Stephanie Ike Okafor - A Destined Delay

One of the things the Lord showed me about this house is the consistency and steadfastness. And he showed me how this is a house that is planted in him. And sometimes being planted could feel boring because you see, when you plant a seed, it takes time before you actually see fruit, but it requires consistency and diligence to nurture that seed. But what the Lord was showing me is that this is a house that is consistent and is diligent. And he said, I have they have I found. Pleasure in them, and I want you to go. And as I began to pray about what the Lord wants to speak, the word he gave me was so encouraging that I knew that he will draw the women who needed to hear this. You see, just like our I mean, just like it was mentioned earlier, right, how much Jesus loves you. It is remarkable. If you don't know, I truly encourage you to ask the Lord and say, God, how do you see me? It is remarkable the love that Jesus has concerning each and every one of us. It would feel like you are the only one in the world. Literally, you see, I encountered the Lord when I was nine years old. It was a time that I needed him more than I knew. I didn't really believe in God. I grew up in a Christian household, but there were many circumstances around my life that it had me in a very angry place as a child, and I just didn't care much for God. And at nine years old, I hadn't encounter with an angel, and I thought the angel was God. So then I was like, oh my gosh, I met God. And I remember, you know, it was confirmed when that morning my mom got a call from her pastor and he said there was angelica activity in your home and you need to know this. He said, I was in prayer and the Lord told me to call you and share. This with you. And so I was like, no, Mom, I met God. And in that moment, I started hearing the voice of God and he told me. He was like, that was not me. And he started teaching me about angels and from then I started having encounters with the Lord Jesus. And what he did, the first thing he did to me was to change my heart. He started teaching me. About love and it was so easy to receive because the person teaching you is one who is love. So he's not teaching you what he is not. He's just communicating to you his essence. He taught me about love, taught me about forgiveness. It was the love of Jesus that drew me to him in such a compelling way that although I never thought that I was going to be a pastor, I always knew I wanted my life to be fully surrendered to him. That whatever you would have me do, Lord, I will always say yes. That if in any way I can express the love that I've found in you to your people, I will always say yes. And so when the Lord that was in real estate at the time, and when the Lord pulled me from that and he showed me, because it was the time in my life that I just felt like, man, God, I feel far from you. But I felt far from him because I had entered a season that he demanded more from me. And so the time and the season I was in was no longer a season for me to do what I had been doing. And so when I began praying and seeking the Lord, and then he showed me, he says, I want you to get out of this. I want you to get out of everything you've been doing, shut the business down, told me to move. Chape disrupted my whole life. But it was that love of Jesus that I could trust my life in your hand, that I said, you know what, I will shut it down. And in that process he revealed to me, I've called you to ministry. You see, there is a lot of disruption that takes place in life, and I. Want to encourage you. It's for your good. It's for you. May not understand what's happening in the moment, you may not recognize how this connects to that. But everything that is connected to the hand of God is connected to his heart concerning you. He loves you. You see. Today I'm gonna be speaking from Luke one twenty six to thirty eight, and before I do, I just want to once again, can we just honor the leaders in this. House, every staff, every volunteer. Amen. Amen, Amen, so beautiful. I thank God my husband is with me. He's in the hotel right now with my daughter, and I just honor him. I thank God for his sacrifice and how he just walks this out with me. I do want to encourage you. I have a book coming out in August and the book is called The Power of Your Dreams. And the reason that I am sharing this with you early is because I have like recognized the voice of God. One of the most consistent areas. That the Lord has spoken to me has been through dreams, and it has saved my life. It has transformed my life. It has in such incredible ways. And this book was really it was not just about writing a book, because I could really care less to write a book. It takes a lot of time. This book was really. An assignment that the Lord gave me to awaken a generation to the power of their dreams. You see, dreams is one of the languages of the last days because we're so busy, we're so distracted that it's so hard for the Lord to get a word to you because you're rarely still. But in your when you take, when you take a moment while you're sleeping, the Lord did not design sleep just for your physical body to rest. He also designed it that you would have encounters with Him in the night. And so the same way that in the Book of Genesis, you know, the Bible talks about how evening and morning was the first day. Evening began the day. Every single night. There are people that think they don't dream, but you are all dreamers, scientifically proven. You just don't remember. Every single night is an opportunity for the will of God to be revealed to you, and every day is an opportunity for you to live it out. And so that is why I wrote this book. So I encourage you. You can pre order it now and it's gonna bless your life. So I just want to let that out. But let us go to Luke one twenty six to thirty eight. It says in the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. Appeared to her and said, greetings, favored woman, the Lord is with you. Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. Don't be afraid marrying. The angel told her, for you have found favor with God, you will conceive and give bert to a son. You will name him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor, David, and he will reign over Israel forever. His kingdom will never end. Mary asks the angel, how can this happen? I am a virgin. The angel replied, the Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadter you. So the baby to be born will be holy and he will be called. The Son of God. What's more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant. In her old age, people used to say she was better, but she has conceived a son and is now in her sixth month. For the word of God will never fail. Mary responded, I am the Lord's servant. May everything you have said about me come true? And then the angel left her. You see something about women that I find so fascinating is our consciousness of time. Even though we end up being. Late compared to the man, but we have it is part of who we are. We have this consciousness of time, and part of that is that even in our very creation. To every woman, there is something called a biological clock. Right. If a woman desires to have children, there is almost this, you know, count down in her mind about the age at which you know, the age range at which she's able to bear children. Why we're living in a time right now many people are freezing their eggs. They're trying to figure things out if they're maybe not married, or they're married and their you know, conception is difficult because there's a certain age that fertility begins to decrease. So we have this biological clock, which personally, I think God should have given the men. You know, it's called menopause starts with them. They're the issues. I'm joking. We love the man, but basically, even every woman will experience menopause, and menopause is a moment that marks when she can no longer have children. But then again, we have seen God defy the odds. We've seen it in a Bible, and we've seen this generation over generations, stories after stories. I recently read an article about a German grandmother who got pregnant. At sixty. And I believe she had twins. And what's funny is her daughter said she wants a younger sister. This is a grandmother, and she said, you know what, sure, let's give it a try. But here is the thing. Here's the reason I'm sharing this, because when the angel comes to Mary, and it's beautiful because the Bible tells us that God sends the Angel to Mary. There was a particular timing that God says, Okay, now we have to strike. Now we must take action. Because you see, there is a part of this story that tells us that Mary is relevant because of who she's engaged to. The lineage is connected to David, the House of David. Mary is engaged to Joseph, who is a descendant of the House of David, of which Jesus will flow through. But there was also something about Mary that is said, no, this is the one. Now is time, this is going to be the union. Send the Angel to her and deliver this message. You see, there was something I've experienced in God where I realize that in Heaven there are meetings that take place concerning the earth. There are meetings that take place concerning your life, your family, the things that God wants to do in a season, in a community, in a society, in a country. It's planned out, it's mapped out. They're like, you know what, there are people that come together and they gather and they. Meet concerning the affairs on earth. Heaven is not just a place where everybody walks and just says holy. That is the Throne Room. That is why there's a location, they said, where everybody just says holy, Holy, Holy, Holy Holy. It's like why every time they see God they're like, oh my gosh. Not everybody's in the Throne Room. But there is a place. There's a place in God where they have meetings concerning the affairs of earth. And so the timing of this is not random, not only the timing of Mary, but the timing. Of her relative. When the Angel is sent to Mary. Prior to that, he sent to her relative, Elizabeth. Elizabeth and the husband had been praying for a child. The Angel said, the one who is called barn is with child. The Bible actually said Elizabeth was very old. I mean, it's one thing to call somebody old. Okay, we get the picture, but then you call them very Oh, they say, oh, she is way past menopause. Okay. They were both praying about this, And what is beautiful is that the Bible called them righteous people. Can you imagine Elizabeth. Year one, she gets me marriage, he's excited to start a family. You're one, they try nothing. Year two, they try nothing. You're ten, you're twenty you're twenty five, still nothing. The desire didn't leave her. They were still seeking God about it, because when the Angel encountered her husband, the angel said, your prayer has been heard, and that word can be translated to your request has been granted. You see one thing I love about prayer. It is the one thing you can send into your future. It could be. And we could tell that this was not even something he was actively praying about, because even when the Angel tells him your prayer has been heard, he starts to doubt. He's like, look, we are too old. It gives you an understanding that this was a prayer. He made. The circumstances aligned with what he was praying for. In his understanding. You see, sometimes we pray to. God for something because we see how the miracle could happen. We recognize how God could make it happen. So we're like, Lord, I'm making it easy for you. I already know the person who can do it. I know the place that can happen. This is the perfect time. I'm in great shape. This is it is now or never. Lord, just do it for me, Jesus. But even in your ignorance about the time your prayer is never wasted. Your prayer comes before God is an incense, It's a sweet aroma. And nothing that comes before the Lord is ever wasted. Even when you forgot about it, he did not. So the angel says, you have to read the whole chapter. He goes to the husband and he says, your prayer has been heard, and he is confused because this was something he talked about, he prayed about. A while ago. But do you see how there is a connection between Elizabeth's pregnancy and Mary understanding that the word of God will never fail. The Angel comes to Mary and he tells her something so just wild. Okay, we read about it during you know, Christmas and all these beautiful things. We were like, Wow, onto the virgin, the baby is born, we have songs, but this is wild stuff. You tell a woman the spirit of God is going to come upon you and you're gonna conceive, and she's just over there smiling. Let it be unto me as you have spoken. I'll be like Mary, now, is everything all right up there? Okay? You did have no other question. But before she had this poetic speech when she says, how will this happen? The Angel explains the how, and then He connects it to a seed. He says, by the way, Elizabeth your relative. You see, angels don't just speak to speak. Everything they say is according to what they were told to deliver to you. So I want you to see the picture here. The Lord sends the angel to Mary. Before he sends her to Mary, he tells the angel what to say. He says, you're gonna go to Mary. This is the appointed time for her to conceive the Son of God in the flesh. Now when you tell her this, also inform her that Elizabeth, her relative, is pregnant. Why is this so important because it tells you the hand of God was on Elizabeth's barrenness the whole time, that her barrenness, unknown to her, would be a seed of faith for her relative. You see, we're talking about sisterhood. The part of sisterhood spiritually is that we have a responsibility to one another. We have a responsibility to be a seed of faith for your breakthrough and for your deliverance, and for you to know that it is possible with God. Because spiritually faith is the currency. There are things that God wants to do, but they must be an exchange of faith. And God is so merciful that he would use people within your circle, people that you would have access to, to ignite that seed of faith in you. You see, when I was pregnant, I went through I discovered that I had five broids, and you know, it was a very challenging time in the beginning, and the doctors were like, hey, you need to My o being said, you know what, you need to terminate the pregnancy. But before that, I already had an encounter with an angel that made me know I was pregnant. I said, Lord, the Lord is not going to go through all this just for me to terminate the pregnancy. I said, no, I'm keeping the baby. I'm changing my doctor. Okay. So I changed the doctor and there was a time where the pain comes and it was excruciating, and I remember praying. I said, God, why won't you take this away? My cousin called me and she's her God mom, she's a doctor. She calls me and I'm like, hey, you know, you got to pray for me because right now I don't know why God. Is doing this. Okay, he needs to take this away. So we pray. I go to bed, and as I'm going to bed, I say, Lord, why won't you take this away? In the dream, I had an encounter with the Lord, and then the Lord begins to show me how faith works. So then he takes me. He says, you know what, I want to show you something. I see a lady, the lady I'm giving you the short version, the lady praying. She sounds so beautiful. I said, wow, whatever she is praying for, I am sure Heaven is backing her up. And the Lord says, let me show you. Let me let me show you something. So every time he showed me a person, there's this scan that happened, and the scan revealed the level of the faith connected to the prayer. And when they they scanned the woman, there was no faith. I said, But but her prayer sounds so. I mean you, I would think she went to Harvard and she studied. She had like a master's in prayer. Because the way she's praying it just you. I will say, yes, I'll say, you know what, you. Can have it. You can take it, girl, just take it. And the Lord says, she has no faith, there's no faith backing this up. And then he shows me me. So then I see myself in my room. I'm laying down, and then they scan me and there's this a little flickering light. The light is not strong enough. I said, Oh, I think that's the wrong person. I said, I know that looks like me, but I think you got somebody else, a double gangirl or something. The Lord says, you don't have faith for the healing you're asking for. He says, what you have faith for was to sleep through the night, but you don't have faith for the healing you're asking for. And I was like, Lord, what are you talking about? Of course I have faith. I'm praying about this thing. But he wasn't condemning me. This is the beauty about God. He wasn't trying to shame me. He said, I'm just trying to show you where you are so that you know where you need to get to. He said, because what you're asking me is not even something you're believing. But what you believe me for, I will give it to you. You want to sleep through the night, You were going to sleep through the night because I wasn't able to sleep. It was extremely painful. But that night I did sleep. And so then he starts talking to me. He takes me there's a scripture, he gave me about the prayer of faith will heal the sick? And so I was like, okay, I wake up. I go to that scripture, I read it is exactly what he said, and I'm like, okay, the prayer of faith will heal the sick. I was so confused. I called my cousin and I'm like, you cannot imagine what happened last night? And I tell her. She was like, man, God is so merciful to show you that. And then I explained to her the events that occurred before I slept off, and she said, Stephanie, you don't have faith. I said, who signed or you want? I said, what do you mean? I don't have faith? And she pointed out, can you imagine? I just finished praying. I just finished believing that God, you're gonna do this. Then I go to bed and I say, God, why won't you heal me? Negated everything, after the prayer, after everything, My final words before sleeping is God, why won't you heal me? And my cousin says, Stephanie, what is faith? I said, Look, I'm a pastor. I know this thing. Okay, it's not a trick. She's like, no, just say it. And as I began to say it, and I was like, wait, the evidence of things not seen? And I said wait, that part stood out to me and she's like, if you truly believe, then you will live like it. Even if you've not seen it, you will grab it. And so then I'm like, okay, what would a healed person do? I said, oh, I will go to church tomorrow because we had service tomorrow and I was planning and just you know, not going as a past heard, I said, you know, I'm gonna go to service tomorrow. And the next day, when I woke up, I already decided that in my heart. I woke up, the pain was like slowly reduced, and I said, oh, this is nice. The moment I walked into the church, everything lifted, it went away. Now why am I sharing this about faith? There is a currency of faith that is needed when you're seeking God for certain things. There is a faith, not so the Bible will say, and he healed them according to their faith. Jesus would say to Peter, I've prayed for you that your faith will not fail you. So there is a currency. There is an exchange. This is how it is fair. This is how God reveals his justice system, because if not one person will be wondering why did this happen? And it didn't happen for me. It's not that God is condemning anybody, but he said, let me show you where you are so you can grow up. Let me walk with you. I'm not condemning you, but this thing you're asking sounds good to you in your lips, but you're not there yet in your heart. God pays attention to the whispers of your heart. Do you know that when the Lord encountered Abraham and told Abraham that he would have a son, the Bible says that Sarah, his wife, laughed within herself, and the Lord said, why did Sarah laugh? She didn't laugh out loud, she didn't hear Abraham and just had a laughing party. She had some fear. She laughed within herself. It was like one of those moments where someone is texting you and you're like, you know, serious face, but you text back lol, right, only if they saw you. Sarah is not laughing in the natural, She's not laughing physically. Rather, she laughed within herself. But the Lord said, why did Sarah laugh? And Sarah said no, no, no, I didn't laugh, he said, but you did. Because it's not just about what you say. With your lips. It is what takes place in your heart. And because of God's love and. Mercy, because He recognizes where your faith needs to be. There are situations that either you're the. Person for someone else or someone else's deceit for your faith. Elizabeth did not know that you're. One, you're two, you're twenty five, you're thirty of experiencing barrenness to the point that the people began to call her baron. You see, when she got pregnant, Elizabeth said, the Lord has taken away my shame in the face of the people. Can you imagine what she was dealing with internally? And yet she stayed known as a righteous person before God. She never allowed her circumstances to cause her to curse God to walk away from her faith. She never grew weary in her well doing, and God kept the whispers of that prayer for the appointed time because her barrenness was not just because God ignored her. It was not because God did not hear her, but it was connected to be a seed of faith for someone else's miracle and belief. You see, when I was praying concerning you all and everyone that would listen to this. The Lord began to show me there are things that he told you would happen in your life. There are things he showed you would happen concerning your family. It was so beautiful when I saw the young lady dancing, because the Lord even showed me dancers that And to not give up on the dream he gave you just because time has passed, because when you had the prayer it made sense. You're like, God, age is on my side. You know, the resources are on my side. I have there everything right now. It's a favorable time for this to happen. And the Lord is like, look, if I'm gonna get the glory, I don't need it to be favorable in the natural. And you have no clue the appointed time that this miracle is connected to. There are some things that haven't happened in your life. And it's not because God ignored you. It's not because God did not hear you. It's not because God just dismissed your prayers. But it is connected to an appointed time, a time where it will not just be about what happens for you, but that your story would be a seed of faith for someone else around you, for someone who hears it. You see, it's just like when we think about the story. Many are familiar with this, and if you don't know this story, you should read it. The Woman with the Issue of blood. We see this pattern with God. This woman for twelve years is going through in this shi What. She did not know. You see, there are many things that are taking place in the natural, but we have no clue the conversations that engineered it in the spiritual. What this woman did not. Know is that the first year she started bleeding, a child was born. While she's looking for doctors, she's spending all her money, the child is growing. She never met the child. All she knows is that she's looking for healing, that she has this issue, and there is no one that seems to solve the problem. All the while, Jesus is walking the earth under cover. No one knows about him yet, but her savior is on the ground. This woman is going from doctor to doctor. Jesus is building something somewhere. Nobody knows him as the son of God yet, and a child is growing. The child turns twelve years old, and the child is dying. And the child's father finds Jesus and tells Jesus, please. You have to come to my home. My child is dying and I need you to pray for her and save her and heal her. This man had enough faith to know that Jesus can heal the child while alive. Jesus is with this man. Jyras is on the way to his home. As he is on the way. The woman, now that's the story where she grabs the hem of Jesus's garment power leaves Jesus. She's healed. Jesus does not have to do anything. He doesn't have to stop, he doesn't have to say anything. But the miracle was never just about her. You see, if it was just about her having her miracle, then Jesus would keep walking. The story would have focused on the woman. It would have been more so of a story of how, even without engaging with the Lord, just because you believe in his ability, power can be released from heaven to heal you. But the story was not just about the woman. So Jesus stops and he says, who touched me? The woman already got what she needed. Jesus, you have somewhere to be this is delay. Can you imagine Gyros, not just the disciples. I want to see Gyrous's face. I wish there would be a movie about this moment so that we can see Gyras upset, like we have somewhere to go my daughter. I just told you that my daughter is sick, and you are over here. Wondering who touched you. Jesus is literally he's the only way. He stops. He said, oh, somebody touched. Me, and the discipers are like, look, Master, there's so many people here. He says, no power left me. Gyrous may have been frustrated, but he did not know this story is connected to you because you're gonna need faith greater than the healing of your child while she's alive, because, unknown to you, Gyros, by the time Jesus gets to your house. Your daughter would be dead. And you need to see something greater than what you have right now. So Jesus pauses this moment and begins to ask who touched me? And then this woman's story is made known. Now she starts talking. I can just imagine Gyrus's face going from angry to frustrated, and when he hears that she's been dealing with this from twelve years. He gets curious, Oh wow, my daughter's twelve. And the lady begins to tell her story and Jesus, they hear a story that way Jesus power can leave him even without him engaging. What can't he do? This started to do something in Gyros's heart. Oh he is able, he is more than able. So after he has the interaction with this woman, the woman is healed, she's going about her business. They run to Gyros. They said, hey, leave him alone. This is not coincidence. They say, leave him alone, that your daughter is dead. And you see how important faith was in this moment, because when Jesus arrived on the scene, one of the first things he did was to drive out everyone who. Had unbelief in the room, away. Everyone who had doubt and where there mourning. He says, get out of the room, because you cannot corrupt and contaminate this environment. Faith. The woman with the issue of blood had no clue when it started. A child was born whose father. Would need your miracle. To engage with what he's asking the Lord for. You see, there are many of you, and it could feel like what you've been praying for has been years and years and years and you have not seen the fruit of it. For some literally it could be a child, but for many it's an array of things. But the Lord told me to encourage you that it's on the way. But it's connected to something much greater than just you. It's not just about you. But he trusts us with burdens. He trusts us with the burdens for other people to experience him the same way. We also heard stories that encouraged us, the same way that we've heard people testify about the things God did, and it activated something in our lives to know that God is able the same way that we have needed it from others. The Lord is also doing it for you, and he is doing it through you for someone else what you have been believing for. The Lord said to me, it's a scripture, and Galatians tell them do not grow weary in their well doing, because there would be an appointed time. And the word of God says that if you do not give up, you would reap a harvest. But you see, the harvest is connected to you not giving up that prayer you did when you were five, that prayer you did when you were nineteen, When you were twenty seven, the Lord heard it. It went into your future. It began to build the walls, the home, the texture of your future. You may have forgotten it, but nothing is forgotten with God. And at the right. Time, at the appointed time, that miracle will happen. You see, there was something that I was reading that fascinated me. Oftentimes, when we think about Abraham and his wife, and you know how this was another couple that they were very old. The Bible is. Very clear to tell us they were not just old, very old right when they started having kids. Well, Isaac, But you know what is fascinating. When it was time for Isaac to get married, Abraham tells his servants, Hey, go to my hometown and go to my people to find my son a wife. He tells the servant the angel that literally, the same way that the Lord has been with me, the Lord will send his angel before you to make your way a success. Then when the servant gets there, the servant has a moment where he says, Lord, you know what, if you're truly with me, reveal to me the one you have appointed. He uses this word appointed to be the wife of Isaac. Right, you gotta study this. And then he says the one I tell he has this whole moment of you know, there was something that just came into his heart. The one who I ask for water and will not only give me but would also say, hey, let me also get water for your camels. And camels are very thirsty animals. Okay, so that was a lot of sacrifice right there. He says, that would be the one. But he says, the one who you have appointed to be Isaac's wife. And then we see Rebecca. But you know what is fascinating about Rebecca. Rebeccah is Abraham's brother's grand daughter. Now when I hears the focus is not about brothers and sisters getting married. That's weird, okay, But back then there are some weird things allowed, and they were half brother and sister and that doesn't really help. But any who, we're here Abraham married his half sister. Back then, weird self is allowed, okay, But the focus is this. The one who God appointed. Look at the timeline, it wasn't just Abraham's brother's daughter, it was the grand daughter. While Sarah, Abraham's wife was experiencing barrenness, Abraham's brother is having children. Then when they have a particular son, Bethel, now maybe around that time Isaac is born, and then that. Boy gets married and has Rebecca. It was the grand daughter the timing that Rebeccah needed to be born, Isaac needed to be delayed so that they would meet at the appointed time. So while Sarah is experiencing barrenness and questioning the Lord and wondering God, when would I have a child, she has no clue that in heaven a meeting has been had concerning the lineage and concerning the one appointed for the promised child, and the one appointed for him is not gonna come at the same generation. If Abraham has a child early. Everything in God is so calculated. We like to say things like the devil is in the detail. No, God is in the details concerning your life. He is the one who is in the details. And just because you can't see it doesn't mean his hand is not on it. Just because you don't know what's happening, does it. Mean he's not working behind the scenes. That is why I love There's a saying my pastor always says, when you cannot see the hand of God. Trust his heart. Trust his heart concerning you. You will never fail. Trust in God. The word of God says that we have never seen the righteous forsaken. You will never fail in trusting God. We're gonna pray, but I want to leave you with something I experienced recently. I was going to London for a conference. And I needed to get an emergency passport because it was all kinds of delays happening. The Lord had made it clear, and before I go anywhere, I always ask the Lord. I said, God, that you sending me, because if You're not sending me, then I'm not going because I need to know your presence will be with me. That is the only way lives can be transformed. If not, this is a good ted talk and we all go home and have popcorn. Okay, But when the spirit of the Lord is in it, the Holy Spirit backs it up and begins to touch heart. And work in lives. And so I asked the Lord very early and I said, Lord, that you sending me. He said, I'm sending you go. But every all kinds of chaos and what appeared to be delays began to happen. Now I'm supposed to preach. The conference kicks off, and I'm supposed to start preaching on. That Friday Saturday, Sunday. It's Wednesday. My flight is Wednesday. I've heard nothing concerning my passport. Now, this was I was supposed to get my passport back by Tuesday, and normally they would email you, they will send you a confirmation tracking something. Nothing was sent. There's no phone number to call, nothing. And I'm just like, okay, Lord, it's Tuesday. Nothing. Wednesday is the flight. Now, this is the interesting thing why obedience is so important. From the very beginning, the Lord says I should leave on Thursday. I chose Wednesday, right, So I said, the list book Wednesday. He told me Thursday. I was like, Lord, does the day even matter? We could just go a day earlier. So Wednesday comes nothing. So then I'm like, and I remember calling the pastors. I said, hey, I don't know if I'm gonna make it, you know. And then I remember the moment I said that. The Holy Spirit rebuked me, said I did not tell you that. I said, God, there's I don't know, there's nothing. How am I supposed to travel unless I'm just gonna disappear and show up in London, you know. And so the Lord said, I didn't tell you that. So I said, you know what, I'll be there in Jesus name, heavy on day in Jesus' name. You know when you say that louder than what you said before. So Wednesday comes. Along, I'm like, hey, let's change the flight to Thursday. But I was like, okay, Lord, I'm trusting you, and you're showing me like the more everything in the natural looked like it wasn't gonna happen, the more the Lord confirmed to me that it would happen. So I said, okay, we're gonna pack. So everybody got packed up. I packed my pack, my daughter's dans, my husband was ready. We were all ready to go. Thursday comes. Our flight is Thursday night. I still have not heard anything, and I'm like, Lord, i have to leave on Thursday. I preach on Friday, so that Thursday. But actually, what is so interesting? That night before the you know, before the day broke, I had a dream and in the dream I have an encounter. An In the encounter, I was told you are going to preach on the first night. You are going to preach about the foolish things of God. The theme of the conference was called in His Wisdom, and he said you were going to teach about how the Lord uses the foolish things of the world to confound the wise. And then they reminded me of the Scripture and everything he says, because what people need to embrace is looking like fools for God. That is the wisdom of God to this age. And then this person begins to tell me everything you've been experiencing, our hand is involved in it, so that you embody what you're going to teach the people. So I wake up still nothing. You will think when you wake up, you will wake up by a phone call. Your pastor is ready. I woke up, no emails, nothing. I told my husband, I said, you know what, God is in this thing. I don't know how, but God is in this thing. So we're ready. We're all packed up. We are ready. Then around like ten or eleven, I can't remember right now, get a phone call. They're like, hey, your passport is ready, and I'm like, oh, amazing. So I head over there and they. Were like, did you get did you get the emails? Did you get the. I said nothing, now a text master's not an email, nothing, And they were confused that how did you get any of that? But I have already I knew that now the Lord had confirmed it. I was behind it and we made a flight right. But I remember asking the Lord. I said, God, why did you all of that? Why did you do all of that? He said, So you don't rely on what you see. You rely on what I said. And that is what the Lord needs you to understand. It's not about what you see, but what did he tell you, Because the word of God cannot fail. When God gave you a word, he gave you his person. He is the word, and the same way he cannot fail. His word to you cannot fail. If you are still breathing, know that his word is still on track. Know that his word will not fail you. It does not matter how that the time you conceived in your mind, It does not matter the expectation you had. His word will not fail you. I want us to pray. Stand with me. Thank you, Lord, Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Jesus, Thank you, Jesus. Thank you. Lord. Have your way in the hearts of your people. God, you have been faithful, you have been consistent. But you see, it's the moments where you are closest to the things that God has for you that the enemy tries to find you in a place of vulnerability and weakness to throw it away. It is when you are the closest to it that all of a sudden, all kinds of voices starts coming, all kinds of attacks. Do you know one of the. Enemy's greatest tactic to masquerade his voice as your own. Anytime you have a narrative that is negative self talk, it's not you. God did not create you to be against yourself. The spirit of God will never speak to you in a manner or encourage you to speak to yourself in a manner that is against yourself. Whenever those thoughts come up, the enemy is masquerading his voice as yours. So you begin to think that is actually how what it is. I'm no good. This could never work. The time has passed. Why would the time pass when there is a God who lives outside of it. He is the one who has time in his hands. But you see, there's a story God is telling through your life. There is a story God has concerning you. David said, according to the volume of the books that it was written about me. There is something written about you before you ever showed up on this earth that God is committed to telling. Through your life in order for that story to be told. This is why Jesus talks about unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and die, it cannot produce much fruit. And of this Jesus was talking about your life. You have to die to your ambition, die to your expectations, die. To your timelines. If you're gonna surrender to the story Jesus wants. To tell through your life. If you keep holding on to it, then you will never experience the full potential of what God wants to do. There's a story he wants to tell through you, and I'm here to tell you it's greater than what. You think for yourself. If you will just surrender to it and say, God, you have your way, have your way through this vessel. God knows how to restore. He is not away. Nothing you have ever gone through is wasted in the hands of God. But will you surrender to the story He wants to tell through you? Earlier we were singing a song be about come to the altar. But I want to just call on anyone who has been feeling weary about the promises of God in their heart, who has been feeling down concerning the things God spoke to you, because you feel like time is running out. You feel like you don't know if this thing could happen any longer. The message that God is saying. To you specifically, this is not a general message. It's not everyone that would be drawn to this message, but especially the people in this house. What the Lord is saying to you, it's coming. Don't grow weary. To encourage you in your faith. He is pleased with you. He is pleased with your faithfulness. He is pleased with the faithfulness of this house. But there are. Things you cannot lose sight of just because it seems like time has gone by. He heard that prayer. And he's going to grant that request. And so if you just need a moment to say, God, I still believe in miracles and I'm not gonna let this go, come to the altar right now, Thank you Jesus, and we're gonna pray. Thank you Lord, Thank you Lord, Thank you Lord, Thank you Lord. God wants to show off through your life. He wants to show off in a grand way. Thank you Jesus, Holy Spirit. Work in their hearts, work in their minds. Let them know that you are a God of the impossible. Thank you Lord, Thank you, Jesus, Thank you, Jesus. Just the acoustic a term. See. I love what God does because you guys came to serve. It's a women's night. But God is such a. Master Jesus is masterful at meeting people on the way, on the way to pouring out to the women. There's someone he kept highlighting to me, and I want to use you as a point of reference to the rest of the band. The dream in your heart is still alive. The dream in your heart, God is You're going to do it. And I just want you to play because I keep hearing the Lord say the sound that will come out of you, that he will cause that sound to be heard in nations. That dream he put in your heart has He's not lost sight of it. So I just want you to play as we pray for over this women. Thank you Lord, Thank you Lord. Everyone, just lift up your hands and close your eyes. Heavenly Father, it is undeniable that you are in this room. It is undeniable that you are in this place, holy spirited, is undeniable that you are touching the hearts of your daughters. And I thank you for what is also happening in the lives of your sons here, because when you speak to one, you're really speaking to the room. Heavenly Father, I thank you. That your word never falls to the ground, and I pray, Lord God, that it will not fall to the ground in their lives. I thank you Lord that they would know that everything that you have spoken, you are more than able to perform. You are willing, and you are able. But there is a time that is connected to your word says that times and seasons belong to the Lord. Our lives unfall through times and seasons, and we may not understand the times and seasons, but you do. There is a story you want to tell through each and every life in this room. And as they surrender to say God, you tell your story, they would experience you in great and mighty ways. I thank you, Lord that your glory would be made known through their lives in ways that they have not known, and what you do through them would be the seed of hope for the lives of generations to come. Stories will be told about the miracles that happen in their lives, and when it is repeated, it would ignite hope, it would ignite faith, it would ignite trust. Lord, you love us so much that even when we think we're going through. The fire, it's only to purify us. Even when we think that this is supposed to consume us, it is to actually get rid of the impurities, the impurities of doubt, the impurities of shame, the impurities of guilt. We may not understand it in the moment, but in the end we would look back and say, thank you Jesus. And so Lord, have your way steal this word in their lives, and may they not be put. To shame for trusting in you. May they not be put to. Shame for believing in you. I cannot shake it up. There's a dancer in this room, and you've wanted to give up, and the Lord says that dream is still alive. Because I would be with you. You see, the Lord is sending you as weapons in places. Ministry is not just about a pulpit. There's ministry everywhere. There's ministry in dance, there's ministry in the beauty industry, there's ministry in the fashion industry. There's ministry and technology, there's ministry and education. Because you are the weapon. That he sends out, and so Heavenly Father made their lives reveal your glory in Jesus' name. Amen,