Stephanie Ike - 21 Bridges Pt 4 Be the Bridge

Hey, family, I'm pastitoray, I'm past this dad, and. Listen, you're getting ready to hear an incredible word from the Lord. I believe it's. Gonna bless you. I believe it's going to be timely. Do me a favor. Share the message if it moves you, share the message, and then also you have an opportunity to be a part of not only helping to spread this message, but to be a part of our outreaches. We're doing a. Lot of practical things to be a blessing to someone. So feel free if God so moves you to use the information here in the video, support what we're doing. We're being a blessing. Not to just speakle spiritually, we're being a blessed to people practically. We love you. Get into this message. I'll change your life here. Hallelujah. Family, is such a pleasure to be with you today. You see, for the past two sundays, our pastors started a series on bridges and breakthrough, and today I'm going to be speaking to you about being the bridge. Be the bridge. Be the bridge, Be the bridge. Just put that in the comments. Be the bridge, you say, I believe that the word that God has for you today is so unique and it's certainly just for you watching on the other side of this, you know, to even come to this moment to be able to share the world, there are so many things that had to take place, some very extreme measures. But before we get started, let's just say a word of prayer together. Heavenly Father, we thank you. We thank you, Lord God for your word. We thank you for who you are. We thank you, Lord God that you have you are meeting us right here in this moment. That Lord, everyone that is watching on the other side of this, that Lord you are in their home with them. We thank you for your presence, Oh God, it is your presence that guarantees that we would be everything that you have called us to be and to Holy Spirit have your way in Jesus' mighty name. Amen. Amen. You know, family, something very unique happened while I was preparing for this word, and I'm going to share with you. So I started it's studying, you know, and I'm like, God, what is it that you have to say to your people? Because one thing, if you have been connected to this house for any amount of time, you would know that we don't just like pick any just do like a you know, any meani mindy way with the Bible and say boom, I'm going to talk about that. We really it's very it's a very serious thing to us about. No, what is God saying for right now? What is the word that he wants you to listen to? Because I recognize that you can be distracted by so many things in this world. So any moment that you would want to tune into a sermon or a message, that it would be a word that God has. For you right where you are and right now. And so I was just before the Lord and I'm asking, I'm like, God, what is it that you want to say to your people? And it was just all this like you know, puzzle pieces, like maybe ten percent of the puzzle. And so I'm like, you know what, let me just step back, let me step away, let me take a break, you know. So I step away and I'm like, okay. Let me just chill out. And then right when I make a decision, I'm like, okay, Lord, I'm coming back in. What are you saying? The whole power goes out in my in my in my apartment. So I called a friend of mine who lives in the same building I'm just trying to make sure it's not my bill, because it's supposed to not be my bill. So I'm like, yo, it's the power out. And so she's like, no, the whole building the power is out, and some of the buildings next to us, And so at first I just felt like, oh, now, look at the devil right now, the power is out. I was about to go study. Now I can't. So at first I'm just like waiting. I'm like, okay, Lord, when the power comes back, I'm going to get right back to it. But there was a moment something hit me and I'm like, wait, I don't. First of all, I'm from Nigeria. You know, we didn't always have constant power. But something hit me, and I kept feeling like, God, there is something that you're trying to communicate to me with this power outage. I'm not sure what it is. But the power outage doesn't stop me from I'm studying. It doesn't stop me from asking you questions. It was like, for a moment in time, I thought that the darkness that I'm experiencing in the home, that it meant that everything had to be stopped, that there was no room for progress. In that moment. But I'm like, no, Lord, I mean, we can still talk about the message. We need to talk about Sunday. What are you talking about for the people? And then all of a sudden, he brings this scripture to mind, and it's something that David shared. It's in Psalms one, p. Thirty nine, verse twelve, and it's a I'm gonna read it with you right now. It says, but even darkness is not dark for you, and the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are the same to you. And the Lord tells me write this down, and he said, as you write it down, the power would come back. And so I write it down on a piece of paper. I'm like okay. I was like, the dark is not dark to you, and I'm like, okay, this is what God wants. You know, this is connected to Sunday. Before I could even write Sunday, the power comes back on my friend again. I said, oh my gosh, look at what the Lord is doing here. And I have to take a moment. I said, God, there's something about this scripture that is so critical to your people that you will cause a whole power outage just for me to understand the weight of what you want to say. And so I began to seek the Lord, Lord, what is it about? What is it about? There? The even the dark is not dark to you. And so slowly, but surely, the Lord began to show me you see darkness. Sometimes we find ourselves feeling like we're in a dark space, or we feel like, you know what, based on the circumstances of life, I just feel like this is just you know, this is this is not good for me, but darkness in itself. You know, you may have heard about this, that darkness is not really a thing, right, That darkness is the absence of light. So darkness is about something being absent. So, for example, we all know that twenty twenty has been quite the year, and there are many people that have felt this weight of either hopelessness, anxiety depression because they felt as though twenty twenty brought them into this dark space we find ourselves. We know, when you experience something like loss, you feel like you're in this dark space because there is an absence of something. When you experience the death of a loved one, you feel like it puts you in a dark space because there is the absence of that person. Anytime we find ourselves feeling anything close to darkness, there is an absence of something. But the truth is that when you look at it from the perspective of God, for example, the death of a loved one, we know that even though they are not upset in the body, they are present with the Lord. And if I am with the Lord, if I am always in the presence of God, then I am close to my loved ones. When we think about the loss of maybe your job, many have experienced that. In this season that we're in right now, many will find themselves in this dark place because they're like, men, I just lost this job. But it's the absence of the knowledge of what God has for you. The absence of his promise is concerning your life. So you may feel like this placed me in a dark place. But God is like no, no, no, no, no. You see, darkness is not dark to the Lord because he is light, and whatever light shows up darkness is expelled. So he doesn't see things the way that we may see things sometimes because He's like, no, I understand how all of this serves you. And so as I. Began to look into this, I said, God, but what is this connected to what exactly do you want me to communicate to your people. You see, like I said, we've been talking about being a bridge builder. And one of the things that our pastor talked about about what it means to be a bridge is that bridges are created to solve problems. And as we are looking into a new year, twenty twenty one, the truth is, I can't really tell you that twenty twenty one is going to be a year that makes you think that twenty twenty was just an accident, It was a mistake, a fluke, something has started, something has shifted, and the circumstances of life, I can't tell you that it may get better the way that you the idea that you have of better. I'm not gonna be here and tell you that, you know what, Wow, everything is just gonna stop or whatever. I'm not here to tell you that. I don't have the authority to say that. But the one thing that the Lord began to show me was connected to your calling. You see that in order to be the bridge, in order to be the bridge that He has called you to be, that there are things in your life. There are certain obstacles, there are certain circumstances that you may feel like this cannot allow me to go forward. There are certain things that may look like darkness, but the ultimate light is to know that the presence of God is with you. You see, when the Lord was speaking to me in my home, because funny enough, I have put the candles on and he told me to blow it out, and I'm like, okay, Lord, this actually just creates a darker space in my home. He began to talk to me about his presence. He says, Stephanie, I am right here with you. I am with you. I was with you when the lights are on, and I am with you when the lights are out. You don't need the lights to study, you don't need the lights to call upon me. There was something about that that he was not trying to communicate to me, an understanding not just about the natural darkness, but when sometimes in life you feel like there's no position against you, to recognize that because the presence of God is with you, that you have nothing to fear. And in a very unique way, he studied talking to me about certain people in the Bible. You see, when we think of someone like Elijah, we will be reminded about how sometimes Jesus will talk about the spirit of Elijah because there are anointings behind people, So it's not about the person, but it's about the anointing that they carry to fulfill the very purpose of God on the earth. And the Lord showed me there were eight key people that I want to talk to you about from the Bible. Because the eight people actually would represent a lot of you, if not all of you, some of you may identify yourself with one of them or maybe two of them. And I'm gonna talk to you about the very things that could be an obstacle in your in that were obstacles in their lives. But in recognizing that the presence of God is with you, you would know that I can overcome this too. There is a demand that God has placed upon your life for the earth. In twenty twenty one, he's asking, He's saying, hey, hey, what I invested in you, it needs to come out. What I invested in you, It's time for it to come out. And I'm going to. Take you on a journey here. And I'm going to start with a man that is not unfamiliar to many, a man named Jeremiah. You see, Jeremiah was a man who he was young when he was called by God. But Jeremiah actually represents change agents. You see, when the Lord and counted Jeremiah, Jeremiah's like, no, Lord, I am young. I'm not the one. I don't even know how to talk. But let me read something about their interaction. Here in Jeremiah chapter one, from verse four to ten, it says, then the word of the Lord came to me, saying, before I formed you, I knew you, and before you were born, I sanctified you. I ordained you a prophet to the nations. Then said I, ah, Lord God, behold, I cannot speak, for I am only by the youth. But the Lord said to me, do not say I am a youth. For you shall go to whom I send you, and whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of their faces, for I am with you to deliver you, says the Lord. Then the Lord put forth his hand and touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me, behold, I have put my words in your mouth. See. I have this day set you over the nations and over the Kingdom, to root out and to pull down, to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant. When the Lord showed me about Jeremiah, he began talking to me about this notion of change agents. You see, what the enemy wants you to believe is that because you are young, and young doesn't have to do. It's not just about age. It also has to do with experience. That sometimes there are places that the Lord will send you to, their fields, their industries that the Lord will call you to, and you have no experience in those fields. But yet God has called you to that place. So when he talks about I'm only your youth, it's not just about the age. There's some of you that you feel you will connect to the story of Jeremiah, and you could be in your fifties because it also speaks to experience. But the Lord showed me this notion of change agents. You see, when God is calling you to be a change agent, he doesn't need you to be experienced in the old. He doesn't need you to be experienced. It's the very thing that he's calling to be uprooted. But what the Enemy does is to give you this idea that who do you think you are to just come into this industry with big ideas and big goals and big visions. Where did you come from? Do you even know our lingual? Do you know the language of this industry? Do you know the language of this people? Who do you think you are? And God says that is the advantage because I don't need you to know their language. I'm calling you to change it. So Jeremiah is. Thinking that, hey, I am only by a kid, I have no experience in this place. And God says that is the advantage because many, many of the people that have had an experience of what they thought was my word, that maybe they started holding it that I would tell them to do certain things and they will start questioning me. Maybe they had they had things that was based on the generational way of doing things. You see right now, we're in. A pandemic right and one of the hardest things to pivot, even as not our church, but the big church, is this idea from going into from gathering as a family to going online. There was so much debate about it. No, this is the devil. The devil is trying to shut down the church. But you know the people that are not debating, the people that don't even have an experience of what we're talking about. They said, don't know, we're ready, let's go online. This is gonna be graylest I'm on fire for God. The people that were debating about this, And it's not to say that there is that the Lord is not in the gathering. That's not what I'm talking about. But I'm saying that one of the biggest obstacles to growth is what you knew before. One of the biggest obstacles to growth is on learning. When we have an experience of certain things, all of a sudden, that becomes the obstacle for what God is saying is next, because we're like God, no, it can be. This is what we've always known, this is what we've always done. It is the. Reason why even the Israelites, when Moses went came to set them free, it wasn't the very same people that Moses set free that got into the Promised Land. It was a new generation that was born in the wilderness. Because the people that Moses set free, they had the experience of bondage. They didn't know what it meant just to go and be warriors. They were in bondage for over like for about four hundred years. That is what they've known. But the next generation, the generation that Joshua led. They didn't know that. They only knew it based on stories. They didn't have the experience of that. So a man named Joshua would have the boldness to command the sun to stand still for the war to continue because he wasn't He wasn't bound by the experience of bondage. The point of this is that when God is calling you into a new space, a new field, the Jeremiah's, the change agents, do not take on the narrative of the enemy that says, who do you think you are? You don't know this space, and you have to look. You have to look in the mirror and say, exactly, I am God's advantage in this very field. He needs me here. Because of this very thing that you think is actually working against you. You see my brother, for example, when my mother was pregnant with my brother, my older brother. First of all, he didn't want to come out. My mother mentioned how she she carried him for eleven months. I mean that is you know, that's pretty long. I don't know how possible that is. But my mother got to a point right where she was exhausted. She said, this child needs to come out right now about today. So she goes she calls her pastor. You know, she said, if anyone can bring out this baby, it's going to be the Lord. She calls her pastor. She says, hey, this child needs to come out of me. She goes to her pastor. The pastor annoys her belly and starts praying for her. And when he was praying for her, he said something to my mother. Funny enough, she actually gave birth that day. But she said something to my mother, and you were like that this child, you're Karen, this was my brother, right. You were like, he is going to be a minister of the Lord, and he's going to have a sister and they're going to do ministry together. She gives birth to him. After him, you know, my mother gets pregnant and here I am. But my brother is not in ministry and not yet. But my brother is not also someone who is really concerned about the church and anything. He's just like, hey, you know, of me and Jesus were cool, you know, but because he doesn't have any like, he has never cared about church culture, none of that. I grew up. I encountered God early, so I was always excited to just go to church and understand what's going on. But when I would have conversations with him, because when I talk to I'm like, you know, I'll call him a postle, even though he. Can't stand it. But we will talk about God, and we will talk about Jesus, and we will talk about church and all kinds of things. There is a perspective that he has that I am so inspired by. We would have conversations and his insight would actually give me a perspective that I'm like, Wow, this is God. But it's a perspective that comes from the advantage of fresh eyes. He doesn't have the experience of Okay, what is church culture, what is this? What is that? He doesn't have any of that, So he has a way of seeing things that the Lord says, Okay, there is something unique I can do with you that you don't even understand yet. We're talking one time and he was like, you know what if he started telling me about what would happen if he ever opens a church. But he's like, but that's not me and no, I'm not really a church God, I said, that's that's exactly is the point. If God calls you to do that and you feel like, you know what this is not my thing. It is because you have the advantage of fresh eyes. Are you a Jeremiah listening to this? Are you called as a change agent? I want you to understand that your inexperience is not your darkness, It is actually your light. God is with you in that thing, and he looks at you as his advantage. The second person that the Lord could just had me look at was Elijah. You see, Elijah points to the reformers and the activist. Elijah was a man. I want you to read this story. If you feel connected to this. In one Kings eighteen and nineteen, read both chapters. Elijah was a man that killed the prophets of Bao. Now his story I find very fascinating because when Elijah, when it came down to like, you know, shutting the you know, Elijah prayed. The Bible tells us about how he prayed and there was no rain, and when he was trying to show the people that you know, the Lord is God and all that stuff, God sent fire from heaven. So they are all these things that God does. But when it came down to executing the prophets, God could have literally just sent fire from heaven to kill the prophets of Bao. But Elijah himself took on that notion, took on that calling to kill the prophets of About now, the prophets of Boo, they represent spiritual injustice, and spiritual injustice, any type of injustice always starts in the spirit realm. So when we're talking about spiritual injustice, it's not just spiritual, but it's natural. Because the prophets of. Boo, these were the people that were leading Israel astray. They were leading them to do things that were against the call of God on their lives and even against their own selves because Bao was a god that was worship. It's a false God, but it's a principality at the same time. So Elijah, the anointing on Elijah's life is to bring an end to injustice, whether natural or spiritual. You may feel this call of God in your life to be an activist, to be a reformer, and sometimes you may feel this opposition. You see, the interesting thing about Elijah's story, there was a woman named Jezebel. Elijah does all this stuff right. When you read these two chapters and probably just read first things, they will bless your life. Elijah does all this stuff. Jezebel hears about it, and Jezebel is like, you know, she's a person in charge behind the scenes. Jezebel hears about this, and Jezebel threatens Elijah's life, and she's telling him, you know what, if I don't kill you by this time tomorrow, she even puts a time to it. All of a sudden, the threat on Elijah causes him to run away. You see, being an activist is not an easy thing. There is always the threat that your life might be at danger because there are things that God has put in your heart to go against. He's put things in your heart to bring an end to. But the truth of the matter is that no matter the threats of Jezebel, it was not going to work because God was with Elijah. Her threats was only going to reveal to Elijah that you have allies in other places. You see, when Elijah ran away, the lord encountered him. And when the lord encounted him, he gave him strategy. He tells him to anoint a king, a certain king named Jayhu. He tells him to anoint someone that would be his kind of like his spiritual son, actually his spiritual son named Elisha, and he says to Elijah, what you don't kill, Jay who will kill? And what Jay, who doesn't kill Elisha would kill? It was a legacy. It was that you Elisha, Elijah. Rather you have help in places that you do not even know of. There are people that have been preparing behind the scenes that whenever you need help, that they would be ready to accompany you. You see, there is going to be some resistance that you're going to experience in twenty twenty one. There's going to be some resistance you're going to experience for the very things that God has put in your heart to do as an activist. But I want to encourage you right now. Let me send this word into your future that for those watching this and in your heart, even as I'm speaking, my prayer was that every time I will talk about somebody now if it is for you, that you will just feel this fire on your chest, that you would know that Lord something is. I feel a bit restless because God is trying to communicate something to you. This word is a word I'm sending now, but it's going into your future. The ones that God has anointed as activists. There are some things that are going to come against you, but this is to remind you that God is with you. The opposition is not going to bring you to a dark place because the Lord is with you. And be a person of prayer, because every injustice starts. In the spiritual realm. You see this woman, Jezebel that costed elijahs Panic a little bit. Her background is very interesting because, first of all, Jezebel by herself, we see her name coming up in different places in the Bible. Jezebel is a person in the Old Testament. But then in the New Testament we hear about Jezebel, I mean in yeah, in the New Testament. In Revelation we hear about Jezebel. Again, we hear about the Lord telling a certain church that they need to cast out Jezebel. And you're like, which Jezebel is this? Because it's not about the person, it was about the spirit behind her. You see, Jezebel had a father. His name was very, very unique and interesting to me. His name was eth Bao, and a man's like Onto Bao. His very name pointed to the God that he worshiped. And so when if he would name, if his parents would name him according to their God. Then it made me understand that even Jezebel was named according to something, according to a certain principality. And so when you are someone that God has anointed to bring an end to injustice, you have to be a person of prayer, just like Elijah. There are things that you have to understand that you have to war in the spirit and show up in the natural. You can be lax about your spiritual life. There are things that you have to because you see, it was words that caused Elijah to run. But what happens in prayer, we are also declaring words. There are things that you can declare to bring down the very principalities and powers that are causing that are behind the systems and structures that are causing injustice in our world today. Maybe that's you. Maybe you're the one that God has called as a reformer, as an activist. And this is to remind you that whatever comes against you, whatever threat upon your life, to know that God is with you and there is help in place places that you know not of. You have help in places of influence and places of authority. You have help in places that are hidden but known to God. And all you ever have to do in that time would be to call on the name of the Lord. Lord. This is what you have assigned me to do. And I need you to send whoever are my help or send them make them known to me. Oh God, do not panic and do not be in fear. Now the third person or the third group, now this I found very interesting. The Lord highlighted Shadrack Mishack and I'm not gonna do it a bed Negir. Some people say a bad Negro. I did it, okay, So Shadrack Mishak and a bed ne Go. Now, these three people are very fascinating because when we when we when we hear about their stories, we always hear about them, you know, as a as a group. And the Lord began to show me that these are seeds of moves. You know. One of the things that he highlighted was like the me too movement. You see Shadrack Meschak and abtne Go. There was something so interesting that happened. I want you to study if this, if this, if you connect with this, study Daniel chapter two to chapter three. There was a moment that the very king they. Were, they were they served the king rather, you know, they had been taken into captivity by this king, but they served under this king Nebukenezza. And when they served under this king. What was so interesting is that one moment he promotes them as a result of, you know, a dream being revealed. That's another story. He promotes them, but the very same king that promoted them in one moment. The next moment he says he has a statue made of himself in gold, and he makes a command right that everyone who sees this should bow down, and all this stuff. There was this whole thing. Read this, don't read the whole Bible, but read Daniel two to three. But Shadrack, Meshack and abtney Go they were like, no, we're not gonna bow down to your stafe you, because we only bow down to the Lord. When the king heard about this, he was like, okay, what are y'all talking about? And they told him to his face, we're not gonna do it. We only serve the Lord. And the king was like, let me know which God will deliver you from what I'm about to do to you. So he tells his servants to heat up this furnace, like to just you know, go crazy with it. And to put Shadrak, Mishak and Abedniga in the furnace. And they were like, look, our God is able to deliver us, but even if he doesn't, that's fine. We will still not serve your God. They throw them in the furnace all together as a group, and all of a sudden, the king notices. He says, wait, well, first of all, the people that threw them in the furnace died, and they were in the furnace having a party, because all of a sudden, the king says, there's someone else in the fire with them, and it was the presence of God. He says, it's a fourth person in the fire. And the people are not bound anymore. They're walking around, they're having a good time. And as I saw this, I'm like, God, what are you showing me? You see as a result of what took place in this story, First of all, the king tells them, hey, bring them out, and he honors. He says, you know what your God is, truly God, And I want you to see something he said before I explain this in your own terms. In Daniel three, from verse twenty eight to thirty, it says Nebukenza spoke saying, blessed be the God of Shadrak Mishak and abed Nigo, who sent his angel and delivered his servants who trusted in him. And they have frustrated the King's word. He's talking about himself. And you there their bodies, that they should not serve nor worship any god except their own god. Therefore, I make a decree that any people, nation or language, this is the king. This is very fascinating to me. I make a. Decree that any people national language which speaks anything amiss against the god, he doesn't even serve their god. Anyone who speaks against the God of Shadrack Mishak and a bed Nigo shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made an ash heap, because there is no other god who can deliver like this. And then the king who promoted them then demoted them all of a sudden. Then the king promoted Shadrack Mishak and a bed Nigo once more. Now here is what it looks like for you. There are people. The Lord began to show me industries. And there's some of you that you have like almost like you work, you have like your friends. And you guys come together, and there are things that you discussed about the certain injustice that takes place within your industry. And just like the me Too movement that happened with a group of women that are now that said, that's speaking up, and they were speaking up about the very industry that opened doors for them. But they opened doors for them with conditions. You see, they opened doors that were conditional to you being subjects of whatever happens to you, being subject of being violated, being subject of an injustice. The very thing with Shadrak, Michieck and Abed and to Go. Yes, they were promoted by the king, but there were their promotion is conditional. As long as you do the things that are that I require, even though it's against what you believe. In, you will keep your promotion. But Shadrick said, look, first of all, all authority comes from the Lord, So you can have your promotion if you want to throw us in the fire, we are not worshiping your God. There are some of you the very industry that opened doors for you, the very industry that puts you on a platform, And it is not for you to turn a blind eye to the things that you know that are happening there are some of you that you feel that there's a way that God is calling you. There are things that He has called you to speak about. And your fear is that if I speak about this, this is going to throw me in the fire in our own in society we call we call canceled culture. Whatever would people think I'm crazy? Will this burn me in the end, because there are things that you're called to speak about that goes against the very place that you have been established in. Because the Lord is saying, look, I'm not done with exposing. I'm not our pastor call this year the year of revealing. And when he said that, he said, look, this message about the year of revealing could be for a year, it could be for a decade. There are many things that the Lord is not finished with. But there are people assigned to that, and some of you you feel a resistance, and the Lord drew you to this message. There are things that you have seen and you know and you have been a victim of. And he says, my son and my daughter, you have a group, you have people that you work with, and all of you have been talking about this very same thing. And he said, this is the seeds of movements. Just like Shadrak Mishak and Abednigo, you all are gonna come together and you're gonna say, you know what, We're gonna stand for what's right. That's what they did. They stood for their faith and they said if we go down, then so be it. They didn't care that, yes, King, you opened the door for us, but you can have it if you think you're the one who has your authority to promote us. All of a sudden, when they threw them in the fire, the fire was actually the very thing that cost everyone around them to know who their god truly is, and not just the people around them, to the point that the king, who did not even serve their god, makes a decree that any one that speaks against the god of Shadrack, Mishak and the bed Negod they should be cut in pieces. I mean, that is a bit extreme, But the. Point of the point of this is that the fear that you have that you feel like, no, this is gonna put me in a dark place. This is gonna oh my gosh, this is gonna end my career. God says, I would be with you in the fire. The fire is not going to consume you because God is known as the all consuming fire, he would consume whatever tries to consume you. He says, I would be with you. Yes, they're gonna throw you in, but I would be the one to restore you. And I will be the one to make it known that I am the one who validates you, and I will confirm the very things I've called you to do. Do not be afraid about what God has called you to do in your industry, because just like Shad racked Mishak and a bad Negro, No, He's gonna be with you now. The next the next person that the Lord showed me. Was David. David, and this actually speaks to the influencers. That's a very popular term in culture. You see, David was a man. It's so interesting because David was king, right, but David really embodied what in Revelation. There's a there's a scripture that talks about how the Lord has made us, you know, king and priest. Unto the Father. Right, I'm paraphrasing, but basically it says that we have been made as king and priest. There's another version in the Old Testament that talks about a kingdom of priests, but there are multiple versions that gives us this idea that we are called as kings and priests. So your kingship has to do with your natural position of dominion, but your priesthood has to do with your spiritual position of authority. Now, David is one that was called by God to be king over the people in Israel. David, you know, God gives the anoint him all of this stuff. David used to be a shepherd boy and all of a sudden now and he was not just one that was a king. He had the influence. He had influence amongst the people because even before he became a king, they were singing songs about him. They were singing songs in a manner that praised him above the king because there was a favor on his life that caused an attraction that caused him to reign even before he started reigning. So David becomes king, but David is also one who functions in his priesthood. David never played about the presence of God. When you read the psalms that he wrote, he always talks about the one thing that I will seek after is to be in the house of the Lord. And there was not that. There was actually a structure of a structure or a temple. He was talking about the presence of God. David understood that everything what makes me who I am, it is my access to God's presence, that is priesthood. He understood that the authority that I even have what people are looking at, is as a result of my anointing. So David lived in this balance of kingship and priesthood. But there was a certain time that something happened. Right David's men go out to war and is on his balcony and he sees a woman that he you know, we admired, I guess, and he calls for her. He sleeps with her. She gets pregnant. When the news came to David that this woman is pregnant, he plans how her husband, who is in his army, should be killed. Now, I really I asked the Lord about I was like, okay, what is it you're showing me about this? You see when David killed this man, because I'm like, why is he killing the man? You know, maybe he could just take the woman as his wife. All of it is wrong. First of all, you know, not co signing anything, but the fact that David will kill this man. You see, this was an honorable man in David's army, And I begin to wonder, could it be that David, in trying to protect his kingship, does not want to make himself look dishonorable even though he just committed something that was of dishonor you slept with a man in your army his wife now she's pregnant. Is it that David was so concerned. About losing the influence of the people that what will be said about him? David, you got this, you got her pregnant. Come on, man, the husband is someone who is for you. Could it be that David was so concerned about losing influence with the people because you can have authority and the people may not like you. Could it be that David was so concerned that he's like, Okay, how do I cover this up? And then he kills the man and he's going about his business, no conviction, nothing. Then the Lord sends a certain prophet. Named Nathan to rebuke David, basically to show David to show him himself. When that happened. The next thing that David says, he has this whole psalms where it's literally like a prayer of repentance. But there was something in that particular sum and this is in Psalm fifty one. Now, in verse eleven, he says something. He says, do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your Holy Spirit from me. David in this moment realized I have put my kingship above my priesthood. I was so concerned about protecting my influence that I was actually living in a manner that is not worthy of who you've called me to be as a priest. We are all called as kings and priests. But the mistake of culture because right now everybody is so concerned with the following, with influencing you, with all these things, with numbers, all this stuff, it's data, all of this, right, we're so concerned about it. How many people watch my story today, how many people liked it? How many people watch the video? How many people said something was so concerned about having, like having influence amongst the people in culture, that are we putting our kingship above our priesthood. Because the moment we begin to put kingship above priesthood, we are walking in darkness and calling it light. Because the very reason that God will give you a platform is not because of yours. It's not for us. There is a purpose we are called to serve. The platform serves is a vehicle. The platform is not the reward. It is a vehicle to do the very thing that God has called you to do. And sometimes there are things that may feel like, hey, you know what it could cost you the platform. But as long as the presence of God is with you whatever He needs you to be on, platforms can come and platforms can go. Whatever it is that God has assigned for you, he knows how to get it to you. And I'm saying this not just to influencers, but in particular. There are mistakes and there are things that you have been your There is a depression. I saw you so clearly. You see yourself as an influencer, but there are things about your life that you are covering up and it's killing you. There are things you have done, their mistakes you have made, and every single time, all you're so concerned about is how to cover up the cover up, and it's killing you. And the only reason it's killing you is because you are so scared of what the truth will do. When David got bad, Sheba pregnant. There was no need. He never intended to have bad Sheba, because that's why it was never when he saw her. If it was about making bad Sheba his wife, that could have been a discussion. In the beginning. It was never the intention of bad Sheba to be his wife. It was just to satisfy his flesh. But when bad Sheba was pregnant, the fruit of his sin was revealed. David's concern was, now, how do I cover it up? How do I hide this? And in trying to hide it, it was costing him his priesthood all to keep his influence. You see, there are many of you, and you're watching this, and the Lord is saying, the truth is what will set you free. It's not you trying to hide the truth will set you free. I gave you the platform. I'm not saying, Miss Stephanie. You know I'm not that important. The Lord gave you the platform. The Lord said something to David in the scripture. He said, David, I am the one who took you from being a shepherd boy to being king over my people. It was a reminder that David, this was not because of your good looks. It was not because of the things you did. It's not because you're a man of war, because all of this is actually by My grace. And there are many of you, and you. Have forgotten how you got to where you are, and you got there because of the hand of God upon your life, and it is your priesthood that actually keeps you there. And if you keep trying to cover things up, because especially now in a COVID life where everything is online, you're like, oh, people have so much time on their hands, what are they going to do with this information? But the Lord is saying to you that the truth will set you free. The truth will set you free. Stop trying to hide it because nothing stays hidden for too long, and the cost of you trying to hide it, actually the consequence is much greater because you see, as a result of David killing this man, the consequence was that the child that she was pregnant with will die. And now this is known to everyone. So what you've been trying to hide all along is still known, but now it comes a heavier price. Are you the David And for some of you, maybe you haven't there. There are certain things that you may have not even made a mistake yet, But I want to encourage you. We're all I mean, error is a given. Okay, whatever mistakes you make in your life, whatever mistakes you have made or might make in your life, don't be so consumed with trying to hide it that it ends up costing you everything. The truth is what will set you free. It is your. Priesthood that actually keeps your kingship. Your kingship should serve your priesthood, not the other way around. Let's not be so distracted with influence that we forget the very purpose of it. The next thing I want to talk about, The next person I want to talk about is a woman named Esther n. Just for clarity, this is not about sex. It's not about male or female. When I'm saying David's again, it's about an anointance. It's about a grace. It's about a calling. You could be I could be talking about David, and as a woman, you're connecting to that. I could talk about Esther and as a man, you're connecting to that. And so Esther's first of all, you know, you want to read the whole book of Esther. It's amazing to really understand and really the weight of her story. But you see Esther is this almost like this hidden power because Esther, she came from nowhere to now. You are the wife of the king. Esther's are the people that have the ear of the king. They have the ear of the CEOs. They have the ear to the executives, they have the ear. They're the people that influence behind the scene and what the Lord began to show me, because when you study the book of Esther, Esther was someone that when she got the ear to the king, he was ready. He said, you know what, babe, what do you want? You want the kingdom? I got you. You haven't the ear to those in authority. The mistake is to cause it to serve you, is to make it about you. What can this person do for me? There are certain relationships that God has placed in your life. There's a certain type of favor that you have in your work environment. And it's not about you, but it's about the things that is connected to you. And what I mean is it's not about your selfish you know, ambition or whatever, but what is connected to you in regards to the Kingdom of God. The things that God wants to establish through you. But it is going to be through you as a result of the relationships that He has placed in your life. Because you see, there are certain people that they don't have an ear to God, but they will listen to you. They don't have a personal relationship with God, but they look at you and they're like, you know, whatever, whatever you tell me, there's a there's an influence you have on their lives that can cause them to do the very things that God is trying to get to their attention, but they cannot perceive it. If God could get the king attention, because it's never about if God spoke or if God didn't speak. There's a there's a word when the Lord said, behold that. Do a new thing? Do you not perceive it? So God is always trying to communicate something, but the problem is our ability or inability to perceive. So there are some relationships that God has placed in your life, and there's certain things that the Lord will require you to ask of and it has nothing to do with you. And your hesitation is, Ah, I don't know what this is going to look like. Ah, you know, maybe this could actually cost me the relationship because if I just said the wrong thing, maybe the King would have treated her like he did his ex wife like, you know what, you are banished from this kingdom, and Esther's like, look, I came up. You know I was an orphan Now I'm queen, like, I'm just trying to keep you know, keep the good life here. Maybe she didn't say it like that. But the point is. The reason that your relationships is that God is trying to get a word out and if they will not perceive it from Him directly, then they would perceive it from you. It's not just about you. It's not about you saying this is who I know and oh have you seen my contact list? There is a purpose for those relationships. There is a strategy behind the relationship, and if you see it right then you will walk and manifest the very thing connected to your call. As I'm speaking, whatever you feel connected to whoever, just put that in the chat right now. If you feel like God you has positioned you like an Esther, put her name in the chat. If you feel like God has positioned you like a David. I'm so intrigued. I want to know what God is also speaking to you. Relationships you have, But those relationships, they have a strategy of God, and. You have to see it right. You see, we have entered a new era. And there is something that will be discussed at a different on a different time. But the Lord showed me something about this year that is very fascinating, not even just this year, almost this season. In the Book of Revelation. This is not even in my notes, but I feel led to share this. In the Book of Revelation, there's a moment where it talks about different seals. There are seven seals, and each one being broken one at a time. The first seal that was broken had to do with the Lord conquering, and the other seals, some of them are a bit extreme. But we are in a there's something has started. Something has and I mean it's not even about like it don't miss it, you know, making it about conspiracy theories and COVID and other stuff. Something has started that is gonna cause the Lord to establish his kingdom. And he establishes his kingdom. The Lord that. Reveals themselves as the one who conquers, He does it through you. And so when God is positioning you in certain places and positioning with certain people, there is a strategy behind it. And if you see it right, then you're gonna walk in the very manner that God has called you to. Now, the next one, there's just two more I want to just briefly talk about is Job. Now this is a difficult one because this has to do there is an anointing for affliction. Unfortunately, because you see what Job, you know many of you may have lost a lot of people, not just this year. I'm talking about back to back to back to back. It almost feels like every year you're burying somebody. It almost feels like it's one thing after the other, one loss after the other. You see with Job, he couldn't understand it. It was just back to back to back, and we don't really understand even the time spent. It just happened like one, two three. And for some of you that may have felt like this past seven years, the past ten years, it just feels like if it's not this, the next thing and it's that thing, and it's distant and it's that thing. But you see the interesting thing about Job, you want to study the whole book of Job. I'm sure you're aware about his story because Job was the one who the enemy was like, Hey, first of all, the enemy is having a party walking around the earth. He comes to the Father and the Lord is like, hey, you know, Satan, you know, where have you been? And Tatan is like, I'm being you know, checking out the earth looking for who to devour, you know, like Satan is. But that just offended me. But the Lord, literally God himself appoints. He's over here nominating Job. He's like, have you seen my servant Job? Have you seen Job? If you're looking for somebody and check Job out, he will prove me to be true. But basically, Job suffers one loss after the other, another and another and another one. If another one from dj Kaled couldn't sound more horrible, it happened in the life of Job. He's like, I don't want to hear dj Kaled ever in my life if dj Kaled existed in the time of Job. But back to the focus. But the thing about Job is the Bible tells us that Job was a man of influence, and the story of Job has such an emphasis on his friends, that his friends. Well, this whole thing about you know, his friends being around, the friends talking. The literally the book of Job, you have Job talking, you have God talking, you have his friends talking. There was such an emphasis, and the Lord showed me something I never paid attention to until today, that when it came to Job's friends, it was not just about these particular friends. It was about the fact that Job was a man of influence, like the Bible tells us, and so it was about what the people were watching. You see, the anointance of Job, it's a heavy one. It's when the Lord can trust you with a burden. We always want the Lord to trust us with a blessing, but the Lord can is also looking for those he can trust with a burden. Because when we talk about the Scripture that says, you know, we overcome by the word of our testimony, but before the testimony is a burden. And so the anointance of Job comes from the place of when God first of all, because there's something. In it for you. It is first attracted to when God wants. To reveal to you who he truly is outside of the things that he does for humanity, but who he is the person of Jesus, the person that is a comforter, the person that is a friend, the person that is for you. Because at the end of the day, family, everything we have in life we are not owners of. We are only stewards our relationships, our businesses, our children, whatever it is. We don't own anything. We are only stewards over it. So whenever God wants to call it back, he has the right to. But God wants to reveal himself in a way because many people that even this thing about job, it is drawn to those who have a fake relationship with God. And what I mean by that is your relationship with God is by the way of what you've heard, is by the way of your pastor your grandmother, your mother, this minister is by the way of your neighbor. But you've never met the Lord. So all you know about God is what others have said. And when it doesn't look like what others said, you begin to question does God really exist? And so all of a sudden, when God. Begins to strip you of the things that other people said, that this is what it looks like to walk with God, he says, because it's not about the things. You don't even own it. My relationship with you is personal to you. That is why the only thing that the Lord said to Satan, do not touch his life, because this is where me and him connect. It's not I don't reveal myself just because of how I bless you. I reveal myself to you, that my person is the gift. What I give to you is just you know, the extras. So when God wants to reveal the authentic nature of his relationship and that through you, others will be inspired about who is God for real. It is a heavy burden, but I want to encourage you. Some of you are going to feel like, is it witchcraft? What is happening in my family? Because I'm sure Joe would have thought the same thing, that was this witchcraft? What is this? But it was God approved it. We're only stewards and there is an authentic relationship that God desires to have with you. He would restore you, he would establish you, just like he did for Job. But through your relationship with God, it's going to also there are people watching you, and that is the bridge you're building. Because there were people watching Job. There are people around him that could testify to the way he acted, the words he spoke. There were people that were looking at him, and there are many people that, unknown to you, are going to be inspired by your story. And so don't give up. Don't think that because this is happening, the Lord is not with me. No, the Lord is actually with you. And lastly, I'm going to talk about Abraham. You see, the Lord began to show me those that have been building. They have built empires, and there is this attack on your mind that makes you feel as though it's not worth it because I don't even have the person that it's going to take over this when I die. Your mind is already going there. I'm getting older and I don't see who is going to be my heir to this empire that I have built. But you see, Abraham, it was not just about him having an heir, and the Lord showed me that he would. There are things you don't even have to worry about. But keep building. Don't stop building, or don't feel like you want to pull back because now you're wondering what who's gonna. Take after this. Keep building because Abraham's life was not just about his. Natural son. The Bible tells us that because of Abraham. In Abraham, all the nations of the world will be blessed. Based on what the lineage of Abraham produced, which also involves our Lord Jesus, all the nations will be blessed. The bridge you're building is for generational it's generations to come. There are things that people would be able to do easier in their calling because of what you built. God would establish. The worries you have, He's going to take care of that. But you have to understand that what God is calling you to build is beyond your family name. It's beyond a child of yours being able to take over it. It is that you're establishing something on the earth that generations down the line would acknowledge and honor who you are. That because of you, what God also called me to do was made easy. You see, family, I believe that there are many things that God is doing in this time, but one thing I know for a fact is that He is established in his kingdom. And the only thing that would slow you down is this idea that He is not with you. Is this idea that when calamity hits, when it feels like there's a circumstance, when it feels like there is darkness, that He is not with you, because in his presence we have the validation that we are going to see the other side of it. Moses said to the Lord, when the Lord instructed him to take the people into the Promised Land, he said, We're not going anywhere unless your presence goes with us. If you are with me, then I am fine. And I am here to tell you that even in what would look like darkness, that God is with you, that you are not alone in this. This is a word that I want that you would end up coming back to. It is a word that has been sent into your future and into your now because there are things that the Lord is going to require of you, and there are things that will stand as an opposition to it. But you have to remember these very words and the things that the Lord will reveal to you in your quiet time, in your devotional time. The presence of God is with you, and He is with you to establish what he has called you to do. You see, family, Maybe you're even watching this and you feel drawn to some of the people that I have mentioned, but you have not yet given your life to the one whose presence you need. And if you want to open up your heart to Jesus today, just put in the comments here. I am here, I am here, I am what is come in family? The only way that we would thrive, the only way that we would have joy, the only way with that we would know freedom and liberty is to know the presence of God and to know that His presence. Is with us. And so, for those of you that are saying, Jesus, I want to know you, I want you to just say this prayer with me. Heavenly Father, come into my heart and make my heart your home. Lord Jesus, I confess with my mouth as I have received in my heart, that you are my savior. You are my Lord, and you are God. You died on the cross from my sins, and when you were raised up, I was raised up too. I was raised up free with power and with authority. Lord, have your way in me. I want to be everything You've called me to be, and on this day I surrender my life to you. Thank you, Jesus, family, we love you. There's many things to unpack through this message, but take it and spend some personal time with the Lord. Whatever spoke to you, study about it, because it will be an anchor in times to come. God bless you.