Stephanie Ike Okafor - Rooted Faith: The Real Breakthrough

How many messages from the Lord have we thrown to the wayside because we didn't understand it and we didn't take the time to search it out. The Word of God talks about how it is to the glory of kings. It's to the glory of God rather to hide a thing, and to the glory of kings. To search it out. How often do we search things out or do we just feel like, if it's so clear to me, then that's what God wants me to know. No, his word is telling you it is to your glory, because he calls you a king and a priest. It is to your glory to search out the matter. There are things that sometimes the Holy Spirit would impress on your heart and you don't have full understanding of it. It's not for you to just discard it and live your life. How often are we walking away from treasure just because we don't understand it? In war form? How often are we stepping away from things because we're like, Okay, God will make it clear to me when he wants to. And once the enemy sees that you don't have full understanding of it, he snatches it. He brings things to distract you. He brings other voices to tell you just let it go. But you see, there's a cadence in which Satan operates. The Bible talks about how he comes to steal, kill and destroy. He cannot get to destruction or killing if he doesn't first steal from you. And what is he often stealing? A word? Heavenly Father, we thank you, We thank you that in a gathering like this, many people are gathering for many reasons that are not of you. But here we are, and we are gathering to seek your face and the Holy Spirit. I ask that you will do only that which you can, that you will glorify Jesus through everything that takes place. Let me not stand in your way, but speak to your people. Lord. If there's any callousness of heart, oh Lord, break it, and let your word penetrate the lives of your daughters. Let the fruit, Lord God of this conference be transformation in the name of Jesus. Amen. Amen, you may be seated. And I know they are also those who are joining us virtually, and so let's just give them a welcome. Amen. You know, I'm so excited by the theme of this conference anchored, especially because of the times we are living in right now. I mean, being anchored in your faith is something. That you know, it's a place of safety really, because life is always going to present storms, Life is always going to present hurdles, Life is always going to present difficulties. And the interesting thing with a storm is that some storms you don't. Really pray away because. When the storm can the Lord did not see the storm as a threat. He's looking at you as a threat to it. And so when we have a different perspective, we look at the storm and we start to panic. But you look at the track record of Jesus, and Jesus would fall asleep in storms, right, Jesus would walk on water and storms. You would think that when Jesus was gonna walk on the water, he will first calm the storm and then walk on the water. But it was never a threat to him, the same way that even when man was created, Satan was never supposed to be a threat to humanity. So people will look at creation and say, why would God put us in the same place he threw a lucifer two. But he's not looking at him as a threat because he gave you dominion over him. It was when we don't have the right perspective of what God is doing and how God sees us that we call what's under our feet a threat. And so when you're anchored in your faith, you begin to say see life a whole lot differently. You're not just easily tossed to and fro. And even if you're there right now, first of all, you have to have self awareness so that you know how you can present yourself to the Lord, and you know the areas where the Holy Spirit can meet you. And I've been praying for this conference and it's so interesting because even just in praying for the conference, I will always just be overwhelmed with the joy of the Lord. Now, if you know me, I'm a child, you know I'm full of joy. But this is different. And the joy of the Lord is something so beautiful because it's not connected to you know, circumstances, is not connected to something happened. That's when you have happiness, right, You get happy when something that you desire all of a sudden takes place in your life. But the joy of the Lord is connected to a knowing you have in God. The joy of the Lord reveals that indeed you are anchored in God, that even when everything in your surrounding looks chaotic, there was something that just brings you this joy in God. And I was so blessed. On the way to church, I told her I was gonna share this story. But one of the protocol ladies who was with me had just shared a beautiful testimony. You know, last year we prayed about, you know, those that were believing God for you know, to get pregnant and things like that. You've been waiting and you're just believing the Lord, and she shared that they have their baby. Now the baby's over three months, and that's just the beauty of God. But it's connected. You see, there are some things you don't even have to wait till you see it before you rejoice, because you're not just rejoicing what you see. You're rejoicing and the one who hears your prayer. And so even as we're going into today's message, what the Lord just began to show me was just this, you know, this teaching around having rooted faith, because both go hand in hand. You know, when you're rooted, you cannot someone can. The wind cannot just come and easily uproot you. Things cannot just easily. You might feel a little shaken, but you're never gonna just go out of place, and the same thing when you're anchored in God. But the reason I'm gonna be teaching on the concept of faith is because a few things we're gonna look into to really help us gauge in a practical way, where are we really at in our relationship with the Lord, you see, because sometimes you might feel like, you know, have you ever had this experience in dating where you think it's something and it's not what you're thinking. And that's what we call a situationship, right, you guys have not yet made it official, but everything seems like it's official until something happens and you get a wake up call. You're like, wait, while you're dating other people, and there are times where in our relationship with the Lord, we're you know, we're feeling like, wow, this is just a maze and it's official, like God, I'm locked in, I'm sold out. And then the Lord begins to show you what you've been doing on Wednesday and Friday, and you're like, wait, wow, I'm not really as locked in as I thought. And I believe that this message because you know, we have today, we have tomorrow. But This message, I believe, is really going to show us where we are with the Lord so that we know how to better posture and present ourselves in surrender. And you see, so one of the foundations when we talk about being anchored is really being rooted in your faith in God, because however you respond outwardly is always going to be the evidence of what is within. Where are you in this secret place with God? You know, there are times that when everything in your life is going well, you are the best praise and worshiper in the room. You just come in. Your hands are lifted even before they start singing right, And then when things happen in a way that you're just like God, come on, really, why me? How you respond when you're facing some of the hardest times in your life reveals what is really in your heart. It reveals where you really are in the journey. What you run to reveals what is really your salvation. And this is not about oh my gosh is that mean? Because you have to first be aware of where you are to know how you can really ask the Holy Spirit help me. You see, sometimes you know there are people who would run to food and I was people when you're going through a hard thing, you just run straight to the pizza, and then you don't realize that you have put that whatever that thing is above how you see the Lord, because what I run to in the day of trouble reveals what is my salvation. When I run to the Lord, you do not begin to gauge. While God you're my first response. You are what I naturally is just Again, if you think about the concept of when you are with someone who you love, when something amazing happens in your life, the first person you call shows you where your heart really is. When something incredible who you can't wait to share the news with. And it's the same thing in trials and difficulty that when you're going through something hard, what is the first. Thing you run to? It reveals where your heart really is. And so there are times in life that God would allow the storms to trouble you to really show what's in you. And he's not doing that to make you feel less than it's so that you can bring it before him. You see Peter, when Jesus was walking the earth, Peter was so confident in his walk with the Lord, even when Jesus is telling him look Satan is after you and n actually, you are gonna deny me. Peter's I never I'm gonna walk with you to the end of this thing. He was so confident in himself, but Jesus was telling him, Look, I've already prayed for you that your faith is not gonna fail. Jesus was looking beyond that point, and he says, when you return, strengthen your brothers. The Lord knew that Peter, You're gonna fail this test, but you're not failing it so that we can just look at you and mock you. No, you're failing it because there is something that would be revealed in your heart posture that you would come to me with a different place of humility, knowing Lord, without you, I cannot be who you need me to be. That without you. Empowering me, I cannot do this in my flesh. It brings you into a different level of intimacy with God because when you think that it's all about what you can do, ohright, got this? You know what I'm going through a hard time. I just need the fast seven days and pray and boom, it's gonna happen. These are works in the flesh because nothing about it is showing that you know what. It's not even now I'm not doing it because I'm seeking the Lord, like, Lord, show me what do I need to do. I've made it a formula rather than the place of my surrender, rather than the place of coming to the Lord to say, Lord, I. Don't know what to do, Give me direction, give me vision. You lose your humility, but you don't even realize it because you've created formulas of how you can make things happen. It's the same thing they do in New Age called manifestation, and we don't realize how it's crept into the church because the power is not when you pray or when you fast. The power is in the humility and faith that you present when you pray and when you fast. Because you could be fasting and for some you're thinking about the weight loss at the end of the journey. You're like the pastor called a fast. Wow, twenty one days, I'm gonna you know, fit that dress. The laughter is showing the truth in the room. And we do this and we think that we're you and something for the Lord. No, it's for us. We make it a formula, and no longer the place of humility and surrender, and so there are times that God shakes up your life so that you could really see where you are and how you respond. So when you approach him, there's a different level of humility. It's so interesting. You have to study this because even when after Jesus resurrected and the Angel came to the women, and the Angel spoke to Mary about you know what, go and tell the disciples, you know what you have seen and all that the Angel says, tell the disciples and Peter. Peter was so downcast. Peter felt so like, how could I be the one who betrayed the Lord? He felt to a point where he's rejected that the Lord has to single him out. Tell the disciples and Peter because the Lord knew he would always return to him. And so I don't know what you're gonna start to realize, maybe even in the season you're currently in, and we don't just come to Jesus to fix it and we walk away and we go back into the thing that he delivered us from. We go to him because we've recognize he is the source of my life. And so I'm gonna read a scripture in the later on, We're gonna go down a bit into it to understand what Jesus really meant in this. And we're gonna be looking at the parable of the sower in Mark four to three, verse eight. The Word of God says, listen, and this is when Jesus was given this parable. Behold, a sower went out to sow, and it happened as he sowed that some seed fell by the wayside, and the birds of the air came and devoured it. Some fell on stony ground where it did not have much earth, and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of earth. But when the sun was up and it was scorched because it had no root, it withered away. And some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it yielded no crop. But other seed fell on good ground and yielded a crop that sprang up, increased and produced some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some one hundred. Now we're gonna take a look at this scripture a bit much more further. But you see, the interesting thing in this is that Jesus is talking about is given this parable about a man who comes to sow seeds, but the seed in this regard is referring to the Word of the Lord. And why I'm highlighting this scripture early on is because what we're really teaching about here is what makes you a person that when the Word of God comes to you, that it can actually produce what God intended. That when you read the Word of the Lord, you're inspired by God to do something, when something jumps out you, when God gives you a revelation. What makes you the type of person that can produce its intended purpose? Because when you start to reflect that, it shows how anchored you are in your faith. You see, there are many things that faith is not that we sometimes live by. Faith is not being a risk taker. There are times that I've seen I live in la we are in Hollywood, that our churches in Hollywood, and you would see that so many times people move to la because what is so famous, especially in Hollywood, is this thing of like, man, I moved to Hollywood with only a backpack and two hundred dollars and God, no, no, no, but God, and it's a thing and people get excited to just say, you know what, I'm gonna sleep in my car, I'm gonna find somebody's couch to live on. And they glory in taking this risk. But did God send you to do that? And I will say, people don't come and they're so exciting that they'll ask me what's my advice now? And the first thing I will say is that did you Are you doing this out of conviction by the Lord? Because if you're not, go home, Go home and sit with God and have a plan and come back prepared. Know where you're gonna work, where you're gonna sleep, where you're gonna eat. The streets are crazy, and if you're not sent by God, I don't know who might be protecting you. And people will get offended by this. Because they expect you to glorify foolishness to say, man, I'm just believing with you that what you're believing for will happen. No, no, no, you need to have a word before you start being a risk taker, because faith is not you taking risk. And people would give examples like, well, Abraham, you know, he just let everything to a land that God will show him. And I said, listen to the last part to a land that God will show him. Yes, he abandoned everything, But Abraham wasn't a risk taker. He was responding to the word of God. And there's some that would say, you know what faith is applying belief to what I desire. So if I desire something, I'm just gonna walk it out in faith, because the Bible says faith without works is dead. But again, this is. What we see trending in culture when people just call manifestation that if I desire something and I just you know, keep confessing it and I start doing things towards it, I'm gonna acquire it. And the truth is you might acquire it, but the question is what spirit gave it to you. Because not every open door is actually for progress. There are open door in your life that would lead to destruction. So you can't just say I'm gonna do this thing. Like one of the things that I've seen that that has been so popular is when people would give God a timeline and say, you know, I'm just gonna I'm gonna go for it, and in five years, if God doesn't do it, then something else happens. And I tell people all the time, you have given Satan where to meet you. You said five years, He said, all right, I'll meet you in four. So you can't try to bargain with the Lord. You can't try to, you know, try, you know, put him in the chokehold that Lord. Okay, I'm gonna I believe for this thing. I don't even know if you're behind it or not. And then we talk about things like the centurion man. If you've ever studied, it is so powerful. There was a man he understands the order of things in the military, and he meets Jesus and he had a servant who was sick. The servant was paralyzed and in a lot of pain. And when he meets Jesus, he tells him that, you know what, his servant is sick and he wants Jesus to heal the servant. And Jesus said, you know what, I'm going to follow you to your house. And the servant says, no, all you need to do is speak a word. Jesus was so moved by this man that he said he has not seen. Such great faith on the earth. Now. When Jesus says I've not seen such great faith, it was not out of nowhere. It was not because the man just had this big desire and he was like, I'm just gonna put Jesus on my desire. There was something. There was a revelation behind how this man spoke. Because when the man. Spoke to Jesus, he tells him he said, I myself am under authority, and I have people who were under me. When I tell them go, they go. Whatever I tell tell them to do, they do. What Jesus saw in that man was not just a man who had a big desire and a big request. It was a man who understood the identity of Jesus, even beyond what his disciples saw. When he saw Jesus, he saw a man. Who is under authority and a man who things respond to his authority, because you see, Jesus will say things like I only do what I see my Father do. Jesus is looking at this man. You don't even walk with me, but yet you know that I am under the authority of the Father who is in heaven. You don't even walk with me, but yet you know that these things are subject to me. Jesus was moved by his faith because of the revelation it carried, not just this big desire, because you see why. These things need to be made clear, because we end. Up with a lot of dispointment, and we say things like, Lord, but I had faith God, I put my faith on this thing. But did you have revelation or were you just you just had a desire and you said, Jesus will do it. Jesus was not just talking about this man having a big request. The man had a revelation of Jesus, and that's what Jesus responds to. Then you will have people saying, you know what faith is just asking for the impossible. Just whatever sounds as impossible as. It can be, just have faith for it. And I have been that person, even though the things I thought were impossible are things that people have done. I may have shared this last year, but I remember when, you know, there was a lady who was in our church and she had a cousin who passed away. And she calls me and she tells me about what happened, and the Lord, the Holy Spirity media, he just tells me fly out to Atlanta and be with the family. But you know what I heard, fly out to Atlanta and raise them from the dead. I say, no, Lord, I have faith not just to be with the family, but to raise them from the dead. And I went there. She was not even there. I went to a family I have never met, and I said, let us go. Where is the morgue. I was very serious. We went to the morgue. They didn't let us in. We were like, you know what, this morgue, whatever you are represented, we were walking around you and we are going to declare the word of the Lord. And we started marching around that wall, not the wall, the morgue, and we were praying. We were there for like an hour plus in prayer. And then the Lord opens my eyes, but I was interpreting it my way. The Lord opens my eyes because there were different buildings in you know that area and that you know, all owned by the morgue. And I see this particular building and I see angels surrounding that building. If I had listened to the Lord, it was about the angels who have come to take the boy home. And I said, wow, the angels already ahead of us. We must see the boy. And then finally someone comes and opens the door and we were like, yeah, we're here to see you know. We said his shared his name, and they were asking. They were like, okay, what building is he in? And they point to the building that I had showed them that the angel was. I saw whether there was a lot of angelic activity on and it charged all of us up. We said, yeah, the Lord is definitely ahead of us. But they didn't let us go see him. And I said, that's all right, because what the Lord has desired to do is already done. And so we're like, let's just go. To the house and wait for a phone call of shock that somebody just woke up from the dead. And we waited, no phone call, and we waited some more, and we called. We said, can you just go check on the. Body if anyone is knocking on something? And I went home when they were planning the funeral, and I remember I was so disappointed and so distraught because I said, Lord, I had faith, and the Lord said, you did not follow what I said. That was not my directive to you. I told you to go be with the family. Represent my love to this family, show them that even a stranger they've never met would care to sit and weep with them. I loved what Tracy said shared in conversation that even in the moment where you have Mary weeping, the Bible records Jesus wept even though I know what I'm about to do. But let me share in your pain, and that was the instruction. But I said, no, Lord, I have faith, and I was left disappointed. And even when the Lord began to show me, I said, Lord, I should have If I did what you said, it would have been a better outcome, even for how the family took it, because the family members were also having dreams about the boy coming back to life, and we were just all glorifying in our faith, but it was not connected to what the Lord was saying or doing. Just because something seems impossible and the only one that can answer the things that are impossible is God. You need to know is. His will to answer that thing. God, I know you're able, but are you willing? Because at the end of the day, your ways are not my ways, your thoughts are not my thoughts. I could be asking you to do something that would go against the divine order of what you've already planned to be in motion, because you see, what we call good not be what the Lord calls good, because good is not justified by the present, it's justified by the end. And so you're looking at a situation and to you, you know what good would be for now, But Jesus knows what good would be in the end. There are some things that happen in your life that you don't even realize. It was not never about you. It was about something connected to your grandchildren, and you would not understand it in your lifetime. But God sees and speaks generationally their decisions God will make concerning your generation, and it has nothing to do with what you would see, because good is always about what happens in the end, not just in the now. And so that is not what we should call faith. Faith is not desired driven. But when we. Look at faith, faith is a response to revelation. It is grounded in obedience, It is fueled by conviction, and it is rooted in relationship and trust in God's authority. You see, look at what the Bible says in Romans ten seventeen. It says, so then faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. Well, the Lord has taught me about faith in my walk with him. Is that faith does not operate in isolation. It's not that your relationship and your intimacy with God is a little funny, but let me just have great faith. It doesn't operate in isolation. Faith is highly connected to your walk with God, your intimacy with the Lord, because not only does that validate how clearly you hear him and how you can also make sure that it's not just what I heard in my heart or in my head, but there's something about the character of God that. Can also validate. I'm also a student of his work word, because you see, when it comes to things like the prophetic, you cannot be a prophetic person in accuracy if you don't study the logus of God, the written word of God, because if not, many spirits can speak, and to have clarity on which one is speaking, you have to know the character of the one you call Savior. You have to know how he speaks to things. You have to know what he validates in you when he speaks, because the Lord will not speak to you, and the fruit of that is jealousy, and the fruit of that is envy. The fruit of that is selfishness. That's not a word that came from God. But when the Lord speaks to you, what it bears out of you, you will start to see the fruits of the spirit when you embrace what he's saying. So you have to know the character of God because in order for faith to really be in operation. In order for you to be rooted in your faith, you don't only need to know how to hear, you also need to know how to be a person who was prepared to be good soil. You see. That's when we go back to the scriptures. Later on, Jesus would break it down and he will talk about this in verse thirteen to twenty of Mark four, and he starts by saying to them, do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? The sower sows the word, and these are the ones by the wayside. Remember there were people by There were those on the waystside that they threw see two. And he said, when they hear Satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts. Other translations will talk about how this is. You know, when they hear the word, because they have no understanding, the enemy snatches it away. He said, I wrote a book about dream but how many of us have dreams? And because we don't understand it with discard it not realizing your life. Literally, the average person sleeps for twenty six years of their life. And you think in the wisdom and in the love of God. He wants that to be a place in your life where it is void of His presence. No, the Lord speaks in dreams, but we often would wake up and then we create our own narratives. If it's a dream that just sticks with me, it definitely something that God wants me to know. If it's a dream that is clear to me, it's something God wants me to know. But sometimes God is speaking to you about something that he hides the message in a parable in the dream. And he does that for your protection, because your desire could deceive you, because you could be having dreams that are coming from your own soul. So when the Lord wants to speak, he comes. Sometimes would hide the message, and it's in your intimacy with the Holy Spirit that it becomes decoded to you. How many messages from the Lord have we thrown to the wayside because we didn't understand it and we didn't take the time to search it out. The Word of God talks about how it is to the glory of kings. It's to the glory of God rather to hide a thing, and to the glory of kings to. Search it out. How often do we search things out or do we just feel like, if it's so clear to me, then that's what God wants me to know. No, his word is telling you it is to your glory, because he calls you a king and a priest. It is to your glory to search out the matter. There are things that sometimes the Holy Spirit would impress on your heart and you don't have full understanding of it. It's not for you to just discard it and live your life. How often are we walking away from treasure just because we don't understand it in ward form? How often are we stepping away from things because we're like, Okay, God will make it clear to me when he wants to. And once the enemy sees that you don't have full understanding of it, he snatches it. He brings things to distract you, he brings other voices to tell you just let it go. But you see, there's a cadence in which Satan operates. The Bible talks about how he comes to steal, kill, and destroy. He cannot get to destruction or killing if he doesn't first steal from you. And what is he often stealing a word? If there's something you don't understand about the business God gave you the ministry. God gave you the industry He placed you in. The enemy steals it from you, and then you're moving around aimlessly in a thing. God will gift you something, He would bless you with something in your life, and if you don't fool understand it, then the enemy knows how to talk you out of it. And then you're like, man, this is too complex. I don't know how to go from point A to point B. Have you sought the Lord or did you only call the people on your contacts? You see, too often when we're trying to navigate the situation. The beauty is that, yes, there is safety in the multitude of counsel, but there is direction in the presence of God. You need to first have direction to bring it to the multitude of council. But oftentimes what we're trying to do is find direction in council. We start calling people and saying, man, this this thing, I don't understand, what do you think? And we never seek the Lord. We never go before his face. And there's some things that the Lord may not tell you on day one, he may not tell you on day three because he wants to see the hunger in your soul for him, because when you don't understand something, you don't know how to treasure it. But when you treasure the one who spoke, you are hungry to understand what he's saying. Because if God made it so clear and it spoke to you so quickly, then you start seeking him from a religious place, not humility. Because if God showed you you know this man, you were gonna marry. Oh you're fasting now, see God, give me a name, just give me a location. Where are we gonna meet? But when the message is coded, you're like, I don't really know what this means to my life. I'm discarding it. But if you value the one who sends it, you seek him and not the thing. And sometimes God does that to purify your pursuit because God doesn't like God would never validate things that you make an idol in your life. He wants you to seek him. When the Lord was gonna give Moses the ten commandments, he could give, Moses could have been on that mountain for one day. He could have had it everything ready. Moses shows up, he gives it to him, he comes back, But Moses was there for forty days. It could have happened on day two on day three, But are you willing to linger in the presence of God for the word that he sowed? And then you have the next type of people. It says that, so after they hear the word, saying takes them in verse sixteen, these like ones likewise are the ones sown on stony ground, who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with gladness, and they have no roots in themselves, so they endure only for a time. Afterward, when tribulation or persecution, immediately they stumble. These are the ones that when they hear something that speaks to their flesh, that just does something to them, they. Get excited, they get glad. But when tribulation comes, because they are not rooted in Christ, they are not rooted in their relationship with the Lord the way they think they might be. The moment tribulation comes, the moment it gets too hard, they want to walk away from it. Do you know how many things people walk away from that God literally put in their lives just because they got too hard, And then we create theology around it. That, you know what, God will not be in this. This is just way too difficult, you know, I believe there's and you start just declaring things that you know are not even in the script. I just believe there's ease when it comes to the things of God. And so you have to be honest with yourself. What are the things that I gave up on too quickly? What is the vision that God placed on my heart that I gave up on too quickly? What are the things I never even started. I was just excited about it, But when I realized that to start it requires more out of me, I'm like, yeah, no, I'd rather put this passion and finances into something else. That I know what it would yield. What are the things that you're just Whenever you find yourself in places, when you find yourself in cycles where you never finish a thing, you start where you never finish. The moment you get shook up a little bit, you start another thing. How many things in your life has gone unfinished just because things got hard? You received it with gladness. But to walk it out is where the journey really takes place. And what the Lord is revealing here is that you're not walking it out just because you have a lack of faith. You're not walking it out because there is a lack of you being rooted in Him. Faith is not in isolation. Where your faith is it reveals where you are in Christ. It's not that you are just this person who is full of you just love the Lord and you're so surrendered to him. But yet there are things that you leave unfinished that in the beginning, if you're honest with yourself, you were very clear that God gave me this vision. But to start it took so much out of me that I just abandoned it. And then Jesus continues, and then he talks about afterward when tribulation of persecution come okay, they stumble, 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 for other things, and entering in choke the word and it becomes on fruitful. During the conversation, I loved how Tracy was sharing. You know that even in the film industry there are things that the Lord will say, hey, don't take it. And we've seen that a lot, even in Hollywood, where there are people who are like, man, God, I want to walk with you I want to. And that's when you see how warfare is really real. That when someone is that they're wits end and they're so finally they've dedicated their life to Jesus and they want to make sure that Lord, in everything I do, I want to glorify your name. And then out of nowhere, the enemy would use a person to present a project to them, and there's some that you know the Lord will say no, you don't know why. No, these people know why. It would be so blatant that everything about this project is against my faith. But then when you see those who rise up. To the challenge and say no, I'm gonna I'm still gonna walk away. But unfortunately, we've also seen those who fall under the pressure and the deceitfulness of riches kicking and they give into the thing that the Lord was never involved in. It happens in so many areas, in your business, in your relationships. You know that this person is toxic. You know that when you were dating this person, you saw all the red flags. But then they noticed you were leaving, and now they start talking about marriage, and you think that marriage a day will change a person overnight, And that's a different kind of covenant that you don't play with because you're the one making that decision to say yes. But the enemy tries to get you the tears of this world? Is this the best that I would ever have? Let me just stick to it. How many situationships are some of you in right now because you feel like it is the best you would ever have? And unless you let go of what God is not in and not see where he's sending you. You see when Abraham was with Lot until him and Lot separated, then finally the Lord could say that Abraham, look and see the land that I have given you. Could you be standing in your promise and not know it because of what you're attached to, And you're attached to it because of the deceitfulness of what culture is telling you, the deceitfulness of this life. That you feel like, if I don't hold on to this thing, Lord, I don't know where what next is gonna come from. If I don't hold onto this, then I don't know what else my future would look like. And so you hold on to the thing that's actually killing you. You see, because one of the things I've learned about saying say it never gives you something, because whatever you think he's given you is the illusion of what he's taken from you. What he's taken from you has greater value to what you thought he gave you. And whenever you find yourself in this bargaining moment, when you're trying to outreason God like that's possible, and you're trying to hold onto things that are dead weight in your life, what has the enemy taken from you? What did he present you to make you feel as though for you to settle is the best option. But yet he's robbing you of what has true value? And then the Word of God says, you know, so yet you know. They are the ones who hear, and the cures of this world, the deceavefulness of riches all of that, and it becomes unfruitful. But these are the ones sown on good ground. Those who hear the word accept it and bear fruit. Some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some one hundred. They hear the word, but it doesn't stop at hearing. They accept it. This is when faith becomes active. This is when you become rooted in your faith. I'm not just hearing the word, I'm accepting what the Lord is saying. Because in acceptance, my response is obedience. And then it shows different categories of how they bear fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, some hundred. And that has to do with capacity. And wherever you find yourself, the desire is to grow in more capacity. But where you are, be faithful. But you see, when the Lord gave me this sword, and we're going to pray in a bit and will continue to unpack a few things tomorrow. But when the Lord gave me this word, what he was showing me is that for many what has you shaken, it's not just because you have a lack of faith, but that it's actually revealing where you are in your knowledge of who God is, where you are in your intimacy with the Lord, Because the more you grow in the knowledge of Him, the more you can accept what he says. First of all, you can hear from Him and then you can accept it. You see, not just because God speaks means that what he says would always feel delightful. Not just because you say I had a word from the Lord means it's always going to feel good to your flesh. There are some things God will tell you to do and it makes no sense to you now, but it's for a time to come that you would look back and say, Lord, I'm glad I made that decision. Lord, I thank you for this. But you need to know how to hear the word. First of all, where are you in your walk with God? Do you have a confidence that you hear from him? Do you study his word before you desire his rama? Do you study his word to know his character, to know his attributes. We cannot be Christians that only rely on Sunday services and conferences. That I'm just gonna receive. I remember there was a time in my walk with the Lord that there was this prophet who was coming to a church. I was in college at this time, and I was so excited to see this prophet because I just knew I was going to receive a word. And we go to the church. There's a line after service to see this man, and finally it was my turn and I go in front of the man and he asked me one of the questions that I was just like, Wow, what do I say to you? Because you're a man of God? Do I tell you how I really feel about this question? He says, what are. You doing here? And I'm like what everyone is doing here. We're all waiting for a word from God. So what does the Lord say? And he looks at me and smiles, and he literally tells me, the Lord is saying for you to go home. And he will speak to you. And I said, you must be choking. And I was like trying to read, you know, just rehearse. Every time I saw someone leave the room, they were happy, smiling. I said, there was no way. He told them the same thing. And I said, could you just search again, just seek the Lord deeper? So maybe he's worn out. And he said, the Lord says, go home. Why are you here? And the funny thing is that when I was on the way to that service, the service was amazing, but the only reason I was there, I said, God, you just need to speak to me. I was not there to receive and be blessed, and no, I just wanted. I said, God, you just need to tell me something specific for my life. And the Lord asked me, are you going? I said, Lord, to the House of God. The prophet of the Lord is in that house. And the crazy thing is that my friends are received amazing messages and I was the one told to go home because God was teaching me something that day. You know me too well to start depending on external factors for direction. Now, I'm not saying you don't receive direction in settings like this, Yes you do, but when you become dependent on it, it's a problem. When you make external settings and no longer your secret place the source of your growth and intimacy with God, it becomes a problem. In those moments, it could even feel like God is silent because he's telling you, come back to my heart, get back in the secret place, and then I can use my men and women of God to confirm what I said to you, to confirm what I placed in your heart, to confirm that desire, that dream that I gave you. I can use them to bring confirmation. But you need to have a secret place with me. We've walked through so much for you to just abandon your secret place and start relying only on external voices. Because you see something that marks the last days is that many false prophets will arise, and if you only focus on external factors, you will find yourself in the hand of a false prophet. So if you're not confident that you hear from the Lord, get back to base. Lord. I surrender myself before you. I want you to be the Lord over my life. And maybe you do hear from the Lord, but you don't accept his words. For whatever reason, you hear from him, but you don't search it out to understand what he's saying. You hear from him, but the cures of life draw you away from doing what he says. But you see, when you. Start to apply what the Word of God says, you begin to see his faithfulness, and it matures you to know that God will always catch me when I feel like I'm falling. Wherever you are, the call of the Lord, even in this very moment, is to get back to the place of trust in Him. It is the only thing that would catch you in these times. It is the only thing that will hold you up. You see, It's so funny. Even just I realized today that there was a fire near the airport and all this stuff that's going on and how the airport is shut down. But I remember, because even I've had just the longest past few weeks, and when I was thinking about coming to London, initially I remember that I was like, Okay, I could come in Friday morning, since it's going to be in the evening, but the Lord was very clear, No, you go on Thursday. You land on Thursday, not Friday. And I was like, okay, we need to leave on Wednesday. Then he was very clear about that. Why in my mind I'm like, okay, I could catch up on things that needs to be done locally. But he was very clear and that was what we submitted to. So when I heard about the fires, if I chose it my way, I don't know where I'll be right now. Some people are in Barcelona at this moment. I don't know if I'll be dancing with the Spanish folks or I'll be in the House of God. And so accept it. Some things are much harder than that type of decision, but accept it so you can respond to it. I just want us to pray. Just stand with me. Thank you Jesus, Thank you Lord. The presence of God is in this place, and in particular, I just see that the Lord wants to strengthen your hands. He wants to strengthen your hands for what he's calling you to do. You see, in this season, you have to be anchored in Him. That would be the place of your true safety. You have to know the Lord and surrender to him. It's not like a buffet type of thing. You can't pick and choose how you want to live your life, because when you surrender to being anchored in Him, then outside of your personal life, because you see, I'm telling you we're coming into a place where the world is not gonna be what we've known. You've experienced this with COVID and there was a lockdown that we were like, what is this And we got through it and we made it a norm and not wearing masks, you know, for some time was just a norm, was the thing we did, how we greeted each other. But there was a moment and where we you know, some of us, you know, people like me, we're rebellious to the mask, like why do I have to cover my face? But then we made it normal. But I'm telling you there is a time coming and it's already here. It's just slowly manifesting that the world as you know it is not gonna be what you've known. You're not gonna find comfort in the news. You're not gonna find safety in the news. If you're not anchored in your faith in God, you would be easily shaken. This is going beyond your personal life and personal storms. I'm talking about global storms that are coming. And if you are still in the place where you're kind of tiptoeing when it comes to your surrender to Jesus, then those times will be scary. But if you're locked in, if you know how to start applying where you are with excellence, responding where you are in obedience, then for the times to come, you will receive directions from the Lord and you will not be moved by what is happening around you because you will know Jesus. Is my anger. I can't be moved. The Bible talks about how everything will be shaken, until that which cannot be shaken will remain. Anything outside of Him will fall, that which is in him will stand. You see, it's not enough to just live. But you want to live with knowing you have peace of mind. You want to live knowing you have a confidence. You want to live knowing that no, the outcome of this will be good. You don't want to just survive. And yet you're in constant anxiety. You don't want to just survive, and yet you're having panic attacks every other day. All of it is a sign it goes back to the place that are we really Am I. Really rooted in my faith? Am I really anchored in the Lord? What is my response to his words showing me about what I know about him? You got to get back to the basics in this season. And I'm not talking about just reading the word to read it and check it off. I'm not talking about praying only when you're in corporate settings, or praying only when you're having a prayer call with friends, or praying just to feel like man, I know how to pray. No everything, getting back to the base of humility, Jesus, If you're not in this, nothing is going to work. When I fast, Lord, I'm bringing my body. I'm accepting the weakness of my humanity before you, I need you to intervene. I need you to make clear what you're saying to me. When I pray. I'm praying from a place because I know the power in your word, not just because I was taught how to pray well, not just because I know how to use all kinds of lingo. I remember when the Lord gave me a vision of a woman that could pray, Like I said, whoa she should be? You know the voice of prayer to the world, everything would change. And the Lord showed me what was in her. It was empty. That all of this, she's doing this from the flesh, none of it is from conviction. She just knows how to speak well and she knows how to put words together. I'm not talking about that kind of prayer. I'm talking about and living a life that reveals dependency on God. Even if you're eloquent, be eloquent knowing that the power of your eloquency is in Jesus, That the power of everything you're doing, And if it's not because of the Holy Spirit who engineers it, it's not going anywhere. Getting back to that place of humility, getting back to that place of surrender, because in that. Place there is safety, there is confidence. And if you know that during this moment, it's not just what I'm sharing with you, it's what the Holy Spirit is doing in your heart and the Lord is ministering to you. I just want you to run down to this altar. We're gonna pray that God will strengthen you in this times to seek Him in the way that He desires for you to draw near. Just run down to the altar very quickly. Thank you Jesus, Thank you Lord, thank you for your presence in this place. Thank you for your daughters who are responding to you. Thank you Jesus, Thank you, Jesus, Thank you Lord. And for just a moment, I want you to just speak to your father for just a few minutes, speak to him from the depths of your heart. Whatever he has placed on your mind right now, just take a moment to commit yourself once more before him. Whatever your fears are, bring it before him, whatever your concerns are, bring it before him. There's nothing you can do that will shock the Lord, that would make him less God. That is to mean that he was shocked by wherever you are in this point of your life, that will make him to not be all knowing. But he wants to partner with you. He doesn't want to force it on you. And I see the Lord show me. There are many of you that have questions, and your questions have become a barrier to. Your intimacy with him. Because you're waiting for him to answer this and that in your life. But in the place of surrender, what you may receive, you may get an answer, but what you would receive in response to the answer sometimes is greater, and it is the peace of God. There is a peace that the Bible says it surpasses all understanding. You're looking for understanding in and I'm not talking about in the world of God. I'm talking about in the questions you have regarding things that happen to you, and you want. To know God, why this, why that? And some things would only make sense as you walk things out in faith. You cannot let it be a barrier to true intimacy with Him. You see, there are some things in your life that is happening, and you will think you're just the best in since slized bread, that all these distractions are coming to you. No, no, no, no, no is wickedness. The enemy knows how to target you with what you love, what responds to your flesh, and you're just so excited. Look at all these doors opening, look at all the people attracted to me, And you don't even know. There's something the enemy wants to steal from you, and he's bringing all of this to be a distraction to your. Destiny and you don't even know it. Take this moment and let it be the day that you mark the change. Let it be a turning point in your life. There are things that you may not see. How would this come to be? But let it be a turning point. God. I'm locked in with you and I need you to strengthen me for the journey ahead. I'm not trying to play Christianity because when the storms come, if you're trying to play this thing, you will drown. With the storms. It's only when you're in the hands of Jesus. You see. Even when we talk about how Peter drowned in the water, we forget that they still had to walk back to the boat. When he was approaching Jesus, he had a moment where he was looking at the storms, and for some few seconds he drowned. But even though Jesus tells him, you know what you of little faith. But what I love is that Jesus brings him out of the water. And could it be that he was able to walk back because now he's walking hand in hand with Jesus. You see, there are some things that will drown you if you're not hand in hand with the Lord, and not pretend hand in hand for real hand in hand. And it will cost you something. If your walk with God hasn't cost you something, you need to look at it again. It would always cost you something because you're talking about what a spirit desires. Living in a world that is trying to bring everything that is attractive to your flesh, and the Bible says desires of the flesh. You're against the desires of the spirit. There is something that costs you in the flesh. There is a reason why the apostle Paul will say, I die daily. Every moment I wake up is a moment that I go back to that decision when I said yes to God. And that is what tailors my life. That is what shows me what I should say yes to and what I should decline, Because Lord, I die daily's and the source of that is my yes to you. Because whenever you're getting to a breakthrough moment, whenever a new season is about to open to you, that's when the enemy comes with all kinds of charades. Because Sitan doesn't waste he doesn't like to waste time. He's not omnipresent, he's not all knowing, and he can be everywhere. So whenever he's active in your life, it's an uppertun your season. Ask the Lord, make me sensitive. Just close your eyes for a moment, ask the Lord, make me sensitive to any distractions in my life. Make me sensitive to any dead weight in my life. Make me sensitive. Lord, give me the strength to let go of the things I fear. Give me the strength to walk out. Oh God, the things you have spoken to me. Let me respond in obedience. Give me the grace to search things out. That word you dropped in my spirit, that thing you showed me in the dream, Give me the grace to search it out. In your presence. I can make time for everything else in the world. I should make time for you. Strengthen me, empower me. Heavenly Father, I thank you because it's so evidence that you're in this room. And I thank you for the word that you have spoken over your people, that you will strengthen their hands for the seasons and that which is ahead. I thank you, Lord God, because we cannot even be anchored without your empowerment. We cannot be anchored without your grace, Oh God. We cannot be anngered if you don't walk with us, and in some seasons, if you don't carry us. But we have to accept it. We have to accept what you say about us. We have to accept what you know about us. We have to accept the fact that there is no condemnation in Jesus, that there is nothing the enemy can accuse me off in my past that can kick me away from that which you speak is mine. Now, we have to. Accept that all things will work together for my good. We have to accept that even though there were things said and intended to use to harm me, but God, you would use it to bring elevation in my life. We have to accept that God, there is a peace that surpasses all understanding, and as I embrace you, I would embrace that peace that God heal my heart even before. You answer my questions. We have to accept that. So, Lord, by your grace and by your mercy, touch the lives of each and everyone present, Touch the lives of those who are tuning in that are tapped into this moment. It is only through you that we can rise to the level that you have called us to. And so in our surrender in humility, Lord God elevates your daughters in the name of Jesus, I thank you, Lord, because you are mighty to save. And I even see in this moment there are those who are coming before you, and there are things that have been tormenting them in the night. And I thank you Lord that it ends right now in the name of Jesus, that even as they come in the place of surrender, the blood speaks a better word. Whatever covenant that they have put themselves in, knowingly or unknowingly, whatever is in the bloodline, whatever iniquity is trying to go from one generation to the next generation, Lord, it ends here in the. Name of Jesus. I come against every assault that has been happening in their dreams. I come against every attack of witchcraft in the name of Jesus. Lord, sets your daughter's free. In Jesus' name. Lord, not only would they be anchored in you, but they would no freedom in you, Because in your presence of God there is freedom. There is liberty. I declare liberty in this house in the name of Jesus. Lord, as your angels have shown up in the room, I thank thank you, Lord, God, that you are going into the places of bondage, into the places of ika yina masoke let blah shak heh tanel shoka makay chateau. Lord, I thank you because you are bringing deliverance to your daughters. Let them receive it now in the name of Jesus. Thank you, Lord, Holy Spirit. Move move, begin to identify them one by one, one by one. When they have been bound, Oh God, release them right now in the name of Jesus. Release them in the name of Jesus. Let the presence of God feel this atmosphere. Let the presence of God feel those who are tuning in. And I declare freedom in the name of Jesus. Thank you Lord, Thank you Lord. Lord. This is not all you're doing. There is much more you're doing. As your angels are walking the room. Lord, sets your children free in the name of Jesus. As they come into the place of. Surrender, no longer would the kingdom of darkness have a hold on them. Thank you Jesus. There are many that couldn't speak about certain things. They wake up with marks on their body. Lord, it ends right now in the name of Jesus. Set them free, Set them free. Let your anointing fall on your daughters. Thank you Lord, Thank you Lord, Thank you Lord, Thank you Lord, Thank you Lord, Thank you Jesus. I see there is one more, lady, and I just see that there is something that the Lord is breaking on you right now. And it has been going on from generation to generation. Your mother told you the same thing happened to her, and her mother told her the same thing happened to her, and you felt like there was no hope. Then you would wake up, and the Lord is showing me you. You would have marks in. Your inner thigh. Thank you, Jesus, Holy Spirit. Locate that young lady, and let the anointing break the yoke. In Jesus' name, Let the Anointing break every ungodly yoke in this place. I thank you God for the testimonies that would rush out. I thank you Lord for what has even been holding conception from your daughters, just like we receive the testimony of your daughter who now has her child. Lord, whatever has. Been holding back their conception, we set them free in the name of Jesus. Those who are believing for children, Lord God, release it onto them. Let every legal hold of the enemy be brought under the blood of Jesus. You are the head of principalities and powers, Oh God, And that which you have shown your doing it is settled. Let them be established in it right now. And I thank you, Oh Lord, thank. You, Jesus, Thank you, Jesus, Thank you, Jesus, thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Jesus, Thank you, Jesus, Thank you Jesus. I just want you to just take a moment and just worship God in your own way. Just close your eyes, avoid any distractions right now, because the presence of God is doing something so powerful in this room. The Lord has assigned an army to this room. There are things that God is fighting on your behalf. You didn't even know when you walked in here. That's what you were carrying. Thank you Lord, Thank you Lord, Thank you Lord, Thank you Lord, Thank you Lord, Thank you Lord, Thank you Lord. Break it in the name of Jesus. Break it in the aim of Jesus. Every stop on stronghold be broken in Jesus name. Be broken in Jesus' name. Let the captives be set free in Jesus' name. For this you came to do, My Lord, This you came to do, and we declare it in the room, Holy Spirit, We thank you because that which you have desired to do, you are gonna continue. We thank you. Lord. People are gonna walk out of here. There's gonna be messages that come in, There's gonna be things that begin to happen, and they would know that this has been a sign there's gonna be relationships that would be reconciled. And let them accept the reconciliation because it was not flesh and blood they were fighting against. It was principalities and powers. That were worrying against them to bring division to things that you planted in their lives. I thank you Lord that. Where your hand begins to mend things, I see where there is ad la kayana masu. I see, Lord God, where it's almost like there is this bridge that has been broken, and that what was supposed to get from point A to point B could not find a place. And it was not broken due to natural events, but spiritual warfare. And I see. Where the bridge is rebuilding itself, and so Heavenly Father has changed begins to come into their lives. I see where funding is coming back into their lives. There were projects and there were investors on board, and all of a sudden they backed out. There were things that you had in motion and all of us so yeah, then the people involved in it just walked away. There were people you both were moving in such a beauty of love and communion, and then all of a sudden their hearts turned towards you, and I see the Lord is bringing It's mending things, mending things. Now you have to accept it as it comes back. Don't fall for the temptation of having bitterness and hatred in your heart. Don't fall for the temptation of wanting to bring up old offenses. You are never worrying against flesh and blood. Flesh and blood was only vulnerable to what was actually after you. So we thank you Jesus. Steal what is taking place right now. Establish your daughters in what is taking place right now. They will not refree one moment and go back into their bondage. They will not have the fear of a scarage again. There are some that are even scared about the word of pregnancy because of what their experiences has been. Establish them in what you're doing right. Now that they will know you are also a god that establishes his people. As you establish the throne of David, establish your children. They will look for the bondage. They will not find it. They will look for something to be taken away from them, and they will see it lasting. They will see and bearing much fruit. In Jesus' name, were praying. Can we just praise God in this place a man a' man Amen.