Stephanie Ike - Finish It (01/19/2026)
In this sermon, the preacher urges believers to hear God’s call to «finish it"—to complete the purposes, projects, and assignments He has placed in their lives before the window of grace closes. Drawing from the parable of the fig tree in Luke 13:6-9, she illustrates that lack of fruit isn’t due to missing resources but a mindset that needs repentance and renewal. The ultimate conclusion is that finishing—whether a specific task, a lifestyle of obedience, or closing the door on the past—brings alignment, impact, and victory, just as Jesus proudly declared «It is finished» on the cross.
God Works Through People
Whenever how God brings things into alignment on the earth, how His purpose is manifested, is always through people. It’s not like a snap, like a genie—you know—it’s always through people. Whenever God is going to do something new, He does it through a person. And that’s what He says: that how… but before He even does a thing, He has to reveal it to the people.
And so, if what God is going to do to bring alignment is through each and every one of us—and alignment comes in different ways—there are ways that bring healing to the world, there are ways that bring order to the world, to your community, to your family. Sometimes your call is to the family you’re in, and there are certain things that God will place on your heart to do there. There are certain things that need to be, you know, closed, or something else can open.
And the word He kept giving me is: tell My people to finish it. And we’re going to go into detail.
The Parable of the Fig Tree
The first scripture I want us to open is in the book that is about to come up. Look, listen.
So it says—now just a little back story—so Jesus at first, He’s speaking to a people whose hearts were hard against Him, right? And so the message is, when He’s giving this parable, it’s connected to a message of repentance. So He’s telling the people ultimately to repent. And to repent just means change your mind, change your ways. Repent is not a word that comes because you’re just, you know, in the dumps, or you’re just like some, you know, high-class sinner or something like that—I don’t know. Repent is literally when you’re moving in a direction that God has not called you to, and He’s saying: change your ways, change your mind, renew how you’re thinking about what I have showed you.
And so repent is a word of order. It’s a word that brings us back into the place of alignment. So then, in speaking to these people about repentance, this is the parable that He gives. So He said—the passage says—then He told this parable: «A man had a fig tree growing in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it but did not find any. So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, ‘For three years now I have been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down. Why should it use up the soil? ’
„‘Sir, ’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig around it and fertilize it. If it bears fruit next year, fine; if not, then cut it down.’“
You see, family, it’s so interesting because for three years, you know, God is showing up—or you know, it’s like, okay, is there any fruit? Is there any fruit? Nothing. So He comes back, He’s like, you know what, let’s cut this down—this is taking up space.
But what fruit symbolizes is the end product of the tree. The fig tree—the purpose of the fig tree—is to produce figs. So when there are no figs, its job is not completed. And so when the man says, okay, you know what, the end product, what the purpose that this was planted for was not just to be here and be pretty—it was to produce figs. And so when he says, you know what, let’s cut this down, and the keeper of the tree says, you know what, let me take really good care of it, give me one more year to take really good care of this thing, and if it produces, fine; if it doesn’t, you know what, cut it down.
What this is showing is that everything you need, you have. Not producing the thing is not because you’re lacking resources. So when Jesus is saying repent, He’s showing the people: you have everything you need. This is a matter of the mind.
A Time for Every Purpose
You see, family, there’s a passage in Ecclesiastes—I believe it’s in chapter 3, verse 1—it talks about that „for everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven.“ There is a time for every purpose under heaven. Everything that God has invested in your life has a purpose, but that purpose has a timeframe.
And so it’s not that when the scripture says „cut it down, ” it’s not about like God is rejecting us or anything like that—no. It’s saying that the time, the window, the window for these things to be produced—it’s coming to a close.
You see, at the beginning of this year, our senior pastor—you know, Pastor Troy Roberts—declared that this is the year of becoming. And I believe with everything in me that this is a year of impact, because you have impact when you become who God says you are and the things that God has put in your heart to produce and to finish.
You may not realize it, but there could be a different wind of things that happens in your life in the next season that may not give you the opportunity to finish what God has given you. And so when God is putting things in your heart, and then we find ourselves procrastinating—which is just an enemy to your destiny—don’t… it’s a deception that „I still have time.“ But time is not according to when you commit; time is the grace period that God has given you to execute what He’s put on your heart.
And so when we’re pushing things back because we are consumed by distractions and we’re consumed by things that look good but are not God, then we find ourselves: „I could do it later.“ And the Lord is saying: no, finish it now, because you may not realize that you may not have the time that you think to execute this.
Jesus and the Importance of Finishing
You see, when it comes to finishing, it’s interesting how big Jesus takes finishing. Not only did He say on the cross „It is finished, ” but I studied why He had to say that when it’s already done. And I found it so fascinating—and I would love for you to study this in your own time—because to really get the full story is to look at every the same story in the different Gospels—you know, John, Mark, all of them.
And there’s the story of when Jesus is about to be crucified, and ultimately when He’s crucified. You see, when He was in the process of, you know, Him taking, carrying His cross and heading to the point of crucifixion, it was custom that they would give people being crucified sour wine mixed with gall. Now gall is—it’s like a painkiller.
When they gave Jesus—when they gave Him to drink this—the moment He tasted it, He knew what it was; He rejected it. Now a painkiller, obviously—you know, anyone who’s had painkillers—it can numb your senses a bit.
I remember—funny story—I had to take, this was last year, I had to take like all four of my wisdom teeth out, you know. And I was like, oh my gosh, I was like, Lord, you know, just give me a speedy healing—I have a wedding to attend tomorrow. And so, you know, they take everything out, I’m on pain meds, I’m over there looking for the dentist—I was like, who is that beautiful dentist? —talk, say all kinds of nonsense.
And when I got home, I remember, man, this stuff feels so good—like I’m chill, not… I’m not recollecting anything, honestly. So the next day I didn’t even need the pain meds. I take another one, I’m like, wow, that felt amazing. Please don’t do this at home, because I took another pain med, and then I’m looking at my hand—my hand is moving beyond me. I said, what is this? I thought I was tripping. I say, you know, I’m gonna put this in the trash.
But what I recognized with those pain meds is that it numbs your senses—like you’re slow, kind of like it’s just… your whole body just… you’re not really aware of what’s really going on.
And I think that if Jesus—first of all, Him rejecting the sour wine mixed with gall, which is to ease the pain—and normally that is for them to help them endure the cross—so first of all, He’s even more conscious about every single thing happening to Him. But Jesus needed His full senses if He was going to articulate „It is finished.“
And so He’s going on the way, and then He’s finally now on the cross, and then one of the words before the final words is Him saying „I thirst.“ And you see, 'cause the whole process—when your body is so dehydrated—it’s hard to even speak up. So when Jesus is saying „I thirst, ” and now they don’t give Him the sour wine mixed with gall—they just gave Him sour wine—and in that time that was a custom, it was like a common drink to quench thirst.
So when they give Him that, that would actually keep Him more active for a longer time. But I’ve read this and I’m like, wow, Jesus needed that strength so He could say loudly „It is finished.“ It was that important to Him—not just to whisper it, for it to be written in the scriptures, but for Him to echo it so everyone present: that it is finished. He took pride in finishing.
And in that same way, we serve a God who takes pride in being known as the Alpha and the Omega—that He is not just the beginning, but He’s also the end.
You see, the enemy would always—if he cannot get you to not start—he would attack your finishing. And so oftentimes we could start a thing and we get excited—and it’s like, especially with social media—boy, I tell you—you’re like, listen, first day CEO, hashtag boss—and then two months later, you know, I don’t know what’s going on, right?
But if the enemy is to—even in the life of Jesus—when Jesus was born, and then through the king at the time—there was a king named King Herod—and the enemy influenced him to make a decision to kill every male child under two, because the enemy was trying to kill Jesus at his beginning. Now the plan failed, obviously. And so he was looking for every opportunity: how do I stop Him from going to the cross? He infiltrated His inner circle, he tried so many things.
But you see, Jesus was ready for the battle, and His mind was set that I did not come here for My will—I came here to do My Father’s will. And so He finished.
What Finishing Looks Like
And so, family, before I even go to how I believe there’s certain key elements to finishing—but they’re different—finishing may look different for many people. On one hand, finishing is for someone to literally complete what God has given you—that God has put a project in your heart, He has given you something that will bring alignment into the earth, alignment in your family, alignment for the people around you, in your community.
You see, when I think about what happened in Florida, it made me so much more appreciative of men who have like mentorship programs, after-school programs—because it may look like nothing, but they’re changing lives of these young boys. And in that formative period of their lives, they’re showing them: your life does not have to end this way—that you can be much more than your environment tells you. And those are visions that God gave people and said, you know what, start this after-school program in this inner-city school—and they’re changing lives.
And in the same way, what God—your vision is never weak, never. We should never compare—even like what I’m doing, this is what you do, you’re doing—because everything is to bring order into the earth.
And so for some people, it could literally be that God has given you something to do. It might have been a book, it might be to start a nonprofit that you have started and you have not finished the filing the documents—finish filing the paperwork, you have not finished setting your board. It’s something that God has put in your heart to do.
And my prayer before coming in here is the Holy Spirit would reveal to each and every one listening: what is it that is stalling? Because I might be in the position that I have the grace to finish it.
And for some other people, it could be finishing is a lifestyle of yes. Finishing is that I am in the place that God has called me to be, and I always have to say yes, God, I’m always gonna move forward in this thing. It doesn’t matter what it costs me—because it will cost you something, it will perpetually cost you things—and that no matter the cost…
It’s just like, you know, our pastor is a G—you know, yesterday he had an allergic reaction, breath—sometimes, you know, if my barber cuts my hair too low, I’m like, I don’t know if I can go out today because this is looking like an upside-down, you know. And he had an allergic reaction that his top lip was swollen, and he had an important interview to do. And he did not say, you know what, I can’t go out looking like this—he went, he owned it. He’s like, you know what, the message of what God has called me to do is more important than my image.
Hey, I was blown away. I said, you know what, this is so inspirational. And I stopped tripping about my haircuts.
And so no matter what comes against you—you have—it’s a lifestyle that nothing is gonna stop me from moving forward, that no matter what challenges I may face, I am gonna keep on the road that God has called me. Because for some, finishing it might be at the end of your life—it could just be the lifestyle that God has called you to, and it’s saying: will you be committed till the end?
And for others, finishing it—there was something, I was—when I was praying about this, and then I have a vision of someone turning a page on a book. And I was like, oh, what is that? And I understood, I was like, wow—for some people, finishing it might be turning a page.
Turning the Page on the Past
And what I mean by that is sometimes you have a bookmark on your past where the thought of „what if“ leaves a crack in the door to say, you know what, maybe I could still revisit this in my life. And the more time that you make room for „what if”—you know, what if this changes, what if that happens—you are jeopardizing the time of what God wants to erect in your now.
You see, there’s a passage I want us to read it together—it’s in the Book of Isaiah, and the verse we’ll find out together—43. It says—and this is the Lord speaking, right—It says: „Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.“
You see, what this looks like—when God is doing a new thing—it begins with a word. And when God is telling you „don’t you see what I’m doing, ” this does not require sight—this requires faith. Because it’s not gonna manifest until you come in agreement with God.
And so the longer that we are holding on to the past and we’re like—we’re leaving little rooms for „you know what if this happens, maybe I could just, you know, fall back”—and there are times where falling back is just even that’s deception, right?
And so when the Lord is saying forget that—the past has nothing new to tell you. The chapter is closed. So why are you still on that page?
For some people, there are people in your lives and you know that this relationship is not going anywhere—and it may be romantic, it may be business, it may be whatever, friendship—because that relationship is taking you to the you that God is saying that that is not you. It’s not speaking to your truth, it’s not speaking to your identity.
For some, it could be a number of things. And the Lord is saying: will you turn the page? Can you remove the bookmark that you’ve placed there—that every time something goes wrong in the present, or when you feel like you cannot see My hand, you run to what is familiar?
Because every time we’re going back to what is familiar, we’re jeopardizing the time that God is saying that this season, this purpose has a time—and that time is now. „Don’t you see what I am doing in your life?“ And that requires faith—is that Lord, I am gonna forsake what I can see that feels familiar, what is comfortable, when I can touch something. But the promise would always be bigger than where you are.
And so it requires movement. And a lot of times that movement is mental—it’s to say, you know what, I’m gonna let go of this constant „what if this occurs, what if…“ And God is showing you that that is never gonna be the case. This chapter is finished, this season is closed—move on.
Three Keys to Finishing
And so there are three things—there are three things I believe that would be key in us finishing what God has called us to do. And I forgot to give it to them, but I remember, okay.
But the first thing is to embrace help. You see, even the Lord Jesus—when you know, Jesus, it was known that He would always pray by Himself—you know, when something comes up, He would go to the secret place and pray by Himself. But when it was time to face the cross, He took three of His disciples that were like His inner circle, and He opens up to them, He bares His soul to them: that my soul is sorrowful unto death. And He tells them: will you watch with me?
So it was almost opening up to them and saying: will you pray with me? And He moves a little further and goes to pray—because it was a moment of struggle: that God, if You can take this cup away from Me, please do. You know, because that’s a lot of struggle, you know, over here now.
Even though the disciples were a bit ineffective because they fell asleep, the principle is still the same: that if the Lord could embrace help, how about us?
That sometimes you—it’s whether it’s a trusted circle that you can open up to and say hey, to seek counsel; whether it’s to say, you know what, I need help in building this vision—God, can You show me the people I could open up to? And not to question yourself: you know what, are they gonna say yes, are they gonna say no, and they’re gonna think it’s stupid?
If God is leading you somewhere, even if they say no, it is gonna redirect you to who is gonna say yes. And so it’s—we have to be okay with seeking advice, maybe a mentor or something—where you are not a lone ship.
God created us in a way that we need relationships. It’s never just you and God—it’s you and God and you and people. Because if it’s just you and God, you’re gonna be a very weird and maybe destructive Christian. But working with people—it also keeps us humble, it keeps us in partnership, it keeps us united—because we are a united body. God orchestrated that we work together.
And so we have to be open to saying: maybe I need help, maybe I need a prayer partner in this, maybe I need a mentor, maybe I need advice, maybe I need counsel, maybe I just need help, maybe I need to build a team around this vision—maybe I may not be able to pay them, but who knows, God may give you favor.
So we have to be okay with saying I need help.
The second thing is to expect warfare. You see, when you don’t think that—the scripture says that trials or tribulations will come because of the word—because how would you know that you truly stand on what God is telling you unless it’s tested?
And so when you are tested and when you are tried and when circumstances begin to approach you—if you expect it, you’re not going to be afraid of it. If you expect it, you’re not gonna be shaken by it or say „God, why have You forsaken me? Where are You, Jesus? I don’t feel You right now.“
We have to expect warfare—because this is the thing: we are dealing with an enemy who understands your nature. Now when you’re under the blood, he cannot—he does not know your future—but he knows your nature, because he knows what will trigger you.
And so when we are submitted to God, we have to be renewed even in our actions. Because you see with Moses—Moses started something, but Moses didn’t finish it—because the enemy understood him so well, he had studied him so well to know what would trigger Moses' anger. And so he would use even the people that Moses is supposed to be delivering to trigger his anger.
Because the enemy—you see, he knows God, he understands— he’d lived with Him, you can say that they shared a time period together—to understand… I mean, he does not know the fullness of God 'cause nobody does, you know—but he understands even how God moves and strategizes, and sometimes what could cause a person to fall out of what God is saying that is for them. So he’s very strategic from a place of intelligence.
And so with Moses, he was using Moses’s—what he had studied about Moses—his nature or his anger is the problem—so let me trigger him. And it was his anger that denied him entrance into the Promised Land.
You see, Jesus said something that was so powerful—He said it was a scripture—Google it, 'cause Google, you know, what will give you the scripture—Jesus said that the enemy came to Him, right, but he found nothing in Me. That means there was nothing he could use to manipulate Me—he could not—there was nothing he could use, there wasn’t that he had no way to pull Me outside of My destiny. He found nothing in Me—there was nothing in My character, there was nothing in Me that would associate My actions with his ways.
And so when you’re in a position, you have to expect warfare—because the enemy would use whether it’s people, whether it’s in the physical or spiritual, to attack you. But you will survive the attack—that’s the promise—because the first thing is that we have to understand that we are coming from victory. But in order to come from victory, we have to come from the One who gave us the victory. So we have to come in His nature.
Because sometimes— a lot of times—people would quit a job that God gave them because they got offended, because they got angry—you know what, these people are pissing me off—and then when you look at the nature of God, it says God is patient. So patience and being quick to respond from temper—if that’s—those are two different things.
And so when he understands the fallen nature of man, he uses that to try to manipulate us. But we have to be people that say: look, I am expecting this today, and so I am not going to give in to how I would react.
Because to stay in the door that God has opened for you is to become like God—is to become His attributes. That’s the whole essence of wholeness, right: be holy for I am holy—be whole where you are not moved. You don’t need to be prideful, you don’t need to prove yourself, you don’t need to tell someone, you know, how you feel in anger—that you are okay with yourself, you’re okay with looking like a fool if it’s not changing the price of water—okay, that’s a joke that we say in my country.
But the thing is that we have to come to a place where we’re not easily shaken—because we want to tell someone how we really feel: oh, you think you did that to me? I want to show you.
I remember one time—true story, this is real, this is real bad—I remember I did—it was like a business partnership I did with someone, and he tried to play me. I said, you forgot I am Nigerian—I’m not American—yo, y’all want to go to court? You know, we handle this personally now.
This is real. I called this guy, say, look—first, I’m not a fighter, mm-hmm. I said, look, I’m not trying to fight you, man—first of all, you’re like six-seven—but I know people. Oh, I said, he thinks he’s messing with the wrong one.
So it was—he calls my brother, he’s like, your sister is threatening me. I said, that this is facts—okay, I’m not threatening you—what I’m about to do to you. And my brother looked at me, he’s like, Stephanie, what’s going on? I said, this guy’s gonna play me—you see, we don’t accept that, you know.
And I remember at that moment the Lord started speaking to me—He said: what does this speak to your brother about Me? I said, God—oh, oh bad, you know. And He had me—He told me to call that gentleman and apologize to him—because that was me trying to protect myself. And the Lord is like: I am your shield, I will fight for you—you don’t need to start trying to fight for yourself and prove that, you know what, how you handle things in your country—none of that. Because that was just pride—that was arrogance and pride all mixed together in one big mess, you know.
And so I called him, I was like, you know what, I’m sorry—I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry that I said the words that I said to you. And I just apologized over the whole thing. I was like, you know, I was just a bit hurt, you know, that you were trying to play me—and I’m over there feeling all vulnerable and weak—I was, gosh, this is horrible.
But the key in that moment was what God showed me—'cause even though that was a little crazy, I was still submitted to God. And my God, I’m sorry—because this is not testifying good of You to him or to my brother, you know.
So in that moment He showed me: you don’t have to fight for yourself—let Me fight for you. I do it better than you.
And so, family, we have to expect it—we have to expect it, we have to expect it—that things will come to threaten you out of your position. But you have to stand—that the question is: how I’m gonna react—how does that reflect the ways of God? And if it doesn’t, I should just stay still.
Because the enemy does not know your mind—he can only understand what got to you based on how you react. He said, oh, that got them—oh yeah, I’m gonna try that again—I’m gonna pinch that same button.
And so we have to be people that say, you know what, I know that in the past this isn’t how I would have reacted if this very thing happened—but I am under the blood of Jesus, and I have been empowered to not act the fool like I used to.
Another thing is that sometimes it could even be spiritual warfare—and spiritual warfare can come even also in the form of—I mean, people—but it could also come in the form of circumstances. But that no matter what, I’m gonna fight this thing.
Sometimes it could come even in the form of physical illness—and you’re like, you know what, I’m gonna keep pushing. There are times—no lie—that to even stand up here and speak, I would be smiling but my body is in excruciating pain for no reason. The moment I’m done, it’s—it leaves—because it’s fighting you to say just say you can’t do it. And I’m like, no, no, no—I will do what God says I can do.
And so no matter what comes against you—it’s that I’m expecting this thing, but I’m coming from victory. So this is a lie—it’s not even a fair fight—because I’m coming from Jesus' finished work.
Engage in Prayer
Another thing is to engage in prayer. Family, like I said earlier, prayer is your greatest weapon—because you’re not just praying from an empty place—you’re praying with the Word of God, you’re declaring the Word of God into your situation, you’re using it to prepare you for what is to come.
Jesus would never go out to a town to preach or to heal if He did not come from a place of prayer. Everything He did came from prayer—because that becomes your shield.
You see that the scriptures say that angels are ministering spirits that are helping us, right? But angels are not released except by the Word of God. And so when we come in a place of prayer, we start to release angels into areas that we may not physically be able to touch.
Because sometimes there is a door that God is opening for you, and you need favor to go ahead of you. And there are times where God will send an angel to almost like dismember the plans of the enemy in that place—because if there is an evil influence in the room, they can war for you where they would remove the influence of the enemy and saturate that place for the purpose of God.
Because when Jesus—why would you wonder why Jesus is praying—I mean, isn’t He the Son of God? —but He was man. And so not only is He praying for strategy, He’s praying to be empowered, He’s praying for His way to be made clear. So He—from a place of prayer—that’s why Jesus could easily go and say „be healed, ” „be healed”—because He fought the battle in prayer.
Sometimes you see someone and they’re doing this, you know, here like 10 hours in prayer—because you just started the battle in that moment. Jesus started it before He encountered it.
And so sometimes we’re wondering why is it that, you know, Jesus did things so fast and we over here struggling—no, He fought it before He met it.
And so when you start your day in prayer, when you engage prayer—you’re fighting the things that are trying to look for you before you even meet them.
Because in the place of prayer—I will give you a testimony—I remember in college—even though back then I should have done things better—but I remember I woke up one morning and I was just praying just about my day. And in the place of prayer, God gave me a vision, and He showed me: do not go out to where you’re planning to go because that car would have an accident on the passenger side—and that would be where I’ll be sitting.
So now I should have called my friend and say hey girl, you know, your car might have an accident—but I was like, oh my gosh, look at God saving me. I did not call her—that was really messed up.
So we have planned this the day before that we were going to carpool to where we were going. So she calls me, she’s like, hey, I’m gonna pick you up in so-and-so minutes. I said, nah, good—you know, Sharon, I’m good—plans changed, everything changed.
Five minutes later she calls me and she’s like, oh my gosh, definitely I just got into an accident. I said, where did the car hit? I was not even—here an accident—I said, I saw it, Brett—I was like, really, where, what angle? You know, the bumper? She was like, no, they like hit me in the side—I was trying to get on the freeway and this car like hit me. I think you mean like the passenger side? And I was like, I’m over there like oh thank you Jesus—Jesus, I’m not even engaged to what she’s saying. I felt bad later on when I spoke to my mom about it.
But what I’m saying is that in that place of prayer, He prepared me to avoid something that was coming against my life.
And there are times that things would happen—there are times that things would, I mean, it would just happen—but from the place of prayer you are strengthened to know that you can overcome it. You’re strengthened to know that, you know what, perhaps God allowed this also for a purpose in my life.
And so when you know that—you know I got it—it’s I am not doing this life by myself. So even if something occurs in my life that looks like it is against me—You are for me, and if Jesus is for you, who can be against you?
And so we have to be people that engage in prayer. It has to become our lifestyle—it’s not something we do real quick, you know, to check the list off—no, that we are intentional about our prayer life.
There are times that in prayer God will lead you to a different course of the day—because prayer is saying God, I’m inviting You to reveal to me: how does this day align with what You ordained? Because I could carry out this day in so many ways, but I want to carry out this day as You ordained it. I want to know, God, what did You envision for this day before I woke up to it?
Because there is the path that we can take, and there’s the path that God is saying, you know what, no—do this—this is what I have for you in this day.
There are times that God will change your—I mean, there are times you could be heading to, you know, somewhere on the freeway and God would tell you take this exit—and then the very thing you’re looking for, you encounter it.
And there are times where you just have an impression on your heart—you’re like, you know what, I was gonna do this today but maybe not. Prayer prepares you—it brings you into alignment so you can bring God’s purpose into alignment.
Closing Call and Prayer
And so, family, we have to be people that finish—because the victory is at the finish line. We can go so far—that’s what I love how Peter describes mediocrity—wait, because you know, when I always heard mediocrity I just thought, you know, rich life or something like that—and it’s like no, it’s the halfway point. It’s like you’re halfway up the mountain—you have not arrived where you’re supposed to be.
We have to be people that finish. „Finish it”—this spoke to me. There were things that God even exposed in my life, and He’s like: finish that—you may not have the time you think.
I remember this was even last year—and there’s so many stories I can tell you, child—this was sometime last year. There was something that God told me to do, and He said it so clearly to me—He said: if you don’t do this in this time, you would have to revisit it in ten years.
Okay, yeah, that’s a long time—but ten years—if I didn’t do it in that period, He’s like, you’re gonna revisit it in ten years—because the season for that may reappear, but not tomorrow or maybe not next year—ten whole years.
I said, Lord, tell me what do I need to do—how do I need to do it—or what are we doing?
Have you ever had a project you were working on, you abandoned, and you find yourself like six years later going back to it—and it’s like, oh, let me, you know… But what if there was a grace then, and the next time the grace came for that thing to be completed was literally at the six-year mark again? But what could that have cost us?
Now God is a restorer of time and He’s a redeemer—but let us be people that do not take advantage of, you know, like okay, God is gonna restore—He will restore, He will redeem—but in this time, in this present moment, let us finish.
Because the benefits outweigh the, you know, waiting for the whole restoration period—because He will restore, that is a fact. But there is something that is needed, and it’s beyond us, family—their lives that are connected to this.
Rise with me. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Jesus.
I just want us to seal this in prayer. And so I believe that there is an impartation in the house—when the Spirit of God—for you to finish your race. That in whichever element that you may fall—whether it is a particular project, whether it is just your commitment to God and saying God, it is yes—it is me and You all the way—or whether it is turning the page and letting go of the past—wherever we may find ourselves—if that is you, I want you to just come down and let us seal this in prayer.
Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Jesus. We’re gonna be people that finish. We’re gonna be people that finish. Thank you, Lord.
Now if you might be here already—but if you’re here and you might have come up already—but I don’t know—and you’re having nightmares, you know, and it almost—how do I describe it—like it’s almost like you’re afraid to pray sometimes because there’s a connection between when you pray and sometimes you have what feels like sleep paralysis—when you’re laying down and all of a sudden you feel like you can’t move—amen—and I don’t know, there may be some—what that means—someone else too—but you start having this sleep paralysis and then you start having these weird nightmares. And so you feel like the connection is when you’re trying to pray or something like that—and it has put a fear on you.
But you see, to just bring clarity to that—what may seem like a nightmare—you see, first of all, God’s hand is over your life. And sometimes what He’s allowing you to see is not a nightmare but He’s exposing the plans of the enemy so you can reverse it, so you can declare His word.
So if for example you see a friend—this is just an example—and it may scare you, I mean however the details may look—but you may have a dream and you see like a friend or a family member maybe in a coffin or something, or you see yourself getting shot—and you’re terrified by this dream because you’re thinking like what kind of dream is this—it’s not—it—God is giving you, He’s revealing to you what the enemy is trying to plan against you so you have the upper hand. And it’s not to scare you—is for you to stand in your victory and claim life over yourself or over the individual.
Now sometimes when it seems like you know—if this happens to anyone—let me just see—where you might be laying down and when you’re about to pray your whole body goes numb—is there anyone here that—I want you to come down—because it’s like—and you don’t understand what it is—and it’s like you can’t really move or you can’t speak.
It’s not like we—you see, when we come from victory, it’s never to be afraid. But what—because when you understand that the name of Jesus is higher than any name—He is the head of any principality or power—what happened—all these are just little tactics where the enemy is trying to, you know, shake your—test you: do you really know who you are?
Because all of a sudden you might just say the name—you—the first thing that might come out of your mouth is Jesus—and your body comes back to you, you feel like okay I can move again.
But what happens is that sometimes when you’re praying, what you’re doing in prayer is disarming the enemy to the point that the only way he can come against you is through your own body. But that does not even last—because when you know who you are, you’re like oh no, I’m gonna keep on going.
'Cause real talk, there were in a pen—and I know even I–I know what that feels like—because there are times where prayer—there was a period where prayer at that point used to scare me—because the atmosphere would change and I’m like listen, I’m over here trying to keep things cool, okay—I don’t need nothing trying to—don’t come at me.
But when you know that you’re coming from victory, it’s not the case. You are always victorious in God.
So whenever that way—if you feel like that—husband that I’m a God—if there’s anyone else, come down. We’re gonna seal this in prayer. Any fear is gonna be cast off—because that is not from God. He will not allow something in your life to scare you—it’s a perception. We just have to see it different.
Thank you, Jesus. Come on down, come on down.
It’s crazy because saying it to some people it might be like that sounds crazy—but it’s some people’s reality—because it happens, it happens. And God is concerned about you just as He’s concerned about the next person. You don’t have to be afraid—you just have to take your stand in your authority that you have in God. That’s all.
Let’s just say: God, not today—you know, tell the devil no. No—you know what, God is so fun and He’s so simple—and so it’s a beautiful relationship. It doesn’t have to be anything crazy—it’s about knowing who we are—that ends it. When you know who you are in Him, it does not matter how the attacks come—it’s like you know what, I am a child of God first of all—and so you cannot affect me.
His tactic—the enemy’s biggest tactic is fear. So whatever would come to you that would trigger fear—that’s what he would use against you. But when you know who you are, you can declare the Word of God.
And we move by faith, we live by faith—everything we do, we please God by faith. And so even when our circumstances and our environment is not echoing God’s Word—we are moving in a realm that says it is—and I’m just waiting for it to manifest, but it already is.
So whether I see it or not, whether my body is not feeling the way it should or not—I am living in what God has declared it. And eventually it manifests.
Because you see, when we say that God is patient, we also have to understand that what He produces in His character—and so when His manifestations would—oh it would also require your patience.
So sometimes it could feel like you’ve been praying about something, praying about something—and it’s not manifesting. It also comes in the manner that He is—so it’s not for you to give up hope or to give up faith—is to understand that the very God that is patient would also require your patience.
So you cannot give up hope, you cannot give up faith—you keep declaring what He showed you, you walk like it, you talk like it.
Uncle Phil preached a powerful message—rule the air—you walk like you know what, this is already done.
Let us pray, family.
Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, God, that You have given us the victory. Thank you, God—I thank You for each and every one present here, Lord God—everyone watching, Lord God—that are joining us here even in spirit, Lord. I thank You that we would finish our race.
I thank You for Your Spirit that is empowering us, Lord God—that is revealing to us—You’re not revealing to condemn us or none of that—You’re simply telling us to change how we’re looking at this thing—so not entertain procrastination or entertain distractions, but to be intentional about reaching the finish line.
I thank You, God, that we would know that we have everything that we need. Thank You, Lord Jesus.
I thank You that no matter what comes against us, no matter what stands against us—that we would know that we are coming from victory. We would not give in to the ways of the enemy—because we are Your children, and You know us by our fruit, You know us by our character.
And so we are choosing wholeness, we are choosing to walk like You, to talk like You—even when we are tested, Lord. We thank You that for Your strength and Your empowerment, Lord God—that we would produce an action that looks like You.
Lord God, we thank You—I thank You for everyone here that may have been scared based on things that look like nightmares—but I thank You, Jesus, that it’s not a nightmare—it’s just a different type of strategy. And they will stand in their victory and they will declare, Lord God, that You are God and that the word over their life will stand and nothing will come against it.
I thank You, Jesus, for what You’re doing. I thank You, God, that You are having Your way in each and every one present, watching, listening. Thank You, God. Thank You, God.
I thank You that every fear, every spirit of fear is broken in this house. I thank You, God, that anyone in this house or listening, Father God, that feels like they have been capped, they have been held captive by anything that is none of You—I thank You that in the name of Jesus that authority of the enemy is broken over their lives.
Thank you, God. Thank you, God. Thank you, Jesus.
And I thank You that no one leaves this place filled with any sense of condemnation—because that is not Your Spirit—that is not Your Spirit. Who the Son sets free is free indeed.
I declare freedom over Your children right now in the name of Jesus. Have Your way, guys—have Your way, God.
And even in this moment we stand as one and we pray for this nation, Lord God—have Your way in America, have Your way in the White House. We thank You for divine influence in the name of Jesus—have Your way in the laws, Lord God—have Your way in the lives of Your children in this country.
Lord, we thank You for people that You would raise up—that more leaders are being raised up to impact hope and impact change in the lives of these young ones, Lord God.
And we thank You, Lord Jesus, that Your very own will be in the positions of power, in the positions to influence change in this country.
We thank You, Lord God, that for every country represented here—have Your way, Lord God—have Your way, Lord God.
Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Jesus.
Thank you for a healing, Father God—thank You for healing, whether it’s in the soul, whether it’s in the body, whether it’s in the mind. I thank You for Your healing power being released in the name of Jesus.
Any thoughts, Lord God, that did not edify You—that came against who You said Your children are—we cast it down in the name of Jesus. Nothing would have a hold on their life that is not You.
Thank you, God—in Jesus' name, Amen.