Stephanie Ike - Manifesting Your Potential

So today we're gonna be the title of you know, today's message is manifesting your potential. Now to manifest is to become the evidence of you know what. This is nice, that graphics, that's real nice. And so what today is about is becoming the evidence of your potential. You see, the crazy thing in life is that so many people die filled with potential. You know, I've been to a lot of prophetic conferences in my life and I've lived. Ah, I'm really young, so not that long, right, but something that you know always stood out to me, And I used to go to so many because how many of you I feel like you just need someone to I mean, you don't need someone, but you're in a stage where you're so like God, I need to know that this is you and I just need somebody to confirm this word. Right. So in that stage of my life, I went to so many prophetic conferences, right. But the one thing that always blew my mind is that when a prophet will prophit signed to someone's life, when they will speak the word of God into someone's life, when they will speak into their identity, it was always something so big. Right. Obviously, God never speaks to us at where we are. But it was always it was not even they were not even talking about you know, this is what you're a call to do, but they were just talking about who the person was. And the thing that always really, you know, struck me. It was young, old, It didn't matter. I mean, someone is heading to the grave, you know, and the world. I'm like, you know, he needs like twenty more years to do all of that, you know, But I'm sorry, that's just me because I'm looking at them, I'm like, wow, Lord, you know you need to prolong his life. But but that's the thing that always blew my mind. And even when when God would give me a word about a person, it's just wow. But the sad thing is that many people die without ever experiencing that. And there's some of us here that we wrestle with God. You said this, but why did it happen? You said this? But I haven't experienced this word. You see. The funny thing about life is what we call potential is what God calls the reality about who we are. You've seen the Book of Judges six there's a man named Gideon, and you know, write this down, study this on your own time. It's incredible. Now during that time, as an Israelite there will be oppressed by the media Nites. And so the Israelites were crying out to God. They're like, God, you know, we need you to save us, we need you to deliver us. And so an angel is set to Gideon, and by the Gideon at this point, you know, he's he's in high he's hiding actually trying to make some wheat or something. But he saw himself as inferior. He didn't see himself as anything close to someone who could bring deliverance or save the Israelites at that time. But the angel goes to Gideon and he refers to him as mighty man of Valor, in other words, a mighty warrior. Now, a warrior is someone who has been experienced in battle, and to be a mighty one at that, I mean, that's you know, top notch. But the funny thing is Gideon had never fought. You know, he didn't have a day type of story where he was fighting lions and tigers and beers. Right, he didn't have that you know history. But yet God refer to him in heaven. He was identified as a mighty man of valor. You see the Word of God to you is not something God is trying to create. It's what is. It might be new to you, but it's not new to him. There's a passage in Ecclesiastis that says there's no new thing under the sun. God is not. That's and that's where we get caught up sometimes because we think that God is about to create something, or we think that we can only do this thing because you know, the hand of God is on my life, and you know he might shift it to somebody else's life. But the reason that the hand of God is on your life is because he knows who you are. He's not creating you to become somebody that is actually who you are. And so when he gives you his word, he's giving you everything. But to experience the word is a whole another ballgame. The experience is what we're after. You see, Gideon could have decided to not believe what God said. He could have decided to not believe what the angel told him that you know, I don't know who you're talking to, you know, sir, right, this not the one. I'm not the one. Right. He could have But honestly, because even when you look at the story of Gideon. There were times where he he was he doubted what God what the word that came to him that He's like, God, I need a sign, I need a sign, I need you know, multiple signs. Uh. And God gave him every sign to say, look, you know this is this is who I've called you to be. But so what if Gideon was like, you know what, I don't believe it. I don't think that's possible, which many of us do, and we walk away from that word, It doesn't change the reality of what is. It doesn't change the reality that indeed Gideon is a mighty man of valor. We look at it as he has the potential to be that. But that was the reality when God looked at him. And he could have walked away from it and never experienced himself to be a warrior, a soldier, an army man. He would have never experienced that. But God didn't never lie. It didn't change anything God said because God spoke the truth. And so what we're gonna be talking about today, See what I love about this message is what God showed me would take place, is that the treasures that have been hidden in darkness would be revealed and The treasure is you. The treasure is the things that He's called you to, the dreams that you've given up on, the ideas that you're like, Ah, I don't think so. You know, God speaks to us in many ways, right, Some of you don't even know that it was God that told you that, but you have this conviction about I know this is what my life is called to. I know I'm supposed to do something in this area. I just have this strong knowing. God can speak through impressions too. But when you think about it, who would ever want to reject the word of God? Right? Because to reject the word of God is to reject yourself because He's speaking to reveal who you are. And so the passage that we're gonna look into, it's gonna break down the ways in which we knowingly or unknowingly walk away from the revelation of God about our lives and about the things He's called us to. And the last part of that passage is also gonna reveal to us if we are being blessed, but are we seeing the full capacity of the blessing? And so let's go into We're gonna be looking at Mark Mark Chapter four verse fourteen to twenty and right on top of the mountain where it's come out. Now, what before we go into this passage right here, Jesus is explaining No. Mark four, that's fourteen said, listen, we switching that message, alright, but before we go into that, I'm sorry, y'all, I just joke a lot before we go into that. Before we go into that, Okay, let's be serious. Now, what's happening in the passage as it comes up is that Jesus is explaining a parable that he just shared, and the parable. What is so fascinating about this parable because when we see the word he's talking about, you know, the word of God, and it's the parable of the sower. Many of you might have read this passage. Many of you might be familiar with this passage. But he talks about the parable of the sower, right but fourteen, No, four fourteen to twenty. Yeah, so he describes his word as a seed in the parable. What he uses to symbolize his word were seeds that is sower, you know, sower on his way. You know, some seeds fell here, some seeds fell there. But what I love about even him using seeds to describe his word is what a seed represents. Right, every seed has the potential to be a tree. You can be extreme and say every seed is a tree yet to experience itself. And so when God gives you his word, it's everything that it needs to be, but the experience of it. There are two things required. Because when you have a seed, if you understand the potential of that seed, if you believe in the potential of it, So that's faith, and you work it, you nurture it. So first of all, you're planting it, you're you know, you water it and all that stuff, you know, the water schedules. And so that's where we see faith and works. And so he refers to his word as seeds. God is not so fascinating because we think that, you know what, God gives me the word, and Lord, you know, favor me, favor me, favor me. And He's like, no, in that that word is your favor. In that word is your empowerment. In that word is everything that you need. But do you believe that it is what it is? And are you willing to work it? And so when we read the first part of this passage, we're gonna see the different ways that we knowingly or unknowingly walk out of what God has to be built to us. Right, and so, y family, if we could use the new King James version for that. Please while we do that, I'm gonna entertain y'all with some hip hop freak dancing. You know, we're gonna open it. I have it here tis so we could I could start reading it and you guys could write it down alright. You know the funny thing, if you know me recently, I've not really been using notes, but today has a revelation, and bring a note just in case, right, Okay, So let's read this word. So the word says the sower sows the word. Right, So this is the explanation now of the parable. So if you do want to read the parable in your own time, that's just right before this passage. So he says, the sower sows the word. And these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown. When they hear, Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts. This is crazy, but what I understood about this. You see, it's one thing to be on the path and to be on the wayside by the road, no sense of direction. These are people that have no sense of direction about their life. They're willing to you know, whatever comes, okay, you know whatever. Maybe when you're on the road, at least you're either going you're moving forward or you're moving backwards. But what happens? How does life bring you here? And how is it that immediately when the word is sown, immediately the enemy comes and takes it away. He takes it away through doubt. Instantly, he reminds you of past failures. Instantly, he tells you, remember when you try to believe God for this, it didn't work out. It as soon as it comes in, it goes out. And so you stay by the roadside, not knowing where to go east, north, south, you know west. I don't know if I said that, you know right away, but you feel me right And what happens here, you see, where the enemy plays us in this area is that we use you see, sometimes we hope for things in ignorance and hope and faith is two different things. Now, the Bible explains faith as the substance of things hoped for. Yes, so faith happens when God qualifies what you're hoping for. That's but a lot of times we bring hope and we use it as faith and we say, but God, I believe you for this, I exercise faith and nothing happened. But he never qualified what you were hoping for, and so you might not know that what I'm hoping for is actually something that could kill me. And so when God doesn't get give it to you, the enemy comes and he tells you, oh, see what happens when you believe in God, when you exercise faith. And so now he trucks you in the mindset. He trucks you in the mindset that if God gives you a fresh word, now this is a word from God. But he traps you in the place of confusing hope and faith, and he tells you you believe like that nothing happened, You're gonna fail again. And so as soon as you hear a word from God, someone is encouraging you. Someone is telling you, Hey, I've heard that business idea is gonna be successful. But you're like God, I believed you for this, and that didn't happen. But you were hoping for something God never qualified. You. See, the scripture says that faith comes by the hearing of the word. Did you hear something from God than what you are hoping for. And you see, the deeper we go in God, the more we understand his ways and his principles, and we are we're not open to manipulation. Because, for example, you might be hoping for a spouse. The world of God already qualifies that God desires for you to be married. So that's a done deal. But now you put a timeline on it. And now we got a problem, right, because now you're trying to tell God what to do and how to do it you want. Maybe you're trying to get a new place. Right, of course, the Lord desires you to, you know, have nice things. The Lord desires you to prosper The Word of God even says that the Lord delights in the prosperity of his children. So that's a done deal. You're gonna have. You're gonna get that new place. But now you put a timeline on how and when, and you disconnect yourself from the place of God. Why do you have me here? God? Could it be that I'm hoping for something that I'm not even equipped for, That I'm hoping for something that I'm not even prepared for. And so even in the in the place of darkness that that even serves its purpose. But then you start putting timelines on God, or you start asking God for things that I mean even there's nowhere in the Bible that that even shows you know, makes sense, right, and so you confuse hope as faith. You see, I've been there. I remember one time this is so funny. So I was coming I went to o I W. I was like, I always lived in you know, so Cow. I mean not always from Nigeria, you know, born and raised, hey hey, right, but my time in the you know, the US has been in Soco. And so when there's a period of my life that I went to you know, I went to the Bay Area, was like I was out there for a few months and I was just trying to like you know, when you're trying to sort things out, you're trying to sort yourself out and stuff like that. So on my way back now, the place, the apartment building I was gonna move into, I didn't have every you know, no you got anything deposit first month's rent. I said, listen, I got first month. I'll have the posit dough. But you know, we need to work. I'm back, so I was in a space where I was like, you know what, I'm not sure what I'm about to do. Now. My brother lived in you know, Soco, but I was I was having some little pride dishesaid, I'm like, I'm not gonna call my brother, no, And so literally I told my friend, you know, I'm like, I'm about to go to the airport and just fly back there and just sit in the airport and wait there. I'm like, I'm just believing the Lord that he will make away. And she said, Stephanie, that's foolishness. I said, I'm exercising faith here, dear one beloved, don't test my faith. Right, And so all over there thinking that no, this makes all the sense. And she said that God tell you that someone is gonna meet you at the airport. I said, he doesn't need to. I just need to believe. And I s I had to take a moment, right, I'm like, wait, Lord, is this foolishness? And he revealed to me the house of course, that was foolishness, right, But he revealed to me that a lot of times our demand, what we're demanding God for, is to cover up malfunctions in our character. And so I didn't want to humble myself to call my brother. And so because I'm trying to cover up pride as faith as no, no, no, there's just a different way that the Lord make. But God was not in that because what I'm trying to hide is not of God. And so a lot of times we have to be truthful with ourselves. Why are we asking God for what we're asking him for? Because you see, family, God is more concerned about who you are as a person. He's more concerned about your character than anything you ever give you, because character is what keeps things. And so in that place of my life, I had to realize, you know, ring ring hero right, because that was an open door for me to get everything together and then move ahead. And so this is a place don't allow. And I'm so grateful to God because even as this world is going forth, every lie that you have received as truth is being broken off. And so whatever wherever the enemy made you feel like, oh no, you can't, you can't believe God for this, wherever doubts would so easily spring up to take away what God has revealed to you, that's being broken off, and it's time to believe in God. Again to believe what his word says and move ahead with that. Right, and so the next thing, now it says, These likewise are the ones sewn on stony ground, who, when they hear the word immediately somebody say, immediately largestus, immediately receive it with gladness, and they have no roots in themselves, and so endear for only a time afterward when tribulation or persecution arises for the word's sake, immediately, I mean, how quick is this happening? Right? Immediately they stumble. You see, this is the category of Christians that are feelings based. You're driven by your feelings. When the word feels good, you hear the word hallelu you might even start crying, Oh, I could only imagine, Lord, why did you choose me? Right? You get so in your feelings, right, and you're so excited, like, oh God spoke to me, God did this. But you're driven by your feelings because in that moment it feels good, and so immediately you're like, you're so glad, You're so joyful. And then you know, comes this is when you're like, I don't think that was the Lord. You know, if it's God, it should not feel this hard. I just don't think if it's God, there shouldn't be this much opposition. Maybe we need to, you know, maybe I need to get a different job. Maybe I need to you know, all kinds of things. You easily forget that no, no, no. Out a point in your life, you receive that word. You are so happy about the word. And then the passage tells us that persecution actually comes because of the word, not because of something else. It comes because of that. So a position is to be expected. But then you become opposed and you stop doubting that. I don't think God is in this, you know, I just I don't feel the Lord. I just don't feel the Lord's presence anymore. And you see what happens here. He said, there's a pastor that talks about when God says, behold, you know that I've opened the door that no man can shut. The enemy is aware that he can't shut the open door in your life. But what he would try to make you do is walk out of that door. And so without you realizing, he's trying to remove you from position, yeah, the place God has positioned you. You get a little offended, you feel opposed. Things are not going your way. All of a sudden, I'm not sure if the presence of the Lord is with me in this No. And you see the the the problem, the root of this type of thinking is lack of intimacy with the Lord because when the patre says, because they have no root, the roots come from a place of relationship with God. He said, I wanna say, open a passage real quick, and we'll go back to this. It's in Collosians two seven. And as it comes up, so it says, check this out. It says, let your roots check this, grow down into him and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, the truth you already revealed to you right and you will overflow with thankfulness because you're gonna go all the way to experience that word. But the problem, the problem when there is no real relationship. You see, David said something. He said, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil because you are with me. Check this the shadow. When you see someone's shadow, that means they're within proximity, right ya. You can't see a person's shadow, you know, right here and I'm over in v Nice or something sweating. Right. The shadow you know, for those who are outside of California, and Vanas is a very hot place, right And Okay, but the shadow means what is close by. So when you talk about the shadow of death, listen, I don't want to know what's close to death, right. All kinds of oppression, all kinds of opposition, defeat so many things that comes death is the final thing, right. And he's talking about death in a negative sense, not in the sense of this is what all happens to all humans. Right. He's talking about it as death is looking for him. And so when he says that though I walk through the shadow, he's telling you that, look, I'm walking through some tough things here, but I will not be shaking because I have a relationship with God. And this is what relationship does. Relationships will remind you God his world will always become fresh to you. Even in the place of a position, you will be reminded about why He sets you there in the first place. Because when we disconnect ourselves from a place of relationship, from a place of intimacy, all we're doing is speaking without listening. And so we're telling God how hard it is, and how we think right, relying on our ways of thinking, not how God what God is saying, not what his thoughts are saying about the situation. And so we face a little a position. And you know, the crazy thing about life is that you can convince yourself out of anything you see. For example, I'll share this. You know, it's not even the testimony. I'll back right, I'll share this memory one time, so you know, I kept sensing that the Lord was calling me to do a fast, and so I was like, Okay, let's start this fast. And all of a sudden I was craving bread. I was like, Lord, I want some bread. I'm like, did you even call me to do this fast? Maybe I'm just tripping. I think I'm trying to do too much Lord. And so I take my Bible. I'm like, Lord, you know if this is you speaking. When I opened the Bible, it would just fall, it would just follow the passage. Right I opened the Bible, it fell on. It was a chapter in Job and the verse said I desire your word. No, I desire your word more than my portion of food. And right next to it, I wrote that the word of God is more is more than bread, and it's it. Lord. You know this Bible, I've used it for a long time. I think I'm tripping. I was like, you know, this is just too much, and I literally convinced myself to go. I went to the kitchen. I said, listen, Lord, you know I made up this whole understanding that I believe the fast is supposed to end today, because you know, we've been going strong again. I just think that, you know, it's about time. I'm just doing too much. The devil, I rebuke you. Now check this where in life? Why would the devil want you the fast? Why? Like, why would you want you to continue? It's funny how we rebuked the devil over things that he doesn't even want you to do. And I'm like, you know, the devil's over here trying to make me fast longer than I should. I went in there. I had bread, I ate sandwiches. I did all kinds of nonsense that night. That night, the Lord spoke to me in the dream. And in the dream, this is the funniest thing. In the dream, there was a there was a lion, there was a tiger. They were so hungry, but there was they were they were supposed to be caged, but somehow, I don't know how they got out of the cage. And I was like, I went to the store. I'm like, I need to find this animal some food, like they need to eat, Like, what is going on the DM I eat a human being? What they're not supposed to eat? Right? I go to the store, I can't find anything for them. I come back to the house. No, before I even get to the house, I'm like this animals didn't eat nobody. I wake up. I'm like, Lord, what kind of dream is this? Looks like something Disney Lion King type of thing. Makes like you know, I don't know tigers. And then he spoke to me and he said, you are both the lion and the tiger, that they represent your hunger. You need to cage it. And I said, Lord, so as I mean, I was supposed to continue the fast, but I'm using this example because we all fall prey to this. You convince yourself about why the word of God changed. He gave you specific instructions in the beginning. Along the way, You're like, because it doesn't feel good anymore. At that point, the fast didn't feel good. There was bread in the kitchen that was calling my name, right, and I'm like, God, so you want me to just avoid this phone call from this bread? You know, it doesn't feel good anymore, and you begin to convince yourself that God never told me to do this. I don't think I'm supposed to be doing this, and you make up this whole lie in your head, and you remove yourself from a place that God called you to, from instructions that God gave you. Right, So let's go into the next the next verse, so that would be eighteen of the original Mark fourteen, Mark four and so it says, now these are the ones sown among thorns. They are the ones who hear the word, and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires of other things entering in the word. And it becomes unfruitful, unfruitful when the fruit does not mature. And you see it talks about the deceitfulness of riches. You see what happens here is you know what God told you to do, or you have this strong belief about what you're supposed to do. You start going into it, and all of a sudden you doubt its ability to be financially empowering. And so because you don't y, you don't you don't know if this thing can sustain you financially. You become deceived by looking at what the next person is doing that is making them rich. So now instead of being directed by vision, your motive becomes money, money, money, money, money. Now, what this does is that it keeps It puts people in this look warm position because on one end, you know the thing you're supposed to do, but you don't believe that thing will financially empower you. And on the other end, you're trying to pursue what other people are doing, but you've not been annoyed to to take that route, and so it's not even working there. And you find yourself in this place of God. Just I I just pray that you reveal to me my purpose. I pray you reveal my call in Lord, show me what I'm supposed to do. But He already showed you deep down. You already know. But the thing is that you don't believe that it can sustain you financially. Now, this is the thing because obviously God is not into you know, uh an illusion? Right, It's one thing to when you're focused on a vision. It could be true that right now that vision is not sustaining. You know, it's not bringing you what you need financially. But that vision needs to be built when you're looking for if you're trying to maybe get a nine let's just for example, right if you're trying to get a nine to five job. The nine to five job is not designed to make you wealthy, because the word of God is where your abundance is. But you need to have vision to say I'm taking this nine to five job so that i can build what God has called me to. It's not about, you know, either the vision or millions of dollars. Either the vision or I'm in a place of financial overflow. No, no, no, no no. The vision is what gives your life direction. It says that you know what, no matter what road life takes you each day, build on what I've told you, because that is the place of your wealth, that is the place of your abundance. It might not look like that right now, but if you keep working it alongside whatever else you're doing, that thing will become it. And so you become deceived. The deceitfulness of riches, the cures of this world. No, I want you know, I want this kind of car. Lord, not about I just need a car to get from point A to point B so I can keep building my vision. And so you get distracted by the things of the world, how I look, how I present myself. You see, sometimes money, you know, your money might not be talking right, you know, and it doesn't need to speak because you know you can't got much say right, but you can. But you can be so caught up in the place of you know, trying to have a manic talk right. No, no, no, no, no, you need to be in the place of I need my vision to speak. I need my vision to speak through me. You see, when you believe the word of God, that word it becomes you. That word becomes flesh, it becomes your flesh. And so it's not about being distracted about how I can show off and I need this to buy this No, all this right now, everything everywhere. I'm putting sweat in this nine to five, this part time job, this uber or whatever. It's to build my vision because that's the place that you would prosper. And so whatever God has told you, and you deny this ability to be the place of your abundant. You see, everyone has wilderness periods, and in the wilderness God will provide. But the provision is not for overflows to sustain you day by day. You see, the Israelites when they were in the wilderness, they were never supposed to keep the food they got for that day for the next day, because the wilderness is not the place of overflow. The promised land is where there is overflow. And so when God gives you a word, the word is your promised land. And you might be in the wilderness, and that's okay. You might be leaving day today today, but as long as your eye is on the vision, you will be okay. And so don't don't don't get stuck in the trap of comparisons. Well, this person is doing this this, that's a trap. That's a big trap. Even the scripture says that those who compare themselves are without wisdom. It's a trapped family. So whatever it is that God is speaking to you, let that be your motive. Let that be your sense of direction. Right. And so finally, this is the part that really intrigues me. Now verse twenty, it says, but these are the ones sewn on good ground, Those who hear the word, accept it and bear fruit. Some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some one hundred. You see, it's funny. It's really interesting to me because if you read this, who wants to be in thirty when there's one hundred? Who wants to say, oh I just received sixty Lord? No, no, no, there's one hundred? Right? And so why is it? Why is there a difference here thirty sixty, one hundred. What this spoke to me and what this taught me is that God is in all of them. The favor of God is not what gives you a hundred. Because let's check this out. If I mean God wants to wants to bless you, he has access to a hundred, why would he give you thirty? You know, he's a good, good father somebody? Why why each other short change me on this blessing? You see, the thirtyfold, the sixtyfold, the hundredfold has nothing to do with God. It has everything to do with you. You see, there's a passage where the Lord Jesus says he was he was speaking about, you know, the first and greatest commandment, and he says, you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind. God is his word. I believe that these three things, this is the blueprint for how we do anything that God is involved in. Even with his word. You see, when you talk about with all your heart, you become emotionally invested in something. You see a lot of times our heart is even disconnected from the thing that God has revealed to us because we don't want a situation where it doesn't happen and you get so hurt or you get so like, oh, I thought you're you're afraid to fail, or you're afraid to show people that it didn't work out. But when your heart is invested in something, you're vulnerable to that thing. You're not afraid to show people that you want it. You're not afraid to speak what you want it to become. You're not afraid to say that this is what the Lord told me and this is what it will be. You see why I love Kanye West is because he's not afraid to tell you anything. He's not afraid to say I'm the greatest rapper, whether he is or he's not. He's not afraid to say that because he knows that what he's working on, he believes that what he's working on will make everyone know him as the greatest rapper. You see, when your heart is involved in something, let's say, for example, a relationship, and one person says, you know, I wanna break up when your heart is invested in it, he's gonna be like with who. I don't think it's me. Listen, I've invested too much time in you. You know, ever fools got you something. Listen, it's not gonna work like that right now. When you think of when your heart is invested in a thing, you're not that easy to let it go. It doesn't happen like that. And so when your heart is invested in the world of God, you're you're vulnerable to that thing. It's like, Lord, this is going to happen. So we talk about the heart, and the Lord says, with all your soul, you see, your soul is the place of your intellect, your creativity. You see a lot of times it's it's really funny and it's sad that when it comes to the things of God, we do very mediocre work because we believe that well, the hand of the Lord is on it, so the favor of the Lord would see it through no, no, no, no. Right, you're like, no, no, no, we can't do you know, I just want people to know that Jesus did it right, that God did this. It wasn't me, It wasn't my work, It wasn't none of that. No, no, no, no no, because God does it through you. And when when God has invested creativity in you, that needs to be invested in the project. It needs to be invested in the very thing that you're doing to His name. And so you cannot remove your creative abilities, your ability to sit down and think and like, okay, how can we do this differently? You know, whatever the case is. It's just like someone you know looking for a job, but you don't polish your resume. You don't give the best that you can give to building your resume because you're just like the Lord the favor of God. Anyone who sees this resume, you spend more time praying on it than perfecting it. Right if that doesn't move the heart of God like you think, because when there's something in you that you can do, you have to understand that He gave you that ability. In the Book of Exodus, there's a time where you know the Lord instructs Moses and tells the people that they should build a tabernacle for him, write a temple for him. But there's something so fascinating that he says. He talks about how within some he put a spirit of skill so that they would be skillful. He gave them, he empowered them to be skillful. And so God has empowered you to be creative. But you down't play your creativity. You downplay your excellence too, and then you ask God to bless what you know is mediocre. And so when you invest your soul into something, you're investing your intellect, You're investing your creative abilities. Again. That's why I like Kanye West. I just love the guy. I'm sorry because when I look at him, I'm like, this man, he's doing something because you see, when it comes to creativity, he could downplay things and just do something mediocre, but he knows that there's something in here that needs to come out. He's not thinking that, Lord, let me just do a random, you know, random thing, and you know, bless it. No, no, no, why you know, honestly, like why we have to be able to say God, I'm giving my all into this thing. I want to spend time thinking about it. I want to see how this could. Okay, let's try it this way, Let's try it that way. Understanding that that ability to think, that ability to reason is from the Lord. Right. And then it talks about with all your mind. Your mind is your will. It's your ability to say yes. Every time a position comes, every time something is telling you that you cannot move forward, you're like, no, I'm willing to go ahead with this thing. And you see these three things, I believe is what makes up is what the result of these three things combined together, is what creates the hundredfold. You take one away, you get sixtyfold. You take two away, you get thirtyfold. And you could be stuck in the appearance of a blessing, not realizing that the more of you would produce more of it. You know. First Lady Sarah mentioned something in her message on Sunday. If you haven't watched it, my God, either watch that message one church or laid up or somebody. And she talked about how destiny requires all of you, the fullness of your destiny. It requires everything that you've got. And so a lot of times we read this passage and we're like God hundredfold. I receive it. No, no, no, no, no, it's not you don't. You don't receive it. You work it out. You see, the word of God, the Word of God isn't something that comes to you. It is experienced through you. And so when we get it mixed up that Lord h receive it. Book pat right. But yet you're not willing to give your heart to the thing. You're not willing to give your soul to the thing. You're not willing to give your mind to it. It's not gonna be what you want it to be. God gave you his word. He gave you everything in that word. Now how you work it is how you would experience it. You see, there's no passage in the Bible, and I believe that God wants a hundred folds for everyone. No passage of the Bible talks about thirty or you know, sixty, come out somebody. It talks about a hundred. And that's why I love you. Know. There's a man named Isaac, and I believe this is in the Book of Genesis twenty six, and there was a point where there was a famine in the land. And you see at this time, crops that's their business. So if there's a famine, I gotta go. I need to go where you know things are happening to secure my investments. And so Isaac planned to leave where he was to go to Egypt because he believed that, look, if I go to Egypt, there's no famine there, I can continue my business and can you know, continue to prosper. But then it says that the Lord appeared to him and told him not to go to eat Egypt, that he should stay where he is and the Lord will bless him. So that was a word from God. Now the Bible says that Isaac planted in the land and in that same year he reaped a hundredfold. You say, one hundredfold is the best possible outcome of a thing you know in school, No matter if you have two hundred questions, if you get all two hundred questions right, it will still be one hundred percent. And it says that he reaped a hundredfold, But we missed the dynamics of how that happened. It talks about he sold in the land. How do you sow crops in when there's famine? If you don't believe what God is saying if you don't find some creative ways to water those crops. You see, Isaac had access to a lot of wells, and so even though that maybe you know, rain wasn't falling, perhaps he went every every day. He's, you know, fetching water. He's going to get some water. Africans know what I'm talking about. When you fetch the water, right, you go to the well, you know, get a bucket, throw it in there. That was you know, people think it's Jerusalem times. No, you know, Africans, it's our times. Right. And so he goes to the well, he's fetching water, and perhaps he's watering each crop as though it would rain. He planted in the land, as though there was never there was no famine. He did the best he could do. He didn't do it part time, and so the Lord saw that. No, no, he really believes in what I told him, and so he would reap one hundredfold that same year. It is not it's not something you just read and say, ooh, I receive it, you know, No, Isaac worked it, and in him working it, he experienced what God was telling him. Family, what is it that God has spoken to you? And do you believe it. Are you willing to work it? What is it that you're not putting into it? Are you in the place of Yes, you are bearing fruit? Right? But what fold are you in? Thirty sixty or a hundred? Is your mindset the mindset of one who wants to receive the one hundred you see? For some of you, even while you are here right now, godstead are reminding you of s things that He spoke to you about. For some of you receive the whole fresh revelation from the Lord, something about who you are, what he's calling you to do, everything He's invested in you. If there's anything I I I truly desire you to take from this, Messa, just to know that the word of God is what is y. It's not about something being created, it's what is already. It's not about Lord, you know, create this or do that. No, when he gives you a word, he's telling you if you believe this thing, if you work this thing, you will experience this thing. Whatever God has said to you, it's not far fetched. There's the reality about your life. You just didn't know it. M Rise with me family. If you're here and you wanna recommit yourself back to God's word to you. You're not just tryna, it's stop giving up on yourself something that you're not able to do it. You see, one of the biggest things in life is that you must be patient with yourself. You must be patient one step at a time. Never underestimate what that h what that leads to, one step at the time. If you're here, you wanna recommit yourself to what God has spoken to you in the past. Come down, Thank you Jesus, Thank you Jesus. God is so good. And if you're here, and their fears that you believe as lies when I shared the place of just not knowing where y just no sense of direction right And every time you feel someone tells you something and it's just like, no, that that would not be me. You don't believe anymore because you've confused hope, that's faith. You thought that God is not for you. God is not interested in your progress. It's a lie. God is y I mean, why would he die for you and not before you? So if you're here, come down, thank your Lord, Thank you Lord, Thank you Lord. There's so much, it's so crazy because who we are? Who when God looks at you. It's mind blowing, mind blowing. It's not never like crouched down and like, oh my gosh, he chose me. No. You see the funny thing about choosing, it's not that God chose you for that. No, he formed you for that, because the mentality behind choosing is that it's God doing something new. Right. Oh, God chose me for this, right, and yes this, you know the choose it. But I just wanna break that apartment because the choosing is not like God is playing the law of m L right, He's just like swinging the ball, swinging the ball sixteen. Who did I create as a sixteen person on the earth. Oh yes, I'm gonna. Choose you for that? No, no, no, no, no, He formed you for that. It's your identity. It's not anything extuor it's you. See when when God encountered Jeremiah, he told Jeremiah before see, before you were you know, before you were formed, before I formed. I knew you before I formed you. I knew you right, and I called you to be a prophet to the nations. That happened before he was even born. It wasn't a new thing. It might have been new, it was a new revelation to Jeremiah because he's like, oh, what, I'm a prophet. Hey, you know, even though he was not that excited in the beginning, but it was not that God was like, oh, I just need to find a prophet, you know, swing the ball, Oh, Jeremiah, maybe we can create in him a prophet. No, no, no, from the beginning, that's that's who he was formed to be. You see what happened. What happens when God gives you a word. It's like being a lamp. Right. The lamp is a lamp. Its function is to produce light. Yes, but if the bulb is bad, or if not even the bulb, if it's never turned on, it would never experience itself in its function. But it doesn't stop it from being a lamp. So when God, when God gives you a word, all he's doing is switching on the light. He's turning the switch on. So you recognize that, Oh my gosh, you know, look at me giving light to people. Right, God is so good and God is for you. Yeah, and you can do you know they sang nothing is impossible. Really it's nothing is impossible. You just have to be patient with yourself, work at it. Believe in it. You know, there's a message that pet gave when he talked about every day put one block at a time. When he shared about the the you know, the during the anniversary where we celebrate the anniversary, and he talked about how all this came together. The first thing he said is that it begins with nothing. And so don't discourage yourself or don't downplay yourself because you feel like you have nothing. You have something. You have something. The biggest thing you need to know is Lord, how do I work what I do have right? What I'm able to see? God? How do I work it? You see? The funny thing is that Moses when they were you know, they were running from the you know, God has called Moses to deliver you know, the Israelites and all that stuff, and they're moving from the Egyptians. They get to the Red Sea. The Israelites are crying out to God because they don't know a way you know it the it's the sea, you know. Are they all gonna swim? You know, there's gonna be a swim team the Olympics. You know, they start doing all this body movements when they get in the water, right, so they're crying out to God. Moses is like, God, what are we gonna do? And God says to Moses, why do you cry out to me? What is in your hand? You see, Pharaoh could have killed all of them, and it will not be God's fault because God gave him something to part the sea. God has put things in your hands. Family in prayer, Lord, what do I do with this thing? Yeah? How do I work it? Believe in yourself. Stop doubting yourself. If you're still here and s something about this word is speaking to your life. Come down, Come on down. Thank you Jesus, Thank you Jesus. So many things are gonna be restored in your life. Yeah, so many things are gonna be restored. And as we pray, if anyone here needs healing in their bodies, just wave with the wave Hallellujah. Where wherever you need healing, just touch that part of your body. He said. There's a scripture that says the message of the Cross is the power of God, and it says that because everything God did on the cross is to set your free. The cross represents healing, the Cross represents life, it represents deliverance. And so when you understand that God you died on the cross, not just for my salvation, that was part of it, but you die so that will be healed. In the book of Anxiety, he says, by his stripes, we are healed. If it was just about death, God, you know, listen, just give me a quick death. Okay, let my blood shed like this, people will be free. But it was a rough death. He was whipped, he was I mean, nails, all all that. He didn't endure all of that for you to be going through sufferings. And so when it says the message of the Cross is the power of God, when you believe that God, you did that for me, Yeah, sickness has no place in my body. Oppression has no place in my body. Depression has no place in my body because you get that for me. You didn't do that. So I will still be suffering. And so as we declare the message of the Cross, I declare that the power of God would hit you, would touch that part of your body wherever whatever that illness is, and it would be healed. In Jesus' name. Let us pray, Father God. I thank you for your word tonight, I thank you for your people. I thank you Lord God, because Indeed, you're calling out the treasures that have been hidden in darkness. You are put switching on the light, Lord Jesus, because each and everyone here they are the treasures. They have been hidden, but they are being revealed. I thank you Lord that as we grow deeper in You, as we grow deeper in you, Lord Jesus, that we will hold on to the truth about our lives. We will not give up, no matter how long it takes, no matter than they sayers, And even when we speak against ourselves, Lord God, we bring that even into sub sub submission, Lord God, to your word. We submit every negative word that we've spoken over our lives, and we lose the powers of those words. Lord Jesus, we thank you. We will be intentional about what we say and what we do. We would invest everything Lord, our heart, our soul, our mind. Lord God, we believe, we believe, and your word says faith without works is dead. So the evidence of our belief is in the things we do. Regarding that, I thank you Lord that we would not cowerd down or wonder why you chose us. We would understand that this is who you formed us to be. Your word says that we should come before the throne with boldness. Boldness comes from a place of understanding, not to come in timidity, not to come, you know, wondering like, oh my gosh, the throne of Jesus. Lord, we would know, we would know, We would know that we are sons of God, that we are created in your image, that we see in heavenly places, that we will begin to understand our identity and not shrink at the thought of who we are. But we would receive it, Lord God. We would receive it with boldness. Thank you Jesus for what you're doing in their lives. Thank you Lord, that this word, Lord God would pierce every form of doubt, every lie, Lord God, and it would be written on their hearts and the name of Jesus. I thank you for your love, Lord Jesus. You love us so much that many times you hide us until you're ready for the blessings. On this alter, Lord God, we release every disappointment, we release, every shame, we release, Lord God, every setback. We release it to you to never pick it up again, to never to never folk think about our future based on our past. No, no, no, not anymore. We release it to you, Lord God, and we would walk with our heads held high. We will be confident. We will come before you in boldness. We would know that this is who I am. Jesus, you gave us the example your time on earth. You never down played yourself. No no, no, you never did. I thank you Lord, have your way in Jesus' name. Amen, m