the only true beauty comes from a life
fully surrendered to Jesus Christ where
yourself has died has gotten out of the
way and he can be seen in and through
you John the Baptist said I must
decrease so that he might increase if
we're in the way if we're pursuing the
things we want to pursue living the life
that we want to live his beauty will not
be seen in and through us and we may
have a life that looks a little bit
cleaner a little bit more moral than the
girls all around us but we won't have
the essence of the true gospel life
which is becoming a living sacrifice for
our King nothing that we have is our own
anymore we don't have time of our own
money of our own resources of our own
plans of our own it's now all about him
it's not about us when we grow up in
Christianity over here a lot of times we
hear about how we're beautiful and we
have all this value and worth as women
because we live in a culture that just
bombard us with messages of insecurity
so this message of you're not good
enough you're not pretty enough you
don't have the right figures constantly
in our face and so the Christian
community has come in saying no no no
you're good you're beautiful just the
way you are but the danger of that
message is it often promotes self esteem
and we're looking within ourselves
trying to find our value in our beauty
in our work well we're valuable to Jesus
Christ before we're redeemed but we
really won't have any true Beauty until
he transforms us from the inside
out I see a lot of girls all of our free
time Facebook texting with friends
watching movies watching TV obsessing
over guys if you're trying to figure out
what we're going to we're going to the
mall measuring our life away on these
meaningless things meanwhile there are
Christians on the other side of the
world literally giving up their very
lives for Jesus Christ so I want to
challenge you that what we see all
around us and maybe even the version of
Christianity that we've grown up with
the God is calling us some more than
this Christ said whoever of you does not
forsake all that he has cannot be my
disciple it's not just saying a sinner's
prayer it's not just acknowledging that
Christ died for us it's not just saying
oh this is really great now I can go to
heaven at the end of the road this is
about giving up our life it's about a
covenant exchanged with him it's about
forsaking all that we have we come to
him do we realize that we can't hold on
to our life we have to take up our cross
and follow him we have to become a
living sacrifice we have to let him have
everything it's a life of true surrender
full surrender and he said whoever does
not take up his cross and follow after
me is not worthy of me are those just
nice sounding words taking up our cross
is it just sort of this visual thing in
our mind I think it was for me for many
years
I didn't understand what it really meant
they're just like oh that's nice take
off your cross and follow him but what
is he asking of us he gave everything
will we give everything to him I am a
soldier in the army of my god the Lord
Jesus Christ is my commanding officer
the Holy Bible is my code of conduct
they prayer in the word are my weapons
of warfare I have been taught by the
Holy Spirit trained by experience tried
by adversity
and tested by fine I am a volunteer in
this army I am enlisted for eternity I
will either retire in this army at the
rapture or die in disarming but I will
not get out sell out be cocked out or
push down I am faithful reliable capable
and dependable if my God needs me I am
there if he needs me in the sunday
school to teach the children work with
the youth help adults or just and learn
he can use me because hi and there I am
assault I am NOT a baby I do not need to
be pampered petted climbed up pumped up
picked up or kept up because I am a
soldier
no one has to call me remind me write me
visit me entice me or lure me because I
am a soldier
I am NOT a wind I am in place saluting
Mikey obeying his orders praising his
name and building his kingdom no one has
to send me flowers gifts food cards
candy or give me handouts I do not need
to be coddled cradled cared for our
tailor today I am committed I am a
soldier I cannot be discouraged enough
to turn me aside I cannot lose an ounce
that goes meeting wind when Jesus called
me into this army
I had nothing if I end up with nothing I
will still come out ahead I will win my
God has has and will continue to supply
all I need I am more than a conquerer I
will always triumph I can do all things
through Christ which strengtheneth me
Devil's can under beat me people cannot
disillusion me weather cannot weary me
sickness cannot stop me battles cannot
beat me buddy
cannot buy me governments can on silent
snake and hell cannot handle me
I am a soldier even death cannot destroy
me for when my commander calls me from
this battlefield he will promote me to
captain and then allow me to rule with
him I am a soldier in the army
I am marching I am claiming victory I
will not give up I will not turn around
I am a soldier
Barty heaven bell here I speak Elijah
took up the mantle of Elijah verse 13
and stood by the bank of Jordan I
thought Jordan of course always
represents crossing over from death unto
life or from Varon us into the promises
of God he stood at the bank and beloved
it's a choice that you have to make and
I have to make we're going to hear truth
and we are hearing truth but eventually
we all have to stand at the bank of that
River and say am I going to cross am I
going to go into these impossible places
but for the Spirit of God to bring me
there how am I going to trust for the
provision that God wants to give me in a
very calamitous time am I going to go
and pass from this place of death over
into life am I going to leave the
wilderness and go into the place of
promise which only the Holy Spirit can
take us into and the scripture says he
took the mantle of Elijah that fell from
them and spoke the water and said where
is the Lord God of Elijah he smelt the
water
and he asked a question which is not a
question of unbelief if you read it
either way it appears at least it looks
almost like unbelief where is the Lord
God I don't see it that way
you see the Bible is always referred to
as living water in Ezekiel 36 he said I
will cleanse you I will I will wash you
with clean water Jesus in John chapter 7
said out of his belly are going to flow
rivers of living water that refers to
the Word of God and he spoke the water
and I personally see it as a man or
woman off his bucket with a desperation
says God I am now there was a Hudson
Taylor I know there was a deal Moody
that value I don't know there was a
Gladys Aylward I know there was there
were men and women of God throughout
history that found you but oh god show
me yourself the way they saw you
I want the gardening Lightcap German
show me and that's the crime that's the
player will take you over the river when
you open this book let's say we're on
the battery life
show me Jesus from Genesis to Revelation
Holy Spirit show me Jesus show me O God
I don't want this to be a dead letter
this is the Living Word of God it's by
this word the universe was created Oh
God don't let it be a closed book to me
don't let me live on the wilderness side
don't let death dominate my life God
open this book and he smoked the water
the scripture says when he had smitten
it it parted away an understanding was
given he saw he understood and he began
to walk with God and the scripture says
the waters parted and made a way for him
and he like so went over
every Christian that will ever know the
anointing of God has to come to this
place of crying up to God the men today
who try to get an anointing by sleeping
in somebody's beds and ones doing the
running of God it's ridiculousness
standing near a tomb of some dead same
anointing is in the book
and alive she went over by God's grace
I'm going over I'm going how much stay
on this side I'm not living with the
food
I'm not taking the things of God is
using them for my own self I'm going
over oh yes to be a reward here on this
side I'll see people's lives changed and
one day I'll be with him in eternity
forever let that suffice me
with Elijah window
he went
and today
there's a call of God so many
there's only one path for your life
and only the holy spirit knows it
and you and I will never know it until
we smite goal so we open this book and
maybe you're not going to hit your book
like I'm doing but you hit your heart
God show me show me