May 16th, 2012 was one of the greatest days of my life because I asked Janese to be my wife. Oh, I had a church say, ah. And it was interesting because I had planned the proposal for weeks. In fact, I had a plan to propose to Janese on a hot air balloon and somebody, y'all like, nuh, I made the arrangements, I got everything done. And I thought maybe it'd be a good idea for me to check and see if Janese would even want to go up in a hot air balloon because the last thing I want to do is have my bride to be faint. So I told Janese, I said, Hey, what do you think about ever riding in a hot air balloon? She said, no.

I said, noted. So I canceled all the arrangements and I made a different arrangement. And so I planned for us to go have dinner at the Dallas Arboretum and I had this amazing idea. I thought it was amazing, and it worked by the way, but I took a picture of us and I had it printed on a canvas and on the canvas also had this poem that I had written that was printed on it, and it was basically just a kind of summation of our year and a half of dating. And then I was going to drop to my knee and I was going to pop the question. I had this all planned out for weeks. I already bought the ring and I'm old school. I went and bought the ring by myself. We didn't go together and I was like, well, I hope she likes this, plus this is all I can afford.

So I went and got the ring and I had it in my pocket and I was ready. So I called Janese and said, Hey, we're going to the Dallas Arboretum. We're going to have dinner there. Would you mind wearing this particular dress? I love that color on you. And so that was kind of like a dead giveaway that something special was going to happen. I didn't think about it at the time. So she shows up in this beautiful dress. I was all spiffy up. We go into the arboretum, we go and we have this five course meal in the center of the arboretum. The ulli exhibit was there, the glass. And it was just an amazing experience. And what I had done is I had set up this particular picture on an easel at this exhibit called The Tiny Homes, and it was set up inside of the home.

And my plan was that as we go around, we're going to look at all this cool stuff and we're going to end up at the Tiny Homes exhibit. It was a Picasso house. And when we walk in, she was going to see the picture, then realized that it's me and her, and then I was going to drop to my knee and pop the question, perfect plan, right? So we get through at dinner and I knew that Janese knew that something was up, so I was trying to play it cool, but I was also sweating bullets because I ain't ever proposed. And some people done this a few times, I ain't never done it.

I ain't hating y'all. So we get through a dinner and we start looking at these different exhibits. And what's interesting is we got to different places within this garden, within this arboretum that were the perfect place for a proposal if it was going to happen. And what's interesting is we would go to a different spot, and I knew that Janese thought, Hey, he's about to propose here because of the landscape and the scenery. It was so cool, but it didn't happen. So we get to another spot, and I knew that she thought it was going to happen here, but it didn't happen. So we kept walking. So by this time we had been in the arboretum for several hours and I could tell that Janese had lost all hope that I was going to pop the question. It just became like it was still a wonderful date, but I could tell in her face, she said, okay, whatever.

He's going to do it at another date. I thought this was it. I thought it was special. So we keep walking. Well, we finally get to the place, it's about 30 minutes before the arboretum closes and the tiny homes were right by the exit. And so we got all the way around the arboretum, we got to this particular place, and soon as we walked in the house, the easel was set up, there were flowers there. Janese looks at the picture and she realizes it's us. And she's like, oh my gosh, that's us. And I said, you best believe it is. I read the poem, I popped the question, and she said yes, and now we've been married for almost 11 years. Come on, somebody give God praise. It worked out perfectly. But here is the catch. Every spot that we went to that seemed to be the perfect spot wasn't the spot. And in order for Janese to experience what I had already planned, and in order for her to receive the ring that I had already purchased and for her to experience the picture that I already had printed and to hear the poem that I'd already written, we had to get there.

The engagement didn't happen here and it didn't happen here and it didn't happen here. We had to get there. But once we got there, unbeknownst to her, I had already planned everything so that we would have a romantic moment where pop the question and she said, yes, this is exactly like our relationship with God. How many times do we walk around with God and we miss out on what he wants to do because we will not leave here? Well, God, you didn't get me provision here, so I'm just going to stay and a wait. And God says, I prepared miracles for you. I prepared provision for you. I've prepared I plan for you, but I need you to leave here and get

How many people miss out on the move of God because they're stuck here. How many people miss out on a great experience with God because they're stuck with a here mentality? Here is where I got married, here is where I had my kids. Here is the relationship that feels secure. Here are the people that are my best friends. Here is where I've always had a job. Here's where I've always grown up in the neighborhood. Here is exactly where, and God says, I've got something special for you, but I can't do what I want to do in your life here. I got to separate you from here and get you. That's exactly what Elijah was dealing with because in One Kings chapter 17, we are introduced to Elijah. We don't have any history about him. We don't have any context about who he is. We don't know his genealogy.

He just literally appears in one Kings chapter 17. And the Bible says that God speaks to Elijah and says, Elijah, I need you to go talk to this joker named Ahab who happens to be the king at the time who did more evil than any of the kings before him. And God speaks to Elijah and says, Elijah, I need you to go tell him that there is a drought coming, that there is going to be a famine in the land. So Elijah does what God tells him to do and he tells Ahab, Ahab, God told me that there will be no rain and no dew until I say so. Then Elijah has to deal with the consequence of what God said was going to happen.

Elijah was also going to be in the drought with the joker that he just told, God is judging you, but he's also judging me. So God looks at Elijah and says, Elijah, here's going to be the drought and here's going to be the famine. But I have already sent my word ahead of you to another spot, and I have commanded the ravens to prepare themselves that when you get there, they're going to bring you food, they're going to bring you bread and meat. Now, it was 30 miles away from where Elijah was to the brook of Cher. Now if you were like Elijah, you would think, how in the world am I going to travel 30 miles by foot with no water, no sustenance. I got to go through valleys. I got to go through hills. I got to be worried about robbers. I got to be worried about the elements. I got to be worried about the wilderness. And yet Elijah had so much trust that God was going to do what he said he was going to do. He takes off walking and the Bible says that when he gets to the brook of chert, even though there is a drought in the land, there happens to be water where he gets to. And God says, I want you to drink water from this brook. And while he is drinking, he hears the fluttering of wings. And next thing you know, here comes a raven dropping off bread.

I'm wondering who baked the bread. When I read the scripture, I'm going, who in the world baked this? Who did these guys steal bread from?

But the lesson here is that God will work a miracle for you, but he's not going to do it for you here. He needs you to step out in faith and get there. And when he got there, God said, I already sent my word ahead of time. And what do we know about the word of God? Well, the Bible says that God is not a man that he should lie and nor do he the son of man that he should repent. But whatever he said he shall do. God said of his own word, whatever I sent it forth to do, it will accomplish everything and it will not return unto me void. I wonder how many people have a word from God that's just waiting for you to get there? How many of us are sitting here waiting for God to move where we're at? And God says, the miracle, the provision, everything I have planned for your life is waiting for you, but I need you to get uncomfortable. I need you to raise your faith and I need you to start walking toward where I have a plan for you. If God's promised you a job, you need to get there and apply.

If God has promised you a relationship, you need to go introduce yourself. Well now I'm just waiting for my knight and shining armor to get here. God says, your knight and Sharman armor is over there. You need to get there.

I started praying about today. I said, God, what do you want to say? God said, there are some people that are stuck here because they've been used to having provisions here. They've been used to having miracles here and they don't know how to get there. And this is what God starts teaching Elijah. God says, I'm going to reroute the water to get to the brook that's going to be waiting for you, but I need you to leave here and get there so you can drink this water and then I'm going to cause ravens to steal bread from somebody. Somebody was baking bread and God said, I'm going to get them jerkers to swoop in and steal some bread and bring it. God will cause somebody else to bake your bread. I can stop there and preach right there. God will call somebody else to bake the bread that you need to eat. You just got to get. So then after a while, the Bible says that the brook dries up and Elijah's wondering what in the world happened? And God says, not all provisions are meant to be eternal. Some provisions are seasonal, some relationships are seasonal. Some people are seasonal, some friendships are seasonable, some relationships are seasonal. Some miracles that God provides in your life are seasonal. They're not meant to sustain you for the rest of your life. You got to cut some people loose.

God says to Elijah, Hey, I need you to leave here now that this has sustained you for the time and the season. I need you to get there to sfa. And God says the same thing that he says about the ravens. Now he says about a widow at sfa. God says, I have commanded this widow to feed you. When you get there,

Do you see a pattern? Because all throughout scripture you're going to find that when God gets ready to move, he will move here, but he will move here to get you there. He will never let you stay in one position and get stuck in a here mentality. God will rattle you. He'll make stuff dry up on you. He'll cause people to start mistreating you that I thought they were my best friend and now it seems like they're because God's like, I need you to get some new friends. I've always loved this relationship. I mean he hasn't proposed in 15 years, but I feel safe with him and God says, no, this brook is dried out. I need you to get there because there I've already prepared another guy, another woman of God who left me who had the right job, who have the right attitude. But you got to get, don't get stuck with a here mentality. Don't get stuck being comfortable. Don't get not stop stalling because you're comfortable.

So when you read throughout the scripture, I'm about to preach here in just a minute, I'm already sweating.

When you read throughout the Bible, you're going to find example after example where God says, I've got provisions, I've got plans, I've got miracles, but I can't give them to you here because here's not the right spot. I need you to mix your faith with my word and get there. Can I preach you about Moses? God appears to Moses in the desert and he says, Moses, I want you to go and I want you to tell Pharaoh to let my people go. Moses says, I don't have the capabilities, I don't have the speech. I don't have the abilities to do what you're asking me to do. And God says to him, don't you worry. I will give you the exact words that you need to speak, but I'm not going to give you the word here. I need you to get. He gets there. God gives him the words to tell Pharaoh to let his people go.

Then God says, while you're here, I'm also going to turn your staff into a snake. I'm also going to pour out plagues. And then Moses says, well, this is great. Now what do we do? God says, I need you to get out of here. And Moses says, wait a minute, but there's a red sea that we can't cross. God says, I'll take care of the Red Sea, but I'm not going to do it until you get when they get to the Red Sea, God says, all right, now I'm about to show off. He parched the Red Sea. They walk out, they walk through the Red Sea, they begin to praise God and now they're like, well, God, I'm thirsty. I'm parch. We're in the wilderness. God says, don't worry, I'm going to provide you with water that comes out of a rock, but I need you to leave here and get.

They get there and water comes out of a rock. They say, well, God, we're hungry. We need something to eat. We've been eating onions and Lisa and God said, I'll send you manna and I'll send you quail, but I'm not going to send it here. I'm going to send it there. I just need you to get. Then God says, I'm going to give you houses that you didn't build. I'm going to let you eat from vineyards you didn't plant. I'm going to let you drink from wells that you didn't dig. I'm going to let you live in Landis flown with milk and honey, but it ain't going to happen here. I'm not going to establish here in the wilderness. I need you to get all throughout the scripture. You're going to find that when God gets ready to move in a spectacular way, the people of God have to leave here and start marching toward there.

Am I preaching to anybody that can think back over your life and realize you don't know how you got there, but when you got there, God showed up in a spectacular way. You didn't know how you were going to get the job, but you applied anyways and you don't know how you got there, but God knew how. I promise you, if you'll get there, God will meet you. Can I preach to you about the woman with the issue of blood? She had an issue of blood. She was sick in her body and according to tradition, at that time when you had a blood issue, you had to stay inside. You couldn't have any contact with anybody else. You had to be ostracized. You had to be by yourself in a room. But while she was in the room, she heard that Jesus was in town and everybody else said, stay here.

We're going to go visit Jesus, and she said, I ain't staying here. I got an issue that I need God to solve, so I'm leaving here and I'm going to get because there is my miracle, there is my breakthrough, there is my provision, there is my healing. She had to get sick of being here and made up her mind to get there, and when she got there, Jesus was there to heal her body. Can I preach to you about the man who was a paralytic, who had four friends that say, Hey man, you've been laying here for way too long here, has been stinky, here has been a bad situation. Here's been a tough situation, but we heard that Jesus is in town and he's in a house and he's doing miracles, and he looked at me and said, well, I can't do anything because I'm stuck here.

But his four friends looked at me and said, don't you worry. We're going to get you away from here and we're going to pick you up and we're going to take you there. When they got there, the door was blocked because there were too many people, so they went to the window. The window was blocked because there were too many people, so they looked up at the roof and they say, if we can get there and start ripping off this tile and let him down there, then Jesus can give him a healing. So they ripped off shingles, they took off the straw, they moved the dirt, they lift, they let him down in front of Jesus and with Jesus having dirt and mud and straw all over him, he looked up and he said, man, they were stuck here but they got there and because of y'all's faith to get there, I'm going to meet his needs.

Can I preach and tell somebody that it's time for you to realize that what God has for you will not be had right here. You got to get there. You got to get a tenacity about you. You got to get a mindset about you that says, I refuse to get stuck here. I need to get there. Why am I preaching this on our eighth anniversary? Because as I was thinking about what God is getting ready to do as we step into the movement toward the ninth anniversary, there's so many significance, so much significance to the number eight in the Bible. When you look at the scripture at the very beginning of creation, God created for six days and the Bible said that on the seventh day he looked back at everything that he created in the first six and he said, it is very good, and then on the seventh day God rested, but then God didn't just stay in a place of rest, but he started on the eighth day, which is really the first day, and so a always represents a fresh start.

It represents newness, it represents release in the Bible, you will see it over and over. I can preach to you about Leviticus 15 where we have the law about the leopards cleansing, how the leper, if he looked at his body and said, I'm clean. He had to go present himself to the priest and the priest then would do some rituals, but then the priest would say, you got to stay outside of the camp for at least seven days, but then on the eighth day, on the eighth day, if it was still dried up, the priest will look at 'em and say, you know what? You have been sick for seven days, but now that it's the eighth day, it's the year, it's the day of release all throughout scripture, you're going to find out that the year eight is the year of release, and what I'm here to preach and tell somebody is on the first year of this church getting planted, God said, Hey, I got plans for you in the second year, but I need y'all to get there.

Then God said, I got plans for you in the third year, but I need you to get there. Then God said, I got more plans for you in the fourth year, but I need you to get there. Then God said, I got plans for you in the fifth year, but I need you to get there. Then God said, I got more plans for you in the sixth year, but you got to get there. Am I just preaching to myself? God said, I got more plans for you in the seventh year, but you got to get there. Then God said, I got great plans for you in the eighth year. I'm just looking for somebody who's ready to leave here and get there. This is going to be the year of God's favor on our church. Alright, I got to preach a little bit. I got to preach because I got to take you to Deuteronomy chapter 15. At the end of every seven years, you shall grant a release.

This is what the Bible says, and this is the matter of the release. Every creditor shall release what he has led to his neighbor. He shall not exact it on his neighbor, his brother, because of the Lord's release has been proclaimed of a foreigner. You may exact it, but whatever of yours is with your brother, you shall you shall hand, your hand shall release, but there will be no poor among you. For the Lord will bless you in the land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance to possess. If you will strictly obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all this commandment that I command you today for the Lord, your God will bless you. Somebody say Bless me as he has promised you and you shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow and you shall rule over many nations, but they shall not rule over you. What I'm here to declare on this Sunday is that we're about to step into a season of release of favor, of power, of hope, of joy, of more coming and more growing and more going. I believe that this is about to be the year where God starts working miracles we've never seen before where God starts handing out provisions like we've never seen before. Can I just preach to the atmosphere? Can I just preach the last cleanest in Irving that we're here to see God move in an unprecedented way in this next year?

You remember? Why are you preaching like that? Because I've already been to the Lord and I've already asked him what he's getting ready to do and God says, you better make room for the harvest that I'm about to send. I just need two or three people that believe that God's getting ready to send a great harvest like you've never seen before. I've already been to the Lord. I've already said God, what are you getting ready to do? He said, in this next year you'll baptize more people than you've ever baptized in the history of this church. I've already been to the Lord and I said, God, what are you getting ready to do in kids' ministry? He said, you're going to see more kids come to know Jesus than you've ever seen before.

Can I just preach prophetically a little bit? I've already been to the Lord. I said, what are you going to do about singles that are in our church? God said, I'm about to hook some people up. I'm about to let some couples get married. I said, what you going to do about the married folks? He said, I'm about to heal some relationship. I'm about to put some things back together. It's a year of release. It's a year of favor. It's a year of jubilee after every seven years. This is the end of seven years and eight years is about to happen. Let me ask, let me make it personal for you. Is where you're standing conducive to your miracle? Are you standing in the right place to get what God said belongs to you? Because there are some things that God has promised you that you are not going to get where you're standing. God told you he was going to give you a new job, but you're staying stuck in the job that he told you to leave because it's comfortable and God says, I've already provided a place for you. I've already sent the ravens to give you provision at this other job, but I need you to leave here and get. We heard Michelle preach about it and she preached about it. She said that her husband was diagnosed with throat cancer.

God said, I got a miracle waiting for you bro at this little conference, but I need you to get because the miracle, the provision I have for you ain't no what's going to come to you. Sometimes you got to take a leap of faith

And start walking towards your miracle. God said it belonged to me. I'm walking toward it. God said it's going to be mine. I'm walking toward it. Where are you going? I'm walking toward my miracle. Where are you going? I'm walking toward my provision. Where are you going? I'm walking toward my breakthrough. Somebody. You got to stop sitting around here and start moving there. Where are you going? I'm not sure, but I'm going Where the miracle's at? Where are you headed? I'm not sure, but I'm heading to where God's moving. I'm not going to get stuck here. I'm ready to get somebody take five seconds and give God praise. I realize this ain't for everybody. God didn't speak to everybody about cherries. God looked at Elijah and said, you get there. I've commanded the ravens to feed you. What would've happened if Elijah would've stayed here? Would everybody else he wouldn't have ate? He'd be dead. Then God said, I'm not done with you at the Book of Cher. I got more provisions for you, but you got to leave here and get there. Why am I preaching this today? Because you know when we look back over the last eight years about what God's done, it's been phenomenal.

But I refuse to get stuck here. I'm waking up tomorrow and I'm going to start walking toward more. I'm going to start making my way toward more. God's got a business idea for you, but you've been sitting on it. It's time to go file the l l c. God's got a person waiting for you. You got to quit hanging around these other, I'm just going to call 'em jokers because what God has for you cannot be had here. You got to get look at your neighbor and tell him, get there. I'm going to close with this one little story in the Bible. Y'all can stand a man by the name of Peter who had seen God work time and time again. Jesus says to him, y'all go ahead and go on this boat ride. I'll meet y'all on the other side. You hear they get out there, the Tempus starts blowing, the wind starts raging and somebody is walking on this water and Peter says,

Bro, this looks like a ghost

But also kind of looks like Jesus, so he says, if it be thou,

Come here. Some of you folks that read the Bible know that ain't what happened. He said, if it be thou bid me, come there because here is rough. I need to get whatever's over there is what I want. I'm stuck in this boat with these other jokers. We all scared, we all getting tossed about. I need to get there because there seems to be where the miracle's at and Jesus looks at him and says, come here. How many of us are stuck on rocky boats with funky people

Because we think here is safe. God's looking for somebody to get out the boat. Leave here and get there because out there you'll experience a miracle that you've never experienced before. Imagine what it must've been like for Peter to look at the tempest and look at the wind and look at the raging sea and be like, I'm sick of being here. I'd rather die there than die in here, so I'm going to risk my life to get there. Somebody. You got to get that kind of attitude, that kind of faith that said, I will die. Getting there rather again means stuck here. I wonder if there's anybody in this place that got a word from the Lord that's there and you've been putting off, moving toward God because you want God to give you all the stuff now, to prepare you to get there and God says, no. When I prepared for you is there. I'm not preaching to everybody, but I'm preaching to somebody. This is about to be the season of your release to get there and if that's you, I want you to give God praise right now. Oh, no, no. I mean really give God praise as if he already done it. Don't you wait another moment to give God praise for what he's getting ready to do in your life. Is there anybody in this place that's ready to get there? I'm looking for some get there types of people. I'm looking for somebody's faith to get to the next level. I'm looking for somebody sure to get to the next level. Somebody take 30 seconds and give God just an ovation of praise. Come on, come on, come on, come on, come on.

The devil is a liar.

The devil is a liar.

The devil is a liar. God is exalted. Devil be defeated. Devil be defeated.

Lemme just tell you what I kind of felt as I've been preaching this. The Bible says that there are birds that come to try to steal the word when the word goes out. As I've been preaching, there's some spiritual birds trying to snatch this word out of some of y'alls hands because you think that it hadn't happened yet, so it's not going to happen and the devil's convinced you that you should just stay here until God does something. No, I'm telling you to get there until God does something. Yes sir. Yes sir. The devil is somebody needs to scream at it right now. The devil is a liar. The devil is a liar.

You ain't going to take my word devil. I'm going to get there. I'm going to get there. I'm going to get there. If I got to go by myself, I'm going to get there. If I got to make my way through hell, I'm going to get there. If I got to go through valleys, I'm going to get there. If I got to go through mountaintops, I'm going to get there. If I got to go through sickness, I'm going to get there. If I got to go through ridicule, I'm going to get there. If I got to make my way through other people that doubt me, I'm going to get there. If I get there all by myself, I'm going to get there. I'm not going to get stuck here. I'm going to get there. I'm going to get there. I'm going to get there. Somebody shout, I'm going to get. The devil is a liar

God is exalted.

God is exalted.

I may just be preaching to myself. I'm going to go back and watch my own video. I'm just telling y'all, y'all better buckle up because we about to make room for more people to receive what God has for them. Don't you be shocked when we start moving dirt or moving chairs. What is he talking about? I'm talking about faith. Don't you be shocked when your seat's taken. But that's usually where I see not anymore. The devil is a liar.

The devil is a liar.

The devil is a liar.

Devil is a liar.

If you want to praise him, go ahead and praise him right now. The devil is a liar. The devil is a liar. God is exalted. God is exalted. I just thank you for eight spectacular years of your hand and your glory that's been resting in our church. As we prepare to get there, I pray God that we would have a renewed sense of faith, of vision, of hope that you would embolden us and strengthen us for what is ahead. I know you're getting ready to do some crazy things. Yes, Lord. We're about to celebrate nine years next year and when we look back at what you've done in this year coming up, we are going to be blown away. You've already spoken and we declare it to be so right now, God, we just give you everything, our hearts, our minds, our strength and preparation for what you're getting ready to do for there in Jesus' name and somebody gives Jesus some praise.