How Did I Get Here?
Ciera Nichole Thomas Preached on 12/5/2023Exodus 3:1-15
Loading…
0:00
61:30
Have a question about this sermon?
Ask our AI and get an answer with citations.
Full transcript
0:00Come on, make a big noise and with the
0:02clapping of your hands, welcome Sierra
0:05Thomas. Come on.
0:07Let's thank God for her.
0:09And show her some love.
0:19Well, Faith Center, that was good for
0:20me, but can we give a shout of praise
0:22for the God that we serve this morning?
0:25Can we give a shout of praise for the
0:26God that woke us up?
0:29That gave us breath in our lungs today,
0:30that made us able to walk in the
0:32building.
0:33Can we give it up for the God that we
0:35serve this morning?
0:38I don't know about you, but I'm
0:39grateful.
0:41I don't know about you, but I'm grateful
0:44that we serve a God
0:46that we serve a God that gives us grace
0:49and mercy that is new day and day again.
0:53Faith Center family, good morning, good
0:56morning, good morning. It is so good to
0:58be in the house with you all today.
1:01As Bishop Hardie stated, I am coming all
1:04the way from Richmond, Virginia, from
1:07the Life Church RVA, and I am so excited
1:10to be with you all. It would be remiss
1:12of me to not honor the leaders of this
1:15house, your pastors, Bishop Henry and
1:17Carol Fernandez.
1:24I had the opportunity of speaking with
1:26him earlier this week on a Zoom call,
1:29and there's just something about certain
1:31people when the Holy Spirit, when you
1:33talk to them, you know the Holy Spirit
1:34in you just leaps.
1:36It was like in scripture when Mary went
1:38to Elizabeth and it said the baby inside
1:40of her leaped. It was the spirit of God
1:42inside of me that leaped. I knew that
1:43this man had a heart not only for God,
1:45but a heart for his church.
1:48Your Bishop loves you all. Your Bishop
1:51loves you all.
1:55And so, Bishop, today I just want to say
1:56thank you. I honor you.
1:58I'm so grateful to be in this place. I'm
2:00so grateful that you would trust me with
2:02your sheep, with your people. And I
2:04believe that God is going to do
2:06something incredible. I do want to shout
2:07out my home team, the Life Church RVA,
2:09my pastors Vernon and Ashley Gordon.
2:12Thank you so much. I love them so much.
2:14I am part of the woman that I am today
2:16because of them. Yes, you can give it up
2:18for them. They're incredible and I'm so
2:19excited that they would let me come and
2:22be with you all today. I'm super
2:23excited. I do want to honor my mom.
2:26She's in the room. I'm thankful for her.
2:29I'm so thankful for her.
2:32My friends, listen, I just I had to
2:33shout out my village. How many knows
2:34it's it takes a village to raise some
2:36people. It takes a village to raise some
2:38people.
2:40I think God knew when he created me it
2:42was certainly going to take a village. I
2:44am a daughter of two parents parents who
2:46had me at 18 and 19. So my grandparents
2:49had to step in and they all collectively
2:52brought me up and so I am just thankful
2:54for the grandparents. Any grandparents
2:56in the room?
2:57I'm just
2:58There's a special place in heaven for
3:00you guys. I'm so thankful.
3:02But I'm also one of those kids that has
3:04to go to seven or eight houses on
3:06Thanksgiving and Christmas because
3:07everybody is remarried and divorced and
3:09got other family and so pray for us in
3:12this holiday season as we are traveling.
3:15We did it with Thanksgiving and now we
3:16have part two, Christmas and then we're
3:18going on into the New Year's. Family,
3:20you all can go ahead and have your
3:22seats. Thank you so much
3:25for your welcome.
3:27It feels good
3:29in this place
3:31today.
3:33It feels so good in this place today.
3:35Well, I believe the Lord has a word for
3:37this house this morning.
3:40When I got the call from Bishop in
3:41August that he wanted me to come and be
3:44with you all today, I immediately
3:46started preparing because I just was
3:48like, Lord, you you've given me this
3:49opportunity. I want to steward it well
3:52and I wanted to prepare it, and I
3:53started writing a sermon that I thought
3:56was going to be perfect for this house.
3:58I started writing a sermon that I just
4:00knew. I said, "This is the one. This is
4:01it."
4:02And family, would you know,
4:04God being God,
4:06on Monday
4:08of this week,
4:09tapped me on my shoulder and said, "No,
4:11I have something else for the house."
4:13I said, "God, no.
4:15I've been preparing for months. What do
4:16you mean you have something else?"
4:18And he said, "I have a word specific for
4:22the faith center. Whether you're in this
4:23room today or whether you're watching
4:25online,
4:27know that you serve an intentional God
4:30that knew exactly what you needed
4:33and cares so much about you. Loves Loves
4:35you so much that he said, "I need to
4:37make sure that they get this word."
4:40And so, I am so excited and so eager for
4:42what I believe God is getting ready to
4:44do. Are you all ready?
4:47All right. All right. Will you take your
4:48attention with me to the book of Exodus?
4:51We'll be reading from the third chapter,
4:54verses 1
4:56through 15. Exodus 3,
5:00verse 1 through 15. And it reads as
5:02this, "Meanwhile, Moses was shepherding
5:04the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro,
5:06the priest of Midian. He led the flock
5:09to the far side of the wilderness and
5:10came to Horeb, the mountain of God. Then
5:13the angel of the Lord appeared to him in
5:15a flame of fire within a bush. As Moses
5:18looked, he saw that bush was on fire but
5:20was not consumed. So, Moses thought, 'I
5:23must go over go over and look at this
5:25remarkable sight. Why isn't this bush
5:27burning up?' When the Lord saw that he
5:30had gone over to look, God called out to
5:31him from the bush, 'Moses, Moses.' 'Here
5:35I am,' he answered. 'Do not come
5:37closer,' he said. 'Remove the sandals
5:39from your feet, for the place where you
5:41are standing is holy ground.' Then he
5:44continued, 'I am the God of your father,
5:46the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac,
5:48and the God of Jacob. Moses hid his face
5:51because he was afraid to look at God.
5:53Then the Lord said, I have observed the
5:56misery of my people in Egypt and have
5:58heard them crying out because of their
6:01oppressors, and I know about their
6:02sufferings, and I have come down to
6:04rescue them from the power of the
6:06Egyptians and to bring them from that
6:08land to a good and spacious land, a land
6:10flowing with milk and honey, the
6:13territory of the Canaanites, Hittites,
6:15Amorites Perizzites Hivites and
6:17Jebusites. So, because the Israelites'
6:20cry for help has come to me, and I have
6:22also seen the way the Egyptians are
6:23oppressing them, therefore go. I am
6:26sending you to Pharaoh so that you may
6:29lead my people, the Israelites, out of
6:31Egypt. But Moses asked, "Who am I that I
6:36should go to Pharaoh and that I should
6:38bring the Israelites out of Egypt?" God
6:40answered, "I will certainly be with you,
6:42and this will be the sign to you that I
6:45am the one who sent you. When you bring
6:47the people out of Egypt, you will all
6:49worship God at this mountain." Then
6:51Moses asked, "If I go to the Israelites
6:53and say to them, 'The God of your
6:55fathers has sent me to you,' and they
6:56ask me, 'What is his name?' what should
6:58I tell them?"
7:00God replied to Moses, "I am who I am.
7:05This is what you are to say to the
7:06Israelites, 'I am has sent me to you.'"
7:10God also said to Moses, "Say this to the
7:11Israelites, 'The Lord, the God of your
7:13fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of
7:15Isaac, and the God of Jacob has sent me
7:17to you. This is my name forever. This is
7:21how I am to be remembered in every
7:25generation.'"
7:27Could you turn to your neighbor and ask
7:28them this question,
7:30"How did I get here?"
7:35"How did I get here?"
7:40Dear heavenly Father, Lord God, we thank
7:42you, Lord, that your spirit is already
7:44in this place. God, I thank you that you
7:46have already begun to do a work, Father
7:48God, in this room, Father God, in the
7:50hearts of your people. God, now I just
7:52pray that your spirit would rise up.
7:54Lord, in this moment that they would see
7:56less of me and more of you. Lord God, I
7:58decrease as you increase, Lord. May this
8:00word resonate and land in the hearts of
8:02your people just the way you gave it to
8:04me. God, I love you. God, I give you
8:05glory. I give you honor and praise. In
8:07Jesus' name. Amen. Amen.
8:11Family, have you ever found yourself in
8:14a situation
8:15that you had to look up and just be
8:17like, "How did I get here?"
8:21"How did I get here?" The relationship
8:24that you were in, you thought it was
8:25going to go a certain way, but now it's
8:27left you in a season of heartbreak. The
8:30people that you were calling friend,
8:32that you thought were going to be
8:33rocking with you for a long time,
8:34started to act a little funny. And it's
8:36like, "How did I get here?" A place that
8:40was once comfortable for you is now
8:42starting to be uncomfortable.
8:45Or maybe you're like Moses, who one day
8:48found himself standing in the middle of
8:50an assignment that he did not ask for.
8:55"Lord how
8:56did I get here?"
8:59There's nothing like ending up in a
9:01place that you had no intention being.
9:05I personally experience this a lot at
9:07Target. Um I don't know about you or I
9:10don't know about Florida, but in
9:12Virginia, there's just something on
9:14Target. Every time I go in there, I'm in
9:16there for just one thing, but I end up
9:18in the candle aisle, I end up in the
9:20home decor aisle, I end up at the
9:23checkout line only going in there for
9:25hair products or something small,
9:26spending $100. Is the Target like that
9:28here for y'all, too? Cuz I I don't know.
9:31There's something on Target, but I'm
9:32just like, "Lord, how did I get here?"
9:36See, when I put in my GPS the location
9:39to get to Target and I pulled up at this
9:41big tan building and I see the words
9:43Target on the side, I was not surprised.
9:46But when I looked at my bank account
9:49and I saw that I was no longer in the
9:51same financial position that I used to
9:53be in,
9:54I had to start reflecting on the
9:56transactions that had taken place that
9:59led me here.
10:01And that's such an uncomfortable
10:03question because what it does is it
10:05causes us to remember why we're even
10:07asking the question in the first place.
10:10What did I go through that got me here?
10:14What person did I end up getting
10:16connected with that drew me away and I
10:18thought I was supposed to be going
10:19closer? What business opportunity did
10:22did I accept that I didn't even pray and
10:24ask God for?
10:26How
10:28did I get here? What happened to me that
10:31put me in this position? And maybe that
10:34has been your question in this season.
10:37Here we are in the month of December.
10:39We've been talking about we have 28 days
10:41left until the end of the year. And
10:43maybe some of you at the top were
10:45saying, "I'm going to write a book." God
10:47gave you a vision to do a thing. And on
10:48January 1st, it was so strong in your
10:50heart, but here we are in December and
10:52the notes are still lying in your
10:54journal. Maybe you stepped out this year
10:56and you started a business and you
10:57thought that it was going to blow up.
10:59You just knew that it was going to go
11:01well, but it's starting to look a little
11:03bit different than what you expected.
11:06There was something
11:08in your heart that God gave you, but
11:11it's like it's not happening. We talked
11:12about loans. I personally thought
11:14student loans were going to get canceled
11:16this year, but I'm still looking at that
11:19number. But hey, Bishop said, "By the
11:21end of the year."
11:23So, I am believing. My faith has been
11:25increased, okay? I don't know about you,
11:27but my faith has been increased.
11:31And maybe some of us are even "How did I
11:34get here?" because you found yourself
11:36standing in an answered prayer
11:38that you don't even believe that you're
11:40worthy enough to receive.
11:43That there were some things you wrote
11:44down in your prayer journal and you're
11:46starting to see the things unfold and
11:48you're starting to be like, "Man, God, I
11:50don't know if I have what it takes to be
11:51here. God, I don't know if I have the
11:53qualifications for the job. Lord, I put
11:55it on the resume, but I didn't really
11:57know they were going to read it in
11:58detail. God, I don't know if I have what
12:01it takes to really be here."
12:05And today in our text, we find a man
12:07named Moses, who I'm sure found himself
12:10asking this question time and time
12:13again.
12:15If you don't know the story of Moses, he
12:16is one of the greatest prophets and
12:18leaders of all time.
12:21But Moses' story did not start off that
12:24way.
12:26In Moses' time, there was a king,
12:28Pharaoh, who had put out an order that
12:30all Hebrew boys, the firstborn of the
12:33family, must be killed. And Moses was a
12:36Hebrew boy, and his mother and his
12:38sister recognized that there was
12:39something on his life that could not
12:42end.
12:43They knew that there was something in
12:45him that they must protect. So, they
12:47wrapped Moses up and they put him in a
12:48basket and they send him down the Nile
12:51River.
12:53If anybody could have questioned, "How
12:54did I get here?" that should have been
12:55Moses in that exact moment. "Why am I in
12:58a basket in a river?" That does not make
13:01sense, but he he goes down the Nile
13:03River to where he is discovered by the
13:06daughter of Pharaoh.
13:09The same palace, the same place that the
13:12king sent out the order to have him
13:14killed, he ends up in.
13:17He ends up in the same place, under the
13:19same roof, with the same person that
13:22wanted to kill what was in him.
13:27And years after going up in this home
13:30with Pharaoh, one day he is out in the
13:34land and he sees
13:36an Egyptian and a Hebrew having some
13:40sort of altercation.
13:42Moses shows us in this moment that he
13:44had a little G in him. Moses didn't play
13:47about his people. He was like, "I may be
13:49in this nice palace, but I can go back
13:51to where I'm from. Don't play with me.
13:53Don't play with my people."
13:54Um and he sees an Egyptian attacking
13:56attacking this Hebrew man and he ends up
13:59killing the Egyptian.
14:02The scripture says that Pharaoh found
14:03out about it and so because Moses was
14:05afraid, he he fled.
14:08He fled to a town named Midian.
14:13This was a desert place. He went from
14:15being in a palace
14:18to fleeing to a desert.
14:22And it said that he was there for 40
14:25years.
14:27For 40 years, he had to wake up and
14:30remind himself of the things that
14:33happened that brought him to this place.
14:37God, how did I get here?
14:39What I'm standing in and what is around
14:41me does not make sense. This isn't what
14:43I'm used to. God, how did I get here? I
14:45thought you had a promise for my life. I
14:47thought you spoke a word over me, but
14:49God, what's around me does not look like
14:51what you said. God, how
14:53did I get here?
14:57And for 40 years he finds himself
14:59reminding him him himself about what
15:02brought him to this place.
15:05But what felt like seasons of shame and
15:07guilt was actually a setup for what he
15:10was created for.
15:15What he was experiencing was actually a
15:18setup for what he was created for. I had
15:20looked back at the first verse in
15:23chapter 3 and it said that he was
15:26leading the flock to the far side of the
15:29wilderness.
15:31He was leading
15:33the flock
15:35to the far side of the wilderness.
15:39This entire time
15:41Moses is being a shepherd doing what he
15:44was called to do in that season
15:46but really what he did not know was that
15:49in all those years
15:51preparing him to lead an entire nation
15:53to the promised land.
15:55In one season he was just leading sheep.
15:58In one season he was just leading
16:00animals but in another season he was
16:02going to be leading a nation of people
16:04into the promised land. In another
16:06season he was going to be standing in a
16:08posture and in a position that he had no
16:10idea he was even capable of doing.
16:15Don't let the season that you're in now
16:17cancel the season that God's trying to
16:19take you to.
16:21I know you don't have the degree right
16:23now. I know it doesn't look like you'll
16:25ever be able to have the doctor in front
16:27of your name. I know you don't have the
16:28ring on your finger in this moment but
16:30listen to me. God is doing a thing in
16:33this season. God is doing a thing here
16:37and now and could it be that the place
16:39that you're in is really the setup for
16:42what is on your life?
16:45Could it be that the very thing that
16:47you've been going through the very thing
16:49that has felt like a desert was actually
16:51your preparation?
16:54See we've been looking at our season
16:56wrong. We've been saying God, why are
16:57you trying to punish me? God, why does
16:59this feel like punishment? And God's
17:01saying this isn't punishment, it's
17:02preparation.
17:04He's not trying to harm you. He's not
17:06trying to hurt you. He's actually trying
17:08to cultivate what is needed inside of
17:10you because if he sent you in the
17:11condition you were in now, it would kill
17:13you.
17:15Your promise would not be able to you
17:17wouldn't be able to withstand the
17:18promise if he sent you in the way that
17:20you are now. He's building some
17:22character traits in you that you need
17:24for where he's sending you.
17:27He's sending every single thing that you
17:30need for everywhere he's trying to take
17:32you.
17:34This wilderness that you've been feeling
17:36like that you're in,
17:39it's not your wilderness.
17:41It's your workplace.
17:44It's your workplace.
17:47Watch God work in your wilderness. God
17:50watch watch him work in where you are
17:53right now.
17:55And so we find Moses. God looks upon him
17:59and Moses is just like, God, why are you
18:02calling me?
18:03He calls out to him from a burning bush.
18:05He says, Moses, Moses.
18:09He answers, Here I am, Lord.
18:12And I love how God responds in this
18:14moment. To me, when I read the text, it
18:16made me feel like uh Jesus might have
18:18been a a black parent a little bit. He
18:19said, Listen, don't come any closer.
18:21Actually, take off your shoes and let me
18:23remind you of who you're talking to. Um
18:26and so in my mind, Jesus was like,
18:27Listen, I don't have time for you to ask
18:29no questions. I don't have time for you
18:30to play no games. This is an important
18:31moment. I need you to sit down and I
18:33need you to listen.
18:36And God reminds Moses where he is and
18:39who he was talking to.
18:42And I can imagine that Moses had a hard
18:44time believing that the wilderness that
18:46he was in had just become holy ground.
18:54The bush, God starts speaking to him in
18:57the very place that he ran to after
19:00experiencing shame and guilt and
19:03condemnation. And now he's standing in
19:05the same mess, the same wilderness that
19:08he felt like he had to go to because he
19:10felt like he had canceled the call on
19:12his life and now here he is standing in
19:14that very place and God calls out to
19:16him.
19:18God meets him in Midian.
19:23God meets him in this desert place.
19:27Moses did not wake up that morning and
19:29say, "I want to see a burning bush
19:31today. You know, today I want to have an
19:34encounter with God." That was not on his
19:36agenda for the day, but it was on God's.
19:40It was on God's. Can we just give God
19:42praise that he's a God that comes and
19:44meets us in our wilderness? That he's
19:46not afraid of our emotions? That he's
19:48not afraid of the things that we go
19:50through? He's not afraid of the things
19:52that scares us.
19:53But that God will meet us exactly where
19:58we are.
19:59And I love it that when Jesus enters and
20:01when God enters, he shifts the whole
20:03situation.
20:05When he gets here, demons have to flee.
20:07When he gets here, anxiety and
20:09depression have to bow. When he gets
20:11here, your child has to be saved. When
20:13he gets here, the thing that you thought
20:17was going to take you out
20:19suddenly has to bow to the king of
20:21kings.
20:23When he gets here, he shifts the
20:26situation.
20:28Who would have thought
20:30that here would be holy?
20:34Who would have thought
20:36that this hard season could be holy?
20:40Who could have thought
20:42that God would have met me
20:45in the middle of my mess?
20:47How would you change how you view here
20:50if you knew who was with you?
20:53How would you look at the very situation
20:55that you're standing in if you knew
20:58about the God who was standing in it
21:00with you?
21:03I don't know about y'all, but you start
21:04I start to walk a little bit different
21:06when I'm with people who I know can
21:07fight.
21:09I've personally never been in a fight,
21:12but I'm just going to go ahead and make
21:13the assumption that I can't. So, I just
21:15have a little bit a different walk when
21:17I know that there's people with me
21:18who've already won a battle. When
21:20there's somebody walking with me who
21:22already has the upper hand, somebody
21:24who's with me who said, "I already
21:26defeated the very thing that you're
21:28going through." You walk with a little
21:29bit more confidence when you know who's
21:31got your back.
21:36You walk differently. You talk
21:37differently. You'll You'll dare to step
21:39into a room that you didn't think you
21:40would step in before because it's like,
21:42"I know who's with me. So, if I don't
21:43know it, I know he does. If I feel like
21:45I don't got it, he does."
21:51Lord, how did I get here?
21:56Moses is in Midian. He's running away
22:01from a part of his life that he wanted
22:03to just discard.
22:05I can imagine. I mean, he has been a
22:07foreigner in a land
22:10for all of his life.
22:12I mean, shoot, he was sitting there in a
22:13basket. I mean, it just
22:15he went through so much, and it was
22:16probably like, "God, I don't have
22:18anything left
22:20to give you. God, I don't have anything
22:22left.
22:23I don't feel like I have purpose.
22:26God, the family that you put me in
22:27doesn't understand me.
22:30God, I've been battling with this pain
22:32for so long.
22:34God, I've been going through all of this
22:36stuff. Does anybody get me? Does anybody
22:37understand me?"
22:41He ran from a past that he felt like
22:45was the end of it.
22:49But, God calls on Moses
22:53in the middle of feeling like he had
22:55lost it all.
22:58He calls on him and gives him the
22:59greatest call that he could have
23:02imagined.
23:04And I believe God today is saying,
23:05"Listen, I know it is uncomfortable
23:07here.
23:09I know here may feel lonely. I know here
23:12may feel like you're in a season of
23:13isolation. I know here may feel like you
23:15don't understand whether or not I'm
23:17still walking with you."
23:19But God is saying, "I am here and there
23:22are things that I wanted to do in you
23:25and for you and it could only happen
23:28here."
23:32You had to be here.
23:36And I believe the text shows us three
23:38things that God wants to do in the midst
23:42of here.
23:44The first thing is God wants to get your
23:47attention.
23:49God wants to get your attention. Listen,
23:53he needs your attention before he could
23:56ever give you your assignment.
24:00God needs your attention.
24:03How has he been trying to get your
24:05attention here in this season?
24:09What has God been whispering in your
24:11ear? What has been the little promptings
24:13that you you thought you were just like,
24:15"Oh, no, I'm just hearing things." No,
24:16what has God been trying to do to get
24:19your attention here? And we often miss
24:22God's instruction because we've allowed
24:24other things to interfere with our
24:27attention.
24:29But God is often in the details that we
24:32typically look over.
24:35Can you imagine if Moses would have
24:37missed the bush?
24:40Can you imagine
24:42if the bush was burning and
24:45Moses was responding to the DM.
24:49Moses was,
24:50"Who talking about me on Facebook?"
24:54If Moses was like, "Man, I'm hearing all
24:56these people talk about me.
25:00What if Moses would have missed the
25:01bush?
25:05What I love about God though is that
25:07we don't have the power of the authority
25:10to cancel the call,
25:13but we can delay it.
25:16Cuz the bush would have still been
25:17burning. God did not change the
25:19assignment on Moses' life. God did not
25:22say, oh, if he happens to see it, then
25:24I'll use him. No, the bush was going to
25:26burn regardless.
25:29But what if something else would have
25:30had Moses' attention?
25:33And he would have missed the bush.
25:38Face center, we have got to know that we
25:41cannot allow anything to take our
25:44attention.
25:47We can't We already have enough
25:49distractions in this world. We have got
25:51to guard our attention.
25:55And what's crazy is the enemy doesn't
25:56even have to attack you. He just has to
25:58attack your attention.
26:02He doesn't even have to attack you
26:03physically. All he needs is your
26:05attention. He All he needs is for you to
26:07take your eyes off of the one who called
26:09you. All he needs you to do is take your
26:11eyes off of the one who sent you.
26:15God is just God is trying to use you and
26:17the enemy is going to try and attack
26:19your attention.
26:21But I'm reminded of the scripture that
26:23talks about that the enemy prowls around
26:26like a roaring lion seeking who he can
26:30devour.
26:32That's a distraction.
26:36Cuz guess what?
26:37The lion may be there,
26:39but the lion is on a leash.
26:41The lion can't touch your promise. The
26:44lion can't touch your calling. The lion
26:47can't touch the anointing that's on your
26:50life.
26:51And see, you look at a distraction
26:53differently when you know what its
26:55intention is.
26:58If I knew that there was something here,
26:59but it did not have the capability of
27:01harming me, I'm not even going to worry
27:03about it. You can stay there all you
27:06want, but because I know that you cannot
27:08get to me, because I already know that
27:10the battle is won, because I already
27:13know that victory is mine, because I
27:15already know that I'm not fighting for
27:17it, I'm fighting from it, I don't have
27:19to get upset. I don't have to be afraid.
27:21I don't have to get discouraged.
27:24The enemy just wants to get your
27:26attention.
27:29And I want to take a moment
27:31to talk to my single people just for a
27:33second.
27:34I'm in the number as well, so I'm
27:35talking to us. This is This is for us.
27:39But if the person that you are talking
27:40to,
27:42the person that you are trying to date,
27:44the person that you are trying to be
27:45with, is causing you to drift away from
27:48God rather than draw closer to him,
27:51it's a distraction.
27:54It's a distraction.
27:58Please do not miss out
28:03on what God wants to do in your life.
28:06Please do not miss out on what God wants
28:10to do here
28:12just cuz you want to be boo'd up for the
28:13holidays.
28:16Please do not pick a picture of with you
28:19and your boo in matching pajamas over
28:23being in the promised land. Do not miss
28:27what God is trying to do in your life.
28:32Listen, distractions can come in all
28:34forms.
28:36Distractions can come in all forms. It
28:38may not look like what you thought the
28:40distraction would look like.
28:44You've got to be aware. You've got to be
28:46on your toes. The Bible says to be alert
28:49and sober-minded. I know you're trying
28:50to knock me down. I know you're trying
28:52to bring up these notifications on my
28:53feet to get me off guard. I know you're
28:55trying to shower me with bad news to
28:57knock me off my post, but baby, I'm
28:59standing my ground. You're not going to
29:01take me off my attention. I'm focused.
29:03My eyes are set on the hills. My eyes
29:06are set to the one who I know my help is
29:09coming from.
29:12You have to be mindful of what God is
29:15trying to do here. He wants to get your
29:17attention, but not only does he want to
29:19get your attention,
29:20he wants to give you your assignment.
29:25Once God has your attention, that is
29:28when he will give you your assignment.
29:32And listen, you will not always agree
29:34with where God is calling you. You will
29:35not always agree with what he's telling
29:37you to do, but our job is not to argue.
29:41It's to obey.
29:43God is not here to have a back-and-forth
29:45conversation with you about what he's
29:48calling you to.
29:50Our only responsibility is to obey.
29:55And I love in the text
29:58in verse 4, we see Moses when God calls
30:00him,
30:01Moses Moses
30:03he responds, "Here I am."
30:06But then,
30:07in verse 11, he responds and he goes,
30:11"Who am I?"
30:14He went from this eager
30:16"Hey God, it's me. You're calling out to
30:18me. I recognize that you saw me. You got
30:20my attention. Here I am, Lord."
30:23And then he gives his him his
30:24assignment.
30:26And he's like, "Wait, who am I
30:29that you would call me
30:31to lead your people? Who am I
30:34that you would give me
30:36this type of weight to carry? Who am I
30:41that you would use me.
30:44He got this call from God and I imagine
30:46it's like those times when you get a
30:48call from somebody and you already know
30:50what what they want. Like you see the
30:51name pop up on the caller ID and it's
30:53like, "Lord, I don't have time to talk
30:55to them today." Is there any real people
30:57in the room? I know. Is there anybody?
30:59Cuz I'll be honest, there's just
31:00sometimes somebody calls you and you
31:02already know they're going to try and
31:03talk to you for a long time. You just
31:05don't You trying to get your kids to
31:06school, you trying to get to work, you
31:08trying to feed the dog, you trying to do
31:09all of these things. It's like, "I just
31:10don't have time."
31:12And then there's some people who call
31:13you and like, "They're only calling me
31:14because they want something. You don't
31:15ever call me until you need something."
31:21If I'm honest, sometimes I feel like
31:22that when God calls me.
31:26I'm hearing him and I'm like, "God, no,
31:27don't. God, I don't want to talk today.
31:29Please don't call me."
31:32And I think that
31:33Moses answered in this way of "Who am
31:37I?" Because it's easy to respond to a
31:39call when you don't know the
31:41responsibility of it.
31:44When you don't know the weight that's
31:46attached to whatever they're about to
31:48ask you, it's easy to just pick it up.
31:50It's easy to to just run to it, but when
31:53you recognize
31:55what's attached to the assignment,
31:58it causes you to hesitate. It causes you
32:01to question whether or not you're the
32:02person for the job. It causes you to
32:04question God, "Why would you even use
32:06someone like me? Don't you know where I
32:08came from? Don't you know my past? Don't
32:10you know what happened to me? God, how
32:12could you use someone like me?"
32:18God,
32:19this doesn't sound like me. I don't have
32:21the credentials for this. God, why why
32:23would you call me?
32:26And God has a history of calling the
32:28unqualified.
32:31He's not here to call people that could
32:33already do the very thing that he's
32:34asking him to do. Why would he do that?
32:37No, when he calls the unqualified, he
32:39has an opportunity for his glory to be
32:42revealed. He has an opportunity to say
32:44that I just took a broken thing and made
32:46it whole again. I just took someone who
32:48only knew divorce and heartbreak and
32:50gave them a whole marriage. I just knew
32:53somebody who didn't understand why I
32:55placed them in the season that I placed
32:56them in, but I was able to reveal my
32:58glory through it.
33:02You are the woman and you are the man
33:05for the job.
33:07Whatever God is calling you to,
33:10don't worry about whether or not you're
33:12qualified or not.
33:15If God is with you,
33:17you have all that you need.
33:21He doesn't call the qualified.
33:24He qualifies the called.
33:27And you are called.
33:29You are called. You are a chosen person.
33:31You are exactly where you are supposed
33:33to be. You are supposed to be
33:35here.
33:37And I can imagine that not only did he
33:39respond with who am I because of the
33:41responsibility of the assignment, but I
33:44bet he started to remember
33:46who he was before he was called.
33:51I'm sure he thought about
33:53Wow, well, this sounds good. Okay. He
33:55just asked me to lead these people.
33:58But then all of a sudden he was like,
33:59but wait, God, no.
34:01When I was in Egypt, I killed I killed a
34:03man.
34:05Wait God no.
34:06When I was in college, I had sex out of
34:08wedlock. Wait, God, no.
34:12I lied
34:13to this person. Wait, God, no.
34:16I drifted away from you. God, no. I I
34:19I've been lying. I've been sinning. I've
34:21been messing up.
34:24I bet he started to remember
34:26the things that brought him
34:29to Midian.
34:31The things that brought him to this
34:33place, God, how could you call me?
34:36But your assignment is not just about
34:38you.
34:40Your assignment is about the people
34:41attached to you.
34:46He He's not asking you to do this
34:48because he wants to do it in you. It's
34:50He wants to do it in you, but he wants
34:52to do it in you because of the people
34:53who are attached to you, the people in
34:54the generations that are coming after
34:56you.
34:58When God called Moses, he did not call
35:01him and say, "Hey Moses, I found your
35:03resume on Indeed. Great stuff. This is
35:05incredible. I really love what you put
35:07here. I think you're just the right
35:09person for the job." No. When he called
35:11Moses, he said, "I have heard my people
35:16I have heard my people crying out."
35:21We serve a God who is concerned about
35:23us.
35:26He is concerned about you, those tears
35:28that you are crying at night that nobody
35:31knows about. Your God is catching every
35:32single one of them, and he says that
35:34your tears are a harvest is going to
35:36harvest in joy. You are going to see joy
35:38as a result of your tears. You serve a
35:40God who cares about you.
35:43He cares about people. He cares about
35:45us, and he said, "Listen, I'm trying to
35:47do a work, but I'm going to use you to
35:49do it."
35:53I need to bring kingdom to earth,
35:56and I want to use you to do it.
35:59I'm trying to bring kingdom to the
36:01workplace, and I want to use you to do
36:03it.
36:05I'm trying to bring kingdom to Florida,
36:07and I want to use you to do it.
36:12Your assignment
36:14is not just about you.
36:16It's about the people that are attached
36:19to you.
36:21And it is my fear
36:23that many of us won't step into what God
36:25is calling us to
36:27because we are too concerned about how
36:28people would choose to remember us.
36:34We live in a world of social media and
36:36so
36:37some of us we don't go back and delete
36:39the life that we was living before we
36:42before we came to the Lord. So if you
36:44scroll far enough you go to on
36:45somebody's Instagram or Facebook
36:47pictures and you can see the life that
36:48they used to live and so you're starting
36:50to think well I can't serve at this
36:51church or I can't step into ministry or
36:53I can't do the thing that God is calling
36:55me to do because people are going to
36:57remember me. People are going to
36:58remember me from college. They're going
36:59to remember how I used to talk, how I
37:01used to dress, what I used to do. God I
37:03don't want to do this because people are
37:04going to talk about me.
37:08And we're staying out of the will and
37:10promise of God because of people?
37:14About mere men
37:16who bleed like you bleed.
37:18Who are going to have to stand before
37:20the throne just like you do.
37:23And answer to an account that they don't
37:26you don't have no business with theirs
37:27and they don't have no business with
37:28yours.
37:29But we would allow what people think
37:31about us to keep us from stepping in
37:34stepping into what God has called us to.
37:38But God is saying that I can work it all
37:41in there.
37:42I can work the very thing that you
37:43thought canceled you from the promise
37:46into your story. The very thing that
37:47happened to you that thought it was you
37:49thought it was over I can work that in
37:51there. We serve a God who works all
37:53things together for the good of those
37:55who love him and are called
37:58according to his purpose.
38:02God can use you and he can use you here.
38:08He doesn't have to wait until the new
38:11year.
38:12He doesn't have to wait
38:14until 2024. He doesn't have to wait
38:17until you get the finances in order. He
38:19doesn't have to wait until you get the
38:20marriage. He doesn't have to wait until
38:22it makes sense. God can use here.
38:28Can we make a declaration today that we
38:30will not go into 2024 distracted? We
38:33won't go into 2024 worried about what
38:35people think about us. We won't go into
38:372024 worried about whether or not we've
38:39canceled the call in our life because
38:40God has confirmed it to us today.
38:46God wants to use your here
38:50to get your attention, to give you your
38:52assignment, and he wants to reveal your
38:55authority.
38:58There are certain places and spaces that
39:00will cause things that you didn't even
39:02know were in you to come out.
39:07Moses kept asking, "Well, what what am I
39:08supposed to tell these people? What am I
39:10supposed to tell the Israelites when I
39:12go go to them?"
39:15The Lord gave him a word to give to them
39:17that seemed impossible.
39:21"I'm going to give you a land flowing
39:24with milk and honey.
39:27I'm going to give you a good and
39:29spacious land."
39:32God sent Moses with a word that did not
39:34look like what these people knew.
39:37It was unfamiliar to them.
39:39Not only that, Moses is like, "Lord, I
39:41have a speech impediment. I don't even
39:43talk well. Why would you call me to do
39:45this?"
39:50God
39:51has given you authority.
39:54And God is going to affirm your
39:56authority every time you come at him
39:58with your insecurity.
40:00Every time God called Moses, every time
40:02he asked him a question or told him to
40:03do something, Moses responded with an
40:06insecurity.
40:08And we do that all the time with God.
40:11Well, God, I'm an introvert.
40:15I don't like people, God. Why would you
40:16ask me to lead a a small group? Or why
40:18would you ask me to serve on a team?
40:21God, I don't like to be in front of
40:22people.
40:24But you have a voice, and he's calling
40:25you to sing. He's calling you to speak.
40:28God, I really don't feel like writing
40:30this book.
40:32Cuz I'm not great at grammar. I'm not
40:34great at English. But he's saying, "I've
40:36given you a word that I want you to
40:37release to people." And we're allowing
40:38our insecurities
40:41to be disobedient to what God is asking
40:43us to do.
40:45We're allowing our insecurities to keep
40:47us from the call.
40:50But every time he responded with an
40:52insecurity, God responded with who he
40:53was.
40:56When you go, tell them I am sent you.
41:00When you go, tell them that I am that I
41:03am, which means that I'm everything that
41:05you'll ever need. I'm everything that
41:07you ever needed and wanted. I'm
41:08everything that they're going to present
41:10to you, and you think that you don't
41:11know how to do it. I'm everything that
41:13you need. Tell them I am that I am sent
41:16you.
41:22Which tells me that God is going to
41:24affirm your authority.
41:26That God is not going to send you out
41:27and make you look stupid. That God is
41:29not going to send you to a place and
41:31make you feel like you can't do this.
41:33He's going to let the people know who
41:35sent you as well. And he said that, he
41:36said, "I'm going to give the people a
41:37sign that I was the one who sent you."
41:41God's going to work on your behalf when
41:43you obey and step into what he's calling
41:45you to.
41:46There are certain things that you won't
41:47be able to even handle because it's
41:49outside of our powers, outside of our
41:52spectrum. But God is going to do the
41:54impossible. He's going to be able to
41:55shift people's thinking, shift the way
41:57people see you, shift the way people
41:59support you. That God can do things that
42:01we don't even have the capability of
42:03doing.
42:05But God is going to affirm you. He's
42:06going to back you up. He's walking with
42:08you. He's going with you. You're not
42:09going into it alone. You're not standing
42:12here alone. He's in this moment with
42:14you.
42:19God told Moses to tell them I am that I
42:21am sent you. And so the next time you
42:23find yourself standing in a in a moment
42:26and people are like, "How did you get
42:27this opportunity?"
42:29Him.
42:31"How are you even sitting at this
42:32table?" Him.
42:35"How did you pay off your debt before
42:37the end of the year?" Him.
42:40"How did your marriage become restored?"
42:42Him.
42:45You don't have to prove to people that
42:47he called you. You don't have to prove
42:50to people that you have favor. You don't
42:53have to prove to people that I know my
42:55situation may look like one thing, but
42:57he's doing another.
42:59You don't have to prove to people that.
43:02And you also don't have to ask
43:03permission for something that's already
43:05been purchased for you.
43:09When he died on the cross, he gave you
43:11the authority. It says he left a helper
43:13with us and that the same power that
43:15rose Jesus from the dead is the same
43:18power that lives in you and I today. And
43:20so I don't have to ask permission to
43:23walk in authority. I don't have I don't
43:24have to ask permission to go after the
43:26job, after opportunity. I don't have to
43:28ask permission to stand and declare God
43:31because I have authority.
43:35Stop asking for permission
43:37when it's already been purchased for
43:39you.
43:44If you're going to take anything else
43:46from today, I just want you to be able
43:48to say to people, to yourself, whoever
43:50may ask you, "I don't know how I got
43:52here, but I can handle here because of
43:55who is with me."
43:59I am is with you.
44:02I know the situation may look dark, it
44:04may look scary, it may not make any
44:06sense, but I am is with you.
44:11He's giving you
44:13what you need.
44:15You can look at your situation here
44:17differently because of who is with you.
44:23God is not going to make a fool out of
44:26you.
44:29He's giving you the authority. So now
44:31that he has your attention,
44:33now that you have your assignment,
44:35and now that he's revealed your
44:36authority,
44:38I want you to look at here differently.
44:42Here is a holy place.
44:46Here is a place that God can do the
44:48imaginable.
44:50Here is a place that God can show
44:52himself to be God.
44:55He wants to reveal himself in a new way
44:58to you today.
45:02The passage ended with
45:04him saying that I I want you
45:07to remember that I'm the God of Abraham,
45:09the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.
45:11And that this is my name forever, and
45:14this is how I'm to be remembered
45:16in every generation.
45:19I want us to have a remembrance
45:22come back to us
45:24of the God that we serve.
45:27God wanted to remind Moses of who he was
45:30because he knew the history of God with
45:33his people.
45:35God had made a promise to Abraham,
45:38and it came to pass.
45:40God had made a promise to Isaac, and it
45:42came to pass.
45:44God had made a promise to Jacob, and it
45:47came to pass.
45:50God has made a promise to you,
45:53and it's going to come to pass.
45:59Remember
46:02the God that you serve.
46:05Remember that he is a God that will meet
46:08you here.
46:11He is a God
46:13that will give you everything that you
46:16need.
46:19And there have been many seasons in my
46:21life where I have even questioned and
46:23didn't understand where I was in life.
46:27I found myself looking up all the time
46:28like "Lord how?
46:30How did I get here?"
46:32I went to school
46:34at Old Dominion University in Virginia
46:36Virginia. It's in Norfolk and I studied
46:39psychology.
46:41And shortly after graduating, I realized
46:43I did not want to study psychology.
46:45Um
46:46it was very difficult and it to be
46:48successful, they told me I would have to
46:50go and be a doctor and I was just like,
46:51"That's not for me." So
46:54I graduated and I found myself asking
46:56God,
46:57"I don't have no job.
47:00I don't know what I'm supposed to be
47:00doing. I don't know where you're calling
47:02me to go.
47:03I'm just here."
47:07And then I did a 21-day fast
47:10and I remember God telling me
47:13in that fast that you're going to go
47:16into ministry.
47:18I talk back to God sometimes. I said,
47:20"No, I'm not."
47:22No, I'm not.
47:26He said, "You're going to go into
47:27ministry." And I said, "Okay, well,
47:28Lord, if that's what you're saying, then
47:30you're going to have to do it.
47:33Cuz I I don't think that's the path for
47:34me. I don't think that's what you really
47:35want for me. So, if that's what you're
47:37saying, then I need you to actually be
47:38the one to do it."
47:42And next thing I know, I'm
47:45working at Home Depot. That was the job
47:47that I got after college, guys. I
47:49realized I didn't want to do psychology.
47:51I had somewhat of a passion in interior
47:53decorating and so here I am working at
47:55Home Depot as a kitchen and bath
47:57designer.
47:59And every day I kept going to work.
48:01I kept putting on that dusty orange
48:02apron.
48:05And I was like, God, how did I get here?
48:08There was nothing wrong with working at
48:09Home Depot. It was a great job actually.
48:10I really did like it. Um but I was just
48:12like, God, how did I get here? This just
48:14wasn't what I imagined for my life. I
48:15feel like there's more for me.
48:18God, I remember what you said to me.
48:19God, I know without a shadow of a doubt
48:22you told me
48:24I was going to go into ministry.
48:26But here doesn't look like what you
48:28said.
48:30And so I had to make a decision in my
48:32mind. I finally decided. I said,
48:35Okay, I know what you said.
48:37And I know that this job is
48:39not what you said.
48:41But what would it look like if I took
48:44where I'm at right now
48:45and I started serving here?
48:51I started serving here. So every morning
48:53I got up
48:55and I put on that dusty orange apron.
48:58And I went to work and I said, I'm going
49:00to make this place my ministry.
49:03I walked in there. I started praying for
49:04people.
49:06I started writing down the vision that
49:08God gave to me.
49:11I started declaring that I would be in a
49:13place that I was not in that moment, but
49:15I believed that God was going to send
49:17me.
49:20And I worked there
49:23for 9 months.
49:28For 9 months.
49:31And then God birthed something
49:34through me.
49:39I got a call from the the church that I
49:41serve at now.
49:43I'd just been serving at the church.
49:47I'd just been serving. I had picked up a
49:49skill in media and I said, okay, well,
49:51this is where I will I will serve."
49:54That may be a word for somebody. There's
49:55gifts that you've been sitting on that
49:56your church needs.
49:59Serve at your church.
50:01It's not cuz they need It's not because
50:03we're just telling you to. It's
50:04biblical. God has called us to serve his
50:06bride.
50:08Serve at your church, but I I started
50:09serving.
50:11And one day my pastor
50:13he called me.
50:14I had never had a conversation with the
50:16man and he said,
50:17"Hey,
50:20we heard we saw you one we saw you and
50:22we we've heard a little bit about you
50:24and my wife and I would love to discuss
50:26a ministry opportunity with you."
50:34I had not applied for a job.
50:36I had not said to anybody else that I
50:39wanted to go into ministry.
50:42I was sitting on a word from God.
50:46But I was serving
50:49even though I couldn't see what he said.
50:55I struggled with shame. I struggled with
50:56guilt. I struggled with feeling like my
50:58past was going to catch up to me.
51:01I was like, "They going to call me in
51:02the ministry and then somebody going to
51:04tell them, 'Do y'all know what she used
51:05to do in school?
51:06Do y'all know where she used to be?'"
51:10But finally I had to say,
51:13"God, if you called me,
51:15here I am.
51:18God, if you want to use me,
51:20here I am.
51:23God, here I am, so have your way."
51:29And I believe that God wants to call
51:31some of you today.
51:32He's been calling you.
51:35And you've been sitting on the call.
51:39You've been sitting on it because you
51:40didn't feel like you have what it took.
51:43You've been sitting on it because of the
51:45shame and the guilt. you've been sitting
51:46on it.
51:50And God is saying, "Today, I want you to
51:53make
51:54an altar
51:55at this place."
51:59All throughout scripture, anytime God
52:01did something, a lot of times you would
52:03see the people make an altar there and
52:06name it
52:08as a remembrance
52:10of what God did in that moment.
52:15They set an altar.
52:18And I'm thankful today that we have an
52:20altar
52:23that anybody can come to.
52:26It's not for the squeaky It's not for
52:27the squeaky clean people. That's the
52:29thing.
52:31If you're broken, if you're bruised, if
52:33you're confused, if you're hurt, if
52:35you're lost, if you're unsure, if you
52:37don't look like the churchy people, if
52:38you came in here in jeans, if you came
52:40in here in a church hat, if you came in
52:42here
52:44carrying what you were doing last night,
52:45it's for you.
52:49And I believe God is saying, "I want my
52:50people to make an altar here."
52:56I want my people to lay down the things
52:59that have been keeping them from
53:00stepping into their call.
53:03That have been keeping them
53:05from being in relationship with me.
53:09He's He's not taken back by your sin.
53:11He's not
53:13You didn't disappoint or you didn't
53:15confuse God. He's all-knowing, so he
53:17already knew what you were going to do
53:18before you did it.
53:20He's not taken back by that.
53:24But he's saying, "No, I want my people
53:26to make a decision that here
53:29is the place. Here
53:32is where I'm calling them."
53:36And so, I just want to take a moment to
53:38invite two different people in the room
53:39to this altar.
53:42The person who is saying
53:45this sounded good, but
53:47I don't even know the God that they're
53:49talking about.
53:52Who is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and
53:54Jacob? Who is a God that could meet me
53:57in my mess and still redeem my story?
53:59Who is this God that they've been
54:01singing and worshipping about and saying
54:03that they have faith in? Who is this
54:05man?
54:09I would love for you to come to this
54:11altar. I believe that the people at this
54:13church would love to introduce you to a
54:15man. The man is here. He's in the room.
54:18He's here.
54:25He's here.
54:28And the second person
54:30that I want to call
54:32is the person
54:35who is trying to fight their here.
54:39Who has been just looking around and
54:40just like, "God, how did this happen to
54:42me?
54:45This was not supposed to be the story of
54:48my life.
54:49God, I thought that December was going
54:51to look different than what it looks
54:53like right now.
54:56Or maybe you're standing in here and
54:58you're saying, "God, you've been
55:00answering my prayers. You've been
55:01actually doing the things you said you
55:02were going to do,
55:04but I'm scared, God.
55:07I don't think I have what it takes, God.
55:08I don't think that I can actually do
55:10this.
55:11God, how did I get here?
55:14I believe there's a blessing that the
55:15Lord wants to release on you today.
55:20And so I invite you now, if you are any
55:21of those people, if you resonate
55:24with any of those categories and you're
55:25saying, "I want to meet the man that
55:27they're talking about."
55:30Or I want to make here an altar.
55:33I want to make here the place where I
55:34make a decision that I'm no longer going
55:36to toy around with Christianity. I'm no
55:39longer going to toy around with the gift
55:40that God's given me. I'm no longer going
55:42to play around with the anointing on my
55:44life. I know what I've been called to
55:46do. I know what he created me for. I
55:48know what he sent me to the Faith Center
55:50to do. I know why he sent me here.
55:54If that's you, I want you to come.
56:01God wants to do something here.
56:06Don't miss this moment. The spirit of
56:09the Lord is here.
56:13And where his spirit is, everything that
56:15you need is also.
56:26Yeah.
56:27Yeah.
56:32I believe before I pray that there's
56:34even something that God
56:37He just honors obedience.
56:40He honors obedience. He honors
56:43when you do the scary thing. He honors
56:46when you step out
56:48and say yes.
56:51He honors it.
56:56This was a declaration. Your movement
56:58from your seat to this altar was a
57:00declaration
57:05that you are changing here.
57:09That whatever you just brought to this
57:11altar,
57:12whatever shame, whatever guilt, whatever
57:14insecurity, whatever fear, whatever
57:16disease, whatever bondage you've been
57:18in, whatever shackle, whatever you
57:20brought to this altar,
57:25you're going to leave it here.
57:36And God is so good that he's going to
57:38bring you back to the very place.
57:43He's going to bring you back to the very
57:44place that he shifted it off.
57:46He's going to give a sign. He's going to
57:48show you.
57:49You're going to know that I am sent you,
57:51that I am called you. He is not going to
57:54make a fool out of you.
58:00You are called.
58:01And there is a God who loves you despite
58:03your sin and despite what you've done.
58:05He loves you.
58:08So, I just want to pray over all of you
58:09now. Those who are here at the altar and
58:11those who are in your seat. God God
58:13doesn't just stay at the altar. He can
58:14also come to you.
58:16So, you may not have moved whether it
58:18was cuz you were afraid to, whether it
58:20was cuz you physically could not move.
58:21God is where you are as well.
58:24God is meeting you there, too.
58:30So, God, we thank you.
58:33Lord, for the work that you are doing
58:35now in your people. God, we thank you
58:37that we serve a God that meets us in
58:40Midian, that you meet us in the place
58:42that we we fled to because of fear.
58:44Father God, you meet us in the place
58:46that we're in because you love us and
58:48you've called us. God, that we're a
58:50chosen people, a royal priesthood.
58:53Father God, may your people walk in the
58:55authority and the boldness that you have
58:57given them. Father God, I pray that from
59:00this moment forward, God, that they
59:01would have the eyes to see themselves
59:03the way you do. Father God, that they
59:05would have the heart to hear your voice.
59:07Father God, that they would know without
59:09a shadow of a doubt that they are loved,
59:11God. That they are called, God. That
59:13they are chosen, God. And that you are
59:16with them.
59:19God, whatever it is that you are calling
59:21them to do, whatever sphere of influence
59:23that you have placed them in. Father
59:24God, wherever their workplace is,
59:26whatever their family situation is, God,
59:29I pray that your spirit would just move
59:31there now.
59:34Father God, your people come and we make
59:36an altar here.
59:39God, we declare that it is here that we
59:41will lay aside every weight.
59:44We will lay aside everything that has
59:46hindered us from running towards the
59:49goal
59:50with all that we have.
59:54Father God, we change the way we live.
59:57God, in today we pray for the people who
60:00are encountering you for the first time.
60:03Lord God, we thank you that you died on
60:05the cross so that we could have life and
60:08life more abundantly. We thank you, Lord
60:10God, that you died and when you died the
60:13veil was torn. Father God, which means
60:15we have access to your presence. God, we
60:17thank you
60:19that you died and you rose again, that
60:22you defeated death, hell, and the grave.
60:25Father God, that you defeated everything
60:27that has been trying to distract us.
60:29You've defeated everything that we
60:31thought denied us from the calling.
60:33Father God, you defeated everything that
60:35has felt like it's been keeping us
60:36bound.
60:38God, today we say that we believe that
60:41you died and you rose and that we invite
60:44you to live into our hearts.
60:48Lord God, may we never live the same
60:49way.
60:51God, we love you.
60:53We bless you and we stand in expectation
60:57for what you are about to do in these
60:59next 28 days, God.
61:01Do what only you can do here.
61:05God, we'll stay here. Father God, as
61:07long as we need to. We will wait on you.
61:10We won't move without your presence,
61:11God. We won't go without your glory,
61:14Father God.
61:15We love you.
61:16It is in your precious name that I pray.
61:19Amen. Amen. And amen.
61:23Family, I love you.
61:25Thank you.
61:27Thank you.