Stephanie Ike - Bring it On

Hey, family, welcome to the official YouTube page of One. I'm excited that you're here. This message is getting ready to bless your life. I want you to stay connected to the incredible things that are happening in this movement, So don't forget to subscribe and turn on your notifications. And if you want to partner with us and some of the great things that we're doing all over the world, you can give as well. Now it's time to get into this word. I love you, God bless you. Let's stay connected. Hallelujah. Family. I'm so excited for today and I'm just grateful to be with you on this activate right now. Just let me know where you're tuning in from. You could put one and your city one or your country. Just put it in the comments right now, he said, I truly believe that God has purpose for today to be just what you needed. You know, this morning, as I was waking up, I woke up to hearing this song being sung. It was just like a group. Of people singing this song, and it's a song that many of us we know. But the particular part I heard what I. Was laying down when it goes God is fighting for us that he's pushing back the darkness, lighting up the kingdom that cannot be shaking. And then it. Says, in the name of Jesus, the enemy is defeated, and we will shout it out, shout it out. I'm talking. But this is the song you sang, right, But I shouldn't do that to you today. But we all was so powerful this song, this particular part, there's few lines. They kept singing it over and over and over again. It was so beautiful. And as I got up, the Lord began speaking to me about what is happening in the lives of so many of his children. But first of all, I just want you to take a moment. And I want you to write down, whether you put it in the comments, or you write it in your journal, or you write it in your notes, that the enemy is defeated. I want you to embrace that reality because it's what it is. It's the truth. At the end of the day, the enemy is defeating. And the Lord began speaking to me that many people are going through what they would label as spiritual warfare. Right, There's a lot going on that you can't put your finger on it. They are random things taking place. People are getting sick, children acting up, You're fighting. It feels like you're in a fight, right. It feels like you're in a fight for your life. It feels like you're in a fight for your marriage, for your kids. It feels like you're in a fight for your business. It feels like you're in a fight for your peace, for your sanity. And the Lord kept showing me this image of battle. But then that song was such a reminder that God is fighting for us. He is pushing back the darkness. That yes there is darkness, but the Lord is pushing it back. And what he began to teach me and speak to me literally today, I was thinking that this was going to go a different way. But when he started counseling me about what I need to talk about on this very day. One of the things that was so beautiful. You see in the Bible when Jesus was telling the disciples, when he was teaching them how to pray, one of the things that he said is that your will be done, that they should pray like this, that the fathers will be done in earth as it is in heaven. And the Lord began to teach me that for certain things to take place, in earth, it has the first take. Place in you. You see, the battle is already one, that's a fact. The enemy has been defeated. But even his defeat, there was a battle that took place. The Bible tells us in the Book of Revelation that Michael Angel, Michael and his angels, those that rallied behind him, they were in a war against Satan and his angels, those that went with him. But obviously we know the story that the angel on the lord's side won that battle and Satan was cast out. But sometimes I begin to wonder that maybe, you know, the fall from heaven to Earth was really long, that Satan forgot he's defeated, So sometimes he wants to. Try you, right. But you see, a battle warfare is an opportunity to remind the that you are defeated. Maybe you forgot. I'm gonna give that to you. That was a long journey down here, and maybe during that journey, you know, you had short term memory or something. I don't know, some kind of memory loss, right, But I'm gonna remind you that you are defeated, and that is my assignment today. You see, there is a way that you can posture yourself that you become, You become what demands for what God has already established in heaven, that what is will begin to manifest in your life, will begin to manifest in your surrounding. Because you know, one of the things that our pastor you may have heard him say this, but it's something that he has taught me and I and I hold onto that so much because it's true. And he says this, that Satan is not the one bringing the warfare. You are the one bringing the warfare. You see, when we think about you know, for those that might be familiar with this scripture, there's a story right when the Lord sends a man named Moses to deliver the Israelites out of Egypt. And when he delivers them out of Egypt, the Lord tells them that, hey, I'm taking you to a land filled with milk and honey. Basically, it's just it's a land of you know, endless opportunities to TikTok and I'm joking, but this is a land that was gonna be resourceful. This is a land that they would inhabit, that they would raise their children in. This was a land that they would have no lack. This is what the Lord promised them that this land is already yours. He says to them, like, look, I have given you this land. But you see, when. The Lord said that he had given it to them, it did not mean that there were not enemies who were currently inhabiting that land, that there were people who were illegally possessing what they'd not belonged to them. But when the Lord says, look, I've given it to you, So I want you to have the right mindset about what's about to take place. You're gonna go back and reclaim your territory. You're gonna go back and reclaim what is yours. So when the Israelites began to make war against the people who are occupying what belonged to them, who do you think started the warfare? The Israelites dead. So what sometimes we call like when we see ourselves as a victim of warfare, what is actually happening is just the counter attack of the enemy. He says, Oh, you have woken up right. You are no longer in the sunken place, and now you are realizing who you are in Christ. Do you know that your yes to Jesus is more impactful than you would ever imagine? That sometimes just your testimony alone will bring someone out of darkness. The things that God has called you to do, the things He has called you to steward that this is going to reclaim territory from the enemy. And the only reason all hell seems to. Be breaking loose is not because you are the victim of warfare, but it's because you are a threat to the enemy's kingdom. Because you are a threat, and He's recognizing, Look, I'm not willing to give you what belongs to you easily, and so in order to weaken your position, let me intimidate you. Let it seem like I'm throwing things your weight that will prosper, even when the Bible tells us that no weapon formed against you shall prosper. But let me see if I can get you to a position that you will lose your creativity, you will lose your inspiration, that you will lose your what wakes you up, what keeps you up sometimes at night, not out of panic, but out of joy that God I cannot wait for the next day because I get to do this. Let me see if I can get you to the place where you will be discouraged and disappointed and defeated because you see, when you allow yourself, if you allow yourself, rather if you ever allow yourself to get to the place where you just feel like you embrace the identity of being discouraged. Do you embrace the identity of being defeated, you are no longer tap into the flow of the Holy Spirit, because when you're in that space, when you allow this cloud of depression to take over you, you don't find yourself being as creative as you once were. But creativity that comes from it comes from the Lord. So if the enemy can try to put you in a position where he's like, let me just shut you up from listening to God, let me shut up your testimony. Rather than you being someone who talks about the goodness of God, you now begin to complain and questioning, I don't know if God is really good, and you forget that there are people listening to what you're saying that they're lives that are taking a different route because your life is no longer going in the direction that God has ordained it to be. You see, life is more than just things going your way. Your yes to God is bigger than all the things that we call blessings. A blessing. The truth blessing and the true essence of being blessed is living out what God has said about you. And sometimes that journey is not always going to be pretty. Or you see, when the enemy looks at you, and the enemy recognizes that you are stepping into a place that will make you a threat to his kingdom, it seems like you're the victim of warfare, but you're not. You're actually the ones starting it. You see. I came to make sense of some of the things that might be going on in your life right now. And you have said this. You've said it to some of your friends, some of your family members, and you're like, this is not normal. What I'm experiencing doesn't feel normal. You're not saying it to the crowd, you're not saying it to the public, but those in your intimate circles know exactly what this is about. You're in this space where you just feel like, man, I feel like it's one thing after the other. It's not one thing after the other. You're going after what God has called to your life. You're going back to reclaim territory. And I want to read this scripture. It's a scripture that fascinates me so much. Right. It's in Ephesians six twelve, and it says this, for we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. I mean, first of all, that's a lot, okay. But the question is who must you be? If this is what you're wrestling up, If you're wrestling against principalities, spiritual wickedness in high places, rulers of darkness, then who must you be? You see, some of you you're fighting the wrong battle. You're thinking that your problem is a person. You're thinking that your issue is flesh and blood. It comes through flesh and blood many times, but that's not your problem. The problem is the. Spirit behind the manipulation of someone's brokenness and insecure security to get you out of position. Now you're looking at a person, but behind that person is a spirit, whether they unknown to them, many times even unknown to them, because whether it is brokenness, whether it's insecurity, whether it's unforgiveness, whether it's envy, whether it's jealousy, the enemy knows how to use that and work his will and so you think your biggest problems are individuals, but it's not. You're wrestling up against something much greater than that, and not even really greater, but just in this context you're looking at you're thinking, Oh, that's the person I just can't I'm so tired of you. And God is like you're going up against a different battle. This is supposed to weaken your position, but do not allow it. Even what comes from people, it is to weaken your position. It is to get you to the place where you begin to take on the identity of a victim. You are more than a conqueror. That is what the word. Says about you. You're not a victim. And then you begin to read this principalities powers, rulers of darkness. Who must you be? Because you are the one that is called to rule, You are the one that is called to possess. You're the one that is called to take territory, whatever that might look like. The Lord is showing me there's someone your school teacher, and you just feel like, what is going on. I'm just a school teacher. You're more than that. You're an influence to those kids that are under your stewardship. Every time you pray for them, every time that you're seeking the face of God concerning their lives. They are angels being positioned at they're homes because of your prayers. You're thinking that what is it about me? Lord? I'm just this, you know, just everyday school teacher. But God knows who you truly are in the kingdom and the kingdom You're a threat. And so when you're seeing what is coming up against you, I want you to actually expect it. Now. To expect it does not mean to surrender to it, but to expect it from the place of no. I started the warfare. It just didn't come up randomly against me. I started it. So I expect for the enemy to counter attack, because he's not just trying to give. This up easily. No. But when I expect it, I recognize. This is the day that I remind you that you are defeated. You See, sometimes you just have to look in the mirror and just say your name is see I will just say no, I am Stephanie. First of my name breaker of Chains. Right, if you watch Game of Firms, you know what I'm talking about. If you don't, go watch get films. Okay, but sometimes you have to remember who you are. You have to go in the mirror and just say, you know what my name is, Stephanie. I'm a child of the Most High God. I have authority, I have power under who God has call to be that when I call on my Daddy, he answers who is the enemy that thinks he can win a battle that has already been lost. You begin to speak about yourself the way God sees you and recognize that what may seem like hell is breaking loose, what may seem like warfare, that at the end of the day. God will have the final say. It may seem like darkness is close to you, but the Lord is the one who is gonna step in and push it back, and he will overcome and rest and you would restore to the Kingdom of Heaven what has been taken by the enemy. You see, even when it's when. Your impact and your influence might seem to only affect one individual, you don't know who that one individual is going to be in the world. You don't know if their lives is connected to influence it and impact in millions and billions of people on the earth. You have to recognize that sometimes warfare is a sign, and it's it's for you, you to remind yourself, who must I be. If the people coming up. Against me are principalities and rulers of darkness and wickedness and all this stuff, why is it the rulers of it? Because I'm coming to take territory, because I'm a ruler in the Kingdom of God. You say, I want to speak to you about three things that will help you to posture yourself in a manner that your life begins to demand manifestation, that your life begins to demand a move of God like no other. When the Lord steps in and he shows himself to be strong. And mighty in battle on your behalf. You see, even when the Israelites we are fighting different battles, there was a way they had to go about it. And when they did not move in accordance with what the Lord has spoken, there were some things that they lost. Because you're not fighting this in your strength, You're fighting it in the Lord's name. And so, first of all, my assignment. Here was to remind you that the warfare happening in your life. First of all, you are not the victim. You are you are the one initiating it because you're going after things connected to your name. Did you know that when you. Said yes to Jesus that you became a weapon in the hands of God to win back. Territory to him. You became a weapon. Your testimony is a weapon, Your essence is a weapon. Your presence is a weapon. The things you would do and his name is a weapon that everything about you. God said, I can breathe on it, and I can use it to shake this world. I can use the very things that you feel I make that the things that you you you feel insecure about. God said, no, I could use that too, because when you said yes to me, you said yes for my power to be to be revealed through you. You know it's so crazy, right. One of the things I used to be so insecure about was my voice. The sound of my voice. I felt like I sounded like a kid. I was like, you know what my voice is telling on me? Because I really am a kid. And I remember, like, I was like, God, like, my voice sounds so childish. How do you want me to talk about things that have authority with this little baby voice? And it shocked me when I would literally and it felt I was like, God, you know what you are hilarious, you like to show off. Because people didn't need to tell me. But then I started getting countless messages, and what people would highlight was the tone of my voice, that there's something about it that just that allows them to just receive what the Lord is saying. And I said, this is this is comedy central right here, because if you only knew that, this was one of my biggest insecurities, and this is the thing that you're saying God is using in your life. First of all, I don't see that as coincidence. I see that as God confirming and affirming that, Stephanie, even the very thing you think will disqualify you, because you said yes to me, I would use that and more. What else do you want to bring? What else you want to complain about? What else do you want to say to me? No, I will use it. That will not change it, because that would take away his essence as God. That is why even Moses, when Moses is telling the Creator I cannot speak, God did not tell him, okay, you know, to make you more comfortable, Moses, let me fix the problem right now. He didn't do that. He said, no, Moses, even the thing you think will disqualify you from what I've sent you, I would use it as a weapon. You have to recognize that you're yes to God made your deepest fears and insecurities weapons in his hand. He said, oh, what what I'm about to do with you? And so when the enemy sees you, he's not just seeing this, you know, random person. Things are not just happening to you randomly. He said, Oh, you are coming after territory, but you are equipped and you are empowered because the Holy Spirit is with you. But there was something about this message that seemed very urgent in my spirit this morning, And it's really about how we position and posture ourselves. Like I said, yes, you expect warfare, but you don't surrender to it. And the Lord began to show me that many have positioned themselves in a place of surrender to the attack of the enemy. You're just like, okay, what will be will be? No no, no, no no, no, it's not what will be will be. You have to look at what is happening and say, does this line up? Does this match up with what the Word of God says about my life and my family? And if it doesn't, there are certain things you. Must do to position yourself, because like I said earlier, there are certain things. For it to manifest in the earth, it has to first manifest in you. And so there are three key things I just want us to touch on. And the very first thing is to watch and pray. Watch and pray. Now, there are two scriptures will read to you. The first one is in First King's chapter eighteen, verse one. Right, it says this, and it came to pass after many days, that the word of the Lord came to Elijah in the third year, saying, go present yourself to Ahab. Ahab was a king at this time, and I will send rain on the earth. Now, what is happening? A little bit of backstory there was Elijah had prayed, Elijah as a prophet of the Lord, and there was a time when he prayed and he said, look, there will be no rain for three and a half years. Right, there will be no rain, And the clouds were shut up. There was no rain. There was a drought in the land. And then the Bible tells us something that now, during the course of that time, a word of the Lord came to Elijah, and it says to him that he should go present himself to Ahab and then I this is the Lord speaking, and I will send rain on the earth. Now you catch the picture, right. The Lord is the one saying, go present yourself. The rain is coming. But then you jump into James five seven, verse seventeen to eighteen, and it says this, Now, this is a man who has insight and revelation about what took place in how the rain came. It said Elijah was a man with a nature like ours. And he prayed. Earnestly that it will not rain. And it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced this fruit. Now this is really fascinating because when you go back to First Kings, you will see that there's a story when you read, you know, when you just read vertues after eighteen, chapter nineteen, there's a story here. When Elijah he goes up the mountain and he has a servant with him and he tells a servant to go look at the clouds. The servant comes back, he's like, you know, Elijah, there's there's no rain, there's nothing. And he's postured in a way that he's praying, and he tells a servant go back. The servant comes back, he's like, there's nothing. This happens seven times. The seventh time the servant goes back, he seems like, you know, he's like, there's a cloud the size of a person's hand, and then boom. Elijah knew that what God has said is happening. But this is the question I have for you. God said there would be rain. If God said there would be rained, why does Elijah need to pray? And why is it highlighted that Elijah is praying when God said right? So when we have this posture of what will be, will be? You know, if God said it, you know that's it. But here we see a beautiful picture. God said something. But then Elijah postures himself in prayer. He postures himself in agreement. He says, Lord, there is something you have already purposed to do in the earth, but it also needs to be done in me. I need to come in full agreement of faith that indeed, this is what you're about to do. He postured himself in prayer. So he watched for the word. There was a. Word that was given to him by the Lord, and he began to pray until what he was praying about would be in alignment with what he saw in his natural eyes. You see, a word coming to you is like watching what is happening spiritually, what has already been established by God in the spirit, what is established in heaven. But also, why would Jesus also tell the disciples to pray like that that, Lord, let your will be done, that kingdom come on earth in earth rather as it is in heaven. If it is just what will be will. Be, then if it is in heaven, we should just be chilling right on the beach somewhere heaven pinacolade and just saying, you. Know what, Lord, whenever you're ready, whatever you. Have decided to do in heaven, you know that that's what will happen in earth. No, you have to position yourself and say, Lord, whatever is happening in my life right now does not mirror what you have said. I am watching. There is a word you have spoken. Even the Lord watches over his own word. There is a. Word that you have spoken, And I am going to bring myself into full alignment. You see, when we are in prayer, prayer comes. Prayer is when First of all, you are acknowledging that Lord, you said something, and I believe you. Prayer is when. You're saying, God, give me a strategy, give me wisdom, give me understanding. Prayer when you're praying and declaring that God, what you have spoken to me, well, you have re to me. Let it happen. That is that it reveals your faith and your expectation. You see, sometimes we make excuses like, no, I just know what happened. But could it be that you have lost expectation? Could it be that your faith is no longer engaged. There is a difference between surrendering something to God and losing hope. Many times we call surrender lack of faith. Losing hope in something is not the same as surrender. You see, Abraham surrendered when God said, give me your son, your only son, sacrifice him to me. The difference between that is that the Bible also tells us that Abraham believed because God told him you will have a son. And there was a promise connected to this child. But Abraham believed that even if God took Isaac, that he was gonna resurrect him once again. Abraham did not lose hope and say, you know, sure, God, you want him here. I guess you know. I guess you like you know. I guess I didn't hear properly. I guess I was wrong. No, Abraham said, no, you want Isaac. That's fine. You might take. His life, but you're gonna resurrect him back right about now. Okay, that's the difference. And you have to be honest with yourself enough to know the very thing that you're saying that God, I just surrender that to you. Did you surrender or did you lose faith? Because if you lost faith, that's a whole different ballgame. That is, when you're just in a place of like God, you know what, if it never happens, I'm cool. No no, no, no, no, no, no no. Is that connected to what God said to you? Was that the word that God spoke to you concerning that very thing. You see? Surrender says God, I am letting go of this. I'm letting go of it based on my own timeline. You gave me a word, and then I added layers to the word, and I said, you have to do it in my thirties. And if you don't do it in my thirties, then this is not real. That didn't tell you a timeline. He just gave you a word. So render, says Lord. I'm believing that this will happen. Even if it happens when I'm seventy, it will happen. Giving up says you know what, It didn't happen in my thirties, so you know it's cool. God, I would learn how to just, you know, walk away from this. You have to be honest with yourself. And so when you find yourself in a posture of prayer, and that is why you have to watch and pray, you have to be watched men and women over your lives. There was a prophet by the name of Ezekiel in the scripture. He was known as a watchman. He would watch for what God will say concerning the people, the Lord's people, and anytime a word came to him, the Lord would say, look, if you don't speak it, if something happens to them because you didn't warned them that it would be on your head. You have to learn how to be a watchman and a woman over your own life, over your family, over your community, over your your surrounding that God, what have you said, and how do I need to posture myself. You see powerful testimony. There's a family member of mine and there's a word that the Lord has spoken concerning this individual when he was you know, conceived, and he didn't look nothing like the word. Years down the line still look nothing like the word. Right, but we kept praying into it. You know. You see what prayer does is that it. Feeds your faith. It doesn't it doesn't feed your doubts. That anytime you see something that looks against what the Lord has spoken, you're not quick to just feed into the doubts and say, God, this will never be like I give up. No, you begin to speak life, You begin to speak no says what the Word of God said. That is why why do many of us thank God for grandmothers and praying mothers and all that stuff. You know, I want to shout out to the fathers too, because every time I see those posts, I don't see praying grandfathers or praying fathers or uncles. There's always the women. You know, women love the Lord. We know that. But I want to shout out to other praying people. Right, But why do we acknowledge praying grandparents because they never stopped speaking life even when it looked like it was going in a different direction. They never stopped speaking life over their grandkids, over their children. They never stopped. Even when you look like you were losing your head. They would go in their prayer closet and say, Lord, I thank you that you have given me a warrior. You have given me one who would love you. They spoke life. That's the beauty here. And so with this family member not too long ago, a couple of weeks ago, the Lord literally woke me up from my sleep and he began to show me his sa that you have stopped interceding for this person, and you need to gather family to continue to pray for them. Interceding is the intentional act of praying for something until you see the move of God take place concerning that. And when this was like three in the morning, the Lord woke me up and I called my mom immediately right I called my mom. I was like, Mom, this situation, we can't we can't drop it. We can't let this thing go. We have to keep praying concerning it, we have to keep speaking the word of God concerning it. And literally, family this morning, there was a breakthrough in that area. The very thing that looked like it would be impossible. We saw a breakthrough happen this very day. That's God. And that is when what you were asking for God to do on the earth, it happens in you where you are in full agreement that Lord, I believe. I believe in what you're doing. I believe believe in who you are. You see, sometimes people will ask this question. Right, there was a man who asks Jesus, I believe, but help my unbelief. And when you read that scripture, Jesus didn't have that much time to really you know, there was a crowd coming, there was all kinds of chaos and madness happening. So Jesus performed the miracle and he went on his way. But if you're asking yourself that question, I believe, But God, how do you help my unbelief? You stay the course. That's how you don't give up even when it seems hard, because the beauty of staying in the presence of God, it begins to shape you. You get spiritually in shape that the things that will come up us doubts and fears, all of a sudden they begin to they begin to start shedding away from you. How do you help your unbelief. You endure one step at a time. You don't allow your words to speak death. You allow your words to speak life. That is why the Bible that these words that have given you, they are spirit and they are life. And then it also tells us that life and death is in the power of the tongue. You use your words. You use your words, You use your words to speak life, no matter what the situation might look like. I'm not talking about being in denial, no, but I'm saying that when it comes to what you agree with, there is a difference between communicating to someone the situation that you're in, right if you if you need help, don't just go don't if someone says, hey, can you know, do you need help with something, and you're just like, no, you know, I'm fearfully and wonderfully made. I had just lacked nothing. Child, you need some help, okay, and God has brought the answer in front of you. I'm not saying being denial, but I'm saying that what is your confession? What is your agreement? Are you just are you looking at yourself as one who the Lord has abandoned and forsaken, or are you looking at yourself as well. Who is expecting that God, you are with me, you are for me, you will show up. This is what watching and praying is all about. The second thing I want to talk to you about is worship. You see, Worship is not just about a song, right. That is why sometimes you know you can go from listening to worship and the next thing you're doing something else. You know, you're trying to see if your knees can do things right. Some of you might catch that later, all right, but how do you get out of the mindset so quick? Because worship is not just about a song. Worship is what you set your gaze on. Worship is about what you magnify in your life. It's about what you choose to exalt in your life, what you give, what you put us first in your life. Worship is really about what you honor in your life. And when you begin to honor the Lord, when you exalt God above your circumstances, that is worship. That is why sometimes you may hear when when a pastor will say, many of you are worshiping your problems because you have placed that above everything else. It is all you talk about. It is what you dwell on. It is what has caused you to be in you know, going through anxiety and stress and all kinds of things because you have worshiped your problem. But when you begin to worship God, what that does. The beauty of worship, even when it seems like you're in the hardest moments of your life, it puts a demand on the nature and character of God. It's putting the name of God on the stand that God is not about me anymore, It's about you. You see. One of my mentors shared with me such an amazing testimony. She was barren for many years, and for all those years that she was going through barra and then she talked about how she worshiped her barrenness. She exalted her barrenness. She was so she dwelt on the doctor's reports and what people were saying, and you know, and all that stuff. She magnified it above everything else. And she said there was a day and now in her just coming before the Lord, that something hit her and she realized, no, no, no, I'm not gonna worship this anymore. She began to put her faith on the word of God. She said, Lord, you gave us a promise in the word you said, be fruitful, not even a promise, a commandment. Your commandment said be fruitful and multiply. And she connected herself to the world of God. She said, this is what I would. Exalt in my life. That even when there were reports of barreness, she said, no, that God has given my body a commandment to be fruitful and to multiply. Now she has two kids. You see. The the beauty of that is that she began to set her gaze on the word of God. She began to set her affection on what God said, no longer what was coming up against him. She said, you know what, it's not even about me. God. You said something, and I'm going to hold you to your word. You call upon God's nature and his character. And that is what a scripture I want to share with you. That is so beautiful. It's in Acts sixteen, verse twenty five to twenty six, and it says this, but at midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Oh, that's so good. Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaking and Immediately all the doors were opened and everyone's chains were loose. What happened in this moment Paul and Silas began praying and worshiping. They began calling upon who is the real breaker chains right. They began calling upon the Lord, and they were singing, and the Bible says the prisoners heard them. They were listening to them in. That moment, you see, Paul, it was not about Paul or Silence. They had placed the name of God on the stand. They said, you know what, God, it is your character and it's your nature that we are exalting. Above anything else. And you will show up to show that you are faithful to who you are. Because God could have done it any other way. In the Bible you see so many ways that you know, prisoners are set free. Sometimes everybody's sleeping right, just Comah falls upon everybody and the angel walks in, opens the door, taps, and somebody says, hey, you know, self free to go, all right. But God did it in a. Way because there were people that listened to him being exalted. He said, look, my name is on the line, and I'm not just gonna go out like that. My name is on the line. I'm going to set everybody free, right you know, God, it was like that moment you know when it's just like you get set free in you get set free, it's everybody get set free. It's a beautiful thing. And so what I want to ask you in your circles, in your circles of friends and families, what do they know that you exalt? Do they hear your complaints every minute? Or do they hear you exalting the name of God that the Lord is with me? The Lord will not forsake me. He's not gonna abandon me. He's not gonna leave me here. God is gonna come through. What do people listen to when they hear you speak about what is taking place in your life? And again I said, there is a difference between communicating a situation and there's a difference between exalting it above everything else. I can communicate to you that look in my life right now, this is something I'm dealing with. But I know that God will not fail me. I know that God is not going to leave me here. I know that the God I serves to come through he is Jehovah. That when I begin to sing songs like you know, talking about him as Gyrah, that he is enough that I'm not just singing a song. I'm saying no, the Lord will provide for everything that I need. And I know he's gonna make away from me. However he does it, he will come through. That is what worship is about. It's not just about the song. It's about the heart behind what you're singing. That God, I exalt you above everything else. And the third thing and the last thing I want you to understand when it comes to how you posture yourself. And for many of you this might connect to you, it's fasting. Maybe you're in a season where you feel there is a grace on your life to fast that you're not you don't really have an appetite for food like that, you don't really feel like engaging in shows like that. There is a grace that has come upon you to fast. Even Jesus. There was a time that the disciples were trying to cast out a demon from a boy and they couldn't. And this is after Jesus has said to them, look go into you know, go everywhere right. I have given you power and authority over evil spirits. But they went and they did not have power and authority over this particular spirit. And so when Jesus shows up and he you know, he handles business right, the disciples ask him in private, They're like, you know, why couldn't we cast out this spirit? And Jesus said, this kind comes out by nothing but prayer and fasting. Even Jesus, you know, we have many messages on fast and I want you to watch that. But even Jesus, it was not He didn't only fasten the wilderness. He lived a lifestyle of fasting. And there's so much proof of that in the Bible. Or you see fast and there are two powerful things that fasting can represent. Fast and there's so much the fasting, but two key things that fast and represents. One fasting is when you posture your body, and you posture yourself in the truth of your ability, that God, I am weak, and in my weakness you are my strength. I'm coming before you in weakness. God, I don't have the answers the power that I need to get through this. It can only come from you. It fasting humbles you to say that God, I need you to step into this situation. Lord, I need you to show up. And that is why a lot of times. You know fast and it is connected to food because when you don't feed your body, your body gets weak and you come into that place where you embrace the state that you're in and you say, Lord, in my weakness, be my strength. It's what it symbolizes, and it's an act of faith when you say God, I need you, I don't can't, I can't push past this certain thing. There's something that needs to break in my family. There's something some of you are seen not when I go to talk about spiritual warfare, yours is even a different dimension. You're seeing people being tormented and oppressed in your family. Sometimes you need to fast because there is a this kind there is this kind cannot come out only by fasting and prayer, when you humble yourself, when you submit yourself and say God, I need you. And another thing fasting does. It makes you. The sacrifice you see after Noah, you know, when the flood happened and all that stuff right, and Noah comes out of the ark. The first thing Noah did is that he offered a sacrifice to the Lord. And the Bible tells us that when the Lord smelt the aroma of the sacrifice that it was pleasing to him to the point that he responded. He'd even responded directly to Noah. He said to himself, never will I destroy the earth like I have done. There was a. Response to the sacrifice. And sometimes when you fast, you become the sacrifice. You say, Lord, I am putting myself on the altar, and I pray that you will sense when you smell this act, when you smell this at the faith, that it would be pleasing to you, and you will respond to what is happening in my life and my family. You don't just watch things happen and don't do nothing. You don't surrender to warfare. You call on the name of God to step in, because on the other side of that warfare there is victory and on the other side there is territory for you to claim. And so, family, if this is speaking to you, let this be a reminder that I'll walk with Jesus. It's not a walk of whatever will be will be. No Even the prophet Elijah, after hearing a word from the Lord, he began to pray earnestly, what is it that God has spoken about you? What has He spoken in your life? And are certain things delayed in your life because you are distracted by the wrong thing. Are certain things delayed in your life because you're just so lasadaisical about everything that is not the will of God. There's some things that you have to be able to look at. Even Jesus said to his disciples, couldn't you watch and pray? Couldn't you watch with me? When they were falling asleep. And they're probably confused that what are we watching for? In that moment it's so powerful. They're watching the Word in flesh. He said, watch, couldn't you even for an hour watch with me? But he was talking to them about what maybe they understood later down the line. You have to watch the word. What has God said? And if I don't see it in my life, I need a pass sure myself in a place where I continue to declare God whatever is coming up against me. I'm not gonna feed my doubts. My words in my words is the power of life and death. It's gonna speak life. And so I want you to just in this moment write whatever the Holy Spirit starts bringing to mind. Let us step into prayer, let us bring it before the Lord and say God made Perhaps I need to. I need to spend more time with you in prayer. I need to go back into my journals and say, Lord, what are the things you spoke to me? What are some of the things that I said I surrendered, but in reality I gave up? Hope? What are the things that I need to pick back up and say? Lord? What can we do together? What territory are we supposed to take over? Lord? Maybe I've allowed my situation to bring me to a posture of defeat, but I'm not defeated. I've allowed the enemy to district me to the point that I've lost my inspiration. What I'm calling it just being under attack without recognizing that what he's after is my inspiration, my creativity, my focus, and me positioning myself in the place that you've called me to. Maybe, Lord, I've been looking and thinking that people are my problem. But it's not people. They just happen to be vessels. But Lord, you've called me after something. I'm a weapon in your hands. What is it that we're supposed to do together? And whatever seems to be affected right now in my life? You will have the final say I'm gonna pray, Lord, I'm gonna exalt you above anything, and when the need comes, I'm gonna fast. I'm gonna submit myself as the offering. I'm gonna call upon you and say, God, indeed I am weak. I need you to step in and be my strength. There are certain things that do not break until we posture ourselves properly. And maybe you're watching this and you're like, I don't even know this. Jesus them into my life. But whatever she's saying, I want to know the Jesus behind this. If that is you and. You want to say yes to Jesus, I want you to look on the screen. There's gonna be some information for you to put to you know, QR code and all that stuff for us, for you to give us your information. But if that is you, just put in the chat. Here I am, Here, I am, and let us pray. Heavenly Father, we thank you so much for your love and for your goodness of God. We thank you for this moment that we have come before you. We thank you, Lord Jesus, that you are awakening your sons and daughters to take their position in you and to take territory connected to their lives. Heavenly Father, I. Thank you for those who are saying yes to Jesus that maybe they've been going, you know, from all to all kinds of things. But Lord, there's something that is bringing a conviction in their hearts, and they want to know who is this Jesus. Who is this one who is for me? Who is this one that I can give my life to it? And that would be his weapon? And I will know myself in ways that I've never known that I will go after and I will claim territories that I didn't. Even think existed. Who is the person that can use my weakness and my insecurities and my fears for his glory? Who is this Jesus who is the one who loves me enough that he will die on the cross for me that I would know everything about myself that I would not be bound to anything that sit and thrives to throw at me. Who is this Jesus that can set me free? Who is this Jesus that loves me? Who is this Jesus that is going to be with me no matter where I walk? Who is this Jesus that looks at me right where I am and he says, you are worthy, you are loved, you are not forsaken? You are cared for. Who is this Jesus? If that is you not Jesus. This Jesus is with you right now, and he is saying to you, welcome home, by your decision alone, Welcome home. And so, Heavenly Father, we sal this in your name. We thank you, Lord for how you have showed up. Have your way in Jesus' mighty name. Amen,