 Hey man, alright, so here we are in Joshua chapter 7, we see the story of Achan, and before I get started this morning, let me just say that, you know, the more, you know, there's this idea that, oh, you know, there's this Old Testament stuff, and then there's this New Testament stuff, and I've even heard people say, you know, as far as doctrines and things like that, that, oh, that's in the Old Testament kind of thing, but what I want to show you this morning is how relevant the Old Testament actually is to our lives, and, you know, before I get yet started, I want to show you that, you know, the Old Testament is, you know, the more things change, the more they stay the same, it seems, and I'm going to show you that this morning and how the Old Testament applies to your life, you know, and how, you know, the struggles that we have today, the mistakes that we make today are no different than the mistakes and the struggles that people in the Old Testament went through, you know, it's all the same thing, you know, this is going to be kind of a shotgun sermon, you know, this morning, I'm going to offend pretty much everyone, I'm pretty sure, but it's equal opportunity offense, all right, so I'm, it's going to, it's going to get everybody, I was thinking about that when I wrote the sermon, but that's just the way it is, so don't feel like, oh, I'm offended, well, you know, just wait, somebody else is going to be offended a little bit later on, okay, so, first of all, we're going to, we're seeing the story of Achan, but we're going to go and we're going to look at a few different stories in the Bible, so you say, go back to Joshua chapter six, you say, what was the big deal, you know, with this, this whole story of Achan, I mean, the, the punishment was pretty severe, right, so what was the big deal, but look at Joshua chapter six, and look at verse number seventeen, and the Bible says this, it says in Joshua six verse seventeen, just one chapter back, it says, and the city shall be accursed, even it and all that are into the Lord, only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all that are within her house, because she hid the messengers that we sent, so of course this is Jericho, this is where Rahab, you know, live, this is the first city where, you know, they invaded the holy land where they were coming to take possession of the land finally, and the Bible says that everything in that city was accursed of the Lord, and yea, in any wise, keep yourselves from the accursed thing, lest you make yourselves accursed, and when you take of the accursed thing and make the camp of Israel accursed and trouble it, so basically what was accursed, everything was accursed, everything was accursed in that city, and if you touched it, you were accursed too, okay, so, you know, you say, what were these things, well, turn to Psalm 115, turn to Psalm 115 and look at verse number four, so we see that these accursed things, you know, were the things that were in the city, and you know, look, they became something too aching that accursed him, alright, and in Psalm 115 the Bible says, you know, talking about the heathen, it says their idols are silver and gold, the work of men's hands, so, look, gold and silver here became Akin's idols, and that ended up destroying him and his whole family, so look, these idols that he, that he, you know, that took his heart away from the main purpose, they ended up cursing his family, you know, to touch the thing that was accursed, you became accursed, is the point of this story, Psalm 135, I'll just read it for you, verse 15 the Bible says, you can turn to Exodus chapter 20, the Bible says, the idols of the heathen are silver and gold, the work of men's hands, so look, idols, the first thing I want to show you this morning from the story of Akin, and then we'll go into some other stories, is that idols are more than just molten images, they are more than just, you know, gods that are made of gold and silver, they are things that take, you know, our attention away from God, you think about these people and moving into the Holy Land when they crossed the Jordan River, you know, they had been waiting for 40 years or more to actually take possession of this land, and right away, this guy takes his heart off the actual gold that they're there, and he starts just accumulating wealth, he becomes focused on, you know, stuff, right, he becomes focused on, you know, the things that were in the city, the material possessions that were in the city, and God said that all those things in this case were accursed, alright, but look, let's get back to the basics on idolatry, what was the reason against literal idols, look at Exodus chapter 20 in verse number three, where the Bible says, you know, this is a well-known verse of the Ten Commandments, the Bible says, thou shalt have no other gods before me, thou shalt not make unto thee a graven image or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above or that is an earth beneath or that is in the water under the earth, thou shalt not bow down thyself to them nor serve them, for I the Lord, and this is what I really want to focus on right here, I the Lord God am a jealous God visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children of the third and fourth generation of them that hate me, so look, we serve, I mean the God is talking about not having other gods before you, lowercase g, he's talking about not making images of idols and literally worshiping those idols, but then we see this thing that God is a jealous God, we see that God is jealous towards us, we know that jealousy in the Bible is a good thing, envy is a bad thing, so jealousy is when you know you are you know protective of something that's yours, and envy is when you're you know coveting something that does not belong to you, so the Bible says God is jealous and rightfully so because look, you belong to him, you belong to him, you know to the guy that thinks you know what do I owe God, you know what do I owe God, I mean to the to the unsaved person, you know to the unsaved person that sits there and say what do I owe God, right, well I mean he created you, he created, he not only created you and everyone that you know or ever have met or everything that you've ever seen and this universe that you live in, but he actually you know provided a way for you to have eternal life, I mean that so what do you owe God even to the unsaved person everything is the answer, you owe God everything and as a saved believer you should know this that you owe God everything, but look most people you know you know he justified you, think of it, he created you and justified you and he offers that to you for free, so what do you owe God you know everything, but most people don't even try to find out you know what they owe God or anything right no matter how you couldn't justify yourself no matter how hard you tried most people won't try at all, but look God back to the point God is jealous of you individually and so anything that takes your heart away from God turn to Ezekiel chapter 14, you say you're just making some connection, no turn to Ezekiel chapter 14, God is jealous he's jealous for you and in Ezekiel chapter 14 look at verse number one the Bible says, now we could read verse and verse and verse and chapter and chapter on what I'm about to read you but we've got a lot to get through here look at Ezekiel 14 verse number one the Bible says then came certain of the elders of Israel unto me and sat before me and the word of the Lord came unto me saying son of man these men have set up their idols where in their heart and put the stumbling block of their iniquity before their face should I be inquired of all by them so look idolatry can just simply be in your heart something that takes your attention away from God God wants he requires your full attention is what the Bible says right now turn it back to Exodus look at verse number 32 so anything that takes your heart off of the Lord can be considered an idol that you have in your heart okay and look here's here's what I really you say I've heard that before but here's what I really want to get across this morning here's what I really want you know this is the worst part of it are you in Exodus chapter 30 look at verse number 20 this is of course the story of the golden calf they made a literal idol and they worshipped it okay so we can have idols in our heart but these people made a literal idol but it's the same concept because the idol the physical idol God is jealous because he wants us worshipping him right for the idol in our heart God wants our full attention it takes our heart off of him it's the same thing but look at what God did in verse number 20 of Exodus 32 as part of the punishment we know many people died and there was great punishment but look at verse number 20 it says and he took the calf which they had made this is Moses after he sees them worshiping the golden calf and burnt it in the fire so he didn't just burn it up read the rest of the verse and he grounded into powder and strotted upon the water and made the children of Israel drink of it so look he ground up the idol first of all so the Lord will grind up your idols is the first thing I want to get across all right and it's interesting though that he used the idol itself to punish them I mean that's not an accident what happened right there there's a lot of symbolism and things that we can learn from that verse he literally he cursed them with the idol that they left they used to leave him I mean he grounded up and he made them drink it I mean that was on purpose that was a specific command that God had you know Moses do he cursed them with it so you say you know I don't have a golden calf I don't worship a molten image but look we're gonna look this morning all that was just matter of introduction we're gonna look this morning turned to Luke chapter 14 we're gonna look this morning at modern day idols and we're gonna look at how we can apply this Old Testament theory to our modern day idols keeping in mind that God will still destroy those idols and he will he will turn these idols that take our attention off of him into curses for us okay and I'm gonna give you at the end you know I'm gonna give you something kind of kind of interesting happened to me last night I'm gonna give you so if you get all offended you know from the sermon this morning I'm gonna give you an example in my life that kind of ties all this together that just kind of popped up last night when I was I was talking to my wife and I want so look I've been down this road so I'm talking to you about things that I've seen and things that I've experienced this morning look at Luke chapter 14 let's look at some idols that the Bible says that we will struggle with in our life in Luke chapter 14 you know we see Jesus making an example here look at verse number 16 and Jesus is giving an analogy here and he says then he said unto them a certain man made a great supper and bade many and sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bid and come for all things are now ready and they all with one consent began to make excuse the first said unto him I have bought a piece of ground and I must needs go and see it I pray have I pray thee have me excused another said I have bought five ox yoke of oxen and I go to prove them I pray thee have me excused and another said unto them I have married a wife and therefore I cannot come so here we see these people that were you know we could apply this to salvation we could apply this to just you know living the Christian life towards God but we're gonna look at these three excuses these three examples that Jesus gives in this story and see how you know they apply to us today all right so look that what was the first excuse that the person made he made this he made you know I have bought a piece of ground he said you know this is talking about you know creating idols of worldly possessions you know things that you know making them you know your idols now look this is a huge one for me because when I grew up like a literal literal land was a huge idol when I grew up even into my you know adult life like land where I come from is an idol that takes people their whole life and they never get out of it it becomes like just how much land can you own that that becomes the purpose of people's life you know I mean I can't tell you how many times I've heard people say you know just comparing other people to other people all he only owns 600 acres of land yeah I'm serious oh you know because it becomes how much you can accumulate how much land you have in the land atlas it is what becomes the definition of of people's lives common where I come from you say that sounds weird but look how many acres of land that you can accumulate turn to Ecclesiastes chapter 2 Ecclesiastes chapter 2 and I've seen this part to I've seen those type of people completely cursed by that philosophy look at Ecclesiastes chapter 2 and look at verse number 4 this is Solomon talking about you know the things that he's accumulated in Ecclesiastes chapter 2 look at verse number 4 he says I made me great works I builded me houses I planted me vineyards I made me gardens and orchards and I planted trees and all of them of all kind of fruits I made me pools of water to water there with the wood that bring it forth trees I got me servants and maidens and had servants born in my house also a great possessions of great and small cattle above all that were in Jerusalem before me I gathered me also silver and gold and a peculiar treasure of kings and the provinces I got me men singers and women singers look he's talking he's saying even like any kind of treasure that anybody treasured anywhere if it wasn't even gold and silver he's like I got that stuff too he had the power to basically bring anything any stuff any material possessions that he ever wanted that anyone on the earth could actually even think of to bring to himself he says so I was great and increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem also my wisdom remained with me so here's the thing I mean you ever heard about like you know keeping up with the Joneses you know we lived in Texas we moved to Texas and it was huge there it was this thing where you know people lived in these huge houses and it was all about people would we literally knew people that would move into a huge house and right away they would just start talking about the next neighborhood that they wanted to move into they didn't even enjoy the things that they had you know I mean they so look Solomon played the keeping up with the Joneses game and he won I mean he won he won the game that none of us will ever win I mean he literally says here he says he increased more than all that were before me in Jerusalem also my wisdom remained with me so he was the richest he was the smartest everything he won the game so what did it get him look at verse number 18 he says this he says and yay said I hated all my labor which I had taken under the Sun because I should leave it unto the man that shall be after me and who knoweth whether he shall be wise man or a fool and yet he shall have rule over all my labor where and I have labored and where and I have showed myself wise under the Sun this is all also vanity look God cursed him with this goal of his life God cursed him with it look he he literally is saying I've I hate the way I spent my life he's an old man here he's saying I hate the way that I've prosecuted my life he he was trying to get joy he was trying to get happiness and that joy never came and also the next generation we know because we have the Bible the next generation was cursed all was lost in the next generation I have seen that so many times personally I have seen this person who is driven and just accumulate all this land and all these possessions and they leave it to the next generation and it's gone in a few years it's the same if you so if you think man and I and I've met this person too I used to kind of be sort of this person if you think oh man if I could only just get to this point and then you know I'll be satisfied and then you know I'll be able to do all these good things for the Lord if I could just get right here then at that point you know it won't be an idol to me and then at that point I'll start serving the Lord and doing what I'm supposed to be doing look that joy will never come that line will you'll never get there you will even you either never get there or you will never realize you've gotten there because it will never be enough you know if my bank account could just hit this mark I'll be happy you know accumulating wealth all of it you know I mean look is it bad to save money no but the point is if it becomes an idol if it meaning what do I mean by that if it gets between you and the Lord God's gonna destroy it God's gonna grind it up and make you drink it through a straw we serve a jealous God so it takes look it takes some maturity to you know live a you know a responsible life save some money and not let that become an idol to you that takes some maturity right but you always have to remember that God wants your undivided attention period all right so don't get caught up in what everybody else is caught up in because that's all anybody else in the world cares about it's how much you can accumulate and the unsaved especially the uns I mean I'm a little shocked actually that as I get you know into my 40s and I'm a little shocked that when I see people my age that people haven't actually thought about their life to the point where they're like you know what what's the point of this life what do I want to do with my life other than just you know have a good time and make a bunch of money that's that's all anyone cares about go back to Luke chapter 14 so we see that your possessions can become an idol we need to be careful let's look at the second thing the guy that has in Luke number Luke chapter 14 in verse number 19 the Bible says this it says and another said I have bought five yoke of oxen and I go to prove them so it's not that he has the yoke of oxen that were his idol but he wants to go and use them and I pray the have me excused look he's saying I can't go because I've got work to do is what he's saying no look we're talking about the career or the work that's getting in the way of serving the Lord now look we've got some men that work hard in this church and that's great that's what we want to be but once again we see that there's a line here that if your work becomes an idol to you or your career becomes an idol to you or you know it gets in the way of you and the Lord you know that's going to be a problem so look you are to have a job you are to work you are to support your family but look you can take it too seriously I'm not saying you know that no time for family no time for church there's no time for anything other than work I've also been this guy I've also been this guy look nothing live some man up like when some things are going well in his work life so you need to guard yourself here there is nothing that will get you instantly prideful that when you go off to work and you have some success at work and things like that and look at how awesome I am nothing will lift a man up like that but look it also it also exposes you to worldly influences because we're out to be out in the world that can make things worse so don't make God grind up your work life and feed it to you turn to second Chronicles chapter 32 let's look at a man who's success destroyed him remember Hezekiah we just talked about him a couple weeks ago remember the Assyrians after they took over the northern kingdom of Israel you know they they came in and Hezekiah you know was was all stressed out you know Rab Sheka you know was saying we're going to take over you know you as well but look and then after that to make things worse he gets sick like sick unto death this guy's in a bad way but look at second Chronicles chapter 32 look at verse number 27 so basically he gets sick you know the Assyrians are there and then they leave and then God you know saves him from them he gets sick he asks Isaiah he's like Isaiah you know he just has this humble prayer to Isaiah ask God to you know extend my life and God says I'm going to give you another 15 years he says I'm going to give you another 15 years of life because he came and he had such a humble prayer but look at second Chronicles chapter 32 this is after that look at verse 27 the Bible says in Hezekiah had exceeding much riches and honor and he made himself treasures for silver and for gold and for precious stones and for spices and for shields and for all manner of pleasant jewels storehouses also for the increase of corn wine and oil installs for all manner of beasts and coats for flocks more up more over he provided him cities and possessions of flocks and herds and abundance for God had given him substance very much this same Hezekiah also stopped under the water course of Gihan and brought it straight down to the west side of the city of David and Hezekiah prospered in all his works like everything he's doing is just working I mean he's building all these cities for all his stuff and I mean everything that he's doing like look there's times in your life where you may just be working and working and working and nothing's nothing's turning out but there's also going to be times when you go to work and things you I mean things just start just working for you and that's what was happening with Hezekiah God was just putting things together for him but but why was God doing that look at verse 31 how be it in the business of the ambassadors of the princes of Babylon who took over Judah who sent unto him to inquire of the wonder that was done in the land so here these princes of Babylon hear about the works of this guy's hands and the success that this king of Judah is having this is after the Assyrians were were killed by God and sent back home and he's having all these successes these princes of Babylon they come down to check it all out say hey what's what's going on and and look the ambassadors of the princes of Babylon who sent under him who sent unto him to inquire of the wonder that was done in the land God left him to try him that he might know all that was in where in his heart go back to second Kings chapter 20 because look after the Assyrians and the sickness past let's look at who go to you go to second Kings chapter 20 and I'm going to read second Kings chapter 19 verse 19 this is who Hezekiah said he would be if God would save him from these situations in second Kings 19 just go ahead and turn there and look at verse 19 let's look at it together look what Hezekiah says he will do if God gets him out of this mess that he's in he says this in second Kings 19 verse 19 says now therefore oh Lord our God I beseech thee save thou out of his hand this is the king of Assyria that all the kingdoms of the earth what may know that thou art the Lord God even thou only yet when he so he says if you save me from the Assyrians why should you save us God so that way we can we can show everybody and tell everybody that you're the Lord is what he says he will do but look at second Kings 20 verse 12 and this is what he actually does in verse 12 of second Kings 20 the Bible says and at that time Barrow dachma laden the son of balladadan king of Babylon sent letters and a present under Hezekiah for he had heard that Hezekiah had been sick and Hezekiah hearkened under them and showed them all the house of his precious things the silver the gold the spices the precious ointment all the house of his armor and all that was found in his treasures there was nothing in his house nor in all his dominion that Hezekiah showed them not so look these guys come there and what does he do he just shows them how awesome he is he just shows them look at all this stuff that I have I mean is that telling them who the Lord our God is no he was tested and he failed because look you your flesh will love the praise of men you men need to realize this when you're out in the world and you're having some success and maybe you know you're good at what you do at some point which you should get good at what you do but don't start loving the praise of men to where all you want to do is just show your storehouses and show your knowledge and show your wisdom and show all your stuff because all of your success and your skill that all came from the Lord Hezekiah was was given all this and then he was tested and he failed look down at verse number 14 of second Kings chapter 20 this is what happens this is what will happen if that happens to you then came Isaiah the prophet under King Hezekiah and said unto him what said these these men what said these men and from whence came they unto thee and Hezekiah said they are come from a far country even from Babylon Isaiah knows what happened Isaiah knows the test that was given and the results of that test and he said what have they seen in nine house he's like what did you show him and Hezekiah answered all the things that are in my house they have seen there is nothing among my treasures that I have not showed them and Isaiah said unto Hezekiah hear the word of the Lord and he basically tells them he's like but you know you didn't tell them about me you didn't tell them about the Lord and he basically tells them you know you showed them what was in your heart and then he says you know what they're gonna own it all is what is what happens Isaiah tells Hezekiah that the people that he was bragging to and the praise that he loved you know from these people when he should have been you know focused on God in the heart that he turned to this all his success in his work is like those people that you showed all your things that's going to turn into a curse for you and they are going to own it all and they are the ones that end up taking over Babylon period go back to Luke chapter 14 so don't start don't take the success that God has given you and start you know loving the praise that people because look it's not you it's not you that created that success because look you can work hard in your life and God can bless that work or he cannot bless that work I've been in both places I've been in places where I was just working my tail off doing all the right things and things just weren't working but I've also been to the place where it's like hey you know I'm still working hard and I'm still doing things when I'm focused in the right direction also in this stuff's just kind of working for some reason but it's God that does that it's God that puts things together for you so keep your heart in the right place or you know what the people who's praise that you love other than God you know that's going to become a curse to you let's look at the last the last excuse that they give in Luke chapter 14 look at verse number 20 and the Bible says this and says in another said I have married a wife and therefore I cannot come so this guy can't go because you know his wife his family right his family his wife is this guy's idol is who's taking his heart off of the Lord so you know this is basically this whole you know God family country country family God God family whatever look you better get this order right it's super important that you get this order right it is God family country that's the order but these are these people that get these things that it could cost you your family if you if you're saved and you get this order wrong this could cost you your family turn to 2nd Corinthians chapter 6 look family's a good thing don't get me wrong as long as it doesn't get in the way of your heart towards the Lord okay look at 2nd Corinthians chapter 6 look at verse number 17 the Bible says this it says wherefore come out from among them and be he separate sayeth the Lord and touch not the unclean thing and I will receive you remember aching where it said keep yourselves from the accursed thing kind of sounds familiar doesn't it kind of sounds like it's the same thing it's interesting that the language is similar it's interesting that people think today that yes I need to be separate you know I need to separate my children from public school from this worldview that's being taught out here yet they'll expose them constantly to family or cousins I mean that was huge in my family it's probably huge in yours too I'm just guessing but look turn to Luke chapter 12 let's see what I mean they'll expose them to family members who will push the same worldview on them yet with everybody else we have we have different standards for some reason you know world bad unless they're related to us right well let's see what Jesus said look at Luke chapter 12 now these are some hard sayings here okay these are some hard sayings and look I have been down this road so I will say whatever I want because I have been down this road and I have knocked this wall down myself is it easy who cares that's where I'm at and that's where I've been so don't sit here and look at me and say oh you know easy for you to say no I've I have done it look at Luke chapter 12 let's see what Jesus says for from henceforth there shall be five in one household divided three against two and two against three the father shall be divided against the son and the son against the father that doesn't sound very good I mean a dad being against son I mean that doesn't sound good does that sound fun I mean what's that going to do for the you know the the Christmas Day celebration right the mother against the daughter and the daughter against the mother the mother-in-law against I mean stop it I mean the mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law turn to Luke 14 just a couple chapters over now this one's even it gets even worse you say that sounds bad that sounds ugly that's not going to make for a good Thanksgiving dinner look at Luke 14 in verse 26 if any man come to me and hate not his father and mother and wife and children and brethren and sisters yay and even his life also he cannot be my disciple wow what in the world but here's this interesting I mean what I have to hate my own father what here's this interesting Luke 14 comes after Luke chapter 12 do you know that 12 13 14 if your family if your family is completely on board with your Christian life and your standards is there going to be any division is there no but look there wouldn't be any division at all in that case but Jesus is saying that's not going to be the case all the time as a matter of fact the majority of the time that's not going to be the case I mean how many people are saved soul winners few so how do I know I mean so so when he's saying this he's like look if there's division that means that your heart still needs to be in the right place not there not there not with your father and mother not with your family if there's division your heart needs to stay the same otherwise that's going to get between you and God and now we're we're in danger territory look you say how do I know if it's a problem you know well here's here's how you know like we don't believe in situational ethics here meaning that if drinking is wrong it's wrong everywhere if you know the language people use is wrong it's wrong everywhere meaning television media in general if you think it's wrong you know in certain cases it's wrong everywhere so you know if they don't agree with the life you live look out because they'll be trying to influence your family the cousins don't get me started on the cousins I mean why in the world okay just think of it this way why why would you pull your kids from public school pull your kids out of the influence of all these these otherworldly kids are going to be pushing all this garbage and fornication and drugs and alcohol and all these different lifestyle things and just the the worldview that's not the Bible worldview why would you separate from all that and then let them go out and play in the neighborhood after school with all the kids that just got out of school why would you you know separate them in the school environment and then let them just go out in the evenings and play with all the neighborhood kids what why what sense I mean what sense does that make it's yet if they're cousins it's no problem see what I mean oh we're related so no problem hey the cousins those are the neighborhood kids if there's division and you'll be shocked at how early they start to influence your kids you'll be shocked start injecting doubt into what you're teaching your kids at home the adults will do it too but the kids are even worse because it's subtle it's subtle with kids dealing with kids and all they get to do this and we don't get to do that hmm it's very subtle so look how do you do it how do you do it if it's a problem if there's division how do you do it it's very simple I'm gonna give you a two-step plan right here all right here's what you do you sit down with your husband or your wife or whatever you sit down and you define what your standards are sit down get a notebook define what your standards are that's step one I mean you should be able to do that you should be able to know if you have children look if you have children you don't know what your standards are it means you don't have any standards so you just define what your standards are that's step one and then number two you just compare all family situations to said standards it's binary you know what that means it's a one or a zero it's not gray it's yes or no this is we well because if you start injecting situational ethics into your kids here's what happens they're gonna start to think okay I come to church and I hear this preaching and my parents teach me the Bible and we do all these things oh but this is how it really works you see what I'm saying like the whole let me the whole mask thing there was like this big mandate everyone has to wear a mask even like when you're taking a shower you have to wear a mask like all this stuff right it's like you have to wear a mask everywhere all the time but I was interested like going to work like okay is everyone really gonna do this and no one really wears a mask so it's kind of nice because it's not really taken seriously right that's what you'll do that's what you'll do you like oh we have all these standards we have all these things you know and that the Bible teaches and this is the reason we do it but here's what we really do here's what's really important right this is how it really works look the one foot in the one toe in the three toes in and you know seven toes out we've tried it all the only thing that works is right off like a band-aid that's the only please I've done it I've been there I've done it wrong I've done it wrong a little bit better I've done it wrong a little bit better than that the only thing that works is is the band-aid method that's it and here's the thing here's the big one you're gonna offend people you are going to offend people I mean don't try to offend people but when you tell people hey you know you know we can't come to that because you know this is just our standards and we've decided I mean we're you know whatever you guys want to do is fine you know don't be like the Bible says in Leviticus that you know not like that but look you could be as nice as possible and you should be as nice as possible but when you just lay out your standards of people people are gonna get offended it it's just gonna happen I wish it didn't happen I wish it didn't and actually when it did when it did happen to us I was surprised look I didn't have somebody telling me like I'm telling you right now that people are gonna be offended I wish somebody would have told me because I could at least been ready for it but I'm telling you now people are gonna be offended and you know it's it's a sad thing that you're gonna offend some people and those people are related to you brothers sisters parents the whole thing been there done it all of it but it's just you just sit down you define your standards and you compare these situations to your standards it's that simple it's black and white that does God have a gray zone God doesn't have a gray zone you shouldn't either or your family will become an idol to you your family will get between you and God your family and you know what and I'm gonna tell you God will judge you with it God will judge you with it and the last thing I want God judging me with is my family so look last night so we see here I mean those are some pretty decent categories there we got you know anything that gets in between you and the Lord even in your heart God will consider an idol and he'll curse you with that idol he will use your idols he's jealous I mean he's jealous of you for you he wants your full attention he wants your full attention so we see that it could be land it could be work it be career it could be your own family but look last night for some odd reason I went to an old YouTube channel that I had and I I don't spend time on YouTube but I did last night that's why it's odd so I went to this old YouTube channel and I had you know like hunting videos when Garrett was small and I had like some power plant stuff on there and I had all kinds of sheep stuff on there like stuff from the farm right because I mean I was pretty set up I was sending people videos of certain animals you know that I could you know I was running a business right and I still have those videos out there I started watching that stuff and you know I was thinking when I was watching that stuff it's like how can I how can I make you all understand because I don't think you all really understand actually like what you know do you know that we tried to move into we moved to Sacramento in 2016 we tried to move in 2013 that's three years earlier I tried to move to a couple different places but you know what I did I applied for all these awesome jobs and I'm like you know what if I get like the CEO job I'll move if I get this huge job then I'll move nothing panned out think about it three years that's three years of my life three years gone just like that I mean I'm watching these videos last night and I went over and I told my wife because I'm watching these videos at the farm and I'm seeing everything I'm seeing all the panels I'm seeing all the fences I'm seeing all the buildings and I'm like I built all that I built all that and let me tell you something when I built something I built it for the next generation I built stuff to last 60 years because when my grandpa built it it lasted 60 years so I didn't I mean the business the whole thing I'm just looking at oh I can't I literally told my wife I can't believe that I did all that and my stomach sank I'm watching it in my stomach sank and you say why do you regret no my stomach sank because when I listened to myself talking on those videos and I looked at all that stuff I saw a man walking along the edge of a cliff I was walking along the edge of a cliff and it could have cost me everything because I know look success would I have had success maybe would my career have worked out probably maybe I don't know but God would have cursed me with it I would have destroyed my family because guess what we had no church we went to a church limited spiritual life my wife and kids went to church a lot by themselves on Wednesday night so I got too much work to do I had no respect for the pastor he's lazy I had no spiritual life there was no soul winning never got one person saved you think I didn't offend people you think I didn't offend people after I spent years building that place with my own two hands and people saw me do it people were offended the crown when I left the crown jewel of my family that I had rebuilt with these hands to move to California are you crazy you know mad people were I thought I lost my mind I thought I went nuts it's not like I spent a year there I spent years of life and labor there everyone in my family on my on the this side of my family they worshiped that place and so did I I was brought up since I was this tall to worship that place then I had the privilege of being the one to rebuild it restore it this is my thought my thinking when I was doing it and it would have cost me everything it would have cost me my children because I know how they would have turned out some watching the cousins how they turn out but then just another worldly situation that plays out the same way so of all that when I'm watching that and I'm like man all that best move I ever made thank God for having mercy on me because look ultimately to take my energy and my time I told my wife I told my wife when we finally decided to move look in 2013 it's like if I get this and I get that and I get this I got tested then I got tested then it's like but those things didn't pan out I told my wife we moved in 2016 I'm looking at house prices I'm looking at prices in Sacramento I'm like and I'm just assuming that I'm gonna lose everything that's where I was at I assumed that I would lose everything and I told my wife I don't think that we'll be able to afford a two-bedroom apartment in Sacramento and she said I don't care I'm 39 years old and I'm ready to shake the extra sketch and just start over that's where I was at that's where you need to be but guess what that's where I was at God never required it of me I quit my job I didn't even have a job I never thought I would be that type of person that's who you need to be God never required it of me God's blessed me like crazy I don't even know what I'm doing I have a job I have a house but I don't care I don't care about those things this is my business you are my career this is my energy here get your heart focused in the right direction and it's all or nothing or it won't work you gotta be willing to give everything up what else can I say I've done it all I've I've shaken the extra sketch that's what you need to do because anything please listen to me anything that gets in between you and God God's gonna rip it down because he's jealous he's jealous for you he's jealous for you let's power heads and have a word of prayer