Are you a problem for the Enemy? I'm going to tell you how you can know if
you are. If nothing ever goes wrong in your life and
you never burn the toast… If everything is so nice and neat and orderly
and you never face any kind of resistance, it means the Devil isn't threatened by you
at all. Here's how I know that from the text. Again, we often perceive the presence of God
is proven by the absence of problems. Right? Wrong! It couldn't be more untrue, because when Elisha
was giving the word of the Lord to prevent the attack for the people of God, watch what
the king did in verse 13. "Go, find out where he is…" The moment you begin to fulfill the purpose
God created you for the Enemy will dispatch special forces. Raise your hand if you had some things happen
this year that made you question if God even loved you. Raise your hand. Be honest enough to raise it. I suggest to you…keep it up…the reason
you had some of your problems was because you are such a problem for the darkness because
of the light you carry. Somebody shout, "I'm a problem!" Let me tell you how you can prove that God
is with you. The way you can prove that God is with you
is not by the fact that nothing bad ever happens to you. My mom used to say, "The proof is in the pudding." Well, I found out when it comes to the things
of God the proof is in the problem. How do I know God is using me and that he
has great plans for me? How do I know God has put a big calling on
my life? How do I know God has something outstanding
for my future? I know the size of my calling by the size
of my problem. Y'all shout if you've been through something
this year! When Elisha started telling the king where
to look for the attack, the king of Aram said, "You have to find him! He's a problem!" The Enemy sent special forces for you this
year because you were right on the verge of breaking a generational curse and changing
a bloodline. You're a problem for the darkness! You're a problem! "'Go, find out where he is,' the king ordered,
'so I can send men and capture him.' The report came back: 'He is in Dothan.' Then he sent horses and chariots and a strong
force there. They went by night and surrounded the city." Now, verse 15 is really what I want to preach. Get ready. Are you ready? Are you ready? Are you ready? I only have 12 minutes to preach this, and
I'm going to need a little bit of help. Are you ready for verse 15? No, you're not. You can't be. "When the servant of the man of God got up
and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the
city. 'Oh no, my lord! What shall we do?' the servant asked." Now, this is something I need to illustrate. Get me six men on the stage really quickly…six
men who are not very big. He's too big. I need six men who are not very big. Don't be insulted if he chooses you. I want you all to form a circle around me
and look intimidating. Not too close. Just like how the servant woke up. Get around me. Six men who are not too big. We may need two more. Give me eight men who are not too big. One… two… three… four… You all get around me. Get all around me and look ferocious. Look at me like, "We're going to kill you! You're that prophet who has been messing up…" Come on! This is a problem! Come on! Give me all around eight men who are not too
big. I want to show you something. This is going to be so helpful for you to
understand what you go through in the next 12 months and in the next 10 years and for
as long as God's hand will be on you. The servant woke up, and the first thing he
saw that morning when he got up was something that he didn't know how to handle. Hmmm… Hmmm… I think everybody here, personally speaking,
has something they're looking at that they don't know how to handle. It's usually not a military thing; it's a
mental thing. I have maybe a decision I don't know how to
make. I have bills. I have this. I have that. I have transition. He's looking around, and he's like, "Oh no,
my lord! What shall we do?" Now, Elisha is the prophet who would tell
the king where the enemy was going to attack. Here's my question. If he knew where the king was going to be
attacked, why did he get attacked? If you have the ability to know when other
people are going to be attacked, how can you not see it when you're going to be attacked? Have you ever noticed how easy it is to give
other people advice for their marriage or for raising their children? Oh, but mess around and have one of your own
and you will shut your stupid mouth when it happens to you! The servant goes, "Oh no, my lord! What shall we do?" Watch what Elisha says. "'Don't be afraid,' the prophet answered." Oh, man! This sounds like great advice. "Don't be afraid." These are chariots and horses. No offense, but this is not you. These are trained Syrian soldiers, and the
prophet says, "Don't be afraid." "Those who are with us are more than those
who are with them." James, get me 12 men who are really big. Get me 12 men who are as big as you. Come on! Right now I need 12 really big men. I need 12 really fierce men. I need 12 men who are on CrossFit and creatine
and protein and TRT and HGH and steroids. Come on! I need 12 big men, and I need you to come
here, because I'm going to be Elisha. I'm going to be Elisha, and I'm going to stand
in the middle, and I need you all to come surround me. The Bible says that when Elisha… Come on. Get really close. Get really close. I don't have any proximity issues, but not
that close. Back up a little bit. Come in as close as we can get and I can still
function. Come on! Get in close. Get in close. Elisha said, "Don't be afraid. Those who are with us…" Come on! Surround me all the way. "Those who are with us are more than those
who are with them." "Those who are with us are more than those
who are with them." It not only means we have more in quantity,
but they are greater in strength because those who are with us are more than those who are
with them. I'm going to show you something really quickly. He said, "Don't be afraid. Those who are with us are more than those
who are with them." Then, the next verse (verse 17) says, "And
Elisha prayed, 'Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.'" Watch out. I'll be right back. Stay right there. If I'm the servant, I'm thinking that God
is about to do something so awesome and he's going to make all of the enemies (the first
ones who came to attack)… I'm going to close my eyes, and he's going
to pray, and when I open my eyes, all of the enemies are going to be gone. Y'all leave really quickly. Just go somewhere. Not the good ones, the bad ones. That's what I'm expecting. I open my eyes. Wow! It's a miracle! Come back. Come back. Come back. Instead… Get back into position quickly. It's almost midnight. I have to show you something. Elisha is praying. He's like, "Open his eyes, Lord, so that he
may see." He opens his eyes, and what does he see? The same enemy he saw before the prayer. In fact, go to the next verse (verse 18). "As the enemy came down toward him…" Now, stop! How did Elisha pray and the enemy still came
toward him? How did Elisha, the powerful man of God… How did Elisha, the prophet who struck the
water… How did Elisha, the successor to Elijah… How did Elisha, who led an entire nation into
a time of revival, and who could purify the waters of the Jericho… How could Elisha keep praying but the attack
kept coming? Well, the proof of the presence of God is
not the absence of problems. The proof of the presence of God is not that
the problems disappear. The proof of the presence of God is that he
kept me surrounded, and the Enemy came, but he couldn't kill me. The Enemy came. Depression came. The panic attack came. I could barely catch my breath, but somehow
the Word of God sustained me through every season of my life. I almost lost my mind. I almost gave up. I almost let go, but there were more for me
than against me, and I declare it to the darkness of your life. Greater is he that is in me! The proof is in the problem. If God sent you a really big problem, he's
about to demonstrate that he's a really big God. I have a really big God. I have a really good God. I have a really faithful Savior, so I have
a really great praise not because of the absence of problems but because of the presence of
God. Stand up. There are two minutes and 43 seconds until
the next decade of your life. There are two minutes and 38 seconds until
the next decade of your life. Tomorrow morning, when you open your eyes,
guess what is still going to be there. Your problems. Guess what is within you. Y'all got my back? When I say this, get ready to rejoice. Get ready to rejoice. The bigger the problem the greater the opportunity
for the presence of God. Y'all don't even need me to finish the sentence. You know what I'm saying. The Devil has done everything he could to
track you down. He put a target on your back. He aimed right at your head, but look at your
praise. Look at your purpose. Look at your praise. Look at your God. I say… I'm going to put it up to a vote. What say you, Elevation? Let's stop telling God how big our problem
is and start telling our problem, "I have an even bigger God. Greater is he! Greater is he!" If God be for you, who can be against you?
