Stephanie Ike - Destiny Is Inconvenient (01/19/2026)
In this sermon from 1 Samuel 13:7-14, the preacher shows how King Saul lost his eternal kingdom because he couldn’t handle the inconvenience of waiting on God’s timing—he took matters into his own hands by offering a sacrifice meant only for the priest. The core idea is that true destiny requires embracing inconvenience and full surrender to God’s will, even in silence and delay, rather than settling for comfort. Ultimately, God replaced Saul with David, a man after His own heart, proving that obedience through inconvenience leads to lasting establishment while impatience costs everything.
Opening Scripture Reading
God is going to do something so beautiful today. So we’re looking at 1 Samuel chapter 13, verses 7 to 14. And so it says, «And some of the Hebrews crossed over the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. And as for Saul, he was still in Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling. Then he waited seven days, according to the time set by Samuel. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and the people were scattered from him. So Saul said, 'Bring a burnt offering and peace offerings here to me.' And he offered the burnt offering. Now it happened, as soon as he had finished presenting the burnt offering, that Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him, that he might greet him. And Samuel said, 'What have you done? ' Saul said, 'When I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines gathered together at Michmash, then I said, „The Philistines will now come down on me at Gilgal, and I have not made supplication to the Lord.“ Therefore I felt compelled, and offered a burnt offering.' And Samuel said to Saul, 'You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of the Lord your God, which He commanded you. For now the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be commander over His people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.'»
Opening Prayer
Father God, I thank You for this word. I thank You that as we go into Your word, Lord God, it is Your voice they will hear, not mine. I thank You that You will speak to each and every heart present. I break every spirit of resistance in this house in the name of Jesus. Lord God, I thank You that You would do only that which You do when Your power is in the room. Lord God, have Your way in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen.
Greeting and Sermon Title
You may be seated. Thank God. Can we just give a beautiful—just let’s just praise God for our leaders, Pastor Toure Roberts, Pastor First Lady Sarah Jakes Roberts. Amen. It’s always an honor just to be here with you guys. So today’s message is titled «Destiny Is Not Convenient.» It’s inconvenient. Or not convenient, but I like «inconvenient.» You see, I’ll share a little story with you guys.
Personal Story from the Conference
So last week we went to the International Pastors and Leadership Conference run by Bishop T.D. Jakes. It was phenomenal. It was in Dallas. I mean, just life-changing. So the first night we get in there, the first session they had on a Wednesday night—Bishop had this amazing message called «Dress for What’s Next.» And you guys have to watch it on thebishopvillage.com. I mean, all the messages are there. So he has this message «Dress for What’s Next, » and in the message he’s basically talking about, you know, stripping off the garments that are holding you from getting to what’s next. And when I heard that message, there was—I felt convicted. And so the whole, you know, after the message happened, like we go up—I go back to the hotel room, and in my mind I’m like, «God, what garment do I have on? What is it that I’m still—that I could still be holding on to that is costing me or that could cost me what’s next?» The message basically was dying to yourself in a deeper way.
And the truth of the matter is that I didn’t know why I felt convicted. I didn’t know. I was like, «God, this is a blind spot. There’s something You’re trying to show me, but I don’t see it. I don’t know what it is.» The next day, that morning, the Lord had laid on my heart to sow into the game. There was a number He gave me to sow into what was happening at the International Pastors and Leadership Conference. So I purposed in my mind, when I hear that number called, that I will go make that sow—that seed. And you know what, just a little detour—sometimes we think that, you know, when the pastor would say that, you know, there are ten people here to sow this number—sometimes I remember when I used to be that person that, «Oh my God, did You really tell him that?» But the truth is, I remember when God revealed to me that no, these are numbers that the Holy Spirit inspires them to say, because there are people in that room that it is a sacrifice that God is requiring of them.
And so that morning, you know, we go to the session, and I’m—you know, I’m just ready. I’m like, «Okay, God, I’m waiting to hear the number.» You know, so the morning session passes—a lot of things happen. I go for the night session, and then when I heard him say, you know what, there are people here, and you’re supposed to sow this—and I just—I was so fast with that pen. I said, «That’s me. That’s me.» So I go up to the altar. But as I was walking up to the altar, the Lord began to speak to me, and He began to show me what my blind spot was. And He said that you have not yet embraced being inconvenienced. And I was—I was at the altar, and I’m like, «God, what are You talking about?» Because, you know, I think I’ve made a lot of sacrifices. I left my family. I left my home. I’ve gone where You told me to go. I do what You told me to do. You know, I’m not understanding what You mean by I have not embraced being inconvenienced. And He said, «No, you’ve embraced being uncomfortable, but there’s a difference.» He said, «You’ve embraced accepting the unfamiliar, but there is a part of you that has a desire for arriving at this place when everything is convenient.»
Because you see, to be inconvenienced is when things are not suitable to your needs. It’s not to your time. It’s not suitable to your expectations. It goes against even your own will a lot of times. And when He said that to me, I realized that actually I am waiting—there is a desire in my heart for that day when everything just seems convenient. Just in the jet, going to preach the gospel, hallelujah. And there’s nothing wrong with that. But I explained what He was showing me. And I said, «God"—and I was at that altar, and I cried like a baby, because there was so much happening that day. And it felt to me like a funeral, because He showed me what the call He has on my life and what He’s leading me to do—that it will cost me everything. It will cost me everything to the point that for Him to even reveal to me my blind spot, it cost me a sacrificial seed that He would not even tell me unless I even sacrificed. Because what I gave—it may not be much to some, but after you pay some bills, that was over 90% of what I had on me. And He said that I will not even reveal this to you unless it came by the way of sacrifice, because your life is going to cost you your life.
And I–I was like a child. I was crying while in my heart I said, «God, please don’t let them film me. I’m very close to the altar. Please just push the camera away.» Because it was such an emotional time, because I realized that at that altar I was killing that desire to arrive to this place where everything is just suitable—it fits my time, it fits my needs, it fits my desires, it fits. And God says—and I remember when I got back to the hotel room that day, and I was like, «Wow, Lord, there is something—there was a message here. There is something deeper in this.» And even over the course of the days, He started speaking to me about a man we’re going to even—we read about Saul.
Saul’s Background and Struggle
You see, Saul was a man who had embraced being uncomfortable. Because when Saul—when Israel desired a king, and God said, you know what, you guys want a king—I’m going to give you a king. And He gave them Saul. But the manner in which—the prophet Samuel reveals to the people who He has chosen as king over Israel. The prophet Samuel has a—you know, has an encounter with Saul, and this is done—at first it was done privately, where he anointed Saul and said that, «Saul, you are the one that the Lord has chosen as king.» But this was a private affair. And then you fast forward—and just read the whole book of 1 Samuel; it’s going to bless you—and you fast forward, and now they’re in there—you know, Samuel gathers all the Israelites because he wants to now reveal to the people who the king God had chosen as king. And when it was time to reveal to the people, Saul was hiding—to the point that God had to reveal to the prophet Samuel where Saul was hiding so they could get him and tell the people that this is the one the Lord has chosen.
So if Saul is hiding, obviously he might have felt inadequate. He might have felt like, we have no reference for this—Israel has never had a king. I don’t come from a line of kings. Being a king was something unfamiliar to him. But yet he took that call. He took that position. He embraced what was uncomfortable. But in the passage that we read, you see that passage was very symbolic. Because the Israelites were in the heat of a battle. The Philistines were coming. The Philistines came against them with over thirty thousand men, and the Israelites had only 3,000 men. It’s like someone asking you to use your tithe to pay your whole bills. It’s like, bruh—you know, unless you’re doing something else. They had 3,000 men to fight over 30,000 men. The Israelites were panicking. And so they go down to Gilgal, and they’re like, okay, we have an instruction—the prophet Samuel had told the king to wait here in Gilgal for seven days so that he will bring a word, so that he would do the burnt offering and the peace offering.
And now in that time, the burnt offering was symbolic too—it’s almost like a thanksgiving to God for, you know, delivering them. The peace offering was symbolic to surrender to God. And but this was an offering that should only be done by a priest. And although Samuel was a prophet, he was also a priest—he was raised by a priest, Eli. And so—and was someone that in past passages, when something like this happened, not only was he coming to do a burnt offering, he was coming to give a word from God—to give them strategy, to let the people know this is the manner in which you’re going to win this battle, or to let the people know if God is with them in the battle. So they needed Samuel to get there. And so each day that passes by, I can only imagine that the people’s hearts—they’re like, okay, you know what—seven days: day seven, day six, day five, day four, day three, day two, day one. And Saul—it’s like, you know what, this is the appointed time.
The Appointed Time and Inconvenience
And it’s funny when you think about the appointed time, because sometimes we look at the appointed time—that God, You told me Yourself—you know, I feel like this is the time. I believe that this is the time this is supposed to happen. But the appointed time is never when you want it to happen. The appointed time is when God says so. Because it is as it is in heaven, so shall it be on earth—not as you want it to be on earth, that it is in heaven. So the appointed time—even when it looks like a delay—it is not yet the appointed time if it looks like it’s being delayed. Because God will do things as it is in heaven. That is the prayer Jesus told His disciples to pray. So Saul is thinking that, you know what, Samuel told us that this is the appointed time. And so if Samuel is not here, we got to do something. Because in Saul’s mind, he’s like, the people are scattering from me. The people are leaving me. We don’t even have that much men in the first place, and now the people want to leave me. It was inconvenient. It was inconvenient to the battle. It was inconvenient to his position as king.
Because I can only imagine that when people were leaving him, that they were murmuring—they were saying things about him: you know what, I don’t even know why we desired a king. This man does not know what he’s doing. Samuel has abandoned us. God has forsaken us. And as Saul perhaps was hearing what the people were saying, he put himself in a position that he should never have. You see, I wonder in your life if you’re in the place that God has sent you. God—that the word of God was that Saul should wait in Gilgal. But then Saul is saying that the Philistines are going to come upon me in Gilgal. So the very same place that God said wait for me looks like the very same place that they might die. Have you ever been in a place where God has sent you somewhere? God told you go to LA. God told you go to this job. God told you go to this place. And you get there, and nothing is working. God told you go here, and I’m going to make you a great actor—and you’ve done everything but act, because nothing is working. God said go here—you’re going to be a musician—and you’ve done everything but just only singing in the shower, and bills need to be paid, and your family is calling you: what are you doing with your life? And God is not speaking, and you’re on your knees crying, and you’re fasting: God, where are You? And He is silent.
Because you see, Saul was waiting for Samuel to hear a word from God: what are we going to do? The Philistines are going to come upon us in the very same place You told us to wait, and You have not come. There is no word from God about what we ought to do, and the Philistines are going to come and meet us here. Have you ever felt in the place—and everybody is wondering what are you going to do with your life? You’ve been here for too long. Initially you said just give me four months, just give me six months, just give me one year—I believe God is going to do something. You’ve been here five years, and you’re not sure what’s going on, and God is silent. And you’re like, «God, I can’t hear You. Did I make a mistake? Am I still in the right place? What do You want me to do?» And He’s giving you dreams about everybody else but yourself. What do you do?
Purpose in God’s Silence
You see, even in God’s silence there’s purpose. Because when God was saying wait for me here—wait—I need you to—your life has to be inconvenient. Because you see, the waiting was part of God’s plan to get the glory. You see, the Philistine—prior to what is happening, Jonathan, Saul’s son, had defeated one of the main officers in the Philistine army. The news went round—even though when they spread the news, they said Saul defeated the man. And so they were like—why, you know, the Israelites are just doing their thing. The Philistines, in their anger, they gather all these men to say let us go and just finish the Israeli army—the Israelites' army. So the Philistines in their minds—they’re thinking it’s a numbers game. Oh, because it was one-on-one, you won. Okay, let’s make this army to army. The Philistines are thinking that—let’s get all of these men, and we would finish the soldiers of the Israelites. The enemy was thinking numbers. And we are children of God—we are not to think like the enemy. We’re supposed to think like God.
In that moment, Saul started thinking like the enemy. He’s like, all the people are scattering from me. You see, when God is aware of the plans of the enemy—because when the enemy is against God’s people, they’re against God. And so God is silent for a reason. He’s silent because the Philistines think that, oh, they need a big army. And God is like, you know what, I want the army to even be smaller for the Israelites. I’m silent for a reason—so I actually want the people to scatter from you. You see, sometimes when God is silent in your life, and people start to critique you, people start to falsely accuse you—God is saying, oh, I’m silent for a reason. I want you to know who is really for you. I want you to know who’s really with you. Because they are with you not because of what you know or what you can give them. A lot of times you have all these people around you, and they’re only around you because of what they can take from you. And there are times that God wants you to not know what you’re going to do tomorrow—who will still stand by you when it looks confusing, who will still stand by you when it looks dark. There are times that God needs you to not know—who will still believe in what God is doing in you.
It was all part of God’s plan. He said, I know you don’t know what’s going on, and I know you can’t hear a word from me, and it seems like you’ve just been hopping from couch to couch to couch—no, I need you to be in that place so you know who opened the door for you when you need a place to sleep. Because where God is taking you, He needs real people in your life. You see, time will weed out people that have agendas. So when God is like, no, I need you to be delayed—because the people that have agendas and motives need to be weeded out from this army. I need people that will trust me. I need people that trust what I’m doing. God is always silent for a reason. He’s not silent because He cannot hear you. He’s not silent because He has forsaken you. He’s silent because He’s actually arming you.
On the other hand, when God is silent, it’s also testing your dependence on Him. You see, imagine if you become—it’s easy when we’re honest—at the stage where we don’t have much to say, «God, You know what, even if You make me a millionaire, if You ask me to give it all away, I will.» Child, listen—you need to be groomed to get to that place. You need to know how to give away $10,000 before you give away a million. God has to groom you. God has to know that when I bring you to a place where I set you up—if I tell you to give it all away and move to India for six months—then you will do it. Because you have embraced being inconvenienced from the very beginning. You are that dedicated to me—that you’re not going to rely on things. Because family, the higher you get up, the harder it is to choose God’s will. And so He has to groom you from the little things. He has to groom you.
Jonathan’s Faith and Saul’s Failure
This was just—that Saul had not been king for that long, and already God is like, let me—can I test your dependence on me? We’re just waiting—just waiting. Saul, wait a few more days. He couldn’t do it. Oh, the people are scattering from me—so I must do the burnt offering. I must do this because we need to do something. It’s funny why we think we can help God be God. You see, because the truth of the matter is that when I read this passage—as I continue to read it—I see Saul had a son named Jonathan. And there was something that Jonathan did that I believe was the plan of God from the very beginning. One day—it talked about how one day Jonathan and his armor-bearer—now first of all, this was a battle that three thousand people were scared to do. And Jonathan and his armor-bearer—two people—he tells his armor-bearer, «Let us go and fight these people.» And he said that for God cannot be hindered by many or by few. He understood something about God—that God, even if it’s only the two of us, we can win this battle. And he asked God for a sign, and God gave him that sign. And he went to the camp of the Philistines. And the whole purpose was—when you read the passage, you see that God actually wanted to partner with them. Because they were not just coming against the people—they were coming against the name of God. And God caused the Philistines to be in so much confusion that they started killing themselves.
You see, when you’re in that place that you don’t know, and you’re not sure what is going on—when the enemy is after you because of a word from God—he’s not just attacking you; he’s attacking the God in you. And so God is like, no, no, no, no—I’m not trying to rush this process. I want to have the glory in your life. Because this is actually about my name—this is about what I’m doing on the earth. But Saul was not ready to be inconvenienced. This is the thing—that in that position, it could literally—whatever decision you make—if it’s like, «God, You know what, I’ve been—it this whole thing You sent me out here, and it’s not working—I’m going home"—but going home or quitting will cost you everything on the other side of your sacrifice. And then you become bitter, and you become entitled—because you feel like God owes you something. But all along God was trying to get you to what He was calling you to.
Tyler Perry’s Testimony
You see, I watched an interview where Tyler Perry was on TBN, and he was interviewed by Dr. Juanita Bynum. And it was such a beautiful interview, because he talked about how when he first started his plays—he was like, I knew that I had a word from God. And the first play he did—he planned it so that he—he planted in a way that he had an expectation for 1,200 people to show up at this play. So imagine the financing, the staff, and all of that. And he’s excited because he’s like, child, God gave me a word. And when the play happened, 30 people came. And he’s like, «God, what is this?» Because it cost—he now—money is gone. He does the play again—it fails. He does it again and again and again, and it’s failing—to the point that his job—his job told him, they’re like, «We’re not going to give you any more time off for you to do your plays. Either you work here, or you quit.» And he’s like, you know what, I just know God gave me a word—it’s going to happen. He quits his job. The plays still keep failing—to the point now he has to beg—he’s literally talking about begging money from his uncles and his aunts to give him twenty dollars here and thirty dollars here just to eat. And the whole time he’s asking God like, «God, how am I going to get through these bills? How am I going to get through this?» And he says God says nothing. Every time he asks God—God, how am I going to do this? —he didn’t hear a thing. Over and over and over again it kept failing, failing, failing.
And it didn’t mean that God didn’t give him a word. But you see, what we look at as failure—if God doesn’t look at it like that. We call it failure—He’s not calling it failure. He’s calling it grooming. We’re like, oh man, this thing didn’t work out. God is like, oh, they are right on schedule. Look at that—okay, look at His child. And it reached the point where they had called him to do this show for the House of Blues. And he’s like, I’m not doing it—you know what, God, I’m tired. And someone is like, no, dude, this show. And he’s like, okay, I’m going to do the show. And that day—all the conditions just were—it was just weird. I mean, it was cold outside—the heater in the place was broken. So it’s like, you know what, this is just not going to work. And he wasn’t—I believe he was in the greenroom or he was in the dressing room. And he was like, «God, like why? Why are You not talking to me? How am I supposed to get through my bills? How come every time I bring this up, You’re not talking to me?» And he’s like, «I don’t want to do this anymore.» And he talked about that in that moment God spoke and told him, «I am God. You stop when I say stop.» And from that day—and he tells him, look outside—and there was a line around the building. And from that day—this—it was such an amazing interview—from that day he talked about how each and every play became successful. And God revealed to him that I was proving you. I was proving you. I needed to make sure I could trust you when I take you to where I’ve planned for you to go.
You haven’t failed, family. All along God is building your faith—you don’t even know it. God is strengthening your ability to be dependent on Him. Because at the end of the day, the Word of God says that our lives are hidden in Christ. So this is not about control. God does not need to control you—He’s trying to get you to who you really are. Your truth—the real you—is in Christ. And so to discover that person, this has to die. Because the desires that we have and what is convenient to us is what we’ve been accustomed to by society. It’s not based on the truth of God’s Word concerning our lives. So God is never trying to control you or make you some kind of puppet. Jesus said that he who loses his life for My sake will find it. It’s two different lives He’s talking about. He who loses the life that he has known on the earth will find the life that I knew when I put him in your mother’s womb. This is about truth.
Consequences for Saul and the Meaning of Gilgal
And so Saul did not know how to embrace being inconvenienced. But embracing being inconvenienced is the answer that you’ve been looking for. It is the step. It is a place when you’re like, you know what, I embrace this thing—I’m not going to run from it. I’m telling you that God will take you to a place to establish you. Because that was the plan all along for Saul’s life. But if God had established him in rebellion, I believe that that would have opened a spiritual door of a stronghold of rebellion. Because if God established Saul’s kingdom over Israel forever, that would have meant that God’s initial plan was for our Savior to come through Saul’s lineage. That’s really what it means—that He would—when Samuel told him, «What have you done? The Lord would have established you—He would have established your kingdom in Israel forever.» Meaning that the Savior—our Savior—was supposed to come through Saul’s lineage. But if He did that in rebellion, then who knows—that maybe at the appointed time for Jesus to come, that there would just be a stronghold of rebellion, and Mary would be like, «I know—I feel like it—you know, I’m over here trying to get married, okay.»
But when we look at the lineage of David—David was a man who had a heart for God. David would do anything that God—even in his wrong—when he realized that he’s wrong, he’s like, «God, search my heart. Give me a clean heart.» David opened the door where it’s that, you know what, we’re not going to be rebellious in this lineage. And it’s interesting—it’s so funny—because even when we think about the location Gilgal—that very location is so symbolic. Because you see, the name Gilgal came from—let’s even open to Joshua—I believe it’s chapter 5, verse 9. You see, it says—okay, «Then the Lord said to Joshua, 'This day I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.' Therefore the name of the place is called Gilgal to this day.»
Now what is happening is this—during this time, the Israelites had crossed the Jordan River to walk into—this is when they were preparing to come into the Promised Land. Because now they have come to a place where, you know, that the children that were born to the people that left slavery—now God had given them an instruction. God had given Joshua an instruction to circumcise all the males. Because though they were born in the—their fathers all died in the wilderness, unfortunately because of their stubbornness. And so the children of those that came out of slavery—God tells Joshua, circumcise all the men. And circumcision was very—it was symbolic—almost like a purification, a purification and a sign of God’s covenant. This is a sign that the promise I gave your ancestors—the promise I gave you—that you would inherit the Promised Land—it is coming. It’s manifesting in front of you. So circumcision in the Old Testament is likened to the purpose of water baptism today.
And so God says that the moment that Joshua had circumcised all the males, God gives him this word: that this day I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you. He said, I know that your ancestors—I know that you came from slavery—but you’re walking into the Promised Land. Even if you had the mentality that maybe we will just be stuck in the wilderness—you are not slaves anymore. You are free. You are walking into a place of abundance. Gilgal was so symbolic. It was a place that God rolled away reproach—rolled away accusations, rolled away insecurities, inadequacies. God wants to establish you. This was a place that God purposed to establish Saul. The place that God is telling you wait a little longer—it’s the place He wants to establish you.
God sees the shame. You see, when God is saying that I am rolling away the reproach—that means I saw the reproach. You’re wondering, God, do You see me? Do You see what I’m going through? Do You see the people accusing me? Do You see what people are saying about me? Do You see that it looks like I’m confused? Do You see what is happening? God sees it. And before the problem came, He had a solution. And He’s saying that if you will wait a little longer, there is a place that I have purposed to establish you. And in that place you will forget all the nonsense that you’ve experienced. You forget the pain. You’ll forget the shame. You’ll forget all of that. Because I have a place to establish you. And the only thing that you would take away from the place of your reproach is the purpose behind it. Because although the Israelites were slaves in Egypt, it was still part of God’s purpose to gather them together.
God’s Plan to Establish Us
And so God is saying, I know what you’ve been through. I know what people are saying about you. I know it looks confusing. I’m going to roll away the reproach of poverty. I’m going to roll away the reproach of inadequacy. I’m going to roll away the reproach of an assault victim. I’m going to roll away the reproach—I know what you have been through. I see you. And I have a plan to establish you if you would wait on me. But waiting is inconvenient. Because we’re people that we want answers now. God, when is this happening? Is this happening now? God had a plan all along. And I came here to encourage you that God has a plan for your life. You are not in this by yourself. But where He desires to take you, you have to have a life that is dead to your own will. Because God is not taking you to heights for you to just relax. There is work to do up there—the same way there is work to do here.
And Jesus is the perfect example. When we look at the life of Jesus on earth, it was not convenient at all—coming to die on the cross. Like, it was not convenient. But on the other side of that was glory. On the other side of that was increase. On the other side of that He was given a name higher above every other name. God wants to make your name great. What are we willing to die to—our own will, to die to our own agendas—to say, «God, I want to be inconvenienced for You. I want to be inconvenienced for Your purpose.» I want to be the kind of person that I can say yes—that if You tell me that, you know what, just move to this place—because there are people You want me to touch there. There’s a purpose You have—that it’s not about things. It’s not about who’s with me, who leaves me—because You will never forsake me. Jesus is our example.
We don’t have to do burnt offerings or peace offerings. We have the cross. And the Word of God now tells us, take up your cross and follow me. Because the cross represents death to self. The cross represents death to agendas. Jesus had a will, but then He tells us, I did not come to do my will—I came to do my Father’s will. Because in His Father’s will is His truth. Are we willing to say, I want to be inconvenienced for Jesus? I want to be inconvenienced for His purpose? I want to be inconvenienced for the truth? Because you see, when the Bible says that the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak—it is that the spirit knows the truth. The spirit knows who you really are. The spirit is always willing. But the flesh wants to keep you down. The flesh is perishing. But God has a plan for your life. And being inconvenienced is just part of it. It’s not a negative thing.
That’s what I learned that day. That’s what I learned. That when it—because the emotions was not just to the point of like, oh God, this would never be the case. The emotions was like, wow—how didn’t I see this all along? Why was it that I was holding on to this idea of this day when everything just seems convenient? No, no—that’s not part of the plan. It has never been part of the plan. And when we embrace this as our new normal—that when we go through circumstances, when we go through the valley, when we go through the things that look like the shadow of death—we know that God is with us. We know that, no, God—You have a purpose. There is a purpose in the silence. There is purpose in each and everything that You’re doing in my life.
Altar Call and Closing Prayer
Are we willing to be inconvenienced? Rise with me. Thank You, Jesus. Thank You, Jesus. I want us to take a moment—eyes closed, heads bowed. I want us to take a moment and think about the thing—think about the thing that even now, Holy Spirit, I thank You that You will bring things to their mind. What is it that you have been holding on to—that God, this needs to happen now? That this is—for some people, this is a word literally of life and death. Because for some, you were on the verge of walking away. You are literally on the verge of walking away. And you’re like, «God, I don’t know if I can do this anymore.» But it’s funny—because the moment Saul sacrificed—did what he was not supposed to do—Samuel showed up. You are at the brink of it, and you don’t even know—you were right there. You don’t even know it. And God sent me today with this word to encourage you to stay strong—to encourage you to say that this is your normal.
No one is frustrated when they think they have to brush their teeth—because it’s their normal. Unless you have a hygiene problem. This—this is our new normal. That yeah, I may not be where—it’s not—it might not be always easy. But I trust God. I trust what God is doing in my life. I trust—I trust that He’s for me. He’s not against me. He is for me. He is for you. So I want you—that as the Holy Spirit is bringing to mind what is the thing that you’re holding on to—that God is saying, just lay that at the altar. Just let it go. Just let it go. Just let it go. That this is not you holding on to—this is actually a deception of the enemy. It’s a deception of the enemy to think that no, everything is supposed to be this way. This is what society has taught us. But we live by the kingdom. We are in the world, but we are not of the world. So we have to go back to our roots. And our roots is in His word. Our roots is—He showed us how to live, and that is through His Son Jesus.
If you’re here and you’re like, you know what, I want to be inconvenienced for Jesus—just raise up your hand, and we’re going to seal this in prayer. Thank God. I know—I don’t want to keep holding on to my agendas. I don’t want to hold on to my thoughts and my will and my way. You see, something—it’s interesting—the Scripture talks about how stubbornness is as idolatry. Because stubbornness is idolatry—because you are holding on to your mindset and your will. You have raised it higher than the purpose of God. And so it’s like you are—you’re worshiping your idea over God. Our lives are hidden in Christ Jesus—who I really am. Yes, hallelujah. Child, let the people know who I really am—it’s in Him. It’s in His word. It’s in His way. It’s in His leading. I am not by myself. Even when You’re silent, God—I trust You. I trust You.
Just raise your hand—then we’re going to pray. Father God, I thank You that You see each and every one in this house. You know them, Lord. And as we come before You, we’re saying that, God, we don’t want to hold on to our ways of doing things anymore. Yes, we moved. Yes, we did the things that were unfamiliar to us. But Lord, we’re also saying that we’re ready to be inconvenienced for the truth. Yes, it may not be comfortable staying with strangers and not knowing where to go and not knowing where to turn. But God, we would recognize that even when You’re silent, Your favor is with us. That we’re asking, God, where are You? —You were in the person who gave us $20. You are in the person who opened their house. You are in the person, Lord God—we’re wondering, God, where are You? Where is the thing that You promised me? —but You have been there all along. But You’re speaking in a different language. You’re speaking through the actions of people to say that I see you. No matter what you’ve been through, you’re still surviving. You’re still here.
For someone, you’re like, you know what, I don’t even have anyone that opened a house for me. And it’s almost like God is showing me you—but then there was a homeless shelter that opened the door for you. And there are so many people that were supposed to get in, but you were able to get in. And I’m here to tell you that is the favor of God. It doesn’t matter how it comes—it is the favor of God. It is God’s favor that you’re still here. It is God’s favor that you’re still breathing—that you’re still alive. The Word of God even talks about how the enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy—but you are still living. It is the favor of God. You’re like, you know what, I feel like I have been suicidal—but you’re here. It is the favor of God. You’ve lost people in your life, and there are things that you may not understand—but God has a purpose that is greater than our understanding.
Can we trust Him so that we may be inconvenienced by His word? God, I’m going to trust You. You have a plan to establish me. This is not just—this is not just like, oh, You’re playing games with me. No—You have a plan to establish me. And because Your blessings do not come with sorrow, You’re taking Your time with me. God, I’m going to be grateful in the midst of not knowing. I’m going to be grateful when it looks like the very place You sent me to is the very place that the enemy wants to make a mockery of me. But Jesus, You made a mockery of him on the cross. And I’m going to stand by what You did on the cross.
God, I thank You that You are rolling away the reproach. You’re rolling away the insecurities. You’re rolling away the inadequacies. You’re rolling away everything—every stronghold that rises against the knowledge of God over Your children’s lives. Lord God, You have a plan that rolls away—that it would not even be in their memory anymore. You’re rolling away poverty. You’re rolling it all away. Father God, I thank You that this house right now is our Gilgal. And You are meeting here, Lord God, to say that I am rolling away from you everything that has tried to hold you back. I’m rolling it away. Thank You, Lord. Have Your way in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen.