THE LIVING WORD PART 1
Pastor Marcos Marrero
12 अगस्त 2007

Objective:
Equip believers to recognize the spiritual battle of words, trust the supremacy of Christ’s blood and promises, and actively engage the Living Word through faith, praise, and obedience—so they can silence accusation, receive healing where words have wounded them, and walk as ambassadors of God’s kingdom.
Synopsis:
Speaking from Psalm 109:1–5, the message frames life as a spiritual battle waged in words: the enemy accuses and lies, while God’s Word is living, powerful, and creative. The sermon teaches that in the spiritual realm “words are the currency,” and that what gives divine authority to God’s promises is the shed blood of Jesus (Hebrews 12:24). Contrasting Abel’s accepted blood sacrifice with Cain’s works (Genesis 4), the preacher shows how innocent blood “speaks,” yet Christ’s blood speaks “better things,” silencing accusation and securing redemption.
Revelation 13:8 and 1 Peter 1:20 are used to show that God foreordained Christ’s atoning blood from the foundation of the world, guaranteeing the reliability of His promises. The message applies this to everyday struggles—family, health, ministry—urging believers to reject the enemy’s narratives (“you’re unworthy”) and answer with God’s Word. The story of Hannah and Eli (1 Samuel 1) illustrates how a rightly spoken, priestly word can unlock God’s purpose.
Practical counsel includes praising God to host His presence amid attack, guarding the “belly”/inner life where words take root (Proverbs 18:8; John 7:38), and standing on God’s “exceedingly great and precious promises” (2 Peter 1:3–4). A vivid thought experiment reimagines Adam facing God by faith rather than hiding in shame, modeling how believers today should run to God’s Word after failure (1 John 1:9). Hebrews 4:12 is highlighted to show the Word’s energizing power to heal deep wounds and separate truth from lies.
Personal testimonies (deliverance, marriage, parenting through difficult seasons) underscore that God is faithful and His Word proves true in real life. The message ends with a call to make Jesus not only Savior but Lord, corporate prayer for protection of the implanted Word, and an invitation for personal ministry.
Inspired Teaching - Written and/or Transcribed from Video Above:
great ministry. You know, 20,000 people in there and you know that uh the enemy has uh them in their target. So, this is um very important that we pray for ministries like that. Uh you're able to transform one life, you can change um a great part of the world. Amen. Uh let's begin with a word of prayer this morning. Hallelujah. Precious father in heaven, we thank you. This is the day that the Lord has made. The word says and it says also, "Let us rejoice and be glad in it." I thank you, heavenly father, that every single one of us here are part of this day that you created, Father God, and that you had a plan and a purpose for putting us on this day and here where we are today at Signal Hill Christian Center. I pray, Father God, that you will fulfill the purpose for which you created us this day. I pray that as we partake of your word, Father God, that your word will become alive in us and Father God, and that we'll bring forth, Father God, the praise and worship to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, that he deserves because Bible says that it was for his pleasure that we were created. May we bring pleasure to you this morning, Father God, in all that we do. And everybody that agrees, let us say amen. Amen. Praise God. Hallelujah. Praise the Lord. We're going to start with Psalm 109.
And u I want to read um five verses.
Psalm 109 verses 1-5. And the title of uh the message is the living word. I want to talk about the word of God, the living word of the Bible. But I want to put it in contrast. Sometimes it's hard for us to understand things unless we uh see it in contrast. But let me begin in Psalm 109 verse one. He says,"Do not keep silent, oh God of my praise, for the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceitful have opened against me. They have spoken against me with a lying tongue. They have also surrounded me with words of hatred and fought against me without a cause. In return for my love, they are my accusers. But I give myself to prayer. Thus they have rewarded me evil for good and hatred for my love. I think all of us can identify with that statement there at a time in our lives. You meant to do something good and boy you wish you would have never messed with it. Everything like just turned back in you. But we have to realize that uh in spirit in the spiritual realm and and by the way that's what we as Christians are uh uh the Bible says that um uh that in order for us to become Christians you have to experience something called the new birth or born again or born of the spirit. Once we become born again or born of the spirit speaking about being born of the Holy Spirit, we become spiritual creatures. The Bible says that we become kings and priests. A king is a person who has authority in the on the physical realm. A priest is somebody a mediator who has authority in the spiritual realm. We become now spiritual creatures with authority to rule over the earth. That that is what we become. We become agents like uh uh she said ambassadors on the scripture that she read. We become ambassadors. We're representatives of the kingdom of God here on earth. And we have been ordained and empowered by the Holy Spirit to bring about the kingdom of God upon the earth. So if you see evil going around, don't blame God. Blame us for failing to do the things that we need to do. We need to implement the words of God. Now in the spiritual realm the currency that it is used mostly is words. Did you know that? As a matter of fact when nothing when nothing had been made or created how did things come into being created? God said God said let there be light and light came into existence. Light was revealed. Light was manifested. God spoken every time. See, words cannot be uttered without breath coming out of one's mouth. That's what makes a sound. So when Jesus said in John, I think it's 6:33, the words that I speak to you, they are spirit and they are life. You see the words of God, when God speaks, there's life in his word. The word of God is alive. The word of God is powerful. The word of God brings things about. So in the spiritual realm, words are the currency that it is used. Once the word is spoken, that word goes out. I think it's Isaiah says uh God says, "My word goes forth and it accomplish the purpose for which I send it out." Like the rain goes up into the mountain, comes down the river, but eventually winds up back in the ocean. And this is what the word of God is. The word of God has a purpose. But we also have to realize that in the spiritual realm, there's an adversary. He's called Satan, the devil. One of his names is the accuser of the brethren. He's also called a slanderer. He's also called a liar. And when David is speaking here in in this psalm, David is speaking about words. Why? Because the battle that takes place in our battlefield, which is the spiritual realm, is a battle of words. The words of God versus the words of Satan. As a matter of fact, the very first words recorded of Satan in Genesis 3:1 is Satan saying to Adam and Eve, "Did God really say?" You see the very first act of Satan was to question the veracity of the word of God, the power of the word of God. So in reality, the whole battle that we're facing, it begins with words and words are are are the currency that is spoken in the spiritual realm. Now looking at those verses, look what it says. For the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceitful have opened against me. This is Satan. He Jesus said Satan does not come except to steal, to kill, and to destroy. In John 10:10, so the mouths of Satan has opened against us. The wicked has spoken against us. Said, "They have spoken against me with a lying tongue. They have also surrounded me with words of hatred and they fought or contended me without cause. So we see that Satan's weapon is one of accusing. As a matter of fact, you look at the book of Job and you will see a a a rare uh insight into what goes on in the spiritual realm and how it affects us human and the physical. Satan comes in before the presence of God and begin to accuse Job. And this is a something that we need to understand that as we battle whatever it is we're battling with, whether we we're battling on the flesh with our the for the salvation of our families or whether we're battling for our health or whether we're on a struggle for for dear life or the salvation of our children or spouse or or or for the ministry that God has given us. Whatever battle is taking place, we need to realize that the battle has its origin in the spiritual realm through words. Words that are spoken. Satan saying, "You are not worthy to do this. You're nothing but a loser. You're a sinner. You're this or that." And those words condemning and accusing full of hatred and venom are continuously being uttered by Satan against us. And then we need to understand that there is a righteous God, a righteous judge who has also spoken the word. Now to bring it into perspective as to what the sacrifice that Jesus made for us entails, I will go as far as to say that not only are words the currency that uh that is used in the spiritual realm, but I would say what backs up that currency is shed blood. What backs up that currency is shed blood. Just like the money, you know, uh um there was a time when all the gold in Fort Knox uh backed up the the dollar. The dollar the the paper money has no value. You know, that could be monopoly in Cuba where I'm from. That's what the money is is monopoly has no value. They don't have no economy. They don't have nothing. So what backs up the the currency in the natural is gold or an econ or an economic system in today's day. Well, these words are backed by shed blood because when God uh uh was speaking to Moses says the life is in the blood and without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin. meaning that when when the blood that is in us when is shed the spirit leaves because the life which is the spirit is in the blood. Uh let me bring a couple of scriptures here so that I can bring this into focus. In Hebrews 12 24 speaking about how we the church of the firstborn how we have come. He said we have come to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel. We need to understand uh uh uh that blood shed blood speaks and the battle that it is fought in the realm of the spirit through words. Your words better be backed up by something when you're doing spiritual battle when you're speaking. And blood is what does it? Now notice that it uses the blood of Abel. Why? Why does it use the blood of Abel as an example? Why? Because Abel was the very first murder victim. As a matter of fact, there were probably just four people in the world at that time. Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel. And then Abel, I mean, Cain fails to bring the proper sacrifice. Adam when he uh uh was pardoned by God and and and and God himself slaying an animal and clothed Adam and Eve with with with the height of these animals that were slain. He taught them how to atone for their sins. The fact that without the shedding of blood, there's no remission of sin. When Abel came in, he offered a blood sacrifice that spoke of the one day God will bring about his son who would shed his blood and pay in full the debt of sin, give value to the currency and pay the debt off. But Cain came in and he offer fruits h probably the very best grapes or or or or uh uh produce that he could bring which symbolizes the works of man. man cannot save himself. And so God said to him, you are angry and your face is cast down because your sacrifice has not been accepted. But if you offer the right sacrifice, won't you be accepted? Why don't you just offer the right sacrifice? And if you don't, if you refuse to obey the words that I'm speaking to you, sin is at the door and is crouching and it desires to have you. But you must master it. This is what God said to Cain. But Cain because he refused the word of God, the spirit of murder, which is what Satan is because Jesus called Satan a a a father of lies and a murderer from the very beginning. The spirit of Satan came into Cain and kill Abel. And this innocent blood was shed. And now this innocent blood from the ground cried out for vengeance. And ever since that time, all of the blood of all of the people that had been shed had been cried out for vengeance. You see that in Revelation, I believe chapter 6 and the opening of the fifth seal, I believe it is, where it says under the altar is sold the souls of those who have been murdered. And they cried out, "How long, Lord, righteous and just, before you judge them?" So you see, blood speaks. And in this case, Satan feeds on the shed blood of innocent people. This is what empowers his words. You know, the I if you could go back to to to to the uh and and listen in the spiritual realm uh uh to the voice of the blood, you would hear the blood of the martyr said, "Watch out. Watch out because Satan can't kill you." Look at how many Christians all the way from uh for 300 years from the beginning of of the church were murdered, burned alive and and all of the things that were done to them. So the blood speaks uh uh in the spiritual realm, but it says that in Jesus uh and I'll repeat it again in Hebrews 12:24. Jesus who is the mediator of the new covenant has the blood sprinkling that speaks better or more powerful things. So you see when we say in the name of Jesus we're not just tagging a name to it. We're speaking about the mediator of the new covenant who signed that covenant with his very own blood. Cuz the Bible says that he shed through the eternal spirit his blood. When Jesus was on the cross and his blood was being shed, his blood was taken by the eternal spirit into the holy place in in heaven, the holy of holies into the mercy seat and it was sprinkled there. And you see, and now the Bible says that you and I who have accepted Jesus Christ as savior and lord are sitted seated. We live that's our address. We live with the Lord Jesus Christ. And so when Satan comes in and accuses and say this lies against me whether they may have a base on truth or whatever that blood of sprinkler that was sprinkled on the mercies it speaks on my behalf. Hallelujah. And said his sins are covered his sins are forgiven. He has been redeemed. Hallelujah. And so therefore the accusing words of the enemy are being neutralized. We see we need to understand that the living word of God becomes the antidote for the venom of uh the poisonous venom that Satan is a snake who bites at our heels.
Amen. Are we in agreement so far? Praise God. Hallelujah. In Revelation 138, and now I'm going to bring something here that will get us our minds thinking. In Revelation 13:8 says, "The book of life of the lamb slain from the foundation of the world." H I'm going to ask you this question and I want you to ponder it. If Adam and Eve had never sinned and all of their children never sinned and we live on a world that peace and and no sin will had ever enter into our world, we will be living today on the greatest place that that we could ever think of. If that would had happened, would Jesus have to die,
right? He didn't have to die because there was no sin. But yet, the Bible says that Jesus was slain from the foundation of the world. What does that mean? What does it mean that Jesus shed his blood from the foundation of the world? What how does that work? You know what I believe that says? That says that God said, "I am going to create man in our image and in our likeness, we're going to give him freedom to choose. We're going to make him a free moral agent. And if he so chooses to disobey our word, God speaking to himself, God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit." If man would choose to disobey God's word, which immediately would require this, he says, "We will provide the shed blood the foundation." See, imagine this. Here's this huge uh uh uh table and and this is way before anything's been created. God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. They're sitting and as God as as they are one, they can see everything. Did you know that God eons ago before anything was created so you and so me? Did you know that his soul is here together? Did you know that God knew every sin that we ever committed as that would ever come in? He knew everything. Some of you might be here today thinking, "How can God ever forgive me?" If if if if if you would only know how filthy and how dirty and how many did you know that before God ever spoke a single grain of sand into existence, he looked at that scenario. He saw all of our sins. Everything is open and plain to he saw it all. And he said, "If that is the case, I will provide hallelujah the blood, the shed blood that will speak of greater things." You You see, basically what I'm trying to say is the word of God is more powerful than anything can Satan ever do or say. If God said it, it is it because God cannot lie. He's not man. So even if we would have been perfect and never sin, the fact that God said, "I will give up my son for you if it's needed," was good enough. was good enough. And you see what why why that is important is because we have promises now that has been given to us. Can God keep those promises? Oh, praise God. See in first Peter 1:20, Peter frames it this way. He indeed speaking about Jesus was fore orained before the foundation of the world but was manifest in this last times for you. Meaning God from the foundation of the world says if need be I will provide the blood that will speak of your redemption. And Peter says we needed it. This is why Jesus came in this age. We needed we needed to be redeemed. Is anybody here agrees that we need redemption, right? We need we need something to speak on our behalf that will shut out that accuser that keeps telling us all of the things and reminding us of all of the things all the time. Oh, glory to God. Hallelujah. This is how I wrote it when I was meditating on it. God said, "Let us make man in our image, and if he fails and becomes worthy of death, we will supply the shed blood needed to redeem him." So, in essence, the word of God, his promises spoken before the creation, they're alive. The promises of God are alive. You see, they're they're they're they're an entity that lives and moves that exists and that it meets whatever need is required at the time that it is required. It meets the needs of today. It met the needs of yesterday and it meets the needs of tomorrow. You see, I don't care whatever Satan has planned against you in your life and how many traps and and and things you may fall into, but there is a guarantee that the blood that Jesus shed speaks confirms the promises of God that it they're powerful enough to redeem us if we were to fall. Amen. That's that that is what it's saying.
Praise God. Hallelujah. And uh this living word or alive word is wonderfully and powerfully enough to deliver us from the venom of Satan accusing words. This living word of God is the antidote against the power of the onslaught of death that is brought about by our slandering enemy. Now in our text in Psalm 109 where we started, I want to show you two verses. Why is David praying this prayer? verse 21 and 22. Psalm 109 verse 21 and 22. David says, "But you, oh God, the Lord, deal with me for your name's sake because your mercy is good. Deliver me." In other words, that blood that testify my behalf is good enough, powerful enough, deliver me. Why? Verse 22, for I am poor and needed, and my heart is wounded within me. Did you know
that all of us here at some time or the other have been wounded by words? As a matter of fact, did you know that uh most of us probably ventures to say all of us to some extent are a reflection or we have been shaped or molded by words that were speaking to us whether good or bad. Ain't that the truth? See, words have the power to shape. How many know that having a mother and a father that are loving and are encouragement and encouragement and you know I remember my son when he kept saying oh but I mean oh that mom's doing what I think and this and that and the other I said uh uh son if they didn't hire you they missed on the best person on the world because I know you have it within you son you know you you got to be there for your children you got to be there to encourage them you got to be there to to bring them but there's also a an enemy who has an army army of people and a lot of times Christians themselves who will speak the wrong words. You know did you know that probably more people are hurt and wounded in church than in the world. I mean churches are prime place for you to get stabbed in the back or stab in the heart because the gossip and all the things that is in it. So we are basically shaped and molded by the way we view the world and by the way we view oursel through words that have wounded us. David is he's saying it in Psalm 109 he says I am poor and needy. I'm I'm lacking something. And that's because my heart has been wounded. Did you know that you can take a child that is stray a student at at whatever points of their development and have a tragic thing happen? Maybe a a grandma or grandpa that they love a lot die or a divorce in in in the home or something like that and it just basically destroys their lives sometimes to these things happen. And and the reason why it causes this is because that's part of it their foundation. And when the foundation is shaken or is broken or it's cracked, something falls. and and and and and so we need to understand that all of us need to connect with this living word, this word that is able to bring about the accusations of the enemy to silence them. Because you see, if we don't have that other voice speaking in our ears negative things, we wouldn't have the problem. You know, today they they portray like a a good angel and and a little devil and and one speaking to the other one. You know, they they want to portray that. But we need to understand that as Christians, we have access. We have a blood that speaks on our behalf. Hallelujah. There's a blood that was shed in Calvar's cross that has been taken by the Holy Spirit into the Holy of Holies and is seated there on the mercy seat where Jesus is sitted. And when Satan goes before God and begins to unload upon you and unloads all of this garbage and all this thing that that you have done and and he embellishes and he lies all these things and as he brings out this accusation seeking to destroy your moral fiber seeking to destroy your drive what makes you go there's a blood that speaks Jesus all the father does he looks to Jesus and Jesus says he or She is under my blood. Hallelujah. Then the blood speaks on our behalf. He said he is righteous. She is holy. She is able to do it. She's able to accomplish it. She's able to bring it about. Why? Because that the the word that is spoken is backed up by a God who said, "If you need to be set free, I will set you free. They that call upon the name of the Lord shall be delivered." That is a promise of God that cannot fail. Amen. Oh, glory to God. Hallelujah. You see, this is not just the Bible. This is a Bible in that is pages and printed and stuff like that. But in there, there's a wealth of life. Hallelujah. That is waited to be waiting to be tapped into by somebody who's there to believe on the promises of God. We will be so much better. You know, you trust the world. And before you did, you know that they're putting a pharmacy on almost every corner. Now they're making it fast so you can drive through and get your drugs. You know, in another 20 years, everybody will be hooked up to some kind of a drug cuz can't handle can't handle what we see. Can't handle what we see here. Global warming, global freezing, nuclear war, AIDS, all of in the natural everything is a mess. But yet for a Christian, he can come into the peace of God. Hallelujah. He says, "This is the day that the Lord has made. God put me on this day." Hallelujah. And my God, I'm going to praise him and worship him and I'm going to rejoice that I'm part of this day. Hallelujah. Amen. That's that that's that's me taking a hold of something that's full of life. And guess what? That life is going to enter into me. And that life is going to manifest in me and through me. Hallelujah. and through my wife and through our children and through our granddaughter and through our friends and to our family. Why? Because whatever words you're feeding on, that is what you're going to produce. If you feed on the lies of the enemy, you don't bring anything forward. As a matter of fact, you go to uh Samuel chapter 1, and there was a woman, I think her name was Hannah, and she was married to to a guy, I don't know, Arcana might have been his name. This guy had two wives. And back in in those days, a wife was seen like a a fruitful vine. She was supposed to provide as many children for her husband. and and this other wife that that he had uh uh this man had man she was producing one child after the other one like watermelon seed she was feeding one after the other pardon and she couldn't bear no children she couldn't bear no children her husband loved her and her husband was being kind to her and giving everything that she could but but she just couldn't one day as they went up to the uh uh uh to to where the tabernacle was to worship. She wouldn't need she when she went over there. She got as close to to to the tabernacle as she could because she knew that's where the word of God was. That's the place where God dwell. He dwells in the holy place. So she got by the door and she was grieving spirit. She was crying. You know what she was saying? I am not fulfilling my purpose. I am not fulfilling my purpose. I am not able to bring forth what God created me for. God created me to bear him fruit. One of the psalms says the fruit of the womb is his reward. Every child that bursts the the womb and comes out belongs to God. Hallelujah. Because that what God created us for to him righteous offspring, right? And so she's crying and she's crying and weeping. And the high priest, Eli, says to her, "Woman, can't you get go get drunk someplace else? You know, do you have to come to the tent to the temple to get drunk? I mean, here's a whole camp. Everybody's having a big party. Find the tree someplace and get drunk there. Why do you have to do it by, you know, by the door of the temple?" And and and it's amazing because the Bible says that when the Holy Spirit fell upon the 120 that were in the upper room, they were acting drunk. This woman is in travail in the spiritual realm. See, she's a woman. She's not allowed. She's not a priest. She's not allowed into the place where God is. She gets as close as she can. And she begins to travail and said, "I got something within me that I can't bring out that the enemy is blocking out. and I need some words spoken on my behalf to bring it out. Right? And so as she's grieving and the high priest, who by the way is the highest man representative to God to the people who has the power to speak on her behalf, what does he call her? A drunker. And she says, "I am not drunk." And you know what she said? She says, if you read it in the original King James, I am not a daughter of Bile. I am not a daughter of wickedness. I am not worthless. That's what she was saying. I am not worthless. I had Satan telling me since I was born that I am worthless. I have this other woman that that is married to her husband telling her that she is worthless. And she's had the whole camp, everybody telling her that she's worthless. But she came before the presence of God and she said, "I am not worthless. I am a child of God. I am a Jewish woman. I belong to the promises of God." Hallelujah. And all I need is God to speak on my behalf. Oh, glory to God. The high priest, I can just see him back up like, "Wow, those words came out of her with power." Like when they came to get Jesus and Jesus said, "Here I am." And they all fell back. He goes back and said, "Wow, hey, hey, hey woman, may the God of Israel bless you with what you need." Hallelujah. And as soon as those words were spoken, see, they were spoken by the man who was in the position. He was the priest. He was the one that had power or access authority. He was mediator between God and man. And as soon as he spoke, that woman conceived. Nine months later, she gave son to a prophet of God. One of the greatest prophet of the Old Testament. So you see, you need to understand that within you, you may not see yourself as much and people around you may not see you as much and everybody may condemn you, but within you there's a Samuel waiting to come out. Within you, hallelujah, within you, there's something that God has placed in there and that is waiting to get forth. And all he needs is for a word to be spoken. We're always looking for for for for a man who isn't a a mediator to speak it. Well, guess who your mediator is? His name is Jesus. Hallelujah. And guess what? He's seated right now. He's face to face with God the Father. Okay? And when Satan goes and and and and brings your name before God to accuse you, that's an opportunity for Jesus to say, "Hey, Father, not only did I forgive her, but here's the plan that I got for her." Hallelujah. I got a Samuel. I got a Samson. I got a David. I got something inside that person and I'm going to speak it and I'm going to bring it out. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. So you see the living word is not living to us until we connect with it and make it alive for us. You see if the Bible says the Lord is my healer. Amen. And I have cancer coming out of my ear. Who do I believe? Do I look in the mirror? Man, I'm in pain and I really have this thing. Or who do I believe? Is the Lord my healer or not? See, God has this little way of doing things. He always waits until the last second somehow. You see, with Abraham, it was bringing the knife all the way down to what was most precious to him. Just as he started to come down the end, you say, Abraham, Abraham, stop it. Now, I know that you're believing. In in I think Romans Paul says Abraham against hope believe that if he kill his own son that God can bring him back to life. You see if whatever it is that Satan has brought against you will kill you, you will not die. Jesus said he who believes in me will never die. I believe that one day I had the I was asleep and I woke up in the middle of the night like an elephant. I set on my chest. Man, I don't know if I was having a heart attack or you know, I couldn't breathe. It was just like then all of a sudden like my spirit stood up and I'm standing on our front door. We live there in Wimon and we have a a window on the door. I look and right through the window there's this 9 10t tall dude all with a cape all over him and the sickle of death. And I mean I'm seeing this thing and in the natural I'm like my god this is a grim ripper you know this thing is coming over. But immediately my spirit rose up in me that scripture that I just told you where say, "Hey, Jesus says I will never die if I believe in him." When God says for me, he's going to send a big white lemon with a bunch of angels and I'm going to be taken off to glory. Hallelujah. First class. So I told that dude at the door said, "Amen. You got the wrong door. Get out." Hallelujah. And immediately I woke up back in my van over there and I said, "Well, glory to God. There's power of the living word of God. Hallelujah. Woo. Oh, glory to God. Hallelujah. I apologize for getting so excited, but oh man, there's nothing that I love more than the word. Hallelujah. My car says Hebrews 10:23 on my license plate. He that promises faithful. I know the promises of God are true. I seen I'm 30 years my wife and I we celebrated 39 years of marriage. When we got married uh Friday was our uh 39th anniversary. When we got married they nobody would bet that we would last over a month. Not one single person in the family you could find. But even through those dark years, God was faithful. And one day we both got saved on a Wednesday night, June 2nd, 1976. Eight years later, we walked out to the front of Assembly of God Church. And right then and there, we gave our souls. And and for this, not only our 29 years, but the 31 years that we've been saved, I can stand and say to you with all of my heart that God is a faithful God. He may not be faithful in the way you think of it that you need a boat and a Cadillac and and and and all the things. I'm talking about faithful when it comes to life and death. Jesus says, "I come to give you life and to give you abundant life." Hallelujah. And I got that abundant life. I can sleep on a rock. I can sleep under the water. I can sleep anywhere. Hallelujah. I can I have peace regardless of what? See, we raised three teenagers when uh uh I noticed you had the picture of the three boys. Boy, talk about faith being tested when they become into the age. And I remember having to get up at 5:00 in the morning to go to work and being 3:00 in the morning and and Lisa, our daughter, who's the saintly saint that comes over here would drive up on the driveway 3:00 in the morning and I hear the door slam. Thank you, Lord. You brought her home. You're faithful. when I hear the door open, I hear going, you know, you do that with three kids, three teenagers, you know, as they go through those growing years. And every single time things look bad or look desperate, I could go to God and said, "I have a promise for you, God." Because you see, God spoke to us one day when they were like 11, 12, and 13. And God spoke to my heart and says, "You know what? Satan can steal from you, but he can't steal from me." And I said, "What do you mean by that, Lord?" He said, "Give me your children and Satan will never be able to sell them." So my wife and I actually had a dinner, had a communion dinner, and we offer our kids and their future up to God right then and there. And then from then on, we look at our kids as adopted. God gave it to us to to raise them. But in reality, he is responsible for he's responsible for their future. He's responsible for the outcome of their life. And every time a dark time would come, we could say, "God, you promise they're your children, and you have power, more power than Satan has." And you know what? When it looked like it was hopeless, all of the sudden things change. Ain't that true? All of us who've been in the Lord a while, that that God just just comes through, doesn't he? So what I'm trying to say is that the living word of God when he finds the home within us you becom