Dharius Daniels - I Can't Win That Way

I want to read a few verses of scripture found in the book of 1 Samuel, chapter 17, beginning at verse 38. Let’s do this! We are one Church in multiple locations. Let’s say what’s up to our New Jersey family and welcome them into the room! What’s up, New Jersey? We’re in week two of this brand-new series called «It’s Up.» 1 Samuel, chapter 17, verse 38 says this: «Then Saul dressed David in his own tunic. He put a coat of armor on him and a bronze helmet on his head. David fastened on his sword over the tunic and tried walking around because he was not used to them. ‘I cannot go in these, ’ he said to Saul, ‘because I’m not used to them.’ So he took them off. Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd’s bag, and with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine.» I want to stop right there and talk from the subject, «I Can’t Win That Way,» in our time together. Clap your hands at every location if you’re ready for God’s word! As a church family, we have dubbed and designated the year 2024 as the Year of the Upgrade. Somebody say, «It’s Up!» An upgrade refers to an improvement or enhancement; it’s when you experience advancement not because you added something new, but because you improved something old. This revelation is based on the reality that God doesn’t have to, listen to this, He doesn’t have to add something new to do something new. God can do a new thing with an old thing, and I’m just believing that this will be your testimony this time next year. As you reflect in 2025 on what happened in 2024, my prayer is that you’ll be able to look at what was an old thing and say God made it a new thing. He improved it; He enhanced it; He upgraded it. God can do a new thing with an old thing, and that’s what we’re believing for this year—an upgrade. And not just any ordinary upgrade; we’re believing for accelerated upgrades. We are a people who believe in biblical quantum leaps. We reject the notion that all growth has to be incremental. While there may be some things that happen incrementally, when we read our Bible, we see that God can do some things exponentially. In other words, just because God is doing it big doesn’t mean He has to do it slow. I just want to say this, just in case somebody needs to hear it at any location. I want to say it just in case it resonates with your soul. I want to say it just in case I’m giving language to what you feel in the recesses of your heart. There are some things that will happen this year that will occur big and fast. Okay, only 37 people at every location received that. God said just because it’s big doesn’t mean it has to happen slowly. I can do some stuff big and fast. I’ll make your phone ring, and it’ll change your life. You’ll open your email, and it’ll change your life. I’ll send you a text, and it’ll change your life. There are people watching you that you don’t even know are watching you. There are people vetting you whom you don’t even know are vetting you, and sooner or later, I feel it—it’s going to turn in your favor! It’s turning around for me! Somebody say, «Big, fast! Big, fast! Big, fast!» Yeah, you can wait on God. God said in this season, in some areas, I don’t have to wait on Him; He’s giving me the green light. This New Year’s Eve, He’s giving me the green light. In some areas, I’m not waiting on Him. In some areas, yes, sir, He’s waiting on me! [Applause] Yes! And in this first series of the first month of the new year, here we are attempting to initiate an upgrade in the most consequential and catalytic area of our lives. We are attempting to initiate and inaugurate an upgrade in our spiritual life. Watch this: our spiritual life isn’t just one important part of our life; it is the most important part of our life because it affects everything that’s important. Did you hear what I just said? I said our spirituality isn’t the only important part of our life, but it’s the most important part because it impacts everything else that’s essential. God is aware of this because He wired us this way, and the enemy is aware of this too, which is why he attacks us from this revelation. The place where I need to grow the most is often the place he makes it hardest to grow. Come on here, am I making sense? Yeah! So, this series is intended to aid and assist us in upgrading our spiritual life, and last week we shared with you that upgrades require open minds. It means we must be willing to consider new perspectives on ancient truths. This means we don’t change our spirituality—we don’t do that—but we revisit how we’ve been practicing it and ask ourselves honest questions: Is the way I’ve been practicing it actually giving me the results that have been promised in the scripture? Because last week we taught you that Jesus said in John 10:10, «The thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy, but I have come that you might have life and have it to the full.» Come on, Church! And last week, we communicated that…