Stephanie Ike - Prophetic Response (01/20/2026)
In this message, the preacher teaches about «prophetic response"—the active faith and actions required when God gives a prophetic word about one’s future or destiny, drawing from personal stories, Nehemiah, Bathsheba, and scriptures like 1 Timothy 1:18 and Isaiah 55:11. She stresses that God’s word demands a response of belief, decree, and perseverance through trials, as the word equips us to fight opposition. Ultimately, owning and acting on the prophetic word in faith leads to its manifestation, birthing God’s promises despite storms or past failures.
Introduction to Prophetic Response
God is so good. You see, today, you know, God has been speaking to me about this day, about the message for those that are coming to the house on this day, those who’ll be watching livestream, wherever this message reaches, whoever this message touches. And one thing that He’s been teaching me is about prophetic response.
And so I titled the message that I’m not trying to go too hard on this. I’m just gonna call it what I heard and what I’m learning about this. What this means is, because you see, we all receive prophetic words, right? Whether sometimes you could be reading a scripture and something jumps at you, you could be listening to a sermon and in one moment it’s almost like, even though the word is coming out of the preacher’s or whoever’s mouth, it touches you as truth, like this person is talking to me. God could speak to you through dreams, through messages, in so many kinds of ways. We all have prophetic words.
And it’s interesting because in the moment, right, when God tells you something about your destiny, about your future, about what your legacy is gonna be, everybody is just like, thank you Jesus, all right. You get excited, you get pumped up, you’re dancing, you know, hands up a little bit. And then circumstances come, obstacles come, and we almost try to psych ourselves out that, did I really hear God say that? We start seeking counsel amongst people that would validate our fear. We’re like, you know what, I don’t know if, you know, I don’t like, you know what, girl or sir, you know, maybe, you know, this just doesn’t seem wise, you know. I’m not sure God would tell you that.
But there was a moment where everything was peaceful and you knew that you knew that God was speaking to you. But a little tribulation and trials, and we lose our ground. And so what I want to teach today about is that we have to understand that the prophetic word is not just a word that God comes with to inform you, because He could just let it happen. How many times have we just walked into situations that we never even planned for, we never asked for, we never saw it, it just happened. God could just allow the thing to happen.
So when He speaks to you, He’s informing you, and there is a response required from you.
Personal Story: Mother’s Property Project
You see, quick story. My mom, you know, my mom loves property development. And so her current project, she’s working on this like a commercial property. This one property, the moment they started work, God gives her a dream. And in the dream is a prophetic dream. He shows her the building completed to the point where it even gives her like ideas about things she wasn’t thinking of before. She’s like, oh wow, that looks good, maybe we should change this here and change that there.
And she calls me, she’s like, wow, God showed me in my dream this building completed, and He spoke to me that this building will be completed. And we’re just like, amen, praise God, hallelujah. And so work continues. All of a sudden, because she’s in Nigeria, the state is fighting against the progress of this building. And it wasn’t even something legal. It wasn’t even something that the people that were doing, they were trying to look. And I even, you know, sometimes Africa, we’re still, you know, on the rise, right? But the state of certain people start threatening her progress. They come to the property, they lock it up. They’re like, you need this paper, you need this, you need that permit.
And my mom is like, we have all of that. What else are you looking for? Ultimately what they wanted was money. So they locked the place up. What they were asking for was ridiculous. And my mom, if you know her, my mom is very like, she’s hilarious, she’s goofy, but at least because she has a nickname we call her Iron Lady, because my mom would not just tolerate something because that’s what you’re telling her to do. If it’s wrong, she’s like, no, we’re not doing that.
So they lock up the building. My mom calls me, and she’s, and it was crazy because they locked that building up. Somehow they found out where she lived, locked our house up. And my mom calls, and at this point she was a bit emotional. She’s like, Stephanie, look at what’s going on, you know. She’s like, stuffing everything, you know, just pray about this thing with me and let me understand what God is saying and all that stuff, right.
And so I’m like, mom, I’m gonna take it to prayer. So I’m talking to God about it. I’m praying. I’m like, God, this is what’s going on, you know. What kind of encouragement, a word do I need to give my mother? The Lord gives me this vision. In the vision, I’m standing, and I haven’t even been to the site. I mean, this is recent, right? In the vision, I’m standing in the land that she’s building, and to my right the Lord tells me that there’s a, I see a land to my right, and He says that your mother will buy that land. This will be her next project.
And so I’m like, God, that sounds amazing, but what does that have to do with the situation now? What am I supposed to tell my mother, right? And He said, I’ve already told her that this would be finished, so I’m only going to entertain what’s next. So it sounds great now, but my mom was like, okay, right. But this is the beautiful thing.
So I called my mom. I told my mom, I said, mom, when you stand, I’m trying to explain to her because I don’t know what it looks like. I said, when you stand in this position, there’s a property to your right, and that land is gonna go for sale, and you’re gonna buy it, and this is your next project. She’s like, yes, Stephanie, but what is the Lord saying concerning this issue? I said, well, mom, that’s all I got for you, cuz I’m not gonna speak here what I don’t know.
That same day she goes over to the site. The owner of the land to her right, she, they randomly meet. So this, it’s not even publicly known that it’s for sale. He sees her, and they were talking, and he says like, oh yeah, I’m gonna be selling my land. My mom calls me, and she’s like, Stephanie, you’re right, because the land to the right, all of a sudden he’s telling me if I want to buy it. He wouldn’t even take it public.
And I say, mom, I’m so glad that God was fast in confirming that word, because if you believe that He’s already concerned about what’s next, then you have to understand that everything about this situation is taken care of. You have to engage the word that He gave you. And I said to her, as a mom, decree to the situation, decree to the circumstance what God has revealed to you.
The Power of Decree and Belief
And so the decree is not just about, it’s not a religious practice of, you know, you, she goes to the house and says, house, the Lord has said, right? It’s not just a religious practice, because the scripture tells us that out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. What that means is you’re not just speaking empty words. You’re speaking what you believe. And when you believe a thing, your decisions are in alignment with that thing. Your decisions, the actions that you take, you become, you see.
Words, God used words to perform things, to create things. But when you believe what you say, you become a different you. And why heaven responds to that version, because for instance, right, I have a, why I did not, I just know someone named Jesus, right? And Jesus is like Jesus, right? No, hey Suze, you know, you know Spanish people saying hey Suzanne, Jesus, right? But if I’m calling hey Suze, the friend, demons are not gonna tremble, because in my heart I’m calling, you know, hey Suze, you know, the friend.
But if in my heart my mind is set on Jesus, when I speak His name, because of the belief that is coming from my heart, things begin to happen. So why I’m sharing this is because what makes your words powerful is the belief behind it. And so when God says you shall decree a thing and it shall be established, to establish, that word talks about it shall be confirmed, it shall come to surface, it shall be, you know, it’s almost like God is gonna finalize the thing. He’s gonna confirm it. He’s gonna make it manifest in your life.
But that begins by a version of you that would not sabotage what the angels want to do on your behalf. And so I said to my mom, I said, mom, it’s not just about your words. It’s about your belief. Because if you believe that God has already gone ahead of you and God has already taken care of all of this, your actions will change. All of a sudden my mother found a way to undo what they used to lock the house, and they found a way to fix it back so workers would go through the house, undo it, go inside, work, fix it back like nothing happened.
Nehemiah’s Example
I said, mom, it reminded me, there’s a story about a man named Nehemiah. It reminded me about him. You see, God had put in his heart to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem. Nehemiah goes and starts rebuilding the walls. All of a sudden there’s opposition. People are not excited about him rebuilding these walls, and they’re coming against him. They’re threatening his life. They are threatening the lives of everyone who’s touching these walls.
Nehemiah did not back down. Instead, on one hand the Bible talks about how with one hand they’re working, with another hand they have a weapon. You see, when circumstances come, you have to learn how to change your rhythm. It’s not about backing down, but your weapon becomes the Word of God that we’re gonna continue this work because I’m holding on to something. I’m holding on to what God said to me.
So my mother wasn’t afraid anymore. She said, you know what, whatever happens, happens. We end this. And so they kept going. They just, they continued work. All of a sudden, somehow they got wind of it. I don’t know how, you know, haters out there. Somehow they got wind of this. They came, they arrested everybody, took all her workers to jail.
My mom gets the call. She’s like, that’s okay, we just got to bail them out, right? But something had shifted in her. She had a mindset. It was her, what she started speaking, that God, You have completed this thing. It manifested in her that she knew that nothing was gonna stop her from completing this house. And so when she goes over to the police station, she’s like, yeah, I’m here to bail my workers.
All of a sudden, family favor. The same people that were against her apologized. They’re like, you know what, we’re gonna support what you’re doing and all this stuff. And I’m like, how? But you see, when the Bible talks about angels respond to the Word of God, when you decree in belief of what God said to you, angels move on your behalf because you’re walking in sync with them. Your belief creates capacity for God to move. But when you don’t believe what He’s telling you, there’s nothing He can do because you’re gonna sabotage the very way that He’s gonna bring it to you.
God’s Word Does Not Return Void
And so from this message I understood something. He’s seen the Book of Isaiah, I believe it’s 55:11. It talks about how the Word of God would not return to Him void. And there’s a scripture that I always love to quote. I’m like, yes, Jesus, because when you’re in a situation, oh God, Your word will not return to You void, and You said it, it’s gonna be done and did that. And then I remember how certain words have been spoken and it was kind of void, you know. I said, how, Jesus? I’ve seen where prophetic words were given and the people died without ever seeing that word.
And He showed me something. He says, My word said the word would not return to Me void. I gave it to you. Return it to Me. You see, that tells you, you’re gonna be, He gives you this word about you’re gonna have this, you know, company, and you’re gonna, you know, build schools all around the world and all this stuff, right? And you try to start it, and you know, opposition comes, and you’re just like, oh, I don’t know, I don’t know, I don’t know.
But then you want to be like, thank you Jesus, thank you Jesus. And but thank you Jesus, you’re not really sure what you’re thanking Jesus for because your movement is stagnant. But then you’re saying thank you Jesus, thank you Jesus. And that’s almost a deception of the enemy in itself because you’re not doing anything but you feel comfort in just saying thank you Jesus. And Jesus is saying, I’m waiting for you to walk.
And so God is saying that the response you give to the prophetic word is your own prophetic action. That God gives you a word, and you say, okay God, You’ve given me this word. When I take a step towards it, God is saying then you return that word to Me. And when you do that, it would not be void. It would not be empty. That when you speak to Me what I have spoken to you, because it’s not just about speaking, it’s about your essence speaks to God. Your being speaks to God.
You see, Jesus is called the Word, but the Word became flesh. And so there is a level where when the word of God becomes you, and when the word of God becomes your reality, it is you giving God back His word. And that is when, that is why the Bible says when you decree it will be established. It didn’t say when God says it is established. He says when you decree it, when your actions speak it to Me, then heaven starts to respond to you.
We think that because God gave us a word we can sit and do nothing. We think that when trials come we start questioning ourselves. And it’s like, wait, what am I supposed to do? But that very word was to arm you. God gave you a word because He’s aware of the tribulations that will come against the word.
There were other projects my mother did, and God never told her anything about it because it was smooth sailing. He’s like, you’re good. But the one He gives her a word about encounters the most difficulty because the word was to become her weapon. That she’s like, no, no, no, no, God told me something about this, and I will keep going because when I respond to God it would not be void.
Fighting the Good Fight with Prophecy
You see, the Apostle Paul said something to Timothy, and I want us to read that. It’s in 1 Timothy. We’re gonna find it together. You know, one, hallelujah, 18 to 19. See, you know what, it’s right there. The Apostle Paul says to Timothy—so Timothy is a spiritual son—he says to him, the command I entrust to you, Timothy, my son, in accordance with the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you fight the good fight.
Family, he says the prophetic words that I have given you, that have been made concerning you, it is that word you use to fight the good fight. You see, I wonder, when God has been teaching me this, for some people in here, God says you’re gonna have a child. You couldn’t have a baby girl, gonna have a baby boy. Then that child is born premature, and that is a child God spoke to you about. The doctor says this child may die. What do you do? God gave you a word for that very reason.
Have you ever been in this situation? God tells you you’re gonna come to LA, you’re gonna do this. He tells you what you’re gonna get, this job, and this is what your position will be. You’re gonna start this business, and this is what it’s gonna turn out. He said this word is for you to fight the good fight.
How many times do you know that if God gives you a word about a job and He says in this place you’re gonna do A, B, C—if somebody fires you from that job, you better go back and ask for an interview. That is a posture of belief. Some people in here, you’ve been fired from a place that God positioned you, and you just accepted it. Well, maybe God didn’t talk to me. I dare you to go back and say, can I get a job interview again, and watch God work.
When God sent you here, it’s you, you’re just like, okay God, You’re gonna send me here, and we’re gonna do this, I’m gonna do that. Stop questioning Him because of your insecurities, because of your doubts. Yes, indeed, if you want to get clarity, get clarity, because God is not the author of confusion. But in your search for clarity, don’t have an expectation for Him to say no because that’s what you’re comfortable with. If you’re searching for clarity, keep the options open that perhaps this is where God actually wants me despite how hard it is.
And then the passage continues and says, keeping faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and suffered shipwreck in regard to their faith.
The Storm in Mark 4
You see, when I hear the word shipwreck, and as we talked about fighting the good fight with the word, I remember some of us know the story about Jesus where Jesus was with the disciples in the boat in the sea, right? And a storm has hit. This is in Mark chapter 4. A storm comes. The disciples begin to panic. They’re like, and Jesus, first of all, is sleeping. And Jesus is like being cradled by the storm. The disciples are drowning in the storm.
And the disciples are like, Jesus, we’re perishing over here while You’re taking naps, you know, having dreams and stuff. And Jesus comes to them, and Jesus is like, why, He talks about why they have little faith. He’s like, why are you afraid, O ye of little faith? And I’ve found it interesting, like God, okay, first of all, they are drowning. Where is the little faith coming in place here?
If you’re taking notes, I really advise you, there’s certain things I would really love for you to read. Mark chapter 4 is one of them. In that very passage, prior to them entering the boat, Jesus tells them, let us go to the other side. You see, when Jesus speaks the thing, He’s not speaking aimlessly. He’s already seen what has happened. So when He tells them let us go to the other side, it’s almost as though He’s telling them we will get to the other side.
And so when the storm hit the boat, it’s like, I just told y’all we are getting to the other side. So the little faith was not something where it’s like, I don’t understand. God, He already told them we are getting somewhere. So this storm cannot stop My word because I’ve already seen us at the other side. And so it’s so fascinating because after He tells the storm be still, Mark chapter 5 starts by saying then they got to the other side, because He had already released a prophetic word about their destination. And He released the word knowing, and I believe even because of the storm that was gonna happen.
You see, when storms happen in your life, Jesus said be still. But is the storm shipwrecking your faith? Are you speaking to the storm with your life to say no, not today? Even if this boat sinks, we’re gonna swim. The Lord will empower me. I don’t know how to swim, but the Lord, He will empower me to swim.
I love this passage so much because, you see, when the Bible even talks about keeping faith and a good conscience, conscience is talking about discernment. It’s have a good discernment. The sermon is ultimately about seeing things as God sees it. You call it, you see a storm and you call it your demise. God calls it your servant. He says I’ve allowed the storm in your life to show you how strong you are, to show you that actually you think you’re beneath the storm, but there is a you who the One who lives in is greater than the storm. And if there are no storms in your life, you will never tap into that person.
Good discernment, family, would save your life because you could be complaining about the situation while God is trying to show you how it’s connected to work for your good. You see one thing, and you’re just like, oh my God, I’m perishing, it’s over. And God is like, no, no, no, no, no. If you see it as I see it, if you call it what I’m calling it, you will survive.
Preparation Before the Promise
You see, why this word came is because many of us are identifying things from our natural eyes, and God is saying no. Without good discernment, your faith will sink because you will look at the situation as a defeat moment. You would not see that no, God is actually, it’s not just we don’t just recite, you know, all things are working for my good. God desires to show you how all things are actually working for your good. But this comes from the place of, God, what is this? Before I start panicking, before I flare up, what is this? You gave me this word, but this is happening. What is this circumstance right here?
Because like PT talked about in previous messages—and for our first timers, PT is, you know, however the nickname we call our pastor, Tori Roberts, and so yep, PT. So PT talked about in the message how before any promise there’s preparation. Because you see, family, God will always, there are certain words that are sovereign, that means there are certain, so a lot of times, and those words are kind of, but a lot of times words are also conditional to your actions. But there are certain words concerning your life that have nothing to do with what you do today or tomorrow. It’s gonna happen.
But in God’s goodness He says, I can open the door for you, but how long would you last there if I open the door for you? Is it gonna kill you if I open the door for you? Would it consume you? How many times—and this is not even like, it’s not a strange thing—we see it. We’ve seen how a person’s version of success could be the very thing that killed them. Because God, there are things concerning your life that will be. He said to Abraham, by this time next year you will have a son. He didn’t say, okay Abraham, I need you to, you know, your wife, and then when you do, I’m gonna cause things to happen. He said, look, by this time next year you have a son. Done.
There are certain things concerning your life that will happen. But if we can look at the storm and say, God, how are You using this to prepare me? How are You using this? Then we will stop complaining and start becoming.
The Story of Bathsheba: Four Insights
You see, I want to talk about, all of this is leading, I want to talk about a story of a lady that we may know. Her name is Bathsheba. And from this story there were four insights that I received about prophetic response. The story we’re gonna look into is ultimately about, so Bathsheba has a son, and I’ll talk about the backstory in a little bit, but Bathsheba has a son named Solomon, who God ultimately chooses to be king during the time of David.
So David is the king. David’s reign is coming to an end because he’s getting really old, and he, I mean, he was really old and kind of sick, and he wasn’t really as mobile as he used to be. And one of David’s sons chooses to exalt himself and chooses to make himself king. And Bathsheba, it’s almost as though she gets wind of what’s going on, but she does nothing, even though she knew that her son was the one anointed to be king. She hears that someone else is trying to occupy the position that God had given her seed, and she does nothing.
And I wondered, because this word is going out to speak to us in the areas where we are currently doing nothing. And I wondered and I said, Lord, why didn’t she do anything about this? And when I began to study Bathsheba, one of the insights I understood, and that’s the first thing, is that your past does not define your worth.
And why I say this is because if you study the story of David and Bathsheba, Bathsheba was married to a soldier in David’s army. The soldier was someone who had integrity, so it means that this must have been someone who was respected and well-known. When David even saw, because David was supposed to be at war and he’s outside on his balcony, he sees Bathsheba, you know, taking a shower, and he didn’t, you know, turn away. And so in that moment of attraction where he’s like, I want her, someone else already knew of her. He’s like, no, isn’t that Bathsheba?
So I assumed that Bathsheba was someone who was well-known. And David is over here. David takes Bathsheba. He sleeps with her. Bathsheba gets pregnant while she’s still married. David is like, oh my gosh, you know, we gotta do something about the situation. And David is like, so David is trying to get Bathsheba’s husband to sleep with her. That didn’t work. David ends up killing the man, and then Bathsheba becomes David’s wife.
Now, when we read the story, it sounds very like A, B, C, D, right? But when you think about it, Bathsheba seems to be someone that was well-known. She was married. She gets pregnant. She has a child. The child dies. People must have known about it because her, you know, things must have been changing, right? And it all can be traced because it’s going in one direction, right?
So I wondered the rumors that must have gone out about Bathsheba. Did she even love her husband? How long was she really messing with David, right? What is really going on? But Bathsheba is Solomon, even David’s son, because Solomon ends up being the second child she has with him when he married her. But when you think about it as everyday life, we, Bathsheba, you were married to a man of integrity, and you were a little, you know, hoeing out there. That is not, that is a word, I believe, in the dictionary, right? It means when you’re a bit, you know, out there with people you shouldn’t be with, okay?
And so I think about it, right? And I’m like, wait, how did she feel about her worth based on how people defined her to be? There was not even based on the whole story. And I wondered that when you see being David’s wife was not really a spotlight because David had several wives before her. I wondered that in knowing that the child I’m carrying is gonna be king, and so just from being one of his wives I’m gonna become the mother of the king. I wondered if that was a spotlight she felt she was unworthy of because of her past.
I wonder if the memories, the rumors about her that still lingered in the minds of the people made her feel she’s not worthy of being the mother of a king. I wondered if that’s why she kept silent, that in front of her there was a promise for her son to be king. She’s watching someone else take that position, and she does nothing. Why didn’t she do anything?
So these are just my different theories, right? So I wonder if anyone in this house is holding back because they don’t feel worthy. It’s holding back because of the things they’ve done in their past, the rumors that linger about them, whether true or false, because it exists in the minds of those around you. There is an unbelief about, God, can this truly be me?
You see, Jesus said when they tried to call Jesus good, Jesus said no one is good except the Father. We are looking for this good person. God, give it to the good people. And God is like, none of y’all, okay? It’s important we know that because your past, your pain is what validates your purpose. You think that you’re allowing the insecurities about your past to destroy your now. What is it that you did or didn’t do, whatever? Because God is a redeemer. God is a God of grace, a God of mercy.
Whatever mistakes you feel that you have done that you think negated you out of His promise is a lie. You see, family, guilt is not of God. Guilt keeps you wrapped up in who you are not. Awareness is of God. God wants you, He desires us to be aware because what awareness does is that it shows us who we are, who we are not, to release us into who we are.
Awareness says, you know, I did some crazy stuff back in the day, but I actually realized that was not me. I remember my college freshman year, it was like the grace lifted. That was just a little crazy, right? And then sometimes I’ll be preaching, and I look in the pews, and I see somebody from my college freshman year. I’m like, you know what, amen to you. You’re gonna receive this word.
But what the enemy wants from you is to say, oh, that’s a reminder you are not that person. No, no, no. Oh yes I am. But that allowed me to see you were never, I don’t even know how you used to do the things you were doing back then because that is not who you are.
A lot of times God will take us through who we are not so we fully identify with who we truly are. You see, when you think about Saul who became Paul, God could have encountered him early on. It was an encounter, right? Jesus, you know, BAM, shows up. He could have done that way before Paul was doing a lot of nonsense. He could have done that the moment, you know, Paul or when he was Saul, the moment he had a thought that what he was doing was right. Jesus could have encountered him back then. Jesus is not limited by time.
So why wait for Saul, you know, who became Paul? Why wait for him to super mature in ignorance before He encounters him? You see, a lot of times when you’re, if the beginning of your life is like boom, oh my God, Jesus, yes, Lord, the people you’re called to, first of all, they may not fully relate, you know. But apart from that, you might find yourself desiring things like, I wonder if I should try this. I wonder if that is bad. I wonder, you know. You might find yourself tempted by things that could actually destroy you.
Then you might find yourself in the place where you start questioning. Have you ever met someone who, you know, has been a Christian all their lives and they start questioning, is God really real? Like, you know, I mean, I grew up in church, but is He like real, or is this like a universe thing, or is it like, you know, are we all just like, you know, in this energy field, you know? But they grew up like in the front row, and then all of a sudden they’re like, I don’t know. I think, I think I’m an atheist. I’ve seen, I’ve seen that. I’ve seen people that grew up in the church, and then it’s just like, ta-ta to them.
But you see, sometimes, and sometimes there’s a grace for that, that you could just shoot up in something. I encountered God at a very early age, and that’s why I believe in my freshman year in college He literally lifted off a grace. He’s like, Stephanie, I need you to experience some things. Have mercy on me, but you need to recognize who you are not so you never think or entertain that person.
And sometimes, sometimes we go through things. My family, you are worthy. If God would come in form of man to kill Himself, to give His life for you, that should determine your value. That should tell you who you are to Him. That’s why whatever you did in your past, that should tell you this is who I see you as, that I can give My life for you. Value is determined by price, and He paid a price with His life.
I wondered if Bathsheba felt like she was unworthy for that kind of spotlight with what lingered in her history.
Second Insight: Who Is With Us
The second thing that came to me before this is that oftentimes we are so focused on who is against us that we don’t see who is with us. You see, Bathsheba, the son who tried to raise himself up as king, his name was Adonijah. And Adonijah, and I would encourage you to read this, this is in 1 Kings chapter 1. Adonijah, he had all his brothers. He gathered all his brothers. So first of all, he has the support of all his brothers. He had the support of the commander of David’s army. And if you have the support of the commander of the army, I mean, he could just give a word to his soldiers and say, well, kill them all.
Bathsheba, it seems to be that she was aware of all these things, and could it have been that she was so focused on who was against her that she did not recognize that there were still people with her, and that ultimately God was on her side? Do we lose sight of that when we’re complaining about, God, I’m about to lose my place, and I might be evicted, and you lose sight of the person who is saying come and stay with me?
And so you bury yourself in complaining that, God, I might not afford this place come next month, and someone in your circle is saying if you don’t have a place to go, you can stay with me. We find ourselves complaining about things that God has put someone in your circle to be an answer. But the problem is that your comfort has become your enemy because there is a way that you want a thing to be, not realizing that provision is provision, right? Whether it comes from Peter or Paul or myself, it is provision. It may not come the way you desire it, and the way you desire a thing is ultimately what is most comfortable for you.
But God says, look, you may not have this, but there are people I’ve assigned to give you the same thing in a different package. Bathsheba did not have the support of certain crucial people on her side, but she did have the support of people that could also shake things up.
Nathan’s Counsel to Bathsheba
I want us to read the passage, actually. Let’s go to 1 Kings. We’re about to find out. Chapter 1, I believe it’s verse 11. And so at this point Nathan is a prophet, and Nathan is a prophet that has been, that had a lot of, you know, just investment in their lives, you know. God used him a lot to speak to David about even about Solomon. And so Nathan has caught wind of what’s happening, and he comes to Bathsheba, and he says, so Nathan spoke to Bathsheba the mother of Solomon, saying, have you not heard that Adonijah the son of Haggith has become king and David our lord does not know it?
You see, at the very least I would have thought that she would have at least spoken to David and say, hey King, you know what God has spoken about Solomon. One of your sons is trying to do something else. You see, when I saw that, what spoke to me about this is that a lot of times we are silent because of our fears. And these fears are very specific. Sometimes there is a fear of being betrayed. There is a fear. I wonder if Bathsheba thought that if I tell, you know, first of all, did David just tell me about Solomon because of what happened to our first child, that perhaps because he felt that, you know, he had a part to play in the death of my child, did he lie to me? He just gave me a word to encourage me that, hey, you know, I know we lost the first one, but the second one is gonna be really great to make you forget what happened to the first one.
I wonder if sometimes we are silent about things because we fear vulnerability, because we don’t know what people would do with it. We don’t know if the person I open up to is lying to me, is gonna betray me, doesn’t really care about me, is talking behind my back, is not a real person, they’re not sincere.
Because when God gives you a word, the word is always connected to people. There’s always going to be people that God will place in your life and says talk to this person, tell this person this. He literally showed me that some of you have emails that are still in your draft because you’re so afraid to send it. You don’t know, oh my gosh, don’t know what you’re gonna think about me when they read this.
There are people that God has told you, speak to this person, tell this person this, and you see them, and you’re just like, this is the person right here. And let’s say the person is some Mr. Fiji, and you’re just like, oh yeah, hey dear whatever that is, and you just walk past Mr. Fiji right here.
So many times God is telling you, hey, this person is connected to your destiny, but your fear of being vulnerable is keeping you stagnant. Why wouldn’t Bathsheba for the very least tell David? The prophet Nathan is like, are you kidding me? How can David not know about this?
Who has God told you to call, to send a text message to, to send an email to? What is it on your heart that you’ve been waiting to tell a certain person, but your fear of being rejected, your fear of being betrayed, being lied to is killing your tomorrow?
You see, family, when God gives you a word, you have to understand that He’s already gone ahead of you. There was a prophet named Elijah. Through him God, you know, God spoke about a famine that will come to the land. And if there’s a famine in the land, at some point it would affect him, and so he had no provisions either. And God says to him, I have commanded a widow to feed you.
When you read the story, the widow, it didn’t seem like she got a word from God because she seemed pretty surprised by Elijah’s request. But I wonder if it was that God had touched the widow’s heart, that if Elijah would believe that God did send me to you, that her obedience would favor. And ultimately when you read the story, it favors her.
God has gone ahead of you. You’re so worried about how is this gonna sound, what is this gonna look like, are they gonna look at me as foolish. Your assumptions are killing you. You sit down and you’re assuming too many things at the same time, and then you do nothing. And the truth is sometimes people will betray you. But I want you to understand that their betrayal is a betrayal to your emotions, not your destiny.
Because in God’s wisdom, when He puts a person in your life, when He put Judas in the life of Jesus, Judas never betrayed Jesus’s destiny. Actually his betrayal pushed Jesus into his destiny. So you’re so concerned about people hurting you, but the only thing a person is gonna betray is your emotions, because you had an expectation with your feelings. You know, I just, I just felt that you are gonna be in my life, you know, for so long. I just felt like we’re gonna be friends. I just felt like you would not be the kind of person to do this to me.
But in God’s wisdom we forget that we’re dealing with a God that works on the beginning from the end. So the very betrayal you’re scared of is never gonna be a betrayal to your destiny, to your legacy. The only thing, family, being affected is your feelings. And that’s why we are not led sometimes by emotions.
I’m here to tell you, family, you have to let go of all this because fear is a burden, and it would keep you stagnant. Fear would not allow you to move because you’re like, oh my gosh, I’m assuming, oh this person might, this person might do that. The constant replay of lies you’re telling yourself, it’s keeping you right here because you just, okay, but if they don’t do this. And then you try something, and you’re really questioning their motive.
Learn to trust people, because what you’re doing is that it’s not them you’re trusting. You’re trusting God who put you in their life or who put them in your life. And so you’re trusting that everything, you’re not, you, the thoughts and the lies that we carry about people. If Jesus said I am the truth, not the assumption. So when you find yourself assuming, well I think, you know, this is why he did this, stop it. Because Jesus is never in the thinking. If you don’t know, you don’t know. That’s just what it is.
If you do not know what a person is thinking, if you do not know why they didn’t say hi back, maybe they didn’t hear you, you know. Maybe they were busy. And then you go about like, you know, I just think that, you know, after that day I noticed a change, you know, in her. Did God tell you that?
Family, your vulnerability would increase your capacity. It increases how God can move and shift things in your life. And that’s the third thing from the four things. Fear, something about fear, it’s gonna come up, amen. Yeah, fear is a burden that hinders your ability to move forward.
Third Insight: Birthing the King
Now let’s continue reading the passage. And so it says, so prophet Nathan tells Bathsheba, and he says, come please, let me give you advice. Who is your counsel? You see, prophet Nathan represented the voice of God. Family, you need people in your circle that speak to God before they speak to you.
He says, come please, let me give you advice that you may save your own life and the life of your son Solomon. Bathsheba, if Bathsheba allowed Adonijah to be king, he most likely would have killed Solomon and herself. You see, by Adonijah, when he was, you know, making his plans to be king, as I said, he invited all his brothers except Solomon. And Adonijah actually knew—when you read 1 Kings, I believe it’s in chapter 2 or 3—he knew that God had chosen Solomon, but he felt entitled because he was looking at how it is done in the natural. And Adonijah was the fourth son of King David, and the first three sons had died, all kinds of crazy things, but he was the eldest living son of King David. So according to the natural ways of how other kingdoms pick who’s gonna reign next, that’s how Adonijah was like, he felt entitled that this should be mine, even though God has chosen Solomon.
So Solomon would have been a threat to him, and he would have killed Solomon and Bathsheba. How many people here, we’re gonna pray into this, but, and I know, and I don’t want you to feel ashamed or anything like that because I know what God showed me, there are some people that literally are embracing suicidal thoughts that by this point she was willing to just end it and just, okay, they kill me, they kill my seed.
To some people the actions that you’re taking is killing the very vision that God has given you. The prophet Nathan says, come, let me give you advice. And he said to her, go immediately to King David and say to him, did you not, my lord O king, swear to your maidservant, saying assuredly your son Solomon shall reign after me and he shall sit on my throne? Why then has Adonijah become king?
What is interesting about this is Nathan is a prophet. God could have given Nathan a word to go directly to David and say, David, you know, Adonijah is trying to be king, and Solomon is the one who I’ve called. Why did he go through Bathsheba first?
You see, in the natural Bathsheba carried a son. According to heaven, she was birthing a king. She had already done the job of birthing her son, but there was a responsibility for her to birth the king. You see, family, in the natural you filed the paperwork for this company. In the natural there are certain things you’ve done that, okay, it sets things in motion. But are your actions towards what God has given you reflecting what heaven defines it to be?
In the natural you’re having meetings. In the natural you’re doing certain things. In the natural she had given birth to a healthy child. Where you are with your vision could look healthy. Things could be functioning. You got your paperwork, you got the LLC, everything looks okay. I’m pretty, I’m set. But are your actions, what you’re investing in that thing, is it according to what God called it to be? How much of yourself are you investing in it? What are you putting into it? Are you aligning it? Are you just birthing a project or are you birthing something that would change the world? Are you satisfied because you have done your due diligence, or are you willing to take things a step further so not just birth the son but to give birth to the king?
Bathsheba had to take, there was a response that she had to make. He could have bypassed her easily, but she was involved for a reason. Family, I want us to take inventory of the things that we don’t feel comfortable with right now. Is it according to heaven’s standard or always according to, you know, social media, oh I just, we just got this going on, amen.
Yes, recently I worked on a short film, and these are moving pretty cool, right? In the natural we did a great job. Listen, but what God has shown me about the project, it’s gonna require a whole lot more. I cannot be comfortable to say what we’ve done this and, you know, we were able to do that. But God is saying no, no, no, inside of that there’s so much more that would require more from you. I didn’t call this to end on a short film. I didn’t call this to end right here. I didn’t call it to end with that I could pat myself on the back and say, look, you know what, team, we did a great job. But it is not what heaven called it to be.
What is it that you’re slacking in because in the natural it looks okay? But Bathsheba had a role to play in birthing the king, and so do we. And so he tells her, go and tell him all this stuff. And the next verse says, then while you are still talking there with the king, I also coming after you and confirm your words.
I found it interesting because he calls it her words, but he gave her the words. And then he says I will confirm your words, but I gave it to you. You see, family, it all comes back to this place of becoming the word. God gave you a word. He wants you to take ownership of it. It’s not just about, God, well this is what You said You were going to do. No, no, no, no. I’m gonna become what You said. I’m gonna take ownership of this. And whatever you own, you have a responsibility for.
If you own a car, if the car is in your name, it’s not gonna be the responsibility of someone else to take it for an oil change. It’s gonna be your responsibility. And so God is saying take ownership, take ownership, and I will begin to confirm things in your life. I’ll begin to confirm who you are, begin to confirm. When you take ownership and you step forward, I will confirm that I led you to take that step.
And family, that is when manifestation begins to happen. When you take ownership of the word that it doesn’t matter what storm comes my way, I’m gonna own who God says I am. I’m gonna own what He said I should accomplish on this earth. I’m not gonna just be settled in a place of mediocrity. I’m not just gonna be so easy to cast things away and say, well God, this might not be working out. No, I’m not gonna embrace suicidal thoughts because I think that this is my end. I think that I’m perishing because of this storm. I’m gonna take ownership of it.
Fourth Insight: Faith Leads to Sight
See, the fourth thing says that your faith will lead you to sight. Sight can never inspire faith, but faith will lead you to see what God spoke. To her, David, the same King David that we’re also talking about, he said in the Book of Psalms, he said I would have fainted if I did not believe. Mm-hmm. So check this out. He says I would have lost energy. I wouldn’t have had any strength if I did not believe that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the earth in this time.
His faith strengthened him because he knew that if I believe what God is telling me, I would eventually see it. If I take ownership of this word, that should be my source of strength because I know that I will see. This again, I’m not starting anything. I’m being led to the finish line. When you think you’re starting something, then there is a weight on you. It’s like, well, you know what, I’m tired, you know. But when God has said this is who you are, it’s finished in Him. The only thing that is happening is that you’re being led to the finish line.
Altar Call and Prayer
Family, rise with me as we pray. The first set of people I want to call down, and this is very critical for many of you. This is actually, it’s a matter of life or death. Some have begun embracing suicidal thoughts. Even the fact of, for others, the very fact that you’re willing to sabotage your destiny is death to someone else because who we are is connected to people. If they don’t hear our voice, that could also be life or death for someone else.
Family, letting go of any fear. This is the house of the Lord. This is not a place of being judged. This is not a place of, I don’t want them to know. What dragged you to this house is because your spirit is calling you out. It’s calling the real version of you that I want you to awaken to who you truly are.
Anyone in this house that is embracing suicidal thoughts, I want you to come down to this altar. This is not a time to panic about who is seeing me. You came to this house to be set free. Thank you Jesus. Thank you Jesus. Thank you Jesus. Thank you Jesus. Come on down. Come on down. Come on down. Holy Spirit, touch the hearts of Your people. This is not the time to worry about who’s looking at you. You came to this house for freedom. The devil will not have your mind. He will not. Thank you Jesus.
I know when to stop. Keep coming. Thank you Jesus. Someone is battling in their mind even right now. You came here to be set free, but you’re still struggling within yourself. Healing is gonna take place today. Deliverance is gonna take place today. You’re not gonna walk out of here with the same things. Thank you Jesus. Thank you Jesus. Thank you Jesus.
You see, family, one thing I’ve learned about depression—we call it so many things—but ultimately depression is an identity battle. The enemy is fighting to define you as something that you are not. And when you’re not certain of who you are, it’s a battle where if you’re not certain, then you submit to what he is calling you as. But there’s something in you that doesn’t resonate with that, and so this struggle at some point needs to a place where you’re like, let me just end my life. Suicidal thoughts, come down. Thank you Jesus. Holy Spirit, touch, touch the hearts. This is not a place, this is not where you’re gonna be judged. I promise you God has purposed to set you free.
Contemplating, and for someone you even have dreams of seeing yourself, it’s almost like you have dreams of a coffin. There’s a dream you’re having where you almost see it is whether you see yourself in the coffin or you keep seeing this thing with like a coffin, and it’s like a funeral, and you’re having these dreams, right? It’s like you’re seeing yourself dying. Who am I talking to? Thank you Jesus. Thank you Jesus. It’s not gonna happen. Oh no. Thank you Jesus. Thank you Jesus. Thank you Jesus.
The next set of people I want to call, it’s been so easy for you to just feel like you want to sabotage your own destiny. The circumstances in your life, it’s making you feel as though things are never gonna work out. But I’m here to tell you that’s a lie. Because of the circumstances, God gave you a word that you would war and fight the good fight through that word. If you’re here and you’ve been feeling like giving up your voice, you see, the enemy is not just attacking the word God gave you. He’s attacking those connected to the word God gave you. If you are here and you know that you are on the brink of, you know what, I don’t know if I can do this anymore, I want you to come down here. Thank you Jesus.
The third set of people, and everything I’m calling is literally based on even what the Lord showed me about this house. The third set of people, when I talked about fear and the burdens, where there’s a fear of being vulnerable, there’s a fear of, God, I don’t know if, you know, if I do this. And you’re someone who assumes a lot, and it’s keeping you stagnant. When I talked about you have emails that you haven’t sent out, it’s literally just in your draft. There are people you want to call, you literally pick up the phone, you go to your number, and then you do something else. I want you to come down. We’re not gonna sabotage our destinies anymore. Thank you Jesus.
And finally, when we talk about counsel, even when joking about growing up in the church and feeling as though I don’t know if this is for me. Some people here, you desire a true relationship with God. You grew up in what seemed to be religion, but Christianity is a relationship that God will talk to you. God will counsel you. If you are in this house and your desire is to have a communicative relationship with God that you can speak and He will speak back, He can start the conversation and you would respond, to see Him as Father, to see Him as Friend, to see Him as King. If that is you and you desire an authentic relationship with God, I want you to come down. Thank you Lord. Thank you Lord.
In a moment we’re gonna pray, but I want us to open the passage. It’s Psalm 118, I believe. Everyone who is coming up, I want everyone who, the first set of people when we talked about suicide, and we’re all gonna say this together, but I want us to all speak this passage over our lives, all of us together. So let’s go. I shall not die but live and declare the works of the Lord.
Family, God desires to show you things, and no, nothing, I don’t care what it is, it’s not gonna cut your life short. There’s a song I want us to sing, and I want to pray for some of you. I’m gonna call Dana, and that’s, and as she sings these words, pay attention to the lyrics, and just give me a moment. Sweet, join me.
This ain’t your grave. There is still my spirit so cold. The morning’s coming so please lay down your, this ain’t you to destroy to me. The burdens you have carried more in the same shoe. Oh come lay down the burdens you have carried for in the same and He to destroy you have carried. Lord, mistake sweet anointing man the same joy. There is still, oh come lay down the burdens you have carried. Jesus, Your healing is here. Your pregnancy, your life is here. Everything you need is, you lay your burden down. Receive your healing for innocent. You will call me down the burdens you have carried for in the same. Thank you Lord.
See, what I love about that song, I haven’t even heard that song in the longest time, but as I was praying about the service, I could hear where this sound was being sounded. And what is so beautiful about the lyrics is a reminder that God is here. God is here. And when it says lay down the burdens that you carry, trust God with the things that worry you. Trust God that, God, if You be Lord over my life, I have nothing to fear because even what seems to be against me is for me. It is for me.
A lot of times the things that trouble us the most is not because it’s how we feel about things, but I declare that we are going into a realm that we know what things are. We know what God has put in front of us and why, that we would be patient in the season, knowing that, God, if You don’t prepare me, then the blessing could kill me.
Family, it’s bigger than you. When we understand that what we are reaching for is bigger than us, then it’s almost like that in itself is a grace to wait. It’s not just about me getting this or getting that. You see, so many times we’re so consumed with the external sources of housing or feeding, but we have a body that is rent-free, a body that God has called to carry a destiny that would shake nations. Let’s be patient with what God wants to do through us.
Thank you Jesus for Your children. Thank you Jesus for this night. I thank You Lord that Your children walked in here battling thoughts, but You said in Your house they will be set free. I thank You Lord that as they have come forth, every burden is being laid before You. I speak, Lord God, even to those that have been having dreams where they see themselves dying. I rebuke premature death in this house in the name of Jesus. Lord, I thank You. I thank You for the dreams and the destinies and the legacies on the lives of these Your children.
I thank You Lord God that we would not sabotage the help that we are calling for, but that we would become, we would become Your word. We will become, Lord God. I thank You Lord, there is a sweet anointing in this house. There is a sweet anointing since I’ve been anointing that heals. The anointing breaks the yoke. I thank You Lord God that yokes have been broken off Your children. Every yoke, every chain, through the renewal of their mind, it is no more.
I thank You Lord that we would know that even the mountain that we face, there is a word for it. Thank you Jesus. Thank you Jesus. Thank you Jesus. Your children would arise and shine. They would arise and shine. No more will they walk around feeling as though the weight of the world is on their shoulders. But as they give it to You, Lord God, they are free to rise up and shine because Your glory has risen upon them.
May the Lord God bless and keep you. May He cause His face to shine upon you. May He be gracious towards you and grant you shalom. Shalom, that is perfect peace.