Choose You This Day
Dr. Jonelle Gifts Preached on 11/16/2025
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31:22
Summary
Dr. Jonelle Gifts issues a clarion call to move past indecision and private compromise, urging believers to uproot hidden sins and make a definitive choice to serve God with total integrity.
Key points
- •Indecision is not neutrality; it is a surrender to the enemy by default. Choosing not to decide is, in itself, a choice against God.
- •Private compromise hinders public victory. As illustrated by Achan in Joshua 7, hidden sin in the 'tent' can derail the progress and victory of an entire community.
- •Holiness is not bondage; it is the beautiful freedom from the corruption of the world and the ability to live with a clear conscience before God.
- •Spiritual legacy does not guarantee spiritual safety. Each individual must personally own their faith rather than 'renting' the convictions of their parents or leaders.
- •Repentance is the only way to move from the 'Valley of Trouble' to the 'Door of Hope.' God restores destiny immediately once hidden disobedience is removed.
Scripture
Holiness
Repentance
Authority
Purpose
Spiritual Warfare
Life application
Identify one 'Babylonian garment'-a hidden habit, secret bitterness, or worldly ideology-currently buried in your life, and confess it to God and a trusted spiritual leader this week to clear the way for God's move in your life.
Reflection questions
- What is currently 'buried in your tent' that might be hindering your spiritual authority or the progress of those around you?
- In what areas of your life are you trying to remain neutral rather than making a firm commitment to God's standards?
- How does your private life (Monday through Saturday) align with your public worship on Sunday?
- Are you living off the 'rented faith' of your family or heritage, or have you made a personal, examined choice to serve the Lord?
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Full transcript
0:09Hallelujah.
0:19I'd like to take a moment to greet our
0:21pastors and their wives, Lady Stewart.
0:25To all the elders, to all the ministers,
0:28to those who are watching virtually, we
0:30miss you. We hope to see you in the
0:31house again. And to all of you who are
0:34here, God bless you. It is such a
0:37privilege to be in the house of the Lord
0:39one more time. For every moment that I
0:43am alive, I am not taking it for
0:45granted. I am going to be intentional
0:48with the breath that he gives me based
0:51on the mandate that Lady Annette laid on
0:53us last week because you never know. And
0:56I want to make sure that I don't leave a
1:00task unfinished.
1:02With that said, pastor, I apologize for
1:04any gray hairs I caused you this week.
1:08It was not intentional, sir.
1:11God bless you. God bless you. God bless
1:13you. So, two weeks ago, God reminded us
1:17of who we are and who's we are. And when
1:20I say this month is I because I'm in it,
1:25I can tell you it's by divine
1:28orchestration that every single message
1:32lined up the way it did two weeks ago.
1:35God reminded us of who we are and who's
1:38we are through Sister Annette. The
1:41spirit declared the breath of God. This
1:44was not just a poetic phrase. It was a
1:47prophetic identity. It was God breathing
1:50life into dry bones, calling us out of
1:54silence, reminding us that you are not
1:57forgotten. You are not forsaken. You are
1:59filled with my spirit and formed by my
2:03hand.
2:05Then last week, sister Danette said, "We
2:07are charged with divine commission. Go
2:11and tell my five brethren." It was a
2:14push from identity to assignment. Not
2:17just to breathe, but to speak, not just
2:20to survive, but to go. That was the
2:24commission obedience.
2:26And now this week, God brings us to a
2:30divine crossroad.
2:32The moment of decision.
2:36It is as if heaven is asking us. It's
2:40not as if it is heaven asking us to
2:43determine who is in control of your
2:48house.
2:50So identity, you are mine. Commission go
2:54in my name. decision,
2:57but choose me fully.
3:00God never forces allegiances. He
3:03presents us with a choice. So, Brother
3:06Marcus, I didn't have to preach. He was
3:08in my message from start to finish. The
3:11breath was given, the commission was
3:14spoken, but now the choice must be made.
3:18God has done his part. The question now
3:21is, will we do ours? Not tomorrow,
3:28[snorts] not next Sunday, not after we
3:31get our schedules together
3:34today. Because indecision
3:37is not neutrality. It is surrender by
3:41default. And heaven is calling us to
3:45decide.
3:46And if it seem evil unto you to serve
3:49the Lord, choose you this day whom you
3:53will serve. But as for me and my house,
3:57we will serve the Lord. So the title for
4:01today's sermonet is choose you this day.
4:08To grasp the weight of this declaration,
4:11we must turn to Joshua 7 where one man's
4:16s
4:19nearly derail an entire nation's
4:23destiny. Before Joshua could boldly say,
4:27"As for me and my house," he had to
4:30stand in the valley of trouble acre
4:34where Israel learned you cannot have
4:38victory in public when you compromise in
4:41private.
4:43God will not bless what we hide in
4:47disobedience.
4:50It is a matter of life and death.
4:54Choose you this day.
4:58Point one, the day the middle died.
5:04Picture this. Israel just witnessed the
5:09fall of Jericho. They didn't have to
5:12lift a sword. They didn't have to say a
5:15word. They just had to operate in
5:19obedience. They marched around this
5:22imposing wall for six times. Huh? And on
5:26the seventh time, they opened their
5:28mouth and what? The walls fell.
5:33But then they went to eye.
5:393,000
5:40men of God fled
5:44and 36 of them died. Can [snorts] you
5:48imagine how Joshua was feeling after
5:52knowing what he had to do, how he had to
5:55consecrate himself after winning such an
5:57amazing victory through the hand of God.
6:00And then this
6:0336
6:05men died. This created shock waves of
6:10fear through Israel.
6:13The w how? Why? Because the hearts of
6:16people melted and became like water. So
6:19Joshua was stunned and confused and he
6:23did what he was supposed to do, which
6:25was to fall on his knees and go to God.
6:28And God said, "Get up."
6:31Israel has sinned.
6:34There are moments when power is not
6:37enough. Repentance is.
6:41When God is with us, no city is too
6:44strong. But when sin has driven him from
6:49us, no city is too small to defeat us.
6:53What is in your tent this morning? I am
6:56arresting you in the spirit this morning
6:59to uproot all the things that are
7:02causing enmity between yourself and God.
7:05We need to move WITH AUTHORITY AND YOU
7:08ARE hindering the move of God because of
7:11one man's sin. The whole nation of
7:14Israel face this demise. What are you
7:17doing when you step out of these doors?
7:19Every Sunday, Monday to Saturday, you'll
7:22live a different life. But Sunday,
7:24you're singing as LOUD AS POSSIBLE. WHAT
7:26ARE YOU HIDING IN YOUR TENT? HALLELUJAH.
7:30GLORY, GLORY, GLORY, GLORY. What are you
7:33hiding in your tent? Glory to God.
7:36Achan's name means disaster, ruin.
7:41His name forshadowed his impact because
7:45he chose not to repent.
7:53Achon came from the tribe of Judah.
7:58He knew who God was.
8:01He knew what God could do. His legacy
8:05was rich.
8:07He had heritage. He had legacy. He had
8:10spiritual history. He had spiritual
8:13privilege. He came from a known
8:16respected covenant line.
8:20You can come from a spiritual legacy and
8:23still make a spiritual decision that
8:26derails it.
8:29I know that for a fact. There was a girl
8:34who came to a church at 18415
8:39Northwest 7th Avenue, Miami Gardens
8:4233169.
8:44You know that church, Pentecostal
8:46Tabernacle, years ago. And she when you
8:51enter the the building from the north
8:53side, she was hiding in the second row
8:56at the back for a year and a half. She
9:00hid
9:02a year and a half. Sister Clell Jackson
9:06arrested her in the spirit and said,
9:09"Janelle, what you doing back here?" As
9:13a pastor's kid, I was hiding. I knew how
9:16heavy the mantle was and I was hiding. I
9:19have been at Pentab for a minute, but I
9:22have been hiding.
9:24I was hiding because I didn't want to do
9:26it. I didn't want to make a choice. But
9:28I am grateful that sister Clell found me
9:31because purpose will not die.
9:36>> Purpose will not die. And because of her
9:40arresting me in the spirit, I was able
9:43to teach Sunday school besides sister
9:45Blair and brother Gillings. And now my
9:48son Dylan has the privilege of having
9:51them pour into him. Why? Because sister
9:56grab me up in the spirit and tell me
9:58Janelle G you have a legacy that you
10:02must continue. If God is God serve him
10:07the young people can tell you cuz I I
10:09hide nothing from them. I know what I
10:12talk to them when I pour into them. I
10:14know what I'm talking about because at
10:17one point I was them.
10:22But I had a mother sitting back there
10:26who prayed for me. Glory to God. I had a
10:30father who prayed for me. And then by
10:34extensions, I had mothers in Zion who
10:37did not hesitate to grab me in the
10:39spirit and say, "What you doing?
10:43Someone's life is dependent on you." I
10:46am telling you this in the Lord this
10:48morning. Someone's life is dependent on
10:52you. Choose you this day.
10:59Achan saw.
11:02Achan coveted. [clears throat]
11:04Achan took. Achen hid.
11:09Four verbs that have destroyed countless
11:12believers since Eden. The pattern is
11:16tragically familiar. Eve saw the for
11:19forbidden fruit, desired it, took it,
11:23tried to hide it from God. David saw
11:26Bath Shiva, coveted her, took her, and
11:29attempted to hide his sin. James 1:14-15
11:34describes how desire conceives sin. and
11:38sin when full growth brings forth death.
11:42What seemed like a secret, a garment,
11:46silver and gold, brought an entire
11:49nation to its knees.
11:53His sin was not random.
11:57He took what God placed UNDER COVENANT.
12:02This means it was devoted to God. It was
12:05holy property. It was first fruit and
12:09taking it was stealing stealing from
12:12God.
12:14His tent might be or browser history or
12:18hidden text messages. His silver is
12:21secret bitterness or dishonesty. His
12:25Babylonian garments represent obsession
12:28with outward image and no inward
12:31integrity.
12:33Achan teaches that you CAN SHOUT IN
12:35VICTORY OVER JERICHO and still lose the
12:38battle of I
12:41BECAUSE SOMETHING IS BURIED IN YOUR
12:43TENT.
12:51God refuses to march with his people
12:54into the next victory until hidden
12:57disobedience is removed.
13:00choose you this day
13:04who YOU WILL SERVE. AS FOR ME and my
13:07house, we're serving the Lord.
13:10Hallelujah.
13:13[crying]
13:21Speech. Speech. Speech.
14:11Hallelujah.
14:15Neutrality
14:17was no longer an option. The ground had
14:21collapsed in judgment.
14:25The sad truth.
14:29Achon didn't even wear the garment.
14:33[snorts] He didn't even spend the
14:35silver.
14:37He didn't even flaunt the gold. He
14:40buried it.
14:42What he buried under his tent stopped
14:46the nation. Hidden sin bring trouble,
14:48but surrendered sin brings hope. What
14:52was once a graveyard of judgment became
14:54a doorway of grace because of
14:58repentance.
15:00Secret sin is never a secret before God.
15:05BE SURE YOUR SIN WILL FIND YOU OUT. Just
15:09as one part of the body gets sick, it
15:13drains the whole.
15:16When one member sins, the consequence
15:19extends to all of us.
15:23Joshua wasn't addressing pagans. He was
15:26addressing God's people.
15:30Choose you this day.
15:35The meaning of choose is a deliberate
15:40examined choice.
15:43It is not a whimsical or emotional
15:46decision. So if you decide to sit on the
15:49fence, it is an action.
15:53If you decide to not move, it is an
15:57action.
16:06Whatever your choice is, it is a firm
16:09commitment.
16:11Neutrality is rebellion in disguise.
16:16Indecision itself is a decision and it
16:19is a costly one. Life or death.
16:25Decisions is a defining act. It's a
16:29movement when you stop renting your
16:32faith and salvation and start owning it.
16:42It is when you refuse to live off
16:45someone's else conviction. Just stand
16:48steady knowing that God is
16:54shama.
16:56The middle ground ends here.
17:00No more halfway holiness.
17:03NO MORE HIDDEN BABYLONIAN GARMENTS IN
17:06YOUR WORSHIP. THE FENCE no longer exist.
17:11Choose you this day. You sit on the
17:15fence. You're choosing the devil.
17:17Period.
17:19Sister Nathaniel said earlier, hell is
17:23void of God. So if you're not living a
17:28holy life, where are you going?
17:32No sin can dwell there. No sin can enter
17:37there. So if you're choosing to be
17:40neutral, you're choosing to go to hell.
17:42Choose God and live.
17:48Shad. The decision is that moment when
17:52the fence [clears throat] breaks and you
17:53fall on either with God or the devil.
17:59Indecision will cost you your life.
18:03Repentance is a decision in action.
18:09Sister G said a lot. I said, "Yeah, I
18:12know how you do it. It starts at home.
18:19This is a call. This section right here,
18:22parents and leaders, listen up. Even if
18:26you're not leaders on paper, you're a
18:29leader by default because you are a
18:31child of God. So listen up.
18:35Leadership is not what we declare in
18:38public.
18:40Your family needs to witness it in
18:43private, especially if you have family
18:48members that have not received the gift
18:50of the Holy Ghost. You are the living
18:52testimony.
18:53You can preach with the tongues of
18:55angels, but if your if your family not
18:58seeing how you live, it is for not.
19:02Clean up your house.
19:05Clean up your house.
19:08Why? because we are in a spiritual
19:12warfare.
19:14Ephesians 6 says that it talks about the
19:17armor of God. We have the belt of truth,
19:20breastplate of righteousness, shoes of
19:23the gospel of peace, the shield of
19:25faith, helmet of salvation, sword of the
19:27spirit. And some of us stop right there.
19:30The scripture continues to says urges us
19:33to pray always.
19:41That is a discipline within itself.
19:46What is in your tent?
19:49Living a consecrated life is a choice to
19:53do it every day.
19:59Ah Jesus. Yes Lord. Speak Jesus. So what
20:04are you hiding?
20:06Is it digital Babylon where the secret
20:08habits and the addictive entertainments
20:11we indulge when no one in church is
20:13looking your Tik Tok, your Instagram?
20:17What we doing? The economic Babylon.
20:20It's a pool of materialism and the love
20:23of money. It's when making a living
20:25turns into an idol.
20:29relational Babylon. The relationships we
20:33covet and prioritize
20:36over our commitment to God where you
20:39would rather go out rather than come to
20:43prayer.
20:45Fasting is a Achilles heel for you but
20:49make a pot knock you're gone.
20:52What you want to please PEOPLE AND
20:56DISAPPOINT GOD IN THE PROCESS? HOW dare
20:59you? When God has proven to be
21:02everything and then to you
21:06ideological Babylon, it is the attempt
21:09to blend biblical truth with the popular
21:12philosophies or values of culture so we
21:16don't feel out of step with the world.
21:18What if God is God? serve him. It is
21:24accepting the world's ideology about
21:27morality, identity or faith and it
21:29conflicts the scripture.
21:32Hallelujah.
21:34Why are you playing with these things?
21:38Why are you associating yourselves with
21:42things that are not of God? These are
21:45not pure.
21:47These are not holy. Holiness is still in
21:51style.
21:59Holiness is still in style.
22:03Here, O Israel, the Lord our God is one
22:08Lord. He has no rival and no equal. So
22:12why are you trying to
22:17why are you trying to bundle God in with
22:20things that are unpure?
22:23It is not of God.
22:27It's not of God.
22:29Be he holy
22:33for I am holy.
22:36Come from among them and be ye separate
22:39and I will receive you. Holiness is a
22:43tangible expression of devotion. It
22:46means set apart conduct, appearance,
22:51lifestyle to reflect godly character.
22:55With our holiness, no man shall see God.
23:02WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND THAT HOLINESS IS
23:05not bondage. It is beautiful freedom
23:08from the corruption of the world.
23:12Change your mindset.
23:14It is the glow of God's goodness within
23:17us and through us.
23:20It is not bondage.
23:23It is beautiful freedom.
23:26When I can rest because I know I have a
23:29home in heaven waiting for me. Yes, I'm
23:33in pain here. But when I touch those
23:36streets of gold, I will sing the songs
23:39of Zion BECAUSE GOD HAS REDEEMED ME.
23:43GLORY.
23:46Spiritual integrity. YOU ARE THE SAME
23:50person on Sunday
23:53and throughout the week. So if pastor
23:56sees you on the road, you don't have to
23:58take a second look and say, "Who that?
24:04What? No. THE SAME PERSON YOUR SHAMA
24:08SHAMA ON SUNDAY. MAKE sure Monday to
24:11Saturday you're doing the same thing and
24:13you're living a circumspect life.
24:17>> IF GOD IS GOD, SERVE HIM.
24:22They know other God is God. THE FACT
24:26THAT I have breath in my lungs. Have you
24:28ever stopped to think of how our bodies
24:32function where before we actually step
24:36my neurons have to do a lot of things in
24:39God did that how can I doubt that a God
24:44who made me doesn't exist if God is God
24:48serve him
24:52point three
24:55from the valley of trouble
24:58to the door of hope and grace.
25:02Destiny is not a mystery. And in this
25:05case, I'm talking about purpose as well.
25:09Destiny slash purpose
25:12is not a mystery floating in the sky. It
25:15is a harvest of our decisions and an
25:19overflow of our devotion.
25:23Only after Israel decisively
25:27removed sin from the camp was God able
25:31to restore them.
25:35Once the decision was made,
25:38devotion was restored
25:41and God immediately put them back on
25:44destiny.
25:46You need to make a choice. You cannot
25:51enter the next stage of destiny until
25:54you deal with what is hidden in your
25:58tent.
26:01Did we forget Ananas and Safara
26:05who stone?
26:08So what are you waiting for God to slash
26:12you down before you act?
26:16Hypocrisy
26:18and a Spirit have compromised
26:22have no place
26:25in the house of God.
26:28Reverence
26:31and repentance
26:33is what leads to revival.
26:39Reverence
26:41and repentance
26:44is what leads to revival. So what you do
26:48independently AFFECTS US COLLECTIVELY.
26:53What is in your tent?
26:59What is in your tent this morning?
27:02If pastor should show up, [snorts] Elder
27:05Rose, can you help me again?
27:08If all the tents look alike on the
27:10outside,
27:12but if pastor should through the spirit
27:15look, Is he going to see fear the reason
27:18why we stay in Egypt while living in
27:22Canaan? Two minds. How you cannot be
27:27dualminded and serve God. If God is God,
27:32serve him. Choose ye this day who you
27:36should serve. Unforgiveness. The reason
27:39we can't move forward. What? But you
27:42want God to forgive you. Not true. BUT
27:44WHY YOU NOT FORGIVING THE PERSON who
27:47hurt you? Understand? Sometimes you
27:50won't get the apology you're searching
27:51for. What are you going to do? Let that
27:54stop YOU FROM SERVING GOD. If God is
27:56God, serve him. Will pastor find pride,
28:00the reason we won't repent as it's the
28:03cycle we said that we're going to break
28:05every January, but we still continue.
28:08Will he find shame, the reason we won't
28:10be honest with ourselves and with each
28:13other? Or will he find gold? We're
28:16coveting it. Will he find all these
28:19Bibles we emphasize and exercise above
28:24praying and fasting? Where's the
28:26physical? Or will he find the things
28:29that we hide the most, the cars? Yeah,
28:33the physical things. These things. or
28:36will he find the Babylonian garment that
28:39we sometimes use to disguise the other
28:42stuff that are hidden even further under
28:45the tent.
28:48Choose you
28:51this day. So this message is not just
28:55for those who need the Holy Ghost. This
28:59message is for all of us to take stock
29:02of our lives.
29:05Are we going to continue being
29:08indecisive? It is still a decision.
29:14Neutrality has no place in God. It's
29:18either you choose to live for him or you
29:22don't.
29:24If you're choosing to serve God, you
29:26need to serve him with sincerity and
29:29truth. No more idols. The line is drawn.
29:35WHICH SIDE OF THE FENCE do you belong?
29:38Because a decision must be made.
29:46Choose you this day
29:50who you will serve.
29:52But for me and my house,
29:56we will serve the Lord. So I'm asking
29:58everybody to stand in the house.
30:01Everyone under the sound of my voice,
30:03stand in the house. Stand in the house.
30:04I'm stopping. I have so much I could
30:06say. Same thing God did in the first
30:08service. This is time for you to come to
30:11the altar.
30:13If you need to uproot something, come.
30:16Don't hesitate. If you need the Holy
30:18Ghost, come just the same. Don't
30:20hesitate. For God to move us to the
30:23place that he wants us to go, we got to
30:26get rid of some stuff.
30:29So come to the altar. Don't hesitate.
30:32Come to the altar. If you need someone
30:33to pray with you, they are here. We have
30:37people who are here. Come to the
30:39[clears throat] altar. Don't hesitate.
30:40Come to the altar. If you're struggling
30:42with fear, you're struggling with doubt.
30:45It's okay. Come and talk to God.
30:49He's able to take all the things that we
30:52grapple with. Come to the altar.
30:57Don't hesitate. come to the altar. Bring
30:59it. Put it all in front of him.
31:03Put it all in front of him.
31:07He will clean it up if you're talking to
31:09him from a sincere heart.
31:13Don't hesitate.
31:16Don't hesitate.
31:19Hallelujah.