Lord we pray that you would open our hearts and minds to receive what you have this morning. We thank you so much for your presence. Thank you for your grace this morning. Thank you for the power of God, the power of the Gospel - that caused man back to God, out of the darkness and into His glorious light. We pray and we bless you Father, in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Amen! Today I would like to talk about the victory of the children of God, amen! We can look around all the world right now and things seem to be really getting shaken up, right? Politically we can see that there's a lot of major political decisions happening right now, all sorts of divisions. When I say politically it's not even just America, it seems like all over the world there are things that are shifting and happening. We see that there are wars that are beginning to occur or rumors of wars. We see big fires in Australia and all these natural disasters and it feels like there's a pressure that's building and building and from whatever point we look at it, it's as if the earth itself is shaking, right? I really started to think about all this and I was reminded of all throughout the Scripture, what begins to happen when things begin to shake up. What begins to happen when the earth seems to be shaking and things are happening.

I want to say that the sons of God are now called to rise up! That the children of God are now called to pray like never before, to seek the Lord if you never sought Him to this day, to now turn to the Lord Jesus like never before, and to cry out to God because it's in these times and it's in such days that God's people rise up and come to Him. Amen.

I started to further think about what the word of the Lord says. It says that “all creation groans and yearns for the sons of God to be revealed.” It really opened my eyes to really settle - God, you are doing something new, you are doing something spectacular. In the midst of all the shaking, in the midst of all the intensity - God is about to do something, He's about to reveal His sons. He's about to bring forward the children of God. But the question is, who are the sons of God?

The sons of God are the children of God. They are the people that belong to Him. I want to say something today church, that when the sons of God are revealed, when the children of God step into a room. When a child of God steps into the scene - listen, the atmosphere must change because every child of God doesn't step into that room alone, but we carry the kingdom of God. We carry the power of God, we carry the power of God that is able to break every false doctrine of darkness that has invaded churches today. We carry the power of God that brings the Gospel, that can bring us from death into life. We carry the power of God that proclaims He is Lord and He is King! There is victory for the children of God!

So God is calling us today, He's calling His children to wake up. To wake up out of our slumber, to wake up out of worldliness, to wake up out of our self and selfishness, and to step into victory. And listen, there is only one possible way - it is through the glorious Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Gospel that can take a person who is a child of hell, a child of the world, a child of darkness, and to now be a child of God. A child of God no longer loving this world, no longer a lover of money, no longer a lover of wickedness - but now a lover of God, a lover of His commands and a lover of His son.The Gospel that calls us to be sons and daughters of the Lord Jesus Christ. You see, God, He's not satisfied with just a little bit of coming to church, He's not interested in religiosity and religion where people come to church every week they hear messages, they pray a little bit, and then they go back home to the world - with no change, no shifting of heart. But God is looking for His children, He is looking for the sons of God to be revealed. Why? Because His children are a different breed, His children are a victorious breed. His children are those that, although we are in this world - the world says, “Listen young people, it's not possible to be holy.” The world that says, “Listen, there’s no way a man or woman can truly come into the Gospel and really give their lives to Christ.” “No, there’s no way that somebody can really want to be pure for God and live for Him and make a difference.” - But I want to say the children of God are victorious! We are the ones who live in holiness!

We are the ones who will demonstrate the power of God. That yes, a young man can give His life to the Lord Jesus Christ and not chase after every girl and after every drug - but to be sold out for Him. That God can take a person into every drug and into every drink and whatever it may be, and to bring them to now stand at the altar of the Lord and to bring others - to bring His family, to bring His children, to serve the living God. This is the call of the children of God today. God is saying, “Come!” - He is saying, “Wake up!”

So the question is, who are the children of God?

We’re going to be reading from the book of John chapter 1. We’re probably very familiar with this verse in chapter 1 of John verses 12 to 13 and as you’re turning there, I'm praying today that as we go through the Scripture, if you find that you are not a child of God, if you're thinking - God I am far from you, I do not know you. Then I'm praying today that the word of the Lord would touch you, the power of God would come and that you will become a child of the Most High today. For those of you who realize through these Scriptures - you know what, I am a child of God. I'm praying today that you too would also be encouraged by the power and the glory in the Word of the Lord for His people.

So let's read it together it says, “yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in His name, he gave the right to become children of God - children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.” So I ask again, who are the children of God?

The children of God are those who receive Christ. What does it mean to receive the Lord Jesus? I want to say that to receive the Lord Jesus is to receive His message. The message of Jesus is that He is the Son of God and He calls every man woman and child to bow and to follow Him. But how many people actually truly receive the Lord Jesus for who He is and for His message? You know, in this very same chapter of John, it says in there that the Lord Jesus had come to His own. He came to His own people. And what did they do? It says that they rejected Him. They rejected the living Word. But I want to say today, that this living Word is still being preached today, it is still alive and it is still speaking the same message - that the Lord Jesus Christ is the Lord, He is the King, and He rules and He reigns!

Pastor Janeth was preaching last week all about the Lordship of the Lord Jesus. Unless He is the Lord of our life, the Lord of our life in every way - there is no change, there is no transformation. It's such a simple message, but seldomly is it preached today in America. It's such a simple, but powerful message that is seldomly received by any. Many preach of Christianity today that is all about you, it's a message that emphasizes a better you, a better me. It emphasizes that God just wants us to be happy, He wants us to move along and in the end - get something for me, get something for you and nothing else but “me, me, me”. But this is not the message of the Lord Jesus Christ. The true message of the Gospel is that all things were made for Him, by Him, and through Him and it is all about the Lord.

Those who receive the Lord Jesus Christ, receive the message that He is the King and that He is the Lord and we bow and we walk accordingly. We are those who bow and say - Lord have your way in my life. You are the king no matter what I'm doing - in my schooling, in my job, in my relationships. I give it to you Father and I shall follow your voice. You see, the world can never and will never receive this message Will never receive the Lord, as a matter of fact - the world rejects the very message that calls man to obey and to surrender. Even today among churches many are deceived into thinking that Christianity is about us being able to pick and choose. I can have some salvation Lord, of course I want it - but the Lordship thing, keep it away. Don't instruct me how to live my life. Some may say - you know what God, I love your anointing I want the anointing, I want power but keep the discipline that it takes for me to seek you, to pursue you, and to come after you.

I want to say today, that although the world has rejected the Holy One, there is a remnant. There is a remnant in the house of God and they are the children of God who say Father, “Here I am!”, and they are not afraid to choose and to walk the path of the Lord Jesus Christ. They are ready to pick up their cross and follow Him because something spectacular is birthed in the one that receives the Lord Jesus. Humility is birthed. A humility that says - Jesus, do as you please. Here I am Lord, take me. My life is yours! Today many people claim that “I have received the Lord Jesus” but yet they walk away still living like the rest of the world - no change, no direction, no evidence of His message being alive in their life.

Hallelujah! I want to say that the children of God are those who receive the message that He is the king and they are in victory today - because God says He will lift the lowly up, He will lift up the broken, He will lift up the humble, and He will bring them up to rise up on eagles wings. For those who receive the King, receive him!

When we receive Him, we receive salvation. Salvation is found in no other man but in the Lord Jesus Christ. The Word of the Lord makes clear that every man has fallen short of the glory of God - all have sinned, all have decided; Father, I want to go my own way, I'm going to do my own thing. There has been a price for each and every bit of darkness that we walked in. The Bible says that the wages of sin are death. There's a price, there's a penalty, and it's death - death apart from Christ. It's where people can be walking around and they look like they're alive but they're dead in their spirit, they're dead in their soul. You may be talking to a person, having a conversation, yet they are dead in their mind to Christ. Listen, these wages - the wages of our sin, no amount of money can take care of it. None of my best effort, none of my goodness can conceal the debt - and because of our debt we are destined to perish in hell. But there is one today, His name is the name above all names! His name is the Lord Jesus Christ! That those who repent, those who turn to Him, turn and receive salvation.

This salvation is so great! It's the salvation that is promised to those who cling to the Lord Jesus in this world knowing that He can sustain us. He can sustain us as we receive Him until the day that the fullness of our salvation comes - the day He returns or the day that He takes us home. You know, we were speaking a little bit this past week about New Year's. I know we’ve been saying a lot about it and it’s still that “new year mentality”. The gyms are lowering the price to get everybody in to prepare for the goal of getting in shape and all that. And we think about it - the world is preparing for this new year with a bunch of temporary changes to their body, temporary changes to their finances, whatever it may be. Listen, all those things are gonna perish. One day we’re going to stand before God - and I want to say that to those who receive the Lord Jesus Christ, He's gonna bring a change, but it's an eternal change. Because when we stand before God, He's not gonna ask that you get all the twitter followers that you wanted this year, did you save up all the money that you had a goal to get - No! The only question is gonna be: Did you receive my son? Did you receive the great salvation that was preached every Sunday? Did you receive the great call to follow my Son? Because the Lord Jesus Christ is the only one who can save us and He is the only one that can bring us in to become a child of God.

There is salvation in the house of the Lord today and it is found in no other but in those that receive the Lord Jesus Christ. God is saying today - that we must “work out our salvation with fear and trembling.” It's very important, as the Bible instructs us, to stop and to really look at our faith. Really look to see to be sure - have we truly received this great Gospel? Have we truly come into Christ, into the Son of God? That not only He would rule the world, but that He would literally rule my life. See the salvation that Jesus brings, is a salvation that puts us into perspective. It'll wake you up to say - “Wow, God is truly the only one that holds the power of life and death in His hands. It's not my boss, it's not my job, it's not the money, it's not the good plan that I have for my life - but it is only the Lord Jesus Christ that can save me from the wrath of God that is against all sin. He is the only one that can cause me to turn from this world and to turn to God.” He brings us back to the Father. You see to receive Jesus is to be reconciled with God.

God from the beginning, His intent was that He would create mankind for Himself. That we would walk with Him, that we would be with our Father, that we would walk hand-in-hand all the days of our life. But the sinfulness of man's heart - we have walked away from Him, man's heart rather have everything but God. Maybe some of His healing, maybe seek for His provision, but not God. But I'm yet reminded of what the Scripture says. It says that “though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong His days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand.” See Jesus on the day that He offered himself on the cross, He brought a way of restoration to restore the will of God. That man would now walk with His God and God will walk with the man He created to be all that He intended to be.

Have we truly received the Lord Jesus Christ? If so, have we been reconciled with God? You know that you're being reconciled and that you're coming back to God when your eyes are all of a sudden open and you’re thinking - “God where have I been all these years?” I've wasted so much time, I've walked against you, God. I have lived a life going my own way, but Father today I’m repenting. I feel a bubbling, I feel an urging to return to the Lord my God because Jesus himself is the one who brings us back. He is the truth and when you receive the truth, He will bring you to the Father and there is no other place, no other way but to come home to the house of the Lord where His children belong.

Christianity has been so much today - all about, you know, ‘God just loves everyone’ and ‘He wants you to enjoy yourself.’ But I want to say that true Christianity is about coming back to the Father. It's about being made right with God and coming to the place that He has called for His children to be. Nothing else matters in our life, nothing else is acceptable. God is looking for one thing and for one thing alone, for the Lord Jesus Christ to enter in and for him to once again walk in the flesh by walking in our life. Have you received Him this day?

And so, who are the children of God? They who receive the Lord Jesus.

Secondly, who are those who receive Him? It is they who believe in His name. The second part of this verse says; to those who believed in his name, to those who received him, and also to those who believed in His name. What does it mean to believe in Him? Listen, when we believe in the Lord Jesus Christ there is a transformation that takes place. When I read the Gospel, when I read the book of the Lord - there are countless stories of the blind, the lame, the deaf, and those who are oppressed by every demonic power. Demonic powers that have caused sickness and all sorts of bondage, but these men and women approach the Lord Jesus Christ in hope, hope that He can transform their lives. And what do they do? They put their trust in Him and hallelujah - the blind were now able to see, the deaf were now able to hear, the oppressed would now be set free and every demonic hold would be broken and shattered because of the power of the Lord Jesus Christ!

Many will today say - you know, of course I believe, yet still remain in their sin and still remain in the same place all their life. Still loving the world: comfortable with themselves and where they are, where everything just goes along, still comfortable with every demonic power, with every demonic voice or everything that comes and holds them back from God. But I want to say today, when you truly believe in the Lord Jesus Christ there is a transformation. It is something that causes you to rise up - to see that God is King. To come out of the darkness, to come out of the greed and the evil and the wickedness, and to come into serving the Lord Jesus Christ. Transformation is not that I'm behaving a little bit better now, it's not that I'm not doing the things I used to do, I'm not drinking like I used to, I’m not cussing people out. Listen, it's good that we’re not, but that's not transformation - we could call that reformation. And the thing about that, is a person could really reform their life, but still yet be a child of hell - because it hasn't touched the inside. But I want to say, that the one who truly believes, hallelujah, the one who believes in the Lord Jesus Christ - there is a transformation because something happens in the inside. You see, real transformation is when all of a sudden the Lord touches you, He touches me, and this world all of a sudden just begins to get dimmer and dimmer and your heart beat changes. See, your heart’s no longer beating because Netflix is finally gonna release the season you’ve been waiting for. Your heart’s not beating because Friday's come, you check the bank and the check has come in. No, your heart is beating for another, your heart is beating for the Lord Jesus, your heart is beating saying - “Lord, be exalted, be lifted high, be exalted in my life”

Yes, you know, part of transformation is that we would come out of drugs and lying and stealing and all sorts of bad things. But I want to say that the greatest part of transformation in the Lord Jesus Christ is that the Lord Jesus Christ has found a dwelling place in His child. That He is now formed and somebody is now - a young man, a young woman, who at one time walked away from God, who did not care for His laws or His ways - is now loving Him. What a transformation to now be hungry for change, to now be thirsty saying - Father, you've got to fill me because I'm gonna serve you. I got to be with you, but Lord I'm going to need your power. I’m gonna need you...and your heart is beating for something more, there is more and there is something bigger.

Those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, there's an overtaking of obedience. Those who believe in Him - you believe that He is God. If we believe Him to be God, then we know and we believe that we should follow Him. You see, the children of God have one order of business in this life - and I say that again, we have one order of business in this life and that is to do the will of the Father, to obey. Jesus himself, He said ‘that I only do what I see my Father doing.’ He said this is all I do, I don't go left, I don’t go right, I go wherever God the Father is calling me. He was making very clear - listen, this is the life of a child of God, to take the instruction of God, to do what He says. This is the life of a child: to follow and to obey. There are many Christians out there today, that believe that we can easily just say a prayer and just believe that all is well, and you'll receive a great big mansion in heaven, God will make sure that He prospers you just enough in this life and your life will just go on and everything will be proper and all settled in place because now you're settled with God and all is fine. There's no need for more, there’s no need to go deeper - but I want to say that the Lord Jesus Christ says that true belief - true faith is shown by what I do.

Now am I saying that I'm saved by works? No, but what I am saying is that I will show you my faith by my works because obedience is the true sign of somebody that has truly believed in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ! If you believe in His name you will find yourself working for Him because He's also working in you. To believe in the Lord Jesus Christ is to believe in the one who lived for His Father's purposes. And listen, when you believe in Him - when you turn to the Lord Jesus Christ, He gives us His Spirit. It is the Spirit of Jesus. He is the Holy Spirit, the same Spirit that will cause us to walk, to obey. The same Spirit that will prompt us to steps of obedience, to walk with God. You see, a child of the world would never think about obeying the Lord. A child of the world would think - you know what, I'm not married yet, I don't have a spouse, I’m gonna go look and I’m gonna find somebody that I want to have in my life. But see, a child of God says - you know what God, I’m gonna wait cause I believe you. I believe you've got somebody prepared for me. Before I was even born, you already had it set in place. You see a child of the world would say - this job looks really good, it's the highest paying, it seems like it can be really convenient, I'm just gonna take it. But see a child of God would say - Father the job looks really good, and I know I need the money, but Father I need you. I need you more than the money. Father I will wait because I know if this is the job that you want me to have, it will be a job where even as I'm there I will be able to bring down the kingdom of God. I will be able to serve you even as I'm working - even on the shift I will be shifting the heavens. Even as I'm pursuing you in my schooling, God, it will be your direction and it will be your way.

See, when we truly believe in His name we become accustomed to the leading of His voice. The children of God know the voice of the Lord, the voice that is always drawing us close. Do you hear His voice? Do you walk with Him?

The world will never know His voice, but the child of God will - even if it's just a whisper, we know that it's crucial and it's the best way to follow. Even if it's just a whisper, we listen and we go because we know God will bring us into victory. God's children, we go from glory to glory because daily, we walk step-by-step with the Lord and Savior that we believe and we follow. Listen, I've learned that the most important thing in my life, is to follow the Lord, is to obey His call. Even when all hell breaks loose, it's got to be - Father ,what do I do? Where do I go? Even if sickness seems to invade our bodies, if it seems to invade our household it's, God I know that you are yet God over sickness. I know that you command the seas to come and God you can command the darkness to flee. Even when all hell seems to be breaking loose and I don't know what to do, Father what is your will? For you are the life, you are my salvation and Father everywhere you go, everywhere you call me, I shall be victorious.

Listen, it's not about what we're going to get out of obeying God. It's not that we’re going to get an advantage. And listen, we do get an advantage following the Lord. There is a blessing that comes from it - but see the greatest thing for somebody who truly believes, is that we follow God, simply because He is God. Simply because He's worthy, simply because He is the pearl of great worth and there is no other like Him. I ask today, do you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ? If so, is there a transformation? Have you no longer looked at the world as this bright and shiny thing that we need to cling on and we can’t let go? Is the world seemingly growing dimmer and dimmer and you seemingly starting to grasp Christ for all that He is.

Do you believe in Him? Do you believe in the power of God that causes us to obey -where we become about God's business? His business is the business of holiness. His business is the business of love and sacrifice. God says, today I'm calling my children to myself, do you believe? And so the children of God are those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Lastly, who are the children of God? They are given power - power from God. Let's read the last section of the Scripture. “He gave the right to become children of God, children not born of natural descent nor human decision or husbands will, but born of God.” You see, to become a child we have to be birthed at some point, right? But this birthing is spectacular - the children of God are given power to become His children. To become a child of God is not something that I can do, it's not something that any person can accomplish on their own - to be given the right, to become a child of God is only through the power of God. But it is no normal power. Listen, it is the same power that caused Jesus to come out of the tomb. It is the same power that caused Him to rise from the dead - is also the same power that takes us out of the old and into the new. See apart from Christ, by nature we are not God's people. By nature the Bible calls us Gentiles, a people who were on the outside. By nature, we are born into a lineage that is nowhere near God - where we aren't even searching for them, we cannot care for His laws, but we want to do our own thing - walking our own ways and creating our own idea of what the law is. Destined to perish, away from God forever. But I want to say today, that there is power given! It’s when this Scripture comes alive, where it says that at one place you were told that you are not my people, they will now be called children of the living God. This is the great work that is accomplished by the power of those who come to the Lord Jesus Christ - they are risen from the dead, they are taken from being no longer a people of the world, to now be a people of God. To now be a child of the Most High, no longer overtaken by our passions and desires, but taken by the Spirit!

At one time - think about that - not a people of God; our destiny was to be children of the devil, to perish in hell. But today there is power - power to become His child! “Not by might, but by my Spirit” says the Lord. That if we turn to Him, if we repent from our wickedness, if we repent from walking in this world and walking in it’s ways - and if we turn to the Lord Jesus, we will receive light and power to become His very own: Children of the living God.

Maybe today you're hearing this and saying - I want to come to you Lord, I want to be a child. Lord, I'm looking to become a son, a daughter - then turn to the Lord Jesus Christ and there is power for transformation! There's power of His spirit, the power of His Spirit. The working of God has nothing to do - and I love the Scripture because it says - it's not according to a mother/a husband's will. This isn't coming about because of a decision of our mother or our father, this birthing is not because of human passion or plan, but it's a result - what - of the Spirit. Jesus said “that flesh gives birth to flesh, but the spirit gives birth to spirit.” He gives birth to something new - the Spirit of God comes into the child of God that he be born of God and now the flesh could no longer rule you, now you've got the grace to say “No!” to ungodliness. Now, when you're alone in the room you can say, “No!” to the evil. Now when you're on the computer you can say, “No!” Now when the devil tries to prompt you to sin against the Lord, you can say, “No!” - you can say, “No!” to the darkness and “Yes!” to the King!

God is ready to release His power over His children that He's called from long ago, from when we were born. He's ready to bring us forward. And listen, this is awesome, that as God pours out His spirit, that He empowers us with the Spirit, that we would simply be those who overcome because we are children of God. Wherever we go, we carry Him.

Those who are born of God, they don't make a practice of sinning because God's life is in them. Those who are born of God are in the world, but are not of the world because the Lord Jesus Christ is in them. Those who are born of God are not ordinary, but they are extraordinary. God in His power - the power that He gives, the power that we receive - it's a power to live the life of godliness with Him. Many times - I was thinking about this word and we read the Scriptures and we read about a lot of the old profits, Elisha and Isaiah, and what do we think when we read about them? We’re thinking - “Man! These men and women are extraordinary!” These guys were being run down, but God delivered them. Then they would go and overtake a nation with the power of God and bring salvation. Then we think of people like David or Paul and we’re like, “Wow!” David, He was a mighty king that defeated armies. And Paul, He would go from town to town preaching the Gospel; despite being beaten He would rise up again! What a lineage, right? I thought about that, but this is what the Word of the Lord says - He says, the children of God are not ordinary, just like these men and women. He says that, “you are heirs of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers,” In other words, we are the sons of God brought into the entire lineage of these great holy men and women of old -and just as God worked in them, just as they stood before the nations, just as they stood before rulers and all sorts of kings and they demonstrated the power of God - we too have something to live up to. We have an inheritance and it is to bring the very same power that He brought through His profits. The same power of Paul, the same Gospel that was working in David, even then, is now working in the child of God.

This is bigger than the lineage of Michael Jordan. This is bigger than the lineage of a Lebron James. Think about that, when we hear about great athletes or when we know somebody that physically dominates a sport or something or a physical challenge, what do we say? We say - man it's in their genes, right? It's in their DNA. I want to say today, that the sons of God are different. That there is no such thing as ordinary for us because it's in our DNA. It is in our genes to be like our Daddy. Hallelujah! It is in our genes to live in the promises of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It is in our DNA to be just like those who walked and conquered darkness because they walked hand-in-hand with their God.

Sadly so many today - yet so many Christians are still yet asleep in the slumber of the world and in selfishness. While God's name is being defiled every moment, while we live in a nation that was birthed and founded by the power of God, a nation that has forgotten the mercy and has rejected God's ways; so many Christians carry on as all is well - but I want to say today, God is calling His children to rise! That if we would turn from our sin, that if we would wake up - God can do something incredible! He can bring our nation back! He can bring His people back! And though the world carries on - we are not ordinary, we are extraordinary because although the world carries on, we carry on with the glory of God. We carry the birthing of something great, we carry the Spirit and the power of the mighty Lord that brings people from out of the grave - we’re talking about out of the tomb, we’re talking about rising up to rise with our God, to live as God has intended us to live! Church today, are you a child of God? Are you in Christ? And if you be a child, have you taken the fullness of the call to receive all that God has called us to? To not be ordinary, to not sit back as the world goes on, but to pursue the glory of God that His name will be exalted, that honor would be brought back to the house of the Lord. That honor would be brought back to the name of God, that glory will be brought back to the house!

You know, it's been far too long that Christianity has been considered a joke today in our nation. It's been considered - the world knows so many Christians to speak against the world, but to still have the world in them. The world sees Christianity as just a religion where people go day by day, but very rarely has the world seen the children of God. God is not looking just for Christianity, God is looking for Christianity to come in, for us to rise as His children and to demonstrate to the world that somebody is about to honor the King. That some young man is about to wake up today and be birthed into something new. That some young woman is gonna wake up and say - God, my life is yours now. I don't want to live against you anymore. I don’t want to live just for my schooling, I don’t want to live just to have a boyfriend and one day get married. Father, I want to live to bring glory to your name. I want to live to demonstrate to the world that what they've been groaning for has just come forward!

All creation is groaning right now for the sons of God to be revealed. But we have to look at our lives today. Have we truly walked in what we proclaimed to have received and believed? Have we truly walked as the children of God? Every time we find ourselves in between, trying to figure out if I want to be in the world or if I want to be with Christ - God's name is dishonored. His name is defiled and it is brought to a defeat, because the world is looking to see the sons of God revealed, the world is looking to see if God is going to walk this earth again and somebody that would just follow Him and give their lives. I was thinking about this right before this message, and I was thinking about the fact that the world, the Spirit of the world - the Bible makes clear that it despises the children of God. The spirit that is in this world, it hates to see anybody being birthed into something with God and it does all that it can to distract, to pull away, and to tap at anything that it can in our lives to destroy - and it would rather have you and I perish, then to come to God and to come alive and to come into sonship. I think about the devil, he would want nothing more in our life then for us to die and to perish in hell; he would take joy in seeing a child of God being held back from coming into the fullness. And I’m thinking about this and thinking, whenever we don't act as a child of God, whenever we're not pursuing God - we’re taking these things up. And why would I ever want to take something up that is so hateful, that is so dark, that is so against God? Why would I ever want to grip the world - and if I say that I can't let it go, what am I really holding on to? What am I really clinging to? The very thing that wants to destroy, the very thing that doesn't want to see my family come into the fullness of the Gospel, the very thing that wants me to be snuffed out, the very thing that doesn't want to see your brother or your sister come into Christ - but hold us back to remain in our selfishness, our greed, our evil, all the other things that we pursue. But that is not the call of a child of God, and God is saying - wake up today, let it go, come alive!

Today is not a day to just go back home and to go back to the world. Today is not a day to say - oh it’s great to be a child of God, I guess I’ll just walk along. No, He is saying to turn! He is saying to look at our lives, to be sure! To look at your election to see if you’ve truly received my son!

Have you been transformed this day? Have you been able to come into Christ and to overcome every desire, to begin to pursue Him?

Listen, it may not be all there today but you are on a journey, you are going from glory - yesterday is gone and today is a new day! But we've got to get real and God is saying - I want to awaken my children. This is not a joke! Children are perishing, men and women are dying as we sit on our couch, as we go after our new Netflix series, as we’re worried about everything else, but we’re putting God aside. God is saying - Today is the day to turn, to repent for dishonoring the Lord, to repent for acting like the world, for living in the world, for being children of hell and now becoming children of God.

But will you turn this day?

I remember a moment in my own life where I went from loving this world, and loving the praise of man, and loving the pleasing of man, and loving to have popularity or to just have whatever for ‘me, me, me’. But I'll never forget the day that the Lord Jesus Christ had touched my heart - and I realized that I was a dead man perishing. That I was a dead man on my way to hell, that I was far from the ways of God, that my heart was wicked, but hallelujah - God and His mercy and His grace, He touched my life and He opened my eyes to see my rebellion, to see the evil and the wickedness - so that He would bring me in as a child, no longer of darkness, but a child of God.

I stand today as nothing else other, but as a child of the Most High God, that He would be my Father and that I would walk with Him all the days of my life. The greatest thing that I can ever have, the greatest thing I know that my family can have, that we would be a family with God - that we would walk with our Savior, with our Lord.

I pray today that you would turn. That if your heart is moved this morning by the Word of the Lord, that you would begin to cry out saying, “Father, have mercy”. To repent from the way that we live, the things that we've done, the comforts that we've grasped rather than comfort of God. And that today would be the day of salvation - that today, that there would be a birthing. This is a season of birthing and I believe that there’s gonna be a new man birthed this day, that there's gonna be a new woman birthed this day - a new young man, a new young woman.