Damage Control :: Damaged Goods (Part 5)

I want to close out my

part

of what God is doing through this

part

icular story of Mephibosheth by giving us what I call

damage

control

principles because we have been following the life of a guy named Mephibosheth who has been

damage

d from an early age. He was 5 years old when someone left him he was in line to be royalty everything was taken from him he had a better future something happened and stole that opportunity like many of us, some of us had a scholarship and then a wrong play got him hurt and We feel like we were robbed of what we were meant for or like you had all the self-esteem in the world and then someone sexually abused you and took advantage of you and it crushed your spirit.

See many people come in. These doors and you act like life doesn't exist You were above youth ministry and you made a mistake and you were demoted and your position was taken away and you don't want to erase it anymore You were married to the one you thought was yours forever. and they committed adultery and left the relationship and you felt like you could never recover hey, I don't know what has hurt you in your life, but we all have an area at least one, but if we're honest, many of us have many areas. that are

damaged

if we look at our history and our behavior and why we do things and why we don't do things.

I mean, some of us right now are afraid of being a part of things that don't look like what they are. You used to let me help you You used to be on a praise and worship team and now you see these young people here jumping around and doing all this other stuff and you could be an asset, that's the praise and worship team, you all heard them say AHA, yeah, but you can be an asset, but someone told you along the way that your voice sounded a little weird, so instead of working on it and getting to another level and being everything you could be, you just stopped hurting yourself and today I want you to understand like Mephibosheth that God's goal for your life is to restore every

damaged

area of ​​your life.

He doesn't want you to die damaged. I want you to hear me say that again when he was studying and praying to God. said Michael Michael, I want my people to know that it is not my goal for them to die damaged in any area that is in your anger, he said, I do not want you to die damaged, angry every time something doesn't go your way, you roar. and you become the incredible number of people who have an Incredible Hulk, yes, I come, if it's the right situation, the right thing, then you become someone as I call it, sir, dr.

Jekyll and mr. Hyde, I mean, you just snap, other people have the opposite, when they get discouraged, they go and become a hermit crab, you isolate how many people, when something doesn't go your way, you isolate, come on, let's be honest, like damaged and God saying to each one. one of us, it doesn't matter if I have named your situation or not, God said: I don't want you to die damaged, so what do we have to do as mephibosheth when God comes to us, when the King calls and when we stand before us? We have to submit to him, we receive a bow and then the Kings will restore us.

He was stored in Mephibosheth after years of being in a place called lo debar, a place of nothing, there were years when nothing happened and one day God restored everything to him. He came to tell everyone today that he is God, if you don't remember anything else, what I say. I want you to know that God's plan for your life is a restoration of more and better than it was, even if it is now broken and we see that in The Life of Mephibosheth goes up and sits at the King's table and that child went from eating ramen noodles to be able to choose whatever he wanted and the beautiful thing about Mephibosheth's life was that he damaged his legs, that is what the Bible tells us when he took a seat at the table of Kings his damaged area was what he covered was covered is covered look this is what someone shouted healed and I'm glad you did it because healing is a covered process it's instantaneous so I can still be healing but God made me see that what we want to do is no longer feel any pain or that it doesn't affect me or if I forgive them completely, no, no, we will get out of your release, but we will continue working on it. that but if you keep reminding everyone that you are hurt then you discover yourself but in the grace that I have given you I have covered you and what we have to do is agree with the grace of God in our life and not in the situation.

We're still healing because once you receive grace, undeserved, undeserved, undeserved favor from God and some of you look at me like I don't understand. Come on, I'm like I'm trying to tell you right now that there are things that you're holding on to that God has said just let it go because I've already covered it I've already let it go I've already changed the trajectory of your future but you're holding on to something. and I'm pulling you this way and you won't let it go so you're stuck because my grace is pulling you forward but your will is holding you back and you have a song, let it go because if you let me do the restoration it will be more than you've ever had. experienced Mephibosheth again went from eating ramen noodles to having his choice, he had a land that the king ordered a guy named Zipper and his 35 servants to work for him, this man literally went from having nothing. to have it done there are things that God wants to put the Bible tells us that there will be you will live in houses that you did not build you will have land that you will obtain on a farm you did not tell this what restoration it seems that God gives you and places you in areas that you do not deserve but It is because of his goodness and his favor in your life that he says yes, you are my son, you received me, you accepted me, here you go, you see, there is nothing, my daughter Isabella deserves what I do for her, it is because she is mine and we do not look at God like that, we look at him as if We would have to earn every single thing he does for us, oh I know why I got that blessing.

Is it because you gave that five dollars on that offer without boo-boo that five dollars or that night he is trying to make you more like he is trying to give you the character and the discipline to do the right things, but do you really think you deserve it ? what God gave you you really believe you deserved another chance at marriage after you blew it you really believe you didn't but we serve a good god who looks past all our faults and sees our needs and says I can't even do this because of what they did, but I can do it because they are mine and I want you to hear me say this it will not be by works it will not be by works like okay now I'm serving and now I read my Bible 50 minutes a day and now no, I'm serious because we think that somehow we want all those things, but if the motivation is wrong, the result will be wrong.

God, I want you to know, like Mephibosheth, that your damaged area did not disqualify you before the king and he is still seeking to do so. good for you and he still wants more for you so last week we saw this crazy guy come on the scene and his name was zipper. If you could put up a mental image so everyone could see how I feel. this is what I don't know why you know he fights with little kids and stuff, you know what I'm saying. I feel like that's what the zipper looks like to me.

Yala really realized very quickly that I'm crazy, okay? But I want to paint this picture so that Mephibosheth is being restored from everything that was stolen from him. It comes with a zipper and is supposed to be serving with it. Be careful that everyone around you that God places around you to work with you is not always for you. You'd be naïve to think that and Mephibosheth was so excited just to be restored that he's not even looking you're not even looking who's taking care of his stuff. You know he could have done it. I know there was at least a sign that this guy's Eber wasn't really the best, but he says, "You know, this is the best I've ever had," he keeps doing it, he keeps restoring, he's farming the land they work on. your kids, you're doing all these other things.

On one day I told you last week David's family he is the king the moment he has a problem his children are crazy his children start fighting one of the sons kills the other son he sends his son away and then the son he comes back so he's angry and he was like he was about to take

control

of dad and he threw him and killed him. I bit him, I put you, I put that Erik died and then they prepare to go kill King David in the palace. I'm just trying to catch. Get up because I'm going to give you some damage control principles.

What ends up happening in this story is that David flees the kingdom and when Mephibosheth, who has been restored by God and restored by the King, finds out that they are leaving the kingdom. palace, he says to the zipper hey brother, hey, my source is moving, the person who restored me, the one who is my sustainer, the one who brought me from a dark place to this place, is moving, like this that I need to move too and let me stop there because we could but let me tell you that if God ever moves you need to move like God is doing something new and you are stuck in the way he was doing it you need to move and in Mephibosheth, knowing that the only reason he is where he is now is because of his right relationship with the king, said, "Hey, get the donkeys, brother, get a backpack, we should hear if the King Go, go, but he zips up, hating himself." goes and I know he's just thinking because he just hates and he's like man the fool can't move on his own anyway he's still damaged in some areas let me take advantage of what it used to be for him let me take advantage listen to me listen to what I'm saying let me take advantage and remind him of his damaged area because up to this point everything is fine because he can let himself go anywhere he can move anywhere he needs he has all the resources he is not worried about food he is not worried about housing he almost forgets that it is damaged and then someone with the wrong motive comes in to try to take advantage of your damaged area again.

I'm supposed to be working for him, but no, he can't move without me, he wanted a piggyback ride. he travels here and gets one and he takes an opportunity that was a completely normal thing and harms Mephibosheth again. I said it last week, but it's worth saying again, even when you're healing a damaged area, he has the opportunity to be damaged again. and if you don't know what's at stake you you I'm out of it I'm free from lust I'm free I'm free no I don't look at women that's my sister hey sister hey sister hey sister everyone knows what I'm saying, we try to get this that If it has been cured it could never be achieved, that's why you have to have responsibility, that's why you have to have it, if it were me, I was thinking about this, I think about the Bible, if it were me and I was Mephibosheth, I would have called my son creator um who was in trouble, look because there was a guy who let Mephibosheth stay with him all those years while he was damaged, I would have caught him.

King, could you please go find my son and bring him with me because he cared about me when he was still damaged? He was present in my struggle and I need some accountability in this new space I'm in alone because of you Being elevated doesn't mean you don't need protection just because you've been better than ever, it doesn't mean you don't need to be accountable to someone just because now You are the leader, right? Be like the former official. I have people I'm accountable to, so I stand up here and say something crazy. Someone can boo-boo-boo-boo-boo.

Mike is here acting like a fool. Could you please get up? Because? Because like God. He takes me up as the elevator continues to go up I need responsibility How will you be in the position that God has you in and you won't have people around? See why the responsibility is not only to correct, it is to protect, to see why the creator was there, but to know who he was. with me all the time he would have salt like, brother, the zipper is coming loose with our donkeys, brother, and he would have done something, so what are you saying, Pastor Mike, when you know you've been harmed, never walk alone?

This is not even a point, but I feel that the Holy Spirit changes well when you have been damaged in the area. Don't walk alone in that area if you know you deal with pride, don't be proud and don't tell anyone that you need a hey, this is it. what I'm having trouble with hey, this is why I'm hey, this is still my problem. Sometimes I have trouble moving. Could you be close? So if I ever need to move, could you help me? That's what I have trouble with around midnight. I start having wrong thoughts in my head and go to the website.

I started looking at some Yeezys but ended up with nessam mmm and then a double D ZZZ and it just didn't come to mind. Sorry but. but hear me out but hear me out if you're not that real with someone if you're not that humble and open and transparent with someone hey this guy is on the mend and I feel like I'm getting weaker around him we mean so I was just wrong I was just wrong I was with you when you took the text and you didn't say anything. I'm just saying you have trouble stealing money.

You probably shouldn't have any accounts with you just in them because if you are damaging, you have no responsibility in that area, it is more susceptible to being damaged.again and that's what happened to Mephibosheth restored, healed more than he ever had now. people who were supposed to be around him looking at this clock this clock is the beautiful thing about accountability Thank you Holy Spirit asks for accountability, the king is not assigned the rack assigned to serve him, but he still needed to go find someone he trusted to be accountable because you will never be accountable to someone you don't trust, you will never be accountable, it's because that all these people are fighting, yes, him, how are you.

I'm fine, I'm fine and Hale is unleashing himself on your life, but the reason you didn't tell them the truth is because you don't trust them and the reason you don't trust them is because you didn't bring them into the circle and the reason you didn't bring them to the circles I think they were going to judge you because you're damaged in one area, but when you know everyone is damaged, it's easier to bring people in and say, "Hey, I'm not going to tell this to everyone." the world, but I need you, I need you. I think about my boy John, who is here transitioning, he and I are responsible for each other.

There have been times when those brothers called me and, being like Mike, just. I need to confess some things, it's him and he said my wife doesn't know yet but no one else knows, but I need to tell him because I know if I let this cancer sit, not only will it be where I can remove it, but it will spread to a place where I will have to receive chemotherapy all my life and thanks to that trust I have been able to literally help him get out of situations that would have led to his destruction.

I'm telling you the same thing, I'm not telling you to go around and have 50 people have a community meeting every night about everything you do wrong, like this is me, my name is John and I'm a sinner, of course do that Oh, what I'm saying is that if Mephibosheth had a real responsibility, he would have done it. He wouldn't have played it a second time, if he had real friends around him he wouldn't have been able to be damaged again and many of us are damaged because we are alone and God just wanted to change everything just for a minute and let you know that walking alone was never his plan for your life that's why he created Eve in the garden he said it's not good for you to be alone that's why he sent the disciples how many for how many too much he said none of you all of you alone are going to do this well, so I encourage you to Don't be fooled like Mephibosheth because he was damaged again with Zipit and he went and met King David and said King haha, they are his boys.

I am always here. I brought all these cameras. camels and I mean donkeys I brought this bread for the people to eat I brought this wine for everyone to drink and the first thing the king said he didn't even recognize zipa, he said where is your master, where is Mephibosheth and then he had to lie and then he had than to slander and I want us to pick this up right here in second Samuel chapter 19 and I want you to look at chapter 19 verse 17 because what happened is that the zipper lied to Mephibosheth and the king got frustrated and said well, great. everything I gave him everything I'll give him back now I'm giving it to you that ruined me when I read it the first time because I was like, wait now, how come this liar, this thief, this hater is rising and he It's wrong, I mean, I struggle with seeing some of us read the Bible, but I struggle with the Bible because if you don't make sense, I'm like God, you have to give me some revelation because if you represent the king and you're a great king and a good father and all those other things and now the enemy runs away and you give him all my things but you don't know I'm in a broken place and I'm hurting, he left me and I was really trying to do the right thing but he's doing the wrong thing and then You rewarded him.

God told me so clearly that he said the reason he rewarded Zipporah was to test the heart of Mephibosheth. Your enemy is part of your growth. Look, this was never discussed. zipper because you reap what you sow this was about Mephibosheth God wanted to make sure his heart was still in the right place and would use someone who shouldn't have been elevated to see because you'll never see what's in your heart until you've done it wrong , I'm just telling you do something, do something to someone's children, let someone do something to your children and then the prince will say, well, that's what happens, that's what happens, I'll tell you what happened, get the baby, bring three or five as you already know in the reach of your minivan, it's that they are telling everyone that all the children go when I say John, I'm running, they jump, take them, see you in the end, You all are triflin on the site, you know you're sick, but what I'm saying is that adversity, judgment, injustice, it will expose your heart real quick and the reason Zipper got this was not because of the money, but by Mephibosheth, so now we pick up King David. gnam they get the victory they head back to the palace to rule and Absalom his son has died and now this is where we pick up in second samuel chapter 19 verse 17 all these people come now to help the king and all of his family. and all his concubines return to the city and it says there were a thousand Benjamites verse 17 along with zebra the steward of Saul's house and his 15 sons in 20 servants the 35 people who were supposed to be loyal to Mephibosheth rushed to the Jordan. where the king was, they took the king and his house and did whatever they wanted.

I can see them in his coats and, oh king, please don't let your royal feet bother with the water, they're just here trying. to make fun of them because when you don't deserve a position you have to work to keep the position, everyone sees what it says inside, it says that they, the family, everyone went to do whatever they wanted. when you come to a place that is yours you can rest in it skip to verse 24 it says Mephibosheth Sol's grandson also went to meet the king now this makes me stumble look at this how do I read the Bible how do you get there how the guy who was supposed to who was supposed to help him place it, has literally been sitting in the same place and now says that Mephibosheth went down to the Jordan to meet the king.

This is what you see, you have to look beyond what he says and see what God is trying to say. always a ram in the bush if they left your life God will send someone else if they didn't work out God will send if that business didn't work out and he said you would be a CEO he will send someone else it doesn't work They don't even give their name who they are because they don't need to credit. God will use people to get you to the place where you are supposed to be. I want you to see this so clearly.

Instead, Mephibosheth saw the damaged guy, the broken guy. It says that he also went down to meet the king, but look at his condition, he had not taken care of his feet, cut his mustache or washed his clothes from the day the King left until the day he returned safely, he was a weird meeting, but I want to To give you my first point here, this is a principle of damage control. This is what will help you if you have been hurt before. If a harmful situation is trying to come back, then it won't hurt you in the same way.

Now you will know, you will be able to say that everyone knows what damage control is, like when your wife asks you how I look in this dress and you are not paying attention, no one looks good and then she said great and then men automatically have this switch flipping: damage control, we just start to see whatever needs to be said. I mean, cool, when I said cool, I meant like a Bahamian breeze and 72 degrees, so you know what I'm saying. because we don't want those problems, it's trying to contain the damage that could be done and what I'm saying is that things will come in your life to try to harm you again, but these principles, these four principles.

I'm going to give you what we learn from the fibia chefs, it's going to give you the opportunity to control some of those areas that could destroy things, you're going to say I know what's happening, the first thing you have to realize is You have to stay faithful to the king during your trial. This is the first principle of damage control that Mephibosheth gives us. The reason he does some of you like: Why didn't he take a bath? Why didn't he shave? Why not? He cut his toenails because since he couldn't go he had to give a sign that he was still faithful to the king this was his sign that no matter what happens to me I need you to know that I will be faithful to trust this horrible season and you see a lot of us when we go through a test we become unfaithful to the king it honestly didn't go the way we wanted we go out and have fun ourselves we go back to the club go hang out with the person we weren't supposed to stop going to the church, stop doing those things and what you have to understand is that yes, they will harm you, but do not stop being faithful to the king just because you were damaged again they played him but he remained faithful he said I am going to consecrate myself I am going to sacrifice something so the King knows that every time we get back into the right relationship I stayed faithful, what does that look like?

I'm going to compare this to the situation in my life a few years ago. I had the most horrible business transaction that ever happened in my life and what ended up happening is that through a series of events we went through a situation when trying to build a house, the contracts were bad. things started happening our house wasn't finished all these other things happened and I was still coming here I was preaching I was doing all kinds of things not trying to not let him come I was angry I was angry I was frustrated I I Would I pray for the people and would they Would you turn around and pray for me?

Because I was like Lord, why not? I'm just being very good, but in that season I fasted every Wednesday, I mean, when I say every Wednesday, I fasted every Wednesday. It was the most difficult season of my life but I said God, I too am going to do something even in a place where I don't understand. I am serving you. I am praying for the people we intern. I'm doing it all. Why did this come out and give? I don't see it soon. I didn't do all this and they don't seem to find you anywhere, but I know that if I disconnect from being faithful to you even when I don't hear you, even when I don't see you, even when I feel like you've left me, that's going to be bad for me, so every Wednesday I put my plate away and don't do it.

I won't eat and I prayed and some of those prayers were hard, I mean, God, hey, thank you, thank you for the encouragement, thank you for life, thank you for my wife, yeah, thank you for my wife, Lord, thank you for me, my daughter, sir, you know? I had to sleep in this house and it's too cold this winter and we don't have heat in our house and we just brought our baby home yeah no I gave the money to warm myself and they didn't put in a heating system so now it's winter and my firstborn is covered and we wear full winter clothes to bed and I feel like you've left me when I feel like I don't know if I can go minister to people this Sunday and I just need you to give me grace to do it one more time.

I love you but I don't feel you right now. Amen and you know what God does when he doesn't speak. You are in an exam. No good teacher talks during the exam. They gave you everything you needed for this and now I'm going through what I had to go through, but he doesn't talk because it's a test, that's what Mephibosheth was going through, he wasn't alone and he felt like God was. I'm not talking because it wasn't about Zambo, remember it was about my faith, it was a test to see if he would stay faithful when he didn't feel like anything was happening in his name, you may be here today and like that there was made.

I didn't listen to God, I come to this church, everyone acts like it's moving and he says ah, I don't understand, I don't understand, it seems like everyone else's marriage is happy, it's in me, everyone's children the others are doing well and getting excellent grades. in junior school in junior objects come on I'm just serious because it seems like nothing is lining up all my other friends are getting married and all my other friends are getting houses and all my other friends and I are just sitting here and God says you're in a test. I came to tell you.

Shh, shut up, steel yourself and remember the past seasons he's taking you through because he's trying to let you pass the test now. I know it's uncomfortable. I know. It doesn't feel good, I know it feels like you are not ready for this, but it is in you and if you use what has already been given to you, you will pass this test and that is what Mephibosheth did to pass the test. He was showing God that he wouldn't give up on him, so he didn't shave, he didn't wash his clothes, he did, he didn't shave, he didn't cut his toenails because he wanted when the teacher came back, he would see that I did this. and I passed it won't be because I left it won't be because I brought additional problems into my life by going back to drinking and going back to alcohol and going back to gossip if that's not what I've stayed true to even when I didn't feel you I kept coming to church when I felt like everyone was looking at me I continued serving when everyone was outside to watch me leave in a different way and my damaged air continued so God, it won't be because I quit because your word says that the righteous man falls seven times but gets up again, so After I've done everything to get up, I have to get up and some of you need to figure that out because you're in the fight of your life and you want to run and God says.stayFaithful to me even when you don't feel me, some of you are believing in God for healing right now.

I feel the Spirit of God and the doctor's report is still bad and God is just trying to see if his confession is going to change. I am healed. good mr. Todd, this doesn't look good. I am well healed. We did the tests we said we were going to do. We did the 6 week biopsy and it looks exactly worse than before we came here. I mean, he's just trying to work on you. the resilience to remain faithful even in the face of trial my marriage is healed uh I want a divorce my marriage is restored I leave you well Bob I'll be there where are you going? because I will go with you God is waiting for you someone who remained faithful during the trial and mephibosheth remained faithful during the trial the second thing verse 27 says my lord the king is like an angel of God so do what you want this is what happens he comes before the king and said why why would you leave me, he said this guy lied to me, slandered my name, betrayed me, he said but I haven't shaved, I haven't done anything, look at me, I'm in a broken state right now because I've been waiting for you to come back and talk to me and he said but you know I'm not even worthy of all this you can do whatever you want this is the second point I want to give you to have damage control you need to trust the king with the result .

See, Mephibosheth was so confident in his relationship with God that even though he was on trial, even though he was in a bad situation, he didn't go and explain everything that happened and try to build the case against Zipper. I love this because when you read this whole narrative that I can't get into but I wish we had two hours so we could, he never blamed Zipper, he never talked about him, he just said my man betrayed me, slandered me. my name if that was me I would have built a case on February 26th you know what I'm saying I would have done it I would have built that case so hard and I just said and it's his fault and he's guilty restart with me he.

He didn't do that because he knew that a right relationship with the King would restore everything he needed, he said, so I trust you to do what you want because you know better, you know why that person left my life, you know how you got me out of that job. You know why you have me in this church. You know better than some of us just need that to be our prayer life from now on. God. You know best that this is what I want, but you know best that there is a reason I didn't finish school. the time I was supposed to, there is a reason you carried me through this trial because you know best that God says in Jeremiah 29:11 that I have plans for you, plans to prosper you, not to harm you, to give you hope in the future.

Are you trying to say I know better? So when you know that God knows best, you can have confidence that all things are truly working together for your good proverbs 3:5 the scripture of my life trust in the lord with all your heart this is the great part for me and don't lean on yours because as I understand it he would have done it completely differently, I mean from the garden he would have just killed Adam and even started over with Abram, a reunion like you don't say. Like I started again, but God said my ways are not your ways, my thoughts are higher than yours, so when you trust in the Lord with all your heart, you have to divorce your own understanding, when you really trust in God, you got it, it's the prerequisite. get divorced, which makes sense to you, that's why a lot of people go to college and get these degrees and then God made you work in a completely different field and you know what he said because when you really started trusting me, he said I had to cut off your understanding. and I have to do it in a place where you can trust me and that's what Mephibosheth did.

He entrusted the king with today's result. God wants you to trust him. Third, Mephibosheth was grateful to the king for what he already had. Verse 28 says it all. My grandfather's descendants deserve nothing more than the death of my lord the king, but you gave your servant a place among those who eat at your table, so what right do I have to make any more appeals to the king? This man in his damaged state was so aware of how good the king still was to him and many times we miss that when we go through a bad situation we forget how far and how good God has been to us I mean if you really think about the last few 10 years of your life and how God freed you, he is changing you, he is renewing you, your marriage was on the brink, it was over, you had made the decision, you were determined to commit suicide and God has literally brought you, but he has restored and then we entered into a thing, my Jack was.

In short, God is a tithe. I did what you said and now look and I know God, if he's like the Lord Jesus or maybe the Lord I, I mean, it's like they haven't learned something yet that I do to make it feel a little bit. I feel uncomfortable because I'm trying to make his character more like me, they still don't get it. I purposely told them to give that seed that made them $30 short and they billed me so I could see what they would do at the last minute. You know, they don't even know I've already deducted, they're holding the cell phone bill for next month, but they just won't trust me in these three hours.

It's never what it seems. It's about God trying to make you look like Him and that's why when damaged situations come into our lives again I'm making a conscious effort to stop and think about how good God has been to me now I mean just stop, I just don't stop talking with God, thank you mmm, this is This sucks, it sucks, yes this is important, but man I didn't, I don't even qualify to be a part of this decision right now God, you've had so much faith, God, I thank you that My wife and I became six. years of getting married, I mean, this is an argument, I mean, it seems like it's going to be like this, it'll be over at six, but God, thank you because I know I remember thinking we weren't going to make it, and we're here at 6: 00.

God, thank you for giving us this house, we don't have the money to read, renovate it, but God, I just think, I think if you stop and think, well, God, I already know that I'm dealing with this illness, but the one that they gave me before. This thing they said was going to kill me, hey, I'm still breathing. Change your perspective on what happens when you are grateful for what God has already done. Yes, we need more business, but God, we have a deal. God, we need God, we need me. Children need better. Big deal, you need to do better, but father, I appreciate that our relationship is halfway to getting a little better.

I mean, sometimes you have to reach for gratitude, but when you reach it, gratitude fills areas of your heart. that will give you the fuel to keep moving forward and that's what Mephibosheth did, he said, you know what King, great, I don't have it now, I have my other home, he brought me here to tell you what happened, but I know all my La family deserves death anyway, when my grandfather and father died, I should have died, and you not only let me live, but you restored me, so at this point I know what I deserve, so you know what's great because you've already done it.

To me, it doesn't even matter what happens in this situation. Look, what does it look like when we get to the point where we're in a damaged situation where you say God, you made me so much? I really wish you would. to pass but it doesn't even matter I'm not even supposed to be here but you have been faithful you have been good you have restored me once and then he said who am I to ask the king or make any more appeals? I trust you and you've already been good, so what do you do now? last point of the words.

I'm just going to read the Scriptures, first verse 29, now we're going to trip me up, the king said, he said to him after saying all these things, why say? but I ordered you to close the hater, the one who has caused all of this to have control of this situation and now you divide the land, now this has ruined me, it is me fighting again with the Scriptures because Mephibosheth was done wrong, but the closure it divides. Now it was my land in the first place, but when you know that you have to restore and make everything right, you will give the enemy the advantage to be the one to divide the land first, why are we dividing the land that was? all mine and he came in he lied we have that he slandered my name he made things up and he still leaves with half of my things he leaves with some of my friends they left with the business proposal I made I want to remind you that judgment and the enemy It's never about them, it's about their heart and this is where they would have screwed it all up, like me personally.

I'm like, okay king, haha, big powerful king, this is how you're going to do it. This I don't think you heard me I said he came lightly on me he took my donkeys you see and then he went in and didn't even defend him look what he says he said Mephibosheth told the king to take everything now that my lord the king has returned safely home, this is the difference between immaturity and maturity because immaturity is worried about things. Maturity is concerned with the source of the things you missed. Immaturity worries. Well, they got the promotion and they got the girl and they got the things that Mephibosheth said, forget about it, I'm back in a right relationship with the one who gave them to me in the first place, so if I have a right relationship with the king, do I have a right relationship with the king?

What is the land that Zipper has that I'm back with? the restorer so everything I need has the potential to be restored and I came to tell many of us that we must follow the example of Mephibosheth and the great psalmist Elsa and we must let it go oh yes she is a psalmist for our generation yes You didn't know that many of us cling to things and lose our right relationship with the restorer, but Mephibosheth knew that this is what the enemy would not return. I love it. Thank you Holy Spirit, you have to see it. who got the land but lost his job, there is no way after Moffatt you will remember what his job description is, what you work for Mephibosheth for the rest of your life, you and all your children, while he lived, you work in the moment he obtained. his land, that's all he'd get, he just cut off the inheritance for his children's children, you reap what you sow, there's no way my favorite chef would bring him back, bro, you thought you had me, get out of here, I bet you'll never make it. standing on this land again he lost his job he lost a legacy and he lost his credibility so anyone in the entire kingdom if they heard his name it was synonymous with what he did, the Mephibosheth, not that he was a servant of the king or anything like that. is what I'm saying, God makes your enemies stop worrying about who you don't like and who isn't for you and who didn't choose you and who keeps ignoring them, just let it go, look, Mephibosheth focused on the king because he knew that the king just took back all his territory, he knows I didn't lie, I stayed faithful to him, I stand the test of the time he gave me, he made me return with half of what I had, I caught the revelation sometimes when you're Damaged God will not make you go back to where you were.

He will make you return with half of what you had and he will see how you will manage it, but you cannot think of it as a loss because you have the right relationship with the king. and this is what I felt as I closed this morning this is what I felt that mephibosheth had in his mind I'm not going to stumble and I'm going to let go of that unforgiveness I'm going to let it go I'm going to let go of the pain I'm going to let go of the right to talk about this with other people I'm going to let it go and you may be here and you're saying well you don't know what they did to me, pass the microphone and I'm damaged because this and I was free of that and then they did it again, you need to let it go, let it go, everyone just a leap of faith, just hold something here and then let it go, let it go, see because if you do that, I think this is what God gave to everyone in this place and this is what Mephibosheth thought if the King did it before he could do it again.