No Corners Cut, No Pacifying, No Round-About Way

Lou Coleman

By Lou Coleman

[Teddy Pendergrass] said, “It takes a fool to lose twice…Think I’d better LET IT GO…” What great advice… See, you can’t fight God and win! [Acts 12].   Instead of opposing God, His Word, and His Law, you need to LET IT GO… I want you to know that many men throughout history have tried to oppose God and it was disaster for them. Remember Pharaoh. Scripture says, “And afterward Moses and Aaron came and said to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Let My people go that they may celebrate a feast to Me in the wilderness.’ But Pharaoh said, ‘Who is the Lord that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, and besides, I will not let Israel go” (Exodus 5:1-2). Well, because of his disobedience to God, Pharaoh ended up losing his power, his throne, first-born son, his army, and his life. Another man who tried to fight God was– Saul of Tarsus. In an almost insane, demon-possessed way, Saul went about ravaging the church, seeking to destroy this new sect who followed Jesus Christ.  Until Jesus Himself appeared to Saul, blinded him, pinned him to the ground and said, “Saul, it is hard for you to kick against the goads.” I tell you the Folly of Fighting God!

Ahab tried to fight God. Remember him? The dogs licked up his blood. In the Southern kingdom as well as the Northern kingdom most of the kings fought God. Rehoboam, Jehoram, Ahaziah, Athaliah, right down to Zedekiah, who eyes were burned out, chained and taken off to Babylon. King Arad the Canaanite, fought God and God destroyed his people and destroyed his armies. Sihon King of the Ammorites, Og, and Bashan all tried to fight God. They were all slaughtered and their land was taken over by Israel. Balak, King of Moab tried to fight God, but it was another “Love TKO.” And then there was that king of Ayae, who decided to fight against God and was hanged. All the kings in [Joshua 9] fought God, they plotted all kinds of clever little devices against God and all five of them were taken and hanged on five trees in a row. The Stupidity of Fighting God! Nobody wins who fights against God. Nobody! God wins!

So make no mistake about it, if you continue to fight God, [be disobedient] God will bring you to a place where you will hear Him as He did others, “Moses and the burning bush [Exodus 3:1-15]. Israelites 40 years in the desert [Joshua 5:6]. Samson when capture by the Philistines [Judges 16:21-30]. David when he lost his kingdom [2 Samuel 12]. Jonah when swallowed by the whale [Jonah 2]. King Herod, the Jewish leaders, and the nation of Israel, Pilate, Rome, and all who rejected Him and His truth, they all condemn themselves to an early grave [John 18: 28-38]. Not to mention the thief on the cross who had to be crucified before he would listen [Luke 23: 32-43]. I wonder where you will have to be before you listen. Will God have to allow some tragedy in your life to get you too straight up and fly right? Jesus said in [Rev. 3:20] “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.”

Are you listening? Disobedience ALWAYS brings consequences. For [Deuteronomy 28:15-20] says, “But it shall come about, if you do not obey the Lord your God, to observe to do all His commandments and His statutes with which I charge you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you:“Cursed shall you be in the city, and cursed shall you be in the country. “Cursed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. “Cursed shall be the offspring of your body and the produce of your ground, the increase of your herd and the young of your flock. “Cursed shall you be when you come in, and cursed shall you be when you go out. “The Lord will send upon you curses, confusion, and rebuke, in all you undertake to do, until you are destroyed and until you perish quickly, on account of the evil of your deeds, because you have forsaken Me.” You Cannot Fight God and Win!

“This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live…” [Deuteronomy 30:19].

Lou Coleman

By Lou Coleman

For “It was you who practice ungodliness; but now you want to turn around and spread error concerning the LORD…” [Isaiah 32:6] Quit blaming God for your problems! You ruined your own life by your own foolishness, not God! [Proverbs 19:3]. Man up and take responsibility for your actions and stop playing the blame game!

I tell you every time things go bad for us the first thing we want to do is blame someone else; just like Adam did. Adam explained his sin to God by saying, “It was the woman you gave me she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate,” forgetting all along that no one made him eat the fruit. He did not eat because his wife handed him the fruit. He ate because he chose to eat. He knew and understood what was expected of him and what he was not to do. He knew the consequences of his choice and he did it anyway. [Genesis 3:12] And Eve, she blamed the whole calamity on the serpent. “The serpent deceived me, and I ate” [Verse 13]. Instead of manning up neither one of them took responsibility for their own actions. I tell you holding God accountable for Satan’s work and your choice is simplistic and naive. Quit blaming God for your problems! The revelation of God being your solution, not your problem, is one that the people of the Old Testament did not have. However, we do have it today and we are responsible for it. So stop playing the blame game! Face up to your wrongdoing! “If you confess your sins, he is faithful and just to forgive your sins, and to cleanse you from all unrighteousness.” [1 John 1: 9]

I tell you, if you don’t have the revelation that God is not the source of your problems, the Bible is a locked book to you. Although God does at times test us in order to strengthen us and teach us to stand; the idea that God would be the source of our sin is warped and antithetical to his nature. I want you to know that David path to forgiveness began when he admitted his sin to God. He didn’t try to evade responsibility; he didn’t blame it on Bathsheba or anyone else. He said, “I have sinned against the Lord.” This is exactly what you need to do: ACCEPT PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY! Even though it is our human nature to blame others, our circumstances or even to blame God, there is no need for us to do so! God knows our sinful condition. He knows every sinful thing that we have done. And He is still willing to forgive us. If you want God to become a more powerful, helpful force in your life, learn to stop holding God responsible for Satan’s work and your choices. Wise indeed is the person who makes no attempt to either hide his sins or to blame others for them. There is great victory in honest and forthright confessing your sins and in accepting full personal responsibility for them. Doing this, you have the assurance [1 John 1:9].

Wisdom has sent out her invitation; will you heed the call and attend the feast? “This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live…. “[Deuteronomy 30:19]

Lou Coleman

By Lou Coleman

It will not be God’s fault. It will not be the church’s fault. You will not be able to blame your family nor your friends. If you go to hell you will have no one to blame but yourself! For every single person who ends up in Hell can blame only themselves for being there. And no passage makes this clearer than [John Chapter 8]… Don’t be like the Pharisees. Jesus in His great love, sent the Pharisees men like the Apostle Paul, all His disciples, and James and Jude, to be huge obstacles to the unbelief of the Pharisees. Yet, the Pharisees climbed over those obstacles and continued on their way to Hell. Don’t you do it! For it is a dreadful thing to die in the very act of sin—to be caught away by the justice of God even while the transgression is being perpetrated! Jesus boldly told the Pharisees they were “serpents”, and a “generation of vipers”, and that they were going to Hell. Like the angels told Lot, you better “Flee for your life! Don’t look back, and don’t stop anywhere in the plain! Flee to the mountains or you will be swept away.” Because make no mistake about it, if you perish in your sin, you will go to Hell and you will have no one to blame but yourself!

For years now God had shown such longsuffering towards you, just as he did Sodom. Restraining his anger, giving you much time to repent and change your ways. Truly, God is love, so much so that He somberly declares, “As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die…Repent and live!” For God says, “His Spirit shall not always strive with man…” Don’t be one of the multitudes of people who will lift up their eyes from Hell, crying out as they remember the “random” incidences where the Holy Spirit tried to reach them. Don’t let that be said about you.

You know Jesus told the Pharisees that He was going to send prophets, wise men, and scribes who would follow Him, and who would attempt to tell them the truth [Ezekiel 33:7] “As for you, son of man [woman], I have made you a watchman… whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from Me…” and that is what I am doing today. If you do not turn from your sins and repent you will go to hell and you will have no one to blame but yourself. Remember the issue is between you and God and no one else. You must account to Him for yourself. It will be no one’s fault but your own if you deliberately seal your own doom. Don’t do it! What do you have to look forward to if Christ is not your Saviour? At best, you have only a few more years in this world with its pleasures, its troubles and sorrows. Then come death without hope and nothing beyond but everlasting doom. What folly to go on without Christ and miss heaven. Jesus says, “Come NOW, and let us reason together: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool” [Isaiah 1:18]. If you go to Hell, you’ve got no one to blame except yourself. I am preaching the truth to you. Will you take heed? Hell is a horrible place of torment, pain and misery, please don’t end up there!

“Now I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.” [Deuteronomy 30:19]

Lou Coleman

By Lou Coleman

I’ve had enough; Jesus says….The Charade… Pretending to Love Me… No More! It’s Over Now! Depart from Me, you worker of iniquity.”

Can you imagine those words falling from Jesus lips? “You don’t know what to say. You close your eyes to hide the pain you feel inside because you know that truly, it’s over now.” No More Charades! No More Pretending! For some people, this will come as the shock of their lives. They had expected to be in the kingdom, but they will be forced to walk away into the judgment. I tell you, it’s a good thing though, that none of us “church going “Christians” will ever have to hear those words. I mean, there‘s no way that Jesus would turn you away is there? You do serve Him, right? You do love him right? You do worship Him as the one and only true God, right? You do understand the necessity of being sincere and faithful in one’s worship and service to God, right?” Because of all the scripture that comes to mind, perhaps the saddest one of all is found in [Matthew 7: 23.] Here Jesus tells us that at the second coming, there will be some people who will fully expect to ascend to heaven with Him in the clouds of glory, but He will have to tell them; “….depart from Me, I never knew you.”

How terrible is this warning to the false prophets, apostles, pastors, teachers, bishops, elders and evangelist, who have prophesied, who have really preached and taught and who expect to go to heaven, but yet, will wake up in Hell, Jesus says; because everything they do is done for men to see [Matthew 23:5]. They are like whitewashed tombs which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside is full of dead men’s bones… On the outside [they] appear to people as righteous but on the inside [they] are full of hypocrisy and wickedness. Hypocrites! Their primary concern is projecting the right image. They make sure they walk right, dress right, and talk right. But oh, on that great day, the Day of Judgment, they will be commanded to depart into everlasting shame and torment! Multitudes of people who expect to go to Heaven will go to Hell. Thousands of “good” people, “moral” people, church members, even church workers, will find themselves lost when they expected to be saved, condemned when they expected approval, cast out of Heaven when they expected to be received into eternal bliss. Jesus’ words cut to the quick. “I never knew you.” Can you imagine…. It’s Over Now!

“This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live.” [Deuteronomy 30:19]

Lou Coleman

By Lou Coleman

Harboring unforgiveness in your heart. Don’t you know the Bible says, “If you do not forgive others, God will not forgive you?” You don’t want to put yourself in the position of God not forgiving you just because you are too prideful to forgive someone else. That’s a dangerous place to be in, and it’s not worth it. Let it go! I tell you, you cannot afford to hold on to an unforgiving spirit. Harboring unforgiveness is like getting bit by a rattlesnake. It releases a poison to the soul. It will eat you up from the inside out.  It will destroy you like a growing cancer and worst of all it will make it impossible for you to live a victorious Christian life. Let it go, forgive, and move on! If you don’t, you are in Sin. It is that simple!

If I can get one point across to you today let it be this, “Forgive… and Set YOURSELF Free!” Release the hatred, bitterness and resentment. You may not feel like forgiving, but do it anyway for it is in your own best interest to forgive. You are the one who God is trying to protect. You are the one who receive the most benefit from forgiveness, not the other person. When you forgive others there is a freedom where you are no longer shackled by your own anger. Decide today that you are not going to go through another year plagued by the curse of a bitter spirit that robs you of your peace, robs you of your joy, and robs you of your power. It need not be anymore! Even though it goes against every fiber of your being! Even though every pore of your body screams, “No, I can’t, you don’t understand!” Even though you want the other person to know the pain they inflicted on you, I will say to you as [Booker T. Washington] said, “… Let no man make you lower yourself by hating him.” Extend to them what God has extended to you, forgiveness. Besides, there is no caveat that says to forgive only when the other person deserves it or to forgive if they ask for forgiveness. God has been very clear about forgiveness. He has given us specific direction in numerous Scriptures, all of which can be summed up in just one word — Forgive! [Mark 11:25; Luke 6:37] Now if you think you have been wronged so badly that you can’t forgive, I want you to consider Jesus’ own story.

While Jesus was hanging on the cross, after being abused, spat upon, beaten, and mocked, He cried out: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” [Luke 23:34] This passage is an example of the beauty and wonder of forgiveness. It may have been a parent, an ex-spouse, boyfriend, girlfriend, a sibling, a friend, a relative, or perhaps a stranger. It may have been a hurt that came from some violent or reckless act. It may have been something that somebody should have done, but didn’t. It may have been something that took place over many years. Either way, forgiveness is not an option. All of us have been hurt by people. Sometimes they hurt us on purpose. Other times, people can hurt us when it’s not intentional. The point is that we have been given a command, and the command is to forgive. You have to be very purposeful in forgiving. Ask God to show you how to forgive anyone you may be holding unforgiveness against. It’s not going to be easy, but the rewards are so worth it!  “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”

Lou Coleman

By Lou Coleman

Pretending to love the Lord! This is a clear reminder that you never know the true condition of the hearts of those around you. Just like the other disciples they never did figure out that Judas was a traitor until after he had betrayed Jesus. They always assumed that he was one of them… Keeping a low profile and camouflaging his hypocrisy. Well, “Undercover Brother” I want you to know that, “You can fool all the people some of the time and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time,” and you can NEVER fool God! Jesus has warned us to examine our motivation for our good deeds and in [Matthews 7:13-28] along the same lines, He warns us that when we “hear” His words we had better respond, and respond GENUINELY. Superficiality doesn’t do us any good, and it doesn’t fool God. Genuine discipleship, however, is a gift from God to help us. But naw, we think we are so smart, we think we are able to pull a fast one on God. Well you better think again! Adam and Eve tried it to their sorrow [Genesis 2: 15-17; 3: 6, 24]. Believing the devil’s lie, they sneered at and scorned God’s law, but not with impunity. They deluded themselves, thinking they could set aside God’s law and all would be well, but the consequences surely followed and they were driven out of the garden and death came upon man. In [Joshua chapter 7] the man named Achan thought he could fool God. He concealed his sin from others but God was not fooled [READ Joshua 6: 18-19; 7: 1, 11, 20-21]. Gehazi, Elisha’s servant, tried to gain personal profit by lying but God was not fooled [See 2 Kings.5: 15-16, 20-27]. The prophet Jonah tried to run and hide from God but God was not fooled [Jonah 1: 1-3, 17]. Ananias and Sapphira tried to fool God by their lies in [Acts 5] but, the seed of lies produced the awful harvest and cost them their lives. Are you sure you want to go down this road?

You know in the Book of [Mark chapter 14 verses 10-11] it deals with a man named Judas Iscariot; a man who is without a doubt, the most notorious and most vilified of all the disciples. Every time he is mentioned in the Bible, the Word of God reminds us that he is a traitor who betrayed Jesus to His death. Judas was a failure as a disciple. Even though he was exposed to the same teaching the others heard. Even though he saw the same miracles and was involved in the same ministries. Yet, Judas never came to saving faith in Jesus Christ. He spent three years with Jesus and he died lost. While Judas was a failure as a disciple, he was the most successful hypocrite of all time. He played his part so well that no one but Jesus Himself knew that Judas was a fraud and a pretender. He was as common and as ordinary as the rest of the disciples. He was so ordinary that he never stood out from the rest. He hid behind the camouflage of hypocrisy and no one but Jesus ever realized it. I wonder just who I am talking too…. Don’t be like Judas… the man who kissed the door of Heaven but went to Hell. Jesus picked him as an apostle but he went to Hell. He lived with Jesus for three years and still went to Hell. He watched Jesus walk on the water and still went to Hell. He listened to the Sermon on the Mount and still went to Hell. He ate with Jesus, talked with Jesus, walked with Jesus, and listened to Jesus day after day, month after month, year after year. He knew Jesus as well as one has ever known Jesus and still he went to Hell. And yet, none of the disciples suspected him. Even at the Last Supper, when Jesus identified Judas publicly, they still couldn’t figure it out.

I want you to know that I truly believe in the assurance of salvation through the Word of God and the testimony of the Holy Spirit. I’m not in favor of constant introspection about whether or not you are a Christian. But there is a place for healthy self-examination in the Christian life. No one should take for granted his hope of Heaven. What happened with Judas could happen to any of us. The story of Judas is in the Bible for many reasons, not the least of which is that before we take anything for granted, we at least ask the question the other apostles asked that fateful night: “Lord, is it I?” It is my prayer that the Lord will use the lessons from this man’s life to cause us to look deep within our own souls; lest we also be found to be great pretenders.

Lou Coleman

By Lou Coleman

Settling for “good enough” instead of for God’s best. What’s wrong with you? You got to know that sometimes ‘good enough’ just ain’t good enough.  There are sometimes and some situations when you should demand excellence and perfection. Considering all that God has done for you, in giving you life, creation, salvation, and forgiveness, “good enough” just doesn’t seem appropriate.  God gave you His best: His only begotten Son to die on the cross for you, so why would you settle for “good enough?”  

I tell you the Lord really impressed on me that the main reason we aren’t receiving His best is because we are willing to settle for less. Very few are committed to God’s best. Why? We have been influenced more by the world than by God and because of it Malcolm X said, “We’ve been bamboozled, hoodwinked, led astray.” Accepting far less than what God has provided. Slap yourself! The problem is you ain’t sick and tired of being sick and tired. Because when you sick and tired of being sick and tired you will aggressively pursue God’s best. You will have a holy dissatisfaction with mediocrity so you can experience all that God has for you. But I tell you, if you don’t pursue it, you won’t get it because it doesn’t happen accidentally or automatically. You have to reach a point where you won’t live with anything less than God’s best; an attitude that is missing in the lives of far too many Christians. The bar of expectations, even within the church, has been lowered. There is such a fear that someone might be disappointed and, therefore, condemned that many ministers have been teaching people to settle for less and avoid the disappointment. But I tell you, as Christians we ought to be walking in supernatural healing. We ought to be walking in financial prosperity. But most of us, however, are just as sick and broke as our unsaved neighbors. You will never receive God’s best until you become completely dissatisfied with second best—mediocrity. You may not initially consider it second best; but as time goes by you will begin to realize the blessings you threw away, and you will live with regret and inner turmoil. It has been said the minute you settle for less, you get even less than you settled for. Do not settle for a submission that has exceptions and a consecration that has holes in it.

Know that one of these days, you are going to stand before God. And when you do, you will know all things even as you are known [1 Cor. 13:12]. In an instant, you are going to know what you could have had while on this earth. You will understand that the same power that raised Christ from the dead was resident within you all along [Eph. 1:18-2]). You will discover that you didn’t have to be sick, that you didn’t have to live broke, and that you didn’t have to be depressed and discouraged. You will realize that love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance were living inside you the whole time [Gal. 5:22-23]. What you settling for less for? Good enough ain’t good enough!

Lou Coleman

By Lou Coleman

To whom can we say we owe all that we are, all that we will ever be, all that we have and all that we will ever have? Nobody but Jesus!

We live our lives moment by moment. Those moments turn into days, weeks, months and years. We are blessed 1000 times over each and every moment of each and every day. The blessings of God surround us continuously. Underserving but God is merciful! One More Handful of Meal [1 Kings 17:8-16]. One More Blessing [Genesis 32:24] One More Chance at Canaan’s Land [Joshua 14:6-13] One More Chance at Salvation [Luke 23:39-43] One More Chance! One More Chance! I tell you “It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord…” [Psalm 92:1]

Let us be thankful for all the things God give us. Let us praise Him for our health, our families, and so on. Let us not take them for granted. For when all the physical blessings have faded and we can find no reason for praise in them, let us thank the Lord that there are some things that will never change! Understanding that it is in these things that we have an unchanging reason for eternal thanksgiving!

I encourage you to take time this week to give Thanksgiving to God for the multitude of blessings He has given you. Take time every day to be thankful. And no matter where you are in life, you have something that you can thank God for each and every day of your life. I tell you, “A Christian Thanksgiving is not just a day, but a way of life.”

Let us Pray: Father God, maker of the heavens and the earth, giver and sustainer of life, to you we offer praise and adoration. With hearts full of Thanksgiving we honor you. Lord, let us not take the life you’ve given us for granted. We thank you for the blessing of family and friends and for the loving care which surrounds us on every side. We are truly thankful that you have given us your Son Jesus, who died on the cross for our sins that we might have eternal life. Through Jesus Christ our King, we continually offer a sacrifice of praise — the fruit of our lips giving thanks. Amen.

From all of us here at Westside Story Newspaper, may God continue to bestow His blessings upon you and your family.

Happy Thanksgiving!

By Lou Coleman

He will ensnare you and destroy your soul [1Peter 5:8] Make no mistake about it! The Devil does not want you to sell out to God. He wants you to sell out to him. And he will give you every reason in the world to justify the things he wants you to do. Then when you have followed him and are out of God’s will and in trouble, he will discard you like a piece of trash and leave you to rot in your sins! He will chew you up and spit you out! You better know that you know! You see [2 Corinthians 2:11] tells us that Satan desires to gain an “advantage” over us and to do this he will use every trick in the book to get us to follow him into failure. Be careful! For [1 Peter 5:8] tells us that the devil wants us. He wants our family. He wants our testimony. He wants our church. If you have it and it’s from the Lord, he wants it, and to get it, he will do anything! “Don’t Compromise with the Devil!” If you do he will get you into such a shape that the Lord cannot bless and use you at all! If you don’t believe me just read about David, the sweet singer of Israel, the man after God’s own heart, what the devil can do to your life. You follow the devil and you, like David might find yourself in a place of prayer begging God just to restore the joy of your heart and life [Psalms. 51:12].

I tell you I wonder: Just what did the devil tell David to get him to sleep with Bathsheba? Just what did the devil tell Cain to get him to kill Abel? Just what did the devil tell Judas to get him to betray Jesus? I wonder: just what has the devil told you? Because sadly, there are many in the church today that live a compromised life. Being too friendly with the enemy! You cannot walk with God and hold hands with the Devil. You better read the story of Lot. Lot started out with Abram and like him enjoyed the blessings of God, but, he exchanged what Abram could offer for what the world could offer and in the end he lost out! You know Jesus said in [Matthew 6:24] No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. I wonder: Which direction is your tent pitched – toward Bethel [God’s house] or towards Sodom [The world]?

I tell you it is crucial that you take the steps that are necessary to defeat the devil and walk in victory. You do not have to roll over and play dead while the devil molds you to his will. You need to be like Jesus, who when He was tempted turned to the Word of God and confronted Satan with the truth of the Book and caused the devil to have to flee from His presence. General Rule: “Do Not Give the Devil a Foothold” [Ephesians 4:26-27] To Hell with Satan!

By Lou Coleman

I tell you David said sometimes you just got to encourage yourself. Just look back over your life, yesterday, last week, last month, last year, five years ago, you will discover that you have already gone through enough stuff that should have caused you to lose your mind; but you are still standing. There are others who have gone through less than you went through and committed suicide. Given up on life! But you made it through. Still Standing! Although you’ve been lied on, talked about, criticized, misunderstood, mistreated, you are still standing. Hurt, wounded, knocked down, sick spells, buried loved ones, had to say goodbye to acquaintances, left alone, heartbroken… and you are still standing.  Even though the pain hurts, even though your heart is still healing, even though you still have some tender spots, and your memory is still playing tricks on you… you are still standing. Who am I talking too? May not have as much money as you ought to have, may not have as many friends as you think you deserve, but one thing you can say, “I’m still here.”  And by being here that says one thing, you still have a chance.  You still have an opportunity to reach goals that you have not reached. You still have a chance to get closer to God, and let him use you. Hurt but still standing; Misunderstood but still standing. Almost lost your life but survived the attack, still standing. What the devil meant for evil God turned into good. “They said you wouldn’t make it. They said [you] wouldn’t be, here today. They said [you’ll] never amount to anything…But [you’re] still holding on. Holding on to God’s [unchanging hand] [Lyrics Luther Barnes] though the road has been rough and the goings been mighty tough…” You are still standing!

I tell you when you can persevere through something that should have killed you, and still remain standing; when you can go through crises, and still remain standing; when you can weather the storm and still remain standing; Ah…. Perseverance, preserved, kept in the fire, not kept from the fire… Had to cry yourself to sleep, but you’re still standing. I want you to know that the purpose of this message is to encourage you to know that these can be your words of victory as you face whatever comes your way this week, that at the end you can say, “I’m still standing!” Understanding that you have to go through some things to get to where God wants you to be; betrayal, denial, crucifixion – you’ve got to go through it to get new life.

Let me tell you something, in spite of the issues that came my way, I knew that I had enough in me to withstand it all. And when you know that beyond a reasonable doubt you have what you need inside of you, there is a certain confidence that calms your nerves which is why you don’t have to panic and get hysterical. Why should you crumble under the pressure? When the Word says to you, “Be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord.” So go ahead and declare that you were built for this. You were built to handle whatever life throws your way. Knowing that the devil tried this before, but the last storm that you came through left you with praise. A praise that the devil couldn’t shake, because it was deep in the Rock. Joy that the devil could take, because it was deep in the Rock. Power that the devil couldn’t defeat, because it was deep in the Rock. And when you’re built on the Rock, Hell can’t move you. Water can’t drown you. Hallelujah! Can I get a witness?