess before Jesus found us a hot mess before Jesus delivered a hot mess before he brought us out and I'm not bringing that mess into the kingdom of God I remember we used to sing a song great change has been a great change in me see I have a problem with saints they get saved and filled with the Holy Ghost but there is no change see something's wrong with that when I get saved there's supposed to be a change I may look the same I may walk the same but my life is supposed to be different the Bible said you need to let your life so shine that men will see your good works and glorify your Father which is heaven but if you ain't got no good works you can't let nothing shine we've got to burn everything let's try to pull us back out into those old habits back out into the world we've got to burn those ships no excuses no rationalization no I did it because don't want to hear that you sinned no compromise no regrets burn the ships turn to Hebrews chapter 11 Hebrews chapter 11 I say Hebrews is one of my favorite books of the Bible but a friend of mine told me the other day he says every time you get in a different book you tell me that's about your favorite book of the Bible so I guess I just love the Bible but here in chapter 11 they're talking about Moses Moses was a Jew by birth they were trying to kill all the male Jewish babies at that time and Moses' mother put him in a basket and he floated down the river until Pharaoh's daughter found him we need to understand that God has divine destiny for our life she didn't just find the baby God made sure she found the baby see God says I want you to go some places and do some things and I will prepare the people's hearts before you get there you don't know how you're going to get it but God's already made a way my uncle Pruitt wanted to go to India and he went to India and he got a job on a ship and he didn't know anybody there but he just wanted to go to be a missionary and I imagine a lot of people said man you must be crazy and he told me when he got to India not knowing anybody when he stepped off the ship four people were there saying God told us that you were coming today and his ministry took off from there and he affected a nation because he believed God I'm going to tell you if you really find out all that my uncle did you would be amazed see when you trust God and when you do what God says they were building a new church and a hurricane came up and they needed a roof a hurricane came up and blew a roof in and set it down on top of that church he told me he said but you know I'm an honest man so I advertised in the newspaper for anybody that lost a roof and nobody showed up so I decided it must be God it must be God I wouldn't even done that when I saw the roof I would have been getting my praise I don't know what you talking about but he was a little bit better man than I am I'm working on that I'm still in progress pray for me but Pharaoh's daughter found him and raised Moses as her own child so Moses was the son of Pharaoh's daughter and the fact that he was the son of his daughter meant that he was the grandson to Pharaoh so let's look at that in Hebrews chapter 11 let's start with verse 23 says by faith Moses when he was born was here three months of his parents because they saw he was a proper child and they were not afraid of the king's commandment by faith when he was come of years in other words when he grew up he refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter he did not want to identify with the world choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season now bishop will testify when we were growing up and we were young people the older saints will say there is no pleasure in sin there's no fun in sin I don't want to say they lie sister barbie but that's not the truth but this is the truth there is a certain amount of pleasure in sin for a season see after a while what was joy and fun becomes a burden a problem a habit and an addiction and you can't get free without the power of God without the glory of God I don't want to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season I don't want to get bound up I want to stay free he said esteeming the reproach of Christ greater than the riches of the treasures in Egypt so he had respect to the recompense of the reward in other words he believed for the promises of God see we've got to get to the place I don't care what it feels like I don't care what it looks like I don't care what my experience has been in the past if God said it if God promised it he's gonna bring it to pass if God promised it he's gonna make it happen if God promised it he's gonna do it God is not a man that he should lie I don't know how I don't know when but he's gonna do it yes trust you we trust you tears so sweet to trust in Jesus and by faith he pursued Egypt not fearing the wrath of the king for he endured as seeing him who is invisible he endured as seeing invisible God see we I have never seen God but I have faith in that invisible God the one that says I'll never leave you I won't forsake you I'll give you the victory I'll bring you out he says I'll make your enemies at peace with you I'll open doors for you I'll heal you how do I know he's done it again and again in my life I've never seen him but I know what he can do so he knows his burn his ships you might say he burned all of his bridges he refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter giving up all the benefits and the perks that went along with that see some things out there in the world we don't want to give up we know if I deny Christ they're not gonna be my friends if I deny Christ they're not gonna think I'm cool if I deny Christ sister Bobby they might not give me half of their bologna sandwich they know we're on with bologna y'all come on now y'all you fry that bad boy up I'm gonna tell you what it said but he esteemed the reproach of Christ or he esteemed the suffering for Christ greater than the riches of Egypt question what is your response when you're called upon to suffer for the cause of Christ what is your response when you have to suffer for doing right see I remember we used to sing it will be worth it all when we see Jesus but are we willing to wait but we've got to burn the ships in our life we've got to burn those things that are coming behind us and we've got to choose to serve God so there are at least a three step process to burning a ship first a decision must be made and carried out see in life we make decisions some of them are small what am I going to wear what am I going to eat for breakfast how am I going to port my hair down the middle on the side don't have that problem anymore but I used to don't have sister Bobby but a decision has to be made my and then sometimes we have some tough decisions where am I going to work where are we going to live my sister-in-law she had a hip replacement about six months ago and the recovery was extremely painful and they told her now we need to do the other side so she has to decide am I willing to go through that pain again but I understand that if I do it in the long run it'll be for my good see we've got to decide to serve Christ right now knowing it may be hard right now it may be difficult right now but when we get to heaven it's going to be worse when we make peace with God it's going to be worse when we have the favor of God it will make it worse when we have the promise of God so we have to make a decision Moses decided to forsake Egypt we have to decide to forsake Egypt to forsake the world I choose Jesus for mine I choose to serve him even when it seems like it would be easier to do it another way so we have to make a decision second we have to withstand the pressure to go back see once we've burned and sunk the ships there will be pressure to go back I think about Bishop he says it from time to time there's some people that got saved and said it's just too hard I just can make it it's just so hard and to that I give three Chinese cheers Fui, Fui, Fui don't want to hear it see even when you sink your ships there going to be some people that are going to invite you to get in their boats there's going to be some people that say you know what if you come with me everything is going to be all right I had a man he was wealthy rich, wealthy rich, rich, wealthy he was a Jewish man he was seven foot tall never saw a Jewish man that tall and I would say man what's the deal he says I'm from the tribe of Benjamin and that really got nothing to do with anything but I don't know why shit is such a tear but he came to me one day he said you know what I like you if you do what I do I will make you rich and when I listened to him he began to talk and I thought that's illegal that's illegal that's borderline illegal and I thought if I do it I'll get rich and then I thought but if I do it I'm going to get in trouble see I had to make a decision I had to make a choice and the pressure was on I mean I was sweating y'all and he was just saying man I can do it I can do it for you and I had to say thanks but no thanks because I served Jesus up I don't do it the way the world does it I do it his way he said give and it shall be given unto you good measure pressed down shaken together running over miracle gift to your bosom I had to choose I do it God's way even when the pressure was on I had to make a decision that I'm going to burn my ships and regardless to the pressure I'm not going back till we have to make a decision we have to stand in the face of pressure finally we have to be motivated by the promises of God we have to remember that God has promised us a blessing and there's no greater blessing than what God has it the blessings of the Lord will make you rich and it adds no sorrow to it you don't have to do things that you regret in the morning that you had to do you don't have to go in and sleep with the bosses wife to get on top and some people will do that but we have to choose to serve Jesus choose the blessings of God and the thing I like about it says that God he includes eternal life hallelujah we're not going to be lost we're not going to hell but I want the blessings of God in my life I want the promises of God in my life and I want heaven I want to make it to heaven where the wicked shall cease from troubling and the weary shall be arrested and all the saints of the ages will sit down at his feet and be blessed I made up my mind I made up my mind I'm going to make it have you made up your mind that you're going to make it I made up my mind I'm going to make it to the city called heaven I'm not giving up I'm not going back I'm going all the way with Jesus Sister Merlin sings through every mountain you brought me over through every trial you brought me through give me the rest of it for every blessing hallelujah for this I give you praise see there is a blessing in doing it God's way there is a blessing when I say yes to the will of God see my flesh he wants to get out of control I don't trust my flesh not one little bit like the Lord said to me one day he says you gotta be brutal to the flesh you can't let him live you can't give him no potato chips and punch if you let him have his way he will act a fool I'm not listening to my flesh but what has the word of God what has God said in my life if I will beg God I'll be blessed if I will beg God I'll be delivered if I will beg God I'll go over the top the blessings of the Lord makes me rich rich in joy, rich in peace rich in happiness see there are some things that money just came by he says but I made up my mind I'm not giving up I'm not going back I'm going all the way with Jesus see I'm burning hallelujah my ships up I'm burning the ships up I'm burning the ships up tell him I'm burning the ships up I'm burning the ships of lion I'm burning the ships of stealing I'm burning the ships of hatred I'm burning the ships of fornication adultery creeping and sleeping and tipping around I'm burning the ships of gossiping and bank biking see some people think gossip is not sin see but you gotta let that go see there's a way that seems right it seems like if bishop talk about me when I get behind his back it may not be the truth but I'm telling something see that's the thing about it when people gossip to you most of the time they don't even know what they're talking about most of the time it's not even true see they heard somebody else say what they heard somebody else say I had a pastor he said before you say anything say anything you have to determine first of all is it true is it kind is it necessary he says if it doesn't pass all three of that criteria he says keep your mouth shut see but we go off and we tell stuff cause I done it myself bishop I'm confessing now I said some stuff that I thought I heard somebody else said and I repeated and I found out it was a lie from the pit and I had to go back sister barbie and take that walk of shame just one more time see but I'm burning the ship I'm burning the ship I'm burning every ship I'm burning every habit I'm burning every addiction I'm burning the ship somebody say yeah hallelujah say yeah I'm burning the ship I'm gonna do it God's way I'm gonna do what God said I'm burning the ships I decided that I'm gonna burn every ship someone said withholding nothing see we categorize sin that's a big sin that's kind of a sin but a sin is sin and God wants us to get sin out of our life I was talking to a friend and we were talking about being holy and I said you know when I found out that God sees my thoughts a far off I said man you in trouble but it's something about the mercy of God he says I will give you time to get things right I'll give you time to change your mind and when you change your mind you will begin to change your behavior and I will cause you to live right before me but I made up my mind I'm gonna say yes to God yes to the will of God yes to the way of God yes to everything that he's calling me to do and yes to everything that he's telling me to do I'm gonna say yes God God says do it I'm gonna say yes God says let it go I'm gonna say yes I say yes to God I'm gonna be strong and courageous I'm gonna declare that greater is that is in me I'm gonna declare that I can do all things through Christ and see a lot of us we read that and we're thinking about I can do all things I can get rich I can get in a car I can get in a house but that scripture is really talking about living a victorious life living for Jesus living holy see we can't do it without the presence of God in our life we can't do it without the Holy Ghost the Bible says after the Holy Ghost come upon you you will have power you'll be able to do all things that God's calling should do all things that pertain to life and to God is all things that are pleasing to him see I'm more than a conqueror through him I'm an overcomer through him I'm going to make my way prosperous and I'm going to have good success say good success see I have decided that I'm not gonna let nothing I'm not gonna let nobody no ships no money no women no fame no house no land nothing separate me from the love of God I'm gonna stay in his love I'm gonna stay in his presence I'm gonna stay with God I'm not going back I'm not giving up I'm not going back to the world you got to make it up in your mind I'm burning the ship I'm burning the ship I'm not giving up I'm not turning back I'm not retreating but I I came to the place where I had to tell my ships ha ha ha burn baby burn I had to burn those ships and I had to burn them down I'm not letting any of them stay in my life everything that doesn't like Jesus has got to go has got to go down see I'm not getting back in those old ships that I came over on I have gotten into the old ship of Zion ha ha and I am on my way to the promised land see I'm living good now I'm doing alright now but see when we get to heaven we cannot even imagine how wonderful heaven is to walk on streets and go to be in the presence of the Lord to see loved ones that we have lost actually we haven't lost them because we know where they are we had a family dinner the other day and we began to look at some of the people that have gone on to be with the Lord and I thought Sister Bobby I don't know but I didn't feel bad I thought what a blessing what a blessing see we have a great cloud of witnesses that tell us Bishop if I made it you can make it if I got over you can come over if you will stay with God He'll bring you through He'll open doors He'll make ways He'll bring you out He'll bring you in and heaven belongs to you Jesus is saying burn the ships burn the ships anything that's trying to hold you back burn the ships I have decided to follow Jesus I have decided to walk with Him and to talk with Him and I made up my mind no turning back I've been through the tests I've been through the trial I've almost been dead but you know what I'm not turning back now God's been too good to me He's opened up too many doors for me no retreat, no surrender no giving up no going back but I'm burning the ships everything that doesn't please Jesus I've got to go I've come too far He's been too good but we have to be careful when we get to the place that we think I've got it made if we haven't burned the ships see there are some things that I love when I was out in the world I don't let those things even get close to me anymore I burn the ships you've got to go there's some people in my life I loved them but I had to tell them you've got to go see you dragging me down because you know before you got saved there were some people you were trying to do right they said come on let's go to the club and the next thing you know you was in trouble and in the morning you were walking that walk ashamed again and see you have to realize don't open any door for the enemy everything that is a pull to you you've got to burn that ship bury that ship make that ship go down because God wants you to be victorious like Bishop said last week he wants to bless you he wants to make you prosperous and cause you to have good success and so today God is saying in order to be prosperous in order to have good success burn this ship this ship to follow Jesus I've decided to follow Jesus to follow Jesus I have decided to follow Jesus no turning back no turning back I've decided I have decided to follow Jesus Praise God Praise God to be able to come to a place come to a position that you've made the decision that you need to make to see his face in peace oh every eye is going to see him but some are going to see him in peace and others are not when you come to the place where you say I've decided to do what the Lord said do oh has anybody decided to do what the Lord says do Hallelujah you tried all kind of stuff you went in and out and did up things all kind of things but now you come to the place where you come to reality and you can look into the Word of God and understand I've got to make a change I've got to make a change Hallelujah and the only way to make that change is you have to decide to do what God said do you know everybody wants to go to heaven nobody wants to go to hell everybody wants to go to heaven but everybody don't want to do what God said do he said I have a place a place that I going to repair for you he said but you got to walk right I heard about that walk of shame amen you got to do what the Lord says do and I'll tell you I've read about heaven and it sounds real real good but I can't really wrap my mind around streets people misquote this people say streets paved with gold the scripture said streets of gold made out of gold and I've heard about the walls of jasper and the gates of pearls but my mind is just not that deep I can't really wrap my mind around it I can't see it I said Lord I believe but Lord help thou my unbelief I just can't kind of get a hold of that but what I understand is God cannot lie he's not a man that he should lie and when he says I've gone to repair a place for you that where I am he said come on over to my house God is rich in mercy in love in kindness and he created everything and if he made it for himself I'd be pleased to come over come on sometimes when you have an opportunity to go to places that are considered the elite places I said yes I'd be pleased to accompany you there you there well Jesus said I've prepared a place for you I prepared a place for you, you and you and you and for all of y'all he said I've prepared a place for you and it's a place where I'm pleased to abide in and the Ross has laid it out so plainly for us there's a decision that has to be made we have to decide that we're going to do it God's way and like Pharaoh's daughter who was Moses' mother Moses got to the place where he said all of this is good thank you very much sister Pharaoh's daughter thank you so much but I see something greater than being in this place and so we have to make up our mind we're going to do it God's way stand let's all stand the scripture came to me as preacher preached Joshua 24-15 said if it seems evil unto you to serve the Lord choose you this day whom ye will serve whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood are the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell but as for me and my house as for me and my house will serve the Lord so now we have to decide that we're going to serve the Lord and the Lord stands ready and waiting to receive us from the family of God there's anyone here today you've not made your decision before now today is a great day today is the day of salvation and we invite you to come there's water and we have clothing and someone to baptize you and the Lord is ready and waiting to fill you with his spirit and when the Lord fills you with his spirit he claims you as his own and oh what a wonderful thing it is to be loved by the eternal God and the savior of mankind if there's anyone here today you've not made that decision I'd like to sing another couple rounds of that give people an opportunity if they're perhaps here have not made that decision to follow Jesus I have decided to follow Jesus I have decided to follow Jesus no turning back no turning back I have decided to follow Jesus God bless you you may be seated at words from the consortant concerning our offering unto the Lord thank you Lisa it's all the time for offering when we give unto the Lord being obedient to the Lord I'll be reading to you here in 2 Corinthians 9 verses 6 through 8 it says every man according to his purpose and his heart so let him give not grudgingly or a necessity for God love is a cheerful giver and God is able to make all grace abound towards you that ye always have all sufficiency and all things may abound to every good word Elder Ross was when he was preaching he said when you do it God's way you will be blessed and God command us to pay our tithes and give our offering he said you will be blessed in every area of your life that's what the word of God said not only a lot of times we think about when we give our offering or pay our tithes it's only deal with money but it's not just money it's our health it's our children it's our job every part of our lives every area of our lives whatever we're going through you know paying our bill some people say I can't afford to pay my tithes I gotta pay my bill you can't afford not to pay your tithes cause when you don't pay your tithes you're robbing God you're taking away from him and none of us in here can be God's giving so if you want to be blessed and prosperous pay your tithes let us stand right now in Jesus name everyone please stand with me in Jesus name God's loves a chair forgiver the main word is obedience being obedient to the word of God how can you say you love God and you don't obey his word we have to be obedient to God if we want to be blessed and prosperous let's hold our offering up to the Lord in Jesus name Father in the name of Jesus we thank you we praise you Lord God you said Lord God that you love a chair for giving Lord God that we don't give grudging any Lord God in the name of Jesus Lord we ask that you bless the gift and the giver Lord God touch the hearts and the minds of your people Lord God that they may be obedient to your word they may give as you said to give Lord God you said bring all the tithes into your store house that they may be meeting in your house Lord God we thank you we praise you Lord God for this offering that we are about to receive that it may continue Lord God to further the work that's going forth in your Lord God in Jesus name in Jesus name we pray amen and amen you can bring your offering if you trust you and we are following the shipments burn the ship is burned we have a new Q ship you're the captain of our souls and we praise and we thank you Lord strengthening us giving us the power Christ Jesus we bless you and we praise you in Jesus name hallelujah just just before we're dismissed see we have some visitors who can stand would you like to have a remark God bless you God bless you same how you guys doing today my name is Kim and this is my daughter Kaya and I was invited by minister Tanisha I've actually been here before not actually in service I came to a couple of vids with you guys and I always love fellowshiping with you guys and I recently moved from Lancaster so I told Tanisha I said when I get a chance I'm gonna come back and get in the presence get in the house on a Sunday morning so I just enjoyed the service and a lot of familiar faces and I just thank you guys and amen God bless you we're so glad to have you with us amen alright turn it into your hands that's sister Franklin back there you have a visitor with you alright tell us who your visitor is unless he'd like to speak on his own hello my name is Russell Richardson Russell invited me to come so I haven't been to church in a while and I wanted to get back in so that's why I'm here we're delighted to have you with us often as you're able to we're friendly church we love the Lord we love his people we love all people God bless you amen alright amen come on if you've decided and you're determined amen let's get ready to go home hallelujah