Loved for a Reason - Stephanie Ike
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00:00:00 Amen.
00:00:03 Thank you, Jesus. Thank you,
00:00:13 Lord. Thank you, Lord. I send
00:00:14 greetings from our senior
00:00:15 pastors, Pastor Trey Roberts
00:00:16 and Pastor Sarah Jakes Roberts.
00:00:18 Can we also honor them in the
00:00:23 house? Amen.
00:00:26 Family, before we are seated, I
00:00:27 want to read this scripture for
00:00:29 you. It's from Matthew 3.17.
00:00:32 We are going to be reading from
00:00:35 Matthew 3.17. It says, and
00:00:38 suddenly a voice came from
00:00:41 heaven saying, this is my
00:00:45 beloved son in whom I am well
00:00:47 pleased. Heavenly Father, we
00:00:49 thank you. You are worthy, oh
00:00:52 God. You are worthy for the
00:00:55 very breath that we breathe.
00:00:57 We thank you that we live. And
00:01:00 we thank you that you are going
00:01:01 to continue to have your way in
00:01:04 and through us. Lord, I pray
00:01:05 that you would use this word and
00:01:08 minister to each of your sons
00:01:09 and daughters in such a unique
00:01:11 way that it will pierce through
00:01:13 every callousness of the heart
00:01:15 and it will speak to their
00:01:17 spirit. Have your way in Jesus
00:01:21 name. Amen. Amen. You may be
00:01:25 seated. My message today as you
00:01:29 may be taking notes is loved for
00:01:33 a reason. Love for a reason. I
00:01:36 like it too. I like it too. You
00:01:40 know, just to give you a little
00:01:41 backstory before the scripture,
00:01:46 Jesus, the one who existed
00:01:49 before time, Jesus, the one who
00:01:53 created everything. Before him,
00:01:56 everything was made. Every
00:01:59 single thing. He is known as the
00:02:02 word that became flesh. This
00:02:06 Jesus. You see, from the very
00:02:09 beginning of creation, he was
00:02:11 right there. There was the
00:02:13 moment when God in creating us,
00:02:17 he says, let us make man in our
00:02:22 presence. He was present in
00:02:24 that moment. God the father,
00:02:26 God the son, and God the Holy
00:02:29 Spirit. And he says, let us
00:02:32 make man this Jesus. But after
00:02:35 the fall of man, literally the
00:02:38 word of God tells us how he had
00:02:42 instructed both Adam and Eve in
00:02:44 the garden, there was a
00:02:46 forbidden tree, right? And he
00:02:48 tells them, do not eat of this
00:02:50 fruit, because when you do, you
00:02:53 will surely die. And the enemy
00:02:57 had his little trickeries. He's
00:03:00 like, no, if you eat of it, you
00:03:02 will be as wise as God. They
00:03:04 were already created in the
00:03:06 image of God. Right? So they
00:03:09 eat of the fruit. And you might
00:03:11 be wondering when you read the
00:03:13 story, they didn't die. So what
00:03:15 did God mean? It wasn't about
00:03:17 natural death. It was talking
00:03:19 about spiritual death. Because
00:03:23 when Jesus came on the scene,
00:03:26 Jesus tells us things like, I
00:03:29 have come that you may have
00:03:30 life and life more abundantly.
00:03:35 Now that word for life in the
00:03:37 Greek is Zoe. And it speaks to
00:03:40 the God kind of life. Jesus
00:03:44 said, you're not supposed to
00:03:45 live in this ordinary fashion.
00:03:49 You're supposed to express the
00:03:52 essence and the nature of God to
00:03:56 all creation. That I created you
00:03:59 in my image. And the moment you
00:04:01 bow down to the enemy, you lost
00:04:05 the essence of my image. That's
00:04:08 why homework, you should do
00:04:09 this. You know, when you start
00:04:12 just read the whole book of
00:04:13 Genesis. But somewhere along
00:04:16 the book, you're going to see
00:04:17 how in the beginning, he talks
00:04:19 about how we were created after
00:04:22 the likeness and the image of
00:04:24 God. But then after some time,
00:04:27 when Adam and Eve start having
00:04:29 kids, I believe it was with
00:04:31 Seth, one of their sons named
00:04:33 Seth. It says, and he was
00:04:35 created after the image and
00:04:37 likeness of Adam. So we started
00:04:41 taking on the nature of the
00:04:44 fallen man and no longer the
00:04:47 nature of the image and the
00:04:51 likeness of God. And so in the
00:04:54 justice system of God, because
00:04:57 everything in the spiritual
00:04:58 realm has order. In order for
00:05:01 God to restore us back to him,
00:05:04 to reconcile us back to him, it
00:05:07 required the blood of him. And
00:05:13 so Jesus now has to step down
00:05:17 from his God life and come
00:05:20 through his own creation. So he
00:05:24 comes on the scene. Now Jesus
00:05:27 is on the scene and for 30
00:05:30 years, he's hidden in plain
00:05:32 sight. Everyone knows him from
00:05:36 the Bible. Everyone knows him
00:05:38 for people that knew him as
00:05:40 Mary's boy. Mary and Joseph's
00:05:43 first child. That's how they
00:05:46 saw him. They saw when he was
00:05:48 learning how to walk. I don't
00:05:50 think they had bicycles back
00:05:52 then. So when he learned his
00:05:54 first camel ride, they notice
00:05:58 all of that with Jesus. So
00:06:02 they're looking at him like
00:06:04 he's a God. And what I love
00:06:06 about this so much is it also
00:06:08 reveals to you the importance
00:06:10 of timing. That God is a God of
00:06:15 times and seasons. And
00:06:18 everything has to happen in its
00:06:21 time. And the first service of
00:06:23 something so beautiful the Lord
00:06:25 revealed, because you see many
00:06:27 times even in our lives, we get
00:06:30 so caught up because we're
00:06:32 talented, because we feel
00:06:34 gifted, because we feel
00:06:36 beautiful, that God should just
00:06:38 open all the doors. God, do you
00:06:40 see how talented I am? Do you
00:06:43 know that Jesus was Jesus from
00:06:46 being a baby to when he turned
00:06:48 30? He was the same Jesus. But
00:06:51 he came in order for all things
00:06:54 to be fulfilled in the manner it
00:06:56 needed to be. He had to come in
00:06:58 the form of humanity. So he had
00:07:01 to grow in his understanding.
00:07:03 The Bible literally tells us he
00:07:05 grew in wisdom and understanding
00:07:08 because he took on this nature.
00:07:11 And so Jesus, there were times
00:07:13 where Jesus was impatient. 12
00:07:16 years old, read about it. Jesus
00:07:19 and his family, they're going to
00:07:21 the temple. They leave the
00:07:23 temple, Jesus doesn't even say
00:07:25 hey, nothing. He just stays
00:07:27 behind. And then along the way,
00:07:29 Mary and Joseph are like, wait,
00:07:31 we're missing one. So they go
00:07:35 back and Jesus has an attitude.
00:07:38 He says, don't you know, I must
00:07:42 be about my father's business.
00:07:45 And when we read it, we're like,
00:07:47 yes, Jesus, but no. It was not
00:07:51 time. That's why afterwards we
00:07:55 learned that he became obedient
00:07:57 to his parents because it's not
00:07:59 time. You have not been revealed
00:08:02 by the father to the world that
00:08:04 you are Jesus. Right now you are
00:08:07 still Mary's boy. So even in his
00:08:10 humanity, he had to be developed.
00:08:14 You see, you have to learn that
00:08:16 God is not impressed by what he
00:08:18 can give you. God is not
00:08:21 impressed that you're talented.
00:08:23 God is not impressed that you
00:08:25 have skills. God is not
00:08:27 impressed by how you sound or
00:08:28 how you look because it came
00:08:29 from him. What God watches is
00:08:33 what he cannot give you
00:08:34 directly. Fruits of the spirit.
00:08:38 Because in order for it to be
00:08:39 cultivated in you, it requires
00:08:42 alignment and partnership with
00:08:45 the Holy Spirit. God cannot
00:08:48 give you patience. God cannot
00:08:51 gift you with self-control. God
00:08:54 cannot gift you with kindness.
00:08:58 These has to be developed
00:09:00 through intimacy with the Holy
00:09:02 Spirit. And these are the things
00:09:04 God watches for before he
00:09:06 releases you. Because everything
00:09:09 that you brag about, he gave it
00:09:11 to you. So he's not moved by
00:09:13 that. Do you know that even
00:09:16 after Lucifer, Satan fell, God
00:09:19 didn't take away his beauty?
00:09:21 And he is stunning in his true
00:09:25 form. Because God is not
00:09:27 impressed by his beauty. He,
00:09:29 God did not take away the
00:09:31 essence in which he made him
00:09:32 because I gave that to you. I'm
00:09:34 not impressed by that. What God
00:09:38 is impressed by is what your
00:09:40 life can express. Because God
00:09:43 does not build on your gift. He
00:09:46 builds on your character. He
00:09:48 builds on the fact that he can
00:09:50 trust you with weight. And not
00:09:53 that he would give you
00:09:54 something and it will be
00:09:56 compromised in your hands. So we
00:09:59 go back and we're looking at
00:10:00 Jesus in this moment. Because
00:10:03 now we see that Jesus, he is
00:10:06 ready for what is ahead. And
00:10:10 oftentimes we would read this
00:10:11 scripture and we only see from
00:10:14 the perspective of before Jesus
00:10:17 came into the ministry. The
00:10:20 father said, this is my beloved
00:10:23 son. And we have this
00:10:27 incomplete understanding about
00:10:31 what it means to be loved by
00:10:33 God. Is it true that you don't
00:10:36 have to do anything to gain
00:10:37 God's love? Absolutely. God
00:10:40 loves you regardless. It is who
00:10:43 he is. The Bible says God is
00:10:46 nature to not love you is to
00:10:48 deny himself of himself. So God
00:10:51 loves you regardless of what
00:10:53 you do. Regardless of where you
00:10:55 are in life. He loves you. But
00:10:59 there is something that we're
00:11:00 going to see as we go into this
00:11:02 into this teaching that your
00:11:04 ability to comprehend the love
00:11:07 of God reveals the level of
00:11:09 authority you can walk into.
00:11:12 Because to comprehend the love
00:11:14 of God is not information. We
00:11:17 talked about this a couple weeks
00:11:18 ago. The difference between
00:11:20 information and revelation. I
00:11:22 can read in the Bible that God
00:11:25 loves me, that Jesus loves me,
00:11:27 and I only process it as
00:11:29 information. But for it to
00:11:32 become revelation, that's when
00:11:33 it transforms my life. That is
00:11:36 when the Holy Spirit causes the
00:11:38 world to come alive and it
00:11:40 ministers to me and it
00:11:42 transforms how I live. But in
00:11:45 order to receive the revelation
00:11:47 behind God's love, there is a
00:11:49 place that you have to play in.
00:11:52 So we think that this was only
00:11:54 about God revealing how he loves
00:11:59 Jesus even before he started
00:12:01 ministry. But what I'm coming to
00:12:04 learn is love commissions you.
00:12:08 The power of love is to send you
00:12:10 forth. That when you begin to
00:12:13 understand how loved you are by
00:12:15 God, it is to send you from
00:12:18 where you are to where God
00:12:20 called you to. You see, because
00:12:22 prior to this moment, Jesus got
00:12:25 baptized. And he got baptized by
00:12:29 a man named John. In this time,
00:12:32 John's baptism was known as the
00:12:34 baptism of repentance. And even
00:12:37 when Jesus approaches him, John
00:12:39 is like, look, I'm not worthy of
00:12:42 this. I can't baptize my Lord.
00:12:45 He discerns the identity of
00:12:48 Jesus. And Jesus is like, no,
00:12:51 this must happen. And what is
00:12:53 interesting is that for the
00:12:55 average person looking at Jesus,
00:12:57 they're looking at him like just
00:12:59 another sinner who is getting
00:13:01 baptized in need of repentance.
00:13:06 And many theologians believe
00:13:08 because of the nature of the
00:13:10 baptism, that in order for Jesus
00:13:12 to go through this, he had to
00:13:14 confess of sins. Which is
00:13:17 interesting because he was
00:13:19 literally sinless. So what is he
00:13:23 confessing? And what is he
00:13:25 repenting from? And to repent is
00:13:28 literally to turn the other way.
00:13:30 That I've been walking in a
00:13:32 direction that is not pleasing
00:13:34 to God, and now I have to turn
00:13:36 the other way, turn to God. But
00:13:39 that was not Jesus' issue. But
00:13:42 Jesus was getting baptized, and
00:13:44 this signifies so many beautiful
00:13:46 things. But one I want to hit on
00:13:48 is the fact that it was the
00:13:50 posture of his yes to God. The
00:13:53 yes of his assignments on earth.
00:13:56 That the reason he was sent to
00:13:58 earth is to take the sins of all
00:14:01 humanity in his body and kill it
00:14:05 on the cross. In that moment, it
00:14:08 is signifying that, "Lord, I am
00:14:11 still game for this. Father, you
00:14:14 sent me on a mission, and in my
00:14:17 humanity, I still say yes. That
00:14:20 at the time that you have
00:14:22 released me into this assignment,
00:14:25 I still say yes." And it is after
00:14:28 this moment, then all of a
00:14:31 sudden, the Bible tells us the
00:14:32 heaven opens up. The Holy Spirit
00:14:35 comes upon him, and then the
00:14:37 Father speaks. Again, we see
00:14:39 this beauty of the Trinity, of
00:14:41 the Godhead, and the Father
00:14:43 speaks, "This is my beloved
00:14:45 son." He could have just said,
00:14:47 "This is my son, in whom I am
00:14:50 well-pleased." But then he says,
00:14:52 "This is my beloved son." You
00:14:55 see, I dare to believe that that
00:14:57 word, "beloved," was not just for
00:14:59 people to hear how much he loves
00:15:01 Jesus, but for Jesus to know
00:15:05 that the same manner I sent you
00:15:08 on the earth because of love,
00:15:10 John 3, 16, for God so loved the
00:15:13 world that he sent, right? He
00:15:17 sends Jesus. In the same manner
00:15:20 I sent you into the world
00:15:22 because of my love for humanity,
00:15:25 Jesus, I'm sending you to start
00:15:28 your ministry with the
00:15:31 understanding and the
00:15:32 comprehension that you are loved
00:15:34 by me. That's why you will see
00:15:36 Jesus will have these moments
00:15:38 like when he was raising Lazarus
00:15:40 from the dead, a man who had been
00:15:42 dead for four years, and he
00:15:44 starts by saying, "Father, I
00:15:46 know you hear me." When you
00:15:50 will listen to the language of
00:15:52 Jesus, when he was trying to
00:15:54 feed the 5,000, what does he do?
00:15:57 He lifts up the bread and he
00:15:59 gives thanks. He was so in tune
00:16:03 knowing that in everything I do,
00:16:06 God is with me right here. The
00:16:08 Father is with me because I
00:16:11 recognize that I am loved. And
00:16:14 so love sends me. When you are
00:16:17 sent in love, you are sent in
00:16:19 authority. Let's look at this
00:16:22 scripture in Ephesians.
00:16:24 Ephesians 3, 14-19. I love this
00:16:27 so much because as I was studying
00:16:29 it, I want you to write this
00:16:30 down. The knowledge of God's
00:16:32 love you are able to comprehend
00:16:35 reflects the level of authority
00:16:37 you are empowered to walk in.
00:16:40 Before we read this scripture,
00:16:41 I'll say that one more time. The
00:16:43 knowledge of God's love that you
00:16:45 are able to comprehend reflects
00:16:48 the level of authority you are
00:16:51 empowered to walk in. Now check
00:16:52 this out. Ephesians 3, 14-19.
00:16:54 Ephesians 3, 14-19. It says,
00:16:57 "For this reason," this is the
00:16:58 Apostle Paul, he's praying for
00:17:00 the Ephesians. "For this reason,
00:17:02 I bow my knees to the Father of
00:17:05 our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom
00:17:07 the whole family in heaven and
00:17:09 earth is named, that he would
00:17:11 grant you, according to the
00:17:13 riches of his glory, to be
00:17:15 strengthened with might through
00:17:17 his Spirit in the inner man,
00:17:19 that Christ may dwell in your
00:17:21 hearts through faith, that you,
00:17:24 being rooted and grounded in
00:17:28 love, may be able to comprehend
00:17:32 with all the saints what is the
00:17:35 width, the length, the depth,
00:17:38 the height and height, to know
00:17:41 the love of Christ which
00:17:42 surpasses knowledge," and check
00:17:44 this part out, "that you may be
00:17:47 filled with all the fullness of
00:17:51 God," that there is a
00:17:54 connection between your ability
00:17:57 to comprehend the depth of God's
00:18:00 love in order to be filled with
00:18:03 the fullness of God. And then we
00:18:07 look at Jesus' life, because
00:18:09 after the Lord says, "This is my
00:18:11 beloved Son," he sends him, the
00:18:14 Holy Spirit literally leads
00:18:15 Jesus into the wilderness to be
00:18:18 tempted by the enemy. And then
00:18:20 after he passed the temptation,
00:18:22 the Bible tells us that he
00:18:24 leaves the wilderness full of
00:18:26 the Holy Spirit. Do you see the
00:18:30 connection there? Later on, the
00:18:32 Apostle Paul has a revelation
00:18:34 that when you understand the
00:18:37 depths of God's love, it is
00:18:39 actually what fills you with the
00:18:42 fullness of God. This is
00:18:44 authority. This is power. This
00:18:46 is might. Then we see Jesus,
00:18:49 when the Father says, "This is
00:18:52 my beloved Son," he goes into
00:18:55 the wilderness. He passes the
00:18:58 test, and he walks out full. He
00:19:02 literally had the fullness of
00:19:04 the Spirit when he walked out of
00:19:07 that wilderness. Now, here is
00:19:10 what is beautiful, and here is
00:19:11 why the Lord put this so heavy
00:19:13 on my heart to teach. Because
00:19:16 you see, for many of us, we
00:19:19 have fallen into this deception
00:19:22 about the concept of what it
00:19:25 means to be loved by God. Many
00:19:28 have heard the saying about how
00:19:30 God loves the sinner but hates
00:19:33 the sin. And it has become a
00:19:37 license to be a sinner. It has
00:19:41 given us this subconscious
00:19:43 nature of, "It's okay if my
00:19:46 life is not perfect." And we're
00:19:48 not talking about perfection,
00:19:50 but just follow me. "It's okay
00:19:52 if I'm not doing all the right
00:19:53 things, even though in my power
00:19:55 I could stop, because Jesus
00:20:00 still loves me." And then the
00:20:02 favorite thing I always hear,
00:20:04 when a person feels convicted
00:20:06 and wants to throw away that
00:20:08 conviction, they say, "You know,
00:20:10 this is for all the religious
00:20:12 people, but I'm not religious."
00:20:15 How many people know what I'm
00:20:17 about to say? Look at that.
00:20:20 I'm spiritual. I'm not
00:20:24 religious. Y'all just religious
00:20:26 folks be doing too much. I'm
00:20:30 spiritual. And it's the license
00:20:34 that we give ourselves to do
00:20:37 whatever in the name of God.
00:20:39 But let me tell you the issue
00:20:41 with that. Because when you
00:20:43 look at the life of Jesus in
00:20:45 the wilderness, the Bible tells
00:20:48 us that temptation, God
00:20:50 literally says, that whenever
00:20:52 you are tempted, do not think,
00:20:54 "I am tempting you." Right?
00:20:57 That your temptation is actually
00:21:00 when you are enticed by your
00:21:02 desires. So when the enemy wants
00:21:05 to tempt you, he doesn't go
00:21:07 inside of you. He pulls from
00:21:10 what you desire. So when you
00:21:13 look at Jesus in the wilderness,
00:21:16 the very first temptation was
00:21:18 about food. He literally was
00:21:20 fasting for 40 days and 40
00:21:22 nights. And the Bible says
00:21:24 afterward he was hungry. And
00:21:27 then Satan says, "Well, why
00:21:29 don't you turn these loaves, or
00:21:31 these stones rather, into bread?"
00:21:34 What was he pulling from?
00:21:36 The Father. Jesus, you're
00:21:38 hungry. So why don't you just
00:21:40 turn these stones into bread?
00:21:42 What was Satan after? He was
00:21:44 after Jesus' dependence. You
00:21:46 don't need to depend on the
00:21:48 timing of the Father. No, just
00:21:50 do it yourself. Just get it
00:21:53 done. Everything that would be
00:21:56 against his ministry. Because
00:21:59 if God can, if the Father
00:22:01 cannot trust the Son in
00:22:03 humanity, if he cannot trust
00:22:05 his character to wait on him,
00:22:08 to not move ahead of him, then
00:22:11 there are many things he cannot
00:22:12 entrust to him. And then Satan
00:22:16 also has this interesting
00:22:17 temptation. He's like, "You
00:22:19 know what? Bow to me, and I
00:22:21 will give you all the
00:22:23 kingdoms." Why is that a
00:22:26 temptation? Because when we
00:22:29 read about it, it's like, "Duh,
00:22:31 why would Jesus do that? Why
00:22:33 would he bow to you?" But Satan
00:22:35 was not after Jesus forsaking
00:22:38 the Father. He was speaking to
00:22:41 the haste in Jesus' spirit.
00:22:44 What do I mean by this? Satan
00:22:47 is an opportunist. He watches
00:22:50 you. He studies you. I dare to
00:22:54 believe that he was watching
00:22:56 when Jesus was 12. Talking
00:22:59 about, "Don't you know I must
00:23:01 be about my father's business?"
00:23:03 And he's trying to pull on 12-year-old
00:23:06 Jesus, "Let me give you a fast
00:23:08 way out. You want the kingdoms?
00:23:11 I will give it to you right now.
00:23:13 You don't even have to wait
00:23:15 three years, four. You don't
00:23:17 have to wait. Do you know how
00:23:19 long you got? Jesus, I could
00:23:21 give it to you right now." And
00:23:25 Jesus is like, "Nah, you can't.
00:23:27 Those strings don't work on me
00:23:28 no more. I've grown. I'm mature
00:23:32 now. I'm not driven by my own
00:23:35 timeline. I'm dependent on the
00:23:38 Father's timeline." But here is
00:23:41 another thing the enemy was
00:23:43 after. Because if Jesus bowed
00:23:45 to him, Jesus would not have
00:23:48 the power to cast out demons.
00:23:51 Because again, the spiritual
00:23:54 realm is a realm of order. How
00:23:56 can you bow to the master of
00:23:58 demons and have authority over
00:24:00 his demons? You bow to him.
00:24:04 You're on the same level with
00:24:06 them. If Jesus ever bowed to
00:24:08 Satan, he would not have, the
00:24:10 Holy Spirit would not be able
00:24:12 to resurrect him from the dead.
00:24:14 If he died on that cross, he
00:24:16 would still be dead. Because he
00:24:23 bowed to the enemy. And how
00:24:27 many of us are doing that today?
00:24:31 We are bowing to one thing while
00:24:34 glorifying God with our lips. We
00:24:38 are compromised in our
00:24:40 lifestyle, in our ways, because
00:24:43 we go back to this idea that
00:24:45 it's okay because at the end of
00:24:47 the day, Jesus loves me. I can
00:24:51 mess up and all I have to do is
00:24:54 just ask for forgiveness and
00:24:56 mercy. He forgave you already.
00:24:58 Before time, he forgave you. The
00:25:00 Bible says his mercy chases
00:25:02 after you. That's not what he's
00:25:05 looking for. But you have to
00:25:07 understand that in the same way
00:25:10 that Satan was an opportunist
00:25:12 with Jesus, the Bible literally
00:25:14 tells us that when he left Jesus
00:25:16 in the wilderness, after Jesus
00:25:18 passed the temptation, the
00:25:20 scripture tells us and he waited
00:25:22 to return for another opportune
00:25:25 time. The enemy is limited. When
00:25:30 he is moving against your life,
00:25:33 he is moving with precision. He
00:25:36 is studying around the timing of
00:25:39 what God is about to do. You see,
00:25:42 Satan is a cherub. I love it so
00:25:47 much. There's a pastor that
00:25:48 calls him, you know, out of work
00:25:51 or something like that. Jobless
00:25:53 cherub because he's not a
00:25:54 cherub in God's court, right?
00:25:57 But a cherub understands glory.
00:26:00 They understand the glory of
00:26:03 God. They understand how glory
00:26:05 moves and so they understand in
00:26:08 the spiritual realm what it
00:26:09 looks like when God is about to
00:26:11 make a move. And so here is the
00:26:15 thing that many of us don't
00:26:16 understand that in the place of
00:26:18 the wilderness, when God wants
00:26:20 to launch you into the
00:26:22 assignment and the call of God
00:26:24 on your life, he first takes you
00:26:26 to your own unique form of a
00:26:29 wilderness. The wilderness is
00:26:31 the place where you are tempted
00:26:34 with the things that once held
00:26:35 you. Because the first of all,
00:26:39 the reason that you know God and
00:26:41 the reason that you're saved is
00:26:43 the love of God drew you to him
00:26:46 and that love was purpose to
00:26:48 bring you out of the kingdom of
00:26:49 darkness into the kingdom of
00:26:51 light. And in the kingdom of
00:26:54 light, God wants to reveal to
00:26:56 you who you truly are. God wants
00:26:59 to reveal to you what he's
00:27:01 always known about you that you
00:27:03 have not even scratched the
00:27:04 surface of. But before he can
00:27:07 give you the weight of you, he
00:27:10 allows you to be tempted. And
00:27:14 we think that temptation, we can
00:27:18 give into it and just make the
00:27:20 excuse of man, God, forgive me.
00:27:22 He forgave you. He's merciful
00:27:24 towards you. But here's what you
00:27:26 don't understand. That as long
00:27:29 as you keep allowing yourself to
00:27:32 be tripped up by the same thing
00:27:34 over and over again, your
00:27:36 possibilities in God will always
00:27:38 remain small. You will never
00:27:41 experience the fullness of what
00:27:44 God knows about you because God
00:27:47 builds on who he can trust. He
00:27:50 doesn't build on you because
00:27:51 you're gifted. He could gift a
00:27:54 animal. He doesn't build on you
00:27:58 because he, it came from him. He
00:28:01 can give gifts and talents to
00:28:03 anybody. He builds on you
00:28:06 because he can trust you with
00:28:08 the weight of you. And what the
00:28:11 enemy is after is to keep you
00:28:14 small by making you believe all
00:28:17 you have to do is ask for
00:28:18 forgiveness when you're already
00:28:20 forgiven. But what God is
00:28:22 looking at is like, Ooh, man,
00:28:25 they got to go through that
00:28:26 class again. How long would you
00:28:28 be in the same class? How long
00:28:33 will you keep repeating the same
00:28:36 class out of deception, out of
00:28:41 deception? And so the
00:28:45 wilderness, it's not just the
00:28:48 enemy that is after you. The
00:28:50 eyes of God are on you. Are you
00:28:53 going to pass this test? Can I
00:28:56 trust you? You see, the Lord
00:28:58 said to Jeremiah, before I
00:29:00 formed you, I knew you right?
00:29:02 And before you were born, I set
00:29:04 you apart. I ordained you as a
00:29:06 prophet to the nations. Before
00:29:09 that moment, Jeremiah had no
00:29:11 clue he was a prophet. That's
00:29:13 why he was even shocked. He
00:29:14 said, Oh no, I'm only a youth.
00:29:17 Do you know there are many
00:29:18 things about you that you have
00:29:19 not even come to the knowledge
00:29:21 of? There are many things God
00:29:24 knows about you that you have
00:29:25 not even comprehended about
00:29:28 yourself. That if you heard it
00:29:30 today, you would be like, Oh,
00:29:32 hold up. God, my background is
00:29:34 not matching this word, my life
00:29:36 right now. But if God showed
00:29:39 you, you, it will change your
00:29:42 life. But in order for God to
00:29:45 trust you with you, he first
00:29:48 has to trust you. This version
00:29:51 of you. Can you handle this
00:29:53 weight? What is your character
00:29:55 like? Are you always
00:29:57 compromising and thinking
00:29:59 because you can glorify me with
00:30:01 your words, that's enough. I
00:30:03 can't build on that. You see,
00:30:07 when you think about even your
00:30:08 life, I was doing this series
00:30:10 talking about how witchcraft has
00:30:13 become modernizing culture. And
00:30:16 it was interesting that people
00:30:18 were reaching out to me. They
00:30:19 were like, man, you are so bold
00:30:22 to be talking about this while
00:30:23 pregnant. And, and I was like,
00:30:27 do people think I should be
00:30:28 scared or something? But the
00:30:34 confidence that I have is
00:30:37 because I've seen the love of
00:30:39 God that covered me. That even
00:30:42 when I was a child and I could
00:30:44 barely pray or worship or fast
00:30:48 and I'm talking about attacks
00:30:50 in the natural and the
00:30:52 spiritual realm. And I saw how
00:30:54 God protected me. I'm like, you
00:30:56 think I'm afraid of a witch,
00:30:59 but here's why I'm sharing
00:31:02 this. You have a testimony.
00:31:05 There are things that should
00:31:06 have taken your life. And what
00:31:09 have you done with the
00:31:10 revelation of God's love to you?
00:31:14 That way God protected you and
00:31:16 he kept your mind. You should
00:31:19 not be here right now, but what
00:31:22 have you done with the
00:31:24 revelation of God's love for
00:31:26 you? That based on your
00:31:29 background, there is no way
00:31:31 you should be doing what you're
00:31:32 doing today. That the same
00:31:35 things that have killed many
00:31:37 cause many to take their lives.
00:31:39 You're still standing, but what
00:31:41 have you done? How have you
00:31:45 built your life on the
00:31:48 revelation of his love? Or was
00:31:52 it your license to be mediocre
00:31:56 and to live beneath who you
00:31:59 truly are? You see, we read
00:32:02 about the story of Moses and
00:32:05 what I love so much about Moses
00:32:08 is that Moses, even from a
00:32:11 very, you know, early on, he
00:32:14 desired to deliver his people.
00:32:17 But when you backtrack, you see
00:32:19 the love of God all over Moses
00:32:20 is story. As a baby, he should
00:32:23 have been killed, but somehow
00:32:26 by the grace of God, the mom
00:32:29 was able to preserve his life
00:32:31 and even he ended up and if you
00:32:33 haven't read about Moses in the
00:32:35 Bible, watch the prince of
00:32:37 Egypt. It will tell you the
00:32:40 same story, right? But as a
00:32:44 baby, literally, the mom found
00:32:47 a way for Moses to grow up in
00:32:50 the Pharaoh's house, in the
00:32:53 home of the same person that
00:32:55 was trying to execute him. But
00:32:58 then Moses is being raised by
00:33:00 the Egyptians and the Egyptians
00:33:02 at the time, you know, they
00:33:04 were a cruel people, right? Not
00:33:06 all Egyptians. I have some
00:33:08 amazing Jewish friends back
00:33:11 then, right? So they had
00:33:14 enslaved the Israelites. Moses
00:33:17 identifies with the Israelites,
00:33:19 but they don't identify with
00:33:21 him because when they see him,
00:33:25 they see an Egyptian. He's
00:33:27 wearing their clothes. He's fed
00:33:30 by them. He's taken care of by
00:33:33 them. They watched Moses, you
00:33:35 know, grow up with them playing
00:33:37 around and Moses thinks that
00:33:39 just because he has a desire to
00:33:42 deliver his people, that was
00:33:44 enough. God will back it up.
00:33:46 So one day Moses is recognized
00:33:48 as a taskmaster, an Egyptian
00:33:51 taskmaster. He was beating an
00:33:54 Israelite and Moses kills the
00:33:56 man, buries him. He's thinking
00:33:59 that the people will see him as
00:34:02 their savior, but they did not.
00:34:04 It was a good wake-up call for
00:34:06 Moses because next thing you
00:34:09 know, they're telling on him
00:34:11 and he's like, "Hold up. I was
00:34:14 trying to protect y'all." And
00:34:17 so Moses literally runs away in
00:34:19 fear for his life because now he
00:34:22 has exposed himself to Pharaoh.
00:34:25 "I'm not really on your side.
00:34:27 Even though I was eating with
00:34:29 you, dining with you, doing all
00:34:32 these things with you, I'm not
00:34:34 really on your side." But here's
00:34:36 the reason why God never used
00:34:38 Moses while he was in Pharaoh's
00:34:40 house because as long as he was
00:34:43 dining on that same table, Moses
00:34:46 was compromised. Moses, I can't
00:34:49 use you to deliver my people and
00:34:53 speak against whether or not you
00:34:56 don't feel connected to it, your
00:34:58 actions have involvement. And
00:35:02 because of that, you were too
00:35:05 compromised for me to build on.
00:35:08 So I had to wait literally for
00:35:11 Moses to be separated from them
00:35:14 and to have enough time to watch
00:35:16 Moses and make sure you don't
00:35:18 desire to go back. You don't
00:35:21 have, you don't get frustrated
00:35:22 with where you are that you start
00:35:24 desiring, "Well, maybe I just
00:35:25 need to apologize," right? And
00:35:28 come back. And this is how God
00:35:31 deals with us because many of us
00:35:34 we think that, "Yeah, I'm
00:35:37 not really like supporting it,
00:35:39 but I'm involved in it because
00:35:41 it's just the nature of the
00:35:42 industry. It's just the way
00:35:44 culture goes. It's just the
00:35:47 things we have to do." And God
00:35:49 is like, he is not man that he
00:35:51 could be mocked. And the things
00:35:54 that God wants to build on you,
00:35:56 he can't because when he looks,
00:35:59 he says, "There's compromise.
00:36:01 You are invested and you have
00:36:04 become like what I called you to
00:36:06 set free. I didn't send you."
00:36:10 You see, the Bible calls us a
00:36:11 light, right? A light of the
00:36:14 world. That in its nature tells
00:36:16 you that God will send you to
00:36:17 dark spaces. But he's not
00:36:20 sending you there to conform.
00:36:22 He's sending you there to
00:36:24 transform. And as long as you
00:36:30 partake of the ways of the
00:36:32 people, God is like, "If you
00:36:34 only knew what I want to do
00:36:37 with you, you would not give
00:36:39 yourself so cheap. You would
00:36:42 not sacrifice your morals and
00:36:44 integrity and your ways just to
00:36:47 fit in." And sometimes this
00:36:49 just, this even looks like your
00:36:51 doubt that the very things God
00:36:53 is telling you to do because
00:36:55 you are so doubtful about what
00:36:58 he wants to do with your life
00:37:00 in his way, you're like, "Well,
00:37:02 let me just give in to this
00:37:03 other thing. But I will glorify
00:37:06 God at the end of the day." It
00:37:07 doesn't work like that. What
00:37:10 God sees is compromise and he
00:37:12 can't build on it. But if God
00:37:15 wants to build on you, then you
00:37:18 have to be fully invested. "God,
00:37:21 I'm not going to give in." You
00:37:23 see, the Bible tells us that
00:37:26 God made Moses like a god to
00:37:30 Pharaoh. What does this mean?
00:37:33 Pharaoh did not care for God.
00:37:36 Pharaoh did not have any
00:37:38 business searching or checking
00:37:39 for the Lord. The only way
00:37:43 Pharaoh will come to know the
00:37:45 power of God was through Moses.
00:37:49 Pharaoh, even when Pharaoh
00:37:50 heard, "Who sent you?" He's
00:37:52 just like, "Oh, yeah. I'm, I'm
00:37:54 like, whatever." Because Pharaoh
00:37:56 had the things that he
00:37:57 participated in. But the only
00:38:00 way he will come to know the
00:38:02 power of God was through Moses.
00:38:06 You see, God is looking for an
00:38:08 excuse to show himself mighty
00:38:10 in the nations. God is looking
00:38:13 for an excuse to show himself
00:38:15 strong in the industries you're
00:38:17 involved in. But for God to
00:38:20 partner with you, you can't be
00:38:22 compromised. You need to know
00:38:25 who you are. That, that there
00:38:28 is, you see, David, the, the,
00:38:30 the reality of your identity
00:38:33 was so mind-blowing to David,
00:38:36 King David in the Bible. He
00:38:38 literally says, "Who is man
00:38:41 that you are mindful of him?"
00:38:45 And then he goes on and he's
00:38:47 like, "That you even created
00:38:49 him a little lower than you."
00:38:54 The, the, the Bible sometimes
00:38:55 when you read it, it would say
00:38:57 he created him a little lower
00:38:58 than angels, but that's because
00:38:59 the translation was too strong.
00:39:02 That they said this has to be
00:39:03 about angels, but that word
00:39:05 translates to Elohim. That God
00:39:08 created you a little lower than
00:39:11 himself. A little lower than
00:39:15 himself. Who must you really be?
00:39:19 Have you even come to the truth
00:39:21 of what God knew about you from
00:39:23 the beginning? But as long as
00:39:26 you keep bowing down to the
00:39:27 wrong things, then you will not
00:39:30 go deeper into the comprehension
00:39:32 of God's love for you. That
00:39:35 would send you forth to do
00:39:37 greater and mightier things.
00:39:39 You see, when the Lord says,
00:39:41 "Moses, I have made you like a
00:39:43 God," to Pharaoh. Pharaoh was
00:39:46 the one in the natural that
00:39:47 everyone recognized as powerful,
00:39:50 as the one with authority, the
00:39:52 one whose words hold weight.
00:39:54 Moses was just the Hebrew boy.
00:39:57 There was no one saw Moses or
00:39:59 heard about Moses. It's just
00:40:00 like, you know, everybody should
00:40:02 have watched Lion King. If you
00:40:03 haven't, where is your childhood?
00:40:07 You should go watch Lion King,
00:40:08 right? But when the hyenas will
00:40:10 hear, you know, "Mufasa, ooh,"
00:40:13 you know, it was like a little
00:40:15 scary just hearing his name.
00:40:17 That was not Moses. You didn't
00:40:19 hear Moses' name and you had a
00:40:21 little chill, right? But Pharaoh
00:40:25 was the one who sounded like he
00:40:27 had authority. But when God
00:40:30 partners with you, that's all
00:40:33 you need. When God partnered
00:40:38 with Moses, Moses became
00:40:41 literally like a God amongst
00:40:44 men. God used him in such a
00:40:48 mighty way. God used him to
00:40:51 express himself. See, when God
00:40:55 wants to show off on the earth,
00:40:57 he needs a vessel to show off
00:40:59 through. When God wants to
00:41:02 conquer territories on the
00:41:04 earth, he needs a vessel to
00:41:05 conquer through. And he's
00:41:09 looking right now. He's
00:41:12 searching right now. I was in
00:41:15 prayer and this was so heavy on
00:41:16 me. I could see God wanting,
00:41:19 having a desire to raise mighty
00:41:21 men and women. That he will do
00:41:25 what we have never seen, never
00:41:27 heard, never read about. That
00:41:32 he wants to show himself
00:41:33 strong. And you have to
00:41:35 understand that the very people
00:41:36 you're afraid of, the very
00:41:39 people that seem like they have
00:41:41 the authority right now, and
00:41:43 you feel scared because you're
00:41:44 afraid, you feel scared because
00:41:46 you're like, they don't even,
00:41:47 they don't even believe like I
00:41:49 do. They're not even
00:41:50 Christians, Lord. How do you
00:41:52 want me to work with this
00:41:53 people? He says, if you partner
00:41:55 with me, then through you, they
00:41:58 will come to know me. Through
00:42:00 you, they will bow to me. Then
00:42:03 through you, I can express my
00:42:06 nature and my might in that
00:42:09 industry. I can express it to
00:42:10 that exec you're afraid of
00:42:12 people who don't believe like
00:42:14 you. You are called to be light
00:42:17 in darkness. It's not about you
00:42:19 not being where you are. It's
00:42:21 about you representing where
00:42:23 you came from. And we have to
00:42:29 go as a people from just not
00:42:32 just a, you know, the level of
00:42:34 saying, God, God is my, Jesus
00:42:36 is my savior. I'm saved. You
00:42:39 have to go from the place of
00:42:40 being a person and journey into
00:42:43 the depths of the Lord being
00:42:46 your Lord. Because that's when
00:42:49 you say, Jesus, you're my
00:42:51 owner. You're not just my
00:42:53 savior. You own me. I will not
00:42:56 be afraid of what people can do
00:42:58 to me when you're with me. What
00:43:01 have you done with the
00:43:03 revelation that you already
00:43:06 have? And how are you going to
00:43:09 allow this to transform and
00:43:12 commit the entirety of you to
00:43:15 the Lord? Because God wants to
00:43:18 build, but he will not build on
00:43:21 compromise. God wants to show
00:43:24 himself strong, but he needs to
00:43:26 trust you before he can reveal
00:43:28 you. He loves you. No doubt
00:43:32 about it. But in order for him
00:43:36 to build on you, it has to go
00:43:39 beyond that. This is why when
00:43:41 you read about people like the
00:43:44 apostle Paul, this man went
00:43:47 through a lot and never shook
00:43:50 his faith. We have to get from
00:43:54 the place of just wanting.
00:43:55 That's why in the beginning I
00:43:56 said, if you only look at God
00:43:58 as the one who meets your needs,
00:44:00 you've missed it. Because then
00:44:03 the enemy already knows where
00:44:04 to attack you. He already knows
00:44:08 what to whisper in your ear.
00:44:10 That's why many start getting
00:44:13 frustrated and disappointed at
00:44:15 God that they stop worshipping.
00:44:17 They stop praying. Things don't
00:44:20 go their way and oh my gosh,
00:44:22 everything breaks loose. You
00:44:24 start questioning your whole
00:44:25 existence. God, did you really
00:44:28 call me? Did you really call me
00:44:30 just because he didn't answer
00:44:31 what you wanted? When you read
00:44:35 about people like the apostle
00:44:36 Paul, this was a man who said
00:44:38 three times, was I shipwrecked?
00:44:42 Literally, there was a moment
00:44:44 where he stayed in the deep in
00:44:46 the ocean all night and day
00:44:49 cold and yet when he found his
00:44:53 way to the shore, you know what
00:44:55 he did? He continued to preach
00:44:56 to you. He didn't say, god, you
00:44:59 sent me to this city. Where
00:45:02 were you when my ship got
00:45:04 wrecked? I'm done. I quit. If
00:45:10 you allow things like that to
00:45:12 shake you, then the enemy
00:45:15 already knows where to hit you.
00:45:17 He already knows what to whisper
00:45:19 to you and say, you know, they
00:45:21 don't really care about you. Oh
00:45:23 yeah. They, did you see how
00:45:24 they looked at you all of a
00:45:25 sudden? God, I'm done. Are you
00:45:28 for real? He sent you there.
00:45:32 When you begin to commune with
00:45:34 God on a level deeper than your
00:45:37 needs, he will meet your needs
00:45:39 in his timing. But on a level
00:45:41 deeper than your needs, you
00:45:44 begin to tap into a depth of
00:45:46 his revelation of his love, his
00:45:49 protection, that even when all
00:45:51 things look against you, you
00:45:53 say, no, God is with me. I'm
00:45:55 covered. I'm known. I'm seen.
00:46:01 But you have to stand. You have
00:46:04 to take a side. You can't be
00:46:07 tossed to and fro. Either you're
00:46:09 going to stand for his kingdom
00:46:11 or you're going to stand for the
00:46:13 other guy's kingdom. But you
00:46:14 got to make a choice. I want to
00:46:16 pray with you. Just stand with
00:46:19 me. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you,
00:46:23 Jesus. Thank you, Lord. You see
00:46:29 in the book of Revelation, there
00:46:33 was a moment where John, who is,
00:46:36 you know, God brings into this
00:46:38 beautiful vision to see things
00:46:41 beyond his ability about the end
00:46:45 times and all of that. But
00:46:48 there's a moment where he's
00:46:49 instructed to write these
00:46:51 letters to churches. And each
00:46:54 church was categorized by how
00:46:57 they were functioning. So there
00:46:59 was the faithful church, you
00:47:01 know, the dead church, the
00:47:03 lukewarm, all this stuff, right?
00:47:05 But there was a church known as
00:47:07 the compromised church. And the
00:47:11 Lord is literally like, hey, I
00:47:14 know where you dwell. Well, I
00:47:17 know where you live, where Satan
00:47:19 dwells. He's like, I know you
00:47:22 live in the midst of all kinds
00:47:26 of nonsense and mess. I think
00:47:28 about a city like LA, for
00:47:30 example, right? Where I mean,
00:47:34 everywhere you turn, something
00:47:35 is trying to pull you away from
00:47:37 God. The places God sends you
00:47:41 something is trying to pull you
00:47:43 and pull on your integrity for
00:47:45 you to lower your standards
00:47:47 every single way. God is like,
00:47:49 I know where you live, where
00:47:52 Satan dwells. He says, I
00:47:55 recognize temptation is all
00:47:57 around you. I recognize the
00:48:00 ability to to to give in to all
00:48:03 kinds of new age doctrines and
00:48:05 and make it your own. It's all
00:48:07 around you. And there are things
00:48:10 that he applauds them for. But
00:48:13 then he says, what I have
00:48:14 against you is that you have
00:48:17 given to the doctrine of false
00:48:21 teaching. You have subscribed
00:48:26 to a doctrine of deception.
00:48:29 What you are giving your ear
00:48:33 to and calling it truth. It's
00:48:37 not even of me. This is how he
00:48:41 calls them the compromised
00:48:43 church. I believe that they
00:48:45 didn't even know they were
00:48:46 compromised because why would
00:48:47 they need a letter? Sometimes
00:48:52 you don't even recognize that
00:48:54 you're compromised because you
00:48:57 have believed a lie. You have
00:49:00 believed as long as I give God
00:49:02 the glory. I could do whatever
00:49:05 because Jesus loves me. And
00:49:09 because I am spiritual. And you
00:49:15 don't recognize that every time
00:49:18 you allow the same things to
00:49:21 trip you up. God isn't mad at
00:49:25 you. God isn't like, oh my gosh,
00:49:28 I'm so disappointed. No, he
00:49:30 just sees it for what it is.
00:49:32 They're not ready. Do you know
00:49:34 that it took the Israelites 40
00:49:36 years to be in the wilderness?
00:49:39 Not because they needed 40
00:49:41 years to journey to the
00:49:43 promised land. But God needed
00:49:46 40 years to get the culture of
00:49:48 bondage out of them. That even
00:49:53 there were some people that
00:49:54 just couldn't make it because
00:49:55 they were so corrupted and
00:49:58 compromised that there was just
00:50:00 no, it was, it was too deep.
00:50:02 Some people died in the
00:50:04 wilderness. They died there
00:50:07 because they were so in tune
00:50:11 with this false narrative that
00:50:14 they never fully open up their
00:50:15 heart to Jesus. That journey, I
00:50:21 believe was like 11 days to get
00:50:25 to the promised land. Can you
00:50:27 imagine what should take 11
00:50:30 days? 11 days took 40 years and
00:50:37 it took 40 years out of the
00:50:39 mercy of God. It wasn't
00:50:42 punishment. You have to
00:50:43 understand. God is not saying
00:50:45 I'm not going to give you this
00:50:47 to punish you. He's not petty
00:50:52 but everything God does last.
00:50:57 His nature is for things to not
00:50:59 be void. That's why the word of
00:51:02 God says that when he sends
00:51:03 forth his word, it would do that
00:51:06 which he purpose for it to do.
00:51:08 It will not return to him void.
00:51:11 So the Lord knows if I cannot
00:51:13 plant in what would be fruitful,
00:51:15 I don't plant. I wait until
00:51:20 you're ready. You see there's
00:51:24 sometimes that there's delay or
00:51:26 there's the perception of delay
00:51:28 and there's times and seasons.
00:51:30 That's just God's way of doing
00:51:31 things but there's sometimes we
00:51:34 prolong and unfortunately,
00:51:38 there's sometimes that we die
00:51:41 before ever realizing who we
00:51:43 truly were. What happened with
00:51:48 the Israelites in the wilderness
00:51:49 is a perfect picture for all of
00:51:51 us. That sometimes it takes
00:51:54 time because God is trying to
00:51:56 change the view, this
00:51:59 compromised way of living and
00:52:01 doing life because you watch
00:52:04 them 1 minute, they're in God.
00:52:06 The next minute, they're
00:52:07 shaking. Oh, we want to go back
00:52:09 to Egypt and the Lord is that I
00:52:13 can't send you to the promised
00:52:15 land like this. This is going to
00:52:17 be a mess. So, he causes their
00:52:21 journey to be longer. Let me
00:52:24 build them. There is more to
00:52:28 you than you know. What you're
00:52:32 afraid of, who you're afraid of,
00:52:35 if you get with God, it will
00:52:38 change everything. If you get
00:52:41 with God, then you would realize
00:52:44 what you've been bowing to
00:52:46 actually would bow to him
00:52:48 because of you.
00:52:50 [Applause]
00:52:55 Don't just rule people out.
00:52:57 Don't just rule industries out
00:52:59 because you're like, it's so
00:53:01 demonic. This person is so
00:53:04 crazy. You haven't tapped into
00:53:07 you. How would they know the
00:53:10 God you serve when you're doing
00:53:11 what they do? And then you go
00:53:15 home and you're like, oh my
00:53:16 gosh. This is crazy. But have
00:53:21 they met God through you? The
00:53:25 apostle Paul literally calls
00:53:27 you a letter because he
00:53:29 recognized there are people that
00:53:31 would only be able to read about
00:53:34 God by watching you. God wants
00:53:39 to express himself through you.
00:53:41 Would you let him write you as
00:53:44 his letter? What is he telling
00:53:49 you to do? Where has doubt
00:53:52 crippled your walk? What are the
00:53:55 temptations that the enemy
00:53:57 strategically plants right when
00:54:00 breakthrough is about to happen?
00:54:03 You may not know that this step
00:54:06 you're about to take, you see,
00:54:07 that's why we should never treat
00:54:08 any day like just another day.
00:54:11 They said every day, this is a
00:54:14 day that not I made. This is a
00:54:19 day that the Lord has made. I
00:54:23 would rejoice and be glad in it.
00:54:26 Why do we need to recognize as a
00:54:28 day that the Lord has made?
00:54:30 Because there's endless
00:54:31 possibilities of what could
00:54:32 happen today. And if you treat
00:54:38 it like just another day, not
00:54:41 recognizing that in the spirit
00:54:43 there is the move of God all
00:54:45 around you, God is getting ready
00:54:47 to set you up and it is at that
00:54:49 moment the enemy comes with your
00:54:52 ex. Just creeping in. That same
00:54:57 toxic relationship you said I
00:54:59 will never, I am done. Then you
00:55:03 get that text, hey you up? No
00:55:06 I'm not actually. No I'm not.
00:55:13 The very things you said you
00:55:15 would never do. The very things
00:55:17 you said you wouldn't walk away
00:55:18 from or you would walk away from
00:55:20 or whatever. Right at the moment
00:55:24 that there is a move, that
00:55:25 breakthrough is coming. The
00:55:27 enemy creeps in with temptation
00:55:30 and convinces you it's okay to
00:55:33 dabble because you just got to
00:55:35 ask God to forgive you
00:55:36 afterwards. I've done that. I
00:55:40 thought that was a thing. Where
00:55:42 the Lord would literally, it was
00:55:44 years back man. The Lord would
00:55:46 be like Steph you got to stop
00:55:48 this lifestyle. I'm like Lord
00:55:50 you could close your eyes. The
00:55:55 very thing I'm like God I'm not
00:55:56 going to do it. I'm back in it.
00:56:00 But I didn't realize I was only
00:56:02 harming me. Because he still
00:56:05 loved me. He will still show up.
00:56:07 He will still talk to me in my
00:56:09 mess. He never stopped being my
00:56:12 dad. He never stopped. But he
00:56:16 could only entrust me on the
00:56:18 things on the level I was on.
00:56:20 And when I was able to walk away
00:56:22 from that lifestyle, then the
00:56:24 Lord started revealing who I
00:56:26 actually am. I never knew
00:56:29 anything about being, you know
00:56:31 wanting to preach. I always
00:56:32 loved God. I wanted to do
00:56:34 things for God. But it was when
00:56:36 I committed myself fully to the
00:56:39 Lord. He started showing me
00:56:41 things beyond what I've ever
00:56:43 known about myself. But at that
00:56:46 stage he was not talking to me
00:56:47 like that. He was talking to me
00:56:49 from the place of a child. Now
00:56:51 Stephanie you got to do better.
00:56:53 I'm like God tomorrow. Tomorrow.
00:56:56 I'll be better tomorrow. Right
00:56:58 now we got a plan and a
00:57:00 playlist for the plan. Right?
00:57:04 So we've been there family. But
00:57:07 I will tell you the truth.
00:57:09 There's no reward there. Only
00:57:11 delay. Only delay. The time to
00:57:16 commit your life is now. And
00:57:19 you're committing it to the one
00:57:21 who is worthy of it. Right? Let
00:57:23 us pray. If you know there are
00:57:27 areas in your life you need to
00:57:29 repent. This is what the Lord
00:57:31 said to the compromised church.
00:57:34 His instruction to them was
00:57:36 repent. And that is the same
00:57:39 instruction he's given us now.
00:57:41 If you know there are areas you
00:57:43 need to walk away from and say
00:57:45 God you know what I've been
00:57:47 deceived. I've been living a
00:57:49 lie. And I need to turn to you.
00:57:53 I can't keep turning to my mess
00:57:57 thinking it's okay because you
00:57:59 still talk to me. Because you
00:58:02 still love me. Do you know why
00:58:05 Moses could not lead the people
00:58:07 to the promised land? His
00:58:09 character got in the way. This
00:58:12 is a man. Do you know how much
00:58:14 God loved him? God buried him.
00:58:18 That is friendship. Moses was
00:58:22 literally buried by God. And
00:58:27 then there was a moment God
00:58:29 tells Moses speak to the rock
00:58:31 and let water come out of it.
00:58:33 And that was so significant for
00:58:35 many reasons beyond that moment.
00:58:38 He tells him speak to the rock.
00:58:40 But you know what Moses? Moses
00:58:42 got angry with the people and in
00:58:44 his anger he hit the rock. Now
00:58:48 check this. He hit the rock and
00:58:50 water still came out. Never
00:58:55 confuse the fact that God is
00:58:57 still speaking to you and God is
00:59:00 producing things through you on
00:59:02 your level. That means that God
00:59:04 does not want to do more with
00:59:05 you. God still provided water.
00:59:09 But after that he tells Moses
00:59:11 now, Moses this ain't going to
00:59:14 continue. You can see it but
00:59:18 you're not going to lead my
00:59:19 people into it. Because the
00:59:22 leader I need cannot be
00:59:25 dismoved by their emotions. The
00:59:28 type of leader I'm looking for
00:59:30 to finish this journey. Moses
00:59:33 you started the journey and we
00:59:35 were good. But now your anger
00:59:37 is getting in my way. You are
00:59:40 allowing because we commune and
00:59:43 we be talking like friends does
00:59:45 not mean you forget your place.
00:59:50 I made you like a god to the
00:59:52 people but you're not God. So
00:59:55 Moses hits the rock out of
00:59:57 anger and the Lord says now the
00:59:59 journey ends right here. It's
01:00:01 not punishment. You have to
01:00:04 understand this. It's not
01:00:05 punishment but he is doing it to
01:00:08 guarantee the end for his
01:00:11 people. They have somewhere to
01:00:13 get to. And in order for them
01:00:16 to get to this place, the
01:00:18 leader cannot be so moved by
01:00:20 their emotions. So Moses I'm
01:00:23 going to raise up Joshua and
01:00:25 you're going to pray for him.
01:00:27 You already prayed for him
01:00:28 actually. I'm going to raise
01:00:30 him up to lead the people. But
01:00:33 they had such a friendship and
01:00:35 a love. Moses wasn't tripping.
01:00:38 Moses knew like man, you're
01:00:40 right. The journey ends for me
01:00:43 here. Because how Moses died was
01:00:46 agreement. The Lord says to
01:00:49 Moses, Moses go up to the
01:00:50 mountain and die. What? What?
01:00:56 It was not Moses kill yourself.
01:00:58 No, no, no, no, no. It was
01:00:59 Moses. Do you agree with what
01:01:01 I'm saying? Because for you the
01:01:03 journey up that mountain means
01:01:04 we are in alignment that your
01:01:06 journey ends here. And I will
01:01:08 call you home. And Moses went
01:01:11 up to the mountain. And God
01:01:15 transitioned him and buried his
01:01:17 body. Character is so important
01:01:22 family. So important. God wants
01:01:28 to build on you. Just lift up
01:01:30 your hands if you know you need
01:01:31 to turn to the father. Let's
01:01:33 pray. Heavenly father we thank
01:01:36 you lord. We pray that you would
01:01:39 have your way in and through the
01:01:41 lives of your sons and
01:01:42 daughters. Lord may we recognize
01:01:46 that yes we may be gifted, yes
01:01:48 we may be talented, yes we may
01:01:50 have an excellent resume. But
01:01:52 that means nothing to you. If we
01:01:55 are not prepared people. If we
01:01:58 are not people that hunger and
01:02:00 thirst after you. Beyond what
01:02:02 you can give us. Lord I pray
01:02:06 that you would reveal to your
01:02:09 sons and daughters every area of
01:02:12 compromise in their life. Every
01:02:16 area that they have given in to
01:02:18 a false teaching, a false
01:02:20 doctrine. That has brought
01:02:23 deception into their lives and
01:02:25 into their ways. Because God we
01:02:27 are in a time that you want to
01:02:29 show yourself mighty and strong.
01:02:32 You want us to be the evidence
01:02:34 that you are real. You want us
01:02:37 to be the evidence lord God
01:02:39 about who you are and what
01:02:41 you're after in this earth. You
01:02:44 want us to take territory in
01:02:46 your name. You want us to
01:02:49 display who you are that many
01:02:51 will come to know you just by
01:02:53 knowing us. So lord have your
01:02:57 way. May we live a life that is
01:03:00 worthy of you. May we live a
01:03:03 life that is worthy of the image
01:03:05 that we bear. And may we know
01:03:08 that we plus you is everything.
01:03:12 That we have nothing to fear
01:03:16 when we look at you. So lord
01:03:20 Jesus, move in our lives in a
01:03:23 manner that only you can. And
01:03:26 let us transform our nations,
01:03:29 our cities, our communities,
01:03:32 and show the world that Jesus
01:03:34 is real. In Jesus mighty name.
01:03:38 Amen. Amen. I want to speak a
01:03:44 blessing over you. May the
01:03:47 lord God bless and keep you.
01:03:50 May he cause his face to shine
01:03:52 upon you and be gracious to you.
01:03:54 May he lift up his countenance
01:03:56 over you all and grant you
01:03:58 shalom, shalom. That is perfect
01:04:00 peace. We thank you family. We
01:04:02 love you. We'll see you next
01:04:04 Sunday.
01:04:06 God bless you family. Well I
01:04:12 just believe and know that that
01:04:14 word ministered to you as they
01:04:16 were saying it. And I just
01:04:18 want to say that we are so
01:04:20 grateful for you. Remember to
01:04:22 subscribe so that you can
01:04:24 continue to experience this
01:04:26 ritual. Send you a reminder. If
01:04:28 you want to sow into this
01:04:30 ministry, we are reaching people
01:04:32 as you know all around the world
01:04:34 and we need your help and your
01:04:36 support to not just bless people
01:04:38 spiritually but practically in