Pastor Paul Daugherty and his wife Ashley lead a new generation with a practical; life-transforming message; a message of love; hope; healing and forgiveness.
#Religion
#Attitude
#Character
#Humble
#Humility
#Help
#Need
#Love of God
#Joy
#Forgiveness
#Paul Daugherty
#Matthew 19:13
#2 Samuel 6:16-22
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Victory with Paul Daugherty | Think More Like A Kid | January 12, 2022
- - I'm Paul, you're here on purpose.
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- God's not finished with you yet.
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- Your best days are right in front of you,
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- and you have victory in your life,
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- because Jesus lives in you.
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- (applause)
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- Matthew 19:13, "The people brought little children to Jesus
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- for him to place his hands on them, and pray for them.
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- But the disciples," everybody say the disciples,
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- - [Congregation] The disciples.
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- - The disciples, that was the grownups.
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- That was the church that was surrounding Jesus.
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- That was his first church.
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- It says they rebuked the kids,
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- they tried to push the kids away.
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- "Don't come, you're loud, you're rambunctious.
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- You're rowdy, you're laughing too much.
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- You're messing up the adult service."
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- Like, the disciples were pushing the kids away,
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- because they thought, "You're a distraction to God."
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- But Jesus said the contrary.
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- He said, "You're the distraction."
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- The kids are actually coming to the kingdom
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- the way God wants them to come,
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- to come just as you are, to come unashamed, loud,
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- to come with this rowdy, enjoyable atmosphere,
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- and presence, and innocence, and childlike awe and wonder.
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- Jesus said in verse 14,
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- "Let the little children come to me,
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- do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven
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- belongs to such as these."
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- I love the whole gig as a kid, it was a really good gig.
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- Like I loved that I didn't have to worry about anything,
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- that my parents took care of me,
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- I wasn't taking care of anybody.
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- I loved that we had recess four times a day at school.
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- I loved it that I didn't have to work a job,
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- (laughing) you know?
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- How many of y'all just reflect back on your childhood years,
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- and you're like, "That was a nice gig,
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- that was a good deal."
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- I like when I had the freedom to do whatever I wanted to do,
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- to say whatever I wanted to say.
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- And that you could get away with it, in many cases,
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- 'cause you were a kid, right?
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- And as a kid, you were curious,
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- you were interested in things.
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- There was, like everything was new to you.
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- There was a first time for everything,
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- you were experiencing your first time
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- to maybe try certain foods,
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- or the first time to a new school, first time.
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- And there was this wonder like, "Oh my goodness,
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- I've never done this before."
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- But then as you get older, you start realizing,
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- "I've done this, I've done that.
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- I've been there, I bought the tee shirt.
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- I've tried this, I've tried that."
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- You stop having firsts,
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- and you start just kinda settling in.
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- You get busy, you get stressed, you get anxious.
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- You now have all these adult responsibilities.
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- You have all these adult thoughts, you know?
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- And Jesus interrupts the disciples and he says,
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- "You need to get your child-like play back.
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- You need to get your joy back.
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- You need to come back to the kingdom of heaven,
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- like one of these kids."
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- 2 Samuel chapter 6, David, at this time,
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- he's the king of Israel,
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- and he is supposed to be acting like a king.
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- He's supposed to be doing all the kingly responsibilities.
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- And the Ark of the Covenant is coming back to Israel.
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- This is 2 Samuel 6:16, "As the Ark of the Lord
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- was entering the city of David,
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- Michal, the daughter of Saul, watched from a window.
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- When she saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord,
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- she despised him in her heart.
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- They brought the Ark of the Lord,
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- and they set it in its place inside the tent
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- that David had pitched for it.
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- David sacrificed burnt offerings.
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- After he finished sacrificing the burnt offerings
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- in the name of the Lord, he gave a loaf of bread,"
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- he does all this stuff.
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- Verse 20, "When David comes back home
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- to bless the household that he's in,
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- Michal, the daughter of Saul, comes out to meet him
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- and says, 'How the king of Israel
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- has distinguished himself today,
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- going around half naked, in full view of the slave girls
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- of his servants, as any vulgar fellow would.'
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- David said to Michal, 'It was before the Lord who chose me,
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- rather than your father, or anyone from his house,
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- when he appointed me ruler over the Lord's people Israel.
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- And I will become even more undignified than this.
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- I will be humiliated in my own eyes."
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- David was saying, "I will dance before the Lord.
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- I will play before the Lord."
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- There's one Scripture in Psalms,
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- where he says over and over, "I will play before the Lord.
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- I will play."
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- I believe David had this childlike faith,
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- that it was God who chose him,
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- and that God delighted to see him worship him undignified,
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- unashamed, with no adult sense of restrictions or stiff.
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- Like when we come and worship at Victory,
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- you see people dancing across the stage.
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- We say here at Victory, "Take out your cool card,
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- rip it up, throw it in the trashcan,
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- 'cause our goal here at Victory is not to act or look cool,
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- but to have an encounter with Jesus,
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- and to be authentic and genuine."
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- And I think God appreciates that childlike passion,
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- and awe, and wonder, and uninhibited,
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- just like undignified praise and worship.
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- I think we get too serious as we get older.
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- And God's saying, "Grow down, grow down a little bit."
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- Jesus tells his disciples, "Unless you become like Zachary,
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- and Orion, and unless you become like Liam,
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- and Benaiah, and Mac,
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- you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven,
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- with this adult, serious vibe.
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- You've gotta come like a kid.
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- You've gotta come with childlike joy,
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- and faith, and wonder, and curiosity."
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- So I wanna give you a few points
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- of how do I think like a kid?
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- How do I think like a kid?
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- Number one, kids humbly accept help.
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- Kids humbly accept help.
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- In fact kids, they recognize that they are dependent on you.
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- They need you to buckle their car seat.
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- They need you to get them out of the car seat.
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- They need you to help them get food.
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- They need you to rock them to bed at night.
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- They need you to hold them when they're scared.
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- They are happily dependent on mommy and daddy.
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- The humility of children is so evident.
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- They don't have any pride or ego
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- when it comes to asking for help.
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- It's a beautiful thing to watch, right?
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- But as we get older, we start thinking,
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- "I can do this, I don't need your help.
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- I got this, I can do this all by myself."
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- But Jesus says, "Those who exalt themselves will be humbled.
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- But those who humble themselves,"
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- everybody say grow down. - Grow down.
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- - "Those who humble themselves like a child,
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- they will be exalted."
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- Becoming like a child is becoming meek and submissive,
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- not weak, but just saying, "God, I need you.
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- God, I need you."
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- I love it when my kids need me, right?
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- Like it just feels good (laughing).
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- Sometimes it's a little like, "Okay,
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- you can do this by yourself."
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- But it feels good when Benaiah says, "Daddy,
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- will you come and rock me to bed tonight?
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- Will you come? Will you get me a cup of water?"
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- You know?
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- And I'm like, "Well, you got two hands,
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- you could get a cup of water."
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- But there's that sense of I am an answer to his problem.
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- God loves it when you need him.
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- God loves to be asked by his kids,
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- "Dad, I need your help right now.
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- I'm struggling with my homework.
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- I'm struggling in this relationship.
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- I'm really like confused.
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- I'm struggling to feel good enough at school.
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- I'm struggling to get through this season.
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- I'm single, and I just don't know what to do."
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- God says, "Yes, yes, I love to be needed."
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- Kids humbly accept help.
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- Jesus often tells us if we wanna go higher,
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- we've gotta go lower.
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- If we wanna be greater, we've gotta become more humble,
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- to say, "Lord, I need you."
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- Number two, kids believe without complication.
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- Kids have a way of believing everything you say
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- as if it is fact.
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- It's pretty awesome, they're very gullible, right?
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- Like I could be like, "There's an elephant over there."
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- And Liam's like, "Where? Where did he go?
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- Is he around the hallway? Daddy, I can't find him."
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- And he just believes that there was an elephant
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- walking in the church.
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- He believes whatever I say.
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- Kids believe without any complication.
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- There's no doubt, there's no questioning,
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- there's no cynicism.
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- "Well, let me Google that for a second, Dad.
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- I don't think you're saying the truth here.
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- Let me look it up on the internet, and see,
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- and let me see what my," like he just believes.
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- But the older we get, we question everything,
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- especially this generation,
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- because we were taught in the 90s, and early 2000s,
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- question everything, question everything,
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- it's been stirring even more in our society.
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- Question all truth, question everything,
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- question this, question that.
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- But Jesus loves it
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- when his kids believe without complication,
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- when we stop trying to Google every single thing
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- that God has said, and we just believe it's factual.
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- And we say, "If God said it, he can do it,
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- that's it, it settles it.
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- I'm accepting his promises are yes and amen."
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- Jesus is looking for people will take him at his word.
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- Start thinking like a kid.
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- No, we shouldn't think like a kid. We gotta be grownups.
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- We gotta be grownups.
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- Money doesn't grow on trees, Paul.
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- Miracles don't happen for everybody.
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- They only happen for some people.
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- When you stop believing that God can do the impossible,
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- you start growing up in a way
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- that you're missing the kingdom of heaven.
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- The kingdom of heaven belongs to kids
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- who believe that God can do anything,
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- that you take to heart the simplicity of God's Word,
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- and you say, "Yes, yes God, I believe you can."
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- Number three, kids say whatever is on their mind,
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- and I love this.
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- I love that kids will wear their hearts on their sleeves,
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- and just like, say whatever's on their mind.
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- In fact, the other night,
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- Benny, he came up to me and he said, "You hurt my feelings."
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- And I love, like as adults, we don't wanna say anything,
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- 'cause we don't wanna act like anyone hurt our feelings,
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- 'cause we're too strong to have our feelings hurt,
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- and we got to keep our feelings to ourselves,
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- and like, "No one could ever hurt my feelings,
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- 'cause I'm a grown man."
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- But I love that Benny just came up to me,
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- and he said, "Hey you," and he pokes my belly.
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- He was like, "Your belly's getting bigger."
- 00:10:06.322 --> 00:10:08.057
- I'm like, "Stop it, okay."
- 00:10:08.057 --> 00:10:10.059
- (laughing) And he goes, "You hurt my feelings."
- 00:10:10.059 --> 00:10:13.929
- And I said, "I'm sorry, Benny, what did I do?"
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- And he said, "You talked to Liam,
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- and you didn't talk to me."
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- (congregation laughing)
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- And I said, "I'm sorry, Benny," I said, "I love you."
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- And he said, "Daddy, I just miss you.
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- When are we gonna stop going to church?"
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- (congregation laughing)
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- He's like, "We're here all the time."
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- And then he's just like laying down in the lobby,
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- he's like, "I'm just gonna sleep here, Daddy."
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- He's like, "Can we just go home?"
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- (laughing) Kids just say what's on their mind.
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- And they'll tell you how they feel, and I appreciate that.
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- I think God likes that.
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- I think God likes it when we're honest,
- 00:10:48.364 --> 00:10:50.099
- and we're just like, "Man, I'm just burned.
- 00:10:50.099 --> 00:10:53.202
- I'm just tired, I'm just hurting, I'm just,"
- 00:10:53.202 --> 00:10:55.438
- and God says, "Talk to me, talk to me."
- 00:10:55.438 --> 00:10:58.974
- I think we're taught sometimes in the Word of Faith movement
- 00:10:58.974 --> 00:11:01.143
- that you're never allowed to share your feelings,
- 00:11:01.143 --> 00:11:03.612
- that sharing your feelings is like terrible,
- 00:11:03.612 --> 00:11:05.414
- and God rebukes you for sharing your feelings.
- 00:11:05.414 --> 00:11:08.184
- Except for the fact that we have a book called "Psalms,"
- 00:11:08.184 --> 00:11:11.887
- and I don't know why God would put that book in the Bible
- 00:11:11.887 --> 00:11:14.590
- if he didn't want you to talk to him about how you feel.
- 00:11:14.590 --> 00:11:17.760
- I honestly think it's this whole journal,
- 00:11:17.760 --> 00:11:19.895
- where David's like, "Man, I feel hurt, I feel tired.
- 00:11:19.895 --> 00:11:22.798
- I feel like my friend stabbed me in the back.
- 00:11:22.798 --> 00:11:25.301
- I feel like people are saying stuff about me
- 00:11:25.301 --> 00:11:26.902
- that's not true."
- 00:11:26.902 --> 00:11:28.104
- And you're like, "Well, calm down, David, Word of Faith,
- 00:11:28.104 --> 00:11:30.306
- you're not allowed to say how you feel."
- 00:11:30.306 --> 00:11:32.141
- And God's like, "Actually I put that book in the Bible
- 00:11:32.141 --> 00:11:34.710
- so that you guys could be human,
- 00:11:34.710 --> 00:11:36.212
- and give yourself permission to be human,
- 00:11:36.212 --> 00:11:38.514
- and talk to me about what's going on in your heart
- 00:11:38.514 --> 00:11:40.816
- and your mind."
- 00:11:40.816 --> 00:11:41.984
- And then let God begin to bring healing to you.
- 00:11:41.984 --> 00:11:45.521
- But you can't receive healing if you deny your feelings.
- 00:11:45.521 --> 00:11:49.458
- So he says, "Come, say what's on your mind.
- 00:11:49.458 --> 00:11:51.694
- Talk to me, tell me what's happened."
- 00:11:51.694 --> 00:11:53.429
- I can't heal Benny's heart
- 00:11:53.429 --> 00:11:55.731
- if Benny's afraid to tell me how he feels.
- 00:11:55.731 --> 00:11:58.334
- Like if Benny's like,
- 00:11:58.334 --> 00:11:59.268
- "I can't tell Mom and Daddy how I feel,
- 00:11:59.268 --> 00:12:00.536
- 'cause I'm gonna get rebuked if I tell them
- 00:12:00.536 --> 00:12:02.171
- that they hurt my feelings."
- 00:12:02.171 --> 00:12:04.206
- I want my kids to come to me,
- 00:12:04.206 --> 00:12:06.509
- so that I can bring healing and say, "Hey, look,
- 00:12:06.509 --> 00:12:08.277
- I love you just as much as I love your brother.
- 00:12:08.277 --> 00:12:11.480
- And just because he gets a miracle sometimes,
- 00:12:11.480 --> 00:12:13.549
- or a blessing, or he gets a gift,
- 00:12:13.549 --> 00:12:15.050
- doesn't mean you're not gonna get one."
- 00:12:15.050 --> 00:12:17.153
- It's okay to talk to God about things.
- 00:12:17.153 --> 00:12:19.188
- If I did an altar call right now in children's church,
- 00:12:19.188 --> 00:12:21.891
- I guarantee you almost every single kid would come down.
- 00:12:21.891 --> 00:12:24.727
- I go and preach to our kids chapels,
- 00:12:24.727 --> 00:12:27.096
- and the whole room responds.
- 00:12:27.096 --> 00:12:28.864
- I'm like, who needs Jesus? Who needs to get saved?
- 00:12:28.864 --> 00:12:31.700
- They're all like, "I need to, I'm coming down right now."
- 00:12:31.700 --> 00:12:33.869
- (congregation laughing)
- 00:12:33.869 --> 00:12:34.537
- "Who's lied in the last week?"
- 00:12:34.537 --> 00:12:35.905
- They're like, "Me, me, I lied, I lied."
- 00:12:35.905 --> 00:12:38.073
- "Who punched their brother?"
- 00:12:38.073 --> 00:12:39.041
- "I did, I did."
- 00:12:39.041 --> 00:12:42.878
- (energetic music)
- 00:12:43.312 --> 00:13:44.206
- Number four, kids are affectionate.
- 00:13:45.007 --> 00:13:47.443
- They're affectionate.
- 00:13:47.443 --> 00:13:48.444
- They immediately want to be held.
- 00:13:48.444 --> 00:13:50.512
- Kids love affection, they wanna be hugged by their parents.
- 00:13:50.512 --> 00:13:54.516
- That's why maybe if you grew up in a home
- 00:13:54.516 --> 00:13:56.051
- where your parents never showed affection,
- 00:13:56.051 --> 00:13:58.320
- you can change it in the next generation.
- 00:13:58.320 --> 00:14:00.556
- It's okay to hug your kids.
- 00:14:00.556 --> 00:14:02.491
- It's okay to give your daughter a kiss on the cheek.
- 00:14:02.491 --> 00:14:05.594
- It's okay to show,
- 00:14:05.594 --> 00:14:06.829
- that healthy affection actually helps them later on in life.
- 00:14:06.829 --> 00:14:10.432
- Kids, they crave affection.
- 00:14:10.432 --> 00:14:13.068
- They crave to be held, to be loved,
- 00:14:13.068 --> 00:14:15.738
- to be told that they are the apple of their parents' eyes.
- 00:14:15.738 --> 00:14:20.209
- They wanna be cuddled, they want their hands to be held.
- 00:14:20.209 --> 00:14:22.745
- They want the kiss on the cheek.
- 00:14:22.745 --> 00:14:24.246
- And in the same way, God says,
- 00:14:24.246 --> 00:14:25.547
- "I want you to come to me with a desire for intimacy,
- 00:14:25.547 --> 00:14:28.851
- and not just information.
- 00:14:28.851 --> 00:14:30.719
- I don't want you to come to me just for Instagram clips,
- 00:14:30.719 --> 00:14:33.122
- and Twitter bites, and just little bits of a Sunday service.
- 00:14:33.122 --> 00:14:37.259
- I want you to crave an intimate relationship with Jesus,
- 00:14:37.259 --> 00:14:40.562
- where you linger in the presence of God,
- 00:14:40.562 --> 00:14:42.531
- and you go, 'God, I came in here with a lot of pain,
- 00:14:42.531 --> 00:14:44.800
- and a lot of suspicion about all these people.
- 00:14:44.800 --> 00:14:46.835
- But the second I encountered your presence, I was gushing.
- 00:14:46.835 --> 00:14:50.039
- I was feeling something,
- 00:14:50.039 --> 00:14:51.473
- I was experiencing your presence and your power,
- 00:14:51.473 --> 00:14:54.476
- and it was changing, all the walls were breaking down.'"
- 00:14:54.476 --> 00:14:58.347
- Kids are affectionate.
- 00:14:58.347 --> 00:14:59.848
- Number five, kids are excitedly curious.
- 00:14:59.848 --> 00:15:03.786
- They love to explore.
- 00:15:03.786 --> 00:15:05.821
- They're a bit uncivilized.
- 00:15:05.821 --> 00:15:08.557
- They like to try new things, they love to uncover mysteries.
- 00:15:08.557 --> 00:15:12.461
- They're hungry to know more.
- 00:15:12.461 --> 00:15:14.063
- They wanna experience life and all that it has to offer.
- 00:15:14.063 --> 00:15:17.466
- And Jesus loved the curiosity of children.
- 00:15:17.466 --> 00:15:21.770
- There was something about their curiosity
- 00:15:21.770 --> 00:15:23.339
- that made him feel like he could give them something more.
- 00:15:23.339 --> 00:15:26.475
- Whereas adults, we come in and we're like,
- 00:15:26.475 --> 00:15:28.677
- "Been there, done that.
- 00:15:28.677 --> 00:15:32.014
- Nothing new you could teach me.
- 00:15:32.648 --> 00:15:34.783
- I've already figured it all out."
- 00:15:35.517 --> 00:15:36.952
- We've lost our curiosity.
- 00:15:36.952 --> 00:15:38.721
- It's like for some reason, the older we get,
- 00:15:38.721 --> 00:15:41.090
- the less questions we ask,
- 00:15:41.090 --> 00:15:42.858
- the less we wanna explore,
- 00:15:42.858 --> 00:15:44.126
- the less mysteries there are in life.
- 00:15:44.126 --> 00:15:46.428
- But Jesus says, "Come back to that childlike wonder,
- 00:15:46.428 --> 00:15:50.065
- and awe, and curiosity."
- 00:15:50.065 --> 00:15:52.167
- Come back to the questions you used to ask,
- 00:15:52.167 --> 00:15:54.803
- and the desire to know more about God,
- 00:15:54.803 --> 00:15:57.506
- and his plan for your life.
- 00:15:57.506 --> 00:15:59.274
- Number six, kids are content in the little things.
- 00:15:59.274 --> 00:16:03.312
- They're content in the little things.
- 00:16:03.312 --> 00:16:05.981
- My son Liam prayed, this was about three years ago,
- 00:16:05.981 --> 00:16:08.817
- he brought an offering to church.
- 00:16:08.817 --> 00:16:11.353
- And he prays and he says, "Mommy,
- 00:16:11.353 --> 00:16:12.988
- do you know what I prayed for?"
- 00:16:12.988 --> 00:16:13.989
- And she said, "No, what'd you pray for?"
- 00:16:13.989 --> 00:16:15.491
- And he said, "I prayed that God's gonna send us
- 00:16:15.491 --> 00:16:17.559
- to Disney World as a family."
- 00:16:17.559 --> 00:16:19.862
- And we were like, "Okay, well, if God wants to do that,
- 00:16:19.862 --> 00:16:23.232
- we'll see, you know, what happens."
- 00:16:23.232 --> 00:16:25.167
- Well, a person who didn't even go to our church,
- 00:16:25.167 --> 00:16:27.469
- wasn't a member here,
- 00:16:27.469 --> 00:16:28.737
- a few months later called Ashley and said,
- 00:16:28.737 --> 00:16:31.340
- "I have been praying,"
- 00:16:31.340 --> 00:16:32.307
- she owns a company and she said,
- 00:16:32.307 --> 00:16:33.542
- "I just felt the Lord said
- 00:16:33.542 --> 00:16:34.777
- I'm supposed to sponsor your family
- 00:16:34.777 --> 00:16:36.545
- to go to Disney World together."
- 00:16:36.545 --> 00:16:38.013
- (congregation laughing)
- 00:16:38.013 --> 00:16:38.914
- We literally were like, "Oh?"
- 00:16:38.914 --> 00:16:41.650
- There's no way Liam could have called her.
- 00:16:41.650 --> 00:16:43.185
- He doesn't have a cell phone, he doesn't know this woman.
- 00:16:43.185 --> 00:16:46.288
- We had not shared this story to any friends,
- 00:16:46.288 --> 00:16:48.424
- or in front of the church.
- 00:16:48.424 --> 00:16:49.792
- We were like, "God, you answered Liam's prayers."
- 00:16:49.792 --> 00:16:57.166
- And we told Liam, and he was like,
- 00:16:57.166 --> 00:16:58.967
- "I knew it was gonna happen."
- 00:16:58.967 --> 00:17:00.402
- (congregation laughing)
- 00:17:00.402 --> 00:17:01.870
- The confidence of this kid.
- 00:17:01.870 --> 00:17:03.972
- And Jesus says, "think like a kid."
- 00:17:03.972 --> 00:17:06.608
- Turn to someone next to you and say think like a kid.
- 00:17:06.608 --> 00:17:08.243
- - [Congregation] Think like a kid.
- 00:17:08.243 --> 00:17:09.445
- - All right, but here's the point of that story.
- 00:17:09.445 --> 00:17:11.547
- We went to Disney World, and it was pretty good.
- 00:17:11.547 --> 00:17:14.349
- I mean, like I'm not gonna complain, I'm content.
- 00:17:14.349 --> 00:17:17.419
- But there were long lines, it was sweaty.
- 00:17:17.419 --> 00:17:20.022
- I'm not complaining. (congregation laughing)
- 00:17:20.022 --> 00:17:21.290
- But it was like, (sighing) you know what I'm saying?
- 00:17:21.290 --> 00:17:25.060
- Just theme parks.
- 00:17:25.060 --> 00:17:26.728
- And it was crowded, and the kids were having fun.
- 00:17:26.728 --> 00:17:29.865
- And we were staying at like a 2.5 star hotel.
- 00:17:29.865 --> 00:17:32.935
- Not that it matters, but you know, as adults,
- 00:17:32.935 --> 00:17:34.703
- we look at all the reviews and like,
- 00:17:34.703 --> 00:17:36.472
- "Well, how many stars is it?"
- 00:17:36.472 --> 00:17:37.439
- And all that kind of stuff.
- 00:17:37.439 --> 00:17:38.373
- And I'm like, "Okay, you know, whatever."
- 00:17:38.373 --> 00:17:39.608
- It's good, like we're fine.
- 00:17:39.608 --> 00:17:41.477
- So we're at this hotel, the pool is a small little pool.
- 00:17:41.477 --> 00:17:44.513
- There's pee pee everywhere from other kids.
- 00:17:44.513 --> 00:17:46.448
- It's I mean, it's an interesting situation.
- 00:17:46.448 --> 00:17:50.285
- And our kids were having so much fun.
- 00:17:50.285 --> 00:17:53.789
- We were like, "Do you guys wanna go to Disney World?"
- 00:17:53.789 --> 00:17:55.324
- "No, we just wanna play in the pool."
- 00:17:55.324 --> 00:17:57.259
- And I was like, "Then why did we buy tickets
- 00:17:57.259 --> 00:17:59.394
- to Disney World?" (laughing)
- 00:17:59.394 --> 00:18:02.197
- But they were content in the little things.
- 00:18:02.197 --> 00:18:04.633
- Number seven, kids love to laugh.
- 00:18:04.633 --> 00:18:07.569
- They love to smile, they love to have fun.
- 00:18:07.569 --> 00:18:10.939
- Listen, you can grow older without aging.
- 00:18:10.939 --> 00:18:14.543
- You can have another year,
- 00:18:15.110 --> 00:18:17.012
- my birthday is in a couple of weeks.
- 00:18:17.012 --> 00:18:18.614
- And like every year that I have another birthday,
- 00:18:18.614 --> 00:18:22.851
- I wanna never lose the childlike playfulness
- 00:18:22.851 --> 00:18:26.255
- that God blessed me with.
- 00:18:26.255 --> 00:18:27.956
- Like, we were born to laugh.
- 00:18:27.956 --> 00:18:30.559
- And as babies, did you know, as a baby,
- 00:18:30.559 --> 00:18:33.195
- you laughed up to 100 times a day?
- 00:18:33.195 --> 00:18:36.632
- But by the time you become 18-years old,
- 00:18:36.632 --> 00:18:39.334
- people laugh less than 24 times a week.
- 00:18:39.334 --> 00:18:43.805
- That's the average that scientists have said
- 00:18:44.706 --> 00:18:46.508
- that adults will laugh less than 24 times a week.
- 00:18:46.508 --> 00:18:49.978
- But as babies, we're laughing 100 times a day, what happens?
- 00:18:49.978 --> 00:18:53.182
- We grow up, we see painful things.
- 00:18:53.182 --> 00:18:56.018
- We are experiencing difficult disappointments in life.
- 00:18:56.018 --> 00:19:00.856
- We become cynical.
- 00:19:00.856 --> 00:19:02.191
- The things that used to make us laugh
- 00:19:02.191 --> 00:19:03.625
- no longer make us laugh.
- 00:19:03.625 --> 00:19:05.427
- We're checked out on our phones,
- 00:19:05.427 --> 00:19:08.096
- and we're not even enjoying it.
- 00:19:08.096 --> 00:19:09.631
- Like what are we doing? This isn't even fun.
- 00:19:09.631 --> 00:19:12.634
- Put it down and smile, and just enjoy life.
- 00:19:12.634 --> 00:19:15.837
- There's something about just like enjoying,
- 00:19:15.837 --> 00:19:18.774
- enjoying each other, and laughing,
- 00:19:18.774 --> 00:19:20.709
- and telling a story, and being the first one
- 00:19:20.709 --> 00:19:23.245
- that laughs at the table,
- 00:19:23.245 --> 00:19:24.846
- to say, "Mom, that's hilarious," you know?
- 00:19:24.846 --> 00:19:28.684
- And God loves it when we do that
- 00:19:29.318 --> 00:19:31.920
- When I first stepped in as pastor,
- 00:19:31.920 --> 00:19:33.655
- I felt like I had to be very stiff.
- 00:19:33.655 --> 00:19:35.524
- I would wear a suit, and I stopped rollerblading.
- 00:19:35.524 --> 00:19:39.661
- And (laughing) I had to wear a tie.
- 00:19:39.661 --> 00:19:43.665
- I had to meet the version
- 00:19:43.665 --> 00:19:45.801
- of what some of the men in our church
- 00:19:45.801 --> 00:19:47.803
- told me I needed to be.
- 00:19:47.803 --> 00:19:49.638
- And they sat me down and they put on their own armor on me.
- 00:19:49.638 --> 00:19:54.076
- And they said, "You need to be this,
- 00:19:54.076 --> 00:19:55.744
- you need to stop having fun, this isn't 3D,
- 00:19:55.744 --> 00:19:57.946
- this isn't the young adult group.
- 00:19:57.946 --> 00:19:59.681
- Stop acting like you're you're 28 years old.
- 00:19:59.681 --> 00:20:01.850
- You need to start acting like you're 56."
- 00:20:01.850 --> 00:20:04.453
- And like, I kid you not,
- 00:20:04.453 --> 00:20:06.888
- I accepted it to the point where even my own wife
- 00:20:06.888 --> 00:20:12.194
- would be like, "Loosen up."
- 00:20:12.194 --> 00:20:13.262
- And I'd be like, "I can't, I can't.
- 00:20:13.262 --> 00:20:15.631
- I've got a heavy responsibility, I can't loosen up.
- 00:20:15.631 --> 00:20:19.234
- You don't understand that carrying the church
- 00:20:19.234 --> 00:20:21.303
- is a heavy thing."
- 00:20:21.303 --> 00:20:22.271
- And she said, "But it's not supposed to be."
- 00:20:22.271 --> 00:20:23.972
- And I said, "You don't understand.
- 00:20:24.740 --> 00:20:25.974
- So-and-so told me that I have to be serious.
- 00:20:25.974 --> 00:20:28.677
- I have to be serious, and I can't cut up,
- 00:20:28.677 --> 00:20:31.013
- and I can't make jokes, and I can't wear jeans.
- 00:20:31.013 --> 00:20:33.515
- And I definitely can't wear a tee shirt,"
- 00:20:33.515 --> 00:20:35.417
- and you know, all this stuff.
- 00:20:35.417 --> 00:20:36.485
- And I was so stiff, and so intense,
- 00:20:36.485 --> 00:20:38.987
- and so serious, and stressed and anxious.
- 00:20:38.987 --> 00:20:41.623
- And my mind wasn't even enjoying things at times.
- 00:20:41.623 --> 00:20:45.193
- And about a year and a half, two years ago,
- 00:20:45.193 --> 00:20:47.896
- like I was gradually getting more and more free
- 00:20:47.896 --> 00:20:50.532
- to just be me, but something snapped.
- 00:20:50.532 --> 00:20:52.768
- And I was like, "You know what?
- 00:20:52.768 --> 00:20:53.702
- I'm gonna be 100% Paul David Daugherty.
- 00:20:53.702 --> 00:20:56.004
- And I'm not gonna apologize anymore
- 00:20:56.004 --> 00:20:58.407
- for my jeans, or my tee shirt, or my humor,
- 00:20:58.407 --> 00:21:01.276
- or my cringey sermon illustrations,
- 00:21:01.276 --> 00:21:04.646
- and my cringey stories, and my cringey jokes."
- 00:21:04.646 --> 00:21:07.849
- My brother said, "Victory Church is built on the gospel,
- 00:21:07.849 --> 00:21:10.719
- and Paul's cringiness."
- 00:21:10.719 --> 00:21:12.120
- (congregation laughing)
- 00:21:12.120 --> 00:21:12.788
- No, it's built on the gospel.
- 00:21:12.788 --> 00:21:15.524
- And, but I just, something broke,
- 00:21:15.524 --> 00:21:18.193
- and I was like, "You know what?
- 00:21:18.193 --> 00:21:18.994
- I'm gonna have fun."
- 00:21:18.994 --> 00:21:20.429
- Life is way too short to be so stressed and serious,
- 00:21:20.429 --> 00:21:23.965
- and stiff and heavy.
- 00:21:23.965 --> 00:21:25.867
- Jesus said, "Come to me you who are heavy burden.
- 00:21:25.867 --> 00:21:28.970
- My yoke is easy, following me is supposed to be light.
- 00:21:28.970 --> 00:21:33.141
- You should have a light heart."
- 00:21:33.141 --> 00:21:35.043
- David said, "I will play before the Lord.
- 00:21:35.043 --> 00:21:37.546
- I will play."
- 00:21:37.546 --> 00:21:38.947
- He didn't just mean play the guitar,
- 00:21:38.947 --> 00:21:40.282
- he meant like play, like go have fun.
- 00:21:40.282 --> 00:21:42.584
- Go outside this week, laugh.
- 00:21:42.584 --> 00:21:45.454
- (congregation applauding)
- 00:21:45.454 --> 00:21:46.355
- Number eight, kids forgive quickly.
- 00:21:46.355 --> 00:21:48.490
- They don't hold onto offenses.
- 00:21:48.490 --> 00:21:50.492
- They don't carry a list of wrongs.
- 00:21:50.492 --> 00:21:52.627
- "Daddy, let me tell you the last few things
- 00:21:52.627 --> 00:21:56.031
- you did wrong this week."
- 00:21:56.031 --> 00:21:57.265
- No, they forget every single day.
- 00:21:57.265 --> 00:21:59.835
- They don't come into church offended at the church,
- 00:21:59.835 --> 00:22:03.238
- sitting down with Pastor Amy,
- 00:22:03.238 --> 00:22:05.540
- trying to deconstruct theology,
- 00:22:05.540 --> 00:22:08.210
- and say, "I am so offended at the body of Christ right now."
- 00:22:08.210 --> 00:22:11.780
- They don't carry offenses.
- 00:22:11.780 --> 00:22:13.281
- Kids are quick to forgive.
- 00:22:13.281 --> 00:22:15.684
- But for some reason, the older we get,
- 00:22:15.684 --> 00:22:17.085
- the more offended we get, and we need to grow down.
- 00:22:17.085 --> 00:22:20.589
- Come to the kingdom like a kid.
- 00:22:20.589 --> 00:22:22.824
- Kids are not wound up
- 00:22:22.824 --> 00:22:24.059
- with this intense anger towards people.
- 00:22:24.059 --> 00:22:27.229
- As they get older, they might become that way,
- 00:22:27.229 --> 00:22:29.197
- if they continue to learn it in the behavior
- 00:22:29.197 --> 00:22:31.566
- from families and friends.
- 00:22:31.566 --> 00:22:33.368
- But kids are born with a sense of mercy,
- 00:22:33.368 --> 00:22:35.437
- that every day's a new day.
- 00:22:35.437 --> 00:22:37.406
- Number nine, kids rest well.
- 00:22:37.406 --> 00:22:39.374
- Once they fall asleep, it might take a while
- 00:22:39.374 --> 00:22:41.209
- for our kids to fall asleep,
- 00:22:41.209 --> 00:22:42.144
- but once they fall asleep, they are out.
- 00:22:42.144 --> 00:22:45.247
- They sleep well because they know
- 00:22:45.247 --> 00:22:46.948
- Daddy's going to be there tomorrow.
- 00:22:46.948 --> 00:22:49.050
- Mommy's going to be there tomorrow.
- 00:22:49.050 --> 00:22:51.186
- They sleep well because they trust
- 00:22:51.186 --> 00:22:53.155
- everything's gonna be okay.
- 00:22:53.155 --> 00:22:54.823
- There's gonna be food on the table tomorrow.
- 00:22:54.823 --> 00:22:56.858
- Why don't we sleep well?
- 00:22:56.858 --> 00:22:58.260
- It's because we're worried about tomorrow.
- 00:22:58.260 --> 00:23:00.295
- We're stressed about tomorrow.
- 00:23:00.295 --> 00:23:01.997
- We're guilty about today.
- 00:23:01.997 --> 00:23:03.598
- We feel like we didn't get enough done today.
- 00:23:03.598 --> 00:23:05.700
- But kids, they fall asleep on the way home.
- 00:23:05.700 --> 00:23:08.336
- I gotta carry them to their rooms.
- 00:23:08.336 --> 00:23:10.205
- They fall asleep in the car ride after church, they're out.
- 00:23:10.205 --> 00:23:13.341
- They're like, "It was a good day, I did nothing."
- 00:23:13.341 --> 00:23:16.244
- (laughing) "It was a good day, I went to church,
- 00:23:16.244 --> 00:23:21.516
- and played on the playground." (snoring)
- 00:23:21.516 --> 00:23:25.086
- You know, like they're just, they rest.
- 00:23:25.086 --> 00:23:28.123
- And as adults, we gotta get better at that.
- 00:23:28.123 --> 00:23:30.992
- Number 10, kids are unashamed.
- 00:23:30.992 --> 00:23:33.295
- They're free to be themselves.
- 00:23:33.295 --> 00:23:35.197
- They're free to praise undignified.
- 00:23:35.197 --> 00:23:38.533
- They're not looking around,
- 00:23:38.533 --> 00:23:39.968
- wondering if it's the right set list,
- 00:23:39.968 --> 00:23:42.003
- if they played your favorite song,
- 00:23:42.003 --> 00:23:43.905
- if the singers are dressed in the right appropriate attire.
- 00:23:43.905 --> 00:23:47.209
- They're not criticizing everything,
- 00:23:47.209 --> 00:23:48.777
- they're just unashamed to worship God.
- 00:23:48.777 --> 00:23:51.346
- They're unashamed to lift their hands,
- 00:23:51.346 --> 00:23:53.281
- to come down to an altar call.
- 00:23:53.281 --> 00:23:55.150
- Like if I did an altar call right now in children's church,
- 00:23:55.150 --> 00:23:57.919
- I guarantee you, almost every single kid would come down.
- 00:23:57.919 --> 00:24:01.122
- It just happens, I go and preach to our kids chapels,
- 00:24:01.122 --> 00:24:04.426
- and the whole room responds.
- 00:24:04.426 --> 00:24:06.294
- I'm like, "Who needs Jesus? Who needs to get saved?"
- 00:24:06.294 --> 00:24:09.097
- They're all like, "I need to, I'm coming down right now."
- 00:24:09.097 --> 00:24:11.900
- "Who's lied in the last week?"
- 00:24:11.900 --> 00:24:13.268
- They're like, "Me, me, I lied, I lied."
- 00:24:13.268 --> 00:24:15.437
- "Who punched their brother?"
- 00:24:15.437 --> 00:24:16.338
- "I did, I did, yeah."
- 00:24:16.338 --> 00:24:19.407
- "Who was jealous this week of their sister's dress?"
- 00:24:19.407 --> 00:24:21.943
- "I was, I was so jealous, I was so jealous."
- 00:24:21.943 --> 00:24:24.045
- And they're just like...
- 00:24:24.045 --> 00:24:26.114
- But as adults, we're like, "No one can know.
- 00:24:26.114 --> 00:24:28.717
- I care way too much what people think.
- 00:24:29.551 --> 00:24:31.453
- Paul, you're only gonna get like five people
- 00:24:31.453 --> 00:24:32.921
- at the altar call today,
- 00:24:32.921 --> 00:24:33.889
- because this is way too vulnerable for us.
- 00:24:33.889 --> 00:24:36.291
- Don't expect any of us to be honest."
- 00:24:36.291 --> 00:24:39.361
- And Jesus says, "Grow down, think like a kid."
- 00:24:39.361 --> 00:24:43.064
- Doesn't matter what anyone else thinks,
- 00:24:43.064 --> 00:24:44.432
- if you sinned, and you need forgiveness,
- 00:24:44.432 --> 00:24:46.334
- come, come unashamed, come vulnerable, come transparent.
- 00:24:46.334 --> 00:24:50.405
- Friends, it's time to think more like a kid.
- 00:24:51.339 --> 00:24:54.609
- You know, God designed us to be his children.
- 00:24:54.609 --> 00:24:58.413
- The way that we're supposed to live in the kingdom of God
- 00:24:58.413 --> 00:25:01.383
- is not as grown up, you know, super serious,
- 00:25:01.383 --> 00:25:05.186
- stiff and rigid, and loss of imagination,
- 00:25:05.186 --> 00:25:09.324
- loss of creativity.
- 00:25:09.324 --> 00:25:11.026
- No, no, no, God wants us to come to him
- 00:25:11.026 --> 00:25:12.561
- as his sons, his daughters.
- 00:25:12.561 --> 00:25:14.563
- He doesn't say, "Hey, come as grownups."
- 00:25:14.563 --> 00:25:16.431
- He says, "Come like children.
- 00:25:16.431 --> 00:25:18.300
- Come like these little kids."
- 00:25:18.300 --> 00:25:19.668
- That's literally in the Scriptures multiple times,
- 00:25:19.668 --> 00:25:23.171
- where God calls us his kids.
- 00:25:23.171 --> 00:25:25.774
- So maybe you're watching today,
- 00:25:25.774 --> 00:25:26.775
- and you've kinda lost your child-like wonder.
- 00:25:26.775 --> 00:25:29.144
- Maybe you've become too grown-up ish,
- 00:25:29.144 --> 00:25:31.846
- like you've become too serious and intense,
- 00:25:31.846 --> 00:25:35.383
- and you've lost your laughter.
- 00:25:35.383 --> 00:25:36.918
- Maybe you've lost your imagination.
- 00:25:36.918 --> 00:25:38.853
- Maybe you've lost your ability to just have a good time,
- 00:25:38.853 --> 00:25:41.556
- to let loose and be a kid.
- 00:25:41.556 --> 00:25:43.892
- And maybe you're watching today,
- 00:25:43.892 --> 00:25:44.826
- and you just need to get that joy back.
- 00:25:44.826 --> 00:25:46.428
- You need to get that faith back.
- 00:25:46.428 --> 00:25:47.963
- You need to get that wonder back,
- 00:25:47.963 --> 00:25:49.364
- where you're amazed at every new thing
- 00:25:49.364 --> 00:25:52.000
- God's doing in your life.
- 00:25:52.000 --> 00:25:53.602
- If that's you, I want you to pray this prayer with me.
- 00:25:53.602 --> 00:25:56.037
- Just say, Jesus, help me to come to you as a child.
- 00:25:56.037 --> 00:26:01.309
- Help me to see you as a good Father.
- 00:26:01.309 --> 00:26:04.279
- Lord, help me to embrace a childlike faith.
- 00:26:04.279 --> 00:26:08.617
- I'm all yours, in Jesus' name, amen.
- 00:26:08.617 --> 00:26:11.486
- Hey, if you prayed that prayer,
- 00:26:11.486 --> 00:26:12.687
- I believe God is going to help you.
- 00:26:12.687 --> 00:26:14.789
- I believe he's going to give you that faith.
- 00:26:14.789 --> 00:26:17.325
- And he's gonna give you that ability
- 00:26:17.325 --> 00:26:18.660
- to start enjoying life again.
- 00:26:18.660 --> 00:26:20.996
- We are praying for you, we are here for you.
- 00:26:20.996 --> 00:26:22.864
- And if you liked this message,
- 00:26:22.864 --> 00:26:24.566
- or you want to share this message,
- 00:26:24.566 --> 00:26:26.067
- you can go to our website today at victory.com.
- 00:26:26.067 --> 00:26:28.770
- You'll find this sermon, all of our series, for free.
- 00:26:28.770 --> 00:26:31.539
- You could share them with your friends, your family members.
- 00:26:31.539 --> 00:26:34.109
- Let people know that there's a message of victory
- 00:26:34.109 --> 00:26:36.344
- that they can listen to every single week at our website.
- 00:26:36.344 --> 00:26:39.614
- Also, you can join us live for services,
- 00:26:39.614 --> 00:26:42.651
- Wednesday night, Saturday night,
- 00:26:42.651 --> 00:26:44.085
- Sunday morning, Sunday night,
- 00:26:44.085 --> 00:26:45.353
- either here in person in Tulsa, Oklahoma at 77th and Lewis.
- 00:26:45.353 --> 00:26:49.324
- Or online at victory.com.
- 00:26:49.324 --> 00:26:51.292
- We're thinking about you, we're praying for you.
- 00:26:51.292 --> 00:26:53.061
- Never forget, your best days are right in front of you.
- 00:26:53.061 --> 00:26:57.065
- - [Narrator] You can listen to Pastor Paul's message,
- 00:26:57.065 --> 00:26:59.134
- and experience Victory anytime,
- 00:26:59.134 --> 00:27:01.603
- through our mobile Victory App in the App Store.
- 00:27:01.603 --> 00:27:04.172
- When you have the app, you can listen to Victory every day.
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- Go online from your computer or phone right now
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- to download it.
- 00:27:10.578 --> 00:27:11.680
- Victory App is available in the App Store.
- 00:27:11.680 --> 00:27:15.016
- - [Announcer] Thank you for watching.
- 00:27:15.817 --> 00:27:17.452
- This program is made possible by the generous donations
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- of our television partners and friends.
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