Amen. Good to be in church. Amen. Appreciate the opportunity to be here again, this place. Been coming here for a lot of years. It's always a blessing. Amen. Thank God for what he's done here in the past and for what he's going to do. Amen. All right, let's get right into it and we'll get out of the way and do our part. If you will take your Bibles tonight, turn to Genesis chapter number 13. Genesis chapter number 13. It's always an honor to come here. I've seen God do some great mighty things in this place. Amen? I've seen a lot of folks get saved here in this place. Genesis chapter number 13, this is not what I had planned. I told my brother this afternoon I was gonna preach something and God changed it on my way to church. And so he said, that'll go great with mine. So we'll fix him, amen? Genesis chapter number 13, please. We'll begin reading verse number 1 Genesis 13 verse number 1 the Bible says and Abram went up out of Egypt Well, that's always good He and his wife and all that he had locked with him To the south and Abram was very rich in cattle and silver and in gold Went on his journey from the south even to Bethel and to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Haiyat, and to the place of the altar which he had made there at the first, and there Abram called on the name of the Lord. Lot also which went with Abram had flocks and herds and tents, and the land was not able to bear them, that they might dwell together. For their substance was great, so that they could not dwell together. There was a strife between the herdmen of Abram's cattle and the herdmen of Lot's cattle. The Canaanite and the Perizzite dwelled then in the land. And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, between my herdmen and thy herdmen, for we be brethren I want you to look here at verse number 9 Bible says in verse 9 is not the whole land before thee separate thyself I pray thee from me thou wilt take the left hand and I will go to the right Or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left." And Lot lifted up his eyes and beheld all the plain of Jordan. It was well watered everywhere before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. Even as the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, is thou comest unto Zoar. He says in verse number nine He said separate thyself I pray thee from me I want to just talk to you a little while tonight on I want to just introduce you to my God I want to talk to you about my God I want to ask you a question tonight young folks especially Where's your God? Amen. I wonder tonight, do you have the stuff? You see, Lot lived his life. He had a good life. But he lived a lot of his life off of Abraham's God. He walked with Abraham's God. He listened to Abraham's God. And he worshipped with Abraham and his God. In other words, there came a time when Abram said to him, he said, listen son, we're going to have to separate. You're going to have to find your own God. You're gonna have to go your own way. Amen? Do you have the stuff tonight, folks? Do you have what it is to have a real God tonight? To have a personal God tonight? To have somebody that you know yourself and not... Listen, we got a lot of folks here tonight that it might be that you came here with mama's God. It might be that you came and there's nothing wrong with that. Glad that you're here, amen? But there better become a day in your life when you get your God, when you have your burdens, when you make your decisions. You don't have to decide that. I'm not doing that because God said it's right, not because daddy said it's right. Everybody alright? Amen. I'm just, let me give you a few, listen, there's a few folks that had the stuff, amen, that in the word of God, Daniel had the stuff, amen, that Daniel made up his mind that he was gonna live for God no matter what the world did, no matter how the weather changed, Daniel had his heart set, he had his heart settled, amen, and he purposed in his heart what he was gonna do. Those three Hebrew boys made up their mind. They hadn't settled who their God was. Didn't have to answer because of, listen, you know what our problem is today? We got too many clones running around. We got too many folks that's living off of other folks' God. I dare say they're probably not here, amen? But it could be in a lot of churches tonight that mama's here only because daddy's here. I've seen it too many times, Brother Charlie. I've watched them leave after their husband dies and never come back. I watched them leave after their wife leaves them and leave God and never come back. Isn't that sad? But that's where we are today. Listen to me. There's going to come a day, young folks, when if your parents quit serving God, you're going to have to make a decision. You're going to have to take a stand. We're raising a generation today that don't know God. Amen. I'm not trying to be mean. I want to help you for a little bit. Everybody alright? I mean, here's what I don't understand. 450 young people went into Egypt, into bondage, and only four stood for God. Isn't that something? Out of all those young folks that went into captivity, only four said, I'm not doing that. Only four said, hey, hey, you can do what you want to do. I came to serve God. Amen. Everybody all right? You know what? Jeremiah was real. Jeremiah had days of frustration. He had days of trouble and trial. And Jeremiah said, you know what? I quit. God, you've deceived me. I'm through with this. But you know what? He had a fire burning on the inside. And he made up in mind, I can't get out of this. And he went on for God because he had a personal God in him. Everybody all right? I said, Jeremiah had a God, amen. Joseph had a God. Oh, Joseph could have shut the door and took that woman in his arms, but he ran out and left his coat. Joseph had a personal God, amen. Can I ask you a question now? There's going to come a day, you're going to have to decide what you're going to do. There's going to come a day, listen to me, can I help you? Young folks, listen to me. You're going to have to make up your mind. If daddy don't serve God, what am I going to do? If daddy goes back to the world, what am I going to do? If mama goes back into the world, what am I going to do? Make up your mind. Here I stand, me and God. Hey, listen, and God will honor your life. Amen. Everybody okay? I'm just saying, hey, do you have it settled tonight? Do you have that thing taken care of in you? I'm not trying to get you lost. I'm just trying to help you. Amen? There ought to come a time in our life when we draw a line, and it becomes my God. It's my Lord. It's a personal thing. I'm not here because my daddy was a preacher, my mama served God. I'm here because God put something inside of me, amen. I got a fire like Jeremiah, and it won't burn out, amen. I just think, I heard a story one time about, is everybody alright? I heard a story one time about years ago about, they had a little section of land down on the Florida coast, maybe about 40 miles, a little town. And they said, for some reason, all those seagulls died. Every one of them just begin to die, just drop dead. They couldn't figure it out. You go just 10 miles further down the road, they were fine. Go ten miles the other way, but in this little section of land, this little strip on the east coast, all these seagulls, they were just dropping dead. They studied, they brought in the engineers, they brought in the specialists, they did everything they could to figure out. And it was a town where they had a shrimping business. These boats would get up and they'd go out early in the morning, every morning. They'd go out there and they'd fish all day. And they'd come in every afternoon, about four o'clock, those boats, same time, every afternoon, they'd come in. And they'd come in with a big haul of shrimp. And man, shrimp, they'd have waste. They'd start putting it out, throwing it out as they came in. And every afternoon, without fail. Those seagulls ate that waste. They ate that old shrimp and parts and things like that that they threw out as they were coming in. I mean, every day they had a free meal. Amen? I mean, for years they did that. Twenty-something years. They fed those shrimp every day a little after four. Now they're all dying. And then somebody realized that the shrimping business had shut down. They had closed up shop, moved further down into Florida and started a new business. And brother them, hey, you know what? All of those birds, all of those seagulls, they didn't know how to eat for theirself. They couldn't find food for theirself. They had one place where they ate every day of their life, and that's what they depended on. I'm telling you, dear heart, if you think you're going to make it on mama's God, our daddy's God, our brother's God, you better wake up. You got to get there on your God. Amen. There's going to come a day when you may die because you realize, hey, daddy ain't bringing me to church no more. My brother, he quit on God. Now what are you going to do? Amen? I'm just saying, folks, there's going to come a day, listen to me, I'm telling you it'll happen. You're going to make up your mind. What am I going to do about my God? Is He going to be real in my life? I'm going to, hey, there's going to come a day when you're going to have to make a decision. You're gonna have to say hey as for me and my house. We're going to sir. Are you listening to me? You're gonna have to decide you're gonna have to draw a line You're gonna have to say I came in here to serve God and love God and walk with God And that's the way I'm gonna leave a man Just like a lash and Elijah they're walking along Elijah left one of these days You're going to lose your Elijah. And then we're going to see about your God. Come on, everybody all right? I know this ain't popular. I didn't want to preach it. But I couldn't get out of it. I'm telling you, we're going to have some folks, I'm afraid, that's in trouble because we're raising them to do like we do and not like God does. We're raising them to listen to us and not to God. Come on, I'm just trying to help you. We need to make up our mind. Hey, cut that apron string. Cut that string when they're there and say, listen, you gotta decide. You gotta take a stand. It's gotta be your God. It's gotta be your word, amen. It's gotta be the word of God because it says so. Well, I'm about done. I'm thinking of getting out of here. Amen. I just, it amazes me. We're going to have to get to that place when those convictions, listen to me, those convictions, young folks, they better be your convictions. You can't, son, you can't live on your daddy's convictions for so long. You can't live on the preacher's convictions, but so long. Are you listening to me? You're gonna have to decide, hey, I'm gonna serve God. I love God. God saved my soul. I'm gonna live for God, amen. Y'all all right? Amen. Can I make an observation? Can I tell you what I believe might be a problem? I'm just trying to help you out. I want to tell you what I think may be the reason One of the problems in our life Because we got what we've done is we've replaced watch now We've replaced the idea that if we have spiritual gifts Then we're spiritual I'm just trying to help you. I'm telling you that's the way we are. We relate our want with God according to our want with the world. We relate our spiritualness with God. We relate that to how much, how many spiritual gifts we have. I don't think you understand what I'm saying. Can I read you something? Can I help you? Take your Bible. Go with me. Let's look at some scriptures. Look at 1 Corinthians 1, please. I want you to see this. Everybody okay? Give me 10 more minutes. Okay, okay, 12. Amen. 1 Corinthians 1, please. Everybody all right? 1 Corinthians 1, look with me please, and look at 1 Corinthians 1, look at verse 4. The Bible says, watch what Paul said, I thank my God always on your behalf for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ, that in everything You are enriched by Him in all utterance, in all knowledge, even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you. Listen, He's talking to save folks. Is that right? Verse 7, so that you come behind, watch, in no gift Waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ who shall also confirm you unto the end That you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ God is faithful by whom you were called into the fellowship of his son Jesus Christ our Lord watch Now I beseech you brethren by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing. And that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. Paul's talking to save folks, isn't he? He said, I'm praying that you come behind in no spiritual, I mean, I want God to give you all the gifts you can get. Isn't that right? Look at chapter two, please. In chapter two, look with me, please. Watch now, chapter two, verse number 12. The Bible says, now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God, that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God, which things also we speak not in words which man's wisdom teaches, but which the Holy Ghost teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual." Watch. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God. For they are foolishness unto him. Neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he that is spiritual judges all things. Yet he himself is judged of no man. Paul is showing us the difference of having spiritual gifts and being spiritual. Walking with God and being spiritual. It does not mean you have spiritual gifts and Having spiritual gifts don't mean you're right with God Come on I'm just trying to help you Listen, I went to God I could sing I know some of you wish I could sing, too. I understand. I mean, you've heard me and I've heard myself. I asked God, I said, Lord, let me sing. He said, you just preach. I'll get somebody else to sing. Amen? Don't it make you mad when you find them preachers that preach and sing? That bothers me. Boy, I tell you, nobody ought to have that many gifts, amen? I think it's great, though, when you got gifts, amen? But listen to me. What we've done is we got this idea that because we have spiritual gifts that we're spiritual. It's not so, folks. Are you hearing me? It doesn't make you spiritual. It doesn't make you walk with God or write with God just because you sing. Just because you can play the piano. Just because you can preach. That don't mean you're walking with God. Amen. You know what you got to do? There's going to come a time when you're going to have to make a decision. You're going to have to decide, hey, I'm going to walk with God no matter what my daddy does, no matter what the preacher does, no matter what mama does. I'm going to live for God. I'm going to trust God. I'm going to testify for God. I'm going to get burdened for others. In Jesus' name, amen. Don't do that. You know what Lot's problem was? Listen to me. Lot's problem was he lived off of Abraham's God. You say, how can you prove that? He didn't get out of his sight and he pitched his tent towards Sodom. Well, he didn't go down there and get in on the dance floor. He just sat up there and listened to the Willie Nelson concert. looked at the neon lights. He just got in the move. Amen. And the next thing you know, he's sitting at the gate. And the next thing you know, they on a dance joint. No wonder God turned his wife into a salt lick. She couldn't get her mind and her heart off of her stuff. Come on, you know I'm telling you the truth. Folks, listen, we're gonna have to make our minds. Can I show you something? Can I help you for a minute? Go to Matthew chapter 12, please. Matthew chapter 12. Everybody okay? Matthew chapter number 12. Look with me. When we begin to take our eyes off of our spirituality, our walk with God, and we begin to put it on our ability and our spiritual gifts, we're heading for trouble. Look with me, Matthew chapter 12, everybody there, look at verse 43. Bible says, when the unclean spirit has gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places seeking rest and findeth none. Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out. And when he has come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished. Then goeth he and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself. And they enter in, dwell there, and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation. You see that thing? They brought that young into church. Brother Jimbo, they ran the devil out of him. Amen? They made him clean up. They made him wear a tie, carry a Bible. They made him be faithful to Sunday school, and Wednesday night prayer meeting, and Sunday night, and Sunday morning, and any other time. Hey, hey, are you listening? They made him clean his room. Can I tell you something? Look at me, young folks. Can I help you? You that live at home. If you don't want a broken plate and a cup, you'll do what mama tells you. Isn't that right? I mean, listen. Mom and dad can make you go to church. Isn't that right? They can make you live for God. Are you listening to me? They can make you clean your room up. They can make you wash the dishes and carry out the trash. Come on, am I telling you the truth? Hey, your pastor can make you do certain things. He can make you sit up and listen. Well, he can make you sit up. Isn't that right? I mean, listen, you've got elders in your life and they can make you do some things. They can run the devil out of your house. while he's out if you don't invite Jesus to come in if you don't get Jesus on the inside while the devil's out why you why your life is clean and why you got a chance are you hearing what I'm saying there's going to come a day I'm telling you when that same devil that they ran out he's going to come back and bring seven more just like him And it's, you know what, it bothers me. It bothers me, brother, we can raise them up to their 16 and 17 and 18 years old at the church house and brother, the minute they get out from under mama's wing or daddy's wing, down the road they go and they never think about church, never consider God, never think about the house. Come on, I'm just trying to help you. You say preacher, you better get your head out of the sand, it's happening everywhere. You say, why is it happening, preacher? Because we made them and made them and made them and made them and it's alright to make them, but brother, you better get Jesus in them while the devil's out of them, amen? When they get old enough, you ain't gonna make them no more. I appreciate seeing we got a family come to our church, the whole family just in, I mean, Man, wife, daughter, and her daughter, it's a blessing, amen? But that, listen, you're gonna have to decide what you're gonna do personally, individually, whether nobody else does it or not. It's gotta be your God. Now look at me, I wanna help you. You look at a man tonight, There's a man of God that's a preacher. And I've made mistake after mistake. I would to God, I could go back and try it over again. Can't do it. You hear me? I mean, I have been through the ringer and back. I have fought hell every day of my life like most of these other people that love God. But look at me, I'm telling you tonight by the power of God's word, I love the Lord. He's my God. I walk with Him, amen? And I'm not ashamed of what He done in my life. I'm still just as saved as the day God saved me, amen? I thank God for coming by, pulling me out of the gutter, amen? Saving my wretched soul and giving me eternally a life, amen? And I didn't have to fake any of it. Hello? Paul said I am what I am by the grace of God. What you see is what you get. Amen? Can I tell you something? That's not so with some of you young folks and some of you older folks. I have watched it in my life, brother, man. I have watched them. I have seen The husband die, woman leave God, leave church, never see her again. You say why? Because she was there on his God. Come on, is that right? Seen the same way with some men. I've seen men keep other men in church. Do you know what happens when that man dies or leaves? Can't find him with a searchlight. because they don't have the real thing on the inside. I'm closing, I'm done. Can I ask you a question tonight? Do you have it? Do you, just like that brother said, do you know him? Are you here on mama's God? Do you just know daddy's God? Everybody all right? I guess I done killed this thing, bro. You'll pick it up. Listen to me. Can you tell me something tonight? Can you search your heart and make sure? Can you just ask yourself, hey, who am I living for? Am I living for God or am I living for the preacher? Amen? Hey, preachers, look at me. You better be careful. You can make them do what you want them to do. You can make them be staunch and starched and stiff and put all that list in their mind of the things they should do and shouldn't. But you cannot make them love God. You better spend more time praying for them because they're not what you think they are. You know how I know? Preacher, listen to me, because you know what you think you are. All right, I'm done, brother.