WIN... Before You Begin | Rich Wilkerson Jr. | City Light Church

Summary

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Episode Overview

Title: WIN... Before You Begin
Guest Speaker: Pastor Rich Wilkerson Jr.
Host: Jabin Chavez
Podcast: City Light Church Las Vegas
Date: February 23, 2026

This episode, featuring guest Pastor Rich Wilkerson Jr., centers on the message of preparing for victory internally before facing external battles. Drawing deeply from Deuteronomy 20 and personal stories, Rich passionately encourages listeners and City Light Church to adopt an identity of faith and victory, stressing that “the battle is the Lord’s”—but God still asks us to fight. The focus is on how to “win before you begin” by establishing faith and embracing God’s promises, regardless of circumstances.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Foundation: God’s Presence & Identity (00:00–05:16)

• Scripture Reference: Deuteronomy 20:1 — Moses prepares the Israelites for battle, telling them not to fear even when facing seemingly superior enemies, because God is with them.
  • Quote: “When you go to war against your enemies and you see horses and chariots and an army greater than yours, City Light, do not be afraid of them, because the Lord your God, who brought you up out of Egypt, will be with you.” (Rich Wilkerson Jr., 00:04)
• Theme: The biggest battle is internal—the fight in our minds, hearts, and souls. Our mental image of God shapes every battle we face.
  • Quote: “The most important thing about you is what you think about when you think about God.” (Rich Wilkerson Jr., paraphrasing A.W. Tozer, 02:35)
• Personal Touch: Rich shares a humorous and endearing story about correcting his children, illustrating God as a loving Father, not just a protector, but someone who actively fights for us (04:20–05:14).

2. Winning Internally: Don’t Let What You See Shake What You Know (05:34–08:47)

• Key Point: We must determine not to let external circumstances shake our internal convictions.
  • “Don’t let what you see shake what you know.” (05:37)
• Fear & Faith: Fear starts with what we see, and humans tend to craft stories around what’s visible, often fueling worry and anxiety.
  • Quote: “Human beings are meaning machines... we script something.” (Rich Wilkerson Jr., 06:38)
• Faith over Fear: Everything God has for you is on the other side of fear.
  • Quote: “If faith got us here, faith is going to take us into the next season.” (Assistant/Worship Leader, 08:20)

3. The Power of Repetition: Faith & The Word (08:47–14:44)

• Scripture Practice: The command to “do not be afraid” appears 365 times in the Bible—faith must be daily.
  • Quote: “If fear doesn’t take a day off, faith can’t take a day off.” (08:47)
• Hearing God’s Word: Walking by faith means sometimes you can’t see it, but you need to hear it. Consistency (not occasional attendance) matters.
  • Quote: “Faith comes by hearing and hearing the word of God.” (08:55)
• Bible Story: Peter walking on water and beginning to sink when he focused on the storm, not the word.
  • Key Moment: “The water is liquid, but my word is solid.” (10:47)

4. Remember What God Has Done (11:23–12:33)

• Encouragement: When you can’t see what God is doing, remember what He’s already done.
  • Rich references City Light’s journey—meeting in schools, then a storefront, now in their own building—God’s faithfulness continues.
  • Quote: “If God brought you up out of Egypt, he can bring you through whatever you’re going through.” (12:06)

5. Worry vs. The Word (12:33–14:44)

• Spiritual Emphasis: Moses prioritizes sending priests (the word), not generals (weaponry), before battle—every warrior needs a preacher.
  • Quote: “Before the war is won, the word must come forward.” (12:58)
• Cultural Contrast: The world shouts fear and worry; the Church must shout the Word louder.
  • Quote: “I want to make sure God’s word is louder than your worry.” (14:44)
• Etymology: “Worry” comes from an old word meaning “to strangle”—that’s what worry does to faith.

6. Training with the Word: From Reflex to Resilience (14:53–22:13)

• Practice: What you rehearse in times of peace becomes your reflex under pressure.
  • Quote: “What you repeat in peace will become your reflex under pressure.” (15:00)
• Jesus as Example: Jesus responds to the devil’s temptations with “it is written,” modeling the importance of Scripture in resisting doubt.
  • Comparing Jesus’ 40 days in the wilderness (quoting Deuteronomy) to Israel’s 40 years—the Word is enough if used (17:53–18:58).
• Scripture as Weapon: Having the Bible is not enough; you must learn, internalize, and apply it.
  • Memorable Analogy 1: “The Bible’s like sunblock... The power is not having the sunblock in the drawer. The power is applying it.” (19:48)
  • Memorable Analogy 2: Flipping and reading for a random “word” from God is not maturity—a life of faith requires learning Scripture, not roulette. (21:14)

7. Pressure Reveals What’s Inside (22:13–24:32)

• Illustration: Like squeezing fruit produces juice, pressure reveals what’s inside a believer.
  • Quote: “When you squeeze a believer, you ought to get believer juice...the fruit of the spirit still grows under pressure.” (22:46–23:38)
• Hope for Growth: Rich encourages the Church to be a people who demonstrate love, joy, peace—even in adversity.

8. Acting into Feeling, Not Feeling into Action (25:10–27:51)

• Formation: Don’t wait to feel ready—actions shape feelings.
  • Quote: “Do not feel your way into actions. Act your way into feelings.” (25:27)
• Practice: Serving and engaging in community even when you don’t feel like it helps reinforce faith.

9. Faith Has a Sound—Testimony and Future (27:51–29:23)

• Atmosphere: Faith, hope, courage, and joy all have a sound—let the church be louder in faith than the world is in fear.
• Family Story: Rich’s father always ended sermons with “and church, we’re gonna win”—a perspective shaped by understanding the end of God’s story.
  • Quote: “I’ve read the end of the book... I know how the story goes.” (29:20)

10. Transformation through the Struggle (29:23–end)

• Personal Testimony: Rich recounts his son Wyatt’s fear of the Space Mountain rollercoaster, symbolizing how we change—not our circumstances.
  • Quote: “You didn’t change the ride. You changed.” (31:44)
• Prophetic Encouragement: “The battles aren’t getting easier, but you’re getting stronger...”
  • Quote: “We’re going to win before we begin.” (31:48)
• Closing Exhortation: “We serve a God who’s never lost a battle before, and he’s not going to start with you. All you’ve got to do is look up and see where your help comes from...” (31:50–end)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “The most important thing about you is what you think about when you think about God.” (Rich Wilkerson Jr., 02:35)
• “Don’t let what you see shake what you know.” (05:37)
• “If fear doesn’t take a day off, faith can’t take a day off.” (08:47)
• “The water is liquid, but my word is solid.” (10:47)
• “Before the war is won, the word must come forward.” (12:58)
• “What you repeat in peace will become your reflex under pressure.” (15:00)
• “The Bible’s like sunblock...the power is applying it.” (19:48)
• “When you squeeze a believer, you ought to get believer juice.” (23:13)
• “Do not feel your way into actions. Act your way into feelings.” (25:27)
• “I’ve read the end of the book... I know how the story goes.” (29:20)
• “You didn’t change the ride. You changed.” (31:44)
• “The battles aren’t getting easier, but you’re getting stronger.” (31:46)
• “We serve a God who’s never lost a battle before, and he’s not gonna start with you.” (31:50)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | |--------------|------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:00–05:16 | Introduction: Deuteronomy 20, God’s presence, family story | | 05:34–08:47 | Faith vs Fear, Winning before the battle | | 08:47–10:47 | “Do not be afraid”; Peter walking on water analogy | | 11:23–12:33 | Remembering God’s past faithfulness | | 12:33–14:44 | Worry vs. The Word; sending priests before battle | | 14:44–22:13 | Training with the Word, pressure reveals the heart | | 22:13–24:32 | Fruit of the Spirit under pressure | | 25:10–27:51 | Action precedes feeling; discipline in community | | 27:51–29:23 | Faith has a sound; testimony from Rich’s father | | 29:23–31:44 | Story: Space Mountain, personal and church transformation | | 31:44–end | Final exhortation: Stronger in the struggle, victory in Christ|

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Summary—Takeaway for Listeners

Pastor Rich Wilkerson Jr. delivers a high-energy, hope-filled message urging City Light Church to “win before you begin.” Victory is not found in external circumstances, but is forged internally through faith, identity in Christ, and deep-rooted reliance on God’s Word. Listeners are challenged to let God’s history shape their courage, train in Scripture to prepare for life’s battles, and to act in faith even when feelings lag behind. The core exhortation: Your battles may not get easier, but as you grow in faith and resilience, you will get stronger—and you “gonna win,” because the Lord who brought you this far will never stop fighting for you.

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Transcript

[Pastor Rich Wilkerson]

This way. I want to read one verse, and we'll see how much of it I can get to. It says this in verse one. When you go to war against your enemies and you see horses and chariots and an army greater than yours, City light, do not be afraid of them, because the Lord your God, who brought you up out of Egypt, will be with you. We could close in prayer right there. 8. For all the Bible nerds out there in numerology is the number of new beginnings. And I think that's significant. I believe that you are stepping into something new, that something is beginning today that you have not seen in the past. With that thought in mind, I want to preach for the next few moments, if I can, from the subject, win. Before you begin, look at your neighbor. Say, neighbor, you gonna win. I have read this book from COVID to cover, from Genesis to Revelation, and what I see over and over again is a God who declares over us that we are victorious, that the battle is his, and that we are going to win. Yet I've also noticed that as God declares of your life that you're gonna win, he never tells you that you're not gonna have to fight. And I think we got to get that into our spirit today, that this Christian journey that we are on, it's not a dance. It is a battle. In fact, it's one battle after another. But before we talk about any kind of external challenges that we might face, how many of you know the biggest battle that we will always fight is the internal one. It's the battle of the mind. It's the battle of the heart. It's the battle of the soul. And right here in Deuteronomy, chapter 20. This is interesting. Deuteronomy is the book of the second law. It's the book of instruction. And what we see here playing out is Moses, the leader of the Israelites. He is coming to the soldiers. He's coming to the troops before they go to war, and he's giving them a briefing before he puts anything in their hands. He wants to deal with their heads and their heart. And so it is with us on this Sunday that before we go into the battle, before we go into the war, before may there be a briefing, the great encouragement that Moses is giving them is that God is going to be with you. That God is for you. I like what Aw Tozer says. He says we all have a mental image of God. And whatever that image of God is, we're all moving closer and closer to it. Therefore, the most important thing about you is what you think about when you think about God. I know this church and I know this man. Hopefully you see your God as a heavenly father. He loves you. He's for you. He's not a judge. He's not up in heaven angry at you. He's not mad at you. He's not trying to trap you. He's got good things for you. He wants to bless you. He wants to help you. He does not want to harm you. He's not looking for a way to run out on you. The other day, I had a little briefing of my own in my house. In my house, if you don't know. I am the General. Thank you, Jabin. And I have four kids. My oldest, his name is Wyatt. My second, his name is Wild. Sort of a mistake of a name, if I'm gonna be honest. When you name your kid Wild, they become Wild. And my third child, my favorite child, my daughter Waylon, my fourth child, Wolfgang. How. How about that right there for a name? And then I'm a preacher, so we like to rhyme. We like alliteration. My last name is Wilkerson. So get ready. This is Wyatt Wesley Wilkerson. Wild Wesley Wilkerson, Waylon Wesley Wilkerson and Wolfgang Wesley Wilkerson. With names like that, you can't fail. And the other day I got. I got some news that the older kids, that there was a problem. My daughter Waylon, that she had been a little bit of a problem. And so I called them in, they lined them up, I said, guys, what's going on here? Waylon, were you bad today? And my daughters just began to. You ever cry so hard you convince yourself you have asthma? Daddy like princess tears, I don't know what it is, but like, my kids, like, they just start going into tears. I said, waylon, were you bad that night?

[Assistant or Worship Leader]

She goes, daddy, I don't remember.

[Pastor Rich Wilkerson]

Short term amnesia. I look at her brother Wild, who is six years of age.

[Assistant or Worship Leader]

I said, wild.

[Pastor Rich Wilkerson]

Now tell me the truth, was Waylon bad today? Wild goes, oh, dad, it's been such a long day. I'm like, homie, it's two o' clock in the afternoon. What I love about my son Wild is that any moment an attack comes his sister's way, now he will fight with her all day long. But the moment he sees or senses any kind of judgment, any kind of correction, any kind of opposition, the brother on the inside of him steps in and he says, I'm gonna protect my sister. I like that. But I want to encourage you. Your God is not A big brother. Your God is a heavenly father.

[Assistant or Worship Leader]

And heavenly fathers, they don't just protect.

[Pastor Rich Wilkerson]

Come on, somebody clap your hands.

[Assistant or Worship Leader]

Heavenly fathers know how to fight. I want to speak over you. You got a God in heaven. And he says, I will fight for you. The battle is the Lord's, if you believe it. Somebody make some noise on this Sunday morning.

[Pastor Rich Wilkerson]

How do you see God? Because God is for you. And so Moses comes out and he gives some instruction. The first instruction I believe he gives, and I want you to write this down today, is don't let what you see shake what you know. I want to speak this into us that we got to win before we begin that this next year as a church, what we're walking into. There are victories all around us. But before we step into it, we got to win from the inside out. And it begins with us deciding we're not going to let what we see shake what we know. Moses says, when you go to war, important, not if you go to war.

[Assistant or Worship Leader]

Battles are not optional.

[Pastor Rich Wilkerson]

You don't get to choose whether or

[Assistant or Worship Leader]

not you're going to go into a battle. All you get to choose is how

[Pastor Rich Wilkerson]

you're going to show up to the fight. And he says, when you go to war and you see the horses and the chariots, and when you see an army greater than yours, do not be afraid of them. I like that he says this because this is important. He's letting us know that fear begins

[Assistant or Worship Leader]

by what we see.

[Pastor Rich Wilkerson]

Human beings are meaning machines. We see something, but it's not just what we see. It's the story that we attach to what we see. Anyone like me that you can just see something and all you gotta do is see it. And before you know it, you can turn it into an entire Netflix eight part series true crime. Just me. Okay, that's fine. If I text you and you leave me on read, oh my God. Relationship's over.

[Assistant or Worship Leader]

What did I do?

[Pastor Rich Wilkerson]

You know, some of us, like you can get one bill that you didn't expect to get. Like, that's it.

[Assistant or Worship Leader]

I got to move back in with mom and dad.

[Pastor Rich Wilkerson]

Dave Ramsey.

[Assistant or Worship Leader]

He was right about me.

[Pastor Rich Wilkerson]

One uncomfortable conversation at work, that's it.

[Assistant or Worship Leader]

They're firing me. I'm done. It's over.

[Pastor Rich Wilkerson]

Because we see something and then we script something.

[Assistant or Worship Leader]

But here comes Moses.

[Pastor Rich Wilkerson]

He's like people of God. Listen, you're going sea chariots, you're to going, you're going to see armies. But you got to understand, just because you see something doesn't mean that you don't know something.

[Assistant or Worship Leader]

Yeah, yeah, I see the chariots, but I know who my God is. Yeah, I see the opposition, but I know the one who has actually defeated all of the odds. Yeah, I see some challenges, but I know a God who has always brought me through.

[Pastor Rich Wilkerson]

This is why he says, do not be afraid. If I had one message for you, that's all I want to preach today. Do not be afraid. Everything God has for City Light Church is on the other side of our fear. I want to say about this couple right here, we did not come this far by fear.

[Assistant or Worship Leader]

We came this far by faith. And if faith got us here, come on, somebody. Faith is going to take us into the next season. We are people of faith. We don't walk by sight. We walk by faith. Any faith walkers in the house, go ahead and make a little bit of noise today. Stir it up in this place. We walk by faith. Do not be afraid.

[Pastor Rich Wilkerson]

That command is given 365 times in the Bible. Why is that, Pastor Rich? Well, if fear doesn't take a day off, faith can't take a day off. And if you can't see it, then learn how to say it. You close your eyes and you open up your ears. That's why it's so important to make a decision, especially on an anniversary, something like this, just to say, I'm just gonna get planted. I'm just gonna be here Sunday after Sunday. Because when Jabin preaches, he preaches the word of God. Let me tell you, the Bible says faith comes by hearing and hearing the word of God. Let me try to make that really simple. If you want to walk this faith journey out, it requires you to close your eyes, open up your ears, and you start walking by faith. Let me give you Bible for it. Jesus is out there on the storm, and there's Peter in a boat, and they're all out there freaking out. Remember, Jesus shows up.

[Assistant or Worship Leader]

He says, do not be afraid.

[Pastor Rich Wilkerson]

I am with you. And it sounds really strange, right?

[Assistant or Worship Leader]

Because they're in the storm.

[Pastor Rich Wilkerson]

Like, dude, dude, Remember, they think he's a ghost. The only thing worse than being in a storm is having a ghost in your storm. It's a bad, bad day.

[Assistant or Worship Leader]

Ah, we're gonna die. Do not be afraid. I am with you.

[Pastor Rich Wilkerson]

Be courageous.

[Assistant or Worship Leader]

And so Peter gets the idea. All right, Lord, if that's really you,

[Pastor Rich Wilkerson]

tell me to come to you on the water. And what does Jesus say? Come, all you need is one word. And Peter steps out in faith, and he starts walking on water. What does the Bible say? The Bible says that when he Looked at the wind and the waves, he began to sink. I can hear Jesus going, no, no, no, Peter, listen to me. The water is liquid, but my word is solid.

[Assistant or Worship Leader]

Come on, somebody. I came all the way to City Light Church to tell you to get a word from God. And when you get a word from God, you start walking over things, walking on top of things. You serve a God who will carry you through every single storm. If you believe it in this place. Take about five seconds on this Sunday morning and praise God. He says, do not be afraid of them. For the Lord who brought you up out of Egypt, that God will be with you. Meaning, just because you can't see what

[Pastor Rich Wilkerson]

God is doing doesn't mean you don't know what he's done. So if you can't see what God's doing, go back to what he's done. There's some people who've been in this church for eight years. And you know, we didn't start right here in the Taj Mahal. Raise your hand if you started in the school. Where you at? Oh, look at these people. Look at these. Raise your hand. Who went to the storefront church? I like that storefront now. The Shake Shack took our parking lot. My God. You know, when you get weary, go find one of these people with their hand up because they got some stories that what you see today, this, this is due to the faithfulness of the past. The God who brought us up out of Egypt, how many all know, if

[Assistant or Worship Leader]

God brought you up out of Egypt, he can bring you through whatever you're going through.

[Pastor Rich Wilkerson]

Come on.

[Assistant or Worship Leader]

If God parted a Red Sea, something tells me he can part your circumstance, he could part your situation. If he was faithful back then, something tells me he can do it again.

[Pastor Rich Wilkerson]

Come on.

[Assistant or Worship Leader]

If God did it all the way back over here, something tells me he can do it right right now. Anybody believe God is moving? God is working.

[Pastor Rich Wilkerson]

Moses, like, don't let what you see shake what you know. Verse 2. He says, when you're about to go into battle, the priest shall come forward and address the army. He shall say, here, Israel, today you are going into battle against your enemies. Do not be faint hearted or afraid. Do not panic or be terrified by them.

[Assistant or Worship Leader]

Do not.

[Pastor Rich Wilkerson]

What I believe is the briefing before the battle. Let your worry be louder than God's word. So this is an interesting moment because Moses is like, all right, we're about to. There's the enemy over there. You see the horses? You see the chariots? Get the priests out. Wait, wait, what about, like captains or colonels we're like sergeants. How about a general? Nah, get the preachers. Why? It's because every warrior needs a preacher. And before the war is won, the word must come forward. See, I don't believe today that I'm in a church just talking to a bunch of spectators. In fact, I don't go to church for spectators. I come to church for soldiers. I don't think that you're just sitting in a row. I think you're actually standing in a fort. Come on. Am I preaching to anybody? Anybody out there fighting for something? Anybody out there contending for something? Fighting for your calling? Come on. Anybody fighting for your marriage? Fighting for a dream? Anybody fighting for your kids? Out there fighting for the next generation? Sometimes people on Instagram can be so mean, they'll be like, rich man, why are you always shouting in your clips? You could just say it, man. That's true. I could just say it. But I only get one day a week. It's the first day of the week that all the troops line up. And I know that all week long this world is shouting worry at us. Algorithms, news feeds, tiktoks, friends, fear. Your own inner critic. And I want to make sure on the first day of the week that as you step into this place, I. I want to make sure. Come on.

[Assistant or Worship Leader]

God's word is louder than your worry. Send out the priests.

[Pastor Rich Wilkerson]

I wonder what's louder in your life.

[Assistant or Worship Leader]

Your worry or.

[Pastor Rich Wilkerson]

The word worry comes from an Anglo Saxon word which means to strangle. And what a powerful picture it is that that's what worry feels like. It strangles us of confidence. It strangles us of contentment. It strangles us from courage. Things begin to seep out. I want you to write this down, that if you're taking notes, this is important. I want you to think about this. Even this week, what you repeat in peace will become your reflex under pressure. I'm so proud of you for being in church. But how many all know it's not going to church? Occasionally that makes a difference. It's going to church consistently. Remember the story in Matthew, chapter three? Jesus, he's entering into his ministry. He hasn't done any ministry yet. I think it's a really beautiful moment. Hasn't healed anybody, hasn't preached a sermon, but he goes out into the wilderness and he's baptized by his cousin John. As he goes under the water, he comes up out of the water, the heavens open up, and Father God speaks over his life immediately as he's blessed, he then in Matthew, chapter four, steps into the wilderness. The Bible says the Holy Spirit leads him to be tempted by Satan himself. Listen, you go from blessing to battle, blessing to battle. And notice when the devil comes to tempt Jesus. This is how the devil always works in your life. He always attacks your identity. The first word out of the devil's mouth is, if you are the son of God. Interesting. What's the last thing Jesus heard in Matthew chapter three? He heard his father say, this is my son, whom I love, and am well pleased. The last thing he heard was, I'm God's son. The first word out of the enemy's mouth is, if you are the son of God. The devil always wants to make you question the word. I could take you back to the garden. Did God really say, that's funny, right? That's how snakes talk. So e. A lot of people are like, pastor Rich, what's the mark of the beast? Come on, what's the mark of the beast? I don't know what the mark of the beast is, but I do know that the first mark of the beast is a question mark. In Genesis chapter two, Did God really say city lights? What if I just did that for the next 20 minutes? So, City lights.

[Assistant or Worship Leader]

If you are the son of God.

[Pastor Rich Wilkerson]

If you are the son of God. Here's what's interesting. I want to say this especially to everyone you know, part of Gen Z out there. Notice how Jesus fights back. He doesn't fight back with vibes. He fights back with verses. It is written.

[Assistant or Worship Leader]

Why?

[Pastor Rich Wilkerson]

Because it is written before it is won. If you want to win before you begin, you got to get the word of God in you. Because when life hits you, when life slaps you, what's going to come out of you? For Jesus, the word of God came out of him. It is. Now here's what's really interesting about Matthew chapter four. If you ever go back and study that is that Jesus is in the wilderness for 40 days. Do you know why he's there for 40 days? It's because he's illustrating for you and I what it looks like to win. In fact, he's going through the motions and he's showing you that he is the true and better Israel. Remember, Israel was brought up out of Egypt, but then they went into the wilderness. God gave them, Watch this. The book of Deuteronomy, the book of the law, and said, obey this and do this with. But they disobeyed. They never walked into the promised land. An entire generation died in the wilderness. And now Jesus is Out there saying, I want to show you something. What took them 40 years? I only need 40 days. And every time the devil comes and tempts him, guess what book of the Bible he quotes?

[Assistant or Worship Leader]

He quotes the book of Deuteronomy as if to say, you've always had the Word. The Word is enough. The Word is a weapon. If you learn how to use the Word, you can fight back against any attack that comes your way. No weapon formed against you shall prosper. It doesn't say it won't be formed. It just says it will not prosper in your life. Take about five seconds. Thank God for every weapon that was formed against you that did not prosper.

[Pastor Rich Wilkerson]

But listen, if you don't train in the Word, you're not going to triumph in the wilderness. You got to train in this. You got to learn this. In fact, let's just go a little bit further. You can't just read it. You got to learn it. If you go Back to Matthew 4, guess what the devil used to trick Jesus? The Bible. The devil knows the Bible. Yeah, better than some of us. It's like, I always think the Bible's like, sunblock. Your boy needs sunblock. I got drawers and drawers of sunblock. But the power is not having the sunblock in the drawer. The power is applying it. If you don't apply it, if you like me, you're going to get burned. It's like a gun. You can have a gun, but if you don't know how to remove the safety. That makes me laugh. Like, you can't Google for a verse. You know? Like, You got to learn it. You got to, like, contextualize. You need good hermeneutics. You need to sit in church weekend, and we got. Because worry comes loud, and you need the Word to be hidden in your heart. That's what David said. I've hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you

[Assistant or Worship Leader]

even if I wanted to sin, even if I wanted to fall into temptation.

[Pastor Rich Wilkerson]

That word is so deep down in my heart. It carries me, it covers me.

[Assistant or Worship Leader]

It protects me.

[Pastor Rich Wilkerson]

It's a weapon. But a lot of people, just like.

[Assistant or Worship Leader]

I need a word from God.

[Pastor Rich Wilkerson]

I need a word. Wait. Jabin's not preaching. Who's this guy? What? I need a word. You ever meet people? Not you, but my church, not you. You ever heard of, like, flipping and read? Like, God, I need a word. You're having a bad night. I need a word, Lord. Like, come on. I don't know where to begin. Let me just flip and read oh, God, please give me a word. It's like Russian roulette. Ah. And Judas hanged himself. Not that word. No, friends, we can't just read it. We gotta learn it. And Moses sends out the priest first. You need a word. You gotta get the word in your heart. You've already won. You just forgot the word.

[Assistant or Worship Leader]

Word.

[Pastor Rich Wilkerson]

What I repeat in peace, will be my reflex under pressure. Pressure, listen to me. Does not remove what's inside of you. It reveals what's inside of you. You don't have a pressure problem. You got a capacity problem. Life is going to come your way. The question is, when life hits you, what's going to come out of you? Brandon's the youth pass around. If you squeeze an orange. Brandon, what comes out? Orange juice. Good. Thank you, man.

[Assistant or Worship Leader]

Juice.

[Pastor Rich Wilkerson]

You gotta get the joy in the

[Assistant or Worship Leader]

Lord in that guy, man.

[Pastor Rich Wilkerson]

I don't want him around our students yet. Man, if you squeeze an apple. I'm sorry, I know. Brandon, if you squeeze an apple, what do you get? Apple juice. Yeah. It's actually the best part. Like, I want apple juice, but I gotta squeeze it. The pressure has to hit it. I wonder if you squeeze a Christian from City Light Church, what comes out? Like, honestly, what comes out of it? Because this is what the world's looking at. The world needs to see a church that knows how to suffer well, that when life squeezes you, what comes out of you? I firmly believe that when you squeeze a believer, you ought to get believer juice. Are we having fun today, or. I mean, my God in heaven. Believer juice. Believer juice. Believer juice. Yeah. I believe that because last time I read my Bible, believers ought to have fruit. You ought to have the fruit of the spirit. And how many know fruit of the spirit still grows under pressure? May it be said about this church that when pressure hits this place, oh, we already know that the battle is the Lord. We already know we're going to win. But, man, as life tries to strangle us, we're going to let love erupt when all of a sudden, life hits us hard. We want the joy of the Lord to be our strength. Come on.

[Assistant or Worship Leader]

We want a peace that passes all understanding. I believe God's going to unlock a peace that doesn't make any sense. You might have some pain that doesn't make sense. There might be a problem in your house that doesn't make sense. But thank God for the fruit of the spirit. Christ in me, the hope of glory. I can have peace.

[Pastor Rich Wilkerson]

I can.

[Assistant or Worship Leader]

I can have joy. I can have goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self. Control in all seasons of life. Because the fruit of the spirit shows up even under pressure. If you believe it, make a little bit of noise in this house.

[Pastor Rich Wilkerson]

Someone say, win before you begin. Eight is the number of new beginnings. But we're going to win before we even step into this next chapter. We're going to win. Trusting that God is faithful, Moses, he sends out these priests and everyone's got to be thinking themselves. This is crazy. We don't need priests. No, we need weapons. But God is always trying to get his external word into your internal world. I just want to encourage you in this hour, it is so important. Yes, gospel change is all inside out, but maturity and sanctification and formation is creating a world on the outside that reminds us who we want to be on the inside. Do not feel your way into actions. Act your way into feelings. Some of you, like, I'm waiting on a word to serve in the parking lot. You're never gonna feel that like you drove in there. Like, these guys just, they feel so called. No, they don't. They just answer the call. They see a need and say, you know what? We're gonna get out there and we're gonna actually live this thing from the outside in. Come on and clap your hands. Bring the worship team up. It makes me laugh because how many all know that we live in a world that's the opposite? In fact, we live in a world that we tend to. To mirror our outside world to whatever's going on in our inside world. Like, you know this to be true, right? That's why it's like, if you're sad, you're like, alexa, play my depressed playlist. And some of y' all say, alexa, play I want to cry in the shower playlist. You know, Because we tend to take whatever on the inside and put it to the outside. You know this. The Bible says, you know, misery loves company. We know it's true that when you're feeling bad, you start doom scrolling. You're looking for more fear. When you're hurting, you want to get around other people that are hurting. We love misery. But I want to encourage you that this is the moment that you actually have to have discipline. This is the moment that you have to remember Deuteronomy, chapter 20. I need a word. I have learned about myself that I actually need to be in church on the days that I feel like going to church. Do you know when I go to small group, when I don't feel like going to small group, I've just learned to tell myself that When I feel low and when I feel down, that's the moment that I don't say, alexa, play my depressed playlist. I say, alexa, put on my City Lights worship Faith filled playlist.

[Assistant or Worship Leader]

Because faith has a sound and hope

[Pastor Rich Wilkerson]

has a sound, and courage has a

[Assistant or Worship Leader]

sound, and joy has a sound. Come on, let me hear the sound today. There's a sound.

[Pastor Rich Wilkerson]

There's a sound. There's a sound. There's a sound. I was telling church last night, my father is my hero. My dad is the best in the world. You ever meet somebody who's so positive they almost make you negative? That's my dad. This is great. It's not great. Great, dad. We are in a pit, but we're together drinking Red Bull before Red Bull was created. And my dad is an amazing communicator. But I wouldn't say that. He's the world's greatest Bible teacher. He's a storyteller. He's a pastor. He loves people. And for decades, I listened to him preach and every sermon I could, almost just like clockwork. It didn't matter what. He could be preaching on finances, he could be preaching on. On. On marriage. He could be preaching on the end times. Didn't matter what he was teaching about. His third point was always the same third point and church, we're gonna win. It's like, dad, the whole message was on, you know, divorce, like, we're gonna win, you know, but the older I get, the more I know. That's a great third point because I've read the end of the book. Church. Come on, somebody.

[Assistant or Worship Leader]

I know how the story goes.

[Pastor Rich Wilkerson]

Christ was crucified, put it in a grave, and three days later, he resurrected. And the same power that conquered death, hell, and the grave, that lives inside of me and that lives inside of you. No matter how your circumstance goes, no matter what the problems look like, no matter what challenge you face, we're gonna win in Christ Jesus. But just because we're gonna win doesn't mean we won't have to fight. I was laying in bed with my son the other day, my son, Wyatt. And when he was four years of age, I took him to Disney World. Took him on this ride. It's called Space Mountain. It's a roller coaster. He came off the ride completely traumatized. It's been three years now of therapy. And every year we go back, I'm like, wyatt, you gotta get back on space. No.

[Assistant or Worship Leader]

I hate you.

[Pastor Rich Wilkerson]

We were back there just a couple of months ago and got him on the ride. I bribed him A Marvel toy, A Star wars toy. Don't come at me. I'm trying my best in these streets. This time, he came off the ride. He's like, yes. Again. Again. And I had to check him. I was like, bro, actually, we. I can't go again. I only have one lightning round. I paid a lot of money for it. The way my checking is set up, I don't have the budget for it. Come back next year, you ungrateful. Never mind. But wyatt just turned 8 years old. January 23, 2018. The birth of the greatest blessing God has given me outside of my salvation and my wife. We went through eight years of infertility. I mean, what a miracle, looking at my baby boy. And I was laying in bed with him the other night, eight years old. Season of new beginnings. I said, what's your favorite ride at Disney World? He said, oh, dad, Space Mountain. I was like, bro, that makes me laugh because you always hated going on Space Mountain. Said, I know, dad, but I think they changed the ride. I said, no, Wyatt, they didn't change the ride. You changed. Let me prophesy over City Light. Church, the battles aren't getting easier. Come on. But you're getting stronger. Your circumstances aren't going to get lighter.

[Assistant or Worship Leader]

But come on, somebody, you're getting wiser.

[Pastor Rich Wilkerson]

In this hour, we're going to win.

[Assistant or Worship Leader]

Before we begin, we're standing, stepping out onto the battlefield, and we've made a decision if we'll face this fight. God promises, I will fight for you. And let me encourage you. We serve a God. He's never lost a battle before, and he's not gonna start with you. All you gotta do is look up and see where your help comes from. We're stepping into this next season. It is not one battle after another. Come on, Church. It's one victory after another, if you believe it. Somebody give God some praise in this house. Come on, sing it.