This is “How to Say Goodbye to Your Past”. When you decide to follow Jesus, you make a decision to leave your past, which can be very difficult. Sometimes your past will pursue you. But your future is so filled with promise that it is worth the cost. The world will beckon and call out for you. Don’t turn back. Stay on the path that leads to your future.
>> Thank you
for joining us today,
I really believe that you
are watching for purpose.
I know that God can use
these times that
we spend together
to confirm to you the truth
of His word and His promise
in your life.
God knows every need
in your life.
He knows every enemy
that you face
and He’s got victory
in His mind for you.
I want you to listen
to this message,
open up your heart.
God’s gonna speak to you.
♪ ♪
This morning I wanna give you
a quick thought, and word,
because we need the word.
Say amen, somebody.
2 Samuel 3,
let’s go to verse 13.
“And David said, ‘Good,
I will make a covenant with you.
But one thing I require of you:
you will not see my face
unless you first bring Michal,
Saul’s daughter,
when you come to see my face.'”
And so,
go down to verse 15.
“And Ishbosheth sent
and took her from her husband,
from Paltiel the son of Laish.
Then her husband went along
with her to Bahurim,
weeping behind her.
So Abner said to him,
‘Go, return!’
And he returned.”
I wanna take this
Old Testament story,
because I believe
it’s especially relevant
to what is about to happen
in this water baptism service,
in just a moment.
But just to recap
the story, Saul,
King Saul was extremely
jealous of David,
because of the victories
God gave him,
especially when
he defeated Goliath,
and the people began to sing
a greater song about David
than they did Saul,
jealousy overcame him —
you remember the story.
And, for killing Goliath,
one of the rewards
was that David got to marry
the daughter
of the king, Michal.
He was given her to marry.
And that was his reward.
And, Saul became so jealous,
he drove David away.
And not only did he bust up
the marriage with his daughter,
and David,
but he gave that daughter
to another man.
And she lived
with that man by force,
we are not told any details.
But, she had to marry
and go to that man,
and live with him,
after being the wife of David,
and she loved David.
She was the one
who saved his life,
you remember,
she opened the window
and he slid out when assassins
were coming to kill him.
She loved David.
And now,
imagine how she’s taken,
and for approximately,
they believe about ten years,
she lives with this man,
and I’m sure,
even if it’s
a Stockholm Syndrome,
where you just kinda,
because you’ve been held captive
so long by someone,
you have affections.
It may have been that
she really fell in love
with this guy, we don’t know.
We know one thing for sure,
he sure fell in love with her.
That’s very clear
in the scripture, now,
lemme go quickly
where I wanna go.
His name was Paltiel,
and he was her new husband.
Okay, so fast-forward,
King Saul dies in battle,
and his sons are killed,
and David now is about
to become king.
And Abner comes to him
and he says,
“I’m the one who’s
a political person
in the nation.
I can unite all
the tribes behind you,
and you can be king
this time, tomorrow.”
And, David looked at him
and that’s where we picked up
the text, and he said,
“Okay, we’ll make a covenant.
I’m gonna be king,
and you’re gonna help me,
and you’re gonna assist me.
But I’ve got one thing
that will not happen,
I will not begin to rule
and reign until I see
my bride face-to-face.”
You read it, he said,
“Until I see her face-to-face,
it’s not going to happen.
I’m not gonna set up
my kingdom and rule and reign.”
What a beautiful picture
of the second coming
of Jesus Christ.
Jesus says, “I’m coming back,
and I’m gonna rule and reign
and straighten out
this whole messed-up world,
but it’s not gonna happen
until the trumpet sounds,
and I see my bride,
the church, face-to-face.”
And, he said,
“I want my lawful wife.
She’s mine.
She doesn’t belong
to that man.
She belongs to me.”
So, he said, “So go get her,
and bring her to me,
and then I’ll set up
the kingdom,
and we’ll rule and reign.”
And, Abner says,
“Let’s go.”
He goes, he goes to the house
where the — he was a farmer,
where the man was,
and he had soldiers,
and he had a horse,
couple horses.
And he said,
“You and the servant,
Ms. Michal,
Saul’s daughter,
you come with me,
David has called for you.”
And at that moment,
the Bible said that
she got on the horse with
her servant, and with Abner,
and the soldiers,
and they started leaving,
and somewhere in the picture
comes this man, Paltiel.
He comes stepping out,
and the Bible said that
he begins to follow behind.
He loves her.
He’s emotionally
connected to her.
And he’s wailing,
he’s weeping, he’s pleading,
he’s begging his case,
trying his best to move
the heart of Michal,
and he’s saying,
“No, no, Come back to me.
Come back to me,
you know we had some times.
Look, we had some great times.
Come back to me.”
And, she had to make a decision.
She had to decide
what she was gonna do,
but it wasn’t just
that he said it,
but if you read the whole story,
he followed them.
He followed them
for two-and-a-half days.
I want you to understand
that you have to say,
I will or I will not
follow Jesus.
She had to decide,
her own free will
had to decide.
And really,
what I’m preaching on is how
to say goodbye to your past.
Because there’s
an emotional price
that has to be paid.
Emotions you have
to wade through,
even in the church,
when you make up your mind.
As for me and my house,
we will follow the Lord,
and you take off down
the road to get with your
King of Kings and your
Lord of Lords, Jesus.
You’re ready to rule
and reign with Him.
There will be a Paltiel spirit
that follows you
behind and says,
“No, Don’t leave me.”
It may come in
the form of an addiction,
it may come in the form
of a person.
It may — you know,
that just drives you back
to that old lifestyle.
It may come in
the form of a text,
it may come in
the form of a Facebook friend,
but somebody,
some Paltiel will show up
in your life,
just when you’re trying
to straighten out and get away,
and it’ll scream at you,
“No, don’t leave me.
Don’t leave me.”
We’re gonna drown him today.
We’re gonna drown him today.
Isn’t it amazing,
the things that come
crawling out of the woods
when you make up your mind,
I’m gonna follow Jesus?
And she had seen David.
before, she remembered how
much she loved him,
and now, she’s about
to see him again.
And something in her said,
“Keep walking.”
Keep going.
Why Abner allowed this guy
to go on and on and on
for hour after hour after hour,
day after day,
we’re not told why,
except I believe
he was saying and King David
was saying,
I want to know
what’s in her heart.
Does she really love me,
or is she going to turn back
to those old emotions,
and lies,
and feelings of the past?
Will she really let the past go,
and move forward,
because there’s a king
and a kingdom awaiting you,
a destiny, a plan,
God has ordered steps.
It’s all ahead of you,
but you have to
make up your mind,
“No, I’m not coming back to you.
I’m done.
This is it.
This water is my grave.”
She kicks the horse,
and something magical
about two-and-a-half days,
but she kicks the horse,
and when she starts
moving this time,
something shifts in Abner,
and he says,
“I’ve had enough of this.”
And he goes back
and he says, “Mr. Paltiel,
it’s time for you to go home
and leave her alone.
Shut up.
Go away.
She’s free.
She’s delivered.
She’s on her way to victory.
She’s on her way
to serve her king,
and you’re going to have
to go back
where you came from.”
Somebody clap your hands
if you know that
there is a freeing moment
that when the Son
sets you free,
you’re free, indeed.
The battle’s over.
You may have other battles,
but that battle is over.
I’m not going back to him,
her, that, it, this, that.
I’m done.
How many of you are
free this morning?
Can we take a pause break —
a praise break,
would you stand to your feet
all over this room?
And would you give God praise
if you know He sets free,
and whom He sets free
is free, indeed?
Come on, praise Him.
Praise Him.
I said, really praise Him,
at every campus.
You don’t have to go back.
You don’t have to go back.
What’s your name?
>> Jacob Smith.
>> How long have you been
coming to the church?
>> About three years now.
>> Did somebody invite you,
what made you show up?
>> The Jericho House.
>> Jericho House,
the rehab program.
And are you presently in it?
>> Yes sir,
I just graduated
the SLT program.
>> Congratulations,
we’re proud of you.
What was your struggle?
>> My struggle
was really anything.
Alcohol, heroine,
meth and more.
Suicide, suicidal thoughts,
depression and anxiety,
panic attacks,
mental health,
you can go on with that list.
>> How far did it take you?
What was life like
at the bottom of all of that.
>> At the bottom I had a gun
in my mouth crying out
to God to save me.
And He radically did.
[applause]
>> Where was that at,
was it at your home,
was it in your —
>> It was in Parker, Florida.
I was homeless and strung out
bad back in 2019.
I hit my rock bottom down
there —
>> Just living outside,
just living,
where would you sleep?
>> On job sites,
at different places.
In the back of my bosses truck,
so many different places.
>> And you just had
reached a point
where you couldn’t kick it,
you couldn’t get free from it,
couldn’t find peace,
you couldn’t find hope,
the enemy whispers,
“What’s the use of going on?”
Where’d you find the gun?
>> I purchased it from one
of my dealers
and I’d had it secretly,
didn’t tell anybody about it.
My parents and my family
didn’t even know
but I was doing it in Florida,
I just lived a life in secrecy
and I was ashamed of myself.
>> So, what happened?
>> So, I cried out to God
for help and not only
did he help me,
he lead me to call my mom
— to tell her
what was going on she contacted
one of her friends
that was in Georgia.
He came all the way
from Georgia to come pick me up
from Parker, Florida
and drove me all
the way back to Georgia.
And never even met the guy.
So three days later
on October the 16th, 2019,
I was at the Jericho House
and God had radically
changed my life through that.
>> That’s wonderful ministry.
Larry who came up in the church,
Larry I remember when he started
that he came up in this church
and had the dream
to start Jericho House
and we support it monthly
and proudly do it,
I’m thankful to do it.
So this is a big day for you,
do you have friends
and family here today?
What’s going on
in your life now?
What’s happening,
are you still living
in the back of a truck?
>> No sir,
I’m staying with
the Jericho House
and helping serve that
— as staff and just plugging in
wherever I can.
>> Only God could take all
of that and turn it
into a ministry.
I baptize you
in the name of the Father,
the Son Jesus Christ
and the Holy Spirit.
[applause]
>> And what is your name?
>> My name is
Arisabeth Bellaforte.
>> And how did you end up
at Free Chapel?
>> Well, growing up,
I didn’t really —
my parents weren’t
really religious,
or didn’t really show me church,
so I really had to look
for it on my own.
So, when I was a teenager,
I got diagnosed
with juvenile arthritis,
and I got into —
well, I got depressed,
I had anxiety
because it’s a lot.
Every day, to be in pain,
you know,
kind of dealing with that,
kind of dealing with being
a teenager, and so,
I started self-medicating
with alcohol
at a very young age,
and I had a DUI
when I was 23 years old.
And, when I was 24,
I had my daughter,
I was raising her by myself.
And, I needed strength,
I felt like I was alone,
I felt like nobody was there.
I just felt like,
how am I gonna do this?
I have nobody.
And she’s looking up to me,
how am I gonna do this?
So, I start coming here,
and I remember,
I came up to the stage,
and just so many people
came up to me,
started praying with me.
They laid their hands over me,
and I just — it felt just —
I don’t know, like,
just such an awakening.
I’m not really
an emotional person,
but it was just like, that time,
I just, you know,
I just started crying,
and I had my daughter
in my hands, and they were like,
you know, you got this,
you know, you’re strong.
You’re gonna get through this,
and eventually, through God,
I have — you know,
I feel like I have
become a very strong woman,
a very strong mom
that they can look up to.
[applause]
>> That’s very powerful.
That’s — so,
your whole deal was
I wanna be a better mother,
I gotta be a good mother
to my baby,
and it made you come
to this church?
And that touched me
when you said,
when you came down,
that people surrounded you
and it brought
a strength to you,
it brought change,
it brought, really,
what they were doing was trying
to facilitate God’s presence
in your life,
and that’s what that
touch on the shoulder meant,
is God, touch her.
God, help her.
God, reveal Yourself to her.
And it worked.
>> Yeah.
I don’t know,
I just feel like
a different person,
I know that’s cliche,
but there’s a power here,
and in Christ,
that I could not find anywhere,
not through family,
not through myself,
it’s just like,
you can’t go through
life alone,
especially in the times today,
it’s just, it’s too hard.
There’s a lot of negativity
that, you know,
you just need somebody there,
and God is that strength,
He’s that anchor, you know.
>> Wow, I really feel
the presence of the Lord
when you talk,
’cause it’s heartfelt
what you’re saying.
You’ve been born again,
that’s what happened to you.
You got around the river
and slipped into it.
And now, you are starting
a first-generation
Christian family,
through the grace
of Jesus Christ.
I baptize you in the name
of the Father, the Son,
Jesus Christ,
and the Holy Spirit.
We gotta stop and praise
the Lord right there.
And give Him all the glory,
give Him all the honor.
>> Hello, sir.
What’s your name?
>> Kelly Kirksey.
>> Kelly, we’re glad to
have you here today.
How did you —
How long have you been
at the church?
>> Started watching online
during the pandemic,
and I’ve been —
When the doors opened back up,
my wife and I started
to come here.
>> So, you had never
really came,
and then you started
watching during
the pandemic, online.
And what made you watch us?
>> Well, I mean,
I’d been in church,
but you know,
the four years prior to this,
I was empty and as broken
as a man could be,
and November 13th, 2018,
I made that choice.
No more drugs, alcohol.
I was addicted to drugs
and alcohol,
and I made a choice.
And when I made that choice,
made that step,
God just took over
and He changed my life.
[applause]
>> So, how long —
How long were you bound,
and I mean, when it really
got ahold of you?
And I tell people this a lot.
I remember this,
for some reason, a lot.
But I watched a documentary
one time about poisonous snakes,
dangerous snakes,
and the guy was a professional,
and he said,
“The danger
in picking up this snake,
the greatest danger
is when you’re trying
to put it down.”
I never forgot that,
that he said — he said,
“Sometimes it’s —
Almost every time it’s easier
to pick it up that when —
It’s when you set it down
that it’s more prone to strike.
And you don’t know
how much the enemy
is destroying your life
till you try to put it down.
And when you try to put it down,
every demon in hell
will tell you,
“You can’t put it down.
This is who you are.
You’re a slave to this
the rest of your life.”
Did you hear that voice?
>> Everyday.
Everyday.
And when I made that choice,
I just surrendered,
I surrendered to Christ,
and He took those demons away.
Where was it?
Was it at your home,
or was it in an altar,
or was it a special —
or was it a process?
>> To No Longer Bound, yeah.
And it was —
>> You got in that program,
and —
>> It changed my life.
It was — I got still,
and I found God there.
And I’d been in church,
I knew who Christ was,
but I was so far away,
I didn’t know how to get back.
>> As far as the addiction
part, the grip,
I mean, you get saved,
you’re spirit’s saved,
but then comes the battle
with the body,
and the habits,
and all of that,
just that voice saying,
“Come back to me,
come back to me.”
>> And He’s taken that from me.
I don’t — I don’t have that
taste in my mouth no longer.
>> So, was it instant
or was it a process?
>> No, it was a process.
No doubt.
It was a process,
it was a yearlong process.
>> Was there a point where
you felt like you just made up
your mind that you were
never going back
to that life again?
>> I made a choice.
I said, “No more.”
>> Different man,
aren’t you?
>> For sure.
>> You have kids?
>> I do.
I have five kids
>> They got a new daddy,
didn’t they?
>> Yeah, for sure.
>> I got a beautiful wife
God restored my life to.
She could’ve let me pick
where I wanted to be.
It’s a hundredfold better.
>> To God be the glory.
I baptize you
in the name of the Father,
the Son, Jesus Christ,
and the Holy Spirit.
You deserve the glory, Lord.
You change lives,
You change families,
You change marriages,
You change destinies,
and we praise You,
and we honor You,
and we glorify You today.
To God be the glory.
♪ ♪
>> Well, I wanna thank you
for listening to this message,
and I sense in my heart
that this is a divine moment
in many, many people’s lives
watching this.
It’s time for you
to receive Jesus Christ
as your Lord and Savior.
Remember this,
today is the seed for tomorrow.
Nothing’s gonna change tomorrow
unless you do
something different today.
And the thing that is missing
in your life
is you keep putting off
your decision for Christ,
but today is the seed
for tomorrow.
If you want
a different tomorrow,
accept Jesus Christ today.
Today, receive it.
Say, “Jesus, wash me,
cleanse me, forgive me.
I repent, I need Your mercy,
I need Your forgiveness.
I ask boldly,
in the name of Jesus,
for salvation,
for cleansing.
Lord, I pray right now,
in the name of Jesus,
for healing,
I pray for miracles.
I pray right now
that You would stretch
forth Your hand
to move mightily across lives
and heal families,
and restore homes,
in the name of Jesus,
and I praise You for that today
over every life that hears me.”
I believe right now,
the angels are rejoicing
in heaven because somebody
prayed that and meant it,
and we would love
to hear from you.
If you prayed that prayer,
call us.
There’s a prayer line number
right there on the screen.
Or go to our website
and click on
the “Salvation” tab.
We have a free salvation
journey kit that we wanna
send you that’s full
of resources like
a 21-day devotion
that will help you on
your new walk with the Lord.
In our closing moments,
I wanna thank you for
your continued support
of this ministry.
We do three things
with the resources:
we preach the Gospel,
just like you’ve just heard,
to over 200 nations a week;
we produce inspirational
resources and material
constantly: books, Bibles,
etc.; and we go above
and beyond in supporting life
giving mission projects
all over the world,
especially in
the nation of Israel,
but all over the world,
and all over in
the United States.
Even as I speak now,
we’re doing something
we’re so excited about,
our stork buses.
They are powerful,
they’re saving
little babies lives,
and your — my announcer
is gonna tell you
all about that.
You can make a difference
all over the world by
supporting this ministry.
Will you pray about it?
You’ve watched
this program many times,
but I encourage you today.
In times like these,
get seed into ground and God
will bring the harvest,
I believe that, in money,
and what money cannot buy.
Thank you,
and God bless you.
>> Announcer: Every year
there are 78 million
abortions worldwide.
In the U.S. alone
there are 3 000 abortions
every day.
Tragically, 22% of all
pregnancies in the U.S.
end in abortion.
At Jentezen Franklin
Media Ministries,
we believe God has called us
to step up and do for
the unborn and more
for the women who face
such life and death decisions,
and now, we are launching
a brand-new initiative
called “Life is Beautiful.”
We know that more
than 80% of abortion-minded
women choose life
after they see their
unborn child on an ultrasound.
Because of generous viewers
like you,
we are purchasing our very
first Mobile Medical Clinic.
It is a state-of-the-art
mobile clinic equipped
to offer pregnancy tests,
ultrasounds,
and other medical tests
to women all at no cost.
And since it’s mobile,
it not only allows
pregnancy centers
to have a greater reach
in the community
but allows women to understand
her full range of options
and provide the support
and resources she needs
to feel fully empowered
and informed.
This mobile clinic is staffed
with professional nurses
and doctors who are trained
to offer qualified care.
In addition to testing
and ultrasounds,
for up to two years
after birth,
we will walk with these
new mothers and provide them
and their baby with the care
and basic necessities
that they need to grow.
We believe all life is beautiful
and your support
today will have an immediate
impact as we launch
this new initiative,
and together
we can see a life saved.
[baby crying]
>> You’re invited to join us
in person at Free Chapel.
Across our eight campuses
on the east and west coast.
You can enjoy the same great
experience with sprit-filled
worship and a powerful
Jesus centered message
from our senior pastor,
Jentezen Franklin.
Kids and youth of all ages
will experience and learn
about the love of Jesus
from Kid Pak on Sunday morning’s
to our annual
Forward Conference
that draws thousands of students
from across the country.
No matter your age
or background,
there’s a place for you
at Free Chapel.
Join us every Sunday online
or in person at a campus
near you.
Of what are the lessons —
What are the lessons
that we can avoid?
A great quote,
“Mentors are shortcuts
to success.”
Mentorship is learning
through the pain
of another person.
There are two ways
that people learn:
through mentors or mistakes.
And I’d rather learn
through somebody
who made the mistake,
and I can learn through
their pain,
than me make the mistake
and go through that hell.
>> Mentoring Moments with
Jentezen Franklin
and Marcus Mecum.
Now available wherever
you get your podcasts.
>> We hope you’ve enjoyed
this teaching
by Jentezen Franklin.
For more information
about this message
and other ministry resources,
visit us online
at JentezenFranklin.tv.