The Multiple Choice Test

Pastor Keion Henderson is the lead pastor of The Lighthouse Church in Houston, Texas Lighthouse is an organization that serves the body of Christ through our 5 pillars. We always ANTICIPATE a move of God in every experience, so we constantly set a great ATMOSPHERE, and we ACCEPT everyone through love. We believe the best way to impact people is by being AUTHENTIC to who we are and by taking ACTION to move everyone towards greater.

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Autogenerated Transcript

Pastor Keion (00:00:00):
Now, this is crazy how this starts out. I’m going to be preaching about peace. And the first three words of the text don’t even sound like it. One Samuel 25 verse one. What does it say? And Samuel died. See, because this is the substratum of the conversation because you cannot allow how something starts to determine how you make your mind up about how it’s going to end. And Samuel died and all the Israelites were gathered together and lamented, you know what that word lamented means? They moaned, they cried out because he died. And what did they do? And they buried him in his house. And David arose because this is the guy that picked David. He went into the wilderness to grieve. And when he got there, there was a man whose possessions were in a place called Carmel. And the Bible says, and that man was very great.

(00:01:08):
In other words, he was rich and he had 3000 sheep and a thousand goats and was shearing his sheep and caramel. And now the name of the man was Naval and the name of his wife was Abigail. And she was a woman. Listen fellas, if you’re looking for a woman, this is the one you’re looking for. Listen. And she was a woman of good understanding and of a beautiful countenance. See, y’all want body first, brain second. But if you a king, you need to go brain first. Come on, talk to me body second, y’all hear me? She had her head over her heels. Y’all miss that.

(00:01:57):
All right. This is going to be important. This is going to be important. I’m saying we’re always talking to single women. I’m talking to you single men. The next greatest decision you will make is the woman you allowing your life. Look at me, brothers, look at me. Because see the women, they hear this, they’re going to shout, they’re going to shout, oh God, send ’em to me at HEB in Kroger and send ’em to me at the mall. And Lord let me run into ’em at the gas station and let ’em be at the family reunion. All of that. That’s fine. I’m talking to men right now because the woman you choose will determine the future of your unborn children. Are you listening to me? And the man she was with currently, the Bible says he was evil and he was of the house of Caleb. And David heard in the wilderness that Abel did shear his sheep. And David sent out 10 young men and David said unto the young man, get you up to Carmel and go to Naval and this is important and greet him in my name.

(00:03:01):
And thus, shall you say to him that liveth and prosperity peace be both to thee and peace be in thine house. Somebody say peace in my house. In house. Alright, I want to read two more verses and we’re going to get it going. I want you to go to verse 18 and 19. I promise you I’m going to help you. Now what’s happening is David and Naval, they about to fight. It’s literally about to go down. Now fellas, remember I told you the woman you choose is important, right? Because as soon as they were getting ready to kill each other, the Bible says, then Abigail made haste and took 200 loaves and two bottles of wine and five sheep ready and dressed, and five measures of corn and a hundred clusters of raisins and two hundreds cakes of figs and laid them on the horses. And she said unto her, servants, go on before me. Behold I come after you. But she told not her husband. Abel, I’m going to stop right there. All of this will make sense in a minute, but I want to talk about the multiple choice test. You may be seated in the presence of the Lord. Would you all praise God for our music ministry?

(00:04:21):
Now, I wasn’t a great student. I was a decent one, but I wasn’t great. I know there’s some of you smart people out there right now. You make fun of people like us because you get straight A’s on everything and that’s not hard. Yeah, well, not hard to you, but it was hard to me all of it. All of it was hard. Math was hard. English was hard. PE was hard. I mean all of it was hard. I was not one that enjoyed school. How many of y’all like me? You went but you didn’t really enjoy it. Come on, show me now we’re all your smart people that you didn’t even have to study and you just got a’s don’t nobody care. Look at how proud you are.

(00:05:09):
And yet we all here together. Listen, lemme tell you something, there’s several kind of tests. Now my least favorite was fill in the blank. I mean you have to know the whole answer yourself. I’m going to be honest with you right now, I don’t mind telling you I had to take the SAT two times just to get a 900, right? Because in my day you had to have at least an eight 50 to get into a division one scholarship. First one I got an eight 20. Okay? So they asked too many questions. My second favorite is the true false. Because see, you can not know the answer, but luck up on the, yeah, you can luck up on a good answer even if you don’t know it. My favorite though was the multiple choice because when you at least can see what some of the options are, you can through the process of elimination, know what it is, not zero in on what you think it is. And God help us to at least have one of those answers to be none of the above.

(00:06:30):
No, I work this thing. I even I tell y’all, I within a degree knew that about 60% of the answers was going to be C. Come on. Oh, I knew my teachers. I knew my teachers. I had my Scantron sheet and I’m going to be honest because the Lord, he knows my heart. Sometimes they pass the test back and I meant to say C, even though I chose B, so I erased B and chose C and took it back to her and say it, read it wrong. I had erased this before I gave you the test. Now I’m just being confession is good for the soul.

(00:07:05):
Don’t act like you ain’t ever turned AE to AB. So my favorite test was the multiple choice because even if I didn’t know the answers, there was some latitude in there where I could drum up a couple extra points to help myself through the process. And I thank God that I am here today. Yeah, but this text that we’re talking about today, it’s everybody in the text has a choice. Everybody in the text has a choice. Everybody in this room, based on the circumstance you’re in, you got a choice. You got a choice. And the quicker I can get you to understand that your life is the sum total of your choices and not what they did to you, that you don’t have peace in your life, not because you’re around unpeaceful people is because you don’t know how to be peaceful in the presence of unrest.

(00:08:08):
Because peace, listen, lemme give you the definition early for those of y’all who think this sermon isn’t for you, peace is not the absence of noise, it’s the presence of order, which is why Jesus was on the boat that was in the storm and he said, peace be still. And the disciples were having an opposite situation and reaction. Why? Because Jesus was in the same storm they were in and the Bible says he was asleep on the pillow and they were screaming saying, master care is thou not their repairs. So it lets me know that peace is not the absence of the storm. It is my ability to know that no weapon formed against me will prosper and that this storm came to mature me and that when it is all over, I shall come forth as pure gold. Are you with me today? So before we can get into the of our text today, I’m arrested by the first three words of the verse.

(00:09:01):
It don’t have nothing to do with anything. And the text starts off by saying this, and Samuel died. Everybody say, and Samuel died. This one short verse arrested my attention because this interruption of death has interrupted this entire narrative that we’re going to talk about today, but it’s just not a death. This is the greatest prophet that Israel has ever seen. So when the Bible says in Samuel died, this would be equivalent to us losing a member of Congress or the President. I mean he is the guy in between God and man. And so when he dies, the flags are at half staff. When he dies, the government buildings shut down. When he dies, all of the television shows are covering his funeral. When Samuel died, the world shook. Israel was in a bad way and the Bible says that he died. And Israel, here’s what the Bible says that they lamented.

(00:10:03):
So do you all remember seeing images of when Martin Luther King was assassinated, how the nation mourned? Did you all see those images, people in the street burning things and crying out because this man was as important to Israel’s history as Martin Luther King is to ours. And so when he died, the Bible says that they lamented and they buried him in his house. What a loss. What a loss. This man anointed, the greatest king that Israel ever saw. I need y’all to pay attention to me right now. He anointed the greatest king. We’re always talking about David. We wouldn’t know Psalms 23 if it wasn’t for Samuel. Are you listening? We wouldn’t be able to say creating me a clean heart and renewing me a right spirit as the Psalm say. If it were not for we wouldn’t know David versus Goliath because David would’ve never gotten to Goliath because Samuel wouldn’t have even noticed he was there.

(00:11:02):
And if you will remember the story, David was in his house. His own father didn’t even recognize him, but Samuel did. So he has just lost the person who accepted him when everybody else rejected him. So can you imagine the pain that is in his heart right now? The only man that ever saw who he really was, the only man that ever saw his worth, the only man who looked beyond his youth and saw his potential. This person has died. Are you listening to me? And the Bible says that everybody in Israel began to lament and they begin to cry. In other words, they respected him. But here is my issue. I think that the praise that they gave to Samuel was a day late and a dollar short because when he was alive, nobody would listen to him when he was alive. Nobody respect. It’s like me sitting up here preaching right now and I can give you the worst eternal life and you can leave here and do whatever you want to do. And then if I were to go to be with the Lord and then you start crying, talking about he was the best teacher that I ever had. I’m only a good teacher. When you followed the lesson, not that you attended the funeral, oh God.

(00:12:26):
So you don’t let a teacher know he’s good by attending, he’s good by applying. So it is my job to get you to the application stage, not just the attending stage because everybody attends, but the miracle comes to the one who applies. And so now I believe that the praise is a day late and a dollar short because now they are praising a man in his death that they did not listen to when he was alive. And when the Lord gave me this revelation, I’m going to say it to you at least two or three times today. Are you ready for me? I said, are y’all ready for me? If you don’t change this attitude, I’m not going to give it to you. I said, are you ready for me? This is the reason why most people don’t have peace is because you have not come to grips with you probably will leave earth before you are appreciated by those who you made earth better for. Listen, write this down. You probably won’t get the flowers from the people you gave the seeds to. I just gave you a million dollars and most of us are walking around here unpeaceful because you expected that they should have done better by you because of what you did for them.

(00:13:50):
You think that they should respect you because you respected them. Something in your life told you that everything you give you’re going to get back from the person you gave it to and you’re going to leave this earth with no peace because sometimes you will understand this is that appreciation isn’t always appreciated. I’m giving you the prescription of peace and the moment you can get your head out of the sand and stop expecting people to be kind to you just because you are kind to them that they should give to you because you gave to them. You got to scratch all of that out and adopt Luke chapter six, verse 33. This is how you get peace. Luke chapter six, verse 33. Now for all of y’all who ain’t opening up your bibles right now, I know you don’t want no truth because you ain’t going to remember the scripture. So open up your phone and get it in your phone right now. Google Luke six and 33. This is your prescription for peace and it is a one pill antidote and you got to swallow it. And you know what the pill is called? Pride.

(00:15:03):
And here’s what the Bible says. And if ye do good to them, which do good to you, why do you think you deserve a hero cookie? Even sinners treat people right that treat them right. So just because you get along with the people who get along with you, you think you deserve a hero cookie. And guess what? You are no better than a sinner because even sinners treat people good who treat them good. Next verse. And if you give money to those who need it, why are we praising you? Because even sinners give money to people who need it all the time. Now let’s go to the next verse, but love your enemies and do good and lend hoping for nothing again. And your rewards shall be great. In other words, you know that you got a great reward coming when you don’t mind giving the grace to people who don’t give it back.

(00:16:12):
Oh see, and this is why people will never have peace is because you think peace is everybody leaving you alone. You think peace is everybody leaving you alone and you getting all the toxicity out of your life. And I just ain’t going to do negative people this year. And let me tell you something, they going to find they way in. And the reason why you got so many negative people around you is because you don’t have a negativity threshold yet. When you learn how to handle negative people, they will leave. And the reason why God keeps sending them is because you’re weakened that area. Help me Holy ghost, I’m going to preach in this house whether you like it or not. The reason why they keep creeping back in is because you don’t know how to handle the mice.

(00:16:54):
The reason why the mice keep crawling into the crevices of your life is because you keep leaving the crumbs of an attitude behind and they are attracted to that attitude. You’re going to have peace. That’s the pastor of all understanding. When you can be in the presence of an ignorant person and not be bothered, and the fact that they keep bothering you, God is going to keep sending them. Because if you can only handle those who you like, you are not ready for the next level. Do me a favor, everybody say, listen, Linda, listen. Look, listen, listen, listen, Linda, listen, listen. No, no, no. Listen Linda, listen. You better hear what I’m telling you because when I chose this as the month of peace, I knew this would be the hardest month because people think that peace is, if y’all leave me alone, I’ll be all right.

(00:17:55):
But the problem is you won’t admit that even if they leave you alone, you going to get on your own nerve. Because peace is an internal position that I’ve learned to be content. Come here Paul. No matter what state I’m in, so I can have peace in the midst of a storm, I can have peace in employment, I can have peace when I’m worried about my children. One of my good friends, Ricky Smiley, he just lost his son. I was talking to him on the phone yesterday. He said, rev, you prayed for me. I’m good. He said, God told me this a year ago that it was going to happen. And I told my whole family that this was going to happen. He says Right now everybody keeps calling me, but they don’t understand. Watch this, I got peace. See, you can’t make nobody be upset when they got peace. Are you not listening to me? If he didn’t have peace, he would’ve lost his son and lost his mind. But when you got peace, you can lose anything and still keep your peace.

(00:19:11):
Have you ever looked at somebody to do something so hard? You said this. I don’t know if I could do that. I don’t know if I could do that. What that means is that it can be done. You just haven’t gotten to the point where you can do it. Oh God, help me in this place today. I’m still in the introduction. You probably won’t get the flowers from the people you gave the seeds to. And this is where our dilemma is because if I’m nice to you, I expect you to be nice to me. If I’m there for you, I expect you to be there for me. If I go above and beyond for you, I expect that you’re going to go above and beyond for me. And you have to get to the place in your life where you recognize that you don’t get to choose who God uses to be kind to you.

(00:20:05):
And you don’t get to be upset about who he uses to agitate you. See, I could change you. You’re spiritual. I could change you faster than I can change the person up against you. So are you waiting on the person you’re complaining about to change or are you going to be the change you keep complaining about? Because if you change first, you will dilute the toxicity. The problem is, is we both toxic in two different areas. But if I recognize that I have to know who you are and deal with you accordingly, then I can have the peace that’s a passeth all understanding. Even if you’re trying to take it from me, you know how to do it. Especially every mama in here. You know how to have peace from people. Get what you do with them kids. Now you ain’t going to let them mess up your peace.

(00:21:10):
You’re going to say something to ’em, do something to ’em, but you’re going to get ’em off your mind and you’re going to move on. Come on, talk to me. Everybody say multiple choice tests. Samuel died and the Bible says David arose and went into the wilderness. The man that discovered him. I can’t get you to understand how hard this is for David right now, how hard this is. This is a tough pill for him to swallow. This is the man that was praying for him when Samuel, when Saul was trying to kill him. In fact, if Samuel wasn’t there, Saul probably would’ve been successful. But you can imagine Samuel was like, Lord, let no harm come to the king. He’s a prayer warrior, he’s making sure he’s praying. So now that he’s gone, he feels vulnerable. So now that Samuel’s dead, this is what happens.

(00:22:06):
He’s frustrated and he goes out into the wilderness and he’s trying to find himself and then he watch this. He makes a decision to go to a place where he has no provision. See, because when you get mad, you leave all of the stuff you depend on behind. Now in this peaceful place with no food, this is why you got to be careful where you leave. This is why you got to be careful where you go because in his frustration now he’s in the wilderness, he done left his refrigerator, he out in the middle of nowhere and he ain’t got no food. And look at God setting up the plot and the only person nearby is a man named Naval, a rich man that got what? A thousand sheep, a thousand goats, 2000 sheeps, a thousand goat corn, raisins, fig cakes, everything simply orange. He got all this stuff out there and David is starving and he’s got to send 10 of his men to go to him and say, Hey, can y’all tell Abel that a brother out here hungry and if he can just spare some change, everything will be all right. Now here’s what happens. Naval says, listen to me and you got to read verse four, six and eight to get this. Naval says, so lemme get this right. Y’all want me to give my raisins and my fi cakes and my stakes to a dude I don’t know.

(00:23:54):
Are you listening to me? To a man? I what don’t know. Now neighbor brand new because David is the one that protected naval from the Raiders who tried to take the sheep that he still got. David put his army together and fended off the Raiders who came to take the sheep that he has in his possession. And now he doesn’t want to share what he has with the person who is responsible. I’m about to show you how to have peace. I’m about to show you how to have peace. You see, he’s now, he’s dealing with somebody who wouldn’t have what they have if it wasn’t for him. And now he needs just a little bit of what he helped him keep. And the man’s response is, I don’t know him.

(00:24:58):
Y’all ain’t ready for this sermon. I could tell right now I got a slow walker. It is going too fast for you right now. Some of y’all attitudes ain’t even letting you hear this sermon right now. Now it’s four things you need to know about naval. All right? This will help you to understand why he responded. And I promise you you’re going to know somebody who got these characteristics. Number one, Bel was wealthy, okay? He had 3000 sheep, a thousand goats. Number two neighbor’s wife was beautiful and smart. So he’s got wealth, he’s got a wife. Number three, verse three says he’s wicked. So he’s wealthy with a wife and wicked, but he’s of the house of Caleb, which means he was well born. Y’all better stay with me because Caleb was the mentee of Joshua. So now he comes from the line of Caleb.

(00:25:52):
So it was Joshua and Caleb that survived. Oh God. Okay, so let me go back. So you remember when the children of Israel came out of the wilderness and all of the people started complaining. So God says, okay, for every adult I’m going to smite thee. So God killed all of the complainers beneath the age of 21 and all of the young people got a chance to go into the new era because God says Canaan is a place of peace. And I’m not bringing 2 million unpeaceful people into the promise. You don’t understand that your inability to be peaceful inside is costing you your promise.

(00:26:38):
You are sacrificing your promise to be nasty and mean. And here’s the problem, you don’t understand that as even as good as it is for you, it ain’t as good as God intended. And you are settling for something beneath your ability to garner and gather peace in your spirit no matter what. So Naval says, I don’t know him and I ain’t giving him nothing. That is a bad decision. That was a bad choice. Somebody said he picked the wrong answer, the wrong answer. Now the Bible says Naval says listen. So y’all expect me, me. Now, how many of y’all know your attitude like that? You expect me to be nice to somebody that ain’t nice to me. You expect me to give my bread, my hard earned money, my attention, my forgiveness, whatever your bread is to somebody who don’t deserve it. I can tell I’m wearing y’all out right now.

(00:27:52):
He’s grieving and now he’s rejected. That’s a recipe for no peace. He hungry and you know when you hungry. Come on now. So he grieving and he’s starving. Lemme tell you something, that’s a bad combination. Anybody can get it when you hungry. Am I right? Your mama can get it if you hungry, period. He hungry. Like I’m out here in this wilderness is hot, I’m starving my boy dead. Y’all getting on my nerve. I done helped him. Now he acting like he don’t know me and David, this is, lemme show you what David did. David got a choice now. So neighbor had a choice. Here’s David’s choice. David said, oh, he said he don’t know me.

(00:28:46):
Come on now y’all come on. David like, oh bro. So cus said he don’t know me. I was the one, y’all know who? I’m the one, he’s about to lose everything. I was the one that was there. Oh, he don’t know me, I’m the king. He don’t know me. Alright, watch what David does. David said bet he called his boys together, said, y’all know we are bet mean it’s about to go down. Bet. All right? David was like, all right, bet. He said, everybody talking about his crew, he said, everybody get your swords now. Now how many y’all got a David spirit when they get on your nerve, you ain’t having no prayer meeting you, a slicing session?

(00:29:46):
Come on man. Don’t leave me here by myself. You ain’t trying to go to no altar. You going to think you got to think of what you can do to get ’em, but you don’t want them to know it was you that got ’em. Come on now. Hey, by the way, some of y’all neighbors ain’t smiled yet. Tell him he talking to you. That’s why you sitting there looking all mad and ashy like that. I’m talking to you. You ain’t sleepy, you convicted, you ain’t sleepy. We ain’t been here long enough for you to be tired. Yet in true Davidic form, David said, Mount up, not with wings, get them swords. Shitty, shitty bang, bang. He say it’s about to go down. We about to go over there and pay a visit. If he act like he don’t know me, he going to know me When we leave words of a man with no peace, the choice of a person who can never have peace, come on, David said, get the swords.

(00:31:21):
He said, we going out there and we just going to see what it’s going to be. I want to pause here and say that we know where everything in our life belongs except for vengeance. I ain’t here to be your friend today. I’m here to be your man of God. You know your toilet goes in the bathroom, you know your milk goes in the refrigerator. You know your money goes in the bank, but you yet haven’t figured out that vengeance is not yours. Deuteronomy 32 says, vengeance belongs to the Lord and you got everything in your house in order except for where you keep your vengeance.

(00:32:19):
And this is why we don’t have peace is because we want vengeance right here so we can use it every time we’re offended. Oh, and by the way, for those of y’all thinking, is he preaching to me? Listen, this thing was picked months ago, so if I’m preaching to you, it’s because you made it to February without a peaceful prescription. It’s your fault for being convicted today. Not me preaching it. He got there ready to cut those people’s head off and he doesn’t have any peace. And watch this. Listen, are you still with me? The Bible says in Deuteronomy chapter 32, it is the word of God. It says that vengeance is mines. That means that every person in your life that has wronged, you have to leave it up to God to deal with them.

(00:33:17):
And the Bible says in essence that God has the final say. There is no scripture that says that, but we understand that theoretically that God has the final say, right? Which means that if God has the final say, your problem won’t be over until you stop talking. The reason why I came in is because every time God talk, you talk, he got to have the final say. So if you won’t let God talk last, the problem has to endure. If you won’t let God talk last, the problem has to last because he’s got to have the final say. And how many people in this room suffer with the last word syndrome? You always got to be the last one. Even if it is whatever, you ain’t got nothing to say. You just got to make the last noise.

(00:34:20):
Lord, I think I need to preach from down there today. I think this is one of the ones where I put it here and just walk the aisle like a old faith teacher. Y’all remember the old faith teacher hold the Bible and the word of the Lord says, don’t make me do it. How many of y’all I’m wearing you out right now? Lemme see your hands. Okay, so now you’re going to lie and say, I ain’t just hands just down, huh? It’s all right. I know I can look on your, it’s written all over your face. You don’t have to say your word.

(00:34:54):
I know y’all got a little bit of that in. You don’t act like you that saved you be. Oh, that’s my jam. I can’t show it in church. Jesus vengeance is never supposed to be in your possession and every time you get somebody back, you’ve done God’s job. And when you do God’s job, you got to be God enough to handle the consequences. And the problem is, is you can do his job but you can’t handle it. Yes sir. Vengeance is whose God, gods every person who has come up against you to eat up your flesh. If you let God handle it, they will stumble and fall. You are keeping your enemies alive by being in charge of the process. Come.

(00:35:56):
God could end it if you get out the way yesterday, but God ain’t fast enough for you. He ain’t fast enough. You need people to feel it. You need to understand who they messing with preaching. I know if don’t nobody tell me, I know I am. See, I know I’m preaching when I got you like this. Not when you’re shouting vengeance. It’s mine, said the Lord of host, he says, David, I got this. Why you keep getting in my way? I can’t deal with them. I’m still dealing with you. Come on man, write this scripture down. Romans 1229. I’m going to read it in the message Bible.

(00:36:55):
Do not insist on getting even that’s not for you to do, for it is written. Vengeance is mine. I will repay it. The Lord of hosts i’ll it. God has the final say, final say, which means it’ll never be over until you stop talking. Is that good? Mighty good. But most of us got the spirit of David and you got it from somebody. You got it from your mama, you got it from your daddy. All y’all fight, all your sisters, all y’all fight. How many y’all come from a family of fighters? Everybody fight uncle, carry a knife, cousin carry a gun, somebody got a switchblade, a bat, everybody fight.

(00:37:40):
Some of y’all come from families fighting going on and y’all don’t even know it’s fighting. It takes somebody to come over and be like Y’all talk to each other like that. That’s just how y’all yell. Don’t nobody, you don’t even know. Shut up dummy. And people come in, y’all talk to each other like, oh, it don’t matter. You just come from it and vengeance belongs to God and you can’t have peace when you won’t outsource the process. Come on, come on, come on. David said, get the swords. And I know when I leave today, some of y’all going to still be sword. Get us because you feel good about getting your sword, but it’s going to cost you Canaan.

(00:38:25):
It’s going to cost you Canaan. Proverbs 12 and 18 says, listen to this. I’m going to give you so many scriptures today. It’s going to make your head spin. Proverbs 12 and 18, that the thoughtless words cut like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings peace. So for everybody who says David, he got his swords. But what sword are you talking about? Your tongue is a sword. And according to scripture, the tongue is a murderer, which means that some of us in here are serial killers with this many people We done cut. Come on. What our tongue. Come on y’all. How many of y’all can get people together real fast and hurry? Oh, I can look at some of y’all and tell who the gier togethers is. I can look at you almost made me point at y’all. Lemme put my hand behind my back.

(00:39:36):
Are you listening to me? I’m trying to show you how to get peace and I can guarantee you you didn’t think that this is how you got it. You just thought if you just get all the negative people out of your life and if you just create yourself a cocoon and you just stay around a few little people you love, but here’s what the Bible says, an idol. Mine is the devil’s workshop, which means the more alone you get, the more the devil uses you. When you sit in yourself and think about everything from your own personal angle and you come out and think that you found out the truth, come on.

(00:40:24):
And what the scripture calls the sitting of your thoughts. That’s why the Bible says think on these things. Are you with me? And that’s why one writer says that we have to have Nia. What does that mean? Fellowship. That means that I am supposed to be around other people who challenge my thought process. Most people reject anybody out of their life that confronts them on how they think. You just get rid of them, you run ’em off because they won’t consult with the mindset. And this is what David did. He sent 10 men out there. They did exactly what he said. David said, get the swords. Guess what they did? You don’t hang with sword. Get us too.

(00:41:14):
How many of y’all got sword? Get us too. You get your sword, they get your sword. So watch this. I’m trying to tell you, don’t be distracted by every rejection of your ideas. Here’s what the Bible says. Be steadfast, unmovable, always. What a abounding. Listen in the work of the Lord for as much know that your labor is not in vain. It’s not an empty exercise because you didn’t get what you expected when you expected it. God, I wish y’all could get this. You don’t become peaceful. This is what I want to say. You don’t become a peaceful person as a way of changing people. This is what I’ve learned. Most people will change their attitude to change the person, but when the person doesn’t respond to the change, then you go back to who you used to be, which means you didn’t change.

(00:42:25):
And now here you are complaining about them not changing, but you actually didn’t change either because the moment you recognize that it wasn’t appreciated, you went back to who you were, which means you’re no better than the person you’re complaining about. Okay? Y’all want peace or what because you can get happiness and this is what the old preacher will tell you. There’s a difference between joy and happiness so you can have happiness, but if your circumstances change, you change. If you have joy and peace, all of that changes, but you say it ain’t going to change me. I’m still going to be kind. I’m still going to be generous. I’m still going to be loving. I’m still going to be who I am to you. Even if you are not what you promised you would be to me. Okay? Are y’all still listening? Have I lost you now? Where are all the single ladies at? Holler at me now. Y’all holler louder than that at Beyonce concert this coming. I want you to act like you heard all the single ladies make some noise in here.

(00:43:46):
All right? How many of y’all want to know one of the fastest way to getting a man a good one too? I ain’t talking about just no company, not no male company. I’m talking about a man that’s going to take care of you and going to pray over you. How many I’m talking to y’all? Who am I talking to? Somebody you can take home to your mama and she ain’t going to be at the dinner table talking about, I don’t even know why you brought him here because you ain’t got my blessing. You can do what you want to do. You’re grown, but you ain’t got my blessing.

(00:44:17):
I’m about to show you how Abigail got a good man. The Bible says, now she’s currently, and you got to understand the biblical times before you be judging and all that kind of stuff. Oh God, I got to say all this before people go, Daniel. Well you said the Bibles and all that. In those days a father could give his daughter to anybody he wanted and all that kind of stuff. So you have to use the context. But Abigail is married to Napal and she know he evil and the Bible says that he won’t let her influence him. So he’s got peace in the house but he won’t take it. Okay, so watch what happens. Naval and David are about to kill each other. Abigail says, no, no, no, no, no. Remember she’s a woman with brains and beauty. Beauty. She gets some sheep, some food because he hungry and she puts him on the horses and she takes it out to David. She says, David, ain’t it Ain’t no rice. Krispy treats is worth nobody dying over. Just everybody calm down.

(00:45:38):
Y’all listening. She took the food that he asked neighbor for. She took it out to him and David looks at this woman. Remember while we’re talking about this, Abigail now has the choice on her test. What does she do? Does she take on the personality of the person she’s married to or does she stand her ground and remain a peacemaker because she’s a woman with brains and beauty? She says, honey, you can act how you going to act but I’m going to do what I do. And she took food out to David and prevented a war because she was able to have peace in the midst of the storm and watch what the Bible says. The man who didn’t want peace, the God.

(00:46:48):
Oh, y’all ain’t listening to your boy. You keep on walking around here acting like how you doing stuff is okay just because you woke up yesterday don’t mean you’re going to wake up tomorrow. Keep on being mean. Keep on being evil, keep on getting even I know you healthy now I know everything is great but you don’t understand that your absence of peace means that God has to give you an absence of grace. Oh Lord. And to every man there is given a measure grace. And just because you healthy today and just because your kids are all right right now and just because your mama and daddy are alive right now, don’t mean that God ain’t going to say enough.

(00:47:32):
You maintaining a peaceful spirit ain’t just for you, it’s for your whole family. That man woke up dead. Y’all get what I’m saying? God says I’m trying to create peace but the one who don’t want it got to go, got to go and 10 days later he died. And I’m trying to beg you online and in this room to hear me. I love you too much to let you be ignorant just because you’re okay today. Just because nobody kidnapped your child this school year just because there was no car accident this summer. Oh God, help me in this place. Just because everything is all right right now is not a guarantee that it will always be. You got to take what I’m saying. Seriously.

(00:48:40):
He had no idea that he was choosing death on his test, being stubborn led to his demise and he died because he wouldn’t change. Oh God help me in this place. He had a choice and he picked wrong because peace was being chosen all around him and he still didn’t pick it. He had an example right in the house. All he had to do was follow Abigail. His pride wouldn’t let him do it. He was him. It’s amazing how people always say this when they get in relationships with people, they always request that you let them be them while at the same time requesting you change.

(00:49:34):
I need you to be more loving. I need you to be understanding. Flip side, you just need to accept me for the way I am. The devil is a lie. Either we both change or I ain’t nobody change and he died. Do y’all believe the Bible? I think didn’t you just say infallible? What that means is is that it does not have any error. Infallible means it doesn’t have a mistake in it. This is a theological term. When you said it, I just went to seminary right in my mind that one of the professors will say the world will end before one jot or tittle of the word of God. That means that there are no Hess. It is inerrant, infallible. Which means even if you don’t agree with it, it’s still right.

(00:50:30):
And that’s why the Bible says that the word of God is a two edged sword. Because if I ain’t cutting you right now, I ain’t doing my job. You ought to be bleeding all over the altar saying, father, I stretch my hand toe. I don’t want my life to end because my peace couldn’t start. He died 10 days later after being downright evil. Meanwhile, Abigail said, David, now I’m back to my single women. Come here now I got sidetracked, but come here, single women, David looked at this woman who brought these rice cakes, these rice Krispy treats and these Skittles and this filet mignon and she brought all that out there to him. That’s and the first thing that David ever does to Abigail is thank God for her.

(00:51:45):
The Bible says that. He says, go to verse 38. He says, God, I thank you for bringing this woman to me. Oh, and by the way, in two or three days he married her women. Are you listening to me? You want to know how to get a husband be as peace? You miss what I just said. I didn’t say be fine because you can get somebody if they fine, if you fine. But remember David wasn’t just somebody, David was a king. Kings ain’t looking for fine. We are looking for peace. So yeah, you can get somebody who can walk on your arm and y’all can go to the mall and go to I pick together. And you ain’t got to be lonely no more. But if you going to get a king, be be his peace, not his cook. If you be his peace, he’ll get you a chef.

(00:52:48):
You ain’t listening to me. You want a Birkin bag that you ain’t got to be, you ain’t got to pay for. Be peaceful. You want an apartment that you ain’t got to pay for. Be peaceful. You want to get flute out, be peaceful. You want your car no paid. Be peaceful, not fine. If fine was the way to go, explain all of these fine people on their fifth marriage. Explain all of these fine people online dating. Explain all of these fine people who say they must be intimidated by my looks. Ain’t nobody intimidated by your looks. Don’t nobody want to argue with you all day because you think you’re so fine. You can say whatever you want to say. Be somebody’s peace, slap your name and say help the people. I’m helping the people.

(00:53:53):
You out here getting your eyelashes getting one inch longer every month. You ain’t going to get nobody like that. Be peaceful all fellas. You ought to be hot. You ought to be in here saying because they ain’t going to say nothing but you better help your boy. I’m in a corner right now. I need about 10 of y’all to get me out of here. Don’t be scared now I’m on your side. I’m talking about peace. She got that man to change it. And by the way, he already had a wife because remember Saul had given him. Michael, he forgot about all them women.

(00:54:33):
So you’re going to be peace. Remember what Michael did? Michael gave him grief because he started praising God. Y’all don’t know your Bible. When he started praising God, she started complaining. Oh, you out there trying to embarrass me? You out there trying to show out, you dancing out of your clothes. Meanwhile, Abigail said, whatever you got to do for Jesus, do it. If you want a king, you better find you some peace. And this world, this world won’t tell you that because this world is telling you be a boss. You don’t need a man. Be strong. And in some cases some of that is true. It ain’t that you don’t need a man, it’s you don’t need the wrong one and you can be a boss and still be peaceful and you can be beautiful and be peaceful and you can be fine and be peaceful. Don’t let all of that make you think that that’s your value added proposition because you fine right now, but after gravity finished with you in the next 20 years, oh you ain’t going to beat gravity. I don’t care what you do.

(00:56:10):
Gravity is undefeated peace. This is why Jesus says peace I give you. So since he give, listen, does the Bible say peace I give you And don’t we seek him every day? What you asking God for every day? Peace. Because he’s a peace giver. And since you know he’s a peace giver, you seek him. Look at how many things in life would look for you if you would offer peace. You could get a promotion. If you stopped raising so much hell at the job, your family would stop doing events and not inviting you if you wasn’t known as the hell maker.

(00:57:00):
They invited everybody but didn’t invite you. And you wonder why they don’t invite me because they’re jealous of me. No, they don’t want you messing up the peace and they don’t want to tell you that because once they call you, you’re going to further mess up the peace because you’re going to argue for 20 minutes and be dead wrong. If you want to know what men are saying, why they playing so many games now some of us just playing ignorant. I ain’t giving us no excuses. Some of us got good women, still dumb. We playing ignorant. But you want to know what the real men are saying? I ain’t giving my life to nobody who won’t give me peace.

(00:57:49):
Come on real men. Holler at your boy. Talk to me online. The real men. I ain’t talking about no boys playing games. I’m talking about men who understand that they have to love you so much that their desire is to take care of you so you never have another need in your life. My wife ain’t got to want for nothing. I don’t care what she make. Her money ain’t no good to me. I don’t want it. I don’t want it. I don’t want nothing from her. It’s my job to take care of her. I don’t do nothing. I’m talking about well, how much can we do together? If I can’t do it by myself, it can’t be done.

(00:58:33):
She ain’t going to pay my rent. She ain’t buying me no car, she ain’t opening no door for me. I don’t care how big a company is. I opens the door, y’all better hear me. I’m telling you. Peace. That’s how she got David. And you’re going to have to unlearn what somebody taught you. I was watching, babe, what’s the name of that show we was watching with the judge and the lady she kept, I can’t think it. Say it again, your honor. Your honor, have y’all ever seen the show? Your Honor? Okay, so you remember when the lady who sent the guy, well, I can’t tell y’all the show, lemme just give you the stroum of what I’m saying. A lady comes up and she says, because her son was dating another girl and she was dating the girl, but the girl was taking care of her son and the mama knew that the son wasn’t worth for hill of beans, but it’s her baby.

(00:59:47):
But she told the daughter or the daughter-in-law, stop taking care of this grown man. It’s your fault. You keep giving ’em all the money, right? That’s the grown man. That’s what she said. She said, and here’s her word she says, but I know that a man ain’t nothing but a dime a dozen. Now somebody taught her that and then her experience probably with his daddy made her say on national tv, a man ain’t nothing but a dime a dozen. Why am I saying that is because some of y’all mama taught y’all that? Some of y’all aunties and grandmamas, they said that in the house a man ain’t worth nothing. A man ain’t this a man ain’t that. And now here you are believing that, which is why you are experiencing that because you attract what you think.

(01:00:37):
And if you keep thinking all men are dogs, all men are dogs. It won’t be long before you got fleas on your porch because everything you think about will find you. The Bible says thoughts. There’s a book that even says it’s the power of now. Thoughts attract that upon which it is directed. The Bible says in Genesis 11, one seed begets after his own kind, which means whatever the seed of your thoughts are, that’s what’s going to be in your mental garden in there. Now this is a good sermon. Whether y’all don’t like it, I’m telling you, I’m telling you, I’m telling you, when I came here today, I came for violence. I’m choosing it. I chose violence. They were talking me in the back. I’ve got to tell you, this is going to be the most productive yet difficult month of preaching and I’m preaching every Sunday this month because we got to get this right.

(01:01:32):
Come on now. You can’t continue to be so up and down in your emotions. Happy today, depressed tomorrow. That ain’t depression. When you can get rid of it in a day, it ain’t depression. That’s a mood. I’m depressed and you happy tomorrow? No depression ain’t got no short shelf life on it like that. When you go into real depression, ask anybody in here, when you in a real one, it take everything you can to get out of it. Anybody ever have to function doing it? Yeah, it’s hard to get out of the bed. No, no, no. Y’all listening to me. I’m not talking about no bad attitude. I’m talking about straight up depression where you can’t eat, you can’t sleep, you don’t have a conversation, you don’t want to answer the phone. You can’t find peace anywhere.

(01:02:32):
David said, okay baby, if you’re going to be my peace, I’m ready to risk at all. And she got her husband. Yes, she was beautiful. Yes, she was smart, but David picked her because she was peaceful. And when God knows that he can trust you in big arenas and you will add peace to the environment, he will pick you two. Aren’t we Christians? Now, hear me? Ain’t nobody here going to get this right all the time. You going to have some bad days where you just flip out and lose it, but you got to recover and it can’t be no four months. Listen, I’m going to go on record to say this. You ain’t consulting the Holy Spirit if it’s taking you five years to forgive.

(01:03:45):
No, because you don’t want to die with hatred in your heart. And in the absence of his peace, he lost the presence of God’s grace. And in 10 days after he had an attitude, he’s no more. Is it worth somebody knowing you not to be played with for 10 days later, for you to be missing from the promise all for the temporary satisfaction of letting people know I’m smart too. I can get ’em up off me too. I know how to act ignorant too. It’s a multiple choice test. And you can pick A, B, C, or D, but I came to tell you today to make sure you choose wisely.

(01:04:56):
Give me some music, I’m done. The Bible says this. David said to Abigail, listen, blessed to be the Lord of God of Israel, which sent thee this day to meet me. God, listen to me. Sons and daughters listen to me. Sometimes the person you are struggling with will sent by God. You remember when Paul said, there’s a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan who said it sent that I might not be exalted above mesher. What if the thing, the person that you struggle with was sent? He says, blessed it be the Lord which sent thee to me this day.

(01:06:34):
And instead of arguing with Abigail, because remember David wasn’t choosing peace. He chose the sword. But instead of arguing with her, he said, thank God that he sent you to me. Nothing else can be said. He was mad as a rattlesnake, but somehow David was able to take the advice of the one that God sent. You know what the problem some of us have is we don’t really realize that some of the good people in our life, they didn’t come because you chose them. They’re there because God sent them. And are you peaceful enough to take the advice of somebody that you don’t agree with?

(01:07:55):
Can you lay your sword down long enough so that God can make sure you soar? If you’re in this place today, I want to see if I can get a hundred percent participation. Maybe I won’t. If you struggled with any part of this message in your everyday and personal life, I want you to meet me at this altar. This is good. First of all, do me a favor. You’re not standing by that person by accident. Just tell them, nobody’s judging you. Nobody’s judging you. Nobody’s judging you. Nobody’s judging you. Nobody’s judging you. Nobody’s judging you. I just happen to be by you. The reason why I want you all to come is because I think that we can do this corporately. That we can all throw ourselves at the mercy of the court and be like, you know what? The enemy has vexed certain of the church. That means that every once in a while you will find this one thing that can affect a lot of us at the same time. Because see, everybody don’t struggle with pornography. Everybody doesn’t struggle with drugs. Everybody doesn’t struggle with lying, but vengeance.

(01:09:52):
I don’t care how much money you make, I don’t care how good you were raised. When it come time to get somebody back, holler at your boy. You know how to get ’em back. Well, our favorite characters on TV are the people who can’t be outsmarted. And the better they are at finding out who’s trying to do something to ’em and they overcome it, we love them. Why? Because we identify with them. How many of y’all ever watched a TV show the person get on your nerves so bad you act like you really know him?

(01:10:33):
You can’t stand him in real life. Tariq on power. He had a heck of a time. But you know why? Because you don’t like ungrateful people. So since you don’t like ungrateful people, you can’t get with him because he is everything that you are not. But you love ghosts and he was killing people. You love Tommy. Why? Because he was able to be mean and not get caught. And you identify with it because you think you’re getting away with it. But there is one that is I is on the sparrow and you ain’t got a lot to kick it. And lemme tell you something,

Speaker 2 (01:11:31):
I may

Pastor Keion (01:11:31):
Never know, but it

Speaker 2 (01:11:34):
Doesn’t matter if I do because he

Pastor Keion (01:11:35):
Does. I’m only

Speaker 2 (01:11:37):
Telling you what he said he would do if you don’t do what he said. So you can fake it with me.

Pastor Keion (01:11:48):
You can come to the altar and smile and act like you know what, but he knows your heart. He knows your thoughts. Where are far off. Lemme tell you what that means. That means that God knows the thoughts you haven’t had yet. Now that’s that ought to make you just ball up in the fetal position and say, God, I need you. He knows what you’re going to do about problem that’s coming that you don’t even know that’s coming. My job today was to get you ready because the storm is coming. The trouble is coming. The struggle is coming. Who will you be when it arrives? Lift your hands in this place.

Speaker 2 (01:12:37):
The struggle is over for you. The struggle is over. Wherever you, whatever you’ve go through

Pastor Keion (01:13:20):
Long enough, long and the soul for you, soul, no matter what it looks like the struggle and you’ve been in this place, long in and you’ve been in this place, you’ve been in, you’ve been in. You’ve been in this place long in love and the mountain, the struggle. Can I tell you something? Some of you all are in the wilderness of life and if you can hold your peace, God is sending somebody with the sheep. He’s sending somebody with the figs, he’s sending somebody. What I’m saying is he’s sending somebody who has everything you need, but you got to stand still and see the salvation of the Lord.

(01:18:35):
I can make no promises about them, but I can guarantee him. I can guarantee him. Sir, I used to say at this church when people would come and join it, I would say try God for 30 days. If he doesn’t work, you can bring him back. I guarantee him I know what he can do. Now I want to give you a scripture. I’m going to leave it up to you to find out where it is, but I want you to trust me that it’s there. Google it when you get home. The Bible says, seek peace with all men.

(01:19:24):
No, you didn’t hear me. He didn’t say find peaceful people. His instructions to his children were you seek peace not with people you like, but with all men. Your job, Abigail, is to be the peacemaker. You don’t know my husband. He’s so mean. You be the peacemaker. You don’t know my boss. They don’t appreciate me. You be the peacemaker. The next time somebody cuts you off in traffic, what you going to do? You going to chase ’em and almost die in a car accident. Don’t know if they got a gun in a car and they going to pull it out and start shooting, or you going to say They cut me off, but I’m still alive.

(01:20:30):
You look crazy driving 90 miles per hour down the freeway to catch up with somebody, only to find out you ain’t batter than them. Peace, because you’re going to go to the mall tomorrow and you’re going to encounter racism, peace. You’re going to go to the gas station and you’re going to be pulling in at the same time as somebody else and you’re going to go to Marshall’s and be finna fight over a parking spot and you’re going to be at the grocery store and somebody’s going to cut in front of you in front of the line.

(01:21:19):
Peace. All right, last scripture, everybody say the beatitudes, blessed are the peacemakers for they are the children of God. Did you hear what I just said? Blessed are the peacemakers for they are the children of God. God, in the name of Jesus, I pray this word has pierced the heart of every one of us in the room and those who watching online. I pray that none will be unaffected. I pray that it works on us who think we’re good in this area and it works on those of us who need areas of work. I pray God, that no man, woman, or child will leave this place without saying peace. I give peace. I give and I give it freely. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight. Oh Lord, our strength and our redeemer, please today, oh God, here it is. Cleanse our hearts with sap. Make us a nude. Revive us again with the spirit of love and they will know we are Christians by our love. In Jesus’ name we pray. If you believe that, I want you to shout in this place and give God. Come on. You can do better than that. Come on and give him glory.

Speaker 3 (01:23:06):
Somebody shout. I just got my peace. Hug somebody. Tell him I just got my peace back. I just got my peace back and this joy that I have, the world didn’t give it. The world can’t take it away. Hug somebody. Tell him I got it. I got it. I got it. You got it. You got it. You got it. The heartache is over. The heartache is the

Pastor Keion (01:24:28):
Struggle. Listen, it’s time to give. Come on and praise God and it’s place. It’s time to give. If you’re watching online, they’re getting ready to put the instructions up on the screen to show you just how to do it. Now, I used to would at the time of church like this and you get ready to go. Altar call is over. I want to teach you all something. Everybody say disciple me at the end of every service, if you notice what we do, we give something called the benediction. The benediction is called the final blessing, which means I’m going to pray protection over your life because the enemy has a trap set for you on the other side of this wall for you acquiring this new knowledge, and I’m going to pray that no weapon formed against you will prosper when you leave. So do me a favor. Look at your neighbor and say, neighbor, never leave before the benediction. Did you hear what I said? I just taught you something. Whether you know it or not, I just taught you something. Never leave before you get the final blessing over your life. You can be in a hurry to get in that parking lot and be uncovered.

(01:25:39):
Amen. Somebody being in the benediction can make you three minutes late for the accident that the devil had planned for you. Talk to me. Never leave before the benediction. Alright, let’s get our gifts ready. Let’s get our gifts ready. Hallelujah. Anybody needed that word today? Alright, let’s stand on our feet. We’re going home online. Thank you so much. We are here for you. Lighthouse in the house. Let’s give it up for Lighthouse Nation online. We praise God for you to lighthouse north, to lighthouse south, to Lighthouse Southeast coming and right here West. We praise God for you and we are so grateful that God is continuing to pour his grace and favor over our ministry and over our lives. Can you say amen? Amen. Everybody got your gift ready?

(01:26:35):
Now, when you give today, I want you to make sure that you assign the gift. Don’t just give because it’s time to give. Assign it and make sure that the measure that you give has the power to bring back what you’re asking for. Every time I give, I’m making sure it’s big enough that if it is multiplied, it can make a difference. Sometimes your gift can be so small that even when it’s multiplied, it can do nothing. You want to make sure that that gift represents the impact that the kingdom has had on your life and what you need God to do through resources in your life. Can you say, man, if you don’t have an envelope, I still see ushers that are passing ’em out. Those of us who are given online, shout at me in this place.

(01:27:26):
God bless you. I’m want to pray that when you release this gift today, this is the last time you ever have to worry about finances in your life ever. How many of y’all received that ever? It is possible. Matter of fact, let’s just keep it real. Anybody in the room, you’re not rich, but you don’t have to beg, borrow or steal. You can pay all your bills. Raise your hand. Look around y’all. There’s some blessed people in this house, and I don’t want the enemy to get to victory and make us think that everybody in the church broke because we ain’t all broke. Some of us have the blessings of the Lord say, amen. And it doesn’t mean that I can bow the world, but I can take care of my corner. Amen. Amen. I can lend to the poor and not have to worry about not eating. Praise God. Hold your gift up. God bless these givers. Give them 100 fold return, three zeros on the back of whatever they release in the mighty name of Jesus. We pray that’s a thousands. Yeah. Let’s do it a thousand times. God. Three zeros on the back of whatever is on the ledger. Add three zeros to it in return. In Jesus’ name we pray. Somebody say, man, pass your gifts to my right. Your left.