Decisions

Father, thank you so much for an opportunity to just worship together uh on a Sunday to worship you. We lift up a member of ours, Natasha. They lost their father yesterday. We lift up that family uh to you.

And Lord, as I uh come to bring this message, Lord, I I pray that anyone who has a decision that they're struggling with, that these words give them the wisdom, give them the wisdom, Lord, that they need uh in this time. We thank you for an opportunity to love on you in Jesus name. Amen. Awesome.

Awesome. Um so happy fourth, you know, the uh with the whole world America's 250th. You're you're getting a lot of American zeal right now, which is uh really kind of neat. Maybe that'll help roll over and there won't be so much fighting between Democrats, Republicans, who knows.

Um, but you know one thing about this country that people don't I don't know if they realize it but you know after World War II when we bombed Hiroshima at that point in time at that moment in time we had a weapon that no one else had that could easily take out the world and they they didn't have now we're talking other countries have nuclear. No one had nuclear. We were the only ones and it was such a devastating weapon and we could have taken over the whole world at that point. Okay.

And in the history of all time, whenever a country was able to conquer another country, they did. But we chose to rebuild Europe, we chose to rebuild Japan. And uh that alone is just amazing. Just an amazing fact about America.

This really is a great country. Got a lot of stuff that's wrong with it maybe right now, but it's a really great country. And 250 years ago, 56 men made a decision. Okay?

And when they signed their names on that document, that was a decision if if it went wrong and the revolution didn't win, they would be considered traitors and they would be hung. Okay? So, that was a big decision. It was a life-changing decision, but that decision changed the course of this country, right?

And so, today we're going to talk about decisions because life is decisions, okay? You you can't you can't avoid them. simple ones like whether you should change lanes right now in traffic, you know, because this lane's moving faster. Of course, as soon as you do, then it looks like the other lane's you just left is moving fast.

You ever do that? Drives me nuts. Um, you know, what time to get up. Simple stuff.

But there's also huge decisions like the biggest one, whether you should accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Probably the second biggest, who should you marry? Okay, those are big decisions, but every day at the end of the day, your life today is the sum of the decisions you've made in the past. Okay, you realize that?

Um, period. You You made good decisions in the past, you got good results. Bad decisions, bad results. Okay?

And if you want your life to improve into the future, you need to start making good decisions today. Amen. Got that? So, today we're going to talk about some keys to making good decisions.

when God called me to ministry, told me two things clearly. I I could I could preach on the word and I could preach on my own experience. Okay? Today I'm bringing exper and I always back my experience with scripture.

But today some of what I'm teaching is from both good and bad and what I've learned from them. Okay? Good and bad decisions, what I've learned from them. So I want to preface this lesson with this.

We have all made good and bad decisions. every single one of us. Okay? And you've got to stop beating yourself up over the past decisions that were wrong.

Okay? There's nothing you can do about them anymore. They're not helping your today. And you've just got to repent, okay, of those things.

Ask forgiveness of anyone you may have wronged. And then you let it go. All right? You've already given it to Jesus.

It's time to let it go. You can't keep beating yourself. You are free. Christ forgives you.

Um, he sets you free. So, let your bad decisions go. Quit bragging about any good decisions you made. Quit lamenting over the bad decisions.

Jesus said in Matthew 6:34, "Sufficient for the day is the evil thereof." Okay, what he means by that is don't worry about the past. Okay? Can't help you now.

Don't worry about the future. Okay? just today is all you have to worry about. And so we're going to go over some tips on how to make good decisions today.

And if you're wrestling with good decision, maybe this message is for you. Um the first thing is you've got to this will help you a lot with the difference between good and bad decisions. Okay? Choose your center.

Choose your center. You're either going to live for Christ or you're going to live for yourself. Okay? Those are those are your that's the backdrop.

Okay. Um, with it you can quickly discern things. Um, the secular worldview, which is all about you. I mean, this thing, I've got the whole world in my hand.

And who determines what I open, what I do? Me. I'm I'm the god of this little universe. Okay.

Um, the world constantly trying to sell you things, making you the center of everything, right? Even churches today focus on making sure this this carefully curated message and the beautiful music and everything synchronizes together perfectly. You know, the lattes over here are better than the lattes over there. And they're trying to make sure that everything works around for you.

Okay. The main focus being our happiness. The number one question of this lifestyle or this thought process is what's in it for me? Okay.

Um, that's the secular worldview. The Christian worldview puts Christ at the center. It's not all about you. It's about Christ.

And these will, if you, if you're clear on that, it helps make these decisions a lot easier. Jesus said, when when you focus on him, we're to abide in him. John 15 verses 1-4 says this, "I am the true vine, and my father is the vine dresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit, he takes away.

And every branch that bears fruit, he prunes that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I've spoken to you. You're already clean. So put it aside.

Put it behind you. Okay? Abide in me and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine.

Neither can you unless you abide in me. What does abiding mean? We're to obey Jesus. Okay.

In John 14:21, it says this. This is Jesus. All of this is Jesus speaking. Okay?

Says in Brian Pier, "He who has my commandments and keeps them, i. e. he obeys me, it is he who loves me." So we show him we love him by obeying him.

And he who loves me will be loved by my father and I will love him and manifest myself in him. I love that word. That's a sexy word, man. Manifest.

Manifest myself in him. Uh John 14:23 says this. If anyone loves me, he will keep my word. again, obey and my father will love him and we will come to him and make our home with him.

Okay? So, we're going to abide him. We obey and and the number one thing he tells us to do is to obey him in is what? Is love.

John 15 9 through14 ties it all together. As the father, this is Jesus again. As the father loved me, I also have loved you. Abide in my love.

If you keep my commandments, if you obey, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my father's commandments and abide in his love. These things I've spoken to you that my joy, not your happiness, my joy may remain in you and that your joy may be full. This is my commandment that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for your friends.

You are my friends if you do whatever I command you. So, we're laying down our life as the greatest sign of love that we can possibly do. Matthew 16 24-27, Jesus expounds on that some. He says, "If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.

For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man will come in the glory of his father with his angels, then he will reward each one according to their works.

So, he's going to reward us according to our works, the things we do for him while we're here in the body. It's living with the end in mind. There is a beacy judgment. There is a judgment seat of Christ.

Okay. 2 Corinthians 5:10 says, "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body according to what he has done, whether good or bad." Paul states in 1 Corinthians 3:12, he expands that even more. He says, "Good deeds will be rewarded, gold, silver, and the bad deeds will be burnt up."

Okay, so the key question of the Christian worldview is view is what would Jesus do? So on one side you got what's in it for me. On the other side if you choose Christ, what would Jesus do? Jesus would choose to love others above ourselves.

Okay? And so when you choose your center and you know then it makes decisions easier. Should I tithe or should I not? Well, if you're in the secular worldview, you don't tithe because why would I give money?

I need that money. I need it to pay my bills. Okay? If you're Christian worldview, you obey Jesus.

You just give the 10%. And I tell you that before we started before I started this church, I had a ministry called biblical principles and we taught about biblical budget counseling and the tithe was key of that. I saw over a thousand people who didn't think they could afford a bill if they didn't start tithing. Tithe and all their bills always got paid and they never lost.

It was amazing. Okay. Um so so again choosing your center if if you got the one these are easy decisions now, right? Helping someone move.

Someone asks you to help them move. Moving is just the worst. Would you agree? Can I get an amen on that?

It is the worst. And we hate moving. We hate having to ask other people to help us move. And if we get asked, we hate, you know, doing it.

If you're a a secular worldview, your family's going to magically be coming into town that day and you're just not going to be able to go and help your friend. You know, it's just that's the But if you're in a Christian worldview, you look at what you're doing and what's there and because you know that person's important to you, you end up going the extra mile and going and not just helping them, but helping them with a good attitude. Okay. Um, should I go to the party?

Go to the Bible study. Again, depending on your worldview makes these decisions easier. It's not necessarily bad to go to a party. Last night I went to Marty's, you know, he had some people over and we uh we got three people here that were at that event last night.

So that's cool, you know, right? We talked about Jesus a good a lot of it was talking about Jesus really. So um that's good. Now if there's alcohol being served somewhere and you're an alcoholic, you don't go there.

Okay. Um, but going where people are that need to hear about Jesus is not a bad thing if you can if you can handle it. Okay? However, you're a new Christian.

Best thing you can do is hang out with other believers. Okay? Get in a small group or Bible study. Why?

You need strength. So, who you hang around with matters. It said you will become the sum of the five people you hang out with the most. So, choose those five people wisely.

Okay? Bad company corrupts good character. Paul mentions that in 1 Corinthians 15. What we're really talking about here is the battle between the flesh and the spirit.

Okay? If you're totally in the flesh, decisions are easy. You just do whatever you want to do. If you're totally in the spirit, decisions are easy.

You do whatever Jesus would want you to do. Okay? The problem is when we try to straddle both. We want we say we're a Christian and we're trying to do this, but we still want to do these things because we desire them still.

Okay? That's where it gets tough. Jesus called that lukewarm. Okay?

And he warned that he would spit lukewarm people out of his mouth. Now, what does that mean? It's harsh. Does that mean you lose your salvation?

I mean, when I spit something out, I'm not certainly not trying to get it back into my body, right? It's gone now. Okay. Um, it is said that no one will snatch you out of Jesus's hand, which is true.

But what if Jesus throws you out because you're lukewarm? Right? And this isn't me saying it. In Revelation 3:15-16, Jesus Christ, not Brian Pier, says, "I know your works that you are neither cold nor hot.

I could wish you were cold or hot." So then, because you are lukewarm and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of my mouth. What's he going to vomit out? What's What's he judging?

I know your works. It's our works. It's our actual action. It's the decisions we make and then follow through with.

It's those actions that get rewarded or get burnt up. Okay? Those actions. So, if you're acting like a Christian, but your decisions are all about you.

All right? This should be a chilling warning to you to not be lukewarm, mediocre. If you're really struggling in an area, battling the flesh, look first to your worldview. Are you still trying to straddle both sides?

you're still trying to be a little bit of the the of the uh flesh and and uh and still be a little bit of Christian. All right? And get very serious about your decisions, who you hang out with. You need accountability partners.

This ministry is an accountability ministry for people that are struggling from alcohol and rehab addiction. The ministry that whose facility we're using, okay? Um across the bridge, get very serious about avoiding the triggers that trip you up. Okay?

If if for example you start thinking sexual thoughts every time you drink, you may want to stop drinking be you know it's just why go there because Jesus said if we think about those things we're sinning. Okay. So get ser take the battle serious seek guidance a counsel or pastor a ministry uh that deals specifically with that struggle. But choose this day who you're going to live for.

Live for Christ or live for you. And that will make a lot of your decisions easier. Okay? If you're fighting the flesh, build it up.

Build it up with the word. Build it up with friends. Put boundaries in place. And choose this day whom you going to serve.

Remember, there is a judgment seat of Christ. And if you choose Christ in the center, this makes decisions between what's good and what's bad pretty easy. But what gets tricky is you got two good choices. And now you got to decide between two good choices.

That's where it gets tricky. Okay. um things that are obviously bad for you, it's kind of easy to to say no to, but things that are are yeah, they're two good choices. Which one do I do?

This is where you need wisdom. So, the second thing you should always do is pray for wisdom. The Bible says in James 15, "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him." God is very pleased when we ask for wisdom.

He loves it. He loves it when we ask for wisdom. Not only that, I love what it says here. He gives it liberally.

We often think God has a shortage of stuff, right? He's got no shortage. He is an abundant God and he can abundantly give us wisdom if we ask for it. I ask for it every day now.

I'm in a I'm in positions where I'm I don't know, you know, I ask for it every day. And I'd strongly encourage everyone else to ask for it every day. Jesus also teaches us the next tip to kind of make good decisions between, you know, what what's tough to count the cost. In Luke 14:28-33, this is a great passage of scripture.

This is like a a sermon unto itself. Luke 14:28, for which of you intending to build a tower does not sit down first and count the cost whether he has enough to finish it? This is Jesus speaking. Lest after he has laid the foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, "This man began to build and was not able to finish.

Or what king going out to make war against another king does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with 10,000 to meet him who comes against him with 20,000? Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends his delegation and asks conditions of peace. So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be my disciple." So what Jesus is telling his people here is count the cost of being a disciple of Jesus.

You don't hear this taught that much. The main thrust of the church in large in America today is that Jesus is going to help you succeed. It's all about the success. It's all about how he's going to help your marriage and help your life and help your health and everything else like that.

But wait, but Jesus said you've got to pick up your cross. Okay? Jesus said it's going to be hard to follow him. If you follow Jesus and you really follow him, you're going to lose some friends.

You're gonna upset some people. Okay? There's just no way about it. There's no way all the disciples ended up getting martyed deaths and what is being taught that Jesus is all about your happiness.

It's just not true. Okay. going deeper. Every decision is a financial decision and a spiritual decision.

So, count the cost. You might say, "Well, Brian, I'm doing something over here. That's not that's just my time. That's not money."

Time is money. Okay? Time is money. If you're worth a h 100,000 a year, then you're worth $50 an hour.

That's what that equates to. Okay? doing. If you're doing God's will and an opportunity comes up to serve, you've got to calculate, you know, if you're doing something that God wants you to do and then another opportunity comes up.

Now, you got to decide which to do. Count the cost. Okay? Which one?

They're both good decisions. Which one's best for you? For me, the Sabbath. So, my Sabbath is kind of like the Jewish Sabbath.

Okay? I take Friday afternoon through I mean Friday evening till Saturday at dusk. Okay. And that's my thing.

So Saturday is my day because Sunday I'm preaching. Sunday after this I'm going to go to go to work. Um and and so Saturday is my day off and with a full-time real job and then this job which is a full-time real job too. Um I need that day off desperately.

I need Jesus's time. I need spend time to re re uh recharge. I I just need it very badly. So So an opportunity to serve somewhere maybe comes up.

I mean, I may take it based on a couple other things we're talking about, but likely I'm going to say no to that even though it's a good thing because I need this time with Jesus so desperately. Okay. Yesterday was the 4th of July. I went to fireworks with my daughters on uh the 3rd of July up at the yach club.

They have these unbelievable fireworks show and I went there with Kerianne and Caitlyn and uh it was so much fun. We're so we're driving home. We got the top down. Okay.

And they've got these little American flags and they're, you know, we've got some, you know, America music cranking out of the thing and a GSP pulls up right next to us. All right. Georgia State Patrol. And all of a sudden, he goes to the loudspeaker goes, "USA, USA."

It was so cool. We were like, "Yay!" Yeah, you know, cuz those guys are scary, man. Georgia State Patrol, they scare me.

I see one of them and I go down to 15 below the speed limit. I'm just that scared. Um, that's respect. But, uh, but anyway, you you have to but but but then yesterday was the fourth, but it was also my Sabbath, so I didn't do anything.

Okay. Now, I did end up going to my friend's house after 6, you know, after my Sabbath was over. But all day yesterday, I did nothing. And I don't have to feel guilty.

Don't let decisions be made on guilt, okay? But you should count the cost and decide what's most important, okay? Based on godly things. When I adopted my first two children, the judge pulled me aside into his chambers.

My wife was out there and I I adopted the the my last two children really. Um and uh he pulled me aside and he said, "Listen, you can give up the rights to your natural-born kids, but you're not allowed to give up the rights to your adopted kids. You know that they they they're they're actually more protected than my natural kids. And not only that, if this divorce happens with this person, they're still your kids.

They're your responsibility for the rest of your life." And what he was doing was helping me count the cost. Okay? He was he was making sure that I knew what I was getting into.

All right? And I loved those kids. And I still love those kids. And they're great kids.

They they round out my my six kids. But um when somebody asks you to do something, count the cost. Is it in line with God? Is it loving God and loving others?

And then what's the likely end result? Is it good? And is it worth it? And remember this, the cost of a soul is immeasurable.

Okay, somebody led Billy Graham to the Lord. Okay, ching. He gets a reward in heaven. And the rewards in heaven don't fade away.

They don't get affected by inflation. Okay? They don't get affected if you know the the something happens. Every time he did uh crusade and thousands would come to the Lord.

That guy who brought Billy Graham, ding ding, ding, ding, getting all these additional rewards in heaven. Right? That's a multiplication that like Nvidia investing couldn't even do for you. All right?

This is this is you can't beat it. So So always remember that the value of one person to God and the kingdom of God is really important and count the cost. Okay? Don't let guilt play into the decision.

Do what you know you're supposed to do. Guilt is not from God. It's from the devil. Okay?

It's from the devil. People say, "Mom, guilt." That's not from God, man. That's you feeling bad for something that you don't have to feel bad for.

All right? Um, my daughter gets dog guilt when she has to leave the dog at home. I'm like, come on. You know, like the dog's sitting there saying, will she be back by dinner time?

The dog's not thinking that. Okay. So, I just upset all the dog lovers. But, um, so God- centered or me centered, choose, choose that.

Pray for wisdom, count the cost, and then understand the hierarchy for decisions. Okay, God is first, then your spouse if you're married. Okay, then your kids, then work, then church, then self. We're at the bottom if you're living a God- centered life.

Okay, God's at the top, we're at the bottom. You might say, "Well, why is work uh up there?" If you're serving, if you're the provider and you're serving your wife and kids, then then work is part of that. Okay, that's very important.

But work is really below children because if I'm working and and and I do have to go to work, okay, then I'm providing for my children. That's great. But let's say my child gets in a car accident and now is rushed to the hospital. Guess what?

Hey, work. I'm I'm gone. I got to go there. That child is critical.

That's more important. Okay, that's getting that stuff right. The mistake a lot of people make is they'll put their children above their spouse, okay? And then they focus all on the kids.

Well, guess what, man? and the kids are take take take take. By the end of the day, they're worn out and they've got nothing left for their spouse. And you do that long enough and there could be troubles.

Okay? And once you get the hierarchy right, a lot of decisions become easy. Play with your kid or a date with the spouse. Date with the spouse.

Okay? Play with the kid or go out with your friends. Play with the kid. More important than friends, okay?

Play video games with your kid all day long or go to work. Get to work, loser. You know, I mean, come on. There's a limit.

Excess is not a good a good decision. Okay. So, understanding the hierarchy makes things easier. And then put boundaries around the hierarchy.

Protect it. God is first. That means he should get the first fruits of your money and your time. That means when you wake up in the morning, God should be the first thing you do.

Spend a little quiet time with God. Okay? I started with 30 minutes, it became an hour, became two hours. And now that I'm a pastor, I'll spend three hours in the morning with God before I go to work.

Okay? which means I got to get up at like 4, which means I have to go to bed at 10:00. If someone wants to keep me up late doing something, no, I can't do that. I got to go.

I left the thing before the fireworks because I didn't want to be up late because I was preaching today, okay? And I didn't want to go to bed late because I need to go to bed early. Okay? So, so it's it's putting those priorities, okay, and set boundaries around them.

So, so for me, I will protect that morning quiet time at all costs. Okay? If for some reason I have to stay up late the night before, then I'm going to go in late to work. I'm still going to spend that morning quiet time.

If you can't go late to work, then you got to make the decision. All right? I would put boundaries when I was married around my wife. Okay?

My my my assistant Mary. Uh, we used to I don't I don't Oh, did I just mess it up? Okay. I don't see it much anymore, but there used to be very attractive women coming by the office all the time selling things.

Okay, they were outside sales reps selling things. I don't see it that much anymore. But Mary would screen them out. If they were attractive, Mary would say that I wasn't there, even though I was there, and take the card because I didn't need to be when I was married in a room with a good-looking woman asking questions because when you're selling, you have to ask questions about the person, all that other stuff, paying a lot of attention to me.

Didn't need that when I was married. Okay, that's a that's that's a landmine waiting to happen. Okay, put boundaries around your kids and your spouse. I when I uh bought my Judas Crossing, where my office is now, it's still there.

I chose specifically 20 25 minutes away from my house because for me when I leave work my mind is kind of like works like a computer. So I have to close these windows. You know what I mean? Like I have to close the windows as I go home.

That's just how my mind works. So that when I get home and I need about 20 minutes to do that. So when I got home I was ready for full-time kids and spouse. I didn't have I didn't give my cell phone to anybody.

Okay. What Brian? You're you're you're a mortgage person. You have to give your cell phone.

You have to be available 24/7. No, you don't. No, you don't. I never was.

Okay. And I'm the number one commercial mortgage guy in the country. So, must must work. Okay.

My email is not connected to my phone. Brian, that's impossible. It it only becomes tough when you have to try to download like tickets somewhere and then your email's not connected. That that was a cluster bomb um when we had that happen.

But normally, I don't want emails all night long when I'm with my wife and kids or my kids. Okay. Um, the decision needs to be made. Look at the hierarchy.

If God's at the top telling you something and you're at the bottom wanted to do something, guess what? Obey God. Okay? Don't go with what you want.

All right? Doesn't mean you can't have fun. But you can be creative, too. Like, I love to golf.

I tried to get all my kids into golfing and none of them would get into it until finally Josh got into it his senior year because his friends were getting into it, not because of me, but um and so now I can go golfing with Josh and it's quality dad time, right? But I'm still getting a chance to golf because golf is one of those things you need like four hours to do and you just it's hard to always work that in. Okay, so you can enjoy things in moderation. There's no problem with that.

But you know, hunting season comes. There's nothing wrong with hunting. But if you spend the entire and I know people like this during hunting season, you won't see them at church. They're done.

Okay? Every s Saturday and Sunday, they're going to be up in a tree. All right? And you say, "Who are they?

Would Jesus what would Jesus do?" Right? The questions, what would Jesus do? Is it bad to hunt?

No. Is it bad to hunt every single Sunday? I know Jesus wouldn't do that because when he was 10 and lost, he wasn't really lost. His parents lost him.

But he wasn't lost. They found him in his father's house. Okay? If that 10year-old Jesus didn't want to miss time in the father's house, there's no way Jesus would skip an entire 13 weeks of meeting together.

He would probably on a Saturday go out there, bag the limit for the whole season, and then come in the next day and and go to church, right? He would just he would just nail like three bucks and first night. But uh but Jesus took time to enjoy things. His first miracle was turning water into wine.

But when did he do that miracle? Okay, it was the middle of the week. And realize this now. Jesus was taking a whole week out of whatever else he could be doing, okay?

To just celebrate with this family member who must have been a high up family member, of course, okay? someone important in Mary and Joseph's life. Okay? But he took a whole week to do that.

He enjoyed eating with his disciples. Okay? To him, eating became an opportunity to teach. He enjoyed fellowship.

He enjoyed dinner with friends. Okay? So everything in moderation, but you can enjoy things, but you have to make the decisions based on the hierarchy. All right?

Um, let's say you've got a really important decision and and you've looked at the hierarchy, everything, and you still aren't sure what to do. The next thing is seek godly counsel. Okay? Proverbs 11:14 says, "Where there is no counsel, the people fall.

But in the multitudes of counselors, there is safety." When I have uh a money decision, I'm usually pretty good with money, but if I have a money decision, I'll I'll ask my brother, okay? Because he's better at money than me. I'm seeking counsel of someone who's better at money than me.

Mike, hey, shout out to you. Um, my brother at least and my mother um watch online. Other people do maybe too, but but uh I know they're usually watching. Um, if you have counsel on spiritual decisions, have some believers around you that are strong.

Have a pastor, have a mentor. Okay, mentors are great. Um, other believers. We had an issue last week and I I kind of bounced it off of uh another believer that's that's that's in this church, okay?

He's a strong guy. Um and we kind of game planned what we should do. Okay. So, a tough decision needs to be made.

Choose that center. Pray for wisdom. Count the cost. Okay.

Understand the hierarchy. God, spouse, children, work, church, self. Um set boundaries to protect that hierarchy. Understand moderation.

Seek wise counsel. And finally, when you make your decision, execute, okay? Execute. Move forward in faith.

Don't second guessess yourself. Just move forward in faith. When God told me to start this church, I wasn't even in a Bible study. I just finished a Bible study up at Free Chapel.

I wasn't even in Bible study at that point. And uh he calls me to start a church. I'm like, so I call Glenn actually and I say, "Hey, Glenn, what what do you do with your facility on Sunday mornings, okay?" And he goes, "Nothing.

Why? You going to start a church?" I'm like, "It's exactly what I think God wants me to do, right? That's an affirmation.

God will do things like that to give you affirmation. You'll think that you're supposed to do something and then a song comes on that tells you exactly what you just felt God doing." That happens a lot. God affirms those decisions for you.

It doesn't mean the road's going to be guaranteed easy. That's a lie of today's church where if you ask Jesus into your heart, everything's going to be cream puffs and cookies. Okay? It's just not like that.

It's just not. Um sometimes the tough road though is still the right road. Don't second guess yourself because all of a sudden the road's a little tough. Sometimes that tough road is the right wa road.

People quit way too easily in their marriages. They make a decision, then they back off of it. Okay? Jesus said the long and narrow road, okay, is the way to life, not the broad and easy road.

It's not necessarily a sign of a bad decision if all of a sudden the road gets a little tough. It may be God preparing you for something bigger. Okay, we were six weeks away from from opening this church or thinking I was opening this church. That morning, the guy who I was going to have do the internet calls me and says, "Yeah, I'm too busy to do the internet."

Um, I still didn't have a music guy. I'd been looking for months. It's hard as heck to find a music guy. Okay, so we are thankful you're here.

Um, but uh it it was it was really hard. And then I go to a free chapel satellite which the satellite had like a thousand people in it and it was all synchronized. And as soon as the band ended, up came the pa pastor Jensen. It was synchronized like perfect.

And then his message was great. And I'm like, what do they need me for, man? Like what what am I doing here? Why is my voice even needed in this situation?

I melt I had a meltdown. And I'd promised a buddy of mine that I would go to church with him that night, but I was so down. I did go because I'd been bailing on him for months. And while I'm there, a pastor, the pastor stops and prophecies over me and tells me that the same things that I was scared of.

He said, didn't know me from Adam, okay? And and he goes, "God's been pouring into you for 20 years, and it's time." He goes, "You you in the blue. What what's your name?"

I said, "Brian." He said, "This is what God's telling me. God's been pouring into you for 20 years. It's time for you to pour out.

And you may think there's not a room for your voice, but there is. The only person who knew that was me. Like that was God, okay? Coming in and saying whatever.

God was using that person to affirm me and tell me stick on this road because I was close to quitting. Okay? And I wrote that down what he had said. And and he said, "You'll be a father to many."

Which I didn't get at the time. But but he uh I wrote it down and and whenever I doubted it, I'd go back. God will do that. He'll he'll use people to encourage you, okay, at key moments.

That's why if you ever get if you feel like God's telling you to call someone, make sure you call them that day because there's a reason that God is telling you to do that thing. That person needs whatever it is that you've got that that God's telling you to give them. Okay? I still have an option to go to the lake.

So, how do I know I made the right decision, okay, to to do this church? Look at the fruit. All right, my kids come and hear me preach. That alone is worth doing.

All right, lives have been changed because this church started. It's beautiful. Um, my own growth, I have I have grown tremendously over the last six months from just having to come with messages every week. Every week I have I learn le lessons from preparing for this.

It's it's wonderful. Okay. The love you feel when you walk in the door. There's just not another church like this church.

It's very unique. Okay. Got Christmas trees in the corner, you know, lamps in the corner. I mean, this is a great church.

And in a minute, you knew people. We're going to be doing a kumbaya song. I mean, just no one does this stuff. And so, it's it's really a special kind of church.

There there is fruit here. And so you just have to when you make a decision, stick with it. Move forward in faith and stick with it. Okay?

Um look for the fruit. It's likely there. The world may look and say, "Oh, there's 20 people. That's not fruit."

Well, by that standard, Jesus was a failure because he started with 12 and ended with 11. Okay? You can't tell it. You can tell it by the changed lives and the lives that are being changed by it.

That's the fruit. Okay? Every person is critical in eternity. Okay.

And finally, my last tip on this stuff is relax, man. Even if you make a bad decision, God's going to work it for good. Romans 8:28, my favorite verse in the Bible, says, "All things work together for good." Okay?

People stress out as the band comes up. People stress out over over uh decisions and and then even after they make it, they're all, "Did I make the right decision?" Man, make the decision, move forward, let go. Okay?

It's going to be okay. I I don't have decision paralysis because you're so worried you're going to make the wrong decision. Okay? Follow these tips and then just make the decision.

Pray and make the decision. And then move forward boldly, not worrying about it. As horrible as my div I made maybe a bad decision, you could say in in in a divorce, right? Picked the wrong person.

As bad as that divorce was for me, for my kids, okay, I am healthier, wealthier, and wiser now than I was then. All right, my kids have all turned out okay. All right, as bad as that decision may have been, great things came from it. So, so you you God's just going to work it for good, man.

So we don't have to worry so much. All right? We can trust him. He is trustworthy.

Okay? So let's make Godhonoring decisions and look back on a great life. Amen. Let's pray as these guys come for response song.

Heavenly Father, Lord, if there is someone here who doesn't know you, Lord, that doesn't know that they know that they've they're they know you, Lord, I just pray that they'll come forward. I'll be sitting right there or standing right there. Lord, um Lord, if someone is struggling with a decision today, I just pray that they hopefully got some wisdom from today's message. Lord, I just pray that they will move forward in boldness.

I pray that they will um seek you and uh Lord, I just pray that your hand be on everyone in this room as they go into their life and try to make good decisions that lead to your glory and not ours in Jesus name. Amen.