Voices, Week 2

Chris Durso | June 11, 2023

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Transcription

What's up everybody? First of all, can we put our hands together for Pastor Robert White Man? Wasn't that such a phenomenal word last week, so great to have him here. And so today we have another special guest and he is no stranger to this house. He is such a good friend of mine and a good friend of this house, and before I introduce him, I just want to say, Chris, thank you so much for your friendship, for your dedication to the work of God, for the example that you are as a husband, as a father, you truly are a blessing to the kingdom of God. And so Embassy City, can we stand to our feet and please welcome our good friend, pastor Chris Desso. Come on, make some noise.

Come on. That was more than enough for me, but if you love Jesus, let's give Jesus a shout.

Come on Embassy. You could do a little bit better than that. You are grateful for the blood. You are grateful for his provision. You are grateful for His grace. If you've seen him show up in your own life, give him a shout in this place. Amen. Amen. Amen. Remain standing for a second. Remain standing for a second. I just think it's imperative that we acknowledge what God's doing in this house. What we just experienced is a normal. I travel full-time and I don't say that in a braggadocious way, but it's a part of my assignment right now where I'm a teaching pastor at a few churches around the country. Every weekend I'm at a different church and I'm grateful for the connections and every assignment is different, but not every house that I visit has the presence of God. Not every house that I visit acknowledges the presence of God because they have a script, because they have a plan and we need plans, but the plans can't ever get away of God's plan.

Amen. I am grateful for how the Holy Spirit moves in this house and in the freedom in which it is given to move as if he needed our permission, but because of free will, he allows it. Aren't you grateful for a house that allows the Holy Spirit to do what the Holy Spirit does? Man, I'm telling you, I know you're here every week, so you might think it's normal. It it's not normal and the truth is it stop. It starts at the top. Aren't you grateful that you have pastors that are sensitive to the Holy Spirit? Can we thank God right now for Pastor Tim? Come on, make some noise right now. We're so grateful for Tim and Jenice. We love you guys. We're grateful for you Hehe. Here's what I love. He, he's on vacation and he's here. I said to him, why are you showing up if you're on vacation?

He said, well, because I still go to church here, and I love that. That's so important that you have a pastor that isn't just saying, I'm going to lead the house, but I'm a part of the house. That's a beautiful thing. And the restraint, the restraint to not come up here and grab a mic because preachers be preaching. They'll see the order of service. Like, no, I'm not going to say anything. And then all of a sudden there was a quickening of the Holy Spirit. I just love that so much. I love the restraint. I love the maturity. I think he's showing us something that we should all model. Come on one more time. Can we just thank him, we love you, grateful for you.

Go on ahead and grab a seat. You'll stay with me because as you play, I sound more spiritual. Can we thank God for all the musicians and the team? Come on, man. Thank you. Thank you for your gift. Thank you for your gift today. My assignment is very clear. It's a very clear assignment. Holy Spirit spoke very specifically to me about what's what's transpiring. Many of you are being bullied. You're being bullied in the spirit, you're being bullied by fear. As a result, you feel scared and you feel stuck. You feel scared and you feel stuck. You don't know why it's happening. It's part of my assignment today to break down the why, but it's also a part of my assignment today to allow the Holy Spirit to speak to you so that there is a release from this holding. Here's what the Holy Spirit said.

You're about to get your laughter back. You're about to get your joy back. There are many of you that you have felt stuck within your creativity. He says you're going to start creating again. I'm going to start to give you new ideas. Get your pen, get your pad, get your journal. I want you to wipe the dust off of it. I want you to start writing again. You're going to start vision board again. You're going to start planning again. I know there was a season where you put it away, but I'm telling you it's about to happen for you and in you. And I felt very, very strongly when I woke up this morning to declare there are many of you that you've been suffering with night terrors, been suffering with night terrors, and he said, I'm about to breathe on you and you're about to rest again.

In fact, you are about to rest like you've never rested before. Not only are you going to wake up rejuvenated, hear me, you are going to dream dreams again. Good. And it's not that you haven't, haven't dreamt the dream, you just haven't remembered them or you've been scared of them. He said, I'm about to speak to you about your future. I'm about to speak to you about your family. Your next business idea is not networking. It's going to be within your arrest and within your arresting. I'm going to speak to you and I'm going to show you what it is that I have for you because some of you run from sleep. He says, now you're going to start running to sleep. You're going to understand it as a safe place. You're going to realize the importance of a Sabbath. You're going to realize that I am in control and I'm with you. I'm I'm with you. Holy spirit's also saying there's a worshiper that stopped worshiping. You need to step back in. I gave you a voice for a reason. I gave you an anointing for a reason. I gave you oil for purpose.

Today I want to open up by reading to you three verses that aren't necessarily famous at all.

But when I read them, my mind was blown because I've read the book of John several times, dozens if not hundreds of times, went to Bible school. I read the Bible every day and I never noticed these verses. And what makes it so amazing is that these verses are on the back end of one of the most famous stories in the Bible. So even though I'm going to read to you an unpopular set of verses, the verses that go before it are actually very popular. John chapter 12, verses one through eight is a famous moment where Jesus is at his friend's house. There's a family that he loves, Mary Martha Lazarus. This is a beautiful dinner party. It's not just any dinner party. It's a celebration. It's a celebration because just days prior, Lazarus was sick. And not only was he sick, he died and four days after dying, Jesus raises him from the dead. So now on the back end of this revival, they're celebrating inside the house. What's happening within the house is that Mary is at the feet of Jesus and she has her oil in hand. She has an expensive perfume and she's pouring it and lavishing it on the feet of Jesus and she's rubbing it in with her hands and her hair and she lets down her hair and it's a beautiful moment of worship. I mean, I can't just even imagine how powerful the presence of God is

Simultaneously within the house, the disciples are also there and there's a disciple that made up his mind that he was going to betray Jesus. His name is Judas. Yet Judas has not gone public with his betrayal yet, but internally he's he has already betrayed Jesus. This is why in this moment he tries to scold Mary and correct Mary by saying, put the oil away. That oil is too expensive to be using on the feet of Jesus. We could take the money and we could use the money for the poor when in actuality he could care less about the poor. He just didn't want to see Mary pour her oil on Jesus. He didn't want to see Jesus get the worship what's happening inside the house simultaneously outside of the house. These are the three verses that I'm going to read to you, John 12 verse nine.

It says, when all the people, people heard of Jesus's arrival, they flocked to see him and also see Lazarus, the man Jesus had raised from the dead. So you got to understand that people have showed up because they want to get a picture of Jesus and they want to get a picture of Lazarus. They want to get a picture of Jesus and they want to get a picture of Lazarus. But now let's pay attention to who showed up to the celebratory moment because then the next verse says, then the leading priest decided to kill Lazarus two. And then it says, for it was because of him that many of the people had deserted them and believed in Jesus.

On the inside of the house, Mary is worshiping at the feet of Jesus. Lazarus is celebrating because he was dead and now he's alive. Martha is happy to see her brother. He's happy to see her. Jesus in her home, Judas is there and he's hating a bit in the middle of this worship service. And then on the outside, people show up. And now there are several different groups that have shown up. Some have simply shown up because they're grateful for Jesus. They're hoping to get a peak of Jesus. They're thinking, if Jesus did this for Lazarus, maybe he could do it for me. There are people there that saw Lazarus get resurrected and they're telling all the people, I was there. I saw him come out of the tomb. This Jesus is the real deal. Then there are other people that are thinking it's all fake. They're thinking it's all a front and they're trying to figure out did Lazarus actually die or is he still dead and they're just pulling off a weekend at Bernie's and they got a broomstick behind his head acting like he's alive. That's right. And then there's a group that showed up with a plan to kill Lazarus, which tells me that not everyone that shows up to the celebration is there to celebrate.

Every time God's people show up to praise, the enemy shows up to plot. Every time God's people decide on a Sunday in the summer to show up in the heat of Texas and say, I'm going to put God first, I am going to worship, I am going to praise. I want you to understand that simultaneously there is an enemy on the outside that is bothered that you would show up to be in the house of the Lord, that you would show up with a praise, that you would show up with an offering, you would show up with a shout. You would show up with excitement. You would show up to eat, you would show up to feed, you would show up to serve. And he's bothered by him, right? Because anytime the people of God praise the enemy plots, but don't be scared because Psalm 21, 11 says, although they plot against you, their evil schemes will never succeed. Although they plot against you, their evil schemes will never succeed. I want to take the next few moments. I don't want to speak to you from this idea. They are no problem. They just talk like they are. If you're taking notes going ahead and write that down, they are no problem. They just talk like they are. If you're not taking notes, take notes, they are no problem. They just talk like they are.

Today's scripture of focus is John 12 verses nine through 11. And what is interesting about verses nine through 11 is that sandwich in the middle is verse 10, and verse 10 is actually the last time we ever hear Lazarus's name mentioned in the Bible. This is the last name, this is the last time his name is mentioned in the word of God. And what I find so interesting, what I find so interesting is that as I studied the life of Lazarus, there are theologians and scholars and teachers that will argue and note that Lazarus actually continued to live his life after that moment, after his death, after his resurrection, and he continued to live a life as a mortal human as he previously did before he had died. Some would argue that he's actually ordained a bishop,

Which I find both splendid and surprising. I find it splendid and I find it surprising. I find it surprising because verse 10 states, the leading priest decided to kill Lazarus. Two, the leading priest decided to kill Lazarus. Two, the leading priest decided to kill Lazarus because many people were coming to know Jesus because of his testimony, because of his resurrection. But as a result of that, the enemy said, I made a decision, therefore Lazarus shall die. And yet as I study and as read, I learn that although the enemy made a decision, that decision was not able to come to pass because he went on with the life that he had before he died and he actually becomes a bishop. So not only does he go back to his normal life, he actually ends up living more blessed on the other side of everything that he just went through, which is mind blowing to me because the enemy made a decision. The enemy made a plan that Lazarus should die. The enemy had decided that Lazarus would not live. Lazarus was resurrected from the dead, and that so bothered the enemy that he said, now that you were resurrected, I'm going to kill you again.

And yet he lived. Right? Right. Which doesn't seem to make sense to me because when I read it, the Bible says the enemy made a decision and the truth is the enemy did make a decision, but so did God. Yeah, right. The enemy decided that he should die, but God decided he will live. The enemy decided that I'm going to put an Lazarus's life, but God decided you ain't going to touch Lazarus because I didn't just resurrect him so that you could kill him. I gave him life and life more abundantly. I have plans for his life. His life is going to serve as a roadmap. His life is going to serve as an illustration. I did not just save him for a moment, I saved him for eternity. So the fact is death could not get the best of him before, so death is not going to get the best of him.

Now, and what I am here to tell you is that there are several of you in the room. You are living overwhelmed because you are listening to the decisions of the enemy. But I'm here with some good news for you. I understand that the devil has decided about you, but God has destiny for you and there is no devil with the decision that can compete with the destiny of God. He said, your marriage will live, your children will be saved. The sickness will not get the best of you. The depression will not take you out. I know you're in the middle of a difficult moment. I know you are walking through a valley, but can I tell you, you don't get top without a valley so you are going through it, but you're about to come out of it because I've already decided about you and the best is in front of you and I am the God that is for you and my hand is on you. If there's anybody in the room that would agree on that, on the jump, take about 20 seconds, lift up your hands and give him a shout.

He says, I decided about you. I've already have plans for your life. I have concerns with you. I'm going to do something with your marriage. I'm a, I'm going to do something with that business. You think I got you the loan so that you can end up in debt? No, I got you the loan because I'm breathing on your business and you're about to overcome. You're going other routes and taking other ways that other people said it wouldn't, but although it didn't work for them, I'm going to work it for you because I'm the God that makes ways in the wilderness. I make ways when there was no way. So what was a dead end to somebody else? It's going to be your launching pad in the name of Jesus,

God is saying, son, daughter, with you, I'm, I'm with you. I'm I'm with you. Now, if you are not a professed Christian, if you do not know where you stand with Jesus, let me just tell you, as someone that does not know you but loves you, I encourage you to strongly reconsider. I ask you to strongly consider living your life as a follower of Jesus and to all those that are saved, to all those that have confessed with their mouth and believe in their heart that Jesus Christ is Lord. The Holy Spirit wants to deal with you because he's saying, son, daughter, why do you think it is that I saved you? You think I saved you so that the enemy could abuse you? Do you think that I saved you so that the enemy could get the best of you or are you not a part of the embassy of God or you are not a part of the kingdom of God is the same power that conquered the grave on the inside of you?

Is my hand not upon you yet? Why are you living? There's any other authority that can compete with me. I am God all by myself. I am king and I am Lord. I go by several names. Please understand there's no other name that can compete with any of my names. I am the Lord your God, and I am with you. I am for you. I am fighting against every adversary that is coming against you, but I need you to start walking. I need you to start talking. I need you to start living. I need you to start believing. I need you to start declaring. I need you to start praising. I need you to start worshiping. I need you to start noting. I need you to start speaking. I need you to start reading. I need you to start dreaming. I am the God of the universe.

I'm the one that has the final say. You are giving too much credit to somebody that holds no authority. They hold no authority. They just talk like they do. But I'm the one that does. I'm the one that when speaks, orbits come out of my mouth. I say, son, go there, moon, go there, water be here. Land, stop. Here I am God, everything that is good, it comes from me. And anything that contests with me will not make it. Is there anybody in the room that says, that's the God that I serve? That's the side that I'm on. I belong to the King of kings and the Lord of Lords. I need all the saved people to take about 30 seconds. Lift up your hands in the freedom of Jesus and give him your best shout. Come on, 1, 2, 3, go. He says, I'm for you. I'm, I'm for you. I'm I'm for you. I'm with you and I'm for you. I'm I'm with you and I'm for you. I'm, I'm with you and I'm, I'm for you. My promises are yes and amen. Not for everybody else, but for you too. He says, it's in your name,

It's in your birthright. When I was studying for the sermon, I learned for the first time that the name Lazarus actually means God has helped. I thought to myself, dang, I wish my name meant that

Only to learn through the reading and the studying of the New Testament, that if you are a believer, your name means that and more. See, I don't have to know your name to know what your name means because if you are professed with your mouth that Jesus', Lord, can I tell you what your name means, God has helped. Yes, God is helping. God will continue to help. God has helped. I've helped you in the past. God is helping. I'm still helping in the prison. God, it will help you in the future. What he's saying is, son, daughter, I didn't just help you once to now make you just do it on your own. The God that goes with you, I'm the God that's with you. I'm the God that goes ahead of you. This is why you got to know Deuteronomy chapter 20 verse four, for the Lord here, God is he who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to save you. Right? And yet, although we read that and hear that to be true, we live like it's, we live like it's just a nice word, but we're not living in the authority that comes from the word. And if I'm being honest, it takes one to no one. I'll never forget being in junior high school. I'm born and raised Queens, New York. I went to junior high school in Flushing, Queens. Shout out.

I remember leaving on a Friday afternoon now for a 65 grade average student, Friday's one of my favorite. I got to leave school and do all the things that junior hires like to do, play basketball, hang out with friends, eat pizza, typical New York. But this one, Friday afternoon, as I'm leaving with five of my friends, a group of older, bigger kids come and surround us for whatever reason out of all of us, they picked me up and they said, Hey, you we're going to beat you up. Somebody else steps forward and goes, you know what? We're not going to beat you up. And I'm like, okay.

Then somebody else says, well, we're going to take your money. All I have is five bucks. You know what I mean? Take it. Somebody else steps forward and goes, you know what? We're not going to take your money. It was the most confusing altercation I've ever been a part of. Then someone says, now get out of here and don't ever look at us again. So as we're walking away, somebody shouts out from the group, but next Friday we're going to get you. It's amazing because I never saw them again. I never saw them again, and yet I heard them every day. Their words lived in my mind. They, they've reverberated through my mind. It's amazing because I left there untouched and I left there with the same amount of money that I walked in with. But when I left, they did steal something. They stole my hope.

And now what was a happy walk home? What was something that I used to enjoy doing I now no longer enjoy doing because all the hope was gone. So I no longer went to my friend's house. I no longer went to play basketball. I no longer went to get pizza. I just thought to myself, I have to leave and get home as quickly as possible and I'm have to take different ways. And I found myself looking behind every corner thinking that they were going to pop out at some moment, especially on Fridays. Imagine that for a student, students love Fridays. It's the weekend we're going to get T G I F in the evening. Now I'm showing my age and wrestling Saturday morning, and I used to look forward to it, but now I hated it because I'm thinking they're going to show up and they're going to get me and I would even have moments just do it already, but I never saw them again, and yet their words crippled me from enjoying the life I used to live.

Why? Because fear does not stop death. It stops life. Fear doesn't stop death, it stops life and many of you have stopped living. You don't get your nails done anymore. You don't go to dinners with your friends anymore. You don't walk around the mall anymore. Something happens. Something happened in your world. Something happened in your life. Post pandemic, something happened. Something happened with a family member. Something happened at the job, the job that you prayed for, the job that you were so excited to have, something happened. Now you dread going to work. Now you dread thinking you're going to see that coworker. Something happened. Maybe there's been layoffs. Now you're thinking, oh my goodness, am I next? Something happened. Something happened in your world and it is shaking your world and the very thing that used to enjoy doing, you no longer enjoy because something happened.

Fear got a grip on you. And it's amazing because history proves that God has been with you, but yet because of what you're currently facing, you believe in what you're currently hearing as opposed to what God has already done, and it happens to the best of us, right? I bet you if we were to sit down at Starbucks with a latte having a conversation, we would track back to whenever it was, fear got a hold of you. Before that there was a moment of victory. There was a moment of absolute, absolute joy and happiness because God did do something in your marriage or God introduced this person into your life, or there was a financial breakthrough where you had the family that you always hoped for, and then something happened. Something happened. Am I right? Something happened. There was think it was great before, but then something happened.

Why? Because anytime the people of God are praising, the enemy starts plotting and he wants to make you believe that you did not experience what you just experienced. So he's going to try to rob you of the celebration. He's going to try to rob you of the joy. God didn't really give you that job. God didn't really call you to that position. God didn't really make a way, and now I'm going to take you out. And now the mind games begin in the Old Testament story about the prophet named Elijah. God uses Elijah in a mighty way. Elijah stands up against the servants and prophets of ball. Ball was a ugly God, manmade King Ahab and Jezebel believed in that God, they had their own prophets of ball. So one day Elijah with his prophets stand up against the prophets of ball. God shows up in a mighty way.

They end up defeating and murdering all the prophets that stood opposing God. Then in the middle of a desert, while a drought is actually happening, they get that contrast. They're in the middle of a desert and in the middle of a drought, they're in the middle of a desert and in the middle of a drought, and Elijah tells the king, king Ahab, he says, go on and eat and drink. And Elijah now starts to pray and in the middle of praying he starts to see God moving. And the Bible says that there was a cloud the size of a man's fist. It starts to come from the ocean and it starts to come on the land. And now all of a sudden when there was there where there was a drought, now there's a heavy rain and rain is falling on the land, and now everyone is celebrating because the rain of God has showed up.

Clearly this day God has proven that he is the one true God and bail is no God at all. And then the Bible says that everyone runs out of the desert and they go inland. And as they're on their horses and their chariots, the Bible says that the hand of God comes upon Elijah and Elijah's able to outrun the chariots and outrun the people because God's hand is on him. And now what is a moment of celebration and what's a moment of revival? The very next chapter, and the very first verse says that now King Ahab spoke to his wife, Jezebel and Jezebel sent word to Elijah and says, I swear by my gods by this time tomorrow you will die. Her gods were made up, right? Elijah just proved that they were nonexistent, and yet the words crippled him. God's hands was upon him. He says, I just want to die. Right? You ever been there before?

You just want to give up. I've seen you do great things, but this is too difficult. God, I know you showed up before, but I don't know how I'm going to make it through this one God. And the amazing thing is while God's hand is on you, fear has a grip on you. His hand is on you, and fear is gripping you. His hand is on you, and fear is gripping you. His hand is on you and fear is gripping you. And he's saying, son, daughter, you don't. You do not get it. It's because the rain came that the enemy's showing up and he's trying to distract you and tell you that I didn't do what I just did, but here's why I need you to pay attention to me and listen to me and rely on me because he holds no authority. He just talks like he does. He's talking like he's a part of the F B I. He's talking like he's a part of the cia, but in actuality, he doesn't even has to have much authority as a mall cop. No disrespect to the mall cops.

This is why the Bible tells us in verse Peter five, verse eight, he says, be sober and be ent. Be sober and be diligent. Now, this verse is not talking about getting drunk on liquor. However, don't get drunk on liquor. Well, this verse is talking about is you being sober in the things of God? Yeah, because some of you keep shooting fear every time the enemy serves it up and he has different concoctions and different drinks that he is mixing and sending your way, and every time he sends it, you take it and you shoot it and he'll send it in a form of gossip and you take it and you shoot it and he'll send it as a form of daytime television and you take it and you shoot it and he send it as a form of an algorithm. You take it and you shoot it and he'll send it.

He'll as a form of being at Cracker Barrel after service. And then somebody says, I want to sit with you. And you take it and you shoot it. And what happens here is you keep giving the enemy footholds and as a result of it, you are intoxicated with fear because he's not going to just take you head on. He knows that, that you're too smart for that. So he just comes in different ways. And that noon call that you have every Monday with your best friend from college, he says every time you pick up that call and you think that you're doing them a favor because not saved, that conversation is actually eating away at your soul and it's designated and scheduled on a Monday because Sunday you just heard from me, but then all of a sudden because you like that gossip on the inside and you love the taste of tea, he says, I don't serve tea. I serve sovereignty. I serve kindness. I don't do petty. I do praise. I do kindness and I do love. I know you have an appetite for it, but not everything you're hungry for you should be digesting.

And because you keep lapping it up and eating it up, you got fear on the inside and fear on the inside. And you know why you can't walk that straight line with Jesus Because you got too much of that fear and you just walking to the left and and it keeps coming in ways that you're not even paying attention to. So yes, the Instagram is killing you. Yes, the TikTok is killing you. Yes, the daytime television is killing you. Yes, the friendship where that person is not serving the Lord and you are unequally yoked and you're saying, stop being so religious. I'm not being religious. I'm being spiritual, and we have to be mindful that the spirits that we fight, it's not in the physical. It is in the spirit o realm, and it is coming in every which direction and it is taking you out. You don't even know how to be sober. You just every time he serves you, every time he serves you, because he is showing up in ways that you would never expect, be sober and be vigilant because your adversary, the devil walks about everybody say, walks about that was a weak, let's say it again, walks about a roaring lion seeking whom he made devourer, resist him steadfast in the face, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.

The enemy is walking around like a lion, right? So you're telling me my enemy is playing dress up, right?

You're telling me he's in costume, right? Yeah. Making noises that are unnatural to him.

He's in full on costume, right? Dressing up like a lion. Roaring like a lion, right? That's the same thing your toddler does. And yet these elementary schemes are working on you. When your toddler comes in the kitchen and they go, ah, mommy, you go, oh no. Don't get me knowing that that toddler ain't going to do nothing to you. The enemy is punking you the same way and he has you running for your life and you're scared and you're overwhelmed and he's getting you. Why? Because he's making noises that don't even naturally come from him using inflection in his voice. And you are scared because you got to like a lion when in actuality you stand on the side of an actual lion, the lion of the tribe of Judah, he says, you are paying attention to his roar. When I got an actual roar, I got authority in my word. I got weight in my words, and you're listening to a costume. He said, where are my people that know that they're on the right side that understand that when I open up my mouth, you better fear, you better be scared because there is no enemy that can contest with me. They could dress up like me, but there are no comparison to me. I am God all by myself. And then you know how he holds up authority. Look how the Bible says to overcome him. Refute him. Wait, that's it. Some of you still save burning sage. You better stop doing it because you're praying in tongues ushering out one spirit and then bringing it right in thinking that the Holy Spirit needs help with some sage. You don't got to burn nothing. You just got to stand on something you refute. What do you mean I ref refuse? So when the enemy tempts me, you ref refuse. So you're telling me all I got to do is say, no, that's it. Just no Pastor Chris, why you standing like that? I don't know. I want you to remember it. No.

So when he shows up in gossip, all I got to do is just say no. He shows up in pornography. All I got to do is say no shows up on daytime television or algorithm or in the middle of the night telling me to pur on music. All I got to do is say there is authority in your no. The Bible says that the power of life and death, it lives in your tongue. In other words, you could start speaking life over the spiritually dead things that are happening in your life. Listen, I'll pray with you after service, but can I tell you, you could pray with you and you complete the blood of Jesus because you have an authority and you are able to walk and talk like you have been born again filled with the Holy Spirit. Why? Because the same power that conquered the grave lives on the inside of you.

It's not that it's not in you, it's that you have yet to activate it because you do not realize the power of your yes and the power of your No. I speak a life over the dead things in my life and here it is. I speak death over the things that have been trying to murder me. I am a child of God. So in other words, get the behind me. You have no power over me. I belong to the King of kings and I belong to the Lord of Lords. If you believe that, give him a shout.

Woo.

I'm all for prayer meetings, but some of you don't need to leave the house to have a prayer meeting. You just need a learner. Don't even realize you don't even realize that you don't. Don't even realize the authority in your words in you. It's in you, but you have yet to believe it because the Bible says as a man, think it. So he is. You don't even realize it. Some of you think that your no doesn't work because as a husband, when you tell your wife she don't listen. You know what I mean? But when she does, it works like, Hey honey, I'm going to, I'ma hang out with the guys tonight. No. Yeah, yeah, that's a good idea. I'll do that next week. I was just checking in. Not a big deal. And she calls you like, Hey honey, I'm, I'm going to buy this sofa. No, no, not this month, honey. Nah, I'm going to buy it. Yeah, yeah, that's what I was saying. Let's just go on ahead and get the sofa, get two if you want. Whatever. Who cares about the college savings? It may not work on your wife, but it does work against the enemy. God says, you have so much authority in your no, there's a a no on the inside of you, but you have yet to release it. And here's the thing. Your no is realer than the roar that comes from the enemy. Absolutely.

His is fictitious. He has no authority. He just talked like he does. You have to understand that the reason why this is happening is because your progress in God is bad business for the enemy. Your progress in God is bad business for the enemy. This is why the Bible tries to warn you that there is no weapon formed against you that shall ever prosper. No weapon formed against you shall prosper. But here it is. The reason why the enemy is forming weapons is because you are a weapon.

He's sending you threats because your testimony poses a threat. If people see what's in you and what's on you, they're going to stop believing in him. In other words, your testimony is like a bad Yelp review for the enemy, and he says, every time you walk in authority and you operate in the gifts of the spirit and you are not overwhelmed by fear, you are sending my people the wrong message. Therefore, Lazarus has to die because the fact that he's alive, it speaks to the fact that Jesus must be the Messiah.

In other words, your testimony is touching the enemy's pockets. It's taking money out. It's taking the value out in his words. And it's amazing how didn't get to say this in the first service, your testimony should be a moment of celebration, but because the enemy speaks in confusion, he'll cause you to start doubting what God just did. In the Book of Acts, there's this moment where Paul and Silas are walking and this demon possessed fortune teller, she's a young girl by the way, is following, and as she's following, she's taunting Paul and Silas, and what does Paul do? He turns around and he rebukes the spirit that's inside of the girl, and now the girl is set free. That should be a moment of celebration, but it's not because there were two men that were pimping out the young girl and now are upset because now they've lost hope in their future business investment,

The young girl should have been partying, but she couldn't even celebrate because the fact that she's no longer bound hurt the enemy. So then the two men go to the officials and get Paul and Silas thrown in jail, right? Because he says they're confusing the people. Your miracle, your miracle, your miracle will be narrated as confusion for the very people that do not want to see you revived. In other words, your life is death to the enemy. Your miracle is death to the enemy because the truth is he wants to monetize your madness. He wants to monetize your madness. He wants you stuck. He wants you busted. He wants you confused. So the reason why he is breaking family structures and toxic systems that have been a part of your life and the reason why all hell is breaking loose because the enemy had a legacy planned for your family too.

And if you never got out of that bondage and if you never broke that alcohol, the alcohol spirit that's been attached to your family, if you never broke that spirit of lust that's been attached to your family, every family has something, every family has something. And the reason why you're breaking while you're breaking, you're breaking those systems while you're breaking those structures, oh hell is breaking loose. Not because you made the wrong choice, but because you made the right choice. Because heaven is approving what you're doing and your miracle brings madness to the enemy and he says, it's bad business for me. Don't touch my money. Lunatics are lucrative for Lucifer. Oh my goodness, that was good.

He says, I need you stuck. I need you bound and I'm going to tell everyone I'm going to cause a narrative that it's confusing because I don't like what it means for me. But God says, son, daughter, just go keep worshiping. Don't worry about trying to convince them because I'm with you. Yes, I'll handle it in due time. The reason why there's a bullseye on your back is because you are an arrow to heaven. Yeah, that's good. And my prayer for you is that you would develop a tough back, but keep a soft heart, develop a tough back, but keep a soft heart. Develop a tough back, but keep a soft heart. You know why? Because you were dead because of your sins and because of your sit sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ. He forgave you all your sins. Yes, understand that because you are a walking talking miracle. You are the same as Lazarus. You once were dead, but now you're alive. The enemy's saying, we have to get rid of you because you are the evidence that I don't want to be shown because the case will be won. If the judge gets a hand on the evidence that's before them. If the people see the evidence of the supernatural, then they're no longer going to believe in me.

Which side note, Christians understand that this leading priest dedicated his life to God too. Uhoh church folk careful because you can start throwing arrows because you don't like how God is moving book of. Can you put that verse up for me and Psalm, wish I had it memorized.

There we go. Psalm 95 7 says, if only you would listen to his voice today, the Lord says, don't harden your hearts as Israel did at Merabi as they did at NASA in the wilderness. Here it is for they. Your ancestors tested and tried my patience even though they saw everything, even though though they had the evidence, even though they saw, even though it was in front of them, they did not like the results that they saw. So therefore they tried to change it. They tried to destroy it. They tried to shift it. God will do what God wants to do, and some of you do not like the evidence that you're seeing and he's saying it's right in front of you, but you're rejecting it. Understand that the Pharisees and the leading priests, they started off with the right heart, right? But because they did not like Jesus as a messiah, they rejected him. They were waiting for a Messiah. They just didn't want Jesus to be that.

Allow the evidence. Allow the evidence to be the proof. So as much as I'm talking about your broken family systems that we all have, when God starts moving in your family and the member that you don't like and the one that never apologized to you and the never one and the one that never paid you back that money and the one that never made it right, the one that never took responsibility for your upbringing, the one that never took responsibility for your trauma, I am telling you that you need to ask God to give you a soft heart because revival cannot be death for you. It needs to be celebration because understand that this isn't really about you. This is far bigger than each of us. This is eternity on the line. This is about life and death, and I want to encourage you today to just celebrate in the goodness and the greatness God and receive everything it is that He's doing because he's saying, son, daughter, I'm not just for you.

I'm for all people and it is my wish that all people would serve me. That's why there's coming a day where every knee shall bow and it'll be amazing who you end up next to and you turn the very person you didn't like because every knee, it starts to bow and you start to realize you're both bowing and the very one that you set your life up to take down is also worshiping him to why. He said, because I'm for you, but I'm also for them because the only enemy you have is Satan. Everyone else is an opportunity of salvation. Worship team, please come up. You have spent too much time arguing with the enemy trying to convince him that you are not who he says you are.

The Holy Spirit is saying, get up off your belly and get up on your feet. Get up off your belly and get up on your feet. The Bible says that we have the authority to trample snakes and scorpions. We have the authority to trample snakes and scorpions hear me, but you're on your belly because you have been trying to convince them that you are not who they say you are. So you have reduced yourself to their level as if you had to handle something because you were unaware if God was going to handle it. And he's saying, son, daughter, I'm already going to handle it. Get up off your belly and get back on your feet. You were not made to talk to snakes and scorpions. You were created to trample snakes and scorpions. Get up off your belly and get up on your feet. But however, it's a little bit more layered than that. Let's go a little bit deeper here. The reason why you're on your belly is because you're talking to snakes because you are related to them. You're related to the scorpion and you are thinking that that's your family and you need to figure out a way to make it together. But please understand the same way that God loves you. He loves them. He'll deal with them, but he doesn't need you involved.

Get up off your belly, sir, and get up on your feet.

How does a snake give venom through the mouth every time you have a conversation with that family member that venom, it gets on the inside of you and it sets you back and it causes you not to want to keep going forward. Eat that relationship that you're not supposed to be pursuing, but you keep pursuing it. That show, that podcast, whatever it is, every time you allow it to speak to you, it's putting venom into your spirit. And the reason why you do not feel better, although you think you will feel better is because you're not getting truth getting venom. Some of you need to stop the conversations that you think you need to have. Start talking with Jesus says, I'll handle it for you. Then there are others of you. You're dealing with the venom of the scorpion. The snake gives his venom through his mouth. The scorpion gives his venom through his back. So you have the venom of abandonment.

You keep opening up that text message where they left you on red. Man, if I could just get them to know who I really am, and if they just knew the facts, anyone here ever thought like that? If they just knew the real story, they've already made up their mind about you. They're already convinced that regardless of the truth, there is something about you that they do not like and do not want. So what the Holy Spirit is saying, I need you to move on because what you think that you're doing is actually actually hurting. It's not helping. Every time you open up that DM and you see it on red every time you grab that sweatshirt that they left in your house, but you haven't heard from them in a long time and you're holding onto it every time you put on that song, every time you read that note, every time you look at that book, every time, every time you go to that restaurant, it's the venom of abandonment and it's getting you and it's keeping you intoxicated with fear. Fear that you're going to be alone, fear that he's not going to provide. And he says, son, daughter, hear this, and this is going to be a tough pill to swallow. Your family is not the one you were born into. Your family is the one you're born again into. Jesus himself said, who is my mother and my brothers? But those that do the will of the Father,

God says, you're supposed to overcome fear, but you can't because you keep reducing yourself to their level and you think you have to help because you're tired of them lying about you. Who here has ever dealt with a negative narrative about them? Somebody told a story about you. Come on, lift up your hand. Yeah, there you go. Supplement. Somebody lied about you. They presented you wrong. You just think, man, if I just get to 'em, if I just talk to him, if I just get to him, if I just talk to him, if I just prove to him, if I just post this picture, if I put up this quote from Gandhi, they're going to think I'm not. If I put this worship song on my story, maybe it's going to convince them. Maybe if they see me, maybe if they see I got a haircut, if they see me in the gym, they see I lose the weight and you're, you're doing progress, but it's all for all the wrong reasons. You know how you overcome a narrative with the testimony?

Yes. We overcome by the blood of the lamb and the word of our testimony. We overcome by the blood of the lamb and the word of our testimony. So Holy Spirit, I receive you blood, I receive you. Therefore I'm going to follow you. And now your testimony becomes the proof. And now they can say whatever they wanted to say about you. The issue is they talked about you like you were a bad seed, and yet there's fruit in your life. See, you could call a seed bad, but the moment I start seeing apples and I start seeing peaches, I think to myself, you called it wrong. You didn't know what it was. This is why you got to wait on the Lord, because those that wait on their Lord, their strength becomes renewed. Now, the reason we don't like waiting is because we say, God, if you handle it now, then it'll be done. Kill them now. Take them out now. Shut them up now. But he says, the reason that I want you to wait is because you want me to deal with them,

But I want you to wait because I'm trying to deal with you. You want me to take them out, but you're giving them too much authority so the longer you wait on me, the stronger you become. Why? Because that's what happens when you wait. When you wait on the Lord, you get a little bit stronger. You get a little bit wiser, and you think to yourself, that's the person that had me scared. That's the person that had me stuck. That's the person that had me in the house. That's a like a lion. That's no authority. They had no authority. They just talked like they do. They just walk like they do. No, no, no. I'm getting a little bit stronger because God is working on the inside of me. You got to learn how to wait. Being stuck and waiting are not the same.

Both will leave you in one place, but one is it causing a decrease while the other is causing an increase. If you're stuck, you die a little bit more every day. You become a little bit more full of fear every day, but when you wait woo, you get a little bit stronger, you get a little bit wiser. You realize the authority that heaven has given you. Look at this verse in revelation, the very verse that I just quoted says, so that great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old called the devil and Satan who deceives the whole world. He was cast to the earth and his angels were cast out with him. Now simultaneously, look what's happening. I love that It's S look what's happening simultaneously. It says, then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, now salvation and strength and the kingdom of our God and the power of his Christ have come for the accuser of the brethren who has accused them before are God day and night has been cast down and they overcame him by the blood of the lamb and by the word of their testimony, they did not love their lives to the death Simultaneously, while the enemy is being casted out, this man of God is receiving a revelation.

Okay? The enemy can make decisions about you, but the decisions of the enemy are none of your business. This is why your location matters. We don't even know if Lazarus was aware of what the lead priest was saying about him, but in fairness, why would he be concerned with the lead priest if he's in the heaven, the presence of the high priest? If he has Jesus, why would he leave his presence to go outside and argue with the lead priest? I don't need to talk to the lead priest. I'm with Jesus. In other words, I'm staying in the presence of God and when I stay in the presence of God and I allow my hair down in, when I start to worship God and I got some oil in my hand and I start to pour it on God, I start to get, get the attention of the right thing.

I'm not distracted. My attention is fixated on the Lord, my God. I am fixated on the right thing. And the reason why so many of you are suffering is because you keep believing the house. You keep believing the presence of God going outside, like you got to deal with a lead priest and he saints you come back inside the house. There is safety. In my presence, there is safety with me, there is safety with me, your God. See, as somebody that went through a storm these last two years, you know what decision I made? I ain't going outside no more. Yeah, I'm staying inside. You ain't going to catch me outside. How about that? I am staying in the presence of God. I got my mind made up. Yes, sir. Now, I did not contradict myself because I told you to go outside. Do you know you could go outside while remaining inside? Yes. You have to realize, I'm glad you're in church, but just because you can't get to an altar doesn't mean you can't get to an altar.

Stop making it about a building and make it about a disposition because I got my mind made up that I am fixated and stuck on God and I am saying my life is committed to you. My heart is committed to you. I am staying and I am following you. I will never leave you. I'm staying with you because there's safety where you are, which means I could be filled with the Holy Spirit and still get your nails done. You could be filled with the Holy Spirit and still go out to eat with your friends. You could be filled with the Holy Spirit and still go to the mall, but then the Holy Spirit's going to quicken you and he's going to teach you what to say and what not to say. And when you get tempted, he'll speak to you to hit him with the

Turn your ear away from hell. Start paying attention to heaven because you know a whole lot what Hell is saying. But why don't you realize what I'm saying? Hell has the only authority that you give it, right? And the reason why your life is hell is because you've listened to hell. He says, I want you to recline your ear towards me. Get back in my presence. Get some oil in your hand. Let your hair down. Find yourself in my presence and just begin to worship me. And as you worship me, I'm going to speak life over you. I'm going to say to you, Isaiah 41 10, fear not fry. Am with you. Be not dismayed. Fry, I am your God. I will strengthen you. Yes, I will help you. I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. I'm going to talk to you and tell you, Luke 10 19.

Behold I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions and overall the power of the enemy. And nothing shall by any means hurt you. They'll try, but they won't succeed because second Timothy one, verse seven, for God has not given us a spirit of fear, which means if I have a spirit of fear, it's not coming from God. It's coming from somewhere else. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and a sound mind. Not a confused mind, not a toxic mind, but a sound mind. Romans 8 31, what then shall we say to these things if God is for us, who could be against us? Second Corinthians 12, nine, and he said to me, my grace is sufficient for you. My grace is sufficient for you. He ain't going to fail you. He's not going to leave you.

He said, I've given you enough grace to make it through. My grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Therefore, most gladly, I will rather boast in my infirmities that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For when I am weak, then I am strong. Philippians TH four 13, I could do all things through Christ who strengthens me. I could do all things. I could do all things. I could walk away from the relationship. I could do all things. I could not turn on the television. I could do all things. I don't need social media to live. I could do all things. I don't need that bottle to go to sleep. I could do all things. I don't need to smoke a little bit so that I feel a little bit calmer. I could do all things. I could do all things.

I don't have to leave my family. I could do all things. The business will flourish. I could do all things. I need somebody in the room with a little bit of history that tells me what God did for me before he could do for me again. He's the God that could do all things. If I got two witnesses, three witnesses, I dare you to stand right now in the face of fear. Lift up your hands, open up your mouths and tell that inner lie. Get the behind me. You have no authority over me. I belong to the king of kings and the Lord of Lords. If that's you, lift up your hands, open up your mouth, and let's praise because when we praise, we get a little bit stronger. 1, 2, 3, go. He, he's saying, you've been wanting to hear me. He says, I've been waiting to hear you. I've been waiting to hear you say, I'm going to trust you. Even when it doesn't make sense. It's amazing how well a Bible story reads and preach, but how difficult it is to live. God, we know how to make a meme out of someone in the lion then. But when you got to live in it, sheesh.

Says, I've been waiting for this right here. I just because Can I tell you respectfully, until we're on the other side of heaven, every season has an element of waiting to it. Yes. You never graduate from waiting because the moment you graduate from waiting, that means you could do it for yourself and you become self aligned. You will always need Jesus to be your source. I always need to gather faith from him. I always need to gather hope from him. I always need to gather wisdom from him, which means I can never graduate from him. So this season of waiting is literally a life of waiting. But as long as you wait in the presence, as long as you wait in the house, as long as you wait with a little bit of oil in your hands, as long as you wait and you let your hair down completely.

As long as you wait and you worship and you praise and you don't allow your waiting to hindering your praising, then he's saying you're doing it right, because I expect you to wait, but I expect you to praise while you rate every hand lifted up right now. Holy Spirit, we come before you. We say fear. Get the behind us. Father God, we repent from allowing any voice to bully us, allowing any emotion or fear to tell us that you wouldn't do it. God, we say we are for you and you are for us. We say, you are our God. Nobody can compete with you. Would you fill us? Would you lead us? Would you guide us? Would you continue to speak to us? We're staying at your feet. We're not leaving your presence. We are committed to chasing after you. We're not going to allow anything to compete with your voice and contest with your time.

There's going to be nothing that competes with your voice or contest with your time. We got our mind made of. We belong to you and you, us. Therefore, we are your children and you are our God. And if God before us, it does not matter who's against us. We will see victory. We will see fulfillment. We will see promises. It doesn't mean we won't walk through a valley, but it means we're not going to die in one. It means there's a mountain top in front of me. Better days are in front of me. Hope is in front of me. Rest is in front of me. Joy is in front of me. Dancing is happening right now. Peace is happening right now. Laughter is happening right now. I can look to the future like Proverbs 31 says, and I can laugh at the days to come because you are with me. Me. See if you agree with that. Every hand lifted up, open up your mouths. Take the next two minutes and release a shout of praise. Let's go.