Samuel Rodriguez - Stop Wearing Saul's Armor
Might as well land it. Let's land this. With your hands raised. This is my last point and minus, let's just, yes, let's just stand with... You are standing. Point three, you're anointed to prove hell wrong by removing Saul's armor. "Then Saul gave David his own armor, a bronze helmet, and a coat of mail. David put it on, strapped the sword over it and took a step or two to see, he had never worn such things before". 1 Samuel 17:38-39, and he said this, "David said, 'i can't go in this'. So, David removed and took of Saul's armor".
This is gonna get a little bit edgy right now, make room for this. This is what the Spirit of God placed on my heart, too many Christians, there's too many people even in the church, find themselves unable to prove hell wrong and overcome the giants in front of them because they're wearing someone else's armor. You can't fight your giant with someone else's anointing. Look at your neighbor and tell 'em, "Get your own". Tell your other neighbor, "Get your own. Get your own". You can't get your breakthrough with someone else's praise. Tell your neighbor, "Get your own". Tell your neighbor, "I can pray for you, I can intercede for you, but I can't praise for you. I can't worship for you".
You can't fulfill your purpose with someone else's promise. You can't live out your destiny with someone else's identity. You have to wear your own armor. Carry your own testimony. We overcome by the blood of the... And the word of our... Revelation 12:11. We know from scripture that Saul, 1 Samuel 15 elevates this, can best be describe as in 21st century, the term would be a narcissist, self-absorbed, self-inflated, self-seeking. So, if we're following the logical continuum of his behavior, I want you to hear me.
David said, "I'm not gon' do this with this. Just get, no, I'm not gonna wear your", why would Saul want David to wear his armor? No, who said it? It wasn't like an act of generosity because 1 Samuel 15 elevates a bio cycle social profile. This man was totally about him. So, if he wanted David to wear it, Saul was, we can easily conclude with biblically substantiated that the reason he want him to wear it was so he can get the credit. You missed it? "If by any chance you do defeat that guy people are gonna end up saying, 'he was wearing my armor'".
Saul wanted the glory. God works differently. God will not permit you to wear somebody else's armor. God's gonna say, "I will remove whatever you're wearing, and I will put something that's all your own". Why? At the end of the day, the only one that can get the glory is the God that anointed you. And by the way, and I'm gonna land right here. But Saul also right before that he saw, David saw king Saul tormented by some, you know what I'm saying? And then David would do... And then the... Hmm would... So David witnessed king Saul tormented by what? "Dude, are you kidding me"?
Saul puts on his stuff. If I'm David I'mma go like, "Dude, nah, man. No, no. I know what you carry. Don't put up on me. No, no, no, no, no. I'm not gonna put on, no, I'm not gonna put on your demons, your drama and your trauma. I will pray for you, but I will not become you. I will play the harp for you, but I will not imitate you. I will fight for you, but I will not be made into your image. I'm not gonna talk like you, live like you, believe like you". You are anointed to prove hell wrong. Not by wearing Saul's armor, but by wearing the armor of faith.
Let me make the call. Ephesians 6, "A final word to be strong in the Lord and his mighty power. Put on all of God's armor so that you'll be able to stand firm against all the strategies of the devil". We have too many people, ah, stand, stand firm. Too many Christians carrying Saul's opinions and feelings instead of being driven by truth and love. Yup, too many Christians embracing Saul's armor. In other words, I need to dress like him, be like him, talk like him. I'm really gon' get in trouble now. Oh, doc, help, please. I lived something like this in the past year, y'all don't know the story.
After last year's conference, we went back home, in the month of October, I preached a message on 2 Kings 4, the Shunammite woman, the door opening, my wife and I went through a door. We illustrated, put a door. Right after my wife and I went through the door, we get a call from a prominent ministry, for ethical purposes, I won't say the name. From a prominent ministry in California who, this was the call. "Pastor Sam, our church is suffering right now. We've lost 'bout 1,500 people. We were running 2,000 plus, now we're running about 700 people". They had debt, an incredible amount of debt, 25 million dollars of debt. And they went, "But the property is pristine. Would you consider coming in and merging? And your ministry coming in, merging, taking over the ministry"?
So, I went, "Wow, this could be it," 'cause God's giving us a... we, just, God has been gracious with his harvest and just his word in our, it's just blowing up. We don't know what to do. So, I went, "This could be it". So, I met with my team, I went, "What do we do"? Well, let's meet. We have some preliminary meetings, about three or four of 'em, and then this is the call I got, the formal meeting, "Our board wants to meet your board. We want to begin this process of merger". So, here it is, we met in a certain coffee establishment beforehand whose name I will not mention. Took my almond milk latte, drank it, everybody else, we debriefed. And so, we talked, said, "What questions do you think they have"?
So, we walked in. I sat here, four of my board members, pastor, his board members. Now, here it is, just like this. These guys could all attest on both sides. "Pastor Sam, we have the first question for you". I'm thinking it's gonna be about fiduciary governance, integrational systems, attrition, in the merger who gets kicked of, all that, right? Budgets, you know, you're merging, you're taking over. All of that. I even thought, "Are you gonna have a Spanish service, a Slavic service"? Right? And I was even open to question like, you know, "Pastor Sam, will you preach that fast"?
I'm open to questions that are applicable and truthful. No, just like this. I'm waiting, give me your question. "Pastor Sam, here's our question, our church, we lean left, we want to know where do you lean"? This is my face as witnessed by people there. Now, y'all gotta understand, I'm a comedian. When that person first ask that, my mind automatically went into comedy mode telling myself, I have enough jokes for the next three years that will carry me all the way to the top, so help me.
The next thing that happened is both a sign and a wonder. Nothing came out of my mouth. My team was looking like, "What's wrong with him"? Nothing came out 'cause, this is me, I was shocked, i. And the Holy Spirit told me, "Sam, answer". And this is me. "Sam, answer". I didn't want to answer 'cause if I would answer, we're gonna lose this. "Then you gon' lose it". So, finally Holy Spirit always wins. "Sam, answer". So, I lifted up my head and I went like, "Thank you for the question. Sir, with great due deference, at our church, we don't lean".
We don't lean, we stand. We stand on the Word of God, on the promises of God, on the finished work of Christ. Whatever the Bible calls holy, we call holy. Whatever the Bible calls sin, we call sin. We don't lean to the left and we don't lean to the right, we stand. Are there any standing believers in Chicago? I'm tired of churches that lean, and Christians that lean, and believing influencers that lean. We need a church, we need families, we need believers, we need people of faith to shout, we don't lean, we... I need you to tell three people, "I don't lean, I, I, I, I, I... We are about to prove hell wrong by standing"! 1 Corinthians 16:13, "Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith".
Stop leaning and standing. It's time for the church to stop lean, we can never prove hell wrong by leaning one way or the other. We gotta stand. May not get invited back, I hope so, but, we're streaming? Stand up for biblical truth, stand up for righteousness and justice, and for the love of God, stand up for your children. I said stand up for your children. Stand up for our children, stand up for holy sexuality, stand up for the family, stand up for Godliness, stand up for life, religious liberty, biblical justice, stand up for racial unity, and don't just stand here, stand up in the school board meeting, stand up in target, stand up in... Somebody say, "Stand" stand up in Hollywood, stand up in wall street.
How in the world does a preacher like this sign contracts with secular studios? Have you ever asked yourself that? On the day of the premier, Mann's Chinese Theatre, Hollywood. If anybody know about Hollywood. Premier, Eva Longoria directed for us, she did a great job, Devon Franklin, his team produced it, took care of the logistics. We were there. And there... Eva goes, "And now, we want to recognize the person whose idea became a reality, the person who brought us this, whose dream became a, y'all help me recognize," and I'm thinking they're gonna say, he's gonna go, "Sam Rodriguez, Sammy or Samuel". No, never happened before like this. Place is packed out and she goes, because the publicists take care of all that, right?
With the little, and no. She went boom. She went, "And now let's recognize the person whose idea... Are y'all ready to recognize him? Yeah, alright, let's recognize, reverend Pastor Samuel Rodriguez". And I'm going like, "Oh snap". And instead of people going like, "Ooh," the place erupted cheering because they see a man of God who dares to stand up for his conviction and yet produce content that will change the world. Somebody tell your neighbor, "Don't lean, stand". Alright, we're done. "Put on the full armor of God, when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground".
After you've done everything to stand. Lift up your hands. You're anointed, you're anointed to prove hell wrong by taking off Saul's armor and standing up for everything in the word. You're anointed to prove hell wrong by living life with more than one stone. He picked up five stones from a stream. Why five? It's simple, he prepared for more than just one fight. Don't be a one stone Christian, don't be a one stone believer. We want both heaven and hell and all points in between to listen carefully, you're not a one stone Christian or one stone believer, you're so anointed to not just to knock down one giant, you have enough stones in your shepherd's bag to knock down every giant that comes your way.
The stone of the name of Jesus, the stone of the Word of God, the stone of the blood of the lamb, the stone of the anointing of the Holy Spirit, and stone number five, for every child of God defeats this evil world and we achieve this victory through our faith, the faith that overcomes the world. With your hands raised, I heard the holy spirt tell me, and I say this with fear, I'm trembling, I don't take that lightly, that phrase and what it means. "Tell 'em that I have anointed them with fresh oil to prove hell wrong".
Every single nay saying, detracting, negative, contrary voice, internal and external, the thoughts in your head, the forces outside of you, I feel the Lord, lift up your hands, that have attempted to silence you, that told you, "You're never gonna do it, you're never gonna conquer it, don't be ridiculous". You will see every single declaration against you proven wrong. If this is your word, give him the kind of final praise that lets him know you're gonna. Somebody praise like everything hell declared against your family will be proven wrong. Somebody praise like everything hell declared against your health will be proven wrong. Somebody praise like everything hell declared against your finances will be proven wrong. Somebody p...
You have two pastors, pastor Devon, yours truly, you have so many, Greg Laurie, God's doing something all over the place. We're anointed to prove hell wrong. I'm not gonna obligate you, coerce you, manipulate you, if in the past season you have received more contrary adversarial declarations against you than ever before in your life, if all hell released every single possible Kraken to convince you that you are not gonna do it, literally told you, "You're never gonna occupy. You're never gonna do it. Don't be ridiculous. You're dreaming crazy things. That stuff is not from God. No way".
If that's you and you say, "Pastor Sam, this word was 183.2% for me. I'm coming under this anointing, that I'm anointed from the inside out, the spirt of God lives inside of me, not just from the outside, I'm gonna get, I'm gonna walk with", if that's you and you believe in the next 12 months, you will see every word against you proven wrong, I'mma count to three, if you have to think about it, it's not you. Ready? You come out of your seat, you run out of your seat, get into the aisles, come here, but just step into this anointing and say, "I'm anointed to prove hell wrong". Uno, dos, tres, one two, three, come. And when you come down, hey, receive that fresh oil, receive that fresh anointing, receive that fresh impartation, receive it. You are anointed to prove hell wrong. Yes!
Lift up your hands. I sense the Lord, oh, I sense the Lord. Watch me. Watch me shine for the glory of Christ. Watch me magnify Jesus. Lift up the name of Jesus through my actions, words, deeds, and thoughts, my interactions, my reactions. Watch the glory of the risen Christ manifest itself, in me, with me, for me, through me, all for his name's sake. My life will become a walking billboard of the glory and the grace and the favor of God. I sense the Lord. Oh, you're about, you in this season will see every one of your giants slain in front of you.
Let me prophesy to you right now. Your children will walk upon the ruins of the giants that will come down in this generation. Your children are about to walk over the ruins of the giants that will be brought down under this new anointing in your generation. You're about to conquer your Jerusalem, you're about to conquer your Jerusalem, you're about to conquer your Jerusalem, you're about to step into a new territory. Occupy God's promises, conquer new spheres. I know we're recording this, and I want someone later on, at your discretion, watch it 'cause here's a word right now.
With your hands raised, oh wow. Those five stones could easily be labeled and remember, you'll put this in your spirit. The stone of identity, identity found in Christ, he defines you. Integrity, influence, intimacy, innovation. Innovation, new ideas, new opportunities, new paradigms, a new algorithm, new coding. "Behold I do a new thing, do you not see it? I've already begun, I'm making a way where there is no way." Isaiah 43:19.
With your hands raised. Faith in the fourth dimension releases the anointing that will prove hell wrong. If you receive that anointing right now, raise one hand. If you receive that fresh oil, raise both hands. If you received it because today, right now, when I say now, we are removing every vestige of Saul's armor. Whatever has been placed upon you, I don't care if it was your parents, your grandparents, friends, and with all due respect, it could've even been participating in a religious setting that had lids, the opposite of this house and this ministry. You're gonna remove Saul's armor and pick up your five stones, and let's just do it.
Heavenly Father, I give you glory for this anointing. Thank you for the anointing that will prove hell wrong. Thank you, that with that anointing today we remove every vestige of Saul's armor. Whatever has been placed on us: over our thinking, our health, our finances, our mantles, our purposes, our families, our careers, our businesses, we come against it. We cast it off. Not for a day. But forevermore in the mighty name of Jesus.
Let's do it. This is what I want you to do. Take it off, go ahead. Take off that armor and receive that new anointing in the name of Jesus.