Stephanie Ike - Don't Look Back (01/19/2026)
This sermon, drawing from Haggai chapter 2, urges believers not to look back at past lives, jobs, or successes that weren’t aligned with God’s calling, even if they seemed secure or good, because clinging to them hinders true purpose—like Lot’s wife turning to salt for preserving the past. The preacher emphasizes that rebuilding God’s temple symbolizes realigning with His presence and word, which brings greater latter glory, resources, and peace through His promise. Ultimately, God calls us to take courage, keep working in our lane without discouragement or comparison, trusting that His name on our lives ensures fulfillment, supernatural provision, and a weightier presence than any former glory.
Introduction: Lot’s Wife and Looking Back
You know, hey, hey, you see, the Bible—there’s a history, well, not really history, but there are events of people looking back. You know, how many people know the story of Lot’s wife? She looked back—she turned to salt. God made her a preservative. She was trying to preserve the moments of her past. She became the preservative. You see, you see, the thing with looking back is we’re trying to hold on to something that is gone, right? I haven’t heard of God turning anyone to salt as of recent, so we’re good. But it’s about trying to hold on to this life of what you believe—like, okay, maybe this feels safe, right? But you’re holding on to something that is already gone.
And don’t look back—it’s not like this—you know, I’m not even talking about—I’m not going into the carnal things, right? I’m not talking about like, you know what, don’t call that person no more because, you know, it’s—you guys be doing things that the Lord is not watching—none of that, right? I’m talking about the things that feel right, right? We’ve been talking—you know, Pastor Toure has been on this series of kings and queens, and he’s been talking about how every king has a lane, right? And in this lane, in this path that God has called you to, it doesn’t mean that, you know, anything outside the lane is bad per se—it’s just not for you.
And so a lot of times we are living in things that we have no business in—our purpose, our lives, nothing in our destiny aligns to that. That, you know, the version of that person, their job—that for many of you, God has called out of their careers, that God has called out of—it’s not that it is a bad thing or it’s carnal—none of that. It’s just that it is not your truth. And so when I talk about «Don’t Look Back, » for many, this is a message that you might have to just hold on to and keep replaying. Because what God is calling you to—the process of you realizing the fullness of that identity—can seem shaky, can seem uncertain, can seem like, you know what, I’d rather just go back to what I know, what seems tangible, what seems secure.
Background on Haggai and Rebuilding the Temple
And so when God gave me this word, the passage that He gave me with this was Haggai chapter 2. And before we go into Haggai chapter 2, you know, for some backstory—the prophet Haggai is telling the leaders of the Israelites, you know, on behalf of the people—he’s telling them to rebuild the temple of the Lord. So this is in Haggai. So he gives them this command that the Lord has said, right? And when we think of a command—a command is simply an instruction for alignment. A command is simply—when God gives a command, it is the evidence that you are settling in a place that is not your truth. And so the command is a directive word to bring you back to a place of identity.
And so there’s this command to the Israelites to rebuild the temple of the Lord. Now, the story of the temple—Solomon had, you know, when David was king, David had this desire to build the Lord a temple. You know, God told him that your son is going to build the temple. But the Lord gave him specific instructions to build this temple—that, you know, when Solomon became king, he built the temple. But Solomon’s ways—he started serving other gods, and, you know, ultimately it led to God allowing the temple to be destroyed. And so Haggai comes in, and he tells the people, «Consider your ways.» And it’s almost as though—because even in rebuilding this temple, there’s been a lot of opposition, right? And so it seemed like the people had an excuse for why they weren’t rebuilding the temple. But when you listen to what the Lord is saying, it means that there were opportunities for you guys to start rebuilding the temple.
And so he tells the people, «Consider your ways.» And I love that because it’s almost like he starts talking about—you earn wages to put in a pocket full of holes. It talks about how you sow much but you harvest little. And what is so fascinating about that—because this is a picture of what success looks like but not being a success. So because to sow much means you have a lot, right? But you’re not getting anything back really in return. You’re earning something, but it’s going—it’s just kind of just washing away. And so in the lane that is not yours, it looks like—you look like a success, but you know you’re not a success. And in this culture where, you know, social media—there is the image of success, but perception, as we know, is not always reality, right?
And so when God says, «Consider your ways"—because you look like you’re making it. You’re sowing a lot, but you’re not really getting anything back. Economically, that’s a loss, right? You’re making money somehow, but you don’t see it. And so he says, «Consider your ways.» And that is why he tells them about rebuilding the temple. You see, what about the temple? Why the temple? It’s almost like a sign of alignment. Because these Israelites—if we do a little teaching—these Israelites can be linked back to those that were delivered from Egypt. And so when the Lord delivered the Israelites from slavery, it was by His Spirit—because the Lord was with them. That was the only way that they were delivered. It was the only way that everything happened the way it happened—because the Lord was with them.
Now, when we fast forward—where now the temple represents where the Lord’s presence lives—so when the temple is destroyed, it’s almost as though it’s symbolic that the Lord’s presence is no longer amongst them. And so you have a people that are trying to live a life moving forward without the one thing that brought them to that place. And so the Spirit of the Lord that led them out of slavery—the Spirit of the Lord that actually gave them the ability to move forward—now they think that we can do this thing without it. And so, you know, there’s this passage I love it so much—it’s Psalm 24:1. And I actually gave it to them. And it talks about how the earth is the Lord’s and all it contains, right? The world and those who dwell in it.
The Earth Belongs to God
So now let’s look at this, right? The earth belongs to God. The people—He created them. The earth has no responsibility to give you something if the earth does not recognize it as a God thing. And so because the whole concept of harvest—you know, sowing and harvest—it’s you’re putting seed in the earth. But for some reason, it’s not really giving anything back to them. People don’t have to do anything for you. God may not touch anyone’s heart to favor you if you’re in a path that He never called you to. He has no responsibility to do anything. And so when they said the earth is the Lord’s—the earth answers to God. And so when we’re living a life outside of His intention and His will, He has no responsibility to do anything about it.
And so we see our lives where it seems like, God, I’ve been doing this, and I’ve been grinding—you know, grinding is our word, right? You know, just grinding—what you doing? Grinding, you know, just—and people doing it with like style, like, you know, crying like, no, you’re not, right? And so what’s so interesting about this picture is because it explains to us why the Scriptures tell us how all creation is eagerly awaiting for the revealing of the sons of God. Because creation wants to serve you. God, there are angels that have been assigned to touch people’s hearts to favor you—but they cannot do it to a you they do not recognize.
Entering Haggai Chapter 2
And so we’re going into Haggai. We’re going into this Scripture where the people have started building. The people have brought themselves to a place of alignment. Haggai gives them this word. He says, «Consider your ways.» The people consider their ways. They’re like, wait—you know what, we probably haven’t been doing what we’re supposed to be doing. And so they start rebuilding the temple. And now this is where we are in Haggai 2. So they’re building this temple now. Mind you, they’re mindful of—maybe there’s going to be some opposition. They may not have enough resources. They’re, you know, in their mind—Solomon’s temple—I mean, when the temple Solomon built was incredible. But all of it was still based on the instruction of God, right?
And so what’s so fascinating about this—but let me just read this. So it says, «On the 21st of the 7th month, the word of the Lord came by Haggai the prophet, saying: 'Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel'—I don’t know if I’m saying that right, but God is good—'governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and to the remnant of the people, saying: „Who is left among you who saw this temple in its former glory? And how do you see it now? Does it not seem to you like nothing in comparison?“ But now take courage'—let me just stop there.
Addressing Discouragement and Comparison
Now, whenever God—what I love so much about God is that when He has a conversation with you, He’s communicating not to what you’re doing but what is in your heart. He’s communicating to the intention behind what you’re doing. He’s communicating to the emotions that you’re feeling. That’s why a lot of times when Jesus would have conversations—they would say one thing, Jesus is talking about something else. And it’s like, Jesus, that’s not what they said. But it’s almost like the conversation He’s having with you is not based on this—it’s based on this. And so when God tells them, He says, „Who amongst you remembers this temple in its former glory?“ Because it appeared to be that the people were discouraged—because they’re comparing ongoing work to past finished work. They’re wondering, how is it possible that we’re going to rebuild this temple? Because we know—we don’t have the resources. We don’t have the silver. We don’t have the gold. We don’t know how we’re going to make this work.
And so they’re comparing—this isn’t it funny—before I even continue, I’m going to digress a bit—isn’t it funny how sometimes we compare what we’re building to something that has been built in the past? We forget that we are in a process, and we want to compare it to something that has already been completed and it’s past tense. And we start feeling discouraged because the process we’re in does not look like what someone already finished. And we forget that we are still building. We cannot live life looking at what’s behind—whether it’s in your past, whether it’s what someone else has done. Because that is God’s past work, right? And there’s so many things that He still has to do. That’s why He always talks about, „I am doing a new thing.“ Because you’re killing yourself looking at God’s past work.
And so let’s get back here. And so now He’s telling them—because He understands where they are at—you’re thinking of this work, and you’re wondering, how are we going to make this look like what Solomon built? You see, the funny thing is what Solomon built was not based on Solomon’s intuition. God gave David specific instructions about the temple. It was God’s responsibility for the temple to be built. What they were rebuilding is still based on the instructions that were given by God. You see, when you live a life—what I loved about—there’s a passage actually in 2 Chronicles—it’s in chapter 7—where God talked about the temple when Solomon had first built it. He talked about how, „My name shall be there.“ God will put His name on what He spoke towards.
God’s Name and Responsibility
And the interesting thing about the name of God being somewhere—this is what the people perhaps didn’t realize—because they’re thinking that Solomon’s ability to build the temple maybe was because Solomon—you know, it was the favor Solomon had or whatever. You know, maybe it was about Solomon. But the truth is, it was about God’s word. When God says, „My name shall be there"—what does Scripture tell us about the name of the Lord? That in His name every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that He is Lord. That sounds like alignment. When God puts His name on a thing, anything that tries to oppose you would bow to that thing being fulfilled.
And so when God gives a word—He is the Word. God’s name is the Word. You know, in Genesis it talks about how they described God—was the voice. The voice was walking in the cool of the day. He is the Word. His name is the Word. When God gives you a word, He’s put His name on the thing. And so that thing must happen because His name is on it. And so the fascinating thing about this is—because how many people have a word from God? How many people have a promise from God, right? Because His word is the promise of what will happen.
Now, why do we get tempted to look back? Because we start—we’re looking at us: okay, God, you know, the circumstances don’t look right. You know, I don’t really have the education for this. You’re telling me I’m going to do something that it doesn’t seem like I’m qualified for—you know, on and on and on and on. But we forget that because it is His word—He said about His word—not your word—He said about His word that He would see to the fulfillment of it. So it talks about how He says that, «I am watching"—God is watching over His word to complete it.
And so we get caught up because we’re looking at ourselves rather than looking at the word of God. When God says rebuild the temple—I have put My name on the completion of it. And so the people are feeling discouraged because it’s, you know, how are we going to do this? How are we going to compete with what Solomon did? It was never about Solomon. It was always about the word of God. Angels respond to the word of God. You know, when we’re looking for—sometimes we pray, and we’re like, God, you know, I just need supernatural help. Get in alignment with His word—because angels don’t respond to us. Angels—they talk about how angels—this, you know, there’s a Scripture that says, «You mighty angels who do His bidding, who carry out His word.» So you can cry and pray for supernatural help—but unless that thing you’re praying for is in alignment with what God has spoken, they’re not moving.
But it doesn’t mean that angels have not been positioned to help you—because they are called ministering spirits. They’re not supposed to minister to one another, right? They’re supposed to minister to you. And so before they can move on your behalf, it has to do with—they need to recognize the name of God on you—on your career, on your project. And so God is speaking to them, and He says, «Take courage.» «But now take courage, Zerubbabel"—Babel sounds like a tongue, sister—Babel, you know, who knows who listens to—I’m sorry, I love music. There’s a group—they have the song called «Babel.» I can’t remember, but anyway—I’m going to tweet it. But He says, «Now take courage, Zerubbabel.»
Take Courage and Work
Because you see, what I love about taking courage is that to take courage means that in the face of adversity—stand—in the face of adversity, you can still prevail. You see, family—if something did not kill you, it does not have the ability to stop you. The only way you can stop me is if you kill me. That’s right. And so if you’re still standing—do not sit in this place of, you know, I just feel like the enemy is after me. If he didn’t kill you, he can’t stop you.
And so when God says, «Take courage"—I know you might be afraid that the opposition might come. I know you might be afraid that you guys might not even have the resources. How long are we going to be building this thing? What are we going to do? But take courage—because it’s about God’s word. So He says to him, declares the Lord, «Take courage also, Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and all you people of the land—take courage"—stand—keep moving even when you face adversity. A lot of you in this room are facing some serious adversity. And it feels like you’re—and you’re contemplating, God, did You really call me to this place? Did You really call me to this career? Did You really call me to this field? Am I supposed to act? Am I supposed to sing? Am I supposed to—you know, am I supposed to be in this job position? Because everyone is attacking me. My boss doesn’t like me—but she hasn’t fired you. That’s the part we forget.
We dwell on—the environment is against me—but they haven’t kicked you out. We dwell on—you know, people are gossiping about me—but it didn’t change your position. We dwell on—even the CEO is saying something about you—but the same person could fire you. Why—if they really did not like you—why are you still there? So we miss it. We look at adversity as though it’s killed something that God gave us. No—when you recognize that God—Your name is on this—Your name is on my life—it changes your position. It changes—and I’m not talking about because your position stays the same—but I’m talking about your inner position. You’re not walking around with your head down, slouched—you know, no vibes at all. God is trying to tell you like, it’s a vibe out here, child—just, you know, depressed. No, no, no, no, no. When you know that God’s hand is upon your life—that the thing that He has spoken to you—He has a responsibility.
You see, you can only put your name on things you’re responsible for—your car, your house, apartment, whatever it is. You’re not going to put your name on something you have no responsibility towards. Even if you co-sign for someone and the person don’t pay the bill—guess who’s going to pay it to save your credit? You. And so God—in saving His name—when He calls Himself that—when He says that He’s a faithful God—to save His name—that’s why sometimes the Lord will say, «For My name’s sake.» He’s not even saying—He’s not even saying, no, Google it—because I can’t remember where it happened—but the Lord will often say—He’s not even saying, oh, because of these people—no, He said because of My name. Because I cannot go back on Myself.
And so when you find yourself in these positions—and you’re like, okay, what is supposed to happen—remember God’s name is on my life. And as long as I stay in the path—not looking back because I feel adversity—not looking back because I feel discouraged—understanding that because He said it, He would do it—we keep pushing. We take courage. We stand even when adversity hits. And so it says that, «In all you people, » declares the Lord, «and work.» And work—we see, why would God say «and work»? Because that mindset had slowed them down. Yes, that mindset made them so discouraged that even though they are, you know, probably still like putting—you know, there’s a ladder, but no one is up the ladder—you know, just chilling right there. Lunch break for like hours. He says, «And work—for I am with you.»
Keep going to the auditions. Keep recording the music. Keep showing up at your job—whatever it is that God has called you to do. Keep showing up at school. Get that degree—even though you feel like, what am I going to use it for? There’s a word that was connected to it. And so He says, «Work—because I am with you.» That is the most powerful thing—because now God is bringing them back to the place of—now that you have come back to the place of alignment—My Spirit is amongst you. My name is on this thing. So it says, «Work—for I am with you, » declares the Lord of hosts. «As for the promise which I made you when you came out of Egypt, My Spirit is abiding in your midst. Do not fear.»
God’s Shaking and Provision
Let’s continue. «For thus says the Lord of hosts: 'Once more in a little while, I am going to shake the heavens and the earth, the sea also and the dry land.'» Let’s continue. «I will shake all the nations, and they will come with the wealth of all nations, and I will fill this house with glory, » says the Lord of hosts. What I love about this—you see, in Hebrews the Lord talks about a shaking—when He will shake the heavens, when He will shake—and it talks about how everything that can be shaken will be shaken so that which remains can stand. In this passage, He’s talking about another shaking—but this shaking is more for an outpouring.
So you see, there is a shaking that concerns you to enter your truth. There is a shaking that—when God starts shaking up your life—He’s removing the things that you created so that that which He spoke would live. Now, so that is one shaking. This shaking is when God shakes the earth to respond to you. And so we’ve been in this place of kings and queens—understanding your identity. God has shaken things up in your life. He has called you out of a lot of things. And He’s given you this promise—family, if you stay faithful to the path—if you put your hands to work—I know there’s adversity. I know there’s hardships. I know that it looks like, you know what—looking back or returning to the former things might seem easy. But if you’re honest with yourself—it gave you the look of success but not success itself.
And so the Lord says, if you’re faithful—I will then shake the heavens and the earth to respond to you. Because this shaking—this shaking is about wealth now coming into the house of God. So the people are weary. The people are complaining—you know what, we may not have the silver, we may not have the gold. And God says, no, no, no—don’t worry about that. Because in the next passage—we can even go to the next one—He talks about how the silver and the gold is Mine. See, «The silver is Mine and the gold is Mine, » declares the Lord. Because as we read earlier—the earth responds to Him. He can touch people to favor you and do according to that which He has spoken.
And even, you know, in your personal study—we see the result of all of this. And I believe it’s in Ezra—Ezra chapter, like from chapter 6—just keep reading the whole Bible, you know. We see the result—when God literally touched the hearts of people that caused them to have everything that they needed. What is it that you’re asking for? What is it that you’re looking for? You see, when I spoke about how God responds to your heart posture—if you are in a place where you say, okay, God—if I don’t get this by, you know, three months—I’m done—that’s not going to move Him. Because that is already a mind that is wavering. So He’s not going to respond—because in your mouth—what you’re saying with your mouth is, God, I really want to do this thing You’ve called me to do this thing. But you know, I only got three months to give You. That means in your heart you’re saying, God, I really don’t believe what You’re saying. You know what—I’m already looking back. But right about now, you know, I just haven’t walked back yet. I got three months to do the walking, right?
You Are the Purpose
And so God responds to your heart posture. But when in your heart you’re like, God—you know what—if I perish, I perish—I’m going to go after this thing. The only thing that will stop me is if it kills me—because You’ve given me a word. Why would we want to go back to the former thing? Because it looks safe. You see, the Lord gave me a word—and it really shook me a few days ago. And He said, you know, the problem with—even with me sometimes—is that you think you are Stephanie with a purpose. You don’t recognize that you are the purpose. So you think you are this person that God has given an assignment—you’re this person that God has put the answer for something with. And when you have the mentality—that means, well, you know, God—You could just give it to somebody else—or, you know, give me something else to do. But you don’t recognize that the very thought—the intention behind your creation—was for that very purpose. So you are the purpose. So walking out of it is just—it’s like you’re not even existing. So why do we want to live a life that is just a pure lie?
You see, society has a standard. Why the Scripture always talks about we are in this world but we are not of the world—it has nothing to do with carnality—not nothing like that. It doesn’t mean that, you know, if you’re a Christian, you don’t listen to Future—cuz I like Future, right? It’s not about that, okay? You know, God is not tripping, right? It has more to do about the system of the world. You see, the world has a system—about this is how you live, this is what you do—you, you know, you do this—you make this kind of money—you, you know, maybe donate to a few charities, right? And then you get a thing back—so it’s not really donating. And so the world has a system in which we live—as long as I can pay my bills, as long as I can do this, as long as I can do that—I’m good.
But when God says you are not of that system—because what heaven recognizes is—as long as you are living in your truth—that is what’s good in the eyes of God. God is not looking at, oh man—I sure hope, you know, they pay the bill this month—because He will provide for it. That’s why Jesus says, «Do not worry about what you will eat or drink.» Because see, when Jesus talks about do not worry—He says, look at the flowers in the field. When He says that, He’s talking to a part of you that He wants to awaken—the reality that you are not of this system. It’s not about your troubles in life should not be your highest priority—is not about eating and drinking—cuz God can handle that. Your highest priority is, God—am I living in my truth? Am I living for the purpose You created me?
The Latter Glory and Peace
And so there’s this temptation to look back. But the truth is—what God has spoken—He is responsible to—He would not leave you. He would not—that’s what the Scripture talks about—He would not leave you and He will not forsake you. I don’t know what it is that you have had to let go for this walk. There’s a reason why this message is «Don’t Look Back"—because you might be feeling weary. You might be feeling discouraged. But if it didn’t kill you, it cannot stop you.
And so the last verse—the last verse says—oh, I love this. It says, «The latter glory of this house will be greater than the former, » says the Lord. What is so good about this—you see, eventually—before this passage—it talks about how God will fill the house with glory. You see, the word «glory» can be, you know, defined in different things—from the Hebrew text. In the former passage—when it says the Lord will fill this house with glory—you can see that He’s speaking particularly to material things. Because there was—the vision behind rebuilding the temple—it deals with silver, it deals with gold, it deals with all those things. And that’s why the Lord says, «The silver and the gold is Mine, » right? And so there is this—in the previous passage—filling the house with glory is that indeed God would release the resources that they need.
But now when it says the latter glory of the house will be greater than the former—and this is not about the beauty of the house anymore. This is not about how the house looks—because it’s the same template. It’s like having a 2017 Toyota Prius—it’s the same car. One is not more beautiful than the other—it’s the same car, you know—unless you do some extra stuff to it. So this glory is more talking about the weight of God’s presence. And because you see—no matter how beautiful the temple was in the past—King Solomon still worshiped other gods. Because his relationship—he didn’t have the relationship he had with God was shaky. And so the Scripture often talks about how his heart was divided. And so because of his love for women also—he ended up worshiping their gods.
So this glory that God is talking about is the influence of His presence—the impact of His presence—that His presence—that it’s not just going to be, okay, this is where we worship the Lord—no—but there’s going to be something about His presence that changes the people from the inside out. Why this is so critical is because—for some people—God may have called you from something that had the look of glory to something that does not look glorious. But this is what is so beautiful about this—when you carry a weight—it doesn’t matter if you’re an intern—there’s a favor that will be on your life that the CEO would recognize you. It doesn’t matter if you’ve never had an acting job before—you will end up landing something that doesn’t even make sense. Because what God is doing with you is a work from the inside out. And He’s giving you—it’s almost like the presence of God in your life.
You see, we all have—what’s interesting is that this passage is talking about a temple. The Bible refers to us as the temple. So the Holy Spirit lives within us. But now what gives us access to work with the Holy Spirit is our agreement with what He says about us. Because the Scripture says, how can two walk together unless they agree? And so, you know—it talks about like walking—but I’m going to use the word work. So for the Holy Spirit to work in your life—there has to be agreement. Now, when you agree with what God says about you—it’s almost as though the weight of who God is becomes your normal. So there is now a favor on your life.
I loved how PT talked about Joseph. Joseph came in as a slave—a slave. But Joseph was carrying—see, this is the interesting thing, right? Because what God is doing in this time—it’s not about titles. It’s not about, I don’t have the title for this position. I don’t have the things to put on my resume for this thing. It’s about the presence of God in your life. And so wherever you are—family, pay attention to the rooms you’re in. Don’t pay attention to the title you have in the room—pay attention to the room you’re in. Joseph was in the palace as a servant. It was about the room—not his title. It was never about his position as a servant. Because the glory of God on his life raised him to become—well, not the actual king—but you know what I mean, right? Because he had—you know, I like to clarify things a little bit. But it raised him to a position of power. He literally was acting as the king.
And so don’t—don’t be so focused on, God, I don’t have—you know, my credentials or whatever, whatever, whatever. When He says the latter glory would be greater than the former—because it’s not about titles. It’s not about, okay, you know—I don’t have this, I don’t have that. He’s saying that My presence will speak on your behalf. And then it says that—okay—says the Lord of hosts, «And in this place I will give peace.»
You see, family—the crazy thing sometimes about following God is that you’re following God, you’re trusting in God—but sometimes you have anxiety, right? Because the anxiety is coming from a place of, you know—could I be wrong? Am I tripping? What’s going on? Like—and this peace—this peace is almost as though—in this place you would see what I have said. You will begin to experience the very promises I gave you. And you would know that it was worth it. Sometimes it takes you to experience the very thing God said—for you to—so it’s not a peace like, oh, the peace of the Lord—because God’s peace is always with you. It’s a peace of, wow—God, You did that thing. And He’s promising you that He will do it—because His name is on your life.
Altar Call and Closing Prayer
Family, rise with me. You see, for some in this house—even the moment I said the message «Don’t Look Back"—there is this anxiety, there’s this frustration of, God—what You called me to doesn’t seem like it’s working out. I’ve left this. I know I’m a king, and I know this is my lane—but there is a process to actually live out that thing. And God wants you to know that you are not alone. He is with you. Heaven is backing you up. Heaven is backing you up. This is not a thing of, let me go back to this—because you’re just going back to a lie. We are created—who God says we are—is literally—that is why I love this song—tell me what can I do? I can’t live without You. Because outside of my identity in You—I’m nothing. It’s almost—I shouldn’t even be existing.
And if you’ve been feeling weary—I want you to come to this altar. And God is going to renew your strength. It says those who wait on the Lord—He will renew their strength. And you will fly, baby—that’s my version. Thank You, Jesus. Thank You, Jesus. Thank You, Jesus.
You see, for some—the issue has been you’ve been trying—you’ve been trying to do it without God. You haven’t fully accepted Him and let Him into your life. And if that is you—He drew you out today on a Wednesday night—not just for you to come check it out—because that was your thought behind it. He drew you here to say that My Spirit is what brought you here. And I want to take you to where you desire to go—but it requires Me. Because you see—if you want to do things in the natural way of doing it—oh, child—it could take you for a long time. But if you want supernatural backup—when God goes before you—He goes into rooms that you have no business in—to touch people’s hearts concerning you. Or you need God for that—cuz angels will only move on His word.
If you want to go the natural way—it’s a very long process. People need to know you—know what you’re about—you know, background checks. If you want juvenile—oh my gosh, you know. And someone here—actually, I joke a lot—but in the jokes it’s actually for somebody. And someone here—that has been your testimony. You went to juvenile—and it seems because of what has been on your record—you’re afraid that certain places would not open doors for you. But when God is with you—trust me—that is supernatural backup. Angels are going before you—they’re ministering on your behalf.
And so if there’s anyone still out there—and you’ve been feeling like, God—I haven’t involved You in this thing. You feel as though I’m earning wages only to put it in a bag with holes. Who am I talking to? You’re in a position where you have the look of success—but when you’re by yourself—how people perceive you is not the truth version of you. And it seems like, God—I should be way—I should be so much farther along than I am now. But it just seems like every time I pour this out—nothing is coming back to me. I see you. I see you. Come on down—just come as I’m talking. Thank You, Jesus. Thank You, Jesus.
For many—this is a word that would encourage you to not look back. For some—this is a word that will challenge you to find your lane—because you’ll recognize that perhaps I’m holding on to something that God never called me to. It’s not about it being—and that’s where we get it twisted—because we think that, you know, the thing that is not a God thing should look like a wrong thing—like wrong to everybody—like, you know, just doing something crazy—you know, I don’t know what it is—but something crazy, right? You know, drug dealing or something like that—I don’t know. But I’m just joking. And so we have this idea that it’s this crazy thing. But it could even be a good thing.
One thing God told me years ago—and I never let it go—and He said, «Stephanie, do not be distracted by what you know.» And I’ll tell you the story of this. This was in college—and we used to do like this—you know, we had like this evangelism team—and we’ll go like door to door—you know, «Have you met the Lord Jesus Christ? Have you met the Lord Jesus Christ? Have you met the Lord Jesus Christ?» Right? I thought I was in a great thing. I said, God—I’m over here trying to have people meet You. And He told me not to. He said, «I did not call you to do that. I need you—I need you during your weekends. That’s not where I need you. I need you somewhere else to represent Me. I don’t need you door to door with that group.»
It sounds crazy—but we even see this in the Bible—where there are disciples that would actually want to go into a city to preach the gospel—and the Holy Spirit will tell them no. So when I’m talking about «Don’t Look Back"—it’s not what we—you know, what looks worldly—you know, whatever that is. It’s just what is not in your lane. It’s just what is not true to you. It’s what God didn’t create you for. And so for some that have been having this dilemma or this confusion of—but God—it’s not like this is wrong. You know, I’m still helping people. I thought I was bringing people to the Lord—and He told me to leave that alone. And I was so confused. And He said, «Stephanie, you’re being confused—you’re being distracted by what you know.» You know evangelism—so you think that door to door is what I’ve called you to do at this point. He’s like, nah—you know. It’s just like, God—you know, are nah—you know. He’s like, nah—you know. I’m sorry, guys—I’m very random. But I’m saying this for you to even feel comfortable. Life with God is not this like rigid thing. It’s very beautiful when you own it—when you own who you are in Him. It’s very beautiful. Thank You, Jesus. Thank You, Jesus.
I don’t know if you’re still standing—and if you’re on live stream, you’re with us in this altar. But if someone is here—and where your dilemma is—see, when Jesus talked about do not worry about what you would eat or drink—that is your biggest worry. And it’s valid—because you’re literally in this place where you feel like you can’t—you don’t have anything. You feel like, you know what—God—this me—know what—I’m starving. You know, you feel like I don’t know what’s going to happen. I’m in this place of confusion—and it feels like I may not be able to sustain myself. God is calling you to a place where He wants you to know Him as provider. And if that is you—that your decisions are driven by need—I want you to come out here. Because any decision driven by a need can drive you to the wrong things.
Let that need surrender that need to the Lord. Because if your life is driven by I need this, I need that, I need this—it talks about that—wow, wow, wow, wow, wow. Let me pause on this. Thank You, Jesus. Thank You, Jesus. And I’m saying this because you’re about to enter something that can destroy you—and that is not God’s portion for you. «The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.» You don’t know how it’s going to happen—and that’s the problem—because you’re used to having control of things. But if you trust in God—He will not disappoint you. And what I’m saying is—don’t even put an expectation to how He provides for you—because you might want it one way—and He’s still going to get it to you. Let your priority be, God—I desire to be who You’ve called me to be. In that place—family—everything will be added on to you.
I say this from experience. There are things in my life that I’m like, God—I need this—and I need to do that. And He’s like, I will get you what you need—but that is not what you need to be doing. You’re in a place of just like—okay—I don’t know what to do. I don’t know what to do—so I’m just going to run to this. I’m going to move back. I’m going to make this quick decision based under the need—removing ourselves from God. Let me try to trust You.
You see, something I love—something I love is when it talks about how Jesus fed the multitudes—the 5,000 or the 4,000, right? It says how Jesus saw that they have been with Him for three days—and they had not eaten. And He said, «If I send them away, they will faint on their way.» The people—obviously, if they’re going to faint—I’m sure they were very aware they were hungry. But it wasn’t the people that decided to leave. Jesus is the one saying, «If I send them away, they will faint.» I want you to catch something—because these are people that their number one thing was God—what do You have to say? They were hungry. They were thirsty. They were tired. They were probably about to pass out. But their one desire was God. And in that place—in that place—is where the supernatural happened.
The supernatural didn’t happen because in day two they got tired—and they’re like, God—well, you know what—we got to go eat. We got to find something to eat. They were like, God—we desire You even above our hunger. And in that place the supernatural was activated—and that is where He uses two loaves and five fishes and all that good stuff—and fed all the people. I’m saying this, family—because sometimes God would allow you—and it’s almost like He even desires for you to reach the end of yourself. Because it’s in that place He would activate the supernatural on your life.
If you are not dead—obviously you’re here—don’t stop. Don’t make a decision because you think you need something—when He is your Shepherd. God is so funny—because when He knows you’re about to do something that you don’t need to do—when He knows that she’s really reached the end of herself—He will step in. He would always step in, family. Hold on. Don’t look back. There’s nothing there for us anyway. God will not fail you. He will not disappoint you. He will not—Thank You, Jesus. Thank You, Jesus. Thank You, Jesus. Thank You, Jesus.
There are a few more people that need to come down—and we’re going to pray. And the purpose of coming down—the altar looks beautiful when it’s packed—that’s true. But that’s not the purpose. The purpose of coming down is because coming to the altar is so symbolic to the Lord. It’s saying that—beyond—I’m not concerning—I’m not here to—it’s not about people. It’s not about anything. It’s about You. And I’m going to lay this down before You. The altar is a place of sacrifice. So if you know that this is an area that you’ve been battling with—God—I want to move forward in this—and God understands—that’s why He brings a word. I want to move forward—but I feel like things are not just working out for me. Have that spirit of—if I perish, I perish. Unless it kills me—I’m not going to stop. If that is you—come down. Come down. Thank You, Jesus. Thank You, Jesus. Thank You, Jesus. Thank You, Jesus.
We’re going to pray, family. If anyone is in need of healing—you know, I don’t know if someone is here watching—but it’s almost like you—there’s a report about your ear—like you’re losing hearing or something of sort. Maybe you’re watching. And anyone—if you’re in need of healing—just touch that part of your body. The Lord is here. The Lord is here. Thank You, Jesus. Thank You, Jesus.
Father God, we thank You for Your love. We thank You for Your goodness. Lord Jesus, we thank You, Lord—for You have brought a word to remind Your people that You are with them. You have brought a word, Lord God—because of Your love. Lord God, I thank You that we would no longer compare ourselves. We would own the path that You have called us to—not looking at it as any less—because it’s not even about the title. It’s about that which You have called us to shift in the places You’ve called us to. It doesn’t matter how we got in the door. The fact is that we are in the door. The fact is that we are in these rooms that You have brought us to—whether we came in there by the way of a friend or by the way of a job or by the way of a meeting—it does not matter.
I thank You, Lord—that what You have spoken—they would see. I thank You, Lord—that they would be patient—because You are love, and love is patient. And so everything You call us to requires patience. I thank You that they would have patience with themselves and with the process. They would know, Lord God—that You are their Good Shepherd. Even when they wrestle with that thought—that they would hold on and know that, Lord God—I rather die for something I believed in than live just to exist. Thank You, Jesus—for You have called leaders and warriors all over this place. And they will see themselves as You see them. They would own their identity, Lord Jesus.
Thank You, Lord—burn the bridges that we hold on to. Burn the bridges that lay behind us—that we think we can walk. Lord God, we’re asking for Your supernatural help. Because as they have come to the altar, Lord God—burn those bridges. It would not even be an option to look back—because there’s nothing there. There’s no way to walk there. As they have come to the altar, Lord God—they are laying it down. And so we say that what they have laid down—burn it, Lord God—for You are the consuming fire. Thank You, Jesus—set a fire within the things that You have spoken to them. Reawaken their passion for, Lord God—and for some that this might be a week or two weeks later—they may need this word again. Let that replay—"Don’t look back.» There is nothing there. Everything that you desire is right now—right here. And God is doing a good work—and we just have to be patient with You, Lord. Thank You, Lord. Thank You, Lord.
Those who have trusted You right now in this moment—trusting You for healing—I thank You, Lord—that You’re touching those areas. I thank You, Jesus—have Your way. Father God, have Your way with each and everyone who came to this altar—with everyone watching on live stream—with everyone present in this room. Because there are different parts of the word that touch them in different ways. Thank You, Lord—that everyone would leave here strengthened. Everyone would leave here, Lord God—awaken to the reality that You would not forsake them. Awaken to the truth, Father God—that Your name is on them. And so anything that stands in their way—by right—has to bow. Because Your word said that in Your name every knee shall bow. And so whatever stands in our way, Lord God—if it hasn’t bowed down now—it will bow down.
We thank You, Jesus—and we seal this in Your name. Thank You, Lord—seal this message in their hearts. Seal it, Lord God—this would not just be a thing of this moment, Lord God—but this would be a thing of their life. We choose—and we make a covenant with ourselves—to not look back. In Jesus' name. Amen.