Priority Checks | Pastor Ken Claytor

hey what's up everybody this is pastor Ken and Tabitha Hey so glad you're tuning in today I know that this message that you are about to watch right now has something on the inside of it that will transform your life that is so true God always has something to say whenever his word is going forward so let's enjoy the word today and so we want you to grab a pen grab a notebook matter of fact share this message with somebody else sit back and enjoy father we thank you for who you are for the preciousness of your presence that's in this place have your way in us we don't want to say that we've just come to church today we want to have an encounter with who you are revolutionize our thinking revolutionize our heart let us believe and you like we never have before we give you every burden every care that we have we cast it to the Lord in exchange we thank you for a garment of praise thank you for speaking to our hearts and minds we'll never be the same again in Jesus wonderful name somebody say man well if you have a Bible go with me over to Haggai chapter number 1 hey God chapter number 1 okay if you don't have a Bible it's okay we'll put it on the board behind me and as you go there I want to tell you a quick story about how my wife's almost got us arrested one time okay and so the story goes down like this every Friday night for about 18 19 years we've had a date night every Friday night we've been married for 20 years in July the first year and a half was absolutely horrible but then we got ourselves together and we learned out of God's Word how to be a husband how to be a wife so we established this thing called date night and we've kind of protected it for like 18 and 1/2 years so every Friday night we do this thing and so this night we were it was a Friday night it was late late for us as like 10 o'clock p.m. we were in the metropolitan of downtown Gainesville Florida and we were coming down University Avenue okay and we were coming up to 34th Street where you know the PDQ is and everything and we noticed that there was a traffic jam a traffic jam in Gainesville at 10:00 p.m. at night is a little strange and we noticed that it was a sobriety checkpoint okay we saw all kinds of police cars out there and we we kind of was frustrated because our children was home with a babysitter and so I got the bright idea that I was gonna bust the youie right there in the middle of the street and cross over the double yellow lines at the sobriety checkpoint so I go ahead and I pull that thing off and I start going the other way and as soon as I do that you know we see the blue flashing lights and they pulled me over and so I'm their own asad street and the police officer comes up to my car and he does his normal thing he says license and registration please and I say okay and I kind of roll my window down and I noticed that my wife is sitting in the passenger seat I'm in the driver's seat and she does something untypical of her she's like the nicest sweetest person in the world but she got this look on her face and she got this tone in her voice and she was like well why did you pull us over we wasn't doing anything and we trying to go home and be with our kids and I was like what are you talking about and me I'm real compliant I'm like yes sir we're gonna get that for you right away praise God I'm a pastor in the city hallelujah you know it's in the officer he kind of backs away and he goes back and he runs my plates and runs everything and everything comes back okay and then he comes to the window and he says so why did you make that u-turn you know having drink in yours that's just not my thing he said why did you make that u-turn I said well we just had a newborn this was about eight to ten years ago and we want it just to get home to our newborn I apologized so much and so he decided to give me a verbal warning and let me go come on would you put your hands together for great police officers come on there's some great police officers right especially the ones that let me go and so he let me go and I know as I close my window I was pulling away I looked at my wife I said what in the world and even today she's still embarrassed about that story because that's just not her at all well here's my question for you today how many of you all are busting a u-turn when the Holy Spirit's trying to check you checkpoints are there to keep you safe right and sometimes when the Holy Spirit begins to check your attitude and check your perspective and check your lifestyle and check how much you on social media and check how much you and sometimes instead of allowing him to do and he's called the dude we bust the u-turn because we don't we don't want to do that right now we got our own thing that we want to do but the Holy Spirit knows us better than we know ourselves and he's trying to keep us safe and promote us and protect us what somebody say man and so the Holy Spirit of course we're on this series about the Holy Spirit and one of the greatest attributes of the Holy Spirit is there he'll check us it's that still small voice that old-school we called it conviction I believe we live in a day in time where we need conviction again we need to just feel like you know what I shouldn't be dating that person I shouldn't be involved in that gossip I shouldn't be so late to work every day I said every day but what I'm saying is that there is the still small voice of God just sometimes we try to push down and actually we need to bring it up so that the Holy Spirit can check us and we can be who we've been called to be what someone say man and so today's so one of the greatest check points of the Holy Spirit I believe is when he checks our priorities it's true and I believe that we should check our priorities at least seasonally you know how you have summer winter spring fall that I believe you should check your priorities you should literally do an inventory of yourself at least four times a year because the longer you live the pressures that you're under the new job that you have what you're trying to invest in all of these demands make you busy and it's somehow messes up your priorities and when your priority should be God first sometimes God is at first he's second or third and fourth no matter how much we say he's first and we have to check our priorities and so today's message is entitled to priority check everybody say the priority check all right and I want to start in Haggai chapter 1 because hey guys really a book about getting the right priorities all right it's really the one of the smallest books in the Bible it only has about two chapters and so if you're new to read in the Bible and you want to brag to your friends that you read a whole book in the Bible try hey God don't do songs try hey guy okay and you can go home and read hey guy tonight and say why I did that I got a whole book done okay and so the time is about 580 to 520 BC basically the story the backdrop of the story is that Babylon had come in and invaded Jerusalem and basically there was a bunch of Jewish exhales that should be in their home place but they were now outside of where God had called him to be and the Babylon basically broke down the temple the temple represented the presence of God and so there's this law that's passed that the Jewish people can now come back into Jerusalem and rebuild the temple God begins to speak to his people he gives them this instruction I want you to go and rebuild my house it represents the pinnacle of our faith the presence of God is the center of everything that we do and so they come on back into Jerusalem and they're happy about the new assignment like some of us are and then they get busy building their own houses and working their own jobs playing golf sitting by the beach or whatever they was doing and fifteen years had passed but still the temple wasn't rebuilt God raises up a prophet a minor prophet because he wrote less but he was a major he had major impact even though he was a minor prophet and his name was hey guy and what hey guy began to do was to proclaim the word of the Lord to the people to set their priorities back in line with God's priorities we pick up right here in Haggai chapter number 1 it says in the second year of King Darius on the first day of the sixth month the word of the Lord came through the Prophet hey God is there a Bible the son of shealtiel governor of Judah and Joshua son of Zoe's attacked the high priests verse - this is what the Lord says these people say the times not come to rebuild the house of the Lord and that's what many of us say today this is what we call procrastination everybody say procrastination that's where we say Oh we'll obey God later on we'll live for God later on he can't be talking to me right here today and this is what people were saying and the word of the Lord came through the Prophet Haggai and it says is it time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled while his house or this house remains in ruined paneled houses was simply a nice house okay and if you live in America you have a nice house whether you know it or not okay in verse five says this is what the Lord Almighty says give careful thoughts to your ways please tell your neighbor give careful thoughts to your ways tell them something because sometimes we have to step back and we have to kind of examine our own motives and examine our own life and so God is like I need you to consider your priorities for a moment you've planted much but harvest that little and some of your answers are in this verse you eat but you never have enough you drink but you never have your feel you put them close but you're not warm this is where I was I earned wages only to put them in a purse with holes and it ever been there before where it's like you making a whole lot of money but you ain't got much to show for it and you're like where is it going alright and so right here it says verse 7 this is what God says and I don't believe he's just saying it to the children of Israel back with hey guy I believe you're saying it to us today give careful thoughts to your ways meaning if you ain't hear it before I need you to hear it this time consider your priorities consider is God really first in your life I need you to consider your ways and then he gives them an assignment he says go up to the mountains bring down timber and build my house so that I can take pleasure in it and be and be honored and be glorified I love it that Jesus doesn't build his house without our help he doesn't build his church without our help he doesn't build the kingdom without our help what he does he gives us an assignment to work on his behalf and so sometimes we ask God to do something that he's assigned us to do and the blessing is in the building would you tell your neighbor the blessing is in the building the blessing is in the building whenever you put your hand to the plow and don't look back the blessing is in the building so he gives them us an assignment and this is a literal one he's like go get trees and timber and build everything for us it's to build the local church for us it's the build the kingdom of God for us it's to build the church and and to win people and win souls to the Lord it's working for him but verse 9 is what you got to hone in on it says you expect it much but see it's turned out to be little have you ever been there before that's what I call failed expectations you got married and you thought it was gonna be great it wasn't you took a new job and you're like this is the one for me but then you was laid off a couple weeks later right you said you know what I'm gonna serve in ministry but then you're persecuted because of your obedience and sometimes we have what I call failed expectations and sometimes it's not the devil he says what you brought home I blew it away why declares the Lord Almighty watch this because of my house which remains and ruin while each of you is busy in your own house everybody say busy I wish I had time to preach to you about busy today because some of the greatest enemy that you'll face is that your schedule is too crowded sometimes they ain't the devil or your flesh is just that your calendar don't have enough God room in it I wish I could preach to you today about the power of margin and how you need margin financially in margin on your schedule I wish I had time to preach to you about the power of the Sabbath day and sometimes you need a day of rest come on doggone it God he's rested on the seventh day and you think you're better than him I wish I could teach to you about the power of no because some people try to put their problems on you but you got problems on your own and you got to learn to say no to some people but I ain't got time to preach that today because I need to preach to you about priorities and look at it again verse 9 he says why is this happening why do I have all of these great plans and these great goals and it's like it's being blown away he says because of my house which remains in ruin why each of you is busy in your own home I like to say it contemporarily this way when you take care of God's house he'll take care of yours I believe that with all of my heart somehow someway that when you take care of God's house he will take care of yours I want to talk to you today about misplaced priorities are you all ready for this misplaced priorities what does misplaced priorities it's when you have less important priorities that get more time and attention than more important priorities all right when you have less important priorities they get more time and attention they get the lion's share of your passion and the lion's share of your effort rather more misplaced like if you have first place second place third place fourth place is when you have a priority there should be in first place but you spend more time on the one that should be in that's in fourth place when you should spend more of your time with the one that's in first you have it miss misplaced or y'all here with me today and so this is for example the person who's so nice to people that they work with and then they come home and they're mean to their spouse that's what you call misplaced priorities the person who spends hours liking and commenting strangers posts that you don't even know but you can't spend 15 minutes of devotion time every single morning with the god that made you somebody say misplaced priorities this is for the parent that's that takes their kids everywhere I mean they got them in course they got them in dance all I'm talking about me my bad they got him in ballet they got him a football track baseball swimming and everything but do you bring them to the house of God see sometimes we think our kids gonna be in the NBA and if it ain't gonna do that statistically the chances are really slim but I'll tell you what they can do they can make a kingdom impact while they're here and lift for something that's bigger than temporal things and live for eternal things but sometimes we're too busy with our schedule that we forgot the one that gave us a schedule and he gave us priorities and so as I was preparing this message today it dawned on me that every time a person messed up or fell into sin in the Bible the root of it was misplaced priorities right for example there's a story about the rich young ruler and the Bible talks about how this guy had so much money Jesus comes on the rich young ruler he's like listen I need you to sell everything you have and I want you to give to the poor come follow me you'll have treasure in heaven he says that in mark chapter 10 verse 17 thirteen verses later mark chapter 10 verse 30 he gives a promise he says there's nobody who's left houses mothers brothers just lands from my sake and in the gospel that were now would not receive now a hundredfold with persecution so what basically what God is saying is that whatever you give to me I'll multiply it and give it back to you but the rich young ruler didn't understand that his priorities was misplaced and so the Bible says he walked away sad at that saying everybody say misplaced priorities there's another example with Martha and Mary you'll remember these two sisters they heard that Jesus is coming over their house for dinner and so Martha is doing this helicopter mom thing I mean she got a baby in this hand a baby in a highchair a bottle over here she got cease cooking some burgers on the stove and she got a vacuum and she's doing that all at the same time and then Mary is basically at the feet of Jesus and she's just listening to the words that is coming out of his mouth kind of like some of you all are doing today those who press in and get to church early and you take notes and just want the oil to fall and then Martha gets upset at Mary she's like Jesus why don't you tell my sister to come help help me Jesus says Martha Martha you are worried about so many things what is he saying your priorities are so out of order and your sister mary has picked the most important thing what was that it was misplaced priority Peter is like Jesus is rotted I you ever got a friend that had cut somebody for you I mean this is who Peter is Peter literally cut off a guy's ear when they first came for Jesus y'all remember that story that's Peter and it was one day Jesus is talking to Peter and he's basically telling his disciples what's gonna happen to me is I'm going to have to go into Jerusalem I'm gonna be beaten beyond recognition then I'm gonna be crucified Peter steps up he's like Lord far be it from you for any of that to happen that's not gonna happen we're not gonna allow that to happen Jesus says get thee behind me Satan for you know desire two things your your priorities are misplaced you think that I'm here for you but I got to go and die so everybody else can live and you don't understand what I understand your priorities out of place and so I believe that there are some Trailblazers who are here today and God wants to speak to you and the Holy Spirit wants to help you reset your priorities kind of like if you break a leg and your bone needs to be reset some of us need to reset our priorities on today I'll give you my priorities if you don't mind you know I love to be as transparent as I possibly can that's just my ministry style that's what I love to do here's my priorities are you ready put them on the board for me if you don't mind so my first priority of course one two three go that person is sleeping upstairs pastor Ken's priorities ready go alright there it is my first priority is God hands down without question I'm talking about spending time with God daily I don't want to just know him about him I want to know him and serve Him faithfully and so my time in the Word of God might I'm hearing messages my church time this is my Sabbath giving God the first part of my week the rest of my week will be blessed because I give God the first my spouse not just my family this is my second probably already know my wife is my next priority I love my children's God bless you with their heart but my spouse is my next priority because she gonna grow up and have a family of her own come on somebody and I don't want to be no empty nest to be like who are you know who are you know I know you because we best friends so what I'm saying is that now so we have family meetings weekly or every other week where we can sharpen our communication we have a date night every Friday night without fail we do that thing every single day we try to go to bed around the same time well well yeah I'm preaching that my next priority is my kids okay my kids I love my kids I'm joking and everything but they are they are my priority above work above ministry above everything else but I don't give my kids everything they want my job is to train them up in the way they should go so when they are old they will never depart my night and I added the fourth as a bonus one because I've learned that I got to take care of me my emotional health my mental health and my physical health because if I don't take care of me then I can't take care of my kids my spouse or I can't answer the call of God that is on my life and some of you all need to know how to have more fun and you need to know how to rest well and you need to know how to breathe right I mean sometimes you need to start you need to know how to breathe again and rest again do nothing turn off the notifications and just absolutely do nothing and rest my next one is work okay and as a self-confessed ex workaholic I want you to know that I have a tendency for number 5 to bleed into every other priority is there anybody else that's like me I have a way to return emails at 6 a.m. in the morning and while I'm out to dinner with my family I have a way of looking at who commented and who posts on certain things and the level of engagement on my social media at all times of night I have a way and so what I've learned to do is I got to stop work at a certain time because it's God time family time marriage time I got to stop at a certain time there are certain days of the week this is my Sabbath day and I'll keep it holy not in the Old Testament way not whether it's Saturday or Sunday just saying that I'm gonna pick a day and this is my day for reflection this is my day for enjoyment this is my day for delight y'all remember those words that y'all know there's a biblical perfect I don't know if you with me today and so if you're like me you probably have this tendency to be like well if I work harder I can make more money and I can do more and you'll be on a rat on the rat race all of your life all your life but what I found is that we've been called to walk by faith and not by sight and so your success makes no sense because it doesn't come out of your ability it comes out of God's ability on top of your ability and so what I say is God I'm gonna work in this time and I need you to multiply it supernaturally so that I can live a life that's pleasing unto you come on somebody and number six is my extended family and friends now misplaced priorities is when you spend so much time on number six with your cousin and your best friend but not enough time with your spouse misplaced priorities is when you work and work and work and you can never come to church get into a small group get on the dream team because you're always too busy you're right you are too busy misplaced priorities is when you spend more time with your there going too fast with your kids then you do even with your spouse you know I know some people I love my kids I love my kids they're my best friends no they don't grow up and they're gonna make some other kids that's gonna make some other kids and everything your best friend is the one that we're the two become one your spouse I think we need to return to some things somebody say man so they're putting this up misplaced priorities is when you have less important priorities I already said that I don't know why you're bringing it up but I love you but anyway so here's the thing I've made some really bad decisions in my life anybody with me now here's the key we can't live and regret right Adrienne like it I can't crawl over the spilled milk what's in the past is in the past and you know the thing about that you can't do anything to change it but you can't learn from it now if you keep making the same mistake again and again and again that's the epitome of stupidity all right I'm smart enough to say I messed up big Tom I shouldn't have done that and I certainly said that but I learned so that I won't do it again yeah I've also made some really good decisions anybody like me you've made some good decisions like me marrying my wife good decision be having these beautiful kids great decisions me starting this great decision right I've also made some what I consider to be like borderline great decisions can I give you what I consider to be the greatest decision that I've ever made okay you can still it if you want it I'm gonna give it to you for free this is what I consider to be the greatest decision that I ever made in my early 20s 20 years ago I made a decision to put God first I know it's simple it's so profound I just made a commitment in my heart that for me and my house we will serve the Lord I don't care what my family think about it I don't care what my friends think about it I don't care if it's popular I don't care if it ain't popular I don't care who come with me for me I'm gonna put God first I have we made a decision in our early 20s my wife is 43 I'm 41 we made a decision 20 years ago that we would be a god first family that we would raise god first kids that we will start a god first church that we would have a God first congregation that we would give birth to God first leadership that we would we will create a God first culture because we believe that's the most important thing that we could possibly do is to put first the kingdom of God and you know we were so serious about this this lifestyle of putting God first and I literally put it on my business card before I was a pastor I own the real estate brokerage before I owned the brokerage I was a broker real estate agent and my my motto I literally put this on my business card putting God first I know it's cheesy I know it's super spiritual and everything and you should probably put like put your customers first or put people first but I wanted people to know if you go with me I'm gonna believe God to get you in that house because the market is crazy so what I'm saying is that it worked for me because it wasn't about my slogan or being a marketing thing it was about the temperature of my heart that I was gonna put God first and I needed everybody to know that are y'all with me can I give you the scripture that we stood on there are certain scriptures that should be like the pinnacle points of your life the soil that everything grows in the foundation that every thing else is built to form one of the foundational scriptures for us was Matthew 6:33 he says but seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these other things everybody say things shall be added to you so many people are seeking the things when you should be seeking the god that to give you the things it says seek first everybody say first not second not third not fourth not fifth this is priority he says seek first the kingdom of God this is what changed me and I said the rest of my life this is my mo here that I will seek first the kingdom of God in His righteousness or way of doing things and all these other things and I know the context is about worry and it's talking about food and clothing and they was worried about their natural needs what I've come to find out is that God's gonna take care of your natural needs but he also wants to give you the desires of your heart if you delight yourself in him and so I believe the principle is that if you put God first he'll give you the desires of your heart the things that you're seeking okay and so I want to start what I call a God first summer movement anybody with me that was a great place to clap but you missed it don't worry about it right now I don't need your pity clap but anyway for June July and August I want you to consider allowing the Holy Spirit to reset your priorities for June July and August summer is a time where people are at the beach and they're going to hear and go into there some people actually fall back in two wrong ways of living I want us to do the exact opposite I want to ask you to lean into God like you never have before that this is gonna be a summer this is gonna be a breakout summer for you this is gonna be a summer where there's some addictions that will be broken some calls that will be released the gift of faith is going to be stirred in some if you are this summer this is a summer while other people pull back you're gonna pull ahead you're gonna be like how in the world I've been here for two months but I passed them that's been saved for 20 years it's just something about your temperature that you're setting this summer and so how many of you all are interested in what I'm talking about like you're like I want to put God first can I give you the three keys the three key is the is to put God first and what I call the three T's okay y'all ever heard that before the three T's your time your talent your treasure see it's what it's easy to say I put God first let me put on a business call that's rhetoric I'm talking about action it's where you put God first in your time so when I get up in the morning I don't just rushed out of the house I rushed to God's Word I rushed to his presence all right before I do anything I'm trying to spend some kind of God time before I get involved in the week I'm not just gonna say I'm gonna watch this online how many of y'all know the experience that you have in the house is not this experience that you have online because God says don't forsake the assembling of ourselves together that's a cop out there okay and we're gonna keep it going but that's a cop out I want you to know there's something about giving God your time let's move on talent when I first got filled with the Holy Spirit alarm in my pastor he stood up he said we need more men serving in the church and I just jumped into the choir I mean I can't sing very well I was a part of the Christ singers New Hope Baptist Church what's up everybody back there shameless plug but what I'm saying is that I just wanted to get in I have to go pray I don't know where you need me we need you everywhere so just pick a area and then you'll figure it out later on and then I went and I was a part of the prayer team I did the TV cameras I cleaned the church I just wanted to show up for the game just coach wherever you want to put me and put me in I just want to show up because I want to put God first and my talent don't miss this last one because it might be the most important one put God first in your treasure before where men's treasure is that's where as hard as all so y'all hold on worship 10 y'all pay attention now can I give it to you like God gave it to me I don't know if y'all ready can I give it to you like God gave it to me like for how many of you all come to church it not to hear a sermon but to be challenged like I'm a challenging pastor I get it but my job is not to make you just feel good about where you are my job is to push you into the winner's circle to push you into your destiny to get you to be everything God's called you to be that's just my that's my style okay so this is gonna be tight but it's right but I'm just giving it to you like it was given to me God gave this to me I said okay you want me to say that I'll say it are you ready now I need your participation is that okay and all you got to do is lift up a hand if you want to I don't care whatever do whatever you want to do but here it is let me ask you a couple of questions how many of you all are going on a cruise this summer let me see by show hand going on a cruise all right one god bless you she's going on the cruise all right how many of you all are going abroad this summer to another nation somewhere let me see by show hands okay god bless you congratulations on your how many y'all going on vacation somewhere you don't know where yet but you're going somewhere okay all right that's more of you family y'all gonna stay in a hotel somewhere let me see bout sure how many all gonna take a plane somewhere let me see about show hands okay how many of you all have on Walt Disney season passes like okay we got a couple of people y'all was there yesterday okay how many of you all are gonna go to an amusement park somewhere this summer Busch Gardens somewhere SeaWorld just somewhere okay how many of you all plan on buying a new house sometime soon how many of you are putting on buying a new car sometime soon a new phone it might need a new phone yours is cracked and jacked okay all right here's one how many of you all plan on this summer at some point stopping at Starbucks and having a cup of joe all right now how many of you all lifted your hand for one of those things please please lift it up wave everybody look around that's almost everybody who wants to participate today and this is what God gave me to tell you he says that if you do any of those things before tithing your priorities are misplaced I'm going home don't even worry about it I'm going with did you get that no like for real like for real like if you do any of those X or what people do is they said I just can't afford to give to God and it ain't true he just needs to be number one in your budget he doesn't want to be second third of four four he's a jealous God he wants to be he wants to be number one can I preach to somebody today that she was about to go on a stolen cruise you better counsel that truth can I preach to anybody today before you drink another stolen cup of coffee I'm trying to get you not to drink coffee but to own the coffee shop I'm trying to get you to the place where the blessing of God is resting upon you but here's the key here it is you have to be faithful over the lease to be made a ruler over the munch and 10% is least think about it if you go into Macy's then they say it's the 10% sell you like whatever I'm going somewhere else because 10% ain't a big deal God says I'm gonna give you the majority I'm gonna give you the majority one of the greatest sins that's in the body of Christ today is what I call overconsumption that we spend a hundred percent of everything we make on us and then we say God it ain't about your house it's all about me and that's why a guy was a prophet that was risen up to say get your house in order this is a priority check and I really believe the Holy Spirit is working with those of us who are like me I'll give you a scripture and we'll be done in the moment Malachi 3 if you could Malachi 3:10 this is a command with promise this changed me and so 19 years ago I made this decision to obey Malachi 3:10 it says bring all the tithes into the storehouse that there may be food or provision in my house this is a command everybody say it's a command and it's with a promise thank God it's not just a command but it's a command with promise he said bring all the tithes in the Hebrew that means 10% it's not you mean whatever you have left or how you being led to give no it's not that God don't trust you that much so he said give me 10% so you can do the math and count bring a tithe into the storehouse so that there may be meat in mine house and then he says and try me in this or test me in this and I love the promise that goes along with the test he says see if I won't open you the windows of heaven and pour out so much blessing how many I can handle that this summer that there's not room enough to receive it and I will rebuke the Devourer for your sake that means that God goes to rebuking the devil stopping the devil from attacking you and your family when you obey God with the time so that he won't destroy the fruits of your ground neither shall your vine failed bear its fruit before its time in the field says the Lord and all nations will call you blessed even people that don't like you gonna look at you as a man you just so blessed I don't know what to do says the Lord of hosts the time was about September the year was 2001 it was right before 9/11 I was actually living outside of Washington DC when 9/11 happened somebody invited me to a church that I'd never heard of before I had to MapQuest to get there y'all remember that quest don't worry about that it was a Tuesday night and I went because the people make me cake and I like cake so I went to church with them I showed up and I remember it like it was yesterday there was a guest preacher that was preaching I didn't know who the pastor was never heard of the church before after the guest preacher sat down the actual pastor it became my pastor he stood up and he said this one statement it changed my life it marked with me forever he said tithing and giving God offerings is the one area in the Bible that God gives you the believer the opportunity to test him to see if his word won't work I grew up in a smaller church and I remember hearing don't test God but if God says that I can test them well then I'm going to take the test and my early 20s I had over $100,000 of debt my marriage was headed for divorce I had bills upon bills the year before that I lived in a one-bedroom apartment with roaches and my size I said I tried to rest I was in business but it was like having a bag with holes in and I said I've tried the rest now it's time to try the best I'm crazy like that I jump in the deep end I started giving 20% I'm saying that's what you have to do that's just where I was didn't last last for about six months but God brought me into an abundant place where I had $100,000 a debt but in one year I was able to give $100,000 away to the kingdom of God by the time I was 25 26 years old and I believe that God gives seed to the sower I believe he doesn't bless you so that you can buy new stuff he blesses you so that you can bless other people and build his house and build his kingdom are y'all with me you say pastor well why Rock why do you tithe you know every Sunday somebody to get up here and they'll give you a little story and they say well you know we did this in the youth building and we're building a new building and we just came back from the Dominican Republic which we did and we're going to Peru next month which we are and we planted all these churches through Ark and all that stuff is good but you want to know why I give because God told me to [Music] that's it testing it ain't about the windows of heaven blessing it's about that he gave to me his life now I'm gonna take what he gives the meat and I'm gonna get back to him the first not the second not the third not after I get my coffee and I buy my Gucci shoes none of that I'm gonna give to God the first because he gave me life you say pastor I want to do that how do I do it take them off the bottom of your budget put them on the top it's what we call sacrifice you got to give up something of value for something that has greater value and you do it by faith and you watch how God provides for you kind of pray for you today father I thank you for every person that's here that we have come face-to-face with truth from the kingdom of God and that the world's perspective does not have root in our heart but you set principles in the Bible this is not an Old Testament thing this is a believer thing Jesus you confirm the time you said this what we ought to do in Matthew 23:23 now father I asked for you to put the faith in the people's hearts to obey you in this area so that the enemy cannot rob them from walking in your best another day I thank you that from this sermon there will be giants that rise up above market place ministers businessmen and women people that are generous people that love the house of God that will seek first the kingdom of God and I thank you that you give us the desires of our heart with every head bowed and heavy I closed if you're here today and you're like pastor I need to get right with God if you're hearing you're like you know what pastor can I uh I send in my life the good news is that we've all sinned we've all fallen short of the glory of God and God has made a way of escape for every person that sin that his name is Jesus Jesus is not a fable he's not just a man he was Immanuel God with us the Son of God and he paid the price for our sin on a cross so that we wouldn't have to pay it ourselves and all you got to do is just accept the gift today and I would love to pray for whoever that is if you're watching online if you're in the building today today's your day if you say pastor pray with me I want a relationship with God I want his forgiveness and I want salvation today could you lift up your hand all over the building right now and just wave at me so that I can pray for you all over the buildings thank you I see your hand I see your hand in your hand and your hand in your hand in your hand in your hand your hand down the back anyone else it's not too late it's not too late just lift up your hand and say pastor pray with me at this time don't let the devil step in from me I think I see your hand come let's all pray together the Bible says when you call on the name of the Lord you trusted Jesus for your soul salvation you'll be saved stay this with me say Lord Jesus I confess I'm a sinner and say Lord Jesus I'm in need of a savior come into my heart today forgive me of my sins my failures my shortcomings thanks wash me clean right here right now I confess you as Lord and Savior of my life kill me or store me use me save me I'm Yours Lord in Jesus name Amen come on church to give the Lord praise come on you can do better than that come on this let's celebrate for those who's made decisions be done man whoo I pray that that message bless you today I know for me God's Word changed me it changed me it helped me overcome years of depression sexual abuse even poverty and I just know that God's Word is changing something for the better inside of you yeah if this message today has blessed you in any way you know the greatest compliment that you could ever give us will be to share this with someone else you know when I go out to a great restaurant I don't want to keep it to myself I want the world to know you got to go here to get that fried chicken and sweet potatoes man and so this has been good groceries for you if it's been good food it's been life transformation for you do us a favor share it with a friend comment below make sure that you subscribe to our channel today and we hope we'll see you again real soon god bless you we'll see you soon

Channel: Alive Church

Views: 1,411

Rating: 4.9245281 out of 5

Keywords: Alive Church, Pastor, Faith, Christianity, welcome video, Alive Church pastors, Alive Church Gainesville, Alive Church Orlando, Take off your shoes, Church sermon, Ken Claytor, Welcome to alive church, Church, Church Sermon, HolySpirit, Holy Spirit Series, Priority Checks, Sermon Series

Id: 85dk38MPl3Q

Length: 39min 0sec (2340 seconds)

Published: Sun Jun 16 2019