#252: Rule and Reign

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Thanks for listening to the Revival Tivic Podcast. To stay connected, check us out on Facebook and Instagram or online at RevivalTivic.com. Now, here's Adventist Adult.

SPEAKER_02 0:16

Why don't we lift our hands in this place? Father, in the mighty name of Jesus, I thank you for your presence that's already saturated this place. And I thank you that lives will be changed and transformed here tonight. I thank you, Father, that in your presence there is fullness of joy and at your right hand, pleasures, not pressures. So any type of pressure, Father, I come against it now. Every heavy burden that these ladies carry, in the mighty name of Jesus, that heavy yoke is destroyed, and in its place, a burden that is easy and light. Father, thank you for restoring our faith, for restoring our joy, for restoring our peace here tonight, in the mighty name of Jesus. And all God's women said. Amen. Why don't you turn to your neighbor and say, you rule and reign, baby girl. But I'm I I was standing there. And you know, it's really tough to kind of like I there's a lot on my plate, there's a lot I've got to manage, and at times I'm here, I'm there. And so I'm standing in this place and I'm looking up and I'm listening to you, listening to you guys worship, and you know, I'm looking at the team of all women um worshipers on stage, and I'm just thinking of myself, this church is outstanding. And I'm thinking of myself, whose church is this? And I have to pinch myself because this is our church. Turn to your neighbor and say, You belong here. I'll tell you what, I was just out, I was just overwhelmed with gratitude just standing there tonight and looking around at all of the wonderful things God has done. And I'm so thankful for the pastors of this house because you can only do so much. One of the things that I've learned in my life is that God can take you to places you've never dreamed of, but it's gonna take help. Uh-oh. And so if your dream is big, then we've gotta be able to trust other people and to allow them to help us, okay? And so that's for all of you guys who think I don't need no man and I'm this and I'm that, and I don't need no help, I hold it down. No, you're not gonna be able to do that. I need a man, his name is Jesus. What I wanna know is who did the video appear and why y'all took my title, the title for today. Because what does that title say? To rule and rain. So as I'm looking at that thing, I'm like, rule and rain? Who told them that? They must have just on the airplane here. This is what we were stuck in the airport um since 9:30 in the morning. We're supposed to take off at 11:40, and then they kept delaying, kept delaying, and then we finally get here, and it's about four o'clock, so I'm like, praise God, this is gonna be great. And they're like, hey, unfortunately, the air traffic controllers in DFW are ignorant. I want to say another word, but I'm not gonna. So, you know, so he's like, unfortunately, we're gonna be around here for 20 minutes, we're gonna be circling the air, and uh, I'll give you a heads up. So 20 minutes comes and goes, 30 minutes comes and goes, and then he gets back on and uh he says, Good news, we're gonna land in an hour. So, I mean, do you know how terrible it is to think you're somewhere and you gotta be on that plane for another hour? But the Lord helped me because during this time I was creating this message, and the title of it today is To Rule and to Reign. Um, I also just want to say that the pilot of that aircraft was the most unbelievably good-looking man I ever did see. He was just standing by the cockpit, and I looked at him like, what? And I just like, I was like so upset. I'm like, that can't be real. So for you who are flying there, if you're watching, I know you're not. Wow. Anyway, um, so I've titled this Rule and Reign. So, how many of you guys follow our ministry uh re pretty close? So you understand that uh we've had this partner a thon thing that's happening, and so on one of the um nights or one of the mornings, actually, that Jonathan was um speaking during one of these broadcasts, he started popping off at the mouth about women. Because there was one question that really stirred him up, and so I know when to be quiet. So I'm taking a seat back and I'm just letting him vent, you know, and so he's turning to all kinds of scripture because this one lady was asking a question, and what you have to understand about my husband, and I've understood this well um in the beginning of our our marriage, is that when he starts popping off at the mouth and he's irritated about certain things, it's not done in the flesh, it's a spiritual thing. And so I I have all in the beginning, sorry, my leg's itchy. I bet you it's a mosquito. Um so what was I saying? Yeah, so he's popping off at the mouth. So what I've understood to be true is that in the beginning of our marriage, he would like say certain things. Like one of the very first churches we ever went to was, I'm not gonna mention the name, Trinity Assembly of God in Huntington, Pennsylvania. And so what happened there is I'm in my 20s. I was 21 when I got married, okay? So I'm just like taking um Steve Tyler's um advice. Fake it till you make it, you know? And so I'm like, oh, hello, sisters, because I didn't know my place. Oh, hello, God bless you. And I'm I'm I'm going to my seat, nobody greets me, which I thought was strange. I don't like it. Maybe they're just intimidated by my crazy good looks. I don't know. Maybe they're in that was it. Maybe they're intimidated because I am the youngest one here by, I don't know, 52 years. So I'm standing there and I'm already sweaty and and insecure. And uh Jonathan goes up and he um takes the mic and he says, everybody, please rise for the uh reading of the word. And so 20% of the church stands up. And I'm looking at the church and I'm like, I don't know what you guys are thinking here today, but y'all better get your behinds up. And so I immediately start to perspirate even more, and uh, I'm standing there and he said, Did you not hear me? I said, Everybody stand for the reading of the word of God, and if you have a problem with that, I'll have ushers, and he like didn't even he excluded himself. I'll have the ushers take you up out of here, and so people are shuffling, you know, and then 92% of the people stand up on their feet, but there were still some people that were sitting, and he said, You want to know the truth? He said, You guys are the ugliest bunch of people I ever did meet. I've traveled many, many years with my family, I've never seen a crowd uglier than you. Turn with me to Proverbs 31. And at this point, I'm this color, the life has gone out of me. I'm dead. And I'm looking up and I'm like, what in the world? And so that was one of my first encounters with Jonathan Shuttlesworth in the ministry. And so after that thing, after that service, I was like, bruh, what is go? You can't do that. This is gonna be a short-lived ministry if you continue to do that, sir. And he said, No, something's wrong with that church. And I said, Whatever, you know, like the the non-submissive person that I was. We'll get into that. And so uh what happened was that that church had gone through six different pastors within six different years. And that pastor that was currently there was voted in and they were about to vote him out. And so there was just a disgruntled, a few 12 people, disgruntled people that didn't want to submit to leadership, and they said, you know what, we could just take it on our own hands, and then we'll just keep shuffling pastors and we'll just keep ruling the church the way we want it done. And so that was the big so now I'm looking at it and I'm like, no wonder he told them they're so ugly. And so one thing after the next started to happen when it came to that. It was like whenever he was like irritated about that, it wasn't something that is fleshly because in in him, I know him enough to know that he just doesn't care. If it was up to him, he'd be playing video games, he'd be playing baseball all dang day. He's done it before. So if something bothers him, I understand that there's something there. And so he, I'm telling you one of those broadcasts, I think it might have been Friday. He was just, it was long and he was going after the women to the point where I said, You got some issues with these women here tonight. And he's like, No, no, no, no, no, it's not like that. So it stood out to me, the things that he was reading, um, because I've read them before, but not in the eyes of a pastor. And so now I'm looking at things and I'm thinking to myself, we've got four campuses, soon to be five. We've got one in Pittsburgh, one in Texas, one in California, Arizona, and now we're about to open one up in September in Ontario, Canada. So now we're we're global, we're international, baby. But one of the things that I've um understood to be true is that there's different cycles and different uh you know patterns that people exude, uh, especially in in the lives of women. And so I I've been to churches uh for a very long time. We are now gonna be, I'm gonna be in full-time ministry in September, 20 years. Yes, I started when I was six. So 20 years. And I'm thinking to myself, my goodness, like there are patterns that we can draw from. We can we can take that and and and start to to paint a bigger picture. What are ways that we can do? What are things that we could do to be better, to to live supernatural lives, to to have encounters with God all the time instead of just uh here and there. What can we do to ready ourselves for this awesome revival that's happening? And God just started to download stuff on the inside of me. And here's the thing these are simple things that we can do, they're not the big things. See, everybody loves revival, everybody loves you know the glitz and the glitter and the glamour and all that stuff, but very little people like what it took to get to that place. The little little steps, because it's not a a leap of faith, even like like people consider it and have said. It's not like we're just gonna like jump off this cliff and and we'll land okay if it's God, and if it's not, we're all gonna die. It's not like that in the life of faith. It's the the the steps of faith. So we start with steps, and then we encounter greatness, we encounter the supernatural. And so here tonight, I want to go through four different things, four different characteristics that a good godly woman should embody. A woman who is strong, a woman who's fierce, who's soft, but but bold and strong, and and I I don't want to say hard because that is like a like uh probably not a negative thing, but if you're hoodie, you're hard. Because that's not a bad thing. It's like, oh, she's hard, it's talura, you know, and it's like it embodies strength, you know? And so what are those things that we can do to vet against being that crazy church lady? Because I don't want y'all to be crazy church ladies, and little do we know we're chewing on things that there's nothing in our mouth, and we're just chewing. We're the ones saving seats for everybody and upset that somebody took their seat. You know what I'm saying? That's my seat. She's a she's she's a crackhead, Martha. She needs Jesus. Let her sit in your seat. Took my parking. I had to park all the way out there. I didn't have a shuttle for me. I think, Pastor Sherry, that music was a little loud, and Brielle was kind of whiny. The drums were just too loud. Can maybe we can get them digital or something. And and we slowly become that woman. And I don't want us ever to become that woman. If you are or that woman, if you are a part of Revival Today Church, we gotta be snatched in a good way. Because shortly we will be snatched up to meet the Lord. So y'all gotta live right, you gotta live holy, you gotta be prepared. And no church of mine is gonna be full of weirdos. A.E. Jonathan's uh grandfather said, the granola Christians, roots, flakes, and nuts. Turn to your neighbor and say, I'm not gonna be granola. Say, I'm gonna be on fire. First Timothy 5.13. This is gonna sound like rebukey, but it's not. We're just like, we're emphasizing this because I need you to see where I'm going here. Uh, first Timothy 5.13. If you could put it on there. Okay, first of all, the graphic, yes. And with all they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house, and not at go back to uh verse 5. We'll start it there so that I can just read this because this is what Jonathan was talking about, okay. Now, she that is a widow indeed and desolate, trust to uh you need to change this version immediately. No, I ain't gonna try. NLT, NKJV, anything but the KJV.

unknown 16:11

There.

SPEAKER_02 16:12

Now, a true widow, a woman who is truly alone in this world, has placed her hope in God. She prays night and day, asking God for his help. But the widow who lives only for pleasures is spiritually dead, even while she lives. Give these instructions to the church so that no one will be open to criticism. But those who won't care for their relatives, especially those in their own household, have denied the true faith, such people are worse than unbelievers. A widow who is put on the list for support must be a woman who is at least 60 years old and was faithful to her husband. She must be well respected by everyone because of the good that she has done. Has she brought up her children well? Has she been kind to strangers and serve other believers humbly? Has she helped those who are in trouble? Has she always been ready to do good? The younger widows should not be on the list. Turn to your neighbor and say, dang! Because their physical desires will overpower their devotion to Christ and they'll want to remarry. Turn to your neighbor and say, Sheesh. Then they would be guilty of breaking their previous pledge. And if they are on the list, they will learn to be lazy and will spend their time gossiping from house to house, meddling in other people's businesses and talking about things they shouldn't. I love this. It's like a soap opera. The young and the restless. Tell me more. So I advise these younger widows to marry again, have children, and take care of their own homes. Then the enemy will not be able to say anything against them. For I am afraid that some of these have already gone astray and now follow Satan. Mercy, Jesus. If a woman who is a believer has relatives who are widows, she must take care of them and not put the responsibility on the church. Then the church can care for the widows who are truly alone. Okay, now I want you to go to Proverbs uh 31, 11. Proverbs 31, 11. Because again, we're gonna take care of all of the stuff that I'm about to talk to so that everybody's in the know. Give me five. She's more precious than rubies. Her husband can trust her, and she will greatly enrich his life. She brings him good and not harm all the days of her life. She finds wool and flax and busily spins it. I don't know what that means. She is like a merchant ship bringing her food from afar. She gets up before dawn to prayer breakfast for her household and plans a day's work for her servant girls. She goes to inspect a field and buys it. With her earnings, she plants a vineyard. She is energetic and strong, a hard worker. She makes sure her dealings are profitable. Her lamp burns late into the night. Her hands are busy spinning thread, her fingers twisting fibers. She extends a helping hand to the poor and opens up her arms to the needy. She has no fear of winter for her households, for everyone has warm clothes. She makes her own bedspreads. She dresses in fine linen and purple gowns. Her husband is well known in the city gates where he sits with the other civic leaders. Jonathan, you're on speaker in front of 400 women. Can you hear me?

SPEAKER_00 20:31

Yeah, I don't have anything important to say.

SPEAKER_02 20:34

Well, you're in the minute. It's 8 30. Why are you calling me when you know I'm preaching?

SPEAKER_01 20:38

I did math wrong. Have a great night. Love you, everyone. I did math wrong.

SPEAKER_02 20:52

Oh, that's great. Her husband is well known at the city gates where he sits with other civic leaders and doesn't know math well. She makes belted linen garments and sashes to sell to the merchants. She's clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without the fear of the future. When she speaks, her words are wise, and she gives instructions with kindness. She carefully watches everything in her household and suffers nothing from laziness. Her children stand and bless her. Her husband praises her. There are many virtuous and capable women in the world, but you surpass them all. Turn to your neighbor and say, You surpass them all. I wrote a book and it's part of our mentorship program. That if you're not a part of, who's a part of our mentorship program? Wave your hands. There's too many of you guys that aren't in that partnership, in that mentorship. But it's a it's a free mentorship program, and uh we go through the book of Proverbs 31, and I actually wrote a book. That is called, you surpass them all. And uh it takes you through what the Proverbs 30 woman is in modern day. And uh we were we were talking about that through the mentorship program, with this in mind that you are created for so much more. You think your capacity is here when God sees a limitless capacity for you. When I look at that woman, I think, oh my goodness, how is she having that much time to be that successful? Surely he's talking about 14 different women there, but he's not. He's talking about one. Turn to your neighbor and say, It's me. It's me. He's talking about me. So, in order for us to rule and reign, the way God has designed us to rule and reign, the number one thing you've got to understand is that a pillar woman, a strong woman, is productive. One of the very first things that God uh reveals about who he is, is that he's a creator, he's a productive being. In fact, after he created Adam and Eve, he said, now go and be fruitful. I've given you a job, I've given you a task. It's time for you to be productive. In the beginning, God what? It was powerful, all sufficient, loving, and wonderful. No, in the beginning, God created. That was one of the first things that He wanted us to get intoxicated with. This reality that God is not idle, He is productive. And when we talk about a woman that is not productive and is idle, we're talking about trouble. It has little to do with talking incessantly, it has everything to do with your lack of purpose, and that's a very dangerous place to be. Because if we want to live on purpose, then there has to be a purpose. If we won't don't want to just be busybodies just talking and causing troubles, and I got some tea here today. Pastor Sherry was wearing white, never seen that before. Which, by the way, you look absolutely amazing, 12 out of 10. But it has to do with your lack of purpose, and every one of us here has a purpose, and you've got to tap into what that purpose is because it's the very thing that will cause you to be strong in the Lord and in the power of his mind. So, what is it? A woman who rules and reigns has an assignment, she serves people, she's constantly developing her gift, and she uses her time very wisely. I'm giving you practical things to not become that crazy woman that we all know. I remember one time at my old church, there was one woman, and I don't know how she got her hair to be this way. Okay, she was a white woman. The the parakeet, the one that has the white. Is it the parakeet? What is it? The cockatoo was the cockatoo. We we low-key, because we were youth, called her the cockatoo. It's like, here comes the cockatoo. And she would just go down like this, like she was old and feeble. And the moment the worship would start playing, this is what I want to avoid completely from our church, okay? Like if you want to dance, if you want to do flag worship, if you want to do whatever you gotta do, do it in the back. Why is everybody gravitate towards the front to do this? And Kakatu had a seat all the way in the back. And she was back here, and we all knew she was coming, okay? And she's again, she's walking like, you know, oh, bendito, like, oh my gosh, you like you feel bad for Kakatu. So she comes in. I'm I kid you not, if Max was here, she would she would tell you. She comes in, and then it would be like, uh, dance unto the Lord a new song, and she started shuffling, dance unto the Lord, and then all of a sudden, Kakatu was like, Oh, hey. Then she took her her her rake, her pretend rake. Dancing to the Lord all the earth, dance unto the Lord a new song. So I'm thinking to myself, what in the world? We didn't have phones back then, unfortunately, because I'd I'd play that video now. And so somebody went, because you know, there's the Ornry teenagers back in the day, and they're like, Miss whoever, I don't even know her name because nobody remembers. And she's like, Miss Cockatoo. Why do you do that? And she's like, because I'm raking all the sins away that people have left on the altar. I said, okay, do your thing, cockatoo. The moral of the story here today is don't be a cockatoo. This woman's had no children, they were out of the house, her husband was obviously staying away from her, she was married, but you start doing some crazy things when you're out of alignment. And so I want you to know in Proverbs uh 31, 27, she ate not the bread of idleness. So this kind of stuff prevents you from going that route, from from from having your mind wander into places that it maybe should have never wandered into. Do you know what I'm saying? I don't read anywhere in the scriptures. Let me look real quick about a pretend rake and us having to rake the sins up off the altar. I don't see that. But then all of a sudden we start we start creating these narratives and these different things, and and there it therein lies the problem. Listen, I've had to do marriage counseling. It's quiet. I've had to sit down and and and and and have to, you know, uh listen to these imaginary scenarios that people make up in their mind. I just, you know, I j he doesn't read poems to me. So I just think it is a oh, you're gonna find somebody to read poems for you? You're gonna soon find out that he's swinging a different way, Macy. Poems to you, that's creepy. I just he just doesn't respect me. He's just not the man of the house like I want him to be, and so I think that's why we need a divorce. Nope. You know, it's like I just really feel like, you know, I could do better, and there's a guy out there that is much more godly and and and could really handle me a lot better than my husband right now because he's just too nice. And then you see the end of that, you know, and it's like, oh, you created that narrative, and then you realize, man, he was actually normal. He was actually really good to me. And I created this false reality in my head, thinking that this was something that was gonna be beneficial, and lo and behold, it wasn't beneficial because I just let my mind wander. I started to compare myself with the fakeness of Instagram. Do you really think that there's a lot of people baking bread every single day? Stop it. You know what I'm saying? Like it's not. They bought that at Win Dixie or whatever, whatever the grocery store is. They purchased that and they're pretending. You know, I've I've seen it. Say, cheese, just just smile, Jared. And they're like, oh, can't stand each other's faces. It's all a facade, it's all pretend. You know, and here we are building our reality, comparing ourselves with them. And the Bible says, comparing yourselves with other people, you become fool fools, you become unwise. That's not a reality. What's a reality? Look in the mirror, that's your reality. You want competition? Look in the mirror, that's who you're competing against. I can do better, you can look better. But we chase after these fake things, and we can't do that. Because then it's just it's it's it's it's a it's a fake, it's a fake life. And so what we can do right now is look at your feet. I have something on my boots. Look at your feet, where you're planted, be thankful to God for where you're at right there. Some of you guys are so worried about you know what's happening and the things that are to come, and there's just disarray. I got three kids, and I've got laundry up the whatever, and I haven't grocery shopped. And it's like, you know what? Why aren't we just thankful for where we're at right now? Thankful that we have the kids in the house. Because for all the moms that have had, you know, graduation this year and we've had to pick you up off the floor, uh, you know, that's gonna be that's gonna be a tough one to have your kids be around all the time and now they're not gonna be around. You know, and then you you look back and you're like, man, we were living the days with our little babies and diapers running around in in our homes. Huh? Some of you are like, I can't wait for that day to come and get them out of here. But it's it's it's it's that song. You're gonna miss this.

SPEAKER_03 32:53

You're gonna want this back. You're gonna wish these days hadn't gone by so fast.

SPEAKER_02 33:03

These are some good times. So take a good look around. You may not know without.

SPEAKER_03 33:16

But you're gonna miss this.

SPEAKER_02 33:19

Thank you. Trace Atkins, call me. But you're gonna miss this. You're gonna miss these this season, and here you are, just as a disgruntled mess. You're gonna look back and say, Man, I missed when the house was dirty. Now everything's immaculate, everything's clean. Who cares? You know, be happy where you're at right now, be content with where you're at right now. Stay productive where you're at right now. That'll help you in the long run. Can you say hallelujah? Number two, she guards her mouth. Turn to your uh neighbor and say, Watch your mouth. Proverbs 18, 31. Turn there with me. Death and life are in the power of what? That's right. And so we have to understand when it comes to gossips and busybodies, we're really good at that. Women in general are, I'm not saying all this, it's just uh, you know, just women, because I've seen some guys too, but most of the time we're dealing with women in this regard because they're loose-lipped, they they they aren't watching their mouths. And I'll tell you, if you want to be a strong woman of God, you've got to identify the things that are coming up out of your mouth. It is such a powerful thing. I know you guys have heard this a lot. The power, the life of the life and death are in the power of your mouth. But do you really realize what that is? That every word that you release is a reality that's being created for you, both good or bad. It's quite literally a brick. Every word that you speak is a brick that's laying a building, a foundation for a room that you'll soon step in. And so, do you like that room? Or is it is it gonna be the Ritz Carlton, or is it gonna be a Las Vegas whorehouse? I may I didn't mean to say whorehouse, it was more like a crack house. But it just came out. Cause like, yuck, man, like what is what are you saying? Because here's the thing like, things can get really difficult. There's gonna be seasons where there's gonna be pushback, there's gonna be seasons where we're gonna, it feels like we're treading through the mud, but what you say matters. So you gotta be on guard with the things that you release because it's the reality that is being created for you. And one of the things that I've learned about quantum physics, am I saying quantum physics? Yes, I am. I've been studying it, so just shut up. Um but it's it's it's this this law that is understood in quantum physics, that everything, the realities that we create are our first intentionalities, things that we have to look for, things that we have to speak out. And that's that's quantum physics. Like they're they're backing what the Bible has to say. And then they they start on um they they did this study about uh you know, they keep cutting the atom, and it's like the most finite thing, and then at the very core of it, what as we keep splitting this atom, what it what creates an atom? And they found that the only thing that creates an atom is what? A vibration. So this it these are all vibrations. There's atoms here, there's atoms here, and what is the core of the existence of a thing? It's a vibration, just like the words that are coming out of my mouth. Those are vibrations. No wonder God spoke and it became. That's a powerful understanding if you tap into it. Because this is the single force behind you moving in the right direction or feeling stuck. So if you're feeling stuck right now, what are the things that you have been releasing? Are they good or they bad? What is it? Because I can tell you right now, your words will either build you up or they're gonna tear you down. They're either gonna build a church or they're gonna damage it. And I want you to know that you are now, if you're part of this church, if you're part of the body of Jesus Christ, you are part of the body. So I can't tell the pinky that it doesn't, it's it's not important. I need my pinky. Look how cute it is with that nail. I can't tell the heart that it's not as important as the brain. Because they both function, they all they both need the the the help of each other, right? So it's it's you have a part to play in this body, and your role is important, and you've got to understand you've got to be at work with the people that are next to you, the people that are sitting by you. So how you speak to them matters. What you're saying behind closed doors matters. What you're saying about Pastor Sherry, what you're saying about Pastor Mike, it matters. Are you damaging your own body? That's what people don't understand. When two become one and you're upset with your husband and you're holding a grudge against him, and you're you're you're saying things that are demeaning and belittling to him, emasculating at times, you're only hurting yourself. And I learned that the hard way. I learned that the hard way because he he would say things, and I was too stupid to understand that this is for my benefit. He's trying to make me better. But I was unwilling to be submissive to Jonathan that first year, and it was rough.

SPEAKER_01 39:13

It was. I ain't even kidding. I'm like, I don't think this is gonna work.

SPEAKER_02 39:20

And all he was saying is like, you can't say circumstances like that. It's not circumstance, uh whatever, however it was that I said it. It's circumstances, and when you become a speaker, you gotta make sure that you say it right so that you don't sound silly. And I'm like, who do you think you are? You're not my dad. And I'd run away like a kid, you know, acting like a child, like an idiot, you know. And I would, I would just be like very um combative with him, and I'd say things that I knew would hurt him, because it's like, you're not better than me. I wanna I wanna, I want it, I want you to come under. We're equals here, and I'm gonna tell you what to do, and I'm gonna tell you things that are gonna hurt. And one time I hurt him, and I said something that really hurt him, and I could see his demeanor change, and I'm like, oh my gosh, he's not steel. There's a flesh heart in there. And I felt really bad. And I went into my room and I was like, gosh, like, if I'm wrong, Lord, like, my bad, you know? And he's like, no, no, that's not how this works. He's like, you're gonna go out there and you're gonna ask him for forgiveness. I said, Who? That's not how we did it in my house. We slammed things in my house. And he's like, No, you're gonna do that because you're out of line. And I thought to myself, dang, this is gonna suck, so I did it. And it was the single-handed thing, it was like the the one thing that changed our marriage is my ability to apologize. I literally, he was on the couch and I got next to him like this, and I was on my knees, just because I'm like slightly dramatic, you know what I'm saying? Like being telenovela, you know? So it wasn't like I was just gonna be like, I'm sorry, I'm just gonna be like super dramatic. And I said, Listen, I'm sorry. And I I I wanna I wanna submit to you. I'm not gonna like take this to my head anymore. I don't wanna hurt you, I don't wanna say things that are gonna damage us because I know and in hurting you, I'm hurting myself. And he's like, I forgive you. And then he paused the game and continue to play. So I'm like, all right, are we good? But never again did I allow myself to say things that would hurt him because it actually hurt me more to see him in that place. I'm like, what am I doing? Why am I trying to be so hard? Why am I trying to be so tough? Why am I trying to be so callous? God sent this man to my life to help me. And if I do it the right way, I'll benefit from it. And let me tell you, I benefit from it. And for the first time in my life, I was able to submit to an individual. We'll get there. Uh, I'm able to submit to an individual, and now life has become easy. It's not difficult. I'm not trying, I'm not straining to figure things out. I just let him lead. And if it doesn't work, it's on you, baby boy. Here's your idea. This is great. And I I I remember thinking to myself, there's power here, there is power in submitting to the man of God in your life, your husband. Your husband. So I was thinking to myself, this is this is where it's at. And so I understood there that it's important to release things that are good, things that are faith-filled. Can you say hallelujah? James 3, 5 and 6. Turn there with me. James 3, 5 and 6. The tongue controls the whole damn thing. In the same way the tongue is a small thing that makes the uh grand speeches, but a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. The tongue is, you'll go back. Oh, is that one? Sorry, and among six, and among all the parts of the body, the tongue is a flame of fire. It's uh a whole world of wickedness corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself. It could set your whole life on fire. You know, one word that you tell somebody could destroy a friendship forever. How much more a marriage? How much more the words that you're speaking to your children? Destructive things, you stupid idiot, because that's how your parents talk to you. Please don't do that. Anyone can talk a big talk. Anyone can talk a lot. But very few women are able to spread wisdom. And you've got to get to a point where you're telling God, God, I don't want to just talk. I don't want to just be a busybodied woman. I want to be able to house the wisdom and release it and help other people. Because that's one of our missions here. Did you know that as the Church of Jesus Christ is to help one another? We're here to build and edify each other in our faith. Can you say hallelujah? So I want to ask you: are you adding value where you're at? Are you adding value with what you're saying? Do things become better when you're around? Do you solve problems? Do you speak life? Do you illuminate a room because of your smile and your joy and the words that are coming out of your mouth? Are you helping or are you the one being helped? There's a difference. So today I want you to refuse to gossip and understand it is up to us. It's a responsibility of the House of Revival Today Church and all the churches represented here that we walk in unity. Can you say hallelujah? Walk in life, spread life, spread unity. It matters. Can you say hallelujah? What number am I on? Three, four, three. Number three, the characteristics of a strong revival today woman. I'll add that. Faithful. She's faithful in responsibility. Now this is gonna get real good. Your track record matters. It's interesting to me that in 1 Timothy 5, 9 through 16, he was saying, if these women are looking for help, let's look at their track record. Because not everybody's gonna come into the house and just get help, happy clappy. We gotta understand that these people aren't just gonna be, you know, sucking the life out of our church. Because that's what happens. There's a lot of good people here that want to help other individuals and under the guise of, oh, I'm just helping somebody out. But are you sucking the life out of the church? Are you a plus or are you a minus? Where are you at? She must she had to raise kids, she had to have, she had to have a have a good reputation. Did she raise her kids? Did she have one husband? Did she have uh hospitality towards other? Did she show hospitality towards other? Did she help those that were being afflicted? There was a laundry list of things that were a requirement for you to get help in the church. That matters. So it's evident that there was a lot of people that just were like, hey, uh, my husband died at war. Take care of me. I got my TikTok that I've got to do. You know, in the in the house in in Christianity at times, and and this is like, I don't know about the generations before me because to be honest with you, I wasn't raised with the Copelands or the Jessude Planises or anything church related. So when these people they start like, oh, have you heard of so bada happada? And I'm like, no. And he's like, What? They've been, you know, they're pillars of the faith. And I'm like, I wasn't raised up in this ecosystem, you know? And so now I'm I'm going up, I'm 41 years old, and I'm looking around and I'm thinking to myself, this generation is special. This generation isn't looking for talent, they're not looking for who can play the part and look the part, they're looking for uh uh real. They're looking for somebody that's gonna have a good reputation, somebody that's dependable. You guys ever like ever think about that? Are you a dependable person? These are characteristics that you've got to embody as a strong woman of God. What does that word dependable mean? It's dependre, it's the etymology, etymology of the word, and D is down from, and pendre is to hang. So the core significance of dependability is that are you able to be relied on? The actual uh definition is to be suspended from. Are you able to trust for support? Are you able to be relied upon? Or do you collapse under pressure? Are you gonna be an aid or are you gonna be a deficit? Like, what are you in the house of God? What are you in this life? What are you at your home? You know, if you get like a bad report, if you open up your Facebook and somebody posts something thing, and all of a sudden you're slamming doors and you're in a bad mood, and it's like nobody in your house did anything to you, but you're making a scene because you're upset. Are you emotionally charged or are you spiritually charged? So you gotta be able to to to walk through that, navigate through that, and and ask yourself am I uh a dependable person? Am I faithful in the responsibility that God has given to me? Am I snatched in every area? Am I treating my husband with respect and dignity? Am I uh uh, you know, am I a good friend? Am I a good daughter? Am I a good uh servant of the Lord? Am I am I doing what I need to do to live a disciplined life? These are the micros, these are the practical things that we've got to look at in our lives in order to remain in a place of strength. Are you standing on your own? Can you take responsibility without depending on others? Bishop uh uh Ash, no, it wasn't Bishop Ashmaloah, faith or yedepo, I think it was faith, I don't remember what it is. But she said, if you if your faith, if you can't do something that God tells you to do because you're waiting on somebody else to do it for you, that's an irresponsible kind of faith. So if God calls you to do something, if call God has called you to Texas, if God has called you to ministry, if God has called you, are you on your own on that? Or are you just waiting for somebody to just, well, God, I'll go to Egypt if you give me a ticket. I grew up in that kind of Christianity, the loser mindset Christianity that just throws everything up into the air, and God, if you want it done, you're gonna send somebody to do it. That's not responsible faith. So when we're talking about being a responsible woman of God, it comes to uh it comes with the spiritual package as well. What is it that God has entrusted you with? What is it that God has spoken to you to do? Are you relying and waiting on Pastor Mike and Sherry to come through for you? It's irresponsible. I'll tell you, if I was just waiting around for somebody to do what they said every single time, they they they promised something, I'd be I'd be back in Massachusetts working at TJ Maxx. I used to work there, so no sweat off. You know, like seriously. I'd be I'd still be out there if if if that was the case that I feel like they owe me this and I was promised this, and that never happens. Okay, so is that what's gonna be the thing that takes you out of the ministry? Some of you guys have been called to Bible school. I don't know if uh if I'm gonna have a job. I don't know where I'm gonna live. Like these are the things that you're saying no to God about? You think that's an appropriate response? You think that's an okay, oh, God's gonna say when he sees you, oh, you didn't go to Bible school because you didn't know what apartment you were gonna live in. I get it. Get in here. Or is he gonna be a little upset? Like, I I trusted, I gave you, I trusted you with this. And you turn your back on me because you were relying on somebody else to do something I told you to do. We can't live like that. We gotta be dependable spiritually, dependable naturally, in the natural. If I can't continue in my assignment because I'm depending on others to do it, then it's not gonna work out for you. You might as well just give up and quit. Throw the towel in. But if you're a strong woman, if you are a strong leader, then you're gonna take that responsibility, you're gonna take that onus, and you're gonna walk in the strength of that. I'm not gonna be a minus on nobody's uh uh list. You're not, you know. I I'm thankful. Obviously, there's we have partners and we've got people that support the ministry. That's great, but never know, not once, did we ever have a point in our ministry where we would beg the people if it wasn't for you, this thing would never happen. No, God, we knew the mandate on our life, we knew that this was gonna continue on, that the work was gonna be established. When we take offerings here, it's because we get to take an offering here, and we understand the principles of found in the word of God that it's much better to give than to receive. And so the blessing resides with the giver. So it's an opportunity for you to be blessed. But whether you give or not, this mission shall continue because there's a mandate on our lives to see that my generation will be saved, and that's the kind of attitude you've got to take. Pastor Sherry, you think he can cut me that check? No, what is that? I can't live like that, you can't live like that, and we do that in uh other aspects, it doesn't have to just be ministry. Well, I just wish that my boss would just like you know discover me. Because I'm like the hidden talent. I too could be a manager. Oh yeah, Sherry? Sorry. Tabitha. Oh yeah, Tabitha, why are you late every single day of the week? Cut it out. And then it's just like you're frustrated and you're fasting and praying, father. I need some breakthrough. God of the breakthrough. And you're not even early for work. What have you done to help and and and overextend yourself in the workplace? Nancy. Sorry, Nancy. What have you done? Nothing. It's a big giant goose egg. See, we're all just depending on somebody if this person can. I I have I have to vet that out all the time. Hi, Pastor Udalis, I love you so much. I can sing. Okay, great. Talk to Pastor Sherry. I don't know what to do about that. I too can sing, but they won't let me up there. Asked Brother F. a lot, and he said no to me 16 times. It's funny because now all I do, Pastor F. A, if you don't know, he's our worship leader in um in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. And so me and Olivia were trying to get on the worship team. Um, and so we start doing the harmony. You know, every time we're here, we just start singing just to make it mad. And lately I just got his cell phone. Yeah, let me see if I if I could play it. Hold on. Um, but I I got his his cell phone, and now I am sending him voicemails. Nope, nope, I don't. I'm sending him audio like voice things, and I was just singing Ella Langley a couple times. So I said, I hope you you get used to this because at some point you're gonna discover a star. So to be a responsible person, you've gotta be a good steward. You've gotta have personal accountability, you've gotta uh, you know, uh cultivate healthy relationships, healthy friendships, you've gotta walk in the maturity, see things the way the word of God sees them. You've gotta be sturdy. You wanna be a pillar, you wanna be a woman of God that people can trust and run to. How many of you guys know a woman of God that it's like she's always there? She is a solid woman of God. She will pray through the night, she will pick me up when I need it the most. She is a wonderful, anointed woman. There's people here that embody that, that you don't even have full-time ministry experience. All you do is just you work a nine to five. You're a teacher, you're this, and you're a that, but you're integral to the body of Christ because people are looking for those um individuals that will help keep them uh uh standing. Can you say hallelujah? What are some other things practically that we could do to walk out our responsibility? Finish what you start, pay your bills on time, keep your commitments. Stop saying someone should and ask, what can I do? What can I do to help better this establishment? You know, there's a there's a we've got different campuses and stuff, and I've I've recognized that the the the more like godly or the more religious people um were what is that for? The more religious people are like the Bible belt in Texas and Arizona. It's like people come to church and they're like, what can you do for me? There's there's there's gateway. I'm I'm staying right at that Weston Hotel, and I open the things and all I see is this big beautiful building. I'm like, mercy, Jesus. How many people go there? That's a big old building, that's a big old church. There's a there's a there's a building that we we just drove through, a big old building that says marriage, what is it? XO. XO marriage. I don't know what that is, but I'm like, man, I'm creating a narrative in my in my head. They've created a whole building just for marriage counseling. I don't know if that's true or not, but I'm like, this is a massive establishment. And it's like then you drive three seconds down the road, and it's like, oh crap, that's a bigger church, and then there's that one, and then there's that one. So you have your pick of the litter is as to what churches to come to. No wonder you just show up and you're like, what do you what can you do for me? Well, our revival today church, ladies, we don't ask that question. It's not what you can do for me, it's what can I do to serve the house of God? Because it's in this that we find our purpose. Let me tell you about the lifeline of the church. It is quite literally a lifeline. We were never supposed to do church without church. Well, I don't go to brick and mortar, Jesus lives in my heart. I go to church in my heart. Oh, yeah? Is there a little pastor in there with a little choir? It's a little TV. Stupid. Church in my heart. You need to go to church, church. Well, I just there's a lot of hypocrites out there, Sith. You being one of them. Because if you say you're good, why aren't you in the house of God? We need you. Turn to your neighbor and say, I need you. No homo. But I'm just saying, we need each other. Because we are what sustains the health and vitality of the church. And so we've gotta, we've gotta embody that, embrace that. And if you've seen toxic things prior to coming to Revival Today Church, or maybe even in Revival Today Church, you've seen some toxic things. It's not your place to leave. Stupid, just kidding. I need you to stick with it. And if you are the the the the the person that is is doing the the opposite of the toxicity that you see, then we gotta stay put. And we gotta push the other crackheads out, so to speak. Turn to your neighbor and say, I'm not a crackhead. But if there, even if you are, there's redemption, and there's gonna be an altar call down here tonight, and you're gonna be a strong woman of God. Amen. I've been saying crackheads a lot, so something's there. So here's the thing. We gotta understand our purpose comes from our connection with the church of Jesus Christ. I've been in unhealthy churches before, and I've been at this church, and I am a parishioner as well. This is not my church, this is the church of Jesus Christ. And so now I get to be a part of this church, and my family's a part of this church, and I see the health and vitality and how much it has impacted my life, and it is insane. It is amazing what happens when you are a part of a healthy, thriving church. And we get to be that. We get to be the billboard, we get to be the representatives of a healthy church. That's an awesome, it's an awesome responsibility. But it's necessary for us to understand that we have the responsibility and we gotta take the onus to get the job done. Can you say hallelujah? The last thing that you've got to understand as a woman of God is that she prioritizes God over herself. Your strength will always come from your devotion. What you're strongest in comes because you're devoted to it. Some of you guys are low key, awesome poker players because you're devoted to it. Some of you guys are insane smokers because you're devoted to it. You do the heart. Right outside the sanctuary, right outside in the welcome doors. I seen you.

unknown 1:03:11

Just kidding.

SPEAKER_02 1:03:12

I haven't. Because you're devoted to it. Some of you guys are so healthy, you have buns of steel because you're Olivia just raised her hand. Olivia, put your hand down. She said, me. But the reason for it is because there's devotion to it. So anything that you're strong in, there's always devotion attached to it, there's always discipline attached to it. Let me tell you, the hardest thing about being a Christian, I want you to write this out. Is being a Christian. Okay? The hardest thing about being a Christian is being a Christian, is walking this thing out. It's it's doing what God wants done instead of you. It's overriding your feelings with what the word of God says. It's not living by the pressures, it's living by the principles found in the word of God. I mean, that takes a lot of effort, that takes a lot of strain, that takes a lot of devotion. And I'll tell you, if you if you lock in, it'll give you an ROI like you've never seen before. Because what you're devoted to matters. What are you driven by here tonight? Are you driven by emotions? Are you driven by the drama? Are you driven by public opinion? You're gonna find yourself in some trouble if those are the things that drive you. But if you are driven by his word and his will, is his will your will? Ask yourself that. Is his word what you are embodying every single day of your life? Is it the final authority? Or are you just in that kind of a mood that I'm just, you know what, I am ticked off today. And I don't care who's kind to me, they're gonna see venom. They're gonna, I, you know, all I'm seeing is red. There's people that live their lives just by how they felt that morning. Instead of pushing through the the madness, pushing through the feeling, pushing through that realm, and understanding that we're first spiritual beings, and I can walk in the spirit. That's what the word of God says. Walking in the spirit is choosing to have the word of God as the final authority in your life and not your carnality. Anyone can encounter different things that hurt. You know, a coworker says that you look a little lumpy in that direction, you look a little lumpy. Husband was like, Yeah, looks kind of big, looks like I'm a tight, and you're like, it's up to you to change how you feel. It's up to you to change your mindset and say, you know what, he's half blind anyway, he can't see nothing. I look good, I look good tonight. Push through. Eat that cheeseburger tonight. Nobody can hold you back. You know, you you make your own decisions. You've got to, you're, you're the owner, you're the thermostat to that house. You're the thermostat in your own life. So if if they come at you hot, turn it down. Put a little a little bit, we're gonna cool it down here. But I'm not gonna be boiled over with all kinds of you know, drama and negative energy. I'm bringing it all the way down. And I'm gonna be cool and collected. I'd like to throw hands, but these hands are gonna just be lifted up and praise Jesus. I'd like to give you a finger, but I'm gonna point to the Lord tonight and give you a deuce. It does matter what finger you give, just not the middle one. But like there's there's an aggression, and that finger might as well be the one that you want it to be. And you're like, right here, Nancy. You can rise above the drama, is what I'm saying. You can rise above that temptation and walk out of that thing unscathed. Can you say hallelujah? Are his purposes your goals in life? Have you read that book? And has it been a reality to you? What he likes, what he doesn't like, what breaks his heart? Answer that. You were supposed to be taking a nap tonight, but understand this the very first temptation in the garden was not adultery, it wasn't murder, it wasn't lying, it was self over God. Did he really say that? And you're like, mm-mm, Ave ruined it for everybody. I don't know if he did say that. Maybe we can be like God. Let's let's put what we want over what God desires and has said. That's a really big problem. We have to be consistent in this. Is it God's way or is it my way? Are you living like that, like the little princess that you are? Nobody can tell you nothing. Your husband said that to you once or twice. Nobody can tell you, nobody can correct you. If you're a person that can't be corrected, you're gonna be in major trouble. You gotta learn how to be corrected, and you gotta learn how to love it. You know, I sat down with my pastors in Pittsburgh, and I sat down with them and I said, I'm gonna give you three things that you're gonna tell me here today. You're gonna give me a goal for the rest of the year, you're gonna tell me what you could do better at as a leader, and you're gonna tell me what we could do as an organization and as a leader better. Because I want to hear it. Like, what can I do? Well, and then there was a lot. We can be a lot, uh, we could be a little bit more specific, we could be a little bit more goal-oriented, we we drop the ball here, and we we need to pick things up here. And I was writing down, and you know what I wasn't doing?

SPEAKER_01 1:09:36

I thought you were gonna say I was great.

SPEAKER_02 1:09:44

No, because I understand that if you want to grow, you've got to be able to change, you've got to be willing to change, and every one of us is not perfect. I might look perfect, but I'm not perfect, I am far from it. There's things that that tick me off. In fact, I was with a business partner, I was in a business meeting, and um this guy, he's a business partner, but he just pipes up and says something. And I'm in the middle of our church stuff, and I wasn't supposed to be taking any calls, but I took his call because he's a great guy. So I'm taking it and I'm like, listen, what's going on? Why are you wasting my time? And so he's like, wait, I just needed clarification on this this you know thing that we're doing, and it's tax related. And so I was like, all right, call, call our accountant. So we're on this four-way conversation, and I I I you know, we we go through it, and then he starts piping up, and I'm like, Would you let me talk? And I said it like that. And so he was like, he got quiet, and this guy is not quiet, you know? And so I was like, I think I like you know, overdid it. I I overstepped my boundaries, the claws came out, the Puerto Rican came out, and so this just happened a couple weeks ago, okay, love. So this wasn't like 15 years ago, this happened last week. So then another partner of mine after that conversation was up, and I'm like flustered, you know, I'm about to drop F-bombs, but I'm I won't because I'm a Christian. And so I I'm like I shut it down. Um, so I I I I shut the I to turn the freaking phone off, and then I'm like waiting uh to get back into the I was in my car, so I'm like waiting just to to leave. And I get a phone call almost three seconds after I hung up the phone after I yelled at this guy, and it's my other business partner. And he's like, hey, uh-huh. And I was like, Yeah, what's up? Uh irritated. And he's like, um, you're a great leader. They know how to get to me. That's a lot of persuasion. I guess he was reading a couple books. You're a great leader, you're a great partner. I said, Yep. Yeah, irritated. And he goes, uh, do you think you could have handled that conversation a little bit better? And I said, Yeah. And he's like, That wasn't, that wasn't you. That wasn't good leadership. And he's like, You're a pastor. You gotta be able to maintain your cool when even there's pressure or there's annoyances or whatever, you know, you you whatever comes up. So I was thinking to myself, no, you're right, like I I I should do better. And he's like, You think you should call him and apologize? And I'm like, now you're now you're pushing me. Mind your business is what you ought to do. And I said, Yeah, yeah, I'm gonna call him up and say sorry. And he goes, Good, proud of you. And I shut the phone off and I call my other buddy, he's a partner, and he picks up and he's annoyed. Hello? And he never picks up and says hello like that. Because he's usually like, hey, buddy, you know, very, very low-key. He's like a hippie, he's done drugs and stuff, done mushrooms. So he's like, he's like business, hello, you know, and I'm like, listen, I am really sorry that I spoke to you like that. That was disrespectful, that was emasculating, and I won't do it again. And I said, You I I I shouldn't have taken the call when I saw it. I knew that I could, I I should have just put it away and waited until things were a little less crazy here at the church. And I do apologize and I'm sorry, and it won't happen again. I I value our friendship more than anything in the world, and so please accept my apology. And he goes, I forgive you. That was rude though. And I'm like, Yeah, I know. And he's like, Okay, love you. Bye. And it was just squashed, just like that, you know, and it's things like that that like I like highlighted in my life. It's like, that was so dumb of you to have done. But in doing that, you grow better. Now I know that there's irritants that in in moments like this, I'm not gonna take phone calls. How about that? When I'm when I'm I'm I'm put under the fire like that, I won't allow myself to just pop off at the mouth. Like, what are you doing? These are these are meaningful friendships, meaningful people that you love. Treat them with dignity and respect. Can you say hallelujah? So all of these things come from you being able to be teachable. You could ruin a lot of great things if you remain in a place of unteachability. Is that a word it is tonight? So just remain in the place that's malleable. You know, even drunk drivers, I know this is gonna sound like a crude thing, but the people that are drinking very seldomly die from drinking and driving. It's the people that tense up at the very end that that you know crash into another vehicle that get the most damage because when you're loosey-goosey, you're like, yay. That's a lesson for us. Stay malleable, you know, stay able to be teachable and and grow and look at yourself and and and say, I could do better, I could be a better communicator, I could grow in these instances as a leader. Ask Pastor Sherry. I literally, in the beginning of this year, we're rolling out all of these new things, and I told everybody, I don't know what I'm doing. But we're gonna ride this out together. And if this fails, it's all on me. But you know what? When if and if and when it does fail, we'll come back to the drawing board and do something else. Because we're not giving up here. We've got a mandate on our lives and we've got to figure this out together. You know, the more you are like that, the better it is. Can you say hallelujah? Is it his word or is it your word? Is it his wisdom or is it your stupidity? Because you gotta pick, and it's not gonna be easy. It's much easier just ripping somebody's head off or saying things that you don't mean, and then there's friction. You know, from that encounter, I could have easily, if I didn't apologize and send him flowers like I'm a dude, I literally sent him flowers, and then he texted me, you know, uh, you know, the way to a woman's heart or something like that. He's like, Thanks, you weirdo. And I'm like, it's just sorry. And I wrote, I'm so sorry, with in in the thing, you know, and it's like if if I wouldn't have, if I would have just ignored it and said, you know what, he shouldn't have called anyway, because I was busy and I'm much more important, I would have just, uh yeah, you could justify it. And then I I would have, I would have damaged that friendship, and things aren't gonna be able to grow with damaged structures, with a damaged foundation. So we gotta just be a little bit more conscientious about what it is that we're doing. Can you say hallelujah? If God asks for something from you, how do you respond? Is it a knee-jerk reaction? I don't know if I could do that. Are you saying, Father, whatever your will is in my life, let it be done. I am willing to give you my life. You know, love is such a powerful thing, but love is not measured by mere words alone. Words are or love is is measured by the sacrifices that you make, by the actions that you take, by the things that you do. If my people love me, they what? Obey my commands. So I want you to understand when you prioritize the word and God's voice in your life over everything else, you're winning. You're letting him know I am serious about you. And when he knows that he's uh uh that you're serious about him, then he steps out at like he moves everything out of the way to bless you in abundance. Can you say hallelujah? And at times you're gonna have to sacrifice a lot, you're gonna have to sacrifice that relationship, you're gonna have to sacrifice that friendship, that comfort, that dream, that plan, and say, Father, I place this at your feet. At one point I had a dream, and that dream was to be a TLC makeover person, interior design, trading spaces. I said, uh when I grow up, I'm gonna be in trading spaces, and people are gonna know me from my interior decor. That was my dream, and then God called me into ministry, and I'm like, but I have this dream, and this dream is to become uh uh what is the thing again? Trading spaces, interior decorator. God, I don't know if I can give this up. This is such a beautiful thing. I was in a relationship at the time, and I thought it was a good relationship, and he was a good guy uh uh guy, you know. But I'm like, I love this guy. How can I how can I sacrifice this relationship? You know, he's a good friend for many years. I love this guy, he's meaningful to me. And God says, put him on the altar, lay all this down and pick up what I have for you and see if it's not a thousand times better. And my gosh, if I can just tell myself back when I was making those difficult situations, crying myself to bed with Brian McKnight playing on the radio, shut up one you'll like a dream come true, two, just want to be with you.

SPEAKER_03 1:19:34

Came to see the only word for me, and for we we don't know.

SPEAKER_04 1:19:44

I I can fall in love with me if ever I believe it's done, then I still begin will.

SPEAKER_02 1:19:58

Come on, FA, sign me up. So I'm crying a Brian McKnight, and I'm like, Oh, I don't know if my life can move on. I love this guy. And God says, put that on the altar, put those dreams on the altar. And I'm like, okay, I guess I can. And then I go on a missions trip, and this is right before I go off into a missions trip to Hawaii with my youth pastor at the time. And I said, Yeah, I gotta, I gotta, I gotta do what God tells me to do, and I gotta be serious about it. So I put him on the altar, and then I meet this white guy on the field in Hawaii, and his name is Jonathan Shuttlesworth. And I'm like, I don't even remember my ex boyfriend's last name, to be honest. Who's this cutie? Hey, never dated a white boy before. It was good. One, you're like a dream coach. I went right back into it, and it was better, it was much better. And I'm looking at my life now and I'm thinking, like, trading spaces? Are you an idiot? That show's not even on anymore. Terrible. But God never, never, you know, pushed that aside. I'm doing interior decorating at my church now. You know, I was working for uh FAFR, like uh a real estate company. I do real estate uh stuff. I was working for uh a law office, I have to do legalities and stuff that that require all that stuff. I had a uh a mall job called Children's Place. I don't know if you guys know of it, but it's a clothing store for kids, and I've given myself to to the children's ministry. I was in my first job at 14, it was illegal. I I I you know uh what is it when you the signature? For I forged the signature, and I was like, I want to start working here. Service merchandise. Does anybody remember that place? That was back in the day. I was in service, service merchandise, and I'm like, all these things like you know, help me with what I'm doing right now. God never forsook me, He never forgot about me. He used all of these crazy little things to take me to where I'm at right now, and all I had to do was submit my will to him and say, I'll I'll put it all at the altar. I'll put myself at the altar. If you can make something out of this, make me useful, make me good, whatever it is that you see in me that's good, Father, cultivate that in me. And that's what I did. I placed myself on the altar and now I'm reaping the benefits of it. And I can't even believe that I'm stepping into the arenas that I'm stepping into. It could only be God. I look around and I'm like, there's no way that this could have ever taken place had it not been for the hand of God on my life. And it is so good, it is mind-blowing. The Bible says what no eye has hear, uh what no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, what no mind can even fathom. That's what God wants to do in your life. And if I could tell my 16-year-old self where she was headed to, she probably would have had a heart attack and died on the spot. Because it wouldn't it there's no way a house given to you, a car given to you, fully furnished, you've got four different campuses, soon to be five different campuses, you've got 80 plus employees, you've got a private jet that helps facilitate this mandate for you to go from place to place. It could only be the hand of God, but it came with a sacrifice. Everybody wants to talk about the glitter, but nobody wants to talk about the painful process it took to get there because at times you gotta push through the one crying yourself to bed because of that guy that you thought you were gonna marry and have children with. Never did I think that I was gonna get married to a white boy who was in ministry. We all know how that goes. So I want you to understand here today, if we want to develop like the greatness of God in our lives, there is something that we have to do. There's an onus, there is a responsibility that needs to be made, and it starts tonight and it starts at this altar. I want you all to stand up on your feet. And for those of you that have come here tonight, and you know without a shadow of a doubt, that where you're headed to is not a good place. And you're looking at all these things and you're saying, Man, I'm just not that. And that's the enemy right there. He's trying to get you to a place where it's that that's just not you. That can never be you because she doesn't know what you've gone through and she doesn't know what you've done. It doesn't matter. God knows. You don't think he knows where where you're at, you don't think he doesn't know what you've done. The Bible says, even yet, while we were yet sinners, Christ came and died for us. That means even while you were in your darkest sin, God looked down and said, I still want to die for her because she's worth it. And I want you to understand, a good, strong, healthy relationship starts with surrendering to Almighty God. So you've got to just choose today what you're gonna do. Choose today who your master is gonna be, but make no mistake about it, there is a choosing that has to happen. The Bible says, I would that you would choose life so that you and your descendants might live. This choice in following Jesus and making him your priority is not a small decision, it's the biggest decision of your entire life. But once you make that decision and you're dogmatic to stick with it until the very end, it changes generations to come. It's not about you. Turn to your neighbor and say it's not about you, it's about the generations after you. But tonight, I'm after you. Tonight I want you to understand that we can uh uh get an alignment with the word of God, get an alignment with the will of God, that it changes our lives, it changes the atmosphere. You can go to bed tonight, hit that pillow, and think, I am in perfect peace. I am smack dab in the will of God. There is no better feeling than being smack dab in the middle of the will of God, and we can all live that way. He didn't just choose me because I'm Puerto Rican or because I look this good. He didn't choose me because you know I was born with a silver spoon and I had a ministry background. I didn't have any of those things. I watched my mom chase my dad with a butcher's knife. I was like, dang, look at that. There she goes. I remember those rotary phones. Do you remember those rotary phones? We had a tan one, they were heavy. She done take that rotary phone and slam it. My dad was sitting on the couch and she slammed it right on uh uh my dad's shin. And I saw that thing burst open, and I was like, there she goes again. Look at her go, y'all.

SPEAKER_03 1:27:35

She was feisty, but he was don't feel bad for my dad.

SPEAKER_02 1:27:43

He he had it coming, you know. I was like, You need to get saved. You need to get saved, you need to be saved. You gotta understand that uh, you know, if you want to live a life that is pleasing to God. One that's meaningful to Him, one that's free from the drama, free from the fear, free from all anxiety. You've got to be able to submit to God. You gotta be able to do it right. There's a white right way of doing it. And if you allow yourself to be convinced that, oh, I just I'm not that, that's not my background, then you you know, you you you cancel out what God wants for your life. Don't cancel out what God wants to do in your life. You might not have been brought in a perfect home where people are worshiping God and singing kumbaya by the fire. You might have had something maybe a little bit even more difficult than me. Sure, way more difficult than you. Some of you guys have major trauma in your life, and you could single-handedly take yourself out of God's perfect will because you think, well, I've just been too damaged, I've just been too that. How can God use me? But tonight I want you to know that He can use you. If God can use me, He can definitely use you. All it takes is surrendering, all it takes is the level of surrender. So if you want to be that strong woman, it's gonna take a lot of sacrifice. You're gonna have to sacrifice your emotions, you're gonna have to sacrifice your right to be right, you're gonna have to sacrifice the drama and chase after what God has said is is right, what is true. Peace, joy, love, kindness. We're chasing after those things, but it's not an easy thing. So I want to open this up as an invitation to you. If you've never made Jesus Lord and Savior of your life, I want you to know that tonight is the night of salvation. Today is the day of salvation. You can put it all at the cross here tonight. It doesn't matter how bad, if you are that crackhead that I was talking to about. You can just nail that to the cross here tonight, and God will clean you, and it's not just a cutesy kind of clean. He transforms you from the inside out, but it starts with you declaring that God, I choose you tonight, I make you my Lord and Savior, and I will submit to your will and ways, because I know they're much better than mine. It starts with you making Jesus the Lord and Savior of your life, and so I want you to bow your heads down even now. And if that's you and you know you need to make it right, if Jesus came tonight to snatch us uh us up out of here, are you ready to meet the Lord and Savior of your life? Jesus exists whether you believe it or not. Heaven is real whether you believe it or not, hell is real whether you believe it or not. And we make the decision where we want to go, who we want to serve. And tonight I'm asking you, choose Jesus, choose heaven, choose life so that you and your descendants might live. And if that's you and you want to make Jesus Christ, Lord and Savior of your life, I want you to put your hand up nice and high so that I can see it. I see that hand. Anybody else? Hands up high, unashamed. You know the difference between a girlfriend and a fiance and a wife? The wife decided to commit herself at the altar in front of a group of people. That's the difference. Anyone can be a side chick, anybody can be a fiance, but a wife, that's intentional. A wife, it takes skin in the game, it takes you having to come out of the crowd and stand up to the front and say, I am committing myself to this person forever till death do us part. That's the difference. So if that's you, I want you to put your hand up high so that I might see it, so that you can walk in the boldness of that and confidently know that you're gonna choose Jesus. So if that's you, I want you to raise your hand up even now. Nobody? Now I want you to look over to your neighbor and say, Do you need Jesus? Because I'll walk down there with you. Because there was hands, and now they all got just shy. And if that's you, I want you to come on up. Nancy. Good job, team. Good job, ladies. And before this night is over, I want to open it up to sewing and also at the very end, me and Pastor Sherry, um, we're gonna go around and lay hands on you tonight. I'm so proud of you guys. Aren't you guys proud of your sisters? I want each of you that is here, I want you to say this prayer out loud and with everything you have. Say, Heavenly Father, forgive me of my sin. I believe that Jesus is Lord and Savior of my life. He died on the cross but rose again on the third day to break the power of sin and darkness over my life. I am no longer a slave to sin. I am born again, I am forgiven, I am a child of God in Jesus' name. And all God's women said, Amen. I love you guys so much. Thank you for making that decision you made my night. I love you so much. If you don't have a church, welcome to Revival Today Church.