What Are You Doing Here?
Bishop Henry Fernandez Preached on 9/13/2026
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45:34
Summary
Bishop Henry Fernandez explores the story of Elijah to show that even the most anointed believers face seasons of exhaustion and discouragement, urging listeners to move out of the 'cave' of isolation and return to their God-given assignments.
Key points
- •Yesterday's victory does not exempt you from today's challenges or exhaustion. Great spiritual highs are often followed by emotional crashes.
- •Physical rest and nourishment are spiritual acts. God prioritized Elijah's sleep and food before addressing his spiritual state because exhaustion can distort faith.
- •The cave of isolation is a dangerous place. While meant for recovery, it can become a permanent residence of fear and depression if you allow criticism to define you.
- •Discouragement often leads to the lie of isolation. Elijah mistakenly believed he was the only one left, but God reminded him of thousands of others who remained faithful.
- •God's response to your crisis isn't always a miracle or a sign; sometimes it is a 'still small voice' calling you back to your assignment.
Scripture
Spiritual Growth
Purpose
Perseverance
Hope
Restoration
Life application
This week, if you feel overwhelmed, prioritize rest before making any major life decisions. Take one day to 'go to sleep and eat' as God commanded Elijah, then listen for God's whisper to lead you back to your specific assignment.
Reflection questions
- What 'cave' are you currently hiding in, and what specific criticism or disappointment drove you there?
- In what ways has your exhaustion started to speak louder than your faith lately?
- Who are the '7,000' in your life-the community or fellow believers you've overlooked while feeling isolated?
- What is the 'Damascus' (the next assignment) that God is calling you to return to today?
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Full transcript
0:00us now in Jesus' name. Amen. [music]
0:00Come on, let's give him a praise one
0:01more time.
0:03You may be seated in the presence of the
0:07Lord. So I want to take
0:10our subject this morning from the text.
0:15What are you doing here?
0:18What are you doing here?
0:22God has given me a message today for
0:25every person who has allowed criticism,
0:29exhaustion,
0:31disappointment,
0:32or discouragement to diminish your
0:35passion.
0:37Somewhere along the journey, you have
0:39lost your fire. You still love God, yes,
0:43but you don't serve him with the same
0:47passion you once had.
0:51You still have dreams. There's no doubt
0:54about that.
0:56But you don't pursue them the same way
1:00you once had. You've lost the passion.
1:05You still believe that God has a purpose
1:08for your life, but disappointment
1:12has made you question whether that
1:14purpose will ever become a reality.
1:19And so your courage has been attacked.
1:23Your enthusiasm has been diminished. And
1:28instead of pursuing what God placed in
1:32your heart, you have settled into
1:36survival mode. You are going through the
1:39motions. You're going through the
1:42motions.
1:43But I've come with a message from God
1:46today to ask you this question.
1:50What are you doing here?
1:53What are you doing at the place of fear?
1:56What are you doing at the place where
2:00you're hiding because you've been
2:03disappointed?
2:05What are you doing allowing someone's
2:08criticism to determine your future? What
2:12are you doing allowing exhaustion to
2:15convince you that your assignment is
2:19over?
2:21What are you doing here?
2:23You don't belong into a cave or a place
2:28of discouragement where you're now
2:30willing to throw in the towel.
2:33You may be tired,
2:35but you're not finished.
2:38You may have been criticized, but you're
2:41still called.
2:43You may be discouraged, but you're still
2:45anointed. You may have been attacked,
2:48but God still has an assignment for your
2:52life.
2:53Galatians 6:9 tells us, "Let us not
2:56become weary in doing good. For at the
3:00approper time, the appointed time, we
3:03will reap a harvest if we do not give
3:07up."
3:09>> Because the enemy doesn't always have to
3:11destroy you to stop you.
3:14Sometimes all he needs to do is to
3:18discourage you enough to make you stop
3:21pursuing what God called you to do.
3:24>> Yes, sir.
3:25>> And so I want to share six simple things
3:27with you today that I want you to think
3:30about and hopefully you'll apply them to
3:32every area of your life. Point number
3:34one, great victories does not make you
3:39immune to exhaustion.
3:42Just because you are born again, you're
3:44saved, you're a Christian, you're
3:46serving God, doesn't mean that you won't
3:48get exhausted. You won't feel the
3:50pressure of life. You won't feel as if
3:53God is abandon you. You won't feel as if
3:56depression is attacking you. To
4:00understand first Kings chapter 19, you
4:03have to look at what happened in chapter
4:0618.
4:08Let me paint the story for you this
4:10morning. Here's Elijah. He had an
4:12experience one of the greatest victories
4:16ever in his ministry life. Elijah had
4:20just uh abandoned the the or Israel I
4:24should say had just abandoned the
4:26commandments of God because the children
4:29of Israel started worshiping idols. So,
4:33you know, they they they they started
4:35worshiping this Baal God. And Elijah
4:38challenged the prophets of Baal to a
4:42showdown at Mount Carmel.
4:46The challenge was simply this. The God
4:49who answers by fire, he is God.
4:54>> See, the enemy will come to you
4:56sometimes and he'll he'll test you and
4:58he'll say, "Your God is not real. Your
5:00God is not powerful. Your God cannot
5:02heal. Your God cannot provide for you.
5:05Your God cannot make a way for you.
5:10But that's what the enemy was doing to
5:13the children of Israel and to Elijah.
5:17You got to worship our God, false gods.
5:21Some of you know right from wrong, and
5:23you've allowed the system to force you
5:26to turn to other gods.
5:29And so Israel found themselves
5:31worshiping idols. Let me fast forward
5:34today. Like some of you, you grew up in
5:37church. You grew up going to Sunday
5:39school. You grew up saw your grandmother
5:41praying, your mother, father praying.
5:44And instead of continued to pray and to
5:48trust God, now you're going to
5:52witchcraft workers for answers. Now
5:55you're going to palm readers to give you
5:58answers for your future. This is exactly
6:01what Israel was doing. And Elijah
6:05challenged them. He says, "Now let's SEE
6:08WHICH GOD is going to respond."
6:13And so THE PROPHETS, THE FALSE prophets
6:16of Baal cried out. They shouted. They
6:19danced. They called upon their gods. but
6:23nothing happened.
6:27And then finally, Elijah said, "Let me
6:29pray."
6:31There's something about a believer
6:35who will stand up in the midst of a
6:37crisis and say, "Let me pray to our
6:41father
6:42>> who is in heaven." Glory to God. Elijah
6:46prayed and in chapter 18 verse 38 the
6:51Bible SAID THEN THE FIRE OF THE LORD
6:54fell and burnt up the sacrifice the wood
6:59the stone and the soil God's power was
7:03so real that when God showed up the fire
7:06that he sent down IT NOT JUST BURNED up
7:09the altar but it literally burned the
7:11wood it burned the stone it burned the
7:14ground. Let me tell you something. IF
7:15YOU START PRAYING, God will show up in a
7:18mighty way in your life.
7:23What a victory it was for Elijah.
7:27What a demonstration of God's power.
7:30But something happened between chapter
7:3418 and chapter 19 that every believer
7:38needs to understand.
7:41The same Elijah who stood courageously
7:45on Mount Carmel was now running for his
7:49life. WAIT A MINUTE. YOU JUST WITNESSED
7:52THE POWER OF GOD DEMONSTRATED IN SUCH a
7:56way THAT PROVED TO THE FALSE GOD THAT
7:59THERE'S ONLY ONE TRUE AND LIVING GOD.
8:02And now you are running. NOW YOU ARE
8:05HIDING. YOU ONCE SAW THE POWER OF GOD in
8:09your life. God did it before for you.
8:12Remember when you prayed for God to help
8:14you through college? He showed up.
8:17REMEMBER WHEN YOU PRAYED FOR GOD TO GIVE
8:19YOU A SPOUSE? HE SHOWED UP. REMEMBER
8:21WHEN YOU PRAYED FOR GOD TO give you the
8:23house, to give you the car, to give YOU
8:24THE JOB? YOU KNOW WHAT YOU PRAYED FOR?
8:26HE SHOWED UP. AND NOW YOU'RE FACED WITH
8:29A PRISON CRISIS.
8:32>> You're running
8:36>> LIKE YOU DON'T KNOW WHO YOUR GOD IS.
8:40This courageous man of God was running
8:44because Jezebel sent word
8:48that she intend to kill him. There's
8:50something about when a woman threatens
8:52you
8:55and she going to kill you.
8:58THIS MAN OF GOD, ANOINTED, KNOWS HOW TO
9:01PRAY, WAS RUNNING from this woman. And
9:04suddenly,
9:06the man who stood against hundreds of
9:09false prophets
9:11was intimidated
9:13by the threat
9:15of one woman.
9:18Here's the lesson. You see, yesterday's
9:20victory does not exempt you from today's
9:25challenges.
9:27because today's challenges
9:30will exhaust you.
9:32One of the things the devil is doing to
9:34some of you, he wants to wear you out.
9:42>> He wants to wear you out so you can't
9:45breathe. He wants to wear you out where
9:48YOU SAY, "THIS IS NOT WORKING. THIS
9:50SERVING GOD AND PRAYING AND FASTING AND
9:54GOING TO CHURCH AND GIVING AND doing the
9:56right thing, it's not working. Sometimes
10:00your greatest emotional crash comes
10:04immediately after your greatest
10:07accomplishment.
10:12>> ELIJAH JUST ACCOMPLISHED SOMETHING great
10:16and his biggest attack came. So for
10:19those of you who are running around
10:20bragging about, look what the Lord has
10:22done. God is so good. OH MY LIFE IS SO
10:25PERFECT. Watch it.
10:27>> Look at your neighbor and say, "Watch
10:28it.
10:29>> Watch it."
10:30>> Cuz your day is coming.
10:33[laughter]
10:33>> Your day is coming. You see, you can
10:37preach successfully and still become
10:40tired.
10:41You can build a business and become
10:44tired. You can raise your family and
10:48still become tired. You can lead people
10:51and become tired. You can spend years
10:54helping everybody else and suddenly
10:58realize,
11:00"I'm tired."
11:04Being exhausted does not mean that
11:07you've lost your anointing.
11:10>> You're human.
11:14Don't you ever let the devil make you
11:16think because you're exhausted. You know
11:18what you're struggling with right now.
11:20You know the pressure that you're under.
11:22Don't you ever let the devil make you
11:24think that you're not called anymore.
11:27You're not anointed. That God doesn't
11:29love you because
11:31you're under attack.
11:34Point number two, don't make permanent
11:37decisions
11:38during temporary exhaustion.
11:44ELIJAH RAN INTO THE WILDERNESS, SAT
11:46UNDER JUNIPER TREE, AND HE PRAYED.
11:51And this is what he said. I've had
11:54enough Lord.
11:56Take my life.
11:59I read that. That blew my mind, man. He
12:02said, "I've had enough.
12:05I don't KNOW WHO GOD SENT ME TO TALK TO
12:07THIS MORNING. YOU'VE BEEN CRYING OUT TO
12:10GOD, "I'VE had enough.
12:13I'm not dealing with this no more. I'm
12:15fed up. I'm angry. I'M MAD. I'VE HAD
12:19ENOUGH. I'm done."
12:22Have you ever been there in your life?
12:26>> Have you ever been there where you wish
12:29you would die instead of dealing with
12:31your problems?
12:33>> You've had enough criticism. You've had
12:35enough disappointments. You've had
12:37enough misunderstanding and people
12:39misunderstanding you. You you you know
12:42you've got you've just had enough of
12:45giving without receiving. ENOUGH HELPING
12:48PEOPLE WHO DON'T APPRECIATE YOU. ENOUGH
12:52CARRYING RESPONSIBILITY.
12:54Nobody knows you're carrying. ELIJAH WAS
12:58EXHAUSTED. HE WAS DISCOURAGED. And he
13:01was overwhelmed.
13:04>> Had enough. His exhaustion began
13:08speaking louder
13:10than his faith.
13:13And that, my friends, is a very
13:15dangerous thing because when you are
13:17exhausted, temporary problems can start
13:21looking like permanent ones.
13:25>> Elijah didn't realize,
13:28if you will, or Elijah didn't really
13:30need his life to end. I should say
13:33didn't really need his life to end.
13:35He just needed rest.
13:38And I love what God did. God didn't
13:40condemn Elijah. God didn't give him a
13:44long lecture like, "Wait a minute. Why
13:46you feeling the way you're feeling? This
13:47crazy man. You just witness a miracle.
13:50You know who I am. God didn't do none of
13:53that. God didn't even even, you know,
13:56just just, you know, kind of go at him
13:58and kind of, you know, correct him that
14:01you What are you doing, Elijah?" No, God
14:04allowed him to sleep. God simply said to
14:06him "Elijah
14:08go sleep."
14:12>> Could it be that God sent me here to
14:13tell somebody,
14:18>> "Go to sleep.
14:21[applause]
14:22Go to sleep because I got this.
14:26I don't know who I'm talking to. that
14:29thing that you're worried about, God
14:31told me to tell you, "Go to sleep
14:33because I got this." Would you just tap
14:36your neighbor and says, "God's got you."
14:38Come on now. Just go to sleep. Just go
14:42to sleep. Go to sleep.
14:45Maybe that's what you need in this
14:47season of your life, just to rest.
14:51THEN THE ANGEL TOUCHED HIM, touched
14:54Elijah.
14:56when he was resting. Now, THIS IS WHAT I
14:59LOVE. HE SAID, "GET UP and eat.
15:05>> Go to sleep. Get up and eat. Go to
15:09sleep. Get up and eat. Go to sleep. Get
15:12up and eat." Maybe that's those are the
15:14three things you ought to be doing right
15:16now. Stop worrying about today and
15:18tomorrow. Stop worrying about who's
15:20attacking you. STOP WORRYING ABOUT THE
15:22THREATS OF YOUR LIFE. AND JUST WHEN YOU
15:25GO TO YOUR BED TONIGHT, JUST PUT
15:28EVERYTHING INTO THE HANDS OF GOD. GO TO
15:30SLEEP. GET UP IN THE MORNING AND GO HAVE
15:34YOURSELF A BIG FAT BREAKFAST.
15:46>> SOMETIMES THE MOST SPIRITUAL THING you
15:49can do IS STOP [screaming] TALKING.
15:54STOP WORRYING. STOP TRYING TO FIX
15:57EVERYTHING AND JUST REST.
16:03>> Psalm 127 tells us that God grants sleep
16:09to those
16:11he loves.
16:13>> Oh, you going to sleep good tonight.
16:17Some of you are trying to make major
16:19decisions while you're emotionally
16:22exhausted.
16:25>> It's the worst thing you can do.
16:28>> This current situation that you're
16:30feeling and going through, you're
16:32exhausted. Don't you rush to make any
16:37decisions.
16:38Why? Because you're exhausted.
16:41Elijah did that. He was exhausted. So,
16:44he made a couple of bad decisions. We'll
16:46deal with that in just a moment. Here's
16:49my message to all of you today. Don't
16:51quit because you're tired. Don't abandon
16:53your dreams because you're tired. Don't
16:55destroy relationships because you're
16:57tired. Don't walk away from your
17:00assignment because you're tired.
17:04>> Rest before you resign.
17:13Rest before you resign. Point number
17:16three, God will sustain you while you
17:20recover.
17:22>> See what rest does. Rest push you into a
17:27recovery mode.
17:29>> When Elijah was awakened, there was
17:32bread and water waiting for him. Wait a
17:35minute. This guy, this guy, I want you
17:39to think about this. He ran on this
17:42journey. He was running from Jezebel,
17:46running from this woman. And according
17:48to the Bible, he didn't prepare no food
17:50for the journey. He made no provision
17:53for the journey. He didn't know where
17:56the next meal was coming from. Even when
17:59Elijah didn't know how to take care of
18:02himself, in the midst of him running,
18:06God provided.
18:09>> Ah, some of you don't get that, man. You
18:11You didn't get that. In the midst of him
18:14running, in the midst of what he was
18:16battling with, God provided because God
18:20still know uh knows how to take care of
18:23his children. You see, the angel came
18:26the second time and said, "Get up and
18:30eat, for the journey is too much for
18:33you. The weight, the responsibility,
18:36the pressure is too much for you." And
18:40that statement blesses me. And I'll tell
18:42you why. Because God knows the process
18:46of our journey. He knows our journey at
18:50times is difficult. He knows that this
18:54journey that we're dealing with is very
18:56difficult. God knows that we're carrying
18:58a lot. He knows we're dealing with a
19:01lot. God knows the responsibility many
19:03of us are carrying is heavy. He knows
19:06we've been criticized. He knows we are
19:08tired. God knows that we have been
19:12crying privately.
19:15But here's the good news.
19:17God will provide strength for every
19:21journey that he's assigned you to.
19:25>> Come on, somebody ought to give God
19:27praise right there. He'll give you the
19:29strength. Isaiah 40:29 says, "He gives
19:33strength to the weary and increases the
19:36power of the weak."
19:38>> Amen.
19:38>> He'll increase your strength. And so,
19:42you may not know where your provision is
19:44coming from. You may not know who God
19:47will use. You may not even know how he's
19:51going to work it out. But if God has
19:53called you to the journey, he will
19:56sustain you for the journey.
19:59>> Just like he sustained Elijah. Point
20:02number four, don't let the threats of
20:05the enemy drive you into depression and
20:08isolation.
20:09Now, this is going to be very important.
20:12I want you to hear me clearly. Those of
20:14you who are listening even online,
20:16strengthened by food, Elijah traveled
20:21for 40 days
20:24and 40 nights
20:27until he reached Horeb, the mountain of
20:30God.
20:32This place
20:34where God prepared for him. Follow the
20:37story here.
20:39Elijah now got to this place. AND THE
20:43FIRST THING ELIJAH did when he got to
20:46Mount Horeb,
20:49he looked for a cave.
20:53He looked for a cave. The Bible says the
20:55man WHO HAD BEEN STANDING PUBLICLY FOR
20:58GOD NOW HIDING privately in a cave,
21:03depressed and wanting to die.
21:08Don't you let people's clothes fool you.
21:12>> Don't you let people's big, fancy,
21:15expensive cars fool you. Don't you let
21:18where people live fool you. Don't you
21:20let people's walking and their style and
21:23whatever fool you. You have no idea what
21:26[music] people are going through behind
21:29all
21:31of the stuff we possess.
21:34WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT THAT ELIJAH, this
21:37great man of God, HAD A WONDERFUL,
21:40powerful mountain,
21:44DECIDE THE SAFEST AND BEST PLACE FOR me
21:48is in a cave?
21:52>> WHY DID HE GO to the FURTHEST HIGHEST
21:56POINT OF THE MOUNTAIN AND STAND WITH HIS
21:59hands up and say, "I TRUST IN GOD. I
22:03BELIEVE IN THE POWER OF GOD. MY FAITH IS
22:05STRONG. NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO. THE
22:07BIBLE SAID HE looked
22:10>> for a cave.
22:12>> Starts hiding in the cave. Some of you
22:16listen, you have seen the hand of God in
22:19so many ways in your life. You have the
22:23physical evidence of the power of God
22:25working in your life. But you are now at
22:28a place in your life where instead of
22:32talking about the goodness of God,
22:36you're hiding in depression.
22:41You have become so exhausted that the
22:45house you prayed for, now you got it,
22:49you don't enjoy it.
22:54THE MAN YOU ASKED GOD FOR, THE WOMAN YOU
22:56ASKED GOD FOR, YOU HAD THIS BIG
22:58ELABORATE WEDDING, STILL HAVEN'T EVEN
23:00PAID OFF FOR THE WEDDING.
23:05>> You got the ring.
23:09>> But now
23:12you're not happy.
23:15>> You're exhausted.
23:17YOU ASK GOD FOR THE CHILDREN.
23:20CHILDREN ARE DRIVING YOU CRAZY.
23:23Now
23:25you're exhausted. YOU PRAYED FOR THE JOB
23:27AND YOU TESTIFIED, "GOD GAVE ME THIS
23:30JOB. [screaming] NOW
23:33YOU'RE DEPRESSED.
23:38You're depressed."
23:41You see,
23:43that's what the threats of the enemy and
23:46the criticisms of the enemy will do.
23:49That's what the issues of life will do.
23:51It will force you into
23:54embracing fear.
23:58Rejection will do that to you also.
24:01That's what disappointment will do to
24:03you if you let the issues of life affect
24:05you. Threats and disappointment can
24:08damage your faith walk. It can make
24:11gifted people hide and go into
24:14depression. It it it it can make
24:17creative people stop creating. It can
24:20make leaders stop leading. It can make
24:23entrepreneurs stop dreaming. It can make
24:25believers stop serving. And eventually
24:28you start calling the cave
24:31your peace when in reality
24:35>> it's your fear.
24:42>> And for some of you, you say, "I don't
24:46want to fool with anybody anymore.
24:49I don't trust anybody anymore.
24:53I'll never try that again. I I'll never
24:56serve again. I'll never love again. I I
24:59I'LL NEVER START ANOTHER BUSINESS AGAIN.
25:01I'LL NEVER PUT MYSELF OUT THERE AGAIN.
25:05BUT MAYBE TODAY, [screaming] GOD is
25:08asking you again, what are you doing
25:13here?
25:16[snorts]
25:16>> HOW DID YOU COME SO FAR [screaming] WITH
25:19HIM? And now finding yourself
25:24in a cave.
25:27>> Depression is your norm.
25:31>> Frustration has become your best friend.
25:35Why are you
25:37in this place of giving up and on the
25:43and what is possible on the other side
25:45of your faith? Why? Why are you in this
25:49place of giving up on what is possible
25:52on what's on the other side of faith?
25:55Don't you know that you're called? Don't
25:56you know that you're called to influence
25:59people? Don't you know that you are
26:01called to serve? That you're called to
26:03build,
26:05that you're called to lead, that you're
26:07called to dream. The cave may be your
26:11temporary place of recovery, but it
26:14cannot become your permanent residence.
26:19>> It cannot.
26:21Number five,
26:23sometimes
26:25God doesn't act,
26:28he speaks.
26:31>> God told Elijah, he says, "Go out."
26:34Watch this. Go out on the mountain in
26:37the presence of the Lord. This this is
26:39amazing. God, he said then then then he
26:42sent a powerful wind and the Bible says
26:44but God was not in the wind. God was not
26:47because listen sometimes God will put
26:49you out there. Watch this. He'll put you
26:51out there and something will come to
26:54blow you away. And and and what God is
26:57saying I I I I didn't cause that.
27:01I just allowed it. I allow the enemy to
27:05do it but I'm not the one who did it.
27:08Sometimes the fire and the attack he
27:11puts you through, God will say just like
27:14Job when when when God went to the devil
27:17and says, "Have you tested Job? Have you
27:19tested?" God permitted it. God permitted
27:21it, but it wasn't God who actually
27:24performed the test. Sometimes you need
27:26to understand that God will back away
27:29from your enemy and give you room. Oh, I
27:31got to demonstrate this. Come here
27:33quick. Quick. Something just got into my
27:35head a while ago. Oh God, this is so
27:39good, man. Woo! Glory to God. Here you
27:43are, MAN. AND I KNOW GOD IS ALWAYS IN
27:47FRONT of you. And wherever you go, it's
27:50because YOU'RE WALKING IN THE FOOTSTEPS
27:52OF GOD. BUT THERE COMES A TIME WHERE GOD
27:55WILL SAY, "ALL RIGHT, DEVIL. Come on,
27:59hit him with YOUR BEST SHOT." GOD WILL
28:01REMOVE HIMSELF away from you and YOU
28:04WILL SAY, "OH GOD, WHY HAVE YOU EXPOSED
28:08ME TO THE FIERY DARTS OF THE ENEMY?" BUT
28:12WHAT YOU DON'T KNOW, THOUGH YOU DON'T
28:14SEE GOD ANYMORE INSIDE OF YOU, THE ANGEL
28:17OF THE Lord encamped AROUND ABOUT THOSE
28:22WHO FEAR THE LORD. I'M TELLING YOU, YOU
28:25MAY NOT SEE HIM AROUND YOU, BUT HIS
28:28PRESENCE IS always
28:32around you.
28:36SO GOD ALLOWED
28:39ELIJAH TO GO OUT THERE AND THE WIND
28:41BLEW, BUT GOD SAYS, "I'M NOT IN IT, BUT
28:44YOU'RE STILL COVERED, BOY.
28:46YOU'RE STILL COVERED." AND THE BIBLE
28:49SAYS, "THEN THE EARTHQUAKE CAME AND
28:52SHOOK THE FOUNDATION, BUT GOD WAS NOT IN
28:55THE EARTHQUAKE." I'M TELLING YOU, GOD
28:58TOLD ME TO TELL SOMEBODY HERE TODAY THAT
29:01THINGS AROUND YOU MIGHT BE SHAKEN
29:04MOVING, but you CANNOT BE MOVED. YOU
29:08SHALL NOT BE MOVED BECAUSE YOU ARE
29:10PLANTED LIKE A TREE.
29:14Oh my God.
29:17HIT THREE PEOPLE AND TELL THEM YOU
29:19CANNOT BE MOVED. GOD [screaming]
29:21IS COVERING YOU.
29:26You can't be moved. You can't be moved.
29:28I don't care WHAT THEY'RE TRYING TO DO
29:30TO YOU. GOD'S GOT YOU PLANTED. AND WHERE
29:33HE PLANTED YOU, NOBODY, NO SYSTEM, NO
29:38MAN, NO WOMAN CAN, OH, NOBODY CAN MOVE
29:42YOU.
29:45SO LET THE EARTHQUAKE COME. LET THE
29:48EARTHQUAKE COME. LET IT COME. BUT IT
29:51CANNOT MOVE YOU. AND THEN THE BIBLE SAYS
29:53THEN COMES THE FIRE BECAUSE THE WIND
29:56couldn't do it. The earthquake COULDN'T
29:58DO IT. AND THE FIRE SOMETIMES THE DEVIL
30:01WILL COME with some things in YOUR LIFE
30:05TO BURN OUT THE BLESSINGS OF GOD IN YOUR
30:08LIFE. AND THE BIBLE SAYS GOD WAS NOT IN
30:10THE FIRE BUT AFTER THE FIRE. SOMETIMES
30:14YOU GOT TO GO THROUGH THE FIRE.
30:18Oh God.
30:20AND IT'S IN THE FIRE. GOD SAYS, "NOW
30:23DEVIL, ENOUGH IS ENOUGH.
30:28SHOOT HIM WITH YOUR BEST SHOT. BUT THIS
30:31TIME, I'M GOING TO BLOCK HIM THIS TIME.
30:34THIS TIME I GOT A WORD FOR MY MAN.
30:43WOO! GLORY, GLORY, GLORY. [cheering]
30:51>> AFTER THE FIRE CAME,
30:55>> after the devil DID EVERYTHING, AFTER
30:57ALL THE STUFF HE BEEN THROUGH,
31:00>> God says, "All right,
31:02>> shh,
31:05>> wind, stop.
31:09>> Be quiet, Earth.
31:16fire cease.
31:21>> Now I need to talk to him.
31:25Could it be [clears throat] God made you
31:27go through hell and back
31:31to bring you to a place
31:34where he'll say to you,
31:37"You seen the wind?
31:40You felt the earthquake.
31:42>> Oh, you've been through the fire.
31:45>> But let me talk to you now.
31:48>> What are you doing here?
31:51It's time to move to a higher place in
31:55me. Somebody ought to give God praise.
31:57Thank you, sir.
32:03Some of you, YOU DON'T NEED ANOTHER
32:05MIRACLE. YOU DON'T NEED ANOTHER SIGN.
32:07YOU DON'T NEED ANOTHER CONFIRMATION. NOT
32:09ANOTHER PROPHETIC WORD. ALL YOU NEED TO
32:13DO IS BE STILL AND KNOW THAT [screaming]
32:16GOD IS WITH YOU.
32:20Be still and listen. Psalm 46:10 says,
32:24"Be still and know that I am God."
32:28Sometimes you've got to turn down the
32:33noise,
32:35>> the noise of your critics
32:37so you can hear the voice of your
32:39creator.
32:42>> Everybody's opinion [clears throat]
32:44cannot have equal access to your spirit.
32:49You cannot fulfill God's purpose while
32:52constantly adjusting your life according
32:56to people's opinions and the the the
32:59threats of the devil.
33:02This one woman,
33:05Jezebel,
33:08I'm going to kill you the same way I
33:11kill all of these prophets.
33:13And this man
33:16concluded if she killed all of them
33:18prophets, she gonna kill me too.
33:23>> Which leads me to the last one. Number
33:24six.
33:27Don't think that you are the only one
33:31going through an attack.
33:37You'll be shocked if everybody
33:41>> would share with you
33:43what they're going through
33:46>> just because you see them look
33:49externally well
33:52>> and successful.
33:54It's just that some of us don't wear our
33:57problems.
34:04I got to move on. God asked Elijah
34:06again, "What are you doing here?" Second
34:08time, "What are you doing here?"
34:11Then he said, "I have been very zealous
34:13of the Lord God Almighty." Watch this.
34:16Now listen to this. Now I am I am the
34:20only one left.
34:23And now they're trying to kill me.
34:24Notice his perspective here. It says, "I
34:27am the only one." Which was a lie.
34:31Read the text. It was a lie. He was not
34:35the only one. Because that's what
34:37discouragement does. Discouragement can
34:39cause you to exaggerate your situation
34:43and make you think you are the only one
34:46dealing with rejections and threats and
34:50isolation. So be very careful when the
34:53devil tells you, "Nobody understands.
34:56Nobody cares.
34:58Everybody's against you. Nothing is
35:00working for you.
35:03You're the only one trying. But that's a
35:05lie. There are other people in this
35:08room, other people screaming who can
35:10tell you the same thing. Nobody
35:11understands them.
35:14Nobody understands them. There are other
35:16people against them. Later, God tells
35:18Elijah, he says, "Wait a minute. That's
35:20not true. There are 7,000 other people
35:24in Israel.
35:26So be careful. Those of you sanctified,
35:28Holy Ghost fil, firebaptized believers
35:31who think you're the only one
35:35>> hearing from God.
35:38>> That you're only the only true Christian
35:41left left alive. You're the only one God
35:43is using or you're the only one going
35:46through an attack of the enemy. God had
35:49to say to him, "No, there are 7,000
35:52people in Israel who did not bow to
35:56Baal." So wait a minute, Elijah, I know
35:58you're special and you think you're
36:00special, but you're not the only one.
36:07>> There were thousand more, thousands, I
36:09should said more, who were serving God
36:12and remaining faithful. So be careful
36:14about reaching conclusion that that that
36:16that you're the only one that's under
36:19attack. Your feelings may be real, but
36:22your feelings don't always tell you the
36:24whole truth
36:26>> and the entire plan of God for your
36:29life.
36:30Now it gets to verse 15, and this is
36:33where I close.
36:35I just walked you through an entire
36:39chapter 18 and 19.
36:44This is where the meat of the message
36:45comes.
36:47Verse 15.
36:50I love God's response.
36:53God doesn't spend the rest of the
36:54chapter, watch this, discussing Jezebel.
36:59I got to say it again.
37:01Elijah is in his dilemma. God didn't
37:04spend the rest of the chapter discussing
37:06Jezebel.
37:08I wonder who in this room this morning
37:11who is streaming spending the rest of
37:13your life
37:15talking about people who are who are
37:17literally totally irrelevant to God.
37:22>> Why are you giving people so much
37:24credit?
37:26>> Yeah, the woman said she was going to
37:28kill him. Had a track record of killing
37:32other prophets before. But notice when
37:34God met this man of God in the cave, he
37:38never said anything about Jezebel. Some
37:41of you want to have a conversation with
37:44God about your enemies. And God is like,
37:46"Are you kidding me?"
37:51>> GOD DOESN'T SPEND THE REST OF THE
37:53CHAPTER TALKING ABOUT, watch this, the
37:55critics of Elijah.
37:59He doesn't spend the rest of the chapter
38:00analyzing even Elijah's feelings.
38:04All God said to him, and I close with
38:07this man,
38:09look, we read it. Go back
38:14the way you can. What are you doing
38:17here?
38:20Who told you to run
38:23from an assignment I gave you?
38:27What are you doing here?
38:30I'm sorry, Elijah. Now that you're here,
38:34you got to go back.
38:39That's hard.
38:42Get out OF THE CAVE, ELIJAH. THERE'S
38:44STILL WORK FOR YOU TO DO,
38:47>> still people for you to impact,
38:50>> still leaders to anoint,
38:52>> STILL PURPOSE IN YOUR LIFE. THERE'S
38:54STILL AN assignment
38:56with your name on it. Go back not to
38:59dysfunction, not to toxic relationships,
39:02not into old habits, but go back and
39:06reclaim your faith, reclaim your
39:09courage,
39:10reclaim your passion,
39:13GO BACK AND RECLAIM YOUR DREAM, and
39:16reclaim your fire.
39:19GOD TOLD HIM, "GO BACK THE WAY YOU CAME.
39:24and go to the desert of Damascus.
39:28What is Damascus? It represents the next
39:31assignment.
39:33Somebody listening to me today
39:37is waiting
39:40to go
39:42to their next Damascus assignment.
39:46There's another business waiting for
39:47you.
39:49There's another opportunity waiting for
39:51you. Another
39:54ministry assignment waiting for you.
39:56Another idea waiting for you. Another
39:59level of personal development
40:03waiting for you. But you will never
40:06reach Damascus
40:08if you decide to spend the rest of your
40:11life living in a cave.
40:15Depression
40:17and isolation.
40:19So hear me clearly today.
40:22Never give people the power
40:26to make you run away
40:28or walk away
40:31from your God-given purpose.
40:34>> Never.
40:35If God called you, criticism cannot
40:38cancel you.
40:39>> If God anointed you, rejection cannot
40:41disqualify you. If God assigned you,
40:44exhaustion does not mean the assignment
40:48is over.
40:50People may misunderstand you. People may
40:53criticize you. People may reject you.
40:55People uh uh may even try to destroy
40:59your reputation. But never confuse
41:01people's rejections
41:04with God's.
41:06Never.
41:08Though this man of God was threatened,
41:11God was always with him. So here's the
41:13question I want to ask all of you again.
41:17What are you doing here? here represents
41:20where you are.
41:23What are you doing there?
41:30What are you doing in the cave of
41:33discouragement and fear?
41:36Living beneath your potential.
41:39Allowing criticism to silence you.
41:43Allowing exhaustion to stop you.
41:47allowing disappointment to define you.
41:51Allowing someone's opinion
41:55to become your identity.
41:59Just get up, man.
42:01Get up.
42:03Go eat, rest,
42:07and listen to the whisper of God's
42:09voice.
42:10Listen to the whisper.
42:13I'm going to do something
42:16that I want those of you really felt in
42:21your heart that man, God tailored this
42:24message for me.
42:27There's a Let me pull it out.
42:31I put together
42:33this declaration
42:39that I I I want you to read over your
42:43life for the rest of this year.
42:46God sent me to tell somebody today,
42:50"The enemy is going to wear you out for
42:54the rest of this year because he don't
42:56want you to finish strong."
42:58There's a QR code I asked them to put up
43:01and you will personally have this
43:03declaration.
43:05I want you to
43:07download it, screenshot it, and for the
43:11rest of this year, those of you are
43:13streaming, I want you to declare this
43:15over your life. [snorts]
43:18You have to finish this year strong.
43:23Don't let the devil push you into a cave
43:26of isolation and depression. And the
43:29declaration says, "I will not allow
43:31criticism to silence me. I will not
43:33allow exhaustion to stop me. I will not
43:36allow discouragement to define me. I
43:39will not allow fear to relocate me from
43:43my assignment. I am getting out of the
43:47cave. I am going back to my assignment.
43:50I am pursuing my God-given dreams. I am
43:53reignited my passion
43:56and I will become everything that God's
43:58created me to be. It's time to rise and
44:02go and fulfill my God-given purpose on
44:05the earth.
44:06I don't know who this word was for this
44:08morning,
44:10but before I let you go, I feel in my
44:13heart that somebody walked through these
44:16doors. Somebody logged on this morning
44:19and you are just like Elijah.
44:25Just like Elijah.
44:27I must pray for you this morning. I have
44:31to I have to pray for you this morning.
44:35So right in your seat, right in the
44:38comfort of your home, your office, your
44:40workplace, in your car,
44:43I command you to come out of your cave.
44:47And if you're willing to leave that
44:49place of depression, isolation, I want
44:52you to come right here. I got to pray
44:54for you before I let you go this
44:55morning. Whoever you are,
44:59whoever you are, come on, move quickly.
45:02Don't focus on nobody else.
45:05This is between you and God now.
45:08Come on. Between you and God now.
45:10Between you and God now.
45:13Come on.
45:15Come on, Elijah.
45:17What are you doing here?
45:21This is the last day.
45:24You'll allow the enemy to rob you of
45:27what God has assigned you to do. Come
45:29on.
45:31Come on. Sing [music] it. Sing it. Sing
45:33it. Come on. Let me close. [singing]