"The Most Important Thing" - Stephanie Ike

[Music] [Applause] [Music] let's just go into the word of god and before we do that can we just take a moment to honor our senior pastors pastor - ray and pastor Sarah Jaques Roberts Amen family we're gonna be reading from the book of Job if you have encountered God for a period of time now maybe that's the book that you avoid if you haven't and that's the book you look for you read when you're looking for employment funny story before we read the script everything you're standing we stand together okay but funny story I had a friend of mine when I met him he was Muslim at the time and then he eventually gave his life to Christ and they're so hilarious he shared with me one day and he was like you know what he wanted he was looking for he was praying to God to give him the right job and he took his Bible and he opened it and they fell into job and that day he got a call for employment he said oh I can't wait to read this story I said you might be surprised that it's not about employment but let us read we're gonna start from verse 1 ohm and all the planes - OH - we're back in my mind um we're gonna start from first 1 to 12 and it says there was a man in the land of us whose name was Joe and that man was blameless he was morally upright he was a man of integrity so he was blameless and upright and one who feared God and shunned evil and seven sons and three daughters were born to him also his possessions were seven thousand sheep three thousand camels five hundred yoke of oxen five hundred female donkeys basically he was wealthy and a very large household so that this man was the greatest of all the people of the East now that is very important to take note of he was the greatest of all the people of his region and his sons would go and feast in their houses each one on his appointed day and that is believed to be perhaps their birthdays and we'll send an invite and there are three sisters to eat and drink with them so it was when the days of feasting had run their course that job was sent and sanctify them and he would rise early in the morning and offer burnt offerings according to the number of them all for job said it might be that my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts thus job did regularly so when he says that they have cursed God is not that they use profanity but that perhaps in their hearts they turned their back from God that in their enjoyment and there are partying and you know just being lit and whatnot that they felt like you know what we don't need God and so in jokes panic on his fear that maybe in their heart day they turned away from God I want to offer a burnt burnt offering and a burnt offering symbolized that which would reconcile relationship with God in the olden days now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord and Satan also came among them and the Lord said to Satan from where do you come so Satan answered the Lord and said from going to and fro on the earth and from walking back and forth on it then the Lord said to Satan have you considered my servant job that there is none like him on the earth a blameless and upright man one who fears God and shuns evil so Satan answered the Lord and said does job fear God for nothing have you not made a hedge around him have you not protected him have you not protected his household and around all that he has on every side to signal of that word every side that Satan was aware that there was no way he could penetrate job's life oh this is so good to me you have blessed the work of his hands and his possessions have increased in the land but now stretch out your hand and such all that he has and he will surely curse you to your face he will surely turn his back on you and the Lord said to Satan behold all that he has is in your power only do not lay a hand on his person so Satan went out from the presence of the Lord family you may be seated Amen you see when we read about the story of Joe for anyone who's familiar with the story it always brings about this question of God why would you nominate him to be punished why would you offer him up for to suffer why would you you know people are trying to be nominated for Forbes 30 under 30 40 under 40 you know some God elevate me to that nomination okay don't nominate me to the devil don't tell me that you know wow I just love you so much that I told the devil to check you out and I gave him permission over your life that's how much I love you it's always it's very it's confusing it's like God why would you do that why would you have this conversation with Satan and offer me up to him what is the point because based on just their conversation it would seem like the point was for Satan to know that job is a man who were not turned his back in God but why do we need to prove that to him if I'm already walking with you God why do I need to prove a point to the enemy if you're covering me why does he need to feel like oh if you take down your protection over my life that why does he need that information why but you see the amazing thing is that when oftentimes when we see when you see a conversation between God and man or even with Jesus when you see this conversation with people that are not intimate with him the Satanist does not have intimacy with the father you see he can be in the presence of God because the thing is that when Satan lost his when he was kicked out of heaven it's not that he cannot be around the presence of God but is that he lost his position in heaven so he can hang around he can come and show up and say hey I've been watching your people he can be in the presence of God the presence of God does not does not scare him what scares him when it comes to the presence of God is what you find out about yourself in the presence but he's not afraid of the presence of God he can go and speak to the Lord what he lost in heaven was his position and so he goes before God and they're having this conversation but the question has always been why would God you know engage in this conversation and offer job up but the answers is not in what they're talking about because when Jesus speaks to people in parables when he speaks to people that are not intimate with him it's not about what he says most of the times about what he doesn't say and so you see this dialogue you see them talking and Satan is like hey God is like have you considered my servant job and what I found so fascinating about this is that when I looked into that scripture it's not that God offered up job that word actually meant target it was that he was telling the enemy that you have been watching job because he says to him where are you me from what have you been doing how was your day do you have lunch and faithfulness like you're not being taking a stroll around the earth first of all the beautiful thing there is that we learned that he's not omnipresent he cannot be everywhere at once he can only be one place at a time and so we catch this understanding that he's just walking to and fro from the earth and then God realized this God who is all knowledge the devil is not all it does not know everything he's not all-knowing all he knows is based on what he observes and so God says I know you have been considering my servant job I know you have been watching him because you see he Satan had all this information about job he said you have covered him on every side I've tried I've tried my best based on whatever I could get I'm nothing you have protected him I've watched how you have blessed this man and increased him but he says you know what why don't you give me a shot because of course he fears you because of all the things you've done for him but it was never because Satan was trying to attack job or Satan wanted to prove a point to God that you know what people are only serving you because of what you do for them you see the scripture tells us something so powerful about gob says that job was the greatest in all the east so in his region job was a man of influence when you read about the story of job and when job talks about himself he talks about how he was like a king amongst his people he said of himself that when he would speak about a matter no one else would speak after him that was the influence and the reference that job had amongst the people when the enemy is walking on the earth he's not just walking because you know he can put on his Instagram that he likes long walks on the beach or long walks on the earth he's walking because he's trying to monitor the regions where do I have dominion and what am I lose where my losing territory where my losing ground when he sees job he is threatened by job because job has the influence of the people and something about influences that when you a lot of times you know we may do things that we see the people we like to we may be dressed like them or whatever it is whatever you know floats your boat you may have their nail colors I don't know whatever floats your boat but when someone has influence we tend to we are attracted to their way of life we want to know more about them and so when job has influence in this region and now he's known as someone who walks who who walks out the things of God a man who fears God a man who lives upright because of his fear of God and so just by his lifestyle alone it will cause people to be intrigued about him and he tricked about the God that he serves you see a lot of times people don't need you to speak to them about the gospel that you become the gospel to them the Bible calls us that we are a written epistle that someone can look at your life and they were it was feel like well I want to know which God you serve I want to know more about you so when job is a person that has the influence of his region and he's a man who fears God and then what it shows that all of a sudden the people could be drawn to God because of the Jude who job is so when the enemy looks that job he's not after job he's after job's influence he says you are a threat to me having Authority and taking territory of this region and if I can strike you and if I can get you knocked off your boat there was another boat there but let's just imagine you see there's a scripture where Jesus says that if you strike the shepherd the sheep would flee and so the enemy doesn't go after the sheep he goes after the shepherd and that is why family is very important that you pray for people that you also look up to that you pray that God will keep the because whatever Jew you to them is the very thing that the enemy is working overtime to break and so when it came to job he's like okay if I can get job to fall then I could scatter the people that follow him and perhaps I can gain Authority and I can gain that territory back so here's the enemy's agenda now God's agenda is different it's not about proving a point to Satan you what what for God's agenda would always be about the benefit of the person that there is something that God can use in that process to build them you see something that happens to job also happened was very similar to Peter in the Bible when Jesus was walking the earth when he was about to go to the cross the enemy realized something if Jesus dies even if he okay he could resurrect that's a possibility maybe I've heard this conversation some of this enough eavesdropped or maybe he doesn't resurrect so maybe he doesn't choose the cross but if he does choose the cross what would become a threat is his disciples because they're the ones that now Jesus has given the command to preach the gospel into all the earth and so if he's out of the picture okay you know he empowers them the Holy Spirit comes upon them but the disciples though they've been with him they know the mysteries that their secrets that Jesus has revealed to them that if this information gets to all the earth I'm in trouble if people really find out about the power of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit I'm in trouble so what does the enemy do the Bible tells us that Jesus comes to Peter and says Peter Satan has demanded you he has requested to sift you as wheat very similar to job job is that Satan is looking for job you are threatened by this man the same way the enemy was threatened by Peter Peter was one who was bold for the Lord I mean somebody tried to come up on Jesus and he cut his ear he said now next time i'ma cut all of you okay but the problem is that Peter thought that this was his own that by hit in his own strength he was just this loyal person and his own strength he was just this person that will be righted died for the Lord Peters weakness is that he was self-reliant he relied on his own stay on his strength on his his own wisdom about his ability to follow Christ he didn't realize that his ability to follow Christ was because of the grace of God not because of Peter and so you have this moment where Jesus tells Peter Peter Satan has requested you to sift you as wheat but I have prayed for you that your faith would not fail and so what we see in that picture I gave them an image of what it looks when you sift wheat and right there look at that now what is on the bottom is that which is unprofitable that's just the chaff is what falls off and then what remains is that which you know what it could be edible what you can sow but what the enemy is looking to do is that he wants that to become Peters faith that if I shake up Peter a little bit then maybe I can get him that maybe he was begin to think that Wow if I don't have the ability to follow Christ like I think then maybe I shouldn't do this at all he was after like how can i how can I get these people away from their calling and their purpose and he noticed I said you know what Peter has this thing about him stuff I've been watching him you see the only thing that the enemy what the enemy uses against you is what he observes about your behavior that's all he can do is to watch you and he strategizes based on the things you do so when he when he observes Peter he's like you know what Peter really has this thing about himself he thinks he's all that in the bag of Skittles and so now he's he tries to strike but the beautiful thing is that Jesus said I prayed for you I prayed that your faith would not feel what that looks like is that Peter even when you fail the test I've covered you my grace would will empower you and my grace will let you understand that Peter I didn't call you in the first place because of your loyalty matter of fact I also called someone named Judas and he was never loyal to me I don't call you because of what you can offer me I call you because of who I am and what I can do in your life and so the same strategy that the enemy thought he could use to get Peter rid of his faith in God was the same strategy that the father in his wisdom said actually this would get rid of Peters pride that this would allow him to humble himself and recognize that Peter without me you cannot even follow me that even your desire for me cannot be met without my grace upon your life you see sometimes many of us in this room maybe we're dealing with something we're dealing with we're struggling there's this thorn in our lives and we're wondering god I just helped me please help me in this but we say that but we're not really opening ourselves up to God we're still trying in our own strength to defeat it to overcome it and God is like when will you just surrender I don't need your perfection I don't need you to have it all together matter of fact I never needed you to have it all together that's why I went on the cross for you because in me you will have everything but without me you can do nothing and so this is Peters story so we get back to job and it's like what is God after when it comes to job what is it that God wants to mature what is it that God wants to build when it comes to the life of job and as I studied this book I recognized that God was after job's heart you see the Bible tells us many things about job but there are some things it doesn't mention which was very almost alarming to me because it tells us that job was an upright man was a blameless man that on paper job was perfect job feared the Lord and shunt evil but you see there was another man that was described in a very similar way to job his name was Noah Noah was a man that God called to build an ark in the time that there was they had never seen rain and God has given him a message that there's gonna be a flood and this is gonna protect your family this is gonna protect the animals but Noah was a man when in Genesis 6:9 and if they have it don't show it up here the scripture tells us that Noah was a just and perfect man in his generation very similar to job all of this has to do with their integrity there were men of integrity but then it says something and Noah walked with God that it is possible that you can be blameless and perfect in your generation without relationship with God and Noah walked with God the Bible tells us that job feared the Lord and he shunned evil and all these things but as I studied the life of Jobe I recognized that job's job lived a life out of fear of loss not out of relationship with the love of love and father you see when you study his life when he when calamity fell upon him listen we'll start there when God gave the enemy permission he said you know what go after him it's that's alright just keep his life the first thing the enemy attacks was his wealth and his children all his children died at the same time all his resources went away and a servant comes to job to tell him what has happened and this is what job says naked I came from my mother's womb and naked shall I return the Lord gave and the Lord has taken away blessed be the name of the Lord now that's beautiful very moving but but it's very unrealistic you just lost 10 of your kids you just lost all your resources and you just have this poetic speech naked I can't make it I will return no God it was so perfect then you know that you know job is just doing the thing the enemy looks at him is watching him it's like Oh job did not steal and then he didn't shake nothing he says you know what God let me affect let me touch his health because in the enemies study of humanity he recognized something about humanity that we would do anything to live we will do anything for our health we will do anything like when it comes to our body I mean when I have a cold I value when I could just walk around and free them I'm like oh my god this is really something so jump so the enemy says you know what let me touch his health and he says skin for skin he says mom will do anything for his life if I affect him in his body he will turn against you again it had nothing to do it whatever the dialogue seems like God says go ahead but only spare his life the enemy inflicts him with a serious disease and job's wife comes to him and she says you know what just curse God and die job says to her o foolish woman he says shall we receive good from God and shall we not receive evil he's like you know what it's all good I know I have boils all over my body the script rebel tells us how there's a point where even warms were attracted like it was bad and job is just there Wow shall we receive good and not evil from the Lord almost like he has a posture he's doing open mic night and all of it it sounds so moving but it was not his truth you see when he said the second statement the Bible tells us that in all these things job did not sin with his lips it emphasized on where sin did not come through but it doesn't speak anything about his heart you see when he was tortured by the enemy and when job had lost everything now after all his moving speeches that he probably would say one day if he won the Oscar his friends come over to his house and when they see him they are so moved by his pain that for seven days they all sat in silence they had no words they had literally no words from everything they knew about job now they see a man they can barely recognize so for seven days no one said anything and this is where we begin to reveal who job really is and what is really in his heart you see when we worship it's a powerful time when we worship we receive we know we get the knowledge of who God is the Bible tells us that job worshiped so what he said is in fact true are we gonna receive good and not expect to receive evil but the way he says it that is it's there layers to a statement like that so when you worship you receive you become aware I would even use that you become aware of of the knowledge of who God is but it is until we are still that an exchange can happen because there's one thing with becoming aware and there's one thing with receiving what you are aware of job was aware of who God is he was aware that you know what in life are we gonna receive good and not evil he was aware that Lord naked I came naked I would go he was aware that yes your name should be praised and blessed be the name of the Lord but until he comes to a point of stillness because what stillness does is that it begins to reveal who we are after job was silent for seven days he was trying to do everything he wanted to make sure look I don't want to say the wrong cleaver in my mouth but nothing changes his condition is still the same the first thing that comes out of job's mouth it's not the Lord is my keeper in silence it's not that the first thing that comes out of job's mouth is cursed be the day I was born this is now the most honest thing that job has ever said so all along when he when he lost his children when he lost his Goods when he got sick job was not happy about it and God is not looking for who you're pretending to be God is looking for what you really feel because until that comes to the surface God cannot help you God cannot walk with you God cannot do anything with the person we want to pretend to be because we think that God if I say or do the wrong thing that maybe I would lose everything you see when the enemy study job the enemy recognized something about job that job was actually afraid of loss every moment that I mean his kids will just they will have a party job is so afraid that if they do the wrong thing I might lose it all that immediately he's like okay seven days they're feasting for seven days on the eighth day first in the morning I need to go sacrifice to the Lord to make sure my kids are in the right so I don't lose it all job operated from this place of fear he moves from a works mentality he thought that it was the things that he did that made him who he is and the reason I know this is because when you study about job in you and you read his dialogue amongst his friends you read the things that he says job would say things like how can I a righteous and just man the one who clothing the naked and fed the poor and took care of the widow he starts listing all the good deeds that he has done and he says how can this person go through what evil people should go through god I'm not evil I'm righteous I'm a just person how can I be good he kept defending his righteousness when the enemy studied him he recognized job you obey God quite all riots you do all the things the book tells you to do but you have no intimacy because when I watch you I don't see peace when I watch you I don't see someone who operates from the place of peace that you only receive when you have relationship with the God that you serve he recognized that job you you panic a lot and so let me attack you from that point maybe if you lose everything you would be you will lose all hope and think that you know what is done and for a moment he had job because for a moment job will say things that like I long for death as though I search for hidden treasures job wanted to die as for him he had no understanding that how is it that what I'm going through is connected to anything about my life because I am self righteous job this should not be my portion and that was what God was after God understood that I will let the enemy have his way but he won't take your life yes he touched everything around you because you see family at the end of the day everything that we are able to have access to anything that the Lord puts in our hands we're only stewards over it and we don't own it even our even when you have children a spouse family members you don't own anything you're simply a steward over it and the thing in life is that guy if or if you're taking note I titled this message the most important thing what is most important to God concern in your life is not what you do for him it's who you become and God was not interested in what job did for him job did a lot in the name of God but when God looked at him he looked at someone who was only doing and he had not become the person that God formed he had not become the he had not walked in the call the true call of his identity job was just doing the right things and he was his motivation really was fear of loss because when you read about job you see that he truly believed that everything he had was sustained by good works when God saw job he saw someone who was a slave to good works that as long as I do this right as long as I pray this way as long as I'm reading at this time as long as I'm doing the things that the Bible tells me to do who got me you who Wow we're good but you see one thing I learned is that obedience without relationship obedience without intimacy is religion you can obey every single word from God but if you do it from a place of fear its religion it's not the it's not the truth of the gospel you see there were people that came to Jesus and they said to Jesus they said we have held in your name we casted out demons in your name we did all these things in your name they were obedience to the general call of God they were obedient to when the Lord says go out and cast out demonic spirits raise the dead they were obedient to the Word of God but Jesus says to them get away from me I do not know you because God is not interested if what you're doing is not from a place of relationship it is relationship that should always be the driving force of your life your intimacy with God and so when it came to job God knew that I can use this very thing to bring you to the place of humility and to the place that we can actually walk together because right now you're just doing what you believe is right before my eyes and before my eyes it is right but I know I God does not only look out the outside he looks at the hearts but job when I see you I don't see who I called when I see what you do you know what check mark but I want to mature you in my love and so he allows what seems chaotic and what seems like Joe can not put his finger on he had no control of anything he could not control the lives of his children being taken away taking away nothing like that and so Joe begins to go on this rant and he's talking about just the different disease he has all these questions for God and he has all these questions because he's wondering God why why why why a righteous man like me and finally when God responds to him God responds and says you know what come out to me like a man I have questions for you God responds to him with questions but in the midst of the quite the questions actually bring the answer that job is looking for because the first thing that comes out of the mouth of job is cursed be the day I was born because I cannot understand how this has anything to do with me being the person you've called me to be the first thing that comes out of the mouth of God is where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth God says you know what you want to curse your creation let me let me talk to you about the creation of the earth and you tell me if you were present when I was forming the earth you'd let me know what materials did I use you let me know how I decided to do what I did you see what God was showing Joe one of the things that God was showing job is that in the same way there you are not aware of how I built and how I create you are not aware that I can use pain and suffering to mold you into the person you need to become that you only think that suffering happens to those that are evil know there are many things that I can use the Bible tells us that the ways of God are not our ways and these thoughts are not our thoughts and so God is saying that it as you walk with me you will begin to mature into the level of the person who may who could start understanding my ways but job where were you he says since you have wisdom you let me know and he begins to act show up all kinds of questions about the sea about the Sun about the stars about animals all types of questions question after question after question and there was a moment when he pauses for job to response and it's responding job is like you know I will put my hand on my mouth he was silent he said he literally had no words and God continued he continued asking job more questions and in the midst of that job realized he talked he talked about how the purposes of God will stand and then he said lord I repent because he recognized that God your ways are not really mine and he began to see that job you have this self-righteous behavior about you and that was what God desired to break because God recognized that if I'm gonna do what I have called you to do and this is what happens in each and every one of our lives when God is taking you anytime God is preparing something new for you there has to be a breaking point you see there's a scripture that talks about how God will make streams in the wilderness but what is amazing about that is the location God is saying okay I will turn this wilderness into a place you see the wilderness is a dry land that lives there but God says I will turn this and make streams there so it's almost as though God is saying that I put you in the wilderness and in becoming who you're called so I can transform this to what it truly is supposed to be but in order for you to properly steward what I'm giving you I have to focus on who you become God was invested in who job would become and oftentimes God will use things in our lives that we have no understanding of the loss of a job the loss of a contract the loss of a loved one a heartbreak molestation there are things that will wonder God where were you you see the name of Jobe actually can be translated to enemy and so they're very dear various theories about was this his real name I was a surname that he gave himself because in many ways even in his language he referred to himself as the as an enemy to God another way that you can translate that is where is your father you see there are many times in our lives that we've wondered God where were you when this happened where were you because the same way that how is it how is it possible that it is God that would give the command for all jobs children to be killed that is a question you will say God must not be here God where are you you have abandoned me you have forsaken me but God in His wisdom says look you are a steward over what I've given you and when I decide to take it back I have a plan for that - when I decide to put it somewhere else I have a plan for that - but I'm focused on you when I look at you I'm not looking immediately at what I gave you I'm looking at who you must become because that is the person that can steward my resources properly and so job his very name meaning enemy God am I your enemy but when God reveals himself to job job is humbled what is it that may have been happening in your life what is it that you feel like it's out of control and you're wondering God are you in there you see in job 38 verse 1 when God encounters him the Bible tells us that God spoke to him out of the whirlwind we don't know what the whirlwind came from but that was what God chose to use to speak to job you see the very nature of a world with is it's created because there is instability so what it represents and what it's symbolic to is instability and chaos that very whirlwind represented job's life and when God spoke through it he was showing job that God job I am in this thing you see there are times in life that you will see where Jesus was silence a storm when a storm will come against the disciples and Jesus would tell the storm to be quiet but there are times in life when God is your storm and he only becomes your storm because he knows that that is what you need in this moment for who you truly are to be born therefore your identity in him to come forth what is it that you have gone through and what if I told you that God ordered it that he orchestrated it he sounds very hesitant to share this story about one of my best friends and she's in the house but I spoke to her got her blessing you know a few a couple days ago I kept having and i stoled spoke to her about it I kept having these visions and and in the vision it was like God was telling me something is gonna happen something was gonna happen concerning her and it's something that will shake it something that it would look like it's supposed to shake her up but he said I'm the one that ordered it and when I saw it I'm like God we need to change the plan okay that's my friend okay and he said no I'm not informing you because you can do anything I'm informing you to inform her that when something comes and it seems like it's gonna shake her that I'm in it and it will work for her good we're on the phone now my god you know we're trying to brainstorm what could it be and I'm like you know this you know God be funny sometimes I really don't know where how far he's trying to go and two days after that she had an accident and it was like an impact like her car is totaled and so the glory of God like just it did not shake her the way the enemy thought maybe it could because there was the knowledge that God is in it and even with pains in her body she was on the stage worshiping your worship pastor Dana Brown can we honor her because there is a strength that comes when you know that even what seems like your calamity is in the hand of God there is a strength when you know that what seems to be out of your control is not out of his sight that God even what seems unstable in my life you are the foundation and so even though I can control it God you have me you see if you look at if you look I think about what seems to be out of your control right now understand that it is in the hand of God you know I wondered even this morning it was funny because this morning in prayer and I'm like I was just thinking about that I said God what is the point huh why do you tell me that and that still happens I'm like we know it was just so interesting to me and one thing he said to me this morning it's one that she would know without a doubt that I'm in it but he said sue is connected to what I've called you to speak on that you would use that as an example to tell my people that whatever seems chaotic and what seems to be unstable that I'm in it you see as I began to see that and I knew the sign of this because then I see her I have a vision where she's on the stage as she's worshiping I'm like nah bruh you know she should be arrested and she's here today and she's worshiping and so I knew that this was what God is speaking to each and every one of you that whatever seems chaotic in your life that I have a plan for it that accident I had a plan for it that cancer I have a plan for it that molestation I have a plan for it that heartbreak I have a plan for it you see when it comes to God there is no loss that that feeling of wondering god I watched people I watch people with their parents to parent home that single-parent home I had a plan for watching your mother or your father on drugs I had a plan for it feeling like you were unloved as a child I had a plan for it that what I used to build your life is outside of what you would think I should use joke did not think that a man like him should suffer he said no no no this is for the evil folks but God said you don't think like I think because God understands that there was something about pain that begins to reveal the layers of who you are and until God gets to the core of you then he can walk with you you see we know about a man named the Apostle Paul before he was the Apostle Paul his name was Saul and he was a terrorist but it was his truth what he walked in was his truth and it was in that place of truth and authenticity that Christ encountered him and says I'm now calling you I'm gonna flip this thing around you see God does not need you to do anything for him he just needs your heart and when he has that the both of you together can shake up this world see whatever it is you know I have this I'll share with a friend I have this faces sometimes in my life where anytime it feels like God is about to to and I start to notice it more when I started tracking it but any time I felt like God was about to ship something in my life I would just I have these moments where it's in my prayer time it's just me crying literally it's just a bunch of tears and it feels disconnected with my thoughts because I'm crying but I have no understanding why and so my spirit is very aware of something that has not come to my knowledge in the natural and then the Lord began to reveal and I was like God why like the moment I just hear the sound of worship oh my god and I was like God what is happening and he began to speak to me you're mourning something you just haven't come to the knowledge of it your spirit is mourning a version of you that was stand in the way of what I'm calling you to do and that version of you you loved it and in the process of time it begins to come to my natural understanding what God is calling me to kill and so he prepares me in my spirit to give me the strength to mourn it properly when it comes time in the natural you see some of you may have experienced that where for no reason you just feel like I might like to somebody like did I lose somebody that you just there's this morning in your spirit and it's not because you're actually Mourning but God is strengthening your spirit so when it comes to your natural understanding it is the grace of God that gives you the ability to kill what was stand in your way and so when we're looking at job and we look at job and we think that job is just this crazy story of God just feeling wild job is a very powerful story of relationship and what God is after God is after our hearts whatever seems to be to have been a negative or anything like that one of the things I've learnt about God is that there is absolutely no loss in God every single thing connects you see job said something that really moved me after he had encountered God and he repented he said I have heard of you with the hearing of the ear but now I see you that was the moment where intimacy began that was the moment where relationship began even job testifies he said you know what all I've done is based on what I've heard I've heard that you know what if you do this things God will bless it if you do this you know so I thought I had to work for your for your love I thought I had to work for your hand upon my life I thought I had to work for it I didn't know I had to just receive it you see the Bible calls Grace a gift you don't pay for a gift you don't work for a gift you receive gifts and all you have to do is receive the kindness of God that we never earned all you have to do is just say God I'm open whatever it is you want to do with me I recognize that I'm not worried me because of what I do I'm worried because of who you are you see what's so powerful is that there are two things that happen in the end of the story of job one of them we see that his friends cuz this friends that he was around when you read about when they speak to him his friends would say they accused they falsely accused them because they assumed that what he was going to was because job was just you know doing evil things and it makes sense because if if that's his friend and those are his friends and job actually thought that's odd he had a similar mindset because he also looked at himself and his like only an evil person should be going through this and so his friends were like-minded with him so when they saw him in his pain they falsely accused him and said you know what job if you put iniquity far from you then the Lord would restore you if you and one of them even goes as far as saying that you know what job you're very unjust man you've abandoned the poor which was a lie because job was actually a very giving and and you know just a great guy you know joke but his friends falsely accused him and God says something God rebukes his friends and tells them go and meet job that he would pray for you and when job prays for you I would accept his prayer but that was a powerful moment for job because this way is this this reveals the fruit of relationship with God you see job has always performed for God in a high place he has done things for God when he was stable when he had all his you know ducks in the row he was wealthy he had influence he did the right things from that place he performed for God I was because it was kind of like a performance but from a low place God now tells him to pray for people and not just pray for them not just any random prayer God says if Joe prays for you I would accept it that is a language of friendship it says job is my friend and now he is my friend not because he can do anything for me he is my friend because of who I am when Joe prays for them job also receives the friendship of God he recognizes that God in my pain in my boils in my loss I can serve you that serving you is not what I do when everything is working out for me serving you is not what I do when I when I feel the best serving use no one I do all things are just you know I see that all things are working for my good sometimes I can't see it but in that moment job recognized that God I can serve you in my pain I can serve you like wow this is friendship and the moment job tapped into that the moment he prayed for his friends it wasn't just about his friends it was about him because the Bible tells us that right after is where his restoration began he said but after Joe know when Joe prayed for his friends God restored him and there was not just a restoration God multiplied him it was said that job received double of everything that he had you see I want what moved me about this is that the restoration you know some of you may have heard the saying of double for your trouble and I personally don't like that saying because it almost sounds like you know God is like hey you know thank you for you know taking a you know just taking that for me you know but hey let's get even okay no beef I'm gonna give you double alright because I know you went through all this trouble in my name so I got you it's not that is that there was someone he needed to become that the double was always his portion that that was always a sign to him from God but in order for him to walk it out he needed to become someone that it wasn't God just saying that hey I got you thanks for hanging in there thanks for sticking through it I got your job it was God looking at job and saying now you look like what I know and I would assign to you what always belonged to you you see in this increase I believe it also increases influence it gave him more territories to conquer for the glory of God more people followed him because now they have seen the testimony of his life everything that comes our way God is in it if it got to you gun allowed it to get to you and just because of that it's not for us to look at it like we are the victims God what are you teaching me what are you trying to show me what is it that you want to mold me into through this pain through this process what is it that I need some mourn in my flesh God show me I don't want to rely on my wisdom because my ways and your ways huh it's a whole bridge you know it's a whole flight it's like going to China then Nigeria but it's so there it's just your ways are so much higher than mine and so god I want to humble myself I know I've mourned some things this year I know I lost some things that I thought I wanted I know I went through some things that I felt like man I didn't think I will survive it but God who are you forming in the process because you are more invested and you are more concerned about who I become and now what I do family stand with me [Applause] you see one of the things I wanted us to do with this message so that we also see ourselves and we're accountable to ourselves our creative team they created a wallpaper and you if you're following us so now that they have it oh yeah right there or not right there something else if you follow us on social media TP hla then you will see the wallpaper on our I G story and the wallpaper basically says in 2019 or what I learned in 2019 something like that and the goal of this is to look at what seemed like a loss this year and look at it through the eyes of a loving God what did God teach you through it and we just we want to hear from you to share it to write it out and share it and you can tag us but what is it what is it that you in from your perspective you saw it as as pain no what is it that now God is teaching you through it because sometimes if we don't bring these things to our memory that is what works against us because we quickly forget how God gave us the victory true things that we thought we would never survive we quickly forget that oh my gosh God this very thing that I complained about this very thing that I thought that you could never use me after this it could never work out you still called me some of you maybe you feel unworthy for what God has called you to because you're still looking at what you think is needed the look you're supposed to have the things you're supposed to have what what needs to be in your life before you move on the thing that God has given you because you're thinking that worthiness comes the way Society sees it and God says worthiness has nothing to do with what you can do for me worthiness has everything to do with what I did for you and because you're in covenant with me you live in that reality that when I see you I see the sacrifice of my son Jesus and when I see that Wow you all are so worthy before God it's crazy you know when God begins to teach you about the Holy Spirit being your strength those are the moments where when you feel least capable of doing something that's when the Holy Spirit whispers now all the moments you were ready you were just waiting who God can't wait and he waits until all strength is gone and he says now is the time because he doesn't want you to fall into the trap of thinking that it is what you do for him that because you know you know what's so amazing funny about God I remember there was a time I was doing this fast and at that moment the fast didn't really it was really from the flesh to be honest because in my mind I believed that when I fast ah God has to answer me like I just I said you know a guy I'm in this fast and I'm about to get an answer right on day seven because that's when it ends and I was fast and I was so proud of myself I said Who Wow somebody's right again an answer you know day seven came I was so happy to go to bed that day I said Lord surely he would speak to me my dream I woke up there's nothing there I forced myself back to sleep I said maybe I need to take a nap so the Lord can speak again it was dry and I went in prayer I was like let me just close my eyes and God would give me a vision oh I saw nothing again so let me just be still it's a lot of noise I think I was ready to go I need to go to the beach because who you are gonna speak nothing absolutely nothing and then one day I'm having a very unhealthy meal and the Lord begins to speak to me and I'm very confused I said God I came in fasting and prayer and you speak to me and not just was I having an unhealthy meal at that moment it was actually just it was a dysfunctional moment for me and I was using food to hide my pain and I was just eating and I was upset about something and that was the moment God says oh I got something to tell you because he says Stephanie it's not I'm not there are things I would do yes based on how you seek me but it's because when you're seeking me in those moments is coming from relationship is that you're seeking after my hearts but if you think that this is a formula oh you missed it it's not a formula it's not a plus B equals C he says as when it's from your heart oh my daughter I will meet with you but when you think that oh I have a problem o child and know what to do okay Monday looks like my schedule is clear its inserts and fasting in there God says do it from your heart do it anytime anything you do for me or when you're seeking me let it be because your heart is after me not just after what you can get from me because if I if I and this is the thin family it's not that God cannot answer you in those moments but his answer means he's affirming something that is not him he's affirming that this is the formula and if he affirms it then you believe that oh I figured it out no one can have God in the corner so sometimes your things that God will purposely not respond to because his response will be his validation on what just did and it would validate the posture you did it from and so unless it is coming from your heart that God I want to know this thing I'm seeking about it's not it's not from a selfish place it's just from a place that desire is Lord how do I walk out the fullness of who you've called me to be these are the things that would help me in who you've called me to be and from that place God sees a pure heart and God says I would I can I can answer that I can speak to that I can respond to that because every time God speaks he's validating something and so his words will not just be you know Jesus said do not cast your pearls before the swine he's not gonna just throw his words out there that it will be trampled upon he treasures his words because the Word of God is life and so whatever it is whatever it seems like it's chaotic in your life God is in it and he's gonna see you through it and he's using it to build you he's using it to prepare you for what he has for you what already belongs to you restoration double for your trouble all of that already belongs to you he just said I just need you to look like the person who can steward it properly that's all and how God does things it's I mean it's above me now how God moves some things we will never understand but in relationship though he begins to reveal mysteries and his secrets the Bible tells us that he reveals his secrets to his friends and so as we mature in relationship God begins to unfold the reasons why he did this and why he did that him and some things who you find out when you you know get to heaven but the beautiful thing that in the midst of your questions there's a peace because of your relationship with God that there will be a peace that comes upon you and the grace of God that comes upon you that gives you rest even in uncertainty because that's what relationship does because some things we may not have the capacity to receive and so if God gives you the word and you don't have the capacity for it it could destroy you but in the midst of it he says you're not ready yet for what you think you're asking for but I will put my peace upon you I will give you the grace to keep moving forward and when we come to that level where I can reveal this to you I will but that's what trust and surrender does but everything starts with saying God I surrender God I do not know god I'm not gonna conclude on my way of life I'm not gonna conclude and believe that because I did a B and C then you know certainly it should be D God would just you know take you back to a or move on to F you never know but surrender means God I let it go god I'm open for you to be my teacher I don't understand certain things and god I'm on and I want you to know this I'm upset I really wondered where were you but I'm open to understanding you don't end in your frustration you don't end you don't put a period in pain you don't say you know what God you never showed up I'm done God where were you I'm never gonna revisit that again you don't put a period in it you acknowledge your pain but you open up your heart to God to give you understanding and all of a sudden it is the work of the Holy Spirit it's not anything anybody can say the Holy Spirit will begin to do a work in your heart that all of a sudden the very thing that you thought would separate you from mook from from having a relationship with God that will separate you from intimacy all of a sudden it draws you even closer to him there are things in my life that I never wanted to revisit I never wanted to think about because the father of it made me feel like a would it would stare up a pain and resentment that I didn't want to address I didn't want to be the person who was like God I'm mad at you oh god no I just love you you know blessed be the name of the Lord but God had a point forced me in the corner where it was just me and my pain and I had to look at it and I had to question God about it but I also had to be open to say God where were you when this actually happened and in that place he began to speak and gave me peace and an understanding that all of it was always working together to who he called me to be and so family if you're in this house and you know there are things in your life that you have been fighting against you've been running away from because you didn't want to acknowledge the pain and cost and didn't want to acknowledge that maybe I am resentful a little bit God where are you and when you can just open your heart and say god this is my reality but what is your perspective healing starts there and if you know there are things that you just need to open up before the Lord meet me at this altar thank you Jesus [Applause] thank you lord thank you [Applause] [Music] thank you lord thank you Jesus [Music] thank you [Music] if you're willing to surrender before the Lord and say God there are many things I don't understand if you know that you have put a pain you've put a period in your pain meet me at this altar if you're saying God I'm open I know just going be visiting this in my mind alone it takes me to a place I don't wanna be but God I'm open to your understanding I'm open to your perspective but this is my truth but at the same time you want to surrender that before God and lastly family if you've been dealing with unworthiness feeling as though that God I can only do this if I'm in this state of mind or if this is what my life looks like there are things that God has spoken to you about and you've delayed on it because you're waiting to look like what seems to be worthy you see I just sends this even now and this is very crazy but there's about someone in this house and God is calling you a little funny but God is called God is calling you to ministry and your hesitation is because you do you are quite frankly you smoke marijuana and you're hesitant because you're saying that God there is no way you want me to be preaching to people and doing the thing that they would be against there is absolutely no way and the truth is you love it and God has been asking you to let it go and you're like haha bruh but the funny thing is I just sends this so strongly it's not that you would be a hypocrite but that in the journey you would receive strength to kill what will be against you and so and this is even gonna speak to some other people because there are things in your life that you love to do but this oh wow this is beautiful there are things in your life you love to do but even that person I actually would need to pray with you if you know speaking to you about marijuana this is not the time trust me you puttin your hand up does not mean that anybody is watching you to judge you this is the house of God this is the house of freedom but there is a call on your life for ministry and you're running away from it because of this very thing but the crazy thing is that the urgency about this is because the call that God has placed would answer things in your family and so when you're running away from it it's not that you are running from the call you are running from being the answer that God has called so if I'm speaking to you I see who I'm speaking to and I'm gonna pray with you about shaking thank you Jesus thank you Jesus because you're gonna receive you're going to receive a power there's a power that is gonna come upon you and it's gonna break is gonna set you free because you know the call of God God has been speaking to you about what is calling you itsu and you've been running the way by God but God is gonna give you where you would recognize that it was never your strength that sets you free but it's the power of God that sets you free and he's telling you to step into it now not when everything looks good around you he says step into it now because you will be the answer to your family and your family would represent the faces that God will call you to in the world but it was starting your home and we're gonna pray right after this and that probably speaks to many of you in this room there's an urgency concerning her but for many of you in this room you don't want to delay you don't want to delay when God has called your name because you have no clue what it's connected to and so there are things there they're words that God has spoken over your life and you're pushing it back because you're waiting for it to look like this or look like that or you're waiting to look like the person that is worthy and God is saying I don't need you to do anything right or wrong I just need your heart and when I have your heart or we can do something I would build you it is my love that will set you free it is not fear that will set you free it is the love of God that frees us is the love of God that empowers us it is the moments when we feel the most unworthy and we see the power of God it does something to you it lets you understand that Holy Spirit you are really with me and you will never leave me and you truly will never forsake me because you see the Bible tells us that the darkness is alight before God that the darkness is not dark to him sometimes it seems dark to us but when God sees you in that dark place he's not seeing what is happening around you he's seen who he called and he will keep calling you by name he will keep calling you by name until you rise up into whom he has called you to be from the start and it's not something where we should walk in shame or we should walk in in guilt or anything like that because if I scream and call the person right in the back it takes them a while before they get to me I don't imagine them to teleport themselves but you see that journey of walking to the stage that journey when I did an altar call and I said if this is you come to the front it no one is knowing that me you know no one is thinking that you should just like who jump from your seat and land right here but that journey of walking is what happens when God calls us by name by the identity on our lives it takes us a while to actually arrive but the journey is where God is holding your hand he says I got you I know you're not there yet but I got you and I'm walking this they're not with you you have the things that you struggle with that's okay I can use you even in the midst of that and I can break it out of you I can set you free and I can set you loose but trust that you are in my hand trust that I have you and so worried in us has nothing to do with what we do it has everything to do with who God is and it's from that place family we become we become we become who he called us to be and that is the best place to do anything for God because it's coming from a place that is authentic and it's coming from a place that is in partnership with the Lord if you're in this house and maybe you just stumbled in here a friend brought you but you haven't given your life to Christ you see something that is interesting is that in the story of job when Satan said have you not protected him on every side even though job had not arrived but he had given himself to a covenant he didn't understand it yet but he was in a covenant relationship he just hadn't realized it yet and that covenant brought protection you see the scripture tells us that Satan is the ruler over darkness over ignorant there are things that why was it that he recognized that job was protected why did he recognize that why is it that he recognized that I have no access to this man that means he tried something but he was protected because of his covenant relationship the best place I would the calamity or or whatever comes my way what gives me the ability to not be shaken by it is because I recognize that in the midst of anything any storm I'm in the hands of God so it can only go as far as he lets it but if you're in this house and you are not confident about whose hands you're in are you in the hands of God or are you being ruled by darkness if you're not confident and you want the confidence and the peace that comes with relationship with God you want to know this Jesus you want to say yes to him you want to give him a try you want to say God I don't know really what I'm signing up for but I want to know you this is you saying that God I want to open my heart to you if that is you and you want to know him for yourself the beautiful thing is that God would reveal himself to you all we do is to help guide you but we're not the ones to make the decision or cause you to stay where you made the decision because God will step in and he would make himself know and if that is you just lift up your hands with boldness that God I choose you thank you Jesus thank you Jesus thank you Jesus family let us pray just by your heads with me Heavenly Father we thank you we thank you for your love oh God and we thank you for your healing power right now healing the minds of your children I think you Lord that in this moment they are letting go they are letting go and they are opening up their arms to you and their hearts to you and their minds to you and their will to you saying God you show me I know I put a period in this but I believe that there is something there's a way you see that I don't see it yet and I am open Lord show me Lord you guide me you've called me and yet I second-guess myself because I still think that I need to be this person for you but Lord right now kind of a shame your worthiness the affirmation that comes with them being your sons and daughters is resting upon them now that even in the low place they are worthy that even in the midst of their dysfunction and their pain you've called them to a high calling and it is your love that will bring transformation and so lord I thank you that everyone here is open to your love and that you are growing us and maturing us in your love oh thank you Jesus thank you Jesus thank you lord thank you Jesus [Music] have your way Oh God touch their hearts as you are doing right now for those that decided to give their lives to Christ today I just want you to repeat after me Lord Jesus I confess with my mouth as I have believed in my heart that you are my lord you are my Savior I open my heart to you guide me on this journey reveal yourself even deeper to me I am yours in Jesus name Amen family let us lift up a praise to God [Music]

Channel: ONE | A Potter's House Church

Views: 187,757

Rating: 4.9198828 out of 5

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

Id: jn1HPt5YFzA

Length: 84min 25sec (5065 seconds)

Published: Sun Dec 22 2019