Samuel Rodriguez - Same God, Same Word, Different Outcome
Somebody shout greater things. High five your neighbor and tell them greater things. The other neighbor that doesn't want you to high five them. High five that neighbor and tell them greater things. Greater things, greater things, we're about to see greater things. You may be seated. We're about to see greater things, we're about to see greater things. We are about to see greater things. We are about to see greater things. We are about to see greater things. We are about to see the glory of Jesus, the glory of God. Let me give you something real quick here. Luke 5:6 open that up quickly, on your iPhone and if you're not born again, you're android quickly right now please. Oh, I'm just kidding, barely born again. Luke 5:6, barely, barely, barely. Luke 5:6. We're gonna have a couple of individuals illustrate this. What's your name buddy?
Nick: Nick.
Samuel Rodriguez: Hi, Nick. Hi, how are you?
Nick: Fantastic.
Samuel Rodriguez: You're fantastic. Nick is so cool. Nick, Nick cool man. This is Jason. Jason oversees security for our campuses in California. Right after 9/11 we just you know commemorated 20 years right after that he joined our armed forces. He became an alpha team leader in Afghanistan and Iraq back in the early 2000's. Jason fought so you and I could have the freedom to preach that Jesus is the only way. In these the United States of America. That's the true captain America here, a real avenger. We were at a conference a few months ago in chi-town, and I was speaking at a COGIC Conference and in that conference right before I just went just a great strong prophetic flow and God gave Jason again was a, actually he was just recently he actually was involved in helping evacuate American citizens from Afghanistan bringing them back home so.
So, he's still involved but he goes with me for a conference, and he helps me illustrate sermons and helps me out as my assistant. And man, we went to a conference all of a sudden, he gets a word, a word about just pretty powerful on how he's gonna head back to Iraq and he's gonna head back to Afghanistan, but this time with a different mission and the mission is to reap a harvest of souls in those respective countries. So, I'm believing that. He loves Jesus, he's filled with the Holy Spirit, and this is what happen when you love Jesus, you're full of God's spirit, and you have steroids. Let's continue with the Word of God here quickly please. I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Creatine. It's all by faith let's see what happens, yeah creatine.
Luke 5:6: "When they had done this," this is Jesus his introduction to his disciples, this is the way they met. This is pretty amazing, watch this. "When they had done this, they enclosed a great quantity of fish," you know the story they were fishing caught nothing Jesus looks at 'em and says, "Hey guys what are you guys doing"? "We're fishing. We caught, we're fishing all night, we haven't caught". And Jesus said, "You caught nothing, huh? Well cast your net to the right". And they did, this is the first encounter. "When they had done this, they enclosed a great quantity of fish, and their nets began to break". Here it is, which is pretty interesting to me. Jesus tells them to do something, they did and yet this was the outcome. Hmm. Three and a half years later, same group of men, same setting, same production and this is what happens three and a half years later.
John 21:11 "So Simon Peter went aboard and dragged a net, there were 153 large fish and yet the net did not break". Now y'all missed it. Same God, same Jesus, he gives it the same identical word to the same group of people, and yet a different outcome. Same God, same word, different outcome. So, what's the subject matter? What has the Spirit of God placed in me for the next 21 minutes and 11 seconds? Here's the subject matter. There's a prophetic undergirding to this, for all the apostles, pastors and leaders for everyone in his house. This time the net will not break. There are things that broke in your life, in your ministry, in your calling, in your destiny, in your family, in your surroundings, in your community, in your nations.
There are things that were attempted before that broke for whatever reason. The lack of maturity, the lack of time, the lack of preparation, the lack of resourcing. You did not have the spiritual, the cognitive bandwidth, the capacity to manage the process. But here's the word of the Lord and he affirmed it when I was in my hotel, right here coming back. This time the net will not break. I'm here to tell you put a smile on your face. The things that broke before will not break again. Somebody repeat after me: this time... The net will not break.
Now, now here's the story John 21, couple of enclosures here. Number one is set the net as your default setting. Your default settings will define your recovery. Here it is, "Peter tell them I'm going fishing," you know his story, this is post resurrection. There is a bit of confusion, a bit of chaos within the team, and we have Peter, saying "I'm going fishing". And then his disciples, the disciples will go with you, which by the way speaks accolades to the idea of charismatic leadership. Peter at this moment had yet to be restored to ministry. This happens just a few verses down. He has yet to be fully restored at the iconic, "Do you love me, Peter"? Is about to take place, it has yet to take place. Yet Peter is so charismatic that Peter is offering, "I'm going back to doing what I was doing before, before Jesus met me". And the rest of the disciples said we're going with you.
So, it's default settings on your smart phone, on your laptop computer, in your vehicle, in your appliances. We have what is known as default settings. Default settings refer to the original programmed operational sets. If there's a virus, if something crashes you can always go back. The disciples went back to doing what they were doing before they met Jesus. They went back to the default setting. The disciples went back to doing what they were doing before they met Jesus, earning an income, back to their careers. The disciples went back to doing what they were doing before they met Jesus. And what did they catch? And that's the point. They caught what? They went back and caught what?
And this is what happens when we go back. This is what happens when we go back. We can go back. Individually and corporately, we can go back and this obsessive, compulsive, inclination to say we wanna go back to what we had before COVID. I don't wanna go back to what we had before COVID. Well, that was normal and that was normal keep me abnormal. I don't wanna go back to that. I wanna step into something greater, something more powerful, something more anointed, something more glorious. There's nothing back there. There's nothing when you go back. Nothing when you look back. Nothing when you think back. Nothing when you speak back. Nothing when you text back. Nothing when you search back. Nothing when you Google back. Nothing when you swipe back.
Hmm, there's nothing back there. There's nothing of any significant value when you go back to what you were doing before you met Jesus. There's nothing in that past behavior. Nothing in that previous relationship. Nothing at the old job. Nothing in the old way of thinking. Nothing in the old way of doing church and ministry. If God took you out of that, why would you wanna go back? It's time to change your default setting. It's time to change it to faith in Christ and the faith of Christ. "Forget what happened long ago don't think about the past", Isaiah 43:18: "Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead", Philippians 3:13.
So, here's the word, don't go there. Don't think there, don't speak there, don't live there, don't go back. And I mean even as leaders we can't go back to the old wine skin. We can't go back to the old modus operandi. The wine never changes but the wine skin does. So, we need we need to be careful, we don't wanna go back to that. We're about to step into greater things. And greater things require us to move forward. Matter a fact raise your hand repeat after me: I'm not going back. Say it like you actually believe it. Say: "I'm not going back". Repeat after me: "I'm not going back to Egypt, I'm not going back to the old me. I'm not going back to being a victim. I'm not going back to defeat. I'm not going back to unbelief and unforgiveness. I'm not going back to tolerating Jezebel. As for me and my house, as for me and my house. We are going forward in the name of Jesus. We're moving forward going forward".
Why? Because you are not where you are. You are not how you are. You are not what others did to you. And get over yourself you are not what you did to yourself. You are who God says you are. You are what God says you are. And it's not about where you are in life it's about who you are in Christ. And when you know who you are in Christ you will never be held back by where you are in life. Your identity in Christ will always bring an end to your captivity in life. It's a different setting. Ephesians 2:10: "We are his workmanship, created in Christ for good works, which God prepared beforehand". We must move forward. Don't go back. The disciples went back. Don't go back. And by the way don't overthink it it's sometimes the overthinking that impedes the overcoming.
So, do not overthink. Number two your net will determine your catch. Here is a, this is what, the net and they caught, and it broke and somehow, they had three and a half years later, supernatural catch and this time the net did not break. "And at Dawn Jesus was standing there the disciples didn't realize that it was him. He called out to them, 'did you catch anything'? This is John 21 and Jesus shouted, 'throw your net over the starboard side and you'll catch somethin'". A number of realities here, you need something to catch something. You need something to catch, there are people that would like to catch without a rod, without a bait, without a net good luck with that. There are things the Bible states explicitly that you need in order to catch, acquire, activate the other. You need faith to move mountains. You need holiness to see God. You need courage to speak truth. You need to confess Jesus to be saved. You need the blood of the lamb to overcome. You need to pray for God's will to be done and you need love to change the world.
There are things you need faith is a net, praise is a net, worship is a net, the Word of God is a net, the name of Jesus is a net. And there is we must be fully committed you need faith to catch favor. To having a net in order to catch the harvest that's forth coming. Your net will determine your catch. Your faith will determine your future. There is a battle going on right now. The battle is between your mind and your mantle. I will repeat that for section three. The battle is between your mind and your mantle. The battle is between the thoughts in your head and the calling upon your life. The battle is between anxiety and anointing. It is between destiny and depression. The battle is between fear and faith. The battle is between advancing and retreating. The battle is between past memories and future imagination. But praise be to God, the battle has already been won.
Colossians 2:15: "And this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross". 1 Corinthians 15:57: "But thanks be to God again, he gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus". The battle has already been won. The Holy Spirit according to the apostle Paul secures the victory. The battle has already been won. It is the Spirit of God that secure the battle. How can we be certain that this time the net will not break? Because you're not who you used to be. I said you're not who you used to be. Some of you have been through a process in the past months, in the past few years you're not who you used to be.
There are things the enemy was able to get away with three years ago, five years ago, seven years ago, ten years ago. I'm speaking to some people here. There are certain of you there are some things the enemy was able to get away with one year ago. But guess what? You're not who you used to be. Am I preaching to anyone in this house? You don't praise like you used to. You don't pray like you used to. You don't worship like you used to. You don't prophecy like you used to. You don't act like you used to. You don't react like you used to. You're not who you used to be. The work of the spirit in you has changed you radically, it is the Spirit of God that makes certain, the security that this net will not break. It's the Spirit of God. The Spirit of God. "For God has not given us a spirit of fear but of", and? 2 Timothy 1:7.
That right there should be repeated every single day. There is an objective by the enemy to convince us that no matter what happens the net will always break. There's an attempt by the enemy to confuse people and to convince people about the certainty of the net. Oh, no matter what you do it's gonna inevitably break. But we need to rise up with the certainty that we're about to catch what we've never caught before. We are about to catch what we've never caught before. I'm prophesying as least 12 people right now. You are about to catch in your life what you've never caught before in your life and this time it will not break. This time your marriage will not break. This time your ministry will not break. This time your surroundings will not break. And it is the Spirit of God that guarantees, and for all of you I just wanna remind you I know you're fully cognizant of this fact.
But the Holy Spirit is not a denomination. The Holy Spirit is not a network. The Holy Spirit is not an emotion. The Holy Spirit is not an experience. The Holy Spirit is not a moment. With great due difference the Holy Spirit is not a conference or a service, an ideology, a Philosophy or an app. The Holy Spirit is the most powerful person and force on planet earth today. I don't know if you understand that. When we are people truly people driven by the spirit, "When we're empowered by that spirit" acts 1:8. "Emancipated by that spirit" 2 Corinthians 3:17. "Driven by that spirit," Galatians 5:16. "Filled with that spirit," Ephesians 5:18. "When we are temple of that spirit". 1 Corinthians 3:16. The net cannot and will not break. We need more Holy Spirit people to rise up.
I'm speaking prophetically now, and I know it's not the prophetic, apostles God would forgive me for crossing the line but here it is. We are about to see Holy Spirit people in Washington. We are about to see Holy Spirit people rise up, in silicon valley. We are about to see Holy Spirit people in Hollywood. We are about to see tech platforms emerge constructed by Holy Spirit people. Are you with me right now? People of the spirit are people whose nets do not break. When I was here in April, I made a declaration, and it was a little poignant it was a little bit tough it wasn't intentional to be tough, but it did it's, yeah, and we made it in April, so I even told the camera person to give me a tight shot and I just it's worth repeating and I'm gonna try to do it in a more subliminal way this time.
Camera man please give me a tight shot. I'll do it nicer this time. So many restrictions, so many order, so many rules. I'm smiling this time. I'm gonna do it differently very nuance and whimsical this time. Permit me to repeat nicely. What we stated in April. There's not an executive order, a Supreme Court decision, a legislative initiative, a law or a social media canceling campaign that has the power to stop God's spirit from moving upon the face of the earth. You can't cancel the Holy Spirit. I said you can't cancel the Holy Spirit. Voice of the apostles you can't de-platform the Holy Spirit. You can't stop the Holy Spirit. Google can't stop him. Facebook can't stop him. Instagram can't stop him. Big tech cannot stop him. Governments cannot stop the Spirit of God from moving.
If you believe it praise like you have that spirit. Shout like you have that spirit. Worship like you have that spirit. The net will not break if we prepare now for the nets. They went out, things had changed three and a half years same God, same word, different outcome. Oh boy, when you're full of that spirit, when you walk in the promises, when you adhere to his word. What you do now will determine what you see next and your now is not your next.
Here it comes, let me repeat that your now is not your next. What you build in the now will determine what you inhabit in the next. But your now is not your next. Your now is about preparation your next is about revelation. Your now is about sowing your next is about reaping. Your now is the test your next is the testimony. Your now is the battle your next is the breakthrough. Your now is about faith your next is about favor. Your now is about order God is placing your life in order. Your next is about overflow. But repeat after me: my now is not my next. But what I do now will determine what I see next. In the matter a fact: what I say now, what I pray now, what I praise now, what I love now, what I forgive now, what I bind now, what I release now, what I confess now, what I declare now, what I reap now, what I focus on now will determine what I see next.
Did you get that right now? God will send the next your way when your now is ready. When your now is ready. Let me give you a story, about the net not breaking. There was an attempt in mid-early 2000's by a major television network to recruit yours truly and my family for, a secular network, for a television program. Not similar to what we've seen before with some Christian leaders and pastors something completely different, and we were there in the final's stages, but the net wasn't ready. The net wasn't ready. Later on, bout 2011 I was at a church. I was at my church and church planting in California and y'all know the name and somebody came in and whose name you would recognize in this stream of Christian-dom. And came in there, it's a female and she came in and said, "Sammy, God has a word for you and the word is Hollywood".
Now again the net already broke for me in Hollywood so I'm thinking you missed it, like, wow, if this is accurate which probably it is, but I don't know if it's now, 30, 50 years from now maybe it's my grandkids, sometimes it's multigenerational, I don't know. But, and then a little somethin' somethin' happened like I had no affinity, no connection and then all of a sudden, I read coming back I was preaching at a church in Texas. And coming out of my American airlines flight I saw a story about a woman who had prayed her son back to life. I read the story on an rss feed before there was WI-FI on every flight. So, they shut the door I just read the portion where it says boy dies, St. Louis dispatch, boy dies mom comes in says, makes prayer, loud prayer, son comes back to life.
I didn't know what she was I didn't know if she was Mormon, adventist, Jehovah witness, Starbucks drinker I had no idea what she was. But on Sunday I repeated what I read verbatim and said mama prays, son comes back to life. I should've done my due diligence 'cause you have no idea who she prayed to what God, what thing right? But it was a cute story, not knowing like the details. Then I went on my television program on TBN and started repeating the story just based on the, then I found out she was a Christian but not the full details.
So, I thought I had the permission, and I get this weird inbox from my direct message from this lady who says, "Pastor Sam, I'm one of your followers. I love your ministry. I'm the lady you're referencing. I'm the mom that prayed, but your short changing my story". And I went, "What do you mean, ma'am"? "My name is Joyce Smith, my son is John. He's the kid that died. You mentioned on television that he died for 15 minutes: no he didn't". And I went, "Is that wrong? I have to clear that, and I'm obsessed with integrity, oh man, let me go back". And she goes, "No, no, no. He was dead for one hour and eight minutes". And that's when I said, "Ma'am, not that I'm doubting you, but can you prove this? Is this verifiable? Would the doctors sign off"? She went, "Which doctor you wanna talk to"?
The moment she gave me like the evidence, the Spirit of God hit me and said I told you Hollywood. And I went yeah, yeah, I get you told me Hollywood, but God said no, no, this is it. I go what this is it? Samuel, your gonna make that story into a movie. And I went, who in the world, in Hollywood? And I mean, Hollywood not like Christian companies, God bless pure flix, not like pure flix, the Kendrick brothers, God bless 'em, not that. But God said Hollywood, secular Hollywood. Who in secular Hollywood is gonna make a movie about the power of God? Who? So, all of sudden God said, you're making it into a movie. So, I called the lady up and I said, "Ma'am, this gonna sound ridiculous to you. You know me as a preacher, but let me introduce you to your new producer". And she went, "What? She goes yeah, I'ma make your story into a movie". She goes, "You must be really well connected in", and I went, "In other circles, I am, in Hollywood... Let's just say it's all by faith".