It'd Be a Bad Idea to Quit | Pastor Kenneth Leonard Jr. | Forward City Church

What's up family? I am Pastor Kenny and I have the privilege of sharing this morning at Forest City Church. I want to share a message with you that's called it be a bad idea to quit. It's based out of Exodus 16 where we see the children of Israel get into a desert and they start grumbling and complaining and they want to quit and go back.

But God has promise set ahead of them. God has purpose set ahead of them. And I want to tell you that it'd be a bad idea to quit. Listen, I want you to check out this message and I pray that it blesses you. Exodus 16. Are y'all ready for the word today? >> All right.

Listen. I'm not going to be long if y'all talk back to me. Y'all going to talk back to me this morning? >> All right. Incredible. Incredible. All right. Let's Let's get started. Let's go. Tap your neighbor. Say, "Let's go." Exodus 16 verse 1-5. The whole Israelite community set out from Elim and came to the desert of sin which is between Elilum and Sai on the 15th day of the second month after they had come out of Egypt.

They were in a place called Egypt. We know this story. They were slaves. They were in bondage. And God delivered them from Egypt and they're on their way to a place called uh Sai. And as they're on their way to Sai, they get stuck in a desert. All right, y'all said y'all was going to talk back to me.

In the desert, the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The Israelites said to them, "If only we had died by the Lord's hand in Egypt." Wait a minute. You just got out of Egypt and you saying, "I would rather die as a slave than live in freedom."

Can I speak into this room? You getting ready to experience the freedom of God that there not going to be any more chains, any more shackles. Somebody just scream free real quick. >> They was like, "In Egypt, it was cool. We sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted.

But you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death. Then the Lord said to Moses, "I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way, I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions."

Verse five. On the sixth day, they are to prepare what they bring in. And that is to be twice as much as they gather on other days. I want to take a moment and I want you to look at your neighbor and I want I want you to encourage them with our topic and after you say it, I want you to go crazy.

I want you to encourage them. It'd be a bad idea to quit. >> I want you to look at the other neighborhood say, "Look, it'd be a bad idea to quit. I know you've been thinking about giving up. I know you've been thinking about throwing in a towel.

I know they said it was over for you. You might have even said it was over. But can somebody take a moment and scream it out? It'd be a bad idea to quit. 
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 Quitting is an idea, but it's a bad one. It's a bad one. It's a bad one.

I um I found myself in the in between because I started out as a musician and uh God had me uh I was comfortable. Anybody ever just been comfortable? How many people know that comfort is the assassin to our purpose? I was comfortable. I knew the language. I could I knew my numbers.

I knew every I knew everything. I I was able to to be comfortable and and I understood my purpose and my calling to bring people into an awareness of the presence of God through music and song. And then there was one day in 2017, I was sitting on the side of my bed and I was minding my own business >> and God spoke to me and he said, "I'm calling you out from behind the keyboards and I'm placing you into being a senior pastor." >> Now, this don't make sense cuz can I let me let me give you the context here.

I had never preached a sermon ever. I had ne not a youth pastor, not even a tot nobody. This I ain't preached to nobody. And I was sitting there and God said, "I'm calling you into being a senior pastor." And I was like, "No." Anybody ever did that, Pastor Travis?

I didn't leave with my praise. Hallelujah. I didn't do that. I led with with with my resume. I don't have one there, God. That's this don't make sense. Anybody God ever place you in a place where it just didn't make sense? And I found myself stuck in the in between where it didn't make sense.

I was stuck in the in between. I didn't fit in where I was and the people that I used to hang with and the bros and the band, but I wasn't fitting in with the pastor crowd either. I was stuck in the in between. I want to talk to some people that says my my present don't look like my past and my present don't look like my promise.

I'm in the in between. God, if I'm honest, this space is confusing to me. God, if I'm honest, I don't know my up from my down, my left, from my right. I don't know which way to go. All I know is I'm stuck out here with a word from you.

And can I encourage you in this room that God is a man that he should not lie? If he placed you in the in between, it's cuz you're going somewhere. He's taking you towards purpose. and it's gonna be revealed to you as we go along. >> If I was honest, I was ready to throw in the towel.

I was ready to quit cuz I was like, "God, now this don't make sense. I done got out here." He had us to start a Bible study in 2020. And if you can remember, 2020 was the year of our Lord AD that he decided to shut everything down.

Yeah. >> And who starts a church in 2020? >> And we had it planned, bro. We had it planned out. We was getting ready to do the the uh worship nights, purpose nights, and we had the school building planned out and we was ready for the people to come and God said, "Ain't nobody coming."

He said, "I need you to sit down and preach the word to this computer >> in the in between." And I started trusting God. And I said, "God, I don't know what I'm doing. This is terrible." God said, "Just trust me, God. I don't I don't understand this."

God said, "Just trust me, God. It don't make sense. Just trust me. Just trust me." Can I tell you? I don't know what it is you're dealing with right now, but you got to just trust them. There's some people in this room that just started on a campus and said, "God, I was cool at home.

I had three meals a day, but now I'm showing up here and I I just got to trust you." It's some people that saying, "Look, in about a year, it's going to be easy. Woo. It's going to be easy for me to just go back home to a place of comfort.

But can I tell you, God has called you out into your purpose, and it'd be a bad idea for you to give up and quit." They used to say this when I got to college. They was like, "Look to your left and look to your right, cuz one of them people not going to be here when the next year."

But can I declare in this room that you getting ready to finish all four? That you getting ready to make it all the way through? That you getting ready to start the new job and you're going to succeed? That you're getting ready to start the new business and you're not going to quit.

I just need about 30 people to jump up in faith and said, "I'm not going to quit. I'm not going to quit. I'm not going to quit. 
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 If he brought you there, he brought you there with purpose. >> We see in 16:2, Israel, they just made it through Egypt.

They just showed up out of bondage. It says in verse two that they were grumbling. Somebody say, Now I'm like, >> you just got free. What? >> He just brought you out. What? >> Is anybody in here that ever got a short memory that God just did that for you, but it was a little while ago and and now you starting to complain and grumble about the stuff that you prayed for?

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 grumbling, >> complaining. But I found a place of empathy because I see I see it. I see Israel and they showing up and they're like, "Well, I didn't think I was ever going to be free." And now I'm at this Red Sea and it looked like I'm going back and now God delivered me from this and we make it through and I see my enemies that go down behind me and and now I'm in a desert starving.

Is there anybody in this room that's ever had God lead them into a desert? What do you do when God leads you to the desert? See, we think that when God is leading us somewhere, all the doors are open, everything is going to be good. But sometimes God will lead us to a dry place. >> Is it anybody that said, "Listen, I prayed.

I fasted. I showed up. I sold. I gave my gift. I I served on the on the city teams and I did everything you told me to do, God. And it seems like you stuck me here in this desert. So, I'm out here pastoring and God takes us to this building and he says, "This is your building."

And I believed him, but my bank account was like, "Anybody God ever told you something?" And you like, "But you you realize now I hear you. I hear you God. But banger America, can I tell you this? God has never called us to do anything that we got enough to do it.

He said, "I refuse to allow you to be in a space where you think you can do it without me." So he told us I was, it was his building. He said, "I don't need your funds. I need your faith." And so we stood up in faith and we stood up on that stage and we said, "God said, this is our building."

And we went to meet the banker and the banker said, "Y'all going to need a million dollars." And I was like, "But the bank account ain't a" And so he he he told us no. And then we went to another banker. They told us no. We went to a private group.

They told us no. >> How many people know no just means next opportunity? They told us no. And I'm standing out here in the middle and I'm like, God, this don't make sense. I followed you. I believed in you. I had faith. I did everything right. And I'm stuck here and I'm in a space where it doesn't feel like I got no favor.

It doesn't feel like I got any grace. It feels like I have no connection. Somebody wave at me if I'm talking to you. God, I'm standing out here on faith. I don't know what's going on. I don't have the resources. I It's This feels worse than where I was.

This feels worse than where I was. It'd be easier for me to stay back cuz I prayed for the marriage and now it feels like I'm in a dry place. But God is saying it'd be a bad idea to quit here. I got purpose. I just need you to water your marriage.

I I I need you to look back in where you was cuz God uh can I talk to some people that was like, you know what, it was a lot easier when I could hustle and get it. 
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 >> I knew how to scam with the best of them.

I could hustle it. Give me about a week, a couple days. I could flip it and turn it into a few thousand dollar. And God is saying, "No, no, no, no, no, no. I'm training you to trust me. I'm training you to trust me through your tire. I'm training you, God.

Listen, I got married, but I used to have a roster and if one didn't pick up, the another one would. And God is saying it'd be a bad idea to go back. I just need a few people that says, "God, I'm still trusting you when I can't trace you.

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 I know it seemed like it'll be easier, but the best thing is the block. Hello, DN D. 
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 Just look for it. Y'all y'all y'all ain't got to scream at this one. I get it. I've been there. I get it. God is saying it's not easier to go back.

Sometimes, here's what we see in the scripture. Sometimes God will force our faith. >> He will force our faith. He will bring us into a desert, into a dry place where that you can't lean on what was. All you got to do is trust what's happening right now.

And God is saying, "Do you trust me to be your daily bread? Yesterday's faith won't get you through today's promise. Do you trust me to be your daily bread? I need to get you into a space where I got to force you to. Is there anybody in this room that has a testimony that says, "I've been in a position where I had no other choice but to trust him.

I had to trust him for the oodles and noodles. I had to trust him to get the light bill paid. I had to trust him to raise these children. I had to trust him to get these A's. I had to trust him. I need some people to just jump on your feet and take about 10 seconds cuz he brought you through.

Thank you for training me to trust you. Thank you for training me to trust you. Thank you for training me. 
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 Pray for a miracle and he plac you in isolation. 
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 training us to trust him. It >> here's what I realized. Exodus 16 was not just about God bring raining down bread.

It wasn't just about bread. It was about him breaking their cravings. >> It's 11 o'clock, so I can get real. I can get real. >> Sometimes I do want to go back to Egypt. >> Sometimes I do want to answer the call. Sometimes >> sometimes I do want He said, "If I let if I left this to you on your own, will you might just go back." >> Anybody that say if I was honest, sometimes I do have a craving.

And God said, "I got to put you in spiritual detox. spiritual rehab cuz God if I got to do it in my own strength I can't do it God if I got to do it can I tell you there's nothing that you can do without the Holy Spirit >> and you shall receive power you shall receive power scream power >> that God has not left you he has not forsaken you and he said I know that you got to fight through this moment I I know that is tough.

I know that is hard. But I didn't leave you to your own defenses. I'm giving you power. >> We know one of the characteristics of God is that he's confrontational. Somebody say confrontational. >> We see that God confronts the people in the in the uh in the temple and he start Jesus starts flipping off tables.

We see that Jesus confronts Judas and and he says, "Whatever you getting ready to do, go on and bust a move." >> Anybody that's like that, look, look, it's it's up to you. Whatever you want to do, you just go on and do it. We're going to take care of it one way or the other.

He starts talking to Peter and he confronts Peter and he says, "Get thee behind me, Satan." We since Jesus is God's representation, we can we can pretty confidently say that God is a confrontational God. And maybe he Y'all ready for this? >> Y'all ready for this? >> Maybe God was really confronting what was feeding them.

Can I tell you that God will fight your battles for you? >> It's some things that we've been trying to break through, break from in our own strength. And God is saying, "I know you can't fight this alone." And so, I'm going to give you provision so that I can confront what's been feeding you.

I'm going to give you daily bread so that I can stand in the gap and say all of those addictions, you got to stay at bay. I'm going to fight this battle. You just keep eating the daily bread. All of those strongholds, I'mma fight this battle. You just keep eating the daily bread.

All of this sickness, you stay at bay. You just keep eating the daily bread. He's saying, "I'm going to fight the battle. You got one job, and that's to keep eating." I need some people to throw their hands up and say, "This is how I fight my battles.

I fight it with my hands lifted. I fight it with my praise." I need you to be a take about 10 seconds and fight your battle. Fight it. Fight it. Fight it. 
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 The battle is not yours. It's the Lord's. And you don't have to fight in your own strength.

All you got to do is throw your hands up and let Jehovah fight your battles. Somebody say, "God is fighting for me. 
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 >> If I hold my peace, >> let he'll let you fight it. >> But if you hold your peace, sometimes he'll muzzle you and he'll he'll begin to fight for you.

Sometimes he'll shut you up and speak up for you on your own behalf. I declare that God is getting ready to fight the battles for you. >> And so here we are rushing to a close cuz y'all said y'all was going to talk back and y'all did. Somebody said it'd be a bad idea to quit.

Watch this. Don't Don't quit cuz it looks funny. Don't quit cuz it looks funny. >> They prayed and they prayed and they prayed and they said, "God, we we hungry. We we just want some bread if you if God said, "I'm going to give you bread." But he answered their prayer.

He answered their request, but not their expectation. >> They prayed for food, but they got flakes. That word man uh in Hebrew, it means what is this? Anybody ever prayed to God for something and it rained down and you're like what is this? Anybody ever find themselves in the s what is this?

Everything looked funny. My friends acting funny. My family acting funny. My bank account look funny. My grades look funny. What is this? Is it anybody that's ever been in a Yes, sir. >> Some of us get frustrated cuz the answer didn't show up looking like what we dreamed. >> Anybody ever Uber Eats?

Door Dash. I had I placed an order last week cuz I wanted some Do y'all jud, bro? Do y'all judge? Okay. I wanted some lemon pepper. All flats. I knew I was in the right church. Extra extra crispy. Now wait. I got to see where my where my wing connoisseur is at.

Wave your hand. We're going to see if I need the blue cheese. I don't want the ranch. Huh? I lost about half the room. They must be Clemson fans. 
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 So, it showed up to the house. I was ready. Anybody ever just I got a taste. I'm ready for these wings.

It showed up to the house. I open up the bag and it was a salad. 
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 Very funny, Mr. God. It was a Sally. And I'm the type person that's going to click that help button and be like, "No, you going to give me my money back cuz I wanted the lemon pepper extra extra crispy all flats with the blue cheese and I got a salad."

Grumbling. Watch this. I was getting ready to throw it away and God spoke to me and checked me in the spirit. He said, "You rejecting something that can still feed you just because it didn't match your preference." God says, "I'm not in the business of matching your preference.

I'm in the business of matching your promise." Is it anybody in the room that says whether it looks like what I imagined or not, God, whatever you send me, I'm stepping into the promise. I need some people to jump on your feet and just start stepping into it, God.

However it looks, I'm stepping into it, God. However it shows up, I'm stepping into it. 
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 It didn't show up because it wasn't what I wanted. But it was what I needed. No, y'all laugh too hard. Wait a minute. I've been working out. I lost 18 lbs cuz he knew what I needed.

And sometimes I show up to work out and my trainer tell me to do one thing and I'll complain, but I'll do it anyway. And I looked up too much later and there was some weights that was on me that fell off. There was some weights that was on me that was no more.

I declare that through your obedience, weights are falling off. Enemies are the enemy that you see today, you will see no more. I need some people to say I'm stepping in obedience. It don't make sense, but I'll obey. I don't like it, but I'll obey. 
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 >> Say yes. to your will and to your >> Sometimes we got to say yes to his weight. >> The all powerful God that's parting seas and raining down mana could have could have gave them food at any time.

But he made them wait. He made He said, "I'm not training you into your preference. I need to train you to trust me. Here it is. Don't quit because it requires some work. Oh, y'all got real quiet up. No, we want to name it and claim it. Grab it and blab it.

Miracles are coming. Millions are coming. >> What? What? What if the millions come down in the form of a job? >> What if the provision came with a process? God, I I prayed for for overflow for Proverbs 3:9. I prayed for overflow, but but you you you you gave me a budget because sometimes the promise requires a process 
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 if you're not faithful over the $10.

You can't be faithful over the 10 million 
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 that you got a $10 drug habit. You okay? But a $10 million, that's a problem. He says, "I'm training you to trust me." And can I challenge you for a city that in this season that God is giving you a process to your promise that it might just not show up looking like unleavened bread or Hawaiian rolls, but God may rain down dough and say whatever it is you do with it is going to determine whether or not you eat.

In this season, God is dropping down everything that you need. All that we need. His hand has provided. And my God shall supply all of my needs according to his riches in glory. Somebody say, "I got everything that I need." >> I need you to say it like you mean it.

Cuz some of us been saying, "I ain't got it. I got everything that I need." And I can I declare that it's going to be fresh. 
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 new mana every day. You can stand to your feet. I'm done. Don't quit cuz it's just a test. Verse four, God says, "I'mma give them what they've been grumbling about.

I'mma give them what they been complaining about. I'mma give them the grace. I'mma give them what they need so that I can test them to see if they will follow my instructions." What if this desert season God is using not just to reveal something to you to to him, but sometimes God will use a desert season to reveal something to us? >> Sometimes the teacher uses the test and they already know where we are.

You you ever took a test and you left out of there was like I killed that and you get your I didn't even know you could go that low now. I do I know I did better than that because sometimes they'll use a test to reveal something to us.

But I declare that God's getting ready to flip it. And you might be saying, "I didn't think I was doing that good." And you get back a perfect score. Can somebody raise their hands and say, "I'm not going to flunk this test." that God is using this test to show me everything that I need so that when I show up in the promise that I'll be able to walk into my purpose.

Lift your hands. Here's the last point. We see that he tells them on the sixth day to gather twice as much cuz on the seventh day I need you to rest. Can you just talk to yourself for a moment and say, "Don't quit. >> Rest. >> Rest." Bro, here's what blew my mind.

Every single day, the provision that he that he sent them rotted every day except for the sixth day. There's some people in this room that's been saying, "I can't rest." That I can't. It's too many people depending on me. It's I can't sit down. If I sit down, I'mma lose my momentum.

If I sit down, it's all going to fall apart. And God is saying, I need to train you to trust me on a day that you feel like you need to be productive. I'm giving you the gift of rest. The only day the mana didn't didn't didn't spoil was connected to their obedience.

Somebody say rest. >> Rest. rest. I'mma drop this nugget on you. I was It was a couple years ago and Pastor Travis called me and we was just talking. He's like, "Bro, you know what's going on?" I said, "Man, if I if I'm be honest, I I'm tired."

He was like, "Well, that's easy. Rest." He said this to me. I want you to write it down if you can. He said, "Rest is trust." Then he said, "Rest is a weapon 
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 because you receive the shalom, the rest peace that God is getting ready to make you a weapon.

That the stuff that used to beat you up, the stuff that used to knock you down, God is turning you into a weapon. And you're getting ready to step over things that used to trip you up. You getting ready to be a water walker and things that that other people sink in, you're getting ready to walk on.

Rest is a weapon. Throw your hands up. And can we take five seconds and just receive the rest of God? Let it sink in. You've been running and running and running. And some of us been wanting to quit. Not cuz we don't believe in a purpose, just cuz we tired. >> But can I tell you that God is getting ready to let you get more done in six days than everybody else is getting done in seven rest.

Father God, thank you for your word. That reminds us that we just got to trust in you. We can trust you to be our daily bread. I'm not going to trust in what happened yesterday, but I'm going to trust you daily. Every day been my daily bread. And so God, as we walk out of here today, we walk with fresh perspective.

Help us to see like you see. Help us to see that we have everything that we need. and if we just obey you that we'll walk into daily bread and it's going to be fresh. God, we know you some of the things you've called us to, you we've never seen before.

It's fresh. There's no blueprint for it. But I pray for divine blueprints to rain down like mana from heaven. And God, as we step into your obedience, we'll be able to give you glory through our lives. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Amen. Can somebody give God a hand clap of praise?

Listen, thank you so much for watching this message. It'd be a bad idea to quit. I hope and I pray that it was a blessing to you, that it transformed your life. And uh I just ask that you do one thing. If it was a blessing to you, can you like can you share this with somebody else that it'll be a blessing to and subscribe to this channel so that you can stay a breast of everything that God is doing through Forward City Church.

Listen, you be blessed. I love you.