Declare and Believe
Bishop Henry Fernandez Preached on 7/29/2022second corinthians 4
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40:18
Summary
Bishop Henry Fernandez explores the necessity of aligning your speech and thoughts with God's Word, teaching that how you respond to life's inevitable bad days determines whether you will possess the good things in your future.
Key points
- •Life inevitably consists of both good and bad days; being a Christian does not exempt you from trials, but it changes how you process them.
- •Your response to adversity determines your credibility and your ability to handle greater blessings in the future.
- •Negative thoughts and words create personal dysfunction and can self-sabotage the bright future God has planned for you.
- •Believers must actively take every thought captive, destroying arguments and negative mental strongholds that contradict God's promises.
- •God uses 'bitter' situations to perfect and promote you, turning trials into something productive like lemonade from lemons.
Scripture
Faith
Spiritual Growth
Purpose
Perseverance
Scripture
Life application
This week, when a negative thought or bad situation arises, refuse to speak defeat. Instead, audibly declare a promise from Scripture that contradicts that negativity and choose to believe God's outcome over your current feelings.
Reflection questions
- What are the common 'arguments' or negative thoughts that drop into your mind most frequently?
- How have you allowed past wounds or 'dysfunction' to color how you see new people or opportunities?
- Can you identify a 'bitter lemon' situation in your life right now that God might be using to bring out something better in you?
- In what ways have you let your attitude toward others be dictated by their actions rather than by your identity in Christ?
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Full transcript
0:01and you may be seated
0:03in the presence of the lord
0:07there's never been a more perfect time
0:11than now
0:13to
0:15perform two important acts in your faith
0:19journey
0:22there are two words
0:24that are crucial in your faith journey
0:27right now
0:29and these are the words that you should
0:31be living by
0:33and they are the subject of today's
0:35message
0:36and that is declare
0:39and believe
0:43declare
0:45and
0:47believe
0:50declare
0:51and
0:52believe
0:54let me say it again declare
0:56and believe
0:59you have to declare things
1:02and you have to believe what you're
1:04declaring
1:06you have to declare
1:08whatever
1:09it is that you want to see in your life
1:13but declaring is not good enough you
1:15have to believe what you're saying
1:19so you have to be mindful of the fact
1:21that your thoughts
1:24your words and your beliefs are the
1:26gateway
1:28to possessing all the good things the
1:31future has for you
1:34you have to believe that
1:38you have to believe that your words and
1:41the thoughts that you have on a daily
1:43basis
1:44are the gateway
1:46the gateway the passage the hallway
1:49that leads to you possessing what you
1:51want
1:55it's it's what you think
1:57and it's the words that you say each of
1:59you need to understand that the future
2:02is filled with good things
2:06and
2:07also bad things
2:10that is just a fact
2:13it is a fact
2:14that the atmosphere that we live in is
2:17filled with good
2:19and is filled with bad life consists of
2:23the good
2:24and the bad
2:26therefore it is impossible to go through
2:28life
2:29day in and day out expecting
2:33to encounter everything good and never
2:37having to deal with bad things
2:42it's just not possible
2:44it's not possible
2:46but truth is
2:47if you are living and breathing you're
2:50going to have some bad times
2:54you're just going to have some bad times
2:56it's just going to happen
2:58you're going to encounter bad situations
3:00things like sickness lack failure
3:04betrayal
3:05setbacks toxic relationships in the
3:08workplace and family drama
3:12that's life
3:16don't disappoint yourself living
3:18thinking just because you believe in
3:20jesus christ and just because you are a
3:22christian that you're not going to have
3:24bad days
3:26if you live your life believing that lie
3:28when the bad days appear that's where
3:30you get depressed that's where you curse
3:32god that's where you don't believe in
3:34god anymore that's where you made your
3:36trials a church thing a man or a woman
3:39thing
3:43that's where you become bitter because
3:46you're frustrated because somehow
3:48someone lied to you and made you think
3:51that being in the will of god and being
3:53a christian or pursuing god will only
3:56give you good days
4:00so when you pray for something and you
4:02don't get it when you want it then you
4:04think god doesn't love you god doesn't
4:06care and you feel that prayer doesn't
4:08work and you believe the pastor is a
4:09liar because he prophesied or he
4:12preached on something and it never
4:14happened is because you believe in this
4:16fairytale thing that says life only
4:19consists of good things
4:23and that is not
4:25true
4:28there will even be days filled with
4:30discouragement
4:32and filled
4:34or make you feeling i should say uh not
4:37being appreciated if you will they're
4:40going to be days you don't feel
4:41appreciated by your loved ones you don't
4:43feel appreciated by your co-worker by
4:45your boss by your spouse you don't feel
4:48appreciated by your children you don't
4:50feel appreciated by your friends they're
4:52just days you're just going to feel bad
4:56but the important thing is to remem
4:58remember this
4:59how you respond to those bad days will
5:02determine whether
5:04you
5:05are affected positively or negatively
5:10how you respond to bad days
5:13how do you respond to when you don't
5:15have enough money
5:16to pay your bills
5:19do you get frustrated do you take it on
5:21your children do you take it on your
5:22spouse do you take it out on your
5:24friends do you take it out of the dog
5:28i mean when you're going through your
5:29financial crisis do you get depressed do
5:32you get mad
5:34come on now single parents
5:36when you're frustrated you're the only
5:38person bringing home an income and your
5:41kids are acting crazy and the bills are
5:43piling up and so but how do you handle
5:45those bad days what are you speaking do
5:48you get frustrated and take it out of
5:50the children and tell them how they're
5:52ugly just like their daddy
6:01i mean what are you saying
6:03what are you putting out in the
6:04atmosphere
6:06or because you're angry you're
6:08frustrated all because things are not
6:10going your way
6:11when you applied for that job and you
6:13didn't get it
6:15right i mean do you do you then say well
6:18i didn't want to work for that company
6:19anyway because in that company and all
6:21the negative stuff
6:24think about it
6:25right how do you feel as a man when you
6:28approach a woman and you ask god for a
6:30date or you show interest and she shows
6:32no interest in you
6:34and so forth here it is you were
6:35pursuing her and you were telling her
6:37she's beautiful she's cute and you love
6:40her how she dress and she's a very nice
6:42lady with great personality but because
6:44she's rejected you now you call her all
6:47kinds of names
6:50think about that
6:55it is how you handle the bad days in
6:58life will determine your credibility
7:02will determine how you can handle
7:04greater things yet
7:07to come
7:08but it's important for you to remember
7:10this
7:11how you respond to the bad days man will
7:14determine whether it will affect you
7:17negatively or positively and i have to
7:19submit to you today that there's some of
7:21you
7:22the reason why you are not your best
7:26self
7:27is because
7:29negativity has dominated your life
7:34dominated your life
7:37as a man you're not at your best self
7:40because you're wounded and you're broken
7:43and you're full of negativity the words
7:46you speak
7:47the attitude and the personality that
7:50you give off
7:51it's all about negativity
7:54there's no positive stuff in you there's
7:58no greatness of speaking those things
8:01that are not and declaring good things
8:04you you always see the bad no wonder you
8:08are not a perfect fit
8:11for the woman you're pursuing
8:14because how could you pursue a woman
8:17who's broken herself
8:20and looking for a man to bring complete
8:22healing
8:24in her life
8:25and to bring her to that level where she
8:27can bring the best woman out of herself
8:30how could she trust you
8:35when you
8:36are so wounded
8:39when you
8:40find more pleasure
8:43in being negative
8:45than being positive
8:47how
8:49so my friends
8:51it's what you think about god
8:54the god that's in you
8:57and what he wants you
8:59to be
9:00that will determine how you relate to
9:03him
9:04and how you relate to others
9:07especially while you're going through
9:09the bad days
9:10because while you're going through the
9:12bad days those the attitude in which how
9:16you respond to those bad days will
9:18determine what you think about god
9:23because if you're positive about the
9:25processes of life you will understand
9:28that god will never leave you in a bad
9:31situation for you to die
9:34for you to be left broken or wounded
9:38that god is using those bad situations
9:41to bring the best out of you
9:43[Music]
9:44when you get that
9:46i'm telling you your whole personality
9:49will change your whole attitude will
9:51change in life you would look at people
9:54who are agents of satan and stand before
9:57them and you will just know in your head
9:59come on do what you got to do because
10:02it's all going to work out for my good
10:06god is going to use what you're trying
10:08to do to me to bring the best out of me
10:11i don't know who i'm preaching to
10:19so if you believe that god exists
10:22and that he has your best interest at
10:25heart
10:26then no matter
10:28what challenges or difficulties you face
10:31you will pursue his will for your life
10:36matter the difficulty
10:39you'll pursue god and i want to talk to
10:41some people today who are streaming and
10:43in this house
10:45that you've got to pursue god with
10:47blindfolds on
10:51you've got to like a racehorse you've
10:52got to make sure you don't look to the
10:54left nor the right but you look to the
10:56hills from whence cometh your help you
10:58got to pursue god you got to know that
11:00listen what you are currently
11:02experiencing is not it
11:05what it am i talking about it's the
11:07promises of god the things that god
11:09promised you it cannot be it so because
11:12it's not what god promised you handle it
11:16like a woman handle it like a man
11:18because it too shall pass god is just
11:21using it to perfect you god is just
11:24using it to get the best out of you god
11:27is just using it to promote you
11:34so you must come to a place
11:36of trusting and believing god
11:39for a good outcome in your life
11:43and that nothing can stop you from
11:46having
11:47faith
11:48and confidence in him
11:52nothing
11:54even when they're bad days
11:57even when you've gotten everything that
11:59you desire in life
12:01that you're not going to let earthly
12:03possession come between you and god
12:07that you're not going to let bad
12:08experiences come between you and god
12:12that you're living in a world and you're
12:15between the good and the bad
12:17the bad sometimes i mean it feels like
12:20it's greater than the good and you have
12:22more bad days than good days but that's
12:25what the devil wants you to think
12:27because even in the bad days there are
12:30some good stuff you can get out of it
12:34as bitter
12:35lemon is lemon is bitter when you cut it
12:39and you squeeze it it's bitter it's
12:42bitter i get it but you got to learn to
12:45mix the bitter with the good when you
12:47mix the bitter with the good you put
12:49some sugar on that lemon
12:54oh my goodness somebody don't care what
12:56i'm talking about
12:58you put some sugar on lemon
13:01you get lemonade
13:03and i don't know about you i love me
13:06some good old country lemonade
13:09i'm not talking about these watered down
13:11lemonade you go to these restaurants you
13:13taste it you're like what is this
13:17we have to learn
13:19that god is not like man
13:22who can fail us
13:24even in the bad days he cannot fail us
13:27he is god and he's in the class all by
13:32himself
13:36he'll show up when you need him
13:39glory to god he'll give you strength in
13:41the midst of the storm he doesn't need
13:44your approval of his abilities
13:48he doesn't need your approval to say
13:50well okay can god do that can can he
13:52ever bring no he doesn't whether you
13:54believe him or not he's still god
13:58that's why you never argue with people
14:00who don't believe in god who don't
14:02believe in our faith who don't believe
14:04in going to church who don't believe in
14:05giving who don't believe in doing the
14:07things we do
14:09you don't have to convince them
14:11see because you you don't believe in god
14:15doesn't change my mind from believing in
14:18him
14:21you don't believe that you ought to go
14:23to church
14:25that's you
14:26i believe it's important for me
14:29to go to church and to give god time on
14:31a weekly basis you don't believe in
14:34giving that's okay i am fully convinced
14:38that to be a christian you have to be
14:42generous now you don't believe those
14:45things don't change my mind same thing
14:47with god you don't change god's mind
14:50because you have a little attitude
14:55god's not like man
14:57you know when people get a little
14:58attitude with us guess what we do we
15:00give them back a little attitude
15:03that's not a man
15:05he's not upset because you don't believe
15:06in him
15:07[Laughter]
15:10he's not calling the angel well you know
15:12see that one that front row or that
15:14second row that last row that one
15:16streaming right there they don't believe
15:17in me you know what do you think i
15:18should do
15:25it's not like that
15:27you see you just need to get with the
15:30program
15:31do yourself a favor
15:33and train your mind
15:36to believe god
15:38train your mind to believe him
15:40so listen your attitude toward life has
15:43a lot to do
15:44with how you make it in life
15:49your attitude
15:52how you get up every day will determine
15:54how you're going to make it in life
15:57when you get up feeling sick and all
15:59kinds of pain hitting your body what
16:01kind of attitude are you getting up with
16:04what kind of attitude are you getting up
16:06with when you you've been done wrong
16:10do you render evil for evil
16:12do you try to get back at people
16:16your attitude you got to learn listen
16:18you got to learn to allow people to say
16:21what they want to say you got to learn
16:22to allow people to dog you out and lie
16:26on you there are some professional liars
16:28out here i'm telling you it's a jungle
16:31out here
16:32it's a jungle if you're not careful you
16:34get killed
16:36you get killed on your way to heaven
16:39oh glory to god
16:42and you got to learn to close your mouth
16:45and put your trust in god that your god
16:48will silence your enemy
16:53are you hearing me
16:54[Applause]
16:57when you know that
16:58that life's problems cannot nullify
17:01god's promises to you
17:03you will have no problem aligning your
17:05mind and your attitude to reflect your
17:09confidence in god
17:11when you know that
17:13when you know
17:14that you know that god is able
17:17you train your mind that way i put my
17:19confidence in god i know that god is
17:22well able second
17:23corinthians 4
17:26and verse 8
17:28and 9
17:29it's a reminder to all of us
17:32it reminds us that we are more than
17:34conquerors even as we face and go
17:37through the issues of life here's what
17:39it says it says we are afflicted in
17:42every way okay i'll come back to that in
17:45a minute but not crushed perplexed but
17:48not driven in despair persecuted but not
17:52forsaken we're struck down but not
17:55destroyed
17:57before the conjunction word but in all
18:00of those phrases
18:01it sounds
18:04depressing
18:06it sounds crazy
18:08because what he's saying he's saying
18:10crushed
18:12perplexed
18:13despair
18:15persecuted
18:16i don't like those words
18:20and i know you don't like them too
18:23who wants to be persecuted who wants to
18:25be despair oh you know who who wants to
18:29be perplexed and who wants to be crass
18:32just a word christ
18:34who wants to be crossed by life
18:37no nobody wants to be crushed
18:41but the way the amplified bible puts it
18:43he's saying that we are afflicted in
18:46every way in other words we're affected
18:48by pain we're affected by trouble
18:50sickness stress lack failure criticism
18:55from people and so forth we are all
18:59attracted or affected by those things
19:03you cannot get through life without
19:06being afflicted
19:10you cannot
19:14so as a believer it's time you
19:16understand that as a christian that you
19:19are going to be afflicted
19:22sickness is going to hit your body
19:24but by stripes you're healed
19:27you have to understand that they're
19:28going to be days when the money is not
19:30going to flow the way it's supposed to
19:32be okay so you deal with that
19:35yesterday you could afford steak and you
19:37could put the steak on the grill okay
19:39that's fine adjust your attitude
19:42tomorrow okay
19:43if all you can do is get the back of the
19:46chicken cut the chicken back up curry
19:50that thing and make you some curry
19:52chicken back
19:55bless it and go to your bed and thank
19:58god you got some chicken back to eat
20:08you can tell i'm an old country jamaican
20:10boy
20:12send me like chicken back what's that
20:15don't worry about that
20:18don't worry about that
20:23you see i have to train myself all the
20:24time no matter where god placed you
20:26henry don't forget where you're coming
20:28from
20:29not only that
20:31don't forget
20:33that when you were in your lone moments
20:35you're going to have other future low
20:38moments and you're going to have to
20:39reflect from where god took you from to
20:41remind you that hey if he did it back
20:44then
20:46[Applause]
20:49come on now
20:50why do we get so discouraged because are
20:52we not in the money we can't do this and
20:54so forth no
20:56i'm coming from a time where our family
20:58was so poor we didn't have money to even
21:00buy cooking oil
21:03to fry the chicken
21:05so now how we get oil
21:08the back of the chicken the butt of the
21:10chicken seriously you see that little
21:12little butt thing in the chicken
21:15y'all didn't know that you cut that off
21:17you dropped that on a skillet oh it'll
21:19come out of that butt what
21:23no seriously
21:25no seriously
21:28that's how we used to get oil
21:33so you you think that
21:36days now when cash is low or things are
21:39low i'm going to act like i ain't coming
21:42from the poor house
21:48some of us just just we just don't know
21:50how to go back into our roots because we
21:52don't want to remember our roots
21:55you get so sophisticated now honey what
21:58if the washing machine breaks down what
22:00you gonna do
22:05i'm a country boy you get a old pan and
22:08you get a scrub board and you
22:10and some of you looking at me like hey
22:12the devil is a lie ain't gonna do that
22:16listen i'm gonna survive
22:19tell somebody no matter what situation
22:22i'm in i'm gonna survive i got me some
22:25skills from
22:27years ago that no matter what i'm going
22:30to always survive
22:33[Applause]
22:37i love it man
22:39he said we are afflicted in every way
22:42but not crushed in other words
22:43overwhelmed or disappointed
22:47and then he says perplexed
22:49baffled
22:50or puzzled
22:52don't be puzzled over what you see
22:55don't be puzzled over what you see in
22:58the world today the distrust the
23:00disinformation
23:02the lies
23:04the betrayal
23:06the lack the wealth in making it and
23:09doesn't want to give much to the poor
23:11the deceit don't be baffled or be
23:15puzzled don't be puzzled
23:18by people who stood in your face and say
23:20they're with you and they love you and
23:22then turn around and stab you in the
23:24back and lied about it don't don't be
23:27fooled by it
23:29don't be puzzled by you working your
23:32butt off for your children and they turn
23:34around and disappoint you don't be
23:37puzzled by the man of the woman you gave
23:40your life to
23:43and they almost took it from you
23:46don't be puzzled
23:50by the very people you help
23:54who look in your face and act like you
23:56ain't never did nothing for them that's
23:59what he's talking about
24:01don't be puzzled
24:04don't be puzzled preachers
24:07by the people who say i'm with you
24:11god send me to you don't be puzzled by
24:15when tough time comes they walk out on
24:18you and didn't you have the decency
24:21to tell you thanks
24:24don't be puzzled
24:26[Applause]
24:28don't you be puzzled
24:29he says
24:33don't be puzzled
24:35he says here
24:37don't be forsaken
24:40don't be
24:42forsaken because
24:44you're not struck down
24:46you'll never be destroyed
24:50the devil will never take you out the
24:51word destroy he'll never finish you
24:56isn't that comfort in
25:00so it's time to cleanse our minds of
25:03negative thoughts it's time we change
25:05the negative words we speak and start
25:07using positive words that reflect hope
25:11love peace joy and happiness where do
25:14you find that you got to find it back in
25:16second corinthians 4 9. he says we are
25:18afflicted in every way but not christ
25:22that's hope
25:25the afflictions will come
25:27but it can't crush me
25:29oh my goodness
25:31the problems will come
25:34but i'm not going to be driven in
25:36despair
25:39because i have love in my heart no
25:41matter what
25:42i have the peace of god i have joy
25:46if i live on the beach i have joy if i
25:49live in the jungle of joy if i have a
25:52hundred dollars i have joy if i have a
25:54million dollars i have joy if i have
25:57people around me i have joy if nobody's
26:00around me i have joy i am happy i'm
26:04content in whatever situation i find
26:07myself in somebody ought to give god a
26:09praise right now
26:11i have joy
26:15i have joy my joy my happiness and my
26:18peace and my love is not conditioned by
26:21what people do to me
26:26because it's bad enough that life will
26:28throw
26:29negatives at you
26:32but it's even worse
26:34when you choose to add to the negativity
26:37with your own negative words
26:41we're bombarded with the good and the
26:43bad
26:44it's worse when you add to it
26:48it's worse when your attitude stinks
26:52your response to life
26:54is so negative
26:56you're hurting yourself
27:00so get rid of that
27:01get rid of that hurt
27:03if you want to have a successful future
27:06then stop releasing negative words in
27:07the atmosphere and stop letting negative
27:11thoughts and words control your destiny
27:14speak life into all the things that are
27:18good
27:19and not only that good but speak
27:22life into all areas of your life even
27:26when things are not going good
27:29you have the power to speak it
27:32a lot of our struggles in life
27:34are direct result
27:36of how we think
27:39and the words we speak
27:41yes they are
27:42we create our own dysfunction
27:46and find pleasure in continuing the
27:48cycle of our own negative words
27:52we create honestly many of us we create
27:54our own dysfunction
27:57we create our own dysfunction
28:00it's like we're walking around as a
28:02bunch of kingdom citizens who are
28:05privileged to live into a kingdom with
28:07the provision of everything that god has
28:09for us
28:11god man
28:14god how could you live in a kingdom the
28:17kingdom of god
28:19that has everything at your disposal
28:23and yet choose to live beneath your
28:25privileges
28:29self-sabotaging yourself
28:32sabotaging yourself
28:34creating your own dysfunction
28:36dysfunction of insecurity
28:40jealousy
28:42envy strife
28:45you created your own dysfunction in your
28:47own personal life you've created your
28:49own dysfunction that you've injected
28:51that dysfunction in your family
28:53that may be one of the reasons why your
28:55family is so
28:56full of dysfunction is because you you
28:59are part of it you you've created that
29:02narrative and and you thrive into that
29:07you're not the one to go to the family
29:09and say we got to get it together let's
29:12stop this madness
29:14but no you're the one who's carrying
29:16around the dysfunction
29:21your relationship for it to work
29:24your spouse you're the one carrying the
29:26dysfunction because maybe your spouse is
29:28willing to make things work
29:31but because you are broken wounded and
29:33you're self-centered and won't admit
29:35that you got a problem
29:39you rather thrive in that dysfunction
29:44you rather thrive in it
29:46your mother your father your auntie your
29:49uncle go back to your generation
29:51thrived in that dysfunction and you just
29:54can't seem to break it
29:58can't seem to break it
30:00so you bring dysfunction to your
30:01marriage
30:04and you thrive into it
30:06on one hand you want a healthy marriage
30:09you want god to work in your marriage
30:10but you are injecting dysfunction
30:14because the stuff you do and the things
30:16you think
30:18doesn't bring growth and stability to a
30:20union
30:22you bring this function to your children
30:24your children know it
30:26your children know it
30:29you bring dysfunction at the workplace
30:31how is it you've been to four jobs in
30:33the last 10 years and all four jobs are
30:36full of the devil
30:39all four jobs got enemies there
30:44i mean could it be that you are
30:47the problem
30:55[Applause]
30:58think about that
30:59we create our own dysfunction
31:02and we
31:03take pride in nursing it
31:07you see god cannot help us
31:10with our dysfunction
31:11if we insist to holding on to it if we
31:14refuse to stop operating in a
31:16dysfunctional matter however he will
31:19bless you
31:20when you command your mind to think the
31:24thoughts he has given you
31:27the direction of your life must be
31:29driven by your thoughts and trust me
31:32for this to happen you must fight and
31:35resist the voices and the arguments in
31:38your head
31:41because there are arguments right now
31:43there are arguments in your head right
31:45now as you're streaming in this building
31:49the devil is putting up arguments you're
31:51taking the message offensively
31:54you're taking my approach and my passion
31:56to preach it offensively who do you
31:58think you are
32:02a attitude towards correction
32:06we don't like it but here's what paul
32:08said in second corinthians 10 5 he says
32:11in the english standard version he tells
32:14them to destroy every argument he says
32:16we destroy arguments and every lofty
32:19opinion raised against the knowledge of
32:23god and we take every thought captive to
32:27the obedience of christ
32:30well i got a better translation because
32:31i i got this to to share this with you
32:34because you got to understand when it
32:36says to destroy it is to pull down
32:41every argument
32:44one of the things i wish i could have
32:45done when i was preparing this message
32:47last week i i just couldn't get it done
32:50because i wanted to to have somebody in
32:55the ceiling
32:56of the seriously
32:58i wanted to have somebody up there
33:01and i wanted them one by one to drop
33:03down
33:05these
33:06kinds of balloons
33:09so picture it
33:10because i couldn't get it done
33:13so i'm going to animate it
33:15i wanted somebody up there different
33:18places to drop down balloons with names
33:21on it
33:22things arguments the things that we
33:25struggle with
33:26low self-esteem bam picture of the
33:29balloon right here
33:31he comes and he says well
33:34you know they treated you wrong
33:37see all the fight back
33:40well you know
33:42all men are dogs
33:44well you know
33:46all women just want just your money
33:49right
33:50okay you have to do that for your kids
33:53the arguments oh you don't have to go to
33:55church
33:56or you've been hurt by church
33:58you've been hurt by people
34:00girl don't put up with that
34:02all these things
34:04what paul is saying
34:06picture those things still there
34:08you have to go through life
34:11and you have to destroy them
34:16you have to
34:18when you wake up every single day
34:22there are arguments in the atmosphere
34:25you're never going to make it today
34:27you're never going to have what god has
34:28for you and the arguments are there and
34:31you have to wake up from the time you
34:33wake up to the time you go to bed
34:35because when you're sleeping and you're
34:37unconscious you are not aware it is the
34:39angels of god that's fighting for you
34:42but when you are conscious you got to
34:45fight
34:48you got to pull down the arguments
34:51you got to go through life
34:53with faith
34:55and you got to look at every one of them
34:58and you got to bust that bubble of
35:01nonsense
35:04and you've got to speak against it and
35:05say not so according to the word of god
35:08not so i'm a child of god
35:11god promised me the best things in life
35:14and even with these bad circumstances
35:16god is perfecting me you have to go
35:18through life and if you're like me i
35:21ain't using those uh pen to stick them
35:24and burst them and so but i'm getting a
35:26gun pow
35:28pow
35:30pal
35:30[Applause]
35:33i'm sorry
35:34that's how i'm gonna go through life
35:36come on now
35:40[Applause]
35:41[Laughter]
35:46i'm gonna shoot in style
35:49i'm gonna shoot you know why because i
35:51got confidence
35:53i got confidence that that has no
35:55control over my life
35:58are you hearing me
36:00so i think it's time we stop letting
36:02society and its opinion control the
36:04direction of our lives
36:06but instead we should allow the word of
36:08god to direct and govern our lives
36:11it's time we stop declaring verbally the
36:14wrong concept
36:16of who people are based on what we have
36:18seen and heard and assumed
36:22stop
36:23stop letting people's actions
36:26determine your actions
36:28people are not who you think they are
36:31or who you hope them to be they are
36:33responsible from here for hearing from
36:35god themselves
36:38and follow his instructions for their
36:40own lives
36:41so i firmly believe we sabotage our
36:44belief system
36:45and our bright future all because we
36:49constantly have negative thoughts about
36:51people
36:52and that's why
36:54we always get hurt
36:56we always approach people with
36:59suspicious
37:01minds
37:04always
37:06always
37:07that's why we miss good connections
37:10miss good connections
37:13i almost missed a good connection
37:17for this ministry i almost
37:21almost
37:24a caucasian man on a wednesday came to
37:26the 16th street property torn up jeans
37:30cowboy boots
37:32with an old raggedy white car
37:36i want to talk to henry
37:41who do you think you are
37:43i think
37:44watch this
37:45you want to talk to henry
37:48what gave you the privilege and the
37:50right to call me henry see this is our
37:52attitude
37:55we all in our self
37:58you know who i am i'm bishop
38:01henry
38:02you better call me by my title
38:07and i looked at that white man
38:10and there was nothing impressive about
38:13him
38:15it was on wednesday nothing impressive
38:17about him
38:19and he asked
38:21i need to speak to henry
38:24the message got to me and i looked at
38:26him
38:27and i had to decide
38:29do i interrupt my flow
38:34and hear and sense what the holy spirit
38:37is doing
38:38and though it go contrary to the systems
38:41and thoughts of the world
38:44and follow god's leading
38:47or get stuck
38:49into my way of doing things
38:53and i had to make that decision just
38:56like that
38:58i told a minister i said you go teach
39:00bible study tonight i'm not going to i
39:02want to talk to that man
39:04nothing impressive about him
39:07i brought him into my office
39:10and he sat down and he said i heard
39:12you're trying to buy a building
39:14i said yes
39:16he said well my wife and i would like to
39:18go see it tomorrow with you
39:26god connections
39:28there are god connections
39:30that because
39:32of our thought process
39:35because i've been trained
39:37people are wealthy
39:39flash their wealth
39:43but it wasn't until later on in life i
39:45realized real wealthy people
39:48have no need to show it
39:58so i met him
40:00the rest was history that man torn up
40:03jeans
40:05didn't ru old car i wouldn't even want
40:07to drive it
40:09don't listen to the truth
40:12it was that man
40:14who came to this building
40:16stood in the lobby