"Afraid of the Dark" - Sarah Jakes Roberts

[Music] [Music] what he told me to tell you I'm in Ephesians 4 verse 17 my text begins it says this I say therefore and testify in the Lord that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk in the futility of their mind having their understanding darkened being alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them because of the blindness of their heart who being past feeling have given themselves over to lewdness to work all uncleanness with greediness but you have not so learned Christ this is in you because if indeed you have heard him and have been taught by him as the truth is in Jesus that you put off concerning your former conducts the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lust and be renewed in the spirit of your mind and that you put on the new man which was created according to God and true righteousness and holiness God we brought into your presence the old man and the new man and what we desire above anything is to lay this old man at the altar so that we can fully embrace this new man that was created according to your image and so God I would like to add to the anointing and the authority that is already permeating this atmosphere and I want to send hell notice that you have had your last battle with this old person I used to be because I'm putting on the new I wanna prophesy in this so darkness leaves i want to prophesy in this room until the old man is cast down and the new man is resurrected father God wherever there is an open heart let there be a new man being emerged because that's the kind of thing that you do when you step in the room have your way great God that you are no fear no anxiety just your power your glory your anointing be strong in Jesus name Amen I mean you guys can get seated I was preparing for this message late last night and as I was preparing for the message I had to go downstairs and get some water and I forgot when I went downstairs to get some water that I had turned all of the lights off in the house and I'm not afraid of the dark but I don't fool with it like that I don't know about you but sometimes when I find myself in dark rooms I do a little fast walk to the light switch I'm not scared I just need to see what's happening in my atmosphere and environment and what I realize is that similar to how I am naturally that there is something inside of me that is afraid of the dark that is my subject for tonight afraid of the dark and it is much easier to turn on a light and fix the darkness in a room than it is to fix the darkness that exists inside of us because the darkness that exists inside of us it doesn't just happen overnight I don't know if you're like me and you've ever found yourself in a dark space I'm just I'm just in a dark space it doesn't just happen that we get in a dark space there are these turn of events there are these things that occur that change our mind and change our disposition and before we know it just as subtly as the Sun set in the Moon takes its place we find ourselves in dark places and the difficult thing about being in a dark place is that unless you make a decision and unless you make a choice you may stay in that dark place because a lot of times when we find ourselves in these dark places it is a result of maybe a choice that someone made affected us or a choice that we made that didn't turn out the way that we wanted to and the only way out of that is to make another choice and so when we talk about being afraid of the dark I want to dig into Paul's letter to the church at Ephesus because it reveals to us that these Gentiles who have now been converted to believers have escaped darkness because when we accepted Jesus as our Savior when we finally saw the light and said I don't want to do things my own way I don't want to continue to walk according to my own knowledge something shook in the earth you know why it shook in the earth because all of a sudden you became afraid of the dark I don't know about you but when God found me I was going down a path and I didn't know exactly where it was headed but all of a sudden I saw the light and when I saw the light I said I can't continue to go down that path anymore I don't like Who I am when I'm going down that path I don't like how I feel when I'm going down that path I got afraid of the dark that's what I'm praying is gonna happen in this room that someone's gonna make a decision that I've got to step out of this darkness I got to step out of this depression I'm not saying that it's going to happen automatically but the moment that you say my identity doesn't agree with my circumstance any longer you're going to start to recognize that it was never the sunsetting it was actually the Sun rising I wish I had some people in this room who understood the power of being afraid of the dark I'm afraid of the dark and when church when Paul's is writing this letter to the church he recognizes that these Gentiles have been saved from a darkness in my text when verse 17 begins in verse 18 it says that the other Gentiles are no longer going to walk like the Gentiles of the world they're not going to walk like the people of the culture you're not going to talk like the people of the culture having their understanding darken what does it mean to have your understanding darkened it means that all of a sudden things were making sense but it's not making sense anymore and I need to retrace my steps and figure out how I got here because when you are a true believer you just don't accept that anything has just happened to you God I know that if something is happening to me that your word has promised that all things are going to work together for my good so God of my understanding cannot be darkened if you are the light I wish I had some people in this room who were willing to take captivity over every area of their life where there feels like there is some darkness you feel like there's darkness in your career reduce them i rebuked that right now in the name of Jesus I knew I came to go to war with the devil I rebuke it right now in the name of Jesus Candace on everything that's gonna work everybody in this room Nebuta messed around the mr. squirrel man ain't no wage war doctor this case [Applause] [Music] [Applause] darkness is going to get up off for you tonight after the power of the Holy Ghost getting ready to break free in this place you've been wondering when you were gonna see the light I came here to show you that the light has arrived baby the Holy Spirit of God in this place [Music] [Applause] [Music] there is no darkness that is greater than the power of God there is no depression that is greater than the power of God there is nothing that can wage war against Jesus because he has won every battle so I don't care how many times I have to say it or what I have to go through to get it out hey I want you to know that I'm afraid of what's gonna happen if I don't release this word [Applause] [Music] I came to get you out the river there's a flow happening in the earth and the flow is trying to make you confuse and the flow is trying to make you suicidal and the flow is trying to make you forget who you are and the flow is trying to make you believe that you had a mistake and I came to get you out of the flow I came down here tonight to let somebody know that you cannot have who God has set aside that I didn't just hear from God that I learned from God and what I learned from God is though he slay me yet shall I trust him what I learned from God is that no weapon formed against me will prosper I'm not just somebody who believes in Jesus I'm chasing after him I wanna become more like him I wanna go to war with everything waging war against God I'm not here for I'm not here for no Oscar [Applause] [Music] that's why Paul says that he prays that they as of your understanding would be enlightened that you would see what this is for real the enemy is after your understanding because if I can get you to feel like you're in the dark then maybe you'll be still but I'm after your understanding too because I want you to know that you don't understand it by standing still that there are some things God can only show you when you move away from the circumstance when you say my identity is not attached to what I'm standing around my identity is attached to who God says I am and I just ask God to show somebody a mirror in this place cuz the new man you gotta put on the new man it's time for you to put on the new man it's time for you to stop playing and pretending like you have it all together it's time for you to stop going with the flow like everyone else is going with the flow I hear God saying that you will change the flow and everyone connected to it if you would just step into your new man there's a new connected to you and that new man that [Applause] new man was created according to God Jesus and when you step into that new man there is righteousness attached to it there's a definition I want to read and then I think we gonna shut this thing on down Paul says that you have to put on your new man which was a crate created according to God and true righteousness that word righteousness means the act of doing what God requires I want to do what God requires of me and doing what God requires of me doesn't mean that I always get to do it comfortably but I do what God requires because I want to be in partnership with him and what he's doing in the earth so when Paul is writing this letter to the Church of Ephesus he's writing it from a prison cell because righteousness does not save you from prisons it only guarantees that the prison cannot contain you because when they would not let Paul go to the Church of Ephesus and they thought that that would end up shutting him down and killing everything that he was after Paul broke got a pen and a piece of paper and he said if I can't go I'll get there by any means necessary what does that mean that means that when you put on this new man that nothing can stand in between what God has destined this new do I came here to tell somebody that's been feeling like they're in a prison and that they're not gonna make it to the next dimension that I hear God's saying that if you make up in your mind that I'm gonna do what you've called me to do by any means necessary that you will find a pen and a piece of paper let me tell you how serious this is I haven't been preaching 15 minutes and I'm about to lose my voice you know why because I came to set the captives free and I believe that if you would get this word down in your spirit that you would recognize that there are generations attached to your name [Music] so the old man has to die I can't trust the old version of me I can't trust what's around me I gotta put on a new man that new man does what is right according to God that new man knows how to act on what God says do and that new man will do it from a prison if they have to I came here to hold a funeral service for every part of you that has been holding you back to who you used to be and I hear God's saying that when you step into that new man that there is Authority and there is anointing attached to that new man the renewing of the spirit of your mind my mind needs a new spirit my mind gives up too easily my mind second guess is too easily my mind my mind needs a new spirit my mind wants what kills me my mind wants what hurts me my mind wants me to do what the culture says I should do the mind the mind wants me to chase after things that don't make my name great it doesn't even have anything to do with God I need a new spirit I need a new spirit in my mind I need a new spirit in my mind let this mind that was in Christ also be in me I need a mind because when I get a new mind then I start to look like what God had in mind and when I start to look like what God had in mind I can do what God has in mind for the earth and I just want you to know somebody that short life is not random you came here to shake the earth and you cannot shake that earth in the old version of who you are turn me up in the microphone you cannot shake the earth in that old version of who you are the only version of you that can shake the earth is the version of you that has to step in to the new land [Applause] [Music] [Applause] and I cannot think of any person more suited to teach us about this strength of the new man than Paul because Paul was a persecutor of Christians but he saw a light and when he saw a light he was afraid of the darkness that existed inside of him and he was so afraid of the darkness that existed down on the inside of him that he didn't even care if he had to do it from a prison as long as I don't go back to who I used to be that is the defining point and all of our lives when we make a decision within ourselves that I want to pursue this new man so much and with such intensity that I never go back to being who I used to be I don't want to be that old Cerie anymore that old Sarah was insecure that old Sarah was crazy that old Sarah was addicted to things I don't want to go back I wish I could have testimony service in this room so we could just find out for sure what we're burying in this room if you know without a shadow of a doubt that I thought I came to a church service but it turns out I came to a funeral because there are some old things that are down on the inside of me not taken when I walked out of this room I'm not going back out of here the same way I came in I'm not going back out here confused broken and disgusted I'm not going back out of here addiction did you know that God could touch down in this place and that he could break every stronghold that's been hanging over your life [Music] and so this moment is a glory encounter it is when we make a definitive choice to not allow the circumstances that put us in the dark to define us for the rest of our lives I'm walking in something new and pom knows is he's writing this letter to Ephesus that they're gonna go back into a culture that is used to the old version of who they are and yet he tells them that if you would put on this new man that you will be so strengthened by who you become that you will never fall prey to who they are ever again and I just believed and pastor now we're talking about this that there is no better time to become serious about who you are and to make choices about who you are and who you are not then right now in this moment we got to make a decision about who we are not the most powerful thing that ever happened to me is when I decided that I wasn't the person who was in the situation I got to say that I looked at my situation and I looked at how that situation was changing me and I disagreed with who I saw looking back at me in the mirror and I don't ever want to be her again and I'm not afraid of becoming her because I stepped fully in the sea I hear guys saying that you don't have to be afraid of going back to who you were if you would step fully into who I've called you to be and the first step in stepping truly into who God called you to be is recognizing who you are not I'm not an addict I don't agree with that I'm not an alcoholic I don't agree with that I'm not just gonna be depressed I don't agree with that I'm going to counseling I'm going to get some therapy I don't agree with that I don't agree with what life is trying to tell me who I am and I'm afraid of this darkness because if I don't shine a light in the area that is dark then that darkness will continue to grow and grow and grow until depression turns into suicidal thoughts and I'm sitting there wondering how many pills it would take so in this atmosphere I believe that God wants to shine a light in the areas where we have been experiencing darkness and I believe that it is not just so that we can have a temporary moment but so that we can step into the newness and the new identity that God has for us the new man that was made according to God if the new man is made according to God then the question is what is the old man made according to but what is that old man made according to was it the abandonment issues was it the mistakes how did I become Who I am what have I been made according to and if I cannot answer that question then I have to be willing to surrender everything that I have until I can say without a shadow of a doubt that Who I am now has been made according to God I became somebody in him but most importantly I became somebody for him I became somebody in him so that I could become somebody for him and sometimes we want to be somebody for him before we become somebody in him and I hear God's saying in the most loving way that you had the right intentions but you missed a step it starts from the inside and then it overflows into everything that you touch and so I want to invite those of you those of you who know you've been caught in the flow and that flow was taking you to dark places that flow was taking you into places where you see your light flickering and you're ready to draw a line in the sand you can't take me no lower than this you can't take me no further than this somebody's gonna come down to this alternate it's gonna be the moment that they decide I'm gonna get serious about therapy somebody's gonna come down to this altar and they're gonna be serious about saying it's my I don't just like to drink I have a drinking problem somebody's gonna come down to this halter and it's gonna draw a line in the sand that line is saying I want that new man [Music] more than I want the comfort that comes with being that old version of Who I am I need Jesus I need Jesus Jesus is the bridge from the old man to the new man Paul says in my text he says that you have heard of Christ it's one thing to hear him it's another thing to be taught by him I want to be taught by Christ God's show me how Jesus navigated this earth show me how Jesus dealt with people turning their backs on him Jesus show me how he had enough discipline to get on the cross even though he knew it would hurt Jesus I I need to know you in a new way and when they made this decision it served notice on everything that could ever threaten them that I'm not afraid of the prisons and I'm not afraid of the darkness what I am afraid of more than anything is not being connected to him I got to be able to hear from God I got to be able to work for God and I don't know who you are but she used to be on fire I feel this prophetically for somebody I don't know who you are but you used to really live this righteous life and I would only do what God told me to do if this isn't for you it's okay just pray but I believe that you're supposed to be at this altar that you suffered some prison moments got those prison moments were a reflection of who you were not realizing that God wanted to know if you would still do what he told you to do if you had to do it from a prison would you do what I told you to do if you had to carpool if you lost the car if you lost the house if you didn't get the job if your name was never in lights would you still serve me from a prison if for just a moment it wasn't about you and all it could be was about what I needed because that's what happened to Paul God has stripped Paul down to a prison a paper and a pen this isn't about his next meal this isn't about who's gonna ride with him this isn't about when his name is going to be made great this is about him it's exclusively doing what God has told him to do and I told God that I would come here and that I would say what he told me to say not because I feel confident not because I'm a theologian and because I have it all together but because a few several years ago I drew a line in the sand and when I drew that line in the sand I said I'm never going back to being that girl who I didn't even like who I didn't even know who I didn't even understand and stepping into righteousness it takes work it takes practice it requires that you lay hold of every thought but most importantly it means that you act on what God says if you know that there's been some things that God told you to do that you've been reluctant to do because you weren't sure how it would change your world just wave at me I want to know we're in the right room god I hear God's saying that your righteousness that your victory that your power that your authority that your anointing is on the other side of you making that decision I hear God saying that you cannot afford to be stagnant any longer that you cannot afford to pretend like you don't know any longer that it is time for you to draw a line in the sense I might is gonna send the text message when we leave this place it's not you it's me I drew a line in the sand I can't do it anymore somebody's gonna make a decision when they leave this place because God's been waiting on me to step into their new man [Music] hallelujah [Applause] let me tell you something both of us lost our voice tonight and I think it's I think it's truthfully a couple things one I was doing the math and it is starting tomorrow 10 days to Pentecost Sunday and I believe we're supposed to go on a 10-day fast I really do what God is doing with his church he is doing in his church I promise you [Music] it is not about what God is doing for you right now I want you to just suspend that just to spend that he's got you trust me he's got you eyes haven't seen ears haven't heard nor has it entered into the heart of man the things that he's prepared he's gonna do trust me exceedingly abundantly far above what you can ask for or imagine so I want you to get out of what God is going to do for me you got to get out of that spirit right now what God is doing in the church in this our family is what he is doing in you that's why past this area is talking about the new man if anyone is in Christ he is a they are a new creation new old things have passed away behold all things become new there is a completely new next level of glory path way for each of you and a lot of things that God has promised you will be manifest on the new path he spoke it to you there but it will be manifest up there see what God didn't tell you was how because sometimes he will whet our appetite he knows us he can't give it to us all at once so he tell us the what but he will not tell us the how because we will look at the house and say no it's what he's doing in you and I'll be honest with you I didn't even I found out today that Pentecost Sunday and I know you know I know my church and I know that that we're gonna have to do some teaching on Pentecost because some of you like and that's okay I love that I love that because I'd rather actually have a person that does that about Pentecost the one who thinks that they know everything that there is to know about Pentecost and so they're so full that they ultimately leave empty because there's no room for revelation so if you don't know what Pentecost is a fully understanding I actually salute you I'm happy for you because you're getting ready to go on a ride on the thrill of your life you're gonna discover life like you've never seen it before the power of Pentecost is your portion is your portion everything's gonna change just like that everything is gonna change it's gonna shift just like that Giants that were this tall are gonna be under you're not even gonna be able Rick you won't even be able to feel them under your feet just like that issues that have had you for years just like that heartbreak that has been on you for weeks and months and years just like that watch this soul ties that you have not been able to break off of your life you know it ain't no good but you cannot get that person out of your spirit it's gonna break just like that just like that it's coming but I want you to prepare yourself for it the word says here's what God says he says open your mouth wide and I will feel it what that means is to the degree that you can receive God he'll feel you see I'll be honest with you some of you right now the feeling feeling fi ll ing that God wants to do you don't have capacity for the power that you need for your calling for your life for your future requires that you fast because when you fast you clear you clear the way for the expanse of God [Applause] some of you receive something tonight but I believe that it's just a portion of what's gonna come on you after this 10-day fast so here are the instructions a whole lot of questions what we what we share with you tonight is like eight weeks of teaching seriously to give it its its its due but let me just give you quickly just the ABCs of this fasting thing that I'm talking about first of all the a is why do I fast is it just some religious ritual I just deny myself and just look weird and walk around here Tom but I'm fasting and that's not what it's about fasting simply put is crucifying your carnal man so that your spiritual man can emerge [Music] it is putting to death your flesh I like cookies and chocolate ale I like cake I like hamburgers I want you to think about what your flesh likes social media definitely definitely delete it off of your phone tonight and I'll touch more on that Sunday delete it off of you I mean delete it off of your phone don't say I'm not gonna use it no no because because what you don't realize is you're actually wire to use you're addicted to it you like pass that's extreme no it's not that's why when you see the little Instagram thing light up dopamine kicks in it activates your brain's reward center you get high off likes and depressed when there are no likes no family for real this is scientifically proven so I'm nice no I want you to delete it off of your phone tonight so that's gone I'm telling you that cuz that you know their medical things were eaten so I you know I have to be real liberal with with you know with with that but social medias got to go if you're gonna go on this 10-day fast with us it has got to go and you are gonna be amazed at the clarity that immediately begins to come to you simply by deleting it now for those of you who will take it a step further and I think that you should it can be meat I don't know it's it's up to you and what you know will be a sacrifice if you do not eat breakfast normally then giving up breakfast is not your fast don't even try if it's one male one mil of that it's gotta be something it's between you and the Lord I don't think that you ought to go cold turkey cuz I have to raise you from the dead we've got the anointing to do that but that's for emergencies not stupidity [Applause] meet maybe me if you love you a steak and a hamburger no meat no sweet straight fish I know we got vegetarians already in house that's why that doesn't apply to you make it a sacrifice and replace that replace it with study with meditation get your journal back out you know that journal we use and we got a zillion notes in it we got enough notes in our journal to preach 72 sermons and we haven't looked at it in 72 months it's your journal back out it's a cleansing we're going to create capacity for God so that when he fills you he has more of you to feel because you're gonna need that for your future family I I [Music] believe more than anything before you stuff I promise you that we'll just do stuff for you don't seek God for what he can do for you you miss God when that happens it is nothing for him to bless you it is nothing for him to give you a place there's nothing for him to do anything that you need naturally that's nothing for him and sometimes he leverages not doing that so that he can do things in you hear me loud and clear there are some things that you wanted that God did not allow because it would have kept you from this moment it would have kept you from the type of hunger that comes with questioning asking God questions the type of hunger that is the byproduct of examining examining life see when life seems to work the way that you want it to work you don't examine it you have no reason to examine it you have no reason to press into it when when life starts throwing you some curveballs all of a sudden you've got questions God will cause you to have a question for an answer that he wants to bring you he has answers but you're not asking the questions so he has to allow circumstance to make you start asking questions so that he can get the information to you that he wants we're gonna go into 10-day fast come with me on your level whatever it is it starts tomorrow so you got tonight to have your hamburger if that's what you want to do but social media is gone that's gone so eat up heartedly tonight go down to Roscoe's if you want to never do your thing you know how it is what if I'm a fast tomorrow hear me family is gonna make such a difference and you're gonna be way ahead of the sunday crowd I know some of you to suddenly crowd but not all of you but you're gonna be way ahead of the sunday crowd because I'm gonna give some some other stuff but let's do this man we're gonna be happier we're gonna be healthier I thank God for my wife was that not a word from God [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] listen full transparency and you can sense it and you can fill it in the room that we're on the brink of something we're being stretched and you know who's next because we love you and I swear to you as sure as my name is torie Thomas Roberts and her name is Sarah Dion Jakes Roberts yacht to know about the Dion hallelujah as sure as we are who we are we love you and we would never we would never keep from you what we know you're gonna need here's the thing this is this is the realest thing maybe I've ever said to you you're next you are us you're next but you gotta be ready and we can't quit until you're ready it's not about us not y'all which our whole thing is to get you everything that God will entrust us to have to you and pray for you and cover you we want I'll be honest with you we're trying to work ourselves out of a job no seriously we're not going away that's not what I'm talking about but I'm saying that if we don't if we just sit around and preach to you and get you excited off of our revelation we failed you we failed you and we will not have that on our hands we want to continue to grow because because we can't give you beyond who we are but man when I tell you you're next I swear to you every time I look at you I see next and it may not look like this it doesn't have to look like this in fact with technology and everything we don't even know how long we will even be able to do this now I'm just saying some countries this can't even happen I don't know what it's gonna look like for you I have friends that are more effective in their profession than they would ever be in a pulpit right now I mean major major people in major places that have way more influence than us and they don't have any titles I'm not talking about a title when I say you're us I'm not talking about this necessary now some of you probably will in fact some of you will I'm talking about Kingdom people I'm talking about in your own way in your unique style in your unique grace changing the world so when I say full disclosure I'm saying we're being stretched right now the Holy Spirit is stretching us and that is so good for you so join us on this 10-day fast [Music] you

Channel: The Potter's House at OneLA x Denver

Views: 502,275

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Keywords: LA Churches, TPH, The Potters House, TPH LA, The Potters House LA, One LA, Toure Roberts, Sarah Jakes Roberts

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Length: 46min 17sec (2777 seconds)

Published: Fri May 31 2019