Recap: 2And, Jesus, He called a little child to Himself and put him in the midst of them, 3And Jesus said, Truly I say to you, unless you repent… There is a spirit of repentance in the church of Heritage of Faith, in our hearts. READ: Matthew 18:2-3 (AMPC) – God knows that is not our hearts, but whoever will humble themselves will become. Jesus is interested in our becoming. We do it by faith. It is the Word of God that is living and active, piercing and penetrating in our hearts. READ: Romans 6:5 (NKJV).
Death to self-will is the path to life: Death to self-will is the only gateway to the abundant life of Christ Jesus. We cannot experience resurrection life in our assignments and lives with Christ if we do not first experience the dying to ourselves. All of this is truly about loving our Lord Jesus and obeying Him.
Come out of Babylon: People have asked the question; “Can we really come out of Babylon and live like this with God? Is it possible that God has this for us?” How impacted are we already by the system? The world system does two things: READ: Genesis 11:3-4 (NKJV), 1: Let us build ourselves. What did they do? Build the way that they want to build, not enquiring from the Lord, to start something for themselves. I’ve been there in my life, you’ve been there. 2: Let us make a name for ourselves. Isn’t this secretly what’s happening in all the hearts of the people? To be well-known, to be important? To build something great out there? That is why we need the spirit of repentance daily. That is the good news, that is salvation. God says; 6Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord (Zechariah 4:6 NKJV). God wanted to give them the very thing they sought after. In contrast, look at what Abram gained by laying down his self-will, his platform. When you have a platform you definitely build. You go forward in yourself. The Lord said to me that many people live according to Bible principles but they do not follow God. They do not lay down themselves, they say “I live according to Bible principles”, but God cannot lead them. 1Now the Lord had said to Abram: “Get out of your country. (Genesis 12:1) Look at those words; get out, get out! The Holy Spirit wants to speak to the children, the youth ages fourteen years old, seventeen years old, twenty years old, because there are things currently in our hearts that we wanted to build, we started and God says, “Get out, get out.”. “Get out of your country, From your family And from your father’s house To a land that I will show you (Genesis 12:1-2 NKJV). Two things happened with Abram: 1: God made his name very great; 2: Abram became very wealthy, so wealthy he could build a city. But he did not try to build anything for himself.
God is making me: 17(as it is written, “I have made you a father of many nations”) (Romans 4:17 NKJV). God is saying to all of us, “I am making you, I am making you. Not yourself.” This is if you want to walk the way of Abram and not the way of the world system because for themselves they make, but God says, “I make you.” This is what we just received this morning; yes, Lord, in our becoming. Pastor John is a living example. Twenty years ago, he had an opportunity and then many in between, to build a huge church for himself here in Johannesburg. Many other opportunities came for Pastor John, just like Abram. But he laid down his self-will so that Jesus could build. We are all witnesses of that today. READ: Hebrews 13:7 (AMPC).
My plans or God’s plans: Most Christians will tell you that they walk and they apply Bible principles but that does not mean that they are following Jesus. They may tithe, watch the words they are saying, they may walk and apply bible principles but are they being led by the Holy Spirit according to the plans, purposes and pursuits of God? God knows the plans He has for you. We do not have to come up with any other plans. There are many believers who still do like Samson, they follow their plans, and not the plans of the Lord.
A glimpse of Babylon: The world is all about competition for elite jobs. Going to university to study for some people is a must. You have to keep improving yourself. More and more competition in the workplace. And all of us are greatly impacted by it. So that is why I am asking my heart, your heart, how we are already influenced by Babylon? We are not talking about no one can go and study. It is His plans, purposes and pursuits. But we are so impacted by Babylon that most people are not able to think any other way. READ: Daniel 1:1-5 (NKJV) – Because there are great benefits in having jobs like that. The king provided delicacies and of his own wine. Not only that, further training, many benefits come with these jobs. The king treated them in such a way making their captivity easy. The children were taken from their parents to serve in Babylon. The king took them away to train them for three years for employment to be used under him and not God. Children are an inheritance from the Lord, they are valuable treasures that God has given us and must be protected. Pastor Sharon shared about Molech (2 Kings, Isaiah 50) where children were taken by creditors for collateral on debts contracted by their fathers. Children are a great commodity on the earth. The Hebrew word for son and daughter means to build.
Prophecy about Zion: 16Therefore says the Lord, I have returned to Jerusalem with compassion (loving-kindness and mercy). My house shall be built. How? With the sons and the daughters of God that Babylon is taking; says the Lord of hosts, and a measuring line shall be stretched out over Jerusalem [with a view to rebuilding its walls] (Zechariah 1:16 AMPC). READ: Zechariah 1:17 (AMPC). When God brought this prophecy, He said; I’m going to add My sons and daughters that will cause His Kingdom to prosper.
Lord, what do You desire? Apostle Paul said, “Lord, what do You desire me to do?” This question is for all of us. I’ll never forget it; I was in my fourth year of studies and the Holy Spirit said to me plainly, “I never wanted you to come and study this.” Plainly. In matric, I prayed a very ignorant prayer; “If it’s Your will, then they will accept me for this course”. The Lord said to me, “Your marks were good, you applied, you did it all on your own. They accepted you, you did this!” It was a tremendous wake-up call in my life, it was like Paul on the road of Damascus. Get out of Babylon. How Lord?
It takes great courage to live by faith: We are not heirs of faith because we know that we must live by faith but actually because we live by faith. You touch that dying in yourself all the time. Every time when you lay down your life you receive the resurrection life of our Christ Jesus. Death is the path to life. Not one time, not twice, not three times, not four times will you stand in front of the Red Sea because Satan, just like Pharaoh, will not like it when you leave Babylon or Egypt. Pharaoh at that stage came with the most aggressive and bold attack on God’s children trying to leave Babylon. They stood at the Red Sea with no apparent escape and the Lord said to me, “Many people feel like this”. Thank You, Lord, for leading me even to the Red Sea. Why? Because it’s at the Red Sea where the enemy is to be utterly destroyed. That is the way of God. It never stops. When we listen and walk out as Peter said to Him on the water, “Lord, tell me to come. Because then I’ve got your Word and can walk out.” We’ve got His Word. But let me tell you, you will get to those places and it will take all the dying of yourself will and you will feel like your back is to the wall. That’s exactly where God wants you because He knows the plans and the purposes that He has for us.
We make our own plans. I’ve shared about Daniel’s life because many Christians are looking and planning on having elite jobs. Then they work hard in Babylon to keep advancing. Then because of their studies, they get good jobs and earn lots of money and then they turn around and say, “Look how the Lord blessed me.” No, that’s not the blessing of the Lord. That’s your working in Babylon that is bringing forth what Babylon allows you to have. But God did not bring us to that place, He did not tell us to do those things, we did it all by ourselves. The contest is here, light versus darkness.
Pastor John uses words like; “If you’re sitting here today and your business brain is in the way or your parent brain is in the way.” Why does he use words like this? Because we’re impacted by the world system, by Babylon. But God says, “Change, renew your mind to the way we live in the Kingdom of God.” READ: Hebrews 11:8 (NKJV). Abraham went out on the Word of God. He went out on a promise. That’s the way we walk with God. We see Pastor John still stepping the next step and the next because God is leading him. Prosperous, blessed, anointed. Busy with eternal purposes. Not just wondering how he will make a living. God has all the plans for us.
Death is the path to life. Death to your self-will is the only path to life. Death separates the natural things that you’ve planned from spiritual things. The Lord said to me, “In the Johannesburg church many are confronted with this today ‘on the scale’, He used these words, “On the scale.” “There are things in the hearts of the Johannesburg people.” We have examples – Kenneth Hagin, at one time God asked him to pastor a church and he did not want to do it and that struggle between him and God went on for quite some time. And then at the end when he laid his self-will down, the Lord said to him, “Kenneth, I just wanted you to be willing and obedient. You were not even willing to do it.”
We are developing a stomach: READ: Revelation 3:15-17 (AMPC). Certain things in our lives are wrong. Develop a stomach. I’m so grateful, I was lawless. Most of you were lawless, opinionated, misaligned. I mean we did what we wanted to do and then had to develop a stomach. But it’s because of the love of God, He wants to give us the gold. This is what’s happening here. The way that God is spitting it out to Pastors John and Sharon. Saving our lives, because He loves us. He says, READ: Revelation 3:18 -19 (AMPC).
God is speaking – parents & children: I need to say a very important thing that God said to me. He is speaking to all the parents and children here today. Pastor John and Sharon shared many examples in the Word of God about parents and children. Listen to this; in some cases parents obeyed God and the children did not obey God (Samson). Children, this is the time where you’ve got to choose. Children, if your parents are choosing or not, you must choose for yourself. Parents, if your children are choosing or not, you’ve got to choose for yourself.
Pastor John said: If you don’t allow God to manage your life and you don’t allow God to tell you which way to go, it will cost you your future like Samson. In the world system, you will end up in the Laban syndrome walking around in circles at the grind following your next feelings, your next decisions, never being led by God. 6Trembling and astonished he asked, Lord, what do You desire me to do? People, we know that Paul sat at the feet of Gamaliel. Who of us can compare with him today? The Lord said to him, But arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do. People aligned and God’s got them will come and tell you what to do. 7The men who were accompanying him, God called men to come and help him. 8Then Saul got up from the ground, but though his eyes were opened, he could see nothing; so they led him (Acts 9:6-8 AMPC). They led him. When this is happening with you, when you’re coming to come out of Babylon to walk with God, God has those people that will help you.
Samson and Abraham: In the story of Samson, the angel of the Lord spoke to his parents. You must understand, if an angel came to talk about me to my parents, I would know it. Samson relied on his strength and self-will as his platform. His process was not in God’s order. It was all about his emotions; what he wanted to do, what he felt like doing. His anger was a very, very big problem. No fruit of the Spirit. He made his own plans. Abraham not knowing where he was going, humbled himself. He became rich because he believed God knew the plans and the purposes for his life. The blessing or the grind – Samson was governed by his emotions, his will, and his feelings. He was at the grind at the mill, walking in circles, what they chose for him to do. Abraham was blessed. Samson at the grind. Abraham blessed. Samson at the grind. The Lord said; the blessing or the grind? We hear God today. What is God’s desire? God’s desire is a son like Isaac with a father like Abraham. READ: Genesis 22:7-9 (AMPC).
A question for the kids and older little children; Do you really think God wants us to have His best? He is saying it to you and to me today. READ: Romans 8:16-17 (TPT). We are His beloved children, we qualify to share in all His treasures, all that He is and all that He has. There is no doubt, God is giving us His everything, READ: Psalm 84:11 (NKJV). God is not withholding anything from you and me, when we are walking upright. So that word ‘we come back’ is a serious commitment. Are you just applying some Bible principles but you live for yourself? Things in your heart telling God, “Don’t touch that. I am not going to pack up and make a change.” He says it’s a serious commitment and it requires your willingness to give God your best.
Fear God here first; The Word of God is about prosperity. We fear God first with our tithe. If God cannot trust you with the unrighteous mammon, you think He must talk to you about callings and assignments? The love of money is a problem. When it comes to living a prosperous life, tithing is the first subject that we have to talk about because it is the cornerstone of real biblical prosperity. What we do with money reveals our heart. God wants to lead you in everything. 8Will a man rob God? (Malachi 3:8 NKJV). Here is sitting beautiful children and I know you know it but the time has come for you to know what God says about finances, it’s for you. God is talking to the big little children and He is talking to the younger little children. The person who fails to tithe disqualifies him or her from receiving the inheritance of abundance because God wants to love us.
It’s time to arise and shine: READ: Joshua 1:1-2 (AMPC). So now arise. It’s the arise and shine – it’s an anointing on us. Arise and shine [take his place], go over this Jordan, you and all this people. We are all going in, you and this people. I’m giving you the land Pastor John prayed at Prayer Connect, he said, “Father, thank You very much, we eat the fat of the land and everything that the Promised Land has, we take it today.” God has said, “I’m giving you the land,” and going back to Abraham and Isaac now; the places and the spaces allotted to us, God has them for us. Parents with children, parents, children, every one of us individually; what places and spaces is God talking about? READ: Joshua 1:1-3 (AMPC).
Listen: Baptism in the Holy Spirit is our blessing, but many people have not put the sole of their foot upon that land, so they don’t have it. Healing is ours, but the soles of our feet must tread on the blessings of the Promised Land that God has given us. It’s not Mom and Dad’s responsibility anymore to understand Kingdom finances. Young people, your foot must tread upon the Promised Land, the promises that God gave you. Your time has come. God is calling you to know that you can walk in these things that belong to you – the Promised Land. These are the spaces and places. There are some in the Johannesburg church who say they are walking according to Bible principles but have not actually tread with the sole of your foot on these blessings. You still have to take that land. Finances, starting with tithes and offerings, baptism of the Holy Spirit, healing, the promises that God has for you. You can’t see someone walking by faith. You can only see the results. I can tell you I walk by faith, I can talk the talk but until I move the mountain, you can’t see if my faith is working.
I am walking with the children: The Lord said to me; I want the children to know, I’m walking with you and you need to understand, you must be able to tell someone what God says in the Bible about healing, finances or any other promise. There are grownups here, the Lord said, they did not tread upon that promise. No more! We’ve got Promised Land to take today. God is giving us much more. He is now going to show us places and spaces allotted to us, like never before. And with Pastor John, our spiritual father and fathers like Abraham and sons like Isaac, we are going to take these spaces and these places. But it starts very personally by putting your foot right there and you tread upon that promise and you take it and you go forward with God in the name of Jesus.
In Plans, Purposes and Pursuits of Brother Hagin: He speaks about yesterday is gone….Yesterday is gone and should be forgotten. Satan will oftentimes, as well as friends, remind you of your yesterdays but remember that your yesterdays, all that is wrong, is under the Blood and all that is good and is right, it will be alright for you to recite but walk in the Light and know that your yesterdays are forever gone and today is beautiful. So walk with the Lord and enjoy His blessings for yesterday does not exist.
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