Stephanie Ike Okafor - Awaken To Servanthood

Thank you Jesus, Thank you Lord, Thank you Lord, Thank you Lord. We don't do anything unless the Spirit says go. And sometimes there is a melody that needs to be released, and all of a sudden, your eyes become open to what he's doing in the spirit. You see, I was praying. I was in prayer last night, and one of the things the Lord showed me it concerned me greatly. I saw these creatures. And very very nasty looking creatures, and they didn't have wings on their back. Their wings came from their sides, and they were hovering over the atmospheres in the nation. And as I was seeing them, I was asking the Lord, because it could appear that what was given them the ability to fly was the people unknown to them. And I was asking the Lord, what is this image? What is this imagery that you're showing me? And what the Lord began to reveal is that the enemy only thrives, he is the ruler of darkness if he can keep your mind. That's why the spirit is one. Everything that has been ministered so far, the spirit is one. If the enemy can keep your mind to make you believe that indeed you are oppressed, that indeed there is no hope. You are the one giving him wings to fly. It is the lack of hope. It is the lack of the light of God in your life that was fueling those creatures and those beings to hover and to have dominion in the spaces that God's people are called to have dominion. And as we began to worship. That is exactly what I began to see where the Lord is turning things around. You see, when you read the. Scriptures, you can't just read it in the context of who you're reading. When we read about the Twelve Disciples, it seems like, wow, this is amazing, But do you know how rare What took place was that in the entire world there were these twelve people that the Lord had chosen that literally shaped the world through the authority that Christ gave them. And the Lord began to show me that there are people that are in this place, there are people that would be listening to what is taking place from this atmosphere, and if you would believe God, he would use you to change your nation, if. You would truly believe God. You see, sometimes the level of our asking is an insult that the Lord has to remind us in the scripture, he says, ask of. Me, and I would give you the nations. He says. The problem is that you're not asking me on my level. You are harassing me with things that your brother could do for you. But when we begin to believe God, then everything shifts. There are people in this place. I'm telling you, you don't even know who you are. The lords. He has a pattern, He has a beautiful pattern of using what the world calls foolish for his glory. The moment you find yourself feeling as though it can never be me, then recognize you're the perfect candidate. Because the Lord is not trying to use you because so that the people can say, oh I know why God use them. No, he wants to use you in a way that it would confuse men, It will confuse humanity that how could it be this person that God is using in such a mighty way. Thank you Jesus, Heavenly Father. We are. We are grateful, Lord, We are grateful for your presence. We are grateful that we get to do this with you. We are grateful for partnership with you, Holy Spirit. And I pray that in this moment, and just as everything that has taken place and throughout this time, that we have that holy spirit you will glorify Jesus. I pray, Lord God, that every callousness of the heart, that you will pierce through it, and that your word will begin to be the mirror of how your children view themselves. They will not view themselves according to what society speaks, what the people say, but they will view themselves according to what you say about them. Lord. I pray, Heavenly Father, that you would breathe on my words, and that you would minister to each and everyone in this place individually, that they would even hear the things I did not say, but the things that came straight from you. And so have your way in Jesus's mighty name. Amen. Amen, you may be seated, you may be seated. I want to take a moment just to honor the pastors of this house, and so can you just just love on them. You have some incredible pastors. I mean, the humility, the servanthood, it is just amazing. So can we love on them like we really we really. Mean that thing. Amen. Amen. My husband is here and he hates every time I point him out, but he is just hees my rock and so I just I love him. I thank God for my mom who is also here. She's with my daughter and so they're in the back. I also just want to take a moment to honor my senior pastors in La Passes to Ray Roberts and Pastor Sarah Jax Roberts. Their leadership, their support of my calling is just beautiful. I am blessed to be here. It's been sixteen years since I've been home, and you know you at the time just goes right. I was sharing my mom. I remember when I left, and in the moment, I'm like, oh, Mom, I will see you next year, like for holidays. And I remember when the spirit of the Lord said so clearly, you're not going to be back for a while, and I was just like, no, that couldn't be. But it was, because they Sometimes the Lord has to take you away from what's been familiar to you, what you've known, because what he wants to bring out of you, it would require an environment that is far away from the familiar, right because who he's calling you to be there's no reference for it. There's no reference for it in your environment. Sometimes, when the Lord begins to unction on your heart, that is time to get away. It's time to get out of the common and the familiar. Don't be scared, because he wants to introduce you to a new you. He wants to introduce you to a new He knew before you were born. To you that he knew before he formed you in your mother's womb. That's why the word of God should always excite us. It's an opportunity to partner with the mysteries concerning. Who we are, who we are in him. I want to go to the word Luke twenty two, from verse twenty four to twenty seven, and now it says, now there was also a dispute among them as to which of them should be considered the greatest. And he said to them, the kings of the gentiles exercise lordship over them. And this is Jesus speaking right to his disciples. And those who exercise authority over them are called benefactors. And by the factors in this context were people who only did good for credit. They only serve if they were going to be highlighted. Right, So it wasn't coming from a pure motive, but not so much, but not so among you. On the contrary, he who is greatest among you. Let him be as the younger, and he who governs as he who serves. For who is greater he who sits at the table, or he who serves? Is it not the one who sits at the table. Yet I am among you as the. One who serves. The theme is spiritual awakening, and today my messages awakened to servanthood. And we're going to unpack this now. First of all, I'm really intrigued by what is happening in this moment. The disciples are having another. Dispute, which makes me, you know, we have to backtrack a bit. Prior to this, Jesus literally reveals to them, He says, one of you will betray me. This is a big deal, right because for three years they have been walking with Jesus. Jesus has given them authority to cast out demons to heal the people. For three years they have formed, they became like a. Family, And all of a sudden, Jesus says, one of you is going to betray me, and the disciples argue. I mean, they have a dispute about it for a little bit. They start questioning amongst themselves who is going to betray him, and so quickly the conversation shifts from wondering who will betray Christ to this conversation about who is the greatest. And it doesn't make sense. How do we go from hey, one of you you will betray me? Why did anyone care enough to say, hey, let's gather amongst ourselves. Betrayal will not lead to anything good. Let's gather amongst ourselves and talk to one another. Hey, is what's going on? None of that happened. There was no. Concern or care that for three years I've done ministry side by side to this person. And so quickly I shift from the revelation that one of my brothers is gonna betray our Lord, and all of a sudden, I'm asking about who will be the greatest. You see, as I was reading this, it reminded me I went to for secondary school. I went to Atlantic Hall from GS one to GS three, and there was something so dreadful they used to do. It was, you know, right after the exams, during the assembly line, they will call out the first. Three and the last three. It was awful. I think we were more afraid of that than disappointing our parents sometimes because can you imagine the last three of the class, and they start listing their names, and you're supposed to come out like it's an award of humiliation, right, So they will call the last three and you could always tell who was. Probably the last three and the first three. Because there will be all there will be some people that just show up on the assembly line and they are just I mean distraught. Their head is down there. You know, we had. Ties and all of that is just lose thing. They just look like they do not want to be there. And then the first three very chatty checking on everybody. Hey, how are you doing? Hi? Wow, I haven't seen you. You saw me yesterday. Because it's almost like this moment of glory and I just to wonder, why would they do something this just. It's tormenting. And it's almost as though they needed to reconcile that, you know. As because we're gonna highlight the last three, let us also reveal who is on top. You see, one of the problems that I've realized traits, you know, just goes back all the way to the beginning. The problem in humanity is this need for who is the greatest the disciples in the midst of you learning that one of one amongst you would betray your Lord. What you're then concerned about is, Okay, now that we know who's on the somebody's on the bottom, So could we know, please, Lord, let us know who's on the top. The selfishness. But that has been the issue you all the way from the beginning. You see in the garden, when the when the enemy, when the serpent was speaking to Eve. One of the things he says to her is about the fruit. About the forbidden fruit is if you eat of it, then you would be like God. Already she is created in the image of God. But what is you see something about Satan is he will suggest a thought to you. But within that thought there are layers of it. There are many things that come. It's almost like the thought is pregnant with other things of destruction. The thought is pregnant with other lies. So he's like, hey, if you eat of this, you would. Be like God. So it's it's almost as though Eve, the level you are on looks a little bit on the on the bottom. You are the last one created. I mean, the animals were here before you showed up. Before you showed up, I mean the Lord literally had Adam naming all the animals before he even thought about you, Eve. Could it be that Eve did not realize that her position as a helper was actually a position of power, that her position as a helper reflected the nature of God in the Holy Spirit. But in that moment, he says, if you eat of the fruit, you would be like God. So Eve, what I'm actually telling you is that you are less than and if you want to be like the greatest in this garden, then you would eat off the fruit. It's what we still struggle today as humanity was so concerned about who is on top, who is seeing. I want to be the one that is served and not the one serving others. And as I was, you know, in this place of studying what the Lord was showing me, I was reminded by the fact that before I even got here, I was praying to the Lord about you know, what is it that you want me to minister? And the Lord said to me, I will give you the word when you get there. When I landed in the country, picked up from the airport, and we're driving through the streets, and I just feel heartbroken because the level of poverty and oppression that I saw on the streets said, it wasn't like this when I left. I knew things were hard, but it wasn't to this degree. And so that was me, in my humanity, in my own mind and my own reasoning, I'm just like God. What is happening? And the Lord pulls me into a vision. And in this vision, I see Nigeria as a desert and everyone was looking for water. But what they did not realize that they were water. But they were looking for water because they could not see themselves. But then all of a sudden, something interesting happened. An individual goes to another person to help them find water, and the moment they did that, something just unlocked and there was like streams of water flowing out of both of them, and they got excited, like, oh my gosh, I didn't know this was in me, and so in wanting to serve another, it unlocked. What they had been looking for all along. And the Lord began to speak to me that it's not the government that would be the salvation of the people. It is the people. Embrace the mentality of servants. And it just starts with you and I. It's not about the message you say that's for them, No, it starts with you, right where you are. It starts with you, because if God is gonna do great and mighty things through you, you have to have the posture of a servant. You have to. You see, a servant realizes that everything I have, I'm a steward over that. There is nothing I have that I own, but I am a steward that even in the low place, God, you made me a steward there. You see, when there is oppression in the land, when there is darkness in the land, it's easy just to look out for yourself. You feel as though I don't even have enough to give. All I can think about. Is me, me, me me. It's interesting when my husband and I when we got married, two key moments, when we got married and when we had a baby. I think the Lord instructed us to give the most money that I think we've given as a unit away the two moments. You're supposed to be saving money. When you get married, people are giving you gifts. People understand the expenses that come with weddings and all of that. But as we were planning the wedding, almost every. Other day the Lord says, now give this person this, give this person that we gave so much away in the moments where we should be open handed for ourselves. The same thing when we had a baby, almost every other day. I wouldn't say daily, but the amounts just were crazy to us. Why. It was a reminder. That not because you have another responsibility you forget your posture as a steward, that just because things may feel like you might be in a place where you're like, we need to save a bit more, that you start to become self centered rather than people focused. And so what the Holy Spirit was doing in those moments, it was a test. Can I trust you? When I've given you this blessing? Can I still trust you? Because everything I placed in your hand is not for you. There are things I would allow you to use for yourself, but whenever I have need for it, you better release it. It's what happened with the widow during the time of the drought in the land. The Lord says to Elijah, I have commanded I have ordained a widow to feed you. And what was the Lord speaking to I've ordained it in her spirit. Because when Elijah meets the widow, he has no clue what he's talking about, and the widow literally tells him, look, I don't even have enough what we're about to eat. We've planned to make it, eat it and die. But in her obedience to serve, and I'm not using this scripture as some of the ways that this scripture can be manipulated. Because the widow there was a conviction in her knowing. She knew that this little that I have, it's not about what someone tells you to do. The Holy Spirit would confirm it to you, because when the Lord says, I have commanded a widow to feed you, the Lord had commanded it in her spirit. When the widow was having a moment of resistance, her flesh was showing up, but in her spirit she knew. And so when with the little that she have, she baked the food and she gave Prophet Elijah. She never lets during the famine in her service to another God unlocked abundance in her life. You see servanthood. The heart of servanthood is going beyond self. We're so self focused in our workplace. Become the church on Sunday, then you go to work on Monday. You don't even know what's going on with your colleague. Everything is about what can you collect what can you gain? And there is a call to the body and to the church. About being corporate minded because when we talk about service, ultimately, I'm talking about service to the will and purpose of God for humanity through you. That not just what you believe is a good thing to do. No, what is the Holy Spirit telling you to do? And how are you making room to hear what He has instructed you to do? Do you start your day by saying, Holy Spirit, reveal to me, how can we partner together? How can I serve in my workplace? How can I serve in the place that gives me frustration? Because you see the beauty of service. It reminds you that God is your sustainer, that even with little I can help another, that I am not the source of my keeping, but God, I trust you. And when you can walk with God in such a way, then He can do great and mighty things through your life. You see, so often we're praying that God would use us, God would choose us, God will let his glory shine through us. But are we are prepared people? Are we people that are willing to drop the very thing that is a bondage to you? But nobody knows if God has need of it. Can you let go of the thing that you're just like God? I mean, like everything else you could have, but this one thing, oh no, that in the place of your discomfort. Can God make you even more uncomfortable? Or are you waiting when everything looks great and you say, okay, God, use me here. God doesn't need lip service. He needs people that are fully dependent on him. When you look at the scriptures, you see that men and women of God that were used mightily, they had this one thing in common. They were servants. First you look at David. David was literally the shepherd to his father's flock. But we could tell that there was some issues between David and the father because when the prophet comes to annoyance one of his sons, he does not even consider David. He leaves David in the field. He doesn't even have the the idea that David, that perhaps David could be called by God. Yet David stayed faithful. Yet David put himself in positions that he could be harmed, but he stayed faithful. David had every opportunity to kill Saul, and I think God would understand. Every opportunity. But he had the fear of God more than the need to be validated for what the Word of God spoke to him about. David knew the Lord. If you spoke it, you will confirm it. I don't need to do something that would be compromise in my heart. You see, sometimes because we read the scriptures and we understand that God wants to bless us, we start to compromise to gain the blessing, as though God needed you to help him in a way that dishonors him. I remember as I was sprayed, there was something the Lord showed me, and he said, as you're ministering, Stephanie, there is a lady that would hear you. She is faithful in her tithing. But how she gets this through prostitution. And why I'm speaking this is not for shame, is that the Holy Spirit will convict your heart to understand. When you give into. The ways of darkness, you put the authority in the enemy's hand over your life. You cannot honor God and live in by a standard that is not his. You cannot say God, I love you, But he says, but do you fear me? Because this is making a mockery of his name, and he can't trust you because you want to honor him, but you want to serve yourself. You want to honor him, but you want to do things your way. You see, the greatest challenge to every believer, the greatest enemy to every believer, it's not Satan itself, because that is the leverage the enemy uses against you. Jesus would say something like, Satan comes to me, but. He finds nothing in me. The enemy was never a threat to Jesus because he could not find anything in him. Jesus realized and he embraced the fact that his will was not of himself. His will was. To do the Father's will, so there was no leverage that the enemy could pull. You see, in many cases, Satan is only as powerful as you let him. He only has authority over you because you give it to him. The same thing that happened in the garden is the same thing we do till day. We are giving him authority over our lives. Every time we question if God is really who he is. We look at a situation and we feel like this is way too bad. I'm just gonna give in to compromise, And the Lord is like, if you only knew what I could do with you if your heart is loyal to me, And why is that? It's not that God, it is. You know, an insecure God. No, but God will never release something to you that will become your bondage. Jesus will say things like the blessings that I give you comes without sorrow. So he will never release something to you if the end result. Is sorrow, and it will only be sorrow because of your state of mind. It would only be sorrow because of how you view yourself. It would only be sorrow because you are more focused on self preservation than serving the will of the Master. You see, God wants to do great and mighty things through you, but he watches you in the little things. He watches you how you show up at work. He watches you and how you manage your finances. He watches you and how you treat people. He watches you in what you allow in your heart to fuck to fester. Are you holding on to bitterness? Are you holding on to offense? He watches you when he gives you a very simple instruction and you think it's so simple that the Lord doesn't care, so you don't do it. He watches all of that. That's why he will say concerning David, that David will do everything. That the Lord wills. You see the language of God when he pays attention to people, that David's heart was after him. Who could be the people in this room right now? And no one even knows of who you are. But God has his eyes on you, and the only thing between him raising you up and where you are right now is dying to self. And the Holy Spirit will always challenge you. Not in the ways you think, it's in the little things. You see, there's a scripture that talks about how those who are faithful with little that he will make ruler over much. You don't become a ruler in abundance. You're a ruler because of your posture of stewardship. Because he didn't say that those who are faithful in little will now rule. He says, you're already ruling over little. I'm just gonna add to it. You are not a ruler because you have increase. You are not the greatest because there is abundance. You are not the greatest because people are serving you. He says, you are the greatest because you are a servant. That in the little that you have, you have been faithful with it. And now I'm going to increase you. I'm going to expand you. You see, the eyes of the Lord is on the people, on the people. When the Lord encountered Solomon in a dream, he gave him a blank check. He said, Solomon, whatever it is you want to ask of me, And Solomon in the purity the dream, reveals the purity of his heart. It was in a stake where he could not hide anything from God. He says, tell me what you want, and Solomon says, Wisdom, give me a discerning heart to lead the people that you have put me over. It moved God so much to the point that he said, I will give you this and everything else you did not ask. Then you look at someone named Abraham. All through his life, you see the pattern of servanthood. There was a moment where there were five kings who came against four kings, and the four kings won the battle. They took their people. They you know, took the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah. And part of the people they took was Abraham's nephew. When word comes to Abraham, he arms his men, the servants in his household. There were three hundred and eighteen, I believe. And he goes to fight a battle that is a battle of kings with three hundred and eighteen men. He recovers his nephew, he recovers the people, he recovers the goods. But none of this was about him. And you might say, but it was his nephew. Yues what. The King comes to Abraham and says, Abraham, give me the people, but keep the goods. Abraham rejected the offer. He said, I swore before God that I will take nothing from you before you say you made me rich. You see, even before Abraham goes into the battle, he realizes, God, I'm going with you, and I'm going with you not for my own game. So even when the offer. Came, he rejected it because it was never about self. And then you fast forward when Abraham finally has the child that he was promised and the Lord. Requires the child from him. And the crazy thing in the scripture is that it says early in the morning, Abraham takes the boy. You see, I would if it was me, it might be late at night, because the whole day I might be interceeding God, change your mind. But early in the morning, without hesitation Abraham takes his son, and in the moment he was about to slay him, the angel stops him and says, Abraham, now I know that you fear the Lord and the blessings connected to Abraham. I mean, that is just incredible. But what am I painting a picture of servanthood. Servanthood is the key to you. A rising servanthood is the key for. Your light to so shine that kings will be drawn to the brightness of. Your rising. Servanthood. It is the place of partnership with God. As we were worshiping and she mentioned God in me, I carry God. But what unlocks your partnership with Him is the posture of a servant. How are you seeing yourself? And is it eve when anything close to who God sees you to be. You see, the greatest thing that could affect a believer is to lose hope in the word of God. I love it when the lady mentioned that you will doubt what you see so you can believe what you hear. God wants to do mighty things through his people. But the word he told me to release to this house is to be a servant. First, go beyond yourself, self, pleasing self preservation, go beyond the things, the things that you will do just to make sure you're okay. And it is outside of what the Lord is instructing you to do in that moment. But you don't see beyond his word. You're only seeing what society. You're only seen in the natural that you're not seen in the spirit. That on the other side of your obedience there is many great things that will be unlocked to you. You know, Revelation carries a mystery. It tells us about the number of the Anti Christ, six sixty six. And I remember when the Lord began to unravel this mystery, and I want to go too deep in it because there's another area I want to go into. But six is the number of men, and there are three men, influential men that will be that will play a critical role in the coming of the Anti Christ. But how is this? These are men who are focused on self, so that even the number six is the number of man, the number of. Self, and that is the access. Do you remember when Jesus said to Peter, get behind me, Satan, and then the Lord reveals how Satan got in. He says, Peter, you. Are not mindful of the things of God, but of the things of man self. Peter, if you would go beyond yourself, your eyes would open to the words that I've been speaking. But you are so centered on what serves you that you think you had. The ability to rebuke me. He says, get behind me, Satan, and then he speaks to Peter. He says, become mindful of the things of God, not the things of man. This is not saying that God does not care about your needs. Of course he does. But the Bible tells us seek first the Kingdom of God, and all these things. Would follow. The Lord is simply saying, get your life, get get things in the priority it should be. It should be about the kingdom first, and everything else that you are compromising for is attracted to you when you're focused on the kingdom. Don't reduce your life to something an individual could give you. Don't reduce the quality and the existence of your life to something somebody could do. I remember this story my mom told me. It cracked me up. They were either. Service and a man is just screaming down the house in prayer, and he's praying, and I believe it was like twenty thousand Ira. The man in front of him, I guess had a bigger need and he felt that this man was hindering his prayers. He goes in his wallet, he says, sir, take the money. People like us we need a prayer. And it cracked me up. But first of all, God cares about that man's needs. But why I'm sharing this in this moment is sometimes we reduce the quality and the existence of our calling God to something an individual could do. What about the things that people cannot give you, like your identity in Christ. When you start to center your life about Lord, partner with me that everything I do show me how I can be of service to your will and your purpose. You see, marriage is about service. Being a parent is about service because in marriage there is a plan, There is a purpose that God has for that union. It's not just for you to not be lonely. God has designed and ordained a purpose for it. And that's why what breaks a home itself? When they asked Jesus about divorce, he said that Moses allowed. It because of the hardness of heart. You know what gets people's heart's heart self rio ego, toxic behavior. You lose sight on serving each other self. Being a parent is about service. When I got pregnant. How I found out I was pregnant was an angel revealed it to me. Then I run down to tell my husband. I said, there was an angel in the closet and we are pregnant. Well you know why that was so powerful. It's because our daughter. God did not give her to us so that we can impose our ideas of who she should be. We are only stewards over her. We don't own her, We don't own the path she takes. Our responsibilities to hear from God? Who have you called her to be? And how do we serve that? You see, many times parents get frustrated with their children because of self. You want them to embody what you desire without asking the Lord who are they? Everything in life is about service unto God. That job you might hate, the season that you might be in that you dislike, and every day you're praying that God will get you out of it, and the Lord is like, you don't even realize I put you in it. There were times in. My life I remember I was rebuking the devil about a season of my life. I woke up in prayer, serious praying the spirit and then started praying in English. But I should have stayed in the spirit because I say that I rebuke you God. My breakthrough is here, and the Lord says, don't rebuke me, because I put you there. There are some seasons that the Lord is the one that placed you in it, because he is testing. How can you be faithful in the little? How can you be faithful in the mundane? How can you be faithful in the boring? You see? He said of David. David, I am the. One who took you from being a shepherd boy to being king over my people. That is the same way that the Lord can take you from wherever you are to where He's called you to be. But you must embody the posture of a servant, selfish ambition is killing our generation. It's killing us. If we begin to care for one another, water would flow. The angels of the Lord will begin to back up the call of God on your life. Because you have made your life's mission about God's people, and you have made it that God would whatever you would need me to do, show me and I will do it. And why I'm sharing this is because I want that to be your prayer today, that you would ask the Lord Holy Spirit, Reveal to me, how can I be of service in the place you have put me. Reveal to me how I've missed it. I've complained more than I've shown gratitude forgetting that. You alone a God, you can turn any situation around. You. See, you don't want to meet your maker and then discover what he created you for. You want to walk it out on earth. There are assignments connected to your life, but those assignments are only first found and discovered in the place of true intimacy. And you cannot have true intimacy with God with your hands closed. You cannot have true intimacy with God if you're telling him how your life should be, if you're giving him your timelines, if you're giving him your instructions. To have true intimacy, it's with hands open, Lord, whatever you want to do with me, I am willing. I am available to you. You see in the scripture that we read, after the disciples asks Jesus, who is the greatest? I love that Jesus used himself and as an example to answer them. He wasn't speaking out of what he did not know or what he did not embody. He says, I serve you because he tells them. He says, who is greater, the one who is served on the table or the one who's serving, And he acknowledges that in culture, yes, the one who is served as scene as greater. But then he turns to them and says, but I serve you. He uses himself as an example. There is a place God is calling you to serve that you have turned your back on. And sometimes it could even be. With your heart. It could be with how you love and the people that He has called you to reveal his love. But yet you're still holding onto that bitterness and unforgiveness and offense. So I remember, we're gonna pray very shortly. For some reason, the Holy Spirit is really pressing that heavy on my heart. There are people that many, there are many people listening rather, and there are people you blame for where you are in life. There are people you have this constant bitterness for because you felt like they put you in this situation. And I'm reminded by Joseph when he realized that what the enemy meant for evil, God intended for good. But even in a more practical way, you have to realize that if my life is in the hands of God. And even when it seems like the person a person put me in a situation, you don't give the enemy credit. You say, God, you can use this too. You can't hold on to this offense and hatred in your heart. See, my father was murdered when I was eight months old, and he was murdered. The assassination was planned by his cousin. But do you know that later on, as I got older and as that encountered the Lord, apart from the Lord teaching me about forgiveness and love, there was a time I asked the Lord show me why this happened. And apart from the jealousy, the envy and all of that of man, the Lord showed me something. Because my father, when he was shot, he didn't die on he He wasn't pronounced dead on the spot. They took him to several hospitals. Unfortunately, you know, in the hospitals they wanted a police report before they treated him. And then he goes to the first hospital they ask for police report, the second hospital they asked for something ridiculous. The third hospital says, yes, they will treat him, but at that point he's lost too much blood. And then he died, and I remember asking the Lord, why didn't you give him favor with the first hospital? And the Lord revealed something to me years later, and he said, Stephanie, there were many reasons. I was literally I had this encounter. I was on a conference table and the Lord was there, and they were certain angels that were there, and it began with the angels given an account of why they allowed it. They revealed it wasn't his time to die. They told me the year he was supposed to die, and there was a sign they gave me that would confirm it, and I remember asking my mom about that sign and it was true. So they settled that. They said, no, this was not your father's time to die, but there is a reason we allowed it. And they began to show me that I have brothers, but I would use myself. Specifically, they began to show my life that who you've been called to be, you will not discover it if we did not allow this. Why am I sharing this? Did God? Was it the perfect will of God for that to happen to my father? No, but he allowed it because he also. Knew that through this. I will be glorified, that through this I will do something with his children, and this would be a reference point. Why I'm sharing this is you are losing time. Every moment you blame. You only focus on where you are in life as the result of what someone else did. You're losing time, You're losing focus, You're losing clarity, and the purity of your heart is getting contaminated day by day. And Satan wants to keep you in a contaminated space because the Bible tells us those that are pure in heart are the ones that shall see God. They shall see the hand of God in everything. They shall see what God is doing in the season when others are blind to it, those that are pure in heart. There are certain things the enemy allows, not even allows. There's certain thing the enemy assigns to your life. And you think the outcome is about the circumstance of where you are, and know what He's after is that. Your heart to be contaminated. He's after for you to be in a place of biddness and offense because you cannot be productive there. It is a distraction from everything God will speak to you because you cannot even hear his voice clearly in that space. Because everything now becomes filtered through hate, and God wants to set many of you free. Because you can hold on to this and serve people. You have to always recognize that the measure of your intimacy is when you can serve who you consider least in your life. Can you serve the one that you dislike? Can you pray for them? Can you love on them? If the Lord released an instruction to you concerning them, can you do it? You see, God reveals himself in what you consider least. That's why there's a scripture when the Lord says, I was hungry and you fed me. I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink. I was in prison and you visited me. I was naked and you clothed me. And the Bible says and the righteous man asked, Lord, when did we do that for you? And he said, whatever you did to the least of days, you did unto me. Whatever you consider least in your life, if you don't know how to. Be of service to it, you haven't started with God. If it's the job you consider least, if it's the environment you consider least, if it's the season of your life you consider least, and you don't know how to position yourself to say, Holy Spirit, even in this place that I hate, show me how I can serve your purpose and your will. That is where your intimacy with God is revealed. It's not in the things you consider great. No, Jesus said, as you did to the least, you did to me, As you can be available to what you call least in your life, you will see God show up. God wants to partner with you, but you have to be hands open. Lord. I am not gonna define my life life based on my perception. You want to do mighty things through me, and I am willing. It's moving to me that I can be in Nigeria on this day to minister the word, and my mother is in the is here. My mother has seen me minister in the in America. But being on the soil means so much more. And I'll tell you why. I'm not saying it for collaps No, because when I think of where life could have ended us up in the greed, the jealousy, the envy of man took away my father, but it didn't stop there. There were many things I remember as a child. I remember my father's brother sending assistance to our home. Why for properties to collect things. I remember when I stumbled on the will my mother wrote because she did not know if she would survive the attacks. But in that place, that was her least. She said, God, I trust you. I trust you with these children. I don't know what you want to do with them, but I trust you. It's a reminder to me about the faithfulness of God. When you see. Him that you're not looking at the waves, you're not looking at the turmoil. I see Jesus, I see. His angels turning things around. I never desire to be a minister. I just desire to follow God. And the outcome is for his glory. And God wants to do mighty things through you. If you will just release your hand and say God, I don't know how. I remember having a vision, and when I shared that vision with my mother, she said, that's exactly what happened. And there was a day the Lord said, let me show you a prayer that brought you to where you are, and he takes me in a vision and I see my mother holding her three children, and she's crying and she says, God, I don't know what to do. I don't know how I'm gonna raise these children, but I surrender. I give them to you. If you will help me, whatever you will have me do, I will do it. And when the Lord showed me that, I asked my mom and she said, Stephanie, it's not just a vision. That was a moment in time, and it was her ability to release and surrender that was the same ability that when the plans changed, she changed with it. My life was supposed to go another direction. But the Lord says, Stephanie, I have need of you here. Stephanie, You're not gonna go to the UK. No, you're gonna go to California. And I told my mother. She says, okay. If that is the will of God, then I. Surrender to it. What I'm here to tell you is that in the place of surrender to the purpose of God, in the place where you say I am not the owner of anything, I am only a steward God, use me