Scripture reference: Numbers 14:1-4 AMPC; Numbers 14:27-30 KJV; Matthew 18:1-4 AMPC; Jeremiah 29:11-14 AMPC; Romans 8:14 NKJV; 1 Samuel 1:11 MSG; Judges 13:9-12 AMPC; Genesis 22:11-12 KJV; Revelation 18:1-3 TPT; 1 John 2:15-17 TPT; Galatians 1:4 NLT; Revelation 18:4 TPT; 2 Corinthians 4:4 AMPC; Genesis 11:3-4 NKJV; Zechariah 4:6 NKJV; Genesis 12:1-2 NKJV; Proverbs 10:22 NKJV; Hebrews 13:7 AMPC; Daniel 1:1-5 NKJV; 2 Kings 24:13-16 NKJV; Proverbs 22:7 NKJV
Praise the Lord, Praise the Lord. Well, Father in the mighty name of Jesus all glory belongs to You. We want to say thank You for all the wonderful and the good things in our lives that we already enjoy because of your goodness. We praise You. Father, in this powerful name of Jesus, thank You for Your anointing here this morning in us and upon every single one of us here today. It is Your burden moving, yoke destroying power to set us free completely, in each and every one of us. Father, I want to say the same here as I pray here, thank You that we receive Your messages that You are bringing to us right now, we receive Your plans, Your purposes for our own lives, for the lives of our children. Lord Jesus, You are the head of the Church, thank You Lord that You always speak straight to us, but You do it because of Your great love, We praise You, Lord, these messages had to do and has to do with Your supernatural increase for every single one of us going through the New Door now. These messages Lord Jesus are Defining Moment messages, we believe it, we receive it, Lord, it is bringing great light and direction to our lives. We ask You today, Father, to touch our hearts because Your Word brings great light and understanding to our lives. Father, I personally ask You that You will anoint me and I will speak with great clarity and boldness Your purposes inspired by the Holy Spirit today, and Father in agreement with everyone here today, may Your anointing rest on this wonderful service. And we all say; amen. You may be seated.
Again I want to say thank you to our worship team. I am going to really try something today, to keep exactly with my notes as in the first session. The reason for that, I am going to recap a little bit today of what Pastor Sharon and Pastor John already said to us, so I want to say to the worship team, thank you. You know the Word that came through the Lord when Pastor Sharon said, we will not be impressed, just blessed, so that we can keep on passing the test, and keep on receiving God’s best. So hallelujah.
But first, but first a big, big welcome to every single one of you here today, it is wonderful to be in the house of the Lord, to come together like this and we are going to have an anointed time with the Holy Spirit here this morning.
Please open your Bibles, I am going to jump into the message straight away. Numbers chapter 14 verse one, I am going to read from the Amplified Bible this morning. Now, very important, Pastor Sharon started to minister in Johannesburg what God gave her; “I will take the little children”, I Will Take the Children then Pastor John asked Pastor Sharon to start to bring those messages here in Witbank too, and we are very very grateful for that.
Like I said, I am going to recap today. Some of you have been away on holiday, long weekend, oh that is great when God has got those things for us, so it is good to catch up today, but most of all, you heard what the Lord said? He wants to rub these messages in, He wants to have these messages taking root in our hearts. I want to share with you too, one of the most important principles in the Word of God, a powerful force of faith. But faith comes by hearing and hearing and hearing the Word of God, Romans 10:17.
So it is an ongoing thing in my and your life. There never comes a point when we say; “Now we know how to live by faith. We know how to do this”. Faith comes by hearing and hearing again, hallelujah.
Numbers 14 verse one, Amplified Bible 1All the congregation cried out with a loud voice and they wept that night, in verse two you can see we are talking about the Isrealites here, 2the Israelites grumbled and deplored their situation, accusing Moses and Aaron to whom the whole congregation said, Would that we had died in Egypt, or that we had died in the wilderness, look at verse three, 3why does the Lord bring us to this land, why does God bring us to this place to fall by the sword, our wifes and little ones will be a prey, is it not better for us to return to Egypt? And verse four, 4and they said to one another, let us choose a captain and return to Egypt (Numbers 14:1-4 AMPC). Now God let the Israelites out of Egypt, out of the world system, out of bondage, and we know the story, He did that miracle after miracle in the lives of the Israelites. Yet the Bible shows here that their hearts were very hardened.
How hard must your heart be to say words like this against God. Joh, I mean, they said God will prey on our little ones. What they actually said is that God does not know how to lead us. What an accusation against God. You know what? In our personal walk and our fellowship with our heavenly Father, our Lord Jesus and Holy Spirit, we’ve got to be very very careful, God is God, He is going to lead us exactly the way He is going to lead us, not the way you think or imagine how God must lead you. We must be very aware of this in our lives.
So these Israelites said; “God is preying on our little ones, we will now return to Egypt.” Egypt, like Pastor Sharon said, is a type of the world in bondage, we will take them back to what we trust, rather than to trust God. Joh.
Please go to verse 27. We are staying in Numbers 14 but now I am going to jump to the Old King James to read from verse 27. What we are going to read here is God’s response. God was very very grieved by their response, let’s see what God has to say about this; 27How long shall I bear with this evil congregation which murmurs against Me? I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel, which they murmur against Me, says God. Not only against Moses and Aaron, look at verse 28Say unto them, “As truly as I live, saith the Lord, as ye have spoken in Mine ears, so will I do to you. 29Your carcasses shall fall in this wilderness; and all who were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, who have murmured against Me, doubtless, you will not go in (Numbers 14:27-29 KJV).
God is very straight here, He says: “You will not go in!” Into what? The promised land. Hear again what God is saying in verse 28 “As truly as I live, saith the Lord, as ye have spoken in Mine ears, God always hears what you are speaking in your heart, what you are saying in your heart, what you are saying to your husband, what you are saying to your wife, what you are saying to one another, God hears what we are saying.
What did God really say to the Israelites? He said “Parents, adults, your carcasses are going to fall into the wilderness, you are not going to go into the promised land” and it happened really like that. God says “My great love for you” this is what He is saying to people, not only in their day but in our day. You know of loved ones, you even know about your own life, God says “for years I am reaching out to you, for years I am showing My love to you, and I show you what I did for you, how I helped you, how when you cried out to me, I come to help you, but you did not want to believe.” So all those 20 years old and up will die in the wilderness but God says; “Your little ones which you have said I will prey upon them” and you have said, “let’s choose another captain then we go back to Egypt”, to the world system, God says “I will take the children, I will take the children.”
So, where do we find ourselves here today, all of us? Please go to Matthew chapter 18 verse one, and let me show you where we find ourselves, every single one. I am now talking to the big, little children and I am talking to the little, little children here today. Matthew chapter 18 verse one Amplified, and listen, like Pastor Sharon has said last Sunday, these are all part of our key scriptures, it is so important because God wants to rub all these key scriptures into our hearts that it may grow a root in our hearts to bear much fruit.
Let’s read from verse one. 1At that time the disciples came up and asked Jesus, Who then is (really) the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? Joh people, what an arrogant question to ask for disciples. It is a carnal worldly question. “Whose children are the best?” Like Pastor Sharon shared with us, “Who has got the biggest church?” “Who has got the most money?” Look what Jesus said in verse two; 2And He called a little child to Himself and put him in the midst of them, 3And said, Truly I say to you, unless you repent (change, turn about) and become like little children, How is that? Trusting God always (trusting, lowly, loving, forgiving) you can never enter into the kingdom of heaven (at all). And we are going to look at that today, but here is our answer, verse four; 4Whoever will humble himself and become like this little child (trusting, lowly, loving, forgiving), humbling themselves, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 18:1-4 AMPC).
So God is saying to all of us; “I will take the children, the big little children.” Parents, that is you, it is all the adults here today, but only if we will repent, only if we will turn around and humble ourselves and God will take the little children, He said so. But here is the qualifier. Those who have ears today, if we have ears to hear what Jesus is saying to the church, and that is all of us here today. I know I don’t have time for that, I have really prayed that there might be time, but Pastor Sharon and Pastor John already ministered powerfully on what I have just mentioned. Those who have ears to hear what Jesus is saying to the churches, Jesus is the head of the church and we know in the book of Revelation, that Jesus is speaking to the seven churches. Why is He speaking to the seven churches? He is doing that like what He is talking to our church and every other church of His out there. What is He doing? He said to those seven churches “This thing you are doing very good, that thing you are doing very well, but this I have against you, I bring correction here and I bring correction here and I need to tell you that things are not in order here”. It is very important that our ears are hearing that today.
So There are big decisions to make for the big little children. Parents, from now on, will you trust God with your children? Will you dedicate your children to God? Or, will you determine the way your child should go? Will you decide what your child must become one day? Big question mark especially for the parents here today.
Please go to Jeremiah 29 verse 11 and I am going to read from the Amplified Bible. Now as we read from Jeremiah 29, I am talking to myself, I am talking to adults, I am talking to parents and to every child here today. There is not one that must think that this doesn’t include me, this is very important. Look what God says about your life and my life and the life of your child. Verse 11God says for I know the thoughts and the plans that I have for you, in the previous session I shared this with the people because it is a wonderful thing when you hear your spiritual father and mother’s voice in your ear. You know I always hear Pastor Sharon on this verse, God knows, He knows the plans He has for you, He knows the plan, He knows the plan, you don’t know the plan, God knows the plan. So praise the Lord, this is a beautiful thing in my life. I always go, I say “Father You know the plan, I don’t know the plan, You know all things, I don’t know all things but You know the plan.” Let’s read the rest.
11For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome. Plans for welfare and peace not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome (Jeremiah 29:11 AMPC). God wants your life call and assignment to have a final outcome the way He planned it. That’s what I desire for my life and I know you desire the same thing; God’s outcome. Now, we are looking for the God outcome every step of the way but we are talking about here, there is not a plan B, there is only a plan A; God’s perfect plan. We want that outcome.
Look at verse 12; 12Then you will call upon Me and you will come and pray to Me. I was going through my notes this morning and the Lord said to me; “This is very serious. Share with the people; you can not know the plan if you don’t talk to God and abide in Him. You cannot know the plan.”
Well people, many years ago, and maybe you are in that place today if you do not know how to talk to God and hear the Holy Spirit speaking to you and His leading. The Lord said, and you know me by now, and I will say it again and again in our wonderful congregation; it’s time to come to Bible School, it’s time to come to Bible School and it’s time to come to prayer connect.
Right now, you can tune in to prayer connect at home but you have to learn to pray. Why? Jesus is at work in Matthew 11 verse 29; do you know what Jesus is saying to you and me? “Come and learn from Me.” It’s not automatically going to fall on you, “Come and learn from Me”, very important. You know we are going to stand before Jesus and then, what are you going to say to Jesus? “Well Jesus, there was a wonderful Bible School right under my nose, but I thought somehow it will just fall on me.” No. We have got powerful choices, we can turn around, repent, change, humble yourself under the mighty hand of God and come and learn from Jesus.
I’m going back to verse 13, Jeremiah 29. Jesus says; 12You will call upon Me, verse 12 but verse 13 says; 13Then you will seek Me, enquire from Me, require Me as a vital necessity and find Me when you search for Me with your whole heart. Not when you keep some of the plan for yourself When you search for Me with your whole heart you’re going to find Me. That is what verse 14 says, look how beautiful; 14I will be found by you (Jeremiah 29:12-13 AMPC). Praise the Lord, this is powerful.
Well people, you’ve got to choose, you have to ask and enquire from God for the plan of your own life, you parent and adult, also for the lives of your children. You can no longer sit here and say you did not know, that God knows the plan and not you; that’s what Jeremiah 29, it makes it beautiful. God says I know the plans. I know you don’t know the plan but the one living inside of you, to come and pray it out, He knows the plan. Also, you can no longer ask, you will remember how powerful last Sunday was. Pastor Sharon said; how can you turn to your child and ask your child what they want to be? Your child, they have not enquired from the Lord. You can no longer ask your child what he or she wants to become because God already has the plan. You don’t have to go to make a plan with the career counsellor, God has got the plan. Praise the Lord. That is powerful.
Then, of course, this is very important because it’s in our becoming. Pastor Sharon said a powerful thing; God said that through these messages, through these messages we are going to become a seeking, inquiring people not only doing your own thing anymore. This is very important to understand.
But now I want to share something important. I also shared this in Johannesburg, but not all of it; I’m going to add one or two things here today. Many Christians apply Bible principles in their lives and that is good. Let me tell you if you are still learning about the ways of God, it’s good. But when you apply Bible principles in your life, it’s not to say that you are really following God and are being led by the Holy Spirit. I was one of those people, I applied Bible principles in my life, but I wasn’t led by the Holy Spirit, many years ago. So then why do I or you do? Then we still go where we want to go and we still do what we want to do.
So, that’s huge to understand. Some people are so happy, “Yeah, but I apply the Word of God.” Yes, It’s a wonderful thing to start to apply the Word of God. I did that many years ago. I knew I’ve got to speak life now and not death anymore, not words of doubt or fear. I’ve learned that I’ve learned about tithing, I’ve learned to come to the house of the Lord and not neglect the assembly of the saints, because then I keep the supply of my spirit away from the church, I started to learn wonderful things like you, sowing and reaping powerful things.
People, you can apply the Word of God in certain areas of your life, but it’s not to say that you are being led by the Holy Spirit. Look at Romans eight, 14, New King James; 14For as many are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God (Romans 8:14 NKJV). You know, I know you do this, as Pastor John is helping us in ministering to us, I get up in the morning, and I do this, I put my hand here on my heart, and I say, “I am a son of God.” Because of, then, another word that Pastor John ministered; John 20, verse 23, I do this in the mornings, “I am a son of God, and I’m being led and directed by the Holy Spirit.” Praise the Lord.
Now I want to say to you, the light of God’s Word is shining in your heart today. I know this, you know, ask me how I know this. Some of you, and the Lord showed me this, some of you are sitting here today and you do apply the Word of God, but there are certain areas in your heart, that you are actually telling God, “Don’t touch that part. I’m not willing for you to touch that part in my heart.” Only you can know today.
You see people when you do that, it actually means Matthew 18, you are not willing to repent and to turn around, and to humble yourself before the Lord. You see God wants to plant you where He wants to plant you, God’s got the plans for your business and for your children and everything, but if there are certain areas in your heart where you say to God; “hands off”, then it means you want to continue exactly the way you want to continue. That means you are not becoming like a little child to repent, to turn around to humble yourself before God. Pastor Sharon said, “What does it mean to humble yourself?” It means to put self down and to put God’s Word first, what do you say in this area? Very, very important.
God is speaking to all of us, and this light is shining. This is important because God is, He said a wonderful thing to me this week. He said to me; “Christi, I want you to become like a little child because I want you to enter in.” So there’s an entering in for every single one of us. What is that entering in? Into the plan? The plan He knows about? There’s an entering in that is very important. Also, one day when we stand before Jesus, Jesus can say to me or to you; “Ya, you entered in, but you entered into your own plan?” Or; “Yes, yes, there was an entering, there’s an entering in, into what I got for you.” That is what we want. Praise the Lord. Please go to one Samuel chapter one, verse 11.
Now, the title of this message, and I want to share. No, thank You, Holy Spirit, I can do this a bit later, the Scripture is coming. Hallelujah.
I cannot preach and recap everything that Pastor Sharon, about this series of messages, has preached. Please go in and listen to those messages once again? Please go and listen. I want to ask you today; are you willing to dedicate your life of your child to God? Or do you want to control their lives? Let’s look at the examples we heard last Sunday, about mothers and fathers who came to the Lord to say; “Lord, I know my child is actually he or she belongs to You” and they came to dedicate the children to God. The first beautiful example here is the example of Hannah. Let’s look at the Message Bible. You can look at the other translations, but the Message Bible is beautiful. Hannah said; Lord, 11 by You giving me a son, I will give him completely unreservedly to You. I will set him apart for a life of holy discipline (1 Samuel 1:11 MSG). Now, there’s much more to say about Hannah, but I want to show you the second example.
The parents of Samson. Wow. Let’s look at what happened in the decision making of the parents of Samson. Please go to Judges 13 verse nine, also the Amplified Bible. 9And God listened to the voice of Manoah. And the angel of God came again to the woman, as she sat in the field, but Manoah, her husband was not with her. 10And the woman ran in haste, and told her husband and said to him, “Behold, the Man who came to me the other day, that appeared to me.” 11And Manoah arose and went after his wife and came to the Man and said to him; “Are you the Man who spoke to this woman, my wife?” And he said; “I am.” (Judges 13:9-11 AMPC).
And then I want to, to emphasize this, look at this question of this father, look at the heart of this father because that is what God wants in a father in a mother’s heart here today, verse 12And Manoah said, Now when your words come true, and you do bless us with this child, how shall we manage this child? And what is he or she to be? (Judges 13:9-11 AMPC). What a question for a father and a mother to ask about the plan that God has for their child’s life? Not them, steering them into a direction, that’s not God?
Please go to Genesis chapter 22, verse 11. Let’s look at the powerful example of Abraham Old King James. Abraham did not withhold his child from God. Many parents do, many parents do. Look at Genesis 22, verse 11, 11 And the angel of the Lord called unto him out of heaven, and said, “Abraham, Abraham!”, and he said, “Here I am.” And he said, “Lay not your hand upon the lad, neither do thou anything unto him; for now, I know, God wants to know this from you and me. For now, I know that you fear God, seeing that you did not withhold your son, your only son, from Me (Genesis 22:11) just a quick recap about a few parents who dedicated their children to the Lord. Please go and listen to the previous messages.
Also, Jesus was dedicated in the temple. So, parents, you’ve got a choice here; if you want to dedicate your child to our Heavenly Father, Jesus, and Holy Spirit. There’s an opportunity that now opens here for mothers and fathers to do what? To repent, and to make a decision like Hannah. Oh, listen to these powerful words, Lord, I will, I will dedicate unreservedly, I will not keep something back about my child, I will, I will dedicate my child to the Lord, without fear. Without fear. Why? What did the Israelites say? Well, God can not take care of our little ones, He is going to prey on them? Let’s take them back. That was no trust in God. Please go to Revelations 18 this morning, verse one. This time, I’m going to read from The Passion Translation. Revelations 18.
Now, people, before we read it, parents, this is very important. I’m actually, this is a this thing is so wonderful in my heart because I see families here, parents, if you have missed it, with your children, even when they are 30, 40 or 50 years old, you can repent. If you were not in that place where you had this light, and revelation from the Lord. You can repent today to say, Lord, I dedicate my children, it doesn’t matter if they are 50 years old, you know what’s going to happen? God’s going to get them, God’s going to take them. Because many of you here today, no children, some of them are not in the places where they should be. So if you come and you become like a little child, it doesn’t matter how old you are. What an opportunity to hear the gospel, the good news. If you have a child that’s in a place where he or she must not be, this is just a moment the cleansing flood of the blood, the cleansing flood of the blood, Jesus Forgive me, I did not know this then
but now I repent and I dedicate my child to you, and God says, “I will take him. I will take her.” This is, this is a wonderful thing in my heart for us as a people with the Lord right now. Then also to recap we have got to go there today. Very, very important aspect of this message, that God is saving us as a people, is to come out of Babylon, the world system, come out of Egypt, come out of Sodom and Gomorrah. Let’s read Revelations (or Revelation not an s there) 18 verse one, 1After these things, I saw another angel coming from the heavenly realm with great authority, and the earth was flooded with the brilliance of his splendour. Verse 2 says; 2He shouted out with a thunderous voice: “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a demonic dwelling place, a prison for every unclean spirit, unclean bird, and every unclean, detestable beast” (Revelation 18:1-2 TPT).
Look at verse 3, there is much to say about verse 3 here, 3All the nations have drunk of the wine of her immoral passion, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and merchants of the earth, that’s businessmen, businesswomen, even Christians people, you must understand this today, have grown wealthy because of her power and luxury.” (Revelation 18:3 TPT). That means they are in the world, they partake of the things of the world. Here is one of our key scriptures, see what Jesus is saying to you and me about the world, one John two verse 15 also the Passion translation. God says; 15Don’t set your affections, the affections of your heart on this world or in loving the things of the world. If God says that it means we can actually love the things of the world and the world system. The love of the Father and the love of the world are incompatible (1 John 2:15 TPT).
Now, this was a big blessing in my life, as I was putting my foot in the message I, now, most of us here today we understand what incompatible means, but by the leading of the Holy Spirit I just went and looked at the word again. Incompatible means to clash. It means something and another thing are not in harmony, that’s good. But I was blessed by this, what the Lord showed to me, incompatible means – not both are true. Not both are true, I said, “Lord.” It means if the one is true the other one is false, the other one is twisted.
So we cannot love the world. We cannot love the world. Now, look at verse 16, back in one John two verse 16, 16For all that the world can offer us and oh boy the world can offer us things. I’m going to show you today. The gratification of our flesh, the allurement of the things of the world, and the obsession with status and importance (1 John 2:16 TPT). People we have been influenced, greatly and we are going to talk about that today. I want to take you back, just when we read that from the Word of God. Back to Matthew 18 verse one, disciples: “Jesus who is the greatest in the Kingdom of God?” The importance of status is in all of our lives. If it crept in there and we have to be honest with ourselves but it did. “Who is the best? That’s not… listen to what the Word of God says, uhm, He says; “None of these things come from the Father but from the world.” So in the plan of God other things comes from God but from the world, these things are coming. Look at verse 17, 17This world and its desires are in the process of passing away, Babylon is falling, Babylon is falling, it is passing away. But those who love to do the will of God live will forever (1 John 2:16-17 TPT). Hallelujah. Hallelujah.
Please go to Galatians one verse four, there I am going to read from the New Living Translation, also a key scripture to all of us and I want to say to you as I hear the word just like you, the messages and the Word of God I make my confessions I see to it that God hears my response. So, I first want to read to you the scripture and then I will give it to you. 4Jesus gave his life for our sins, just as God our Father planned, in order. Why? Why did God, you see the plan; Jesus part of the plan, why? To rescue you and me from this evil world in which we live (Galatians 1:4 NLT). So you must know God took care of everything in the plan. So, this is what I wanted to share with you, I say to the Lord in the week. “Lord I want to say to You. Thank You for rescuing me. I love that You rescue me. I do not love the World. I love You, and thank You that You rescue me.” Praise the Lord.
So, people, I want to take you back to Revelation 18, I want to read verse four and just finish with that. Very important, 4Then I heard another voice from heaven saying: “My people, come out from her so that you don’t participate in her sins and have no share with her in her plagues (Revelations 18:4 TPT). God is very straight with us here. Now, like Pastor Sharon said, some of you are hearing this for the first time, but God wants our hearts to hear this message and to call His people out. So Pastor Sharon shared, the word Babylon means, it comes from the word Babilim, it means gate of gods, gate of gods.
Now who is the god of this world? Please go to Second Corinthians. You see people, there’s new people in our church today, and if you in church for a long time, I have shared with you faith comes by hearing and hearing. I want you to see it for yourself today, not just because you heard it somewhere but you feed on the Word of God for yourself. Uhm, Babylon, the gate of gods, two Corinthians four, the third verse Amplified; 4For the god of this world, we know it’s Satan, the god of this world, it means there is a gate of gods and they are working. What are they doing? The god of this world has blinded the unbelievers’ minds [that they should not discern the truth], they are actively at work. Preventing them from seeing the illuminating light of the Gospel (2 Corinthians 4:4 AMPC). This gate of gods is actively at work in this fallen system but a very active system of Babylon. So, that’s very important for us to understand here today.
Please go to Genesis 11 so long in your Bibles. God is bringing us these messages and my focus here today that God has placed on my heart, I have shared not exactly the same message, but I want to… in Johannesburg, I’m going to share actually a little bit more. I shared in Joburg two of the examples and patterns that God showed me, for you and me just to have a glimpse to see how this Babylon looks and how it works and what it is doing.
So, God wants us to recognise that. Then the more important thing here today; God wants us to recognise how impacted, how influenced, and how imprinted we already are because of living in the world system out there. Pastor Sharon shared Babylon is an environment, the actual Babylon that we start to read about in the Word of God was the capital city of Babylonia. Perseus, great King Cyrus the Great, conquered Babylon in 539. Now it was a city devoted to materialism and sensual pleasure, that means everything I wanted to do, how I wanted to do and I’m after money – very important to see.
This environment is wicked, Pastor Sharon gave us that definition, but again I want you to understand today. You are not going to come to church and sit in church and read your Word and God talks about wicked ways and you think that is not pertaining to me. People, wicked means twisted, that’s why like Pastor Sharon said, you get the word wicker like in furniture. Twisted, they twist it and you get beautiful furniture. It is to twist what God originally said, even if you just twist something a little bit it is still twisted – very important.
Many Christian are offended when God talks to them about their wicked ways because they twist some things of God just to justify what they want. I did it. I had to repent. I must be very careful how the light is shining in my own heart when God is bringing messages to me and where I have to go all-in for God. Being a disciple and laying down self, like, Pastor John ministered so powerfully where I have to say, “Lord where am I twisting things just because I like what I am doing?” People, this is very important, it’s only in these moments when the light is shining when we are without Heavenly Father because Jesus opened the way for us and the Holy Spirit is here with every single one of us.
Wickedness in the world always brings about the oppression of God’s people. Yoh, because this world system has no regard for God’s Word, God Himself, and for His people. It is evil, Pastor Sharon shared with us and yoh, how it touched my heart and it’s just true we know it it’s not nice to hear. This would system despises God, our Heavenly Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. The same world system that hated Jesus in His day, still hates Jesus today. You know out there, they will use many names, but don’t use the Name of Jesus, we will even take that out of schools. We will use and that’s what the world does, the world system, they use the Name of Jesus as a curse word in movies. They hate Jesus, His Word, His people, and His Church still today.
So, I’m glad you have opened your Bibles to Genesis 11. I’m going to show you here today one of the first patterns and examples where you have to see how Babylon works, what Babylon wants the world system and how they go about things, and look again at how it influenced you in your own life. Genesis 11, the third verse, here they are building the tower, 3Then they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They had brick for stone, and they had asphalt for mortar. 4And they said, “Come, now while we are reading it I want you to see two things what they wanted. What Babylon and the people in the system wanted for themselves. Two things. They said, “Come, let us build ourselves let’s make for ourselves a tower whose top is in the heavens; and a city let, and here is the second one. So the first one is let’s make for ourselves. The second one and the thing that the world system want and people in the world system want. They say Let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.” (Genesis 11:3-4 NKJV).
So like many people today they started without enquiring from the Lord, let us make for ourselves. People be honest here today, how are you going about business? Any area of your life? Do you just make the plans, go ahead make for myself? Also, we look at Babylon but here is the light shining on us. Isn’t that what we are doing? Starting to build for ourselves and along the way asking God to help us? Really in our hearts, Babylon has influenced us. Lord, I want to build for myself and I want a name for myself. We’ve got to be very honest with the Lord, like Pastor John said, if we want to walk by faith. They wanted to make for themselves, but Zechariah four verse six says; 6‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the Lord (Zechariah 4:6 NKJV). Not all on your own, I shared with the previous group, I do this often I say this, “‘Not by might nor by power, and nor by Christi but by the Spirit.” I don’t have it, it is His anointing, it’s His wisdom, it’s His love and it is His plan. So, that is very important, please go to Genesis 12. So people the two things that I wanted to show you that they wanted, they wanted to build for themselves, people do want to go forward and make things for themselves, and then they want to make a name for themselves.
I’m sharing this the way God gave it to me. The Lord said this to me; “What the men of Babel vainly sought was the very thing God actually wanted to give them.” Can that really be? You mean if we don’t grab the opportunities in the world system to make it mine and greedy and grab the opportunities. You want to say that God has these things for me? Oh yes, let me show you in Abraham’s life. The Bible says that Abraham received the very two things because he was willing to lay his life down to follow the plan of God, he received these two things.
Look at Genesis 12. 1Now the Lord had said to Abraham: Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation. Now in the next sentence, you will see that in the sentence Abraham was receiving both. Look at this. 2I will bless you, and I am going to explain it to you. Here is all the things that Abraham could do with God plus the wealth Abraham received from God. Look at the next few words. And God says, “I will make your name great.” (Genesis 12:1-2 NKJV). In Babylon, they said, “I want to make my name great all by myself. I want to build an empire that people can remember me as this great person in the earth.” Abraham received both.
Now please go to Proverbs ten, 22. We must put something in order here. Proverbs ten, 22, New King James. People you will remember that I read to you in Revelation 18 that God says certain men and women did business with the world system and God says, “Come out.” They were after the wealth and the luxuries in the world. Now Satan will come to you and say, “You see, God does not want you to have wealth.” That’s not true. That’s not the Word of God. It’s how you get it, it’s from whom it’s coming.
So if you go into the world system to get it for yourself you are participating in the gate of gods. Let’s see what the word of God says. Does He want you and me to be wealthy, and we’re going to talk about this, this is important. Proverbs ten, 22, The blessing of the Lord makes rich, and He adds no sorrow. (Proverbs 10:22 NKJV). Does your Bible say this? Does your Bible say your salary makes you rich? No, it says the blessing of the Lord makes rich, and it adds no sorrow. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord.
I want to share this with you, just in this week; that’s what I wanted to mention a bit earlier on. Something came out of my spirit. The Lord said to me, “Christi, you know I taught you and everyone in this church to put your foot in the message.” He said to me, “My message, it’s so directly from My heart, put your foot in the title.” I said, “Lord?” He says, “You see Christi, there’s an entering in, there’s an entering into the plan that I’ve got for you.”
So remember God says, I take the children, the big little children, the small little children. So there’s a taking, there’s a taking in.” I said to the Lord, “Lord, You are so great.” You see I pray for my life, I pray for you and I say to the Lord, “Oh Lord, You are taking us. You are taking us into the next business deal, You are taking us into the next opportunity, You are taking us into the next revelation, but You are taking us.”
One morning when I was spraying with the staff here today the Lord said to me, “In this taking, the blessing is making. In this taking, the blessing is making.”
Now, look at Proverbs ten verse 22 again. The Lord stopped me there this week. I’m standing on the Word of God and I was quoting this and I said, “Lord, I’m not knowing where I’m going but I am blessed by You and You are taking me there.” The Lord said to me, “Christi, look at My Word,” and then the Lord said, “The blessing of the Lord makes.” He said to me, “Pause there.” He says, “I want you to see it today, the blessing of the Lord makes, the next opportunity, the next step, bringing you into divine alignment. The blessing makes. And that’s when I started to pray. The Lord said to me, “In this taking, the blessing is making.”
God is just so good. That’s what happened with Abraham. Go from this place, not knowing where he was going, Hebrews 11. The Amplified Bible says he did not trouble his mind. So, people, you don’t have to depend on what’s happening in the world for opportunities, the blessing is making, the blessing of the Lord is upon us. It’s not your salary that makes rich, it’s you laying down self to walk with God.
Please go to Hebrews chapter 13. I want to say this to you, two things that happened with Abraham. He was successful in the very thing that the people of Babylon wanted, but in contrast Abraham to those in Babylon, and this is important, he did not try to build anything for himself people. He laid down self. Now, I want to share here by the leading of Holy Spirit like I did in Johannesburg. It is so wonderful to read what Abraham did, but we’ve got a living example here in our lives – Pastor John. A living example of someone who’s not trying to build for himself. Hebrews 13, I want to show you here; it’s wonderful to look at the life of a person in front of you, how they live, how they obey God, how they interact with people, how they make decisions, all of those things. God has that for us in our spiritual leaders and also the elders and the believers around us. Verse seven says, 7Remember your leaders and superiors in authority [for it was they] who brought to you the Word of God. Observe attentively and consider their manner of living (the outcome of their well-spent lives) (Hebrews 13:7 AMPC).
You see people, Pastor John ministered on this on the day when Jesus went back to our heavenly Father, He gave gifts unto gifts, and what a wonderful gift have we received from God. Praise the Lord.
So, many people here today are coming a long way with Pastor John and Pastor Sharon and one thing that we have witnessed that is really a very, very beautiful thing is we have witnessed that Pastor John never tried to build for himself. I want to say to you that he had very big opportunities in South Africa, and in America, but Pastor John laid down his own self-will and his platform to be led by the Holy Spirit and to allow Jesus to build in this place and it’s a privilege to have a spiritual leader like that.
Abraham’s goal in his life was to have a place in which God was building and not men. Because his focus was on God instead of trying to make things happen for himself Abraham became a blessing to every family on the face of the earth. Here we sit with him as our father of faith. The very same thing is true about Pastor John. Twenty years, this October, faithful. Look how we sit here, families today, touched by his gift. Praise the Lord.
I can say to you today, I know, I know your beautiful lives, and this is true for me today, my own natural family that have come into the spiritual family that God has for us. I’m grateful. Twenty years ago when Pastor John obeyed the Lord. You know how the Holy Spirit gave it to me this morning. This is really true, I remember, it’s when we came from Pretoria to be planted here. I remember how many people said that Pastor John will not last two years. They said this guy coming from Johannesburg, he will quit, he will not last. People, it was October right now the first. It’s twenty years for Pastor John and Sharon in Witbank, and this is a beautiful, beautiful picture of a faithful shepherd. When the tough gets going he did not leave, he’s still here today. A wonderful spiritual father and Pastor Sharon, a spiritual mother in our lives and we have like Abraham in his day, we have a living example.
So now I want to take you to Daniel chapter one. I want to show you this second pattern, the second pattern in God’s Word of how Babylon, the world system works. Please, it’s just a glimpse, it’s just a glimpse to see how Babylon is working. Daniel chapter one. Before I read it, I need to say to you because this is what we are talking about and this is what we are reading here in the book of Daniel. In the world, it’s all about competition for elite jobs. Going to university to study for something, for most people it is a must. Then you have to keep improving yourself in this world system. You have to go on extra courses the world system out there demands a certain way for you to act in it and to be part of it. More and more competition in the workplace is a necessity in Babylon and all of us, we’re going to see it this morning, have been greatly impacted by this.
Let’s read Daniel one. In the third verse, I’m reading from the New Living Translation. 3In the third year of the reign of the king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. 2And the Lord gave the king of Judah into his hand, with some of the articles of the house of God, which he carried into the land of Shinar to the house of his god; and he brought the articles into the treasure house of his god. Can you see the gate of gods? Babylon comes to take, to take to the god, this gate that is full of gods. This is what Babylon does, it comes to take to his god. And he brought the articles into the treasure house. Once again into the gate of gods. Look at the third verse. 3Then the king instructed Ashpenaz, the master of his eunuchs, to bring some of the children of Isreal and some of the king’s descendants and some of the nobles, You must see something here, and we’re going to see it here in verse four. Babylon is coming for the best. He’s coming for the best, the nobles. Verse four, 4Young men in whom there was no blemish, but good-looking, gifted in all wisdom, possessing knowledge and quick to understand, who had the ability to serve in the king’s palace, and whom they might teach the language and literature of the Chaldeans. 5And the king appointed to them I’m going to show you now how sneaky the Babylonian system is. Look what the king does. And the king appointed to them a daily provision of the king’s delicacies and of the wine which he drank, and three years of training and that’s why I said to you people Babylon the world system is not going to leave you alone. They are going to demand more and more from you. Years of training for them, so that at the end of that time they might serve before the king (Daniel 1:1-5 NKJV).
Now you can see how Babylon, the king ordered his people to bring the children, then the nobles, the fighting men and women, the artisans, he’s taking the skill and all those who can contribute to the strong mighty system. The children, Babylon come to take the children from their parents. We’re so impacted by this. At some point, parents give their children away to go to places because of the opportunities that the world is luring them in and they take the children from their parents. Why? To serve Babylon.
The king took them away to train them for the employment under him. Now, people, these are the things that are so imprinted and already influencing you and me. We can only be honest here with God today as God is saying to all of us, “Come out of her.” How must you and me come out of this because it is unique to all of us? Look at verse 5 again. 5And the king appointed to them a daily provision of the king’s delicacies and of the wine which he drank, and three years of training for them, so that that at the end of that time they might serve the king of Babylon (Daniel 1:5 NKJV).
People want their children to go for the elite jobs of the world. Why? God wants you to see it. Listen to this, the king treated them honourable. Honourable, why? Making their captivity easy. You see you are slaving in in Babylon in the workplace. I will give you benefits. There’s things for you because you did not choose God’s plan. You went for what the world was showing you, so this king makes their captivity easy because he now owns the work of their hands and not God. This is huge just to have a glimpse here into how Babylon works and how Babylon operates today.
Pastor John used the word that helps all of us so much. He says, “Where you are sitting right now, your business brain and your parent brain”, it is difficult for you because you have already been impacted, the way you have been trained in the world system. So, I want to say this here today people, this actually happened with me. I am one of five children and my mom and dad, I am so glad they wanted the best for us but I went to study and it is just how my life went at the end of my fourth year, the Lord said to me, “I did not want you to study this.” So, I knew that at that stage of my life and especially when I was in matric, I did not know the Word of God well enough to ask God and to pray in the right way. Now God was talking to me I was not spiritually developed to hear His leading. So at the end of my fourth year, He said to me, “This is not what I want you to do.” So, what happened in my life. I had to repent, turn around and with Jeremiah 29 seek God what do You have for my life?
This is very important for many of you that is sitting here today. Now bottom line I know where your thinking is, does that mean that no man, no woman, no child will ever go study? Not at all. The big thing here is, what did God say? You see if God do and He does want you to have a specific skill you are going to study. But it will be in the way how God will lead you especially with that system out there. So, I am not saying here today that God will never ever this thing is not the way it must go. Jeremiah 29, “What do You say, Lord?” I’ve got to enquire from You. So please you have got to understand this today in the right light. It is all about, what does God, what is His plan for my life? So please go to second Kings 24, and I am going to end with this today.
People, I have shared this part of Daniel living in the Babylonian system with you today because many Christians are looking and planning to have their children having those elite jobs and once Christians have it, they work very hard in Babylon because you have to keep up to perform for the system of Babylon. You have to keep on advancing because the king will see to it that you get a few more years of training because he wants the best to serve him.
Pastor John said, “There is a contest of light versus darkness.” Satan comes with his great deception and his lies and his fear. Parents where you are sitting here today. Don’t let Satan lie to you, it is the blessing of the Lord that makes rich. You have to go and enquire from the Lord, “What do You say for this little boy and this little girl’s life? What do You say?” There is no fear, there is no fear here, God will, like Abraham give you both things. He will give you what your life call and assignment and He will make your name great. In the things that God has called you. Don’t let Satan come and say but if my child is not going to go this way, how on earth will they make a living? Get something to put behind your name to fall back on? Just in case God’s plan does not work?
How is that? Joh, people we’ve got an opportunity to repent. We’ve got a huge opportunity to repent here today to say, “But Lord, we see, we see the light, you are our Heavenly Father, and You’ve got Plan A everything is provided in that plan. You’ve got everything for us.”
Before we read second Kings, you will remember when I started out, and now this is the last part. Pastor Sharon shared with us Babylon conquers spiritually, and literally has spiritual warfare was the one true God is expressed in her earthly actions of making war on God, directly against His people and directly against the house of the Lord. So, in Second Kings, I want to show you this is the third example, how Babylon comes to plunder the house of the Lord, the house of the Lord.
Second Kings 24 verse 13. 13And he carried out from there all the treasures of the house of the LORD, this is talking about Nebuchadnezzar. And the treasures of the King’s House. And he cut in pieces all the articles of gold, which Solomon king of Israel had made in the temple of the LORD, as the LORD had said. Verse 14, 14Also he carried into captivity, all Jerusalem: Listen to this, all the captains and all the mighty men of valour, ten thousand captives and all the craftsmen and smith. Skilled people. We see here again the best is in the house of the Lord.
I said this earlier this morning, people who live for themselves guys and girls, men and women out there when they want to party and do the things of their lives until they get to a point and I’m saying this with a smile here today. Then we know the saying when they come to a point where they want to marry someone, their mums and dads will tell them you don’t go and get a girl in the bar. Go and get yourself a church girl. Now I do say it with a smile, but people we know that’s true out there in the world. When I’m serious, I want the good stuff. I come to the house of the Lord, to get the good stuff. I don’t want the hooligans out there that’s living for themselves. Babylon is after the good stuff. Just with a smile to share that with you.
Now, listen to the next sentence. So, we came to take everything away. None remained except the poorest people of the land. Verse 15. 15And he carried them (Jehoiachin) captive to Babylon. The king’s mother, the king’s wives, his officers. Look at this, the mighty of the land he carried into captivity Jerusalem to Babylon. Verse 16, 16All the valiant men, seven thousand, and craftsmen and smiths, one thousand, all who were strong and fit for war, these the king of Babylon brought into captivity. Because he brought them to Babylon (2 Kings 24:13-16 NKJV).
So, first of all, this scripture, I just have to share this with you is the fulfilment of a prophecy that’s been given a long time before it came to pass, Nebuchadnezzar did not know he was fulfilling the Word of the Lord when he invaded Judah and Jerusalem. Once he invaded Jerusalem, the first thing the king of Babylon did, was to invade the temple, the house of the Lord, and take all the treasures from the Temple of the Lord, immediately targeting the wealth, resources of the people and material resources. When it comes to take the best kits, the best talents, and the money out of the house of the Lord.
The devil does not mind the church to be anointed and powerful as long as the church do not have wealth. Because if the church have money, they will print Bibles, they will preach the gospel, many will get saved, they will build hospitals and actually when they have money, when they have the blessing of the Lord like Abraham, they will conquer the earth for the kingdom of heaven. So that’s why Babylon comes to steal, and destroy and to take from the house of the Lord. So, people, Nebuchadnezzar made sure only the poorest of the poor people in the land will be left behind. Babylon does not fear the poor. Why? Proverbs 22 verse seven, read what the Bible says, 7The rich rules over the poor. That’s what the Word says. And the borrower is the servant to the lender (Proverbs 22:7).
It’s very, very powerful. That’s, that’s how the world system, the gate of gods is working against the house of the Lord, the children of the Lord, to take the things for himself. God wants the church to arrive in every area of our lives. Why does God want us blessed and wealthy? Well, people the powerful story of the Good Samaritan in the Bible, where it comes to this man who was injured? If that man had no wealth, we know the Bible says he has, he put him on a donkey. And he took him to an in a hospital. He had a donkey, he had a car, he had money to pay for that man to be in hospital. How do we want to touch the world without money, and again, not money, the way the world sees money; the blessing of the Lord, being led by the plan of God, God’s plan.
So, people, when when, you are blessed by the Lord, in His plan, you call the shots in the earth. Satan does it like that. So, Babylon comes to take the manpower, the money, everything out of the house of the Lord, to use it for himself. We saw that Babylon likes the poorest of the poor, to remain in the church because when the poor speak, they speak, they do not influence anything.
So, this is a glimpse today, it’s only a glimpse, God says, “Come and seek My plan for your life for your little one, only My plans, and you will find Me says God.” He says, “When you walk like Abraham, the blessing of the Lord makes rich, I have the plans.” The blessing makes the next step, the next opportunity. God leads you every step of the way. It is powerful, it is powerful. What remains? That we should repent like Pastor Sharon said. I’m so glad for one John one, nine, that I can come to the Lord and freely admit, when I’ve sinned, because one John one, seven says the cleansing flood of the blood and therefore there is now no condemnation, no condemnation, Lord I’ve missed that, I did not know this, but here I come to You, and You have my heart. I dedicate my child, I come to seek You and to abide in You every single day, hear what You are saying, because I know it’s the blessing that makes rich the empowerment. Blessing means that God empowers us every single day. Praise the Lord for His great light.
Also, I want to share with you in closing, Dr Jerry, something that I’ve enjoyed about him for years. He used to say this especially in the beginning, he says, “Well, God is a straight talker”, like He is with us. And we like that God is a straight talker. And then Dr. Jerry said this, “everything begins with a decision.” That’s true. “Everything begins with a decision. If it’s to be, then it’s up to me.”
This is where we are standing today to make wonderful… repent, change and turn so that God can direct and lead. There is a bringing in, there is a bringing in. As you are sitting there, let’s pray.
Father, we love You and we love Your Word. We do love that You are a straight talker. Thank You for Your very great love that we believe and we receive this morning, that You do not keep us in the place where we are. Thank You, Father, this Word that we received in all of these messages, Lord, brings light and understanding. And we say to You as a people today we love being rescued because You know how to. Thank You for Your love. Thank You for Your anointing. And as we go from this place, Lord, Your blessing. Your blessing is upon us, Lord, it’s empowering us to prosper every single day. Thank You, Lord, and Holy Spirit, thank You for Your great grace. It’s not for one of us here today. It’s not by our attempt, not because we try, but it’s by the Spirit. We love You, Father, we love You. And in the name of Jesus, Jesus, we want to say thank You that You open this way for us that we can come boldly to our Heavenly Father, boldly to hear the plan, boldly to speak to Him, boldly to come in faith because You Holy Spirit, You are the orchestrator and so wonderfully in our lives, the Helper, the Helper, and You truly, truly teach us all things. We love You Lord and we all say; Amen.
So wonderful to see you. And have a wonderful Sunday afternoon. See you soon again in Bible School. See you at Prayer Connect, even if it’s on the airwaves. Have a blessed afternoon and week in the name of Jesus.
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