Stephanie Ike - The Weight of Your Name

Hey, family, welcome to the official YouTube page of One. I'm excited that you're here. This message is getting ready to bless your life. I want you to stay connected to the incredible things that are happening in this movement, So don't forget to subscribe and turn on your notifications, and if you want to partner with us and some of the great things that we're doing all over the world, you can give as well. That's time to get into this word. I love you, God bless you. Let's stay connected. Hallelujah. Family, I'm so excited to be with you today. Just take a moment and let us know where you're tuning in from, and just you could put one your city right next to it. If you've done it already, do it again. And I'm just so blessed by today because the Word, the Lord, you know, he is the Word. So the Word has a word for you. The Lord has a word for you. I'm just so moved because of how God dealt with me in this world and how it has impacted my own very life. And I'm going to share some of those details, but I'm just so excited for what God is going to do, and so i want us all to pray into this moment. Wherever you are, just remove yourself from anything that could be a distraction. You know, sometimes when we are hearing a word from the Lord, we have so many things going on. Instagram is on, all kinds of things are taking place. But even as we're going to come before the Lord and prayer, I want you to just remove yourself from anything that could be distracting. Because I believe with everything that every time a word of the Lord goes forth, every time we preach his message, every time we build upon the words that He has taught us, the very things that we read in the Bible, and the Holy Spirit begins to magnify and give it life. That there is a moment for you. You see, one of the things that the Lord has been teaching me is that every word of his is an open door waiting to be entered. We don't just read to read. That is why we have to read with the lens of the spirit. When you begin to read about the promises of God and the ways of God, there is a door opened before you that brings you into a new dimension of who God is. And so I want you to take this moment seriously for what God is going to do in your life. So let's pray together. Heavenly Father, we thank you. I thank you for your son and your daughter who is listening to this right now. And I thank you, Old God that you're gonna have your way in their life. I thank you, Heavenly Father, that we are not separated by distance, because your spirit is with us wherever we go. And Lord that even in their home, in their car, even I see someone even going into the shower and they have the message playing, Oh God, I thank you, Heavenly Father, that they would feel your presence around them, they would know that the Lord is in this place, that this is holy ground because I acknowledge the presence of my Savior. And Lord, I thank you that you're going to bring about transformation, healing, deliverance. Lord God, You're going to do only that which you can do. And we are just here to be vessels and stewards to this moment and to have your way in Jesus' name. Amen. Family, Like I said, I'm so excited. You know. First of all, I just want to give honor to our pastors, Pastor Teray Robertson, Pastor Sarah Jax Roberts. We love you, and so let's go right. This is good, This is good, This is good. You know. My message today deals with names, and to kick off your note taking, I want you to write this down, the weight of your name, the weight of your name. You know, I love names. I'm someone I'm very big on names. What I call myself, what I call things, what I name things. And I see the same thing even in the world of God. We see how God is so diligent about what he names a thing, and how a name reveals purpose and function and identity and anointing. You know, it's so crazy. One of my favorite scriptures. I think it's favorite because something that happens is a little petty in there. Now that I'm petty, No, that's not the case. But there's a story about a man named Zacharias, right, And there's a moment where an angel of the Lord, an angel named Gabriel, he encounters Zacharias and he tells him. He's like, hey, Zacharias, you know they will past you for having a child him and his wife, and it was something that the wife had desired and he desired too. And the angel tells Zachariaz. You know your prayers have been answered that you will have a son, and that the angel says to him, but you must call him John. Which is so fascinating that even before his arrival, they were making known to Zacharias the name of the boy, that you must call him John. You see, Zacharias. We learn about when we learn about the story is that the relatives wanted a child when the child was born, to be named Zacharias, right, zach junior, you know, zj or something. But the whole essence that if they called him Zacharias, then he will carry on the way of his father. Zacharias was a priest. And in their mind they're like, okay, God has given you a son, then he should also fulfill priestly duties. You should raise him to become a priest, just like his dad. But the Lord said, no, first of all, I'm gonna let you know his name before his arrival, because his name reveals that there is a separation with his calling from his father and him. And even his name tells us a story because you see, the name John actually means God is gracious. And when we see what we learn about John, is that he played such a pivotal role in the life of Jesus in activating him towards ministry. Because he is the one that we refer to as John the Baptist. His identity wasn't baptized in people because he baptized Our Lord Jesus, which was the very event that took place before he was announced by our Lord that this is my son in whom I am well pleased, and he goes into the wilderness and he is activated for ministry. And so we see that even the name John and the role that he played in the life of Jesus, it actually revealed that, oh my gosh, it was not just about God is gracious, but he was so he had such a pivotal role to play in the very one who embodied the grace of God. God grace to humanity was embodied in the life of Jesus. And so we see this that, Wow, it was not just this random name John that God was like, No, first of all, I'm going to separate him from my call and my purpose, and his name is going to reveal that. You see, when I even think about my name, I'm so happy my mom gave me this middle name. It's an Ebo name from my country Nigeria, from the Ebo tribe, and the name is in Kiraca, and in Kiraca means the future is greater. And sometimes I find myself when I'm just like in Lows and I'm like God, what is going on? How are we going to break out of this? And I'm reminded by my own very name, the future is greater, Stephanie. There is more. No matter where you are, highs or lows, there is more that is connected to your assignment for the kingdom. As long as there is breath in your body, there is more. Even my own name will do that to me sometimes, where all I have to do is just be reminded by the very name that I'm also so called. Oh wait, the future is great, that this moment doesn't define me. Names. We learn about names all throughout the Bible. All throughout the Bible. We even see it in creation, right, we see God naming things. And one of my favorite moments is even when it comes to the animals, right, because when it came to the animals, the Bible tells us that they were already named, but yet God brought the animals to Adam to see what he will call them. Now, this story is so fascinating because God is having a moment and God is like, wow, He's made Adam. He's created so many things, and he says, it is not good for man to be alone, that I would create a helper who is compatible to him, who is comparable to him. Rather, and you will think that the next thing that the Lord will do is to create Eve. But immediately the next thing the Lord does was to create the animals. He formed the animals and he brings them to Adam to see what Adam would name them. What was the Lord looking for? You see, right after Adam names all of the animals, Adam now realizes to himself he has not found someone who is comparable to him, That he has not found a helper amongst all the people. Could it be that even though God had already planned what was connected to Adam, he needed to stare up desire in Adam, Adam, what are you gonna name these animals? Because I'm not gonna create Eve? And then you call Eve the serpents and the serpent Eve. First of all, let me see if you're gonna name them according to their kind? So I can bring what is connected to you. You see, what I'm about to tell you is not even connected to my message. But the Lord is even showing me that you see. For some of you, God will not force a blessing upon you. That is just a fact. You know. Sometimes we say that God is a gentleman. But when your desire, your desire is what brings you into partnership with what God has already prepared for you. And that is why you cannot be so quick to call things. You cannot be so quick to call someone a business partner or call someone a spouse. You have to know God, am I naming them according to what they are, what the assignment that you give You've put them in my life? For? Am I naming this person according to what you see about them? Because if someone else is occupying the space, then God has to withhold what he needs to send to you so that you would identify it properly. Even our Lord Jesus, I'm reminded by this. Right before he chose the apostles. You see, Jesus had many disciples that followed him. The ones we learn about are the ones that became the focus of the story because they were the ones that he was, he chose to become his apostles. Apostles speak to the people who are called by God to begin to lay the foundation of what the church would be and to build the church. And before Jesus would pick twelve up apostles, the Bible tells us that he was in prayer all night, and then the next day in the morning he was able through the wisdom and the knowledge and understanding of the Father, he was able to recognize who the apostles are, which, funny enough, included Judas. You know, I'm not even going to get into Judas, but many times we think about Judas and we think that Judas is just the one who betrayed Christ. But there was so much more to his story because there was a calling that God saw in him that even though yes, you're you know, your little thievery, and you have a tendency to keep snatching what doesn't belong to you, but God saw beyond it, and God saw someone who had the potential and the call to be an apostle. That is why you have to seek the Lord, not just for what you think you can see or what you think you can naturally discern. You would not naturally discern judas to be on your team. That would just be like oh oh no, oh oh no, you know, no Satan's location, No, right, you will not choose that. But God has a purpose for everything. But like I said, that's not the message. I'm talking about the weight of a name, the weight of a name, the weight of your name. And when I think about the weight of a name, a story that comes to mind is the story of a man named Abraham. You see, Abraham went through a name change. We first encountered him as Abraham in the scriptures. And Abram in the scriptures was a man who when God encountered him, God said, leave your home, leave everything, and go to a land that I will show you. Abram was a man who received a promise from God that he would have a son. You see, if you're not familiar with his story, Abram was at his old age, him and his wife, and one thing he desired above so many other things, was that he would have an heir in his family. That with everything that God has given him the grace to to you know, to expand and to be prosperous. He said, Lord, who is going to inherit all of this? And God gave him a promise that I know you would have an heir. Abram was the one promised by God, but Abram was also the one when his wife Sarah told him. She's like, look, I know you received a promise from God, but I don't know how I'm going to fulfill it. I don't know. I mean, I'm so old my womb, this is not gonna work. She tells her husband and she's like, you know what you should You should go sleep with you know, my staff, and maybe at least God will give you. Oh, God will give me a child through her. It was something they were doing back in the days. You know, read about it then. You know, we don't do that now, all right, But back then that was the thing. You know. She has some servants and she was like, hey, you could, you know, sleep with my servant and I could have a child through her. Right, And this happens, and a son named Ishmael is born. All of this happens under the identity of Abram. Under Abram. When Ishmael is born, for thirteen years, the Lord says nothing. He is silent. This was someone who Abram and the Lord will have communion regular communion together. But for thirteen years, the Lord goes silent, and after thirteen years, the Lord encounters him, and the first thing that he does is it reveals to him an identity of Abraham. And then Abraham gives birth to Isaac. Well, he didn't carry the child, right, but Abraham was the one him and his wife Sarah conceived and they had Isaac. And to Abraham, the Lord says, something so fascinating that tells us a mystery. Here, the Lord says, at some point, you know, now Isaac is born, and he says, Abraham, our for your son, Isaac, your only son, whom you love. As a burnt offering. He gives him instructions. But here is the thing. Why would God call Isaac Abraham's only son? Did God somehow forget about ishmaelh was God being petty and he was just like, you know, I'm only focusing on the promise. No, there was an emphasis for God to say. He could just say, offer the promised one, Isaac, Offer the son whom you love, Isaac, Offer the son of your old age, Isaac. But the Lord says, offer to me your only son, Isaac. You see, Abraham had Ishmael. Abraham had Isaac. Abram received the promise. For Isaac, Abraham delivered the promise. You see, when we look and understand even the language of God to Abraham, we recognize that the name was more than a name, that his name carried an identity, that a Abraham stepped into a name karden anointing. It carried an assignment, it carried a calling. God was not ignorant enough Ishmael. But in that moment he was speaking to Abraham, the father of many nations. He said, when I changed your name, I changed your identity when I changed your name. I'm not looking at Abraham, who made some wrong moves. I'm looking at Abraham. I'm not looking at Abraham. I'm looking at Abraham, the father of many nations. And to Abraham, you only have one son, because that was the son that came out right after you came into a new covenant with this name. Abraham had weights to it. You see, you are not just whatever you whoever you think you are right. Your name is more than how your friends identify you and how whatever you're sport to put on your Social Security card or whatever you go to the DMV wherever you are in the world, right you might go to I don't know where in Nigeria. You might not even need to go to an office to get your passport. All right, But it's more than how people identify you. Your name has weight. Your name reveals an identity, It reveals an assignment, It reveals a calling. That is why, even with our Lord Jesus, we learn about our Lord Jesus. There's a scripture I want to read to you, a scripture had loved so much. In Philippians two nine to eleven. It says this, therefore God also has highly exalted him and given him the name which is above every name. That at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those of the earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus' is Lord to the glory of God the Father. At the name of Jesus. I'm getting somewhere. Just follow me. At the name of Jesus, you see the root word when it's referring to name in this context, speaks to the knowledge of Jesus. How a name reveals knowledge. At the knowledge of Jesus, every niche shall bow, And that makes absolute sense, because when you come into the knowledge of His anointing, when you come into the knowledge of His identity, you would willingly submit yourself before him. Anyone who tells you like, no, in I don't fool with Jesus or whatever, and they speak of him in a way that seems so casual. They haven't met him yet. Don't get offended by what people might say about your faith. The reality is that when they encounter him, they would submit before him, because at the knowledge of Jesus, every knee shall bow and every tongue will confess that he is Lord, because that is what happens when you have an encounter with him. But you see why am I saying this, Because we are learning at the knowledge of Jesus. Our pastor has had us in a series about the evidence of God, and he's been talking to us about how God wants to be made evident, and he wants to be made evident through you. And the Lord began to press this on my heart. That's Stephanie. I want the world to know my names, and he would know it through my people. I want my names to be revealed to humanity, and my names will be revealed through them. That when you say your name, when I say sig, that I'm thinking about not just Sig, I'm thinking about the God of Sig. That when I hear her name, her name should have a testimony connected to it. And I say, wow, there is a God connected to her. You see. That is why sometimes the Lord would even introduce himself when there are people that did not know him. And there and Moses was like, God, who should I say? Set me? At first, he says, tell them I am sent you. And Moses is like, okay, come again, Now we got to do that one more time. Okay, second round? Play who should I say? Set me? And the Lord said, it's okay, tell them the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and Jacob. You see what the Lord was doing that if they don't know me, there are people who they know their names and their names carry a story, and their names carry a testimony about me. So if they don't know me, let me tell them about someone they know. Tell them the God of Abraham, the same Abraham that we just read about. The Lord said, now Abraham is not just a name. Abraham now becomes us a point of encounter with God. And the Lord was saying I should tell you that you are not just who you think you are. Your legacy is not just about the wealth you want to leave in the world. Your legacy is about your name. That your name, the mention of your name will point people to the God that you serve. That your name should carry a weight that is greater than you, but it is the weight of God's glory. You see in the Book of Isaiah, there's a scripture that tells us that everything created by God, we were created for his glory. Everything that is all creation is to point people to the glory of God. And God wants to use you to make his names evident. What do I mean by this? You see, there are names that we know of God. Right. For example, we know Jehovah, Jehovah, Jirah, right, Jehovah, Jirah. The Lord is my shepherd. We say it all you know, maybe many of you might say it all the time when you're in a place where you feel like God, I don't know what's going on. Not the Lord is my shepherd. The Lord is my provider. When you feel like God, I don't know if I have what it takes. And then you're reminded, but you are Jehovah Jirah. You are my provider. But Jehovah Jirah was a name that came out of the place of an encounter. Jehovah Jirah started with a man named Abraham. Abraham that we've been talking about. When Abraham, you see, when the Lord said to Abraham, bring your only son and sacrifice him as a burnt offering. When Abraham was about to sacrifice his son Isaac, all of a sudden, the Lord interrupts him and he reveals to Abraham that look, there is actually a ram. You don't have to sacrifice him. This was only a test. Abraham called that mountain the Lord will provide, and that is where we now get Jehovah Jirah. When we think about another one where we say, you know, Jehovah Shalom, the Lord, who is my peace. That came out of an encounter with a man named Gideon. When an angel of the Lord encountered Gideon and he told Gideon, Gideon, oh my gosh, you are a mighty man of valor. And Gideon is like, who are you talking about it? It's not me, you know, He's having there all the excuses in the world. But Gideon had no clue that he was talking to an angel. And the moment he realized that, wait, I'm talking to an angel of the Lord, Gideon thought he was about to lose his life, and the angel said to him, peace, you will not die. He's like relaxed Gideon and geidid and he names right there. He names that place the Lord is my peace. And then from there we get Jehovah Shalom. What am I saying? The names of God that are revealed to humanity came out of encounters with God. It came out of people's testimonies of God. When David will say something like, the Lord is my shepherd, I shall lack nothing. Now we have that same testimony. When we're going through something, we say, God, you are my shepherd, you will keep me. But that came out of David's testimony. David used to be a shepherd to his father's sheep. He understood the responsibility of a shepherd, and he said, God, the way I took care of sheep, you have done that for me. And more, the Lord is indeed my shepherd. These were names revealed to humanity out of encounters with God, and through those encounters, when you begin to think about the people, you thought about God. When you begin to think about the people, you realize how God has use them. Why do we have favorite Bible characters in the Bible because we have seen something about how God revealed himself to them that we have need of in that moment that we say, God, when I'm going through something and I need healing, I'm gonna look at scriptures that would remind me that Jesus is a healer. And when I think of the person, I think of his healing power. Your name is to point people to God's glory. You see, even Abraham, because the Lord said something to me. And I'll go back to why I just brought Abraham the message and the assignment he set me here. He said, I should tell you to be a good steward over your encounter, to be a good steward over your testimony. What do I mean by that? Because for some of you you're like, yeah, I hear you, But you know, I'm still I just need God to show up in this one area. I'm just you know, I'm looking for God, like, how can I reveal his when I feel like I need his glory when I feel like I need him to step in and intervene. But the Lord is saying, be a good steward over your encounters, because whatever you're a good steward over it increases, it multiplies. We are always called to be fruitful and multiply in everything. And this is what I mean by this. I'll take you on the journey going back to Abraham. Abraham said something that was so fascinating to me. We learn about this in the Book of Hebrews. In the Book of Hebrews, when Abraham was about to sacrifice his son. His reasoning behind sacrificing his son was that he believed that even if he had to kill Isaac, that God would resurrect him from the dead. And why this was so intriguing to me is because I began to ask the question, how did Abraham know that God could resurrect from the dead, How could resurrect people from the dead? How do call Abraham know that God has the power and the ability to resurrect the dead to life? Because nothing like that had ever happened prior to that moment. What was it in Abraham that gave him the confidence and the faith to know that the God I serve can resurrect my son if he died, and bring him back to life. And this is how he knew because Abraham when Isaac. One of the things that was countered to Abraham as righteousness. One of the things that God saw faith in Abraham was when the Bible tells us in the Book of Romans that Abraham considered not the deadness of Sarah's womb. He considered not the deadness of his own body because of his old age, in order to bring forth Isaac. So Abraham already recognized, my wife is not even at the stage where she should be having children. Her womb is dead. But God, if you are the same God that could resurrect her womb and give her the ability and the strength to conceive a child, then that child who came out from her, if he died, you can resurrect him again. This is being a good steward over your testimony that God, I've already encountered you to resurrect the dead. In this way, it looked different. I can build on it and believe you to do the same. In the next thing, when God was looking for faith in Abraham, he was looking for that measure of faith? Has it increased? What have you encountered about me for you to know this is what I do. You see some of you? You're like, God, I need you to step into this area. I'm confused, I'm fearful, I'm doubtful, I feel insecure, I feel unworthy. I don't know if I'm the one for the job. And God said, haven't we been here before? Haven't I? I met you here some years ago. Weren't you and another dead end needing me to make a way for you? And I opened a door for you? Why are we back at stage one? I've already revealed to you that I'm a way maker. I've already revealed to you that I'm a healer. Why you acting like you have not met this side of me? And this is called being a good steward? Over your testimony that God, I've recognized you to be a healer. The next thing that the enemy throws my way, I'm not gonna act like I don't know who you are. I've already seen you do it, and I'm gonna build upon it. Lord, I've recognized you to be a way maker. When I felt like all hope was lost and I didn't know what way I was gonna go. You made a way for me, and now it looks like I'm another dead end. Oh God, you are the saying, I'm gonna believe you. I'm gonna walk in confidence, going to put my faith on this because I've already seen you. We've met here before. And the Lord said to me that when you begin to be a good steward over your encounters with God and over your testimony, then your name would be the result of many having an encounter with God and many having a testimony that I have met God, because when they hear your story, it will draw them to want to know who is the God that you serve. Who is the God that you talk about. Who is the God that you have revealed, is the one who made a way for you? Who is this God? And the Lord was even showing me that there are sides of him that we have not even known yet, and there are people that he is saying, Look, I'm giving you a word, and if you act on this word, You're going to reveal a new dimension of who I am to the world. There are sides of me that the world has not even come in contact with yet. I want the world to know who I am, and they will know who I am through you. They will know who I am. That when they hear you, they will remember the testimonies that you shared. And God said, I want you to be the channel and the vessel that I would become expressed. You see in the Book of Genesis, in the garden of Eden, our Lord was known as the Voice. When you read your Bible, you will see it it says the Voice was walking through the cool of the day, the Voice. They called him the Voice because that was their experience of him, that he is the one who speaks, and so he was known as the Voice. But the more we get to encounter God, the more people began to encounter and reveal, Oh wait, you are not just a voice. You are my covering. You are not just a voice. You are a provider. You are not just a voice. You are a counselor you are not just voice. But all of this was revealed to humanity through the lives of people. And I'm here to ask you what would be revealed to humanity about God through your life. Because everything that is happening, everything that you might feel, is taking place. And in my look like God, I don't know how I'm going to survive it. You don't recognize it's not about you. Is that God wants to put the weight of his glory on your name. He says, I'm bringing you through something so that you can be a testimony to show your community, your nation. You're surrounding your family. You see, for some of you, you're the only believer in your family, and you're going through the worst things, and you're wondering, God, how am I the one of faith? And these are the things I'm dealing with and they don't have to experience this. And God said, because I want to put my glory on your name, I'm bringing you through something so that you will have a testimony that it was only the hand of God that was able to bring me out of this. You see, this reminds me of the man in the scriptures that was blind, and he was born blind. And the disciples when they saw this man, they asked the Lord. They said, how did this come to be? Who sinned him or his parents? And the Lord said, nobody sinned, But this is so that it would bring glory to God. Could it be that the very area of your life that you feel came about through God. What did I do wrong? God? What did my family do wrong? Why am I in this position? It is this a generational curse? You see? That's what the disciples looked at that man, and they said, this must be a generational curse. It must be that his parents sinned. If he didn't send somebody sinned. And the Lord Jesus said, not everything appear is the way you think. And I'm here to liberate someone right now because and the Lord is putting this on my heart. There are some of you that you're listening to this and you feel like your life has been plagued and you have been using that word concerning your life, that God, it feels like I'm cursed. It feels like I'm dealing with generational curses. And the Lord said, you are not cursed because the moment that you came into the family of God, you took on another name, you took on another lineage. If there is anything attached to your life, it is generational blessings. That is why we say the blessings of Abraham are mine because now we are connected to a different family. And I'm here to remind you and maybe you're not being reminded, maybe this is the first time you're hearing this. I'm here to liberate you. You are not being cursed. God wants to put the weight of his glory on your name, that when people will begin to think of you, that your life will be connected to a testimony that would be will make known in the world, will make known in your family that it could only be the hand of God that did this. And when people are looking and they're they're wondering, how can I break out of this, they will know, you know what, let me let me call this person, let me find out about the God that they serve. You see, there was something similar that happened. Those are my sister in law. I was trying to code her name, but I'm gonna just say my sister in law. She she's such a lover of Jesus. But before she became a lover of Jesus, she was in you know, other things, sister in law. I love you. She was not, you know, fully on team Jesus at the time. And there was a moment right and she knew where I stood. It was very interesting that when her and my brother were dating, and you know, they're the things that she was in she would bring them to me as gifts, and I said, I can't take that. I know, I said, my life is all Jesus, all right. I respect you, but I will not participate, all right, even if the participation is in jewelry. I said, no, I can't take that, not touching that. And what happened is that she was there was respect, but she knew exactly that everything about me spoke about who Jesus is. When we will talk, I was so intrigued. I said, let me tell me about what you're doing, and let me tell you about my God. And I will talk to her about the things that I've experienced in the Lord and my testimonies with the Lord and the things that he has shown me and the things that he alone has power over, and we will just talk and we will share testimonies and some other things. She told me. I said, no, it looks like you need to be on team Jesus, all right, And she's like, no, you know, talk about her things. I'm like, cool, that's cool. But then one particular day, one of her family members and family friends encountered something that was purely demonic, and not knowing what to do, they called her, They're like, hey, what do we do? And then she calls me immediately, She's like, hey, this happened, and I know you've told you told me stories about how Jesus was the one, and I began to speak to her about the Lord, and in that moment, the Lord started doing something right where she was, and that was a moment that propelled her into coming into giving her life to Jesus. And one of the things that moved me, she said, you know what, as much as I was serving all these other nonsense, I am going to use that same dedication and much more to serve Jesus as Lord because she had an encounter that was inspired, and she said, Okay, I've had a conversation. My family member just saw something demonic. And the only thing that I have heard that has the power to destroy this and has the power over this is this person named Jesus. Let me find out about more about him, let me see who he really is. And in the conversation, I didn't have to do anything. Jesus did everything else. And even as we prayed, what that family member experience left And so what am I saying to you that your life is purposed by God? To carry the weight of His glory. That when people think about you, they're not just thinking about your name in regards to your identity. They're thinking about your name in regards to your identity as a child of God, not just your identity in the natural. Your name should carry something. And I'm so excited because when the Lords began to show me this, he began to deal with me even in my own life, because there is an area of where the Lord has called me to do something in an industry I know nothing about. And when I almost began to say, God, I don't know anything about this, and then he asked me, he said, but what did you know about ministry? I said, you know what? You are the same God. You are the same God. I'm going to continue to build on my encounters with you. I'm going to build on my testimony of you that let my life be the source for many to have an encounter with you. If this is what you desire in your life, I want you to put in the chat right now. I am an encounter. I am an encounter. You see, we don't want to just be people that talk about God. We want to walk in places and carry God that when you get to know me. It's not just what I say. It is the experience and the testimony of my life. And for some of you, maybe you are going through the fire right now. You are going through the wilderness right now, because God wants to us you and bring you out as someone who would be marked by his testimony, that would be marked by an encounter, and that your life can begin to reveal to your family and your community that there is a God and this is what he has done in my life, that they will begin to desire him, and the evidence the knowledge of God will spread, and indeed every knee shall bow. What is your name? I want you to think about that for a second. What is your name? Who are you? Are you just a friend? Are you just a father? Are you just a daughter? Or are you the person that will carry the weight of God's glory into the world. You see. One of the things that I'm learning now in life, I remember there was a time in my life I used to be so obsessed with purpose and it is coming. This sounds like it's going left, but it's going right. I used to be so upse says with like, God, what have you called me to do? What is it what is my purpose? Talk to me about pur purpose, perverse. It just goes so fast, right, And I'm coming into a place in life that I'm realizing my purpose is two things. To be a disciple of Christ and to make disciples of Christ. Everything else is a vehicle. Everything else is an assignment for the time. Everything else is how God has chosen for me to go about it. But you see, when it comes down to the two things that Jesus said, we call it the Great Commission, and he says, go into all the world and make disciples. Because to make a disciple, you must be a disciple, and you can make and making a disciple begins with the authenticity of your life. That people want to know your Jesus because of you, that you can say, look, I've encountered him. It's not just a person I preach. I have encountered him. This is who Jesus is to me. I call him savior, I call him friend, I call him lover of my soul. I call him my waymaker. That when someone is in need of a savior, they can think about this Jesus because they've encountered you, and they've encountered your story. God wants to put the weight of His glory on your identity, on your person, on your name. This is how we become the light of the world. This is how we are lights sent in darkness because we are not just going. We are going in the awareness that I'm bringing the glory of God, that I'm bringing the presence of God, that my words are not just words. That is why for some of you, you you've experienced this. All you're doing is sharing your testimony with someone. But all of a sudden, they are having an experience of themselves and it begins to cause them to cry in their hearts. Are their hearts become soft and their hearts are moved by your words because they recognize these are not just words. This, this is a source of encounter. I'm so grateful for what God is going to do through each and every one of our lives. And I'm grateful for everything that God is going to bring us through. You See, the Bible says something is said in all things gift thanks. It doesn't say for all things right, because some things you're like, okay, what is happening? But in all things gift thanks, because it is it is for the glory of God. It has a work. God is saying that even through that thing that was supposed to destroy you, even through that thing that was supposed to scar you, even through that very thing that you thought would take you out, You're gonna reveal. It's going to reveal to you aside of me. And when you experience and I have an encounter with the God, that will step into the fire with you. When you experience that God, I thought that wasn't a fire by myself, and he said, no, I'm right here with you. It will not consume you. We read about the story of the Hebrew Boys shedrag Mishak, and you know I'm not gonna do it, bet nigga right, I'm just gonna say his name like you's saying. And when they threw them into the fire, they thought that was it, and Jesus said, oh no, there was a fourth man in the fire, and it was our Lord Jesus saying, no, you're in it. I'm in it with you. And it will not consume you. It would consume with the people that plotted it against you, but it will not consume you. Some of you might feel like you're in the fire right now and you're going to experience the God who walks with you even in the fire, that you will have a testimony that, yes, even when things are low, Jesus is with me, that He is with me through it all. David said that yet I walk through the value of the value of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil because you are with me. You would have a testimony of the God that you serve, and it will change the lives around you. You see your encounters with God, and your testimony of God is purposed for the lives that you are purposed to encounter. And so be patient with God. Let patience perfect his work in you. Every time you're going through something, I want you to change the narrative rather than thinking, God, am I being cursed? Is this going to be my life? Because this is what it has looked like for generations. I want you to start putting your life in the responsibility of our Lord Jesus, and you say, God, here I am. I don't know how I'm going to get out of this, but I know this my life will bring glory to your name. When you make your life about the Kingdom, you would see the Kingdom moved through your life. But if you're making it about you and how you want to compare yourself to the people around you, and you feel like God, but you know and the jealousy is what is inspiring you and envy. Then it doesn't work that way. But when you say God, you might I'm even God has shown me someone who is dealing with barrenness. And you're thinking this is the end, and you're and you're making it a pity party. And God said, no, give me your barrenness. Make it about me, and say, Lord, reveal yourself through my life as the one who opens the womb. You need to start changing the narrative and say, God, if you have caused me to experience barrenness, then that means there is a testimony for people around me to know that you are the God that opens even that which the doctor said is closed. That even though the doctor said there is someone I'm seeing you right now, you don't even have a womb. But the Lord is going to do a reconstructive miracle in your body, and you should start believing God. Let it be that when people would remember me, they would know the Lord who he knows how to do creative miracles. That even what was not in my body. You put it there. You desire a child. The Lord is showing me you you desire a child, to the point that you have been crying and begging and asking the Lord. Then Lord, remove this desire from me, because clearly I don't have the ability to do this, and you've experienced a lot of Even as you are looking to try to get surrogates it, nothing has worked out. And you're wondering, God, why are you punishing me? And the Lord they say, no, you don't get it. You don't get it, and my glory wants to partner with you. It's not a punishment. I want to put the weight of my glory on your name that when people would remember you, they would say, no, there is a God who deals in creative miracles. Put your problems on his glory. Say God, my life is to glorify you. There is no way that I will serve as your child. Make me an example that would reveal an essence and nature of who you are. That is why your faith can never stay in the same level. The Bible says that we have been given a measure. A measure means it's supposed to grow and everything about God, like I said, earlier is about being fruitful and multiplied. It's about multiplication. Put your faith on something heavy and say, God, I want to make known who you are. I want to be the evidence of who you are. I want to reveal your name to my community. I want to reveal your name to those around me. What I'm going through it's not the end. It will end in glory. What I'm dealing with will remind people that know there is a God who knows how to bring you out of it. And if that is you, just put here I am. You've been crying out to God, wondering when is this going to change. The enemy wants you to be a victim because a victim does not have faith. The enemy wants to keep you in a victim mentality because a victim cannot see the way forward. A victim just it's not even about consoling themselves. They continue to speak negativity into the situation and they're just looking and at the end of the day they don't realize. It is not your emotions. It is not the flimsiness of your emotions. It is not the inconsistency of your emotions that move Heaven. It is your faith that moves heaven. But the enemy wants to keep you as a victim. But the Lord says no. You know how you become an overcomer when you realize that this is about glory, When you realize you didn't sin. It wasn't your mother, it wasn't your father. It's not a curse. You don't have to know anybody, you don't have to have the finances, you don't have to have any of that. The reason we have miracles is because we first have problems. The reason we can say God, you're a miracle worker is because we reached the end of ourselves. The reason we see Jesus walking on water there was no boat for him to go on, and he made a way for himself. The reason we hear about the stories of the Red Sea being parted was because the only way that they could get from point A to point B meant that the warden needed to open or they were just gonna, you know, do some running mans on it. Right. But we read about the stories the reason water had to come out of a rock for Moses, there was no water. It had to come out from somewhere. There was nothing, And God said, no, I'm a provider, I will take care of you. Even if the rock has to bring forth water, something is gonna happen. Jesus needed to pay his taxes. Jesus is like, you know, I've been doing the Lord's work and it doesn't pay on the earth like it pays in heaven. Right, So he said, okay, fish, give me some money and let me pay the taxes. The fish opened up his mouth and they got the funds where they needed to pay taxes. There is always a way. When the people were hungry, five over five thousand people were hungry, and Jesus said, okay, there's nothing here, all right, there's a lunch, all right. They use a small boy's lunch to feed five thousand people. Why because it was to reveal that the Lord does not deal with many, and he doesn't need a lot to do a lot that God. You can get whatever you have and you put it in God's hands. He can multiply it and do exactly what it needs to do and have overflow. All of this brings us into an encounter and I dimension of who God is, and that's what he's doing with your life. It feels like, man, it's over someone. You're watching this and you've been battling like God, should I just ended, and you're you feel highly suicidal, and you're saying, Jesus, I love you, but it's too much. The weight of this is too much. Whenever you feel like the weight of life is too much, I want you to understand that you're interpreting the situation wrong, because the weight that you feel is the weight of what God wants to do through your life, and not what you feel is taking you out. God wants to use you to reveal His glory. And all I'm asking you to do in this moment is surrender. Surrender your story, Surrender your problems, Surrender your anxiety, Surrender everything that you have felt like it's a question. Surrender your doubts, Surrender your fears, Surrender your insecurity. Surrender the very thing that makes you feel like you're unworthy. Surrender the very thing that makes you feel like the dreams that God is speaking to you at night, that you are not the one to execute it. Surrender that to Him and begin to put it on God. Say Lord, let me be the evidence that's just like our pastor has been saying. That will make you evidence in the world that with you, all things are possible. Let it not just be something I read, but let it be the story of my life. So in this moment, if you're saying God, I surrender. If you're watching this, put it in the chat. If you're listening to this, just lift up your hands wherever you are, and for everyone, just lift up your hands in this moment and say God, I surrender. God use me. The Bible tells us that the eyes of the Lord it search. It searches the whole earth, going just through and fro, looking for who he can make himself known through. God is looking for you, but he's looking for the person who says, God, I surrender. The less you have, the more inadequate you feel, the more qualified you are for glory, the more you feel like God, it can't be me. That makes it exactly who you need to be. That is why when we read the scriptures, all we see is God using imperfect people, people that had no business doing what they were doing. But God said, it's not about them, It's to reveal who I am through them. And so I just want you to just keep your hands before the Lord, and we're going to pray, Heavenly Father, we thank you Lord in this moment. I asked that you would activate dreams and activate their imagination, and activate some of you. There were things that the Lord showed you that you would create, even as a child, to activate O God, that child like wonder, to activate O God, for them to know that there is more to activate, O God, the empire, to activate OL God. Your word says ask of me the nations. Lord, you are telling your children right now. I need you to have I need you to ask bigger. I need you to think bigger. I need you to go beyond where you are. I need your mind to take you there. I need you to put your life on the glory of God. I need you to start looking at what you think is a problem as a candidate for God's glory. I need you to recognize that who you are has always been and will always be, purposed to glorify His name. And so Lord, I pray that as they surrender to you in this moment, they say, God, I'm coming into partnership with you. I'm experiencing what I'm experiencing, but it's not about me. It's about you. Want to put your weight on me. You want to put the weight of your glory on my life. I think the burden is the weight. But you said that we should cast our cares before you, for you care for us. Lord, That is not the way I'm feeling. It is what will be known as your glory. God, help me to endure the time and the season. Help me to call the season according to its name. That this is a time of pruning. This is a time that patience is doing this perfect work in me. This is a time, Lord, God, that you are perfecting what you started. You are perfecting me as your vessel. You are perfecting what you started. Lord. I rebuke everything that has stolen from them, the very words and callings that you have placed upon them. Could it be, Lord, you're just showing me this. We talk about Judas as the one who betrayed you, but could it be that Judas could not see beyond where he was to recognize that, even in his worst state, that he could still be used to glorify your name. Lord. I thank you for every son and daughter of yours watching. I thank you Lord that it doesn't matter where they have been, what they have done, but as they surrendered to say, God, I want to partner with you. God, rewrite my story. God, rewrite my story, give me a name, a new name. It doesn't mean that my name has to change in the natural, but it would mean that what people would know me for would begin to change. My identity would be known as that which points people to Jesus. My life and my story would point people to know that there is a God, and they will be drawn to you because of it. Heavenly Fathers, your children are open arms, revive their passion, revive the very things they felt like it could never be me. Let this be a moment that they recognize that you are the candidate for the job. You are the right one. There's no ninety days to check you out. No, you are the right one for the job. We don't need to go through a whole you know period. I can't remember the word, but it's coming to me. Maybe you thought about it, so that's cool. But God says you're it. You're it. So Father, we thank you. We bless your name, Oh God, and we thank you, Heavenly Father, for miracles that will take place in and through their lives. And their lives will become the seed of encounters that many people will have to know who you are and the expression of your essence, the expression of your identity, the expression of your nature to all humanity. We love you, Jesus, have your way in Jesus' mighty name. And Lord, I pray for those right now who are saying yes to you for the very first time. They somehow stumbled on this word. But you are touching them in a way that they cannot even explain, they don't even understand. And Heavenly Father, I thank you for the work that you're doing right now. And as they say yes to you, Lord God, we thank you that you will be a covering you would guide them. I thank you, Lord God, that they will know you in spirit and in truth, that they would know you, Lord God, they would have encounters with you to know that, indeed, Lord Jesus, you are the one that died on the cross for your sins, and when you were raised up with all power in your hands, that they were raised up to that they don't have to die in shame and guilds for what their old life may look like, because your word says to us that even as we come, even in the point of salvation, that the old things have passed away and all things have become new. Lord God, I thank you for them. Continue to have you away in Jesus' name, And if you have said yes to Jesus today, you're going to see a salvation curere code on the screen. I want you to feel that out we can get in touch with you and get you connected. And so family, I love you God for what He's doing with your life. Know that you are not alone, and know that God is with you. And what we were created for is why all of this is taking place. We were created to glorify Him and that is what your life will be marked by, and that is what your name will be known for. One who points people, one who is an encounter, one who is the seed of an encounter for many people to know Jesus. Family, in this moment, we're going to give, and I want to remind you about the blessing and the beauty of giving. You see, every time we give, first of all, it communicates that Lord, I trust you and that I recognize that you are the source of everything that I have. Right I talked about the Lord my provider, that I am not my own provider, but the Lord is my provider. And so I'm going to honor you with my tithe I'm going to honor you with ten percent of my income, and I'm going to sow that into the institution that advances your kingdom. I'm going to that in the church. I'm going to show that in the House of the Lord, and so that everything that we're doing, it continues and that we continued to go into all the earth and it's beautiful, and I just want to even say thank you for your partnership with us, because your giving is what makes all of this possible. And so let's give our tides. Let's give it with gladness, with joy, and let's give the offering. You know, for me, the offering is such an overflow, and the offering not just an overflow of my gratitude to God, but the offering is also how I mark the spot. If you know that this world really spoke something into your life, then you want to mark the spot. You know, I talked about Abraham. Abraham was a man who was known for building altars where he encountered God. That when he would encounter a side of God, he would memorialize that moment and he would build an alter. That's another message, but basically he wanted to take a moment of sacrifice. Say God, I'm not just gonna act like I didn't meet you here. I'm gonna mark the spot and you can use your offering to mark the spot. I want you to be intentional. I even want to challenge you to have a book, a given book when you begin to write the things that you encountered and you learned about God, and how you mark the spot and even attach it to attach it to a question, attach it to a desire, attach it to something where you're like, God, reveal to me, this reveal to me that connect your seat, have intentionality. Because one thing I know about God, He's not random. Everything he does he does it with a purpose. And so even in this moment, you're like, this word really revealed something to me. This word liberated me, this word set me free, This word activated me. God, I want to mark the spot and I'm gonna mark it and connect it to a desire. I'm gonna connect it to this moment that God, I'm all in God, I surrender. I want to mark the spot. I want you to do that right now. You're going to see the giving instructions on the screen, and as you give it is the Lord that sees your heart. It is the Lord that sees your gladness, it is the Lord that sees your sacrifice, and it is the Lord that knows how to repay you. But one of the things I want you to also be excited about is knowing that you are partnered with the kingdom. You're part You're a kingdom partner when it comes to building his kingdom. And so just put in the chat, I'm a kingdom builder. It's one of my favorite things to say to myself when i'm giving. If you know me, you know this to be true. But i'm giving, I'm like a little kid. I'd be like, oh, I'm looking at me a kingdom building right here, right even though I'm talking to myself or maybe someone is in the room. But it's exciting, right because I'm like, God, I get to build your kingdom. And so let's do that right now. And as we give, I'm just going to pray into the offerend. Heavenly Father, we thank you, we love you, We thank you for everything that we get to do in your name. We thank you, Lord God for being our provider. We thank you, Lord God, that you are the source of everything that we have. And so Lord God in this moment that we are able to just express our gratitude and in our consistency and faithfulness to acknowledge Your consistency and faithfulness in our lives. Lord God received these sides and offerings, and Lord God, do with it what only you can multiply its impact on God in Jesus' mighty name, Amen,