I Feel Like I’m Losing It

2:01 I want to preach for a little while today using as a subject, I feel like I'm losing it. feel like I'm losing it. Would you grab that neighbor's hand and just squeeze it ever so gently and say, pray for me. Look him in the eye and say, sometimes I feel like I'm losing it. The story is told about two lumberjacks. Every morning they both started cutting wood at the exact same time. And every evening they concluded cutting at the exact same time. strangely every day in the middle of the afternoon one of the lumberjacks slipped away for an hour and then returned without fail when he returned he would end up chopping more wood than his comrade it. After many months of not mentioning it, the one who stayed behind finally couldn't take it anymore and asked him, where do you go every day that you're able to come back and chop more wood than me. The lumberjack responded, I go home to sharpen my axe. Ladies and gentlemen, working all the time doesn't make you more productive. Making time to rest and sharpen yourself must be a part of your strategy to be more effective.

4:04 Hearing this fable came to mind when I was meditating on today's text, 2 Kings chapter 6, where a group of prophets were planning on how to manage growth because they were headquartered in a place that no longer could contain the demand. I want you to hear me. We spend so much energy commiserating around not having enough that we give no space to our imagination to chart out what are we going to do when we have too much. can you imagine that before this year is over the greatest problem you are going to have is what do i do with too much they had a space where they were a training young disciples where they were curating those who would lead and they began to become so overwhelming that they had no space for it and so they made up in their minds they needed to build a bigger space they set out to start construction. And I wanted you to see what happened in 2 Kings chapter 6 that you ought to take note of is in setting out to begin construction, they asked the prophet Elisha to come with them. Elisha has no background in construction, has never done any real significant building, but they made up in their mind, as you should, are you taking your prophecy with you?

6:07 It may be prudent to pack for the trip of your life that every prophetic utterance that has been spoken over you and your family, you are going to have to take your prophecy with you. you have got to be reminded when you are not seeing the reward you got to remind yourself he promised never to leave me never to forsake me you got to promise remind yourself he promised it won't always be like this he promised that God was going to provide for me even in the darkest night of my life. No matter what you are building, you ought to remember what has been prophesied.

6:55 So they all do. They all go down to the construction site, which is Jordan, and they begin to cut down trees for the project. As one of them was cutting down a tree, the iron axe head falls into the water. They're chopping trees to build something for God, to make space for their growth, to enlarge their territory. And while they're doing it, the instrument falls apart. I don't want to move too swiftly from that point. That they are in the forest, chopping down trees, using an axe head, when iron at that time is hard to come by. in order to do what God called them to do, unconventional thought, they had to take out a loan.

7:58 To get it done, they had to take out a loan to get the job done. Somebody who's in the row in front of you is in debt, not due to frivolous spending, but because it was a means to an end for survival. You had to get student loans, which put you in debt for a degree. You had to borrow to get a house, so now you are carrying a mortgage and it don't even feel like home.

8:36 The Urban Institute has found that having reliable transportation can increase your income by 13%. But nobody told you how do I juggle the burden of a car note when I lost my job? When I've been placed on disability. They say your health is your wealth, but sickness can slam your credit score. Nobody ever does a prayer line around hospital bills. sometimes it will take you into a place where you second guess your survival the man in the bible today had to borrow to build something for believers i want to say something to you i hope you'll receive it if it is god's will it's god's bill I thought y'all was going to shout better than that.

9:39 If it is God's will, it's God's bill. And I declare over somebody that has a receptive spirit, whatever debt you have incurred, trying to do the right thing for your family and for your legacy, God says, watch how I get involved this year. watch how I get in the middle of it you weren't trying to buy bags and shoes you were trying to set up a foundation for your family and for your children God said I saw you trying to build something and I'm not gonna let it break you in the process the inquiry that my critical mind keeps questioning is when he is chopping down that tree with that borrowed iron axe to create pillars for the new space.

10:43 The question I got to ask him that I really want to ask you is how come he didn't feel that the handle was tight? While he is chopping, how come he couldn't sense that the axe head is not affixed securely? It's more common than you think because it's altogether possible to be focused and lose feelings at the same time. you're grinding and losing your grounding you're cashing checks but you've checked out how are you sexually active and emotionally unavailable he had his hands on it and because he got his hands on it he thinks he can handle it but God sent you to this service today to tell you get a grip on it.

11:45 You better get a grip on it because you get ready to lose your head. You are so busy working you don't even realize you losing your son. You're so busy working you don't even realize your marriage is holding on by a thread. You are so busy working you don't even see that your daughter is disconnected. Get a grip on it. the end of your life, it will not be about bonuses, raises, and promotions. Did you lose your head while you were building? So many of us can be so driven, can be so focused on trying to achieve professionally that we don't even realize we're losing personally. I need to know how were you stressed when you got what you prayed for? How are you in a place where you are becoming unglued when you did everything just to get in this position?

12:49 Don't let the enemy curse what you have been blessed with. You better not lose your head. I'm telling you, there are five other people that wish they could take your place. and you walking around down in the dumps not realizing how called apart you are, how set apart you are. Don't you lose your head. What has the enemy done to you that you got to get a drink before you get home?

13:24 How are you losing your head? What is it that you are taking your rage and your hostility on your children who don't work with you? How in the world have you allowed your job to rob you of your prayer life? You were losing your head while you were swinging. And because you keep swinging, you think that you are surviving. Do you really think that the intention of God for your life is just survival? It's got to be more than you paying bills. It's got to be more than you having two weeks off in July. it's got to be more than you going out to dinner it's got to be more than you get in a car every three years don't you lose your hair God designed you to make something purposeful out of your life sometimes when it is that we chop so heavy and lose the axe head, we forget to shrink the moment.

14:42 Shift your mindset from believing everything is falling apart just because you are having an episode. He lost the axe head, but while he lost the axe head, the whole project didn't come to a halt. GM cars used to have a stick in the rearview mirror that said things appear closer than what they actually are. They asked a question. They did a survey of suicide survivors and they asked suicide survivors that jumped up from the Bay Bridge, what did you think when you initially let go? It was done by a gentleman by the name of Dr. Richard Seidel, and he said that 87% of those who attempted suicide by jumping off the bridge immediately realized every problem they were dealing with in their life was solvable. Except one.

15:51 The one thing that was not solvable is that they jumped. I don't even know who I'm talking to today, but I need you to know whatever you're dealing with is solvable. It's fixable. It's changeable. Nothing is impossible for God. I don't know where you are, but I came to tell five of you, don't jump. Don't you throw your life away, though. Don't you give up. God brought you for this moment. You may be seated in the presence of the Lord. I feel you're pulling on me.

16:37 I don't know where you are, but if you're in this room and you thought about giving up on your life this week, God brought you in this place. You begin to tell yourself it ain't even gonna make a difference. Nobody's gonna care. Nobody is gonna even notice. The devil is a liar. Hallelujah. no matter how bad it is, you're going to get through this. He's giving you all of the tools, all of the equipment that you need. Don't you dare lose your head. You are getting ready to make the biggest comeback of your life. I know they look good in their church clothes, but there's somebody who is sitting on your road that has almost lost their mind. But God is keeping them together. Would you do me a favor? don't cheer for me don't cheer for the choir I need you to cheer for the people around you so that they know their life is worth living they know that God is still on the throne that their head is still in the right place The axe head fell in the water and retrieving it seemed like an impossibility.

17:58 The water that it fell in was the Jordan River. It's 156 miles long. The Jordan River is 156 miles long and 20 feet deep. and while he's chopping, the axe head falls off and drops in the water. Water does not stay in steel. That's why it is a current. So when it falls into the water, it had 156 miles it could go to, 20 feet deep. And ladies and gentlemen, it means where it dropped is not necessarily where it stayed. to be able to get it seemed like an impossibility. Luke 1 and 37 says, for nothing shall be impossible with God.

18:58 If Joshua was able to get God to make the sun stand still, to give him more time. If Moses could lift up his rod and part the Red Sea so that the children of God could have an escape. If 5,000 had nothing to eat and all God had was two fish and five loaves of bread. If Lazarus has already been buried into the tomb and God still called him forth, what makes you think whatever you ain't dealing with in this moment that is harder than that? God majors in making the impossible possible. and I came to stand the devil in the face and let him know you meant it for evil. But God is getting ready to work it out for your good.

19:54 Look at your neighbor, tell him it's possible, it's possible. Your child can still go to college, it's possible. Your business can still rebound, it's possible. You can still close on the house with bad credit. It's possible. You still will get the court case in your favor. It's possible. All things are getting ready to work together for your good. Elbow your neighbor, tell him it's possible. Whatever your biggest bill is, God can pay it off. Whatever disease is in your body, God can heal you from it. Whatever's going on in your child, God can shift it. Somebody shout out loud, it's possible.

20:49 God is getting ready to do for me what I didn't even think was possible for myself exceedingly abundantly beyond what I can think dream or imagine is possible May be seated. It's possible.

21:13 Hallelujah. Hallelujah. I feel something in this room. For some of y'all, that's the only word you needed today. Get your stuff and go on back to your car. Somebody just shout out loud, it's still possible. In spite of the mistakes I made, in spite of my bad decisions, in spite of what I didn't have growing up, It's still possible! the lumberjack began crying he began crying and watch what he says it's not even about the project he says oh no it's borrowed and I want you to hear what the prophet says, not what is the interest rate.

22:15 not who did you borrow it from. I want you to hear what the prophet said. The prophet said, show me where you lost it. you just missed what I just said show me where you lost it you gotta pinpoint the place where you lost your head was it at the funeral was it at the courthouse was it at the car accident was it in the HR office was it in the Uber ride was it while you were laying in bed was it while you were sitting in the car show me where you lost it God says I'm going to go back to the place where the enemy thought he was going to break you and at that exact place is where your healing and your restoration is getting ready to manifest some of y'all can't shout because you don't remember when you lost it but if you remember the exact moment where things begin falling apart i need you to shout at that spot to say god the enemy didn't think i was gonna survive it but i'm shouting in that position Hallelujah.

23:51 Hallelujah. You may be seated. Hallelujah. I feel healing happening right through here. Take me back to the place where I first believed you. Take me back. Come on, somebody ought to worship him. You remember when life began to spiral out of control. You remember when you stopped feeling like yourself. Take me back right there. So show me. You may be seated. Show me.

24:39 show me where you lost it there's only a few worshipers here show me where you were when you started second guessing God's blessings show me where you were when you stopped laughing for real show me where you were when you began to emotionally shut down and not allow people into your space show me what happened when you began to resent what it is that you survived Show me where you were. said that that is the place where I lost it the bible says something the bible says the prophet made the axe head float What's remarkable is, you know this from eighth grade physical science class, you already know that iron sinks when it's in water.

25:43 Yeah. Iron sinks when it's in water. Why? Because iron is denser than water. It can't displace the weight of water, so it cannot maintain its head. The downward force of gravity outweighs the buoyancy that is in the iron. so there's no way that the iron can float lest God get involved for the iron to float y'all stay with me for the iron to float God had to take the weight off of it I need a church right here. The reason why you still float.

26:41 The reason why you haven't gone under. God said if you praise me, I'll take the weight off of you. If you give me glory, I'll take the weight off of you. If you magnify me. I don't know what's wrong with y'all today.

27:08 Those of y'all who ain't shouting, don't worry about it. This ain't for you. God said, if y'all give me glory on this second Sunday in March, I am going to let you float through what you were thrown into. he said I'm gonna give you the power that's necessary to get through something you should have never been in in the first place you get ready to float through this

27:40 be seated for the last time hallelujah hallelujah Hallelujah. Oh my God. Hallelujah. Glory to the living God. Come on, elbow your neighbor. Tell them you can float through this. other people would have drowned if they were thrown into this but you getting ready to float right through this they've been trying to set you up for weeks they've been trying to figure out how to get rid of you they've been trying to figure out how to take your stuff but don't you lose your head you are about to float through this Hallelujah. The Bible says that the prophet made the axe head float.

28:44 What is amazing is that the prophet took a branch, took a branch, and with almost laser precision, he throws a piece of wood at the axe head, and the wood gets connected to the axe head. God, help me in here. the Old Testament, the Old Testament is the New Testament concealed. The New Testament is the Old Testament revealed. I better give it to you again. The Old Testament is the New Testament concealed, but the New Testament is the Old Testament revealed. So while it is that the iron axe head should have went down. What rescued it was a piece of wood. I think I miss you. I'm coming on to Calvary now.

29:44 On the old rugged cross it was a piece of wood that was able to get into my life and rescue me from what I should have downed in. I need old saints right here who ought to just thank God at the cross. At the cross where I first saw the light and the burdens of my heart rolled away. Okay.

30:22 This is the last time I'll ask you to be seated. My time is up. Be seated, please. I got to show you one last thing. He throws the wood at the iron axe head and the branch, watch this, connects with the axe head. And now I want you to see what happens next. is he then tells the lumberjack, go pick it up. Okay.

30:56 The axe head is floating down the Jordan River. The prophet breaks off a branch, throws it into the water, and the branch connects with the axe head. And the prophet says, pick it up. In other words, what the prophet was saying is that what you need is your participation. I think y'all are getting ready to miss it. Recovery does not happen without participation. He says, I'm getting ready to help you restore whatever was lost, but you got to put your hand on it. I'm closing now, but I want to tell somebody, be careful who's sitting around you. Because if they lay hands on you, you get ready to recover everything that the enemy thought he stole.

31:57 Look at your neighbor and say, you shouldn't have sat next to me if you were committed to losing your head. But when I lay hands on you, everything that you lost in the last year is about to come back to your life. I dare you to grab that neighbor's hand and say, neighbor, I speak for recovery. Whatever was lost, whatever was stolen, whatever was broken, whatever was taken, by this time tomorrow, it's going to be back in your hand. don't wait till the battle is over but shout like you're making a recovery I'm going in the hell to take back everything that the devil stole shake that neighbor's hand and say neighbor if you praise him right you ain't gonna lose your head shake that hand I break the spirit of depression.

33:08 I break the spirit of poverty. I break the spirit of self-sabotage. I break the spirit of loneliness. And this joy that I have, the world didn't give it. And the world didn't give it. What I'm doing? What you doing? Give three people a high pie And tell them you getting it back You getting it back You getting it back And if you don't get it back You weren't supposed to have it In the first place I want it all back. You can't have my family. You can't have my increase.

34:02 You can't have my joy. I want it all. come on y'all love to shout everything you lost since the pandemic is coming back to you everything out of your 401k everything out of your savings everything out of your retirement is coming back to you.