Armed and Ready - Is This Our Last Stand Part 2 — Shane Idleman

The Moral Decline and the Need to Take a Stand

Like many of you, I'm concerned. I mean, just in the news this week, we see that Maryland might pass a law to where it's okay to allow a baby who's been born to die, even if it's four weeks old, and not do anything to save that child and let it die.

They're getting ready to pass that in Maryland. We also see RuPaul, the cross-dresser, encouraging boys, you can be like me someday. And Disney and the new Pixar is going to let a same-sex attraction kiss take place.

And it's just the mocking of God and the ridicule. We see what's going on, you know, obviously in Ukraine, and a lot of the innocent lives that are being killed there. No matter what your view is on that, I've heard some disturbing things on some people thinking Russia's good and things that are just interesting, but innocent people are dying and they're bombing shelters and civilians, and that's not the just war theory.

It's not really the right way to do things. Not that war's ever right, but the government here in America has been a deterrent to evil, and by our silence, you're going to see evil rising up, even I believe China, Iran, and Russia even pushing because we are silent.

We are cowardly in our nation right now, and we've never been in that position before. And that's what concerns me a little bit, is people keep pushing envelopes. And so what does it have to do with tonight?

Well, the title is Armed and Ready. Armed and Ready. And it's part two of Is This Our Last Stand? I spoke a few weeks ago on Is This Our Last Stand? The message really got out there. We're hearing from a lot of people that were really moved by it and encouraged by it.

And so I want to finish up where I left off. I missed the most important point two Sundays ago because of the time factor. But many of you realize this is not the world we used to live in. Things are changing.

We're not as certain anymore of the stock market and real estate investments or just even God's Word being honored. I'm not really concerned as much with the economics as I am God's Word being honored and God being feared again.

And we can see, I mean, is there, because you get to a place where if you don't take a stand, it's hard to recapture or regain what you lost. It usually doesn't happen. That's why in the military they would say this is a hill on which to die.

You've got to hold this hill or the whole battle falls apart. And so I believe Christians need to keep contending for the truth, honoring God, praying for a revival, a spiritual awakening. And my concern is that if this is our last stand to some degree, there's a season of grace here and God's really wanting to draw the church in.

Why aren't we acting like it? Why aren't we acting like it? And I run into people, I ran into a couple this week, I don't know if I can go to church gas prices. Well, you go to Starbucks just fine. Five, $7, the average person purchase every day at Starbucks.

I just saved you $200. But see, priorities, it's really about priorities. We're gonna have to shift our priorities. And that's what I mentioned a couple weeks ago. We have to reprioritize our priorities.

What I would encourage you to do, what I did, is sit down and say what is important? What is first and foremost? And that better be God at the top of your list. And so once now that's my priority, now everything else can come around that priority.

But we've been putting him on the back burner and we've been cooking enchiladas up front here. Like, oh yeah, I guess the beans are in back. But we've gotta put him back on the front burner and the priority.

And then you begin to develop your life around him, your prayer time, your worship time. Of course, church and fellowship and obedience to God's word. And he's the priority. And it can happen easily in the Christian walk is he begins to be removed from that center stage position.

And I'm not preaching at you, I'm preaching to all of us. Because I've got his, you know, you point a finger, you got four pointing back at you. This can happen in all of our lives. That's why this is so hard.

The Christian walk is so hard because it's that fight of wanting to honor God but the flesh is strong until the day we die. And we're gonna be fighting that. So if I don't, you know what, I'm not gonna do anything.

Let's see what happens. Just like a magnet, I will gravitate towards the flesh. Towards laziness. I'm gonna make the camera guy nervous. Right, let me do it. I'm gonna keep, I don't have to do anything.

And I'll just gravitate towards the flesh, the lust of the flesh. And that's why we lose that passion for God, we lose that zeal, we don't really take a stand for the things of God. And I will say, to your credit, to West Side Christian Fellowship, we've said it before, it is actually a privilege, privilege to lead this type of church.

You guys are probably the most on fire people I have ever met. And I've went to a lot of conferences and churches. How many times I've spoken and said, where is West Side? Well, the Hispanic church in Texas is pretty fired up.

They were. But you know what I'm talking about, there's not a hunger. There's like, well, let's go to church. It's what good people do and let me check it off my checklist. I made it twice this month and there's no passion, there's no real desire, there's no zeal.

And so we have to get back to the, what is the main priority? And then also two weeks ago, I talked about this is getting so important right now. I'm preaching myself, but we have to listen to the narrow voice.

Listening to the Narrow Voice Amid Confusion

Because the road is narrow, you have to listen to the narrow voice. There's a lot of fake news out there. There's a lot of false narratives. There's a lot of people believing some interesting things that really doesn't matter.

And we're making it the focal point and we're getting distracted. And we're reading these fake news sites or these false narratives and we're getting all worked up and we're forgetting that God sits on the throne.

God is in control. And so you've got to really narrow your focus, but it's hard, isn't it? Who doesn't like to read a good news story? I mean, it's intriguing. And it draws us in. And I mentioned, like with where the world's going, the globalists are controlling the world or Illuminati or the Cabal or Deep State.

And a lot of those things, there's some truth in there, but I'm looking to the one who has all the answers, not all these weird conspiracy theories. And so what happens is we listen to people who probably don't even know the Lord themselves.

We're allowing them, blessed is the man who walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly. And we're allowing this ungodly influence to infiltrate our hearts and our minds. And we're fearful and we're getting divisive because somebody doesn't agree just like you agree.

And now there's conflict and there's division. Listen to the narrow voice, that still small voice of God. Get rid of a lot of those things that are, well, Shane, how do I know? How do I know? Finally, brethren, whatever things are pure and true and honest and noble and upright, meditate on these things.

Now that's gonna get rid of a lot of news sites out there. A lot of fake news sites. Some of you need to turn off YouTube and TikTok and just take time seeking God. Let me tell you, I'm right there with you because I get probably more video sent than anyone else and I don't have time to watch them.

But it's like if you watch all this stuff, the world is going to hell in a handbasket. The globalists are taking agenda. You're gonna have to get a chip and you're gonna have to bow to their system. They're gonna cut everything off.

Your children are gonna live in poverty and they're coming after Christians. They're gonna lock you up in some camps built out in Wisconsin somewhere. I don't know. I just have to lead the church. I have to lead my family.

Stop filling my mind with all this stuff. Do you remember that? These camps out there for the people who wouldn't get the jab and COVID and all these things. I look back and like, where's all this stuff at you guys talked about a couple years ago?

Now it may be there. I don't know. I'm just saying you don't wanna focus on these things. How many people stockpiled food and bought generators and not a bad idea, but we allowed fear sometimes instead of faith.

God wants us to be using wisdom and prepared. I think it's good to have some extra things, of course. But if we're going out and buying a $500 dehydrator and tons of storage and tons of this and my AR -15 with 1 ,500 rounds of ammunition, but your prayer closet's empty.

Your gun stays full, but your prayer closet's empty. So you see how we're not following the narrow voice. And then of course, we talked about involvement and silence is not silent. Our silence speaks volumes.

When we're not saying anything, we say something. And then the point I didn't get to, which is so important, spiritual engagement. If this is our last stand, we've got to be engaged spiritually. Now, you can clap.

Thank you. Now, here's the key. I'm not gonna tell you anything new tonight. I know you might've come in for some new truth. There's no new truth. What's the old saying? If it's new, it's not true. If it's true, it's not new.

But a lot of times we need to reinforce. We need to get reinforcements. We're out of ammunition. We need to get built back up with the same ammunition. That being the word of God, worship, obedience, and prayer.

Walking in the Spirit and Resisting the Flesh

That is where we're going to get in this area of spiritual engagement. This is your weaponry. This is how you fight these battles. Make these four things your focal point going forward. And as you see, walk in the spirit.

Walk in the spirit and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. Walking. I put here, but it's a little bit different. Walking is choosing to be filled with the spirit. So what happens is when we don't walk in the spirit, it's like we're hopping back and forth into enemy territory.

We don't walk in the spirit, so we're kind of hopping on the enemy's territory, hopping on his side of the fence, and then, like Ukraine and Russia. You're on one, and you're hopping, and it's double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

So he says, walk. There's this command to walk in the spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. Now, I've got an image up there I want to show you. We can put that up there about this. There's your choices every day.

There's your choices. We can go this direction, or we can fulfill the lust of the flesh. So everything I'm talking about tonight has to do with this, making choices. And so when we look at the, and we can keep this up for just a minute, I'm gonna talk about the, you know, I want to wait till the end on this, but it keeps coming up.

And this whole concept of the Holy Spirit, I'm gonna submit to you tonight. I'm going on a rabbit trail. I don't know where God's going to take me on this, but we know what is the first greatest need out there in the world?

It's to be saved. Do you know what the greatest need in the church, the greatest need without a close second, the greatest need in the church is? To be filled with the Holy Spirit. Now, it's easy to say amen and clap, but it's very hard to walk in the fullness of the Spirit.

Because what it is, it's dying to self. It's putting our hard hearts on the altar. Being opinionated is not a gift, a spiritual gift. Being prideful and arrogant. Many of you have heard of D .L. Moody, correct?

But I don't know if you've ever heard of the two ladies who confronted D .L. Moody when he was young in the ministry, I believe he was a pastor. They said, Mr. Moody, we're praying for you. And he said, thank you very much.

Do you know what they said their prayer was? We're praying that you'd be filled with the Spirit. I'm a pastor. I've got this ministry going here in Chicago. And he was upset, upset every day, waking up upset.

How could they? That's pride. That's conviction. And I remember reading his biography when he finally submitted and said, Lord, I've been doing the ministry, building up my own name. I've been critical, I've been arrogant.

And the Spirit of God came upon him so powerfully. And that's why we hear of him today. I've mentioned praying John Hyde before. Have any of you read his books? Praying John Hyde, it's so interesting because actually he worked with missionaries in India.

A lot of the missionaries didn't talk very well of him for a little while. Said, that guy's always in the prayer room. That's all he does. But that was his gift. He was an intercessor. But when he was younger, he went to India.

He was in the ministry. His father's friend wrote him a letter. Said, John, I'm praying for you. On that mission field, I'm praying for you that you'd be filled with the Spirit. He ripped up the letter.

And for a couple days, he fought that conviction. But he realized he wasn't really filled with the Spirit. And it's one of the hardest things I bear pastoring is I could go through our attendance roster and our member roster.

And I know those who need to be filled with the Spirit. There's a lot of people. There's a lot of people that they're missing that fullness of the Spirit. The Word of God is not in their heart like a burning fire.

There's not a passion to tell people about Jesus. There's not a boldness. There's not a brokenness. The one thing many of you need is the one thing you're lacking. That is the fullness of the Spirit, the filling of the Holy Spirit.

That's how we're gonna get through these dire times. In case you're getting, maybe in your heart, a little upset, like, well, okay, Mr. Perfect. No, no, I'm a leaky vessel. Like D .L. Moody said, I have to sit underneath the fountain of living water every day to get refueled and refilled back up.

I'm not looking down on you. We're all in the same boat. But there's a difference in those who say, God, I need to have that at all costs, whatever it costs me. I want that fullness of the Spirit. I'm not gonna jockey for position.

I'm not gonna worry about finances. I'm not gonna look for notoriety. I'm not gonna have an attitude. I'm not gonna argue and be Mr. Theologian, and Lord, I just want the fullness of your Spirit. And through a broken, humble, tender vessel, God will begin to fill you.

And what comes out of that is not weirdness. It's boldness. It's boldness. It's counter-cultural. Actually, a lot of your Christian friends aren't gonna understand you. Did you know that? When you take it up a level with the Holy Spirit, again, not weirdness, just zeal for Christ, and say, I can't live like that anymore.

I can't do those things anymore. People don't understand. You know how many pastors I upset when we decided to stay open during COVID and they didn't? And all the people are like, why aren't you staying open like that, church?

I'm like, oh, goodness, don't do that. But they don't understand, it wasn't an arrogance. Ha, ha, arrogant, it was a boldness from the Holy Spirit after a couple months of saying, this is shenanigans.

We've been tricked, we've been fooled. We're gonna be that voice of truth. And so that's where the fullness of the Spirit comes from. We need that like never before. And so this command in Galatians is clear.

Walk in the Spirit. What does that mean? We make choices that are gonna be God-honoring. The things I'm gonna talk about tonight, obeying God's Word, laying our opinions down and our pride down at the altar, and we're walking in the Spirit.

It's interesting, it says, and then you will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. It doesn't say you won't be tempted. Did you know I can walk in the Spirit and still struggle sometimes with getting angry?

Or upset? Or things not working the way we thought? Anybody been there? But see, it's the attitude of repentance that keeps the fullness there. Lord, that's not right. Lord, I don't wanna act like that.

I don't wanna treat people like that. Lord, please, that's wrong, that's pride. And you put it at the foot of the cross and you repent, and that's walking in the Spirit. Some people think it's like you're walking on a cloud and acting perfect all day.

It's really tripping and getting back up and walking in the Spirit, contending for truth, contending for unity. Even though I fell, I'm gonna get up and fall forward again. And because I'm walking in that direction and the things we're gonna talk about tonight, I'm not gonna fulfill.

The flesh is not gonna win. It's not gonna come to completion. You're not gonna struggle with that addiction forever. You're not gonna fall back into that lifestyle. You're not gonna fulfill the lust if you're walking in the Spirit.

And so that's what this is really about. I mean, I've had questions come in. I can tell online, people, they're asking, Shane, is this, I mean, does this mean I have to, walking in the Spirit, I'm living perfectly every day?

I hope not, because I'm in trouble. Anybody come to church in a bad mood, have a bad day, say the wrong thing, do the wrong thing, get upset, get irritated? Maybe they'll be honest tomorrow. You guys, that's right, I'm not preaching tomorrow, but next time, the potential and power of the Word of God.

So I'm gonna just talk about spiritual engagement. We are in dire times, I'll shoot you straight. I try not to let my mind go too many places with what we're leaving our children, let alone our grandchildren, but I think God never tells us to worry or complain or get afraid.

He tells us, you make us stand. You plus God is a majority. You make the difference. Who is gonna stop God Almighty? See, sometimes we need to remind ourselves of that. Who's gonna stop God Almighty? Nothing, no army can defeat Him.

What army right now, 100 million man army in China, is God worried? One breath, it's amazing. The potential and power of the Word of God. We need to go back to this, Psalm 107 .20. He sent His Word and healed them and delivered them from their destructions.

Now, if we had time, obviously the context here is God's sending His Word and there's different, the word translated, the literal word, or logos and different things, and God prophesied that they would be restored, and there's different principles.

Contextually, you can make this scripture fit, but the bottom line is His Word heals. His Word delivers. His Word sets people free, and that's why I love Hebrews 4 .12. For the Word of God is dead and lifeless.

I have to be careful when I do that. Some lady took it out of the context. Remember a couple weeks ago when I said the Bible's not crystal clear on end times theology? They just took, Shane said, this pastor said the Bible is not crystal clear.

God judges people. See, I get mad too sometimes. I'm gonna tell you, and then I have to erase my text message because that's wrong. So I'm gonna be careful there. Let me just read it. For the Word of God is living and powerful.

It is sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit and of the joint and marrow. Many times people don't know, why is he talking about joint and marrow? I believe, and commentators agree, that he's talking about the hidden areas, the joint and the marrow were hard.

They're hidden areas that's hard to get to. It says God's Word, when you open it up, when you obey it, it is living, it is powerful. It cuts even the deepest areas, the deepest issues of the heart. This is how people are being radically changed.

They're being radically changed by the Word of God going out through vessels filled with the Spirit of God and letting the Word of God cut and divide and discern the thoughts and the intents of the heart and the heart says, I'm wrong with God and I repent of my sin and I cry out to him and healing takes place.

Physically can heal too. The Word of God can heal us physically too. Anybody still believe that or is that just me? I believe that God's Word can heal people and set them free. You have not because you ask not.

See, desperate people do desperate things. They might not run to Kaiser or High Desert Medical first. They might run to God Almighty and say, God, you take care of this. You are my healer, you are my redeemer.

You set me free, your Word will heal me as I meditate on your Word. I've noticed so many people being set free in the area of mental illness and different things because they meditated on God's Word. I'm not saying mental illness and things, there's not legitimate chemistry and brain chemistry issues because I believe there are from serotonin to different biochemical pathways of the brain.

I understand that but often we have to allow the Word of God to saturate our mind and what happens is it transforms our thinking. Be not conformed to this world but be transformed by renewing your mind.

You let God's Word and just soak in the Psalms and you realize that God is my healer, God is my redeemer. What army can defeat him? Though a thousand may come after me, God will slay them. He will lift me up, what can man do to me if God is on my side?

And you begin to allow the Word, God's Word to change your hearts. It's a discerner in the thoughts and the intents of the heart, it discerns. Can you imagine if we got back to God's Word? That's why we're so confused.

Do you ever look at things and say, what in the world is going, how can a six foot tall guy win women's swimming? Like I just, do you see, it's in the news. He won these medals. He's like six foot two and he's winning.

It's like, what is women's sports anymore? See, this is wrong. I'll be careful of my words but it's just, it's mm. And again, I'm not making fun, this is just the truth. They have lost their mind. You think I've lost my mind because I believe in a God.

You've lost your mind when you call a girl a woman or a woman a boy and a boy a woman and that they can compete, that's wrong. How dare you? How dare you push that junk on the minds of our children? How dare you do you push that lies and that deceit from Disney to AT &T?

How dare you corporate America? A boy is a boy and a girl is a girl. We're here to help, we're here to love but this is wrong. Why is nobody saying anything? I know we are but like, I mean all these big corporations, oh good for him, I mean good for her.

It's like, what planet are we on? Musk isn't on Mars yet. Elon Musk, we're not, Lord help me here. See, without the word of God, there is no stability. They're a double-minded man, unstable in all their ways.

There's so much confusion. And if you, boy, DeSantis in Florida's being misrepresented. What he's trying to pass in the schools, they're saying this is an anti-LGBTQ. No, he's just saying you can't let a fifth of kindergarten kids choose their sex.

That's child abuse, what we're doing with our children. And it's okay to say because it's the truth. You have to nurture young minds. You have to show them the truth. I mean, I do, sometimes I just, my eyes well up with tears.

There's a Hollywood actress, like last year, and she had this little girl, and she's like, well, I don't know what she is yet. I'm gonna let her choose. Reprobate, under strong delusion. Their conscious has been seared with a hot iron.

I mean, this isn't even rational. And so I believe that's why our church is, one of our goals is to get God's word out there. Get on the radio, get on YouTube. We don't know how much time we have to get it out there.

Let the word of God penetrate the heart. Let it do what it does best. Just let it go. Just let God's word go. Let it, as long as it's coming from the right heart. See, that's a whole nother problem we have.

It's not coming from the right heart many times. It's coming from an angry, arrogant heart, texting and shoving scriptures down their throat and trying to show how right you are. And it says you miss the love.

If it's not undergirded by love, it loses its effectiveness. And then you have the other side, the churches or Christians who don't say anything about anything. Nothing, hey, if it's controversial, I don't go there.

Well, guess what? That's not Christianity. Biblical Christianity is controversial. It cuts, it divides, it discerns the thoughts and the intents of the heart. And so the battle right now is for the mind.

Spiritual Warfare and Casting Down Strongholds

Second Corinthians 10, I believe we have that one up there as well, Second Corinthians 10. Again, we're doing spiritual warfare. This is how you get armed and ready. When all the fake news is coming, all the things that are gonna be coming at us, this is how you gird yourself up and you prepare for battle.

For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds. Now this is a military fortress. Paul is using the language of military and warfare. So the weapons of our warfare are not AR -15s and a full gun safe.

The weapons of our warfare, I'm all for the Second Amendment, don't get me wrong, but the weapons of our warfare are mighty in God, not me. What do they do? They actually literally pulled down, like a military fortress, they pulled down the stronghold.

See, these spiritual weapons cause damage and they change the landscape of the battle. You really wanna change the landscape of what's going on? You wanna change this atmosphere? You don't think this church has changed the atmosphere of the Antelope Valley, of even of California, with all of us going out?

I guarantee it has. I get emails from one of our senators who represents our area up in Sacramento. And man, please keep doing what you're doing, please keep doing, we need it, we need it, we need it, we need it, we need it.

People driving on the five freeway, we need it, thank you, we need this, we need this, we need this. And you're making a difference and sometimes we don't see that as much and we get discouraged, but it will change the landscape.

I truly believe that the reason we haven't totally caved off and fell off the abyss is God is hearing the prayers of his remnant. I believe that. And I'm not just saying it. You take some blood, it'll come out, it'll say, Shane believes this.

I believe God tilts the things in favor of his people. The remnant, if my people humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked way, he's actually, did you know he's looking for the remnant?

It's not for, if Hollywood would just turn back to God, it's not gonna happen. If Washington, D .C., if we could just get post-politicians, that darn House and Senate, if we could just, no, my remnant, if my people, the power of God's people to make a difference.

See, here's what happens when it comes to spiritual warfare, remember this. You pull the trigger, but it's God who hits the target. See, that's, I don't worry about the target. Oh, look what's going on, I've gotta hit that target.

Sacramento, I've gotta make a difference here. Look at this legislature, look at these laws. I just get down on my knees and call down Almighty God, and I just pull the trigger with spiritual warfare.

God hits the target, the word of God is sharp, it divides, it discerns the thoughts, and it, get back to the prayer closet. Would you get in your word again, begin quoting scripture and meditating on scripture?

When all hell breaks loose, it will not overcome the Christian who is on their knees, praying and pulling down heaven, casting down arguments. What does that mean? Casting down arguments, every wrong thought and teaching that draws people away.

That's why I can't, I believe under the authority of God's word, stand up here and say, that is not right with what happened with that swimmer who identifies to be a female, and why I'm casting down all these things, a she is a she and a he is a he.

There are no other genders, I'm casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, I'm saying that is not right, that lifestyle is not right, rejecting God is not right, that's blasphemous, that's not right, I'm casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.

Oh, I'm just glad I don't have to preach tomorrow because I'm exhausted, but we're in spiritual battle. That's what this is. Anybody on the prayer team, do you ever leave here exhausted? Why? You just prayed with people.

But when you really pray, right, Yvette? When you really pray, you're changing the atmosphere, you're speaking life into the person. You're casting down arguments, wrong thoughts and teachings that draw people away.

We need to be that voice of truth on our campuses, in our universities. I believe that's one reason God blesses with 91 .9 FM, is to get that out there, put it on buses. You know how many people say, I saw it and I tuned in and oh my goodness, I just got hit by the word of God because you're casting down, see that's what God's word does when God's word is proclaimed in the power of the spirit, what can overcome that?

Nothing, nothing.

My word is like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces. My word is like a fire that devours. And you have to bring the word of God out in these areas. And then it also will crush every high thing, every high thing.

Now this is interesting, I looked into this a little bit. I don't know, many of you won't know what a turret is. Some of you will, but you remember the old fortresses? They would have those little things at the top spiral and there'd be little narrow windows out of them.

What was that for? It was so they could shoot arrows through those little holes and not be hit from arrows and weaponry coming up. It was, they were up down shooting at those armies. And that's what the imagery Paul's using.

So he said, you cast down, you cast down every high thing, everything that's up high, trying to shoot your children, trying to shoot our kids next door in the youth ministry, trying to shoot our families, that enemy that's trying to, you pull that down with the word of God.

Everything, anything that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. And the image is throw it down, throw it down to the ground. And in the Old Testament, you know what they used to do to the kings?

They would put them on the ground. What would they do with their foot? They would put their foot on their throat as a sign of submission, I've conquered. That's why David ran over to Goliath, give me a sword, cut off his head.

He wasn't done, he'd probably, Goliath was already dead. But see, that final blow, let the word of God go and bring these things down. And how do I do that, Shane? Well, I'm glad you asked. Bring every, we're gonna have to sit there for a minute.

Bring some thoughts, oh, there's some thoughts you don't want to bring into captivity, do you? You like those thoughts. Those thoughts are getting you in trouble. I don't need to go down the list, you know what those thoughts are.

The enemy's been watching you since you were born. He knows exactly where to shoot those fiery darts. Where he shoots you, he doesn't shoot me. Where he shoots me, he doesn't shoot some of you. Like I've told you before, my worst enemy, I'm not as worried about Satan as I am the old Shane Eidelman.

He needs to stay in the coffin, dead, and not try to lift the lid up and say, remember the good old days? Remember the good old days, remember the old Shane Eidelman? That's who I'm worried about. And the devil will shoot those fiery darts, take every thought captive, and then do what?

Bring it under the obedience of Christ. In other words, I think I even put that in there. In other words, would Christ be happy with our thought life? Is Christ pleased with my thoughts and where they're going?

And this last sentence, some people don't read it, they kind of have ellipses or they don't quite understand it, but to me it's very powerful. I love it when God really brought this to my mind and looking up commentaries, of course.

And if you ever think you get something from the word of God that's different from everyone else, you're probably wrong. You know, you wanna check commentaries, you wanna make sure it's balanced, but this one I just really felt led to share with you.

And being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled. In short, once you begin to obey God, it's time for you to get up and take action and fight back. It's time for you now to regain lost ground.