Pastor West: [00:00:00] Book of Lamentations. I know you read that this week. Lamentations. You're stuck over there behind. Yeah, that over there. But it says the mercy of the Lord. Is given to you in a new measure every day. New day, new mercy. You might have felt like I gave it all. You might have felt like I gave more than I had. Here's the good news. It's a new day. In a new way. And you can't tap out grace because grace is not a doctrine. Grace is a person. And I think you know this, but but the person of grace is Jesus Christ himself. Yes. James one said. James one said that Moses was handed the law. From God to an angel. An angel was a mediator to give it to Moses. But but the contrast is said. But grace come. Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. Amen. So we're living in a time of not a truth. But the truth. You know Jesus isn't away. He's the way. Sometimes we try to figure out a way out of our ears, but he's not a way he. He's the way. And the reason why he is, is because he's right. You say, well, I already know that. I knew that before I came here. Yeah, but do you really? Huh? You can be saved. You know, people meditate. We talk about meditation on the word. So I just don't have time. Are we going yet? Already or are we already going? Well, good morning and welcome to Gracelife Church and those of you who joined us, uh, by whatever means.
Pastor West: [00:01:52] Facebook, YouTube. No tube, some tube. Anyway. You know when Moses fulfilled his assignment. And I don't know what what you think about it, but how would you like to step in behind Moses and say you're next? I've heard so much this week about what it must be like for the man who's going to step in behind Nick Saban. Yeah, I get that. How would you like to step in behind Moses? Right. And you kind of know these people can complain. Y'all ever met anybody who complains, you don't dare ask them how the weekend is, was. Because they'll tell you. They'll tell you and you know, and they're just some like some people seemed like to be they're so negative that you just shared. They just turned up a dill pickle gel, ate all the pickles and just drank the juice. And they're just so sour and they're just so negative on life that they've got a nickname called sunshine. And as soon as they walk in the room, the lights just go out. Well. But Jesus came with grace and truth. And I don't care what you're looking at because the the greater the problem. The solution is always the same. We do it by degrees. We think we don't. The reason is you don't. Can I just be honest with you? And if I don't say something here, y'all just let me know.
Pastor West: [00:03:26] I mean, there's only. You know, I don't think God probably agrees with anybody's doctrine completely. You know, I mean, there might just be me and one other, I don't know. Uh, I'm that other person. I still got the FBI looking at them a little bit, but, uh. Nah. Just kidding. I don't think he agrees with anybody's doctrine 100%, but, uh, that's why you're about a year and a half ago, he said, uh, why don't you check up on your preaching? Because I asked him. I says, why is this not working the way this used to work? This used to really work like this and like this, like this. And it was like. And it's like it's just disappeared without going into particulars. And, uh, I was asking him, but I wasn't really looking for an answer. Me, to be honest. I was kind of talking to him, but sort of not really kinda like you do. If you're riding a motorcycle. It's good. It's good. I mean, some of y'all do it fish and some do golf and ice, dude on a motorcycle. And now I get I do some on the zero turn, but it just ain't the same. I mean, I just, you know, it's I mean, it's like Pastor Matt was talking about you put your mind and you brush your teeth, you hear things, you know, you're doing things. That's just, you know, you don't have to engage your brain and you hear all kinds of things.
Pastor West: [00:04:31] And. But anyway, he said, uh, check up on you preaching. And what he meant by that. He says, go in there and check your own notes of all these things that you in the last two years. And I did, and I said, what's the problem? He said, there's more commentary than there is. My word. And I said, so what? The plane is not. And he says, check. He didn't get in the particulars. He said, check up on your preacher. And without even realizing sometimes, you know, we have a way of interjecting. Our thought patterns in interpreting life. You know, Jesus said, the reason the word can be non effectual is because what man's traditions? And Jesus said, Now Jesus said, well, you you would assume that everybody here is worshiping me. He said. Many of these people are honoring me with their lips, but their heart is. Far from me. So you couldn't do it as a person looking. Not that we need to be looking at one another, but he was looking at the heart the whole time. And so, uh, we, uh, I began to check upon the preacher. So whether you noticed or not. So about a year ago, it changed. I, I generally would come up here with a little. I ministered like this. They just flowed. And then it just all changed about two years ago.
Pastor West: [00:05:56] And, uh, and so I would get ready and I'd hear little things snippet, you know, snippets and then but when you have to sit down for me, I don't know how it works to anybody else, but it used to be this way with me. But as I just not necessarily praying to get it, but just just doing life. You know, some I've heard I hear some people say, well, you know, if if you need me to minister, I can, but I'm going to need about 2 or 3 weeks, you know, a month to get ready. Why, why, why, why, why do you need that long? We will. Why do you need 3 or 4 weeks to come up with a to receive the offering? Why? I mean, how long have you been a Christian? Well, you know, about 40 years. And you need that long. In other words, see, if you just live this, you wouldn't have to go find out what someone said about it. Right now, I don't. I want to be your friend today. But, uh, I, I had to move. We had something happen in prayer last week. Last Sunday to me, to me. I only shared just a little bit of it. I told my wife when I went through the week what happened. I said I was aware when we kind of pre-service prayer, and I knew what was going on in the room back there.
Pastor West: [00:07:15] I didn't leave the world, you know, I didn't. I wasn't like Peter in a trance on the housetop. I knew what was going on. But the Lord spoke to me specifically about some things, and it wasn't, you know, it wasn't like I was being chewed out, but but I was being corrected. And he said, I'm talking to you because you're in charge, and you will answer for this. And if this is not corrected, it'll never change and you'll never fulfill the assignment. And that's what you'll answer for, because we we haven't. We're not answering for sin. Jesus paid for sin. He put that away. What we as believers will answer for it. The Bema Seat or the, you know, judgment seat. And that application is also called the Bema Seat. The reward seat. That's what we're going to answer towards. Why are you here? Why did I make you. What's your assignment? And I think there'll be a book of you, and he'll reach back and he'll get this, and he'll see if your life mirrored what he had planned in that book. Then he he'll he will wait for answers. I won't be able to stand with you. So can I go get my pastor? And I ain't going with you. You can't go get mama. You know, mama told you not to come. You have to be a little bit old now with that song. And so, anyway, I won't get into what he told me.
Pastor West: [00:08:32] But there was, there was, there was an adjustment that I had to make. And I always said, you know, it's like it's like in mechanics or, uh, you know, sometimes a vehicle or a motor or something just needs a minor adjustment. I won't give you any particulars because I don't know any. I get Bill he come tell us all about it. But the only thing I think about when you and I had that 82 Buick Regal and it. You know, and I had to move the distributor cap one way to crank it and then one way to shut it off. It was embarrassing to go in town. You know, I remember being in Clanton at the old Winn-Dixie and you shut it off, but, you know, it was like cluck, cluck, cluck cluck cluck cluck cluck cluck. And you know, you know it ain't mine. Mine ain't mine. So I didn't know how to fix it, but I just I just learned you got to go this way, clock counterclockwise to crank it. But then you got to pull the hood, you know, because it's going to be running for a minute or 2 or 3, and everyone's looking like, you know, your car's running. I says, I just wish it'd take off and just leave. Well, uh, Brother Hagan used to say this when we was at Bible school, uh, from at that time, he was 60 years in ministry. And I asked him, I said, Brother Hagan.
Pastor West: [00:09:46] What? What's the number one thing that you would say personally? That probably caused you to have success in ministry. Because really, Brother Hagan really wasn't a world known figure until he was in his late 50s. And if you ever knew this, he said, I would have been happy just to be the country preacher down the road that with 20, 30, 40, 50 people the rest of my life, I would just admit as satisfied as everything. But it wasn't the call on his life. But so they asked him, you know, doing what you've done and being where you've done and, you know, building the Bible school that you know, that now has reached around the planet where, you know. And just what would be if you had to say one thing, could could you tell us just one thing that made you say this made the most difference? He said, oh, that's really easy. He said, praying. He's personally praying in the spirit. He said. Then the Bible says, I will pray with the spirit, and I'll also pray with the understanding. In other words, not everything that I prayed the spirit needed to be interpreted. But he said, but, but you can pray and you can get understanding and then know what to go do. They asked Oral Roberts the same question. He had the same exact answer. They asked Kathryn Kuhlman the same question. She had the same answer, she said, praying.
Pastor West: [00:11:13] So Brother Hagan said this. He says you need to know this before you all leave here. He says, I don't know. Some of y'all go help someone. Some of you be missionaries. Some of you might start a church, you might go do a lot of things, he said. But let me tell you this. He said personally. You need to have a consistent prayer life. You know, fellowship, right? Um, generally, most pastors say the hardest thing to get anybody to come do at a church. General consensus I'm not talking to you individually. Pastors in general said the hardest thing to get people to ever come do is pray. Well, that just means not just that you're busy. That just means you don't really have one at home. Because if you have one at home and then you've come to the place of fellowship, you enjoy the praying. It's like, you know, I mean, I've been on both sides. So, I mean, I know, I know when I was there, I was like, oh man, we got to go pray. I need to read my Bible. Oh, now I'm not talking about last week. I'm talking about, you know, back, back a while. And so he said, but Brother Hagan said you can get behind in prayer. In other words, so you can get behind it knowing what to do. You can get behind knowing the will of God for your life, he says.
Pastor West: [00:12:26] Or you can pray and get ahead. He said, if you pray the will of God for your life, he says, then you can just walk it out. Pray, pray you know the will of God and then just walk it out. He said, if you don't pray, you get to work it out. Now, I don't I don't know what my IQ has never had to check. And please don't give me any suggestions what you think. But anyway, it's, uh, I mean, not being the sharpest knife in the drawer. I'd rather walk it out than work it out. And uh, 2005 for different reasons, was the year that I prayed for a lot of reasons. Uh. That just changed my whole life and I learned some things about myself. The Holy Spirit about prayer. Uh, that I didn't even know about until 2005, because it was the whole year, was a mystery to me. And and I'll never forget. And then I began to see. Not that you can have that kind of time. Everybody has the kind of time. So we can't just quit our job. I'm not talking about quitting your job. I thought you can just have an attitude. In other words, I can't just sit at home, read scriptures, maybe like you do, and meditate. Well, I said, that's true, I understand that, but but meditation, it just means just think. Ponder, right. Well, you don't don't raise your hand. Has anyone ever worried? About anything.
Pastor West: [00:13:52] I mean, no one has. Really. Have you ever let me ask you this? Does anyone know someone who's worried? Okay, I got it. But that's called meditation. Yeah. Did you did you take your workbook with you and underlined it? The highlight? No. So you didn't have to have. And there was your life. And your body follows what you think it is. A man thinks what? So easy. So I knew some errors that had to be fixed. He said I'd rather you have less services if you need to and have more times of prayer. So that you'll know where you're going. And so I told her that Michelle this morning. Of course I didn't. I'll tell you right now. I've been up since 330. And so I just finally about 4:00, said, I guess we ain't going back to sleep. I was like, no, it's okay. Mind. Be quiet. I said, about another hour and a half, please. Well, it never happened. So I had to have, you know, two folders, two soldiers in the cut folder. I don't know, whatever they are. And, uh. And the Lord was just talking about that. I said, Lord, do you know what time it is? And he said, and I said, I know you neither. I know you neither slumber nor sleep. But until I get to you, I'm going to need some. You know, I'm going to need a little bit every now and then.
Pastor West: [00:15:07] So there's there's a lot of ways that you think that you can do things, but there's only really one right way. You know, a lot of people say, well, there's there's a lot of ways to get places and people do things a lot of different ways. Well, that's true. It's like that. It's like that woman, you know, she, uh uh, I forget what her. I think her name was Charlotte, and she was married to a man named Carl. And it was their second marriage. One had been through a divorce and one had lost a mate. And. And Carl had been through the divorce, and and. Well, he he had a physical problem and they couldn't fix it. And he knew he was going to pass. So they come to terms with that and made plans. And she says, is there anything that you want special done at your funeral? And he says, well, you ain't gonna like this. But he says, you know, I had some money before we got married. And she says, yeah, no. He says, well, she said, what do you want me to do with it? He says, I want it to go with me. She said, well, you can't take it to heaven. He said, well, I want it in my casket. He said, you know that $50,000 I got? He said, yeah, he said, he said, I want it in the casket. She said, Carl, she said, you're not going to.
Pastor West: [00:16:12] He says, you ask me what I wanted. It was my money before we got married. And he had a little issue with money and, uh, she, she thought because he collected pocket knives, he would want some of them, you know, take with him and, uh, which he ain't going nowhere. The body ain't going nowhere. Right. But it was still his hang ups. He says, no, I want, I want the I want the money in the casket. And she says, he said, give me your word. So she did. And day of the funeral come. And she told the, you know, the the funeral home. She said, I go, I'm going to put a personal item in. She says, you know, when everybody's through, right before y'all close it for the last time, I got to put something in there. He said, okay, just, you know, and he says, well, that's he says a large item. She says, no. And she said, it'll be, you know, but I have to do this. It has to be done. I gave my word to Carl. He said, okay, people do that, you know, they put personal items in there. And she said, okay, I just need you to know. So they got through and got to the end. And she walked up there and she had a little purse and she opened it up and, you know, and no one could really see her.
Pastor West: [00:17:20] She leaned over and she put something there. She hadn't told anybody, but her best friend was there, and she asked her at the funeral. She said, she said, uh, didn't she said, can I ask, didn't I see you put some something in the casket? She said, yeah, she says so. She told her the whole story. What Carl wanted. She says, you put $50,000 cash in that casket. She says, no. She said, I took the 50,000, put it back. But I wrote him a check. She said, I saw another way to get there. Yeah, yeah, she made it out to him. She started getting money, but she said I just rolled him out a check and can't nobody, you know, and get it to him. So we might think there's a lot of ways to get there and pick another one, but it won't always take you where you want to go. Uh, so this is what I have. So this is exactly what he gave me. I'm like, well, aren't you having me leave the series? He says, not really. You know, we've been talking about seize the moment, seize the day, seize the moment. Sounds like a New Year's thing, you know, about people open to new ideas and, you know, and resolutions and which usually last about 3 or 4 weeks, you know, then Salah gets really old, especially when it's cold. Right? And then it goes by the wayside. Well, that's not what Seize the Moment was about.
Pastor West: [00:18:45] But sometimes we were more were more more open to new ideas and change. First of the year God understands us. He made us. And, uh, but this was his idea. He says. So he said this started back on October 7th when he said that I knew what it meant, because on October 7th, when I turned the TV on, Israel was attacked by Hamas. And then he. And as soon as he did that, as soon as I saw it, he said, the prophetic timeline has just changed and we'll never go back. Whether that ends and it's, you know, because they had a lot of wars. Israel has enemies, but you know why they do. And and he says, so the prophetic time has changed. It'll never go back. And now things will accelerate as never before, he said, in the church, has to be is going to be prepared for its finest hour. And he says continue. He said he was instructed to pray. He was always instructed to pray. The Bible tells you, tells us to pray for Jerusalem. Pray for the peace. Pray for the prosperity. Pray for them. But I don't. I don't show hands. So all I can tell you is, since October the 7th, for the first time in my life, I have not missed one day of praying for Jerusalem since that day because of how he instructed me. Well, then we went into nine weeks, I think nine weeks of teaching about end times.
Pastor West: [00:20:04] Uh, just, you know, just the chronological order of events that would take place before the rapture such as that then now we're three weeks in to seize the moment, and then I'm like. So we're we're changing the subjects already. Well, you know, I've learned years ago when the Lord doesn't answer you. Just quit talking for a while. So I just listen. So he said, Go to Zechariah. You can go there or Zechariah ten one. You don't have to. There's going to be up on the stage. But if you're making notes, if you want to go there, I won't spend a lot of time there, but. Ten one, he says, ask you of the Lord. Reign. In the time of the latter rain. So the Lord shall make bright clouds, and give them showers of rain to every one grass in the field. So Zechariah says, ask of the Lord, rain. Now, if you're on my side and you've been thinking. I'm in a series of seize the moment and you're. And you know, to go to that verse, you're like. Okay. What does that have to do with what we're doing? You know? See, that's that's what the mind does. We're trying to figure out. You know, I thought maybe God forgot, you know, what series we was in. And I had to remind him. We're not doing this right now. Well, I'm just being facetious, but I'm just saying here, he says as eyeglasses that we are to ask or inquire of the Lord reign in the time of the latter rain.
Pastor West: [00:21:32] Now I'm going to give you some verses and then we'll have some commentary. Uh, so if you're making notes, we won't turn to these for sake of time. But I want you to have the I want you to have the the verses where they are. James five seven in the ESV says, be patient, therefore, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until he receives the early and the latter rain. There is again the early and the latter rain. Zechariah said, ask of the Lord. Rain. It talked about the former. Talked about the latter. James talks about the it talks about the former rain, the latter rain, the fruit of the earth that the Lord is waiting for the precious fruit of the earth. Well, what could be possibly be the precious fruit of the earth? To him. There's people. Right. It's not Carl's $50,000 check. Huh? The Lord has to be pretty well off. Don't you think he is? Have you ever noticed she's never taken anybody's stuff. He doesn't even need your toothbrush. Or your favorite socks. He must have his own Dollar General up there. Hee hee. In other words, he has plenty. He doesn't need anything that you have on earth.
Pastor West: [00:23:02] Matter of fact, he doesn't even need your body to go with you. And some of us will say, well, praise the Lord. Now you're going to like your glorified body. He's not going to deal with your body. It's just going to be glorified. You know, corruption will take on incorruption. Mortality will take on immortality. You have the same body Jesus did when he was resurrected, if need be. Jesus walked through walls. It would seem that you would be able to do that. You probably will do that in the millennium. I don't have a scripture for that. I'm saying I'm interjecting that. I'm not saying the Scripture says you walk. I didn't say the scripture. I said, we'll have the same as he is. Sure we will know him as we were known. When Jesus walked through the wall and talked to Thomas, he said, now do you believe? And he just walked through the wall. Well, that would get your attention. It'd get my attention. And so I think that'd be pretty cool that you wouldn't mind walking through walls. How many messed with a few people doing it for a while. He's like, hey, well, so that'd be in heaven. But it's probably going to be on the millennium, because in the millennium, you're going to have two classes of people occupying for the first. For the first time ever, you're going to have during the millennium, you're going to have us coming back from heaven after seven years of the rapture.
Pastor West: [00:24:14] That's if you know those of you who believe in the rapture, if you if you don't believe in the rapture, man, I love you. But while you're here, I'm going to be there. Amen. And, uh, at the mayor's supper of the lamb, which is seven years non stop eating. With no carbs. It doesn't even matter. I don't have no scripture for that, but I'm just about. But when we come back here for the seven years, or you know, it'll be for the thousand year millennial reign, you have people that did live through the tribulation. Many won't. Matter of fact, if you go back and remember what we talked about, half the planet will be killed. Many of those won't. Many of those will be people who accepted Christ, but they wouldn't take the mark. So either they died of starvation or they were beheaded and killed. They will be resurrected and be in the millennium. And so you'll have people who were saved, and you'll have some people who just make it through the millennium. Uh, which no one wants to do that. Uh, no one wants to be here for that seven year period. So they'll come into the millennium. We'll be coming back out of heaven. You'll be in your glorified body. They'll be in a natural body. That's never happened before. So we will coexist on this planet for a thousand years with people with natural bodies.
Pastor West: [00:25:31] While year and year. Spirit body. I don't even know. Uh, I looked at some scriptures that could be interpreted. Either way. I don't even know that we'll have remembrance of that. But we might. So you might find someone saying, oh, he's like, man, I can remember. I hate that for you. It's like, that's bad, ain't it? I remember that well. But we'll be here and and there'll be such longevity of life. You know. So the Scripture says, someone who dies during the millennium, which wouldn't be you because you're never dying. So you would have a natural person who didn't receive Jesus during the millennium, which the Scripture talks about, which sadly talks about there'll be people who won't receive Jesus during the millennium, even though they meet him and see him. That's hard for me to comprehend. That we we read this in belief from here. You're going to show them him. And the Scripture says, many will say, I just don't think so. Would you say? I don't know. I just believe this is one of the rewards that you have for attorneys because you were one who believed, even though you didn't get to see. Amen. From those who were actually see, we know that we go to Jerusalem at least once a year. The Bible says, and you hear Jesus preach. It didn't say twice a year. I don't know. It didn't. But all I can say is the scripture, we will be there once a year and we will hear him preach.
Pastor West: [00:27:01] Apparently Jesus's ministry is so great you can live a year off one sermon. Which would fix, you know, work with a lot of people, how they do, how they do church now, you know, Christmas or Easter. But but anyway, I'm just saying. But but it'll work. They'll go and they'll be and they'll be blessed. Well, so we are in the place to where when he said, well, you're teaching on the End Times, he said, then seize the moment. He said, seize the moment. There's not a New Year's message. He said, the moment's coming quickly. So he's preparing. He's preparing the church. For the coming of the Lord. You said, well, we've heard that all our life. You know, you know how many church you know and sang in the choir. Jesus is coming soon morning, night or noon. And some people say, well, I've heard that all my life. Well, Peter talked about people who said that he calls them scoffers. Yeah, we've heard he's coming. Yeah, yeah, whatever. And by the Holy Ghost, he called people who who talk like that scoffers. He said, you and I are supposed to be looking for him every day and anticipate his coming. There is a generation of people, obviously, who's going to be alive when it comes. If you understand the the scriptures, there's nothing to be fulfilled.
Pastor West: [00:28:19] Nothing. I mean, for the rapture for sure. There there is no signs for the rapture. There's tons of signs for the second coming. The Matthew 24 and 25 that you read is not. Those aren't signs of the rapture, those signs of the Second coming, which is. And we come back seven years after that, right, the tribulation. So if you can see the setup while you're still here of what it's going to be like when we come back, how close are you to leaving? In other words, do you. Do you suppose I can't prove this? But don't you suppose it's very possible the Antichrist is on the earth right now? I don't even think in infant form. The setup of of a one world economy has been in the setup for a long time, but it can't take place. Why? Because the Antichrist can't come. Because the great Restrainer who's the great Restrainer? Well, that's the Holy Spirit. But where does he live? He lives in you because light is here. Darkness can't put light out. That's right. Like I always said, you can't. You can't go to Lowe's or Home Depot and say, I got a room that's just too light. I need to buy me some dark bulbs to put it out. They don't have dark bulbs to extinguish light. Light extinguished darkness, so the Holy Ghost can't come do what he wants to do because you are here. But the day will come when you're not here.
Pastor West: [00:29:47] When you're not here. And so he's preparing us for this time, and there has to be an awakening to it. There has to be an assignment to it, and it's also connected to prayer. So he says, Zacharias has asked for the rain. Now let me go. Let me go quickly. So, uh, Hosea six three, don't turn there. But Hosea six three it says, let us acknowledge the Lord. Let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear, and he will come to us like the winter rains and like the spring rains that water the earth. In other words, he says, I'm going to come to you like rain. Now a little extra verses in the book of Joel. Some of these you're very familiar with that you've heard, and they have to do with the end time events. But in Joel 223 it says, be glad. Uh, be glad, people of Zion, rejoice in the Lord your God, for he has given you the autumn rains because he is faithful and he sends you abundant showers, both autumn and spring rains, as before. Verse 24. This is the NIV. The threshing floors will be filled with grain. The vats will overflow with new wine and oil. Verse 25, and I will repay you. For the years the locusts have eaten the great locust, the young, the locust, the other locust, and the locust swarm. By my great army that I sent among you.
Pastor West: [00:31:11] Verse 26, you will have plenty to eat until you are full, and you will praise the name of the Lord your God, who has worked wonders for you. Never again will my people be ashamed or be shamed. Verse 27 then you will know that I am in Israel, that I am the Lord your God, and that there is no other. Never again will my people be shamed for the day of the Lord, which is the end time terme the day of the Lord. Then afterwards I will pour out my spirit upon people. Your sons and your daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, and your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my spirit in those days, and I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth. Blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood. I mean, just think about all the blood moons we've had. Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord before that day. Of the coming of the dreadful day of the Lord. You got the battle of Armageddon coming. The day of the Lord. When you read all these scriptures and you go back to it, the Lord's going to be doing everything he can to reach every person. The the great, probably the greatest revival maybe, I don't know.
Pastor West: [00:32:30] I know from the scriptures, I know basically half the planet, after we're gone, get saved under a lot of adversity. So that is going to be one of the greatest harvests that ever took place after you're gone. But the scripture talks about even before Jesus comes, you know, all, all through the tribulation people can get saved. Right. Even under the most adverse conditions. But it's available to them. He's going to be doing everything that he can to get people saved. As a matter of fact, there's no light in the world for for like, you know, I think it's almost like 48 hours. I mean, just to get your attention, the whole earth turns dark. But when Jesus comes back with us on a white horse. Giddy up. It's too late then. It's too late. I asked shell crazy questions, probably from lack of sleep. I said, well, we have four kids. If you had to pick one to stay here and I won't go past that. If you had to pick one to stay here and they had to live through the tribulation, which one would you pick? Which one of your kids would you want to stay here? Which one of your grandkids would you want to be here for? The tribulation? If you had to pick one to not make it to heaven, which one would you pick? Can you see how the Lord must feel? Does he care? Children.
Pastor West: [00:34:06] He loves your children more than you love them. He knew them before you knew him. Which one would you choose to stay here? Or never make it to heaven. And only he knows the time. But if you're running out of time. I mean, if this is not the time for any kind of action, then then when? When is it going to be? If you aren't the people who's. If we aren't the people, then who's going to do it? You say? Well, that's what you do. Really? So. So this is my job. I mean, I might go back to a sports analogy. So if you so if you want to take a break, I mean, I know all this week's been about Nick Saban and the new coach and all that and I am an Alabama fan, but I don't I don't really care a whole lot like I used to care. I mean I mean, I can go to sleep real quick. Even after I lost I was like. They never sent me a check. Never. So I don't really care that much. Okay. So. But, but. If we can put that kind of time and energy into just natural things which have no eternal value whatsoever. How much more? How much more? There's nothing that could hold your attention so much that we're pondering on it so much. Do you know how many people in the foyer and in churches after church is going to talk about, you know, in different parts of the state of Alabama? But when you think about the horror of man, I don't know.
Pastor West: [00:35:43] Come on, man, he ain't gonna be able to recruit nobody down. Well, I think he's pretty good. Who cares? I mean, I'm for him and all that kind of stuff, and I'm not anti whatever, but but that's just not so. Only the Lord knows how much time is left. So he just told me. He says, you know, it wasn't just he said, you heard what I told you. When the Israel attacked. I said, yes, sir. You told me I knew Israel was a time clock. He said, time is never. Time is accelerated. It'll never go back. And then even this message about seize the moment. It's about the bigger picture. Seize the moment. So when I was in 2005, when I prayed that extensively for different reasons, I found out that if you don't, I mean, I just found out from from that year of praying that much, I found out that people who don't really have a prayer life, they really don't even know. I mean, they're good people. They love God. They're going to go to heaven. They're I mean, they're I don't mean this as a condemnation. I just mean, well, if you're that busy, then that you don't really have that much time to pray. You really don't even know what's going on in the kingdom.
Pastor West: [00:36:55] Because you're just too busy. I found myself knowing things about people that was just. I don't even know why the Lord was telling me. And then he then he would tell me. He said, I remember one time, you know, he said, in, in three months this is going to happen and someone's going to call you. I remember one time he said, in six months someone's going to call you and tell you this. I'm like, really? And I kind of forgot it. After a while, both things happened just like that. But I had such an awareness because I was kind of on page with him. I in other words, I was enjoying the fellowship with him and he was guiding and directing my life. I knew what to do and I knew what not to do. From someone who knows. Everything. Everything. So if the one who knows everything knows you kind of run out of time to use Joe Mars as sports analogy again. He said, you know, if you're watching a ballgame, NFL or college, and when you get down to the last two minutes and you're a touchdown or ten points behind, you can throw the playbook out. How many time I forgot? None, George. Then we're probably not going to run up the middle. Right. So everything gets accelerated in the last two minutes. So the generation is going to be alive right before it's going to look different than any generation who's ever lived here before.
Pastor West: [00:38:19] So we're going to have to have a different mindset. So things are going to pick up, but we're grace to do it. We're grace to do it. And you couldn't pick a better time to be on Earth than right now. You know, people say, well, I wished I was born here when and when when when Jesus walked on the earth. No. You wouldn't. Oh, yes, I would. I'd love to see the miracles. Well, he told you to do the same work that I'm doing now, and you'll see him again, right? Jesus came as an Old Testament prophet during the Old Covenant to bring in a new covenant. How would you like to be back there where they're still dragging their goat? You know, sit down and tell somebody all your sins for a year. There's mainline denominations. Still do that. Walk into a booth and say, well. I'm glad. I mean, just pastoring for 30 years. I'm so glad I ain't that guy on the other side. I've heard enough. How would you like to sit there all day long and say, okay, well, give me 50 push ups, 14 Hail Marys, right? Well, and then you had to bring your best sacrifice, and the priest had to examine him because they're going to cut his throat and apply the blood. Well, Jesus is our best sacrifice. Think about it. Jesus is your sacrifice. So back then it was a type and shadow of the Christ to come.
Pastor West: [00:39:38] So the priest had to examine it to see if it was worthy for a sacrifice for your sin. So when you and I make mistakes, or can we just say sin when we sin and we when we go to the father, he's reminded of what Jesus did for him. So he knows you're guilty, but he's not examining you. You're not the sacrifice. He had a sacrifice, and he knows he was perfect. So he's he's never looking at you when you say, father, I made a mistake. The Lord says you did. When? When he knows it. But Jesus was your sacrifice for your past, your present and your future. So, you know, people didn't want to bring their best sacrifice, so they bring a lamb, you know, that the a wolf done got part of his leg before they shot him. And then they bring old gimpy up fairly gimpy, have offspring. They all be dragging that leg. You couldn't do that. You had to bring your best. Amen. And then he would examine him and make sure it was without spot or blemish to see if it was worthy as a type and shadow of the blood that would forgive you of your to come. Jesus has already went and paid your past, your present, and your future. It's called the grace of God. Amen. So when we make a mistake, he's never looking at you.
Pastor West: [00:40:49] He's looking at Jesus. Amen, Amen, Amen. And there's no condemnation to those who's in Christ Jesus. Amen. None. As in and I looked up that word in the Greek and the Hebrew and Aramaic, and it meant none. Amen. Like zero, like a little bit of numbers. Nothing. There's no condemnation to you. So, so, so why do we live that way? Well, that means we can just do anything we want to. No, it doesn't mean that. It means you have the grace of God to keep you and give the ability to God to keep you from sin. Amen. The Bible says, the grace of God will teach you how to live righteous, not excuse it. Okay. Getting on another message. Oh, man, I got to hurry. I ain't got three hours. No. Oh, that's right, I got pizza coming over, but no. So the day of the Lord now. So the book of Joel, uh, he says so the sun will be turned to darkness, moon to blood. And, uh, the, uh. And it says everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. For on Mount Zion in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the Lord has said, even among the survivors. And the Lord calls. Now, um. I'm going to skip because I took the extra time. It's not that it's not important, but it can be redone. All right. Now. Now. Uh. It's a promise that God's going to restore, according to Joel's prophecies, the early and the latter rains.
Pastor West: [00:42:15] That's what the book of Joel tells us. And if you do any study in Israel, Jerusalem, you're finding out that since the people have migrated, as the Scripture said, they would come back to the land before the Lord comes. There's been a great increase of waterfall for the last several years since they've been coming back. The scripture talks about over 100 and something thousand types of migratory migratory birds will come back into Jerusalem and Israel. And for the last 14 years, there have been over 100 and something thousand species of birds landing in Jerusalem and Israel. And they don't they're trying to figure out why. Well, if you read revelation, they'll tell you why. They're the great cleanup after the after the battle of Armageddon, when the blood is up to the bridle of a horse that the Lord gets into detail said, when this is over, someone's going to need to clean up the streets. So he has 100 and something thousand birds come from all over the planet getting them ready for the Ezekiel war. And, uh, it's down to the moment. So like I said, the end time the rapture has no it has signals, but it doesn't have signs. The Second Coming, when we come back after seven years, has tons of signs. So if you can see the Second Coming signs from Jemison, Alabama today before they happen, then how quick are you to leaving here? If you can see the setup before we leave, then how quick are you to leave here? So shouldn't we sound the alarm? Shouldn't there be a pace? I mean, we don't know this, and I know it's just a crazy example, but if the Lord's going to come Thursday, he's going to come Thursday.
Pastor West: [00:44:04] How me? Going to clean out your garage Monday or Tuesday? No. Anybody going to work in the garden? Am I going to paint the back bedroom? How are you going to go? Go to work. Have you got, like, a car payment? What would you do from now to Thursday? Tault. Thought. Which? Which means what? You'd be sharing the good news. With who? Everybody. I mean, I know it doesn't work that way, but he's coming Thursday, 2:00 in the afternoon. How many are you going to go reach people? How many? If you had to, you'll push the envelope a little bit. How many family members? You might hold a 38 special to the head and say the salvation prayer and that's it. I mean, just kidding about that. But I'm saying. But but you get bored when you go out because. Thursdays coming, Thursdays coming. And. Is. You have to understand. Thursday's coming. So our behavior would change, our thinking would change, our actions would change. But because we don't know that, we don't do that. But did you know 156,000 people leave the planet every day? Which is two football stadiums. That at every. Second. 1.8 people die. That means. And.
[00:45:39] And. And then.
Pastor West: [00:45:43] Two people leave the planet every 1.8 seconds. So the Bible says we need to redeem the time and understand the time. Jesus wanted to know what? How come you can interpret the weather when you look at the sky and you know when the seasons going to change, but you don't understand the time spiritually that you're living in? He said, even the sons of Issachar understand, understood the times so they would know how to work with that time. So this may not be a popular message. This is not one you may want to shout around the room, but it's more sobering than everything. So he just tells us, first off to ask for the rain. Well, rain is an absolute essential for life. Without rain, there's no crops. Without rain, there's no food. There's no substance. Zechariah says meaning says. Zechariah says, pray, right. Remember, pray in heaven will hear and respond with what? Spiritual rain? So we as the church are instructed to pray for the the spiritual rain. Now what is rain? Now you can just say things. But. But what's rain? Well, when the Bible talks about rain, sometimes it's talking about little rain. But the rain that we're talking about in the Scripture is talking about here is rain is the outpouring of the manifestation of the Holy Spirit and of God's presence. We need a manifestation of the Holy Spirit and of God's presence.
Pastor West: [00:47:19] The church needs to realize that what it's doing is failing. But we just keep doing the same thing over and over and over and over. Looking for a better program. Looking for some way to reach people. Mostly pastors. Because pastors can have tunnel vision. They see four walls and same people all the time, and they're looking to increase the numbers and increase the revenue. I mean, I can't I know a few of them. So I mean, you got me lie to you. I mean, they care, but I'm just saying. But they're looking, you know, they have a vision. So it's going to take people. It's going to take finances. It's going to take all that. It's a business in that sense. Right? It is a business. I mean, I can call a vampire company and say, I wish I could build me because I don't think y'all understand we are a church. And I said, oh, and Keith, who should I talk to about that? You don't want you can't help me there. You don't have anybody on the inside. I thought you'd be some help. I sent you there. But you don't think they'll help me with that? So if Gracelife church doesn't pay their light bill, what's going to happen? We're going to be dark. We're going to be dark. We have helped so many missionaries get to where they are.
Pastor West: [00:48:38] Last year was the was the greatest that we've mount we've ever given missions in 30 years. We've sent people all over the planet to preach. During Covid. Covid began the best year that we ever had financially. Covid. Where a lot of folks has just never come back. And some because of age and whatever. And I get that and hello. But and you know, glad that they're listening. But I'm just saying that was our best year financially. Does that make sense to you? I mean, if you if you had a taco truck taco stand and a hundred people frequented it every day, then it went down to 30, wouldn't you think your revenue would be less? 30. Just started eating more tacos. I don't know what happened, I don't know, but it just became more. And then the Lord said, you know, he told me, he said, now I want you to build that church in Africa. And I said, you want us a church that size to build a church in Africa. He says, yeah, let's get with it. And then we won't even through doing that. And. And I'm just sitting here talking like I'm right now. I've never asked anybody for a penny. Can you all think of any time I've ever asked anyone online to give anytime? Matter of fact, it's my fault. I don't preach more on finances because there's so much about it that you just hate to just be another one of those.
Pastor West: [00:50:05] It's like, you know, everyone says we'll give it to the Lord, but they give you their address. So. So I'm just preaching, you know, about what this, this man that we're building the church for in Africa and how the guy fell off the roof there and then the builder can't finish the work and, and and then he sends me, you know, a messenger, uh, a picture of what he's doing. And I says, oh, so the guy's working again. He says, oh, no, he says, he says, man, fall off the top of the building. He said, head, head still hurt. I said, so what do you do? And he says, well, this was my land. I'm putting footings down for my house because my house is way far from where the church is going to be. And I'm 38 years old. I've never had a vehicle and no one in our church has a vehicle. Most of them make 12 to $14 a week if they can get in 50 hours. But it's Covid and they couldn't get in 50 hours, he says. So for for 15, 20 years of my life, I've been paying for a block a week. So one day I could have a house. My aunt gave me this land before she died. So you told me faith makes plans, I said, yeah, he says so since man is sick, can't finish church.
Pastor West: [00:51:20] He said, I have $600 worth of blocks that I've saved for over 20 years, and I'm. And I'm having these people put in fitness, I said. I thought someone blessed him, finished the house, I get ready, rejoice. He says no, no, just putting in some footings. The Lord told me. He says so. He says so. Finished the church and let's get this house built. I said, build a church. Build a house. This year. Like, you know, Covid hit us this size. He says, yeah. Well, for the first time, I don't even know people watching. I don't I know the cameras are out there. It's got a big red light looking at me like, hey, but I'm not. I'm paying attention to y'all and I care about there. But I wasn't paying any attention. I didn't know people from Canada was watching. I didn't know people from other countries was watching. And I was just giving this illustration about what faith does makes plans. And they started sending money from other countries to help me to help this pastor finish that church and finish that and finish that house from other countries. He's gone. And the Lord. He laughed at me. He says, he said, he said you wasn't looking. He said you weren't expecting. That one was you. And I said no.
Pastor West: [00:52:34] And the day that we was doing that, I had a visitor here. Never been here before since. And and I wasn't receiving money. I was just using what he was, what Pastor Sondergaard was doing by faith while he couldn't build his church because the contractors, you know, fell off the building. And so he just went and started building his house. And then he did $600 worth, and he was through and there was a visitor here. And they put, I think, $2,000 in the offering never happened before since I wasn't receiving an offer. And then I had a pastor, he said. I heard about so and so. He said, I'm going to send you $1,000, $1,000 next week because I want you to put that on the pastor's house. He said he has a vehicle. I said, no, that needs to be a project one day. He's 38. He has a license, but he's he doesn't have a vehicle. And they run their church with a generator because they don't, you know, there's just no structure there. 14 years of civil war and they don't have any. So if you're in Liberia and you go walk and get gas for your generator to run your keyboard by. And your sound system. What? Someone broke in his church last week and stole it from me. Broke through the eaves, knocked the block out. Come on the other side and you go.
Pastor West: [00:53:49] And you go over and you buy a gas for 850 a gallon. And I said, well, there's 100 and some people there now. He said, yes, sir. I said, well, I mean, you know, because I have a right to ask, you know, I mean, I have a right to ask. Well, what's the revenue of the church now? He says, well, sometimes on a good month, he said, we between 100, $150. So then this year the Lord says, now help with the school because his kids don't know how to read and most of the adults don't know how to read. They have a Bible and he can read, but they can't read. And if there is jobs, they can't fill the jobs because they're illiterate. So some retired pastors from Michigan are helping. And so we're paying teachers to come into the church right now until they can build another facility to teach these kids how to read. Just up to third grade, starting there. Some of these people in the first grade are teenagers. But we're having to pay the teachers because the teachers have to have a salary, right? And they have to have a way to get there. And they don't have a car, but they have a college education. So that's why those teachers have to have $40 a month. But then the next problem was.
Pastor West: [00:55:21] How do we feed them during the day? And I said, well. Well, I know they ain't going to school, and they won't let girls go to school because they say, you know, if you even had the finances, we put it into men because the woman's going to be domestic. So girl would never get to go to school anyway. So through your help and and giving, we by the Spirit of God grace that's been changed. We got a lot of girls in school right now. We got teenagers learning how to read, and they know the alphabet and they can tell you what four plus four is. And they're learning multiplication tables. And it just took someone helping and buying books. So we have five teachers teaching 50 students from, you know, from five years old up to whatever age they are. Well, Pastor Sondergaard, I think he's 38. And I think he graduated from school when he was 28 or 9. So they don't have our opportunity. But you can have the same success. What it looks like in Liberia. Because you know why? Because you have the same book and you have the same God and you have the Holy Ghost. It may not look like it does here, but you have the equivalent of there. So people come to Gracelife Church International and now Gracelife Academy and say, how? How is this happening over here? He said, well, it's just during Covid and I found some woman named, um, not you, but one.
Pastor West: [00:56:57] Michelle Franklin was here who was doing outreach for kids and found her. And he says, then I said, where do you go to church? Then he found me. I mean, you're over in Liberia and you find a redneck like me sitting in Jefferson. And the Lord says, so I. So we have built a church, a school, I mean, a church, a home, and now working on a school. And I've never even been there now. And I'm and I'm mentoring help mentoring this man through Facebook Messenger. Mm. I've only got about. Probably. 7 to 10,000 hours of my time to mentor someone to. No word. Because it's my assignment. Now, if you'd asked me a few years ago, you're going to put a gracelife church over in Africa. I said. No, I mean, I mean, I've seen a lot of people on mission trips help them get there, right? But the only way I left the country was on the cruise ship on one of them floating troughs. I wouldn't have thought the Lord would ever use me to do anything like that. Wait till you see what he shows you this year. Are y'all okay? Y'all had all you can take. Are you ready to go home? I mean, it's funny to watch two, three hour movie.
[00:58:27] I hate popcorn.
Pastor West: [00:58:32] In the past ain't through in 20 minutes. It's like, oh, it was terrible. What do you think? I mean, we think heaven's gonna be like. I mean, it's not going to be nonstop, preacher. You're going to have fun. Amen. All right, so I'll go real fast now. So sereine is the literal rain. The rain is the outpouring of the manifestation of the presence of God. Hosea six three said of Gideon, and he shall come to us as rain. He shall come to you. Say, remember, remember we started off in Zechariah asked the Lord for rain. Hosea said, and then, okay, so ask him. And then Hosea says, and then he shall come to you as rain. Why? Why will he come as rain? Because you asked him to. As the latter in the former. Rain on the earth. Now, did you hear that he shall come to you as rain, the latter and former now so. Isaiah 44 three said, he said, I will pour out water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground. I will pour out my spirit. Now he didn't say, I'll pour out of my spirit. He said, I'll pour out my spirit. So a place that's thirsty. People said, well, you know God. God can't, you know, have a revival place like this. Because, I mean, this place is so dry. He's going to go where it's all working. Well, he may not.
Pastor West: [00:59:51] He said, here, I'm going to pour out water where it's the ground is parched. Hmm. I'm going to pour out my spirit upon the places parched. Pour out my spirit upon the seed and the blessing of the offspring. Now. Um in Ephesians one. God has called the father of all glory. So when he pours out of himself, he's pouring out of his presence. See people like us, word people. We put a lot of emphasis on the word integrity of the word, and rightfully so. But you can have word and no spirit and they'll just be dry. Then. I've been in churches where it's the spirit, no word, and you can have some wild stuff going on. I mean, I've met people say, well, I mean, it's just been amazing in our church. It's just it's just doing praise, worship. It just goes on there. And our pastor ain't been able to preach in three months. We just laying on the ground every Sunday. I was like, he ain't been able to preach for three months. Well, it could be. He just ain't preaching in three months. It could be he's getting a vacation. So. But what do we need? We need the word and the spirit. Amen. You don't need just word. Huh? You don't. You don't need just the letter you need. You need the spirit. But you can't have the spirit and say, well, we don't need to worry more.
Pastor West: [01:01:15] We just got the Holy Ghost and we don't need to worry. He's the author of this book. You think he's going to throw his own book away? So? So we need both. And so we're not the church he's supposed to beg. If you understand New Covenant, like, oh, God, come now, I don't want to offend anybody because this is where if you could be offended, you'll be offended right here. At least I told you. But if you could be offended by doctrine, this is. Go ahead and get it right here. You won't hurt my feelings. I got over that years ago. The first three years of pastoring. I just thought, uh, I can't do this anymore. I mean, I ain't a crier, but if I, I got my tears out. The first two years, I didn't know Christians could be so mean. I had no idea. I couldn't believe it. And I thought, you know, I said, I've never been kicked everywhere. I've never been spit on with saliva running down my face. I've never been slapped until I got in the ministry. Now. I've got fights as a kid, you know, at school, you know, I'm always over a girl, but, I mean, but but I understood that. But, you know, I've had women just absolutely said, you know, and they got mad because I wouldn't let them do whatever they wanted to do the way they want to do it.
Pastor West: [01:02:31] And I won't get into that story, but you wouldn't have either, you know, because they had some plans and I'm in the building. You and I find out they can't come in here with me because they had plans. But I was 32 and they were 64, and and I was like, well, if that's all the temptation you got, you I mean, I mean, I'm not against them. But if that's all you got to pull on me, I'm 30 something years old and she's 64 and she said, I'm missing my husband. He's he's I said, yeah, I know. I said, we miss him. He's with Jesus. She said. And she touched me. She said, I mean, I miss him. I was like, oh, God. So she wanted a key to the building and come in here any time she wanted to see. I'm going to pull the weeds in the flowers. I'm thinking, yeah, you. Yeah. So I told her no. So she got mad. She said, you going to let a woman 64 years old come work in there and not even have a key to get even to get some water? And I said, well, this just come when we're here. So she got married. And so she walked in my office one day and she said, the Lord told me to tell you to go to, you know, whatever.
Pastor West: [01:03:29] And she went. Now, I wasn't as developed in love back then as much as I am now. And I'm not saying I'm fully developed in and I've never well, I did once, but I'm not into hitting women. And she said, and the Lord told me to do this. And so she kicked me in the shins. And then she spit in my face, and it was rolling down. And I said, I said, the Lord is speaking to me. And I said, he's telling me to tell you to run. Because I know the Scripture said he will repay, but I'm willing to help him right now. And she had me doing all kind of things. I mean, I was two years old and minister for years. I didn't know come on from Sikkim. I thought my job was to do anything I asked so she'd get me out of the house and, you know, and she was depressed again. And, you know, she was. But it was a trap to get me in the house and whatever, because she was missing Richard and I didn't know she I had I didn't have enough sense to know that, you know, she meant physically. And she said, well, you're my high priest. And I said, I'm your what? She said, I'm paying my tithes directly to you because you're my high priest. I said, I'm not your high priest. She said, oh yeah, yeah, you're my high priest.
Pastor West: [01:04:48] She said, you just don't. You're a new pastor. You'll see in my purse. That means I'm supposed to do a chores around the house. Wow. And I think, you know, I owned a pretty good business for I left it and went into ministry like I could go back. I don't have to do this. And then Michelle did the same thing she told me. She said, you know, husband, you need to listen to your women, your wives. And the wife said, and she said, now this girl over here, she says, you you better watch it. I said, well, she don't been there like 2 or 3 times. She said, you need to watch her. And I said, oh, Michelle, I mean, it's just personality. She just has, you know, real. She says, it's not personality. She's up to no good. And I said, oh, honey, I said, it ain't nothing to all that. So I blew off what my wife was telling me. But it wasn't but two more Sundays on a Sunday night in the Clinton building that she met me in the back hallway. She went in about five weeks back then. Yeah, she'd been by then five weeks, and she was just bored. She just bought The Devil Can Be Bold. I was Christian was as bold as this one was. And she, you know, she she wasn't going to win the ugly award.
Pastor West: [01:05:57] She was a decent looking person. And she says, she says, I just need to ask him real quick. She says, no, you don't know me and I'm not trying to have a relationship with you. She said. I just never been with a minister and I'd like to. I'd like to sleep with you. Just say, I've been with the minister. She said. Are you interested? I couldn't hardly believe it. And she said, she said, do you want to sleep with me? And she said, no ties, nothing. Just I just want to be with the minister. She said, well, you going to sleep with me? I said, well. I ain't real sleepy. I said, but if you go back in sanctuary, I said, have you met Michelle yet? She said, I know she is. I said, ask her and if she's okay with it. We'll talk further. Well, I never saw her again. And I figured if I told Michelle, Michelle wouldn't hurt nobody, you know, unless you make her mad. It takes a lot to make Michelle mad. But if she's mad, you need to leave her alone. I knew she'd drag her by the hair of the head and go out in that kudzu patch behind the old building. And wouldn't no one ever find her? But you know what? I couldn't see what she knew all along. She said, this woman ain't no good. I said, oh, it's just a personality.
Pastor West: [01:07:05] It wasn't a personality. And I thought, this is what the ministry is like, right? Then it wasn't. Two days later, I went to the post office in Clinton, and I got a letter from someone who'd been there, who'd been there for prison for 2 or 3 years and was trying to help them. And, you know, just, you know, I'm three years old in the ministry. I'm 30 something years old. And I went and I picked up a manila envelope off the old computer. You used to have the tabs on the side, remember those things? And if I was to stand up in this chair, it would unfold. Pu pu pu pu pu pu and just told me how sorry I was. And my family and all my kids who was under ten. So I got my feelings hurt because I was young, because I opened up my heart and gave my heart away. And then, then, then I got hurt. I got hurt bad because they might have thought whatever. But they didn't know my heart. And I was trying to help you. I mean, when I was there with you 2:00 in the morning, when you was high, when I was in there with you and your kid was in prison, it wasn't there because I just generally go to waffle House every night, 2:00 and then. So I took it personal and I internalized it, and I built a wall so people couldn't get near me.
Pastor West: [01:08:20] Because I was hurt. I didn't want to get hurt like that again. So I thought, my job is to give you three sermons a week at that time Wednesday, Sunday morning, Sunday night. And if you don't get too close to me, then you can never hurt me. It was a bad mistake. I built a fort, but I didn't realize that the doorknob was on their side and I couldn't get out. I locked myself in with the fort that I built and everything was going wrong. I mean, money was going downhill. People were still all there. I didn't know what was wrong. And the Lord had to send someone to me, a seasoned minister, to tell me what this was. You know what it was about. So. Uh, we feel like that commercial is at all state. Is it? We know a thing or two about 30 years who farms farmers could. We've seen a thing or two. But but we don't want to be callous towards people. And there was a time that happened to me because of those things. I'm more excited now about the things of God than I was when I get started, and we just had all the youth that go with it. I mean, I'm I am a revelation. Said he'd rather have you hot than you know he'd rather have you cold than lukewarm.
Pastor West: [01:09:45] So let me ask you. You don't don't have to tell me. But are you hot, cold or lukewarm? Are you all the way hot? Are you simmering something to ask yourself, ain't it? Are you lukewarm? We know what he said about that spook you out of the mouth. So it's time for us to move in the direction that God has to move. And I have to close here, I apologize. So we have to pray for the people, for those who don't know, Paul said he planted, Apollos watered, and then God gave the increase. I believe it's beginning to rain. I believe, even though you don't see it, probably from where you are. But if you had a world perspective and the relationships, you would find out. God's beginning to do things for the last few years now all over the world, and you are in historically not going to be you are already in the Third Great Awakening. That's right. The one that Smith prophesied would happen just before Jesus came back. Amen. You may not see it here. You may not see it what you think is going to look like. But it's already began, and I can't prove it by Scripture. I can prove by Scripture that there will be a great harvest during the tribulation. But I believe with everything in me today that would wake me up again at 330 in the morning, that there's going to be a great gathering of harvest before Jesus comes back.
Pastor West: [01:11:11] Because which one of your your kids would you want to be left here? Amen. So, so so we have a message and we have a responsibility and we need to pray. And so I really will close. This is the last door not on the sermon. It had three doors but this is the last one. Remember Charles Spurgeon. He talks about. Uh. Inneffective people and ineffective ministries will always be ineffective. Um. If if they're not people of prayer in the ministries and not a ministry of prayer. In other words, if there's from 1 to 10. I'm sorry. I always have sports analogies. I don't know anything about crocheting, but. But like in the SEC on the east and west is what, like seven teams on each side? 6 or 7. And you can look on the order of what they finished. So the question is posed to me from 1 to 7. Where are you at? Well, I knew I won number one. And I hope I wasn't Vanderbilt. Nothing against Vanderbilt for you watching. We love you, but we. Y'all know you need help. Okay. I mean, let's move along. So are you okay with being Arkansas or Mississippi State? I mean, do you want that to be your future? How many of you just know in your spirit we might define it different ways.
Pastor West: [01:12:47] How many of you just know in your spirit there's got to be more. How many you hope this ain't all of it. I don't mean this service today. I mean what? You know, what you've seen, what you've experienced. You're thankful for. You're grateful. But how many just know when you're nowhere? There's got to be more than what I'm seeing. Yeah. Are y'all. I mean, y'all here or not? Amen. There's just got to be more. Well, I found it in 2005, sitting on a rock for nine months at Lake Nicole in Tuscaloosa. There's a whole lot more. He said, but remember Isaiah said, the Lord wants to do a new thing. He said, but, but he says, but will you recognize it? Ma'am. In other words, the seize the moment can come by and go, and you never know it because you just assume the Lord's going to say hey! And you're like, yes, sir. It could just be, hey, because a relationship works that way, right? It doesn't an intimate relationship work that way. Is supposed to be yelling. I mean, in my purse. Come and say good morning, Michelle. How you doing? Sure. Do you look nice today? Are those new earrings? Huh? Love you. Bye. She. How many would be. She'd be willing to let me go. Leave. Or if your relationship was. You know, I'm just learning how to, you know, talk sweeter to my wife.
Pastor West: [01:14:14] So I don't really know how to do some training myself, so I write on postcards. Good morning. Honey, how are. How was your day? Gee. That's nice. Does that sound like relationship? So in relationship with the Lord, does he need to scream? No. When you're one with him and you're one with his presence, he just whispers. A lot of you would know this personally, and you could give testimonies of how you heard something for the Lord. But, but, but but you, you know, we'd say, well, is that really him or is that me? And we never wondered that other than me. To y'all. I mean, 3 or 4. Who gave me five? And when you realize when it all worked out, it was him talking to you, but then you realized, like me. I could have missed that so easy. And you would just thought because it was a big deal, he would have come in with like, you know, like a, you know, like, hey, 70% sale over here. But it wasn't it was just a small, still voice. So the small, still voice is still speaking to you today. Amen. So he says in Isaiah 60, arise and shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has what? Risen upon you. So y'all stand, if you will. Let's change your position. Charles Spurgeon said this. I'm going to read what you I'm gonna read from here to here to give you a hope.
Pastor West: [01:15:53] It won't be that long. Y'all know who Charles Spurgeon was. He talks about how ineffective the gospel is to a mind that is blind to it. Mm. Because, you know, the scripture said that, uh, the scripture said that, uh, in Second Corinthians four three and four, if our Gospels, he had said to them, who was lost, and whom the God of this world had blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the glorious light of Christ, who is the image of God. So in other words, they hear the gospel, but they're blind to it because he's blinded demise. Who's the who's the God of this world? Well, Satan is well. John 844 tells you that John 844 says, the children of the devil is under the authority of Satan. We know that, uh, acts 2618 says it's called the strong man's house. Mm. Mark 327 says they are prisoners of war. But when you listen to God's heart. He wants all of them. So Charles Spurgeon said, without taking time to pray, without using your authority on the earth. He said, sharing the gospel, even trying to share the gospel with a mind that's blind. He says, uh. Before. We've sought time to pray, like for your family, your children, your grandchildren, your friends. He said this this way. He said, sharing the gospel with those who have, for whom no one is prayed, is like encouraging a blind man to view a beautiful sunset with you.
Pastor West: [01:17:25] It's a hopeless case, for he's blind. He can't see. He can't see what you're looking at until the power of the Holy Spirit removes the demonic blinders and opens his mind and heart to the gospel. He can't be saved because the things of God are what is foolishness to him, right? I looked at those words, the Greek word for foolish. You know what it is? It's Moriah. Moriah which comes, which derives. We get the word moron. So? So the guy with his eyes blinded, who can't see because he's blinded by Satan. When you minister the gospel to him and you talk the gospel to him, it's foolishness. It's Moriah, which means. The same word is moron. Then Webster said, moron is the highest classification of mental deficiency above imbecile or idiot. Webster. Not me. I'm not. I don't have a dictionary. So? So the lost person sees the gospel as moronic and stupid because he is blind. But it is the strong man's influence that is at work with him that causes this negative attitude. While the church doesn't even come together to even pray. Because we are busy. We have stuff we do. But the clock. Every one. Every second one point equal 1.8. Eternity. Eternity. Eternity. Eternity. So I believe the harvest is going to be.
Pastor West: [01:19:11] We're in preparation for that. And I believe before Jesus comes, which could be at any moment. But soon it's going to be the greatest harvest that the world has ever seen. But we have to prepare ourselves in our own hearts and our own lives so that we can see what he sees, hear what he hears, and know some of the things that he knows to be to be effective in this harvest. That's right. And at the time is not now. When is it ever going to be? Will you be less busy next year than you are this year? So a lot of businesses, just things that we've added to our schedule that we said we have to go do this. You know, it doesn't matter to me if a church doesn't want to do this. Don't want to do it. If you don't want to do it, we'll just take it off and it's no big deal. To me, it's a big deal. But I mean, if we don't want to do it, we just want to do it. If you don't want to pray, we just don't pray. But I will go somewhere that it is because I'm going to answer for that. I'm not getting on you. I'm just saying. I'm talking about the church in general. I mean, pastor talked about, you know, how you do this. How do you do everything in one service? Because no one comes to the more.
Pastor West: [01:20:25] How did you how did we lose ground after ground after ground after ground after ground. And the church is supposed to have some special program that's supposed to make everything just wonderful and glorious and fix all your kids. And your teenagers can't do it that way. So in the name of Jesus, I just bless you. Now, there's there's two people right now that need healing in your body. I don't I don't know who you are, but you came and either I'm not saying you not believe in God, but I'm saying you got some situations in your body now, or you need to be better than what you are. Um, there's at least two of you. Come on up. There's 14. That's fine. Come up. You can be healed right now in Jesus name. Whoever you are, come up here quickly. You'll be healed right now, in Jesus name. Not my word. His word. Some of some. There's probably some females too. I do know that. So can I say it this way if you're not 100%. Or if you need your recovery to speed up. See, this is where I can make people mad again. If I have to pull and beg on people to get help. How do you think? Can you stand? How hard is it? Get him to come. Pray. This is what happens in America all the time.
Pastor West: [01:21:43] I tell you, you go to the mission field and you mentioned healing. You better be careful, because if you're in a crowd, you could get crowded and smothered out. But in America, when you got Blue Cross and, you know, and all that kind of stuff like, well, you know, I guess I could go. It's getting kind of late, you know, been about 30 minutes too late. And we need to be over there. You know, I got that appointment Tuesday, and, you know, I guess I'm somebody there sitting there waiting out all their options. But in those third world countries, they don't have no options. And so God moves in Jesus name because of desire and hunger. And in Jesus name, top of your head, the soles of your feet. Let the power of God come. Yes, there it is, there it is, there it is. In the name of Jesus. Top your head to the soles of your feet. The power of God saturate you. Feel you correct everything. Make everything new in Jesus name. Father God, there it is. Oh, there it is! Oh, there it is! Fire! God right there. Jesus mighty name. Top of your head. The soles of your feet. Life. Healing. Restoration. It doesn't look like it, but he's put in everything in order. It looks like it feels like chaos right now, but actually it's all being put in order. Like the parts of a watch that are synchronized by thousands of parts have to come in and come into sync with one another.
Pastor West: [01:23:19] The Lord is putting everything in sync. And the things that he told you years ago, he's never changed his mind. The gifts and callings of God without repentance. And it shall all come to pass. Except it'll be better than what you thought in Jesus name. Father, I thank you for a speedy recovery. In Jesus name. Bones heal. The morning. Any form of inflammation. Arthritis. Begone! And now this recovery. Even after the procedure, it's going to be amazing. I speak to that spirit of pain, and I take authority over it. And I command it to go in Jesus name, be healed. For your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost. So we do not present to God a sick, emaciated, broken down into you. We don't present to God. He said, present yourself. We don't present ourself broken down, beaten down, you know. Oh, woe was me I'm after. I'm over 40 now. Over 40? Over 40. Joshua and Caleb wade around in their 80s before they. Caleb said finally. We're going in. He says at 80 years old, he says, I'm a strong as I was 40 years ago. He said, he says, give me a mountain. You tell me. The last time you heard, an 80 year old said, I'm a strong as I was and I'm 40.
Pastor West: [01:24:46] God, give me a mountain. They'll say, honey, what my Jerry tell. See, we got we got to change this right here. Cause it's all right here. When you're born again. You got the fullness of God down here. You're wall to wall. Holy Ghost in here. You say, why don't it work? Because it's short circuiting. See this mind? The reason the carnal mind aborts everything. The plan of God. Because you reason it in your mind. Your problem is not in your spirit. Because if you're born again, you've got God in here, the fullness of him, and you're sealed. The problem is, this needs to know what this already knows. Then walk it out. And so. Hallelujah. Anybody else needed to come real quickly? You need. Well, good. Top of your head. The soles of your feet. Life of God. There it is. Life of God. Correct. Change, rearrange and make new that your youth is renewed just like the eagle. And you shall run and not be weary and not faint. Jesus mighty name restoration. The fullness of him and the life of God flow into you right now in Jesus name. I. Someone's having an inner ear issue. I don't know if it's got off in your balance or it causes you to have dizziness, but you have some inner ear issues. Could be fluid, could be a lot of things. If that's you, that's you.
Speaker2: [01:26:28] I need it here.
Pastor West: [01:26:30] Yeah. Okay, good. Well. That's simple. You see, sometimes we think, well, I've been prayed for by this one. I've been prayed for that one I've been prayed for by this one. I've done this, I've done this. And then when people get prayed for a whole lot, then they don't want to get prayed for because they don't want to disappoint me. But has nothing to do with me. Right. I'm pretty sure you don't look to me as God. Do you say no, I don't believe God. No, you would be correct. But in Jesus name, he said, believers will lay hands on the sick and they will recover from that condition. That's his word and it is not mine. I don't have to back up his word. He backs his I don't I don't confirm his word. He confirmed his own. So in the name of Jesus, I take authority over that dumb and deaf spirit. Yes. You know, you know you. Yeah. There it is. You have to go. So go in Jesus name you say. Did you have to scream? No, I just felt like it. Thank you. It's like I said. I mean, you know, because some people think, well, you know, you're I've seen preachers push people down and you ain't got to push them down, and you ain't really got to scream, because when the policeman tells you you're under arrest. If he screams, you're under arrest. You know what? You know what? You know what's fixing to happen. You're under what? Arrest. But if he says you're under arrest. You know what? You know what it is. You're under arrest. And when you tell the devil he has to go. But sometimes it just has the boldness to let them know that we're not putting up with that no more.
Pastor West: [01:27:57] I'm a child of God. Jesus paid for this. I'm not going to put up with that. I'm not. You know, and you don't have to. It's yours. Amen. So you say, well, well, mama had this and granddaddy and. Great. Whatever. Well, I look hey, you understand there is a natural part because genetics. Right? Don't look your situation up on Google. They'll bury you for 2:00. I mean, it's bad, right? Yeah. And they never told you you ever had somebody say, well no, no, your grandma had that or granddad had that. You know, your daddy was a diabetic. You say well okay, well but did you know when you got born again you got re fathered? Amen. You got what? Three. Father. Oh, you got born again. There's actually a translation that says that when you was born again, he said you got re fathered. Now I wonder how much insulin the Lord takes. Are you on pills or shots? You say? Well, that's just being. No, it's just being honest. Yeah. All right. See, don't take orders from your body. I've had my child give me orders for a little while now. Doc said, well, we can't fix that. Ain't nothing to be done. I said, well, appreciate you. Thank you. Bye. But don't bill me no more. I don't even know why I'm paying you now. I mean, when I was in business, I had to do it and fix it. And then you paid me and y'alls were old. Y'all just do stuff, and I still owe you. You know? I know it sounds mean, but. So I call you blessed. Say I received the blessing. I receive the blessing I call you healed. So I receive the healing. I receive the healing. I call you prosperous.
Speaker3: [01:29:51] I receive the prosper.
Pastor West: [01:29:52] You receive it.
Speaker3: [01:29:53] I receive it. Amen.
Pastor West: [01:29:54] So I'll walk in everything God has for me. I walk in.
Speaker4: [01:29:57] Everything God.
Pastor West: [01:29:58] Has for me this year and every day the rest of my life.
Speaker4: [01:30:00] This year and every day of my life.
Pastor West: [01:30:02] My life. Tell someone, tell yourself. Say I'm hungry, I'm hungry. I don't mean chicken. I know you get some. I know that I'm sorry. Praise the Lord. But you know when the Lord gets on me, I just get on y'all. I know, so. No, I'm just saying you have to develop an appetite for spiritual hunger. Amen.
Speaker3: [01:30:24] Amen. Amen.
Pastor West: [01:30:26] Right.
Speaker3: [01:30:26] Amen.
Pastor West: [01:30:27] You can get to a place to where it requires more than just Sunday.
Speaker3: [01:30:30] Amen. Amen.
Pastor West: [01:30:31] I mean, it could even get. Am I still on? Okay. It could even get you even read your Bible yourself.
Speaker3: [01:30:41] Hallelujah. Thank you Lord.
Pastor West: [01:30:45] It's like having a sign in a wonder. No, but, but but you can. I mean, I always kidded with my my kids. They said. They said, oh, I can't eat no more. I said, well, we have dessert, so I want some. I said, I thought you couldn't eat no more. But, you know, I learned years ago, when it comes to desserts and sweets, there's a separate compartment for that. How many y'all know? That's the.
Speaker3: [01:31:08] Truth. Hallelujah. I mean, you could.
Pastor West: [01:31:10] Be full of meatloaf over here, but they bring by, you know, some ice cream, hot fudge cake, some warm brownies. Ooh, I felt that. And then also, there's a whole different compartment that just opens up and say, I have two. I have two pieces. They brought me a thing to one time, to a three star restaurant and had desserts on it. And they said, this is what we have, would you? They had like four choices. And she says, do you see something here you like, would you like something? I said, yes, and she said, which one? I said yes. She said, what do you mean? I said, yes, just just leave the tray. Go away. I know what to do with it. Well, God bless you. Have a big day in Jesus.
Speaker3: [01:31:47] Amen.
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