It’s Bigger Than Me | Discover Your Identity, Purpose & God’s Kingdom Plan
Bishop Henry Fernandez Preached on 3/2/2026Genesis 1:27, Ephesians 2:10, Romans 12:2, Psalm 119:15, Philippians 3:13-14
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Summary
Bishop Henry Fernandez challenges believers to move beyond self-centered living by discovering their true identity in Christ and embracing their specific Kingdom assignments. He emphasizes that whether in singleness, marriage, or business, our lives are designed for God's glory and the service of others rather than personal gain.
Key points
- •Identity is rooted in being created in the image of God, meaning no one is an accident or a random occurrence.
- •Purpose is not found in material status, appearance, or social media influence, but in fulfilling the specific 'good works' God prepared beforehand.
- •Self-interest and selfishness are major obstacles to God's plan, often leading to broken relationships, professional failure, and spiritual stagnation.
- •Every season of life - whether singleness, marriage, or business ownership - is a 'workshop' and a kingdom assignment designed for impact rather than personal comfort.
- •True followers of Christ must shift from a 'what can I get' mentality to a 'what can I give' mentality, focusing on restoration rather than judgment of others.
Scripture
Purpose
Character
Stewardship
Spiritual Growth
Discipleship
Life application
This week, identify one area where you have been acting out of self-interest (such as a relationship or your job) and consciously choose to serve or give in that area without expecting anything in return. Spend time daily in Psalm 119:15, asking God to help you see your current season as a kingdom assignment rather than a waiting room.
Reflection questions
- In what ways have you allowed the world's standards of success (status, looks, followers) to define your value instead of your God-given purpose?
- Bishop Fernandez mentioned that singleness and marriage are both ministries. How would your daily attitude change if you viewed your current relationship status as a divine assignment?
- Are there areas where jealousy or comparison toward others' assignments are hindering your own spiritual growth?
- When you look at your life today, who are you becoming in Christ, and how does that differ from who you used to be?
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Full transcript
0:00One of the greatest revelations a person
0:03can receive
0:05is the revelation
0:07of identity and purpose.
0:12Who you are
0:14and for what reason you are here on the
0:18earth.
0:19When you discover
0:22where you come from and who created you
0:24and why you are here, it transforms your
0:29perspective.
0:31>> It does.
0:33You no longer drift through life
0:36reacting to culture.
0:39Here's what you do. You live
0:40intentionally
0:42and you live rooted in truth.
0:46The Bible declares in Genesis 1:27
0:50that we are all created in the image of
0:55God.
0:57Let that settle in your spirit for a
0:59moment.
1:00All of us, including you, you were
1:04created in the image of God, which
1:07suggests that you are not an accident.
1:11>> You are not random.
1:14You were designed by God for such a time
1:17as this.
1:20Ephesians 2:10 reminds us, "For we are
1:24his workmanship, the Bible says, created
1:28in Christ Jesus for good works, which
1:30God prepared beforehand that we should
1:33walk in them."
1:35We've been created
1:38by the hand of God to do good works.
1:41So it is the responsibility of every
1:44person to walk in the good works we were
1:48created to perform.
1:50Before you ever arrived on this planet,
1:53God had already prepared
1:56assignments for you.
2:00>> Before you were created, before you were
2:03formed in your mother's womb, God had an
2:07assignment for you to do on the earth.
2:10So therefore, you've got to discover,
2:12you've got to find out why do I exist?
2:17Why am I here?
2:20Why did God allow you to be in the year
2:232026?
2:25There's a reason.
2:28When you know why you're here, then
2:31you're not easily manipulated by the
2:33systems of the world.
2:36Romans 12:2 says, "Do not be conformed
2:40to this world. Don't adopt to their
2:43patterns, but be transformed
2:48by the renewing of your mind, the way
2:51you think. You cannot think like the
2:54world.
2:56You cannot think like the toxicity
2:59that's in the world.
3:02The world constantly tries to rewrite
3:05your narrative, telling you that your
3:09value is in your possessions. It's in
3:12your status. It's in your appearance and
3:15it's in your influence.
3:18It's what you possess. So if you have a
3:20lot of material things, then that makes
3:23you special.
3:26It's your status. It's who you know, the
3:28degrees that you've acquired. It's your
3:31appearance. And boy, we we man, we are
3:35working this appearance thing, man. We
3:38we're using this, man, BECAUSE WE THINK
3:40JUST BECAUSE WE ARE DRESSED up
3:44with brand name clothes
3:48and we look good and we've got all the
3:50makeup on and we think that we have
3:53arrived.
3:55our influence. Especially with social
3:57media, we think our value is in the
4:01amount of followers we have, the clicks
4:05and the likes that we have. But the word
4:08of God tells us that your value is in
4:12your purpose. Amen.
4:14>> When you know why you're here
4:17>> and you fulfill that purpose,
4:20man, it takes your whole perspective of
4:23your life to a whole another level.
4:27That is why daily meditation on
4:29scripture is essential. Psalm 119 verse1
4:3315 tells us, I will meditate [singing]
4:35on your precepts and fix my eyes on your
4:39ways. Not my way, not the ways of the
4:43world. You see, when you meditate on the
4:46word, you reset your identity.
4:51So listen to me carefully.
4:53You should regularly assess who you are
4:58becoming. [clears throat]
4:59Every day
5:01ask yourself, who are you becoming?
5:05Come on now. Who are you becoming?
5:08Not who you were,
5:11not who people say you are, but who you
5:14are becoming in Christ. None of us
5:17should become so comfortable that we
5:20assume we have already arrived.
5:24>> Don't get sucked into that deceitful
5:28trick of the enemy to make you think
5:30that you're okay. I'm fine.
5:34This is all I can give. That's a lie.
5:38Paul in Philippians 3:134
5:42he tells us forgetting what lies behind
5:45us and strain forward to what lies ahead
5:49of us. He said I press toward the goal.
5:51I press the emphasis in is on the latter
5:54part of the verse. I'm pressing towards
5:57the goal. Not not not focusing on what's
6:00behind you. The lies they told about you
6:04that you are no good. you you'll never
6:06amount to anything. And then you come
6:08from a dysfunctional family and you made
6:10too many mistakes. Don't you focus your
6:13attention on that.
6:16>> You focus your attention on what is
6:19before you. And that's why the word of
6:22the Lord to this church this morning was
6:26don't allow present situations
6:30to distract you from the blessing that's
6:33coming ahead of you.
6:36>> Don't allow that. You see, growth is a
6:40part of purpose. Everything you're going
6:42through is teaching you how to become
6:45the best version of yourself. how to
6:48become a better follower of Jesus
6:51Christ. Every problem, every setback,
6:54every uh uh uh uh issues that's going on
6:57in your life, God is allowing it to
7:00happen in your life to grow you. I know
7:03you can't embrace that, but it's the
7:05truth.
7:07>> Amen.
7:07>> God is trying to work a Romans 8:28 in
7:11your life. All things will work together
7:15for your good. So I want you to hear me
7:18clearly today.
7:20Although becoming the best version of
7:22yourself matters, your overall purpose
7:25is greater than personal selfinterest.
7:30>> Listen to me. Many of you are forfeiting
7:34your future because you are just down
7:37outright
7:39selfish.
7:45>> You're selfish.
7:47self-centered. You are wrecking your
7:50relationships.
7:52You are missing opportunities to date
7:55the right person and marry the right
7:57person. You are missing opportunity to
8:00keep a healthy marriage, to keep healthy
8:03family relationship. You're about to
8:05lose your job,
8:08>> mess up your career,
8:10>> all because you're just selfish.
8:17I hope you still love me.
8:24>> CUZ EVERYTHING IS CENTERED ABOUT YOU
8:26AROUND YOU.
8:27>> YES, SIR.
8:28>> SELFISH IS ALL ME, ME, ME, ME.
8:34>> You see, you need to understand this
8:37that there's nothing wrong with desiring
8:40good things.
8:42Psalm 37:4 says, "Delight yourself in
8:45the Lord and he'll give you the DESIRES
8:47OF YOUR HEART." NOTICE, "DELIGHT
8:49yourself in the Lord first."
8:54>> The order in which the Bible places
8:56delight and desire, he says, "Delight
9:00first and then desire will come after."
9:06>> SO DON'T GET CAUGHT UP IN THIS SEASON OF
9:08YOUR LIFE.
9:10not delight in yourself, get in
9:13alignment with the word of God. All you
9:16want is to use people. You're enter
9:19you're allowing people to enter into
9:20your life because of what they can do
9:23for you.
9:26>> That I'm just going to go to that job.
9:27I'm just going to put in my hours cuz
9:29they better pay me.
9:38You see, when we delight ourselves in
9:40him, our desires align with his purpose.
9:45>> It's not selfish anymore. Because some
9:48believers struggle to see their faith
9:50journey uh become a successful one and
9:55see it as bigger than themselves because
9:58they cannot see God's purpose. Watch
10:00this. In season of discomfort
10:04and service,
10:09I know you're com you're you're
10:10uncomfortable right now. I know whatever
10:14you're going through, you don't like it.
10:15You don't understand it. Two people met
10:18me in the lobby today and both of them
10:20said the same thing. They asked me, one
10:22person said, "Give me a word. What is
10:24the word?" This other woman, she was
10:25just saying, "I'm going through a lot."
10:27I get it.
10:30>> I get it. Just because you see some of
10:32us smile and we look good and every it
10:35don't mean that we ain't struggling.
10:39>> It doesn't mean we're not struggling. We
10:42going through some of this in Let me
10:44just be truthful to you. If we ever tell
10:46you our story,
10:50you will just keep your mouth shut.
10:53Cuz if you think you're going through a
10:55storm,
10:57>> we we we just we just learn to not let
11:00it be about us.
11:03Somebody ought to give God a praise
11:05right there. It's not about us. It's
11:08about the glory of God.
11:12Scripture is very clear in Luke 9:23. If
11:15anyone would come after Jesus,
11:19let him deny himself and take up his
11:22cross daily and follow him. Because
11:25following Jesus requires daily surrender
11:29of what? Self-interest. Daily surrender
11:32of self-interest.
11:35Every season of your life carries a
11:37kingdom assignment.
11:40Because if you're going to to to be
11:43successful in this season of your life,
11:46you have to find out what is the
11:49assignment for me now.
11:52>> What is God asking of me now in the
11:56situation that I'm in? So if you're in a
12:00season of singleness, meaning you're
12:03single, then this season is bigger
12:07than your desire to get married.
12:12>> Too often, many of you as singles are
12:15becoming too desperate.
12:25>> I want to get married. I want to get
12:26married. I want to get married. And and
12:28if the truth be told, come on, let's
12:30tell the truth. You don't want to get
12:32married to serve in marriage. You want
12:34to get married so that you can post the
12:36white dress.
12:48>> And you can post that you had a wedding
12:50and and you can post you went to Dubai
12:52for your honeymoon.
12:55you you cuz you don't understand the
12:57role of marriage
13:01>> cuz marriage is about you
13:04>> what you can get from the woman
13:08>> what you can get
13:10>> from the man
13:12but 1 Corinthians 7 verse 32 to um 34
13:19it tells us
13:21that we ought to speak about undivided
13:26devotion to the Lord. Why? Because
13:29singleness is not a waiting room. It is
13:33a workshop for purpose.
13:40>> So, if you're single, get out of the
13:41waiting room. I'm waiting for my woman.
13:44I'm waiting for my man. Why don't you
13:47let the Lord prepare you for that
13:49assignment? It's a workshop.
13:53Oh, I wish you could see the looks in
13:55some of these singles face in this
13:57church. It's a workshop.
14:00>> God is teaching you women how to be a
14:04wife while you're single.
14:08>> Come on now.
14:09>> Notice how it gets quiet now.
14:13Teaching you how to be a wife.
14:16>> How to humble yourself.
14:19>> Come on now.
14:21how to understand your role as a female.
14:25>> God is teaching you men how to be a
14:28husband,
14:29>> your role
14:31>> because marriage is far greater than
14:35just having sex.
14:41[applause]
14:42>> Oh Lord, they are not ready for this
14:46this morning.
14:50If you're in a season where you're
14:53married,
14:54your covenant is bigger than what your
14:57spouse can give you.
15:02>> It's a covenant.
15:04>> Ephesians 5:31-32
15:07reveals that marriage reflects Christ
15:10and his church.
15:12Marriage is not just companionship. It's
15:16a covenant. It's witness. It's ministry.
15:20>> Marriage is ministry. It's hard work.
15:26>> It's hard work.
15:37>> It's hard work.
15:40It's hard work.
15:42>> So before you just rush, I want the big
15:45day. I want the big wedding. I want the
15:46big rock. I want everything. Marriage is
15:50hard work. It's not what you can get out
15:53of it. God never designed marriage for
15:56you to use men as a way so that you can
15:59get money and you can take his 50% when
16:03you leave him.
16:12Marriage was never designed for you to
16:15financially secure yourself.
16:19>> That's why when you hear women start
16:21testifying, I want a man with a sixf
16:24figureure job.
16:26>> That's bad.
16:29>> That's really bad. That is not godly
16:33>> cuz you'll only marry him if he makes
16:36over $100,000 a year.
16:39>> If he drives a certain car, if he lives
16:42in a certain house or wait a minute now,
16:44and I know we say it now, I'm not
16:46telling you a man shouldn't have a job.
16:48He should have a job. I get it. But if
16:51you want a man to have all of these
16:53things first before you marry him, do
16:56you not know a week after the wedding,
16:58he can lose it? He can lose it all.
17:02>> If that's what you married him for,
17:07>> then you're not going to be around when
17:09it's no longer there.
17:15>> Boy, you should see the look on some of
17:16y'all faces right now. I'm telling you,
17:19man.
17:21If looks good kill,
17:24that's not the purpose of marriage,
17:27>> right? That's not the purpose of
17:29marriage,
17:30>> right? And God didn't give you marriage
17:33men to use it as a weapon to throw in
17:37the woman's face. I'm the head. I'm the
17:40leader.
17:41>> You ought to submit to me.
17:44>> Anytime a man has to demand
17:48respect from a woman, you don't deserve
17:50it.
17:58Okay let
18:02let me move on because I don't like the
18:04vibes. I'm feeling over here. Over here.
18:11If you run a business, you're a business
18:13owner. The business is bigger than your
18:17profit margin.
18:19Deuteronomy 8:18 tells us, "Remember the
18:22Lord your God, for it is he who gives
18:25you the power to get wealth." YOUR
18:28BUSINESS SERVES A GREATER purpose
18:32>> than your profit margin.
18:36So why is this so? So that God's
18:40covenant may be established. You see,
18:41your business is a tool that God is
18:44using for impact, provision, and a
18:47testimony.
18:49Even attending church is bigger than
18:53you. It's bigger than just the
18:55inspiration that you get. According to
18:57Paul in Ephesians 4:12, the church
19:00exists, watch this, to equip the saints
19:03for the work, for the work, for the work
19:07of the ministry. It's a ministry's work.
19:11You don't just come to church to
19:12receive. You come to church, watch this,
19:15to be equipped so you so that you can be
19:18deployed.
19:23>> It's not just so you can have a really
19:25wonderful time. It's so that God can use
19:27you. So that you can be what? Deployed.
19:30>> So when God's purpose takes first place,
19:33anxiety begins to lose its grip. Matthew
19:376:33, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God
19:39and his righteousness, and all these
19:41things shall be what?"
19:43>> added onto you. When the kingdom is
19:46first, frustration decreases because
19:48your confidence is in God's plan and not
19:52your preference or your preferences.
19:56You can radically change the quality of
19:58your life personally and in your family,
20:02in your business, and in your church.
20:04when you see your existence as something
20:08greater than what people can do for you.
20:13>> Now, let me examine
20:17what happens when self-interest takes
20:20over. Watch this. Genesis 4.
20:24You know the story. Cain and Abel
20:28brought their offerings, but the Bible
20:31says Abel brought his best. Cain brought
20:35something less than his best.
20:39God did not demand from them both
20:43[snorts] what they could not give.
20:46He evaluated the heart behind their
20:49gift.
20:50>> That's what God does.
20:53He evaluates the condition of your
20:55heart. Hebrews 11:4 says Abel's offering
21:01was by faith. In other words, he was
21:04living by faith. It wasn't based on
21:07maybe what was in his pocket. God, I
21:09trust you. You've given me this. So
21:11Lord, I'm going to sew this back to you.
21:14So when Cain's self-interest was
21:17exposed, this is very dangerous now.
21:20Jealousy consumed him. He was jealous
21:23over his own brother. Instead of
21:26correcting his heart, he destroyed his
21:28brother. And I'm telling you today, when
21:31self-interest goes unchecked,
21:34it leads to comparison, bitterness, and
21:38destruction.
21:40>> We need to really check our heart
21:44>> cuz some of us are actually spiritually
21:47murdering people.
21:52because of selfishness.
21:56>> In Luke 10 verse 38-42,
22:00we see Mary and Martha here quickly.
22:02Martha was distracted with the issue of
22:05serving. Mary sat at Jesus's feet, but
22:08Martha's frustration came from
22:11comparison.
22:12But Jesus said to Mary, "Choose the
22:15bitter or the better portion."
22:19Jesus said Mary chose the better
22:22portion. Both women, both of them had
22:26their roles to play. The problem was not
22:31service.
22:33>> It was not service. That wasn't the
22:35problem. It was misaligned focus.
22:39When you are secure in your own
22:42assignment,
22:44>> you don't resent other people when
22:46they're on their assignment.
22:51When we look at Luke 15, the story of
22:54the prodigal son, you all know it. One
22:56brother left and wasted
23:00everything. The other stayed and worked
23:03faithfully. The Bible says, "Yet when
23:05the father celebrated the return of the
23:08lost son, the older brother became
23:10angry."
23:12He didn't understand. The story is
23:14really not about, you know, the the the,
23:17you know, the the two brothers. It
23:20really wasn't about the two. It wasn't
23:21about the one who stayed. It wasn't
23:24about the one who left and returned. You
23:26see, sometimes we miss the spiritual
23:28message in scripture. It wasn't about
23:31them. It was about the father's heart.
23:35>> Because the message the story was trying
23:37to bring across to us, that's the heart
23:39of God. That's right.
23:41>> Luke 15:7 says that there is joy in
23:46heaven over one sinner
23:49>> who repents.
23:51>> That that was the whole story
23:54or purpose of the story. When
23:57dissatisfaction
23:59becomes your focus, you become
24:02resentful. But when the father's purpose
24:05become your focus, you rejoice when the
24:09lost are found. You rejoice when people
24:13return to God. You rejoice when people
24:17are using when God is using people. You
24:20re you don't focus on what people have
24:23done in the past.
24:25>> And some of you Christians need to clean
24:27up your act.
24:29>> You are too judgmental.
24:36You find pleasure in bringing up
24:38people's past.
24:42>> And if the truth be told, you got a
24:45whole bunch of skeletons in your closet.
24:51[applause]
24:53I won't say who it is, but hope she'll
24:56forgive me for saying this. You know who
24:58you are. But it broke my heart when I
25:00had a minister came up to me and
25:04heartbroken
25:06and she didn't tell me who said it so I
25:08didn't not interested in who said it but
25:11they recently got ordained as a
25:13minister. her and her husband got
25:15ordained as a minister and um she said
25:19someone came up to her the day of her
25:22ordination, the day of her ordination.
25:27>> And said, "How is it that you're getting
25:29ordained?
25:31>> Why are you getting ordained?
25:35>> Didn't you have a baby out of wedlock?"
25:41Now, this woman's child is grown.
25:46This is a grown baby.
25:58And she on ordination day
26:02went and told that woman in front of her
26:04family,
26:06why are you getting ordained?
26:08Jealousy is a dangerous thing.
26:13[applause] It's a dangerous thing
26:18>> cuz you had a baby out of wedlock.
26:29>> And if you're listening, you ought to be
26:30ashamed of yourself. You ought to be
26:33ashamed of yourself. [applause]
26:36Cuz
26:38isn't the gospel about restoration?
26:45>> Glory to God. Isn't it wonderful that
26:48when you can look at your life and say,
26:50"I remember what I used to be, but
26:54praise God, I'm not the same. I've been
26:58transformed. I'VE BEEN RENEWED. I'VE
27:02BEEN DELIVERED. I'm a living proof. If
27:05God can do it for me, [screaming] YES,
27:09HE CAN DO IT FOR YOU because he will
27:11MARRY THE BACKSLIDER.
27:14SOMEBODY OUGHT TO GIVE HIM PRAISE IN
27:16HERE TODAY. That's what church is about.
27:23>> With your crazy self.
27:28So, I'm telling you, [crying]
27:32>> telling you today as true followers of
27:35Jesus, we must deny self-interest and
27:38embrace divine assignment.
27:41That's what we ought to do in this
27:42season of your life. You ought to ask
27:44yourself the question, a few questions
27:46here. How does my singleness advance the
27:49kingdom? How does my marriage reflect
27:52Christ? How does my business bless
27:55others? How does my giving, my
27:58generosity advance the kingdom and the
28:00kingdom mission? How does my church
28:03attendance strengthen the mission? As I
28:06close,
28:08let us move beyond
28:12what I can get,
28:14what I can get from God,
28:17what I can get from people.
28:19Let us move beyond jealousy.
28:22Let us move beyond opening up our mouths
28:26and saying stuff we have no business
28:30saying.
28:32[applause]
28:37>> Instead of asking what I can get,
28:40ask what can I give.
28:44>> You see God promoting somebody instead
28:46of getting jealous.
28:49>> Bless you.
28:51I'm so happy and genuinely mean it.
28:57>> Stay out of people's business.
29:02>> Look at your neighbor and say, "Just
29:03stay out of my business.
29:19Stay out of people's business
29:25and focus on becoming the best version
29:29of who God has called you to be.