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Thanks for listening. This podcast is a ministry of Mariners Church and everything we do to serve you, our communities and our global family happens because of your generosity. Your financial support in the month of December is vital as we prepare for the next year of ministry. Everything you give equips us to reach our world with the hope of Jesus and serve those around us in his name. To give now and partner with us, visit marinerschurch.org give or click the link in the show notes. Thanks for your generosity and God bless you. Welcome to Mariners Church Weekend Message Podcast. Inspiring people to follow Jesus and fearlessly change the world. Discover your purpose and get connected by visiting MarinersChurch.org or click the link in the show notes. Well, it is so great to be with you. Just before we jump into the message, I want to share with you about the season we are entering into. This is the year end giving season and the church operates off of a fiscal calendar where our budget runs July 1 through June 30, which means we're right about that halfway point of our year. We have plans that we know God has called us to, but we also know that 25% of our annual budget comes in the month of December alone. So it's a really important month for us as a church and year end giving is a time where we take really extra measures to invite you into what God may want to do in 2026. Ultimately, the entire year is going to hinge on what happens over these next several weeks. We what I love about Mariners, and I think what you do too, is that we continue to see God do His very best work. As we regularly open up God's Word, we gather together as a community. We serve and we are mobilized to serve the cities in which all of our congregations exist. Next year, right in January, we're gonna be launching two new congregations. We'll be in Yorba Linda and then we'll be down in San Clemente. We are also committed to having weekly services at Union Rescue Mission in in downtown Los Angeles on Skid Row. We are committed to seeing God do some incredible things and I want you to be a part of the stories in which he's going to write. As you give to your church, you are fueling the ministry, but you are also contributing to your own spiritual growth. As believers, we know that God is the One who has given generously to us and we are the stewards that are responsible for what he has given. I'm so proud of you that as you come to church regularly, you're trying to become more like Jesus. And I can assure you that Jesus is the one who gave first. And so when you and I learn to become generous, we are becoming more like him. And so I want to invite you into that. In this season, we have three ways that you can give here at the church. When you give online, you will see that at year end, there are lots of ways that you can give as you are considering what your own year end gifts are going to look like. Well, today we are looking and continuing in the teaching series through the book of Nehemiah. And it has already been so impactful and I cannot wait for you to see what happens in these next couple of chapters. But one little known secret about me is that I'm actually a classically trained actor. That's right. I know, I know. Well, not so classic. But there wasn't a lot of training involved. But when I was in college, I was on a sketch comedy team. That's right. Think SNL for Christians. That's what I did. Very classic. Right? Here's a couple pictures of me and my team as we were. This is. I'm gonna take you back to 2003 right now. This very cool photo. And then here's us actual. This is what we really were like 99% of the time, this team was a part of our college. We were sent throughout the summer to Christian summer camps, where you'd spend 10 weeks living in an astro van and performing sketches at these camps. And then throughout the school year, we'd go to youth groups all around. But it was an extension of the admissions department, which meant we represented the school. We would show up, we would be funny, and ultimately we would try to give some information and help those students find their way to our college. So when I showed up to my school and I heard about this sketch comedy team, I thought surely they'd want me to be on the team. I'm the most credible person for it now. Where did my credibility come from? I was the senior class clown of my high school. So I had everything that was needed in order to make this team. All right. 925 seniors. This guy. All right, now, I showed up. You had to try out. I was surprised by that. I showed up to a room and there were tens of people who wanted to be on this team. It was a very big deal. And we played improv games. That was the tryout. I had never done an improv game before, but I'm like, I think I can figure this out. They would. You know that show Whose Line Is It Anyway? Kind of like that you'd have this game and you'd have to try to be funny. And I'll be honest, I did pretty good. I was very funny, had some great things to add. I walked away feeling, like, pretty confident. Then when the team got announced, I did not find my name on the list. I actually didn't make it. My first year. There was four people on the team and I was the fifth that got cut. I was like, what is happening here? Like, why am I not on this team? So I went to the person who selected and I said, hey, I thought I did pretty good. They were like, you did, you're very funny. And I. I said, so what? Like, what's the deal? And they were like, well, there's more to representing the school than just being funny like you. You actually need to be a leader. You have to be a servant. You need to have character. Like, there was a lot of other things to it, and I apparently didn't have that my freshman year of college. And so I took that to heart and for the next year I really paid attention to those things. And I was able to then do that my second and third year. It was an amazing time. But that was a valuable lesson for me to learn that that credibility is an outward facing thing. But there's a lot beneath the surface that really matters. What's beneath the surface is what actually amounts to the credibility that people can see and experience in us. This week we're gonna be talking about credibility. And credibility is the currency for meaningful work. And it is also the way in which God invites us into future opportunities. Last week we saw that Nehemiah had to fight for the vision that God called him to. He had to fight against the trials that came his way. And. And ultimately he had to fight against the sin that was involved that was coming towards him. That's gonna continue this week as well. We're gonna see that credibility has these roots beneath the surface that would allow him to remain credible in the work that God had called him to. If you have your magazines, you can see that on page 95. Credibility has five roots beneath the surface. And if you're a fan of alliteration, you're gonna enjoy today because credibility starts with C. And then there are five more Cs beneath the surface. Character, competence, chemistry, commitment, and capacity. And I want to show you how each of those roots beneath the surface allowed Nehemiah to remain credible as temptation came his way. He will experience adversity in the name of temptation, trying to derail him to knock out his credibility to so that not only would the project cease in rebuilding the wall, but ultimately everything would come to an end and they would fail. So as we get into this passage, here is the first of the temptations. And I have to warn you, we are in two chapters today. It's Nehemiah 6, 7, okay? So if you have kids, I'm sorry, we're all over it. None of us know what it means. We just want it to end. And so I'm gonna say it a couple times, and I'm very sorry, but I can't change the Bible. So here we are, Nehemiah 6, starting in verse 2. Sanballat and Geshem. These are surrounding leaders who want the project to stop. They sent Nehemiah a message and they said, come, let's meet together in the villages of the Ono Valley. They were planning to harm me, so I sent messengers to them saying, I am doing important work and I cannot come down. Why should the work cease while I leave it and go down to you? Four times they sent me the same proposal and I gave them the same reply. The first temptation that came at Nehemiah was to people, please. He was doing work on the wall. And then this request comes, and it feels friendly at first. Hey, come on down. Let's have some tea, share some pictures of the kids. Let's just catch up for a little bit. And if Nehemiah was a people pleaser, he would have been compelled to to leave his work and go to them. There's a very important difference between serving people and being a people pleaser. We ought to all be servants of others. That's what God calls us to do. And yet a people pleaser, you know, one, if you are one, because what happens is on the outward, you appear to be humble and in service to others, but inwardly, and only, you know, you start to feel bitter and resentful for the people that you serve because you can't say no. And yet here you are, feeling a certain kind of way to them. Nehemiah, the first root beneath the surface for him was commitment. He had a commitment to the work that God had called him to. It was so meaningful that it took him no effort to say, absolutely not. He said, I am doing important work and I cannot come down. There was no question mark for him on if he should go, because the mission and the burden that God gave him means his job was not to make everyone happy. His goal was to complete the project. His goal was to carry out the mission. Now, you and I Live in an environment and it probably is likely that it's you as well. We are one of the most over committed zip codes and generations in history. Your calendars are full. You have so many things that I know. Even my wife and I, we sit down, we're about to look at December together. And I am afraid because she's like, I have some stuff that needs to make your calendar. And I'm like, oh no, right. What's coming? Because it's going to challenge what matters most. When you have too many things that you're committed to, what really has to become the most important, inevitably you're going to let somebody down. Being a part of meaningful work is the way in which you will have something rise to the top that'll easily let you say, this must be done. I cannot do anything else. If you've yet to feel what it's like to not just be a part of the church, but actually contribute to the church, I can assure you that that's a glimpse into what meaningful work looks like. You heard us talk about serving at Christmas time. Throughout that week of services we will have tens of thousands of people, many of which who have never been to church or they're coming back to church. This is a great opportunity for you and I to be a part of serving them, being a part of something beyond ourselves, welcoming them into the family of God. You can get a taste which I believe will create a craving. And then that craving will compel you to want to come back in January and and be on a regular ministry team. Feel what it's like to be committed to something so important. That's how Nehemiah fought against the temptation of people pleasing. Now the second temptation is about to come his way. Here is Nehemiah 6, starting in verse 5. Sanballat sent me the same message a fifth time by his aide who had an open letter in his hand, which means it had been tampered with. In it was written, it is reported among the nations, and Geshem agrees that you and the Jews plan to rebel. This is the reason that you're building the wall. According to these reports, you are to become their king and have even set up prophets in Jerusalem to proclaim on your behalf, there is a king in Judah. These rumors will be heard by the king. So come, let's confer together. So the stakes go up. The threats are now getting real. What they're saying to Nehemiah is, is they're now going to make up rumors, they're going to slander against him. And saying, we're going to. What we hear is that you're setting up a kingdom where you're going to declare yourself king. What do you think King Artaxerxes would say, the one who allowed him to be there, if he heard that you are going to declare yourself king, would he be okay with that? So the temptation that came his way, the number two temptation, was to defend his name. Would Nehemiah spend a bunch of time defending himself? How important was his reputation going to be? Would it get in the way of the calling on his mind life? You see, it's very logical that if he had to take any time to defend his name, he would have to like build a character. They get a bunch of character witnesses and put a report together. It would have taken months to get them all the way over to King Artaxerxes who would have been like, obviously I'm not worried about it. He was my cup bearer. I'm not concerned. Then another, you know, several months to get back, the project would have slowed nearly to a halt. So what Nehemiah does is he does not spend any time defending his name, but instead he allows God to be his defense. David in Psalm 119 says, you are my shelter and my shield. I put my hope in your word. You see, when God calls you to something and you know with absolute certainty that he has, he is the one who will be your shelter and your shield. He will be your protection and your defense. Nehemiah doesn't waste a minute. In fact, look at his response in verse eight. And I replied to him, there is nothing to these rumors you are spreading. You're inventing them in your own mind. For they were trying to intimidate us, saying, they will drop their hands from the work and it will never be finished. But now, my God, strengthen my hands. The first root beneath the surface was commitment to the calling that God had on his life. And now we see his character. Nehemiah's character allowed him to take no time auditing his own life to see if there was any validity to these rumors. He was not concerned and he spent zero time defending himself because his character did the work for him. When I was in high school, both my mom and my stepdad worked full time jobs. So it was very rare to come home and have any of them there before me. You can imagine my surprise my junior year of high school when I showed up after school and my mom was waiting for me on the front porch. Not a good sign, right? And so as I park the car and I get out, I'm kind of looking at her like, where's this gonna go? And she's got her arms crossed, and she goes, there's something you need to tell me, right? And I was like, yeah, there's a lot of things that I need to tell you. Like, I'm not sure which one you're thinking about, right? And don't. Don't judge me too harshly, okay? This was, like, pre Jesus, all right? I had a lot going on, but I had to take an inventory. And so I'm kind of walking towards my mom, and I'm reading her face, and I'm realizing, like, she found something out, and I don't know what it is. And I'm thinking, okay, it's probably not one of these few things. Cause I had, like, people, places and things coming to mind. And I'm like, it's probably not one of those. There's no way she knows about one of those. Maybe she knows one of these things, and maybe I should kind of give her one, like, a bone. Like, maybe it's this one and just kind of throw it out. But then if she. If that's not the right one, then she's gonna be like, how many more are there? And then it's gonna turn into this whole thing. And so as I'm walking towards her, I gave her the really brilliant answer of no. And I definitely got caught in that moment. There was a thing that she had found out, and ultimately, it was a really good thing. And you're wondering, what is that thing? And I'm not gonna tell you. I'm not gonna tell you. My mom did ask me last night. She was like, was it this thing? And I was like, it's definitely that thing. She's like, oh, I remember that thing. And you're like, please tell us no. All right. But I gotta tell you, that walk, you know, is 30ft. But the amount of character inventory that I had to take was honestly so shameful. The amount of things that I had hidden that I did not want my mom to know about was embarrassing. And it began a good work years later and into, you know, into my life of following Jesus, where I had to allow God to heal and redeem a lot of those broken things. But that amount of time, that's a walk I never want to take again in my life. Imagine yourself, even now, if your spouse or your boss or a friend looked to you and said, is there anything you want to tell me? Like, what kind of audit are you doing right now? What happens inside of you when your character is called into question. Because for Nehemiah, his character was rock solid. He, instead of being intimidated and distracted, he had greater confidence and determination because his character went before him. He was able to withstand this attempt, this. This temptation to defend his own name. So now the third temptation is about to come. They're going to really level the stakes here. And in fact, these surrounding leaders are going to hire a prophet. I'm going to put prophet in quotes because they are hiring him to give a message that's from God. So look at what the prophet says in verse 10. Let's meet at the house of God inside the temple. Let's shut the temple doors because they're. They're coming to kill you. They're coming to kill you tonight. But I said, should a man like me run away, how can someone like me enter the temple and live? I will not go. I realized that God had not sent him because of the prophecy. He spoke against me. Tobias and Sanderlit had hired him. He was hired so that I would be intimidated, do as he suggested, sin and get a bad reputation in order that they could discredit me. The third temptation was to cause him to sin. And it's really crafty the way that they do it. They're coming to kill you. Men are coming. They're going to take your life. Come into the temple, a place in which no man is supposed to go and live. It would be sin to enter into the temple. He is faced with the choice. Will I fear man for my own life or will I fear God and risk separating my relationship with him by sinning? The decision was very simple. He would rather fear God than fear man. He decides that he is not going to enter into the temple. His credibility remains intact even in the face of losing his own life. Not only would this have discredited him, he would have completely derailed everything. This would not be slowing the project. This would be completely done. The work would have ended. And yet he was able to withstand those temptations. And then look at what happens in verse 15. The wall was completed in 52 days on the 25th day of the month. Elal. When our. When all of our enemies heard this, all the surrounding nations were intimidated and lost their confidence, for they realized that this task had been accomplished by our God. It was only God. Yes, it was only God who was able to accomplish that. You see, the roots beneath the surface in Nehemiah's life allowed him this great success. Think about the competence that it took in order for him to lead in a foreign land, in a different language, to build plans and keep things in motion. The chemistry that he had to build with people he did not know, allowing them to be a part of the work that God was calling them to do. He was incredibly successful at rebuilding the wall, but that was only the first half. The greater mission was repopulating the city. Here's Nehemiah 7, starting in verse 1. When the wall had been rebuilt and I had the doors installed, the gatekeepers, singers and Levites were appointed. Then I put my brother Hanani in charge of Jerusalem, along with Hananiah, commander of the fortress, because he was a faithful man who feared God more than most. The city was large and spacious, but there were few people in it and no houses had been built yet. Then my God put it into my mind to assemble the nobles, the officials and the people to be registered by genealogy. The remainder of chapter seven, for the most part, is a genealogy of all of the families in which they invited back into the city. Now the city of God could be inhabited by the people of God. This was the ultimate mission. And as the work grew, Nehemiah's capacity grew right alongside it. He started as a cut bearer, then he had to build plans and be a project manager and then a leader and a builder. And as the story progresses, he becomes their governor. He leads with an incredible growing capacity as the work and the responsibility grow around him. It's an amazing accomplishment. Now we're talking about the fruit of credibility. And as we have each week of this series, we have seen that there are intermingling roots beneath the surface. And today we saw in Nehemiah's leadership the roots of character, chemistry, commitment, capacity and competence. These roots, tended and cared for, allowed for the credibility in which he was able to withstand all kinds of temptation. This is the kind of life that God wants for you, too. He wants you to experience what it's like to be a fruitful life, a meaningful life. But part of the problem is our own definition of success. We have allowed external sources to try to infiltrate our own understanding of what it means to be successful. It sounds a lot like financial goals, the size of our bank accounts or our portfolios, our degrees, or our accolades, our accomplishments. We fill in the gap of what is successful with all kinds of things. The problem is, meet anyone who is successful. When they finally get wherever they think is the line of success, they will tell you that they don't really feel that great. Their life is lacking something. They have achieved all that they've set out to do. And yet something is missing. You see, the problem is our own definition of success. Because success in the kingdom of God has more to do with serving others and caring for those in need. It's a life of meaning and satisfaction and being a part of a story beyond and bigger than ourselves. That's what the kingdom of God is all about. It doesn't mean you have to forego all of those other things, but it does mean that those fall underneath the grander mission. What would it look like for you to trade your own ambition for your life for God's mission He wants to invite you into. A couple of days ago, I was driving in my car and I had a fly trapped in the car with me. I did not choose it. He chose it for us. This fly is in the car and it is so upset. I mean, it is just flying around and wants me to know. It's buzzing my ear, it's crashing into the windows. And we're on the freeway and I'm thinking about this fly. I'm like, look, buddy, just settle down. Land on the dashboard. Look out the windshield. You're going faster than you've ever gone in your life, my guy. You're going 80 miles. You're going. You're going 65 miles an hour right now. Like you're flying. And then guess what? Eventually I'm going to stop and we're going to open up and you're going to get to experience a whole new world. You're going to see what Tustin's like. Like, this is great. Because fly. If you'd calm down, if you would just settle down for a second, you're gonna go further and faster than you ever have before. And I had a moment where I thought, sometimes I. And I think we can be like that, fly. With our own goals and dreams and ambitions. We can buzz around and slam into walls. And yet God invites us to just settle down and to get into the stream that is the kingdom of God. Because when we get into his stream, he will show us that he actually wants to do something in and through us beyond anything we could ever hope, dream, or imagine for our ourselves. This is what God invites us into. And so we must nourish the roots beneath the surface in order to get there. As your credibility grows, you will see it in the teams that you lead or even the family that you have, the friendship circle that you are in. You will see that people become resilient and joyful. People will enjoy being together. When we can nourish the roots beneath the surface. And so allow me just to share with you a couple ways that you might in each of these routes. If you want to grow in your character, do what Nehemiah did, which is to fear God above all else. Look at what Proverbs 29:25 said. The fear of mankind is a snare, but the one who trusts in the Lord is protected. Psalm 128. How happy is everyone who fears the Lord who walks in his ways? Nehemiah never allowed the things of this world, the opposition and the enemies, to get bigger than his understanding of God. And in the mission that he called him into, he feared God. If you want to build chemistry with the people that you lead alongside, love the people you serve. Love them, know them, celebrate. Be somebody who is for them and is with them. If you want to deepen your commitment, be a person who lets your yes, be yes. A professional definition of credibility. Do what you say you're going to do. Be a person who does what they say they're going to do. Live out your commitments realizing that if you say yes to everything, you cannot be committed to anything. Pick what you're going to be committed to if you'd like to increase your competence, the skills. It really starts by understanding and maybe accepting that where you are is where God has placed you. That place of work or that neighborhood, that's where God has placed you. And so if that's true and you follow after Jesus, you are salt and light in that place, what might you look like not just to exist in that place, but actually lead? What if you could grow in your skills so that you might be the best worker, the best contributor in that environment? So that you might be a person that is not lazy and looked down on, but instead you are excelling and leading in your workplace? Or if you want to expand your capacity, it's like Nehemiah understanding that there were some things that he learned that he could take with him into his next role. There are certain skills that are highly transferable into anything that comes next. Learning how to cast vision or give clear direction. Learning how to manage a budget or manage people. Learning how to galvanize a team and to get things done. Those are things that God can use in a variety of ways. And as your capacity grows, you will see that that he wants to use you for more and more over time as you are evaluating, maybe a team that you lead or you're bringing somebody into something that you are building, maybe even as a mirror for yourself. Let me put up a list of questions for you, as you might want to take an inventory of either yourself or people around you, here are the five roots of credibility. A question about character is can I trust you? What about competence? Can you do the job well today? Maybe as you're thinking about people that you're inviting into a team, chemistry and commitment go together. Can you fit the team in? Or do you fit the team in culture? And also, do you want to be with us and where we are going? And then lastly, as you're evaluating a person's capacity, you really want to consider their potential. What kind of potential does this person have? Again, maybe that's an inventory for yourself as well. I've really enjoyed throughout this series, Eric has sat down with various guests on the if I Had More Time podcast. And this week he's sitting down with Joel Klatt. Joel is incredible. He's a Fox Sports broadcaster. He calls the NFL draft. He's an incredible guy. He's a part of our church. He's one of the most credible people I've ever met. And I know that because I'm in a life group with Joel. And I see the way that he loves God, how God's word shapes and forms him. I see how it impacts his family and those around him. These podcast episodes have been so, they've been so clarifying. You get a lot of Eric's genius and also what he pulls out of his guests. And so I'd love for you to see that one as well. Nehemiah's credibility allowed him to complete not just the project, but ultimately the mission, what God had invited him into. And I have to tell you, there were a lot of lessons that we learned along the way. But what would have happened had he failed? It would have been a reflection on a moment that's beneath the surface. Something that would have taken his credibility out. The greatest risk to your credibility is you. You are the greatest risk to your credibility. And if that causes you to go, not me, I'm powering up. I can make this happen. I'm the self made man. I've made myself the way I am. I don't need anything else. You are in more danger than you realize, my friend. Because the invitation that we have through God's word is to submit and to surrender ourselves to Jesus. Because Nehemiah wasn't the only one who faced temptation before Jesus's public ministry. He is baptized and then led into the wilderness. Where he is tempted. He faces the temptations of his own flesh, his pride and his power. The offer to him was kingdom without the cross. And yet there could be no kingdom without the cross. Cross. And so it is through the cross in which you and I have all of our debt and our sin paid for by Jesus doing the one thing for us we could never do for ourselves. And so, for those of us who place our faith in Jesus, what that means for our credibility is that we invite him into the roots beneath the surface to help us in each and every one of those ways. He is with us. He becomes our motivation. He becomes our source, our sustainer. He becomes the one who nourishes each and every one of those roots. Because at the end of the day, the credibility that he desires for you is for his glory. He desires us to live a life of purpose that is about the kingdom of God, not about our own individual lives. The roots beneath the surface need one other thing. Time. Credibility takes time. It cannot be manufactured or microwaved. I wish it could, but it just can't. And the truth is, as much time as it takes to create credibility, you can lose it in an instant. Credibility can go away so fast. And oftentimes, the one thing that takes out a person, the root beneath the surface that ruins a person's credibility, is their character. Character is the greatest potential downfall to our own credibility, but also a solid and strong character can be the sustainer, the thing that holds you in the face of all kinds of temptations. So one of my kind of favorite pastimes, if you will, is looking at this website called Bring a Trailer. It's an online auction site for old cars. Don't judge me too harshly. It's my Instagram, okay? And so a real hot Friday night for me is scrolling Bring a Trailer. And recently, I came across this vehicle. It's the greatest vehicle ever created. It's a Land Rover defender from the mid-90s. It's amazing. And you can just agree with me, all right? I don't need any of your opinions. It's just awesome. All right? Now, I came across this car, and I saw it, and it was in a price range that's, like, within striking distance from me and my family. Like, I saw it and I was like, if we. I'm like, babe, look at this thing. If we sell everything we have, and maybe one of our. And, like, maybe one of our kids, too, I think we could make this. I think we could make this work, right? And Bring a Trailer is awesome because it gives you, like, 100 photos of a car. And so I'm sitting next to. I'm, like, scrolling like, look at this. Look at every. Every inch of the car. All360 view. It is amazing. You get inside, the interior is incredible. And I'm thinking, like, this is it. We're going to make this happen. Like, the kids in the back, wife on the front. Like, we're cruising down. We're going to put a Christmas tree on the top because it's Christmas time. It's going to be amazing. I am living my future until I get to the last photo and I find out that it doesn't have any. An engine, like, nothing. It's just an empty hole underneath the hood. And I'm like, what? Like, it's just driveway decor at this point. Like, it's not. There's no purpose if it has no engine, there is no purpose, and then there's no joy, right? Imagine if you're going to rebuild your home and you think, we don't need a foundation. It's fine. Let's just put some walls up and we'll get some carpet on there. It would not work. Let me tell you, success without character is not success in the kingdom of God. We ought to be people of character so that for God's glory and the mission that he has called us into, we can be wonderful contributors in the way that he has always wanted for you. Isn't it amazing that he actually wants you? Because we are confronted all the time with our own brokenness and the things that we don't want to talk about. And yet God looks at you and he already sees all of those things. He sees them and he says, come on, jump in. Let's do something together. He wants you to be a part of this thing that he's doing. And so he's not asking you to just simply gloss over your character. He's inviting you to do work with Him. He's inviting you to acknowledge and understand that he already sees it. And he is the one who can repair it. He can heal you. He can restore you, and he wants to. And so, as we take a time here to sing, we're going to sing songs about how we need God, how we need Him. And when we cry out to God in that way, this isn't just a vacant room where you're sitting down and some guy's talking at you. This is the house of God, where the Spirit of God dwells. And for those of you who have placed your faith in Jesus, the Spirit of God is already in you. Which means that when you and I come to him in a moment of worship, like we're about to. You can bring him anything and he will do work with you. So perhaps you need to bring him something about one of those routes. Maybe you're leading a team and you want to pray and ask him to help you with the chemistry of building this team that you're leading. Or maybe you're in a new role and you have responsibilities beyond your current capability. You want to pray for the competence that God wants to give you to do your job well. But maybe it's your character. Maybe you have some cracks showing and you are aware and you're hoping others don't find out. That's what you can bring to Jesus in this moment. Ask him to be with you. Ask him to help you. That's why we gather, we hear God's word and then we involve ourselves in the work of God. This is what he wants to do first. Far beyond or far before, we can do anything that is about contributing to the advancing kingdom of God of which he wants you to be a part of. Our character must be intact first. And so let's stand together. Let's take a moment to sing. Bring one of these roots beneath the surface. Ask him to be with you in the midst of whatever is going on in your life. Allow Jesus to be with you over these next couple of moments. All right, extend your hands please, and let me pray a prayer of blessing over you as we go. Jesus, I pray you'd bless your sons and daughters this week, that you would remind them that you are gentle and approachable and that you love them. Cause your face to shine on them. I pray they will experience your mercy and your joy this new week. In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen. Go in peace. Have a great week. Thanks for tuning in to the Mariners Weekend Message Podcast to support the ministry of Mariners Church. You can click the link in the show notes or download the Mariners app at your favorite app store. If you've been navigating God's wisdom with us through this year's annual read and would like to hear personal reflections from pastors in your community, check out the Gospel Every Day podcast. Imagine feeding your heart, mind and soul with the kind of practical wisdom that will change your life. If you haven't picked up the annual read yet, visit MarinersChurch.org or download the Mariners app for more information on where to find it.