Samuel Rodriguez - Leadership, The Five Stones
How many check their social media platforms: Instagram, X, whatever it maybe? First thing you do, and I was guilty of this, so this coming from a person that went through a restorative, repentance process. First thing you do, intimacy is, first thing you do wake up, the phone is right there, first thing you do is talk to God. Second thing, take it out. I know it's gonna sound cliche, "Oh, that's very religious". I don't care. It works there's the algorithm of God's grace, man. You take it out and you get into God's word immediately. Don't get up from the bed before you talk to God and get into his word. Don't dare leave your room without that discipline.
Talk to God first thing, first thing. I used to be addicted to Fox News app. First thing I would read is the news and then it got me in a pit, so I just, God just, just get up, pray, get into the word, and then do everything else. But that time of intimacy has to be deliberately, has to be intentional, and you can't let the enemy distract you or disrupt. You with me? Say, "Intimacy". I'm gonna remind you from last year of a point I shared in the message about the plow and Elijah. Every single day there is a battle, and the battle is this whole thing about, "There is the devil trying to say", the biggest battle, Colossians 2:15, he's already defeated. He really is, so he's living a lie.
The devil is such a liar that he lies to himself and that's why he continues to attack you because he lies to himself believing that there is a possibility he can overcome your God ordain purpose. Because he's a liar, and the number one person he lies to is himself. He can't do anything but lie. So, that's why, but if he's defeated, if Christ defeated him, Colossians 2:15, "And Christ defeated every principality and power of darkness making a public spectacle of them on the cross". He was not their prisoner, they were his, Colossians 2:15. Why in the world is the devil still doing stuff? Because he's a liar and he lie to himself.
Your objective is to push back on that lie every single day by occupying the promises of God. And you do it, you do it with what you think, with what you say, with what you do, your actions, your reactions, and your interactions. Because there's a battle and the battle is what? The battle between your mind and your mantle. The number one battle you have is between this and this, between the calling of God and the thoughts that go through your head. It's between anxiety and anointing, fear and faith. It's between your memories and your imagination. It's between your past and your future, your dream and your nightmare, but in Jesus' name the battle has already been won. 1 Corinthians 15:57, "He already, Christ is your victory".
So, the third stone is integrity. Somebody say, "Integrity". Integrity. So, its identity, its intimacy, its integrity. This is how we bring down the giants and we lead in these trouble times. Integrity. Integrity is not something, it is everything. You heard me last year, when your integrity is greater than your influence, nothing can stop you. You write that down, memorize it. When your integrity is greater than your influence if they are even, we gonna have a problem. But when your integrity is greater than your influence, nothing can stop you. Integrity, it's not something, it is everything. Live out the seven 'H's. I'm gonna say them real loud, real quick for you. If you want to take any notes down good luck with that. You may wanna record it.
These seven 'H's are a part of our mantra, in our church leadership, in my family, my kids, so it's not just a family, it's my kids, my three kids who are, like, grown up and they've actually look older than I do. My kids. Yes, it's genetic predisposition from the mom's side. My kids, it is what it is. So, always speak truth. Are we recording this? Might wanna, so, there are seven 'H's, they have it memorized, George has it memorized. My entire church, it's like a mantra, it's like, live a holy healed, healthy, happy, humble, hungry, honoring life and with that life you change the world. There it is, the seven 'H's. Live a holy life, 1 Peter 1:16. What makes you holy is not what you do, is who he is in you. So, your actions are a manifestation of the Holy Spirit living inside of you.
That's pretty powerful. I love that. But you submit to the will of God, to the Spirit of God, and you live a holy life. Holiness it, Genesis 6:8, "Noah was a righteous man". In the New Testament that term would be just flipped over to a "Holy man and God favored him". Holy is what opened doors, the righteousness of God. Living a righteous life according to God's word, will, and way will open doors that no man can every close. Holiness is a firewall. It's beautiful. You live a holy life. Living a holy life in every sense of the word, oh my goodness, you feel like superman and there's nothing you can't do. That's why the enemy attacks your integrity. He wants to bind you with shame and condemnation.
This is not some sort of legalistic message. Holiness is beautiful. It's not this stifle, it's not like, no, it's, like, amazing. To live a holy life is, like, "Wow," it's powerful. It begins with holiness. A holy life. A healed life. 1 Peter 2:24. That healed life speaks to spiritual healing, emotional healing, relational healing, it works. Be healed, unpacked, "But I've been through stuff". We all go through things. Be healed in the name of Jesus. Isaiah 58:8, Isaiah 53:5. Be healed. "Are you telling me to get over it"? Yes. "But it was painful". Yes. Be healed.
I shared something with pastor mike personally I went through, I'm on this Norwegian cruise line thing a few weeks ago so, my wife and my daughter are obligating me to go out on this cruise, so we end up doing the whole Mediterranean thing, Santora, and Nylons, and I, cause I can't, the reason I don't like cruises is cause I just can't see myself you know, in a boat... for ten days, dude. It was like in this, you have limitations, right? Like the food is cool but after, like, day three it's the same food. Not gonna change. So, I just, we did the best and I, you know, I went through therapy and I'm doing better.
So, we get on this cruise and the whole entire process, you know, I'm going like, in the middle of it, saw pastor yesterday, God gives me this thing and he goes, "I want you to", I never done this in my entire life. Holy Spirit speak to me and says, "I want you to do something". I'm going, "Speak to me, Lord". Sound like Paul. "I want you to text everybody who did you dirty". "Do you dirty," is a California phrase for they did your dirty. I went like, "What"? They were like, "Throughout your journey, people that really", and I'm going like, "Wow, what do you want me to text them"? "Text them 1 Corinthians 2:9, 'your eye has yet see, your ear has yet to hear, your mind has yet to imagine the wonderful things God has in store for you and then tell them I love you and I bless you.'" there's about five, six people, like, my entire journey. I'm going like, "Seriously"? God said, "Watch".
So, I just took out my iPhone cause, of course, if you have an android you really have to, I seek God cause there's thing you are so out of alignment. I mean the Old Testament you learn from it, but you live according to the new. I mean, come, guys. "Yeah, I'm an android guy". Okay, good luck with that. So, I started texting people the same day. Span about ten minutes and the text that I got back, without failure, all six of them, if I'm not mistaken, all text back. "And this means the world". "This changed my life". "You freed me". "Oh my goodness, I've been waiting for this for years, blah, blah, blah".
Didn't text them back. Didn't even put like the little like emoji. Cause that would be kind of corny. "I love it". "Yeah, I love it back". I love the fact that you love me telling you, like, you never know when to stop. Like, if you loved it and I loved it back, do we continue to say we love it? And when does it become awkward? Like, I'm loving it after you love me back. So, there's like that little polity and protocol you have adhered to. There is so much pressure, man. So, we've just, alright. Ever since then, God is my witness, the doors that have opened up. Our church reaped the greatest harvest we have seen in 13 years, 13 years. New movie deals came in. A bunch of other things took place that God just released the moment we let people go.
Be healed. And the number one thing you need to forgive is not other people is yourself, yourself. Be healed from the stuff that was self-inflicted that you did to yourself, or you did to others. You have been redeemed. You've been washed. You are a new creation in Christ. So, it's holy healed, healthy, 3 John 1:2. You need to focus on your health: physical health, mental health, emotional health, financial health, relational health. Yeah, healthy. That you are what you eat. You are your diet. You are your exercises and no we're not all prefect. It's not like I'm the pristine embodiment of perfection no, far from it. But at least I know there's information out there and just great science which is a continuum of God's wisdom. It's beautiful. It's faith and scien... it's just one beautiful continuum of God ordain divine wisdom and we have to learn from this.
So, drink your green tea, your matcha green tea, and take your antioxidants, and get away from processed food, and live a healthier life, you know. And don't put stuff in body and then except something different to come out. It's just, I mean, and exercise, you know. And mentality your cognitive domain physically become a little bit obsessive with health. "Why, why, Pastor Sam? That's not really bibi..." Oh yes, it is. 1 Corinthians 3:16. You're not the temple of mediocrity, or failure, or compulsive, you are the temple of the Holy Spirit so act like it, walk like it, eat like it, live like it, was that too hard? Is that too much? Oh, sorry. I'm not sorry, I'm just, holy healed, healthy, happy. "Is this a theology of happiness"? No, it's not the center point but it is, John 15:11, read it.
Jesus said, "Here is my objective that your joy," one version does read happiness, unbridle, unlimited. In the Greek exigent of the passage that your joy maybe full. Jesus is saying right there, again exegetical extrapolation, "I want you to be the happiness people". This is Jesus. Does it mean we're never gonna suffer? No. But he wants us to be the happiness people on the planet. Be happy. Smile and laugh more. Don't take things seriously. Look at yourself in the mirror and laugh for a while. Laugh. Laugh at yourself. I come from a community or culture, my parents are from Puerto Rico and their forefathers they came from Spain from the part of Galicia, the northern part of Spain and two generations deep into Puerto Rico, from Puerto Rico to Pennsylvania.
But our culture is known that we never take anything serious. Like everything is a joke even stuff that should be kind of, "Oh, man". Like you, it would be, you're in a funeral and you're Puerto Ricans you'll hear laughter. And you're going, "But that's not cool". It's just who we are. Very few things. You just got to learn how to laugh. Holy healed, healthy, happy, humble. Somebody say, "Humble". Humble. Value humility, it's Matthew 23:12. You know, if you exalt yourself, you're gonna be humbled. "But those that humble themselves will be lifted up and be exalted". He'll lift you up. That humility is not rhetorical, it's not fake, it's when you really understand that you're only here by the grace of God. That it's really God's grace not your talent, not your gifting, not your personality, not your connections, but you're here by the grace of God.
I fear, I get on stages, and you may think like what, listen man, every single time I come up here and I preach even in my church or being at stadium of a hundred thousand people in front of a billion people who inauguration. Before, I shared it last year. When I went up to the inauguration people were thinking, "Pastor Sam, you're such under the anointed. You must have just walked up there with some great confidence". What? This is me going up for the inauguration. What, dude, no. Now, truth be told, the moment I got up here it all went away. Holy Spirit just went like, "Calm down, sunshine, don't faint in front of a billion people. It's gonna be bad for you and for me, so let me calm you down". But I was, cause you walk up with fear and trembling and the moment you lose that, that worries me because that means you're confiding in your own strength. You follow me?
So, every time, everything I do I know it's all him. So I'll go, "I don't wanna mess it up. I want every word to come out that's ordain by you. Oh God forbid that I say something in your name when it's not you. You're gonna sue me, I can't have that. Your lawyer is better than my lawyer," that stuff of thing. So, it's integrity. It's holy healed healthy, happy, humble, hungry, Matthew 5:6. Live a hungry life. Remember this forever, make sure you're hungry. Matthew 5:6, "Those that hungry for righteousness shall be bless". But hunger must always be greater than your fear. Whatever you fear make sure your hunger is greater than your fear. I hunger for righteousness. I hunger to see my kids do greater things. So, my hunger is greater than my fear. And then honor, somebody say, "Honor".
You live that kind of, Ephesians 6:1-4, for honor. You honor, honor not just your parents, and your spiritual parents and those that went before you. But as a father I had a Revelation couple years ago and the Revelation was this, this is gonna sound so counter-intuitive to some of y'all. Honor everyone around you including your kids. So, I grew up as a good Pentecostal preacher where, Ephesians 6:1-4 "My kids have to honor me and they're gonna honor and they're honor me". Holy Spirit hit me and say, "You got to honor them". What? Honor them. So, I started honoring my kids and everyone around me, and respecting them, and honoring them, and everything shifts. Live a holy healed, healthy, happy, humble, hungry, honoring life and with that life you change the world. Integrity. Number four, and we gonna land this, influence.
Somebody say, "Influence". So, if you have identity and you have intimacy, you have integrity, integrity can only merge out of intimacy and then you have influence. And again, that influence is both vertical and horizontal. Vertically you have a relationship with God, horizontally he gives you influence, and that influence has to be managed accordingly but that influence is critical. You gotta manage that with integrity but, boy, is it powerful. A matter of fact, lift up your hands. Let me be clear prophetically in Jesus' name, every single person here right now this is not in the script this is a moment. In Jesus name, God will multiple the influence through your life in such a manner, immeasurable way where those that had no connection with you will be influenced by the glory and the grace of Jesus shining in you, with you, for you, and through you.
So, I'm speaking prophetically and declaring God ordained influential growth upon each and every person here. You will be influential in your sphere for the glory of Jesus like never before. Which means God's about to blow you up for his glory. If you receive it shout, "Amen". That influence it's related to the cross and that cross you live a life that is depicted by the cross. That cross is both vertical and horizontal. That cross is vertical and horizontal. That cross is both sanctification and service, conviction and compassion. It is truth and love. It is orthodoxy and orthopraxy. It is John 3:16 and Matthew 25. That cross is that right there and whenever you recon, the strongest part of the cross is the nexus. This is where the fishes and the bread converge. This is where you reconcile the optics of redemption with the matrix of reconciliation. And your influence is to depict and shine that cross wherever you go. It's not about your ability and it's about Jesus.
Wherever you go, whatever you post, whatever you say, whatever you do, it's about Jesus. It's that influence. Give you stories about influence. I go to the White House, I'm consulting, God ordain, not Sam, Bush, Obama, Trump, I'm in there. They brought me, I didn't vote for everyone there, by the way. I have a strong pro life ethos so I can't vote for people that are not pro life. That's just me that can't vote, if you're not pro life I'm not voting for you. But they had me there and they, I would walk into the White House, and I would go, "Holy Spirit, I will not say anything whatsoever unless you want me to speak".
So, we walked into a meeting and everyone else was speaking and we go, I'm not saying one thing. Matter of fact, this is what I would do. I walk into the room, be at the White House, the west wing and so forth and I'm the guy in the quarter hiding. And I'm just going, "If you want me to speak tell the president to say, 'Sam, we haven't heard from you". Have the chief of staff say, "Mr. President, we have..." If not I'm not saying a thing. If you want me to speak you will make it happen but I'm not gonna raise my hand. I'm just gonna wait. Every single time without failure I will be in the quarter room and everybody, and I'm going like, and the president or someone else would say, "You know", the one that, the former president would call me Sammy. He goes, "Sammy, we haven't heard from you. What say you"?
And then I would release. I'm walking in the White House just praying, and I'm praying and I'm praying in the spirit. I'm walking to the west wing going like, "God, you just ahead. Give me the word. Give me the word". And I'm praying in the spirit. All with this conviction of your influence, the influence you've given me is for your glory. It can't be about me. It can't be about me reaping personal benefits from it. It has to be all about you. And it has to, they see it. I'll give you story about president Obama. Multiple occasions for Christmas, there's a Christmas real personal gathering at the White House and, "Hey, Pastor Sam, we want you to come with eva, your wife, and come in, wear your gowns, black tie attire for Christmas". Year after year, "Sorry, so honored by this, can't make it". Second year, "Sorry, can't make it". Third year, "Sorry, can't make it". Get a call from the White House, "Sam, what's going on, like every time the president for the other meetings you show up. For the Christmas personal stuff with the first lady, you're not making it". I go, "I can't".
It happens to fall on the same day as my daughter's birthday and I'm gonna be honest, I'm gonna be honest with great due deference to the president I'm gonna dedicate my time to the people who will show up for my funeral. The last one is innovation. Social architects and cultural reformers, it's innovation. It's ingenuity and innovation, new ideas and fresh ideas. Believe God that he has the power to place in you ideas that will change your life, change your family, change your generation, and change the world. Let me declare prophetically, again, the next Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk will be born again, spirit filled, Christ loving, father glorifying men and women of God. Anybody come in agreement with the next multi-billionaire with be God's children in the kingdom who will emerge. God ordained ideas. And with God ordained ideas we need to create content that will lead to conversations, that will lead to conversions, that will lead to inevitable cultural reformation.
That's who we are. We create that content. Everything you do in life as a Creator, we all have that creative gene. That prophetic genome is part of who we are as God's children. Make sure everything you do speaks to the heart, the head, and the hand. Everything you do should speak to the heart, the head, and the hand. The heart is inspiration. The head is information. The hand is impartation. Everything you do creates content, anything you write, anything you deliver, any speech, any apparatus, make sure it inspires, it informs, and it imparts. Speak to the heart, the head, and the hand.
We need to stimulate our intellect, our cognitive bandwidth. We need to speak to affective the emotional domain and we need to be practical about things where we can do something with the information we acquire all into the anointing of the Holy Spirit. That's how we change the world. I'll leave you the final note. A little secret note here. Abide in an atmosphere where God's dream for your life becomes clear. Surround yourself with people that help make that dream a reality. Serve other people's dreams. When you see others fulfilling their dreams, rejoice and give God glory, legitimately so because it only means you're next. Number four, pursue righteousness. And number five, when your dream becomes a reality, open doors for those that come behind you to do greater things. You follow that prescription I promise, in the name of Jesus, you'll bring down every single giant in your generation and you'll do nothing less than change the world. If you got this get up and give God some glory and just give him praise.