Emotional Monsters: It's Time To Get Up
Learning How To Recover From Fear, Doubt And Discouragement.
Darrell Ingram
Aug 2, 2020 33m
Learning how to recover from emotional monsters like fear, doubt and discouragement can be difficult. God wants us to walk in boldness and security. We just need to get up and walk through those doors that lead to our blessings and our victories. Video recorded at Pineville, Louisiana.
TranscriptionmessageRegarding Grammar:
This is a transcription of the sermon. People speak differently than they write, and there are common colloquialisms in this transcript that sound good when spoken, and look like bad grammar when written.
This is a transcription of the sermon. People speak differently than they write, and there are common colloquialisms in this transcript that sound good when spoken, and look like bad grammar when written.
Darrell Ingram (00:02):
I'll tell you God's working, God's working you know, we may have the COVID or whatever, but God is working at Journey Church. He is blessing us. We give him the honor and glory. Listen, I want to lift up Pastor James this morning as he rests as he recuperates. And I want to continue to lift him up that he rests and then he'd get back up on his feet and he comes and he preaches the gospel to each and every one of us. Look, he's been my mentor for about 30 years. And, I just thank him for allowing me every time he steps out to step in and try to fill the shoes I can't, but I'll try, I preach different. He preaches different, but let me tell you something. He's been a man that's been in my life for 30 years, 30 or more years, and he's always been there, him and Miss Debbie and I really love him and I appreciate him. So, I just want to lift them up in prayer. And then we'll go into the word.
Darrell Ingram (00:39):
Father, I thank you for our pastor, Lord. Pastor James and Miss Debbie Lord, for what they mean to each and every one of us. And how they've touched us and how they've ministered to us, Lord father, that you would give them rest. That you would give them strength, that you would get him back up on his feet, Lord, and that he would preach the gospel boldly Lord. Like he does. Father, right now you just touch him. Pour your grace on him. Father use me this morning to glorify you. A broke vessel, a sinner, Father, that I can hide behind the cross and people not see me, but they see you and you alone Lord. That we can claim the victory because the victory comes in you and no one else. So father right now, as we open up, we open our ears. We open our hearts. Lord, we ask you, show us the victory, show us your glory, show us your goodness. Father, we ask this in Jesus' precious name. Amen.
Darrell Ingram (01:41):
We're going to go right into the scripture and it's in Acts chapter 12:6-11. It says, the night before Herod was to bring him to trial. Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains and sentries stood guard at the entrance. Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up, and said, get up. He said, and the chains fell off Peter's wrist. Then the angel said to him, put on your clothes, put on your sandals. And Peter did so. And wrap yourself in a cloak or a garment around you and follow me, the angel told him. Peter followed him out of the prison, but at no idea that the angel was doing was really happening. He thought he was seeing a vision. They passed through the first and second guards and came to an iron gate, leading to the city. It opened for them by itself and they went through it and he had walked the length of one street. Suddenly the angel left. Then Peter came to himself and said, now I know without a doubt. Now I know for certain. Now I know without a doubt that the Lord has sent his angel to rescue me from Herod's clutches and from everything the Jewish people were hoping what happened.
Darrell Ingram (02:43):
Notice verse 11, real fast. It says, and Peter had come to his senses. He had come to himself. He said, I don't know for certain. In other words, he didn't know he was doubting what was happening. He thought it was a vision. He thought it was a dream. He didn't think that it was really happening to him.
Darrell Ingram (03:44):
He said, I don't know for certain, then the angel, then God sent an angel and delivered him from the hand of Herod. I want you to know it's time for all of us to put everything behind, it's time for all of us to get up. It's time for all of us to get out. And it's time for us to get free. Satan wants to keep us down King Herod. At this time, he had put Peter in prison and he wanted to execute him the next morning. So he put guards one on one side, one on the other. He put chains on him, if he broke loose from the chains, he had two strong strappy guards there, friend, that they would tackle him and they would chain him back up, and they would throw him back in that prison. He said, you're going to die and I'm going to kill you.
Darrell Ingram (04:32):
I'm going to shut your voice up, and guards, it's your duty to keep him here until the morning. Keep him here from breaking free. We have an enemy. You and I have an enemy. And he has decided that it is his job to keep every believer from breaking free. It's his job to keep every believer, pressed down, that they don't believe in themselves, that they don't believe in God. The evening before the execution, he poured more guards in there. He put more guards around the prison. He bound him. He wanted to keep him there. He had one on one side, one on the other side to make sure if he got free, there was someone right there to pick him up and to throw him back into prison. I'm telling you, I think this was the strictest security you could ever get it. He was in a situation.
Darrell Ingram (05:28):
And once he got out of it, he would have to go through another. He would have to go through another. He would have to go through another. He'd have, it was like, nothing on earth can get him out, nothing on earth. Sometimes we feel that can get us out. There is a prison the enemy wants to hold us in. And the devil thinks when he's got us, he thinks it's this time. I got two chains around him. I got guards over and I got guards all around him. I got the prison and gates that are there and they're shut. They're not going to make it. He's not going to make it through when you think there's no way out. The Bible says, who's the son sets free is free, indeed. So, when Jesus sets you free, the victory comes. You are free indeed.
Darrell Ingram (06:18):
Let's talk about those chains for a minute. Just for a moment. I believe they speak of the emotional monsters of fear and doubt, of fear and doubt. Many of you have great things ahead of you. Many of you have things that are coming and they're big. They're going to come in your life. Many of you have them, but the enemy wants to put these chains of fear and doubt on you to keep you from moving forward. To stop you dead in your tracks. When God wants to move you forward to an unknown. When God wants to bless you with the unknown, but the enemy wants to hold you down.
New Speaker (07:16):
The enemy wants to put fear and doubt in your mind and keep you chained down. Fear that says, you're going nowhere. Fear that says, you're not who you are. Fear that says you don't need to go. Fear that says you don't have what it takes. Fear of someone that might say something about you. Fear of someone and what they might think about you. Fear of what they might do to you. Fear that you might fail. Fear that you might get laughed at. Listen I've been laughed at a hundred times and man, it makes me laugh even more. If you can't laugh at yourself, something's wrong. Well say, well. What if you're not smart enough? What if you don't have in your intellect? The chains of doubt, not just doubt, but doubting God will help you doubting God will be there. The enemy loves to do that. The enemy loves to put those questions in your mind, is God really for me? Is God really on my side? Is God really walking with me? Is God really talking to me? Is God really here? Is God really alive?
New Speaker (08:14):
I believe one of the biggest way the enemy keeps you bound is to make you doubt your own ability. To make you doubt your own giftedness, your own call, your own talent. To even doubt if you're good enough, to doubt if you're talented enough, smart enough, to doubt If you're good, looking enough. Listen, Beverly calls me a hunk of, hunk of burning love, and there's a whole lot of hunk of, hunk of burning love. And I'm telling you every time she says it, just makes me get much more bigger and bigger and smile because I am her hunk of, hunk of burning love. And I know that she's there, but I also know God's there. And also know that God is with me. And I also know that God is walking with me. The enemy can put chains on you and say, you don't have what it takes. The enemy will try to hold you down. The chain of fear on one side and the chain of doubt on the other.
Darrell Ingram (08:34):
You're at Journey Church today, either online, or you're in a sanctuary, or you're watching on TV and you've got to understand what the Bible reminds us. It declares that God has not given you the spirit of intimidation, the spirit of timidity, but of the power and sound mind. God has given you a power and a sound mind. There's an opportunity that God wants to bring into your life. He wants to bring it into your life. Don't let the chain of fear. Don't let the chain of doubt hold you back from God's very best for your life. Shake off the chain of fear. Shake off the chain of doubt. Let God liberate you. But God free you let God set you free. Because when he sets you free, your free indeed.
Darrell Ingram (09:33):
Just the voices. Get the voices out of your head that your held down and you're no good. Get those voices out. That emotional monster of fear and doubt, Jesus is ready to set you free. The enemy can't hold you down. Peter had two guards on both sides on either side. And I believe those guards, they represent discouragement. They represent intimidation. You're going to encounter those guards. As you go on your journey, we've all encountered tough, tough spots in our life. We've all encountered that, that guard of intimidation, that guard of discouragement. You're going to have to learn to confront it. You're going to have to learn, to overcome your doubt. You're going to have to learn to overcome your fear. You're going to have to learn, to overcome your discouragement and intimidation. And as you do that, the guards will jump up. The guards will still be there and they'll try to discourage you and they'll try to intimidate you. They'll do everything they can do to keep you beat down. They want you to stay down. The enemy wants you to stop. He want to stop you, right? Right in your tracks to keep you from being free. The enemy of discouragement, the enemy of doubt, the enemy of determined, intimidation, and fear.
Darrell Ingram (11:32):
They want you to stay right where you are. The place that life has put you in the enemy of your soul is guarding the gate. And he says, you're not going any further. The enemy has you chained down and he wants to discourage you. The enemy will try to keep those doors closed and tell you they're not going to open for you. They're not going to swing wide. They're going to stay shut. There's a big gate at the end. And that big gate has one more guard. That big gate has that guard, that warden of that prison, hurling insults at you. He's saying you're nobody. You're nothing. You'll never amount to anything. The voices, these are the instruments of the enemy. He will use them to hold you back, hold you back from your purpose and the plan and the dream that God has for your life.
Darrell Ingram (12:30):
The enemy can throw all those darts at you. The enemy you can throw all those areas at you. But every time the enemy comes at you, God always comes up with something better. He always comes up with a way for you to break free because the Bible tells me in that scripture that we just read, it says suddenly. Woo, I like that word suddenly. I mean something's going to happen. Suddenly. It says suddenly a light shone into the prison. The light shining in the prison of darkness. Suddenly was the light shining of hope. A victory of God's word. It doesn't matter how bound the enemy has you with fear, doubt, and intimidation and discouragement. Listen, you can think that you're bound, but with God, all things are possible. With God. The chain of your fear, the chain of your discouragement can be broke. It doesn't matter how bound you are, but the light of the gospel will bring you victory. Jesus will bring you victory.
Darrell Ingram (13:37):
Man, that song, we just sang. That song we just sang. I'm going to see the victory. Then did you really mean what you were saying? You said we can sing it, but do you believe it? Do you know it? You can read God's word, but do you see it? Do you believe it? Is it inside of you? Is it lifting you up? Is it encouraging you? Listen, Peter still had chains and he was in prison behind the Gates, but then the light shine. And the next thing that happened is a voice of an angel said, get up, get up. That's the message. It's plain. It's simple, but it's time for us to get up. It's time to put away those fears that you quit, rattling the chains of doubt and fear and discouragement in your life here. Here's the point you see, when you're down here, when you're down there, that guarded or that fear, it looks so big. That intimidation looks so big. That gate looks so big. That hopelessness look so big. That helplessness looks so big, but it looks different when I get up, it doesn't look so big. It puts it in the right perspective. Does it look so big? But when you decide, when you decide to get up, some amazing things will begin to happen to you. And what you thought were big won't be big at all.
Darrell Ingram (15:30):
ll. We can't afford to be sitting around acting like victims, feeling sorry for ourselves. So, it's time to get up. It's time to get up. It's time to get up. It's time to get up. I'm not sitting here. Don't think you're going to sit here. I'm not sitting here. Listen, turn to someone and say, get up. I mean it. Turn to someone and say, get up. You see, it starts when you get up, it starts when you get up. And if you believe what you just said, then it's time to get up. And it said that something else said he was going somewhere. He was going out. He wasn't going to be in the prison anymore. Get your shoes on. Stand up, get your shoes on. It's time to move forward. It's time to march. It's time to put your walking shoes on. God wants you to walk with confidence and boldness and security.
Darrell Ingram (15:37):
The Bible said when he stood up and put his shoes on, the chains fell off. That's what God wants us to do. Believe his word, get up. So the chains will fall off. I wonder, I wonder if he got up the day before that. I wonder if he got up the day before that. I wonder if he got up a month before that. I wonder if you got up yesterday. I wonder if you got up a month before today. I wonder if you got up two months before today, if the chains would have fallen off. I wonder if those chains would have fallen.
Darrell Ingram (16:59):
You see when you're ready to get up, all you got to do is get up. That's all you got to do. 38 years, a man waited by a pool for somebody to come by and pick him up. Some of you need to quit waiting on everybody to pick you up and to talk to you into your gut and talk you into your God given victory and destiny. Man, there was a woman that had the issue of blood for 12 years. She was in prison. She was chained to her house. She couldn't go anywhere. She had fear. She felt bad. She felt weak. She didn't have anything to do. But when she heard Jesus was coming to town, it changed her mind. She said, I got to get up. I got to get up. And if I go and just touch, if I just touch his garment, I'll be healed. Sometimes you got to have, you have to do like David did and encourage yourself. You got to get up. You got to put your shoes on. He said, I'm moving forward. Get up. I'm going to church. Get up. I'm going to say, I'm going to praise God, get up. I'm going to read God's word, get up. I'm going to start doing what God has called me to do. Quit feeling sorry for yourself. Quit having a pity party. Get up, put your shoes on. It's time to move forward. It's time to put fear, doubt, intimidation, and discouragement behind you and walk out the gates of that prison and be free. It's time.
Darrell Ingram (17:50):
I don't know what happened to the soldiers, but I do understand this. The next thing that happened, the Bible said, the angel said, put on your garment or cloak. That's a garment of praise. It's a garment of praise. And when you get up and the problems don't look so big. You put on your garment and praise for the spirit of heaviness. You put on the shoes of faith. So you'll walk by faith and not by sight.
Darrell Ingram (18:43):
You trust God for who he is. You trust God for what he has told you. You trust God for the promises. We're not told what happened to the guards, but I do know this they're disappeared. They're no longer there. The, you know, when you get up all those things that Peter thought, all those things that Peter had, that he was worried about, that he was afraid of were gone, were gone. The intimidation was gone. What he feared most was gone. God wants us to get up. When the chains fell off, the guards disappeared.
Darrell Ingram (19:42):
And I loved the fact that he stood up and he started walking by faith. He put his shoes on and the garment of praise. He didn't have to worry about the doors opening because they were already unlocked and open. The doors are already unlocked the doors to your destiny, the doors, to your blessing, the doors to your victory. They're already unlocked. All you got to do is get up. Put your shoes on and walk forward. God is warning. God is wanting you to get enough courage just to get up and take a step of faith. I don't know no how the door is going open. Just keep moving towards it. The Bible says, humble yourself before the Lord, resist the devil and he'll flee. God will make those doors open. Your job is to keep moving. It's my not to push the door. It's my job to keep walking by faith.
Darrell Ingram (20:54):
Simon Peter really didn't believe what was going on. He thought, I thought he had faith, strong, powerful faith, but he thought it was a vision. He thought it was a dream. He thought it wasn't really real. He thought this is too good. You know, we've all been there when God is blessing us. When we say this is too good to be true. Peter was in that dilemma. It wasn't until he got outside and the fresh air hit his face. It wasn't until he got outside and he was completely free. And then he said this now I know for certain, I know for real, that the Lord sent an angel to deliver me. Peter didn't have great faith, nor was he totally convinced. But God would just a little bit of faith. Not great faith, not being totally convinced. But if you get up, if you shake off the chains of fear and doubt and discouragement and intimidation with just a little bit of faith. Keep moving forward with a little bit of faith.
Darrell Ingram (22:10):
Chains fell off. Prison doors, iron gates were set wide open. He got up, he got out, he got free. It wasn't great faith. It was just a little thing. What I'm saying to you today is the doors are already unlocked. The iron gate is already open. God opens doors that no man can open. And he shuts doors that no man can shut. And I'm going to set aside and be real free. I am going to set aside for a little. There was several months ago that people kept on saying, why aren't you smiling? Why aren't you just you? Why aren't you just being funny? Why aren't you joking around anymore? To be honest, I didn't want to come to church. I didn't want to have anything to do with church or, or even God, I didn't. You know, after we closed the Alexandria campus, it was like, Oh man, I'm a failure. God, you called me. I thought. God I thought that you sent me and a group of people over there to do your work. But now, now God, it's all gone. Now God, I messed it up. I just kept on getting deeper and deeper and deeper. And the chains got heavier and heavier and heavier. And I remember what Pastor James said, one time. He said, when you get in that depression, you keep doing what you know to do and let God do the rest. And eventually you'll come out of it. And I began to continue to open God's word, continue to come to church, continue to listen to the word of God, continue to praise God. And I began to get up and those chains begin to fall. And then God began to tap me on the shoulder. He said, Darrell, listen, I didn't send you just to Alexandria campus. He said, we sent you there. Yes, you and a group of people for such a time as we had. Because, if you wouldn't have left and went over there 28 people would not be going to heaven. And he began to encourage me. And he began to lift me. He said, Darrell. He said, he said, Darrell. He said, I put you under the leadership of Pastor James and you're to support and you're to encourage. And you're called to the gospel ministry, not to the gospel ministry at the Alexandria campus, but to the gospel ministry anywhere.
Darrell Ingram (23:14):
So, God opened that door for me. And the chains began to fall off and he began to, man, I'm so thankful for God that I could stand up and say, I'm a child of God. And he loves me. And I'm not discouraged. 'm encouraged because he is a God of hope. And you know, there's two people that are close to me and Beverly, and this past year, this past year, they had some devastating, devastating news in their life. And it just turned their life upside down. Their daughter, Claire Fuqua passed away because of COVID. And she went to be with the Lord and you know, but I kept on just being there for them and loving on them. And you know, Kurt told me, we, Kurt, let me tell you about Kurt.
Darrell Ingram (26:00):
We're our own worst enemies when we're together. At least once a month, we go out and we have, he told me he was two timing on me this morning. We go out and have a blizzard. Look at me like I need a blizzard, but we go out, we have fellowship, we encourage each other. We lift each other up. So he said, okay, I'm going to get it this this day. And he did. He said, I want you to do it. Double order of Butter-finger. I said, you better get a smile or you better get to meet him because that's an extra, extra heavy. He said, give us a medium. And we ate it and we began to talk and he began to open his heart to me. He said, brother Darrell. He said, let me tell you what hurt me and Claudia the most with all sincerity. He said not being there when my daughter died. He said she was by herself. We couldn't go in and see her. We couldn't go in there and hold her hand and be with her. And he said, it hurts. It hurts that we couldn't have the closure that we wanted to with our daughter. It hurts every day. It hurts hard. He said, I don't think I'll. I said, Kurt, I've never lost a child, but I don't imagine that you'll ever stop hurting. He said, I know I'll never stop hurting. But then, he's such a godly man, because then he turned to me, he said, yeah, I'm hurting.
Darrell Ingram (27:32):
My heart is just wrenching for him. You know what I'm saying? God, give him strength. God just be there. And you know, I'm tearing up as a Kurt, man. I love you. And whatever I can do for you. And you know, and I keep on and on and on. And he said, but brother Darrell, he said, I may hurt. But yet this it is well with my soul. And the moment he said that this past week, I said, man God, I haven't been through anything. And God began to pick me up once again, through a man, a godly man that encouraged me because no matter his hurt, he knows and he has the faith that God has placed him. And he said, it is well with my soul. He said, brother Darrell what we're going to do is we're going to celebrate Claire's life. He said, we're not going to mourn it. We're going to celebrate it. We're not going to cry over it. We're going to celebrate it.
New Speaker (28:52):
So, next Sunday at 5:30 pm everybody's invited to come here to Journey because they're going to have a celebration of life of Claire Fuqua. And when you come and you celebrate that life with them, Claire's life with them and see who Claire really was. And when you walk out, I guarantee you you'll say that's how chains come falling off. That's how to break free. That's how to truly have the victory. So wherever Kurt is, he's in here somewhere, wherever Curt and Claudia is. I do want to thank them for always been my encouragement. Because I know that it's tough and I know that it's hard, but it is well with their soul. You all stand please and bow your heads.
Darrell Ingram (29:43):
Oh right now, if you're going through a time of difficulty and your warning to break free from discouragement break free from intimidation, from the pain of fear and doubt. Listen, I want to pray for you. We want to pray for you here. Pastor James and all the staff and me included. We want to lift you up in prayer and we want God to encourage you, to give you hope of a future, to give you hope of tomorrow, to help you break free from everything the enemy wants to bind right now. No one's looking. Every eyes are bowed. Every eyes are closed. If you have a situation in your life right now, and you want us to lift you up in prayer so that the chains will begin to fall in your life. No, one's looking. I'm the only one in the Lord.
Darrell Ingram (30:41):
Please raise your hand. Amen. Amen. Amen. In the balcony. Yes. Amen. Amen. I'm going to pray for you, but if you want us to continue to pray for you, Josh is going to give you some information here in a minute with our next step card. And we'll continue to lift you up in prayer. In fact, I'll personally reach out to you on behalf of Pastor James and encourage you and be there for you. Maybe today, you don't know Jesus as your Lord and savior. Today's the opportunity. It's the time. So I'm going to ask you right now. If you want Jesus to be your Lord and savior, to forgive you of your sins and to take you to heaven when you die, I'm going to ask you just simply say these words with me, dear Jesus forgive me of my sins. I ask you to be my Lord and savior and take me to heaven when I die. Thank you for saving me in Jesus' name. Father right now for the many that lifted their hands that are chained and hurting, whatever that hurt may be, whatever that sorrow may be in their life, father, that you can help them break those chains, set them free. And so that they would be free indeed. And father that they can begin to sing. It is well because father, it is well when you're here with us. When you're walking with us, it is well.
Darrell Ingram (32:17):
So father, right now you break those chains. You lift them up and you encourage them. And father, I ask you right now to continue to be with our Pastor. Father, just continue to give him strength and get him back up on his feet and get him back to his pulpit that he would preach the gospel and glorify you. Father, right now, you'd be with Miss Debbie, give her the strength to minister to him. Father, we love them both. We love you. Most of all, God, and we thank you for what you have done and what you continue to do in our lives. Father, I do want to lift up the schools this year and the teachers. Father, you bless them and you put a hedge of protection around them. Father, we praise you and thank you as Josh comes in Jesus' name. Amen.
Darrell Ingram (33:33):
Good morning on behalf of Pastor James. We're so glad you joined us this morning in worship. If you are still in need of prayer, we have people on standby right now, click the link below. We have people that want to pray with you and for you. If God has laid on your heart to give to the ministries of journey church, click the link below and give whatever the Lord has laid on your heart. Guess what? We will see you next Sunday.
Recorded in Pineville, Louisiana.
I'll tell you God's working, God's working you know, we may have the COVID or whatever, but God is working at Journey Church. He is blessing us. We give him the honor and glory. Listen, I want to lift up Pastor James this morning as he rests as he recuperates. And I want to continue to lift him up that he rests and then he'd get back up on his feet and he comes and he preaches the gospel to each and every one of us. Look, he's been my mentor for about 30 years. And, I just thank him for allowing me every time he steps out to step in and try to fill the shoes I can't, but I'll try, I preach different. He preaches different, but let me tell you something. He's been a man that's been in my life for 30 years, 30 or more years, and he's always been there, him and Miss Debbie and I really love him and I appreciate him. So, I just want to lift them up in prayer. And then we'll go into the word.
Darrell Ingram (00:39):
Father, I thank you for our pastor, Lord. Pastor James and Miss Debbie Lord, for what they mean to each and every one of us. And how they've touched us and how they've ministered to us, Lord father, that you would give them rest. That you would give them strength, that you would get him back up on his feet, Lord, and that he would preach the gospel boldly Lord. Like he does. Father, right now you just touch him. Pour your grace on him. Father use me this morning to glorify you. A broke vessel, a sinner, Father, that I can hide behind the cross and people not see me, but they see you and you alone Lord. That we can claim the victory because the victory comes in you and no one else. So father right now, as we open up, we open our ears. We open our hearts. Lord, we ask you, show us the victory, show us your glory, show us your goodness. Father, we ask this in Jesus' precious name. Amen.
Darrell Ingram (01:41):
We're going to go right into the scripture and it's in Acts chapter 12:6-11. It says, the night before Herod was to bring him to trial. Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains and sentries stood guard at the entrance. Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up, and said, get up. He said, and the chains fell off Peter's wrist. Then the angel said to him, put on your clothes, put on your sandals. And Peter did so. And wrap yourself in a cloak or a garment around you and follow me, the angel told him. Peter followed him out of the prison, but at no idea that the angel was doing was really happening. He thought he was seeing a vision. They passed through the first and second guards and came to an iron gate, leading to the city. It opened for them by itself and they went through it and he had walked the length of one street. Suddenly the angel left. Then Peter came to himself and said, now I know without a doubt. Now I know for certain. Now I know without a doubt that the Lord has sent his angel to rescue me from Herod's clutches and from everything the Jewish people were hoping what happened.
Darrell Ingram (02:43):
Notice verse 11, real fast. It says, and Peter had come to his senses. He had come to himself. He said, I don't know for certain. In other words, he didn't know he was doubting what was happening. He thought it was a vision. He thought it was a dream. He didn't think that it was really happening to him.
Darrell Ingram (03:44):
He said, I don't know for certain, then the angel, then God sent an angel and delivered him from the hand of Herod. I want you to know it's time for all of us to put everything behind, it's time for all of us to get up. It's time for all of us to get out. And it's time for us to get free. Satan wants to keep us down King Herod. At this time, he had put Peter in prison and he wanted to execute him the next morning. So he put guards one on one side, one on the other. He put chains on him, if he broke loose from the chains, he had two strong strappy guards there, friend, that they would tackle him and they would chain him back up, and they would throw him back in that prison. He said, you're going to die and I'm going to kill you.
Darrell Ingram (04:32):
I'm going to shut your voice up, and guards, it's your duty to keep him here until the morning. Keep him here from breaking free. We have an enemy. You and I have an enemy. And he has decided that it is his job to keep every believer from breaking free. It's his job to keep every believer, pressed down, that they don't believe in themselves, that they don't believe in God. The evening before the execution, he poured more guards in there. He put more guards around the prison. He bound him. He wanted to keep him there. He had one on one side, one on the other side to make sure if he got free, there was someone right there to pick him up and to throw him back into prison. I'm telling you, I think this was the strictest security you could ever get it. He was in a situation.
Darrell Ingram (05:28):
And once he got out of it, he would have to go through another. He would have to go through another. He would have to go through another. He'd have, it was like, nothing on earth can get him out, nothing on earth. Sometimes we feel that can get us out. There is a prison the enemy wants to hold us in. And the devil thinks when he's got us, he thinks it's this time. I got two chains around him. I got guards over and I got guards all around him. I got the prison and gates that are there and they're shut. They're not going to make it. He's not going to make it through when you think there's no way out. The Bible says, who's the son sets free is free, indeed. So, when Jesus sets you free, the victory comes. You are free indeed.
Darrell Ingram (06:18):
Let's talk about those chains for a minute. Just for a moment. I believe they speak of the emotional monsters of fear and doubt, of fear and doubt. Many of you have great things ahead of you. Many of you have things that are coming and they're big. They're going to come in your life. Many of you have them, but the enemy wants to put these chains of fear and doubt on you to keep you from moving forward. To stop you dead in your tracks. When God wants to move you forward to an unknown. When God wants to bless you with the unknown, but the enemy wants to hold you down.
New Speaker (07:16):
The enemy wants to put fear and doubt in your mind and keep you chained down. Fear that says, you're going nowhere. Fear that says, you're not who you are. Fear that says you don't need to go. Fear that says you don't have what it takes. Fear of someone that might say something about you. Fear of someone and what they might think about you. Fear of what they might do to you. Fear that you might fail. Fear that you might get laughed at. Listen I've been laughed at a hundred times and man, it makes me laugh even more. If you can't laugh at yourself, something's wrong. Well say, well. What if you're not smart enough? What if you don't have in your intellect? The chains of doubt, not just doubt, but doubting God will help you doubting God will be there. The enemy loves to do that. The enemy loves to put those questions in your mind, is God really for me? Is God really on my side? Is God really walking with me? Is God really talking to me? Is God really here? Is God really alive?
New Speaker (08:14):
I believe one of the biggest way the enemy keeps you bound is to make you doubt your own ability. To make you doubt your own giftedness, your own call, your own talent. To even doubt if you're good enough, to doubt if you're talented enough, smart enough, to doubt If you're good, looking enough. Listen, Beverly calls me a hunk of, hunk of burning love, and there's a whole lot of hunk of, hunk of burning love. And I'm telling you every time she says it, just makes me get much more bigger and bigger and smile because I am her hunk of, hunk of burning love. And I know that she's there, but I also know God's there. And also know that God is with me. And I also know that God is walking with me. The enemy can put chains on you and say, you don't have what it takes. The enemy will try to hold you down. The chain of fear on one side and the chain of doubt on the other.
Darrell Ingram (08:34):
You're at Journey Church today, either online, or you're in a sanctuary, or you're watching on TV and you've got to understand what the Bible reminds us. It declares that God has not given you the spirit of intimidation, the spirit of timidity, but of the power and sound mind. God has given you a power and a sound mind. There's an opportunity that God wants to bring into your life. He wants to bring it into your life. Don't let the chain of fear. Don't let the chain of doubt hold you back from God's very best for your life. Shake off the chain of fear. Shake off the chain of doubt. Let God liberate you. But God free you let God set you free. Because when he sets you free, your free indeed.
Darrell Ingram (09:33):
Just the voices. Get the voices out of your head that your held down and you're no good. Get those voices out. That emotional monster of fear and doubt, Jesus is ready to set you free. The enemy can't hold you down. Peter had two guards on both sides on either side. And I believe those guards, they represent discouragement. They represent intimidation. You're going to encounter those guards. As you go on your journey, we've all encountered tough, tough spots in our life. We've all encountered that, that guard of intimidation, that guard of discouragement. You're going to have to learn to confront it. You're going to have to learn, to overcome your doubt. You're going to have to learn to overcome your fear. You're going to have to learn, to overcome your discouragement and intimidation. And as you do that, the guards will jump up. The guards will still be there and they'll try to discourage you and they'll try to intimidate you. They'll do everything they can do to keep you beat down. They want you to stay down. The enemy wants you to stop. He want to stop you, right? Right in your tracks to keep you from being free. The enemy of discouragement, the enemy of doubt, the enemy of determined, intimidation, and fear.
Darrell Ingram (11:32):
They want you to stay right where you are. The place that life has put you in the enemy of your soul is guarding the gate. And he says, you're not going any further. The enemy has you chained down and he wants to discourage you. The enemy will try to keep those doors closed and tell you they're not going to open for you. They're not going to swing wide. They're going to stay shut. There's a big gate at the end. And that big gate has one more guard. That big gate has that guard, that warden of that prison, hurling insults at you. He's saying you're nobody. You're nothing. You'll never amount to anything. The voices, these are the instruments of the enemy. He will use them to hold you back, hold you back from your purpose and the plan and the dream that God has for your life.
Darrell Ingram (12:30):
The enemy can throw all those darts at you. The enemy you can throw all those areas at you. But every time the enemy comes at you, God always comes up with something better. He always comes up with a way for you to break free because the Bible tells me in that scripture that we just read, it says suddenly. Woo, I like that word suddenly. I mean something's going to happen. Suddenly. It says suddenly a light shone into the prison. The light shining in the prison of darkness. Suddenly was the light shining of hope. A victory of God's word. It doesn't matter how bound the enemy has you with fear, doubt, and intimidation and discouragement. Listen, you can think that you're bound, but with God, all things are possible. With God. The chain of your fear, the chain of your discouragement can be broke. It doesn't matter how bound you are, but the light of the gospel will bring you victory. Jesus will bring you victory.
Darrell Ingram (13:37):
Man, that song, we just sang. That song we just sang. I'm going to see the victory. Then did you really mean what you were saying? You said we can sing it, but do you believe it? Do you know it? You can read God's word, but do you see it? Do you believe it? Is it inside of you? Is it lifting you up? Is it encouraging you? Listen, Peter still had chains and he was in prison behind the Gates, but then the light shine. And the next thing that happened is a voice of an angel said, get up, get up. That's the message. It's plain. It's simple, but it's time for us to get up. It's time to put away those fears that you quit, rattling the chains of doubt and fear and discouragement in your life here. Here's the point you see, when you're down here, when you're down there, that guarded or that fear, it looks so big. That intimidation looks so big. That gate looks so big. That hopelessness look so big. That helplessness looks so big, but it looks different when I get up, it doesn't look so big. It puts it in the right perspective. Does it look so big? But when you decide, when you decide to get up, some amazing things will begin to happen to you. And what you thought were big won't be big at all.
Darrell Ingram (15:30):
ll. We can't afford to be sitting around acting like victims, feeling sorry for ourselves. So, it's time to get up. It's time to get up. It's time to get up. It's time to get up. I'm not sitting here. Don't think you're going to sit here. I'm not sitting here. Listen, turn to someone and say, get up. I mean it. Turn to someone and say, get up. You see, it starts when you get up, it starts when you get up. And if you believe what you just said, then it's time to get up. And it said that something else said he was going somewhere. He was going out. He wasn't going to be in the prison anymore. Get your shoes on. Stand up, get your shoes on. It's time to move forward. It's time to march. It's time to put your walking shoes on. God wants you to walk with confidence and boldness and security.
Darrell Ingram (15:37):
The Bible said when he stood up and put his shoes on, the chains fell off. That's what God wants us to do. Believe his word, get up. So the chains will fall off. I wonder, I wonder if he got up the day before that. I wonder if he got up the day before that. I wonder if he got up a month before that. I wonder if you got up yesterday. I wonder if you got up a month before today. I wonder if you got up two months before today, if the chains would have fallen off. I wonder if those chains would have fallen.
Darrell Ingram (16:59):
You see when you're ready to get up, all you got to do is get up. That's all you got to do. 38 years, a man waited by a pool for somebody to come by and pick him up. Some of you need to quit waiting on everybody to pick you up and to talk to you into your gut and talk you into your God given victory and destiny. Man, there was a woman that had the issue of blood for 12 years. She was in prison. She was chained to her house. She couldn't go anywhere. She had fear. She felt bad. She felt weak. She didn't have anything to do. But when she heard Jesus was coming to town, it changed her mind. She said, I got to get up. I got to get up. And if I go and just touch, if I just touch his garment, I'll be healed. Sometimes you got to have, you have to do like David did and encourage yourself. You got to get up. You got to put your shoes on. He said, I'm moving forward. Get up. I'm going to church. Get up. I'm going to say, I'm going to praise God, get up. I'm going to read God's word, get up. I'm going to start doing what God has called me to do. Quit feeling sorry for yourself. Quit having a pity party. Get up, put your shoes on. It's time to move forward. It's time to put fear, doubt, intimidation, and discouragement behind you and walk out the gates of that prison and be free. It's time.
Darrell Ingram (17:50):
I don't know what happened to the soldiers, but I do understand this. The next thing that happened, the Bible said, the angel said, put on your garment or cloak. That's a garment of praise. It's a garment of praise. And when you get up and the problems don't look so big. You put on your garment and praise for the spirit of heaviness. You put on the shoes of faith. So you'll walk by faith and not by sight.
Darrell Ingram (18:43):
You trust God for who he is. You trust God for what he has told you. You trust God for the promises. We're not told what happened to the guards, but I do know this they're disappeared. They're no longer there. The, you know, when you get up all those things that Peter thought, all those things that Peter had, that he was worried about, that he was afraid of were gone, were gone. The intimidation was gone. What he feared most was gone. God wants us to get up. When the chains fell off, the guards disappeared.
Darrell Ingram (19:42):
And I loved the fact that he stood up and he started walking by faith. He put his shoes on and the garment of praise. He didn't have to worry about the doors opening because they were already unlocked and open. The doors are already unlocked the doors to your destiny, the doors, to your blessing, the doors to your victory. They're already unlocked. All you got to do is get up. Put your shoes on and walk forward. God is warning. God is wanting you to get enough courage just to get up and take a step of faith. I don't know no how the door is going open. Just keep moving towards it. The Bible says, humble yourself before the Lord, resist the devil and he'll flee. God will make those doors open. Your job is to keep moving. It's my not to push the door. It's my job to keep walking by faith.
Darrell Ingram (20:54):
Simon Peter really didn't believe what was going on. He thought, I thought he had faith, strong, powerful faith, but he thought it was a vision. He thought it was a dream. He thought it wasn't really real. He thought this is too good. You know, we've all been there when God is blessing us. When we say this is too good to be true. Peter was in that dilemma. It wasn't until he got outside and the fresh air hit his face. It wasn't until he got outside and he was completely free. And then he said this now I know for certain, I know for real, that the Lord sent an angel to deliver me. Peter didn't have great faith, nor was he totally convinced. But God would just a little bit of faith. Not great faith, not being totally convinced. But if you get up, if you shake off the chains of fear and doubt and discouragement and intimidation with just a little bit of faith. Keep moving forward with a little bit of faith.
Darrell Ingram (22:10):
Chains fell off. Prison doors, iron gates were set wide open. He got up, he got out, he got free. It wasn't great faith. It was just a little thing. What I'm saying to you today is the doors are already unlocked. The iron gate is already open. God opens doors that no man can open. And he shuts doors that no man can shut. And I'm going to set aside and be real free. I am going to set aside for a little. There was several months ago that people kept on saying, why aren't you smiling? Why aren't you just you? Why aren't you just being funny? Why aren't you joking around anymore? To be honest, I didn't want to come to church. I didn't want to have anything to do with church or, or even God, I didn't. You know, after we closed the Alexandria campus, it was like, Oh man, I'm a failure. God, you called me. I thought. God I thought that you sent me and a group of people over there to do your work. But now, now God, it's all gone. Now God, I messed it up. I just kept on getting deeper and deeper and deeper. And the chains got heavier and heavier and heavier. And I remember what Pastor James said, one time. He said, when you get in that depression, you keep doing what you know to do and let God do the rest. And eventually you'll come out of it. And I began to continue to open God's word, continue to come to church, continue to listen to the word of God, continue to praise God. And I began to get up and those chains begin to fall. And then God began to tap me on the shoulder. He said, Darrell, listen, I didn't send you just to Alexandria campus. He said, we sent you there. Yes, you and a group of people for such a time as we had. Because, if you wouldn't have left and went over there 28 people would not be going to heaven. And he began to encourage me. And he began to lift me. He said, Darrell. He said, he said, Darrell. He said, I put you under the leadership of Pastor James and you're to support and you're to encourage. And you're called to the gospel ministry, not to the gospel ministry at the Alexandria campus, but to the gospel ministry anywhere.
Darrell Ingram (23:14):
So, God opened that door for me. And the chains began to fall off and he began to, man, I'm so thankful for God that I could stand up and say, I'm a child of God. And he loves me. And I'm not discouraged. 'm encouraged because he is a God of hope. And you know, there's two people that are close to me and Beverly, and this past year, this past year, they had some devastating, devastating news in their life. And it just turned their life upside down. Their daughter, Claire Fuqua passed away because of COVID. And she went to be with the Lord and you know, but I kept on just being there for them and loving on them. And you know, Kurt told me, we, Kurt, let me tell you about Kurt.
Darrell Ingram (26:00):
We're our own worst enemies when we're together. At least once a month, we go out and we have, he told me he was two timing on me this morning. We go out and have a blizzard. Look at me like I need a blizzard, but we go out, we have fellowship, we encourage each other. We lift each other up. So he said, okay, I'm going to get it this this day. And he did. He said, I want you to do it. Double order of Butter-finger. I said, you better get a smile or you better get to meet him because that's an extra, extra heavy. He said, give us a medium. And we ate it and we began to talk and he began to open his heart to me. He said, brother Darrell. He said, let me tell you what hurt me and Claudia the most with all sincerity. He said not being there when my daughter died. He said she was by herself. We couldn't go in and see her. We couldn't go in there and hold her hand and be with her. And he said, it hurts. It hurts that we couldn't have the closure that we wanted to with our daughter. It hurts every day. It hurts hard. He said, I don't think I'll. I said, Kurt, I've never lost a child, but I don't imagine that you'll ever stop hurting. He said, I know I'll never stop hurting. But then, he's such a godly man, because then he turned to me, he said, yeah, I'm hurting.
Darrell Ingram (27:32):
My heart is just wrenching for him. You know what I'm saying? God, give him strength. God just be there. And you know, I'm tearing up as a Kurt, man. I love you. And whatever I can do for you. And you know, and I keep on and on and on. And he said, but brother Darrell, he said, I may hurt. But yet this it is well with my soul. And the moment he said that this past week, I said, man God, I haven't been through anything. And God began to pick me up once again, through a man, a godly man that encouraged me because no matter his hurt, he knows and he has the faith that God has placed him. And he said, it is well with my soul. He said, brother Darrell what we're going to do is we're going to celebrate Claire's life. He said, we're not going to mourn it. We're going to celebrate it. We're not going to cry over it. We're going to celebrate it.
New Speaker (28:52):
So, next Sunday at 5:30 pm everybody's invited to come here to Journey because they're going to have a celebration of life of Claire Fuqua. And when you come and you celebrate that life with them, Claire's life with them and see who Claire really was. And when you walk out, I guarantee you you'll say that's how chains come falling off. That's how to break free. That's how to truly have the victory. So wherever Kurt is, he's in here somewhere, wherever Curt and Claudia is. I do want to thank them for always been my encouragement. Because I know that it's tough and I know that it's hard, but it is well with their soul. You all stand please and bow your heads.
Darrell Ingram (29:43):
Oh right now, if you're going through a time of difficulty and your warning to break free from discouragement break free from intimidation, from the pain of fear and doubt. Listen, I want to pray for you. We want to pray for you here. Pastor James and all the staff and me included. We want to lift you up in prayer and we want God to encourage you, to give you hope of a future, to give you hope of tomorrow, to help you break free from everything the enemy wants to bind right now. No one's looking. Every eyes are bowed. Every eyes are closed. If you have a situation in your life right now, and you want us to lift you up in prayer so that the chains will begin to fall in your life. No, one's looking. I'm the only one in the Lord.
Darrell Ingram (30:41):
Please raise your hand. Amen. Amen. Amen. In the balcony. Yes. Amen. Amen. I'm going to pray for you, but if you want us to continue to pray for you, Josh is going to give you some information here in a minute with our next step card. And we'll continue to lift you up in prayer. In fact, I'll personally reach out to you on behalf of Pastor James and encourage you and be there for you. Maybe today, you don't know Jesus as your Lord and savior. Today's the opportunity. It's the time. So I'm going to ask you right now. If you want Jesus to be your Lord and savior, to forgive you of your sins and to take you to heaven when you die, I'm going to ask you just simply say these words with me, dear Jesus forgive me of my sins. I ask you to be my Lord and savior and take me to heaven when I die. Thank you for saving me in Jesus' name. Father right now for the many that lifted their hands that are chained and hurting, whatever that hurt may be, whatever that sorrow may be in their life, father, that you can help them break those chains, set them free. And so that they would be free indeed. And father that they can begin to sing. It is well because father, it is well when you're here with us. When you're walking with us, it is well.
Darrell Ingram (32:17):
So father, right now you break those chains. You lift them up and you encourage them. And father, I ask you right now to continue to be with our Pastor. Father, just continue to give him strength and get him back up on his feet and get him back to his pulpit that he would preach the gospel and glorify you. Father, right now, you'd be with Miss Debbie, give her the strength to minister to him. Father, we love them both. We love you. Most of all, God, and we thank you for what you have done and what you continue to do in our lives. Father, I do want to lift up the schools this year and the teachers. Father, you bless them and you put a hedge of protection around them. Father, we praise you and thank you as Josh comes in Jesus' name. Amen.
Darrell Ingram (33:33):
Good morning on behalf of Pastor James. We're so glad you joined us this morning in worship. If you are still in need of prayer, we have people on standby right now, click the link below. We have people that want to pray with you and for you. If God has laid on your heart to give to the ministries of journey church, click the link below and give whatever the Lord has laid on your heart. Guess what? We will see you next Sunday.
Recorded in Pineville, Louisiana.
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