Life.Church with Craig Groeschel - Afraid of What People Think About Me | Fear Not | Part 2

Episode Date: December 17, 2023

It’s easy to get caught up worrying about what people think of you. But God wants us to let go of opinions of others and shift our focus to Him instead. How is that possible? Let’s find out together.  ABOUT THIS MESSAGEWhat are you afraid of? Fears attack the most precious parts of our lives and keep us from living the life meant for us. God wants to help us overcome our darkest fears as we learn to Fear Not.Our current series, Christmas at the Movies, can only be seen at a Life.Church location or at Life.Church Online. We have special messages available on YouTube, but you can check out https://life.church/christmas to find a location or attend Life.Church Online anytime. NEXT STEPSHave you made a decision to follow Jesus? You may be wondering what’s next on your journey. We want to help! Let us guide you to your next steps in your walk with Christ: https://www.life.church/nextCONNECT WITH A PASTORDo you need prayer? Would you like to find out how you can get involved at Life.Church? One of our pastors would love to meet with you. Schedule a video call with a pastor: https://www.life.church/meetwithusABOUT LIFE.CHURCHWherever you are in life, you have a purpose. Life.Church wants to help you find your next step. Our hope is that your journey will include joining us at a Life.Church location throughout the United States or globally online at https://www.live.life.churchFind locations, videos, and more info about us at https://www.life.church or download the Life.Church app at https://www.life.church/appFIND US ON SOCIAL MEDIAFacebook: http://www.facebook.com/life.churchInstagram: http://www.instagram.com/life.churchTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lifechurchYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LCNowCONNECT WITH PASTOR CRAIGYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/craiggroeschelFacebook: http://www.facebook.com/craiggroeschelInstagram: http://www.instagram.com/craiggroeschelTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@craiggroeschel#lifechurch #craiggroeschel #fearnot  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

All right, so sometimes in church it's just good to get real, right? How many would you agree? So what I want to do today is with your permission, I'm going to get kind of real. Do you think you can handle a confession? I'm going to tell you real straight. And it's not a joke and it's not a joke and it's like a setup. But I am a recovering people pleaser. Like big time. Can any of you relate? online you can type it in I'm a recovering people pleaser some of you don't even type in the word recovering because like you're a people pleaser right now because I don't know about you but man there's so much pressure to fit in like growing up I just remember I wanted to wear the right clothes wear the right shoes say the right things get invited to the right parties and by parties I mean like you know at McDonald's where they had the big clown because I was a kid and all those kind of things, and I never felt like I did. One of the problems we had back when I was growing up,

I grew up in the era, some of you would remember this, and the funny things is like kind of back again, but when I was a kid, Izod's and polos were really popular. Then if you think they're popular now, they weren't for a long time, but when I was a kid, they were, and we could not afford those. My dad worked at a store where, a clothing store, and they had a knockoff polo. It was not a polo, but it was called Knight to the Roundtable. And there's a knight that had a flag that looked like a polo player. So I wore like fake polo. That's worse than wearing non-polo.

It's fake polo. So I tried to fit in that it worked. And I wanted Izod's because Izod's were so cool. So my mom felt the pressure and she actually went to a garage sale and found some Izodd socks and bought them for like a quarter or whatever. Cut the little alligators out and sewed an alligator onto a shirt so I could have an So I was the guy that came to school with an alligator facing down about to eat something. It just didn't work.

And I just remember so hard. I want people to like me. I want people to light me all the way into an adult. And now I'm a pastor of the church and I should be secure in Christ. And yet I still want you to like me. And when you don't, it kind of hurts my feelings. I'm afraid of what people think. I'm trying to grow through it.

I'm a recovering people pleaser. So during this Christmas season, we're actually looking at some events around the birth of Christ. And we notice as we study the Christmas story that there are three different times when God sent three angels. And three different times the angel said, fear not or do not be afraid. And today what we're going to do is we're going to look at a portion of the Christmas story and the angel's message, do not be afraid. I believe will help some people overcome the fear of what other people think about you. Now, why does this matter so much? And I promise you, it does. Because obsessing about what people think about you is the quickest way to forget what God thinks about you. Let me say it again.

The moment you obsess about what they think, it takes you away from you. thinking about what God thinks. And so if you're like me and you find yourself worrying a little bit more, am I going to live up to their expectations, or my parents going to be proud, am I going to fit in with them? It's what I post is going to be the right thing. Am I going to develop the right brand or whatever it is? If you find yourself worrying about living up to expectations, I believe God's word is going to speak to you because all of us feel the pressure to say the right things, drive the right car, post the right image. and I'm praying that God's word would do a deep work in your heart today. Father, bring your word to life.

Holy Spirit, do surgery on our hearts that we could know you're speaking to us. God, set us free from living for the applause of people. And God, help us live for your heart, your will, your plan, and your purpose. We pray this in Jesus' name. And everybody said, amen. Type it in the comment section online. Amen, if you're with us today. We're going to look in Matthew chapter one today at a guy named Joseph, and Joseph had a very big

decision to make. His decision was going to be between what was easy and what was right. Have you ever noticed how what's right is rarely what's easy? Right? Like it's right not to gossip, but it's so much more fun to do it. you want to be in on the know, right? Or it's right to resist the temptation, but it's easy to eat it, buy it,

squeeze it, pop it, whatever you do to it, it's so much easier to give in, right? And so here we have Joseph, and he was engaged to be married to a young girl named Mary. And if you don't know during this time in culture, engagement is a little bit different than today. For one thing, they didn't have the pressure to have the Instagram-worthy engagement,

where you actually propose, and then you do 45 minutes of photos faking the actual moment. Ha! Okay, do it again. Now with the sun behind you. For 45 minutes, I watched someone at a hotel recreate the moment you people please and faker. And I know I'd do the same thing if I got engaged today because that's the way culture works. If you find yourself like that, it was very, very different in the engagement process back then.

And whenever someone would get engaged then, it was actually a binding agreement. The only way to get out of an engagement was actually to die or to divorce. So when we see that they're engaged, it was much more, it was kind of like you're married without just the official marriage. You still couldn't have sex, but you were in a binding agreement. And so Matthew 118 kind of gives us the context of the story, and here's what Scripture says. This is how the birth of Jesus, the Messiah, came about. his mother mary was pledged to be married to joseph but before they came together she was found to be

pregnant through the holy spirit this is a nightmare if you're joseph you are saving yourself for marriage you're in love with the virgin girl you are engaged and kind of like married in our culture today he didn't have sex with her and she comes in and says guess what i'm pregnant Immediately, what he knows beyond a shadow of a doubt is that's not his baby. What do you think? He's thinking. You're pregnant. You broke my heart.

Our relationship's over. Who did it? I'm going to kill him. I know Joseph was the father of Jesus in his sense of raise him. I guarantee he thought I'm going to kill him because that's what you typically think. And Mary's like, no, no, no, no, no, no, don't worry. This is actually good news. Like, an angel of the Lord appeared to me and spoke to me and said, you found favor with me

and you're going to give birth to the Son of God. It's amazing. An angel did it, really, I promise. I don't know where you guys are. That's just funny to me. Like, an angel says that. He's looking going, what? Are you, woman, you're crazy.

Don't give me that. He's like, I don't know. I saw that guy in the muscle shirt down at the well checking you out. Right? I mean, the guy's a human. He's not going, oh, okay, great. The Holy Spirit did it. Oh, pray to Lord.

Let's thank God right now and take communion together. No, he's not doing that. So she says she's pregnant, and from a human perspective, he's got two options to believe about her. Right now, one, she is a liar, or two, she's crazy. And both are not good foundations upon which to build your marriage. Right? I have sex with you, you're pregnant.

You're telling me an angel did it. You are a big, fat, liar, liar, pants on fire. or you're a wacko. Oh, the Holy Spirit did this to you. You're crazy. Both options are not good. And so let's just say like he's super Christian, which he's not, he's a regular guy.

Let's just say he's super Christian and he does believe her. Okay, so the angel did this to you. What do you think he thinks about next? And the answer is, what are people going to think about me? Because if I go through with this and marry this woman I got pregnant

before we were actually married, I'm going to be marked for life. I'm the guy that broke God's law. I am in the position of power. I would have maybe pressured her. No one's going to believe it anyway if we try to tell him this Holy Ghost thing. It's going to be a scandal that follows him through his whole life. And then if he looks at it from her perspective, Mary, she's going to be an outcast. She is going to be rejected and no one's going to speak to her because in that culture,

that type of sin would put you out of business. He's in a similar way in business. He's a carpenter. No one's going to do business with him because their parents won't bless the marriage. And then worse yet, their child is going to be mocked all day long wherever he goes. So what's going on in his mind?

We don't know the details, but what we do know is he's out. someone comes in, I'm Dayton Amy, she said I'm pregnant by the Holy Ghost, I'm done, you go figure that one out yourself, right? That's what he's going to do. He's bailing on the relationship and we see him walking out. Matthew 119 says this. Because Joseph, her husband, and they're calling to the husband because they were engaged and we talked about that, because he was faithful to the law and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace. So he's a good man. He's trying to get out of this gracefully without making it worse.

for her. He had in mind to divorce her quietly. I don't want to make this worse for her. I'm certainly not going through with this, so I'll just try to get out of this and maybe I can rebuild my life and divorce her quietly and move on with things. If I can just kind of get out of this, then maybe things will be okay. What are people going to think of me? So he's not going to shame. He's not going to her and he thinks, maybe I can start over. Maybe I can save my reputation and save whatever of hers is there. Maybe I can find someone new. Maybe somehow I can still have a life after this. And he's about to learn one of life's most important lessons. And what is that? If you're taking notes, write this down. That pleasing God often means disappointing people. That doing what God wants

is often very, very different than doing what people want. In fact, we'll see this in Matthew chapter 1, verse 20 and 21. Scripture says this, but Joseph, after he'd consider this, an angel of Lord appeared to him in a dream. So he's going to divorce her quietly. He's going to move on and try to rebuild. And an angel appears and says, Joseph, son of David. Here it is, let's all say it aloud.

The angel says, do not be afraid. What does the King James angel say? the King James Angel says, fear not. Don't be afraid to take Mary home as your wife because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. Scripture says, then she'll give birth to a son and you are to give him the name Jesus

because he will save his people from their sins. What do we know? For centuries, all of God's people were waiting on a Savior. And Joseph thinks, maybe this could happen, but what is it going to cost me? What is the problem and how does this apply to you? Let's revisit an earlier thought and look at a new one. What do we know about the danger of living for the applause of people? And it is this.

Obsessing about what people think about you is the quickest way to forget what God thinks about you. But, on the other hand, obsessing about what God thinks about you is the quickest way to forget what people think about you. Right? When you start to put God first and live for an audience of one, suddenly pleasing God means more than the applause of men. It's God, I want to seek you first. I want to put your kingdom first, your values first. Your will first. God, it's not about what they want. It's not about what I want, but God, I want to surrender my will to your purpose. How do we do that? How do we do it? When naturally we care about

how many likes our posts gets. When naturally, it breaks our heart when the person that we like and we follow, unfollow us. How dare them do that? Do that? that they will answer to God. How do we do it when we care so much about people that we work with, people we go to school with? How do we live for God instead of for people? I'll give you a couple quick thoughts today from God's word. I'll set up the first principle by asking again, just for context, how did God use Mary and Joseph? What did they do? Well, God used Mary, she gave birth to Jesus, the son of God, who gave his life. as a ransom. Can you imagine, even though there was that outcome, the grief that Mary and Joseph

would endure? People would not believe them. They would be scorned. They would be shamed. We know they had to run for their lives because ultimately, Herod was trying to kill their baby. People were saying, Joseph is not really the father, and I did the math. They definitely got pregnant before their wedding date. There's no doubt about it. And Joseph and Mary's life illustrates the principle, number one, if you're not ready to be criticized for your obedience to God, you're not ready to be used by God. How do you do God's will? You've got to be ready to take some heat for doing God's will. If you are not ready to face some criticism for your obedience to God, you can never be in the middle of God's will. I like what Paul said in Galatians 110. He said, obviously, I'm not trying to win the

approval of people. I'm not doing that. I'm way past that. But instead, I'm trying to win the approval of God. If pleasing people were my goal, I would not be Christ's servant. Can we stop there for a moment? If I'm a recovering people pleaser, and if pleasing you is my goal, I can't live faithfully for Jesus. So I want you to hear this, I want you to feel this. if you are trying to impress your dad, if you're trying to do only what your mom want, if you're trying to live for his approval or her approval or their approval, whoever they are, because they're there, they think this,

they think that, who's they? I don't know, but they're they. If you're trying to live for the approval of people, you cannot be a servant of Christ. And so where are you holding back? I mean, are you a servant of Jesus? If you are, you know, do you go public with your faith? you know like take a stand for jesus at school you know like wear a christian shirt in or pray over your

meal even though you know they're going to make fun of you pray over your meal at work or refuse to be a part of some deal that is not god honoring at work even though it would make you a lot of money or you go to the party and you and you don't drink when you're there or you may not go to the party because you just don't want to be around that kind of stuff or you don't go to certain movies or watch kind of show and everybody's like who you think you are you're holier now you're better than that or you don't listen to certain kind of music even though it's the most popular music because what's in that music getting good to put in your mind and they'll make fun of you and they'll laugh at you or you you wait until you're married to share the gift of lovemaking because your body doesn't

belong to you but it belongs to god and everybody else's going to say that's so old-fashioned that's so stupid you're so you're missing out on the fun and they may not go out with you when you don't put out. And you may lose someone you like because you won't give them what they want. If you are not ready to face opposition for your obedience to God, you're not ready to be used by God. And here's what I hope you understand. Those who make the biggest difference often endure the greatest pain. Do you want to go be popular on social media and take the word out? You can get shot at a lot. In fact, all these things are kind of minor. But anything in my marriage and ministry with Amy that we did that we felt like God called us to do, it was always met with

opposition. It started with having a big family, six kids. You wouldn't believe that people like, oh, do you know what cause is that? Why are you doing that? I mean, you know, we have family members that are like upset going out, baby number four. We're not talking to you. Don't you have number five? And they're like mad when God calls children a blessing from God, and yet we get criticized for that. And then we home educated back before you had to, you know, like 2020, right? This was way back when it was highly criticized. We felt called by God for it. Never told anybody else they should do it, but man, we got judged for it. They're not going to be social and they're not going to be this and they're not going to be that. We actually didn't want it to be what

everybody else was because everybody else was doing things that weren't honoring to God. In the church world, we experimented with video teaching. And everybody said, video teaching doesn't work. That's not spiritual. It's funny is because whenever I'm teaching, everybody's looking at the screen. And I look at me. I'm like, look at my hair. They're looking at the screen. But, I mean, we got hammered in the church world for that. Multi-sight. when we were one of the first churches that started meeting in more than one location, and you're full of yourself and you're this, that, the other. Church Online, we're the first church to create Church Online platform.

It was funny is the whole church world was critical of that, critical of that. We offered it for free, and those who criticize it the most were the first to use it when they couldn't meet physically in 2020. But a lot of criticism. You version Bible app, you would think giving away the Bible to 700 million people would probably be a good thing. And there are people to this day who say, the Bible is a piece of paper, it's not an app. And it criticized that over and over again.

One of the most unusual things for me, it took great faith when I tried to start a leadership podcast because I didn't know if anybody would care. Well, people did care, but the interesting is I probably take more criticism for that from Christians because you're a pastor. You shouldn't talk about leadership. I don't know why, but when I look at Jesus, I see a spiritual leader. And I see leadership is spiritual. And that's one of the biggest things they get criticized for. If you're going to do something special, you've got to be ready to take the heat. If you want to make a big difference, you've got to be ready to face the criticism.

If you're not ready to face criticism for your obedience to God, wherever you stand strong, you're not ready to be used by God. How do we live for God instead of people? That's first thought. Second one is this. We need to remember that extraordinary acts of God often start with ordinary acts. of obedience. Just obeying God. The savior of the world is born when a couple of teenagers say yes to God. And it's so hard to imagine how they could say yes without knowing any of the details.

In fact, Mary was told that a sword's going to pierce her soul over this whole deal. The only detail she knew is that it was going to be horrible. And so often, whenever God is Okay, I'm not going to live for people, but I'm going to live for God. I'm going to date in a way that honors God. I'm going to manage my finances in a way that honors God. I'm not going to take that job, even though I want that job because that job's not honoring, and I don't have another job. I'm going to trust you, God, and I want to know the details.

Just tell me how this is going to work out. Mary and Joseph had to say yes without knowing the details. So often I think God would say you can't handle the details. Psalm 1905 says that God's word is a lamp unto our feet, a light unto our feet, a light unto our path. If His word is a lamp onto our feet, then his word shows us the next one or two steps. And we want to say, God, if I'm going to live for you, I want to see step number 10. And God says, you can't see step number 10 until you take one and two. Then I'll show you three and four. And then I'll show you five and six. You wouldn't take five and six if you didn't see

my faithfulness in one and two. That's some of the most special things that God will do will start to the smallest moment when you say, this is what man wants, but I'm going to do what God wants. Is there some area of your life that you're living to please people and not to honor God? It could be in your money. That you're literally spending all that you have to buy things that you don't need to impress people you don't even like. Look at me, look at me, look at me, look at me, look at me, and you're not. giving the way you could and you're not saving, you're not preparing to be a blessing to people because you're so wrapped up and pleasing the people of this world. Or maybe you're studying

something in college or you're in a career just because that's what mom or dad wanted when you know God might have something different for you. Or maybe you're in a relationship right now and you are compromising sexually to please someone that is not loving and honoring you or God. Some of you, you're hiding your faith. You're a Christian, but nobody works to know it because you think they may not like you if you're a follower of Jesus.

And I want to remind you that you have no idea what God might do through a single act of obedience. Sometimes the most amazing things happen when we don't do what people want, but we do one small act of obedience toward God. And you have no idea what God might set into motion when you live for him instead of living for people. That's pretty special to me that when I was in college,

I was unfortunately living all for people. Popularity, parties, what do you, blah, blah, blah. And that didn't work. Have any of you ever noticed that sin can be fun for a while, but then it's not fun? It's like a sneeze. Sneeze feels good, and then there's snot everywhere, right? That's what sin's like.

And so, God prompted someone somewhere to give money to an organization known as the Gideons. God prompted someone to be obedient. And God prompted a man named Mike, who was a Gideon, to go to the campus that I was at. And I went to a class and came out, and Mike was prompted to stop me. All the students there, some walked by, he stopped me, and said, would you like a free Bible? And I started reading that Bible. And I had no idea that God had prompted three guys on the first weekend of the church that looked at me and said,

that guy is hurting, he needs Jesus. It prompted three guys to pray for me every day until they would see a miracle. And I started reading the Bible and I got a little bit excited about God. And then God prompted someone to invite me to a downtown Bible study where there was a man named Nick Harris teaching the word. And he became like a spiritual father to me. And then God prompted Nick to reach out to me to ask if I had ever felt called to ministry. And fast forward to this day, the same guy who received a free Bible, got had a conversation with the guy named Bobby Grumbald who's on our staff.

And God had prompted him to say, what if we as a church created a Bible app and gave it away for free? And when you put all these little promptings together, you see that through. our church family to only the glory of god the bible app is on 700 million devices today and all the way through what happened prompting prompting prompting prompting prompting prompting prompting prompting prompting prompting prompting prompting probably ever made up fun of mike for hand out bibles sure think anybody said to the donor you're stupid for giving that money store you're saying sure you think anybody said oh if you ask the guy to go to church go to the bible said he might not go

he might think you're weird, sure. Nick might have wonder, well, what if I ask him if he's called for God? He's really not. He thinks that's dumb. God's going to speak to someone here, and you're going to stop living for the approval of people. I don't know what it's going to be, but you're going to say, okay, what? You know, I'm going to not put my favorite sport ahead of God. I'll cheer them on on Saturday, but I'm going to be here on Sunday.

And I'm not just going to be here, but I'm prompted. to serve and use my gifts in the body of Christ. God's going to prompt someone here to be bolder in school. When you walk in, a light walks in and everyone knows it. Maybe be bolder at your office. God's going to prompt someone to stop playing around financially and tithe. To get out of debt. God may speak to someone about considering fostering,

or God may prompt you to ask her out. And if she says yes, and if you get married, if you have a baby, you could name him Craig. Because God sent me to help you. And besides, Craig's like an old guy named. You don't know any babies named Craig. We need to bring Craig back. Because, don't do that.

I don't even like the name. But you hear what I'm saying. We need to remember that extraordinary acts of God often start with ordinary acts of obedience. Joseph could have done what a lot of people do. do and said, no, God, that's too much. The personal cost of obeying you is way too much. And he would have said no if he was worried about what people thought. But he valued the heart of God above the opinions of people. In fact, in Matthew 124, here's what happens. When Joseph woke up, what did he do? Let's say it aloud. What did he do? He did what the angel of the Lord commanded him and took Mary home as

his wife. When he woke up, he did what the Lord had commanded him. And why does this matter? Because obsessing about what people think about you is the quickest way to forget what God thinks about you. But when you do what God says and you obey his promptings, obsessing about what God thinks about you is the quickest way to forget about what people think about. out you. So I am a recovering people pleaser. And sometimes they'll look at the comments and want people to like me. But what I understand is that when you follow Jesus, you will never win the applause of everybody. And here's what's interesting is when you think about it, is you can't please everyone. There's no way. You please one group, the next one hates you. You get it right

this time. You get in style today and you look at that picture in five years from now and you look stupid. Have you noticed that? You work so hard to be so cool, then you look so dumb. You cannot win the approval of everyone, but you can win the approval of God. You can please him. And how do you please him? It's impossible to please him without faith. And so when he speaks to you, when he leaves you, when he prompts you, when he moves on you, don't think about what they think, but have faith to do what he calls you to do, to be who he calls you to be,

and to live the life that he calls you to live. Because you cannot please everyone, but through the grace of Jesus and by the power of his spirit and living by his word, you can please God. And imagine the best news ever standing before God one day and have them look at you and say, well done.

Well done. You lived a life that brought me glory. Well done. My good and faithful servant. So Father, we ask today that by the power of your Holy Spirit, you would speak a word of faith. God, to help us to heal from the need to please people. But God, instead, to desire to please you.

All of our churches today, those of you say, I actually do care too much about what other people. people think I could be a people pleaser. And I want to live for God instead. Would you lift up your hands right now? People pleasers lift up your hands right now, just all over the place. Online, you can type in the comment section, I'm a recovering people pleaser.

Just type it in right now. And God, we just ask that you would take a minute and show us. We're open. Everybody just say, Holy Spirit, show me. Show me anywhere that I'm living for people. Type that in the comment section. Holy Spirit, show me. anywhere that I'm living for the approval of people.

God just convict us out of living for this world and empower us to live for you. It may be financially, it may be sexually, it may be trying to fit in a popular crowd, it may be trying to create a brand for you instead of trying to give glory to God. It may be living for you. for a dad that was distanced and maybe he's not even alive today,

but you're still trying to live in such a way that he would be proud or he would approve. It's living for what they think. God help us to put you first. God help us to seek you in every way. God, lead our steps. God, even if we're rejected, even if they make fun of us, God, we put you first. God help us to obey even in the small ways

and know that you can do really big things through small acts of obedience. God help us to put our faith in you to live for your approval, not the approval of people because we know that we would not be a servant of Christ if we're living for the approval of people. God give us the courage of faith

to live for you and you alone. As you keep praying today, back to the verse we looked at earlier, Galatians 110, Paul, said, I'm not living for the approval of people. If I were living for the approval of people, he said, I would not be a servant of Christ. Some of you right now, you may look at your life and say, oh my gosh, that's really, really convicting. If you looked at my life before I was a Christian, I would have said, if you said, hey, Craig, are you a Christian? I said, yeah,

you know, I go to church some. I believe in God. But man, I was living for the approval of people. And if that's what we're doing, we're not a servant of Christ. And I had to come to a point where I recognize that I had been living a very sinful life. How do I get out of that? The answer is I can't do it on my own. But when I call on Jesus, the sinless son of God, the one who died in my place and rose again when I call on him,

he hears my prayers and he forgives my sins. Some of you right now, you're going to recognize that you're actually not a servant of Christ. You're living for the approval of people. What are we going to do? We're going to take one step out of where we've been, away from our sin, and just one step toward Jesus, when you call on him, when you call on his name, he hears your prayers

and he will forgive every single sin. You don't just become a better version of you. You are different. The old is gone and the new comes today wherever you're watching from. Those who say, yes, I need him. I need his grace. I need his forgiveness. We're stepping away from our sinfulness. We're stepping away from living for the approval of people, and we're stepping toward a fully surrendered life toward Jesus, wherever you are. You say, yes, I want him. I'm calling him.

When you do, he'll forgive you. He'll make you new that's your prayer today. You say, yes, I turn from my sins. I surrender my life to Jesus. That's your prayer. Lift your hands high right now, all over the place. Yes, thank you, God, for people today who are saying yes to Jesus at all of our churches.

Those of you online just type in the comment, I am surrendering my life to Jesus. Type that in the comment section. And today, as God does a miracle, setting us free from living for the applause of people, today we live for an audience of one. Would you pray with those around? You pray, Heavenly Father,

take all of my life, set me free from living for people, and help me to live for you by putting you first. Jesus, forgive all of my sins. Save me. Be the Lord of my life. Fill me with your spirit so I could know you and serve you and live for you. For the rest of my life, my life is not my own. I give it all to you.

Now use me to show your love and to make you know. No matter what they think, I'm living for you. you. In Jesus' name, I pray. Could somebody give God some praise today. Welcome those born into God's family.