Stephanie Ike - Uncertainties in Destiny (01/20/2026)
In this sermon on the uncertainties in destiny as the new year approaches, the preacher uses the tragic story of Amnon and Tamar from 2 Samuel 13 to illustrate how doubts, insecurities, and past failures can cause us to mishandle God’s promises or cling to false identities. The key message is that alignment with God requires agreeing with His view of our identity and purpose, challenging uncertainties with His Word, and exchanging our «ashes» of pain and loss for His beauty and glory. Ultimately, when we let go of the past and trust God’s rear-guard glory, we can confidently step into the positions and wholeness He has ordained without fear or compromise.
Reflecting on the New Year and Alignment
Today we’re going to be talking about the uncertainties of destiny or in destiny. And I’m going to walk down here. You see, it’s amazing that we are three days away from a new year, right? So this is normally the time period where we begin to reflect. We’re thinking about, okay, what are the decisions we made—the good decisions, the bad decisions. And as we’re looking into 2017, the year of alignment—you know, you hear that, you get excited. Come on, somebody, I’m excited. You hear that and you feel just, you know, pumped up, right? God is just going to align everything for me.
But you see, alignment also deals with agreement with God. It says that, God, I agree with your word for my life. And so when God puts you in the positions that He has for you, you’re not doubting why you’re there. You’re not questioning your abilities to function. You’re not questioning your identity because you have come into agreement with Him. You see, God is called the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. When He looks at us, He sees the fullness of our story—how it should be according to who He formed us to be.
And so when we have an encounter with God—an encounter of alignment—where He says, just like to Jeremiah, «Before I formed you, I knew you, and I ordained you a prophet to the nations.» Whatever your «before I formed you, I knew you» is—in that moment, God encounters you and tells you, «This is who you are. This is what I have for you. Will you agree with me?» You see, it’s one thing for God to open the door. It’s one thing for God to reveal. It’s another thing to agree.
Uncertainties That Hinder Destiny
And a lot of times, what keeps us from saying, «God, I believe this is your word. I believe this is who I am, » is the uncertainties that we encounter in destiny. Have you ever been in a position and you began to question, «Could this be for me?» You began to question yourself, «Do I deserve this?» Or have you ever been in a place where, because of something you lost and because you tied your identity to that thing, the moment you lost it, you felt like you lost yourself? And you know you’re here, but you feel like, «I don’t even know how I can move forward because the moment that thing left my life, I felt like I left with it.»
And we’re going to look at a story. It’s a very, you know, interesting story. And we’re going to look at two people in that story. And it’s the story of Amnon and Tamar. And when we go into it, we’re going to talk about it a little bit. But you see, this is a story where, on one hand, Amnon is in a position where he is born into alignment, but due to either past circumstances… You see, have you ever questioned where you are because of how other people failed, and you wondered, «If every other person failed in this place, how can I be the one to succeed?»
And then we have Tamar, who, because something was taken away from her, it was almost as if she was mourning the loss of herself. You see, family, in the areas what God is going to challenge you with today is to take His word and challenge the areas that you have uncertainties about. Because as long as there is some doubt in that area, it’s going to affect who you are in alignment. Because when you do not see longevity, when you do not see yourself in a place that God is calling you to, you’re going to mishandle the promise. You’re going to mishandle the very thing that you were praying for.
Amnon’s Story: Lust and Unchecked Insecurities
And so let’s go into the text: 2 Samuel 13. And the first part of this, we’re going to look at verses 1 to 5, and this is going to be about Amnon’s story. And it says—all right, we’re back live reporting from channel 7—and it says, «After this, Absalom the son of David had a lovely sister”—that „lovely“ meant beautiful—“whose name was Tamar, and Amnon the son of David loved her.» Now there is love in the Bible which is like the agape love, which is a love Jesus talks about—you know, love your brother as yourself. This kind of love is more like lust, you know, it’s more like a sexual type of thing. But it said «and he loved her, » right? So he was lusting; he was on the other side of the pool.
Now it says, «Amnon was so distressed over his sister Tamar”—he was having anxiety, he fell into depression—are you kidding me? My gosh—“he was so distressed over his sister Tamar that he became sick.» He literally was depressed about the situation. «For she was a virgin, and it was improper for Amnon to do anything to her.» So we have two issues here. He’s like, «Okay, first of all, she’s a virgin. Second of all, this is forbidden.» You see, it was not right for a brother—someone—to sleep with his sister or brother, same mother or same father or whichever—half blood, full blood—it’s, you know, there’s blood. Okay, it was just wrong.
And so he’s like, «Okay, first of all, this is wrong. This is a wrong thing to do. And secondly, ah, she’s a virgin. If she wasn’t, we could just, you know, get it on the low key or whatever.» But you see, double Dutch. Let’s continue. So now it says, «But Amnon had a friend whose name was Jonadab, the son of Shimeah, David’s brother.» So this friend in question is also his cousin. Now Jonadab was a very crafty man. He was a very, you know, kind of like a deceitful kind of guy, right? Be careful of your friends. Hello. We’re going to go back to that.
But let’s go to verse 4. I want to read this story. We’re going to talk about it. And he said to him, «Why are you, the king’s son, becoming thinner day after day? Will you not tell me?» Amnon said to him, «I love Tamar, my brother Absalom’s sister.» Continue. And it says, «So Jonadab said to him, ‘Lie down on your bed and pretend to be ill. And when your father comes to see you, say to him, „Please let my sister Tamar come and give me food, and prepare the food in my sight, that I may see it and eat it from her hand.”’“
Now I do recommend that everyone reads the whole chapter, 2 Samuel 13. What happens after this—this was a plot to get her in a place where he could violate her. And it’s interesting to me that, first of all, Jonadab is telling his cousin—it’s kind of giving his cousin insight on how to rape his other cousin. Something about Jonadab, but we’re going to get back to him in a little bit. You know, it’s something a little fishy here.
But you see, Amnon—first of all, Amnon is the king’s first son. Now when a king has a son, the kingdom celebrates because it’s a promise that there is an heir to the throne. And so how can you be in a position where, first of all, he is the king’s son? He should represent his father and the kingdom. He should represent someone who is in service to his kingdom and not someone who defiles people. How is it possible that Amnon is willing to throw it away to sleep with his sister?
You see, it’s interesting that when you read this further, you see when he got her in—you know, this whole plot plays out. He corners her, and when she’s pleading for an escape, she tells him, „If you do this thing, you’re going to be seen as an outrageous fool in Israel.“ In other words, they’re going to dishonor you in the land for this thing that you think you want to do. How is it possible that Amnon is willing to throw everything out? Even hearing it, he knows that, wait, if I do this thing, I could be dishonored. I could lose everything.
The Root of Submission to Temptation
Is it possible that Amnon never really even believed that he could be heir to the throne? Is it possible that Amnon never really believed that he would be royalty for a long time? You see, when the Bible says „after this“ in verse 1, it talks about „after this.“ What happens right before—you know, right before this passage—is when, you know, how many people know the story of David and a beautiful woman named Bathsheba who was taking a shower, and David just happened to be there peeping, you know? So „after this“ is when David—so he sees Bathsheba, but there’s this whole issue: he sleeps with her, he kills her husband, marries her. God is upset. He’s like, „Why would you take his wife?“ You know, all these things, right?
So God sends Prophet Nathan to David to kind of tell him about the consequences of his actions. And so right after one mistake is, you know, finalized, now Amnon is confronted with the same thing—that the lust of a woman could be the thing that destroys you. But you see, it’s not just about lust. Lust is to submit to lust. Everyone has something that tempts them, right? But to submit to that thing against good judgment, against wisdom, knowing that by submitting to this thing it is going to affect my destiny in some way—to submit to that thing is the evidence of an unchecked fear or insecurity.
You see, when lust is presented, it’s not just presented because… if lust is just „you just have lust, ” you’ll be walking around the street just lusting, right? Oh my gosh, 1, 2, 3, 4, let go, right? But the moment that lust is introduced is because if you don’t see that what you have is worth fighting for, then there’s a problem. So lust is normally introduced in a situation where—it’s just like with Jesus, right? When the Holy Spirit actually led Him to be tempted, and He’s tempted by different things—you know, we call it the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, the pride of life, all that stuff, right?
But what if it was never even about, „Jesus, can you turn the stones into bread?“ What if the devil actually knew that it wasn’t that Jesus—if He’s hungry, He could wait a little bit longer? What if it was always about, „If you are the Son of God“? That Jesus, you know, You just spent 30 years of Your life living as a son of a carpenter. I want to see if there’s anything broken in You, because if You have something broken in You, I could exploit it. What if it was always about, „I need to see if You’re whole or not“?
That when the devil says, you know what, „Bow down to me and all these things I will give You”—what if he was saying that, „If You are the Son of God, shouldn’t this already belong to You?“ What if it was an attack on His identity? And Jesus, in His wholeness, in agreeing with who He is, wasn’t moved by the situation. And He understood that what He’s going after in the Father’s will meant more to Him than proving a point to the enemy.
You see, Amnon, the son of David, the king’s son—why would he question his position? You see, David was never of royal blood. Amnon is aware that my father became a king not because he was the son of a king. Actually, God removed the other king for my father. My father was not the firstborn; He was the last. So what if this has nothing to do with me being his son or the firstborn? So why bother? What do I have to lose anyway? Because I don’t see what God has given me right. I don’t see it properly. And so I’m willing to throw it away. I’m willing to not be disciplined in this area and just say, „Oh well, ” and jeopardize my whole future because of it. Because I don’t even believe in the future.
Could it be that the reason we submit to lust is not really because the lust of whatever is so powerful, but because what we should be protecting, we don’t believe in? You see, these uncertainties must be challenged by the word of God. God, who do You say that I am? God, even if I don’t have this kingdom forever, what am I—who am I supposed to be in this time? Because whether I’m the son of the king or not, I am the son of the King. And I ought to represent something as His son.
You see, Bishop Jake always has this saying when he says, „Whatever you give yourself to, it will give itself back to you.“ And the passage in Luke talks about, you know, good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over. That’s the part I know—running over. Hello, somebody. Overflow in Jesus' name. But what if the increase you’re looking for is in you giving yourself to something, no matter whether it will last or not? No matter what you know or you don’t know about it, but that the increase you’re looking for is when you say, you know what, „I can give myself to this thing, and it will give itself back to me.“
The Influence of Friends and Relationships
The same thing—you see, it was even with David. There was a time I spoke on a message called „Know Thy Heart.“ And in that message, I talked about how David—what made David fall into temptation was not just because the woman was beautiful. It was deeper than that. The timing and the location of where he was when he saw her had a lot to do with it. There were insecurities that were unchecked, and he gave into that temptation. What insecurities and fears are unchecked in our lives? And what room is that creating that could be detrimental to our destiny?
You see, one of the things we also have to be very mindful of is the friends that we keep. You see, it says that his friend Jonadab—his cousin, but his friend—not every relationship is a friendship. Not everyone should have access to you. You see, that word „friend”—when you break that word „friend“ down—someone say „in Jesus' name, ” she caught it. You know what kind of friends you got? Honey, listen. You see, that word „friend, ” when you break that word down, it’s so interesting to me because it actually translates to a shepherd or a pastor. Because the friends you have in your life have the ability to guide you. They have the ability to tell you, „Oh, let’s go here, ” and you join along.
Because he uses the same thing that should cause Amnon to question what he wants to do: „How are you the king’s son?“ He should understand that, no, being the king’s son means that there are responsibilities attached to this. But because Jonadab is not looking out for his interest, Jonadab is trying to secure himself, and Amnon falls prey to that. Could it be that you have people in your life that are taking you away from your position to serve their selfish interest? Could it be that you are part of certain organizations? You’re trying to do certain things with people as partners when your destiny doesn’t even recognize that?
What are you involved in that God hasn’t said yes to? And you are involved in it out of, „Oh, it’s my friend, girl, I’m gonna support you. Ride or die, honey.“ No, you better ride alone. Listen, because at the end of the day, a good friend would know that there are certain things that I can do and there are certain things that we can do. But if you’re not able to do it, I understand. You know what? It doesn’t change our relationship because what is it?
And I prayed to God, I said, „Lord, reveal to each and everyone what they’re involved in that is actually taking them away from their position.“ Because if you look at the things you’re involved in and they don’t support each other, something is wrong. If it’s taking you—if it’s actually pulling you away from the responsibilities of another position—then something is wrong. And if these people are supposed to be in your lives, they should get the point that if you say no, it doesn’t mean that we’re not friends. It just means that I can’t do it. That this has nothing to do with my destiny. This has—“I can—you know what, girl? You make the flyer, I’ll post it on Instagram. I’ll support you. Attend this event for my girlfriend.» Hello. You know, but don’t put me on the flyer. Listen, I’m just being real, right?
We have to check every single thing in our lives because what could actually be causing us a blind spot in our lives—and we don’t even recognize it—that this relationship is actually a blind spot, that it’s not allowing me to see my position clearly, that it is actually taking me away. You see, I pray that whatever insecurity, whatever fears is causing you to question your position, that that thing will be revealed and broken in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Personal Truth Moment: Seeing Your Calling
My prayer for you, even in this context, is that the things that took others away would not take you away. The things that removed others from their position would not be what causes you to fear that maybe this is not going to work out. You see, when you don’t see your position clearly, you don’t know how to handle it. You see, truth moment—and truth moment, I got that from the game. Who watches the game? It’s over. The series is done. But they always have this truth moment.
Truth moment: when I started speaking here, I never really saw myself as a pastor of one church. Like all pastoral staff—no, no, no. I’m like, no, Stephanie just sharing what God told her. That’s it. You know, stop it right there. I didn’t really—it’s funny because the very thing I prayed for, the very thing that God saw in me, the very thing that PT and First Lady Sarah saw in me—I would come here and speak to you, but I couldn’t see that in myself. Yeah.
And my ability—or inability, rather—to not see that in myself, it dealt with past insecurities. I was like, «God, when are they going to realize that maybe You made a mistake?» You know, maybe this was just like a wish journey in the bottle, and it’s going to vanish. And because of that, I couldn’t—I didn’t see it right. And personally, we know ourselves, and we know the things that come—that we are supposed to do—that we don’t fully give ourselves to because we don’t see it right. And I’m like, «God, I hear it, but I don’t see myself in that. I prayed for it, but I don’t agree with it.» Isn’t that crazy?
The Bible says that ask and you shall receive, right? But then it says that we don’t receive because when we ask, we’re asking things that are not really making sense. And I wonder, could it be that it’s not about the asking? Because God also says, «Before you speak, I already know what’s in your heart.» Could it be that we are just not in the position of knowing how to receive, and that we are asking for things that we don’t even know how to receive? That we are not even in the position of vulnerability to say that I need Your help, Lord, in this thing?
Because to receive exposes you. To receive says that I might be wrong. I may be at Your mercy because I need You to tell me when something goes wrong and when something goes right, and I may not want to be known as wrong because that exposes me to insecurities. It causes me to confront what I’m insecure about, and I may not want to do that. And so what if God is saying, it’s not about the asking—I already know what’s in your heart—but are you in the position to receive the very thing you’re asking for?
Tamar’s Story: Loss and False Identity
You see, we’re going to jump shift, and we’re going to look at Tamar’s story, because Tamar, on the other hand, is the victim here. She’s the innocent girl. And you see, when we read that passage—you know, Jonadab is telling Amnon, «Tell your father to send Tamar to you.» Imagine her father sent her to be raped by her brother. Let’s go to 2 Samuel, still 13, and I believe it’s 15-19. And this is literally after the rape and all this, you know, sad, crazy things.
And it says, «Then Amnon hated her exceedingly, so that the hatred with which he hated her was greater than the love with which he had loved her.» You see, isn’t it funny that all of a sudden now he hates the very thing he desired? What if in the moment that he had it, he was confronted with a part of him that was not true to himself? And so it was not her that he hated. He hated what that reminded him of.
Could it be that the very thing that you’re trying to pursue, that now you resent it because you thought it would give you wholeness? You thought it would give you some sense of fulfillment, but it didn’t. Why is it that some of the richest people commit suicide? We’re pursuing after things—“Okay, God, I’m going to put this on the burner because I need that. I need to get that.» And we’re pursuing it with the intention that this thing would make me whole. This thing would make me happy. And then you get it, and then you hate it, and you despise it.
What if, for some of you, when you’re frustrated about not being married, but in God’s wisdom He understands that your desire for the man is not pure, or your desire for the woman is not pure—that you’re looking for someone to make you whole? And I don’t want to give you something prematurely, and then you end up hating it because you realize that now I got it, but it doesn’t do anything for me. The Bible says that the Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. Could it be that we lack nothing? That if I don’t have it right now, it’s because I don’t need it, and that God is doing a work in me so when I do need it, it would show itself. Come on, I’m preaching tonight. Hold on.
What I want to talk to you about is because, you see, to jump shift a little bit before I continue here—when we look at Adam and Eve, before God brought Eve to Adam, He established Adam. Eve didn’t come when God was trying to still train Adam, like, «Okay, Adam, name the animals. Let me see, you know, if you’re thinking like Me.» Eve wasn’t there. Eve was there when everything had been established. And then the Lord said—you know what? —“Adam is good to go. He is, you know, on—you know, girl, two or so.» I don’t know how to drive manuals, so whichever one is faster, that’s the gear Adam was on.
And then God says—now He says—it’s so interesting. He says it was at that point, when He had established Adam, He says, «It is not good for man to be alone.» It wasn’t a general sense like—it wasn’t in a general sense that, oh, it’s not good for every man to be alone. No, some people got to be alone. You know, some people just need to be established before you bring somebody into their lives.
And so what if—is that the things you’re desiring, whether it be a person or a thing, and in God’s wisdom He’s saying, «No, I need to establish you inside. I need to make you whole enough so you don’t despise the very thing I give you.» Because you see, the Bible says that the blessings of the Lord add no sorrow. And so God cannot bless you and it causes you sorrow. And so Amnon, in being deceitful to receive or to violate his sister, it brought sorrow because it was never the blessing of the Lord.
And so rather than being frustrated and being upset and being depressed about what you don’t have, recognize that God wants to bless you in a way that it would add no sorrow. Now let’s continue with Tamar—or Tamar, whichever one—you know, if you like Tamar Braxton, you could call her Tamar, you know. Hey. So but so it says—let’s continue. So it says, «So she said to him, ‘No, indeed, this evil—no, indeed, ’» you know, said to him, «‘No, indeed, this evil of sending me away is worse than the other that you did to me.’ But he would not listen to her.»
Because at this point, he’s done with her. He’s like, «Get out of my presence.» But looking at it from Tamar’s perspective—how is it she just got violated, but she’s willing to stay with the person who raped her? She says, «No, no, no. If you send me out, it is worse than what you did to me.» And we look at the story and we wonder. And I said—then why is it that sometimes we stay in toxic relationships? What is it? What insecurity about how you see yourself makes you want to stay when you should go?
Let’s continue. We’re going to see something. Then he called his servants who attended him and said, «Here, put this woman out away from me and bolt the door behind her.» You see, there are some things in your life that you’re not going to find closure from because that thing has literally shut itself away from you. It doesn’t want to hear you, even though it was wrong. You have to be okay when you can’t get closure from a person or a thing. «Why did I lose the job, God? Why did this happen? Why did I get evicted? Why did this…» All kinds of questions—when you can’t get closure about it, you just have to trust God. Amen.
Now let’s continue. Now in verse 18 it says, «Now she had a robe of many colors.» That reminds me of Joseph, but we’re going to talk about that in a little bit. «She had a robe of many colors, for the king’s virgin daughters wore such apparel. And his servant put her out and bolted the door behind her.» Now let’s continue. «Then Tamar—wow—put ashes on her head, tore her robe of many colors that was on her, and laid her hand on her head and went away crying bitterly.»
Exchanging Ashes for Beauty
You see, ashes represented mourning. Could it be that Tamar—you see, she had identified herself with her virginity? That was the robe of many colors was symbolized that, oh, these are the virgins of the king. Could it be that she could not see a life outside of that? You see, when Joseph—Joseph too—his father made him a robe of many colors to identify, to symbolize how special Joseph was to him. And when his brothers—read the story, it’s in Genesis 37—when his brothers planned to kill him, the first thing they did to him was to strip the robe away from him.
You see, what they had confused is to think that the robe is what made you special, when in reality you are a creation of many colors. And sometimes certain identities have to be stripped away from you so you can discover other things about you. And could it be that there was still life outside of the rape, outside of the pain, outside of the hurt, outside of the betrayal? That the very things you identified yourself to, God says there is so much more to you that you don’t even know. You have put your whole life in one thing. And God is saying that no, no, no, no, no, no—that one thing was just connected to the many colors that I saw when I created you.
You see, when she put ashes on her head, she saw herself as one mourning herself. «It’s over for me.» But then the Bible says that God will give you beauty for ashes—that the very things that cause you to mourn, the very things that cause you to feel like, «I don’t know if I can do this, Lord. I’ve been through a lot. I’ve been hurt by these people. I’ve been betrayed by X, Y, and Z. I don’t think I can do this again”—that God says, „Can you give me those ashes, and I will give you beauty?“
You see, Tamar was known as beautiful. She was known to be a beautiful woman. And one situation in her life causes her to strip herself away from the thing that made her agree with that comment. And God is saying there’s so much more about you that you should agree with what I’m still saying about you. Don’t listen to the lies of the enemy. He doesn’t know you. I formed you. What are your ashes that you’re still holding on to? What is it that God is asking you for that He would give you beauty in return?
You see, beauty is when your life becomes worthy of the glory of God—that people would see His glory in your life. That people would look at you and say, „God is good and God is great”—that they would hear your story and they will see where you are now, and the only way, the only thing they can do is to glorify God. That’s beauty. God is saying that I don’t care what you’ve been through—no, not that He doesn’t care. Listen, He cares. Huh. Hello. He cares for you. You know, they say cast your anxieties on the Lord, for He cares for you.
But what I mean by that is what you’ve been through does not stop the promise. What you’ve been through does not change your destiny. I saw it, and I still called you. I saw it, and I still said, „This is my son. This is my daughter, whom I would do great and mighty things with.“ Are you willing to lay down your ashes tonight—that whatever it is you’ve been holding on to, whatever pain, whatever bitterness, whatever resentment—that instead of being willing to go back into what is toxic, that you can go to what is beautiful?
Some people are here, and you’re in relationships out of fear—out of fear and insecurities that I might not find somebody else, so I might as well just stick with what I got. But then what you got is toxic. You’re in situations, you’re in organizations, you’re in places that you know that God has said leave, but because you don’t see where you’re going… You see, God said to Abraham, „Go to a land I will show you”—not a land that you know you’ve toured around. He didn’t even tell him the name. He’s like, „Go to a land that I will show you.“
Are you willing to go blind? Are you willing to say, „God, I don’t see what’s in front of me, but because You said leave that, I can let go of the shame. I can let go of the embarrassment. I can let go of the storyteller.“ When people say, „Hey, what are you doing?“ „I’m not really sure, but that I can trust You, and that You can make me whole enough where I don’t feel like I need to prove a point to people.“ Are you willing to lay your ashes for His beauty?
God’s Glory as Rear Guard
You see, this morning I had a vision where it was really interesting, and what was happening was that I could see it was a lot of people, and the Lord was looking at what was behind them, and what was behind them represented their past. And then He said to their past, „Let my people go.“ And after that, He gave me this scripture—it’s Isaiah 58:8. And let’s pull that up real quick. And you see, the passage says, „Then your light shall break forth like the morning. Your healing shall spring forth speedily, and your righteousness shall go before you.“ Now this is the kicker: „The glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.“
And I said, „God, I’ve never seen this before. How—why should the glory be behind me? I’m praying for glory to glory. Why am I looking back at the glory?“ But what He showed me is that when you look back at your past, you’re not going to see your mistakes. You’re not going to see failure. You’re not going to see shame. You’re not going to see disappointment. You’re not going to see rape. You’re not going to see molestation or violation or depression—that when you look back at your past, you’re going to see my glory. You’re going to see that you needed certain things to go through them. You needed these things to see something else in yourself.
He says that I will protect you with my glory—that I would open your eyes to see what I’ve been up to all along. And I was not in the pain, but I was in the purpose of the pain. Who needs to know that God’s glory would be your rear guard? You see, a guard protects you. He’s saying that it’s not going to be like that anymore—that you walk into a situation and instead of you to be bold and confident, you’re thinking about past mistakes, so „I cannot be qualified.“ You’re thinking about who did it wrongly, so „I may not be able to do it right.“
But God is saying that when you look back, you would see my glory. It is not going to be shame. It is not going to be disappointment. It is going to be the glory of the Lord. And because of that, you are in the morning. You are in the new day and the new season. And you would see it. When the Lord says, „Behold, I do a new thing. Do you not perceive it?“ No. Right now we’re going to say, „Yes, Lord, I see it. I’m not going to keep arguing with myself and fighting with myself to say I don’t think I’m strong enough for this.“
You see, there were times where even in the call to ministry, you know, I would get so excited like, „Yes, you know, oh God, I want to be used by You.“ But then I would think about certain struggles, and I said, „God, you know, this looks some rather—I don’t know about this because if this thing comes up, I don’t know if I can stand. If it creeps into my present, I don’t know if I would give in or deny.“ But He showed me—He says, „You only think like that because you’re not seeing it right. Because when you see where you are right, you would fight for it. That is where the ability to be disciplined would kick in, because you would fight to protect it.“
And everything, family—everything that made you feel like I lost my fight because of what I saw when I looked back—God says when you look back, it is not going to be what you saw anymore. You see, when it’s so funny—when in the vision the Lord said, „Let my people go.“ You see, those very words were used with the Israelites—with the, you know, the Israelites to the Egyptians—where God tells Moses to tell Pharaoh, „Let my people go.“ And at a certain point He says, „The Egyptians you shall see them no more.“
What have you been looking at that keeps you up at night? You will see that thing no more, because the Lord’s glory would be your rear guard.
Altar Call and Prayer
Stand with me, family. If anyone came in late—and today, I don’t know if someone is—person is here watching—but if today is your birthday and you’re in the house today, could you wave your hand? Come on. Today is your birthday. If today is—today your birthday for real, for real. If today is your birthday and you’re here, just come to the front really quick. If today is your birthday—if you’re not here, that’s cool. Okay, praise God.
Is today your birthday? Oh, I said listen—you better check it. Family, I don’t know. Maybe the person is watching live stream. And if today is your birthday and you’re watching—there was someone who God was talking to me about. I was in the car with my mother, and I just kept hearing that someone whose birthday is today. And either you’re here or you’re watching on live stream. And what God showed me about you was—He—it was kind of in resemblance to the widow who gave her last two pennies, and she put it in the offering. And Jesus said that this woman has given out of her everything.
And what God showed me was that you are someone who—everything you’re involved in, you give—you give your whole self to it. And the Lord said that you will begin to see the harvest of your seed. So if you’re watching and you might be sitting down and feeling alone and feeling like, „I don’t think I have anyone. So let me just turn on midweek service and see what the Lord has for me”—God is going to show you the reward of your seeds. Amen.
Family, if you’re here and something in this message spoke to you, let’s seal it in prayer. Come down. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Jesus. If you’ve been looking at something and that thing has been tearing you apart, God says, „My glory will be your rear guard.“ Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Jesus. Don’t be shy. Just come down. Come on down. God is so good. God is so good. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, God.
If you’re still standing and if you’re still in the, you know, the seats—and you’re someone who feels as if, you know, in the rare moments you feel caught up with what you define as lust—but in the message you understand that lust is not really lust; it’s the surface—something else is rooted. And God wants you to see things better. He says that the reason that you even have those moments of weakness is to know if you can fight for what He’s given you. And so if you’re here and that spoke to you and you’re still out there, just come down. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, God. Amen. Amen. Thank you, God. Thank you, God.
Every yoke will be broken. Every yoke. If you’re here and there’s a yoke of sickness in your body, just touch that part of your body. Even while we pray, just touch that part. Believe in that God—as your Spirit is here, as your anointing is in the house—I am not going to walk away with this yoke because it will be broken. Thank you, Jesus.
And if you’re still standing—and you’re face—there’s someone—I don’t know if you’re here or watching live stream—but there’s—it’s almost like there’s something you’re procrastinating against, and it seems like a contract of some sort. And the procrastinating is based on you not even knowing—you not even being able to determine what you believe you’re worth. And so you’re like, you know, „Should I sign or should I not sign?“ Because on one end, it’s almost like there’s counsel telling you that you’re worth more than this, but you’re hesitant to let the people know that, „Can we, you know, renegotiate this deal?“ because you don’t even believe that what you’re even being offered is what you’re worth.
If you’re here or you’re—if you’re here, just come down. If you’re watching live stream, you’re at this altar. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Jesus. You’re worth more than that. You’re worth more than that. Family, don’t be afraid to ask for what you believe in, because the God who brought the deal to you would see it through.
Let us pray. God, I thank You for this moment. I thank You for it—that You are here, Holy Spirit. Thank You for in our weakness You are our strength. Thank You, Lord, that everyone represented here—that we are sealing this word over their lives in the name of Jesus—that they would begin to see, Lord God, who You’ve called them to be, the positions that You’ve given them, who they ought to be as the sons and daughters of the King.
Lord God, I thank You that You’re bringing clarity to where people thought they were struggling with lust of the eyes or the flesh or who knows—that, God, You’re bringing clarity to say that I need You to know that you have a fight in you to see that you believe in who I’ve called you to be. Wow. Thank You, Lord, that You are touching every single person at this altar. Holy Spirit, You are welcome here. You are here, and You’re moving in the hearts and the minds of Your people.
Thank You, Lord, that we are letting go of frustration and the anxieties that we carry because of what we think that we need. But, Lord God, in knowing that You are our shepherd and we shall not want—may this truth be stamped on our hearts to know that, God, when You have established me, when You have made me whole and complete, and then anything else that You see fit in my season—'cause everything has its season and its time—and if the season permits it, Lord, I trust that You will bring it.
So, Lord, I lay down my ashes before You. Each and everyone here, Lord Jesus, lays down their ashes before You—that we’re not going to keep carrying the weight of the guilt or the shame or the questions or the need for closure or any of it, Lord God—but that we lay it down before You, and that we accept Your beauty. We agree with You, Lord Jesus, that there is more to us than we even know, and that our confidence will not come from what we feel like we are able to do, but it will come knowing that Your hand is on our lives—and there is a growth; it will require our growing in it—but that we would know that we are growing with Your hand on our lives.
Lord, give us the grace to be vulnerable. Give us the grace to open up. Empower us to know that it is not weakness but it is power—that we may be positioned to receive the things that You have for us. Thank You, Lord, for what You’re doing in this house. Seal this word in their hearts, in their minds, and in their lives. May this word be what they speak and not lies of the enemy. Have Your way, God, now and forever more. Amen.