I would have a hard time preaching this if I believe my own flesh telling me that I preached too much of a heavy message. There have been times I’ve been to the Lord and asked him can’t you give me a happy message? But I can’t. Now God may be speaking to me. This may not be for you. But it’s a call to anguish. Lord, if you don’t help me I can’t get through this. I can’t. Lord I’m too old for games. Foolishness. And I’m tired of rhetoric, meaningless rhetoric. It never changes things. Lord, just help me.

a call to anguish

would you open your bibles to the first

chapter of nehemiah please

nehemiah the first chapter

and would you please just leave that

open on your lap

we’ll get to it in the course of my

message tonight

i would have a hard time preaching this

if i

i believe my own flesh telling me that i

i

preached too much of a heavy message

there have been times i’ve been to the

lord in past months saying lord can’t

you give me a happy

well i can’t

now god may be speaking to me

this may not be for you

but it’s a call to anguish

lord if you don’t help me i can’t get

through this

i can’t

lord i’m too old for games

foolishness

and i’m tired of rhetoric meaningless

rhetoric

that never changes things

lord

just help me folks

i’m tired of hearing about revival

i’m tired of hearing about awakenings

and the last day outpourings of the holy

spirit i’ve heard that rhetoric for 50

years

just rhetoric no meaning whatsoever

i’m tired

of hearing about people in the church

who say they want their unsafe loved one

saved

i’m tired of hearing people say i’m

concerned about my troubled marriage

when it’s just talk rhetoric

i don’t want to hear anymore talk about

how immoral america has become

how god does our society how corrupt our

business

i’m tired of hearing about islam taking

control in christians

losing power and how dead the church has

become because

that too is rhetoric meaningless

away with all of our how-to conferences

because they accomplish

nothing it’s how to cope

how to build a bigger church how to

reach the lost how to

improve your people’s skills and how to

impact the world in this computer time

and i look at the whole religious scene

today and

all i see are the inventions and

ministries of man and flesh

it’s mostly powerless it has no impact

on the world

and i see more of the world coming into

the church and impacting the church

further than the church impacting the

world i see the music taking over the

house of god

i see entertainment taking over the

house of god

an obsession with entertainment in god’s

house a hatred of correction and a

hatred of reproof

nobody wants to hear it anymore

tell me now how many churches have you

visited recently

how many churches do you know when you

walk in the holy ghost is so strong

that every one of your sins are brought

up before your face

the loving grace of god

when is the last time you’ve been to

church where you’ve seen young people

under such conviction because the people

of god have been on their face

and there’s such a concern and there’s

such an agony

[Music]

that young people are falling on their

faces and calling on god because

a spirit of conviction is called down

from heaven upon them

how many churches have you been lately

where you

hear a word comes forth that so burns in

your soul

you know it comes from heaven you know

it comes from the heart of god

i hope you hear it here

whatever happened to anguish in the

house of god

whatever happened to anguish in the

ministry

it’s a word you don’t hear in this

pampered age

you don’t hear it

anguish means extreme pain and distress

the emotions so stirred that it becomes

painful

acute deeply felt inner pain

because of conditions about you in you

are around you anguish

deep pain

dear sorrow

agony of god’s heart

we’ve held on to our religious rhetoric

in our revival talk

but we’ve become so passive

our so-called awakenings our stirrings

last but a short time and when the last

one the

short-lived revivings and awakenings

come from the hand of god

they are so short-lived and in those

times we promise god we’ll never

return to our passivity but it’s not

long it’s just weeks or months and we’re

back and this time

we slip further back into passivity than

when we started

speak from experience

and we say this time oh god you’ve

touched me for life

i’ll never be the same

and it’s like fireworks a loud bang a

lot of noise and then it dies

the whole true passion is born out of

anguish

all true passion for christ comes out of

a baptism of anguish

you search the scripture and you’ll find

that when god determined to recover

a ruined situation he would

seek out a praying man and he’d take him

down into the waters of anguish

he would share his own anguish

for what god saw happening to his church

and to his people

and he would find a praying man and he

would take that man and literally

baptize him in anguish

you find it in the book of nehemiah

jerusalem is in ruins

this is the center of god’s interest on

earth at the time

this holy city and it’s wasted and it’s

full of iniquity

mixed marriages with the heathen

they were enslaving their own people

making slaves out of the poor

the house of god was polluted with filth

the high priest was in league with

tobiah heathen

reprobate and how is god going to deal

with this how is god going to restore

the ruin how does he do it what does he

do

you see we face a similar situation

except ours is many times worse

the time when men according to prophecy

of jesus

wax worse and worse and that is

happening

the church that’s defiled with

pedophilia

child molestation incest adultery

a nation in a moral landslide that’s

inundated with pornographic filth

that the whole world blushes at

and now out of khan film festival

according to new york times

there’s a new movie about to hit the

shores of the united states with 13

14 year old kids having unspeakable

kinds of sex

with adults and they said at the con

film festival it’s the

boast of con festival that we have not

only pushed the envelope we’ve gone over

the edge

and america is now ripe for it

the royal the ruin in moral chaos

is corrupting the house of god also

how else do you explain that multiplied

numbers of christians go home

and watch hbo a program i’ve never seen

i don’t have television

but i read about it in the newspaper

today in the new york times called the

sopranos

this is a mafia bunch that kill

and murder and marry

gratuitous sex

cheating wine mafia

and we have millions of christians now

in the united states

getting together and talking about the

next show and they’re addicted to it

connected some of you hearing me now

that’s your favorite show

no laughing this is life and death

did you come here tonight did you raise

your hands and sing and shout and have a

good time

and you know you’ve been watching this

film

i believe in the love of god

i’ve preached mercy grace and love

covenant love

and i believe in preaching the goodness

and long-suffering of christ

but multitudes today are being saturated

with your okay messages

we’ve got people now that are turning

the grace of god into lasciviousness

we’ve become like the children of israel

who said the right words

but here’s what god said i’ve heard the

words of this people

they have well said all that they’ve

spoken all that there was such a heart

in them

that they would fear me and keep my

commandments always that it might be

well with them

and with their children forever he says

oh you have the right words

you sing the right songs but your heart

is not right

nehemiah verses one through three

the words of nehemiah the son of

hackalia

it came to pass the month of chislu in

the twentieth year i was in shusham the

palace

that and then i one of my brother cain

he and certain men of judah and i asked

them concerning the jews that escaped

which were left of the captivity

concerning jerusalem

and they said unto me the remnants that

are left

of the captivity there in the province

are in great affliction and reproach

the wall of jerusalem also has broken

down

and gates thereof are burned

with fire they came to pass

when i heard these words god sat down

and wept

and mourned certain days and fasted and

prayed before the god of heaven

here was the word here

here was a delegation from the ruined

city of jerusalem coming

to nehemiah it said jerusalem is broken

down

the walls are down there’s rule and

nothing but ruin

now these i’m sure were godly men these

were good men but they

they had no concept of how

god was going to deal with the situation

how he was going to bring about a

recovery

and no concept of what god was going to

do

had no call they could see was ruined in

brokenness and despair

and hopelessness

verse 4 when i heard the words i sat

down and wept

and mourned certain days and fasted

and prayed before the god of heaven you

see god found a praying man

and he takes him down into the waters of

baptism of

anguish this man goes down into anguish

and in verse 6 i pray before thee now

day and night confessing the sins of the

children of israel

which we have sinned against thee both i

and my father have sinned

folks look at me nehemiah was not a

preacher he was a career man

he was a king’s cup bearer he was in

comfort he was in royalty

he had made so to speak

this was a praying man

and god found a man who would not just

have a flash of emotion

not just some great sudden burst of

concern

that let it die he said no

i broke down and i wept

and i mourned and i fasted

and then i began to pray night and day

when i heard i wept

why didn’t his brother

remaining why didn’t these other men

who apparently were godly men because

later nina ninaya was given

the rule of the city why didn’t they

have an answer

why didn’t god use them in restoration

why didn’t they have a word because

there was no sign of anguish

no weeping not a word of prayer

it’s all ruined

so they can see

does it matter to you today

does it matter to you at all that god’s

spiritual jerusalem the church

is now married to the world

that there’s such a coldness sweeping

the land

so many people i know that where my

friends and i see them and go one by one

husbands and wives into such passivity

going to churches where they can find

smooth messages

no longer wanting to hear anything of

wrath

of correction some of my closest friends

i see them falling by the wayside and

he’s and his

cries isn’t nothing to you

closer than that does it matter about

the jerusalem that’s in our own hearts

the sign of ruin that’s slowly draining

spiritual power and passion

blind to lukewarmness

blind to the mixture that’s creeping in

you see when spiritual blindness comes

very few recognize it

it’s the last recognized thing that

happens to a child of god

if i as a pastor knew you

personally and i was watching your life

and as one of the fastest churches i

come to you and say

i i i love you but i have to tell you

the truth

you’re you changing

what you were something in the world has

got in your heart i don’t know if it’s

television

i don’t know what it is it has your

heart but i see changes in you i

i don’t see the brokenness i don’t see

the

compassion you had once for your family

i don’t see concern for your unsafe

loved ones

you’re changing little by little

something’s happening to you

would it bring you to your knees when

the ruin that you are not even aware of

is suddenly brought before your eyes

and to tell you the truth i thank god

for the anointing and the singing

tonight i thank god for the praises that

came

from so many sanctified hearts living in

covenant with the lord

but the truth of the matter is in all

honesty

there are numbers among us that are

changing

and they don’t know it

you’ve lost your fight you see when you

when you read the book of joshua it’s

almost a book of failure

because they lost their heart they lost

a fight

that’s all the devil wants to do is get

the fight out of you

and kill it so you won’t labor in prayer

anymore

you won’t weep before god anymore you

can sit and watch

television to your family go to hell

let me ask you is what i just said

convicted you know

did you just let that go in one ear out

the other

when the pastor tells you right now hey

and i don’t know who you are but the

holy ghost is speaking to me

you’re changing little by little you’re

losing

the love of god the love of christ

little by little these things are making

inroads

folks why do you think your pastors

cry out against television do you think

we get any

pleasure out of to the flesh

there’s no pleasure in somebody coming

saying i heard your mess and i threw

away my television

that doesn’t give me any pleasure didn’t

give any pastor pleasure

we have given account because we watch

for your soul

these things i don’t know where it is on

the job things we listen to

these things that creep in and suddenly

this jerusalem the walls go down

rowan sets in

does it really matter to you that your

unsafe loved ones are dying and we’re

getting closer and closer

to the end it doesn’t really concern you

they could die and go to hell

even though you’re a lover of christ

where’s the anguish

where are the tears where’s the morning

where’s the fasting

how many of you fast many of you pray

and broken before the lord

i’m talking about the body of jesus

christ in general

where’s the getting up in the middle of

the night

you see he said night and day i began to

pray

where’s the confessing of

your sins and of your children

confessing your children’s sins before

the lord or your mate sin before god

because

this is exactly what nehemiah does he

confesses his sins and the sins of all

the people

and then he says we have sinned i have

sinned then he said we have sinned

see when nehemiah heard of the ruin of

destruction he never asked

why why can a holy

just god allow his city to go to ruin

why were so many dispersed why were so

many killed and murdered

he didn’t ask the question that we’re

asking america today

why did god allow the towers to fall and

over 2 000 people

died in the the uh affair

in the crash how could a loving god and

folks just like i share what pastor

carter said today the holy anger that

arises in my heart

when i hear preachers on television or

on radio

or hear that they’ve said on television

oh god had nothing to do with it

god had nothing to do with it don’t

put it on god

once you go to daniel 9 and i want to

once and for all

tell you that this was god allowing

america to be awakened

god didn’t do it he didn’t stop the

plans of the enemy

because he had a greater purpose because

it was love for america that was about

to slip into everlasting hell

i i’m going to lower my voice so you

won’t

think i’m angry

daniel ninth chapter

verse five beginning to read we have

sinned and have committed iniquity

we have done wickedly could you say that

about america

and we have rebelled even by departing

from thy precepts and from thy judgments

neither if we hearken to the servants

the prophets which spake in the name

in thy name to our kings our princes and

our fathers and all the people land in

other words

the government has been warned by

righteous men

oh lord righteousness belongeth unto

thee but unto us confusion of faces as

at this day

men of jude and the inhabitants of

jerusalem all israel that are near

that are far off through all the

countries whether thou has driven the

because

of their trespass they have trespassed

against thee

oh lord to us belong with confusion of

face

to our kings to our princes our fathers

because

we have sinned against thee

why because we have sinned against

thee to the lord our god belong with

mercy’s forgiveness though we’ve

rebelled against him neither have we

obeyed the voice of the lord our god to

walk in his laws

which is said before us by his servants

the prophets they all

israel have transgressed the law even by

departing that they might not obey thy

voice

therefore the curse is poured upon us

and the oath that is written in the law

of the moses law of moses the servant of

god because we’ve sinned against him

and he hath confirmed his words which he

spake against us and against our judges

that judged us

by bringing upon us a great evil

for upon the whole for under the whole

heaven

hath not been done has been has been

done upon jerusalem

verse 14 therefore hath the lord watched

upon the evil

and brought it upon us for the lord our

god is righteous in all his works which

he do it

for we what will be

not his voice

now let me get back to the my message

there’s a great difference between

anguish and concern

he has been dealing with me about this

concern is something that you

that biggest interest do you take an

interest in a project or a cause or a

concern

or a need something that gets a hold of

your attention and

usually it comes to some emotional

stimulus

you know you can hear uh

like like we heard last sunday from

south africa and all of the

hundreds of thousands dying with aids

and the children and

you can hear what we heard from sister

holder

montaigne this afternoon of the

thousands upon thousands of children

dying in calcutta and india

you can get all stirred up about it and

you can get emotional

and you get very concerned but folks

there’s a difference between concern and

anguish

because you see you can tie yourself to

a cause you can get excited about it

there’s some project

you can talk it up you’ll go public with

it you can advertise it you can support

it

organize it put a lot of effort into it

i’m going to tell you something i’ve

learned over all my years and 50 years

of preaching

if it is not born in anguish

if it has not been borne by the holy

spirit

where when you saw and heard of the ruin

and it drove you to your knees

took you down into a baptism with

anguish where you begin to pray and seek

god

folks this church was born in anguish

six months of anguish tears

a little country town in pennsylvania

we’re a pastor of a small church

cried out oh god i’m dry and i’m empty

there’s more to it than this and if this

is all the holy ghost is i don’t want it

in such a desperation

weeks and weeks of calling on the name

of the lord

confessing my own deadness and dryness

then finally coming for street rallies

here in the city and walk in the streets

and then wind up on 42nd street

and see them selling a kind of heroin

would kill you so i’ve got the good

stuff that’ll kill you

and i remember breaking down and it

didn’t matter the crowds going by

i sat on a fire hydrant type

on outside of a building and wept and i

was in anguish

i was in anguish four blocks from here

on broadway

weeping and crying and wailing

i wasn’t looking for a ministry i wasn’t

looking to build a church

i was feeling god’s pain

for a lost city

the same agony i felt years before when

he started teen challenge

and i’ve never had anything that’s been

any work to god

in my 50 years that wasn’t born in agony

never never it’s all been

flesh otherwise

flesh and folks i’ve been around the

world

again and listening to the cry of

pastors

dead and empty some treating their

wives like animals

and here i haven’t prayed in months i am

prayed in

six months and i know

that sermons won’t do it i know that a

new revelation won’t do it covenant

won’t do it

i know now oh my god do i know it

until i hired it

until i have been anguished over it

i’m preaching sermons oh

god i’m preaching servants

then i said no it’s too late i don’t

have that much time

and all our projects all our ministries

everything we do

where are the sunday school teachers

that we

our kids they know are not hearing and

they’re going to hell

now everywhere i go somebody got a

project

somebody’s got a plan or a dream

that’s all it is it’s an idea they

didn’t come to me

from a broken heart they didn’t come to

me after hours of fasting and praying

and mourning

not a broken heart you said i did i’m

sick of it

you see a true prayer life begins at the

place of anguish

a place where lifetime decisions are

made

you see if you you set your heart to

pray god’s going to come and start

sharing your heart

his heart with you he’s going to open up

his heart

and i’ll tell you there’s pain in his

heart

but he sees and so few to hear

he’s going to show you the condition of

his church he’s going to show your

conviction to your own heart

and he’s going to ask you a question

what is it to you

what is it

and that anguished servant has to make a

decision

and everyone hearing me now you’re gonna

have to make this decision i have to

make it

you either get up from your

anguished class you walk out of the

baptism waters of anguish yes i can’t

handle this

i can barely make it as it is i don’t

want it

god i have enough i just want to be

an ordinary christian i don’t want to

carry this kind of a burden

i don’t want to have to weep over my

family anymore

i’m going to go take it by faith see you

have to make a decision you’re going to

come and he says

now if you’re going to bear my burden

if you’re going to be an instrument of

restoration

if you are expecting somebody else to be

an instrument to win your

family or to do this work you’re

mistaken

i’ve burned your heart i’ve given you my

heart and i’ve opened up my

anguish to you and i’m letting you feel

it and share it

so that it will bring you to your knees

because it is now that i’ll speak to you

the word of direction

and that’s what happened to nehemiah he

came eventually out of the waters

of anguish with a clear word that nobody

could reject

he brought the city and nation to its

knees

you find that in the mighty chapter

you see you you either walk away

and go back to your passivity you see

i’m just going to be an ordinary

christian

and there’s no such thing

or your heart begins to cry out oh god

your name is being blasphemed

the holy spirit’s being mocked

the enemy is out trying to destroy the

testimony of the lord’s faithfulness and

something has to be done

it can’t go unchallenged

let’s go back to these words when i

heard jerusalem was broken down

you see if he believed this theory that

the need represents the call

you know what he’s done he said

gentlemen if you’ll just wait i’ll pack

my bags

just give me a day or two this is the

kind of challenge that’s my meat i love

it

let’s roll let’s do it

no anguish no fasting

no prayer no brokenness let’s just do it

nothing would have been done the walls

would have never been

rebuilt

and anything you try to do

without this baptism of anguish it’s

going to falter and fall

it’s not going to work

here’s what a sister wrote to me this

past week said brother dave

i’m so hungry for the lord i’m so tired

of how to meetings

it’s all spiritual fluff

i was told of a woman’s conference

it was going to be a great spiritual

experience so i went with a group of

sisters there were 15 000 women

i was horrified the first night

when they opened the conference with a

comedy sketch

it went from bad to worse

these we were hoodwinked by the leaders

there was not a single prayer not one

mention of prayer

it was a farce and i’m as empty as i’ve

ever been

prophet amos cried out to such woe to

them that are ease in zion eating

chanting their music but they’re not

grieved for the affliction of joseph

and in the original hebrew root word

they are not agonizing in prayer over

the ruin and now

and drew and joseph israel

they’re not agonizing they’re not in

anguish about

the conditions comedy yes happy singing

yes

eating fellowship good time yes weeping

anguish praying fasting no

no no you’ll not have it

folks let me tell you something out of

this baptism of anguish comes a

marvelous thing that happens

to those willing to submit to it

marvelous thing it’s the instant prompt

knowing of god’s voice instant

now see if you don’t have a history of

prayer

if you don’t have this willingness to

share god’s heart

you get it by asking him for it he said

i’ll i’ll give i’m more willing to give

you our receipt this is something you

ask oh god

i i want to step out now and i want to

know your heart

and when you begin to seek his face

you allow him to melt and break you you

come into this communion with the lord

out of that experience you see god

hasn’t called us to live in anguish

this is the birth this is the womb of

something god is stirring god wanting to

accomplish

in bringing out of ruin restoration in

your family whatever it may be he’d

bring you down into this baptism

now just like the baptism of waters you

come up you come out

but you’ll come out with this instant

knowing of god’s voice

because you see nehemiah he’d been

fasting he’d been praying

he’d been mourning and left a mark on

his countenance and the king noticed

that he was a cup bearer

and one day he brings the wine to the

king and the king says

why are you so down why your countenance

nehemiah didn’t have time to go and

boost in his heart to the lord

he didn’t have time now to go and say

give me three days to fast and pray no

he had to have an instant word

why you said countenance nehemiah said i

was very sore afraid

so i prayed to the god of heaven and i

said to the king

in other words instant prayer instant

direction

knowing god’s voice

there are times you’re not going to know

what to do

you have no time to run to the closet

you have to hear his voice

this is the way walk in an instant

that is a glorious result

of the baptism of anguish

the servant who willingly takes on

the mantle of god’s pain is the only

servant

who has the authority and the right to

hold god to his covenant promises

we’ve preached covenant here

but only those

who’ve known his heart and in those

times have allowed god to bring healing

has allowed god to go down deep in the

souls oh god

i can’t do this on my own but i’m not

gonna let my kids go to hell

i’m not gonna let my husband my wife oh

god

i’m not gonna live in this death i’m not

gonna live in this lukewarmness and this

coldness anymore god

change me and when you get desperate

before god you set your heart

to seek him then you can hold god to his

covenant promises look look at first

chapter verses 8 9 remember i beseech

thee

the word that thou command us thy

servant moses saying if you transgress i

will

gather you brought among the nations now

he

he holds god this covenant now but if

you turn unto me and keep my

commandments

and do them though there were most of

you cast out from the outermost part of

the heaven yet will i gather

thee them from dance and bring them into

this place

that i’ve chosen to set

my name there he calls on the covenant

made to moses he said

here’s what you promised god and folks

when you

allow god to lead you into this

place beyond concern

beyond just fleeting emotion

he said god i’m going to set my heart

then you have every right to hold god to

every one of his covenant promises

you see and i’m going to close in just a

minute we’ve we we

have a nation a church today full of

diagnostic

experts but just about anybody can tell

you what’s wrong with the church now

and now they’re coming out with

statistics and polls

they can tell you uh how many heathen

there are in china

they give you polls and charts

but not the slightest idea

they have all these how-to books now you

won’t hear one word about anguish

tears and brokenness they won’t hear

that

in my closing thoughts i want to ask you

why why did

nehemiah of all god-fearing men that

were left in israel why

did god share his anguished heart

with nehemiah

because he was a man of prayer he was

already in prayer

now i want to tell you something i

believe in i believe in destiny i

believe that god chooses men

but god can choose a man and he can

abort it just like that

nehemiah could have said look i i i i

have more influence right here

i have the ear of the king i i need to

stay right here

and god i’m sure has i’ll agree with you

that god will raise up somebody

no he he said

oh god

this is my burden open your heart to me

i know now

it’s going to take more than preaching

more than a new revelation

there’s going to be no renewal no

revival no awakening

until we’re willing to let him once

again break us

i don’t know why

you don’t know if something is coming

the other pastors have shared with you

what they feel about

some very very troubling difficult times

just ahead

and tom is not only from the pulpit it

comes from politicians coming

from all over the world

but i have to tell you

that god’s calling me personally

to a baptism of anguish

i don’t know what it’s all about right

now

but i told god i will not i’m supposed

to go on precious conferences in may

in scotland and wales and ireland

and then to minsk and all over the world

i’m only going out two or three times a

year but

i said god i’m not going anymore i won’t

take another meeting

until i know your anguish or passage

i can’t go just because there’s a need i

can’t go just because i’ve wanted and

accepted

i don’t want it

i don’t when i preach sometimes like

this

everything gets so quiet and i get

defending

lord i will make people happy

folks it’s getting late and it’s getting

serious

please don’t tell me

don’t tell me you’re concerned don’t

tell me

that you want your unsaved loved one

saved when you’re spending hours in

front of internet or television

come on

i don’t know how to end this lord help

me

i have a sense that though

this may not be for the whole

congregation

that he’s speaking to some very deeply

speaking to your heart like he’s

speaking to mine

maybe you don’t need prayer along this

line but i beg of you i plead with you i

need

prayer

lord i just have to pray i don’t know

what else to do i just

i’ve preached lord what you put on my

heart and i don’t know how to end it

you ended you do what you want to do

lord

you speak to us lord there’s some need

to get this altar and confess

i am not what i was i’m not where i’m

supposed to be

god i don’t have your heart and your

burden i’ve been

i wanted it easy this won’t be happy

but lord true joy comes

true joy comes out of anguish that’s

where the joy is when we see

the results of our laying hold of your

heart and then you give us direction and

then we see the results that are lasting

we

we see a whole city come to repentance

and then nehemiah stands up and he says

now is the time to rejoice let the joy

of the lord be your strength but that

joy came

out of seeing the victory that came out

of the anguish

oh god

i’m not chastising this church

i’m not trying to bring woe on anybody

but oh god

if you do it for anybody do it for me

i want my heart broken again

lord i want you to take me into your

heart

and i want to feel

the hurts and the needs of this people

too

so that when i stand in this pulpit i

preach your mind in your heart

where you stand

nehemiah the eighth chapter you can

still come while i’m talking

they read in the book the law of god

distinctly gave the sense and caused

them to understand

the reading and the people says

they all said amen they lifted up their

hands they bowed their heads they

worshiped the lord with their faces to

the ground

now folks this is the result

of this baptism of anguish

now god’s dealing with all the families

of israel

he’s dealing with the princes the

leaders and ezra and nehemiah have now

gathered the people

ezra opened the book in the sight of the

people when he opened it all the people

stood up

they read the book of god distinctly

gave the sins and caused them to

understand the reading

and nehemiah

and ezra the priest the scribe and

levites that taught the people said unto

all the people

this day is holy unto the lord your god

mourn not

weep not for all the people wept when

they heard the words of the lord

he said to them go your way eat the fat

and drink the sweet

send the person for this day is holy

unto the lord neither be ye sorry

for the joy of the lord is your strength

you see that’s the result of taking on

the heart of god

the ultimate joy is seeing god fulfill

his word and his covenant promises in

your life

there’s nothing of the flesh will give

you joy

i don’t care how much money i don’t care

what kind of new house there is

absolutely

nothing physical could give you joy it’s

only what is accomplished by the holy

spirit

when you obey him and take on his heart

it gives you the knowing of his voice

that instant knowledge god saying this

is the way walk in it and then

the wonderful joy of seeing god answer

your prayer

build the walls around your family build

the walls around your own heart

make you strong and impregnable against

the enemy

god that’s what we desire

would you lift your hands

would you just tell them what’s in your

heart right now write out loud just tell

him what’s in your heart

tell him there’s a reason you came up

here tell him why just tell him why lord

here’s why i’m here

i want to hear everybody just speak it

out

tell him why you’re here

tell him why you’re here tell him what

you have to do

tell him right now lord forgive me

wherever you’re at all over this

building listen to me closely

all all we can expect god to do is begin

to work in you tonight

a very special work or even you go home

tonight and say lord i’m not gonna lay

my head on this pillow

folks there’s a discipline to this

there’s a discipline

you have to will to do it when god sees

you set your heart he’ll give you all

the power and authority follow through

but there has to be something in your

heart right now so god

i’m going to give you no rest from now

on until i see

my family saved i

i have to do that for i’ve got for my

family i’m praying this desperately

[Music]

and if i’m going to tell you something

[Music]

when a man comes up to me as he did

recently he said on this bout with

pornography

i said you had better baptize yourself

in prayer immerse yourself in the word

of god

and you better get deathly desperate

before the lord

and that’s what he wants unless he wants

that heart that’s set

[Music]

if you do that he will give you

he will balance that with a peace and

joy like you’ve never known before

and the joy that you have then will not

dissipate when you get out

it’ll be an eternal joy his peace if he

gives you his burden he’s going to give

you his peace to accompany

you never let your heart be broken

without all the oil you need

for total healing

[Music]

never before in my lifetime if i want

to be broken beforehand

[Music]

because when i stand now before four and

five thousand pastors at a time

[Music]

i know how long do i ever know

and folks it’s the same thing you face

when you go to job tomorrow

you face all the powers of hell you’ve

got to know that you know that you know

and you’ve got to have his voice

i can’t say anymore i’m not gonna preach

another sermon but i want us to sing

that and i want you to just yield the

holy spirit and i want you to set your

mind

now god tells you your reader television

set do it quickly

[Music]

do it quickly if the internet’s got you

get rid of your computer

do whatever god tell you he’ll give you

direction nobody gonna have to tell you

it won’t be some legalistic thing that

we establish for you to be something

born in your heart out of god’s own

desire for you

would you just now set your heart and

say jesus i’m willing to follow you all

the way i want to

i want to know you and i want to know

your heart come holy spirit you do it

holy spirit

you