Running From Your Life | Pastor John Gray

[Music] [Applause] now yah was one shouting for 40 minutes so you're about to get this word [Music] but he has done more than I've ever expected [Music] it's funny because I'm well I'm standing in something I've been running from I'm standing and something I've been running from I should be very thin with an 8 pack I should be able to go to the beach in full confidence as much as I've run in my life maybe you've never run from anything but I have I've run because I was afraid I ran because I felt inadequate I ran because I didn't think I had what it took I ran because I knew who I was I ran because I knew who I wasn't then I ran because I didn't know who I was and actually we're going to go to first Kings 19 first Kings 19 starting at the 8th verse a man named Elisha just come out of a tremendous victory killed the false prophets of bale and he got a letter from this woman a halfs wife anybody know her name Jezebel that Jezebel spirit is a tricky spirit boy that Jezebel spirit will will make a man be less than what he's called to be a Jezebel spirit is a manipulating daemon that permeates places of power Jezebel sent a letter to Elijah and said let the gods do more to me by this time tomorrow if you're not like one of the ones you killed and he lied you took off running when we catch up here he arose and ate and drank and he went in the strength of that food 40 days and 40 nights as far as Arab the mountain of God there he went into a cave and spent the night in that place I don't know about you but sometimes I don't want to just get away I know we just got finished shouting but every now and then when the shout is over and I've got to face reality sometimes I just want to go and hide just be by myself and he spent the night in that place and behold the word of the Lord came to him and it great that God can find you in a cave the thing about a cave is that I don't even have to be in the exact place I'm supposed to be because if I'm in a cave God can just speak to the wall and the echo will find me I'm already preaching better than your shouting sometimes you haven't even responded to the word you just responded to the echo echo and the word of the Lord came to Elijah and God said to him what are you doing here Elijah he said I've been very zealous for the Lord God of hosts for the children of Israel have forsaken your covenant nobody serves you they've torn down your altars they killed your prophets with the sword I alone him left and they seek to take my life then he said to him go out stand on the mountain before Lord and behold the Lord passed by and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord but the Lord was not in the wind wait it said the Lord passed by and there was a wind and it tore into the mountains but he wasn't in the wind and after the wind and earthquake but the Lord was not in the earthquake and after the earthquake a fire but the Lord was not in the fire and after the fire somebody say after the fire a still small voice before I get started the Holy Ghost have shifted this message elijah was running for his life because Jezebel said I'm gonna kill you he was running for his life but he had a responsibility to the nation and when he left the place of his authority he wasn't running for his life he was actually the title of this message which is running from your life running from your life Elijah prophets prophet who shows up in the Bible and he declares that they have there'll be no rain on this land accepted my word a man with some authority God stop whether because of him he was a real prophet not one of them TV prophets selling fake water [Music] manipulating people for money trying to sell blessings the devil is alive you and your money perish with you you can't buy a miracle God is not for sale people talk about Jesus tearing up the the tables and the temple the money changers the Bible says they were selling doves that doesn't seem like a big deal but the Dove is symbolic of the Holy Spirit Jesus went into the temple and tore up them tables letting folk know you can't buy the Holy Ghost it's quiet in that balcony maybe y'all didn't hear what I said but there are too many people who think you can buy the gift of God you can't buy the grace of God or the gift of God or the calling of God your checkbook isn't big enough your last names not good enough your degrees aren't strong enough you better have a humble heart in a prayer life tired of people that you came by God you came by favor a few weeks ago the man who was co-founder of Microsoft and owner of the Portland Trailblazers and the Seattle Seahawks passed away billions of dollars and not one of them dollars could save his life because up to a point medicine can only do so much things can only do so much people can only do so much stop putting your trust in people and things and put your trust running from your life Elijah was a prophet he just had one of the greatest victories in the Bible how many prophets did he kill Albert 400 was a four hundred four hundred false prophets this is this is no joke and it didn't they didn't they have like an altar like they were like they were like okay you yo God y'all do your thing my God we're gonna do our thing we go see whose God is God the God who answers by fire whoopty woo that's God whoever shows up but I paying we're gonna do it like that understand what I'm saying cuz I represent the Geo DJ most hotter I am that I am whatever y'all doing do your thing he likes a guy so bold he became a comedian while they were why they weren't cutting themselves he was like maybe yo god asleep he's taking a nap y'all should maybe shout a little louder maybe he on a vacation maybe he over there swimming with the fishes he was taunting them you ever had a boldness like you just know God is with you let the devil do whatever he want then he let you finish now watch this not only did he get the sacrifice he poured water on it now if you're trying to get fire started why would you pour water on it unless you confident that your God and his fire is bigger than the water I don't know who this is for but God's not just coming for your sacrifice he's gonna drink that water - the water is the thing that you put on top of it to make it look even more impossible then he called him the name of the Lord God showed up he didn't just take the sacrifice he took the fire the water the dirt the dust he took it all and then he lied he was like jello killed all 400 of them mighty victory the next thing you know he gets a letter a day later this is almost kill you and what does he do what does he do runs how do you go from the greatest victory of your life [Applause] - running from your life and running for your life how did that happen so fast unless Jezebel spoke to the thing inside of you that had never been addressed you can have great victory and great insecurity I need my I need my elders to intercede and push me through here I mean Joe praying for me pastor Robert I feel something in the in the atmosphere pushing against this word I've been feeling it all morning because there's something that's supposed to break and I'm not letting it go I'm not gonna let it go i'ma preach it till it breaks you can have great victory and great insecurity many of us are facing battles and things and people have already written us off said there's no hope there's no way there's no ability for you to win what's in front of you maybe not in my own power but I'm not going up in my own power I'm going in the power of the God that I serve do you understand there are people on your job counting on you to fail there are people who know that you don't have what it takes but when you step back into there on Tuesday after Veterans Day when you walk back in there you're walking in there different than when you left on Friday then when you left on Thursday you're gonna walk in in a different confidence a different strength when you walk back on to that place walk back on to that property walk back on to that field you are not running from that thing you're running towards that thing I need an eight-second praise break in here [Applause] just somebody running from your life it's so strange that Elijah had the greatest victory and she spoke to his greatest insecurity I've been running my whole life that's what I said I should be thin but it's funny the reason why I got some of this weight is because I've been running from the things I need to face since I haven't faced it I comfort myself with food because the devil comes at night [Applause] and so instead of fighting all the time sometimes I just eat to comfort myself and it looks simple enough it's just it's justice just a snack it's just a sandwich not really changing I'm not I mean no it's cool the devil knows he can't get me from the outside he can only get me from the inside and it's funny because if you look at my legs I look in shape [Laughter] [Applause] but what I eat goes to my stomach until my back watch this around my vital organs because the enemy if he can't kill you fast he'll kill you slow and sometimes killing you slower is better because more people think you're healthy when you're not and then when you saw they're shocked oh god y'all got to help me here so it looks like I'm fighting but y'all don't know that I'm fighting but then sometimes I'm running and then sometimes I'm running then other times I'm fighting and y'all don't see me fighting y'all just yell so y'all don't see me running y'all see me fighting cuz y'all see me right now but y'all don't know that the other 160 plus hours in the week the enemy is constantly telling me you can't do it nobody wants to hear it you're gonna fail you were never cut out for this nobody in your family has ever done this your daddy wasn't nothin your uncle's weren't nothin you came from brokenness you're gonna perpetuate brokenness and every day that I wake up I'm fighting against the voice of the devil that says I couldn't do it so sometimes I'm not shouting for you to be impressed in fact I'm never shouting for you to be impressed I'm shouting for my life so anybody that's ever worship for their sanity give him a praise if you just need to God to keep your mind [Applause] Elijah was a prophet pastor Mariah but he was also a man and when you come out of the anointing you just are what you are people get shocked when people show them their humanity that's why I lead from my humanity don't put me on a pedestal my last name ain't Christ we all need Jesus including me sometimes I have enough strength to fight I got about a 30 45 minute fight in me to preach it to y'all but it's strange because some people would be like why would he like to go from this great victory to this great insecurity don't judge him you have areas where you have one moment at allö the next you know many times I've left this service to drive in my car feel like an utter and complete failure they don't want me to tell the truth Sarah they don't see that's the problem man we I don't want to go to a church where I can't tell the truth everything is not perfect life is not easy sometimes I struggle I don't know all the answers sometimes I cry I'm not the best husband I don't know how to raise my kids all the time but I'm trying [Applause] [Music] subtracting out of sight [Applause] Elijah was a man and he was a prophet but he was both sometimes he felt like neither I read and I understand it because I've had great victories and then ran the Bible says he ran 40 days and he ran to the mouth of the cave and he laid there all night and a voice came what are you doing here have you ever asked yourself I talked to the balcony y'all look like I'll gonna be real with a brother have you ever been in a position ever did something so crazy and woke up and looked at that person and say [Music] I'll come over here I'm just talking when you were single cuz it would never happened when you're married you ever got caught up how did I end up in this predicament how did I end up next to that person how did I end up with this addiction how did I end up with this struggle how am I still in this thing I thought I was over this thing I thought I was free from this thing I thought I had victory over this thing what [Applause] [Applause] what am I doing here God said what are you doing here you said God I've been serving you I'm just talking to the real ones that get weary sometimes the ones that are super full of faith and you've never questioned God and you have all the answers this is not for you this is for the people who it cost you something to believe the word talking to the ones your families still think you crazy because you believe in in two invisible things like angels and in the blood and in Jesus and they think you're insane for going to that church and all that preacher one is your money I wish you can look at my account you'd laugh out loud I don't know what a savings account looks like cuz I'm not in savings mode I'm in sewing mode [Applause] I wanted to be rich I go to Hollywood make a movie or I do comedy I preach this gospel because I'm compelled to preach the truth until I die I'm gonna preach Jesus Christ crucified what am I doing here Pastor Chris the Bible says be like I said I've been serving you these people hate you I've been serving you they just show up and watch me and leave the same I mean sorry I've been serving you they've killed the Prophet I've been serving you they come to church and look at they watch at 12:50 ready to go because they don't want to miss a football game I'm sorry they they I'm serving you I'm sweating through three shirts and a jacket and they can't wait to leave so they can get to their reservation when I leave here on the lay down till seven o'clock because my body is so tired from fighting for souls that don't even care if I live or die and that's the calling that's the calling [Applause] what are you doing here why am i in Greenville [Music] why y'all in here you've been trying to go to another city guys like new because there's purpose where you're planted God said go out to the mouth of the cave I'm gonna come talk to you the wind of the Holy Ghost was about to sweep through this church sweep through the hearts and the lives of the people who are watching right now the Bible says God passed by then the wind came turning to the rocks in the rocks fell in pieces but God was not in the wind here's what Steve he had already passed by the wind was what was left after he walked by you think God is the wind no that's that he already passed by then it said there was an earthquake but he wasn't in the earthquake then there was fire but he wasn't in the fire let me give you some good theology for for the bad preaching some of y'all about to hear the reason why we got so many earthquakes and the reason why California's on fire it's cuz God is judging the land of the wicked the Bible says he wasn't in the earthquake he wasn't in the fire stop putting that on God God ain't in there I gotta go faster Byron don't you put that on God so unbelieving brokenhearted people who lost everything thinks a God who hasn't even introduced himself to them wants to burn up they stuff that's a lie that happened because of natural things that's the earth groaning in birth pains according to Romans 8 but we are the church and we're supposed to be the water on the fire who can kind of praise to give him a pray [Applause] I want that I want that give me it back you supposed to keep it that's for you that's called the passing of a mantle he wasn't in the earthquake he wasn't in the fire you know what he was in still a voice of comfort of what I'm so sorry this happened to you the church has been earthquake and fire but that ain't what he's in he's in the still small voice you want to judge everybody you don't understand shut your mouth still small voice you don't know where people are how they got there or where they're going earthquake bow down on fire water on ye still small voice Elijah had been running for his life and then God shows up the Bible says God whispered again what are you doing here the Bible says he lied to put his cloak on his head because he realized he was in the presence of God he said oh that's God the earthquake wasn't God the fire wasn't God I need you to understand the attack of the enemy that masqueraded itself as a judgment from God that's a lie that was the devil trying to kill you but he couldn't kill you the earthquake couldn't kill you the rocks couldn't kill you the fire couldn't kill you the bad relationship couldn't kill you the addiction couldn't kill you the the spirit of suicide couldn't kill you the depression couldn't kill you the sexual abuse couldn't kill you so here comes the still small voice what are you doing here he said I've been serving you they trying to kill me so I had to run the first thing God says is go back I know some people in the balcony want to leave because they came from a church they not getting fed at they Church they come here to get fed they go there to pay because they scare today family and the manipulating preacher that's here you better not go to that church you better not go to get free from people if they don't want you to come in here it's cuz they know they need to be here too [Applause] he said John Yeti he said go back but Lord they trying to kill me go back you mean run away further no go back and when you go stop by any noise elijah prophet in your place you ain't leaving until your assignment is complete and you've had a legacy established I need you to catch this God is not letting you die early the devil can't have your life cancer can't have your life HIV can have your life full-blown AIDS can't have your life herpes can't have your future you will get married you will have kids stuff from your past will not stop God's future for you I declare right now rheumatoid arthritis come out of them hands and come out of him in the name of Jesus I declare liver cancer shrivel and die in the name of Jesus kidneys be restored by the power of the Holy Ghost this pile up from the tumors and over reason preeclampsia fibromyalgia shrivel right now treat and in the name of Jesus multiple sclerosis lesions on the brain disappear by the power of cop go back I mean somebody interceding for me huh I need somebody to pray me through this he said he said go back because God is looking for somebody who's not running for their lives or running from their lives but running to their life Elijah had an assignment that he could not run from elder no matter how far you run guys gonna put you right back where are you supposed to be you've been trying to get away from them family members and God keeps popping them up like whack-a-mole at Dave & Buster's [Applause] they not leaving because they're your assignment ain't no tickets gonna get spit out of the little thing you have an assignment on the people that are getting on your nerves the ones that hurt you the most do you know how much ground hell loses when you pray for your abuser Oh Lord you really gonna do this he said don't talk about it didn't pray for yours I won't say his last name but his first name is William I was four years old outside 806 East Mitchell Cincinnati middle of the day and he had one of his friends with him he exposed himself told me to do something something awful happened in the front yard while people were driving past nobody stopped I said nobody stopped what in the backyard it was the front yard I remember spitting urine out of my mouth and I said I'm gonna tell my mommy and he said if you tell you'll be the one who gets in trouble and I held on to it and I ran I ran from emotion I ran from identity I didn't know who I was I ran from confrontation I didn't know what to do or who I was or how to be I held it for years Munira that's my cousin I held it for years Sofia so Lord forgive William for what he did to me and I release him some [Music] [Music] I'll release it [Music] from the obligation what he did and if you've ever been through that abuse you know how hard it is to get free but I can't tell you to do it if I don't do it I've been running from this moment for 41 years I thought I had been free but I forgive him if God has forgiven me [Applause] [Music] I won't be held hostage to that moment for the rest of my life I'm not running anymore the next time I go back home I'm going to that lawn number thank God that what was supposed to kill me [Applause] [Music] only unlocked me [Music] [Applause] I've been running from that place because it scared me so bad [Music] and I ran from intimacy and I ran from true fellowship because I was afraid that what happened to me would somehow manifest but I'm free [Applause] [Music] go back and he said anoint Elisha prophet I need you to know that this is a relay race and in a relay I'm running full speed but at some point turn that way at some point the person who you're passing the baton to is running as fast as you in front of you if you're a good leader you won't hold on to the baton while y'all running you'll pass it and make sure that he's got everything he needs and you want to see him go because it didn't start with me and it won't end with me and I want the best chance at victory and legacy so I want him to go and I want him to win and I want you to win and you need to want other people to win stop running from legacy stop running from responsibility stop running from leadership stop running from Authority take the mantle be what God called you to be and go back to the thing you were afraid of because destiny is where you left freedom is where you left joy is where you left run [Music] [Applause] [Music] sing that real quick that part there is no [Music] Jesus our hearts are open No Oh [Music] [Music] [Applause] to me buddy feel the presence of the Lord I didn't know that wasn't in my notes I'm sorry but I believe somebody had to get free today because until you got free what God has till you can't get to you my prayer today is that anybody who has hurt you you release them from the obligation to repay you for what they did they don't have the ability to do it so release them let God heal you and then let God deal with them did you hear what I said I'm not lying I actually feel lighter [Applause] you know how much this thing almost ruin my marriage [Music] there is no [Music] [Music] No [Music] [Applause] [Music] confrontation precedes elevation you cannot conquer what you don't confront [Music] good to see you I wondered if you'd come back Elijah was wherever Elijah was because he knew that the mantle on Elijah was something he desired [Music] just so you know God is expanding relentless Church 70 y'all are excited God is expanding this church I hope y'all are ready for family in London [Applause] I hope you're ready for family in South Africa I hope you're ready for the relentless global conference and unfortunately the Bon Secours wellness arena is not big enough we don't have to find something else [Applause] you be surprised what God is about to do I need you to snap your fingers just like that and what he's doing in the church he's gonna do in your life do it again the chains just sell off your life just like that do it again curse is broken just like that freedom just like that deliverance just like that death the insulation just like that wait wait wait there was a woman that came between services she said pastor you prophesied this she showed me a letter it was from student loan eight thousand dollars of debt arranged she said I don't know how I don't know what I didn't pay it God did it I told y'all that God was gonna do that for some people now that I've seen the first one I'm saying it again there's another 50 people in here snap your finger just like that God is going to erase death and I want you to tell us when God doesn't promise broken in the name of Jesus listen God spoke to Elijah face-to-face said go back go back to the thing you ran from your assignment is back there I know you don't think you have what it takes I know you don't want to face it but the moment you face it you will have victory over it stop running from your life your life is your assignment the uncomfortable place and when you get there you will see that not only do you have the strength to stand in it you've got the power to declare victory over it there's some people that need to give their life to Jesus today and can't free from the bondage of sin some people need to rededicate their lives and this is not the time for you to leave and get in your car that's not the church that I'm building and some people you know God is calling you to be a member of relentless church we love each other here let me tell you something I don't care who you are I don't care what you're walking through how you choose to define yourself this is home and I'm not gonna let anybody tear down anybody else black white Mexican Scandinavian Canadian Native American doesn't matter where you come from you're welcome in here did you hear what I said don't be asking me who I voted for it's none of your business I don't ask who you voted for leave that out there we pick up the cross in here the blood of Jesus in here ain't nobody gonna say Amen you want to lose friends talk politics you want to gain friends talk the blood [Music] if I'm talking to you Salvation rededication or you want to be a member of relentless church get all your stuff get your winter coat ain't even cold this just pulled out a fur coat it's 53 outside you yo kids your baby daddy your wife your husband your baby mama your boo all y'all come down here right now you got 30 second I want you to jog don't run but I want you to jog I'm talking to you [Music] if you clap they will come [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music]

Channel: Relentless Church

Views: 153,150

Rating: 4.8817616 out of 5

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Id: _VS3OLTuw40

Length: 44min 0sec (2640 seconds)

Published: Thu Nov 15 2018