Stephanie Ike - Prisoners of Hope (01/19/2026)
The preacher shared a powerful message from Zechariah 9:12, calling believers «prisoners of hope» who should return to the stronghold of faith during seasons of forced stillness and difficulty. She emphasized that life’s challenging circumstances are not betrayals from God but divine breaking to birth something greater in the spirit, freeing us from fleshly limitations and strongholds. Ultimately, enduring this process leads to restoration—God promises to restore double and reveal His greater purpose through us.
Introduction and How the Message Came About
You see, today’s message is going to be very interesting. That song was very prophetic for this moment. The message is titled «Prisoners of Hope.» Now, how this message came about, or this title — look at this, look at this, my God, some skills right there. Now, you see, there was a scripture that the Lord gave me for each and every one here. It was one verse. So normally, you know, when I’m like, «Okay, God, so this is the message for the people, » and I’m over there trying to, you know, how you take one thing, you try to build on it. I’m building, building, you know, it stumbled, it fell apart.
It is okay, no, build something else. You know, that fell apart too. So I said, «Lord, what are we doing? Because I am getting a little frustrated, and I just couldn’t understand.» I am like, «Okay, God, but this is the message, so we are supposed to build on this.» But this time around, it was very different. I actually saw myself in a vision. I was typing on my computer, and I always like — I study a lot, I read a lot, you know, if I’m preparing, I’m preparing, right? So I’m in this vision, I’m typing on the computer, and then He says to me, «You know, you’re only fooling yourself.»
I came out of the vision and I said, «I rebuke the devil.» He said, «You can rebuke the devil, but listen to what I’m telling you.» And I was like, «God, what are we doing? Like, what are we doing today?» And He said, «The only thing I’ve given you is this scripture, and when you show up, I’ll tell you what to do.» And so, in the scripture is Zechariah 9:12, and in the scripture, it talks about prisoners of hope. So I was like, «You know what, that’s going to be the title.» Но before we go into that, before we go into that, it’s so funny.
So on the way here, I am thinking about this passage. That’s just how my brain works. You know, when you teach, you break it down. You know what, let me find the Hebrew and the Greek, right? So this passage comes to mind. I pull up the passage and I’m like, «You know what, I’m about to text them this passage. We’re going to add this passage to this one-verse sermon.» And so, as I’m texting the passage, something else is being written down, like it’s not what was in my head that’s being written down. And I was like, «Okay, this is not what I saw.»
And so He just kept telling me, «Read what that passage actually is.» And I want us to read that, and it’s Isaiah 40:13. Yeah, now check this out. It says, «Who has directed the Spirit of the Lord, or as His counselor has taught Him?» I said, «God, You’ve got jokes.» Because there are moments where you have to know how to trust God even when you don’t know. And He said, «Can you direct Me, or am I directing you? If I have not given you anything, then I have not given you anything, and you’re going to flow how I tell you to flow.» I said, «Okay, we’re going to do that.»
The Power of Intention and a Personal Moment
And so there’s one thing that keeps pressing on my spirit. How many people here — before we go to the passage, the one verse He gave us — how many people here have somebody you need? You’re praying about something, you’re praying for it, and your prayer is connected to someone in a particular role that could help you in that field. Let me see… I don’t know if I’m saying this right. Your prayer to God — let’s say, for example, you’re a musician, right? And you’re praying, «God, I just need to meet a producer.»
Do you get me? How many people here — just raise your hand, just raise your hand — are praying for this? There’s someone you’re asking God for: «Lord, if I could just, if I can find someone in this field that could help me in this position.» Just raise your hand. Praise God. You know exactly what that position is. Yes, keep raising your hand. God is so funny. I’m about to do something. You see, now you can put your hand down. A lot of times, and I think the person knows who I’m coming to.
A lot of times in life, we’re asking God for something, but when the time comes for that thing, do we know exactly what it is? You see, every prayer you make is connected to someone, whether you know it or not. Every prayer, because what God is going to do in your life is connected to somebody that’s going to do that thing. And there’s someone in this house that — it’s funny how God highlighted me to you because He showed me six seats on the… what is this? My right. Six rows back.
She’s going to be sitting right at the end. I said, «Okay, you know, if somebody’s sitting there, sure, why not?» Because normally I don’t even… I would use like the wireless mic, or what do you call it? Listen, I’m not a tech person, but I use the other mic that you don’t have to hold. But He showed me that no, today we’re going to use this mic because I need her to speak. And so I don’t know what it is that you’re asking the Lord for, what you’re praying for, but if you speak it in this moment, it will happen.
And it’s funny because she didn’t even raise her hand. Now everyone who raised your hand, trust me, the Lord is here. He’s going to do something amazing in your life. Listen, but if you are brave enough to speak it, it will happen. «Oh Lord, my heart dropped. What, Lord? I don’t even know what to do. I stand… what? I was that kid that hid in the back of the classroom like, 'Don’t call me, please don’t.' My God, I don’t even know where to start. It’s a feeling; I don’t even know if I can put into words exactly what it is that I need.»
«I know it’s something. Oh my God, my heart is like, 'What? ' I wasn’t even going to come tonight, y’all. I was about to live stream. What up, live stream people? What? Oh Lord Jesus, I don’t know where to start.» Stop, stop, we’ve got time? No, we don’t; we’ve got to get our cars by about 10:30. Let us switch real quick. You see, God is so good. You’re my subject for today. And it’s funny because He’s here, but if Jesus right now — because not everyone raised their hand, this is a funny thing — but if He was to appear right now on the stage.
And He says, «What do you want?», what are we going to say? Does everyone know? How many people want a breakthrough? Hallelujah, she’s got her hand raised! Do we say what we are ready for? Are we praying to God about things we are able to speak? Each and every one here, whenever whatever you need is connected to a person. And if God shows up and says, «All right, y’all, I’ve arrived. Let me know what you need. I’ve got about five minutes, » because this is the power of intention.
This is the power of vision — that in a second you can say, «Lord, okay, boom, boom, boom, boom, check.» You see, a lot of times, for example, we pray for debt cancellation. «God, I need debt cancellation, cancel my finances, my debts are just crazy.» And God is up there like, «Okay, I hear you, but how much do you need for debt cancellation? What is the number? Because if you give me a number, I can send someone to give you that amount and you will know exactly what it’s for.»
It’s an interesting thing. Just like when they were singing the song about how the victory belongs to Jesus — yes, we say it, but are we intentional about what we’re singing? And so again, I will ask you: take your time, breathe, think about it. Five minutes. If God right now showed up and said, «You raise your hand, you want a breakthrough, » He said, «Look at My daughter, she’s right there, she wants a breakthrough. What is it? How do I give it to you?» You’d be like, «What’s up, God?» That would be my first thing.
«No, Steph, you are a good girl. Won’t He do it? You know what? Recently my prayer has just been 'His will, not mine, ' because I’ve been trying to do things my way, how I want it, trying to control every situation. So honestly, I’m like: less of me, more of You. That’s just been my conversation with Him — to fully submit, to get out of the world, to just embrace what He wants for my life, my purpose, and my gifts and talents. I’ve been feeling a little bit blocked, and I’ve been still for the past month.»
«I’ve been in the Word, I’ve been to myself, and I’ve just been trying to make sense of it because it’s a different feeling. Like, I feel God telling me to just be still, but I’m like, 'Nah.' But I’m an entertainer, I do stand-up, I’m an actress — I need to grind, I need to get it! But He’s like, 'Nah, I’m going to need you to chill and focus on Me.' But I’m like, 'But I’m in Hollywood, I can’t do that! ' But I’ve been still, so I just… I want what He wants for me. I can’t even tell Him what I want; I just want what He wants for me.»
This is going to go with the message. Hallelujah, praise God for her! Please give her… just amen, amen. Look at God, look at God. You know what? I like this area right here. You said, «No, no, no.» You know, all jokes aside, that is the most powerful thing anyone can ever say, right? «God, more of Your will, more of who You are, less of me.» You see the powerful statement about that? I loved it. On Sunday, our brother Ebenezer talked about how you are not your gifts, right?
And she talks about how she has these gifts and she has this talent, and I just see her with a mic. It’s funny because I see you also with a microphone. I don’t know if what you do is with a microphone — oh, it is! All right. So she has these gifts and she has these talents, and just the same way… how do I put this, Lord? You see, the will of God is the will of your spirit. Jesus said there was a time that they were in Gethsemane, and obviously He is about to go through the whole cross process, death on the cross.
And He’s praying in Gethsemane, and He tells His disciples — the few disciples He took with Him — He tells them, «Watch and pray while I go.» And the scripture tells us that He only went just a little bit, just a little bit, and He comes back and He tells them… first of all, He found all of them asleep. And He tells them, «Could you not even watch with me for one hour?» And He follows it up by saying this: «The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.»
And so what that reveals in that moment is that the will of God is always the will of your spirit. And a lot of times in life, we have to take a moment of being still. Because when we’re so caught up with one side of what we believe our talent is, we haven’t even yet begun to see the full picture of who we are. And God is saying that: «Yes, I know you’re a fisherman, » I’ll use biblical references, «but I want to make you fishers of men.»
Do you know that, yes, you have the skill to fish, but you also have the ability to draw people to Me? And it’s funny because when God highlighted you to me, I didn’t even know it was you. I just said, «Okay, sixth row, last seat.» He showed me how you had a microphone, right? It’s like, whatever you do deals with microphones. And what do you do? Stand-up? Oh, stand-up comedy! Okay, perfect. You know, I’m doing stand-up right now. All right! He showed me that whatever you do, it dealt with microphones.
And it’s funny, you just hit it right there, because in one area you’re seeing yourself as a comedian, which is — that’s it, right? You can stand up, right? No…
The Main Scripture: Prisoners of Hope
Let’s go to the passage. This is God’s word to everyone here today and to those listening or watching later. There’s no time in the spirit. Okay, let’s go to Zechariah 9:12. Now it says: «Return to the stronghold, you prisoners of hope. Even today I declare that I would restore double to you.» You see the interesting thing about a stronghold — or some other versions call it a fortress. The interesting thing about that, like, I love all these King Arthur movies and all that stuff, you know, just stuff like that.
I love those kinds of movies. A fortress is a heavily guarded place; it’s almost like you can’t penetrate it. And it’s interesting that God says, «Return.» Some versions will call this a safe place: «You prisoners of hope, today I declare that I will restore double to you.» You see, I believe that what the Lord is going to be talking about today is for you to not lose your hope. You see, He identifies you as who you are. When I spoke about manifesting your potential, the Lord identifies you as what people call «potential.»
He knows that there is something within you that just won’t let you quit. There’s something deep down within you because the spirit of a man, the scripture says, is a spirit of power, love, and a sound mind. Power doesn’t give up. But then the Lord says, «Return to that safe place.» So, somewhere in this verse, it implies that something about life has taken you out of position. Something about life has said, «You know what? I’m not really sure what’s going on, God. I feel like I’m in a cycle of defeat.»
I feel like I’m in a cycle. You see, what was so interesting — I was in the shower and He gave me a word. He said, «The circumstance was not to betray you; the circumstance was to break you.» Wow. And so I rush out of the shower, I’m writing it down. I’m like, «Oh, I’ve got to write this down for the people, » you know, just excited, right? And I’m writing it down, and you know, my hair is just flawless, right? So the water is just dripping. The water is dripping on the paper and I was like, «God, no!»
I thought the water was trying to ruin my writing, and then He tells me, «Look again.» He says, «The water represents the tears of My people.» But what tears represent is that teardrops are like leaks, and something can only leak from that which is broken. And so, somebody… I’m just going to give you some time to catch it, okay? And so, what He showed me is that a lot of you have been feeling betrayed. You love God — that’s without a doubt. You can’t deny His existence, you can’t deny His reality.
You can’t deny none of that, and that’s what keeps you… you know, there’s a part of you that’s like, «Okay, I just have to keep pushing, » right? But a part of you feels like God betrayed you — that something about your situation is unfair or unjust. And He says, «No, no, no, that was Me breaking you, because without you being broken, you would never recognize what is within.» If the flesh is not broken, the spirit cannot manifest itself. And so, you’re in the place of «forced stillness, » where God will force you to be still.
This is because there are things that He wants to reveal to you.
Exploring Discipline in Hebrews 12
I want us to open to Hebrews 12, please. I didn’t give it to y’all, but you know, work with me. Hebrews 12, we will start from verse three, I believe. If that’s the passage — and if it’s what I believe it to be — it talks about how to not lose your eagerness. Listen, voila! Yes, let’s zoom in, all right. It is a little skinny; I’m going to read it from here. Now, the passage says: «For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your soul.»
So, obviously, they’re talking about the Lord Jesus. Let’s go to the next verse, verse four please. Look, shout out to the tech team! I did not give them this passage. Shout out to the tech team, they’re doing such an incredible job, so just bear with them. I remember the passage as it’s coming up. Look at that! So, it says — now it’s talking about the Lord Jesus, right? — and it says: «You have not resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin.» Wow, that’s actually powerful. Let’s go back… I just caught it now.
It says, «You have not resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin.» That is incredible because, first of all, they’re talking about… now, what I love about this passage is because it talks about how God, as a father, disciplines His children, right? And it says, «You have not resisted to bloodshed, striving against sin.» Now, when it’s speaking about the Lord Jesus striving against sin, «sin» is to miss the mark. It’s interesting as we talked about Gethsemane in the beginning. You have a scene when the Lord Jesus is in Gethsemane.
He is like, «Lord, Your will… if You can help a brother out, you know, let me let this not happen, » right? But then, at the end of the day, He says, «But Your will be done, » right? And so, if that is identified as striving against sin, because if you think about it, what was the option that Jesus was asking for? Because as much as He is Lord, He was also human. So, what was the alternative? What if He didn’t follow the cross? What was He actually asking for? To stay on the earth? Maybe open a Church of Jesus Christ and be V1?
What exactly was the alternative? And so, could it have been that what He was striving against was the will of His flesh? The whole purpose of Him coming to the Earth was for the sacrifice and salvation, that we may be saved. But then He gets on the Earth and, in a moment, He’s not asking for it anymore. You see, we always have to look at… and that is how, when we say that we have a Lord who understands the things that we go through, we have to understand the humanity of Jesus. On the earth, He had gone through seasons in His life.
People wanted to make Him the king of Israel. If He stayed on the earth, He would have had a fabulous life and continued healing — listen — but it would have been limited. Striving against sin… a lot of times we hear the word «sin» and our minds jump to fornication, adultery, this and that. Но «sin, » because the Bible talks about how the flesh and the spirit are against each other, what He was striving against was the will of His flesh in that moment. And so we’re going through these situations, we’re going through these hardships.
God is telling us to endure because that thing is to break us. You see, life is very interesting. We’re going to continue reading this. Life is very interesting because what makes up how we view things, how we see things, are the experiences that we have. Certain experiences can bring positive results or negative results. No one wakes up in the morning deciding to be fearful. No one wakes up in the morning deciding to have anxiety. There are times you see some people who are just so confident about life and you’re like, «My God, how do I get there?»
But the experiences of life can put you in a certain mindset, because that’s how the flesh communicates. The flesh is in touch with what happens in the world. And so you’re walking around in fear, you’re walking around with anxiety, and God is like, «If that part of you does not break, then even when the Spirit gives you instructions, you can’t even listen.» You see, when we talk about having a spirit of power, you know what’s amazing about power? Power is itself. A lot of times we look for opportunities in life to give us a sense of validation.
In other words, we look for things to add power to us. You feel empowered when someone says, «Great job!» You feel empowered by it. No lie, when I started — I mean, I gave my first ever sermon here last year — any time, you know how this is so funny, when people write you on Twitter or Instagram or something, even if it’s a random post like, «Girl, you rock!» I say, «I’m going to give you a retweet, double-tap, all the taps, put it on Facebook, Instagram, all the grams!» I’m like, «I did that, I sure did!»
But what I was looking for — and we have to be honest with ourselves — was a sense of validation. I needed people to validate that I did a good job. Но that’s not walking in the sense of power. Because when you do things like that, you misuse your gift and you become very… it’s like, «I just need to…» Someone says, «Can you do this?» «I sure can!» No, you can’t, right? Or you’re not supposed to. But when we do things in the flesh, when the circumstances and the things that we’ve experienced in the flesh govern our mind, we cannot be led by the Spirit of God.
And so God says, «You know what? I’m going to allow certain circumstances to take place in your life for you to come to the place where you know you are power. You know it for yourself.» There are things that you’re not pursuing anymore because you’re like, «No, no, no, no, no. I know who I am.»
You see, the interesting thing about the word of God is it says the Spirit of God testifies to our spirit that we are children of God. You would never feel confident as a child of God in the flesh, and that’s when you walk around with your head down, looking droopy, looking like «who shot John, » right? Because you’re still trying to figure it out. You have this false humility — I can demonstrate it because I’ve been there. You’re looking for things to add to you. You apologize for being yourself.
You apologize for being who God called you to be, thinking, «Maybe if you like me better when I’m not me, then I should not be me.» God cannot anoint that. And so, there is a time for stillness. Don’t lose your hope in the place of being still, because what God is working in you is bigger than you could ever dream of. But let’s continue this passage. It said, «You have not resisted…» Then verse five: «And you have forgotten the exhortation that speaks to you as sons: 'My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord.'»
This is also the discipline of God: «Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him.» Let’s continue: «For whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives.» That’s a hard word. Every son whom He receives has to go through some kind of trials and tribulations. Let’s continue: «If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom the father does not chasten?» Everyone has gone through this. If you look in the scriptures, there’s no one that you admire who didn’t go through something.
There is no one you admire who didn’t struggle. Abraham had to actually come to the point of sacrificing — now, obviously, in the physical he didn’t sacrifice his son, but he did in his heart. You see, there’s a passage that recounts what took place in that whole scene, and it says that Abraham believed that even if the son died, God could resurrect him. But what is most important here is the intention. I don’t mean intention in the sense of «Lord, I had good intentions.» No, Abraham was ready to kill Isaac.
That is why the angel had to scream, «Look, man, stop!» because he was going to do it. But do you understand what a man goes through on such a journey? Think about how it affected their relationship. «Dad, you just tried to kill me? I don’t know how I feel about that.» You see, even though Abraham didn’t kill his son, there was something in their relationship that was left broken. The son was of the age to ask, «Dad, I don’t see the lamb.» Read the story. He says, «What are we going to use for the sacrifice?»
Abraham is like, «No, cool, the Lord will provide.» I’m sure the son also heard when the angel said, «Don’t kill him.» He probably thought, «Wait, you were really trying to kill me?» These were real-life stories that happened. Но Abraham ultimately sacrificed a relationship with his son to have a relationship with the world that called them children of God. Everyone who comes to the kingdom is known as a child of Abraham because of the covenant that God made with him. Even if their relationship went wrong, there was a bigger picture at large.
Are you willing to say, «I’m going to drop my fishing boat and my nets to make disciples of nations»? It is not that those things aren’t important — he still had his son and all that — but there was a bigger purpose. Let’s continue: «But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons.» The scripture says the sons of God are those that are led by the Spirit of God. In this passage, it tells us that without discipline, you are not a son.
The discipline of God is what brings us to the place of knowing how to be led by the Spirit of God. I will say that one more time for anybody taking notes, because some people might not have caught it. The scripture says the sons of God are those — pay attention to this, you’re going to catch a new revelation with it — the sons of God are those led by the Spirit of God. And right here, we are told that without discipline, you are illegitimate. God is not naive to the circumstances of our lives.
He is aware of how things entered and how they could be broken. For some of you, there are experiences you’ve had that brought on fear and all kinds of things. In the same way, there are experiences that you might be in right now that are breaking those very things off. For some of you, those moments opened you up to spiritual oppression — something that became a stronghold in a spiritual sense. God is going to break all of that tonight. You see, a lot of times there are things that we fear.
I love water so much, but I’m terrified of swimming. I would get in the water as long as I am taller than the pool level, and even then, there’s a certain way I like to go about things. If you try to teach me how to swim, I start panicking. Even though I could just stand up, I’m like, «I’m about to drown!» No, it’s five feet deep. I took time and asked myself why I was even afraid. I had a moment where, as a child, I was thrown into the water. It was supposed to be funny, but it wasn’t. I almost drowned.
What happened in that moment was that a spirit of fear latched on. How that manifests itself can be in so many different ways: anxiety or other things in our lives that you’re trying to shake off. You wonder, «Why can’t I shake this thing off?» In that moment, I said, «Lord, I recognize this, » and I said, «Spirit of fear, you have no place here.» In that moment, it was interesting; I felt lighter. Something literally broke off me. It is not something to be afraid of.
We are not supposed to be oppressed. You might think, «I’m a believer, how can I have a spirit of fear?» Но there are situations and circumstances that can happen in your life that can make room for things that are not supposed to be there. You had a car accident, and all of a sudden you have this fear of death. В the spirit, that could be a spirit of death trying to oppress your life. So, there are two things I see: some are going through circumstances to break things off, and others are here because God will break what has been attached in the spirit.
Let’s continue the passage, and it says: «Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we pay them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live?» I love this — «the Father of spirits.» What is the role of a father? It is to cultivate an environment for their children to thrive. If, for example, your body is your environment, His role is to make sure that the spirit can thrive. And so, whatever is in the way has to break. Whatever is in the way of that, it has to be broken.
You see, a lot of times, the sweetest of people can be very manipulative. Not because you want to be — nobody ever wants to be prideful, nobody ever wants to be controlling. It is like a conflict within yourself where your natural instinct is to manipulate situations. Your natural instinct is to ask, «How does this benefit me?» Yet you love God, you’re a believer, and all that good stuff. But then something comes your way and your instinct is, «Okay, if it doesn’t benefit me, I’m not doing it.» Then you have to catch yourself.
That is never the Spirit of God. In this season of revival, in this season where God is going to start revealing so many things… you see, one thing He spoke to me about this season of revival and how it plays with revelation is because of the sound of revival. What the sound does is it downloads revelation into your spirit about how you can manifest the next thing God wants you to do. In Ecclesiastes 3:1, it says that for everything under the heaven, there is a time and a season.
How we walk in the fullness of our purpose is our ability to discern when to transition from one season to the next. And so, when God is in the season of revealing things that you have not even encountered in yourself, in order for you to receive that information, your flesh has to be broken. Even Jesus said — when we do communion, what did He say? «This is My body, which I have broken for you.» When we eat the bread, we break the bread. We do this in remembrance of Him.
The bread represents His body; the wine represents His blood. So if our Father’s body had to be broken, who are we? You see, a lot of times what we identify as painful, what we identify as suffering, is a matter of perspective. We are so conditioned to a man-made structure about life that we don’t step back to look at what we are crying about. Have you ever had a moment where you’re crying and then you’re like, «Wait, hold up, why am I crying?» It’s real!
Think about it: you have real emotions, real tears, and sometimes you even start praying and then you catch yourself. Or your phone rings and it’s like, «Hey girl!» and you’re like, «Wait, what was I even doing?» This is how we are in life. What we identify to be painful might not even be pain. God is not in the torturing business. He’s not into «Saw» 1, 2, 3, or 4 — whoever saw those movies. He’s not into that. But we also have to have a change of perspective about what we identify as pain and suffering.
How is it that someone could be sleeping on a couch and feel like they are suffering, while someone else is sleeping under a bridge and you see them sweeping it up, cleaning it, and being excited? Could it be a matter of perspective and not reality? The Father of spirits — His role in your life is to see your spirit thrive. It’s not for you to live in a bubble. No, no, no. God wants to see you thrive. He wants to see you be all that you can be, no matter how uncomfortable a thing might seem.
What is beautiful that I love about God is that His peace surpasses all understanding. What I love about that word is «understanding.» He cannot surpass Himself, right? So the understanding is about human understanding. And so, if we tap into that word — His peace — oh God, I love You! There is peace in every situation. But where is our mind focused? If His peace surpasses… you see, a lot of times I used to pray that prayer, like, «God, just give me Your peace, let it surpass this situation.»
Sometimes I think He’s over there just like, «Oh gosh, this child just needs to wake up!» I’ll be praying the prayer, but what I’m starting to understand is the sense of peace we feel is not just like a «whoosh, » like you just got dipped in peace. It’s a revelation that rises up in you to say that it’s not actually that bad. I can actually get through this situation. The truth about you rises. Although you are verbally saying «give me peace, » what is happening to the spirit is that something within us rose up.
All of a sudden we are learning; we are like, «Okay, I get this.» You see, when we talk about breakthrough — «I need a breakthrough!» — what if the breakthrough is not about the obstacle itself, but you breaking through you? What if it’s so that your spirit can break through the limitations that your flesh has put on it? Then you can walk in any room, you can do whatever you want to do, and you’re standing tall because you’re like, «I know who I am.»
Let’s go to the next passage and it says: «For they indeed for a few days chastened us, » it is talking about our earthly parents, right, «as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness.» Partakers of His holiness! It is all for your — it is for our good, right? So let’s go to the next one: «Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful.» And remember, this is written by a man, right? So the pain is not really… you know, come on somebody, it is not pain, okay? It is not.
I like to whisper, listen. «But no chastening seems to be painful for the present, but painful nevertheless.» And the pain is because your flesh… you know how we have addictive problems or whatever, sugar or something else? The release when we are disconnecting from something, it seems painful, right? So it is not like pain-pain, right? «For the present but painful nevertheless; afterward it yields, » ooh, look at that, «the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.» Have been trained by their circumstance!
There are things that I would have never learned except through a circumstance. When we look at other areas in our lives, we think, «Wait, I caught that by a circumstance.» My mother — I am so excited, she is coming soon — but my mother is literally a woman who almost seems like she has no fear. But she had tapped into a place of power from a young age when she lost her husband. That circumstance woke something up in her. She walks around like — I mean, if I tell you some stories, it is unbelievable. Literally no fear! But there was something that birthed that out of her.
You see, it is interesting. We are having more babies and more children in the church; it is so exciting. Baby Timothy, so many things, Ella — so exciting! But what is amazing about that is that a woman carries a child in her womb, right? And then obviously all the things that happen, the child comes out and — voila! — they are awakened to life. But what if life in itself is a womb? What if that life is both the womb and the delivery room? Tweet that! I heard somebody… now, like Stephanie, hello!
Okay, sorry, I’m a joker. But what if, right, what if this whole process… you see, nothing is new under the sun. What if there is this… after we come out of this womb, we are entering another one? And the delivery of that is when the scripture talks about how «all creation is eagerly…» Look at that! Oh my God, what is that passage? Who is a Bible scholar here? What is that verse? Romans 8? Come on somebody! Romans 8:19, let’s pull it up. There! You see, that passage is so powerful because it says, «All creation is eagerly awaiting the revealing of the sons of God.»
Wow, wow! What happens in the delivery room? The whole family is eagerly awaiting. They are like, «Oh my gosh, I can’t wait to see the baby!» That is the whole waiting room process. Everyone is waiting to see the baby. There is an eagerness, there is joy. And then, in the passage here, God tells us in the same way we have an audience at a natural birth, there is an audience all around us for the spiritual birth.
Conclusion and Altar Call
And so, family, with our one verse today, I thank God. I thank God for each and every one of you here.
I pray this encourages you to be still. I pray it encourages you to not lose your hope, to know that God is not… «The circumstance is not betraying me, it is breaking me to birth me.» What is powerful is that before even a woman gives birth, the water breaks. There is always a breaking involved in birthing. And even with your spirit, there is a breaking of the flesh involved. And so, things might not look like how you want them to be. You might not feel prepared for what God… you see, everything about God is so intentional.
I didn’t come here with a plan, but guess what? This is my life. There are things that I didn’t even know that I’ve studied or remembered, and God says, «Okay, use this here and use this here.» There are things about you where God is going to say, «You might not be ready for this, but I’ve got you.» And so, when new situations start coming your way, don’t feel inferior to them because something in you is already — what do they call these things? — it’s like a down payment for that situation. Something in you has already secured its investment.
And so, no matter what it is, family, the victory belongs to Jesus. It is never as difficult as it looks. Change your perspective. God ordained this whole message. He knew who would be sitting on the sixth row. He knew the words that she would speak: «God, Your will, not my will.» That’s what the whole message is on. But His will, also recognizing, is our will at the same time, but we are yet to understand it. God has already ordained the steps you’re going to take. He has already planned it. You just have to step into it with faith. You have to step into it with courage.
Rise with me. You see, when I talked about that… for some of you, you’ve been feeling it, and some of you can identify it — you know exactly what I’m talking about. There’s almost like a sense of spiritual oppression on your life. Sometimes you go to bed and you even hear noises, or you hear some strange things. It’s not news to you; you can’t even identify it. If that is you, come down. Praise God, praise God, praise God! God is touching His people tonight. God is touching His people tonight. Just be… don’t feel… whatever you want to do: scream, shout, you know, just let us be at the same tone, right?
But you know exactly what I’m talking about. There are still some of you… don’t be… you see, you only accept what you tolerate. Don’t tolerate the enemy. No, no, no, no, no, you don’t want that. When we talked about even with anxiety, you know, your anxiety level is at a peak. And a lot of times it’s crazy because a lot of these things can be connected to openings that happened even as children: the sense of rejection, all these things, and they become a stronghold as a spirit. And so, if you felt — even someone — the sense of rejection, that you just feel that even before you make room to be accepted.
You already start finding things like, «No, no, no, they don’t like me, they don’t do this.» If that’s you, come on down. Come on down! God is going to break that off. Amen, amen. Come on down. No fear here, listen. Thank You, Jesus! Thank You, Jesus! Thank You, Jesus! We’re not making any room for the enemy in our lives; we’re not making any room for him. You see the beautiful thing in the scriptures, and that’s why there’s a time where Jesus talks about what happens when a man is delivered. And He says how the spirit leaves the man, but then the spirit comes back.
Then he finds out — he sees that the house has been cleaned and put in order. But there was a problem in that scripture because it also said that the house was empty. And then he says, «And so, because it is empty, » he’s like, «You know what? We’re just going to gather some other people and come back and occupy this domain.» And so, what I want each and every one here to understand is that everything that brought you to this altar tonight… after this day, meditate on scriptures concerning these areas of your life. If it’s anxiety, meditate until it becomes real to you.
«God, You have given me a spirit of power.» Let there be scriptures that you hold on to. You don’t want your house to be empty. You see, when I understood that, «Lord, there’s no spirit of fear, » guess what? You take action. What I don’t want to do, I do it. I’m going to walk around, I’m going to breakdance if I want to, because I don’t have a spirit of fear! There’s no room for you to attach anything to me. And so, whatever it is that you believe that God… this thing is breaking off, move in it, because everything in life is by faith. Everything in life is by faith.
If not, you’re going to find yourself in a cycle of needing God to «just deliver this off me.» It becomes a cycle. No, no, no. «Lord, You have done this, I believe it, and I’m going to walk it out.» That’s it! And that’s who we are as people. That’s who we truly are. We are who God says we are. We are not anything else. Thank You, Jesus.
If you’re here and you know your prayer is that «God, Your will be done, » but if you’re honest with yourself, you’re kind of shaky about it. You’re like, «I know I said that, but the circumstance in my life is just a little shaky, right?» But if you’re here and you’re just like, «God, You know it’s hard, » and you’ve been fighting yourself, but there’s a peace you feel — and that peace is because God is revealing that, «No, this is also what you need.» If that is you, come down; we’re going to seal this right here. Amen, amen.
Now, there are two areas of things that the Lord showed me, and it deals with things in the house of God. You see what the scripture says — I’m not going to do any pop quiz no more, right, because that didn’t go so well the last time — but the scripture says that where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is… maybe somebody got it? Hey, come on, y’all are getting ready for Bible study! Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. There’s no need to feel shame; there’s no need to feel all of that.
We’re saying, «God, I need to be free of this.» He has the victory! I mean, why should I be bound? But we have to identify the areas where we need freedom. And so, if you’re here and you know that control and manipulation is something in your nature — it is your natural instinct, and you have to fight it off yourself — come down. Because you see, the thing with that is that those are the two greatest enemies to power. How can God put you in authority if you’re going to abuse it? Wow.
And so, even though it’s like, «No, no, no, » if it is your natural instinct, that is… it’s not you. You see, something that I always tell even my friends is that when I see a human being acting crazy, or even when I malfunction, or when anyone does things that are just… you know, someone curses you out and you want to get angry? No, that is not even who they are. Who wants to be someone that just curses people out? That is not who you truly are. And so, you might have not encountered yourself yet.
I’m not going to hold it against you because you’re just like a facade right now. And so, when we say certain things, God is in the business of changing them. There’s going to be so many things you’re going to walk out of here feeling lighter and feeling different. Use that and meditate on those things, and on the word of God concerning these areas. God has positions of authority that He wants to release on His children, but He cannot do that if you’re going to manipulate the situation. It will not last.
He cannot do that if you’re going to try to find a way to influence or control it with your own hand. You see, in the Book of Revelation — and we’re going to pray after this — it talks about how the one who has the Key of David would unlock a door that no one can shut. But then you have another scripture that talks about how God Himself is saying, «I will unlock a door that no one can shut.» But outside of Him, He’s given us a hint, and He says, «the one who has the Key of David.» So check this out.
God can unlock a door for you and no one is going to shut it, but there is a «you» that must be able to stay in that room. The Key of David… David is a man known to have a heart after God’s own heart. David was not the perfect man; David had some stories, all right! But none of that took away his position because David had a heart for God. And so, one scripture shows us that God opens the door and nobody can shut it, but can you last in it? Who must you be to last?
You must be led by the Spirit of God. Your natural instinct becomes the things of God. Amen. I see you; come down. Amen. And I don’t know… praise God, just come on down. No shame here. I’ll make it easy and cover it up and say, «If you love gummy bears, come down, » but you know why you’re coming down! Come on, I love gummy bears too, so you know… life! Right now, I don’t know if this person is here or watching by livestream, but there was someone that the Lord showed me.
It’s a lady, and your child needs a heart transplant. I don’t know if you’re here or if you might be watching this by livestream, but God is going to touch that heart. God is going to touch that heart. Thank You, Jesus. Thank You, Jesus. Let us pray. While we pray, can someone sing softly? «Victory belongs to Jesus.» Anyone? Thank You. Thank You, Jesus. Everyone, just worship God and just open your hearts to Him right now, just very soft. Move on Your people, Father. Touch each and every one of them.
You know, Lord, victory belongs to You, God. Victory belongs to You, yes God. Victory belongs to You, Jesus. Thank You, Jesus. Victory belongs to You. Thank You, Jesus. Victory belongs to You. Victory belongs to You. Thank You, Jesus. Victory belongs to You, Jesus. Victory to You. Thank You, Lord. Thank You. Victory, Father God, we declare it is done. We declare it is done. Lord, I thank You for the oil even dripping from them. I thank You for the anointing that breaks the yoke.
And every yoke and burden in their lives is being broken right now in the name of Jesus. Lord, I thank You for those even watching. I thank You, Lord, because there is no distance in the spirit. I thank You, Lord God, that every yoke and every burden on Your children is being broken in the name of Jesus. I thank You, Lord, for new eyes — new eyes, Lord, that they will begin to see as You see. I thank You, Lord, that we will tap into Your peace in every situation.
We would know, Lord God, without a doubt, Father God, that this is for our good in the name of Jesus. We will identify ourselves as children of the Most High, as children of the King, Father God. We would know that we walk as royalty in the name of Jesus. Lord God, we will no longer tolerate anything of the enemy. Any stronghold on the lives of Your children, I declare and decree it to be broken right now in the name of Jesus. I thank You, Lord, that whatever things have been hidden, You are revealing.
In the name of Jesus, wherever any spirit has been hiding itself, Lord God, You are releasing Your children from it. I thank You, my Lord, my God, for You are here, Father God. You are here, Lord God, and You would confirm in their lives right now… in their lives right now, they would be at peace. They would be at peace, Lord. Stillness in the name of Jesus. I hear the Lord say that He’s releasing a fresh zeal upon you — that you’re going to have energy, you’re going to be energized for what is to come.
I thank You, Lord, for what You are doing in their lives, Lord God. They would not be weary, but they would be strong, for those who wait on You shall be renewed in the name of Jesus. They shall run and not be weary. Thank You, Lord God. Thank You, Lord God, for the healing taking place in this house, for the healing taking place in each and every individual in the name of Jesus. Thank You, my Lord, my God. Have Your way, God. Have Your way. Have Your way, Father God.
Can we just have a moment of just stillness? Everyone just still. Praise God. It’s funny because, in the moment of stillness, the sound of an alarm goes off. God is releasing you, family. It’s your time.