October 10, 2026
Don't Act Wild
Pastor TJ Tyus
The Message
The One Thing
When life gets wild — when something you can't manage or control hits you — the test isn't whether you'll face a challenge. It's whether you'll act wild back, or do what David did at his lowest point: encourage yourself in the Lord.
The video opens at the start of the message.
DON'T ACT WILD
This Week's Message
What He Said
Where there's no challenge, there's no change
You can't get stronger without going all the way down to a full squat. God doesn't skip the process that makes you who He's calling you to be.
Encourage yourself in the Lord is an action, not a feeling
The Hebrew word for "encourage" means to take courage — David didn't wait to feel better, he went and found something to be encouraged about.
1 Samuel 30:6
Focus determines feelings, feelings determine actions, actions determine results
The FOCUS reset: Find your feet, Observe your focus, Check the meaning, Select one next step.
New Year Doesn't Mean New
Just because God gives you a new year doesn't mean it's going to be new. You have to get the new out of the year — that only happens if you move forward.
Where There's No Challenge, There's No Christ
Without challenge, there's no change. Without tension, there's no growth. TJ's gym-trainer illustration: a client wanting to get stronger but refusing to go down to a full squat — "that don't count... go again." God won't call it time until you've done the full rep.
When In The Wild, Don't Act Wild
"Wild" means uncontrolled, unmanaged, chaos. When we hit an area of life we can't manage, many of us lose control right along with it — even after we've studied and preached the word.
Encourage Yourself in the Lord (1 Samuel 30:6)
David was greatly distressed — a state of anxiety, sorrow, or pain. He encouraged himself in the Lord: in Hebrew, "encourage" means to take courage. It's an action — he didn't wait for something to happen to feel better; he went and found something to be encouraged about.
You Haven't Built the Strength to Use the Word
Illustrated with a replica sword and two volunteers: confidence without experience is heavy and hard to hold; confidence built through practice makes the same weight feel light. "Your level of education and experience determines your level of confidence." Many of us have the word but haven't built the strength — through trials — to actually wield it.
Whose Business Are You In? (Luke 2:49)
At 12, Jesus was already about His Father's business. When you're tested, you respond out of whatever business you've been in all week — your own distractions and comparisons, or God's.
The Focus Reset
Focus determines feelings. Feelings determine actions. Actions determine results. When life gets wild: Find your feet (breathe, reset your body language), Observe your focus (what has your attention right now), Check the meaning (what's fact, what's assumption — use truth), Select one next step (the one wise, faithful thing you can do now).
The Valley of Praise (2 Chronicles 20)
Jehoshaphat's army was outnumbered and surrounded. Instead of complaining, they sang praise — and God caused their enemies to defeat each other; the army never had to fight. The question for all of us: is your valley a valley of pity, complaining, worry — or praise?
Do Not Just Read It
This Week's Assignment
This week, every time you catch yourself stacking up an "and" of complaints, stop and swap it for a "but" — name the hard thing, then say what you still trust God for.
0 of 5 done this week
Monday
Name Your Wild
What area of your life feels uncontrolled or unmanaged right now? Write it down honestly — then write one thing you know is true about God in that area.
1 Samuel 30:6
Tuesday
Check the Meaning
Think of the last time you felt hurt, overlooked, or disrespected. What's the actual fact, and what's the meaning you added to it?
2 Chronicles 20:12
Wednesday
Build the Strength
What's one "full squat" you've been avoiding — the thing you know would stretch you, but you keep stopping short of?
Hebrews 11:6
Thursday
Whose Business Are You In?
Whose situation have you been watching or comparing yourself to this week, instead of focusing on what God's called you to do?
Luke 2:49
Friday
The Valley of Praise
Name your current valley out loud. Will you let it be a valley of complaining, or will you make it a valley of praise today?
2 Chronicles 20:21-22
The full message, edited for reading, with the slides built in.
TAKE COURAGE.
The Word
FULL SQUAT.
Your Move This Week
VALLEY OF PRAISE.
Arise and Build