Scripture reference: 1 Corinthians 2:9-11 NKJV; Joshua 3:1-4 AMPC; Joshua 5:2-8, 10-15 AMPC; Hebrews 11:8 AMPC
Hallelujah. Glory to God. Thank You for this song, Lord. We can sing it now like we have never sung it before, Father. Because You are hovering and orchestrating everything on behalf of the Father. It’s Your time my Father, it’s Your time, it’s Your time. We thank You, Father, for the messages that You are bringing to us at this time. So that we can be with You in Your time, Father, because You want Your church to arise, Lord. You want Your church out of Babylon, not loving the world, Lord. The church cannot arise to occupy in strength that loves the world, Lord, that lives in Babylon and is of it, Lord.
So we thank You for all these messages that You are bringing to us, Father, that are changing us week by week by week. Because You speak, You speak, You speak, and then You change us week by week by week. Then day by day, as we continue to listen, we continue to look at Your messages, Lord, of what You have said, day by day we say and say, and we pray and so we arise, Lord. We put Your words in our heart, Your messages. Every time a message comes, we have some seed to put in our hearts, Lord. So that we can arise. Hallelujah.
Isn’t that just so? Isn’t that just how God works? That’s His order. It’s the beauty and the wonder of it. Glory, glory, glory, Father. Now, Father, we are ready to receive Your Words. Your Words are seeds, growing in us, Lord. We open up our heart now, to all Your Words; we open up our hearts, Lord. Hallelujah. For You to come and pierce, and penetrate our hearts with Your Words, Lord. Hallelujah. We ask You, Father, we ask You to speak plainly and clearly to us today in Jesus’, precious, mighty name and we all say, amen.
You may be de-sea… de… you may be de-seated [laughter in congregation], you may be seated. Alright. Thank you, thank you music ministry, thank you all the instrumentalists, the singers, thank you so much. Glory to God. Thank you, everybody, thank you for bringing this. I appreciate it. Hallelujah.
Right, so I’ve got my little table with me because I have a few books. It’s wonderful. I am just going to put my glasses on. Pastor John is always so professional, you know. He’s got his iPad, I’m getting there [laughter in congregation]. I say to Pastor John; “I’ll be like you one day when I grow up” [laughter in congregation continues]. He’s so, you know. Just, wonderful; It’s wonderful. So Father, thank You, we really appreciate revelation knowledge that You are bringing to us, the light.
So I am doing part 10 of I Will Take the Children. These are messages that began in Johannesburg. I had a specific instruction from the Lord, and I checked it with Pastor John, and he said; “Yes, you must teach.” I just want to explain how things work for those of you that might be newer here, I shared it in the first service as well. You know, Pastor John is in Johannesburg when he is not here. He’s ministering in the Johannesburg church; our Johannesburg church and when Pastor Christi is not here, she’s ministering in our Johannesburg church, you know. Like last weekend, she was ministering.
Today, Pastor John is with Christi and Grobbies, he just felt like in his heart he wanted them with him today. So just need to share with you that Pastor John is our spiritual leader, and we love him, don’t we? We love him so much. He’s so wise and he’s so loving and he’s so kind; he’s so good and he’s so strong, he’s so strong and we appreciate that God has given us a spiritual leader like him. As I was sharing in the first service; what happened when we moved from the business world, because Pastor John was in business and I was in, I was doing the things that a homemaker does with her children.
Then God called us, and that was twenty-two years ago. This last October was twenty years here in Witbank. But the two years prior to that, we were with Brother Jerry in his offices before the Lord released us to also have this church. So I said to the Lord at that time, I said; “What do I do, Lord?” Because it was a big shift for me, it was quite a big rock moment, you know? My life had been going that way for so long, and He said to me; “You don’t do anything except what he asks you to do and then if he does ask you to minister, then you will listen to everything he is saying because his mouth is the first, will have the first.” Because first apostles, right, the first leader, the first that comes, right?
“First, he will have revelation coming out of his mouth and then you will listen to it. Then if he asks you to minister, if you have done that and you have listened to every word that comes out of his mouth, what I’m speaking to him, to tell you and to tell everybody in the church. Then I will give you revelation and you will know what to say.” So, that’s what I’ve done for twenty years. I’ve transcribed Pastor John’s messages. I stopped a few years ago, because eventually everybody in this church began to catch what I was doing; what was happening. I think especially with Pastor Christi’s message that she brought on Put Your Foot in the Messages.
Like I said to the first service, I said; if there are any newcomers here, it would be very, very, good for you to listen to two messages, and they are both from Pastor Christi. Put Your Foot in the Message and Put Your Foot in the Sound. We have our own messages that come to us and we have our own sound that comes to us from heaven. God has got a redemptive purpose for our Heritage of Faith people. Right, and like I’ve taught you so many years ago, we don’t search the web for prophecies, we receive the prophecies that the Lord wants us to have; that are connected to us, right?
So that’s what we do in this house too. We don’t actually, dis hoe ons groot geword het hier. I would say, more strongly even since those messages came from Pastor Christi, Put Your Foot in the Message. We got such light and revelation from it. I mean it changed, shifted me, I mean I’ve already been doing that, but that revelation was very bright. It took me to a new level of the fear of Lord, actually. “Don’t think you can stop this, Sharon. Don’t think that you can stop. You think you can, you know, you can hear from Me and you have something to say.”
It would be a very wonderful thing for you if you could get those two messages; Put Your Foot in the Message and Put Your Foot in the Sound. It will really help you how things work here; how we do things here at Heritage of Faith. I used to transcribe all Pastor John’s messages. He would minister on a Sunday and I would transcribe it, right out, word for word. All the scriptures that God was bringing us, all the words that God were saying. Then I remember after a few years of doing that, I walked around here one day with my file. I don’t know if any of you were there; who was there that morning when I had my file? And on the spine of the file it said ‘Apostles Teachings’ [Pastor Sharon laughing].
I was like; “See what I do, see what I do”, and I was going up and down the aisles. “See, this is what I do. This is what you have to do with messages”, you know. Because that’s the way God taught me when I was at my church. I was at my church, planted at my church, you know, where God planted us for almost nineteen years. The Lord taught me there. He said; “You listen to the messages coming from your Pastor every Sunday, because I speak to him during the week.”
I’ve got even my journal here of messages of his that I used to write down. I used to sit and listen, then during the week I would go through it. Because that is how He trained me, so it wasn’t a big thing for me when the Lord said; “You are going to listen to Pastor John’s messages now.” You know. “That’s your switch now, you won’t have your other Pastor’s messages.” I would have people coming to me, all those nineteen years coming to me, saying; “Oh, read this book. Listen to this tape. Oh, did you hear this message and that message and that message?” and I would think; “Where do you get time for this? I’m so into what my Pastor said on Sunday.”
We would sometimes have Wednesday night services too and then I would have two messages that I’d want to give my time and attention to in my personal time with God, you see? It’s how the Lord taught me. Why would He teach you any different? If He taught me like that, He’s not going to teach you any different. Well, and so I would think; “Where do you get the time? Gee, you are really committed. You’re going through all your Pastor’s messages and you’ve got time for all this?” And I would think,” Oh, oh, oh” only to find out later they are not even listening. They come to church for all other reasons, not for the Word, to change their life. They come because they got friends there, they come because they like the music, they come because it’s a grand building. It was like, “Oh, oh, you don’t actually come for the Word?”
I found out years later that I would speak, and his messages would just role out of me and they would look at me like [blank stare demonstrated], you know. Now, in our church, it’s common for us now. We all speak the messages; we have all the words inside of us; we have all the words of the messages inside of us. We are of one mind, and of one heart, and of one accord. We know what God is saying, we know what God is doing and we know where we’re going as a people.
That’s good. That was just so good. Isn’t this wholesome? It’s like Pastor John’s message last week; there’s broccoli, and baby marrows and avocados, yuhm, yuhm, yuhm, yuhm, you know. The enemy has all these other double delights for you, you know; “Oh, you can go and listen to anything and anybody. Ah, you don’t even have to go to church, TBN can be your church.” That’s completely against God’s Word, completely. God says; “Be planted.” Hallelujah. Those who are planted in the house of the Lord will bear fruit. Even to old age.
This is part ten of I Will Take the Children. Part 10 of I Will Take the Children. This morning’s message is called, Catch the Spirit. 1 Corinthians 2, 9 to 11 New King James. God wants you to hear this scripture this morning for you personally. 9But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” 10But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. 11For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God (1 Corinthians 2:9-11 NKJV).
Your own spirit knows all your things about you. Right? The Holy Spirit is the one that knows all things that are in God. He is God. The Lord wants you to know this morning, and me to know that our eyes have not yet seen, our ears have not yet heard, nor have entered into our hearts yet; the things which God has prepared for us who love Him at this time. These are defining moments, the Lord is said, that these are the defining moments. I’ve shared with you, and I’m going to say it again. You can’t say; “It’s not a defining moment for me.”
God says, it is a defining moment for you whether you go with it, flow with it, know it or not. It is a defining moment for you. A defining moment is how you act now, how you respond now, what you say now, and what you decide now, those were the four verbs, the Lord gave Brother Jerry. What you say now, what you decide now, how you respond now, and what you do now, will determine your future. “How do I respond to what, Pastor Sharon? How I act, towards what, how I decide about what?” Well about all these messages are coming to you now. This is how God is leading us. This is how God is leading us. If you’re going to enter into your Promised Land, you’re going to go in with a leader. It’s God’s pattern. It’s God’s order. It was like that in the Old Testament, and it’s like that in the New Testament too.
Every spiritual leader should be bringing the body of Christ through the revelations of Jesus Christ, into maturity, as full-fledged sons of God to enjoy their full inheritance. That’s why Jesus gave gifts to men; some apostles, some prophets, some pastors, some teachers, some evangelists to bring you to maturity. Glory to God. Yes, you are a born-again child of God, you can experience God, you can sense God, you can hear God’s voice, all by yourself and for yourself. But you are not complete without being in the order of God, and being brought to maturity, by His gifts.
Jesus, when He ascended, gave gifts to men, so that they could come into maturity. You’ve heard me say this before, the highest calling. The highest calling is to be a mature son of God. That’s the only reason that He gave gifts to men was to bring all of His people into the full maturity of sons of God; look like Jesus, sound like Jesus, be like Jesus; come to full maturity. Hallelujah. Glory to God. Say this; I am a son of God. I am led by the Spirit of God. I am fed by the fivefold ministry. This is His way. Oh, that’s wonderful. God is revealing things to us through His Spirit. We’ve not been this way before. Just like Joshua and the people of God entering into the fullness of all that God had promised them 40 years previously.
Joshua, chapter 3, verses 1 to 5, Amplified Bible. I want you to see, and I shared with you, you need to maintain recognition of the time people. The time that God, it’s the time of God, He is doing things, saying things, moving in things, and He is expecting us to have recognition of the time, Pastor John, and then me, is expecting us to hear the Spirit of God and what the Spirit of God is saying where we are right now in God’s timetable.
I told you 20 years, October last month, God said very clearly to Pastor John and I, “Your perfect period of waiting is over.” The number 20 is a complete cycle. That’s how Brother Jerry taught us that when he brought 2020, New open door, Supernatural Increase. Hallelujah. He said; “Sharon now”, I just knew it, popped open in me, your perfect period. Your Pastor John’s, He said actually said; “My perfect period of waiting now for when I’m moving you and the people that are with you into is over.” No more waiting. It’s over. It’s a perfect period of waiting.
It’s over. There’s another perfect period, waiting. You’re in this transition. Right here between perfect period, completed cycle, over. New cycle, new perfect period coming, and you right there on that cusp. I must tell you that. That’s why it’s a defining moment for us, because it’s for God. As far as God is concerned. Here on this cusp, where we are transitioning is what Pastor John calls can happen things messy, but marvellous, leading to marvellous, and he brings messages. He brings messages that will mess with your head, and mess with your heart.
I read you that scripture, the last time I was here. When that rich man met Jesus and said, “What must I do? What must I do? What must I do?” And Jesus said; “You know, you know what the things are.” “Yes, but I’ve kept all these things from my youth.” And Jesus said; “Well, there’s still one thing that’s in you. Still one thing that’s in you. Sell everything you’ve got, and come and follow Me.” It says, he was sad, he walked away. No, the translation I read was, it says, the Passion Translation, “absolutely shocked” at what Jesus said. That’s what it says. He was shocked that Jesus could even expect something like that from him.
These messages that we’ve been bringing, Pastor John and I, contain some shock elements in them, you know why? Because what the Lord showed Pastor John, we’re sleepwalking, and these messages have come. He’s coming with a defibrillator like on you with these messages to get you to wake up, right? Those things that get put on your heart, God’s bringing these messages to us to see who will wake up, who will wake up from these messages, who will wake up, who can I wake up? Who will awake? Who will arise the church?
“Where is My church that’s awaking and arising and occupying at this time when this transition? Where are they, I’m bringing them messages for separation for consecration, dedication, it involves dedication. It involves circumcision.” It involves all of that stuff that Joshua, at that time, had to go from the perfect cycle of waiting over for all their generation into the next cycle. They found themselves just on the cusp there.
Let’s see here. Joshua 3, verse 1, Joshua, now they’re in the cusp. I know what they were going through, because I’m going through the same thing. My eyes, my spiritual eyes are just this big inside me, because of where God showed me, we are now. What this defining moment actually means to Him, in terms of us being able to go forward and enter in. You see, there’s an entering in, like Pastor Christi shared with you; there’s an entering in. Unless you become like little children, and believe these messages and change and repent and humble yourselves, you cannot enter in.
So there’s an entering in now because in that time those people came out of and they were busy getting ready for an entering in. Like I shared with you, like the Lord showed me, it was for a while that they had that light. They had a time period, in that time before they actually had to cross and go to Jericho to occupy. There was a time period there and it was God’s time period. We don’t know how long that while will be. But it’s God’s while, it’s while He says; “There will be light for everybody to have an opportunity to change in this light that I’m bringing now. To have their heart circumcised, to separate and consecrate and dedicate, parents to dedicate their children to Me and parents to dedicate their lives to Me.” Hallelujah. I know how they felt because I’m in this space where they were, inside me.
1Joshua rose early in the morning and they removed from Shittim and came to the Jordan, he and all the Israelites, and lodged there before passing over. 2After three days the officers went through the camp, 3Commanding the people: So they’ve just now come now, out of the wilderness. They’re on their way now, right? 3Commanding the people: When you see the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God being borne by the Levitical priests, set out from where you are and follow it. 4Yet a space must be kept between you and it, about 2,000 cubits by measure; come not near it, that you may [be able to see the ark and] know the way you must go, for you have not passed this way before (Joshua 3:1-4 AMPC).
That’s the emphasis the Holy Spirit wants you to have this morning. You’ve not seen, you’ve not heard, it’s not entered into your heart yet the things that God has prepared for you who love Him. Right, and you’ve not been this way before. You’ve not been this way before. I’m just going to read Joshua 5. I want to show you how significant actually this time period was before they went in. I’m going to go to Joshua chapter 5 and I’m going to read. Let’s see here. I mean, Judges, Joshua chapter 5, right? No, yes. Okay.
Verse two 2At that time… So they’d already crossed the Jordan. They’re on their way now into the promised land, right? They are early days, early days into it, like moments, maybe hours, even a few days. 2At that time the Lord said to Joshua, Make knives of flint and circumcise the [new generation of] Israelites as before. 3So Joshua made knives of flint and circumcised the sons of Israel at Gibeath-haaraloth. 4And this is the reason Joshua circumcised them: all the males of the people who came out of Egypt, all the men of war, had died in the wilderness. 20, 20, 40 years, because they didn’t believe God. They didn’t believe His leaders. They wanted to go back.
They started off well, but they messed up badly. God said 10 times, 10 times you’ve done this to Me, you just don’t believe Me. You have hardened your heart towards Me, you’re not going to go in. So …all the men of war, had died in the wilderness on the way after they came out of Egypt. 5Though all the people who came out were circumcised, yet all the people who were born in the wilderness on the way after Israel came out of Egypt had not been circumcised. 6For the Israelites walked forty years in the wilderness till all who were men of war who came out of Egypt perished, because they did not hearken to the voice of the Lord; to them the Lord swore that He would not let them see the land which the Lord swore to their fathers to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey. 7So it was their uncircumcised children whom He raised up in their stead whom Joshua circumcised, because the rite had not been performed on the way.
God took children in, remember? He said to the people; “You’ve murmured so long, you’ve been in unbelief so long. You’re not going in. I’m not taking you in, I’ll take in your children. I’ll take the children.” God just gets to that place in His heart, right. 8When they finished circumcising all the males of the nation, they remained in their places in the camp till they were healed (Joshua 5:2-8 AMPC).
That is circumcision of the heart, that scripture that I brought to you about circumcising the foreskin of your hearts, the hardness of your heart, it’s to cut, it’s a cut and the only thing that can pierce your heart is the Word of God. God doesn’t have another instrument to pierce your heart with. Hebrews chapter 4. The Word that God speaks is alive, and full of power, sharper than any two-edged sword, dividing asunder, cutting, dividing between soul, and spirit, and joints, and marrow, and all that purposes, sifting, analysing, judging, all the purposes and intents of our hearts.
That’s what these messages are bringing. Every time you sit here, God intends for this to happen to you, for you to let the sharp two-edged sword, circumcise your heart, the hard places of your heart. God does not have any other instrument, wherewith, to pierce you and cut you so that He can heal you. So they got circumcised, and they had to be healed. Right. Until they were healed. Verse 10, 10And the Israelites encamped in Gilgal; and they kept the Passover on the fourteenth day of the month at evening in the plains of Jericho. 11And on that same day they ate the produce of the land: unleavened cakes and parched grain. 12And the manna ceased on the day after they ate of the produce of the land; and the Israelites had manna no more, but they ate of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year.
That’s where we are. We are there, we are there, going into the fullness. Our perfect period of waiting is over. Glory to God! Look what happens then. After the circumcision, it’s important. 13When Joshua was by Jericho, he looked up, and behold, a Man stood near him with His drawn sword in His hand. And Joshua went to Him and said to Him, Are you for us or for our adversaries? (Joshua 5:13 AMPC). Isn’t that interesting? Can you see that it’s got a capital ‘M’ there?
This is Jesus. This is the Man of war showing up. Because He wants His people occupying, rising up and occupying and taking everything, that all the heathen generations, all the heathen people take, they don’t regard God, they disregard Him. They spurn Him. People, this world is wicked. I’ve been teaching you that. In Galatians it says that Jesus came to deliver you from this wicked world. They are wicked, they hate Jesus. They do. They hate God. They hate Him. Jesus said, they hated Me. They will hate you.
Still the same world system today that hates Jesus, hates the church, hates Christians. God so loved the world that He gave His Son. But He came to the world, He came to His own and his own received Him not. They still do not receive Him. Though they know He is God. They do not choose Him. They do not choose to love Him. I can go to some very powerful scriptures where it talks about, they have got their own self-willed, hardened hearts. They choose to harden their own hearts.
So the Man stood near him with His drawn sword in His hand, I’m telling you, what is His Sword? In Ephesians, chapter 6. It says, your sword, take your sword, the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. It’s the Word that you know that you know that you know, is living inside of you. You take that sword; Jesus got that sword. That’s why it was very important for the Lord to tell Joshua, in Joshua one chapter 8. You don’t let this Word; you meditate on this Word. All My Words I’m going to give you. He wasn’t saying meditate on the Bible day and night, although if you’re meditating with your heart in the Bible day and night, that’s a good thing. Right?
What God was saying to Joshua; “Meditate on the Words that I gave Moses. Meditate on the Words I’ve already spoken to you. Day and night. Don’t let them depart from your mouth. Then you will make your way prosperous and have good success. Listen, listen to what I’ve told Moses.” Then it says that Joshua spoke to the children the Words of Moses. You don’t need some new message when you are entering into the promised land. You need direction by revelation, how to get into your land. Hallelujah. Hallelujah.
Joshua 5 says, ¹³…And Joshua went to Him and said to Him, Are you for us or for our adversaries? 14And He said, No [neither], but as Prince of the Lord’s host have I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped, and said to Him, What says my Lord to His servant? This Prince is our Prince of peace, our prince Jesus. 15And the Prince of the Lord’s host said to Joshua, Loose your shoes from off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy. And Joshua did so (Joshua 5:13-15 AMPC).
That’s Jesus, if it was an angel, the angel will immediately say; “Don’t worship me. Get up, get up!” It often happened in the Bible where men, angels appeared to men and they wanted to worship the angels and he would say, “Stand up, stand up.” No, no this is Jesus here. This is Jesus come down. Jesus has come down now. Jesus has come down now, here in these defining moments, for you. I’m just telling you, recognize it, want Him. What’s He doing? He’s got His Sword in His hand. Jesus has come down with His Sword in His hand to take you into the land with His Sword. His sharp two-edged Sword. Every message that He brings is a sharp two-edged Sword will lead you in and in and in and in. Hallelujah. Glory.
A defining moment in time for all. Pastor John told a story last week and why, when I was going through the message this week and underlining and you know, all the wonderful things that we all do. Right? Right. Because we have our foot in the…? Right. [congregation: message] right, ok. I was looking and he was giving this account and then he asked the question; “Why am I telling you this story of my life when I was 5, when I was 7, when I was 15, when I was…?” He said; “Because I don’t want any of you to have an identity crisis. I don’t want your children having an identity crisis. I want them secure in the knowledge of God and what plans God has for them.”
I have an account of some moments and encounters in my life with God. Actually I got born again when I was five years old. You must get ready for encounters with God. Get ready because God is calling us all at this time. In that time of transition, “You must come now Joshua, God’s calling us, we’re going in now.” Alright. Separation, dedication, circumcision, consecration, all of that, all of that. The Holy Spirit is so powerful with you and with I at this time. Jesus is with you and with me, with us all at Heritage of Faith, to help you to fully dedicate, consecrate, circumcise, completely. He is magnificent with you and with me to help us come out of and into.
That comes because of your own personal heart choice. Your own, want to be with Jesus, want to be with Jesus, myself. Myself, by myself, want to be with Jesus. Want to speak to Jesus, want to speak to the Holy Spirit, want to be with my Father, want to put my foot in the message. Want to put my ears in the sound. Want to, it’s my personal want to, that is going to take me into. It’s not because I come to church on a Sunday, it’s not even because I tithe. Pastor Christi brought that magnificent message. Just like that rich man that met Jesus. “I do all these things. I tick all the boxes. I tithe, I do this, I do that, and I do that, and I do that.”
Jesus said; “Now you come all in.” You see, “You got one more thing in you. You’re withholding.” That’s what that one translation said, he was holding onto many things. God is saying to you and I now; “Don’t hold onto those things in your heart anymore.” Let Him help you, give Him everything. He is here for that now, but it’s going to be in the privacy of your own time with Him. In the message with Him and with Him and in the message. Privately, personally, up close encounters with Him. Right.
“I’ve not done that before Pastor Sharon, I don’t spend time with God.” It’s time, you can start now. You can get the message today. You can press into Him today. You can want to be with Him today and this afternoon and tonight and tomorrow. You can start anytime. You’re a born-again believer, child of God. The Bible says you draw near, He draws near. Even Samuel at five years old heard the voice of the Lord. It’s for children, it’s for teenagers, it’s for adults. That was one of the things that God said about the people that carcasses fell in the wilderness. They kept themselves aloof from God. They were aloof. They were stand-off’ish from God.
“Not that, no you don’t touch that. Not that.” That’s not the way you’re going in. You’re entering in like a little child. That’s how you’re entering in. You don’t know where you’re going. You don’t know what it’s going to be like, but you’re going. Right? 14…And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshipped, and said to Him, What says my Lord to His servant? (Joshua 5:14 AMPC). I finished that now. Great stuff.
So, why did pastor John tell us stories last week? It’s so that you can, you are going to begin to have encounters with Him because you want to. Right. I have encountered moments in my life that stabilised me and anchored me in my life even when I strayed, I knew. When I was five years old, I was born-again. When I was sixteen years old the Lord filled me with great zeal. Just encounters that I had with Him when I was sixteen years old and then from seventeen years of age to twenty-four years of age I backslid. I was sharing with the people this morning even when I backslid from God.
When I was sixteen, I was filled with such zeal and this is the way Pastor John told the story, I believe it was in Johannesburg, about me. I didn’t see it that way, I didn’t even tell Pastor John the story that way, but when I was sixteen, He filled me. I had such an encounter with Him. He filled me with such zeal. Even in my school, I would invite people to my house and take them to my back room, where I had all my Bibles and all my books, and I really would ‘Bible punch’ them. I had zeal without knowledge. “You must be saved!” I’d invite them to church, but I had the zeal just without wisdom and without knowledge.
Then at that time my mom and dad were not in the church anymore and I was at a church where the pastors and the leaders didn’t know how to help me mature and grow in my zeal. I wasn’t in an environment, so they didn’t know what to do with me because I was wild for Jesus. I was on fire and burning everybody up, and everything up. You know. I lost heart and I back-slid for nearly seven years, but even in my backslidden years in conditions that I used to get in, I would just cry and weep with unsaved people and say; “I’m going to serve God with all my heart one day. Jesus is Lord. Jesus is Lord.”
When I used to, I used to, I don’t anymore, but when I used to drink alcohol, I would get dronk verdriet and tell everybody about Jesus [laughter in congregation]. Everybody, about Jesus, how beautiful He is and how wonderful He is and I would cry. I remember the one night we were at this place and everybody was on the dance floor and I was crying on the dance floor and I was quite loud and saying; “But it’s Jesus, but it’s Jesus!” I remember this one guy coming up to me and saying, “You are mad. Why don’t you rather leave?”
You know that born-again spirit in you, it’s indomitable. So, and then at twenty-four years of age, He called me back to Him in an encounter with Him. “So, what have these stories of yours got to do with us Pastor Sharon, Pastor John”, well He is calling all of us now. All of us people, all of the parents, all of the children to all enter in now. Like little children in our hearts, trusting humble believing our God and Father in a moment of calling, in a moment of calling when God calls you in a moment you know everything, and you know nothing.
When God calls you in that moment, you know everything because He has called you, and you know nothing. That is how He gave it to me this week to get it across to you. In the moment of calling you know everything, yet you know nothing. How am I going to get there? How is it going to Happen, [rrrr] you know nothing? Then your heart responds with faith like Abraham. So, God was also, Abraham was also called by God like that. The same moments that Pastor John had that I’ve had, that some of you have had, you can remember moments you’ve had with God like that. God remembers them, He made you, He encountered you at that time.
So, your heart responds with faith. So, Abraham was also called by God and in his own heart too. You go because you know, and you go, you know He’s called you and you don’t trouble your mind about anything because you don’t know. You go because you know, and you go, and you don’t trouble your mind about anything, because you don’t know. The Lord has begun in the churches, the Heritage of Faith churches to work deeply in the hearts of people, all the people, all the parents and the children, and He is continuing this for His while.
Can we put up Hebrews 11 verse 8, please, just to show you how this happens, 8[Urged on] by faith Abraham, when he was called, God is going to call all of you. God is calling all of you. He is calling you to enter in. He is calling you to become like little children. He is calling you to circumcise. He is calling you to receive all these messages now. He is calling you to separate. He is calling you to consecrate. He’s calling you to want Him, and want Him, and want Him, and want Him. He’s calling you. He’s calling you. When Abraham was called, because God wanted him, and he wanted God, that was his defining moment, and he wanted God back.
He knew everything, and yet he knew nothing , 8[Urged on] by faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed and went forth to a place which he was destined to receive as an inheritance; and he went, although he did not know or trouble his mind about where he was to go (Hebrews 11:8 AMPC). He didn’t know where he was to go. Right? But he was called, and he went.
So, in that moment of calling, he knew everything, and he knew nothing. He knew the same God that was calling me like this as I go, He’s going to show and He’s going to speak, and then I’ll know next, and then He’s going to show like this, what he’s speaking to me now, the next thing. Hallelujah! The Message Bible says, when he left, he had no idea where he was going. When he left, he had no idea where he was going. God’s saying at this time, that we have to leave. There are things that you’re going to know that you have to leave. There are things that you know, you’re going to not be able to hold on tightly to anymore, in your heart. You are going to know you have to let go. Hallelujah.
Now at this time, so that you can go when He calls, even though you don’t know where to go. You won’t care that you don’t know where to go. Because His call is so great, you know everything! It is so well put Lord, thank You for these words. He gave it to me like this. When he left, he had no idea where he was going. Away he went not even knowing where he was going was another version. The New Living Translation says when he reached there, he lived there by faith too.
God is bringing all these messages to us all now to hear them and obey them, like little children. With all these messages that the Lord is bringing now we can be like Abraham, just believe them. Go with them, even though we don’t know where we are going. I hear what you are saying Pastor John, Pastor Sharon, Pastor Christi, but where am I going? Why? You are not supposed to ask that question? Just know that He is calling you, and you know everything, and you know nothing. [Pastor Sharon Laughing].
Just know that He’s calling you and you know everything, and you know nothing. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord and don’t trouble your mind. “But I need to know exactly what it is going to look like, if I let go of this and I let go of that. What’s going to fill that hole, and that space and what?” No, no, no, no, no, no. You must go and roll with God like Abraham. Not like that rich young man. He couldn’t do it, because he wouldn’t, because he was holding tightly onto too many things. That was his defining moment. No, no, no, you’re going to enter in like Abraham because you can, because he’s your father of faith. Because Abraham could, you can.
That’s why in the New Testament, the Holy Spirit calls Abraham the father of our faith. That’s the kind of faith he had. When God called him, he didn’t trouble His mind, glory to God. All of these messages that the Lord is bringing now, we can be like Abraham, just believe them. Go with them, even though we don’t know where we are going, then we will get there and live our faith there, and believe God every step of our way, and enter and enter more and enter more, and the next step of faith and enter more.
No explanation needed only His Spirit headed. Being a people truly led by the Spirit of God. That’s what a people truly led by the Spirit of God, that’s how they can enter into the promised land together. They didn’t doubt and dispute among themselves and say; “Well, I can’t dedicate my child like that, because I got this plan for them… Now, I couldn’t, I couldn’t let go of that.” Can you imagine if they did that in the time of Joshua? You can’t come in. You’re not like a little child. You’re not believing and trusting. You’re not receiving.
Well, that’s what those leaders say to Joshua; “Joshua, we’ll be going in now, and only you, Joshua, make sure you hearing from the Lord, and we know that you can and we know that you do, because we saw how you followed Moses. And if our brothers don’t listen to you, if our brothers don’t listen to you, what do we do to them?” [Pastor Sharron speaking to Zani in front row] Zani, take your mask off? [Zani removing her mask] We kill them. Oh did you forget? You’ve heard me say that a lot of times, you got nervous, I’m sorry, Zani. Sorry, my darling. Yeah. If our brothers and our sisters don’t listen to you, we kill them. “No, no, no, I’m not going to kill you for real” no, “Thou shalt not kill. Thou shalt not kill. But you are dead to me!”
“Because you don’t go this way with God. I don’t travel with you. Because you’re not traveling with me. You’re not coming this way. You are going your own way.” To ask Achan. He didn’t have that circumcision of heart properly. And after Jericho, they got that great conquest, and they couldn’t even go against a few people at AI, ‘A-I’. They were completely confounded the Israelites after Jericho. The enemy completely overcame them, and Joshua was before God, saying; “God, You haven’t, You couldn’t have brought us this far for this to happen.”
He says, “No, they are uncircumcised, disobedient ones along in your midst, and I have given them opportunity, the same opportunity as everybody else to consecrate, to separate, to dedicate to circumcise. I’ve given them the same opportunity; they heard the same messages as everybody else did.” He did this, and this is what the Word says, this is so powerful; They, the Israelites could not stand before the enemies. They fell before the enemies because of Achan’s disobedience. Achan’s covetousness, Achan’s own agenda, hidden agenda. He said I saw the money and I saw that. I saw, I am on this journey now because there’s money to be got here, and I saw the Babylonish garment and I’m going to hide it, and it’s in my heart, but I will hide it and nobody will see it. But God saw it!
God saw it and He had to deal with it because all the other little children were there, see? All the others were little children, and among them was an Achan. The others were little children, they had become like little children. I want to read you something right now, what the Lord gave me while I’m here on the 21st of July. He called it an “Achanish thing”, an Achanish thing. If there is one among us like Achan, if there is one among the promised land entering people, oh, it cannot be in the sight of the Lord, no, no, no, He won’t have them hindered, the little children, those that have become like little children.
He won’t have them hindered, He won’t let them stumble, His little children must enter in. He loves them so, they have become, it’s time to go. The Babylonish garment and the money thing accursed this bring, it’s devilish coming, in the service of Satan it is in our very midst. It’s a thing of pride, but now it has no place to hide, it’s a thing of immense pretence among the children, it’s a great offence. God says these are little children coming in. Anybody that wants to stumble a little child, anybody that wants to stumble someone that has become like a little child, it would be better for them if they put a millstone around their neck and be thrown into the sea.
Jesus feels precious about any one of His saints that become like a little child; trusting, believing, loving, forgiving, adoring, little child that says the book of Thessalonians, these words coming from Pastor John and Pastor Sharon, and Pastor Christi, they are not the words of mere men, they are the Words of God, they are exercising their superhuman power in those who believe. “I believe because I’m a child, I believe and I’m patient to receive and I’m possessing everything that’s been given to me.” Like a child, I believe. Hallelujah.
It’s a thing of pride. Okay, it’s a great offence, He will not turn a blind eye. He will not look the other way. He will openly show it, and all will know it, left unchecked, it will bring the dark to all, cause even little ones to stumble and fall. Sjoh, jah, jah, that is what He is saying now. He will not have those among us that are not becoming like little children. Only little children may enter in, only the little children may enter in, to what He has got planned for the Kingdom for us right now, our inheritance, our fullness of everything.
Many of us have been like Joshua and Caleb and longed for a long time. Ha, I tell you, God, God, God knows that, it’s a precious thing to Him. Knowing when a Caleb and a Joshua will wait long. It’s a precious thing to God when a Caleb and a Joshua, will wait long and stay strong. He knows it. He sees it, and He says; “John”, He says; “John and Sharon it is your time now, you have stayed strong, you have waited long, it is a precious thing to Me. You’ve not quit on your faith, you’ve been like Joshua and Caleb. I’m taking you in. But I’m only taking little children with you. That’s all that’s going with you. I will deal with the Achans, I will sift them out like I have sifted them out at that time. I will snip them out. I will sift them out”, says the Lord. Hallelujah. “You won’t have to live with them. Oh, you won’t have to live with them, so that you can stand before your enemies and rise up and occupy and possess everything.”
Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, yes, yes, hallelujah, hallelujah, yes, yes. He will not have the Achans among the little children anymore. He will not have them. He will not have them. When Achan started to realize this thing is going to be exposed boy, it was a public exposure. He went through the whole thing. He didn’t come out with it, he thought, “I’ll see if they get to me.”
Eventually, after a long period of time, “It’s you, Achan.” So God will clear our land of the Akens. Hallelujah. Yes, Lord, we declare that today as a Heritage of Faith people, we expect You today it’s going out into the realm of the Spirit today. We expect You in our Heritage of Faith people that are entering in with all the little children that You sniff and you seek out every Achan and You make sure that they do not come among us, Lord. They’re not. They do not come among us Father. Hallelujah. Glory. Hallelujah. Yes, yes. Yes, Lord. Yes, Lord. Hallelujah. Glory, glory, glory, glory, glory, glory. Only the little children Lord, only those that have become. Hallelujah.
Sho, wow. Jah. He will not turn a blind eye, not at this time. Not at these defining moments, not at these, us who are responding like little children, who are deciding like little children, who are consecrating like little children dedicating, separating, having circumcision like little children Lord, no at this time, at this defining moment, we are going in Father, we are going in Lord. Hallelujah. We are going into the fullness Father. Glory, glory, glory. He will openly show it, and all will know it. Left unchecked, it will bring the dark to all and cause even the little ones just stumble and fall. No, it will be dealt with by the hand of God. He will move His hand. So this thing will cease, and the fear of the Lord will increase, and all the little children will experience great peace.
Thank You, Jesus. Thank You, Jesus. Thank You. Thank You. Thank You. Glory, glory, glory. Glory, glory, glory. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Thus saith the Lord. He wanted that out of me, you that know me, you know that that needed to come out of me as prophecy. Sjoh. Now it’s resounding in reverberating in the Spirit realm, and it will be so, it will be so. This “Achanish” thing, God in our people that are going in, He will show it clearly. Thank You, Father.
Now I’m just going to read this beautiful thing that He gave me this week about Abraham; Abraham abandoned himself, his life, his family, his wife, and his son and his stuff to God. He would only let God make him rich. So covenant established. So inheritance gotten, so by blessing overtaken. Oh, he believed God. He had great faith. Oh, he pleased God so, he believed, his faith shown clearly by his works. He’s not withholding anything. He’s giving to God his everything. A righteous man, an uncircumcised Gentile at first, faith came first, then circumcision, a sign of faith.
Now we too can enter into His faith, the faith of our father. The Scripture says God made him the father of many nations. Abraham, our example and father, in God’s presence he believed that God can raise the dead and call into being things that don’t even exist yet. Nearly 100 years old when the promise was made, he and Sarah both incapable. But Abraham, mighty in faith, convinced God was able, never stopped believing the promise, he glorified God, so promise fulfilled. Abraham’s faith declared and decreed and credited by God as righteousness to him. Now also declared over us also, credited to us also who believe and embrace and step out in the same faith. Though we know everything, we know nothing. Hallelujah, we step out in the same faith.
This faith that urged him and moved him to obey God’s call, to leave the familiar, give God his all. To discover all he was to inherit from God, leaving all with only a promise, without knowing where he was going, how it would all unfold. He stepped out in faith; his eyes fixed on the heavenly realm.
He was living in the fourth-dimension, people. Faith is 4D. Then Abraham’s faith stood the test the great test of his moment in time, he didn’t even hesitate, he didn’t debate, while his faith was still in process of being tested, he’d really brought his son.
It’s what the Bible says, this is all Scripture. He’d already brought his son, he’s only one. He was yearning and desiring the heavenly One. Abraham’s faith knew God’s power could raise his son from the dead, he willingly quickly moved, ready to sacrifice his only one. Now in this too, at this defining time, we too can enter into the same faith. Our faith can now reach its highest expression, not just the law of place that’s being planted, because the Lord showed me about Abraham, how deeply in covenant he was with God. He was deeply in covenant with God.
He was in the law of place. He went to the place God told him to go to. Pastor Christi will minister powerfully to you on this. I’m sure maybe even next Sunday, she did this in Joburg last Sunday, you can go listen to it, The Law of Place. The place Abraham was so deeply embedded and connected and so in synced into this covenant with God and not only in the law of place, and not only in positions because he gave his tenth. Okay, okay. Okay. I must just keep reading this. Not only in the law of place. Sorry about that. Right, not only in the law of place, not just all of his possession but that which is our most precious.
You see, you can come to church, the law of place, and you can give God your tithes and offerings, from time to time as you allow Him to move on your heart, but that Abraham gave to God that which was most precious and personal. Now with these messages, all can give all like our Father God. God gave all when He gave Jesus. Things most personal and things most precious. So faith decided, circumcision accomplished, covenant established, inheritance gotten, promised, fulfilled by blessing overtaken, faith legacy transferred. The bloodshed satisfied.
That’s when, that’s when all of this happens. All of this covenant, things happen. You give everything. The blood is satisfied because now He can give everything. Now He can give everything, and He can take you in and you can enter in. Hallelujah. Hallelujah, Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Glory to You, Lord. Isn’t this beautiful; wasn’t this beautiful this morning? Didn’t He touch our hearts? Aren’t our hearts burning within us now? My heart’s burning within me. Like I always say to you when I’m ministering the Word, I’m ministry to me. I’m getting the Word too. I’m getting this message fully. Hallelujah. Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus.
Garth, don’t you just want to come to play on the keyboard a little bit please my son. Just give us two or three minutes with the Lord. Right. This message that He brought to us today is worthy of a few moments of Selah. You know the Bible says selah; pause, calmly think of this, you know? Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Glory. Glory. Glory. Hallelujah. Maybe just the chorus of I choose to love Him. Just the chorus and then some cords. We can just sit here in His presence, right? He’s so precious with this, now isn’t He? He is. These cords, the cords are so beautiful, aren’t they?
You see, when you hear the chords of a string, God uses it to pull on the strings of your heart to draw you closer to Him. Draw you into Him. Let Him do that.
[Pastor Garth singing]
I choose to love Him
I choose to know Him
I choose to humble myself under His mighty hand always
I choose to love Him
I choose to serve Him
I choose to worship and fear Him and follow Him all of my days
I choose to love Him
I choose to serve Him
I choose to humble myself under His mighty hand always
I choose to love Him
I choose to know Him
I choose to worship and fear Him and follow Him all of my days
I choose Jesus
I choose Jesus
I choose Jesus
Always
You know you can carry this song in your heart. I remember when I first heard it, when the Lord first gave Garth the melody and the words. Even though the song wasn’t finished yet I just heard that part, I choose to love Him [Pastor Sharron singing], it haunted me you know in a good way. Just the whole weeklong, I choose to love Him, I choose to love Him. I choose Jesus. Let it stay with you this week. That’s how you draw near in your heart to Him. Even when you’re busy in your car, or you’re at work or at school, or you’re at home. I choose Jesus, I choose You. Hallelujah.
Can I pray for you before you go? Precious people, precious, precious people, everyone. Father, I pray for these precious people that have sat under the wonder and the beauty of this word this morning, Lord. That this word just infuses them, draws them today and tomorrow. Oh Lord, that they will trust the Holy Spirit to do the work in them, Lord, not try to do it themselves but employ the Holy Spirit within them to help them give everything. Father, I ask You to help all of us give You everything. Help every one of us to become like little children and give You everything. Oh Lord, help every one of your precious ones here today, Lord. Oh Father, You, know them by name; I don’t Lord, many names I do know some I don’t, Lord. You know them by name. Hallelujah.
[Pastor Sharron singing] and You call them, each and every one. You’re calling each and every one. Even the little one. You’re calling everyone. Oh Lord, that You would help us to give You everything. That You would work by your Spirit deep, deep within. Lord and we’ll draw near to You. We’ll not stand aloof from You. We draw near, we draw near, we draw near, we draw near every day, every day of this week, Lord. Hallelujah. Thank You, that the words of the song and the sound of the song will remain in our hearts, Lord, for long, for long, for long. Yes Lord, yes Lord, yes Lord, yes Lord, yes Lord, yes Lord. Glory.
I bless Your people, Lord, You bless them with peace, with peace, Lord.
Oh, sing it one more time Garth. We don’t want to go home. Right. We don’t want to go home, Pastor Garth.
[Pastor Garth singing]
I choose to love Him
I choose to know Him
I choose to humble myself under His mighty hand always.
I choose to love Him
I choose to serve Him
I choose to worship and fear Him and follow Him all of my days
I choose to love Him
I choose to serve Him
I choose to humble myself under His mighty hand always
I choose to love Him
I choose to know Him
I choose to worship and fear Him and follow Him all of my days
I choose Jesus
I choose Jesus
I choose Jesus
Always
Yes, beautiful Jesus, always. I thank You, Father, the blood of Jesus protects all of these precious ones. The Word and the blood of Jesus protects them all. I commit them to our grace into Your Word that is able to build them up and give them their rightful inheritance Father, in Jesus’ name. In Jesus’ name, we all say amen. Bless you, all.
© 2024 – Heritage of Faith Ministries International
TOUCH | TEACH | TRAIN | TRANSFER
