Samuel Rodriguez - Don't Trip
I just wanna lay out what the Spirit... it's my assignment, when I come to a church for the first time to unleash a word that God place in my spirit that I've written about extensively. And it speaks to our current reality, and it all harbors around the simple notion, and permit me to stretch this a bit as it pertains to modern day contextualization. And so, in essence, what took place some years ago, approximately 2800 years ago, in essence, Jezebel, the famous Jezebel, she tweeted. She did, Jezebel tweeted. And Jezebel's tweet was real simple. It's from 1 Kings 19:2. Do you have the tweet back there, media team? Jezebel sent this message to... That was it. That's it, she actually said that.
Look at the handle, "Jezzy". "In 24 hours, hey, Elijah, in 24 hours, you will die". Let me biblically substantiate it. 1 Kings 19:2. Jezebel sent this message to Elijah, "May the God strike me and even kill me, if by this time tomorrow, 24 hours, I haven't killed you as you killed them". She tweeted, "In 24 hours, you will die". You have to juxtapose that with 2 Kings 2:11. "As they were walking along and talking, suddenly a chariot of fire appeared, drawn by horses of fire. It drove between the two men," referencing Elijah and Elisha, "Separating them, and Elijah was carried by a whirlwind into heaven". I wanna speak to you briefly on the subject matter of, "Jezebel's tweet: the threat versus the testimony". The sub-text is this, "When heaven starts it, hell cannot stop it".
When heaven starts it, hell cannot stop it. Jezebel made a threat. Elijah carried a mantle. Let me repeat that for the hearing impaired. Jezebel made a threat. Elijah carried a mantle. On one side we have the threat, on the other side we have the testimony. The testimony will always be greater than the threat, which means what? What God has placed upon you will always be greater than anything hell can place in front of you. Now, if you look at this reality, because we live currently in 2023, our current spiritual landscape smells like, looks like, walks like, talks like, the time of Elijah and Elisha, of Ahab and Jezebel. And if we are to juxtapose Jezebel's tweet, we have to put it right next to the mantle that was upon the prophet Elijah.
So, I am coming in agreement, and I'm not drinking the Kool-Aid. When they write about this time in history, I'm totally convinced that we will not be writing about a time where the spirit of Jezebel, and Ahab, and Baal reigned without any limitations. There is a generation of Elijahs and Elishas rising up that are about to occupy space. Ladies and gentleman, boys and girls, and other terms that I cannot make in California, listen to me carefully, we are about to see the emergence of a generation of Elijahs and Elisha that are about to shift America towards righteousness and justice. But it begins with the mantle of the spirit. Somebody say, "Mantle of the spirit". If you're taking any notes and good luck with that, it begins with the mantle of the spirit. "The power of the Lord," the Spirit of God, "Came on Elijah," 1 Kings 18:46.
This hour, right now, this current landscape, really, in American and around the world speaks to the fact that we're living in a cuckoo for coco puffs season. Which means, what? We cannot deny the following. And here's the story, Ahab was a mucho malo hombre, and the spirit of Ahab is alive and well right now in this state, in this city, in America, robbing love, killing joy, destroying peace. Spiritually speaking, Ahab represents forces with access and authority, attempting to prompt us to sacrifice truth on the altar of expediency. The spirit of Ahab is alive and well in America and around the world today. According to 1 Kings 16:34, "Ahab," this crazy king, "Gave permission for the rebuilding of the walls of Jericho".
Let me digress here. Never before, did a king ever have the audacity to ever attempt to rebuild something that God knocked down. This king came along and said, "I am giving you permission to rebuild the walls of Jericho". That spirit is alive in America today. There is a spirit that is attempting to rebuild walls of separation that kept our nation apart for so many years. The spirit of Ahab is the spirit that wants to in perpetuity just rebuild walls that alienate communities, that impede unity. And I'm gon' get in trouble now, I may not get invited. If not, pastor Joe is still my favorite pastor on the planet. So, here it is. It is a spirit that doubles down on every single vestige of discord and division, and strife, and exacerbates the chasm between communities. And that's happening in America right now.
What we need is a push back from the generation of Elijah and Elisha, which means what? That spirit of Ahab is trying to divide us in perpetuity based on the color of our skin. And the best push back is for us to remind everyone, there is no such thing as a black church, a white church, a brown church, a yellow church. There's only one church, it is the church of Jesus, and the gates of hell will not prevail against the church of Jesus Christ. And that church is alive and well in st. Louis, Missouri, right here, right now. And that's why this church has a prophetic mandate to literally confront the spirit of Ahab in the powerful name of Jesus. It is that church. Oh, Jezebel was his wife, and she was nasty on steroids.
The spirit of Jezebel is alive and well, persecuting, prosecuting, and attempting to silence the children of the cross. It represents the manipulative, sexually coercive, perverse, corrupt, cultural spirit with all intentionality to kill prophetic voices, to silence truth, and construct Asherah poles, in order to marginalize the oracles of righteousness in justice. A spirit that exploits the moments in our lives when we are exhausted. And if you tell me, "Oh, that's Old Testament, pastor Sam". Read revelation 2:20, "This one thing I have against you, you have tolerated the spirit of Jezebel". Oh boy, the spirit of... boy, are we streaming? Are we? Oh, great.
Here we go again. The spirit of Baal is alive and well. That spirit... Do your biblical due diligence, demands that truth and children, be sacrificed on the altar of the false. It is the spirit coming after our children and our children's children. No conspiracy, no hyperbole, like never before, Baal is coming after our children. Man, I'm gon' get in trouble. We need a church in the name of Jesus that dares confront every spirit coming after our children. Let a church have the audacity, the faith, the wherewithal, to look at every lie of the enemy, every lie of indoctrination regarding race and gender and we just need a church to rise up and say, "Get your hands off our children, in the name of Jesus". Speak with spiritual authority.
In the last days, men and women, will become lovers of themselves. We call that narcissism, and some accounts on Instagram. I mean, these things are out there. In the last days, men and women, will leave their natural desires. We call that the state of California. So, I 'm not, I mean, famines, and wars, and rumors of wars, I get it. But there is a last day promise, there is a last day promise that is so powerful, it appears both in the Old Testament and the new. Joel 2:28, Acts 2:17. "In the last days," praise be God. That's what puts a smile on my face. That's what prompted me to wake up at 4 o'clock in the morning and catch a flight to be with you today. "In the last days," he never said, "I might, I may, I will consider". No, he said, "I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh".
Which means, what? Get ready, twin rivers, we are about to see more people saved than ever before, we are about see more people come to Jesus as Lord and Savior than ever before. If you believe it, praise like you actually believe it. We are about to see our prodigal sons and daughters come back home. We are about to see the glory of Jesus shine in you, with you, for you, and through you. And even this, can you come in agreement with me? In 2023, more people will come to Christ as Lord and Savior through your testimony than all your previous years combined. Amen? "In the last days", the most powerful spirit is not the spirit of Ahab, Jezebel or Baal. The most powerful spirit in this city, in this state, in America, and around the world is still the Holy Spirit of Almighty God. It's still the Holy Spirit. And when that spirit is present, there is power, Acts 1:8.
There is freedom, 2 Corinthians 3:17. "We are to be driven by that spirit, not by the flesh," Galatians 5:16. "We are to be filled with that spirit, not drunk with wine," Ephesians 5:18. "We are anointed with that spirit," 1 John 2:27. "For ye have received the anointing, the Holy Spirit who lives inside of you". We are defined by that spirit. Romans 8:11, "The same spirit that raised Jesus from the dead, lives inside of you". Oh, ho-ho. And that spirit cannot be, and will not be stopped. One more time, cannot and will not be stopped. Let me give you a quick little story on that. So, in the state of California, it's not this state, the state of California during COVID, and I'm not getting political here. God forbid. But it is, and you could do your Google due diligence.
In the middle of COVID, in California, things were different. Like, we weren't allowed to have any church. We couldn't meet. But then, the governor, and I'm not saying anything disparagingly 'cause we're streaming. Bless his heart. So he issued an executive decree. Never done before in American history. Not only were we not allowed to have church and gather, that's like stating the obvious in California. Yes, we were not essential, all of that. But then, he went to the next level and said, "In your home, in your home", go ahead, Google it. "By executive decree, you are not allowed to have any sort of worship expression". So, we were forbidden by executive fiat in the state of California. Here are the words, Google it. "We were not allowed to sing, worship, praise or chant".
It's the chanting part that killed the Rodriguezes, 'cause every morning we wake up... Ah! And that part killed us, 'cause we love to chant. That's what we do. So, I mean, no one, I mean, well, who, we weren't allowed to gather and do any of that. Not that anybody actually listened, but that was an executive... That's why I wanna make it clear and... Camera man, give me a tight shot. There's not an executive order, a Supreme Court decision, a presidential decree, a legislative initiative, a social media campaign, that will ever have the power to stop God's Holy Spirit from moving. "For it's not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit," says the Lord. Zechariah 4:6. If you have that spirit, shout like you have that spirit. Praise like you have that spirit. Live like you have that spirit. Pray like you have that spirit. Love like you have that spirit. Ah-ha-ha! Ooh. Real quick.
Number two, and I know some of y'all are thinking, "Oh, he speaks Californian". Number two, the mantle of drought, fire, and rain. That mantle upon the prophet Elijah that we're juxtaposing right next to Jezebel's threat, was not just a mantle of the spirit, it is the mantle of drought, fire, and rain. 1 Kings 17 and 18. 1 Kings 1. "He carried that mantle when he exercised holy authority and unleashed a drought". In 1838, he prayed down fire. In 1841, he proclaimed rain. It's drought, fire, and rain. Somebody repeat, "Drought, fire, and rain". I don't wanna become presumptuous. I don't wanna assume anything. If you've been through at least one major drought in the past five years, relationally, financially, spiritually, mentally. If you've been through at least one measurable drought in your life, raise one hand. At least one. You've been through a couple of major moments where things, nothing was growing, and you're looking around going like, "What's going on here"? Like, "What you talking about, Willis"?
If you've been through that season, anybody, like over 40 just laughed. Everybody under 30 went, "Who's Willis? Is it one of the gospels"? Yeah, it's the gospel of Willis. Yes. If you've been through a couple of major droughts, raise both hands. Seriously, if you've been through so many droughts that you lost count, raise both hands and a foot. Alright, alright. If you've been through so many droughts that if I go on my iPhone right now and I Google the word "Drought", automatically the algorithm will take me to your Instagram account. We all go through droughts. There are seasons in our respective lives where nothing is growing. Nothing is growing. Always remembering that the God of the process is the God of the outcome. But there are people that wanna jump from drought to rain, which is the chronological sequence outlying the scripture both in the old and in the new.
There are people that wanna jump from drought to rain without ever going through the fire. We can't get to the rain without going through the fire. The fire season is this interesting season in our corresponding journeys. It's a season of... And the fire, by the way, for all the old-school, charismatic, spirit-empowered, Pentecostal, any other nomenclature and descriptor you wanna apply, listen to me carefully, the fire of God does not make you dance. The fire of God makes you get on your knees in repentance. The fire of God is a sanctifying fire. It is a purifying fire. Matthew 3:11 fire. It is the season where God, in a season, more than a season. It is a process where God says, "Here it is. I'mma purge stuff from inside of you".
And on many occasions, God will remove people from around you that would've held back the fulfillment of his purpose in your life. That's the fire season. But I wanna ask one more time, if you've been through the drought, and you've been through the fire, then you should be smiling because the next thing coming your way, and your family's way is nothing less than God's abundant rain. If that's you, open up your mouth and shout, "Here comes the rain". If it's really you, lift up one hand and say, "The rain is coming". There are showers of blessing laid out in Ezekiel 34 and the Book of Acts. It is that refreshing rain of God's spirit that will descend upon you. It is drought, fire, rain.
Number three, it is the mantle that speak... Oh, one note, side note, sidebar, amendment to this. Let's just add it on. Those that prayed with you in the drought, deserve to dance with you in the rain. Little sidebar there. Number three, it is the mantle of speaking truth with love. With this mantle, the prophet came along, and he confronted, one of the greatest moments in scripture. The prophet Elijah, he calls upon the people of Israel to gather on top of the mountain, "This is it, I'm tired of this. Let's do this". 1 Kings 18:21. "Hey, who will you serve? Will you serve Ahab, and Jezebel, and Baal? Or will you serve the God of our fathers"? And the Bible says that, "God's people said nothing". Nothing. That's political correctness. So, they never said, "We're gonna go for Baal. Baal is the man". They stood quiet and said nothing.
Today's complacency is tomorrow's captivity. I'll repeat that. Today's complacency is tomorrow's captivity. Number two, you are what you tolerate. In your family, in your home, in your marriage, in your relationship, in your thoughts, in your health, in your finances, you are what you tolerate. Number three, there is no such animal as comfortable Christianity. Number four, truth must never be sacrificed on the altar of political or cultural expediency. And number five, we have to reconcile our eschatology over missiology, which means what? While we are waiting for Jesus to come down, Jesus is waiting for his church to stand up. We must speak truth with love. Psalm 89:14, gives us a prescription. "Righteousness in justice are the foundation of your throne. truth and love lead the way as attendants".
If all we do is speak love, if all we do preach about love, we're nothing more than California hippies. If all we do is speak truth, we're great mathematicians. But the moment we combine truth with love, when we speak truth in love, with love, for love, then we change the world. That's what Elijah did with the mantle. This mantle descending upon you. So, I am speaking prophetically. And of course, there's a fine line between the prophetic and the pathetic, by the way. And prophetically speaking we're about to just receive a fresh infusion of the Holy Spirit. Yeah, we're about to see some great things happen. We're not drinking the Kool-Aid. Elijah and Elisha will rise up in this generation. That spirit, that anointing. Indeed, Ahab, and Jezebel, and Baal will not have the final word in any of the respective generations, in this auditorium or streaming. But we must speak truth with love. Never sacrificing that truth.
Let me give you a moment real quick. I had the privilege by the grace of God and I wanna tell, your pastor has heard this, on how we got there. When I was about 12, 13 years of age, in the assembly of God church, I'm originally from Pennsylvania. I'm from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, that's why I have a Messianic complex. My parents are not preachers, but we were raised, my mom is actually from but I was raised in an evangelical home, but I doubted everything 'cause I was born with a strong affinity for mathematics and science. I still do. I believe calculus is the language of God, so if you never went beyond algebra, repent. Just simply stated. So, I doubted everything, especially, in a Pentecostal church. I doubted the hype, the hoot, the everything, the whole stuff. You gotta be... I doubted everything.
So, I'm there one day and my mom gave me a choice when I was a kid growing up, different generation now, don't apply this, you may get sued. My mom gave me a choice, "Go to church or die". I chose church. So, I went to church 'cause my mom made me go to church. Really, like, you have no choice. So, I went to church. One day, I'm at church and this guy named Bernie Gillot who I never met before from teen challenge ministry, David Wilkerson's ministry. Rebersburg, Pennsylvania, so, seven people who know what teen challenge is and three who know David Wilkerson, so. So, I'll be at church, this guy comes in for the first time with a choir, "Holy Spirit", this is 1980's. "Holy Spirit, you are welcome in this place. Holy Spirit", then, he stops and says, midstream, he goes, "The Lord is saying there is a Sam, Sammy? There's a young man named Sammy here".
Now, mind you, it was Latino church. If you ever wanna prophesy accurately in a Latino church, all you have to say is this, "God has a word for Jose or Maria". You can't miss. I mean, you just can't miss, right? Like, "Yeah"! That guy, but Sammy was not your normal common sort of thing. Only one Sammy, the other Samuel's my dad. So, my pastor, the church, of course, being so introverted 'cause it's Latino, they're really quiet people. That's racist, but true. So, the church goes... So, that which means, what? So, I go, "Oh, no". Pastor goes, "Sammy, vente".
So, I come up over here. The guy looks at me and says, "Sammy, oh, here's the word of the Lord for you, Sammy. Sammy, you're a boy now. You gon' be a man. God, says, 'you're a man of God. Man of God'". And then, I'm going like, "Oh man, this is not what I believe. If that rapture stuff is real, come Lord Jesus, come". And he begins like, "Everything I'm doing", and I mean everything I'm doing now, everything. Not like generic stuff like, the generic prophecy is, "And the Lord says, 'I will bless you'". "Well, thank you for that... Numbers 6:24 to 26. I'll take that". And it's cool, maybe God wants to affirm the blessing, but it wasn't that detailed. And then, he wraps up and says, "And before I finish, the Lord says, 'you will pray for presidents of the United States of America'".