WEBVTT - Michele Jackson - Oct 15 - 3:30 pm 0:00:06.570 --> 0:00:09.410 Welcome to Life in the Overflow. My name is Michelle Jackson. 0:00:09.490 --> 0:00:12.930 I serve as senior pastor at Hope Christian Church in Beltsville, Maryland. 0:00:13.150 --> 0:00:16.360 I'm excited that you're here listening today. We're gathering all 0:00:16.380 --> 0:00:18.680 women to hear what the Lord is saying to us. 0:00:19.220 --> 0:00:23.160 John 10.10 states that the enemy comes to steal, to kill, 0:00:23.400 --> 0:00:26.540 to sour, and to devour. But Jesus came to give 0:00:26.579 --> 0:00:29.740 us life, the zoe life of God in abundance, in 0:00:29.780 --> 0:00:33.480 an overflowing measure. There's a dimension of supernatural life that 0:00:33.540 --> 0:00:36.310 God has called us to walk in as women. We 0:00:36.350 --> 0:00:39.630 fill so many roles in society, as wives, as mothers, 0:00:39.729 --> 0:00:43.280 as business leaders, as creatives, as stay-at-home moms. The Lord 0:00:43.300 --> 0:00:45.460 has called us to walk in a level of influence 0:00:45.500 --> 0:00:47.800 and grace because of the life of God that is 0:00:47.840 --> 0:00:51.160 within us. So listen as I share my heart, biblical truths, 0:00:51.460 --> 0:00:53.479 and guide us through so that we can discover a 0:00:53.540 --> 0:00:56.000 deeper love for Jesus and a grace for our families, 0:00:56.280 --> 0:00:58.640 for our communities that we're called to love and serve, 0:00:59.180 --> 0:01:03.000 the assignments that we're in, and fresh connections to kingdom-thinking women. 0:01:03.540 --> 0:01:16.000 I'm excited that you're here. This is Life in the Overflow. Hi, 0:01:16.080 --> 0:01:18.390 I'm so glad you're here today, and this is Life 0:01:18.430 --> 0:01:21.149 in the Overflow. My name is Pastor Michelle, and welcome 0:01:21.170 --> 0:01:24.569 to today's podcast. We're going to be talking about the 0:01:24.610 --> 0:01:29.110 theme of perseverance. I think that I shared last season 0:01:29.390 --> 0:01:31.470 quite a bit about my grief journey, but I don't 0:01:31.510 --> 0:01:34.180 want to focus so much on the pain and the 0:01:34.220 --> 0:01:38.039 emotional aspect of it, because I want to share with 0:01:38.080 --> 0:01:40.910 you today about how I got through it. And so 0:01:40.920 --> 0:01:43.310 a lot of people have asked me, wow, you know, 0:01:43.810 --> 0:01:46.790 how did you make it through? How did you handle 0:01:47.630 --> 0:01:50.470 grieving and leading and all the things? And the main 0:01:50.810 --> 0:01:53.850 topic or the main theme that has rung true for 0:01:53.870 --> 0:01:56.030 me is perseverance. So I want to teach you about 0:01:56.090 --> 0:02:00.500 perseverance today from the life of Abraham, and then also 0:02:00.560 --> 0:02:02.640 look at some promises in Matthew chapter six. 0:02:03.040 --> 0:02:05.400 Please stay tuned. This is Life in the Overflow. 0:02:11.800 --> 0:02:16.120 I want to start off our conversation today about perseverance 0:02:16.320 --> 0:02:20.910 with a scripture. Romans 4 verses 20 and 21 say, 0:02:20.990 --> 0:02:24.150 He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief, 0:02:24.710 --> 0:02:27.530 but was strong in faith, giving glory to God and 0:02:27.570 --> 0:02:30.730 being fully persuaded that what he had promised he was 0:02:30.889 --> 0:02:34.220 able to perform. The Bible here is speaking of Abraham, 0:02:34.240 --> 0:02:38.510 our father in the faith, one who the Apostle Paul 0:02:38.550 --> 0:02:42.850 writes about quite a bit in his chapters of the 0:02:42.889 --> 0:02:46.970 Bible that we read now. And one thing that always 0:02:47.030 --> 0:02:48.890 stands out to me, and of course, that's the King 0:02:48.910 --> 0:02:52.840 James Version, right? He staggered not. He didn't shrink back 0:02:52.900 --> 0:02:57.960 in unbelief. He didn't waver. He didn't hesitate. Instead, he 0:02:58.300 --> 0:03:01.900 was fully persuaded that God had the capacity to to 0:03:01.960 --> 0:03:05.560 fulfill his promise to him. Remember, Abraham had been called 0:03:05.600 --> 0:03:08.120 from his father's house to go to the land that 0:03:08.139 --> 0:03:11.490 God would show him. And the Lord literally sovereignly began 0:03:11.540 --> 0:03:15.290 to lead Abraham through his life, through different tests, through 0:03:15.330 --> 0:03:20.410 different problems, through mistakes, through all the things to produce 0:03:20.450 --> 0:03:22.690 in him the father of many nations. 0:03:23.250 --> 0:03:25.490 And so we can know in. 0:03:25.610 --> 0:03:28.750 Our deepest hours, our darkest hours, that if we've stepped 0:03:28.830 --> 0:03:31.609 out in faith to do what God has called us 0:03:31.669 --> 0:03:35.250 to do, then he'll be faithful and we can judge 0:03:35.310 --> 0:03:39.100 him faithful in our circumstances. This is so critical when 0:03:39.120 --> 0:03:41.580 we're faced with what to do next. 0:03:41.780 --> 0:03:43.140 And when my father passed. 0:03:42.900 --> 0:03:47.640 Away November 9th of 2020, I had the choice to 0:03:47.760 --> 0:03:51.310 either step into what was planned or to step out 0:03:51.410 --> 0:03:54.580 or to step aside. And I chose to step up 0:03:54.660 --> 0:03:57.420 and be the pastor of his church. It was planned. 0:03:57.440 --> 0:04:01.900 It was a planned succession. But I think the challenge 0:04:01.940 --> 0:04:04.300 for us, and I don't want to say but, because 0:04:04.320 --> 0:04:06.550 there was really no but behind it. It was just 0:04:06.970 --> 0:04:10.270 step forward in my mind. But I realized that a 0:04:10.310 --> 0:04:13.290 lot of people, conversations I've had, people have said to me, well, 0:04:13.310 --> 0:04:15.070 you did have a choice. You had a choice to 0:04:15.190 --> 0:04:17.430 move forward or not. And to me, there wasn't a 0:04:17.490 --> 0:04:19.180 choice because I was responding to. 0:04:19.140 --> 0:04:19.900 The call of God. 0:04:20.560 --> 0:04:24.180 And so that's what I want. to communicate about perseverance. 0:04:24.260 --> 0:04:29.000 Perseverance kicks in, the ability to continue to move forward 0:04:29.080 --> 0:04:33.360 kicks in when you're fully persuaded that God has the 0:04:33.440 --> 0:04:37.169 ability to perform on what he said and that it's 0:04:37.230 --> 0:04:38.430 not resting on you. 0:04:38.630 --> 0:04:40.910 That's good. I want to say that again for you. 0:04:42.029 --> 0:04:46.610 Perseverance kicks in when you're not resting on your ability, 0:04:46.770 --> 0:04:51.980 but you're belief, you're fully convinced, you're fully persuaded that 0:04:52.160 --> 0:04:56.089 God is able to do what he said he would do. 0:04:56.529 --> 0:04:58.910 And stepping in as pastor, I mean, I'm the under 0:04:58.990 --> 0:05:00.650 shepherd to the great shepherd, right? 0:05:01.089 --> 0:05:03.710 So it's not on me. It's God's church. 0:05:03.750 --> 0:05:05.849 He's going to lead me and guide me into how 0:05:05.910 --> 0:05:08.830 to lead it. And it's a growth process. And so 0:05:08.890 --> 0:05:12.190 I think for many people, they would have been more 0:05:12.270 --> 0:05:15.640 thinking about the role and thinking about maybe all the 0:05:15.680 --> 0:05:16.940 things my father. 0:05:16.640 --> 0:05:18.680 Had done, maybe all of his accolades. 0:05:18.740 --> 0:05:21.440 And maybe today their opportunities are in front of you 0:05:21.880 --> 0:05:25.550 that you're like counting yourself out of feeling like you're underqualified. 0:05:26.050 --> 0:05:28.890 But really, if you step into the place of God's appointment, 0:05:29.070 --> 0:05:32.789 God's placement for your life, he's going to show up 0:05:33.150 --> 0:05:35.609 and your job is to be strong in faith and 0:05:35.630 --> 0:05:37.100 to persevere and to give. 0:05:37.010 --> 0:05:37.560 Him the glory. 0:05:37.860 --> 0:05:40.140 I got this DM like a week ago or maybe 0:05:40.160 --> 0:05:43.550 two weeks ago. from a lady in our church and 0:05:43.850 --> 0:05:46.830 her company has had so many financial challenges. 0:05:46.870 --> 0:05:47.960 I mean, we've talked about it. 0:05:48.029 --> 0:05:50.650 She's in the finance department, but all of a sudden 0:05:51.210 --> 0:05:54.010 the CFO is now going to retire and they've asked 0:05:54.050 --> 0:05:57.640 her to be acting CFO. She'll get a 10% increase. 0:05:58.200 --> 0:06:00.460 Everybody believes she can do it, but she reached out 0:06:00.500 --> 0:06:03.640 to me to say, hey, pastor, be praying with me 0:06:03.839 --> 0:06:08.060 because I'm up for this promotion and I'm feeling unqualified. 0:06:08.690 --> 0:06:11.710 I think the challenge for us as women of God 0:06:11.890 --> 0:06:14.550 is that we have to be led by our faith. 0:06:14.650 --> 0:06:16.909 And this is what I love about these verses is 0:06:16.950 --> 0:06:20.240 that Abram staggered not at the promise of God. The 0:06:20.279 --> 0:06:22.960 promises of God for us as children of God is 0:06:22.980 --> 0:06:24.760 that we've been called to be leaders. We've been called 0:06:24.779 --> 0:06:27.039 to be ministers. We've been called to set the tone. 0:06:27.339 --> 0:06:29.300 We've been called to set the pace, to be the 0:06:29.360 --> 0:06:31.750 head and not the tail. And the challenge is, is 0:06:31.810 --> 0:06:36.280 that Christianity is not popular enough. belief in a supernatural 0:06:36.300 --> 0:06:39.320 God is not popular. And so oftentimes we take on 0:06:39.360 --> 0:06:42.039 the opinions of man. We take on the fear of 0:06:42.120 --> 0:06:45.910 man instead of being fully convinced that we serve a 0:06:45.940 --> 0:06:49.550 God who's able to complete what he initiates. And so 0:06:49.589 --> 0:06:52.169 I just encouraged her, of course I'm praying, but I'm 0:06:52.230 --> 0:06:54.850 cheering you on in the Holy Ghost. Like you got this, 0:06:54.970 --> 0:06:58.150 you can do this. And oftentimes that's what we need 0:06:58.190 --> 0:07:00.349 to hear. We need to hear that from ourselves and 0:07:00.390 --> 0:07:03.370 we need to hear that from others. that you've got this, 0:07:03.430 --> 0:07:05.370 God's got you, and that you need to be fully 0:07:05.430 --> 0:07:08.350 persuaded that God can work through you, that he's able 0:07:08.630 --> 0:07:11.910 to perform upon his word and cause you to be 0:07:11.970 --> 0:07:14.490 a blessing, cause your gifts to make room for you 0:07:14.630 --> 0:07:18.010 and to expand territory. Some of the challenges, I think, 0:07:18.190 --> 0:07:23.750 in persevering, particularly for me in this season of stepping 0:07:23.910 --> 0:07:26.860 into a role that my parents filled is just the 0:07:26.950 --> 0:07:31.370 history of it and the expectations of others. And I 0:07:31.410 --> 0:07:34.690 can understand even, I mean, scripture doesn't go into this much, 0:07:34.830 --> 0:07:37.410 but I can imagine that all of the people that 0:07:37.490 --> 0:07:41.050 went on this journey with then Abram and Sarai, right? 0:07:41.450 --> 0:07:45.130 That they were like, okay, you said that God sent 0:07:45.150 --> 0:07:45.950 you on this journey. 0:07:46.010 --> 0:07:47.940 Like, where are we going? This and that. 0:07:48.420 --> 0:07:51.600 But they were in this process with them and that 0:07:51.620 --> 0:07:56.900 there were opinions and thoughts. But Abraham and Sarah, they 0:07:56.920 --> 0:08:00.400 stayed connected. consistent in looking to the Lord in the 0:08:00.460 --> 0:08:03.160 midst of what they were going through. And they set 0:08:03.220 --> 0:08:05.350 a tone for those that were with them. 0:08:05.730 --> 0:08:06.870 To follow the Lord. 0:08:07.350 --> 0:08:10.290 And that's what I want you to know in your 0:08:10.890 --> 0:08:15.210 opportunities to continue to persevere, to have that bulldog faith, 0:08:15.270 --> 0:08:17.070 to lock in on the word of God and to 0:08:17.110 --> 0:08:20.990 not let go, is that other people are watching you 0:08:21.150 --> 0:08:23.990 and are growing in their faith, watching you pursue the Lord. 0:08:24.490 --> 0:08:27.130 I think sometimes we think it's the other way around, 0:08:27.250 --> 0:08:30.170 that the opinions and things of others are supposed to 0:08:30.190 --> 0:08:32.730 lead and guide us. But people can give us feedback 0:08:32.770 --> 0:08:35.870 and people can give us constructive criticism. But ultimately, the 0:08:35.990 --> 0:08:38.340 ultimate authority in your life is the word of God, 0:08:38.679 --> 0:08:41.859 the revealed rhema of the scripture, the leading and guiding 0:08:41.900 --> 0:08:44.239 of Holy Spirit. Like those are the voices that need 0:08:44.260 --> 0:08:46.520 to be the loudest. And when you're in a place 0:08:46.580 --> 0:08:50.830 of persevering through a season, you need to really lean 0:08:50.870 --> 0:08:53.210 into the place where those are the voices that speak 0:08:53.250 --> 0:08:55.880 the loudest. that those are the voices that have the 0:08:55.910 --> 0:08:58.960 most weight, and that those are the voices that carry 0:08:59.000 --> 0:09:01.760 the most authority in your life. It's not going to 0:09:01.800 --> 0:09:04.240 be mama's faith that gets you through. It's not going 0:09:04.260 --> 0:09:06.660 to be daddy's faith that gets you through. It's not 0:09:06.679 --> 0:09:09.640 going to be your spouse's faith that gets you through. 0:09:09.660 --> 0:09:12.099 It's not going to be your pastor's faith that gets 0:09:12.140 --> 0:09:15.160 you through. When you have to persevere through a season, 0:09:15.300 --> 0:09:17.740 it's going to be you and the Lord, your relationship 0:09:17.780 --> 0:09:20.619 with him, that's going to cause you to be an overcomer. 0:09:21.290 --> 0:09:24.030 and to have a testimony. Nobody can take the test 0:09:24.090 --> 0:09:25.010 for you, you know. 0:09:25.429 --> 0:09:26.010 I love this. 0:09:26.120 --> 0:09:28.920 One of my brothers in the faith, he always says, 0:09:30.300 --> 0:09:31.959 God doesn't have grandchildren. 0:09:32.580 --> 0:09:33.920 He has sons and daughters. 0:09:34.140 --> 0:09:37.200 And so many times we want to be under the 0:09:37.240 --> 0:09:40.280 covering of someone else as opposed to taking our rightful 0:09:40.320 --> 0:09:44.230 place in the family as sons and daughters of the 0:09:44.260 --> 0:09:47.189 King of Kings. Another scripture that really helped me that 0:09:47.230 --> 0:09:49.449 I want to share with you today is. 0:09:49.450 --> 0:09:51.319 From Matthew chapter 6. 0:09:51.320 --> 0:09:54.380 This was really something that I went and I looked 0:09:54.500 --> 0:09:58.709 at all the time. And Maverick City Music wrote a 0:09:58.750 --> 0:10:01.980 song called Gyro. that has some of the verses in it. 0:10:02.480 --> 0:10:04.880 But I want to focus in and hone in on 0:10:05.420 --> 0:10:08.260 this verse, these last verses, and I'm going to read 0:10:08.320 --> 0:10:13.020 them in the messaged version. Because I think sometimes when 0:10:13.070 --> 0:10:16.170 we have to persevere through illness, we have to persevere 0:10:16.230 --> 0:10:20.199 through financial lack. We have to persevere through very tight times, 0:10:20.260 --> 0:10:24.959 through grief, through pressures, tight ropes that we are ordained 0:10:25.000 --> 0:10:28.460 to walk through. We need the word of God to 0:10:28.500 --> 0:10:31.120 stand on. So I'm going to read Matthew chapter six, 0:10:31.210 --> 0:10:34.830 verses 30 through 34. And they read, if God gives 0:10:34.890 --> 0:10:40.010 attention to the appearance of wildflowers, most of which are 0:10:40.130 --> 0:10:44.470 never seen, don't you know that he'll attend to you, 0:10:44.890 --> 0:10:48.700 take pride in you, do his best for you. What 0:10:48.860 --> 0:10:52.000 I'm trying to do here is to get you to relax, 0:10:52.820 --> 0:10:56.439 to not be so preoccupied with getting so that you 0:10:56.480 --> 0:11:00.760 can respond to God's giving. People who don't know God 0:11:01.040 --> 0:11:03.750 and the way he works fuss over all these things, 0:11:04.429 --> 0:11:08.210 but you know both God and how he works. Steep 0:11:08.309 --> 0:11:13.470 your life in God reality, God initiative, God provisions. Don't 0:11:13.530 --> 0:11:17.710 worry about missing out. You'll find all your everyday human 0:11:17.750 --> 0:11:21.380 concerns will be met. Give your attention to what God 0:11:21.460 --> 0:11:25.380 is doing right now and don't get worked up about 0:11:25.620 --> 0:11:28.980 what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help 0:11:29.000 --> 0:11:32.160 you deal with whatever hard things come up when the 0:11:32.200 --> 0:11:35.740 time comes. This is so powerful. This is how to 0:11:35.800 --> 0:11:40.240 persevere through a tough season. Number one, God will take 0:11:40.280 --> 0:11:42.740 care of you. He will be the one to set 0:11:42.780 --> 0:11:45.520 you up to look your best and to do your best. 0:11:45.679 --> 0:11:48.860 Nobody else can do that but him. And so oftentimes 0:11:48.920 --> 0:11:53.819 we're so focused on horizontal relationships, as particular being women, 0:11:53.840 --> 0:11:58.079 because we were designed for connection. Come on, Eve was 0:11:58.120 --> 0:12:02.040 made from Adam's rib, right? So we were made for connection. 0:12:02.530 --> 0:12:06.250 So the best, the most sincere connection we can have, 0:12:06.890 --> 0:12:10.240 especially when it's time to be strong and to persevere, 0:12:10.460 --> 0:12:13.740 is to take, to have that deeply rooted connection with 0:12:13.820 --> 0:12:16.980 our father, because he's the one that can always give 0:12:17.040 --> 0:12:21.920 us all of the attention, affirmation, affection, words of affirmation, 0:12:22.040 --> 0:12:25.040 all the things that we need as women, that oftentimes 0:12:25.090 --> 0:12:28.729 the men in our lives, our fathers, our boyfriends, our spouses, 0:12:28.830 --> 0:12:31.710 our children, They don't take the time to attend to 0:12:31.850 --> 0:12:34.690 us the way we need it. And it causes friction 0:12:34.750 --> 0:12:40.140 and it makes us feel frustrated. But the Lord, our bridegroom, 0:12:40.400 --> 0:12:43.520 he sings songs over us. He sings songs of deliverance 0:12:43.580 --> 0:12:47.200 over us. And he is available 24 by 7. And 0:12:47.300 --> 0:12:50.260 so when we have to persevere and you're feeling insecure 0:12:50.360 --> 0:12:52.910 and you're feeling, can I do this? He is the 0:12:53.030 --> 0:12:55.510 one who's gonna do his best for you and his 0:12:55.590 --> 0:12:58.790 word will never fail. So I love what it says here. 0:12:58.890 --> 0:13:00.839 It says, what I'm trying to get you to do 0:13:00.900 --> 0:13:03.599 here is relax. Most times when we are in a 0:13:03.640 --> 0:13:07.140 season where we have to persevere, if we're not careful, 0:13:07.220 --> 0:13:10.580 we'll stack up all of the odds of why it 0:13:10.620 --> 0:13:14.170 won't work and work out all the things. If you're 0:13:14.730 --> 0:13:17.970 anxiety prone or worry prone, you'll have a reason as 0:13:17.990 --> 0:13:21.370 to why things aren't gonna work according to what God 0:13:21.390 --> 0:13:21.929 has spoken. 0:13:22.429 --> 0:13:22.849 First. 0:13:23.130 --> 0:13:24.750 And so what I had to really do when I 0:13:24.790 --> 0:13:27.370 was stepping into the role of senior pastor is really 0:13:27.429 --> 0:13:31.050 have tunnel vision. Like every negative voice I had to 0:13:31.090 --> 0:13:34.000 put on mute, my list of people that I would 0:13:34.030 --> 0:13:37.339 call with and interact with became very few. I had 0:13:37.400 --> 0:13:40.459 to focus in on what God was saying and responding 0:13:40.540 --> 0:13:43.980 to his voice and not be so preoccupied with what 0:13:44.020 --> 0:13:48.230 could happen, but to turn The what ifs to what will. 0:13:48.490 --> 0:13:49.689 And that's what faith does. 0:13:49.990 --> 0:13:53.660 When you are persevering and you're fully persuaded that God 0:13:53.720 --> 0:13:56.680 is able to do what he's promised, you shift to 0:13:56.720 --> 0:14:04.080 a place of expecting versus inspecting. Expecting versus inspecting. Because 0:14:04.140 --> 0:14:07.620 most people will just inspect and look for what looks 0:14:07.700 --> 0:14:10.900 good or what might be right. But when you're expecting, 0:14:10.940 --> 0:14:12.990 when you're looking at things through the eyes of faith, 0:14:13.250 --> 0:14:16.310 you're expecting to see God show up. You're expecting to 0:14:16.390 --> 0:14:19.330 see God move. You're expecting to see his hand. You're 0:14:19.350 --> 0:14:24.230 expecting his provision. And so even with just finances and 0:14:24.310 --> 0:14:27.240 bills and all the things that make a ministry run well, 0:14:27.800 --> 0:14:31.360 I've shared this testimony privately and I'm sharing it publicly now. 0:14:31.750 --> 0:14:33.670 Then not one time did I have to then go 0:14:33.710 --> 0:14:35.630 to my staff and say, we can't pay you. As 0:14:35.670 --> 0:14:37.650 a matter of fact, we were able to add and 0:14:37.710 --> 0:14:41.170 hire staff and continue to expand the ministry and grow 0:14:41.490 --> 0:14:43.330 and pay all of the things that needed to be 0:14:43.350 --> 0:14:46.840 paid and continue to increase because of God's favor. But 0:14:46.880 --> 0:14:50.020 we expected him to show up in our midst. And 0:14:50.060 --> 0:14:52.780 so what the Bible is saying is that when you 0:14:52.840 --> 0:14:56.850 are so focused on what you're getting and how things 0:14:56.890 --> 0:14:58.550 are going to work out for you, when you're so 0:14:58.610 --> 0:15:02.390 busy doing the math on your miracle, you can't respond 0:15:02.450 --> 0:15:05.090 when it's time to move when God is giving something 0:15:05.150 --> 0:15:08.020 to you. when he's giving you an opportunity, when he's 0:15:08.160 --> 0:15:10.920 opening a way for you, when he's opening doors for you, 0:15:11.200 --> 0:15:14.880 you're so busy being preoccupied with your lack that you're 0:15:14.920 --> 0:15:17.680 not in the position to receive from him. And so 0:15:17.720 --> 0:15:20.870 it's so important that if you're in a place of persevering, 0:15:20.920 --> 0:15:25.230 of pushing through, of seeing a dream come from in 0:15:25.550 --> 0:15:28.270 your vision, in your prayer time that you've written down 0:15:28.330 --> 0:15:32.090 to a reality, that you don't begin to be preoccupied 0:15:32.490 --> 0:15:35.390 with what isn't, but shift to this place of faith 0:15:35.410 --> 0:15:38.470 of what is. The next part is so key. It says, 0:15:38.550 --> 0:15:41.130 people who don't know God and the way he works 0:15:41.250 --> 0:15:43.960 fuss over all these things. So the quickest way to 0:15:43.980 --> 0:15:47.160 look like the world and the quickest way to not 0:15:47.180 --> 0:15:50.960 be operating in this bulldog faith or perseverance that we're 0:15:50.980 --> 0:15:54.440 talking about is to act like God hasn't. 0:15:54.140 --> 0:15:55.930 Moved in your life in the past. 0:15:56.950 --> 0:16:01.410 The quickest way to move from discouragement to encouragement is praise. 0:16:01.790 --> 0:16:04.370 To begin to praise the Lord and to thank him 0:16:04.810 --> 0:16:08.280 for the things that he's already done. Because then it 0:16:08.320 --> 0:16:11.220 puts you in a place of being able to see that, yes, 0:16:11.300 --> 0:16:13.860 God is working in my life. And even in this 0:16:13.980 --> 0:16:18.950 moment of stretching, of pressing, like now I've made space 0:16:19.030 --> 0:16:23.290 for him to work today. It says steep yourself in 0:16:23.350 --> 0:16:27.880 God reality. God initiative, God provisions, God reality, that he's 0:16:27.920 --> 0:16:30.560 moving today, that he's moving right now, that he is 0:16:30.640 --> 0:16:32.800 with me, that he's in the midst of my praise, 0:16:32.840 --> 0:16:35.630 he's in the midst of my prayer. God initiative, the 0:16:35.690 --> 0:16:38.630 things that he is starting, instead of looking at what 0:16:38.750 --> 0:16:41.130 the enemy might do or being so consumed with what 0:16:41.170 --> 0:16:44.280 people are saying, be consumed with what God is starting. 0:16:44.810 --> 0:16:47.500 It's amazing because I really was stirred in my spirit 0:16:47.540 --> 0:16:51.220 right before my father passed away that we would restart 0:16:51.260 --> 0:16:54.420 morning prayer. And I just continued to go with all 0:16:54.460 --> 0:16:56.460 of the plans that we had made and that we 0:16:56.500 --> 0:16:59.900 had initiated together as I began to transition as a 0:16:59.940 --> 0:17:04.430 senior pastor. And now, almost two years into this process 0:17:04.590 --> 0:17:07.859 and when I'm recording, Now we're experiencing the glory, the 0:17:07.900 --> 0:17:11.200 presence of God on another level in our worship services, 0:17:11.260 --> 0:17:13.220 and people are able to step into a flow of 0:17:13.240 --> 0:17:16.590 the Spirit that was birthed in prayer. And God was 0:17:16.690 --> 0:17:20.350 initiating that and starting that process and moving in us 0:17:20.450 --> 0:17:24.270 to push us to that place so long ago to 0:17:24.330 --> 0:17:26.270 prepare us to be ready for now. 0:17:26.690 --> 0:17:27.790 So what am I saying? 0:17:28.270 --> 0:17:30.609 The very thing that you're going through right now, and 0:17:30.750 --> 0:17:34.399 even those of you who've been resistant to surrender in 0:17:34.440 --> 0:17:37.860 this season, to go with where God's leading, to go with, 0:17:37.920 --> 0:17:40.840 to let go and let God, as they say. The 0:17:40.900 --> 0:17:43.980 very thing that he's working on right now is going 0:17:44.000 --> 0:17:45.800 to pave the way for your tomorrow. 0:17:46.540 --> 0:17:47.399 So don't miss it. 0:17:47.770 --> 0:17:50.470 Don't miss your opportunity to get involved with what God's 0:17:50.510 --> 0:17:53.590 doing now, because the very things that he is calling 0:17:53.609 --> 0:17:56.230 you to do in the future are tied to your present. 0:17:56.750 --> 0:17:59.869 And your yes today, your obedience today will pave the 0:17:59.910 --> 0:18:03.359 way to tomorrow. Don't make a mistake and think that 0:18:03.420 --> 0:18:05.640 because you're not going to move forward or because you've 0:18:05.660 --> 0:18:09.879 decided that this is far enough, that this opportunity is 0:18:10.520 --> 0:18:12.920 not going to come back up. If it's the will 0:18:12.980 --> 0:18:16.080 of God for your life, for you to move forward 0:18:16.119 --> 0:18:19.689 into the things of his calling, the opportunity will come again. 0:18:19.990 --> 0:18:21.890 But it may not look the same. It may not 0:18:21.930 --> 0:18:23.730 have the same opportunities. 0:18:23.850 --> 0:18:27.440 I remember hearing like Catherine Kuhlman and other great women 0:18:27.480 --> 0:18:30.100 of God in ministry say that they knew that they 0:18:30.140 --> 0:18:33.700 weren't God's first choice, but that their first choice said no. 0:18:34.040 --> 0:18:37.590 There are sovereign times in God's economy where he is working, 0:18:37.640 --> 0:18:41.310 where he's moving, and he woos us into the place 0:18:41.369 --> 0:18:44.389 of being used by him. But it doesn't mean, if 0:18:44.470 --> 0:18:47.310 we say no, it doesn't mean he doesn't still do 0:18:47.369 --> 0:18:50.369 that thing and use someone else. We'll still get another 0:18:50.490 --> 0:18:53.600 opportunity to be used. But all I'm saying is don't 0:18:53.670 --> 0:18:56.520 miss your day of visitation. All right, so the rest 0:18:56.580 --> 0:18:59.720 of the verse talks about finding your needs met by 0:18:59.880 --> 0:19:02.900 focusing on what God's doing. My sister and I experienced 0:19:02.980 --> 0:19:06.200 so many financial miracles when our father passed away. I 0:19:06.500 --> 0:19:09.300 can't even, I don't even have the whole podcast. I mean, 0:19:09.340 --> 0:19:10.869 if I had a whole season, I could tell you 0:19:10.940 --> 0:19:14.850 all the things that happened for us, how God made ways, 0:19:14.970 --> 0:19:18.410 open doors, discounts, all kinds of things that happened to 0:19:18.490 --> 0:19:21.240 put us in a place of wholeness. But I just 0:19:21.280 --> 0:19:25.300 want to encourage you today that as you follow God's leading, 0:19:25.359 --> 0:19:29.340 whatever he's asking you to give, you never lose when 0:19:29.400 --> 0:19:32.940 you give when he says give. I've been talking to 0:19:33.000 --> 0:19:37.119 the church about sowing quality seed. Quality seed carries faith. 0:19:37.420 --> 0:19:40.609 Quality seed produces a harvest. And so whatever God is 0:19:40.730 --> 0:19:43.869 initiating your life, whether it's stretching you to become a 0:19:43.910 --> 0:19:47.270 tither and to be faithful in that, whether he's stretching 0:19:47.310 --> 0:19:49.450 you to give above your tithe, whether he's stretching you 0:19:49.470 --> 0:19:52.140 to give above your tithe, of yourself, whether he's stretching 0:19:52.180 --> 0:19:56.000 you to commit to him above friendships or family, to 0:19:56.060 --> 0:19:58.780 lean in and listen to his voice above the other 0:19:58.840 --> 0:20:01.870 voices in your life, whatever it is, you can't beat 0:20:01.930 --> 0:20:04.270 the harvest that you'll receive from obedience. 0:20:04.410 --> 0:20:05.550 Trust that. Know that. 0:20:05.930 --> 0:20:08.650 Because as he leads you, he's going to take care 0:20:08.670 --> 0:20:11.649 of all the other things. so much so that it 0:20:11.690 --> 0:20:14.640 would shock you. So really, we have to lean into 0:20:14.680 --> 0:20:17.220 this place of full dependence on the Lord. That's why 0:20:17.280 --> 0:20:21.280 it's saying, relax, he's got this. And it's easier said 0:20:21.340 --> 0:20:24.300 how I'm saying it, relax, he's got this, than done, 0:20:24.540 --> 0:20:27.840 because we are so used to stewarding our own lives. 0:20:28.160 --> 0:20:30.979 I mean, as Americans, we think we have it all together. 0:20:31.040 --> 0:20:34.699 We think we know. And the generation that's coming behind 0:20:34.780 --> 0:20:37.980 me because of the internet, the information age, They feel 0:20:38.010 --> 0:20:40.750 like they can YouTube everything and be an expert tomorrow 0:20:40.810 --> 0:20:44.070 and everything. And it's just not that, it just doesn't 0:20:44.109 --> 0:20:46.030 have to be that way if we're in the kingdom. 0:20:46.490 --> 0:20:48.909 The Lord, the Holy Spirit can lead and guide us 0:20:48.950 --> 0:20:51.470 into all truth. He can show us what we need 0:20:51.520 --> 0:20:54.620 to know. And he truly is the expert because everything 0:20:54.660 --> 0:20:57.179 that we see came from a realm that we did 0:20:57.220 --> 0:20:59.980 not see that he is the creator of. And so 0:21:00.060 --> 0:21:04.200 we have to have that humility to come down and say, okay, God, 0:21:04.300 --> 0:21:07.420 I've relaxed my I am, I'm not going to be anxious. 0:21:07.480 --> 0:21:10.060 I'm not going to worry about anything because I know 0:21:10.460 --> 0:21:12.180 that you are in the midst of me. And because 0:21:12.200 --> 0:21:13.810 you're in the midst of me, I will not fail. 0:21:14.609 --> 0:21:14.900 All right. 0:21:15.369 --> 0:21:18.570 This was the humdinger of the whole, the whole last 0:21:18.630 --> 0:21:20.730 two years. I know humdinger. That's like a very old 0:21:20.770 --> 0:21:23.830 school world word for those that are listening. Give your 0:21:23.890 --> 0:21:27.570 entire attention to what God is doing right now. What 0:21:27.630 --> 0:21:32.210 I found in dealing with people and my own grief 0:21:32.730 --> 0:21:38.550