Eagle Heights Cathedral

Bishop James E. Collins: What an awesome, wonderful love, His wonderful grace. Where would we be? Now, I'm going to do a little flip on you today. I want you to turn to the book of Jonah. It's somewhere between Obadiah and Malachi. I tell you that it's somewhere there because it's so difficult to find. I just looked at the concordances where it is.

The book of Jonah, Jonah 2 is where I want to go. Jonah 2, beginning at verse 1. Jonah. Somebody said Jonah, I never heard that one. Jonah 2, I still hear the pages flipping. Don't worry about it. Just do like me. Fake it. Look at the front of the Bible. Jonah 2, verse 1. Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the fish's belly, and he said, "I cried out to the Lord because of my affliction, and He answered me. Out of the belly of Sheol, I cried, and You heard my voice. For You cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the flood surrounded me. All Your billows and Your waves passed over me. Then I said, 'I have been cast out of Your sight. Yet I will look again toward Your holy temple.' The water surrounded me even to my soul, the deep closed around me. Weeds were wrapped around my head. I went down to the moorings of the mountains. The Earth with its bars closed behind me forever. Yet You have brought up my life from the pit, O Lord my God. When my soul fainted within me, I remembered the Lord, and my prayer went up to You, into Your holy temple. Those who regard worthless idols forsake their own mercy. But I will sacrifice to You with the voice of thanksgiving. I will pay what I have vowed, salvation is of the Lord." So the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry land.

Father, I thank You for that word. Because there are times, Lord, when we literally feel that we are in the belly of the whale. There are times, Lord, when we go through things in life, and it seems that depression and discouragement is going to overwhelm us. But I thank You, Lord, that You have given us this insight that we may keep a kingdom mindset. It matters not what comes our way if we keep kingdom focus, breakthrough will always come our way. Now, thank You today for eyes and ears that receive revelation of the Word of God. And then, Lord, help us to not just be the hearers of this Word but go out today after this service and practice. And I thank You for it, for I pray it in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen and Amen. You may be seated in the presence of the Lord.

There was a sob that came from an old gentleman. He said, "Let me go. Let me die." As the strong young swimmer struggled against the boisterous waves of the open ocean, the young man replied, "Just a few more minutes, sir, and I will have you safely to the shore." The struggle went on and on and finally they made it to the beach and both fell desperately exhausted into the sand. The angry 70-year-old man looked up at his young savior and said, "Why did you save me? Why didn't you let me die? Your good deed is the curse of my existence." Startled by these words, the young man looked down at the elder man who had nearly drowned. As he panted from the heroic effort of rescuing the victim from the violent waves, he shook his head, revealing the shock and the mystification that had filled his mind.

You see, young Winston had known Mr. Cambridge for 20 years. He'd always admired the hard-working businessman for his obvious great success. In his mind's eye, Mr. Cambridge was a role model that encompassed all that he had hoped to be someday. Having worked all his life to achieve the status of being the wealthiest man in the city, Mr. Cambridge owned millions of dollars worth of investments and an enviable mansion on the beachfront. He was the father of three well-educated children who all worked in his companies, and the husband of a woman who loved him. Hundreds of friends, relatives, and admirers looked to him for inspiration and guidance.

Perplexed by the disparity between his observations of Mr. Cambridge's life and the gentleman's desire to die, Winston asked, "But sir, why do you want to die?" Little did little Winston know that his answer would change his life forever. I pray that as I continue this story, it'll change your mind and your thoughts as well. As tears flooded his aged eyes, the old man buried his face in his hands and he lamented, "What is it all for? Is this all there is? What did I gain? Everyone thinks I'm a success but I am a failure. I have given everything and received nothing. I made my parents happy and proud of me, and my wife has everything she could desire. My children want for nothing and my reputation among my friends, associates, and enemies is impressive. Still I am empty, depressed, frustrated, and sad. My life has no meaning, unlike my bank accounts which are well filled, I am unfulfilled."

Mr. Cambridge is not done yet. "Everyone knows what I am, but I still don't know why I am. For years I have been so driven by the expectations of others that I have not discovered my personal reason for being. I do not wish to live with such emptiness. Today I decided it was better to be dead than to be alive and not know why." It is said that these words so deeply pierced young Winston's soul. As he attempted to regain his composure, the old man took his hands into his hands. And he looked the young man in the eyes with a soul-searching glare and he said, "Son, do not strive to be like me. Find out who you are and be yourself." As the medics carried the old man away and the sound of the ambulance faded in the distance, young Winston stood staring out at the sea. He was not really aware of his surroundings, for the old man's words had stirred him deeply. "Who am I? What does it mean to be myself?" echoed in his brain.

In his book, The Pursuit of Purpose, the late Dr. Myles Munroe said this: "These questions, 'Who am I? Why am I here? Where did I come from? What was I born to do? What can I do? Where do I fit? Why am I different? What is my potential? Where am I going? Why did I come to this planet?' are universal questions that haunt every human being. Each of us must find the answers to these questions of purpose if we are going to enjoy a meaningful, effective, fulfilling life." Then he says this, "Purpose is the key to life." And so as I continue to talk about this thing that we call therapy culture, I want to repeat some very important things that I said last Sunday.

Number one, we need to all remember that we are all created with personal purpose. Secondly, when we become Christians, we are reborn for fulfillment of kingdom purpose. Thirdly, personal purpose and kingdom purpose are both fulfilled through kingdom focus. Fourthly, we talked about the fact that the goal of kingdom focus is a perpetual pursuit of spiritual maturity. And then number five, Satan's major weapon by which he thwarts kingdom purpose is to dwarf our spiritual maturity. And I talked about the fact that he does it by keeping so many of us, as the Apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 3, in a childlike state spiritually where we never mature, we never ever get off of the milk of the Word, and come to the place where we can chew and swallow the meat of the Word.

Then when you get over to Hebrews 5:11-14, the writer speaks of a group that at one time they were those who could digest the food, the meat of the Word. He said, "But now you have gone backward rather than forward." And the reason he gives for their regression is that they have become poor listeners. He goes on to say that the evil one, he accomplishes these things. And while there are many who remain spiritual babies and they regress because of fleshly desires, the main issue in the body of Christ today is that we have teaching from many teachers and preachers that have produced an overwhelming body of believers who, when their minds come under the attack of the culture of this world or the deliberate attack of Satan, they no longer can live by the words spoken to young Timothy in 1 Timothy 6:12. "Fight the good fight of faith." But rather we run now for therapy because now we have taken on the mindset of the culture of this world. The mindset of the culture that says every struggle and every trial and every attack or painful thing we go through in life, it needs to be counseled out rather than broken by the power of the living God. And many of us just stay locked up, unable to grow because we have made therapy a normal part of life.

And let me say something, whether it be professional therapy or personal relationship therapy, because some of us get our therapy from our families. People who you constantly go to for consolation and comfort. So let me repeat some things about therapy, then we're going to get into the heart of this. Number one, I said that therapy within its basic meaning is not evil. It will help alleviating symptoms, improve well-being, and promote healing, but the key phrase is, "It will help you to promote healing." Secondly, from time to time, talking things through, it really can help us. Thirdly, it has become very popular in the kingdom of God, and this is important, to use therapy as an excuse to not pursue spiritual maturity in the body of Christ. Fourthly, we talked about the reality that therapy culture has left many Christians crippled and bound emotionally.

When I use the word therapy, I use it loosely when it comes to professional therapy. Do you know that USA Today tells us now that Americans are getting more therapy than ever and spending more money on it? So much so that 68% of psychologists say they no longer have waitlists, they have longer waitlists than they had before COVID-19, and two in three say they can no longer accept accept patients. Spending on mental health services also rose, climbing more than a half, 53%, from March 2020 to August 2022, according to Rand Corporation research on millions of workers insured by their employers. Then the fifth thing that I said was this, and I quoted Stella Aguiar. "Support matters. This isn't just about rejecting therapy, it's about noticing when healing language slowly drifts away from God and we don't realize that it is happening." So please listen to me today, church. When you as a Christian need therapeutic help, by all means, go and get it. But you should seek help from a Christian counselor, not from a secular organization.

Secondly, you need to be careful even when choosing when it comes to Christian therapists and counselors because all I'm going to say is this, is I've been out there and I've been looking, and some of those who are doing the therapy, they need therapy. And the reason that they need therapy is that their lives do not align with the Word of God. And if their lives do not arise align with the Word of God, be sure their counsel at some point will also be compromised. Simon T. Bailey said this, "The well you drink from is the well you think from, and eventually it is the well that you become." Again, therapy is meant to aid in liberating your life, not keeping you tied to it for your life.

Because therapy has become such a cultural thing in the body of Christ. I am finding that very few Christians today really believe that there's a healer of their wounded souls. Because many of us have come to have more confidence in a coach, a therapeutic coach than we have in the healing power of Jesus, who said in Luke 4:18-19, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because He has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord." Let me tell you what the purpose of therapy is, biblical therapy. It is to lead you to the place where you can receive the anointing of Jesus Christ over your life that can heal you where you are brokenhearted and where you have been bruised.

So when the section of the dangerous trends of therapy culture, we're going to list them, and then every time we're going to ask the question right after that, "What does the Bible say?" Because church, listen to me. We have a problem not only in the area of Christian therapy but in the body of Christ as a whole. We are overrun with too many of our own opinions and a dearth of truth. For even among Christians, absolute truth isn't the governing standard anymore. We have gotten so stuck on, "This is what I feel, this is what I think, this is what the therapist has told me to do." And believe me when I tell you this, it is not necessarily that our thoughts are wrong. It is not necessarily a problem to follow the advice of a therapist or a counselor, but here's where the problem comes in. When you and I decide to do what our thoughts tell us or what people tell us in spite of what God's Word tells us.

And so, let's look at the 10 things the Bible warned us about that are trendy. They are the latest fad in the therapy world. Number one, naming everything a trauma. Trauma, severe emotional or mental distress caused by an experience. I would never demean some of the trauma some people have gone through in life, but church, we are living in a time where every injustice, every negative experience, every negative word, everything said to us that doesn't feel good, no matter how small the offense, we say we've been traumatized. Naming everything a trauma is so popular that parents can't even discipline their children anymore in a proper way.

Let me tell you what I have seen. I have literally seen children ripped out of the parents' homes and they are kept away from the parent until the parent submits and says, "I will get my child help for their trauma and I will get help for traumatizing them." When all they were doing was following the biblical example to discipline their children. Let me talk about us adults. What does God's Word say? James 1:2-4 from the New Living Testament, "My brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy, not a trauma." An opportunity for what? Great joy. "For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing."

Hebrews 12:11 says, "Now all discipline seems to be painful at the time, yet later it will produce a transformation of character, bringing a harvest of righteousness and peace to those who yield to it." Let me tell you what I'm really noticing about Christians today, many of us have no character. We can't take anything. Hebrews 12:3-11, it's all about Christians being encouraged to endure hardship because through the hardship, God has a transformative purpose for it in our lives. We always see discipline as God spanking us like a father would a child. Let me tell you about God's discipline. This divine discipline from the Heavenly Father, it is not always about spanking us. It is about Him allowing us to go through some things that in the end will cause us to become more like Him, to grow in holiness. And the writer says, "There is no chastening that is joyful in the moment, in fact, it is painful, but when it is allowed to run its course, after a while, it will yield the peaceable fruit of righteousness who those who don't try to dodge it, who don't reject it, who are trained by it."

When I ran cross-country, we would run and there would be a time when you would get what we call a side stitch. When you would get the side stitch, the temptation was to stop running, pull over and massage it out. There were times when we would be running, and I would develop that side stitch. And I would hear the coach and he would yell, and there would be other guys that had the same problem, and he would yell, "Don't stop, keep running, you will eventually run right through the pain. Without pain there is no gain." And I would watch literally guys on my cross-country team, they would dip out and they would go hide in the bushes. And then they'd come back in like they had run the whole course. But I believed what my cross-country coach said, and so many times in practice I kept running with the pain and I found out that he was right, that as I continued to run on, eventually I conquered the pain. And let me tell you what happened, because of conquering that pain, I came in first every time in every race. I won the number one cross-country runners award. And it was the first time it had ever happened for a minority in my high school. Watch what I'm about to say. The New King James Version of Hebrews 12:11 uses the phrase that if you endure, it yields peaceable fruit, meaning the divine discipline of God results in a state of wholeness, well-being, happiness.

Let me tell you what I've observed, church. I've observed that the most stable, whole, happy, well-balanced Christians I know are the ones who did not call every hardship in life a traumatic event, but kept on running until the side stitch pain left their life. There are some things that God sometimes allows into our lives because He is disciplining us for the purpose of growing us up in our faith and trusting in Him. If your purpose is great, the breakthrough is great. Listen now. Sometimes I do believe He disciplines us in order to put discipline in us. Watch now. When we see every life challenge as traumatic rather than a season of growth, we will miss the reality that many times God is trying to speak to us. Someone once said that when God disciplines, He speaks through your conscience, but if you won't listen, He uses people. And if you still won't listen, He uses circumstances of life, usually unpleasant ones. See, some of the things people are getting therapy for is not trauma, it's rebellion. They don't need therapy, they need submission. They keep getting smacked upside the head every time because God is trying to get us to get out of rebellion and get into submission, which is the only way you can enjoy all of the blessings of the kingdom of God.

Therapy trend number two, avoiding discomfort as the goal. Watch this now. There is so much mushy preaching and teaching today that people really believe that it is not only the goal to avoid discomfort, but that it's also God's desire for us. And many people are going to therapy and being told, "Just go to a church where they will affirm you and encourage you and make you feel better." Even if your life is in opposition to the Word of God, there's a mantra out there in the kingdom of God today, "You can have your best life now." Let me say some things about that best life thought. First of all, Jesus didn't come to give you your best life now, He came to give you abundant life. Secondly, because you know that, you understand that your best life is still ahead of you. It's called, "When we all get to heaven, what a day of rejoicing that will be." Here's now, watch this, here is this teaching that is floating out there that God wants you to have a comfortable life. Let me tell you what God really wants for you. 1 Peter 1:6-7, "In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, while you may have to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the genuineness of your faith, of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire, may result in praise, glory, and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed." Watch this now. Church, I want you to really grab this, this is what God wants for you more than anything. He wants this for you, so when the inevitable comes, the thing you've been told you can dodge, but it's impossible to dodge, everybody say, "Trouble."

Discomfort in life, you will be mature enough, strong enough, stable enough to stay with it until God brings you through it. Because at the end, because you stayed through it and made it through it, watch what the scripture says, it says, "At the end, Jesus will be revealed." It's not talking about Jesus stepping out of heaven and calling us home. Here's what it's talking about. People will never see Jesus in you without Him working through you. I want you to hear this, church. There is no genuineness of faith where there is no testing of that faith. God has told us from the beginning, there will be times that will test your faith. Watch this now. But He says, "If you will hold on to your faith, I will surely deliver you." And hear this now. I want you to really hear this. Faith is not to convince God to do what He said He would do. For His Word is already settled in heaven. So when we're praying, "Your kingdom come, Your will be done on Earth as it is in heaven," we're not trying to convince God to do something, because John 17:17 says, "God's Word is settled in heaven." Because it is the truth. So what we're doing when we're praying for His kingdom come and His will to be done on Earth as it is in heaven, we are standing in faith because the purpose of faith is to sustain you through the storm, through the process, to God fulfilling what He already said He will do. You may not know it, but He already said, "When you're sick, hold on. I'm going to heal you. When you're broke, hold on. I got money in my bank." He already said, "When you feel like you're not going to make it, I'm going to throw you a life preserver. If you just hold on."

Now, now, now, watch. I don't care how many preachers and teachers and people rub it up you and feed you comfort food. You can try but you will never avoid discomfort in this life. There is no amount of therapy that will help you if the therapy does not help prepare you for the next struggle. Are you hearing me now? The reality is that as sure as there is breath in your body, there will be discomfort in your life. What does the Bible say? Romans 5:3-4, "And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance, and perseverance character, and character hope." Watch this now. John 15:2, "Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away. And every branch that bears fruit, He prunes that it may bear more fruit." I want you to get this. Sometimes the discomfort in your life is orchestrated by God. Because discomfort is sometimes the reality that God is doing some pruning.

Let me say something. If you're being pruned, that means you're of value to the kingdom of God. If you're not being pruned, you just in the kingdom of God. Watch this now. The fact that God is pruning you means that you are alive in Him. The dead branches are completely cut off and disposed of. But you understand this, there are many reasons for pruning a tree. One of the reasons is that proper pruning helps a tree grow into a healthy structure of limbs and branches and maintain longevity. Regular tree pruning encourages fruit production by eliminating dead branches that prevent the growth of new spurs. A strong, balanced tree, watch this now, is a better equipped to weather a major storm or natural disaster. Pruning also takes place to remove the dead or diseased branches. This is God. Men think they thought of pruning. No, Jesus says from the very beginning, "My Father prunes those He loves."

Now let me say something. Pruning is never done without pain because it means cutting. A doctor has a knife, when a doctor makes an incision, you bleed. A mugger has a knife, if he cuts you, you bleed. Is there a difference between the doctor's knife and the mugger's knife? I mean they both do the same thing, they cut you and either way you're going to bleed, you are hurt and you bleed. Is the mugger the same as the doctor? The obvious answer is, "Of course not." Even though they do the same thing, it's not the same. Please stay with me. The difference between a doctor and a mugger's knife is intent. The doctor's intent in cutting you is to fix something that's wrong in order to make you stronger. The mugger's intent is in cutting you is to break off something to make it weaker. They both do the same thing, but their intent is different. Listen to me now. The enemy and God, they will both cut you. But watch this now. Satan's intent is to destroy. Satan's intent is to disable. Satan's intent is to subjugate. God's intent, even if He has to cut you and let you bleed for a minute, is to prune you so that He can set you free, to enable you, to produce more fruit in your life for the kingdom of God by pruning your life, church, pruning your heart of things that are in your life that are not healthy and diseased.

Therapy does not help you come to the reality that the Christian life is not always comfortable, and it is sometimes that discomfort that comes from God. That is not really biblical therapy. One of the greatest problems in the church today is that in the place of absolute truth, we have submitted in the pulpit to relativism, pragmatism, existentialism, pantheism and many other isms, which make us desire to eliminate the parts that tell us that not only do you have to go through things sometimes in life to grow, but that when God seems to be hurting you, He is actually healing you. Everything is not a traumatic experience, it's a growth experience.

Therapy trend number three, regulating emotions without heart change. What does the Bible say? Ezekiel 36:26, "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you. I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a new heart of flesh." God doesn't just want us to learn how to regulate our emotions. He wants to heal our hearts. He wants to give us new hearts and new spirits. He wants to change some people's hearts. You see, some people go through therapists like some people go through churches. From therapist to therapist, because they are never challenged to believe and know that they don't have to spend the rest of their lives trying to suppress and keep their emotions under control every time something happens that has the power to send them violently reeling once again through a dark tunnel of gloom and doom and anger and despair. What does God say? Let me read it again. Ezekiel 36:26, "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you. I will make take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a new heart of flesh."

Now what will be the evidence that God has given you a new heart? Galatians 5:22-23, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace." Everybody say, "Peace." "Long-suffering." Oh, there's a word, not just suffering, long-suffering. "Kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, against such there is no law." Let me talk to you for a minute. There is no law that can produce this kind of fruit consistently. It is a work of the Spirit.

Therapy trend number four, validation without responsibility. For many, therapy, whether professional or your friends, from whom you seek therapy, there is validation without putting you in a corner and saying, "I know your pain is real. And yes, what was done to you was undeserved, nevertheless." What did you do or did you not do that would have kept you from this mess? Now let me talk to you. Too many times we seek out those only who will validate us but will never put our feet to the fire. We read Hebrews 12:11, but let's attach Proverbs 27:6 to it. "Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful."

I heard this testimony from a young lady named Jamie Bartlett. She and her husband Mike had been only married for a few months when they had an argument. In a fit of rage, she stormed out into the back porch, and she called her parents in Michigan, letting them know that she'd be on the first flight out of Philadelphia. She said, "I expected them to say, 'Of course, come home.'" Instead, her father informed her that home was not an option. She shouted, "You never told me I couldn't come home! Why are you being so unfair?" Listen to what he said. "Jamie, your gut reaction has always been to bail when things get difficult. Your marriage vows were for better or worse, until death do you part. I know you didn't think the for worse part was going to come so soon, but it did, and you need to learn to deal with it. You're not welcome in our home under those circumstances, you need to work things out with Mike."

After Jamie hung up that phone, she reluctantly did what you ought to do when you're going through stuff in life, she picked up her Bible, opened it up to Genesis 2:24, "For this reason, a man shall leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh." She said, "As I meditated on that, I began to realize that my impulse to run home when Mike and I got into a fight was disobedience to God." She said, "Sticking with my husband isn't something I only do when I feel like it, it's God's will for my marriage." She broke down in tears, this time in joy for a father who knew what was best for her and pointed her to God. She went inside, truly broken at the way she had treated Mike. After a brief internal internal tug of war, she sat down and explained the phone conversation she had. She said, "I'm sorry I turned my parents instead of you. From now on, I promise, I won't try to run home when things between us get tough." Then she said, "I still miss my parents. Living with them made me feel safe, and some days it's difficult knowing I'll never have that security again, but I'm learning that's not necessarily bad, because in leaving my parents, I experienced the joy that comes from cleaving only to my husband, and in doing that, I am pleasing God."

Let me tell you why I tell you that story. Jamie learned the lesson she needed to learn. But let me tell you what stuck out to me and I think was most important about her testimony. See, being a father of two daughters, I could feel what he must and most likely felt as he hung up the phone. She doesn't know how as a father, we are protectors. How difficult that was for her father to tell his baby girl, "If he's not abusing and misusing you, you can't come home. You stick it with it, you stick it out, obey God's Word and learn to grow together." Proverbs says this, "Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful."

I want to say something. Some of you, your enemies are the people who love you too much to tell you the truth. They love you too much to, while validating your feelings and emotions that they are real, they love you too much to tell you, "Be a big girl. Be a big boy. Stand up and take responsibility for your part in your mess." Listen to me now. When you are in therapy and the therapist validates your feelings about everything you feel, say, "Yay, so what," and then get moving in the right direction. There was one guy therapist. Every woman that came to him, he would tell them, "You need to leave your husband." No matter what the minor thing was, "You need to leave him." Finally, he found the one woman who listened to him. Guess who he's married to now? I'm just going to move on.

Therapy trend number five, forgiveness treated as optional. What does the Bible say? Matthew 18:21-25, "Peter comes to Jesus and he asked the question, 'Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him, up to seven times?'" Now, I never thought about this until yesterday, but Peter not only had a big mouth that God would use one day to make him one of the greatest preachers on Earth, but he also had a quick temper, which was proven when they came to get Jesus and crucify him, he cut off the ear of one of Jesus's enemies and without a thought, he thinks nothing of it. Then when the little girl accused him of being one of Jesus's disciples, Peter blew a spiritual gasket and he started cussing and swearing like a sailor. When I read this question of Peter, it made me wonder who was Peter angry with now. Who had Peter had enough of? Who was he tired of turning the other cheek to? Maybe he was saying to Jesus, "Lord, give me the answer that I'm desiring so I can just smack him upside his head."

Jesus answered totally opposite of Peter's desire. He said, "I do not say up to seven times, but up to 70 times seven." What was he trying to say? There should be no end to your forgiveness. He tells him the story, now watch this, church, of a king who had servants who owed him money. The king began to settle his accounts, a servant was brought to him that owed him big money. Now I want you to see this, church, he owed him 10 talents. The value of the talents, if calculated as silver talents, were worth $16 million. If calculated in gold, they were worth $67.5 million. Now this dude is in deep weed, he cannot pay back what he's supposed to pay, and the master commanded, that they did back in those days, that everything be sold. That meant the servant's wife and his children and anything he possessed had to be sold. This servant falls down, he begs him, he says, "Master, have patience with me, I will repay you all." The master was so moved with compassion that he released him, and he forgave the debt. Now I want you to hear what I just said. I thought about that, and I said, "That ain't me."

The king forgave nearly $16 million to possibly $67.5 million. Now watch what this dude does. He goes out, and he finds a fellow servant, who owes him 100 denarii, the equivalent of $11,733. He wraps his hand around his throat and he says, "Pay me right now what you owe." Are you hearing me? This dude, who had been forgiven millions of dollars worth of debt, goes and demands that a man who owes him just under $12,000, "Give it up now." This servant does the same thing to him that he did to the king. He says, "Please forgive me, give me grace." He throws the dude in prison until he pays off his debt. Now there were other servants standing around who saw what was happening. They go to the master, and they tell the master what happened, and the master he is really torqued now.

Verses 32-33, "The master calls the servant into his chambers, and he says, 'You wicked servant, I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. Should you not also have compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?'" The master was so angry, he reversed his decision and had him delivered to the torturers until he could repay his debt. Now this is just my imagination, this is not God talking, this is me talking, but I have the feeling that dude spent the rest of his life in prison. Verse 35, "Jesus said, 'So my Heavenly Father also will do if each of you from his heart does not forgive his brother's trespasses.'" Now I want you to really listen to what Jesus said. First and foremost, Jesus says, "Because the Father has forgiven our multitude of sins against His holiness, for us forgiveness is not an option." I want that to sink in. Watch this now. Secondly, Jesus says, "Forgiveness is not a flash in the pan statement that we just make to say we did it." It is not a flash in the pan statement. He says, "Forgiveness, watch now, even if you don't feel it right now, it must be from your heart." Let me talk to you. You can forgive people without feeling like it and mean it. Now, watch this. You must make a decision to forgive those who wound you intentionally, who hurt you, who are the ones that are the reason you're in therapy.

I don't know. That was good. Jesus said, "If you don't, you're going to find out a hard lesson in life, what goes around really goes around." No forgiveness, no forgiveness. In fact, Paul says this in Ephesians 4:32, "And be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ also forgave you." Earlier in verse 26, he said, "Be angry and do not sin." What is the sin that we are to avoid when we are angry? Listen closely, "Do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil." He's not saying that you don't need to go to bed, watch now, without forgiving the ones who hurt you. What he's saying is this, "He is saying, 'Make the decision even if you don't feel like it.'" And why does He say it? Hebrews 12:16, "Lest a root of bitterness springing up, cause trouble and by this, many are defiled."

Therapy trend number six, healing language without holiness. What does the Bible say? 1 Peter 1:15-16, "But as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, 'Be holy for I am holy.'" Now let me tell you something. I didn't realize they're still all out there, but they're all out there. We have these faith teachers who would have us to believe that by simply changing our language, how you speak, that's all it takes to turn your life around. Let me talk to us. Healing language without change is empty. And many people end up needing therapy and staying stuck in the place of needing constant therapy because what they really need is a long-forgotten word. Read my lips, "Repentance." Repentance.

Matthew 32:2, "Jesus said, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.'" Too many people are one step away from embracing the kingdom of heaven. Tyrone McCree says this, "Divided loyalty creates conflict. When our thoughts and actions are shaped more by the world's rules than the king's principles, our allegiance becomes blurred. This is why so many believers wrestle with compromise and unstable emotions. We are trying to live under two sets of governing values that cannot fully agree. Kingdom living boils down to this, 'Who's ruling your life? Is Jesus truly king or are you still sitting on the throne only calling on Him when it's convenient?'" A kingdom disposition doesn't just acknowledge the king, it reflects the king. It submits to His Word, His nature, His standards, and His Spirit. Listen now, it doesn't attend church, it lives under authority. It doesn't just admire righteousness, it pursues it. This life requires more than knowledge, it demands transformation. Transformation only happens when we practice kingdom living until it becomes permanent. Some people, the kind of therapy they need is to quit talking holy and start living holy.

One more time, divided loyalty creates conflict. Church, listen to me. True repentance redefines how we think about sin, righteousness, and life itself, aligning with the king and His kingdom. Hear this now, he goes on to say, "Sin profoundly distorts our minds, altering how we perceive God, righteousness, and life itself." It creates a false narrative, making God's law appear restrictive rather than life-giving. What does God's Word say? Psalm 24:3-4, "Who may ascend to the hill of the Lord or who may stand in the holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, nor sworn deceitfully." Without repentance, we remain trapped in a distorted mindset, unable to grasp and experience the fullness of God's kingdom. Now this, repentance restores our perception, enabling us to understand and align with the value of the kingdom, which in turn always keeps us, church, in our right mind.

Therapy trend number seven, these last few are very quick. Feelings leading instead of wisdom. I'm going to quote a preacher, and I made God a promise, I made myself a promise. I will not stand in the pulpit and call out people's names, but I will tell you when they're off, and this is off. When you get up in the morning, this is what he said, "Begin to speak good words about yourself." Not to God. "Eventually you'll begin to hear a voice on the inside of you begin to speak to you. That voice inside of you is your intuition. Usually that intuition, that first thought is the voice you should obey." What does God say? Proverbs 19:20, "Listen to counsel and receive instruction that you may be wise in your latter days." Ecclesiastes 7:8, "The end of a thing is better than its beginning, the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit."

Therapy trend number eight, cutting off people instead of learning boundaries. Let me qualify this by saying something. Number one, there are some people that you don't need to just kick out of your life, you just need to kick them out for a season. There are other people, you need to kick them out of your life for time and eternity. And then if they get to heaven, you just look at them and go, "Woo, I'm glad you got here." If you know what I'm saying. Now listen. Yet with that said, there is a dangerous trend among Christians today. We just have Christians who we disagree with and we just kick them to the side and kick them out. What does the Bible say? Matthew 18:15, "Moreover, if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone." Now there's a thought, between you and him alone. Let me say it again, between you and him alone. "If he hears you, you have gained your brother." Romans 12:18, "If it be possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men." Now, let me free you. Sometimes it is impossible for you to live peaceably with some men, and some women. But listen to me, you still are responsible for living within your power, as peaceably as you can with all men and all women.

Number nine, therapy trend, processing, replacing prayer. Here we go. There is what is known as CPT, cognitive processing therapy. Cognitive processing behavior therapy is a process that is specifically designed to treat post-traumatic stress, PTSD, or other forms of trauma. It is a type of psychotherapy in which negative thought patterns are challenged to have to change unwanted thinking, and it is often used to even treat depression and anxiety. It generally consists of 12 sessions lasting 60 to 90 minutes where the therapist guides patients through their understanding of their feelings and changing harmful beliefs. CPT teaches the patient to evaluate and change their upsetting thoughts since their trauma and therefore how they feel. Now let me say something. On the surface, there's not a problem with that. The problem is if you need a therapist to tell you what God already said, then they're going to have to go deep with you. What does God say? Philippians 4:6-7, "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything." Everybody say, "Everything." "By prayer and supplication." Oh, and by the way, "with thanksgiving." "Let your requests be made known to God and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds through Christ Jesus." Psalm 62:8, "Trust in Him at all times, you people, pour out your heart before Him, God is a refuge for us." Process it, let it go by taking it to the Lord in prayer.

And finally, therapy trend number 10, you deserve theology. I love what President John F. Kennedy said. He made a profound statement. Even as a little boy, it still rings in my ears when I heard it as a little boy. It needs to be applied to the church. "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country." Christians ought to follow suit and ask not what your church can do for you, ask what you can do for your church. But people are taught to go to churches and find out what they can do for you. I tell you what we can do for you. And I'm serious. We can bring you to a place where you will get healed, that you can stand at a door and usher and not be totally healed. And while you're serving your church and serving God, God will heal you while you're standing at your post. That's what we can do for you.

Listen to me very closely. The lie of the enemy when you are hurt is to sit down and soothe your wounds. The best time to play is when you're in pain. Because the moment you get your mind off of what you're going through, and start helping somebody else go through, God will pull you through. And so what does the Bible say? Then He said to all of them, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me." Colossians 3:23-24, "And whatever you do, do it heartily as unto the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive a reward of inheritance, for you serve the Lord Christ." See, one of the reasons that we don't get up and do anything or we stop doing what we're doing is because we think we're doing it for Eagle Heights. We think we're doing it for Bishop. "Well, I don't want him to be disappointed." No, what you need to understand is that what you do, you're doing it for the glory of God. And Jesus says, "Don't put your hand on My plow if you're not going to keep it there." That's what He says.

So here's the conclusion of the matter. Number one, therapy is a tool, God is the healer. Psalm 147:3, "He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds." Secondly, the culture of the kingdom is healing and deliverance. Romans 14:17, "For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit." You see, God's kingdom is marked by transformation of the whole man, not simply religious practices, it is marked by inner peace, joy, and a right relationship with God. Matthew 13:44, "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid, and for joy over it, he goes and he sells all that he has, and he buys that field." Here's the final thought, and then I want to close it by telling you something. There is nothing more valuable than the kingdom of God. Matthew 13:44, "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field, which has a man found and hid, and for joy over it, he goes and he sells all that he has and he buys that field."

Satan knows that there is nothing more valuable in your life than the kingdom of God and you aligning with it, church. That's why he works so hard in your life to discourage you. Because God has great purpose for you in the kingdom. And the evil one, listen now, he knows that he can't overthrow God's plan for your life, but he will try and convince you to forfeit it. He will stir up anxiety, he will whip up depression in your heart, he will agitate your thoughts. Listen to me closely. When we allow the enemy to bring anxiety into our life, we invite unnecessary warfare into our life. And God gives us this invitation in John James 4:8, "Draw nigh unto Me, and I will draw nigh unto you." Now I want you to listen to what I'm about to say as I give this illustration and I close.

From 2012 to 2015, Lady Brenda, Jessica Shauna, and myself, we have had 10 family members die. Lady Brenda's parents died in 2014 and 2015, almost a year separating their deaths. She found her biological mother in February, I believe, of 2020. She passed away in October of 2020. We were not able to attend her memorial service. From 2014 to 2015, I have had two uncles, two aunts, three first cousins I grew up with pass away, and because of my purpose, I could not attend their funerals. And just last Wednesday, as I'm pillowing my head about to fall asleep, a text message comes through. One of my cousins letting me know that another cousin who used to babysit us when we were kids had just passed away. Sometimes I am not the Apostle Paul but I feel like him in 2 Corinthians 11:23-28. He said, "Are they servants of Christ? I am out of my mind to talk like this. I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received of the Jews 40 lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked. I spent a night and a day in the open sea. I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles, in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at the sea, and in danger from false believers. I have labored and toiled and have gone without sleep. I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food. I have been cold and naked. Beside everything else, I face the daily pressures of concern for all the churches."

In 1 Kings 19:1-14, Elijah massacres Jezebel's 450 fake prophets. He was anointed by God. After that victory, he takes off running because Jezebel threatened to kill him before the day was over. He's hiding out in the side of a mountain, and he's hiding there because he, this anointed man of God, is under the pressure of depression. I'm telling you this not for you to feel sorry for me and my family, but to tell you this, that even for the people of God who stand in the pulpit, who lead you in the ministry of the church, I want you to understand that at least for me, sometimes the battle with depression is real. But I tell you this because I want to tell you how I've learned to overcome that battle. If you know even a little bit about the game of chess, and I know very little, you know that it all comes down to when the king on the other side can move no more. Once the king is trapped, the winning side declares checkmate. In the Louvre Museum in Paris, there once hung a painting that was painted by Frederick A. C. Resh. Today the painting is known as Checkmate. It is now in private hands, having been sold at a Christie's auction in 1999.

I saw this picture years ago, and the picture's intriguing power is that it shows two chess players, one is Satan who appears arrogant and confident. The other player is a man who looks forlorn. If Satan wins, he wins the man's soul. Here is the crux of the story, and please listen carefully. A chess grandmaster came upon this intriguing painting in that museum. It was alongside famous art such as the Mona Lisa. The grandmaster began to stare for a long time at the chessboard, and finally he noticed something unbelievably surprising. The typical interpretation of the painting, that the devil had the man in checkmate, was incorrect. Though the devil seemed to be the obvious winner, he was in fact not winning. The man who thought he was losing was actually winning. According to the arrangement of the pieces left on the chest, his king had one more move. This fateful move would make him the winner of the game. The grandmaster called the curator, and he determined that the title checkmate did not fit the scene because the forlorn looking player actually had the ability to defeat his opponent, though he didn't realize it. His king had one more move, but here's what I want you to see. You and I are not the true chess players in our lives. Jesus is the chess player. Colossians 3:3, "For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ." Revelation 1:18, Jesus told John the revelator, "I am he that liveth and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, amen, and I have the keys of hell and death." And Paul said, "This is the one who is alive forevermore." In Colossians 3:2-3, "So set your affections on things above, not on the things of this Earth." Keep a kingdom focus. Why? "For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ."

And so, listen to me closely, church. When temptation is strong to give over to depression and the power of discouragement, I picture this picture called checkmate. Except it's not a man sitting opposite of Satan. Looking forlorn and defeated and cast down, it is Jesus my King. And I remind myself, no matter what the evil one throws my way, the King has one more move. When troubles come, I remind myself, the King has one more move. If you lose your job today, I want you to know the King has one more move. If the doctors tell you this is unto death, don't you give up until God says it's over. You might find out that the King has one more move. When it seems that your kids are lost for all time and eternity, don't you let them go, because the King has one more move. Don't you be discouraged, the King has one more move. Now stay with me, church. Hold on to hope because Hebrews 6:19 says, "Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast." If you will hold on to hope, I will promise you by the testimony of preaching this gospel, that no matter what it is, the King has one more move. Listen now, He's right on time. He made the waters come down. Let me talk to you.

You need to know that the devil knows. When people plot and scheme against you, they seek to take you out. Remember, Jesus got up before the devil, stayed up longer than the devil. He lives not only forevermore, but to those who will believe Him, for those who will keep trusting Him and give yourself to the kingdom of God and go into a focus of the kingdom. It matters not, sit at the chess game of your life and realize that it is Jesus who is actually sitting there. And He is saying, "Don't you worry, I got one more move." Somebody shout, "Checkmate." Hallelujah. Does anybody believe that He has the last word? I said, "Does anybody believe that He has the last word?" If you believe today, come on and shout unto the Lord with a voice of praise. Glory, glory. Come on. Hallelujah. Glory.

Guest (Male): Bless him.

Bishop James E. Collins: I want to thank you for joining us today and for watching this message on our stream. We are flowing now from the worship of hearing and receiving God's Word into the worship aspect of giving into the Kingdom of God. And as God has spoken to your heart, I pray that you're able to join us in giving and bringing Him His tithe and our offering. I want to share a little piece that's very interesting that you might even find interesting. People were asked, "How much money would it take for us to have enough money?" Remarkably, every person said, "If I could have a 10% increase, it would be enough for me to live and have a comfortable lifestyle." I share that with you because it's interesting that God says, "But if you will give Me 10%" in Malachi 3 and verse 8 and verses all the way to verse 11. He talks about, "If you give Me that 10%, He says, 'You will have more than enough. There will be an overflow.'" So why is that number significant in your giving today? The number is significant in that, in your desire to live and have a healthy life, you want 10%. God says, "If you give Me 10%, I'll make your 10% multiply in your life."

And so as God leads your heart today, I ask you to first be obedient to the Lord and bring that 10%, that tithe, and then let the Holy Spirit speak to your heart as you give an offering above that. That will open the windows of heaven. I thank you in advance for your faithfulness in giving to the work of the Kingdom so that we might expand God's Kingdom. Let me pray for you now. Father, I thank You for these that have committed this day to be obedient to Your Word. Because, Lord, they understand that sometimes Thanksgiving is merely an act of obedience. And since we are thankful people, we obey You this day to bring You Your tithe and to give our offering. We thank You in advance that You will open the windows of heaven, pour out blessing, we will not have room to receive. We will be blessed spirit, soul, and body. And this we pray and believe for in Jesus' name. Amen. Just lift your hands where you are. Though you may not be in this sanctuary, you become aware that we have words on this wall that are not just words, they are the biblical words from the very throne room of heaven. Let me speak them over your life. May the Lord bless you and protect you. May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord show you His favor and give you His peace. God bless you as you receive it.