I was thinking, as Blakely's saying, when we went through what we did, and I had to explain to Blakely what was going on. She said, so we're not going back. And I said, no, baby, we're not going back. And she said, well, can I tell you something? I said, OK, baby. She said, I want Brother Josh to be my pastor. He said, if you ain't gonna be, I want Brother Josh. And I was supposed to be somewhere else today, and I didn't really feel good enough yesterday to preach anywhere. But I really wanted to come to Stillwater. And I had told that brother that I didn't feel good enough to go nowhere, but I couldn't make myself stay home. Can I pause right here and say, if it's easy for you to stay at home, I'm very concerned for you. Amen. The danger of missing church is if you do it enough, you'll get to where you don't miss it. Amen. And I could have stayed home, but I couldn't have. Does that make any sense? And so I was praying about what to do, and we went to Lake City, you know, and then of course we had to go pick up Blakely from my mama's house. I love the way kids say things. She didn't ask a favor. She said, Daddy, I want a favor. Hallelujah. Once in a while, just tell the Lord we want a favor, amen? And she said, Daddy, I want a favor. And I said, okay, what is it? And she said, when we leave here, I want to go see Brother Josh. And I said, me too, baby, let's go. Hallelujah. And so the Lord let us be here today in my soul. It was so encouraging. I've been nothing but encouraged today. Y'all know we've been through hell and back, but there's still a phrase from a former political opponent. I feel very unburdened by what has been. Amen! I'm feeling good about it tonight, amen? And bless his name. Open your Bibles to the book of Acts for just a moment, if you will. Acts chapter number 16 tonight. Seem like here lately I do listen to the podcast when I'm not able to be here. And I appreciate Brother Josh's obedience and I like the way the Lord does it. Cause seem like the messages y'all debtor and a hammer on are the ones God uses to just bless me to death, amen. When he preached diversity of the day, y'all sat here like an animal in a log. I think y'all ought to try again on that message on the life of Job. And I called him at night, and I was crying so hard, he thought somebody's dead. And he kept saying, what is it, what is it, what is it? And I couldn't say nothing, and finally he said, you're gonna have to tell me what it is. And I said, whoo! And he said, what? And I said, before the day was, have! Woo! And we shouted for 45 minutes in the Wabak parking lot. And I'm pretty sure the people parked next to me thought I had lost my mind. Amen. Every once in a while, you ought to get so beside yourself, have the goodness of God, and somebody thinks you lost your mind. Amen. Hallelujah. And by the way, Lord have mercy on you, if the only place God's meet with you is inside these four walls. Amen! He ain't just sweet to me here, he's sweet to me all the time, amen! I wanted to preach tonight, I'm not going to, but I wanted to preach tonight on the mandate of meditation. How often do you meditate on the Lord, amen, and His Word? But Psalm 104.33 said, my meditation of Him shall be sweet, and I will be glad in the Lord. You know the reason some of you's never glad in the Lord? You never think about Him. Amen. If you thought on him enough, you'd have to get glad about it. Amen. Get out there and have some joy. Amen. Bless the Lord. Amen. My meditation of him shall be sweet. Grab that wheel, honey. And I will be glad in the Lord. So if you're never glad in the Lord, it's because you never think about him. Amen. Hallelujah. And so, to be glad in the Lord and to meditate on him, I listen to the podcast most every day. I listen to one message a day. Brother Jacob, that was here this morning, listens to the podcast every single day of his life. Almost. He's feeding off that. I'm gonna tell y'all again, they can't get this where we are. I wanna obey God, but one of the reasons I come to Stillwater is cause there ain't nothing like this where I live. If there was, I'd be there. Amen. But he listens to the podcast, and I've been listening, and it seems like midnight's been a theme around here lately. And so I want you to open your Bibles to Acts chapter number 16. And I'm gonna be honest with you. I hope it helps all of you. But I do believe that God's good enough to send a message for one person. I believe that. And the pastor had said he was surprised to see Brother Ray here tonight. I was not. And here's the reason. It's been on my heart all day long. And I asked the Lord if I was gonna preach this tonight, to please let you be here. I'm gonna preach tonight if God'll help me on how to make it from midnight to daylight. How to make it from midnight to daylight. It's been midnight in my It's been midnight in my life the last several months. But in case y'all wondering, it's been awful sunshiny today. Hallelujah to God. Amen. Let's hear His name. You can make it from midnight to daylight. Amen. And when we go through things, we are meant to go through them. Amen. They won't last forever. Amen. Paul said, for our light affliction, which is but for a moment. Amen. It's just a moment. Hello. There it is again. Amen. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us. a more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. Amen. Thank God. Can I say, I'm not going to preach that verse tonight, but he said, first of all, our afflictions are trivial. He said there are a lot of afflictions. Amen. In the scope of eternity, it's a lot of affliction. Amen. In the scope of Calvary, it's a lot of affliction tonight. Amen. In the scope of the garden, it's a lot of affliction tonight. In the scope of the lion's den and being torn asunder, it's a lot of affliction tonight. It's trivial, amen. There will come a day that it won't matter. Glory to God. About right now, Brother Ray, it's all that matters. But there will come a day when it won't matter. Hallelujah. It's trivial. And then he said, our lot of friction, which is but for a moment, is temporary. This ain't gonna be like this forever. It won't be this way long. Glory to God, Brother Ray, we don't have one trouble that one sound from one trumpet will not fix. Amen, glory to God. Can I tell y'all something y'all missed this morning? He struggled to get help when he talked about that temple being built. That's something that takes place after we leave. We have to leave before that temple can be used. So Brother Tim, I'm not a very smart man, but if they're already making preparations for things that take place after we leave, exactly how close are we to leaving? Glory to God, amen. It's temporal, hallelujah. This ain't gonna last forever. And lastly, we'll get to our text. One day, our afflictions will be transformed. He said, for our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us. May I stop right here and say, you think it's working against you, Brother Ray, but because you're a child of God, it's working for you. Hallelujah. Our light, amen. This chair ain't working against me, it's working for me. Amen. Hallelujah to God. Worketh for us a more exceeding and eternal way of glory. One day, I'm going to cash in on all the suffering, Brother Seth. And it won't be suffering anymore. It won't be gleam anymore. It will be glory. Hallelujah. We miss so many things when we sing. It'll all be glory in that sweet home. It'll all be glory. It will all be glory. Hallelujah. Amen. The reason you can't glory in your affliction is because you're looking at it right now. Hallelujah to God. Let's open our Bibles to Acts 16, just a moment. Boy, I feel good tonight. Hallelujah. Acts 16 tonight, verse number 25. And at midnight, Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises under God, and the prisoners heard them. I wonder what folks is hearing from us. Somebody is listening tonight. And they wasn't in church when they heard them. Somebody help me. Amen. The world is not going to hear from you in church. Amen. And the prisoners heard them. And suddenly, boy I like that. God can change it all of a sudden, honey. Amen. And suddenly there was a great earthquake so that the foundations of the prison were shaken and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone's bands were loosed. and the keeper of the prison awakening out of sleep and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled. But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, do thyself no harm, for we are all here. And then he called for a light. They don't realize it, but that's what the whole world's calling for. Then he called for a light. That's what you're called to be, amen? Then he called for a light and sprang in and came trembling and fell down before Paul and Silas and brought them out and said, sirs, what must I do to be saved? And that jailer and Elijah found out and they said, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. and thou shalt be saved. And thy house. And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house, and he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes, and was baptized he in all his blood. straightway. And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them and rejoiced, before them and rejoiced, believing in God with all of his house. Notice verse number 35. And when it was day, Hallelujah, the night ain't gonna, midnight's not gonna last forever, honey. Amen! And when it was day, the magistrate sent the sergeants saying, let those men go. Again, my message tonight is how to make it from midnight to daylight. Father, help us for the next few minutes now. Help us to be an encouragement to your people. Oh, Lord Jesus. Oh, God, I pray, Lord Jesus, you'd encourage hearts this evening, Lord. God, there's probably more than one either in a midnight hour or just fixing to go into one. Lord, man is born of woman is a few days and full of trouble. And Lord, we thank you that the trouble won't last but a few days. Lord, I thank you for that tonight, and I pray, God, that you'd help us to encourage your people for the next few minutes. Speak to hearts, Lord. There's things going on that I don't know, but you know all things. So we pray the good Holy Ghost of God would appropriate this truth to each heart in a way that only He can. And Lord, help us not just to get it in here, but help us to take it out there. And we'll thank you in Jesus' name. Amen. So when we come to our text tonight, we find a couple of things by way of introduction. Number one, they are in a situation that they did not create. They did not get in this prison because of any wrongdoing. They were in the will of God, amen? They ended up in prison for living for God, amen? Right in the middle of living for God, serving the Lord, they end up in prison. They end up in a difficult place, in a situation that they did not create. Most of the time when we end up in those situations, we say, Lord, what did I do? What we ought to ask is, Lord, what are you trying to do? Not, Lord, what did I do? But, Lord, what do you desire to do? Our trials would be different for us if we'd quit looking at what we did or did not do and start trying to discover, Lord, what are you trying to do? They're in a situation that they did not create. Can I say this? They're in a situation that they did not change. They could not change. They're bound in stocks. They're in prison. Even if there was a way out, it's so dark they can't see it. Amen. They can't change it. Not only do they not create the situation, not only can they not change it, but they're confined. They're in a very small, dark space, and they want out, but they can't move. Has anybody ever found yourself in a situation, confined, you want out, you want it to get better, but you can't move. I can't do no different. I can't fix it. I can't change it. Amen. So what do you do? Oh my. I wish I could tell you how many days I feel very confined. You'd be surprised. And for things the Lord uses to remind me of my confinement. There's another young preacher asked me the other day in the meeting, he had a He had a TBI, a traumatic brain injury. Brother Josh met him. He's 19 years old. He sat down with me in the lobby, Brother Tim, and he said, do you remember when everybody else was getting new cars and driving down the road and you couldn't? I said, I sure do. And he said, well, what did you do? How did you make it? And I put my arm around him. There are people that can watch somebody do something as simple as get in a car and go down the road and they are reminded of their confinement. He's 19 years old and he wants to be just like everybody else. You know what's probably harder? Is when you've been able to do everything you wanted to your entire life, and then all of a sudden, you're confined. So what do we do? When we're doing our best to live for God, we're doing our best to be faithful, but we're confined. In a situation that we didn't create, in a situation we can't change. What do we do? Very simple tonight. I may not get out of first gear, but if you hear from God, amen. Amen. I'm about tired of a bunch of hollering and slobbering and screaming and calling it Holy Ghost preaching and nobody even understood it. Amen. I need you to get it tonight. Better yet, I need you to get you. I was gonna say I need you to grab ahold of truth, but it's a whole lot better when truth grabs ahold of you. Amen. Number one, we see in our text, the first thing you do to make it from midnight to daylight is don't forget to pray. Don't forget to pray. You say, well I don't know if I'm being heard. I don't know if they felt like they was being heard. Amen. I don't know if they felt like praying. Most people in that situation, I guarantee you what they did was cuss. If I'd been beat to death nearly for wrongs that I did not do, oh Lord, Yep, yep, yep, yep. I would not be prone to pray. I would be prone to complain. I am prone to worry. I am prone to wonder. Hey, if you're in the midnight hour, don't forget to pray. Hallelujah. Don't forget to pray. Pray without ceasing, Paul said. 2 Thessalonians 5, 17. That phrase, without ceasing, the word, preacher, is of a nagging cough. You know, a nagging cough, it just won't quit. It just won't go away. Oh, what would God do, preacher, if we had a church full of people that had a prayer life that didn't have no quit in it? Oh, Lord. Amen. Do you know what would happen if we had prayer lives that wouldn't quit? Oh, Lord. If we wouldn't quit praying, God never would quit doing it. Amen. We'd see miracle after miracle after miracle if we'd not forget to pray. But most of the time, when we find ourselves in our prison, including the preacher, we talk to everybody but him. Oh, Lord. You ever ask a hundred people in the middle of your trial, reckon what this means? Well, I got a very simple question. You ever thought about asking the Lord what it means? What am I supposed to do? Well, I got a very simple question. If you ever thought about asking the Lord in the middle of that confined space, what am I supposed to do? Did you know, Paul and Silas did not quit talking to the Lord when they got in that dark, confined space. And most of the time, the first thing we do is stop praying. Oh, God. I'm just having a hard time. I can't pray. Honey, that's why you ought to pray. If Jesus prayed on the cross, surely, oh, surely. If he prayed in the garden when he was sorrowful unto death, surely, oh, surely. We ought to pray. Can I tell you another thing that without ceasing means? It means without interruption. May I ask you a question? How easy is it for your prayer life to be interrupted? Some people's prayer life is interrupted by business. They're just simply too busy to pray. By the way, we don't mean that you have to pray all day. Although there'll be seasons that you ought to do like Jesus and find you a solitary place and pray. Most people don't talk to God enough to be able to pray five minutes, much less all night like Jesus did. The theme song of most Baptist churches is just a little talk with Jesus. Because we ain't got much to say. Hallelujah. By the way, I had to get a new phone plan when me and Jessie started dating. Because I had plenty to say. You know why? I was in love with her. If you never talked to him, it might be because you ain't in love with him. And Paul and Silas prayed. Without interruption. Seemed like, preacher, that would be a justified reason for interruption if you'd just been beaten early to death. But in the darkest hour of the night, in stocks, beaten early to death in the dark, one of them said, hey, let's pray. Let's talk to God. We ain't got nothing to help each other if we talk to each other before we talk to God, so let's pray. Amen. Amen. Don't forget to pray. And by the way, there's so many misconceptions about prayer. I can't tell you, I'm like the preacher, I cannot tell you all that happened in that floor. I don't think me and the preacher and Jared will ever know all that happened in that floor. All I know, Brother Tim, is that it was too holy to even sit up. I told Jesse, you're going to have to help me down because it's too holy to even sit up. And I got in the floor, and do you know what most of our praying was? We said a few things, but most of it was, Oh God! Oh God! Oh God! I don't even know what in all I got, but I know there was more accomplished in them. Oh God! Sometimes we just groan. I believe I read somewhere that the Spirit intercedes for us with groanings that cannot be uttered. And you know what the Lord said to me while I was groaning? The reason I was groaning is because I wasn't the one praying. Hey, glory to God. You say, hey, you know them things you asked for and that for is gonna be answered, because I wasn't the one praying. Hey. I don't know every time that my will ever lined up with his will in prayer, but in that floor in Lake City, Florida, me and God, y'all didn't want a cohort. Me and Brother Josh, y'all didn't want a cohort. Me and Brother Jared, y'all didn't want a cohort. Hey, friend, don't forget to pray. Hallelujah. I don't know everything that it took for Kayla to make it from midnight to daylight. When she sings, it looks like a red sunshine. I love to hear the preacher sing, but I wasn't even listening to you this morning. I was listening to her harmonize on, it was the voice of the shepherd. Whew! I never did talk to her, but I sure did talk to the one that could. That's exactly right. Pray! Don't forget to pray. How's your prayer life tonight? You're going to have to pray your way out. You say, well, I don't think he's doing any good. I'm praying and praying and praying and praying. So why would I pray without ceasing? if I can't see any results? Well, number one, he said pray without ceasing. And I want to please him. You know, there are things that my daddy told me to do that I didn't think made any sense. But I loved him. And I wanted to please him. So I just did it. You know, sometimes all the reason I pray is because I want to please God. He said too. I've heard people say this, well what's the use of doing it if you don't want to? Honey, you do it out of faithfulness. Until the want to returns. If you do it long enough just because you ought to out of a desire to plead God, it won't be long before you want to. Amen! Don't forget to pray. By the way, I think they prayed together, it said Paul and Silas. I mean, do we really pray for one another? Really? I thank God for all the messages that I got. Preacher, I'm praying for you today. I've got a lot of them in the last little while. So did Jesse. Before we talked to anybody, Jared's daughter Kristen texted Jesse and said, Jared's sister rather texted Jesse and said, I've been burdened and I've been praying all day. And she didn't know nothing. My God. You might have to pray with somebody till they get out of their midnight. Brother Brian, I'm sure you've done plenty of praying in your midnight hour in the last little while. I just want you to know, you ain't prayed by yourself. Hallelujah. I doubt Paul and Silas could even see each other, but they still prayed. And there was times you didn't even see. I ain't saying it to Brian. I just want him to know he's not by himself. There's times you didn't even see. And I said, Lord, help Brother Brian. I read them morning nuggets every morning. And every time I read them, I say, Lord, help Brother Brian and his family. Amen. Don't forget to pray. I wonder when's the last time you really prayed. I ain't talking about just checking it off the list. I'm talking about when's the last time you really prayed for your preacher. Do y'all realize? I know, I've got a little glimpse of the mental anguish this man goes through. He worries about you all the time. How often do you pray for him? I'm gonna tell y'all something, if we prayed like he worried, And you might, I don't know, but under the Lord preacher, if you pray like we worry, we got that in common. We all sit around and talk and overthink everything and worry ourselves to death. It's a wonder me and the preacher have any fingers or fingernails left at all. But if we prayed, oh Lord. I believe I read somewhere, be careful for nothing. But in everything, by prayer and supplication, Amen, let your requests be made unto God with thanksgiving. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Amen. If there's a lack of peace, it's because there's a lack of prayer. That's what that text teaches. Whether our flesh likes it or not, if there's a lack of peace, there's a lack of prayer. Amen. So don't forget to pray. Secondly, I'm hastening on, don't forfeit your praise. I don't think anybody was surprised when they prayed. I think eventually, preacher, I'd want to pray myself. I think eventually. Mm-hmm. Hallelujah. I think if my house burnt down and I lost everything I had, I'd want to pray. But something happens. When I'm in the middle of my darkness in that confined space, in the middle of my midnight, and I start singing things like, I will bless his name when everything around me falls apart. Yeah. It's something, it's one thing to sing that song in the sunshine. But I recorded the preacher singing it one time, put it on my voice memos. And I was in the middle of going through that dark, dark midnight with the church. And I pressed play. And usually a song starts from the beginning when you press play. But evidently, the last time I played it, I had left off by halfway through. So I pressed pray with it to him, and what I heard was, ♪ Should I receive good from his hand ♪ And not accept the things that I can't understand. I could not understand it. And some of it I still don't understand. And I tried my best not to forfeit my praise. I tried my best to say hallelujah anyhow. By the way, you need to be around things that fosters praise. Can I just press pause and give you a little thought for a second? I told you, you need to be around things that fosters praise. The local country station will not foster praise. Amen. The local rock station will not foster praise. The local pop station will not foster praise. We was in the Mexican restaurant today. And that song by the Morrison sisters, nobody loves me like you. Blakely walked over to Brother Josh, and she said, Stormy, I should have had a very different story. Say, what'd you do? I said, whoa! You need to be around things that foster praise. You need to be around people that foster praise. Quit hanging out with people that ain't got nothing good to say either. How about it? Hang out with somebody that's gonna brag on Jesus. Talk about the Lord. Bless the Lord. Do you know that this is the only thing that we talked about on those steps a while ago. It's the only thing that Brother Hunter wanted to talk about was what he was finding in the Word of God these days. And we started praising the Lord. You need to be around things and people that foster praise. Don't forfeit your praise, amen? Boy, it don't take much for us to quit praising One bad month. Boy, there's more month than there is money. Hallelujah. When everything's going good, we'll come in and sing. There's a roof up above me. I have a good place to sleep. There's food on my table and shoes on my feet. And we'll shout the house down. But you let us get in the red. We'll sing the same song and be dead and adorned there. We've already forfeited our praise. One of the most convicting things I'd ever seen in my life. I went to church with a lady, her name was Miss Kathy. Miss Kathy loved God, but she got diabetes real bad and they had to cut off both of her legs and she had a car wreck because of that diabetes and she paralyzed herself. And she was always a giver. And she moved into a nursing home. And if you know anything about Social Security, if you move into the nursing home, it takes most of your check to live there. And they would take it before she ever got to it. So she had no choice but to tithe what she had left. Her tithe every month, Brother Josh, was $7. Y'all do understand what that means, don't you? Her total income was $70 a month. Sitting in that nursing home, we were having a revival. And my pastor that I grew up in called the local rescue squad and rented an ambulance to go get her and bring her to the house of God. And she come in that night With no legs, most of her hair cut off, because they had to cut it all off when she had that accident. No legs, almost no hair, no money. While she was in a coma, her family sold everything in her house and kept the money. And she had one little room. And she loved to read spiritual things. I think they kept her five books back. And they sold all the rest of it. Thousands of books. So she's got five little books and a Bible in a confined little space in the nursing home. And we get to church at night. And we start singing. There's a roof up above me. And she goes, Say, what do you want to do? Nothing. But I'd say, oh God, forgive me. And then they sang, I've got a good place to sleep. And she's in a nursing home bed, y'all. And she goes. And there's food on my table. And when we got to shoes on my feet, I thought she ought to put her hand down. Brother Josh, she pointed to my feet. to my shoes and went, and shoes on my feet. When she couldn't praise God for herself, she praised God somebody else had it. She taught me what it is to refuse to forfeit your praise. And all the prisoners heard them. I'm trying to quit. But y'all remember this, that word heard does not mean they passively heard them. You study it out. What it literally means is that those prisoners leaned up. Listening. Somebody's listening to you. What are they gonna learn about the faithfulness of God in the midnight by listening to me? Do you realize that when God got to stomping his foot while they sung and sent that great earthquake, not just them, but everybody got loose. Their praise wasn't just for them. It's for everybody around them. Hallelujah. I've had some days where I didn't feel like praising the Lord, but we come into church and we sung We sung that song, the primitive song about the Lord being good to us. And we get to that third verse, and Miss Geneva get to, ♪ Some morning I'll wake up in glory. ♪ And y'all know she sings that looking like a 110 watt light bulb went off in her face. And I'll see my dear love once again. And then she gets to, ♪ Hallelujah, it's really gonna happen. ♪ And by then, I'm feeling good about it for him. Amen! Glory! And I end up freed up because of her praise. You better not forfeit your praise. Somebody else might need it. Amen! I said somebody else might need it. And by the way, most times the highest praise is the hardest praise. They were not in an atmosphere that was conducive to praise. I believe when they started singing, that's what got heaven's attention. I don't know what they would have sung, but I'll tell you what I've been singing. Farther on still go, farther count the milestones, one by one, all Jesus will forsake you never. It is better farther on. Y'all couldn't see it. Y'all couldn't see it and y'all couldn't hear it. But while I was singing in Lake City, there was chains falling off me. Farther on, still go farther. Count the milestones one by one. Oh, Jesus will That's a helping me, Lodge. Come here, boy. Come here. ♪ Farther on still go ♪ ♪ Farther count the milestones one by one ♪ ♪ Oh Jesus will forsake you never hit his banner ♪ ♪ Farther on, oh farther on ♪ still go farther. Count the milestones one by one. Oh, Jesus will forsake you never. It is better farther on. Sing, baby. Farther on. Still go farther. Count the miles, though, one by one. Oh, Jesus will forsake you never. It is better Father. Kayla, come here. Come here. Hallelujah. Hey, hey. Oh my. Father on, still go farther. Count the milestones one by one. Oh, Jesus will Forsaken never had his banner. Father, oh, Father, oh, still Father, count the milestones, one by one. Oh, Jesus will forsake you never. It is better farther on. I'm sure you thought it was over, Brother Tim, but farther on still go. Farther count the milestones one by one. Oh, Jesus will Forsaken never, hid his banner for the road. I've already told the preacher. If I go before Him, He's to preach my funeral. Say, what's it gonna be like? Well, I can tell you one thing. At my grave, I'll still be singing. Though you weep for war that's gone, well, sing it as we're right now singing it. It is better farther on Well, father, oh, still go farther. Count the milestones, one by one. Blakely, Jesus will forsake you. Never had his better. Father, oh, Whoo! ♪ Father, I'll still go farther ♪ ♪ Count the milestones one by one ♪ ♪ Oh, Jesus will forsake you never ♪ ♪ Hit his banner far and near ♪ Father, oh. Brother Brian. Father, oh. Still go farther. Count the milestones one by one. Oh, Jesus will forsake you never. It is better. Father, oh. Oh, my sister, are you weary of the roughness of the way? Oh, does your strength begin to Fail you and your vigor to decay. Oh, father, oh, still go farther. Count the milestones one by one. Oh, Jesus will forever help you never ♪ It is better for the wrong ♪ Thank y'all, thank y'all. I'm trying to tell you don't forfeit your praise. And lastly, and I'm done. Hallelujah. Don't forgo your purpose. You ain't going through what you're going through for nothing. Old Paul couldn't see that jailer coming, but he was. Hallelujah. And he called for a light and sprang in. One day the reason for your trial is going to spring in. And you're going to be looking at it face to face. It ain't happened yet, but all that you went through, one day you're going to meet somebody. They're in the same place you were in. And they're going to say, I ain't going to make it. And you're going to say, yes you can. Woo! There's gonna be some mama praying for her prodigal and she's about to quit praying and you're gonna say, wait a minute. Amen. Hallelujah. They're gonna be hurt in the ministry. And one day y'all gonna meet a preacher's kid that seen daddy go through a bunch of junk and they don't wanna serve God no more. And y'all gonna get to say, wait a minute. It's better further on. Amen. Hallelujah to God. There's a purpose in what you're going through. You don't go through anything for nothing. You say, well, she wasn't saved when all that happened. She is now. And the last time I read, he makes all things work together. This marquee probably made some of the brethren mad. But it was right. Did you notice the Marquis at Tabernacle? He said God can take mistakes and make miracles. Amen. Hallelujah. Yes, he can. He did. Amen. Amen. Yes. Amen. Yes. Glory to God. They're all over the house. This place is full of mistakes that God turned into miracles. Hallelujah. Don't forego your purpose in the midnight hour. Hallelujah. God's got a reason. Can I tell y'all something? I wouldn't want to go through that again for nothing, what I just come through. But I watched Jacob and Brittany worship in the altar this morning with tears running down their face. And Jameson said to me today, I'm glad you are our preacher. I'm gonna tell y'all what I ain't gonna do. I ain't gonna forgo my purpose. Before now, I could not minister to a preacher that had been through a church split. But somewhere in the near distant future, I'm gonna go into a church that's split seven way from Sunday, and the preacher's about to quit, and I'm gonna say, well now wait a minute. I've been here. Hallelujah. You've been kicked by a cripple man for the first time? Amen. Don't forgo your purpose. As hard as it is, Caleb, I don't have all the answers, but did you know your house didn't burn down for nothing? I need to say that again. Your house did not burn down for nothing. God's got a purpose in that. Brother Ray, you are not hurting for nothing. God ain't mad at you. He's got a purpose. Amen! Did you know you didn't sit in that mental hospital for nothing? Think about how many times the Lord used that story. God had a purpose. And even in our mistakes, do y'all know, I ain't saying it was right, but even in our mistakes when God makes miracles, You, hallelujah to God, you are one of the greatest examples of restoration. Thank God. You are one of the greatest examples of how to restore somebody that you could not be had you not gone through that. And I promise you it was dark as midnight. And by the way, I've heard him tell it. He's made some mistakes. And God will use him too, because he'll be able to tell another preacher, don't do that. You better have more grace than that. Amen! And you'll be able to say, hey, don't take that attitude. Do not let the devil talk to you like that. Amen! And you'll be able to say to that wife whose husband thinks, that wife who thinks her husband ain't never coming back to the house of God. But you won't be able to do that if you forgo your purpose. Hallelujah. Seth, we'll be able to help people whose best friends walked off. And by the way, I still appreciate him. Because God taught me what it is to be betrayed and go on. Amen. He's appreciated. And I'm not being a swine when I say that. In sincerity, he is appreciated. Amen. Because I'm not forgoing the purpose. God's got a purpose in it all. Don't forgo your purpose. Most of the time, we're so in a hurry to get out of whatever we're in, we miss the purpose. Can you imagine what would have, oh, what they'd have missed if as soon as them doors swung open, Paul said, glory to God, this is what I've been waiting on. I'm gone. Most of us are in such a hurry to get out of our trials that we miss what God's trying to do in them. I want out of this chair. Y'all hear me? I said I want out. But I don't want to miss what God's doing in it. This ain't my punishment. It's my platform. Hallelujah. It is my purpose. I'm about done. I can't never pick on the preacher for being long-winded again. He works all things together for good. Amen. You know, preacher, I told Justin, and I ain't saying this to make anybody feel bad. Please understand that from the outset. But I told Justin, I said, you know, we sat around them tables, and they talked about fishing and hunting, and I felt so out of place. Here's what God probably knows. If I'd have been able to do all that stuff, it may have been an idol. And I might have forgotten my purpose. I'd rather have Him. I'd rather be in the will of God. Some of you are so consumed by what's not happening, you're missing what is. You're missing what God's trying to do. You can make it from midnight to daylight. If you'll not forget to pray, if you'll not forfeit your praise, and if you refuse to forgo your purpose, you can make it from midnight to daylight. The preacher's gonna come. I'm sure Brother Chris will play something. I don't know if the preacher might do something. The altar's open. Maybe it's midnight for you. I'd encourage you to come. Mind the Lord tonight. Let's all stand tonight. As God spoke to you, I hope you'll come. If you're not careful, you allow midnight to steal your purpose, your praise, your prayers. God's had me saying this little phrase, it's not for naught. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. That means it's not for no reason. There's a purpose behind your midnight. By staying in your seat, what you're saying tonight is your prayer life is up to par, your praise life is up to par, and you are giving God everything you got to fulfill your purpose. I just don't hardly believe it. I'm asking you to respond tonight to the message. We all could do so much more. Brother Seth, would you and Dad just get behind Brother Ray right there in that row and pray for him please. Just lay your hands on his back right there and pray for him. That's our brother. Hello. Yes. Hello. Thank you. God bless your name, Jesus. God touch Brother Ray, help him. In his midnight, help him Lord. I know he's in pain, but help him to see there's a purpose somewhere. If nothing else, to draw him closer to you in prayer and in praise. Help him not get discouraged and weary, Lord, and well doing. It's easy for me to pray, but God, you're able. You can give him strength tonight, and I pray that you would, and his family. Lily, and Lord, my heart's heavy over her today. I know how easy it is as a young person with the cares of life, and the tolls, and rowing, and storms, and having to miss church. Lord, I just pray, God, that you'd speak to her heart tonight. Help her live for you. Encourage her in the Lord tonight. God, please say something to her. Give her something to help her. Sister Annette as well. Lord, we know they love you and they want to serve you. It's just a season. Just give them strength, Lord, to make it to the other side. Please, Lord, do something. I pray God you bless her. I pray God you touch her body, Lord, if it be your will to heal her. Lord, I done figured out how to love her, Lord.