I’m Trying to Keep It Together

0:28 will accept to join me in Ephesians chapter 6 Ephesians chapter 6 verse 13 and 14 unusual love is our focus for the month of February. On Tuesday, David and Tamela Mann is going to be with us, engaged in a conversation. I hope that you'll come and you'll be a part of it. On next Sunday, over 100 married couples in our church are going to renew their vows. It's going to be an amazing, amazing time. And in this same place that I stand next Sunday, I'll be preaching with Mrs. Bryant. She's going to preach with me. And it's going to be a wonderful, wonderful encounter with God. Ephesians chapter 6, verse 13 and 14.

1:22 Amen. Ephesians chapter 6, verse 13 and 14. Let's read together with uplifted voices. Come on, everybody. Therefore. Bless the Lord. Let's read verse number 14 again with a little bit more vim, vigor, and enthusiasm. Everybody, stand firm then. Amen. You may be seated. the King James version puts it this way and having done all to stand stand therefore having your loins girt about with truth and having the breastplate of righteousness I'm going to preach today using as a subject I'm trying to keep it together I'm trying to keep it together would you lean into the person beside you tell them I need you to pray for me because I'm trying to keep it together.

2:42 spiritual warfare is real there's a real battle for every believer you are in a fight just to keep your faith you're not contending against anything normal or tangible you're not fighting against Russia or the Ukraine or the Taliban you are contending with systems with structures and with cycles the battleground that I think a whole lot of us have ignored the battleground that you are fighting on in spiritual warfare, hear this, is your love life. We think love comes with chocolate and candy, with Hallmark cards and scented candles, but love comes with weapons.

3:57 The Apostle Paul issued a standard uniform for all of the saints, and almost every piece makes sense. The helmet of salvation is necessary because being in love can make you lose your mind.

4:18 The breastplate of righteousness because the enemy knows you are not at your best if you have a broken heart. the shield of faith is placed there so you can push back against everything trying to make you doubt his word the sword of the spirit is to remind you the battle is not yours but the battle is the lord's having the shield in one hand and the sword in the other means that God has given you every piece of equipment to defend yourself. Your feet are in the gospel means that whether you go or whether you stay, he still has you covered.

5:11 The only article left largely unexplored is what I want to unpack today. It's found in verse number 14, have your loins girt about with truth. the whole arm of God is what you need to have a high-functioning love life. Whether you're married, single, divorced, widowed, or serially dating, it's going to be a fight. Taking a risk on love will mess with your mind. being engaged and embroiled in love will take a toll on protecting your heart paul is using a military metaphor because he's experienced being attacked on both sides paul used to be running the street was a gangbanger paul was an ice agent Thank you.

6:21 he gets saved and turns his life around and now he's in a fight because the people in the street feel like he's betrayed him and the people who are in the church are not sure he's converted do you know what kind of tug of war it is to be um struggling on both sides you've lost your street credibility but still not sanctified enough for the pews being in the streets is hard enough by itself but do you know how hard it is to be single and saved one of the areas the saints are skittish about examining is there in Ephesians chapter 6 where Paul says gird up your loins it's going to get heavy for just one moment the loins are your midsection your waist your hips your reproductive organs and when Paul is giving out the weapons of warfare the first piece that he gives out is not the shield is not the helmet it's not the sword is not the breastplate the first piece of artillery that is given to you is cover up your midsection.

8:12 Cover up your waist, your reproductive organs. He was trying to subtly warn us that the enemy is not just after your mind. The enemy's not just after your heart. He's not just after your faith. The enemy is after your intimacy. He's after your sexuality. First Peter 5 and 8, be sober. Be vigilant because your adversary, the devil, is going around like a roaring lion looking for somebody to devour. I want to say something to the person who's behind you, the enemy, if he can't have your heart, if he can't have your soul, if he can't have your mind, the enemy will settle for having your body.

9:08 the same way the serpent operated in the garden is the blueprint for his intention to take a bite out of your virtue. First comes temptation, then comes shame, and then comes guilt.

9:37 The enemy studies your pattern. The enemy studies your choices. He studies your predilections. And so the enemy can only tempt you with something he knows you like. You can't get tempted by something you don't want. you put a whole tray of enchiladas in front of me you can leave for three hours. They're going to be sitting right there when you come back.

10:15 But if you put six lemon pepper wings... All flats. Y'all ain't saying nothing to me. When you come back, won't nothing be left. sometimes somebody's got to write this down sometimes the quickest way to deliverance write this down the quickest way to deliverance is changing your taste you keep going after red flags you are drawn to the toxic and the unstable you appreciate people who are pretty and dumb money with no morals change your tastes the enemy used to be able to get you with a big butt and a smile Now you got to be of the understanding one thing.

11:29 Have I desired of the Lord and that will I seek after both night and day. I cannot be attracted to anybody who is not attracted to him. you can take me to dinner you can take me to the movies you can take me to shopping but you can't go with me to worship you are not my type after temptation is shame Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit they heard God in the garden so they hid behind fig leaves but the part that I don't want you to miss this morning is they heard God Thank you.

12:26 after they ate the fruit, after they disobeyed. Y'all missed the mercy part. The amazing thing that people don't understand is your secret sauce, is even after I've fallen short of his glory, even after I've been outside of his will, even after I did some things that I am ashamed of. I still hear God. They can't stand that about you. He walks with me and I don't do everything right. He talks with me and I don't pray as much as I should. He opens up heavens when I shut doors. I'm thankful unto God. I can still hear his voice. do you know how powerful it is that you can still hear his voice after you've been uncovered after you did the absolute opposite of what god told you to do he loves me so much that i can still hear him i don't want you to think i'm in church because I'm perfect. I don't want you to think I'm in worship and I made no mistakes. I don't want you to think that I'm here and I've conquered all of my lust issues. I'm here because I still hear his voice. And I'm so grateful that I hear his voice louder than I hear your criticism. If I needed you to confirm what was going on with me, I would miss the mark every time. But I'm grateful under God, I still hear him.

14:15 I still hear them. You are not uncovered. You are not uncovered. I need somebody to hear that today. Would you just elbow the person on your left or on your right and tell them you are not uncovered. when uh when i was a student at morehouse when i was a student at morehouse um 6 a.m when i was a student at morehouse 6 a.m uh there was what we called the walk of shame just look straight ahead just people leaving dorms to go back to their campuses the irony is the young men would walk them into the dorms but they walked out by themselves um uh they walked into the dorm escorted, but they left out by themselves, wearing hoodies, wearing hats. Keep your hair down. It was the walk of shame.

15:49 God says in Romans 8 and 1, therefore now there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. I don't know who this is for, but I need you to just put your hand around somebody. Put your hand around somebody. You don't even know them like that, but put your hand around them. Listen, look at the person beside, tell them I ain't trying nothing. I'm just following what the pastor said. Put your hand around them. And I wanted you to put your hand around them because I heard God say in prayer, he said, Jamal, tell them, I'm going to walk them through it.

16:34 They done came through some stuff. There were some people who promised they were going to be there. And now you in it all by yourself. God said I'm gonna walk you through there you ain't by yourself you ain't gonna be depressed you are not gonna have low self-esteem you ain't gonna feel rejected I'm gonna walk you through there yay