Priscilla Shirer - Your Purpose Armor of God: Power of Living Holy

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
You've been thinking, this is not enough gifting, this is
not enough talent, it's not enough money, it's not enough.
I don't have enough. And Jesus is whispering in your
ear tonight. Your conscience is not the voice of God.
But your conscience is like this wiring that helps this
microphone amplify my voice. The conscience is the microphone that

(00:20):
the Holy Spirit uses to help you hear the voice
of God. The one thing that opens up our eyes
is God's spirit on us. And if you want, if
I want God's spirit on our lives, then we got
to decide to live. So Jerry and I, my husband

(00:40):
and I, we've been married nearly twenty years now. I
can't believe that. And we have three sons that we
are raising. They are giant. They are giants, y'all. My
fifteen year old is six foot two inches tall. His
fourteen year old brother is six foot two inches tall.
Their nine year old brother is coming up right after them.
They are some big boys. And one of the things

(01:01):
I do for these boys. In fact, you should know
but that my full time job is feeding the boys.
That is my full time job. I am trying to
figure out any which way I can differently to cook
chicken for dinner every single night, just like y'all. It's
exactly what I'm doing. So we just do sports and
everything with the boys, and they're growing up so quick.
So one of the things that I have done since

(01:22):
my oldest was five, I started when he was five.
I went to Ross Dress for lest In the backhand corner,
left hand side, there is a one row that has
books and journals and those sorts of things. I went
and I grabbed three journals, hard back journals. They were
just little, little with the little spine, spiral spines, nothing

(01:43):
real fancy, four ninety nine. I picked one for each boy.
I've had it ever since my oldest was five, and
at that age I started to record a journal for them.
I do not write in it every week or every
month or even you know, just on a regular basis.
It's just when something happens, don't want to forget, or
they say something that's really interesting, or I see the

(02:04):
hand the handiwork the fingerprints of God and their life
in some way, I kind of write it down. My
goal is to have a collection of writings and thoughts
and love letters really to my boys about their life
that I hand over to them when they're mature enough
to appreciate it, or better yet, I might just hand
it over to their wives and say, girl, this is

(02:27):
what you're getting yourself into right here. And because my
oldest will be sixteen next month, I was looking through
his journal and came across the story from when he
was five. I read it with fond memories because it
was the little journal entry I put in there about
him losing his first tooth. He'd wiggled that tooth and

(02:51):
wiggled it. He couldn't wait for it to come out.
And the reason he couldn't wait for it to come
out is because we had told him that when your
tooth comes out, youth fairy will come. She will come
and she will replace the tooth with a treasure. So
he could not wait. Finally, the tooth came out. And
that is my boy still to this day, that has

(03:12):
never been eager to go to sleep. But that night
he dove into bed at bedtime. He could not wait.
He put the tooth underneath the pillow. He laid his
head down and he was looking. He was trying to
go to sleep, but every three to five seconds he
would look under the pillow to see if anything had happened.
Finally he did fall asleep. We let some time pass,

(03:34):
and then about three o'clock in the morning or so,
the six foot two, two hundred and fifty pounds tooth
Fairy that I sleep next to every night he got up.
He went upstairs, and he replaced the tooth for a treasure.
In the morning. I knew when Jackson, and at the
time we just had Jackson and Jerry Junior. I knew
when they got up. I knew I could hear it.
I could hear the excitement, the squeals, I could hear

(03:55):
the stomps on the floor. I could hear the eagerness
and enthusiasm because the tooth fair he had come and
left the treasure. They bounded down the stairs into the room.
Jackson's fists were both clenched clothes. He ran up to
me and said, bom, the Toothbairy came. She left me
a treasure. I said, buddy, let me see what she left.
You opened up one hand and it was a package

(04:16):
of gummy bearers, which was a big deal at the
time because that was his favorite snack. He opened up
the other hand and it was five dollars. Now, I
don't know what happened when y'all were growing up, but

(04:36):
I grew up in the days of dimes and nickels.
Can the church say amen? He might have. So you know,
I'm trying to be excited for the boy, but really
I'm annoyed about this whole five dollars situation. And my
husband can see that. I am troubled. And you know,

(05:00):
if mama ain't happy, nobody said. After Jackson left the room,
Jerry came over to me and he said, Forriscilla, don't worry.
He said, do you remember that last month was Jackson's
fifth birthday? He said, do you remember that we had
all of the family over. Still to this day we
do that when one of the boys has a birthday,

(05:20):
we invite the whole clan over. Grandparents and cousins and
aunts and uncles. Everybody comes to celebrate. He said, do
you remember they all came. Most of them had cards,
and in those cards were five dollar bills. He said,
do you remember we took all those five dollar bills
and we put them in a birthday drawer in the kitchen.
He said, this morning, at three am, I went right
inside that birthday drawer. Dave Ramsey would be so proud

(05:49):
of us. That's good financial stewardship, right there is what
that is. So that morning, really what I had witnessed
was my little boy getting excited about treasure that actually
already belonged to him, treasure that he already had, he

(06:15):
just didn't know it. I came to tell somebody that
there is treasure hidden in these earth in vessels. I
came to tell you that by God's spirit there is gifts,
and there is power that has been entrusted to you
that is available to you, available to me as daughters
of the Most High King. You need to know that

(06:37):
even if you do not believe what the scriptures declare
to be true about your treasure, if you don't believe
that you've been forgiven, or that you already have the victory,
or that the enemy is already underneath your feet, and
that there is no condemnation for those of us who
are in Christ Jesus, or that you have been made
competent by the spirit of God. I came to tell

(07:01):
you that even if you don't believe it, the enemy does.
He knows who you are. What a shamed it would
be for him to know and us not to. So
it's time for us to open up the drawer and
start pulling out the treasure. The treasure we've been ignoring,

(07:22):
the treasure we've been calling insignificant, the thing that we've
said is not enough, not valuable. Lord, if I could
just be like her, Lord, if I could just be
like that, if I could just have a bit more
of that, if I weren't me, then Lord, I'd be enough.
He says, ah, Uh, you have enough. You just haven't
opened up the drawer pull out the treasure. There is

(07:46):
a story in scripture that is going to be very
familiar to you. It's the one that the Lord has
been using in my own life to remind me about
how he will compel me. And he will compel us
to open up the drawer and reach in and pull
out the tree, and see what it's like when he
uses what he has already entrusted to us. Luke, chapter nine,

(08:07):
verse one and two says this and he called that's Jesus.
He called somebody say, he called He called the twelve together,
and he gave somebody say he gave He gave them power,
and he gave them authority over all demons and to
heal all diseases Verse two. And then he sent somebody,

(08:31):
say he sent, he sent them out, He called them,
he gave them treasure, and then he sent them out.
Verse ten says, and then when they returned to him,
they gave an account to him of everything they had done,
and taking them with him, he withdrew by himself to

(08:52):
a hill called Bethseta. The multitudes were aware of this,
Verse eleven says, so they followed Jesus, because you know,
wherever Jesus went, a crowd was to follow. They weren't
quite sure he was the messiah. But what they didn't
know was that when this man showed up, blind people
could see. What they knew is that when Jesus showed up,
the lame could walk, and the death could hear. The
dead were being raised. So wherever Jesus was they came.

(09:16):
The crowd followed, and welcoming the multitude, Jesus began speaking
to them about the Kingdom of God and curing those
who were in need of healing. Verse twelve. So the
day starts to come to a close, and the twelve
come to Jesus and say, now, Jesus, you're gonna have
to send this multitude away. They've got to go into
the surrounding villages and countryside and find lodging. They got

(09:36):
to get something to eat. Jesus, come on now here.
We're in a desolate place. Verse thirteen. Jesus said to them,
uh uh, you give them something to eat. They said, Jesus,
we have no more than five loaves and two fish,
unless perhaps you let us go and buy food for
all these people, because you know we're not enough as

(09:58):
we are right now. There were about five thousand men.
Scholars say the reason why Luke specifies men is because
there were women and children too, so there were probably
about fifteen thousand hungry people that day. Jesus said, have
them reclined to eat, in groups of about fifty each.
So they did so, had them all reclined, and then

(10:18):
he took the five loaves and the two fish, and
looking up to heaven, he blessed them, and then he
broke them, and he kept giving them to the disciples
to set before the multitude. In Verse seventeen says they
all ate. They were all satisfied, And just so you
know how satisfied they were, they went by and picked

(10:40):
up all the leftovers because there was overflowed. In this story,
we meet a hungry multitude, a multitude that is placing
a demand. They have a need. There is a lack
that needs to be filled. And most of the time
when this proportion of the scriptures is look into the multitudes,

(11:01):
who we concentrate on the five rows and the two fish,
and how they were satisfied with it. But just for
a few moments tonight, I don't want to talk to
you about the twelve Disciples, those who walked with Jesus
and talked with Jesus, those who were in close communion
with Jesus, those who would come out on a Friday
night to be in the presence of Jesus amongst the
people of Jesus. I want to talk to the disciples

(11:24):
of Jesus. The Disciples on this occasion had been called
to Jesus by Jesus. They were having a conversation with
each other. Jesus entrusted them with power and authority, and
then he sent them out. I love that this gospel
is one of the Synoptic gospels. The synoptic gospels are
those that tell their three of them Matthew Mark and Luke.

(11:45):
These three tell some of the similar stories in a
similar tone, in a similar way, so that we're able
to get more layers to the story. I love the
Gospels in that way. They give us layers. Just like
if someone were to offer you a chocolate cake, they
gave you options. You could have a one layer of
chocolate cake or a seven layer of chocolate cake. Which
one You're gonna choose seven every single time, because the

(12:09):
more layers there are, the more rich and delectable the
experience becomes. Mark chapter six is a layer of chocolate
cake for us. It tells us that this is the
experience when Jesus called the disciples to himself, and then
he sent them out in pairs. Do you remember, two
by two into the neighboring towns and communities. They were
supposed to teach and preach and perform miracles that would

(12:32):
authenticate the deity of Jesus Christ. Mark chapter six, our
layer of chocolate cake, tells us that they expended themselves. Y'all.
They were busy from sun up to sundown. They were
about the task of doing what it was that Jesus
had assigned to them. They wanted to be diligent about
it so much so that when they came back to Jesus,

(12:52):
they gave an account to him, and Jesus recognized their exhaustion.
He saw that they were tired. In fact, Jesus himself
commented that they didn't even have time to eat because
they had been so busy. They were depleted, and they
were tired. And they came back to Jesus and they
gave him an account for how they'd handled the assignment

(13:14):
that he had entrusted to them. If you're a believer
in Jesus Christ, you got an assignment, and don't let
anybody tell you that your assignment isn't ministry just because
it happens to be in a corporate setting. Mother of
small children who's chosen to stay home with those kids,
don't let anybody tell you that a ministry. Every single

(13:35):
time you make that chicken for dinner and you set
it on that table, and you teach those kids a
Bible verse before bedtime, don't let anybody tell you that
that ain't ministry. Corporate woman, when you sit around that
boardroom table and you're the only one that has a
set of ideals that lines up with the truth of Scripture.

(13:57):
At a table with those who are thinking and acting
and planning in a way that is left of God's word.
Don't let anybody tell you that you around that boardroom
a ministry. That's ministry. High school student, college student. You're
the only student that stands for truth. When your professor
says this is the way it is and you say, no,
that's not the way it is. Don't let anybody tell you,

(14:20):
as the light on that college campus that you are
not in ministry. Every single one of us has an assignment,
and the day is coming when we're going off to
give an account. And here's the thing, you don't know

(14:40):
when that day is. My thirty eight year old cousin
thirty eight for small children, the day is coming, and
you don't know the day or the hour, neither do I.

(15:01):
When we're gonna have to stand before him and give
an account for how we handled what he had entrusted
to us. I'm asking you tonight, how are you handling
your assignment? Because young women, if you think that you're
young because of your age, listen to me. If you're
twenty but you only have till thirty, you're pretty old.

(15:24):
If you're fifty and you're gonna live until one hundred,
then you're pretty young. Age is just to number my friend,
and you and I cannot qualify young or all base
verse based on our birth date. It's based on our
death date. And since we don't know when that day
is that I implore you, sisters, by the mercies of God,

(15:46):
to walk in a manner worthy of the calling by
which you have been called. Because listen, I don't know
about y'all, but when I see him face to face,
I'm looking for a well done I'm looking for well done.
When I see him, he will not ask me how

(16:07):
many Instagram followers I had. He will not wonder whether
or not folks liked my post. He will not be
interested in whether or not my selfies were perfectly lit.
He will ask me, did I know his son? And
then I will give an account. So the disciples they come,

(16:31):
and they give an account to Jesus. I wondered if
there was a recipe for effective ministry, because if these
guys were willing to come and look Jesus in his
face and give an account, I figured there might be
a recipe for us for effective ministry. I'm interested, anybody interested.
There are three ingredients to the recipe. Luke chapter nine,
verse one, It says he called them. He called them,

(16:57):
and his calling superseded any person little ambition that they had.
They laid down whatever they were going to do because
they heard the call of God beckoning them to do
something else. The beautiful thing about that entire picture is
that all of the glory of God the Father, all
of the glory of Heaven, was packaged in human flesh.

(17:19):
Jesus wanted so much, God the Father wanted so much
to make sure that he could speak and so that
humanity could hear. That he left his throne in glory,
put on flesh so that the disciples could hear his call.
And in the same way he has given us the
Holy Spirit, so that each and every one of us
have the privilege to hear the calling of God on

(17:42):
our lives, the conviction, the unction depressing the fire that
is shut up in your bones, sending you in a
particular direction, heed the call of God on your lives.
Then they were not just called. I love so much
that before he skips to the third ingredient and the recipe,
he said, I loved it. Before we get to the
third one, there's that second one. He did not just call,

(18:04):
but then he gave them power and authority. It means
that what he was calling them to do, he was
simultaneously equipping them with supernatural power to be able to
pull it off. So it's good news for anybody in
the room that you feel like you've got a dream
that is way over your head. You've been called to
do something you don't have the money for, you don't

(18:25):
have the time for, you don't have the patience for,
you don't have the gifting for, you don't have the
talent for, you don't have the connections for the good
thing and the great thing about our God is that
he does not call people who are already equipped. He
calls you, and then for the people that say yes,
he equips them with what they need for the calling.

(18:51):
He entrusted them with power and authority. And can I
tell you why this is important. This is important because
in order to and accomplish supernatural asks, you have to
have supernatural capacity. In other words, you can be the
most talented person in the world, but if you go
in your own strength and power, you still won't be

(19:12):
able to accomplish the God calling on your life. It
requires what it is that only God himself can give
to you to accomplish the task. Oh, the enemy hopes
you will go in your own power. He hopes you
will think you are flashy enough, and savvy enough, and
talented enough, and impressive enough so that you will no.

Speaker 2 (19:32):
Longer lean on God instead of leaning to your own understanding.

Speaker 1 (19:38):
But it is not by power, and it is not
by mind. It is by the spirit of God. And
some trust in horses, other folks trust in chariots, but
not us. We trust in the name of the Lord,
our God. So he called them, and then he entrusted them.
He gave them some treasure, and then he sent them.

(20:04):
He's the one who did the sending. Resist the urge
to send yourself to do something that it is not
yet time for, Because just as important as our calling is,
that is equally as important as the timing is in

(20:28):
which that calling is outworked in our lives. And if
you go too soon, you might, if you give birth
too soon to that which God is trying to produce
through you, you might abort what it is that He's
trying to accomplish in you, the spiritual backbone, the fortification
that he was trying to establish in you so that

(20:49):
you could handle the spotlight when it hit you. Because listen,
that spotlight that you may be craving, if it hits
you and you have no character, it will burn you
to a crisp. So he called them, He entrusted them.
He sent them out, and they returned to him and

(21:11):
gave an account. They were tired. The Disciples had been
given it everything they had. And I know there are
some of you in the room and you would admit
that you haven't done it perfectly. But man, you've sure
been purposeful. You've been intentional about this marriage. You've been
given it everything you've got. You've been intentional about that teenager.

(21:33):
You've been given that kid everything you got, this toddler
that has this specific bent or this specific issue that
you've been doing everything you can, going to see every
expert that you can, reading everything that you can to
be the best that you can as a mother, single mother.
You've been giving it everything that you've got, working the
jobs that you've got to work to keep food on

(21:54):
the table. You've been given that business, that ministry that
endeavor everything that you have, and you, the Disciples, are tired.
The good news about Jesus is that when the disciples
come to him tired, he does not say, go away
from me and get yourself together. Come back and then

(22:15):
I can use you. He says, come away with me.
In other words, listen, the cure for your exhaustion is
intimacy with Jesus. That's the cure, y'all. I'm saying. I agree.

(22:40):
Take the holiday, take the vacation. Tell them you need
a little sabbatical. You gotta step back for just a
little bit. You need a little margin in your life.
Take the holiday, but don't take a holiday from Jesus.
Don't take the sabbatical from your relationship with the Lord.
Prayer shouldn't exit your schedule because these are your rest days.
You still need to be the deer that pants after

(23:03):
the water. Your soul has still gotta be replenished and
can only be replenished when you have intimacy with Him.
And you're trying to figure out, Lord, you told me
that I was gonna be replenished. You told me that
I was gonna refresh. You told me that you had
something that you wanted to give to me. Why would
you take me here to this place where I'm being

(23:26):
pressed down by a multitude of issues and concerns and frustrations.
There's something overwhelming me that is bigger than what I
feel like I have the capacity to handle. Why would
you bring me here? This tells us that the story
of the Feeding of the five thousand is not just
about the five thousand. It's also about the disciples. It's

(23:47):
not just about the multitude getting fed. It's about the
disciples being fed physically, spiritually, emotionally. And it tells us
that the five lobes and the two fish are the
gift to the multitude. But it's the multitude that's the
gift to the disciples, because the multitude is what's going

(24:11):
to make them have to finally open up their drawer,
pull out the treasure that they would have otherwise ignored,
place it in the hands of a multiplying master who's
gonna show them what it looks like when he takes
their little bit and makes it a lot. There is
no replenishing like watching God multiply your loaves and fish.

(24:38):
I came to tell somebody who's got a multitude pressing
on you in your marriage, or in your finances, or
in your health, or in your parenting, or in your singleness,
that thing is weighing down on you. That means that
there is a drawer waiting to be opened. That means
there's some treasure waiting to be unveiled. And when you

(25:00):
take it out finally, when you stop ignoring it, when
you stop circumventing it, when you stop acting like God
hasn't given you everything you need, when you will finally
recognize this little bit, this little gifting, this little talent,
this little time, this little money, this little dream, this
little vision, that this is all I need if I'll
just pull it out and entrust it to the hands

(25:21):
of a multiply master. Can I just show you real
quick what the disciples did, just real quick, because I
think it's interesting, because it's so us. They said to
Jesus in verse twelve, send the multitude away. And here's

(25:49):
the thing that's so us. See, we don't just say it,
we pray it, We pray away. What we don't even

(26:09):
recognize is the gift He has given us to press
us into opening up our drawer. So if you prayed
for your multitude to be taken away, and in God's
sovereignty he has left it in your life, that means
there's a drawer. There's a drawer, Start looking for a drawer.

(26:30):
If there's a multitude, that means there's loads and fish
somewhere in your life that is supposed to be entrusted
into the hands of God. So we pray away. Did
you realize in verse twelve they are wishing away what
in verse eleven Jesus welcomed. Jesus welcomed what they're wishing away.
So the disciples say, get this multitude away. They don't

(26:56):
even know they're praying away their miracle. Everybody wants to
see the Red Sea divide, but nobody wants to be
the one that comes face to face with a red sea.
Everybody wants to see the walls of Jericho come tumbling down,
but nobody wants to be the one who has to
walk around those walls in obedience to God to trust
him to shout prior to seeing one brickfall. If there

(27:22):
is a multitude, that means there is a miracle. Okay,
so praise the multitude. Or they ask for the multitude
to go away, and Jesus he doesn't go for that.
So when he doesn't go for that, the disciples have
another solution. This is s two send the multitude away,
Jesus says mm m, And they say, well, send us away.

(27:46):
Then you see it. They said, send us to the
surrounding towns and villages so that we can go and
buy more, accumulate more, get more. Because as we are
is not sufficient, So send us somewhere else so we
can get better and be better suited to this multitude.

(28:08):
Because as we are is not enough. It has always
been the tactic of the enemy to get us to
think that we are not enough as we currently are,
that what we currently have is not sufficient for the
task that is before us. But if the Lord has
allowed that multitude into your experience, that means that as
you currently are, with the entrusted treasure, the power, the

(28:32):
authority that he has given to you, you've got everything
you need if you just pull out what he already
has entrusted to you. In fact, in Mark chapter six,
Our Layer of Chocolate Cake, we find out that he
says to the disciples, well what do you have? He
asked them that question. He says, what do you have?

(28:53):
And then he doesn't even give him a chance to answer.
He just immediately responds and says, go and look. He
said it like that go and look. He said it
like you would tell your kid if the month I
mean the week after Christmas they came to you and said, Mom,
I'm bored, you would say, well, what do you have?

(29:20):
And then before you gave them a chance to respond,
because you could already tell that the response there was
gonna give you was gonna get them in trouble, So
you didn't even give them a chance. You just say,
you would say to them, go and look, because if
you'll just look, you'll see that the thing you're complaining
about is something you already have access to. If you

(29:43):
will go and look, Moses, you will see that everything
you need to do what I've called you to do,
it's in your hand. It's that rod, that common rod
that has always been right beside you. But now I'm
gonna infuse it with my power. If I can just
get you to go and look, Moses, pick the stick up,
put it over the red sea. You will see that
it will ma the red Sea divide like a solid wall.
Go and look, David, Yes, Goliath is right there. But

(30:05):
if you'll go look down by the stream, I've already
provided five smooth stones, it will be everything you need
to take that giant down, go and look. Spend all
of the energy that you're spending complaining. Spend that energy
going to look for what God has already given us
access to. So they pulled it out. All right, Jesus,

(30:32):
you're gonna do something with this, They say, Okay, here
you go, and they put it in. Everything changes when
you put your five and two in the hands of Jesus.

(30:58):
Everything changes when you stop speaking negatively about it and
just trust it into the hands of Gee. When you
just take that little dream that he isn't trusted to
you and you give it back to him and you say,
don't look like much right now, but I'm putting it
in your hands. And the great thing about our God
Verse sixteen says is that he took the meager gifts

(31:19):
of man. He didn't look at their little bit and say,
come back when you've got more. A holy, divine, almighty,
powerful God, a God who does not need us or
our loaves and fish.

Speaker 3 (31:32):
When man gave it to him, he received, and looking
up to Heaven, he blessed it.

Speaker 1 (31:44):
Y'all, you don't need more, You just need God's blessing
on what you've already got. You don't need more. You
just need God's blessing on your five and two, girl,
That's all you need. You know what his blessing is.
It's his favor, y'ah. Favor is what makes the scales

(32:04):
balance over in your favor. Favor is what makes things
a little bit unfair on your behalf. Favor is what
opens doors that nobody can shut. Favor is what puts
you in positions that nobody can take away. Favor is
what sets you before kings and queens. The favor of
God is what you want on your life, on your

(32:25):
five and two looking up to heaven. He blessed it,
then he broke it, and he kept giving it to
the disciples, and it kept going, and it kept going.

(32:52):
In the twelve didn't understand how the little bit they
had had they had in the beginning had become so much,
and their entire multitude, the whole burden was satisfied. And
when everybody was satisfied, ooh, somebody say, satisfied. Ooh, Victoria,

(33:15):
I wish we had time tonight. Girl, satisfied. This is
not some you know, happy meal sort of situation here. Mmmm,
this is not a number one on the Burger King
drive through this is Sunday afternoon. I'm talking about old
school Sunday where your mom started to cook on Saturday

(33:35):
night and the yeast rolls were rising, and the macaroni
and cheese was bubbling, and the sweet potatoes were all
gooey on the stove, and ever the sweet tea was
going the roast. You know, she started the roast on
two hundred the night before and let it simmer all
night long. Y'all are getting hungry, aren't you.

Speaker 2 (33:54):
I know?

Speaker 1 (33:54):
Listen, do you remember how when you came home from
church the next day you ate that and the only
thing you could do after that was that's all you
could do. That's why Jesus said, go ahead and have
the people recline, have them get in a posture of expectation.
But I'm getting ready to do exceedingly, abundantly above and

(34:18):
beyond anything that they can ask or think. Satisfied Sunday
afternoon kind of satisfied, that's what he does. And they
were so satisfied, y'all, don't even sit down, just stay
stead and listen. They were so satisfied. This is how

(34:42):
you know how good the meal was. There was leftovers.
They started going around picking up the leftovers, y'all, and
guess what. There were twelve baskets full, one basket disciple
to take home as an overflow of the grace and

(35:06):
the blessing of God. I want to pray for any
of you who are in this room and you've got
a multitude weighing on you. You gotta, I mean, that thing
is burdening you down, and you've never considered the fact
that you've already got what you need. You've been thinking,
this is not enough gifting, this is not enough talent,

(35:27):
it's not enough money, it's not enough time. I don't
have enough. And Jesus is whispering in your ear tonight.
You gotta not just give it to me. I'm gonna
multiply it. I'm gonna blow your mind with what I'm
gonna do if you just trust it to me. Anybody
got a specific multitude that you need prayer in regards to,
just go ahead and raise your hand. We're gonna pray

(35:48):
right now. And Jesus saying, Victoria, will you come up
with me, please, just as a pastor in this house,
would you just be present in this moment so we
can pray over God people Lord right now we entrust
every single woman who has her hand raised. In particular,
we entrust every single one under the sound of our voice, Lord,

(36:09):
to your love and care. We thank you that you
are sovereign over their lives. Father, we thank you that
there is nothing that is in our experience right now
that has not first passed through your fingers. And since
we know you are good, and that you are kind,
and that you're a mercy endures forever, then Father, we
believe that if you've allowed this multitude, there's something in

(36:30):
this multitude we don't want to miss. And so Father,
I pray right now that you would change our perspective
so we can see in this multitude what you have
for us. Don't let us miss it for anything in
the world. Lord. And then Father, I'm going to pray
over our five and two. I ask right now in
Jesus' name, whatever the five loaves and the two fish
are that you have entrusted to every single woman, I

(36:52):
pray that you would give a holy courage and a
holy boldness that would compel us to open up the
drawer and pull it out and entrust it to your hands.
Father God, I do pray that if this multitude has
anything to do with the enemy. Lord, if the enemy
has assigned an attack on any woman or her family,
I pray that his attack would be canceled in Jesus'

(37:15):
name and by his broad that has been shed on Calfrey.
But Lord, if this multitude is of you, then right now,
in Jesus' name, I thank you for it in our lives.
Come on and thank him for it. I thank you
for it. And then, Father, we're gonna go ahead and

(37:37):
get in a posture of abundance. We're gonna start living
and praying and acting like people who believe that you
are the God of Ephesians three twenty and twenty one.
You can do above all that we ask a think
in Jesus' name. I cannot even begin to tell you

(37:58):
how excited I am to be here, thrilled finally to
be at Passion. This is my first time being at Passion.
I'm the new kid on the block. Thank you for
making the new kid feel welcome. It is a privilege

(38:19):
to be a part of what God has already been
doing through this movement for these years, these decades, that
God has been sowing seed into the lives of you.
Y'all don't even know what it is that the Lord
has in store for You can't even imagine. I'm trying
to tell you that whatever is in your mind right
now about what God might do with your life, it

(38:40):
is too small for what He's actually planning to do.
Too small you cannot fathom what God has in mind
for you. The reason why I can say that with
that much boldness is because while there are thirty plus
thousand of us that are gathered together in these three oras,
and then those that are on the other side of

(39:01):
the screen in their homes, thirty thousand sounds like a
big number unless you consider the fact that with seven
plus billion people on the planet, the fact that he'd
let us be the ones that are recipients of what
He's done over these last few weekends. Really it's just
or last few days. Really, it's just a drop in
the bucket. Thirty thousand sounds like a lot, But in

(39:23):
the grand scheme of all the people that could have
been here, y'all, he chose us. That means He intended
for you to know you're an arrow, that your expectation
is that you're getting ready to go places the likes
of which you could never imagine, Oh, I like y'all.
Y'all talk back to me. I go to that kind

(39:45):
of a church where they talk about you know. I
go to the kind of church where if the preaching
gets really good to us, we might throw something at
the pastor a shoe, a baby, anything might go flying
up there. My people, y'all came to have church. So

(40:06):
I have three boys. It's a little bit scary to
me that they are nearly and will be very soon
in the next few years, will be about your age
three sons. The distinguishing characteristic about my boys is that
they are giants. They are huge boys. My fifteen year
old is six foot two inches tall. He wears a
size fourteen men's shoe. My thirteen year old is about

(40:30):
six' one he wears a thirteen men's, shoe and they
tower over. ME i have a nine year old who's
coming up in the ranks with his. Brothers they are tall.
Boys somebody come help me feed these. People and one
of the distinguishing characteristics about or what makes their size
work for them rather is that they do love. Sports

(40:51):
so whatever sport is sort of in, season that's what
we're playing at the. Time my second son for a
lot of. Years he's in a basketball, now but for
a lot of, years baseball was this, thing AND i enjoy.
THAT i enjoyed baseball. SEASON i liked going out there for.
SPRINGBALL i liked spring ball because you go sit in
the cool of the evening while your kid is. PRACTICING
i remember all those years Of Little league when he

(41:11):
was just coming, up and we'd sit out there in
the cool of the spring, evening under the lights of the,
bleachers watching in practice and enjoying just that whole. ATMOSPHERE
i liked spring ball so. Much the only problem with
springball is that it is going to become summer. Ball
AND i don't know what happens where you, live wherever
you're coming, from BUT i can tell you In, Dallas,
texas which is WHERE i still lived and WHERE i

(41:35):
was born and raised In, Dallas, texas in the, summertime
it doesn't warm up. Slightly it gets. Hot i'm talking
about slap your mama. Hot that kind of, hot the
kind of hot where you feel like the sun must
be mad at you about, something like you did something
to the sun and the sun is trying to get
you back all summer. Long that's what it feels like

(41:56):
and you're sitting out there at a game trying to
enjoy your kid's. Game still is okay when there's just one.
Game the problem is that at the end of every
season there's a. Tournament so you got to be out
there on A thursday at eight am and ten am
and noon and two, pm and, then depending upon how
your kid's team, did you're gonna have to come back
On friday at eight am and ten, am and then

(42:16):
they give you a little lunch, break but you got
to come back for the two pm, game the four pm,
game and then if your kid's team had the nerve
to do, well you got to come back again On
saturday for the eight am game and ten am and
noon and two and, man you're sitting out there under
the blazing, sun trying to be happy that your kid
is doing. Well, really you're wondering if it's ever okay

(42:38):
to pray to toy lose so you can go. HOME
i will never confirm nor deny THAT i have ever done,
that BUT i will tell you that we were sitting
out there at a tournament so several years, ago sun was.
Blazing we were so excited for the lunch, break just
because that meant we would be able to go to
a restaurant where there would be air conditioned an ice

(42:59):
water that actually had ice in. It we got, Refreshed
we came, Back we drove our suv up into the parking,
lot opened up the back of the suv so that
we could pull out all the gear that we needed
to go to the next game in the. Tournament we
were three days into the, tournament, hot. Sweaty they were doing.
Well we were trying to be excited about, it ready

(43:19):
for the next. GAME i was walking behind my son
to get from where we had parked the car over
toward the dugout where the next game was going to be.
Played and SO i gathered up all the, stuff you,
know the ice chest that you have and the umbrella
that you might have to go over your, head and you,
know the water, bottles the, backpacks the, baseballs the, mits
all that, stuff AND i was following behind my. Son

(43:42):
my second, Son Jerry, junior is at fairly gregarious. Personality he's,
outgoing he's excited for a. Challenge SO i could see
that in his step AS i followed behind, HIM i
could see a skip and his, step his chin was,
up his shoulders were, back he was excited about the next.
Game AND i got to tell he's pretty good in.
Baseball he has a natural knack for. IT i, remember

(44:04):
at ten years, old was the first time he got
a good hit and sent it sailing over the fence
line at ten years. Old AND i think it's partly
because of his, size just a lot of power behind his.
Swing a great as a first. Baseman so we were
really excited about his success in. Baseball AND i watched
him as he kind of hopped and skipped over to
the next, game just excited about the next challenge in the.

(44:26):
Tournament but BECAUSE i was following behind, HIM i had
my eyes glued on, him AND i could see when something.
CHANGED i could see that as we took the short
walk from where we'd parked the car over to the,
DUGOUT i could see that his shoulders started to hunch
over and his head hung. DOWN i could see that
that skip that had been in his step had. Changed

(44:47):
he was kind of walking like he was. Nervous he
was wringing his hands a little. BIT i saw that
he was looking, around his eyes darting and looking a
little bit. SKETCHY i was trying to figure out what
happened to my. Boy it was a short walk from
where we parked a car over to the, dugout and
all of a, sudden his countenance had completely. Changed SO
i started looking, around trying to figure out what was going.

(45:08):
On why did he look so insecure and? Fearful all
of a, SUDDEN i realized that as we were going
toward the, dugout we were walking past some kids from another.
Team they were all laying on the grass underneath the
shade of an oak, tree getting ready for the next.
Game AS i passed, THEM i could see this was
the team we were about to play. Next kept walking

(45:28):
AND i kept getting a look at these, Boys and
WHEN i looked at, THEM i realized what my son's problem.
Was we had faced this team, before we had faced
them earlier in the, season and when this team had
played my son's team earlier in the, season they had annihilated.
Us it had been a complete, embarrassment a complete. Upset

(45:50):
this team right, here. Y'all they were serious baseball, players
but we had to walk right by them to get
to the. Dugout as we walked, past there were two.
Players they were talking to each other one was whispering
to the. OTHER i think he thought he was, whispering
but we could hear. Him he leaned over to the
other one and he, said there goes that big kid
from The Red sox. Team is he the one that

(46:11):
hit the ball and it went over the. Fence, yeah
he was the one at first, base the one that
caught any of the outs that we got in the.
Game that was. Him so That's Jerry. Shier when my
boy heard his name cross the lips of the opposing team,
members there's shoulders that had been hanging down all of a,

(46:33):
SUDDEN i watched them pop back. AGAIN i watched his
shin go. UP i watched him get a little swag
back in his step as he headed over toward the.
Dugout in, fact we had to bring him down a
few notches before the game. Started it's, amazing, really how
your countenance changes when you're really over here and understand

(46:54):
what the enemy thinks about you when he sees you.
Coming it doesn't mean that the challenge goes. Away it
means that in the face of, it you're. Different your
stance is different because you recognize that when the enemy
sees a daughter or A son Of god coming his.
Way he's shaking in his, boots not because of, you
but because of the Holy spirit Of god that lives

(47:15):
on the inside of. ME i came to tell somebody To,
david even if you don't believe what it is that
the word Of god declares to be true about, you
you need to know that the enemy. Does he knows
that every single thing That god's word declares to be
true about, you every word that has been declared over

(47:36):
you in these last few days of this, conference even
if you're not convinced about, it the enemy. Is he
knows that you have been. Forgiven he knows that there
is therefore now no condemnation for those of us who
are In Christ. Jesus he knows that you have been
given the. Victory he knows that you have been made
competent by the spirit Of. God he knows that there

(47:58):
is therefore now no condemnation for you or for, me no,
shame no. Guilt he knows that you have not been
given a spirit of, fear but a power and love
and have a sound. Mind and, y'all he knows that
in the end we. Win And i'm saying what a

(48:22):
shamed it would be for the enemy to believe more
about your potential than you. Do what a shamed it
would be for us to go out of here with
all of this inspiration that we have been, given this
investment Of god's, word that he has gathered us together
over the course of these days to worship in spirit

(48:42):
and in, truth and to Hear his word declared true
over our. Lives what a tragedy it would be for
us to walk out of here and still live like
we were before we came through these. Doors so what
the enemy will do is scatter challenge in front of your.
Life because, listen you going back home to challenge? Y'all
do no we going back home in a little, while,

(49:03):
Right and don't we wish we could wake up to
this every single? Day don't we wish that we could
Have god's words spoken over our lives with this much
authority and power every single day and being the presence
of leaders who can lead us into the presence Of
god and worship every single day like. This but the

(49:23):
reality is we going back. Home the challenges of your university,
campus the challenges of your, home your, relationships your friendships
on your, job those challenges will be sprawled out in
front of. You you get, home and let me tell you.
Something what the enemy hopes is that the sight of
them will cause you to shrink back in so much
fear and insecurity that you'll never step up to the

(49:46):
plight of being Who god has called you to. Be,
listen if you've placed faith In Jesus, CHRIST i hope
you know that the enemy understands he cannot destroy. You
he knows his chances are over of destroying, you so
he is going to spend the rest of his time
and the rest of his energy just trying to discourage,
you trying to distract you so that you'll shrink back

(50:08):
in fear and insecurity and not step up to the
plate and be Who god has called you to. Be
it is at least in part to this end that
The Apostle paul gives us a passage of scripture that
has become a lifeline for. Me in, FACT i was
talking With christine. Yesterday chris AND i have known each

(50:31):
other for a very long, time very close, friends and
she was asking me WHAT i was going to speak.
ON i had several thoughts of directions THAT i was leaning.
Toward but in the, end as we were, talking the
question came, up if there was only one thing you
could say to, them if there's only one message that

(50:52):
you ever have the opportunity to tell these, students these
young people that will be gathered together on this, occasion
what would that message? Be and there was one thing
that immediately popped into my heart and my mind for
you at the end of this Year's Passions Passion. Conference
the words of The Apostle. Paul he writes them in

(51:15):
The book Of. Ephesians, listen let me just tell you
quickly BEFORE i read this passage you got if you've
not read The book Of, ephesians you're gonna have to
read The book Of, ephesians y'all. Listen it's like for.
Real The Apostle, paul y'all know he was a bad.
Boy he gave us most of what would become The New,

(51:36):
testament letters written to first century believers that now disciple
us and help us to mature as believers and as
the body Of. Christ and scholars say that of all
Of paul's, writing really the cream of the, crop the
cherry on top of the, cake Is. Ephesians because in
The book Of, ephesians, y'all he just spends the first
half of the book just rehearsing who you are as

(51:56):
a daughter or a. Son he wants to make sure
you step up to the, rise to the occasion of
who you've been recreated In, christ to become those of
you who place faith In Jesus christ last, night who
stood to your feet at the end Of Pastor louis's,
message and you place faith In, Jesus, listen the old
has gone and the NEWEST. Colmu you're a, daughter you

(52:17):
are son of and you have full rights and privileges
that have been granted to. You The Apostle paul wants
you to know what is the hope of his calling
and choosing. You he writes in the first and second
and third chapter about the treasure that you. Have he
wants you to know about the mercy that has been
lavished upon, you the grace that has been given to.
You he wants you to know that if you've been

(52:39):
rejected by everybody, else you've been, handpicked, chosen and adopted
by The One True. God he wants you to know
that if you've dug a pick of sin for yourself
that is so deep you can't find your way out of,
it that the mercy Of god is so great and
so grand that it can reach down into any pit
and snatch you up out of. It. Once in, Fact

(53:01):
paul gets so worked up that by the time he
gets to the middle of the first, chapter he bursts
out into, prayer and he, Says i'm praying that the
eyes of your heart would be, open so that you
would just know what is the hope Of his calling
and choosing. You and after going over and over and
on and on about the, lavishness the, richness the, grace the,

(53:25):
mercy the, goodness the adoption that has been poured out over,
us the forgiveness that has been granted to, us he's
trying to figure, out how DO i close this letter
to make sure they step up to the? Plate how
DO i put an exclamation point on passion twenty eighteen
to make sure that What god has given them they

(53:46):
don't hand over to the enemy as soon as they
walk out the door and the Apostle paul writes these
words to us In ephesians chapter, six beginning in verse Ten's,
finally you be strong in The lord and in the

(54:06):
strength Of his, might he, says put on the full
armor Of, god so that you may be able to
stand firm against the schemes somebody, say schemes against the
schemes of the. Devil he, says we wrestle Not we,
struggle not against flesh and, blood but against the, rulers
against the, powers against the world forces of this, darkness

(54:28):
against the spiritual forces of wickedness that are in the heavenly.
Places he, Says so, therefore you might as well just
go ahead and put down all the weapons of this
world that aren't working for you, anyway and take up
some weapons that actually have some, power he, says take
up the full armor Of, god so that you may
be able to resist in the evil. Day and having

(54:49):
done everything to stand, firm he, says you ought to
just stand. Firm, therefore in these few verses Of, scripture
The Apostle paul begins to introduce to us a concept
that has not, been at least in the context thus
far in church. Development at that, time had not been
as overtly described as it is right. Now In paul's,

(55:13):
letter he brings up the topic of spiritual. Warfare he,
says you have an. Enemy he, SAYS i want to
make sure that it's loud and clear there are other
places in The Old testament and throughout The new y'all
where we can infer that we have a, spiritual unseen
battle going. On but this is the first time that

(55:34):
an author comes right out and says you have an
enemy and he is scheming against. You that when you
leave this place in just a little, while WHEN i
leave this place in just a little, while you need
to know that there is an. Enemy he is against.
You he is not for. You he plans to do
anything and everything in his power to start up challenge

(55:57):
in your life enough to cause you to shrink back
and not rise up and stand firm and the victory
that you have been given In Christ. Jesus that's why
the Apostle paul, says stand, firm because you have an,
enemy an enemy that wants you to think that just
because he is, invisible he is also. Fictional he wants

(56:19):
to be chalked up to nothing more than a, caricature
a cartoon, picture a, myth a character for a kid's nursery.
Rhyme he doesn't want you to recognize the influence that
he has over your, life possibly to cause you to
never walk into the full expression Of god's grace and
goodness in your. Life he is. Sinister he is a master,

(56:42):
illusionist and he is a, deceiver and he hopes to
cleverly disguise himself behind life's most pressing, problems to where
you will forget he is even. There he wants you
to point fingers at, him or at, her at your,
boss at your, parent at that particular, professor or your
in your. Dorm he wants you to think it's that,

(57:03):
advisor it's that financial, problem anything flesh and, blood because he,
knows as long as we're looking at the flesh and,
blood we will direct all the wrong weapons at the wrong.
Culprit we'll think her money will. Work we'll think our
rationale and logic will actually. Work we think that the
diploma we're about to achieve and, Receive we'll think the

(57:23):
diploma will be work worth. It we'll think that the
connections will. Work anything natural cannot take care of the.
Supernatural when your problem is unseen and, spiritual you need
weapons that work in that. Realm so The Apostle paul,
says you got to know first of all that your
enemy is not the person you are sitting next to,

(57:45):
Today that your enemy is not your parents at. Home
your enemy is not that professor that is difficult to work.
With your real enemy is not your boss on your
part time. Job your real enemy is. Unseen he is
hoping that we will forget he's. There he is the master.
Deceiver so there's a little church around the corner from

(58:08):
my house In. Dallas i've been taking my kids there
since they were little To Harvest. Festival that's basically this
church's answer To. Halloween so we will go there For Harvest.
Festival and this church has a good old fashioned trunk or.
Treat does anybody know WHAT i mean WHEN i say
trunk or? Treat, okay all, Right so trunk or treat

(58:32):
for those of you who are not clear on what that.
Is that's when members of the congregation. Volunteer they volunteer
to bring their cars into the parking lot On Harvest
festival night so that they can open up the trunk
of their. Cars so you go into the parking, lot
all the trunks are open and each person has basically
crafted a carnival game or some sort of fair game
out of the trunk of the. Car so kids line
up one trunk after the other they play whatever the

(58:53):
game is and then most of the, time whether they
win or, lose the person that owns that car gives
them a whole bunch of candy and sends them. Home
we're always so. Grateful so we stand in, line one
car after the, other waiting on bags of, candy and
we'd played one game after the other a few years.
Ago the biggest, line the longest line that the carnival

(59:15):
wasn't behind the. Car it was behind the bed of a.
Truck it was really. CLEVER a huge truck had been
parked in the parking, lot and they'd put a step
ladder right at the bed of the truck so that
a kid could walk into the bed of the. Truck
they had attached a tabletop which was about the same
size as the bed of the. Truck they had attached
it to the side of the, truck cut six holes into,

(59:37):
it put some fabric some drapery over, it and out
from those holes every few seconds a puppet would pop.
Through they gave the kid a huge plastic, mallet and
the job of the kid was to run up and
down the inside of the bed of the truck as
he tried to hit the puppets on top of the
Head it was a homemade whack a mole, game is
what it, was and it was the longest. Line me

(59:57):
And jude at the, time he was like. Four jude
is my Young me AND judi are standing in, line
were waiting on our. Turn behind, us there's another. Kid
he's with, us his. Mom he's probably four or five as.
Well and, y'all he was hysterical because he was annoyed
at this whole, situation and he was making sure she knew.
It he was first of all annoyed, Because, MOM i
don't understand WHY i got to stand in this long.

(01:00:18):
Line didn't we come to the carnival to have. Fun
this ain't. Fun standing in line ain't. FUN i have an, Idea,
mom how about. This how ABOUT i go play all
these other games while you stand in line and a
whole dark, place and then when it's our, Turn i'll
come back and join you in. Line but he was
not only annoyed about the. Line the four year old
was also annoyed, Because, MOM i don't even understand this.
Game why in the world WOULD i waste all my
energy and running up and down the inside of that

(01:00:40):
truck to hit the puppets on the top of the.
Head if WHEN i hit them on the, head they're gonna,
Disappear but then they're just gonna come back as soon
AS i hit them on the. Head what's the point
of this? Game so everybody in the line is laughing
hysterically because this four year, old this five year, old
is talking so much about all of his. Frustrations finally
he gets so frustrated that he works himself into a

(01:01:01):
frenzy to where ALL i saw out of my peripheral
vision was a four year old flash running past me
as he ran, forward and he grabbed the drapery off
of the tabletop and pulled it clean. Off underneath there
were three adults with puppets on each. Hand that. Day

(01:01:22):
we all got a good, laugh but we also got
a good. Lesson there is always something you can't see
influencing what you, Can and if you spend all of your,
time your, energy your effort trying to hit at what
you see popping up in your, life you're gonna be
so frustrated and by the, way, exhausted because as soon
as you take care of one, thing another one is coming.

(01:01:44):
Back unless you do what the Apostle paul, says pull
back the curtain and let the enemy know we got
our eyes on, you and we're gonna use some weapons
that actually work back there behind the, curtain. Y'ALL i
WISH i had learned this WHEN i was, eighteen nineteen
twenty twenty one years, old that that, person that physical

(01:02:06):
problem isn't really where you need to invest your. Energy
pull back the, curtain use the weapons that actually have.
Power the Apostle paul wants you to know that the
tactics of the enemy are serious, business and so he
uses a specific word to describe. Them he, says. Schemes

(01:02:27):
listen to. Me he knows your. Weaknesses he knows how
to dangle what carrot at the right, time in the
right way to make sure you are snagged in. Particular
have you ever wondered or found curious that that particular
carrot is always dangled in front of you when you
are most, tired when you are most, vulnerable when you

(01:02:47):
happen to be most, hungry most, alone most. Weak that
particular carrot the one that wouldn't mess with your friend
because it's not her, deal it's not his. Deal he's
not enticed by. That but the one that it entices
you always shows up at the right, time. Y'all that's not.
Coincidence that's a. Scheme the enemy is trying to derail.

(01:03:09):
You he's trying to make sure that you don't walk
in a manner worthy pleasing of The. Lord then you
come in, here but then you don't go out of
here the purpose to live for the glory Of. God
he's trying to trip you, up not only for his own,
benefit but because he does not want you having access
to everything that you are privy to as a rightful

(01:03:31):
heir to The king of kings and The lord of.
Lords it's a. Scheme so if he's got, tactics we need.
Tactics the Apostle paul outlines them for. Us i'm just
gonna read them to you because he, says in verse,
thirteen you need the full, armor and here's what they.
Are verse, fourteen he, says make sure that your loins

(01:03:52):
are girded with. Truth then he says you need a,
breastplate and the breastplate is called. Righteousness and then he
says in verse, fifteen you gotta have some for your
feet if you want any hope of being able to
move forward. Successfully so your feet need to be shod
with the preparation of The gospel Of. Peace and then
not only, that but he says there are some flaming

(01:04:12):
missiles of the evil one that he fully intends to
send sailing into your. Path you're gonna need a, shield
and the shield is your. Faith and then you know
there are, lies there are strongholds that he's going to
try to erect in your. Mind you're gonna need something
to protect your. Mind he, says you need a, helmet
and the helmet is your. Salvation but not only, that

(01:04:33):
he says that you are going to need a, sword
really a dagger of the. Spirit it was about eighteen
inches long or, so the one the Apostle paul is referring.
To you need a dagger so that when the enemy
is all up in your, space you've got something close
at hand to make sure that he stays at. Bay
you need a dagger of the. Spirit and the dagger

(01:04:54):
is called the what The word Of. God but, y'all
he doesn't. Stop but those six CAN i just say
that there is one more in eighteen verse. Eighteen traditionally
it's taught as. SIX i really believe there are seven
pieces of armor because in verse. Eighteen he says. Pray

(01:05:16):
he says, pray not like you, know a prayer a
day to keep the devil, away not like a prayer
over your, meal just because that's what your mama did
and your grandmama, did and that's what you're supposed to.
Do not something quick and, casual, fervent prioritized. Prayer, y'all

(01:05:42):
you can't have victory if you don't. Pray do you
hear What i'm saying to. You prayer is the key
that unlocks the resources Of heaven so that they can
be unleashed on Planet. Earth prayer is the Key he's
actually given you to get all the good stuff down.
Here BECAUSE i don't know about, you BUT i don't

(01:06:03):
want to wait to get To heaven to experience all
That god has for. Me any bits of heaven he
plans to give me On, EARTH i want it right.
Now prayer accesses the bits of heaven he intends to
give you, now and prayer. Listen prayer is what pushes
the kingdom of darkness. Back it's what pushes it. Back
that's Why jesus, said my house shall be called not

(01:06:25):
a house of good, preaching not a house of good,
singing not a house of great spotlights and, production not
a house of great. CAFES i hope you have all of,
that enjoy. It But jesus, said at the end of the,
day my house better be called a house of, prayer
because spot lights and fog machines and great singing and
great preaching that won't necessarily push the kingdom of darkness.

(01:06:48):
Back but when my people who are called by my,
name when they will humble, themselves and when they'll. Pray
he says That i'm will hear from. Heaven i'm gonna
heal the. Land the enemy will have to be knee
at the name Of jesus in. Prayer so. Pray there's

(01:07:11):
one other piece of. ARMOR i couldn't get by without
talking to you about it for a few. Moments y'all still,
awake everybody game it's in verse, fourteen he, says put
on a breastplate called what? Righteousness? Righteousness jerry AND i

(01:07:35):
live in a fairly rural part Of Dallas Fort. Worth
we like it that. Way close enough to the city
we can get there, quick but it's quiet and. Lazy
we live on a little two, lane sleepy. Road somebody's
got some horses over. There there's some cows over. There
and one of my closest friends lives across the. Street
that's why we like, it because she's got a pond
in the front of her. Property So i'll get the

(01:07:57):
boys and the two fishing POLES i bought on sale
at the Local. WALMART i have a tackle box too
THAT i got on sale, there because you, know we need.
Things we need extra hooks because the boys always lose the,
hooks extra bobber, thingies you, know because we need extras of.
THOSE i also have gloves in the tackle box because
y'all KNOW i don't mind going, fishing BUT i ain't
gonna actually touch no.

Speaker 4 (01:08:14):
Fish so we walk across the street with whatever hot
dog meat we've got left from the, week because you,
know we're professional, fishermen so our hot dog meat is our.

Speaker 1 (01:08:25):
Bait we walk across the, street we stand in this
little cove underneath some, trees and we fish just right
there most of the, time just little sun perch stuff like.
That we can catch. Quick in an, hour we can
catch like ten or twelve, fish just a, little, quick,
easy little fishing. Trip every now and, then Though i'm feeling.
Adventurous what that means is is that we will get
into my friend's little rowboat they bought on. Craigslist it's,

(01:08:47):
metal it's not a big. Deal it's just a little it's,
seaworthy it can hold us. Up that's all we. Need i'll,
swim we'll row out into the, middle and we'll fish
from there every now and. Then BUT i always think
twice BEFORE i do. It and here's the, reason because
in order to get in, it we first have to
turn it. Over they leave it upside, down as they,
should to drain water while nobody's using. It SO i

(01:09:09):
gotta turn it over to get in. It and WHAT
i do know for sure is that WHEN i turn
this thing, over something's either gonna hop out from underneath,
it someone's gonna waddle out from underneath, it or worst of, all,
ooh something's gonna slither out from underneath that. Boat because
the environment under there is moist and damp and perfect for.

(01:09:29):
Critters do you know What i've? Noticed every single time
we've turned it, over something comes, Out and never once
HAVE i had to write a golden sealed invitation and
send it into the brush nearby to invite the critters
to come and join us at one o'clock. Today you're.
Welcome never once HAVE i had to invite, them because
the environment created by the upside down boat is invitation.

(01:09:51):
Enough righteousness is right side up living that invites the
sunlight Of god's faith we're embrassing upon your. Life unrighteousness
is upside down behavior that is out of alignment with
the truth Of god that you've been sitting on your
knees for the last few. Days it's behavior that is

(01:10:13):
out of alignment with the truth Of god to where
you don't have to invite the enemy and come and
make himself at home in your. Life you just keep
living upside, down and the environment created by upside down
behavior is invitation. Enough listen to. Me you can pray
against the enemy till you're blue in the. Face but
if you AND i leave passion and we do not

(01:10:36):
walk in, holiness we do not live in our lifestyle
that is in alignment with the truth Of, god we
will have wasted our breath in, Prayer paul, says somebody's
gotta live. Right it's flat out straight up. Holiness. Holiness

(01:11:00):
it's a word that our grandmothers and our grandfathers back
in the good old days when you went to church
and you sat on a wooden. Pew it's before some
churches became so pre seeker. SENSITIVE i, remember, Y'ALL i went,
Listen i'm off. Track. LISTEN i went to a church
and they, said we are a pre secret sensitive, church
and so we actually want to sort of in a,
way they, said dull down the actual literal name Of,

(01:11:24):
jesus just so we can get people in. First then
we will we will be more. Direct later, ON i, said,
oh you have invited the wrong, person because there used
to be a day in time where it was just
black and, white where there were fewer gray areas and. Tolerance,
yes come as you, are but don't stay as you. Are,

(01:11:47):
holiness brothers and, SISTERS i implore, you by the mercies
Of god to walk in a manner worthy of this
calling by which you have been, called that every bit
of truth that you have received this, weekend to align
your lifestyle to, it to not determine that you will
still dig your heels into the ground and live, immorally

(01:12:09):
or speak, immorally or do the things habits and lifestyles
and choices and relationships that you know are outside of
alignment with the truth Of. God turn the boat right
side up so that you can invite the favor Of
god on your. Life The Apostle paul, says righteousness is your.
Breastplate The roman army in the first century they had

(01:12:31):
many pieces of, armor as you, know but the breastplate
would have been one of the most. Critical the reason
why was because it obviously protected the most vital organ they,
had their. Heart the heart is the lifeline for your
physical well. Being all of the blood, flow the, vitality
the energy that you need to function in every level

(01:12:52):
of your life comes from the vitality of your physical.
Heart what the physical heart is to the physical, life
your spiritual heart is to your spiritual. Life all of the,
vitality the energy that you need to be Who god
has created you to, be to have fervency in your prayer,
life to Follow him with passion and with, fire to
read The bible and not just be ink on a,

(01:13:13):
page but you Hear his voice speaking to. You to
have clear reception between you and The Holy, spirit you
need a vital spiritual. Heart that's why IF i were your,
enemy more than all, Else i'd be after your. Heart
because one shot to the spiritual heart will wipe you.

(01:13:33):
Out your spiritual heart is comprised of four. Things your,
mind the way you, think your, emotions the way you,
feel your, ambitions what you purpose to, do and your.
Conscience your conscience is not the voice Of, god but
your conscience is like this wiring that helps this microphone
amplify my. Voice the conscience is the microphone that The

(01:13:56):
Holy spirit uses to help you hear the voice Of.
God so IF i were your, Enemy i'd be after
your heart because IF i could get to your, heart
that would MEAN i would have automatic access to your.
Mind NOW i could tinker with your. Thinking i'd have
automatic access to your. EMOTIONS i can mess with the
way you feel and make sure they're out of alignment
with the truth Of. GOD i can mess with your

(01:14:17):
ambitions to wear what you want to do is totally
out of alignment with What god wants you to. Do
and more than all, Else i'd want to make it
SURE i have a shot to your heart so THAT
i can short circuit the wires between you and The Holy.
Spirit now you can't even Hear god speak to you
because you didn't have a breastplate on the Apostle paul,

(01:14:38):
says holiness is your. Breastplate holiness blocks you from a
full frontal attack of the. Enemy holiness keeps the enemy
at bag to whear when he comes looking around for
some people that he can, infiltrate some upsund side down
environments that he can fester. In he can't find that
with me or with, you because we've chosen right side up,

(01:14:59):
living aligning ourselves with the truth Of, god breastplace in,
place securing us against the schemes of the. Enemy holiness
is your. BREASTPLATE i came to tell you to live.
RIGHT i came to tell you not to just have
heard all of, this to go home and live in

(01:15:19):
accordance with. It be, Ye, holy not by your, power
not by your, might but by The spirit Of. God
there is no relationship you're in that if it is
out of alignment with the truth Of, god that The
Holy spirit himself won't help you to sever so that

(01:15:41):
you can walk in. Holiness there is no lifestyle you
are living that is too that you're too wound up
in that you can't break free. From no matter how
you feel in this, moment you can walk in. Holiness
there is no way you have been speaking no, addiction
that you have no, habit that you have been fessed
in your, life that you have been harboring in your,

(01:16:02):
life that The Holy spirit won't empower you to break
free from so that you can walk underneath the banner
the favor of holiness in your. Life be Ye holy, y'all, listen.
Listen back in our grandmama and our grandparents', days great,
grandparents they wanted to Honor god more than they wanted

(01:16:27):
to impress. People see the problem With instagram And twitter
and social. Media if there's a, problem, y'all the problem
is we want. This we want to be. Impressive and
If i'm worried for our, generation it is that we are,

(01:16:49):
impressive but we don't have breastplates. On it is that
we have the applause of, people and our selfies are perfectly,
lit and we have a whole bunch of friends and
a whole bunch Of instagram, likes and people are following,
us and the enemy is thrilled because we have sacrificed
holiness on the altar of impressing. People you gotta live

(01:17:14):
for the applause Of. Heaven you gotta. DECIDE i will
not be politically correct BEFORE i will choose to be.
HOLY i will not be impressive BEFORE i will choose
to be. HOLY i may not be the person that
everybody wants to be. AROUND i may not be the most,
Impressive but WHAT i will be is. Holy because the

(01:17:35):
time is, coming y'all where we are gonna see Our
savior face to. Face and when we see, him he
will not ask us how Many instagram followers we. Had
he will not ask us how many friends liked our.
Post he will not want to see the selfies that we.
Took when we see him face to, face he's gonna
ask us did we do business with his, Son Jesus?

(01:17:57):
Christ and then and then we're gonna give an. Account
AND i don't know about, y'all But i'm looking for well.
DONE i want a well. DONE i Want jesus to

(01:18:24):
look at me and, say you did the thing. Girl
not because they bought the, books they bought The bible,
study they saw the.

Speaker 2 (01:18:32):
Movie, no you did the thing because you honored. Me
whether with an audience of one or an audience of thirty,
thousand you honored. Me, YES i came to tell, you
brothers and, sisters walk with. Integrity be in the dark

(01:18:54):
who you are in the, light.

Speaker 1 (01:18:57):
Everything that Your god has entrusted to you over them
these last few. Days the enemy does not. Mind he doesn't,
like but he doesn't mind that you heard. Him he
didn't mind you came. Here what he minds is if
you leave here and live by what you hurt crazy.

(01:19:29):
Thought if you're, here if you're in this, room stay.
Standing if you're in this room or one of the
other arenas that were at, home and you know you

(01:19:49):
were living in a way that is out of alignment
with the truth Of. God your breastplate is not in.
Place you are open to full frontal attack by the
enemy because you haven't girded yourself with holy. Living and
maybe you're in a situation where you've been trying to live,
right but by your own strength and, power you just
can't seem to pull it. Off and you need The
Holy spirit to do what he does to set you,

(01:20:13):
free to empower you to rise up in, victory to
step up to the point and hit a home run
for The kingdom Of. God y'all, remember, y'all remember in
The Lion King simba's messing with The, hyaenas and he's

(01:20:37):
Like row and they're like, seriously and he does it again,
row and they're, like you gotta be. Kidding he does it, Again,
wow and they're, like, no you'll never take us. Down
you're too, weak you're too, small you're too puny by.
Yourself he tries it one more. Time he lets out

(01:21:01):
his best, roar but it sounds like something big and,
giant and it echoes off of the mountains, nearby and
the head of the enemies go running, away not because
he was the, roar but because his daddy come up behind,
him and The father The Great, war the war The
father is behind you walking victory In jesus'. Name, Amen

(01:21:31):
so glad to be with all of. You, listen don't
even take your seat. Yet let me just let me
just go ahead and Read god's word over you while you're.
Standing is that all? RIGHT i think every now and
then we ought to just stand up When god's word is,
red just to remind ourselves who's talking to. Us listen
To luke chapter, two verse twenty one through about verse

(01:21:51):
thirty two or. So When jesus was about eight days we're,
completed he was. Circumcised his name was then Called, jesus
the name given by the angel before he was, conceived
and when the days for purification according to The law
Of moses were, completed that's about forty days After jesus
was born or, so so he's forty days. Old they

(01:22:12):
brought him Into jerusalem to present him to The. Lord
every first born male that opens the wound shall be
called holy to The. Lord and they came to offer
sacrifices according to what was said in The law of The.
Lord a pair of turtle doves or two young, pigeons and, behold,
somebody say. Behold come, on, y'all say, behold and. Behold

(01:22:33):
there was a man In. Jerusalem this guy's name Was,
simeon and he was righteous and devout and looking for
the consolation Of. Israel and The Holy spirit was on his.
Life and it had been revealed to him by The
spirit that he would not see death until he had
caught sight Of. Jesus so he came into The spirit

(01:22:57):
into the. Temple and when the parents brought in the
Child jesus to carry out the custom of the, Law
simeon saw. Him he recognized that this little baby Was Jesus.
Christ he gathered the baby up in his. Arms he
blessed the child and he, Said, lord now you can
let me depart in. PEACE i don't have to see anything.
ELSE i haven't yet seen this guy perform one. Miracle

(01:23:19):
lazarus hadn't been raised from the, dead the sick have
not yet been healed, of deaf ears haven't yet been.
OPENED i haven't seen any of. That but Once i've
caught sight of The, Savior, lord he, says you can
let me depart in peace because my eyes have seen your,
salvation which you've prepared in the presence of all the.
People he's a light of revelation to the gentiles and

(01:23:41):
the glory of thy, People. Israel thank you for letting
me See. Jesus, lord open up our eyes so that
we can see. You, lord open up our spiritual ears
so that we can hear. You. God we are sitting
on the edge of our seat because we are anxious
to see how you will introduce reintroduce yourself to us. Today.

(01:24:04):
Lord i'm so grateful that all of us is. Here
but we didn't come to see each. Other we came
to see. You So, lord, come we're your, daughters and
we want to see. You In jesus'. Name everybody agreed
when they said, amen give somebody a high five before
you take your. Seat i'm so grateful And i'm so

(01:24:25):
honored to have an opportunity to be here with you
and to share In god's. WORD i believe in the
power of The word Of. GOD i do. Parent chris
just told you three. Sons they are. GIANTS i just
have giants walking around my. House my nearly sixteen year
old is six foot two inches. Tall his fourteen year
old brother is the exact same. Height they both wear

(01:24:48):
size fourteen men's. Shoe my youngest, son his name Is.
Jude So i've Got, Jackson, Jerry, junior And. Jude and
we named our third Son jude on purpose because, y'all
that's as close AS i could get. Revelation because it is,
finish that is. It it's the end of the, line
and they're. Giants somebody come help me feed these. People
that's ALL i do is try to feed the. Boys

(01:25:10):
AND i remember this particular weekend BECAUSE i was In, Memphis.
Tennessee they were very little at the, time AND i
remember being, very very tired on this particular. TRIP i
could not wait to get to the location In, Memphis,
tennessee SO i could get to the. Hotel i'd had
an early flight and was very excited to be at
the hotel early so THAT i could immediately go and

(01:25:32):
get in the bed and go to sleep early that.
NIGHT i was so happy to have that, opportunity and
SO i arrived In, Memphis. Tennessee was picked up at
the airport driven by a sweet woman who had come
from the church WHERE i was going to be at their.
Conference she'd come and pick me, up took me to the,
hotel and it was about seven thirty in the. EVENING
i was so. Happy she, said would you like to

(01:25:52):
go out to dinner? FIRST i was, like oh, NO
i get to go into this hotel room all by
myself and have THE i had all to. MYSELF i
could not. Wait SO i lay down watched a little
something on. TELEVISION i thinking about eight. THIRTY i, MEAN
i was. OUT i needed all those hours of, rest
except that around three am or, SO i was jarred,

(01:26:17):
awake jolted awake by a train that started to go
by right outside the back of the. Hotel there were
train tracks that were just a few feet behind the.
Hotel the conductor was sitting on the horn the entire
time that all of the cars of the train went.
BY i was jolted, awake AND i went immediately to
the window and looked, outside AND i saw how close

(01:26:38):
that train actually. Was and then you, know you have
to kind of sit there and wait for the whole
thing to. Pass and this wasn't a small, train this
was one that goes on and on and. On finally it,
passed AND i tried to get back to, sleep but
really couldn't nestle down into a good. SLEEP i KNEW
i had to be up really early in the, morning
SO i couldn't sleep real, well but did my. Best

(01:26:59):
got up in the. MORNING a sweet woman from the
church came picked me. UP i got in the, car
didn't say anything about the, train had a great long
day at the church at the, conference and then could
not wait to get back to the hotel so THAT
i could try to get a good night's. Sleep this
was gonna be the night THAT i got all my
good hours of sleep in before having to go home
the next. Day and SO i lay down in the

(01:27:20):
bed about eight thirty nine o'clock in the evening fell
into a very deep sleep until three am in the,
morning when a train went roaring by the conductor sitting
on the horn the entire time did the train With
by this, TIME i was jolted, awake went and looked
at the train outside of the, window AND i, THOUGHT
i can't wait for the sweet woman from the church
to come pick me up so THAT i can tell

(01:27:43):
her about this train that is passing by right outside the,
door or outside the back of this. Hotel so when she,
CAME i sat down in the. CAR i, said thank
you so much for picking me. UP i got to
ask you about this. TRAIN i described to her how
at three o'clock in the, morning for the last two,
nights this train had gone roaring by in the back
of the. Hotel AS i explained it to, HER i

(01:28:05):
felt bad for her because it was like it was
occurring to, her dawning on, her like she was reminded
about this train that comes to their. Community her eyes
were as wide as, saucers and she, Said, PRISCILLA i
am so. SORRY i totally forgot about that. Train and she,
said the reason why is because those of us who
live in this community have gotten so used to the

(01:28:28):
sound of the train that we don't even recognize it.
Anymore that train comes by two or three times a,
week every, week and we paid little attention to it
because we've lived here so long that we've gotten so
used to the sound of the train that when it,
comes we don't recognize. It we've been desensitized to the
train in this. Community it occurs to me that those

(01:28:49):
of us who, live particularly in this part of the,
world where we have been overwhelmingly blessed by the presence
and the power Of god among, us we're here in this.
Country you AND i can go on A saturday to
A christian women event like this, One or we can
go to A christian bookstore when we can pick up
Any bible in any, translation in any. Language or we

(01:29:10):
can turn On christian radio and listen to gospel if
you like, that or Contemporary christian music if you like.
That we have options available to. Us could it be
that we have lived in this neighborhood of blessing for
so long that when the train Of god's glory wants
to fall in unusual, way When he wants to show
up in power and in, glory that we have become

(01:29:31):
so used to it that we don't even Recognize his blessing.
Anymore that we've become so desensitized To god's presence among,
us that it doesn't cause us as it always, should
for us to fall to our knees and, adoration our
arms outstretched and worshiped That god would visit us in this,
unique beautiful. Way, lord help us to never be desensitized

(01:29:55):
to the train Of your. Glory and in The Old
testament or The New testament rather in the book Of Luke's,
GOSPEL i love so much Because luke writes about people
who encounter the train Of god's glory in the person
Of Jesus. Christ he gives a story after, story encounter
after encounter Of jesus meeting with people and transforming their.

(01:30:18):
Life he included a handful of these stories so that
you AND i would be not only reminded of their
encounter With, jesus but recognize that they are not exceptions
to the. Rule they are examples for us of the
encounters that we should also expect to have With. Jesus and.
Listen this should be your, goal not just hearing about,

(01:30:39):
him but experiencing. Him that should be your. Goal like
your appetite should be. Wet your heart should hunger for
more than just a knowledge of Who, jesus is you
ought to come to the PLACE i ought to come
to the place in my relationship with The, lord we're
more than anything. Else we want to see him with
our own. Eyes we want to hear his voice with

(01:30:59):
our own. Ears that the Same god who divided The
Red sea in The Old, testament the Same god who
Raises lazarus from the dead in The New, testament the
Same god that did those. Things we don't want to
just celebrate it in the lives of other. People we
want to stand in line to have an encounter With
god like that. Ourselves luke writes about encounters because he

(01:31:22):
wants to wet our appetite to have an encounter With Jesus.
Christ because, listen, y'all we have wasted our time if
all we've done is come here on This saturday to
applaud What jesus did. Yesterday i'm so glad about what
My god has done. Yesterday BUT i want to see him,
today anybody. INTERESTED i want to see him in my
own marriage and in my own finances and raising my,

(01:31:45):
kids and on my job and in my. MINISTRY i
want to see and encounter the power of the Almighty Living.
God that's what today is. About it's to make you hungry.
Again it's to wet your appetite. Again it's to not
let when the day ends something to end in your,
life but really to launch you forward to a brand

(01:32:07):
new beginning and an adventure With Jesus. Christ So luke
writes about, encounters and he writes during a time when
the nation Of israel is experiencing national depravity and. Decay
they have been oppressed by oppressors who have come in
and stolen from them much of what they. Valued they
are living in a place of oppression and a praise of.

(01:32:28):
Destruction And luke writes to them during this time when
their nation is in. Trouble AND i don't know if
if you've noticed or, not but our nation is in.
Trouble we are living during a time of moral and
social decay and decline life never. Before and, listen the
More god is, marginalized the more he's segmented to the

(01:32:48):
periphery of, society the more he is completely ignored or,
disregarded the more we will continue to see an influx
of chaos and an influx of destruction in our. Nation
But luke doesn't just write to people who have national.
Trouble luke is writing to people that have individual personal.
Struggles they've been waiting on a hero to show. Up

(01:33:10):
they've been waiting for The kingdom Of god to be at.
Hand they've been waiting for the prophecies of all to
come to flourishan that there would be A, messiah a
savior who would come and rescue them from all that
they've been experiencing, nationally but also the things that they
have been experiencing. Personally SO i know our nation is in,
trouble BUT i didn't really come to talk to you

(01:33:31):
today about what's happening in The White. HOUSE i want
to talk to you about what's happening in your, house
underneath the roof of your, home the trouble that might
be happening in your, marriage the thing that causes the
tears to fall down from your eyes in regards to your,
kids or your, finances or your, health or on your
job or in your. Ministry, you like the children Of,

(01:33:53):
israel like, me been waiting on a, hero somebody who
can come in and speak life to the dead places
and refresh the dry places of our. Life luke is
writing for people who need an encounter with A god like.
That AND i just want to tell any of you
that might be in a struggle personally underneath the roof

(01:34:14):
of your own house and the landscape of your own,
house and you're in a, Struggle you're in a time
Like luke writes to where man things are just plain,
old flat out. DIFFICULT i just want to suggest to
you the possibility that sometimes sometimes your difficulties are less
about the enemy being against you and more About god

(01:34:38):
wanting to show you what it looks like When he's for. You,
sometimes the stuff that you are, facing this stuff That
i'm facing that are, difficult it's less about the enemy
being against, you and sometimes it's just About god allowing
a stage to be set in your life to where
When he shows, up you will never ever doubt again
that you've had an encounter With. Jesus so the children

(01:35:01):
Of israel need an encounter with A. Messiah they need
an encounter With Jesus. Christ and Finally jesus arrives on
the scene after four hundred years of silence between The
Old testament and The New. Testament jesus arrives on the
scene after centuries of, waiting after, prophecy desiring to be.
Fulfilled jesus shows up on the. Scene their hope has

(01:35:22):
finally been. Fulfilled but here's the. Tragedy when he, comes
he does not come as they supposed he. Would he
is not on a, Throne he is not riding a white.
Horse he is not coming in power and vengeance and
authority that they had mirrored in their. Oppressors that they
had pictured that their messiah would. Come and know he

(01:35:42):
is born as a. Baby all of that deity and
authority and miraculous working power that they longed for was
packaged in the skin of, humanity and a small human at.
That this is not what they. Wanted it's not what they.
Recognized it wasn't the expectation they had built up in their.
Heads so when he, came they did not recognize. Him

(01:36:04):
when he showed up because he was not in the
package that they had pictured in their. Minds he didn't
come in the package they had prayed. For he had
come in a different way because he did not meet their.
Expectations when he showed, up they did not recognize. Him
in the passage that we Read jesus as being brought

(01:36:27):
into the, temple he is being carried by his Mother
Mary joseph is along for the ride as. Well they
have come With jesus about forty days, old into the.
Temple they are in a religious gathering where people have
come to perform their religious. Duties and all the people
who are gathered that they are in the presence of

(01:36:47):
the one they prayed for and do not know him
when he. Comes would you please notice that they're not just.
Anywhere they are in the temple and still don't recognize
the presence Of. GOD i want to suggest to you
that it is possible to be At propel and not See.
JESUS i want to tell you that it is possible

(01:37:08):
for you to be in your church every Single, sunday
WHICH i pray you, are but you can be in
your church and not have an encounter With. JESUS i
want to tell you That i'm so glad many of
you are In bible. Studies stay In bible, study but
you can read a verse a day to keep the
devil away until you are blue in the. Face but
if you read the scriptures with a hardened, heart with

(01:37:29):
your eyes not, open you can be filling your days
with the duty of religious activity and never catch sight
of the lover of your, soul never have an encounter
an experience With. Jesus all these people were in the
presence Of Jesus christ and did not know him when he.
Came because, oftentimes many, times when The lord comes to

(01:37:53):
minister to, you to speak into your life's, circumstances he
will come in a way that is not the way you. Expect,
why because his ways are not our, ways his thoughts
are not our. Thoughts as high as the heavens are
above the, earth that's how high his ways and his
thoughts are above our. Own and WHAT i attempt to,

(01:38:14):
do what you often attempt to, Do i'm, sure is
to dumb him down so that his ways match our,
ways his thoughts match our. Thoughts we want him to
answer our prayers the way we've prayed. Them we want
the solutions that work out in our minds to be
the solutions that will be best given the scenario that we,
see given the prayer request that we've. Prayed but, y'all

(01:38:35):
sometimes we pray for growth and he answers with. Rain
sometimes we pray for oak trees and he answers with an.
Acorn and when the answer comes for your, marriage when
the answer comes for your. Parenting when the solution That
god listen, Today god is going to give some of
you solutions and divine strategies for things that are happening

(01:38:58):
in your life and on your job and in your,
finances the struggles that you're. Facing It i'm, saying when he,
answers if the answer does not come in the package
that you have, expected will you miss it because you
want your, way not his? Way and So jesus he,
comes and he's in a pool of religious people and
they do not recognize the presence Of god near. Them,

(01:39:21):
NOW i want to open up a little parenthesis here
before we jump to a specific person THAT i want
to draw your attention. To he's the only person in
the text who actually Sees. Jesus BUT i want to
open up little parenthesis because you may have recognized That
luke went into a whole lot of detail to tell
us something about the. Text it's one THING i love
About luke is that he gives us. DETAILS i like

(01:39:42):
all the juice and all the details out of the
text so THAT i can get a full picture painted
of what's happening in the. Story And luke wants us
to know That mary And joseph are coming for the
ceremonial dedication of their firstborn. Son that's what everybody did
that would come To, jerusalem particularly during this time when
they had a newborn, son to present their newborn son

(01:40:03):
to The. Lord get the picture of. This The lord
in this case is being presented to The. Lord and
they come, in And luke writes and tells us exactly
what they have with them other than the. Baby jesus
says That mary had two turtle doves or two pigeons
for her. Sacrifice, now that wouldn't really be of, interest

(01:40:26):
except that we know From, leviticus from the sacrificial system
that had been set up divinely mandated By god In,
leviticus that when someone came to make their, sacrifices they
did need two animals to be. Sacrificed one was a
pigeon or a turtle. Dove the other was supposed to
be a. Lamb that they were supposed to bring a
lamb with. Them but we find In luke's gospel that

(01:40:48):
he's made sure we Know mary And joseph do not
have their own. Lamb luke chapter twelve tells us Or
leviticus chapter twelve tells us that there was a caveat
for why someone would not bring a lamb to be.
Sacrificed there's one little Verse, luke chapter, twelve verse eight
or so that says if someone could not afford a,

(01:41:08):
lamb if their financial resources were so that they could
not buy for themself a lamb to bring into the
temple to be, sacrificed there would be an exception made for.
Them they could bring two turtle doves instead of one
turtle dove and a. Lamb they could just bring two turtle.
Doves but that was a symbol of the fact that
they were insufficient in some. Way they did not have

(01:41:31):
the finances to buy their own, Lamb which means When
mary And joseph came on that particular day with their
two turtle doves in, tow people would have automatically looked
at them and recognized them as a couple who had insufficient,
funds as a couple who was inadequate in some, way
as a couple who had lack and who had. KNEES

(01:41:53):
i wonder how many people turned their noses up at
the couple who could not afford their own. LAMB i
wonder how many people ignored the poor couple who didn't
fit in with everybody else who had been able to
purchase their own. LAMB i wonder how many people did
not get an opportunity to have an encounter with the
Baby jesus because they ignored the people who had him

(01:42:15):
carried in their. ARMS i want to speak to anybody
who's in this room and you've ever felt excluded or
ignored from the click of people who have the money
to buy their own. Lamb they drive the, car and
they live in the, house and they're able to communicate
or to experience life in a certain. Way that, man
you just can't. Afford maybe you've got lacked, financially or

(01:42:39):
you've got lacked, emotionally you have lack, relationally you have
poured everything out and you find it that you've got
insufficient funds in some way in your life and you
can't afford what it looks like everybody else can, afford
and you've been ignored or. Ostracized people have turned their
noses up with. You cannot just tell you that sometimes

(01:43:00):
you don't need to have your own lamb when you
can carry the lamb Of god that takes away the
sins of the. World in, fact the lamb is most
often best experienced in the lives of those who have insufficient.
Funds in, FACT i think it is our affluence that

(01:43:22):
keeps us from actually having an encounter with the Living.
God we've become so used to being able to bless
ourselves that we don't have a real authentic relationship with
the bless. Or we are so, affluent we have, prosperity
particularly in this part of the world where, listen if
you're poor in this, country you're rich in other. Countries

(01:43:43):
and here where we've been able to sustain, ourselves where
we know where our next meal is coming, from where
we choose from a closet full of clothes as to
what clothes we're going to wear to a particular, event
where we might have financial. Struggles everything is not, perfect
but we still have our dayly needs. Met it is
sometimes in our, affluence because our arms are so full

(01:44:05):
of the lambs we have bought for, ourself we actually
don't even have, room we don't have margin to have an,
intimate ongoing relationship with The lamb Of god that takes
away the sins of the. World lord forgive us when
we've turned our noses up at people who don't have
all of the external markings of. Affluence in doing, that

(01:44:26):
we have missed out on the blessing of having a
relationship with the people who often have the most intimate
relationships With Jesus. Christ because, sometimes, y'all those people are
not in the. Spotlight they're the ones behind the. Scenes
sometimes those are the people that are not in megachurch.
Churches they're in storefront. Churches sometimes there are the people

(01:44:46):
that are not the ones on the platform with the
microphone in their. Hands they're the people that volunteer their
time to clean up in a sanctuary like, this to
sweep up after. Us they're the people who volunteer their
time to be in The sunday school teaching our second
graders and third graders so that you AND i can
enjoy an opportunity like. That lord forgive us when we
ignore those people and clamor after the people whose gifts

(01:45:09):
happened to put them in the. Spotlight but we ignore
those people who are an intercessory, prayer who are on
their knees in the, secret quiet, places The lamb Of
god tucked within their, arms having an intimate encounter With.
Him but we ignore them because they don't look like,
us or dress like, us or drive what we, driver
or live where we. Live so if you've ever been that,

(01:45:32):
person the text speaks to you today that it Was
mary And joseph who did not have what everybody, had
but they had what everybody else didn't. Have and so
they come into the. Building nobody recognizes That jesus has
arrived except one. Person luke writes at the top of the,

(01:45:57):
passage he, writes and, behold somebody say. Behold come, on,
y'all say. Behold anytime an author in the text writes that,
word it isn't a throwaway. Word it isn't something that
you just need to skip or skim over. Quickly anytime
you read behold in the, text the author's trying to
tell you lean, in put your chin in your, hands

(01:46:20):
just in case you kind of fell asleep during all
the minutia and the fine details that led up to this.
Moment this is when the author wants you to open
up your eyes and sit up, straight because there's somebody
he wants you to. Meet he, says, behold there was
a man Named, Simeon and when no one else recognized

(01:46:41):
the presence Of, god When god came, near there was
one guy who. Did and if in this room today
there are only going to be a handful of us
who actually have an encounter With. God i'm talking about
where we hear his, voice when we our hearts are
set aflame by The Holy, spirit when we get some

(01:47:02):
direction for the purpose That he has for our. Life
if there's gonna be a whole lot of us who
haven't experience, today but only a few that actually encounter
The Living, god THAT i don't know about, you but
if there's only gonna be a, FEW i want to
be one of. Them. Anybody So luke, says pay, attention
because there's One god that's going to show you how
to have your eyes open so that you aren't just

(01:47:23):
in the religious, place but so that you encounter a,
holy Living. God he, says there's a man Named. Simeon he's, righteous,
devout and he's looking for the consolation Of. Israel his
eyes are, open pealed to the, horizon waiting For jesus
in whatever package he chooses to, come waiting for an
encounter with the long Awaited. Messiah and then he gives

(01:47:48):
us at least the. One there are many throughout this.
Text but the one characteristic of his life THAT i
believed opened Up simeon's eyes to catch sight Of. God
that will open up our eyes to catch sight Of,
god he. Says at the bottom of verse twenty, five he,
says and The Holy spirit was upon. Him luke, Says

(01:48:15):
simeon's eyes were open to catch sight Of god Because
God's spirit was on. Him The Holy spirit is the
greatest gift you will ever receive this side of. Eternity
the moment you place faith In, jesus the moment you

(01:48:35):
Receive jesus as your personal. SAVIOR i don't know if
you knew it or, not but you received in that
moment the greatest gift you will ever, receive The Holy
spirit Of. God and The Holy spirit is not a
ghost or a, wind or a fire or a. Dove
he is often symbolized by those, things but, y'all that
ain't who he. Is The Holy spirit is the third
person of The. Trinity not third because he is least in,

(01:48:58):
value because he is the last to be revealed to
us in the pages Of. Scripture but all of the,
fullness all of the, power all of the, authority all
of the, greatness all of the grandeur Of god The
father is in the person of The Holy, spirit which
means when you place faith In Jesus christ and The
Holy spirit takes up residence in, you that now means

(01:49:20):
that all of the, power all of the, glory all
of the, grandeur all of the greatness Of god The
father now lives on the inside of. You Ephesians chapter one,
says the moment you, believe you receive The Holy spirit with,
promise you are not waiting on The Holy. Spirit you
have The Holy spirit right. Now you did not receive
The Holy spirit in installment. Plans you can't give away

(01:49:44):
a person in. Parts all of The Holy spirit you
ever gonna. Get you got the, moment you got. Saved
now we need to be filled By god's spirit as
we yield To his conviction in our life in, obedience
as what is happening in us becomes An howard, expression
as our behavior is, modified as we are. Sanctified somebody say.

(01:50:04):
Sanctified that means as we are molded into the image
Of Christ, jesus so that we start to think like,
him and talk like, him and walk like, him and
behave Like. Jesus jesus. Behave we need to be filled
By God's. Spirit but when You god, saved listen to,
me you received The Holy spirit Of. God God's spirit

(01:50:25):
is in. You the benefit of this is all of
the fruit Of God's spirit is available to. You that
means that there is gentleness that you don't have in
your own natural ability for that person or that problem
that now you were able to have that is beyond
your own natural. Capacity because The Holy, spirit what he

(01:50:46):
does is help us to live beyond ourselves when we've
come to the end of our. Patience you know what
that one, coworker that one that if she says one
more thing to, you you're going to knock her. Out
that one whole spirit is the one that gives you
patience when your patience has long since run. Out The
Holy spirit is the one who gives you self discipline

(01:51:08):
so that you have discipline in areas where you, know
left to your own natural desires and, propensities you would
not have. Discipline in that area of morality or that
area of, gluttony you wouldn't have. Discipline but, now because
The Holy spirit lives on the inside of, you you
can live beyond your natural. Capacities anybody excited about that

(01:51:29):
The Holy spirit gives you fruit so that you were
able to have more than what you would have if
left to your. Own but you don't just get his,
fruit you get his. Gifts The Holy spirit gives you
gifts through which you can edify the body Of. Christ
he turns what would have maybe possibly been just a
talent into a gift that actually causes what you do

(01:51:52):
or what you craft to actually get to the hearts
of the people that you were singing to or speaking,
to or dancing for or writing to those. People, now
don't just read words on a page that you. Wrote,
now the words are like fires shut up in their.
Soul it changes their, heart it renews their, mind it
accomplishes spiritual purposes in their. Life so. Listen if you're a,

(01:52:16):
writer well then, write do your best. Work but in the,
end what you're praying for is That God's spirit will
anoint your words with power and with fire to affect
people for the glory Of. God don't just, speak Ask
god for fire on your. Message don't just dance perfect your.

(01:52:39):
Craft but in the, end what you're looking for is
not just. Talent what you want is a, Gift and
there's no amount of manufacturing that can give what only
The Holy spirit can. Give so when The Holy spirit
takes up resonance on the inside of you and on
the inside of, me at the moment we are, saved
we have the privilege of having really relationship With Jesus,

(01:53:01):
christ having relationship With, god having communication With him because
of The Holy spirit that lives on the inside of.
Us that if When god sent his Son jesus to
die on the, cross if when we received that, gift
we got a ticket to eternity and that was all we,
Got just that we knew we were saved from, death,
hell and the, grave and we got to experience eternity

(01:53:23):
With Jesus. Christ, listen if that's all we ever got
out of this salvation, deal that would have been enough
for us to celebrate for the rest of our. Days
but when that might have been enough for, us it
wasn't enough for. Him he, said, No i'm gonna send
you The Holy spirit so that you don't have to
wait to get To heaven to experience, heaven but so

(01:53:44):
that you can have a little bit of heaven right
now while you're here on Planet. Earth i'm going to
give you myself in the person of The Holy, spirit
so that you will see what it's like to walk
with me and talk with, me and have friendship with,
me and an ongoing relationship with. Me that is what
it means to have The Holy. Spirit But luke says

(01:54:07):
That simeon did not just have The spirit in. Him
it says that The spirit was upon. Him this tells
us that there is a difference between the spirit being
in you and the spirit being on. YOU i want

(01:54:32):
to live a life that invites the presence Of God's
spirit on. ME i Know he's in, me BUT i
want the kind of life that is a magnet that
calls down the, grace the, favor the, anointing the presence
Of god upon my. LIFE i want to live in
such yield and surrender To him that not just Is

(01:54:55):
he in. Me that's a gift that all of us
get who plays faith In Jesus. Christ BUT i don't
just want TO i want him on my. LIFE i
want the evidence Of him on my. LIFE i want
it so that WHEN i do, something or say, something
or participate in something or pray over. SOMETHING i want
it so that WHEN i walk, away people don't just
Say priscilla was. HERE i want them to say, No

(01:55:17):
god's presence was. Here that only happens when the spirit
Of god is on. You and so if you want
to mother your kids in such a way that you
leave the imprint Of god on those, kids the spirit
can just be in. You he got to be on.
You if you want to be the wife That god
has called you to, be single, woman if you want
to be the kind of single woman That god has

(01:55:39):
called you to, be if you want to be the
kind of employer or employee That god has called you to,
be if you want to walk with purpose in the
way That god has called you, to then thank The
lord That god's spirit is on. You But i'm asking
That god will allow it there to be two thousand
women who leave this place today at the end of the.
Day And god's spirit isn't just In, ay But god's

(01:56:00):
spirit is on us where we are marked by the
presence Of. God where when people encounter us there's something,
unusual something, distinct something that they cannot touch or taste
or communicate with their five physical. Senses there's an intangible
that is on their. Life where when the employer is
looking to give the, promotion it's not that your resume

(01:56:21):
says you are the most qualified out of all the.
Candidates but there's something about you that they just can't
put a finger. On that's called the spirit Of god
being on. You it's called. Favor favor is what opens
up doors no man can. Shut favor is what puts

(01:56:44):
you in places you know you don't have no. Business
being in favor is what sets you in positions that
you know you are qualified. For Save favor is what
makes it so that you are exactly where you're supposed
to be to accomplish exactly what it is That god
has set for you to a. Company it's what qualifies
you when you don't have the, degree and you don't

(01:57:05):
have the, diploma you don't have the. Connections you're just
Where god has opened up a door for you to.
Be and even though people might talk badly about you
or trying to push you out of that, place you
cannot be, moved not because you manufactured your way, there
but Because god's spirit has placed you. There god's spirit
on your life is what makes it so that you

(01:57:29):
don't have to market yourself because you've already been marked
by the presence Of Almighty. God, OH i Want god's
spirit on, me and CAN i tell you? This are you?
Listening there is one thing that attracts the presence Of
god to rest on our, lives and it is, holiness, plain,

(01:58:01):
old flat out old school. HOLINESS i implore, you, sisters
by the mercies Of, god to walk in a manner
worthy of the calling by which you have been. Called

(01:58:21):
that if you, come IF i come into this, room
and we celebrate till we are blue in the, face
and we wave our, hands and we read the scriptures
and we, worship but we walk out of here and
we live in a way that is incongruent with everything
that we've heard here. Today if we do not choose
to walk in a way that Honors, god we will

(01:58:43):
have wasted the time that we have spent the. Year
and if there is something that breaks my heart for
my own generation and the generation coming up after, me
is that social media has made it so that we
are more interested in IMPRESS i sing people than walking
holy before Our. God we are more interested in being

(01:59:10):
perfectly lit than we are in making sure that we're
laying up treasures for ourselves in. Heaven lord help us
when because of our, hubrits because of our, arrogance because
of our. Pride we are more interested in receiving the
applause of people than we are of making sure that
we will receive the applause of. Heaven but a day is, coming,

(01:59:34):
y'all sooner than we think where we're going to look
Our savior in his, Face where we're going to see
him face to. Face and when we see, him he
will not ask me how Many instagram FOLLOWERS i. Have
he will not wonder how many people liked my message On.
Twitter what he'll ask me is number, one DID i
have a relationship with his Son? Jesus and THEN i

(01:59:56):
will give an. Account you will give an. Account AND
i don't know about, y'all but WHEN i give an,
Account i'm looking for a well done not BECAUSE i
necessarily please, people but Because he is pleased with my.

(02:00:16):
Life and the one thing that invites the favor Of
god on our, life Like, simeon that will open our
eyes to see him more clearly so that we don't
miss him when he comes into our circumstances trying to
speak to, us to answer, us to make himself a
parent in our. Lives the one thing that opens up
our eyes Is god's spirit on. Us and if you.

(02:00:39):
Want IF i Want God's spirit on our, lives then
we got to decide to. Live, HOLY i implore, you
by the mercies Of, god to lay aside every, sin every,
hindrance anything that is keeping you entangled so that you
cannot run with endurance the race that is set before.
You any, relationship sever it at the past so that

(02:01:03):
you can, Walk Holy, sister any, addiction any, habit any
lifestyle choice that is keeping you from being free and
walking in victory In jesus', name let it go by
the power of The Holy, spirit so that he can
rest on your. Life going to church is, good but
it's not. Enough doing Your bible. Study oh it's, great

(02:01:25):
but it's not. Enough if you Want god's presence on,
you marking, you making you distinct and different from the
people around, you then you gotta walk in a manner
worthy of The. Lord Be, Ye, holy it's not. Perfection
it is a call to yield to the power of

(02:01:45):
The Holy spirit in, you so that you do not
give way to all the desires of your. Flesh what
it means is that you have not chosen as a,
lifestyle an attitude or an action that you already know
is pleasing To. God you know up front that you've
already got on your calendar after this is, over a

(02:02:06):
place you're going or a person you're seeing that you
know you don't have, busy any business being in relationship,
with but you've already scheduled sin into your. Calendar i'm,
saying walk away from everything that is keeping you from
having the, biggest most amazing blessing you can have on your,
life and that Is god's presence marking you all up on,

(02:02:30):
you setting you apart girl For his purposes and with
his power evident through your. Life if you were in
this room and you are in chains in some area
of your life where you've tried the twelve step, program
you've tried to walk away from that illegitimate, Relationship you've
tried to not live this lifestyle because you know that
it is out of alignment with the truth Of. God

(02:02:51):
but everything you've tried and your own power has not
set you free so that you can walk in holiness
and Have god's presence resting on your. LIFE i believe
that before this day is, over those chains can fall
off of your life that you can decide That i'm
gonna live holy so THAT i can Have god's favor Like,
simeon so that my eyes can be opened BECAUSE i

(02:03:14):
want to see My. GOD i want to hear his.
VOICE i want to have an experience and an encounter With.
Him if you were in this room and you know
you're not walking in, holiness you know there is an
area of your, life whether in attitude or in. ACTION
i Mean god's asked you to forgive that, person and

(02:03:35):
you have dug your heels in the ground you have
refused to. Forgive or in your actions where you were
literally doing, something participating in, something engaging in, something and
you've dug your heels into the. Ground you've ignored the
little pricks of The Holy spirit asking you to walk
away from that or to participate in, That you've ignored.

(02:03:57):
It and you know you are not living home before The.
Lord and you want to get that strike today so
that we can all be women who Honor god in
our attitudes and in our actions and invite the favor
Of god on our. Lives, Listen if you were in
this room and you know holiness is the call That
god has given to you this, morning would you, please right,

(02:04:18):
now in this holy, space just rise to your feet
if that's. You if you need freedom in a specific
area of your, Life we're going to walk out of
here a holy band of women who Want god's favor on.
Us don't be, embarrassed don't be. Ashamed, Listen ain't nobody

(02:04:43):
got time for. That this is the moment where we, Say,
god we give ourselves to you a living and holy.
Sacrifice we present our bodies to, You we present our
minds to. You we present ourselves to, You, lord a
living and holy. Sacrifice do with us what you. Will
we surrender the area of life that is our area of,

(02:05:04):
bondage the area we've been holding, back the little coved
we've kept from your fingerprints being upon. It we surrender
that to. You if you want freedom In jesus's, name
this is your. Moment stand to your. Feet you don't
have to go home the same way you. Came, Girl
you don't have to think the, same you don't have
to act the. Same you don't have to be in

(02:05:27):
bondage like you are and have. Been we can change
that By god's. Spirit, Today Lord, JESUS i looked up
every single sister who is standing underneath the sound of my,
voice AND i pray right now In jesus', name that
you would give them a holy boldness and a courage
to surrender to you every area of their life that
they've been holding. Back, sister would you picture that area

(02:05:51):
where you know you need to ask for. Forgiveness i'm
gonna ask you to just put your hands out in
front of. You cup those hands in front of you
like you're holding that. Thing make sure it in your
hands right. Now the scripture says that if you'll confess your,
Sin he's faithful and just to forgive you your sin
and to cleanse you of all. Unrighteousness picture that in your,

(02:06:11):
hands ask The lord to forgive, you ask for his,
forgiveness and only when you are, ready you lift up
those hands as if you were yielding it finally completely to,
him and you lift up those hands and, surrender give
it to, them and just let it. Go. Lord every,

(02:06:36):
attitude every, action every little hidden place in our. Life,
lord every, Bondage, lord every illegitimate, relationship every. Immorality, father
everything that is not like, you we give it to
you right. Now In jesus'. Name, LORD i pray that
if there is a bondage a shackle on somebody's, life
that is demonic in. Nature, LORD i pray In jesus',

(02:06:59):
name by his bloodshed On, calvary that you would cancel
every demonic assignment against these women and against their. Families,
LORD i pray that you, would by your holy spirit
break the. Shackles, lord loosen. Them help us to hear
the shackles falling off right. Now In jesus's, name And,
LORD i pray that we will walk in a manner
worthy of the calling by which we have been. Called,

(02:07:22):
FATHER i pray that you would enable, us by your
spirit to no longer walk by the, flesh but to
walk by the, spirit so that we will not fulfill
the desires of the. Flesh, LORD i pray for. Freedom
In jesus, NAME i thank you For galatians five to
one that says it is for freedom that we have
been made. Free therefore we will stand firm and no

(02:07:42):
longer be subject again to any yoke of slavery that
is in our. Life we are free In jesus'. Name
and it is in the matchless name Of Jesus christ
that everybody agreed and Said, Amen. Amen AT. Tbn our
mission is to use every available means to reach as
many individuals and families as possible with the life changing

(02:08:04):
gospel Of Jesus. Christ thank you for helping make The
gospel Of grace go around the. World without, you we
couldn't do. It god bless. You