July 7, 2024 • 21 mins
Welcome back to Soteria Prophetic Ministries! In this episode, we delve into the profound theme of "Elevation Without Confrontation." Reflecting on a powerful worship experience, we discuss how God elevates individuals without the need for conflict.
We explore biblical examples, such as the anointing of David and Saul, emphasizing the importance of public validation and honoring those who have poured into our lives. Whether you're a leader or a member, understanding the significance of decency and order in transitions is crucial.
Through personal stories and scriptural insights, we highlight the value of gratitude, integrity, and maintaining peace in the body of Christ. Join us as we encourage you to honor your spiritual roots and navigate transitions with a spirit of love and respect.
If this message has blessed you, consider supporting Soteria Prophetic Ministries through Cash App at #TLCCharlotte or here. God bless you!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
Peace to you. Welcome back to the Therapeutic Ministries. I've got a word I want to share with you.
I'm actually on my way home from
church, and I'm meditating on the awesome worship experience that we had.
If you're in the Charlotte, North Carolina area, I strongly encourage you and
cordially invite you to be a part.
But thinking about the elevation that many of us are going to experience,
(00:23):
some of you have already tapped into it, And I heard the Lord say that elevation
does not always require confrontation.
Elevation does not always require confrontation. In other words,
I've seen and I've been a pastor for going into my 21st year by the grace of God.
But I've seen, I've seen it in my church, and I've also, as I coach and mentor
(00:44):
many other pastors and spiritual leaders across the nation, again,
by the grace of God, and I have spoken to so many heartbroken shepherds.
Again, I've experienced myself, so I can speak from a personal place,
but I've experienced the heartbreak, those who are elevating,
whether God is elevating them or whether they're elevating themselves,
(01:06):
what that whole process looks like.
You know, when I think about, I ministered today about, I talked about Samuel
and when God used him to anoint David next king of Israel, and it wasn't a private
thing. You know, there was validation.
There was an audience of his peers who could witness this great crowning moment of his life.
(01:30):
And it wasn't anything done in secret. His father was there to co-sign.
You know, he welcomed Samuel into his home, and he agreed with what the Word
of God was doing, what the Word of God was demanding at that time.
And he, you know, he gave Samuel permission to, you know, anoint, consecrate David.
(01:52):
And so this was not anything, when you think about a consecration of God elevating
a person to another level, to another dimension, or maybe expanding their platform
or their realm of influence. if God is doing it, we know that God is not the author of confusion.
And so thinking back to how that whole process, even with Saul,
when Samuel anointed Saul, it was a public occasion.
(02:15):
And so, you know, I have concerns as an apostle.
I have concerns about how some of us have carried on,
you know, when it's time to move on or when it's time to be elevated or when
it's time to be, you know, be expanded, that we still must do things easily
and in order and not operate in the spirit of competition or contention or thrice.
(02:37):
Like, we don't have to burn the house down that we grew up in just to move on to the next level.
You know, God, the Bible says, a house divided against itself cannot stand.
And so even though a person may be transitioning from one house to another or
one house to their house.
That's all. That's wonderful. I mean, there's biblical evidence for that.
We see it happen all the time. And God is moving by his spirit.
(03:00):
However, there is a way to do all things. The Bible said, let all things be
done decently and in order.
So going back to where the word of God clearly illustrates how David's coronation
or his ordination took place, it was in his father's house.
Jesse knew about it. The brothers knew about it. It wasn't anything anybody
could say or fight against it because they were all a part of that occasion.
(03:25):
And so there was no question when it was time for David to assume the throne, everyone knew, right?
Because God doesn't operate in these dark places. God doesn't operate in these
secret societies or whatever it is. I shudder to think.
So we need to make sure that if we say God is elevating me or he's promoting
(03:46):
me or he's moving me, and which God can do that because he's God,
just make sure we're doing it the right way.
You always honor, the Bible says give honor where honor is due,
and to the elders that rule well, give them double honor.
I had a spiritual daughter of mine. She's still, you know, in good graces by the grace of God.
(04:06):
When she comes to mind, every once in a while I speak, you know,
well and speak, you know, the blessings of the Lord over her life.
But I covered her for, I don't know, maybe five or six years as her apostle.
And she, you know, we had a conversation and she said, you know,
I feel like God is doing something else.
He was connecting her to another leader, which for a leader,
(04:28):
you have to be okay with that.
You know, taking your people as far as you can go. Now, that doesn't mean that
you don't have, you know, you're disqualified or you're not relevant or what have you.
It just means that there can be a certain grace that may be stronger on another person's life.
And so for that grace that is resident in your mentee, that's where they need to connect.
(04:50):
And it's okay with that. We're not Lord over God's heritage.
And so you have to understand, and I'm talking to leaders now,
and also providing coaching for those that are experiencing this.
That if someone in your membership or in your organization says,
hey, resigning or, you know, moving on to do something different,
(05:11):
and they're connected with someone else, that's not any slight or shade on you.
As a matter of fact, I'll be honest with you, for me it is an honor to know
that they are carrying on the work of the ministry that you took the time to impart in them.
What's offensive to me and very disturbing to me is when someone that you've
(05:31):
poured into, you've labored, you've worked with, and then they just walk away from the things of God.
Now, that, yeah, that gives me great concern.
But for, you know, a believer to say, you know what, Apostle,
I feel like God is leading me to connect with so-and-so and this and so forth,
and it's being done in decency and order, There is absolutely nothing wrong with that.
(05:56):
When I came out of my dad's ministry, I served him in my adulthood for 11 years.
And when it was time when God was moving me on, I went to him and I appreciated
all that he had poured into me, everything that he had showed me,
everything, all the opportunities he made available to me.
And I shared with him that, you know, the Lord had me to move on.
(06:19):
And I did not do so out of malice or spite or anything of that nature.
And to this day, I can say that I truly...
I am harvesting the blessings that, you know, he has released over my life.
You know, he didn't, you know, he didn't co-sign it, but he understood.
He knew that there was some dynamics involved and that I could not stay any longer where I was.
(06:43):
But he was grateful that I was not leaving God.
And that was his, you know, saying he's a daughter, you know,
stay with the Lord, stay with the Lord.
And I thank God that all of these 20 years later, almost 21 years later,
I've stayed with the Lord.
So, and I've gone back and served in his ministry and supporting him,
you know, and I mean, he's sent on home to be with the Lord.
(07:03):
But I'm just saying, just because your time to serve in that local ministry
has come to an end, that doesn't mean that you all should become strangers.
I don't understand where that comes from. Well, I do. It's the work of the enemy.
So always endeavor to lead peaceably as much as is in you.
You as much the bible said walk in wisdom as
(07:26):
much as as peacefully in you i think this is
over i didn't jack that scripture up but to walk in wisdom right
and walk in love and so you know always honor even if there's a disagreement
and things that the two of you may not see eye to eye on then let the disagreement
be the disagreement but just honor what you did receive because the whole time
wasn't a disagreement right at some point god sent you there he sent you there for for a reason,
(07:49):
to honor that ground that trained you, that raised you,
that poured into you, and do it so that when you step out and launch your ministry
or your business or what have you, that you can receive the fruit from that.
I can receive the fruit of my ministry of members and sons and daughters and
mentees who honor me because I honor the house I came from, right?
(08:12):
I honor my father's leadership.
I still do to this day, even though he has gone home to be with the Lord.
So, and, you know, it's honor.
I will never curse the ground from which I came from. I will never curse the house that raised me.
So, you know, it just really concerns me when I think about how we see so much
(08:32):
destruction in the body of Christ.
I've seen church members leave the church mad and angry, but never reached out
to the pastor to say, you know, can we have a talk? I need to talk. I need to share.
There's some things bothering me or what have you. and then you leave and you
take that hurt and that pain and you try to use that to build another ministry
work and it's not going to work like that because you're building with blood.
(08:53):
You know what I'm saying? You're building, and God told David,
David wanted to build God a house, and he said, your hands are too bloody.
And so, you know, it's not in the will of God to build a house that's established
on hurt, shame, pain, I'm going to get you back, let me show you what I can do.
That's not the fruit of the Holy Spirit. God doesn't work like that.
(09:14):
And then what's going to happen is you're going to attract people in your church,
in your network, with the same spirit.
The Bible talks about the flies that are attracted to the stinking ointment, right?
Or flies attract the ointment, and they stink the ointment. So you'll begin
to attract flies, which are unclean spirits, okay?
You're going to begin to attract that, and then it's going to contaminate all the work.
(09:37):
Even though God may truly have said, I'm setting you aside for this work,
there's still a way for you to do it that doesn't circumvent due process.
There has to be due process.
You know, the Bible says line upon line, here a little, there a little.
Like precept upon precept.
You have to do things the right way. And so, you know, I just want us to be
mindful about how we end an assignment.
(10:01):
With the expectation that we start
out to do something else and you're operating it out of your own power.
You don't have the glory of God. You don't have the presence of God.
When David was installed as king, there was a great celebration,
great coronation, right?
When Samuel was installed as king, great celebration, great coronation.
There was nothing to be ashamed of. There was nothing to hide.
(10:22):
It was, you know, why does it need to be in secret?
You know what I'm saying? So we have to be very mindful of what's happening
around the dynamics of what we're doing. You know, why does it look like that?
What is contributing to it looking like that? You know, and making sure that our motives are pure.
The Bible said, blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.
(10:43):
And sometimes we don't see God in our circumstances. We don't see him in our ministries.
We don't see him in our businesses. We don't see him in our relationships because
we've got some things in our heart that have not been dealt with.
So my last point that I want to pull out, I talked about when Samuel went to
ordain Saul and David, it was done in front of family.
(11:03):
Saul went back to his family and told him, told his dad, told his family.
David's ordination was done in front of his family. You know what I'm saying?
They honored the father, right? They honored their leader.
They honored the one who put that time and invested that time in them that would
qualify them for next level ministry or next level blessings or what have you.
And the last point I want to make is with Elisha and Elisha.
(11:26):
Elisha and Elisha. When Elijah went to anoint Elisha, Elisha was working in
his father's business. I want you to catch this.
His dad gave him the stamina for business, the business acumen.
It came from his dad. It did not come from Elijah, right?
And so even though a person may be moving on to that next mentor,
next leader, understand this. That next leader or mentor is inheriting a person
(11:51):
that someone else has already poured into.
And you've got to, a wise leader will acknowledge, hey, this man of God is coming
into me, or this woman of God is coming into me, and, man, they're already trained
in intercessory prayer. They're trained in spiritual warfare.
They're trained in administration.
And you know you didn't put that seed in them. Somebody else invested in them.
And so you want to make sure that they honor where they got that from.
(12:15):
That's just the way people of God. God, we've gotten so far away from that,
and that really disturbs me because we put God's name on everything.
Oh, God said, God is doing, and God is not, right?
Jesus said, there will be many in that day. Lord, have I not done this?
And he says, depart from me. I never knew you. Why? Because you have worked iniquity.
(12:36):
And so we've got to draw our feet, draw our heart, and draw our hands and our
mouths away from doing things in God's name, quote, unquote,
and yet we're operating in iniquity.
So when Samuel installed Saul and David, he was installing kings that already had leadership.
Saul was already leading in his family's business. David was a leader,
(13:00):
a shepherd after God's own heart.
God raised him up, but he still received leadership skills and things from his
dad. His dad put him in charge of the sheath.
So, again, when someone, you know, and I'm saying to you leaders,
and I know I'm back and forth, but just listen to it a few times so you can get it.
But as a leader, when, you know, God is sending folks into your ministry or
into your network or association, what have you, and they're coming in skilled
(13:22):
like a well-oiled wheel, also you give honor to where they came from.
You give honor. You allow them to honor their man of God, their woman of God.
Just because they're coming to you doesn't mean that every person that's ever
mentored them prior to that no longer exists.
You know, if you're operating in that, and I say this to you in love,
(13:45):
then you need to check and make sure that you're right, okay?
Because you would want the same honor if someone that you've trained for 20
years, 30 years, and they join another ministry or start their own ministry,
and they never give you honor. You would feel the same way.
So I want you to be mindful of that. But getting back to Elijah and Elisha,
when Elijah went to anoint Elisha, Elisha said, wait, let me go back to my family.
(14:09):
Let me go back to my people.
And when Elisha went back, this is one of the most perfect examples about honoring
the ground that you came from, right, and honoring your leaders.
And when Elisha went back, the Bible says he was driving a 12-yoke oxen,
so the brother had a strong industrial spirit.
(14:30):
He was a very good businessman. He had stamina in business as well.
And so he went back. The Bible says he cut up all the oxen, had a barbecue, in my own words.
He fellowshiped with the people, and he let them know, hey, this is what I'm
doing, but let's have Holy Communion before we leave.
Let's have dinner. I want you to, what God is doing in me is not anything secret, right?
(14:51):
And so, you know, when you hear my name or when you see me out here,
I want you to know what I'm doing. I want you to be accountable.
And so he did that. He went back, and he, you know, informed his family of what he was doing.
He informed his co-laborers of what he was doing.
He broke bread with them, and then he caught up with Elijah.
Elijah, y'all, that is the most phenomenal way to honor your leader is to,
(15:14):
you know what, I appreciate what you've done for me, man of God, woman of God.
I thank you, you know, for the time that you stayed up with me.
I thank you for coming to the hospital to see me. I thank you for standing with
me in a time of losing a loved one, for the time that you helped me out with
a bill, or the time you opened a door for me in my career. You know,
learn how to be grateful.
Learn how to be, you know, appreciative and learn how to give honor.
You will not receive an honor that you won't give.
(15:36):
That's just principle, people of God. you will not receive an honor that you refuse to give.
And so going back to one of my spiritual daughters, she approached me and she
said, Apostle, you know, God is doing something different. I'm about to get married.
And, you know, with my husband, you know, we're under kind of a different,
he's under ministry. I'm going to join his ministry.
And I just want to celebrate you and honor you. And she sold me a seed for $1,000. $1,000.
(15:59):
Now, I didn't ask for that, but that was her way, like Elijah did, communion.
I appreciate you. I honor you for what you've done. You know,
here's the seed, because she was throwing like a monthly seed, but she sent a lump sum.
And she said, I just want to let you know I appreciate you. And so now,
as I stated, I haven't spoken to her in, gosh, it's been about two years,
(16:20):
but whenever she comes across my mind or I see her in social media,
you know, I'm not looking at her with a, you know what I'm saying,
with an evil eye, I, which I don't anyway, but like, you know,
there's no hard feelings.
There's no strife because she, she, her exit season was done in integrity.
And I have nothing but the highest respect for her. And I bless her.
(16:41):
And I just, I thank God for who she is and, you know, the times that we share.
But I realized she needed to be released.
I realized that the season between she and I had ended.
Now, would I love to keep her on? Absolutely. Absolutely, but we cannot be Lord
over God's heritage, and we have to honor the seasons that shift in the people of God's lives.
(17:03):
And so I believe that that's why we have so many brokenhearted leaders is because,
you know, we, and I'm talking about me too, is for, I'm not brokenhearted.
I'm just saying I went through that season. Thank God he's delivered.
But because, yeah, you poured in. You've been a mother. You've been a father.
You've been, you know, there through the thick and thin, and then they just
up and go, like, you know, with no closure.
(17:27):
And that is a hurtful, hurtful, hurtful, hurtful feeling.
It's like your son, your own child or daughter, you raise in your house,
and you feed them, you clothe them, you give them what they need,
and then they get 18 or 19, and they say, okay, bye.
And they take off. They change their phone number. They don't give you their address.
And even though they may have disconnected, you weren't able to.
(17:47):
That good, godly soul child was still formed, and now there's trouble.
You know, your spirit is trouble. You don't understand.
You're hurt. You begin to self-blame, and now you're suspicious of anybody new
coming into your life. And God had to heal me from that.
It was a time where I had, you know, folks leaving, and some of them,
for the most part, for the most part, you know, my season is up,
(18:10):
a woman of God, I appreciate you, and wonderful.
But then there were others that left and just caused a lot of confusion.
And you're like, you know, and then you're always the last one.
I know everybody knows except you, right?
And so you have to deal with that. Or either they leave and they're still connecting
with people in the ministry and so in discord to where now you've got a war in your own health.
(18:34):
Right? When David left, he never went back to his dad and say,
with his brothers and try to talk to him.
Yeah, you know, dad tried to shut me down. He never did it. He went on and did
what God called him to do.
Saul went on and did what God called him to do. Elisha went on and did what God called him to do.
So, you know, if you're saying that God has moved you on, then move on.
(18:56):
And then move on in a spirit of integrity.
Don't ever reach back. I'm telling you because the word of God said God is not mocked.
Whatever you sow, you're going to reap. If you're reaching back to the house
you came from and you're whispering and you're backbiting because every leader has a thought.
I don't know any who doesn't except Jesus. Nobody does anything perfect.
But you always owe the conversation. You know, maturity will teach us.
(19:21):
The Bible even says, come let us reason together.
Have a conversation. Don't just leave without clarity. Don't leave without a
full, and I don't mean, you know, surface and stuff, but have a full conversation.
This is what's bothering me. This is what I've seen or this is what I've heard.
And allow the other individual, like the Bible says, if you have an art,
leave your gift and go make it right.
(19:42):
But what we do, we take off, take our gift, and we try to build on top of that.
And people of God, you can't do that.
And this is how we have church hurt because you've got a leader leading that
does not have the integrity, don't even have the anointing to do so, right?
The anointing lifted because of the spirits that they're operating in.
And it's just a whole lot of stuff. I mean, you got babes and friars who don't
(20:03):
know. They don't understand.
And the vicious cycle continues. So I just want you to be encouraged today to
do the right thing, whatever that is.
And it may be hard for you to do that, but if that's what it takes,
people of God, do the right thing.
Make peace. Follow peace with all men, without which no man shall see the Lord.
(20:26):
God is not the author of confusion. God is not stirring up discord in this house
because Jesus Christ gave his life for the church.
So our battle is not against flesh and blood, but it is against the enemy, right?
It is spiritual. It's not physical, but we've got to be mature enough to have
conversations, and not after we've had conversations with 12 other people because
(20:48):
nothing is convoluted. It's just messy.
It's messy. And so I just pray that this word has encouraged you and just gave
you some food for thought. I kind of spoke from different angles.
I spoke from the leadership angle and the membership angle.
And I just want you to hear God. If he's talking to you, I believe he's working
some things in you. There's some areas that God wants you to clean up.
(21:08):
And so hear what the Spirit of God is saying to the church. Well,
we love you and we bless God for you. If this message has been a blessing,
I ask you to sow into the ministry.
Hashtag TLCCharlotte if you have cash out. Amen. Or you can always visit our
website, toccnc.org, and be a financial partner with us. Amen.
(21:28):
We love you. God bless you.
Peace to you. Welcome back to the Therapeutic Ministries. I've got a word I want to share with you.
I'm actually on my way home from
church, and I'm meditating on the awesome worship experience that we had.
If you're in the Charlotte, North Carolina area, I strongly encourage you and
cordially invite you to be a part.
But thinking about the elevation that many of us are going to experience,
(00:23):
some of you have already tapped into it, And I heard the Lord say that elevation
does not always require confrontation.
Elevation does not always require confrontation. In other words,
I've seen and I've been a pastor for going into my 21st year by the grace of God.
But I've seen, I've seen it in my church, and I've also, as I coach and mentor
(00:44):
many other pastors and spiritual leaders across the nation, again,
by the grace of God, and I have spoken to so many heartbroken shepherds.
Again, I've experienced myself, so I can speak from a personal place,
but I've experienced the heartbreak, those who are elevating,
whether God is elevating them or whether they're elevating themselves,
(01:06):
what that whole process looks like.
You know, when I think about, I ministered today about, I talked about Samuel
and when God used him to anoint David next king of Israel, and it wasn't a private
thing. You know, there was validation.
There was an audience of his peers who could witness this great crowning moment of his life.
(01:30):
And it wasn't anything done in secret. His father was there to co-sign.
You know, he welcomed Samuel into his home, and he agreed with what the Word
of God was doing, what the Word of God was demanding at that time.
And he, you know, he gave Samuel permission to, you know, anoint, consecrate David.
(01:52):
And so this was not anything, when you think about a consecration of God elevating
a person to another level, to another dimension, or maybe expanding their platform
or their realm of influence. if God is doing it, we know that God is not the author of confusion.
And so thinking back to how that whole process, even with Saul,
when Samuel anointed Saul, it was a public occasion.
(02:15):
And so, you know, I have concerns as an apostle.
I have concerns about how some of us have carried on,
you know, when it's time to move on or when it's time to be elevated or when
it's time to be, you know, be expanded, that we still must do things easily
and in order and not operate in the spirit of competition or contention or thrice.
(02:37):
Like, we don't have to burn the house down that we grew up in just to move on to the next level.
You know, God, the Bible says, a house divided against itself cannot stand.
And so even though a person may be transitioning from one house to another or
one house to their house.
That's all. That's wonderful. I mean, there's biblical evidence for that.
We see it happen all the time. And God is moving by his spirit.
(03:00):
However, there is a way to do all things. The Bible said, let all things be
done decently and in order.
So going back to where the word of God clearly illustrates how David's coronation
or his ordination took place, it was in his father's house.
Jesse knew about it. The brothers knew about it. It wasn't anything anybody
could say or fight against it because they were all a part of that occasion.
(03:25):
And so there was no question when it was time for David to assume the throne, everyone knew, right?
Because God doesn't operate in these dark places. God doesn't operate in these
secret societies or whatever it is. I shudder to think.
So we need to make sure that if we say God is elevating me or he's promoting
(03:46):
me or he's moving me, and which God can do that because he's God,
just make sure we're doing it the right way.
You always honor, the Bible says give honor where honor is due,
and to the elders that rule well, give them double honor.
I had a spiritual daughter of mine. She's still, you know, in good graces by the grace of God.
(04:06):
When she comes to mind, every once in a while I speak, you know,
well and speak, you know, the blessings of the Lord over her life.
But I covered her for, I don't know, maybe five or six years as her apostle.
And she, you know, we had a conversation and she said, you know,
I feel like God is doing something else.
He was connecting her to another leader, which for a leader,
(04:28):
you have to be okay with that.
You know, taking your people as far as you can go. Now, that doesn't mean that
you don't have, you know, you're disqualified or you're not relevant or what have you.
It just means that there can be a certain grace that may be stronger on another person's life.
And so for that grace that is resident in your mentee, that's where they need to connect.
(04:50):
And it's okay with that. We're not Lord over God's heritage.
And so you have to understand, and I'm talking to leaders now,
and also providing coaching for those that are experiencing this.
That if someone in your membership or in your organization says,
hey, resigning or, you know, moving on to do something different,
(05:11):
and they're connected with someone else, that's not any slight or shade on you.
As a matter of fact, I'll be honest with you, for me it is an honor to know
that they are carrying on the work of the ministry that you took the time to impart in them.
What's offensive to me and very disturbing to me is when someone that you've
(05:31):
poured into, you've labored, you've worked with, and then they just walk away from the things of God.
Now, that, yeah, that gives me great concern.
But for, you know, a believer to say, you know what, Apostle,
I feel like God is leading me to connect with so-and-so and this and so forth,
and it's being done in decency and order, There is absolutely nothing wrong with that.
(05:56):
When I came out of my dad's ministry, I served him in my adulthood for 11 years.
And when it was time when God was moving me on, I went to him and I appreciated
all that he had poured into me, everything that he had showed me,
everything, all the opportunities he made available to me.
And I shared with him that, you know, the Lord had me to move on.
(06:19):
And I did not do so out of malice or spite or anything of that nature.
And to this day, I can say that I truly...
I am harvesting the blessings that, you know, he has released over my life.
You know, he didn't, you know, he didn't co-sign it, but he understood.
He knew that there was some dynamics involved and that I could not stay any longer where I was.
(06:43):
But he was grateful that I was not leaving God.
And that was his, you know, saying he's a daughter, you know,
stay with the Lord, stay with the Lord.
And I thank God that all of these 20 years later, almost 21 years later,
I've stayed with the Lord.
So, and I've gone back and served in his ministry and supporting him,
you know, and I mean, he's sent on home to be with the Lord.
(07:03):
But I'm just saying, just because your time to serve in that local ministry
has come to an end, that doesn't mean that you all should become strangers.
I don't understand where that comes from. Well, I do. It's the work of the enemy.
So always endeavor to lead peaceably as much as is in you.
You as much the bible said walk in wisdom as
(07:26):
much as as peacefully in you i think this is
over i didn't jack that scripture up but to walk in wisdom right
and walk in love and so you know always honor even if there's a disagreement
and things that the two of you may not see eye to eye on then let the disagreement
be the disagreement but just honor what you did receive because the whole time
wasn't a disagreement right at some point god sent you there he sent you there for for a reason,
(07:49):
to honor that ground that trained you, that raised you,
that poured into you, and do it so that when you step out and launch your ministry
or your business or what have you, that you can receive the fruit from that.
I can receive the fruit of my ministry of members and sons and daughters and
mentees who honor me because I honor the house I came from, right?
(08:12):
I honor my father's leadership.
I still do to this day, even though he has gone home to be with the Lord.
So, and, you know, it's honor.
I will never curse the ground from which I came from. I will never curse the house that raised me.
So, you know, it just really concerns me when I think about how we see so much
(08:32):
destruction in the body of Christ.
I've seen church members leave the church mad and angry, but never reached out
to the pastor to say, you know, can we have a talk? I need to talk. I need to share.
There's some things bothering me or what have you. and then you leave and you
take that hurt and that pain and you try to use that to build another ministry
work and it's not going to work like that because you're building with blood.
(08:53):
You know what I'm saying? You're building, and God told David,
David wanted to build God a house, and he said, your hands are too bloody.
And so, you know, it's not in the will of God to build a house that's established
on hurt, shame, pain, I'm going to get you back, let me show you what I can do.
That's not the fruit of the Holy Spirit. God doesn't work like that.
(09:14):
And then what's going to happen is you're going to attract people in your church,
in your network, with the same spirit.
The Bible talks about the flies that are attracted to the stinking ointment, right?
Or flies attract the ointment, and they stink the ointment. So you'll begin
to attract flies, which are unclean spirits, okay?
You're going to begin to attract that, and then it's going to contaminate all the work.
(09:37):
Even though God may truly have said, I'm setting you aside for this work,
there's still a way for you to do it that doesn't circumvent due process.
There has to be due process.
You know, the Bible says line upon line, here a little, there a little.
Like precept upon precept.
You have to do things the right way. And so, you know, I just want us to be
mindful about how we end an assignment.
(10:01):
With the expectation that we start
out to do something else and you're operating it out of your own power.
You don't have the glory of God. You don't have the presence of God.
When David was installed as king, there was a great celebration,
great coronation, right?
When Samuel was installed as king, great celebration, great coronation.
There was nothing to be ashamed of. There was nothing to hide.
(10:22):
It was, you know, why does it need to be in secret?
You know what I'm saying? So we have to be very mindful of what's happening
around the dynamics of what we're doing. You know, why does it look like that?
What is contributing to it looking like that? You know, and making sure that our motives are pure.
The Bible said, blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.
(10:43):
And sometimes we don't see God in our circumstances. We don't see him in our ministries.
We don't see him in our businesses. We don't see him in our relationships because
we've got some things in our heart that have not been dealt with.
So my last point that I want to pull out, I talked about when Samuel went to
ordain Saul and David, it was done in front of family.
(11:03):
Saul went back to his family and told him, told his dad, told his family.
David's ordination was done in front of his family. You know what I'm saying?
They honored the father, right? They honored their leader.
They honored the one who put that time and invested that time in them that would
qualify them for next level ministry or next level blessings or what have you.
And the last point I want to make is with Elisha and Elisha.
(11:26):
Elisha and Elisha. When Elijah went to anoint Elisha, Elisha was working in
his father's business. I want you to catch this.
His dad gave him the stamina for business, the business acumen.
It came from his dad. It did not come from Elijah, right?
And so even though a person may be moving on to that next mentor,
next leader, understand this. That next leader or mentor is inheriting a person
(11:51):
that someone else has already poured into.
And you've got to, a wise leader will acknowledge, hey, this man of God is coming
into me, or this woman of God is coming into me, and, man, they're already trained
in intercessory prayer. They're trained in spiritual warfare.
They're trained in administration.
And you know you didn't put that seed in them. Somebody else invested in them.
And so you want to make sure that they honor where they got that from.
(12:15):
That's just the way people of God. God, we've gotten so far away from that,
and that really disturbs me because we put God's name on everything.
Oh, God said, God is doing, and God is not, right?
Jesus said, there will be many in that day. Lord, have I not done this?
And he says, depart from me. I never knew you. Why? Because you have worked iniquity.
(12:36):
And so we've got to draw our feet, draw our heart, and draw our hands and our
mouths away from doing things in God's name, quote, unquote,
and yet we're operating in iniquity.
So when Samuel installed Saul and David, he was installing kings that already had leadership.
Saul was already leading in his family's business. David was a leader,
(13:00):
a shepherd after God's own heart.
God raised him up, but he still received leadership skills and things from his
dad. His dad put him in charge of the sheath.
So, again, when someone, you know, and I'm saying to you leaders,
and I know I'm back and forth, but just listen to it a few times so you can get it.
But as a leader, when, you know, God is sending folks into your ministry or
into your network or association, what have you, and they're coming in skilled
(13:22):
like a well-oiled wheel, also you give honor to where they came from.
You give honor. You allow them to honor their man of God, their woman of God.
Just because they're coming to you doesn't mean that every person that's ever
mentored them prior to that no longer exists.
You know, if you're operating in that, and I say this to you in love,
(13:45):
then you need to check and make sure that you're right, okay?
Because you would want the same honor if someone that you've trained for 20
years, 30 years, and they join another ministry or start their own ministry,
and they never give you honor. You would feel the same way.
So I want you to be mindful of that. But getting back to Elijah and Elisha,
when Elijah went to anoint Elisha, Elisha said, wait, let me go back to my family.
(14:09):
Let me go back to my people.
And when Elisha went back, this is one of the most perfect examples about honoring
the ground that you came from, right, and honoring your leaders.
And when Elisha went back, the Bible says he was driving a 12-yoke oxen,
so the brother had a strong industrial spirit.
(14:30):
He was a very good businessman. He had stamina in business as well.
And so he went back. The Bible says he cut up all the oxen, had a barbecue, in my own words.
He fellowshiped with the people, and he let them know, hey, this is what I'm
doing, but let's have Holy Communion before we leave.
Let's have dinner. I want you to, what God is doing in me is not anything secret, right?
(14:51):
And so, you know, when you hear my name or when you see me out here,
I want you to know what I'm doing. I want you to be accountable.
And so he did that. He went back, and he, you know, informed his family of what he was doing.
He informed his co-laborers of what he was doing.
He broke bread with them, and then he caught up with Elijah.
Elijah, y'all, that is the most phenomenal way to honor your leader is to,
(15:14):
you know what, I appreciate what you've done for me, man of God, woman of God.
I thank you, you know, for the time that you stayed up with me.
I thank you for coming to the hospital to see me. I thank you for standing with
me in a time of losing a loved one, for the time that you helped me out with
a bill, or the time you opened a door for me in my career. You know,
learn how to be grateful.
Learn how to be, you know, appreciative and learn how to give honor.
You will not receive an honor that you won't give.
(15:36):
That's just principle, people of God. you will not receive an honor that you refuse to give.
And so going back to one of my spiritual daughters, she approached me and she
said, Apostle, you know, God is doing something different. I'm about to get married.
And, you know, with my husband, you know, we're under kind of a different,
he's under ministry. I'm going to join his ministry.
And I just want to celebrate you and honor you. And she sold me a seed for $1,000. $1,000.
(15:59):
Now, I didn't ask for that, but that was her way, like Elijah did, communion.
I appreciate you. I honor you for what you've done. You know,
here's the seed, because she was throwing like a monthly seed, but she sent a lump sum.
And she said, I just want to let you know I appreciate you. And so now,
as I stated, I haven't spoken to her in, gosh, it's been about two years,
(16:20):
but whenever she comes across my mind or I see her in social media,
you know, I'm not looking at her with a, you know what I'm saying,
with an evil eye, I, which I don't anyway, but like, you know,
there's no hard feelings.
There's no strife because she, she, her exit season was done in integrity.
And I have nothing but the highest respect for her. And I bless her.
(16:41):
And I just, I thank God for who she is and, you know, the times that we share.
But I realized she needed to be released.
I realized that the season between she and I had ended.
Now, would I love to keep her on? Absolutely. Absolutely, but we cannot be Lord
over God's heritage, and we have to honor the seasons that shift in the people of God's lives.
(17:03):
And so I believe that that's why we have so many brokenhearted leaders is because,
you know, we, and I'm talking about me too, is for, I'm not brokenhearted.
I'm just saying I went through that season. Thank God he's delivered.
But because, yeah, you poured in. You've been a mother. You've been a father.
You've been, you know, there through the thick and thin, and then they just
up and go, like, you know, with no closure.
(17:27):
And that is a hurtful, hurtful, hurtful, hurtful feeling.
It's like your son, your own child or daughter, you raise in your house,
and you feed them, you clothe them, you give them what they need,
and then they get 18 or 19, and they say, okay, bye.
And they take off. They change their phone number. They don't give you their address.
And even though they may have disconnected, you weren't able to.
(17:47):
That good, godly soul child was still formed, and now there's trouble.
You know, your spirit is trouble. You don't understand.
You're hurt. You begin to self-blame, and now you're suspicious of anybody new
coming into your life. And God had to heal me from that.
It was a time where I had, you know, folks leaving, and some of them,
for the most part, for the most part, you know, my season is up,
(18:10):
a woman of God, I appreciate you, and wonderful.
But then there were others that left and just caused a lot of confusion.
And you're like, you know, and then you're always the last one.
I know everybody knows except you, right?
And so you have to deal with that. Or either they leave and they're still connecting
with people in the ministry and so in discord to where now you've got a war in your own health.
(18:34):
Right? When David left, he never went back to his dad and say,
with his brothers and try to talk to him.
Yeah, you know, dad tried to shut me down. He never did it. He went on and did
what God called him to do.
Saul went on and did what God called him to do. Elisha went on and did what God called him to do.
So, you know, if you're saying that God has moved you on, then move on.
(18:56):
And then move on in a spirit of integrity.
Don't ever reach back. I'm telling you because the word of God said God is not mocked.
Whatever you sow, you're going to reap. If you're reaching back to the house
you came from and you're whispering and you're backbiting because every leader has a thought.
I don't know any who doesn't except Jesus. Nobody does anything perfect.
But you always owe the conversation. You know, maturity will teach us.
(19:21):
The Bible even says, come let us reason together.
Have a conversation. Don't just leave without clarity. Don't leave without a
full, and I don't mean, you know, surface and stuff, but have a full conversation.
This is what's bothering me. This is what I've seen or this is what I've heard.
And allow the other individual, like the Bible says, if you have an art,
leave your gift and go make it right.
(19:42):
But what we do, we take off, take our gift, and we try to build on top of that.
And people of God, you can't do that.
And this is how we have church hurt because you've got a leader leading that
does not have the integrity, don't even have the anointing to do so, right?
The anointing lifted because of the spirits that they're operating in.
And it's just a whole lot of stuff. I mean, you got babes and friars who don't
(20:03):
know. They don't understand.
And the vicious cycle continues. So I just want you to be encouraged today to
do the right thing, whatever that is.
And it may be hard for you to do that, but if that's what it takes,
people of God, do the right thing.
Make peace. Follow peace with all men, without which no man shall see the Lord.
(20:26):
God is not the author of confusion. God is not stirring up discord in this house
because Jesus Christ gave his life for the church.
So our battle is not against flesh and blood, but it is against the enemy, right?
It is spiritual. It's not physical, but we've got to be mature enough to have
conversations, and not after we've had conversations with 12 other people because
(20:48):
nothing is convoluted. It's just messy.
It's messy. And so I just pray that this word has encouraged you and just gave
you some food for thought. I kind of spoke from different angles.
I spoke from the leadership angle and the membership angle.
And I just want you to hear God. If he's talking to you, I believe he's working
some things in you. There's some areas that God wants you to clean up.
(21:08):
And so hear what the Spirit of God is saying to the church. Well,
we love you and we bless God for you. If this message has been a blessing,
I ask you to sow into the ministry.
Hashtag TLCCharlotte if you have cash out. Amen. Or you can always visit our
website, toccnc.org, and be a financial partner with us. Amen.
(21:28):
We love you. God bless you.
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