Protect your freedom Galatians 5:1

Galatians 5:1 (CWSB)
The Privileges of Christian Liberty
1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

Power To Change Ministry 

          Rev. Alvin Lewis

Powertochangeministry@gmail.Com

Powertochangeministry.org

973-583-7482

Transcript

SPEAKER_03 0:46

Grace and peace from God, our Father, and Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Thank you for tuning in to the Power to Change Ministry. And my name is Reverend Alvin Lewis, and I will be your host for today. I pray that you're having a wonderful day in the Lord, and that you're experiencing God in a way that you have never experienced Him before. And that you understand that if you have given your life back to the Lord, that it was the best decision that you could ever make. And if you have not given your life back to the Lord, that you see after you listen to this podcast, or maybe you have already discovered that through some other experiences that you have had in your life, that you must give your life back to the Lord right now. There must not be a delay in that decision. Because you need the guidance of our eternal Father as you travel through time making your way back to glory, back to our eternal Father. So today, my assignment is Galatians chapter 5, verse 1. And the title of this teaching is Protect Your Freedom. Let's start with a word of prayer and let's hear what God has to say. Father God, in the name of the Lord Jesus, we thank you for this day that you have made. We thank you, O Lord, for the power of your word, O Lord, in the name of Jesus. We thank you that your word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. We thank you, Father God, for loving us the way that you do and giving us your only begotten Son to become sin for us in the name of Jesus, and not giving us the punishment that we need as we are sinners and we in a desperate need of your grace. So we tell you, thank you for all that you do for us in the name of Jesus, and we ask that you help us to respond by surrendering ourselves unto you in the name of Jesus, so that you could have your way in our lives the way that you see fit that we should be living. Lord, and we will forever be grateful, giving you thanks and praise for all of your mighty work. In your son Jesus' name I pray. Amen. Protect your freedom. I'm going to read the scripture of observation and application. Galatians chapter 5, verse 1. Stand fast, therefore, in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. Now we see here in this particular verse, which is a part of the epistle of to the Galatians, and Apostle Paul is a contributor as being the author, and the date of it 55 to 60 A.D. The purpose to defend the doctrine of justification by faith with a warning against a reversion to Judaism and vindicate and vindicate Paul's own apostolic authority. Now to whom it was written, it was addressed to the churches in Galatia, a district in Asia Minor. Now, according to historians, the exact boundaries uh are uncertain. And the main theme, it's set the course and charting the course for the church. And the main argument is in favor of Christian liberty in opposition to the teachings of the Judicizers. These false teachers insisted that the observance of the ceremonial law was an essential part of the plan of salvation. And we have a few keywords. We have key words faith, grace, liberty, and the cross in this particular epistle. Now, also, just to give you an outline of this particular epistle and some information. Now, Paul, as I said, Paul addresses the churches in Galatia, expressing astonishment that they have abandoned the gospel of grace for false teaching. Now the letter divides into three major movements, each addressing a district concern. So we see here that Paul had observed that what was going on, and he has devised a response to the actions of those in those districts. The first one, we have an opening, we have here opening and an occasion. Now, this is a salutation establishing Paul's apostolic authority, followed by an astonishment rebuke formula rather than a traditional thanksgiving. Paul expresses alarm at the Galatians, rapid departure from Christ's grace, and pronounces a curse on anyone preaching a different gospel. Now you will find that in uh Galatians 1, verses 1 through 10. And then he went on to give a defense on doctrine. This section establishes the authority of the gospel through Paul's personal testimony, his validation at Jerusalem, his confrontation at Antioch, and his thesis on justification by Christ's faithfulness. Paul then appeals to the readers through arguments from their experience of the Spirit and from Scripture. The theological argument follows a pattern centered on sonship, not as an end in itself, but as the fulfillment of God's covenant promise regarding Abraham's inheritance. So we see that Paul is giving some information. And then they go on, and we have a practical exhortation, his ethical instruction. This is in uh chapter five, and its section addresses Christian freedom and its proper expression. This encompasses freedom from legalism, love as the fulfilling principle of the law, and the contrast between spirit-empowered living and fleshly desires. And then the closing is the conclusion summarizes the letter's central issue more extensively than Paul, Paul's other epistles, and omits conventional greetings and the holy kiss. Now, Paul is giving some information here so that we understand that God has included all of his creation, and the only requirement to be a part of the body of Christ, which is the church, is to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. And when you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you are now sharing in the completed work of Jesus the Christ, whereas he was born, he lived his life, he was crucified, he died, and he was resurrected, and he ascended back to the Father, where he is positioned at the right hand of the Father, seat sitting down. So when we accept all of what, the as I said, the completed work of Jesus the Christ, we now get to share in what was achieved through that work. And it's not something that we can do on our own, which is what legalism suggests, because it is about works. Now, don't misunderstand and think that when you are saved by grace and you accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, that that's it. No, that grace will bring you to a place where you will now have good works, but it is not the good works that I can do that will give me the salvation. So we see here that that Paul is teaching and addressing the errors and I should say the turbulence, the complications, the challenges of those who are in this particular church at this time. Now, let's look at this here a little closer. Now, the freedom versus legalism. Now, Paul openly opens by commanding the Galatians to stand fast in the liberty Christ has provided and avoid becoming entangled again with the yoke of bondage. So it's crystal clear to let us know like grace is a gift. It is free, it's a free gift to those who accept it. And we accept it by faith, meaning that we were not there when the actual event that we are believing and we are accepting took place. As I said, uh uh we we trust God to believe that what he is saying in his word is the truth, and that if we believe that it is the truth, that we should find ourselves being um governed by the word of God. First Corinthians eight nine says, but take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to them that are weak. So God included everybody in this grace, but we see that legalism with some of those teachers, the false teachers, are saying that nah, justification, meaning that you are cleansed and you are uh have the right to be in the presence of God and you you're vindicated of your guilt so that that that uh it has been taken care of, that it has to be done through the work of the law. And in that, one one of the major topics is circumcision, and saying that you must be circumcised. But we see here that Paul is saying no. So when we look at that at uh 1 Corinthians 8:9, the Judicizers are using a freedom that is available to them if they are to accept it as a stumbling block to others, which is the Gentile, which is those who are not originally a part of the uh Abrahamic covenant as of yet, until Jesus Christ came. And by faith, when we accepted him, now we become uh a part of that covenant, and we and we receive the benefits of it because of the grace of God through the completed work of Jesus the Christ. Now, also 1 Peter 2.16 says, as free and not using your liberty for a choke, a I'm sorry, for a cloak of maliciousness, but as the servants of God. As I said before, when you get saved, I am getting saved so that I could do the work of the Lord. I am getting saved so that now my life will change based upon my mind. The word tell us, be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind. So now I am now living according to a different set of standards. The word of God is now the lamp unto my feet. So now it is going to guide me and a light unto my path. It is going to guide me according to the will of God that he has for my life and what he wants me to do according to the standard that he has established. As I take his word as sacred, and I uh thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against you. So I see the word as sacred and I know that it is vital to my existence, that I must have the word of God, and I must understand the word of God so that I can do the things that God is calling me to do. So we see that this is what Paul is talking about. Now, to move on a little bit more about the freedom and versus legalism, he argues that accepting circumcision renders Christ's accomplishment worthless. And anyone who adopts circumcision incurs obligation to obey the entire law. One not can selectively follow portions. So the standard and according to the things of the law, well, let me say this first. Don't think that the law is evil, don't think that the law is wrong. No, the law is satisfied and completed through Jesus the Christ. So Jesus didn't come to abolish the law, but he fulfilled it. So therefore, when we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, he is taking care of all of the requirements of the law for us. Therefore, that's how we all get included in the grace of God. So you have the Jews and the Gentiles. So therefore, at the time before Jesus came, when the law was given, we find that circumcision, it was correct and was still is correct. But when Jesus came, that is not a requirement that the Gentiles need to go through to be justified. And this is what we see that Paul is saying. And but if you decide that you want to yield, as Paul is speaking to the church, you want to yield to following what the false teachers is telling you, then that means that you don't believe in the power of the grace of God. You you believe that you have to be positioned a certain way and you have to fulfill certain requirements in order to be saved by God, that the power of Jesus the Christ, the blood of the Lamb, the only begotten Son of the Father, does not have enough power to save everybody, even though they don't have those external signs, which is circumcision. Okay? So Paul is saying, he said, all right, so if you pick to be circumcised, these are the ones who have accepted the grace of God, and you revert back and go to Judaism, then you're gonna have to fulfill the whole law. And that's impossible. All right. So Paul goes on again. He says, those who pursue justification through law are severed from Christ and have abandoned grace. This is what Paul is talking about. Now, he also, another uh argument that he has here, freedom and love. It says that believers are called to liberty, but must not exploit it as a as permission for self-indulgence. Okay, just like we saw, I read to you uh 1 Corinthians 8, 9, and it is saying that, but take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to them that are weak. And that's not what it's all about. The word tells us that if if when I become strong, that I'm supposed to strengthen my brother. Because I now know the truth, I need to share it with somebody else. And see, this is what it's about about spreading the gospel of Jesus the Christ. I want to let everybody else know why my life isn't the way it used to be, especially to the ones who know what my life was. And they experienced it with me. So when they see that I'm not drinking, I'm not smoking, I'm not cussing, I'm not whore, you know, being a whore, doing whore mongering things, you know, adultery, uh, you know, if whatever it is that fit in your life, when they see that you are now, that you are functioning different, that you are talking different, that your life, your lifestyle has taken a change, that you are not doing anything that you used to do, that they know you were doing. And they and some might say, well, you know, what happened? Now the door is open. And you can explain to them, I've met the Lord. Now he was always there because he was keeping you. He allowed you to breathe and eat his food and breathe, should say, breathe his air and eat his food in the body that he had created, but you were not paying attention to him. And you weren't responding properly, you know. I call it uh a thank you response of what God is doing and has done for you in your life. So now that you realize I'm I'm I'm being rude to God, I'm not responding to him. I'm not giving him the respect that that God deserved. I'm I matter of fact, I have not really had a true understanding of what my life was before I gave my life back to the Lord. I thought that, you know, I had freedom because of the things that I was choosing and the things that I was doing, that it was freedom. So we see here that the freedom, the true freedom of not having to follow these standards of law which I cannot keep, Paul is saying, Don't don't go back into it. He said, I I uh I I want you I want to show you something here uh about freedom and love. And see, it's the love of God that gave us the freedom through Jesus the Christ. So he he's saying here, uh, don't use that for your own purpose. As I always say, when you 100% surrender back to the Lord, you are surrendered to God to use you however he chooses. And remembering that you are the creation of God. You didn't come here on your own. That God had an idea in Genesis, He said, Let us make man in our image and likeness. And then He He stuck He manifested it according to the power that exists in Him. He created humanity. And this is where we start. We are the creation of God. So therefore, when you give your life back to the Lord, you give it, you, you're asking God to position you back where you originally were when He created you. So Paul, he goes on, he said, Instead, they serve one another through love. As I said, when I give my life back to the Lord, I am giving my life back to the Lord so that now I can start my service in the standard and the will of God. As I rejoice because I am now saved. So it's like a couple of things are going on. I am personally rejoicing in my heart. I am so grateful in my mind. I'm excited about the things that God is going to do through my life. And I'm also working according to what God has called me to do. So I'm on a mission for my eternal Father. And this is my response to him. So as we see, as Paul is unfolding this, he is showing us that either I can go back to a standard that is a yoke of bondage, or I can stay, as he says, stand fast in the liberty that we have received from Christ. And it has made us free. All right? So Paul is looking at the freedom and love, and it says, the entire law is fulfilled in the single command to love one's neighbor as oneself. Now, when I when when you look at that and you hear that, say, I'm gonna love my neighbor as myself. Well, I cannot love my neighbor as myself until I understand what love is, and I can't love my neighbor as myself until I love to love me. Now, once I know what love is and I apply that love to myself, I want to give it to my neighbor. This is so I must understand the grace of God. What did God give us, and why did I need it? That's why you need to understand that you, me, everybody is a sinner in the desperate need of the grace of God. We must have the grace of God because the only way we can get justified, the only way that we can be cleared and be able to be back in the presence of our eternal Father. And the only way we can grow in the wisdom of God so that we can understand, as I said, I'm gonna love my neighbor as myself, is to understand what did I receive through Jesus the Christ. And Paul is saying here that we receive liberty. That means that if we receive liberty from Christ through the completed work of Jesus the Christ, that means that I must have been in bondage. So as I look at my neighbor, one and one, my neighbor could be in different conditions in their life. My neighbor could be one who is just coming to the understanding of what I have, and they might be struggling with some things. So when I look at my neighbor, I remember when I was in the same position that they were in, when I didn't completely understand what I needed to understand, and I didn't know what I didn't know. So now the love that God gave me in my ignorance, as he brought me out of darkness and gave me clarity of what really I was dealing with and what he was giving me and why I need it, which is Jesus the Christ, then when I accepted it, I started to grow in the knowledge of God. So now I can love my neighbor as myself because I'm looking at them and seeing me going through the process of becoming what God has given me according to where I may be standing at that time. You know, and because God is had isn't finished with me, you say he who started a work in me will continue to the day of Jesus the Christ. I will continue to grow. And that love, I see it it becomes clearer the love of God, the more I understand who God is and what he has done for me. And really, why did I need it? I I must claim it. I must understand, I am a sinner. I am a sinner. My back is turned to God. I am an enemy of God. But because of the completed work of Jesus the Christ, now not only am I a son of God, I am not his enemy anymore, but I am now his son. And if you are a woman, you are his daughter. So we see here that Paul is showing us that love, that the freedom and the love, and giving clarity and understanding as he addressed the attacks of the faith, the attacks on the church, you know, because Judicizers want to maintain separation. They don't want the Gentiles to be in. They don't want those who are not like them. And say if you did get circumcised, you still, there are gonna be still more obstacles that you're gonna have to cross. Because you don't fit. That wasn't for you. That law wasn't given to you as a Gentile. That was given to Israel. So therefore, the culture, you don't even, we don't even understand that. That's why God gave us Jesus the Christ, and we'll all grow together according to the standard and the wisdom and the knowledge that God will give us freely, because he loves his creation. So we see that Paul is he is highlighting this in this in this particular uh verse uh as we unfold it. Now, also we see here that Paul deals with spirit versus flesh. Says walking by the spirit prevents fulfilling fleshly desires as the spirit and the flesh operate in opposition to each other. Okay? So therefore, I gotta make a choice. I cannot satisfy my flesh, my worldliness, my carnalness, my my things that I uh that sensually I'm attached to the world. I cannot satisfy that and be dedicated and committed to that and walking in the spirit. That means that I'm dedicated to God. That means that I'm 100% turned over to Him. That means that I'm born again and I I have the Holy Spirit guiding me into all truth. That means that the word of God is sacred to me and it is it is my roadmap. It is my guide. It gives me the understanding to the things that I don't understand. It gives me courage when I when I feel like I might be, you know, weak. It gives me hope because it shares with me what God has said and what will come, and and and and it gives me the history of things. You know, like I said before, the uh the Bible uh it teaches us about God, it teaches us about ourselves, it teaches us about our adversary, it teaches us about the the tricks that could be applied in the in the world that we live in, and it gives us a roadmap, a rescue uh um plan on how to how to how to navigate, how to live our lives. So it's gonna give us a life plan. So we see here that Paul is is is is is is highlighting all of these things. Now, now this is in, I should say, this is in Galatians 5. It's all these things that I'm highlighting is in Galatians 5. But when we see in Galatians 5, 1, this is what Paul is telling them to stand fast in. He is explaining to them this is in and explaining what you are up against and giving them the understanding of why it is it is mandatory that you stay where you have been given the freedom through Jesus the Christ, his completed work. And as we read it here in 2026 and come to an understanding, it helps us so that we can we can we can live our life because we have our own sets of challenges here in 2026. It's all kinds of different things that are coming against the lifestyle and the well-being of humanity, which is the creation of God. All of us, even those who are not functioning according to the will of God, is still the creation of God. Everybody. Nobody came into existence without God creating us. So therefore, I cannot allow my anger, my hate, my resentment to have its way so that I can do something according to what I might be experiencing in my life. As we see here in the scripture. Stand fast. That means don't move. Don't move. Don't take it upon yourself to think that, you know what, I gotta do something about this. Uh-uh, I'm gonna, I'm gonna, I'm gonna handle that. No. We have to make sure that we function according to what God has established. And we have to believe that the way that God is leading us, the way that God is guiding us, that it is powerful enough for the moment that we are in right now. And we must believe that God, because of his love for us, that he is guiding us in a way that we need to go. We gotta trust him. We gotta trust him. Because there is challenges. As I said, in in the time when this epistle was written, there's a challenge for those who were there who received the epistle and in their lifestyle. And there are challenges for us today. Just to name a few. Gas prices is high, food prices is high, you know, all kinds of different laws are being made, you know, to affect certain groups of people. But one might want to get angry. And if you get angry and do something that is against the will of God, then you have taken yourself out of the place of liberty which is in Christ. We must stay in the place where Jesus the Christ, through his completed work, uh has given us. That God has a way, that there is there is a plan in place that is unfolding, that will unfold, that is unfolding. And we must let love, we must, and I'm gonna say this again, we must let love have its way. That's why you must know why did God give me a savior? Save me from what? Where was I? What was I doing? That's why it's important that you be honest with yourself as you look back over your life and see the activities that you engaged in, that you took the creation of God, your body, your being, and you subjected it to the things of that you did, whatever it is that whatever it was, and we all have our own separate things, but all of it at the end of the day is sin. And once you accept that, and you see where you were, and you see the love of God coming, coming to your location, and and giving you, giving you a way out, Jesus the Christ, and telling you, yes, accept this, and I'm gonna clear you of all your wrong, and I'm gonna restore you back where you were. So the ministry of reconciliation, come on, come on back. Now you can see the power of love. Now it's not as challenging for you to let love have its way in this in these trying times, to depend on the power of God, to let the word of God continue to be a lamp unto your feet and a light unto your path. This is, but but see, if you don't, if if you don't understand where you came from and how you how how you how you're gonna get out of where you were, and and how you got out of where you were and where you're standing right now, and and as you grow in the knowledge of God, you really start to see clearer the love of God and the power of God, because now you see what God has done and what he is doing, because his grace is still keeping me. I always tell people, look, I'm a sinner saved by grace, and the grace keeps me and it strengthens me, and it and it and it and it continues to enlighten me so that I don't return back to where God came and got me from. Because I can't back, I can backslide. There's nothing stopping me from doing that other than a decision, just like a decision got me to where I am trusting in Jesus the Christ. That's all. I believe. I accepted what God is saying in his word. I've never met Jesus, you know. I didn't walk the earth with him. I I didn't, I didn't meet any of the witnesses who experienced it, experienced uh his life, his his crucifixion, his death, his resurrection. I didn't I didn't meet any of them. But I chose to accept the word of God and believe. Oh yeah, this is the truth. Mm-hmm. Yep, I'm I'm gonna I'm gonna go with this. And as and as I started to go with it, I started to get clarity in where I came from. I now know where I was, and and I seen through the word of God that I was doomed. I was on my way to hell. But thanks be to God. So we see here, and and and let's look at the passion of Paul. Now, Paul is as he examined and he is paying attention to what is going on in this particular area, he writes the epistle. He outlines the situation, he gives clarity, he gives truth as he is being inspired by God to do it. Now, now let's remember who Paul was or who he Paul was a persecutor of the church. He was a Pharisee. And he was bringing people to judgment to Jerusalem because if he finds anybody who is who's living their life according to the way, that is Jesus the Christ, that he will bring them so that they can be, they can be judged. But God changed him and he used him to spread the gospel of Jesus the Christ. So we can't say that Paul don't know anything about being converted. We can't say that Paul is not educated, you know, even though that's not something that matters, because if God can call anybody to do whatever he wants and whatever you need to do what he's calling you to do, he can give it to you because he got it. That's how powerful God is. But just looking at the the resume and the character of Paul as we see the passion of what he's doing. Let me read, let me read the scripture, observation and application again. He says, Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us. See that? He included it. He included himself. As I always say, if I'm talking to somebody that's not saved, I say, yeah, I'm a sinner just like you. Yeah. And and and the and the same, the same extension and the welcome that I got from God through Jesus the Christ, it is available to you too. Ain't nothing different from me. Yeah, I'm the preacher, but that that that don't mean that that's that's that's a title. But I when you get down to my core, I'm a sinner saved by the grace of God, and now I am working for the Lord. And I tell him, you can do the same thing. God has something for everybody to do. Everybody don't have to be a preacher. There's other things that are that are due because God got a master plan. There's other things that need to be done. But we gotta let love have its way. So Paul is telling him, he said, look, we free. Don't let all this confusion distract you from remembering where you were. Remembering, if you have given your life back to the Lord, how you got out. Remembering how your life is better now that you have given your life back to the Lord. And if you have not given your life back to the Lord, that's why the testimony of those who have been saved is so very valuable to give you an understanding. And those that you know was doing the same thing that you were doing, and now they're no longer doing it. You see the power of God firsthand because you knew that Joe and Sam and Mary and whatever their name might have been, they was with you doing the same thing, and now you see them and they're not. There's a reason for that. And they will tell you because you have a relationship with them, and and you see that it is important. I need to, I need to give my life back to the Lord. Because the mess that I'm making with, with according to the freedom that I think I have to do whatever I want to do when I want to do it, this is a mess. Because now you start to see the truth. And Paul goes on in Galatians 5, and be not entangled again. Say, I told you, grace keeps me with the yoke of bondage. This is what it's all about. And yes, it is it is challenging and and and it is tough sometimes, you know, living a holy life in a wicked world. Yes, it is. But I'm not dependent on my strength. I can do all things through Christ, which strengthens me. It's it's because if I depend on my strength, I I'm gonna go back the way I was. You know, I'm gonna I'm dependent, like the circumcision. I'm I'm the if I do all these steps here, then I'm I'm justified. So I'm I'm kind of I'm negating the gift of God. I'm negating the grace of God, I'm negating the love of God. I'm I'm I'm negating the experience that I'm going to receive as I grow in the grace of God. I'm no longer wanting the truth. I'm sensually connecting, and if it feels good, I'm all right. And that ain't true. So as I come to my conclusion, I make my way to my benediction. I pray that what has been shared here today was crystal clear. And it has given you an understanding that you didn't have, and if you did have the understanding, maybe. It cleared up some things that maybe you was uncertain about. And now it has reinforced your commitment to God so that you can now allow God to have free reign in your life. Allow him to do whatever he wants to do without any restrictions. I don't want to, you know, I don't want to hinder the will of God and the work of God. I know sometimes the things that I go through and I look at the two choices that I that I have, and and one of them being what I used to do. I look at that choice and I say, Yeah, this is what I used to do with this. And and it's and and it's trying to tempt me to execute that. But then I look at the choice that God gives me. And I say, I've been trying and trusting in God through the different things that I've been going on it, that's been that I've been challenged with in my life. And I find out that it it's the it's a better way. Yes, I get gratification in the flesh if I chose what I used to do because it feels good to me. I feel that everything is all right and I was justified in doing what I was doing. But I I am getting in the way of the love of God because I can't love my neighbor as myself if I'm trying to do it through my flesh. I gotta allow the spirit to have its way. And and that is a challenge. But the more you understand who God is, the more you allow God to have his way, and the more you allow God to uh um to give you the guidance that only he can give you according to his will, you you you're gonna once see that there are two choices, and and and you're gonna be able to reason and understand why you need to choose the way of God. And then you're going to grow in your faith because as you analyze, you're not making an emotional decision. You're going to be able to see, wow, okay, I see what you're talking about, God. That's why when you analyze things, excuse me, and you and you question and you look at the word of God, and what is this? Where that comes from? Why you have this here, Lord? You get to see that you get to know God better. And now you see that you can trust him because you understand who he is. God wants us to know him. Look at the look in Genesis. Before Adam said, Um, there was fellowship, Adam and the Lord. They they spent time together in the cool of the day. So God wants us to know we're his creation. Not only do he want us to know it, he gives us an understanding by letting us know, I made you in my image and likeness. So being in his image, that means I'm gonna be a representative of him. That means I have to understand him. I need to know what he wants me to do, I need to have clear clarity on what that is, and his and and his image, his likeness is his character. So I need to understand him, and he gives that to us. So I pray that you will be strengthened wherever you may be in the process that God is working with you in your life, and that you are now excited about what God has done, what he is doing, and what is what is to come. And you are thanking him. As I said before, I am in my life, I am grateful, I am praising God in my heart, I'm worshiping him. I'm uh I'm you know, I just overwhelmed with joy for what he has done for me by coming where I was as a sinner and bringing me back and bringing me to where I need to be, and also working for him, making sure, Lord, teach me how to be the best servant that I can be for you. So I got these two things going on at the same time, and I am excited about it. So, God willing, we're gonna be here again next week with another word from the Lord. Now, don't forget, walk by faith and not by sight. As well as don't live just to be blessed, live to be a blessing. I mean, don't be selfish. I got if I'm gonna love my neighbor as myself, again, I need to know what love is. I need to know how to love myself, and then I can see my neighbor as myself, and now I can love them because I understand the process of love that God has given me through Jesus the Christ. Now, my benediction. Now to him that is able to keep you from falling and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Savior, be glory and majesty, dominion and power both now and ever. God bless you and your family. Go in peace.