Wow. Wow. Wow. The joy of the Lord. Anybody strength this morning? Yeah.

Well, good morning, Champion Center. My name is Troy. It is so good to be here. So good to see you. So good to be together today. I just want to welcome all of our online audience. We want to welcome them. We want to welcome Dupont. We want to welcome Yaka. We want to welcome all of our peeps up in Belleview. Belle, I love you. And all of you here in Tacoma today. Yeah.

So good to see all of you. Man, what a credible past couple weeks. It’s been uh two weekends ago, Easter weekend, man. People saying yes to Jesus, people experiencing life change. And then last Sunday, how about that interview, Pastor Nicole and Pastor John with Super Bowl champion Brady Russell. Man, he was preaching and 91 water baptiz baptisms. How about that? Congratulations if you got baptized. That’s absolutely amazing.

Hey, listen. I am so pumped. I am so pumped to share the word with you today. I I really really really believe uh this message has potential. No matter if you’ve just new to this Christian life, just got saved two weeks ago on Easter, or you’ve been on a journey for multiple decades walking with God, I truly believe that this message is going to hit you right uh right where you need it. So, help me preach today. Okay, Tacoma, will you help me? Can you commit to that?

Just like in sports, for all of you sports fans, just like in sports, if you know the play that the opponent is about to run, what you can prepare for it. I used to play baseball and there’s like a subculture in baseball called stealing signs. As a hitter, if you know a curveball’s coming, you can prepare for it. Where’s my students at? Students. Okay. If you know the questions on the exam ahead of time, you know exactly what to study to ace it, right?

All right. So, today, here’s my goal. I’m going to share with you three ways, three ways the enemy tries to hold you back from living God’s best. And then, how do we overcome them with truth? You ready for that? I’m pumped. Okay.

Hey, before we get started, I just want to take a moment and honor our pastors, Pastor Kevin, Pastor Sheila. We love you so much. We are so thankful for you, for your faithfulness, for your consistency, for your courage to build God’s great church for 40 years. It’s a joy and it’s an honor to build God’s great church alongside of you. All right, we’re going to enter into this moment. We’re going to ask God to to help us in this moment because I can’t preach, but I need God’s help to help me preach. And I’m going to I’m going to do it the way that PK does it. Repeat after me. My heart is open. My mind is ready. My mind is make me better, God. By your word. I believe it. I receive it. And I will never be the same again. In Jesus name. Amen. Amen.

Go ahead and grab your seat this morning at all of our receiving locations. Go ahead and get seated. We’re going to jump into today’s scripture. If you brought your Bible, go ahead and flip to Matthew chapter 4. Matthew chapter 4. If you’re a technology Bible, go ahead and flip to Matthew chapter 4. Uh we’re going to we’re going to jump into um Jesus being tested in the wilderness. Uh this passage of scripture, it shows up in three of the four gospels, Matthew and Luke. They have a very similar account to how they detail it. Um and I encourage you to to dive into this more throughout the course of today. Um but we’re going to start in chapter 4. If you haven’t done your Bible reading yet today, we’re going to read 10 scriptures today, y’all. So, you get you get to tick that box that you did your Bible reading.

Okay, so here we go. Matthew chapter 4, starting in verse one. They’ll be on the screens as well, too. Um, then Jesus was led by the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil after fasting 40 days and 40 nights. Say 40 days and 40 nights. He was hungry. Greatest understatement of the Bible. He was hungry. Different sermon. Not today. But he your boy was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, “If if you are the son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” Jesus answered in verse four, “It is written, man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”

Verse 5, then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. He said, “Yo, if you are the son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, he will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so you will not strike your foot against a stone.” Verse seven, Jesus answered him, “It is also written, do not put the Lord God to the test.”

Verse eight, again, we’re on opportunity number three. Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. All this, the tempter said, all this I will give you if you just bow down and worship me. Verse 10, Jesus said, “It is also written, do not put the Lord God to the test.” Do not put the Lord God to the test. I’m sorry. All this I will give you. And Jesus said, “Away from me, Satan, for it is written, worship the Lord God and serve him only.”

The title of my message today, Counterfeit Kingdom. Say, “Counterfeit kingdom.” And just cuz we want a little swag, we spelled counterfeit with a K. Counterfeit with a K. I know how to spell counterfeit, but I just felt it would be more memorable if it was counterfeit with a K. A counterfeit is something that looks real, but it isn’t. It feels real. It promises to be real, but it’s not. It’s an imitation of something greater. It’s a knockoff. It’s a fake. It’s a counterfeit of something true.

I’m holding a $100 bill. It looks real. It’s smells a little bit real. It’s got Ben on it. Our boy Benjamin Franklin. It’s got the blue line down the middle. Many of you think that this would be absolutely real. Doesn’t it look real? But it’s not. It’s fake. Has no exchange value. It’s a cheap imitation. You know, when banks train people how to identify counterfeit money, they don’t study all the fake bills. Counterfeits are always changing. There’s too many. They study the real thing. They touch it. They hold it. They examine it. They become so familiar with what is true that when something comes across their teller, something comes across their desk, they immediately recognize it. Something’s off. This isn’t real.

In Matthew 4, we find the enemy. He’s coming at Jesus with three counterfeits. Everybody say three counterfeits. These are three imitations. An attempt to get Jesus to forgo the kingdom that he came to establish. and for a knockoff kingdom. It was a counterfeit kingdom the enemy was trying to do because every counterfeit is replacing a truth. Every counterfeit is replacing a truth. And here’s the deal. The enemy is still running the same exact three plays on us today. He works very hard to get you and me to settle and live a life below what God has called us to to live. So, for the next 30 minutes, my goal is simple. It’s to help you become so grounded in truth that when that counterfeit shows up, you recognize it and say, “Away from me, Satan.” So, turn to your neighbor and say, “Don’t fall for the counterfeit.” Counterfeit with a K.

Point one, if you’re taking notes. Point one, the counterfeit of more. More money, comfort, desires, appetite, cravings. Many of you know if you’ve grown up in church, this is what we call the lust of the flesh. These are all in relation to our physical needs. The counterfeit of more is a counterfeit for contentment in God. Well, what is contentment, Troy? Glad you asked. Contentment is a contentment in God is a deep it’s a deep inward satisfaction rooted in God’s sovereignty and sufficiency rather than in changing external circumstances. this counterfeit. It sounds a lot like more will fix it. Just a little more, just a little more of this, just a little more of that. Truth is, I already have enough in God. More will never satisfy what only God was meant to fulfill.

So, we find this in our text, Matthew 4:3. Jesus, he’s in the wilderness. The dude is hungry. He’s been fasting for 40 days. And the counterfeit says, “If you are the son of God, turn these stones into bread. He needs bread. He is hungry.” In other words, meet your needs your way, sir. Meet your needs your way, ma’am. Feed yourself. Just fix it. Now, what does Jesus say? Jesus responds in verse four, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.” In other words, God sustains me and he will meet my needs. I don’t need to prove that I’m the boss or the hefe. God meets my needs.

Jesus is hungry. There’s no doubt about it. 40 days, 40 nights, I’ve never done that. I’ve heard from people that did that. Crazy, y’all. He is hungry. It’s a very real need. But the enemy is trying to get him to meet a legitimate need in an illegitimate way. That’s what he does. That’s called a counterfeit. And let’s be honest, nobody in the room today, nobody at our receiving locations is immune to this. Sorry, but we all have physical needs. We all have feelings. We all have desires. We all have cravings. We all have moments where we want something right now so bad. I just need that. My flesh is yearning for that. It will just make everything better if I just get that right now.

The world that we live in, it is built to feed that. Feed those physical needs, feed those desires. Everything you see, every time you scroll, everything marketed to you is trying to tap into that physical desire of more. Billions, billions of dollars are spent every year, intentionally spent on this very thing to push more. Here’s the problem. There’s no finish line in the counterfeit kingdom of more because you don’t satisfy desires by feeding them. That actually multiplies them. You get one thing, then you want another. You get the upgrade, and then you want another upgrade again. You get the car, then you want a new car. You get the boat, then you got to pay for the boat and the fix. It’s a cycle that never ends.

We have all Everybody in this room has lived through this. I thought personally, if I just get that pay raise, oh, there’s that pay raise, man, what will we do with that extra little bit of money, everything is going to be okay. It wasn’t. If we just get a little bit more square footage, man, that’ll change the game. We’ll finally feel settled. It didn’t happen. Here’s my personal vice. If I just get those sick new pair of boots, oh my gosh, I’m going to feel so much better. It never satisfied ever. Why? It was a counterfeit of more. It’s a fake. It’s a knockoff. It’s not the real thing. The counterfeit kingdom is designed to program all of us to want more, not be content in what God’s already given us, not be content in what we already have.

Scripture actually, it talks a lot about the remedy of more. If you’re taking notes, you might want to write these down. This is super helpful. It points us to be content. Contentment is the key. That’s the remedy. Hebrews 13, be content. Philippians 4, I have learned to be content. 1 Timothy 6, contentment is great gain. In fact, there’s an old proverb. This thing changed my life. Proverbs 23 23. It says that when you chase after wealth, it grows wings and flies away. Bye-bye. Bye-bye. One translation says, “Like an eagle, if you chase after money, if you’re chasing after worth, bye-bye.” It just flies away. It’s forever out of your grasp. Why more will never satisfy what only God was meant to fill.

All right, Troy, you got my attention. Um, sounds good. But what do I do? What do I do when my flesh when these desires just start screaming at me? More. More. Glad you asked. But I got some thoughts for you to consider. You shift your focus. You count your blessings. You thank God for what you already have. God, I thank you for the breath in my lungs, the house that I live in, the family that I have, the job that I’m a that I have, even though it I don’t like it. I thank you for the job that I have. I thank you for this great church and this community that I’m part of. I thank you for the food that’s in my refrigerator, the things that money can’t buy. I thank you for meeting all my needs according to your riches and glory. That’s a good start. Just start counting your blessings because we all have stuff that we should be thankful for. We don’t need more.

And then you remind your soul what is true. Here’s the truth. When that play call comes of counterfeit of more, this is the truth. God is your source, not your job, not your paycheck, not your circumstances. God owns it all. God supplies all of your needs and your needs and your needs and your needs and your needs and your needs. God gives me peace that money cannot buy. God is the bread of life, which means when you’re hungry for something, that’s what that means. When the bread of life, whatever you need, whatever you’re hungry for, he’s already it. He’s the I am that the I am. God is enough. God is faithful. God is not late. Even when it feels like it, God sees you. God knows you. Even before you ask, God is working on your behalf. God is opening doors before you, even though you can’t see it yet. God is sustaining you even ways that you don’t even realize it yet.

So instead of feeding the physical cravings of more, that’s a cheap knockoff. I can’t do anything with this. I can’t buy a pack of gum. Anchor yourself in the truth. What is God’s word? Because contentment doesn’t come from having more. It comes from trusting in the one who gives everything that you need. Everything that you have need of. He knows before you even need it. Point one, counterfeit more. Are you ready? You feel equipped to say no today, this afternoon, right after this, to say no to the counterfeit more? Okay. Okay.

Here we go. If the enemy can’t get you to take and bite and fall victim to the counterfeit of more, he’s going to come at you with a different play call. It’s his second play call. He’ll get you to chase how you’re seen. How you’re seen. Really? Yeah. The counterfeit sounds a lot like this. If I’m seen, I matter. Point two, if you’re taking notes, see me. See me. These are things like fame, significance, validation, approval, recognition, attention. If you grew up in the church, you might remember it as the lust of the eyes. These are in relation to our identity.

See me. see me is a counterfeit for our identity in God. What’s my identity in God? I’m glad you asked. Our identity in God is when you are defined as a child loved by God, not by performance, not by what you do, but you are defined by God as a child loved by God. Not by your performance, not by your feelings or your worldly status. In our scripture, the counterfeit, it says this in verse six. It says, “Jesus, um, throw yourself down. Just let everybody see who you are.” Because the devil knew who he was. Just throw yourself down. Angels are going to get come get you. What a great spectacle. That’ll trend. That’ll go viral. Be seen by everybody.

Jesus, what does he say? He says in verse seven, don’t put the Lord God to the test. In other words, I’m not forcing a moment to be seen. I’m not performing for validation. I don’t need to prove who I am because I trust in who God says that I am. I am his son in whom he is well pleased. Side note, footnote for you. When father told him that, that was before he ever did anything. You are my son in whom I well pleased. The truth is our identity. Your identity. Belleview, your identity. Tacoma, your identity. Dupont, your identity. Yaka, your identity. Anybody online, your identity is solely in God. God and God alone defines you.

We see uh we see the counterfeit of see me show up in such subtle ways. Who has um who has ever had the pleasure of talking to somebody who does CrossFit? You don’t even have to ask. Within 60 seconds, they’re firing at you. what gym they go to, their PR, what the workout of the day was. Why? It’s identity. That’s belonging. That’s their significance.

You see this in kids, too. Right now, I have a beautiful 2-year-old and a beautiful 5-year-old girl at home. Love them so much. And if I lean down to tell my 2-year-old, “Oh, sweetheart Mia, you look so cute.” Guess what happens? My 5-year-old starts running over. Daddy, daddy, daddy, daddy, daddy, why don’t you tell me I’m cute? Why? We all have this innate desire to be seen, to belong, to feel valued, to feel significant. That desire is not bad. God wired that into us. But that can only be satisfied when we are known and seen by him.

If our identity is not grounded in God, the counterfeit of see me, it’s going to take us somewhere dangerous and we’ll find ourselves so thirsty for people’s approval. In um in John 2:24, the writer John, he tells us what Jesus did. He said that Jesus did not entrust himself to people because he knew what was in their heart. Jesus did not entrust himself to people because he knew what was in their heart. Troy, what does that mean? It it means that Jesus knew that people are very inconsistent. Their approval is shallow. One minute you’re the hero, next minute you’re the problem. So Jesus refused to build his identity on the people’s opinion. His identity was in God, not in man. He didn’t fall for the counterfeit of see me.

But most of us, we fall for that cheap imitation before we even recognize it. It’s so subtle. It sounds like I got some for you. Sounds like this. Hypothetically, this is what happens in between my years. Maybe it’s in yours, too. Why didn’t anybody notice me? Why didn’t I get thanked for that? Man, I worked so hard after hours. I went above and beyond. I acted like an owner. Nobody thanked me for that. Why did Troy get to hold the mic today and not me? Why didn’t I get that opportunity? See me. Notice me. Validate me, please. These are physical needs. Recognize me. Approve of me. Here’s what nobody tells you. You can finally get noticed. And still feel invisible. It’s a counterfeit. It’s a cheap imitation. It will never fulfill.

Let me introduce you to my mom. She’s never written a book, never been on a pod, never stood on a stage like this, never preached a sermon. Most people in the world would never know her name, but heaven does. She’s the kind of woman who’s at church every time the doors are open. Not because she has to, but because she wants to. She’ll show up super early before the sun even rises and go into the empty auditorium and start laying hands on the chair. She’s praying for people that she may not ever meet. She’s believing that their lives will be changed before anybody even walks into that room. She has spent decades, multiple decades, serving special needs kids. She’s always been drawn to the overlooked, the outcasts, the people that nobody sees. She has sat in hospitals, hospice centers, holding the hands of people in their final moments, telling them about the love of Jesus, just hoping that they will say yes before they step into eternity.

By the world’s standards, by the counterfeit of see me, my mom is not famous. She’s not a household name. She’s yet to ever be trending, but I promise you, all of heaven knows her name. And there’s going to be a day when she steps into eternity. And I don’t think it’s going to be quiet up there in heaven. I know that heaven is going to welcome her with a standing ovation. Why? My mom hasn’t fallen victim to the counterfeit of see me. See me because she knows that her identity is solely in God. And that perspective is how we stop falling for the counterfeit of see me.

The counterfeit says if you are seeing your matter, the truth says my identity is in God. God knows you. Every detail, every thought, every struggle and he still chose you and chooses you. God chose you before you ever performed for anyone. God calls you valuable not because of what you do but because of whose you are to him. God formed you and knows how many hairs are on your head. Sorry, Jean Reed, you made job God’s job easier, but thank you. He knows how many hairs are on your head. He defines your worth and it cost him the ultimate price. So stop looking around for a counterfeit validation of see me from all these other people because you are fully seen and known and loved by God. And when you live from that truth, you stop performing for people and you start living for an audience of one. Am I helping anybody today? Tell your neighbor, don’t fall for the counterfeit.

All right. If the enemy can’t get you on the counterfeit of more, more, more, or see me, see me, see me, he’s going to come at you with play number three, his third play call, he’s going to try to convince you that you have to control it all. Just control it all. This counterfeit sounds a little bit like this. I got this. I got this. Point three if you’re taking notes. I got this. Power, control, self-sufficiency. I’m a self-made man. Independence, security. If you grew up in the church, pride of life. These are in relation to authority. I got this is a counterfeit for trusting God. Trusting in God is an unwavering confidence of his character, his goodness, his plan, even when circumstances are difficult or uncertain.

The counterfeit in our scripture this morning in verse 8, it sounds like this. Hey Jesus, take all the kingdoms. All that you can see, I will give it to you. Just bow down and worship me. In other words, take control. Do it your way. Force the outcome. Show them who you are. Show them who’s boss. Promote yourself. Prove yourself. Nobody going to do it for you. Jesus, how did he respond? Away from me, Satan. You little fly. Get away from me. For it is written, I worship the Lord, my God only, and serve him only. In other words, I trust God’s way. I trust his plan. I serve him and not myself. Why? Jesus knew the truth. He knew who he was. There’s no doubt about it. He knew why he came. He knew that he was called to come here to die on a cross. And he was not willing to take that earthly crown without enduring that cross. That was his mission.

When you know God’s plan for your life, you don’t have to take shortcuts to get there. You simply trust in God. And honestly, here’s the deal. I think many of us, if you’re human like me, I think many of us, we want control. We want to control outcomes. We want to control timelines. That boy better drop a knee and propose or else I’m out. Yo, why is he taking so long? That was for my wife, April. I took too long. We want to control timelines. We want to control people. We want to control situations. It sounds like if I don’t handle this, nobody will. I’ve got to make this happen, man. It’s on me. I can’t let this thing hold fall apart. I’m holding my family together. And now you’re carrying pressure that God never asked you or intended for you to carry. Because I got this. It’s a cheap counterfeit for trusting in God.

Let’s check out our boy Job in the Old Testament here. He had a fun conversation with God. He went through hell, by the way. So, this is not to minimize what he what he went through. But in Job in Job 38, after all the loss, after all the pain, God finally responds to him all of his questions. Why’ you let this happen? And God didn’t respond with answers. He responded with a perspective that reminds us and Job who actually is in control. He tells Job things like this in 38. Um, Job, were you there when I laid the foundation of the earth? Um, were you there when I marked off its dimensions? Oh, have you ever told the morning when to rise? Okay, thank you. I feel this big. In other words, you’re asking questions from a place of limitation understanding. Job wanted explanations, but God gave him a reminder that you are not in control. You were never meant to be in control. Job, that’s my job.

And some of you in the room today, some of you watching online, you are the selfappointed captain of the universe. And if I can just be honest with you, give you some feedback, the universe is not responding well to your leadership. and you are exhausted because you’re carrying things that you were never meant to carry. Proverbs 3:5 tells us to trust in the Lord with all of our heart and lean not on our own understanding. Why? When you trust God, you don’t have to control everything. You don’t have to force it. You don’t have to figure it all out. You don’t have to hold it all together. You can trust him. Because the truth is, God is in control. God is in control, not you. God’s plans are good. Even when you don’t understand him, God is faithful even when he’s never failed anybody ever. He’s not going to start failing with you. He is faithful. He’s not confused. He’s not late. He’s not overwhelmed. He can be trusted. He’s holding your future, not you.

So the pressure that you’re carrying and the outcomes you’re trying to manage. And that weight you feel responsible for, you are never meant to carry it. That’s why you’re exhausted. Because when you try to control what only God can control, you lose peace in the process, which was the thing that you were trying to get if you controlled it all. It’s a counterfeit, y’all. It’s fake. It’s a cheap knockoff.

Okay. So, what do you do, Troy? When the counterfeit of I got this starts talking to you, you pray. You release it to God. You give it back to the one who is meant to carry it all along. 1 Peter 5:7 says, “Cast all your anxiety, cast all your anxiety, cast all your anxiety down him.” Why? He cares for you. Give God your worries. Give him your timeline. Give him your need to control and trust him. Because peace doesn’t come from having control. Peace comes from knowing who is in control.

So now you know the three plays the enemy is running against all of us for all of us to fall victim of his counterfeit kingdom. Say it with me. More. See me. See me. I got this. Those are counterfeits of the real thing. So the question is, what do you do when this shiny $100 counterfeit comes knocking at your door? Because it’s one thing to know that the counterfeit is a cheap imitation of something greater, but it’s another thing, it’s a whole another level to know what to do when that happens.

I want to introduce you to um an Old Testament character. Um in the book of 2 Samuel, there’s a story about a man named Shama. Can you say it with me? Sha. That sounded good. One more time. Sha. You might want to just say that at brunch today. Sha. In 2 Samuel 23, the Philistines attack. Everybody is running. Chaos, fear, people dropping everything, running for their life. And the Bible says that everybody in the region leaves except one man. Shama. Shyama steps into the middle of his field. It’s not a palace. It’s not a huge compound. It’s nothing impressive, friends. It is a field of lentils. It’s essentially a pea patch. A pea patch.

That’s what our boy is protecting, a pea patch. He digs his heels in because he knew that this was what God had called him to do. He was protecting his peep patch. I’m not moving. I’m not leaving. I’m not giving up. He didn’t fall victim for the counterfeit kingdom. He didn’t chase something bigger. There was no audience there. He didn’t go live on TikTok. Hey, check me out. Philistines coming. Yo, hold up his pee. Shoot. No. There was no applause. There was no guaranteed outcome. So Shamba stood. He fights. He’s not leaving his field. He’s not forsaking his post. He’s not vacating what God has entrusted him with. And the best part is the Bible tells us the Lord brought about a great victory in this man’s life. Are you kidding me? God shows up when we reject the counterfeit and live our life according to the truth. God honors you and fights your battles. when you reject cheap counterfeits and decide to stand in truth and guard what your God has given you, what he’s entrusted you with.

Be but here’s the deal. Because someone was willing to stand, he protected what God entrusted him with and God brought about a great victory in Shama’s life. We don’t know the details. The Bible doesn’t tell us of how that great victory happened, but it happened because God fights our battles when we live our life for his. So my question to you today, sir, ma’am, what is your pee patch? It may not look impressive to anybody, but it matters to God because that is what God has called you to do. Tend it, keep it, water it, fertilize it.

Maybe your P patch is a global P platform and you own and lead a billion-dollar company. Protect that. For most of us, the P patch might be our marriage. Sir, don’t trade your marriage for that younger, hotter version. It’s not worth it. It won’t satisfy. Young parent, don’t trade precious time with those little kids for 70our work weeks grinding to earn that promotion. It ain’t worth it. It’s a counterfeit. Young person, don’t trade your purity for some quick thrill because he says, “I love you, girl. It’s not worth it. You’re loved by your creator. You don’t need some cute boy’s validation. Don’t fall for the lie.” Entrepreneur, that business that God has birthed in your heart, it might not be grown as fast as you want. Stand your ground. Water it. Fertilize it. It will happen in God’s timing. Don’t fall for the lie that you’re a failure. friend. Don’t sit there doom scrolling thinking you’ll just relax or thinking that posting your highlight reel will make people notice you and think you’re super cool. It’s a trap. It’s a counterfeit.

Stop watching that naughty stuff thinking it’s going to fill a hole in your heart that only God can fill. Guard your pea patch. Guard your mind. Guard your eyes. Student, don’t label yourself depressed, anxious, gay. I that’s not a badge of honor. It’s a counterfeit. Label yourself with the truth. You are called. You are chosen. You are wanted. You are loved. You are seen. Worth the creator of the universe giving his life for you. It’s all a cheap counterfeit kingdom. It’s a cheap knockoff of the real thing.

Seek first his kingdom and all these things will be added. So stand your ground. Protect your peep patch. Don’t fall for the counterfeit kingdom. It’s built on lies, but the kingdom of God is built on truth. Amen. Amen. Did this help you today? You can stay standing. I would like to pray for you today. If you identified with today’s message in any way, maybe you identified with wanting more or wanting to be seen. Or maybe you’re just white knuckling in life just trying to control the whole thing. I got this. I want to pray for you. Do you mind bowing your heads, closing your eyes if that identifies? I’m just going to ask you here in Tacoma in our receiving locations. Maybe just lift up a hand so I know who I’m praying for.

God, we come to you right now and lay down every counterfeit we’ve been chasing. Forgive us for chasing what cannot satisfy and trying to carry what was never ours to carry. Today we choose truth over lies. We trusting that you are enough. You are in control. Give us strength to stand for what is real and courage courage to walk away from every counterfeit lie. We surrender to you God and we choose your way in Jesus name. Amen.

Would never want to end a service without giving people an opportunity to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior. You might have loved what I was talking about today and it resonated, but you’re like, I don’t even know this Jesus person in the way that I know I need to. You mentioned he came down to this earth with a mission to go to that cross for me. I want to identify with that. I want to lead you in a prayer today that would help you if you don’t know if you were to get in a tragic car accident today if you would go to heaven. if you would spend eternal life with heaven. I want to make you so confident and sure of that today.

If that is you, maybe it’s a prayer of new beginnings or a first time. I want to believe in this Jesus. I want him to be my Lord and my Savior. I’m just going to lead you in a prayer. Nothing special about what I’m going to say, but the Bible tells us if we confess Lord with our mouth and believe in our heart, we will be saved. So, if that’s you, I’m just going to ask you maybe to raise your hand if you feel comfortable and bold right now. Just going to lead you in a very quick prayer. Lord Jesus, welcome to my world. Forgive me of all my sins and come into my life. I boldly declare today, April 19th, 2026, that you are the leader and the Lord of my life, and I’ll never be the same again in Jesus name. Amen. Amen. Welcome to the family of God.