I Am Sanctified? - What Next?
Minister Rashaud Thomas Williams Preached on 7/26/2026
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38:31
Summary
Minister Rashaud Williams explores the weight of being chosen by God, emphasizing that sanctification is a necessary but often lonely process of pruning that prepares believers to bear lasting fruit for the Kingdom.
Key points
- •Being chosen by God is a privilege that also carries the weight of expectation and the necessity of a refining process.
- •Sanctification is a daily, lifelong task of dying to self and dedicating one's life to God's service, not a one-time event.
- •God often pulls individuals out of their comfort zones and away from their typical support systems to ensure He becomes their primary source.
- •Holiness is God's nature, not just a standard, meaning believers must undergo pruning to effectively serve and represent Him.
- •Every believer has a specific assignment and people assigned to them who are waiting for them to walk in their calling.
Scripture
Holiness
Purpose
Obedience
Discipleship
Life application
Identify one area of your life where you have been making excuses to God, and commit this week to spending intentional, quiet time listening for His direction rather than relying on others' faith.
Reflection questions
- What 'dead areas' in your life might God be trying to prune right now so that you can bear more fruit?
- Who in your life might be watching your example and depending on your obedience to God's voice?
- How does understanding holiness as God's nature, rather than just a rule, change the way you view the process of sanctification?
- Are you letting your perceived inexperience or age stop you from fulfilling an assignment God has placed on your heart?
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Full transcript
0:00Hallelujah. Come on, somebody call the
0:00name OF JESUS. COME ON, SOMEBODY CALL
0:00THE NAME OF JESUS.
0:03>> HALLELUJAH. HALLELUJAH. I bring you
0:05greetings from our pastor, Bishop Wayne
0:07and Arlene Williams. And I do greet our
0:10pastor, Pastor Omar Williams and Lady
0:13Michelle Williams. God bless you in
0:15Jesus name. I'm here to do a very simple
0:18task.
0:21I could stand here and tell you a lot
0:23about your speaker for this morning. I
0:25could tell you about all his
0:26accomplishments and all his accolades,
0:28[music]
0:28but it all boiled down to maybe four
0:31things. He's a devoted son, a devoted
0:34husband, a father to the cutest baby,
0:38but most of all, he's a son of the most
0:41high. and he is filled with the Holy
0:44Ghost and he loves the Lord with all his
0:47heart. And when he stands here today,
0:49he's not putting on a performance, but
0:51this is what he practices. He practices
0:53this. And I'm so happy I'm so honored to
0:56be married to Minister Rashad Thomas
0:58Williams. Can you stand with me as he
1:00comes to minister the word of the Lord?
1:09Praise the Lord everybody. Praise the
1:12Lord. Everybody,
1:13>> could you just do me a favor and let's
1:15just take 10 seconds if you want to lift
1:16your hands? And I want you just to speak
1:18to God in the way you know how.
1:22In the way you know how. Whether it be a
1:24simple thank you for bringing me from
1:26Sunday back to Sunday. Whether it be
1:28thank you for bringing me to church.
1:30There's so many things that could have
1:31happened from your home to here. We
1:33serve a good God. We serve a keeping
1:35God. We serve an awesome God. And it's
1:37because of him why we are not consumed.
1:40Let's just take another 10 seconds and
1:41give him the best that you got.
1:45We serve an awesome God. We serve an
1:49awesome God.
1:51We serve an awesome God.
1:54If there was nothing else to be said, we
1:56serve an awesome God. If there was
1:59nothing else for us to talk about, the
2:01fact that we serve an awesome God is
2:04more than enough. The fact that he woke
2:05us up this morning, he started us in our
2:07right minds. There's so much. There's
2:10too much to give God thanks for.
2:13You may be seated. You may be seated.
2:17Um
2:18my wife already brought greetings from
2:20our bishop aka my dad. I call him bishop
2:22dad. Um and in the saints and victory
2:25tabernacle, but again they do send their
2:27love. I was just talking to him on the
2:28phone when I stepped out asked him to go
2:30ahead and just say a quick prayer for me
2:32because uh this is this is his domain.
2:35Mine is back there. But you know, to God
2:37be the glory. Uh to your pastor, Pastor
2:41Omar Williams, and to his lovely wife
2:43and his son. Uh God bless you, sir. To
2:45all the ministers in the respective
2:47places. Um I saw Mother Stewart. Every
2:52time I see you, I just get so happy. Um
2:55but God bless you, ma'am. Uh Pentab is
2:58is where I started growing up. When I
3:00moved from Jamaica, our first place was
3:02here at Pentecostal Tabernacle. My mom a
3:06story about we came to this church
3:07knocking on the door and the person who
3:08opened the door was Bishop S. Robert
3:11Stewart and from that day she fell in
3:13love with the place. Um she calls this
3:15place home and it is a home to me. This
3:16is where I grew up. This is where this
3:19is the place that kind of helped to
3:20shape and mold me into the man that I am
3:22today.
3:23Whether it be my media ministry, whether
3:25it be whether it be media ministry, u my
3:28love for media actually started here at
3:30Pentecostal Tabernacle because I was
3:32watching Lady Stewart's son Dwight
3:34Stewart and I'd be like, "Oh man, that's
3:36the coolest guy in the world." And then,
3:38you know, it just kind of festered from
3:39there and I met my mentors, uh, Kirby
3:42Raja, who is not here, and Nicholas and
3:45it's just been going on ever since. And
3:48I've formed so many other relationships
3:49and so I'm so grateful for Pentecostal
3:51Tabernacle. And I want to shout out one
3:53more person or one more one more team.
3:54This is the media team. Um I love y'all.
3:57Y'all are my y'all are my family. Um but
4:01it is a privilege and an honor to stand
4:02before you. Um I want to get this out
4:05the way. I am terrified. So y'all just
4:07please bear with me. I am I am
4:10terrified. All right. Um but God is with
4:13me. So I'm going to be going from John
4:15chapter 15. Uh you may be seated. You
4:17may remain seated in John chapter 15:es
4:191 through uh 16. Kirby got Kirby got the
4:24he got the word already. I am the true
4:27vine and my father is the husband man.
4:29Every branch in me that beareth not
4:31fruit he taketh away and every branch
4:33that beareth fruit he purgeth it that it
4:36may bring forth more fruit. Now you are
4:39clean through the word which I have
4:40spoken unto you. Abide in me and I in
4:43you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of
4:45itself except it abides in the vine, no
4:48more can he except he abide in me. I am
4:51the vine, ye are the branches. He that
4:54abides in me and I in him the same
4:56bringeth forth much fruit. For without
4:58me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not
5:03in me, he is cast forth as a branch and
5:05is withered. And man gathered them and
5:08cast them into the fire and they are
5:10burned. If you abide in me and my words
5:13abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will
5:15and it shall be done unto you. Here in
5:19is my father glorified that he bear much
5:21fruit, so so shall ye be my disciples.
5:25As the fathers has loved me, so have I
5:27loved you. Continue in my love. If you
5:30keep my commandments, ye shall abide in
5:32my love. Even as I have kept my father's
5:34commandments and abide in his love.
5:37These things have I spoken unto you,
5:39that my joy may remain in you, and that
5:41your joy may be full. This is my
5:43commandment, that ye love one another as
5:46I have loved you.
5:50Greater love hath no man than this, that
5:53a man lay down his life for his friends.
5:56Ye are my friends, if you do whatsoever
5:58I command you. Henceforth I call you not
6:01servants, for servants knoweth not what
6:03his lord doeth, but I called you
6:06friends. For all things that I have
6:09heard of my father, I have made known
6:11unto you. This is the verse I really
6:12want to focus on. Verse 16 says, "Ye
6:15have not chosen me, but I have chosen
6:17you and ordained you that ye you should
6:20go that ye should go and bring forth
6:22fruit and that your fruit should remain
6:24that whatsoever ye shall ask of the
6:27father in my name, he may give it to
6:30you." Can we all bow our heads? You may
6:32remain seated. Our father in heaven, we
6:33thank you. We glorify your great name.
6:35We honor you today, God, for the
6:37opportunity, Lord God, just to speak to
6:38your people. Even as I speak, Lord God,
6:40let your words flow through me, Lord
6:41God. Not me, but you, Jesus. We ask, oh
6:44God, that the words that will be spoken,
6:45oh Lord God, that will resonate with
6:46somebody's heart, somebody's mind, help
6:48someone come to see you because the
6:50goal, Lord God, is to make it to heaven.
6:52We give you all praise, glory, and
6:55honor. In Jesus name we pray. Amen. I
6:57also want to shout out Pastor Hannah. I
6:59kept messing with your uh Bahamas folks.
7:02They're a bunch of fun. Um, and so I was
7:05I I was kind of sad when I didn't see
7:07you and they told me you had some stuff
7:08to do, but then you can ask my wife when
7:10we're pulling up and I saw a truck. I
7:11was like, "Ain't that Pastor Hannah?"
7:13She was like, "I think so." I was like,
7:14"Yes." Um, so it's so good to see you.
7:18Um, but I'm going to go ahead and we're
7:20just gonna get right into it. So, how
7:24many of you enjoyed camp this past week?
7:26For those of you who win,
7:28I would hope that um
7:31what we did this week really resonates
7:33with you and doesn't just leave it stays
7:36with you not only this week or not only
7:38this month or the next two months, but
7:40it stays with you for a lifetime because
7:42the words that were spoken were divine.
7:45They were inspired by God, right? Um,
7:47and so one of the things that I was kind
7:49of pondering on was while I was at camp,
7:52you know, doing things for camp, your
7:55pastor, Pastor Omar, came to me and, you
7:58know, we started talking a little bit
7:59and then the conversation of me coming
8:00on Sunday earlier in the week, so he
8:02gave me more than enough time, but the
8:04conversation of me coming to speak
8:06happened and I don't know what what
8:09happened. I maybe I was just walking all
8:11over the place and I wasn't really
8:12paying attention. It didn't hit me until
8:13like a couple hours later, hold on. He
8:15just asked me to speak and I said yes.
8:17Right? And the first thought that came
8:20to my mind is God why me? Right? God,
8:23why me? Again, I'm focusing specifically
8:25on the ye are not ch you have not chosen
8:29me, but I have chosen you and ordained
8:31you that you should go that you should
8:34go and bring forth fruit. Right? And so
8:37from the time that I spoke to Pastor
8:38Omar up until last night, I was sitting
8:42there like, God, why me? like why me?
8:45That was the only thing that kept
8:46resonating in my mind. Why me? Right?
8:48And I was looking trying to seek the
8:50mind of God, trying to seek the face of
8:51God as to what do you want to say to
8:53your people? [snorts] But I want you to
8:54understand that God has chosen you. God
8:58has chosen you, right? We're sanctified
9:01for a purpose, right? God chose you for
9:04a purpose. Now, we talked about being
9:07sanctified all week. We talked about
9:09God, you know, cleansing us and setting
9:11us apart. But he didn't just set us
9:13apart just for us to be in our own
9:15corner or to be in our own world. No,
9:17there is work for us to do, right? There
9:20was work for us to do. So while I was
9:23asking God, why me? He was telling me,
9:25Rashad, there is work for you to do,
9:29right? And so um I just kind of stayed
9:33in that mode of why me for a little bit
9:35until, you know, he kind of snapped me
9:36out of it. And then I started thinking
9:37about, well, why was that my initial
9:39question? Why was the why me? My initial
9:42question. And most of my leaders in
9:44here, most of the great men and women
9:45that we know, uh, whether they be
9:47speakers, teachers, singers, I'm pretty
9:49sure they've all had an encounter like
9:52the one that Moses had with the burning
9:53bush where he's just like, "Who am I
9:56that I should be the one to go set the
9:58children of Israel free?" Right? If I
10:00was to translate it into how we speak
10:02today, it's but God, why me? Right? God,
10:07why me? Um, and then we begin to a list
10:10of reasons as to why it should not be
10:12us. We start to say, "God, I stutter.
10:14God, I don't look as strong. I may not
10:16be as good of a speaker as a pastor
10:19Omar. I may not have that power behind
10:21my voice as a pastor Hannah." Or, you
10:24know, we we find everything to to
10:26suggest to God why he should not use us.
10:30And I started to think to myself, why do
10:31we do that? And it came to me that the
10:34reason why speaking about Rashad, the
10:37reason why I've decided to ask the
10:39question why me is because we get
10:41intimidated by being chosen. We often fi
10:45we often time we often times talk about
10:48you know being chosen as some great
10:49thing some grand thing like God you
10:51chose me you use me but there's another
10:54side of it that is very scary right
10:57that's very intimidating. Being chosen
10:59comes with an expectation and requires
11:01us to go through a process. And that
11:03process isn't always pretty. That
11:05process isn't isn't always fun. It's not
11:08bed and roses. That process can hurt,
11:10right? And so I was thinking to myself,
11:13well Rashad
11:15why are you asking the question, why me?
11:17And it hit me. I'm asking this question
11:20because I'm terrified about what God has
11:23for me to do. Right? I'm terrified that
11:26I will not live up to his expectations.
11:29I'm terrified that I won't meet whatever
11:31standard that he has set for me. Right?
11:33The expectation. And if we look in in in
11:36in John chapter 15 verse two, it says
11:38every and every branch that beareth
11:41fruit, he perted it that it may bring
11:42forth more fruit. So there is an
11:44expectation when you're chosen to bring
11:46forth fruit. Right? But it's not just
11:48bringing forth fruit. You're still going
11:50to have to go through a process because
11:51it says that he purgeth it, right?
11:53There's a pruning that has to happen so
11:55that you can continuously bring forth
11:58fruit. And one of the things that's so
12:00scary about being chosen is that you
12:02don't know where God is going to take
12:03you. He never gives you all the
12:05information. He never tells you exactly
12:07where you're going. Most of us,
12:09specifically speaking about men, we love
12:11to know what we doing, right? We love to
12:13have a plan. And if we don't have a
12:14plan, we ain't going, right? Like if we
12:17don't know how we're going to get there,
12:18when we're going to get there, what time
12:19we're going to leave. My wife can attest
12:21to this. like I ain't if I don't even
12:23know who's inside, I'm not going. Right?
12:26And so most of us when God has called
12:27us, he doesn't give us anything. He just
12:29says come and do what I ask you to do.
12:33Right? And so we get caught up in the
12:35come and we get caught up in the fact
12:37that we don't know. And so we decide we
12:40get caught up in the fact that we don't
12:42know what God is going to ask us to do.
12:43So we start to ask the question, why
12:45God? Why? Why? Why? Because we're
12:47running away from the pruning. The
12:48pruning that was spoken of in in in
12:50verse two is getting rid of dead areas.
12:53The areas that if goes unchecked, it
12:55will affect the entire branch. So even
12:58though you're bearing fruit, you still
13:00have to go through a process to bear
13:02more fruit, right? And you would think
13:03that if you're bearing fruit that, you
13:05know, God is just going to leave you
13:06alone. No, but it's almost as if, you
13:08know, he requires more of you. Like
13:10there's more fruit that is supposed to
13:12be produced in you. And one of the
13:14processes that we had the privilege of
13:15kind of talking about over this past
13:17week was the process of sanctification,
13:20right? And that process of
13:21sanctification is very is very scary for
13:23me personally because you know you're
13:25gonna have to go through some kind of
13:26fire. You know you're going to have to
13:27go through through some kind of testing,
13:29right? Um sanctification is a separation
13:32of evil, separation from evil sin and a
13:36dedication to God and his services. The
13:39the thing about sanctification that
13:41makes it a that makes it a process is
13:43that it's a daytoday
13:46thing right it's something that you have
13:48to do daily obviously you know when you
13:50accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and
13:51Savior the initial part of
13:52sanctification begins right but
13:54sanctification is not based on our works
13:57right so is sanctification is not based
14:00on our works but at the same time we
14:02have a job to do to ensure that we stay
14:05where we're supposed to be in Christ
14:07right So, when we're going through the
14:09sanctification process, we understand
14:10that it's a separation from evil and a a
14:13dedication to God and his services. It's
14:15not a one-time subscription. It's a
14:17daily task. In 1 Corinthians 15:31, it
14:20says, "I die daily." There's a reason
14:22why you have to die daily because our
14:24nature, our natural man is not good.
14:27Right? We were born in sin, shaped in
14:29iniquity because of whatever happened in
14:31in the beginning. We're sinful creatures
14:33by nature. Right? In Galatians 2:20, it
14:36says, "I am crucified with Christ. Never
14:38the yet nevertheless I live, yet not I,
14:41but Christ liveth in me. And the life
14:43which I now live in the flesh, I live by
14:46the faith of the son of God who loved me
14:49and gave himself for me." So, one of the
14:52processes that we're scared of when
14:53we're chosen by God is going through the
14:55sanctification process. And it's not a
14:57process that we can necessarily skip.
15:00Because as we learned when we were at
15:02camp this week, we learned that holiness
15:03isn't God's standard. It's his nature.
15:06Right? The difference between standard
15:08and nature. Nature is who God is. It's
15:11at his core. It's at his very It's his
15:13very being. Right? So nothing about him
15:15can change. The Bible says Jesus Christ
15:17is the same yesterday, today, and
15:19forever more. So if holiness is his
15:21nature, there is nothing that can change
15:24who God is. Right? Now, if we talk about
15:27standard, standard is boundaries that
15:29you may set, a goal that you may set for
15:31yourself. And that standard can kind of
15:33shift from place to place, right? And
15:35so, we have to go through the
15:36sanctification process because holiness
15:38is God's nature. How do we expect if we
15:41are chosen by God and if there's work
15:43for us to do to work for a God, a holy
15:45God, if we are living our own holy life,
15:48>> right? And so because we understand that
15:51in order for us to be effective in the
15:53walk that we're walking in today, we
15:55have to live a holy life. God has to
15:56take us through some stuff. We can't
15:58skip the sanctification process. And the
16:01thing about the sanctification process
16:02is that sometimes it gets really lonely,
16:04right? Your friends can't always come
16:06with you. Your neighbors can't always
16:08join you. Your family can't always be
16:10with you. If it was up to me, I would
16:12have my dad sitting in that front row
16:14feeding me lines, telling me exactly
16:17what to say, right? I would have my dad
16:19studying with me. Is this right to say,
16:21pastor? But one of the things that I
16:22realized is that when God wants to use
16:24you, sometimes he has to pull you out of
16:25your comfort zone.
16:26>> When God wants to move and and do some
16:29things in your life, he has to take you
16:30away from some of the things that you're
16:32comfortable with that you feel like you
16:33can fall back on because he understands.
16:37He understands that if you if he allows
16:39you to stay in that environment, that
16:41environment becomes your source. And if
16:43we expect God to use us in this time, in
16:46this season, he has to be our source. We
16:50have to be totally reliant on him. There
16:54is no portion of you that says, "I want
16:56to be used by God or I'm chosen by God."
16:59And you don't rely on Christ. In the
17:01world that we live in with so many
17:03different waves and doctrines and so
17:05many different things happening, YouTube
17:07has given us access to everything and
17:09anything you want to find. Chat, GPT,
17:11AI, if you you're not rooted in God, you
17:14will be taken to places that you never
17:16thought that you would go. Right? And
17:18so, one of the things that I thought
17:20about with sanctification is that it's a
17:21very, very lonely, lonely, lonely
17:23process. It's a process where you're
17:25going through the fire and you're seeing
17:27other people and it's like, well, how
17:29comes they're not going through this?
17:30And God is saying, hey, listen, you
17:32don't need to focus on them. You need to
17:34focus on me because the work that I have
17:36for you requires you to go through this
17:38season. The work that I have for you
17:40requires you to to to take some time to
17:42yourself. I want you to spend time with
17:44me. Right? So in order for us to serve a
17:48holy God, we have to go through the
17:49process of sanctification. In in
17:51Leviticus 20 26, it says, "And ye shall
17:55be holy unto me, for I the Lord am holy
17:58and have severed you from other people
18:00that you should be mine." At this time
18:03God was speaking to the children of Isra
18:05of Israel. God seed them because they
18:07were supposed to be the example. They
18:09were supposed to be the nation that led
18:11other nations to Christ, right? This
18:14applies to us. In order for God to use
18:17you to be the example that he needs in
18:19this world, we talk about being salt and
18:21light. In order for God to be able to
18:23use you so that you can be a light, he
18:25needs to pull you away from others so
18:26that he can have an intimate
18:27conversation with you so that you can
18:29build your relationship with him. So
18:31that we can be prepared for whatever the
18:33enemy has thrown at us. Young people,
18:35every people, this is not a youth
18:37service. I apologize. But everybody in
18:39this room, I I want us not to think that
18:41the enemy is just going to allow us to
18:43do the will of God without a fight.
18:46>> I don't want us to think that because we
18:48come back from camp and we're
18:49rejuvenated and we feel good about
18:50ourselves and, you know, the preacher
18:52spoke to us and we had an emotional
18:54experience that that's it. No, there's
18:57so much more. It is I I find it and I
19:00and I've been saying it to my wife a lot
19:01and I've been saying it to my mom a lot
19:03and my dad that a lot of times we we end
19:05up putting the responsibility of our
19:07relationship in the hands of our pastors
19:09in the hands of our praise and worship
19:11leaders in the hands of our youth
19:12leaders and we expect them to bring us
19:14to the throne room of grace. We expect
19:16them to go through that sanctification
19:18process. God chose you but you expect
19:20somebody else to use to you expect
19:22somebody else to go through what God
19:24needs to take you through so that it
19:25don't work like that. It don't work like
19:28that. Young people, old people, every
19:30kind of people. It don't matter who you
19:32are, right? And I apologize if I offend
19:34you with the old. You're not old. You're
19:35seasoned. God bless you. You're seasoned
19:38saints, right? But it doesn't work like
19:40that. It doesn't matter what stage in
19:42your life you are at. You have to go
19:44through the process because God cannot,
19:47it makes no sense that God is refining
19:50Pastor Williams and then you try to ride
19:51on Pastor Williams coattail to do
19:53something that he has called you to do.
19:56How can I How can I evangelize to
19:58somebody if I have no relationship with
20:00the person that I'm evangelizing about?
20:03How can I speak to a group of young
20:05people who are desperate and who are in
20:06need if I've never taken the time to get
20:08to know this God that I'm trying to
20:10share?
20:11>> How can I expect h how can I expect God
20:14to move in my life when I've never taken
20:16the time to sit without having to have
20:18any assignment? Just sit and listen to
20:21what he has to say. I want to encourage
20:23each and every single one of us in this
20:24room because there is a job for us to
20:26do. There is an assignment for us to do
20:28in this world in this community wherever
20:30you may live. So those who live in
20:31Bahamas, those who live in Miami, I live
20:33in Lilo Avon Park. We very country,
20:35right? But there is a job to do for each
20:38and every single individual. In order
20:39for you to do it effectively, you need
20:41to go through a training period. And
20:43that training period needs to be an
20:44intimate session with God.
20:46>> Nobody can do it for you. And if you
20:49think somebody else can do it for you,
20:50you are sadly mistaken. They will drag
20:53you across the street and make you look
20:55foolish if you don't have your
20:56relationship with God in line. The
20:59sanctification process isn't just for us
21:01to, you know, make it to heaven on our
21:03own. No, it's so that God can clean us,
21:06purge us, you so when he sends us out,
21:08we're prepared for everything that the
21:10enemy has to offer. There are people
21:13there are people that for us to fulfill
21:15the work there's a level of intimacy and
21:17relationship that is required so that so
21:19so what he has to do is he has to pull
21:21us out.
21:22>> He has to pull us out right and so so
21:25it's it's hard if you're in a group of
21:27people and everybody's talking at the
21:29same time and the person who's at the
21:30front is trying to get your attention
21:32because everybody who's talking they're
21:34in your ear, right? You can't hear the
21:36person that you need to hear. So, a lot
21:38of times what God has to do is um he has
21:40to say, "All right, come here. Come
21:43here. Come here, Gavin. Let me let me
21:44pull you to the side because there's
21:45something that you need to know. There's
21:47something that I got to prepare you for
21:48so that when you get to that moment in
21:49time in your life, you're ready. Let Let
21:52me Let me work with you. Let me talk to
21:54you. Let me
21:56We have to stop running away from the
21:59process that God wants to bring us
22:00through.
22:02>> I don't know why I keep staying there,
22:03but we have to stop. God has already
22:06chosen you. Amen.
22:07>> God has already he said, "I have
22:09ordained you."
22:10>> He's already said to you like, "You're
22:12the one I want." Let's get over the fact
22:14that you He's the one we we're the one
22:16he wants. Let's get over the fact that,
22:18you know, we don't feel qualified.
22:20Because a lot of us, while we're stuck
22:22in the same place, we let our
22:23inexperience speak for us,
22:26>> right? We let the fact that, oh, well,
22:27I've never done this before and I've
22:29never I I'm not really good at this
22:30thing or, you know, so and so is so much
22:33better. So is so much brighter than I
22:35am. And God is saying, "So and so got
22:37their own assignment. I need you."
22:39Right? So, let's get over the fact that
22:41God has already called you. Right? It's
22:43We know it's intimidating. It's scary.
22:45We know it's not something that if you
22:47want to live for Christ and you want to
22:49take it seriously, there's going to be a
22:50part of you that's just like, "God, I
22:52need your help."
22:53>> Right? There's going to be a part. Let's
22:55get over that fact.
22:57We need to understand that in order for
23:00God to use us, we have to put oursel, we
23:03talked about it on Sunday night, put
23:05oursel in the position for God to work.
23:09Put oursel in the position for God. And
23:11it's going to be hard. It's going to be
23:14trying. When God is cleaning, when he's
23:16pruning, when he's chipping some of the
23:18things away, you think certain things
23:19are happening to you by accident. God
23:21wants to see your reaction. He wants to
23:23see how are you responding to it. And
23:25depending on your response, depending on
23:27how you respond, God will either keep
23:29you there or move you to the next level.
23:31Young people, there are some things that
23:32we're struggling with, that we're
23:33fighting with, and we're saying, "God,
23:35get me out of this." And God said, "You
23:36didn't learn your lesson yet." So, no,
23:38stay there. He's put you in the kill and
23:40and and he's turning up the heat because
23:41he has to get rid of those things that
23:43going to that are going to hinder you
23:45from seeing and producing what he wants
23:47you to produce. Right? So instead of us
23:51being afraid of the heat, instead of us
23:52being afraid of the process, what I want
23:54us to do is I want us to sit there and I
23:56want us to ask God, what do you have to
23:58say to me in this moment? What are you
24:00trying to show me in this moment? Where
24:03are you trying to take me in this
24:05moment? Because we cannot go, we cannot
24:07do what we are supposed to do
24:08effectively if we do not hear from the
24:10voice of God. We cannot expect to be
24:13effective in our schools. We cannot
24:15expect to be expect to be effective in
24:17our workplaces. We can't expect to be
24:19effective in our churches if we are not
24:21listening to the voice of God. Right?
24:24There are some places that God wants to
24:25take you and where you are now, you're
24:26not ready. Where I am now, I'm not
24:28ready. So, he has to put you in a
24:31situation where it's trying you. It's
24:33trying everything in you. So, for some
24:35of us who like to get angry and who like
24:37to fight, God is putting you in some
24:39situations where it's like, I'm going to
24:40see what you going to do. Either you
24:41gonna fight this person or we going we
24:43going to walk like children of Christ,
24:45right? I'm putting you in a situ I'm put
24:47I'm putting you in a situation that
24:49makes you uncomfortable because if you
24:51if if you don't go through that where
24:53how can I take you to where I need you
24:55to go? How can you minister to the
24:57person that I have assigned to you? I I
25:00want us to understand that that each and
25:03every single one of us has somebody
25:05assigned to us. Each and every single
25:07one of us. I don't care what your status
25:08is. I don't care if you're a pastor. I
25:10don't care if you're a lowly member in
25:12the church. I don't care if you're a
25:13musician. You have somebody that is
25:15assigned to you. Somebody that is
25:17depending on you to follow God's voice.
25:21Somebody that is depending on you to be
25:23that vessel that God has ordained you to
25:26be. Right? And the longer we take to get
25:29what God is trying to give us or the
25:31longer we take to get through the go
25:33through the process that God is trying
25:34to is the longer it may take for that
25:36person to see who God is. There are some
25:38people who are watching your life. They
25:40may not have said a word to you. I I
25:42mentioned earlier that one of the people
25:44that I looked up to growing up was
25:45Dwight Stewart. I don't think I spoke to
25:47Dwight until I was like 27.
25:51I was 27 years old, but I watched Dwight
25:54from afar. Right. And he may not have
25:57known that this little boy was paying
26:00attention to him, but I was. Right. So,
26:04if the white decided not to operate in
26:06the way that he was supposed to operate,
26:08how would that have affected Rashad?
26:10Right. We talk about even Raj, Nicholas,
26:13and Kirby. Those are my my my three my
26:15my mentors. I've been watching them even
26:17before I met them, right? How would it
26:19have been if they weren't in the
26:21position that God has placed them to be?
26:23If they weren't operating in the
26:25position that God has, how would that
26:27have affected me as a young man? Who's
26:29to say maybe I'm not up here? Who's to
26:31say I don't have the boldness to do what
26:33God has called me to do? Again, I just
26:35said I'm terrified, but he's given me a
26:37spirit of boldness. Right? And why why
26:39could I be in this position? Because the
26:41individuals that I just named were
26:43operating in the way that they were
26:44supposed to operate. Each and every
26:46single one of us have somebody that is
26:48watching us. I don't care how old you
26:50are. I don't care how young you are.
26:52Again, we're allowing our inexperience
26:54to affect how we handle what God has
26:56called us to do, right? And so, a lot of
26:59us as young people, we say, "Well, I'm
27:00too young. I don't know nothing. God,
27:02you can't expect me to like do this
27:04because who going to take me seriously?"
27:06And God IS SAYING, "HELLO, I'M TAKING
27:07YOU SERIOUSLY. I have your back. I got
27:10you in the right. Like, trust me." But
27:13we sit here and we're we're debating
27:14with him. Well, God, you know, I'm not
27:16the best orator. I'm not the best at
27:18anything really. And then on top of
27:20that, like, I'm not even the number one
27:22option in my church. I'm not even the
27:24number one option where I reside. Like,
27:26and God is saying, you're looking at
27:28people and I'm I'm telling you to focus
27:31on me. I should be the person that you
27:33are seeking validation from. People of
27:35God, I want us to get out of the
27:37mindset. I want us to get out of the
27:39mindset that we're too young to do
27:41anything. We're too old to do anything.
27:43If Josiah could be king at 8 years old,
27:45you can do the will of God at 12 years
27:46old. If Abraham, the promise of Abraham
27:49to be the father of many, many nations
27:51can start when he was 100 years old. God
27:54can use you at 56 years old. A lot of
27:57times we say, "Well, I'm past my prime."
27:59Y'all see this thing I got on my leg?
28:02I've been told a lot that I'm getting
28:03old and that I should stop doing certain
28:06things. I should stop playing certain
28:08sports or whatever the case may be. And
28:10I hear it, but I also know that I can't
28:12let my age and what happened to me
28:14affect how I move and go about my life.
28:17Right? And it's the same thing we have
28:19to get into our minds that if God has
28:21called you, if he has ordained you, if
28:23he says that, listen, I need you to bear
28:25fruit, we cannot listen to the
28:27naysayers. We can't get caught up in
28:29what people have to say about us and oh
28:31well you know you don't that don't
28:33really seem like your kind of thing.
28:34You're so quiet. You're so meek. Stop
28:35letting people put you in a box because
28:38once you let people put you in a box,
28:39you begin to put God in a box and my God
28:42is too big to be put in a box. So I want
28:44to encourage your hearts and I want to
28:46encourage your mind even as I'm about to
28:48wrap it up because I'm finished. I'm
28:51done, right? I'm I'm I'm not very
28:54longwinded in terms of speaking, but I
28:56really want to encourage you. God has
28:58chosen you. He has called you. He has
29:01ordained you.
29:02>> The first thing, get over the fact that
29:03he called you. Like, God, why me? Get
29:06okay, sit in it for a little bit, then
29:08get over it. He chose you, right? The
29:10second thing is you're going to have to
29:12go through a process. That process is
29:14going to be tough. If he if he's going
29:15to use you, he has to sanctify you
29:17because holiness is God's nature. And if
29:19it's God's nature, he can't be with
29:21around anything that is You know that
29:22speaks to God's grace. The fact that he
29:24he even tolerates what he tolerates from
29:27us because holiness is his nature,
29:29right? This is who he is. Like there is
29:32no part of him that consists of sin.
29:34He's just a holy God. And yet still he
29:36loves you and I so much that he chose
29:38you and I. It speaks to the grace and
29:40the goodness of God. Right? So let's get
29:43over the fact that he chose you. Let's
29:45get over the fact that we have to go
29:46through a process because in order for
29:47him to use you, you got to go through
29:49something. I can't expect you to manage
29:50a company if you haven't started at the
29:52very bottom learning everything on the
29:54way up. Right? So get over the fact that
29:57you got to go through the process. Go
29:58through the process. Whatever you got to
30:00learn, sit in it. You may not enjoy it,
30:01but think of something else while you're
30:03sitting in it. Think about the fact that
30:05somebody is depending on me. And while
30:07God is while God is trimming and pruning
30:09and and and burning some things off of
30:11me, it's for his glory,
30:13>> not for mine. Right? So, we got to get
30:15over the fact that he chose me. We got
30:17to get over the fact that we got to go
30:18through the process. And now we have to
30:20get over the fact that, you know, I have
30:22some insecurities. I'm have some
30:24insecurities about myself that I'm not
30:25sure. If God is for you, who can be
30:29against you? Stop putting yourself in a
30:31box. Because by putting yourself in the
30:33box, you're putting the God who created
30:35the heavens and the earth in a box to go
30:37along with you. If God says that I
30:39choose you, he chooses you. If God says
30:42I want to use you, he's going to use
30:44you. If he says your mission in in the
30:46Bahamas for my Bahamians requires you to
30:48do, do whatever he asks you to do. Let
30:52let me let me let me tell you about the
30:53significance of being chosen because
30:55oftent times oftentimes I I don't think
30:58we understand. We talked about the scary
31:01parts of being chosen, but this is the
31:02privilege of being chosen. Now imagine
31:04like somebody who is the coolest of the
31:06cool, right? The greatest of the great
31:08and they say, "Hey, I want you to play
31:10on my basketball team." Let's just use
31:11Michael Jordan because LeBron James
31:13isn't the goat. Michael Jordan. So,
31:14let's just use Michael Jordan, right?
31:16And we say Michael Jordan comes to you
31:17and he says, "Hey, listen. I'm putting
31:19together a team and and I want you to
31:22join my team. You're my first pick.
31:24Matter of fact, like forget everybody
31:26else. You tell me yes, I'm good to go."
31:29How's it gonna make you feel? Amazing.
31:31Because that's Michael Jordan. Right
31:34now, if we liken it to God, let's look
31:36at his resume. In Revelations 22:30, it
31:40says he it gives a glimpse into his
31:41sovereignty, right? It speaks of God as
31:44alpha and the omega, the beginning and
31:46the end, right? It speaks in John is 1
31:49John 4:8 and 16. It says, "God is love.
31:52He that loveth and knoweth not God, for
31:54God is love." So, we speaking of a
31:56loving God. We speak of a God in Genesis
31:58one who created the heavens and the
32:00earth, who formed man with his very
32:03hands, spoke everything else into
32:04existence, but he loved you so much that
32:06he took his hands to form you, and then
32:07he blew his very breath in you so that
32:09you could come to life. Right? That's an
32:11intimate act, right? We look at the God
32:13in Numbers 23:1 19 says, "God is not a
32:16man that he should lie, neither he the
32:18son of man that should repent." Right?
32:19In 1 Timothy 1:17, it says, "God is the
32:22king eternal immortal invisible the
32:25only wise God." And to imagine this man
32:28with so many accolades behind his name,
32:30never been defeated, right? Never lost
32:32the battle, is choosing you, that is a
32:35privilege.
32:36>> That is a real privilege. So, who are we
32:39to stand like Moses and say, "Well, God,
32:43I can't. I stutter." You don't think he
32:46knows that? He created you. Like, God, I
32:50only got one good leg. You don't think
32:51he knows that? He saw what happened to
32:53you, right? And and so, we have to move
32:56outside of oursel and understand that
32:58the God who is calling us, he's more
33:00than capable to keep us. He's more than
33:03capable to ensure that whatever he's
33:05going to put us through, he'll be right
33:07there with you. Whatever he's going to
33:09to to whatever he has for you to do,
33:11he'll be holding your hands, right?
33:13Matter of fact, there may be some times
33:14when he's carrying you, but we have to
33:16put our trust in God and take it out of
33:19ourselves,
33:20>> right? God did his work over the week.
33:23For those of you who went to camp, God
33:24did his work this week, right? God spoke
33:27to you. God told you to build an altar.
33:29God God let you know how holy he he is a
33:31holy God, right? He told you to go back
33:34to the altar. He gave you practical
33:35steps on Wednesday using your very own
33:37pastor, Pastor Omar. Right? And
33:39throughout the sessions, we've been
33:40talking about just the holiness of God
33:43and and and and what it means to be
33:45sanctified, the process, right? And and
33:47now that you've gone through uh you
33:49know, a little bit of the process of
33:50sanctification, we don't get to just sit
33:52there and be like, "Well, I'll see you
33:54next year at camp. Let's do it all again
33:56next year." No. From the time camp ended
33:59until we get back next year, which I
34:00expect to see all of you there. Until we
34:02get back next year, there is a job.
34:04There is an assignment for you to do
34:06>> and it is your responsibility to fulfill
34:08it. It is not your pastors. It is not
34:10your youth leaders. It's not your praise
34:12and worship leaders. It's not your best
34:14friends. It's not your mammas, your
34:15daddies, your c. It's your job. We have
34:18to take responsibility for what God
34:20wants us to go in our own personal life.
34:22So if you want to get closer to God, you
34:24need to read your Bible. You need to
34:25pray. You need to spend time listening
34:27to what he has to say about you. I want
34:31to encourage you. God has chosen you.
34:33You are the person that God has chosen.
34:34You are the person that God has called.
34:36You are the person that God wants to use
34:38to do mighty things. And don't think
34:40that the mighty things that he wants to
34:42use you to do is just on this podium.
34:44This is the least of everything. If
34:45we're being honest, we come here and we
34:47talk to each other, but there's so much
34:48work for you to do outside. Like,
34:50there's so many people for you to
34:51evangelize to outside. There's so many
34:54people for you to give a hug to outside.
34:56The people who don't know anything about
34:57Christ, who are hopeless. There is so
34:59much work to do outside of these four
35:01walls. So, I don't want us to get
35:02wrapped up in the fact that, oh, God is
35:04going to use me on the stage. He may
35:06never put you on the stage. And if you
35:08talking like that, I wouldn't put you on
35:09the stage neither if I'm being honest.
35:12Right? But I I want us to understand
35:14that there is a work for us to do. It
35:17could be in your home. It could be in
35:18your school. It could be in your
35:19environment. Could be in your
35:20friendships. It could be anywhere. God
35:22can use you anywhere. If he can use a
35:24donkey to talk, he can use you.
35:27God God can use you anywhere. We have
35:30all been given the same access to God.
35:32It's up to you to decide how much access
35:35you take. It's up to you to decide how
35:37much access you allow yourself when it
35:40comes to the things of God. People of
35:42God, even as I'm I'm dead serious. I'm
35:44closing. I'm done. Right? I'm dead
35:47serious. If as we all stand as we all
35:50stand because this is far out of my
35:52comfort zone, right? But when God says
35:54to do something, you do it. I tried to
35:55battle with your past. I was like, "You
35:57sure I can't just do the second
35:58service?" He was like, "No." And I was
36:00like, "You sure I got to do any
36:01service?" He was like, "Yeah." And I was
36:03like, "Oh, I'm going to talk to my
36:04pastor." He said, "I already spoke to
36:05your pastor." And I was just like, "I
36:07ain't got no other excuse." Right. Um,
36:10but I I I want us to I want us to get
36:12out get out of ourselves. I want us to
36:14remove ourselves from the equation. We
36:16can't we can't keep thinking of
36:17ourselves as as as a top thing. If we
36:21want God to use us, we just gonna have
36:23to we can't say it and then when it
36:25comes to the process of going through
36:26what we need to go through in order for
36:28him to use us effectively, we we don't
36:30want that part. If we want God, we got
36:31to want all of God. If we want to be
36:33used by God, we want we got to want
36:35every aspect of God, right? So, I I I
36:40want to encourage your hearts and your
36:41minds. Turn to your neighbor and just do
36:42me one favor. Say, "God chose you."
36:47That was kind of weak. Turn to your next
36:49neighbor and tell your next neighbor,
36:50"God chose you."
36:55And a lot of us, I I believe this word
36:57is for everybody. I believe this message
36:59is for everybody. But it's up to you to
37:02decide whether or not you are going to
37:03take this message and if you're going to
37:06apply it. It's up to you to decide
37:08whether every message that is preached
37:10up here is not for your pastor's health.
37:13It's not for the speaker's health. It's
37:14it's for us to take, to grab, to hold on
37:17to, and to use it to get to the next
37:19day. God chose you. So whether you are
37:23my son's age, which is seven months, or
37:25whether you're the oldest person in the
37:27room, God chose you. He chose you. I
37:33want that to resonate in your spirit
37:35that God chose you. He can use you to
37:38operate in a boardroom just the same way
37:40he could use you to operate on a stage.
37:42God chose you. God bless you.
37:55Thank you, Lord. God chose you.
37:58God chose you. As we get ready to sing,
38:01Lord, prepare me to be a sanctuary.
38:04I wonder if there is somebody whom God
38:06is calling and you have not yet
38:10responded in the affirmative.
38:13He has been calling you from where you
38:14are. You've been giving him all the
38:16excuses that you can find and he's
38:18saying, "I love you so much and there is
38:21more that I require of you." He wants to
38:25save your soul. He wants to put the Holy
38:28Spirit in you. For God so loved the
38:30world that he gave his only begotten