As you can tell, it's very special morning this morning, you've already seen that, uh, having the seniors on the stage with us, getting to celebrate that. And so as I get the opportunity to share with you this morning, um, I'm excited to where we're gonna go. I'm excited at what God's got in store for us, but I want you to understand that today's message is not just designed to regulatory seniors. Today is designed, uh, to speak to all of us in the room. It is designed in such a way that it would hit us exactly where we're at, no matter what season or what chapter of life we're at. And so I titled The Message today, Next Chapter Influence, because I think it's important that we understand that all of us are in a chapter of life that God wants to do something powerful. Before we go there, though, as I was preparing for this, I started thinking back to when I was a kid, and there was these books that I remember reading when I was a kid.
It was this choose your own adventure book. Okay. Anybody remember the choose your own adventure books? I know that that kind of ages some of us in this room. Um, some of you are like, "No, no, I absolutely remember them." The cool thing about the shoes your own adventure book was this. You could get to reading this story. And when you got to the bottom of the page, it was like, if you wanna go left, turn to page 79. And you would go to that page and you would start reading the rest of the story. Or if you got to the bottom of the page and you're like, "Hey, if you wanna go write, turn to page like 97," and then you would start that story and it would finish the story for you in that direction, which sometimes was great. For some of us were like, "Man, we picked the right one and it was an amazing story.
It ended really well." And then sometimes it just ended terrible. And you're like, "Man, well, I picked the wrong one that time, didn't I? I picked the wrong story. It was awful." And then for some of us in the room, we just kinda cheated, right? Like we went ahead and looked ahead and kinda saw which journey we wanted to take and they were, "Oh yeah, I'm gonna pick that one," right? And it was just this way that so many times when we would read this book, the adventure would constantly change. Sometimes we'd go back and reread it so we'd go the other direction. But it was a constant choosing of what was going to be next, the chapter that was gonna be next. And if we're honest today, this is how some of us treat our lives. Some of us treat our lives in such a way with the pressure that we have that we have to choose the right direction to go.
Like we've gotta make a decision where at the end of this chapter, we're at the end of this season, we're at the end of this moment in our life, no matter what's going on, and we've got a decision to make, are we gonna go to the right or are we gonna go to the left? But here's the difference I want us to all start out with today of understanding. There is a difference between this books or these kind of books, these choose your own adventure books and your life. See, your life is not a choose your own adventure book. And the reason why is because you were never meant to be the author of your story. You were never meant to be the one that makes that next step or the next direction. See, everyone of us in the room this morning is in a chapter right now.
For some of us, that chapter is, is maybe starting something new. For some of us, it is, it's in the middle of something absolutely hard and difficult. For some of us, maybe we're in a chapter that's closing and we maybe didn't even want it to end. Like it's a closing chapter and we're kind of in that moment where like, I don't, I didn't really want that to end, but it is ending. And so what do, what do I do next? And so no matter where you're at in this room, there's a question that all of us are gonna have to answer at some point in time. Now for seniors in the room, I get it. You're, you're, you got caps on, you got gowns on, you're taking pictures, you got parties coming up, you got all that stuff happening. Man, you were celebrating big, you're making decisions, you're taking steps out.
And underneath it all, you've got this common question that's going like, "What am I gonna do with my life? What really matters? What am, where am I going? " All this is actually happening right now for many of our seniors in this room because they're at that point where they're looking for purpose, for platforms, for popularity, and they're, because the world has, has caused an obsession for that. And they're like, "I, I'm just kind of overwhelmed in this season of the next chapter." And so for them, many of them kind of feel like maybe this is the end of like a season or a chapter like this is the end, but I want it to be understood even though it feels like one, even though it looks like one, even though it's celebrated like one, it's not the end. It's just a new chapter's about to begin.
It's a new chapter where God wants to do something powerful. And the real question is not where you're going, not what you're doing, but the real question this morning for all of us in the room, whether you're a senior or whether you're just one of our adults in this room, a kid in this room, somebody in this room that's just, "Hey, I'm at a chapter. I'm at a moment is who are you going with? " Who are you going with? See, in Hebrews chapter 12 and verse two, it says, "Fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and the perfecter of our faith." See, I want you to understand something today, church. You can trust the next chapter when you trust the author holding the pen. The problem is too many of us have been trying to hold the pen. Too many of us have been trying to write the rest of the story.
Too many of us have trying to make the decisions. We're trying to go to the right or the left, skip to page 79, skip to page 97, trying to cheat ahead even and look ahead. But the reality is, you can trust the chapter when you truly trust the author who's holding the pen, Jesus, because we fixed our eyes on him, the author and the perfecter of our faith. So no matter what's coming before us, we're going in his presence. So I ask you, are you going with his presence?
Are you going with his presence? It is important that we understand that as a believer, that phrase gets thrown out a lot, presence of God, seeking the presence of God, the Christian journey, that gets thrown out a ton. But can I help you understand something without God's present success is empty. It's empty because you're trying to write a story you're not supposed to write, but when you're walking in the presence, it says in Psalms 16 and verse 11, "In your presence, there is the fullness of joy." In John 15: five, it says, "Apart from me, you can do nothing." Now let me just stop there for a second. As a Christian, we understand the presence of God, but for some of us in this room, I'm, I'm not ignorant enough to think that everyone in this room has a relationship with Jesus. So I wanna take a step back for just a second and I wanna, I wanna just have a moment to go, maybe you're here today and you've never stepped into a relationship with Jesus.
You're like, isn't this like the invitation that happens at the end? No, I'm starting it with that one, okay? I'm starting with the invitation right now because for some of us in this room today, we need to understand that in order for us to walk in the presence of God, we've gotta have a relationship with him. You know, no, no, I gotta get some things straight though, right? No, no, no, no. Scripture tells us that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us, that he demonstrated his love for us, that while we were still, not go get it fixed and come back to me kind of mentality. Not like you don't understand what I've been through, he does. Remember, he's the author. He does know that. And so let's start there for just a second. For some of us in this room, we need to make the decision right now that we're gonna go, I, I, I need to, I need to step into a relationship with Jesus, that his grace is sufficient for me, that it's not by works, but it is the gift.
It is by grace that I can be saved. It is the gift from God, not by words that no man may boast. And so today, for some of us, we need to step into that grace. That needs to be the first step of this chapter for many of us, for some of us in this room to go, "My next chapter is not continually trying to pick the right adventure, not trying to pick the right next step, but my next chapter is this. I need to surrender to Jesus today." Amen. And I need to just go, "Lord, it's yours. God, you came down for me. You died on our cross for me that while I still am a sinner, you love me. And God, I need to be in your presence." So for some of us in the room, that's the first decision we need to make today.
Now, for the rest of us in this room that maybe we're like, "Hey, I've stepped into a relationship with God." Then, hey, let's, let's go with him. Let's go with his presence. In order for us to go with his presence, we have to stay close to God. A. W. Chozer says this, "You are and will be as close to God as you want to be as you want to be. You have to understand there has got to be a desire. There's got to be a want. You don't drift closer to God. You decide to. You make a decision that, hey, I'm going to decide to walk closer to God. You need to understand your next chapter will not determine your closeness to God. It is your desire that will determine that for you. But however, the problem I hear all the time, I've been so blessed to work with generation after generation for so many years, and I'm so blessed to do that.
But one of the common things that I've heard over and over and over, and even myself I have to be careful of is what, is this whole phrase of balance. So many of us are trying to walk with the Lord and fight balance in our life. We're like, "Well, you know what? I want to walk with the Lord, but I've, I really work a lot. I want to walk within the presence of the Lord, but you know what? I've got this over here going on, and I just don't know how to balance the two. Can I tell you a little something about bal- about balance that I need you to focus on? " Balance is two things sitting on a scale constantly fighting, fighting against each other.
They're fighting against each other. When you're seeking balance in your relationship with the Lord and the world and what God has called you to do, you are constantly going to be putting two things against each other, fighting each other. What you need to be seeking is rhythm because rhythm is a constant movement. It is not, I don't have time to spend time with the Lord and be with my family. It is while I'm with my family, I'm still spending time in the presence of the Lord. While I'm at work, I'm still in the same rhythm with the presence of the Lord. No matter where I'm at, while I'm at the ball field, oh man, you don't understand. I got kids. They're everywhere. I do understand. But what I also understand is if you're trying to balance those that are gonna continue to fight against each other, and one is always gonna outweigh the other until you understand that it is rhythm and rhythm makes music.
Rhythm makes sounds. Rhythm makes an echo. Rhythm goes way past you and much longer after you're gone. Why? Because you understand that walking with Christ is a rhythm. So you no longer try to balance that, but you walk with him in an understanding that, hey, while I'm at work, I'm in the presence of the king. I'm in the presence.
See, in order for us to encounter that moment of that next chapter and be influential, we have to understand it's in his presence. Exodus 33 and verse 15 says this. It says, "If your presence does not go with us, do not send us. Do not send us." See, if God's not with me, I don't want it. Students, let me, let me speak to you for just a second. If God's not in what, the direction in which you're planning to go, you may be like, "I already got the scholarships." Well, I've already committed. If God's not in it, you don't wanna go there. Parents are freaking out right now, right? <laugh> No, no, wait, wait. We don't pay that deposit. They going. No, no. If God's not in it, if God's not in it, you don't wanna be there. Parents, if God's not in it, you don't want them there.
Because without your presence, Lord, I don't wanna go. I don't wanna be there. You don't need a better plan. Guys, what we need is his presence every day. Why? Because you can trust the chapter, the next chapter, because you know the author holding the pen. You know him. So what is the next chapter about? Let's get to that, okay? One of the things I want to understand, it's not just about college. The next chapter's not just about the next job. It's not about the next city we get to live in. It's not about beginning a new season of life. It's not about that. The next chapter is not about all those things that we check off as boxes. You can have success, you can have money, you can have likes, and still be empty. You can have all the things that the world says that you need in order to be successful, in order to be a, a person of this community that's gonna be influential, but the reality is this, you can have all that, and like I said, and still lose what matters most.
It's about influence.
But it's about the influence you can make for the name of Jesus. That's what the next chapter's about. For every one of us in this room. For every one of us that sits here today, it's about influence. But what is influence? Let me put it as easy as this. Influence is not the stories people tell about you. It's the stories people tell because of you. It's not the stories that people tell about you. It's the stories people tell because of you. That kind of influence is the influence that even after long past you are gone. People still talk about the name of Jesus because of you. They don't talk about you. They don't talk about how, how great things you accomplished. True and Godly influence is not living for what's next because if you're living for what's next, you'll miss what's now. You'll miss what's now.
So you need to understand that my influence is for the name of Jesus. So what's some ways the influence can go wrong? Let's talk about that, because I think it's important. A lot of us think, okay, I've heard the whole influence thing. I've heard that I need to live for Jesus. I get that. But sometimes we just kind of skip past the things because we're like, "I'm doing it right." Well, let me hit you for just a second with this whole understanding that there are some ways the influence goes wrong. I kind of, I kind of alluded to it already in the message here, but listen to this. The first thing is this, when we look past today and focus on our attention on tomorrow, that's when influence goes wrong.
When we're always chasing the next season, when we're always chasing the next level, when we're always chasing the next opportunity is when influence goes wrong. We're always looking way ahead because like I said earlier, if you're always living for what's next, you will miss what's now. And God says, "I've got purpose for you now." In James 4:14, it says this, "You do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You're a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes." See, you can't create influence by skipping the moments God gave you to build it.
So for some of us, we live right now. We need to live in the right now, that God has a plan for me right now, that God desires me right now in this moment to be a person that is telling others, that is influencing others for the name of Jesus. Not, oh, in a couple of days, oh, when I get on that campus, oh, when I get that job, oh, when I get that platform. Can I tell you something? It is an absolute honor to be able to step on this stage. It is a calling. It is a gift that God has blessed pastors to get a chance to do. But can I tell you something? This is not where ministry happens. Ministry happens out there. Ministry happens in relationships. It happens in those right now moments. If you're waiting for a platform, if you're waiting for a stage, you're missing the right now opportunity God has given you.
Now, I'm not saying God won't give you the platform. He may give you that opportunity where you can now stand and be able to, to share and challenge and encourage and you can use your platform, whether it's a job or whatever, to proclaim his name. Yes. But ministry will happen prior to the platform. Ministry is happening right now. When you and I make the decision that we're not gonna look to the past or look ahead of us, we're gonna look at right now and go, "God, today is the day. Right now is the day." But if we're always looking past today and we're looking to tomorrow, we're missing the influence because you can't create influence if you're constantly skipping the moments God gave you to build it today. Second thing is this, ways that we, that influence goes wrong is caring more about your purpose than God's blessing.
Like I said earlier, we live in a culture that is obsessed with purpose. Soon as you've been asked since you entered sixth grade, what are you gonna do with the rest of your life?
What's your purpose? As an adult, we get asked it all the time. What's your purpose? When are you gonna go do this? When are you gonna do these things? If we care more about the purpose than God's blessing, we are missing the influence that God has for us today. Because we're constantly bombarded with messages that are telling us, discover our purpose, live our dreams, man. They're telling us to live our best lives now. The world is constantly telling us that. And we've somehow, for many of us, we've made these things the same things. We've made purpose and blessing the same thing and they're not.
In James one and verse 17, it says, "Every good and perfect gift is from above. Coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights who does not change like shifting shadows." Can I help you understand something? Purpose is what I built. Blessing is what God gives. It's what he gives. Purpose makes you visible. Blessing makes you valuable for his name. Purpose says, "Look at me, look at me. " Blessing says, "Look at what God is doing." <laugh> Look at what God's doing. A friend of mine and a author, amazing communicator by the name of Brent Crow says this, "If you can take credit for it, it's probably not a blessing. It's probably not a blessing if you can take credit for it. " The world's not gonna tell you that. The world's gonna tell you that it's gonna be all the likes you get. It's gonna be all the things that are pointing to you.
It's gonna be all the ... That's your purpose, right? Make more of you.
But scripture says, "Make more of him, less of me. " Let me live in the blessings. Why? Because I'm walking in his presence. It's not about me. Every day we have to seek his blessings. Every day is an opportunity for us to seek the king. So how do I live with influence, okay? That's important. Okay. Prior to this, all of us can agree. That's, this is kind of like, okay, I've heard this in church. It's great. We've talked about that. It's kind of easy to hear. I can hear it. These are things I want to do, but here's where it gets real, okay? Here's where it's gonna kinda hit the spot where you're like, okay, I, you're asking me to do something now, right? Like, it's real easy to come and sit. It's real easy to show up at church. It's real easy to walk away and go, "Oh, it's a great message.
It's real easy to go, oh, that song really impacted my life. It's really easy to go, that was a great celebration of students. I loved it. Oh, it was so just, mm, wow, in my soul, it felt so good. Bless your heart." All that kind of stuff. All with things we say, okay, right? Like, you're able to sit in those moments and say, "This is great." But here's where it gets real is when we choose to say, "Hey, I'm gonna now go live as a person of influence for the name of Jesus." Because it gets tested out there.
It gets tested in the quiet. It gets tested in the freedom. It gets tested in the pressure. It's in the moments that no one's watching students. Let me help you understand something. Church, let me help you understand something. It's when we step out there into this world today, into this world ahead of you, to the college campus that you're gonna step onto, to the job that you're gonna step into, to the career path that you're gonna follow, to the relationship that you will step into, to the dad or the mother or the, the grandparent you're gonna be, or whatever chapter it is, it's in those quiet and those freedom and those pressure moments when no one is watching that you're gonna be tested and it's gonna be, "Am I going to be a person of influence?" And this is where influence is proven. See, you guys are about to step into a season, students.
You're about to step into a season where no one's gonna be checking up on you. No one's gonna be checking your faith. No one's gonna be setting your schedule. No one's gonna be making decisions for you.
Some of us are already in that season as a church. We already have to set our own schedules. We have to have moments where we have to check our own faith. No one's checking it for us. And it's in those moments. What used to be automatic now has to become intentional. What used to be like, "Oh, I just show up to church. Oh, I just go to that Bible study." Now has to be intentional. You have to make a decision that I'm going to chase after the king. And what you don't choose, can I help you understand something? You will lose.
But you don't choose, you'll lose. And so may we choose to chase after the king so that as we step out into the difficult world we step into, that we can be intentional and we can be influential. But however, many of us just sit in neutral. Some of us in this room, we've, we've been doing this Christian life long enough that we've just kind of been in the coast mode. We've been in neutral and when challenged, it's kind of hard for us. And if you know anything about driving, like neutral is one of those things that I don't really understand the purpose of it, right? Like I've been driving for a long time. I'm like, why, why do we have neutral? I get it. It's the in between, but it really does nothing, right? Like neutral do- maybe someone's gonna come up to me later and they're gonna tell me exactly what neutral does.
I get it. Honestly, don't care. Um, but what I will tell you is this, what I've learned about neutral is this, is that neutral is that position that if you leave your vehicle in it, it will roll wherever it wants to go. You have no control of it anymore. It will roll into places. It will bump into things. It will do things that it's not supposed to do. Even when living in, in, uh, kind of in the neutral of that vehicle as well, if I push the gas, it will go nowhere. I can push the gas all I want and it will just run that engine as hard as it is. And for some of us, that's exactly where we've been. We've been living in a spiritual, neutral life where we've really haven't been stepping out and, and sharing the gospel. We really haven't been stepping out and being a person of influence.
We really haven't been doing anything for the name of Christ, but we've been pushing the gas. And for that moment as well, what happens when you push the gas on an engine? Eventually that engine will blow up. That engine will burn out.
And some of us have been sitting in neutral so long pushing the gas that we're living in burnout. Instead of allowing God to put it in drive so we can go somewhere. <laugh> Instead of sitting there and going, "You know what, God? I, I, I don't wanna live in neutral anymore because I need you to understand something. You don't accidentally stay close to God." You have to chase. You've got to be intentional. So how do we live and influence? We decide now, right now. College isn't gonna change it for you. Your job is not gonna change it for you. Your marriage is not gonna change it for you. A new city, a new opportunity, retirement will not solve that problem for you.
But your decision now will. You have to decide right now that today is the day in this chapter that I'm in right now, that today's the day, man, that I'm gonna, I'm gonna step into the presence of the king and I'm gonna go make an influence for his name's sake. In Romans 12: two, it says, "Do not conform to the patterns of this world." It says, "Be transformed by the renewing of your mind." It says, "Then you'll be able to test and approve what God's will is, his good, pleasing, and perfect will." So the world wants to conform us, but it's only by transformation, intentional transformation, renewing our minds in Christ. Deciding now that today is the day that we're not gonna skip our time with the Lord. Today is that we're not gonna skip that opportunity. It's gonna be real easy. Some of us are gonna walk out of here today.
We're gonna go to a restaurant and that waitress isn't gonna get our food out fast enough and we're gonna cut that tip, right? Like we're gonna cut it back a little bit, even though it's not her fault. She's not the cook. She's just the deliverer. Or we're gonna be going down the road and things aren't gonna go quite like we want it to. The person in front of us is gonna do something we're not gonna do. And our hands gonna slowly start to want to move. And we're gonna be like, "I gotta make a decision now. Am I gonna live like the world? Am I gonna conform to the patterns of this world? Or am I gonna live in such a way that I decide right now that I'm gonna live for Jesus because I wanna be an influence for Jesus. I want people to know the name of Jesus, no matter what campus I'm on, no matter what area am I, I want to make him known no matter what chapter.
See, it's easy to show up. It's easy to feel something today. It's easy to be motivated today by something the said or worship, but the real question is this. Are you gonna decide now that in the chapter you're in right now that you're gonna be influential? You know, I stood on a stage at this stage, exact stage here yesterday.
I had the chance to walk alongside a family who had, had a loved one, a 28-year-old pass away. Difficult time to do. But it was in that moment of walking with that family. It was in those moments of being with that family and friends, that I was able to see the influence that people make, the influence because somebody made a decision to decide I'm gonna make an influence in that person's life. They even got a text last night from an old student who hadn't been around in years and got the blessing to hear from them because of an influence.
May our influence go past our presence here on earth because we decide right now that, man, I wanna be close to the king no matter where he takes me and that I wanna make a difference for his name. See, a moment with God is powerful, but a life with God is transformational. And so may we walk with him every day. You don't need, uh, another conference. You don't need a camp high. You don't need a great message to decide. You don't need a one-time decision. You just need a daily walk with Jesus. And in Luke chapter nine of verse 23, it says, take up your cross daily.
And we decide today to take up our cross. But the second thing is this. Be faithful in the small things. Be faithful in the small things. In Galatians six: nine, it says, let us not become weary and doing good, for at the proper time, we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. See, big moments don't build Godly influence as daily faithfulness does. It's the faithfulness and what turns everyday moments into Godly influences. See, God's just calling us to be faithful in the little. He's just telling us in the small moments of life, should we, we should be faithful to go, faithful to do, faithful to share, faithful to live for the name of Jesus. Not just be a part of what God has done, but be a part, part of what God is doing right now. Not waiting for the next chapter, but stepping into the chapter he has us right now.
No matter how hard it is, maybe we did lose a loved one. And we're like, this is a hard chapter. But God says, Hey, you can still be influential in that moment. Maybe we've gone through a really messy moment of life and we're like, "Hey, it's okay because God, you are in the midst of this and I'm gonna go into your presence right now and I'm gonna walk with you because I still wanna have the opportunity to be influential for your name's sake." And J- in Luke chapter 16, verse 10 says, "Whoever can be trusted with the very Every little can be trusted with much. It's not flashy. It's not loud. It's just faithful. It's just faithful. Be faithful to what God has called you to do, to go and make disciples for the name of Jesus, to be an influence for his name's sake, not yours.
See, God doesn't give big, big influence to unfaithful people.
God does not give big influence to unfaithful people. So stop asking, what's my purpose? And start asking, am I faithful today? Am I faithful today? See, faithfulness is what turns small moments into godly influences. So in the small, in the moments today, at the gas station, at the restaurant, in your family, be faithful. But then the third thing is this, don't walk alone. Don't walk alone. See, you don't have to have it all figured out. You don't have to have a perfect plan. You don't have to have a perfect path. You don't have to have a perfect future. Students, don't try to do this alone this next chapter. Don't try to step into it alone.
Church, don't try to, don't try to walk through this walk by yourself. Find community. Find accountability. Find somebody that you can give them the questions to ask you. Not them just ask you questions of how you are. See, it's real easy to have accountability people that we look at and go, "Hey, would you just keep me accountable?" And they're like, "Sure." And they go, "How are you? " No, no, no. What if you loaded them with the questions of, and you know what you're struggling with and you're dealing with and you loaded them with a question and gave them the freedom to ask you those questions? That's what I'm talking about, that kind of accountability, that kind of walking along, the same thing for you as students. What if you had people in, in your circle, in your life, in your community, in your life group, in this church that you said, "Hey, I need you to walk with me.
And I need you to ask me this question." And get past those little surface level questions of how you doing today? You reach your Bible and get to the deep rooted struggles and of accountability. But don't do it alone. Don't do it alone. You're not stepping into the unknown, you're stepping into what God already knows. And so if you can trust the next chapter, when you trust the author holding the pin. So no matter what chapter you're in, no matter what you're going through in life, may your next chapter be a chapter that brings influence, that brings influence for the name of Jesus. I wanna close in a special way this morning. See, a lot of us encounter a lot of things in chapters of life. And so I wanna close by reading some scripture over us.
Some ch- some scriptures that I think will be beneficial for you as students, but some scriptures that each and every one of us can apply to our lives. In Exodus 14 in verse 14, it says this. It says, "The Lord will fight for you. You need only to be still." You've been fighting, struggling, He will fight for you. You need only to be still. First Peter five: seven says, "Cast all your anxieties on him because he cares for you. " Hey, we live in a world with lots of anxiousness, lots of stresses and anxieties, and it's real. I'm not gonna belittle the fact that anxiety is real, and there is a lot out there that is, that is constantly pulling at us.
But he cares for you. So cast your anxieties on him. Cast them on him and allow him to be with you, to be in the presence of him. During me, 31 of verse six is be strong and courageous. The Lord of your God is with you. Be strong. When you step out of there today and you're like, "I don't know what to say." What if, what if they don't listen? What if I'm trying to be an influence and, and I, and I just don't know what to say and it, and I'm scared, I'm afraid. Be strong. Be courageous. The Lord goes with you. Psalms 34 and verse 18 says, "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted." Man, maybe you're in a difficult broken moment of life. Said maybe you've lost somebody in your life. Maybe it's, there's just other brokenness happening in your life right now.
The Lord is close. Just rely on him. Lean in. 2nd Corinthians 12:19 or nine, says, "My grace is sufficient for you. " Hey, you're fighting that whole grace thing, man. I gotta get rid of the sin before I can ever step into a relationship with Jesus. I gotta fix these problems. No, you don't. His grace is sufficient for you. Right where you're at, the chapter you're in right now. You don't have to try to choose your own adventure. His grace is sufficient for you. Joshua one: nine, do not be afraid. The Lord is with you wherever you go. Students, wherever you go, whatever campus you step on, whatever ministry you serve in, whatever church you attend while you're away, the Lord is with you. Church, no matter what this next week looks like, at work, in your family, in whatever direction you are going, the Lord is with you wherever you go.
Within Matthew 11:28, come to me and I will give you rest.
See, when we're in rhythm with God, even in the hard weeks, you know those weeks that we look at and we go, "Man, I'm just not sure I'm gonna make through it. Man, it is tough. I got something every night. I've got something every day. I've got these things. I've got to hit these deadlines and I'm exhausted. Come to me and I'll give you rest," is what he says. Amen, those verses encourage you that in whatever chapter you're in of your life, may it be a chapter that brings influence for the name of Jesus, so that he may be glorified.