1 00:00:08,280 --> 00:00:10,920 We welcome you to the Via Zayan Sermon podcast. 2 00:00:11,400 --> 00:00:13,600 We are a church based in Chennai, India. 3 00:00:14,040 --> 00:00:17,640 We are so happy that you tuned in today and hope that as you 4 00:00:17,640 --> 00:00:22,080 listen in, you will be inspired, strengthened and empowered to 5 00:00:22,080 --> 00:00:27,080 live for Jesus everyday. As we enter 2026, we believe 6 00:00:27,080 --> 00:00:29,560 that this is the year of a divine takeover. 7 00:00:30,080 --> 00:00:33,200 We believe that when we surrender our lives to Him, He 8 00:00:33,200 --> 00:00:37,120 will take over every aspect and bring breakthrough and blessing 9 00:00:37,120 --> 00:00:40,680 like only He can. Today we look at how we hand 10 00:00:40,680 --> 00:00:43,760 over the details of our lives before He takes over. 11 00:00:44,320 --> 00:00:48,280 Would you keep your eyes, ears, and hearts tuned into God today 12 00:00:48,320 --> 00:00:52,480 and every day of this year? Would your hands and feet be 13 00:00:52,480 --> 00:00:56,560 strong to do what you have been called and created to do? 14 00:00:57,440 --> 00:01:00,560 Hi Church, this has a joy and a privilege to bring God's word to 15 00:01:00,560 --> 00:01:03,320 you. Even before we start, I just 16 00:01:03,320 --> 00:01:07,200 want to wish all of you who are watching and who are listening a 17 00:01:07,240 --> 00:01:10,360 happy and a blessed New year 2026. 18 00:01:10,800 --> 00:01:14,120 Can you believe you've just finished with 2025 and we're 19 00:01:14,120 --> 00:01:18,280 stepping into 2026? I don't know about you, but I'm 20 00:01:18,280 --> 00:01:20,280 excited for what God has in store. 21 00:01:20,840 --> 00:01:24,840 Not that because 2025 was not anything less, but I believe in 22 00:01:24,840 --> 00:01:26,760 2025 God's really done something. 23 00:01:27,560 --> 00:01:31,400 He really has positioned us. That was a theme that we saw 24 00:01:31,400 --> 00:01:34,680 passage was from Hebrews chapter 6 was his 11 and 12. 25 00:01:34,680 --> 00:01:38,960 Our promise was for 2025 was positioned to possess the 26 00:01:38,960 --> 00:01:42,640 promise and I believe over the year God has stretched us 27 00:01:42,920 --> 00:01:45,680 wanting to position ourselves and I don't know about you, but 28 00:01:45,680 --> 00:01:48,840 for me personally, what has it? What has he been positioning me? 29 00:01:49,120 --> 00:01:51,640 He's been positioning my heart, especially to things. 30 00:01:51,640 --> 00:01:54,200 It was aligned outside of his promise. 31 00:01:54,200 --> 00:01:57,000 And I believe as we took the whole year to meditate and 32 00:01:57,000 --> 00:02:00,640 receive from the lives of many of God's children who walked 33 00:02:00,640 --> 00:02:04,400 this journey. We saw God positioning our very 34 00:02:04,400 --> 00:02:07,320 own lives with all the circumstances that worked and 35 00:02:07,320 --> 00:02:09,440 changed around us. And even as we stepped into 36 00:02:09,440 --> 00:02:14,840 2026, I want us to pause for a moment here and say God and 37 00:02:14,840 --> 00:02:17,680 welcome him. I want us to pause even right 38 00:02:17,680 --> 00:02:22,040 now as we enter 2026, I want us to pause and ask God, God, would 39 00:02:22,040 --> 00:02:24,200 you work in and through us? We don't want to go into this 40 00:02:24,200 --> 00:02:26,600 new year unaware. We don't want to go into this 41 00:02:26,600 --> 00:02:28,560 new year worried. We don't want to go into this 42 00:02:28,560 --> 00:02:31,320 new year with fear. But we want to go with faith. 43 00:02:31,440 --> 00:02:34,120 We want to go with strength. We want to go with courage that 44 00:02:34,120 --> 00:02:36,040 will only come from Jesus Christ. 45 00:02:36,240 --> 00:02:39,640 One of the things that we saw last year was we were physically 46 00:02:39,640 --> 00:02:41,200 positioned. You know, we were physically 47 00:02:41,480 --> 00:02:44,320 aligned, probably the right people, we were in places with 48 00:02:44,320 --> 00:02:47,160 the right people, but spiritually, there was still a 49 00:02:47,160 --> 00:02:50,240 lot of realigning that God had to do. 50 00:02:50,480 --> 00:02:53,280 And I pray and ask that, you know, we won't be looking to our 51 00:02:53,320 --> 00:02:57,160 Egypts, to our areas of comfort, but we will be pressing in to 52 00:02:57,160 --> 00:02:59,480 what God's calling us to step out into. 53 00:02:59,720 --> 00:03:02,920 I pray specifically for those who moved from old spaces where 54 00:03:02,920 --> 00:03:05,680 they were already in the rigor, where they had seen God move, 55 00:03:05,960 --> 00:03:10,400 that even as they carry that presence and they come into new 56 00:03:10,400 --> 00:03:13,720 spaces that we saw that, you know, you can't bring in new 57 00:03:13,720 --> 00:03:16,320 wine into old wineskins. And I pray that our positioning 58 00:03:16,320 --> 00:03:19,120 will change that, that we will be able to tear down that old 59 00:03:19,120 --> 00:03:22,800 wineskin and say, God work, scrub that thing, work in and 60 00:03:22,800 --> 00:03:25,080 through us that we'll be able to accommodate the new wine. 61 00:03:25,440 --> 00:03:27,960 For some of us, the provision of last year would have been 62 00:03:28,160 --> 00:03:31,320 something we're content with. But God saying, no, I want move 63 00:03:31,560 --> 00:03:34,040 you more. I want you to depend on me more. 64 00:03:34,040 --> 00:03:36,480 I want you to do ask me for something more. 65 00:03:36,480 --> 00:03:39,160 And great God is asking us, would you allow now? 66 00:03:39,200 --> 00:03:42,760 Would we have a God sized dream rather than our own dream? 67 00:03:42,760 --> 00:03:47,600 Because today we can be so content with being in the status 68 00:03:47,600 --> 00:03:48,880 quo. But God is like, no, I want to 69 00:03:48,880 --> 00:03:51,280 mature you into being something much more. 70 00:03:52,000 --> 00:03:56,120 Some of us are still struggling with the rhythm of the Word of 71 00:03:56,120 --> 00:03:58,600 God. We found our rhythms with the 72 00:03:58,600 --> 00:04:02,480 world and yet the conflict internally is aligning ourselves 73 00:04:02,480 --> 00:04:04,440 to the rhythm of the Word because that will have a 74 00:04:04,440 --> 00:04:06,400 different rhythm outside of the world. 75 00:04:06,680 --> 00:04:09,800 It says be in the world but not of it. 76 00:04:11,200 --> 00:04:15,320 And so today as we are in here, I pray our rhythm will be one of 77 00:04:15,320 --> 00:04:18,680 the Word. I pray that as we look into 78 00:04:18,680 --> 00:04:22,079 this, one of the key takeaways when we see when we position 79 00:04:22,079 --> 00:04:23,960 ourselves is what is a heart perceiving? 80 00:04:24,480 --> 00:04:27,360 What is our heart pursuing? And you know, before I start, I 81 00:04:27,360 --> 00:04:31,280 just have taken some time to actually go through some of the 82 00:04:31,280 --> 00:04:34,840 things that the world is asking us to pursue in 2026. 83 00:04:34,960 --> 00:04:36,480 What is the world asking us to pursue? 84 00:04:36,720 --> 00:04:38,840 It's saying artificial intelligence and machine 85 00:04:38,840 --> 00:04:41,560 learning are still the top things that we need to be 86 00:04:41,560 --> 00:04:43,960 pursuing. It says cybersecurity, data 87 00:04:43,960 --> 00:04:48,760 analytics, it talks about creativity, UIUX, animation 88 00:04:48,760 --> 00:04:52,680 management business, it talks about green energy, health care. 89 00:04:53,040 --> 00:04:55,960 All these are big words that we get thrown around time and 90 00:04:55,960 --> 00:04:59,840 again, industries, businesses, verticals that all make sense. 91 00:05:00,480 --> 00:05:05,200 And so today our hearts might be pursuing all this with regard to 92 00:05:05,200 --> 00:05:07,920 finances. It the pursue is probably you 93 00:05:07,920 --> 00:05:10,520 need to diversify, you're probably you're working towards 94 00:05:10,680 --> 00:05:13,280 leveraging some of those index funds and all that. 95 00:05:14,200 --> 00:05:16,840 With regard to relationships, when I was checking, it says you 96 00:05:16,840 --> 00:05:20,840 need to prioritize clarity and honesty, practice clear 97 00:05:20,840 --> 00:05:26,120 communication, embrace true casting, be emotionally 98 00:05:26,120 --> 00:05:29,440 available. As much as the world is trying 99 00:05:29,440 --> 00:05:33,960 to dictate what we need to pursue in 2026, as our content 100 00:05:33,960 --> 00:05:37,400 creators are trying to create content and test, this is what 101 00:05:37,400 --> 00:05:41,520 you need to pursue. I would ask today as we step 102 00:05:41,520 --> 00:05:44,520 into 2026, when we are positioned to possess the 103 00:05:44,520 --> 00:05:48,040 promise, are we pursuing what God wants us to pursue? 104 00:05:48,440 --> 00:05:51,600 Else we will miss out entirely what God's calling us. 105 00:05:52,000 --> 00:05:55,760 And as I was meditating, as we go into the promise verse, which 106 00:05:55,760 --> 00:05:58,200 we're going to be looking at for the entire year, what God's 107 00:05:58,200 --> 00:06:03,080 asking us to look at, I moved to a specific portion where Paul 108 00:06:03,080 --> 00:06:05,720 was encouraging Timothy to pursue the right things. 109 00:06:06,000 --> 00:06:08,840 And I believe I want to start from that because if we align 110 00:06:08,840 --> 00:06:12,160 our hearts to pursue the right things, I believe we'll be able 111 00:06:12,160 --> 00:06:15,440 to see God come through. What did Paul tell Timothy in 112 00:06:15,440 --> 00:06:17,920 one Timothy chapter 6 was a 612 is what it says. 113 00:06:18,160 --> 00:06:22,160 A devout life brings wealth, but it's the rich simplicity of 114 00:06:22,160 --> 00:06:25,280 being yourself before God. Since we entered the world 115 00:06:25,280 --> 00:06:27,720 penniless, and we'll leave it penniless. 116 00:06:27,720 --> 00:06:31,600 If we had bread on the table and shoes on our feet, that's 117 00:06:31,600 --> 00:06:34,560 enough. But if it's only money these 118 00:06:34,560 --> 00:06:38,160 leaders are after, they'll self destruct in no time. 119 00:06:38,480 --> 00:06:42,760 Lust for money brings trouble and nothing but trouble going 120 00:06:42,760 --> 00:06:45,800 down that path. Some lose their footing in the 121 00:06:45,800 --> 00:06:50,680 faith completely and live to regret it bitterly after. 122 00:06:50,920 --> 00:06:54,000 What is Paul telling Timothy? Paul is telling Timothy pursue 123 00:06:54,000 --> 00:06:56,800 the right things. I love how it says in the 124 00:06:57,040 --> 00:06:59,880 versions, it says us that we need to make sure that you're 125 00:06:59,880 --> 00:07:04,240 pursuing things that God is is ordaining us to pursue. 126 00:07:04,640 --> 00:07:09,680 It says pursue simplicity, which is in the sense when you pursue 127 00:07:10,320 --> 00:07:13,760 this devout life and you pursue this God ordained life, 128 00:07:14,000 --> 00:07:16,520 everything becomes simple. Everything becomes clear. 129 00:07:16,640 --> 00:07:21,040 You no longer are called to carry the burdens of this world. 130 00:07:21,040 --> 00:07:24,800 You suddenly see you can be God dependent and you see things 131 00:07:24,800 --> 00:07:26,920 change. You can suddenly have faith only 132 00:07:26,920 --> 00:07:29,760 in God and you can start seeing things moving around. 133 00:07:30,600 --> 00:07:34,240 You suddenly see patterns in your own life where you suddenly 134 00:07:34,400 --> 00:07:38,360 are questioning, am I pursuing this for my gain or is it what 135 00:07:38,360 --> 00:07:41,720 God wants me to pursue? It talks specifically about 136 00:07:41,720 --> 00:07:44,720 money, and I want to spend some time there because when Paul 137 00:07:44,720 --> 00:07:47,720 talks to Timothy and he's encouraging that, he is 138 00:07:47,720 --> 00:07:50,400 emphasizing this because it was a problem that time. 139 00:07:50,640 --> 00:07:52,880 It's a problem this time. What does he say? 140 00:07:52,880 --> 00:07:54,200 We have come into this world empty. 141 00:07:54,200 --> 00:07:56,600 We go empty. Our pursuit is about having 142 00:07:56,600 --> 00:07:59,520 bread and clothes to wear and a roof overhead. 143 00:07:59,520 --> 00:08:04,120 It's more than enough. If it's only money, we will self 144 00:08:04,120 --> 00:08:06,720 destruct. And it got me thinking because a 145 00:08:06,720 --> 00:08:09,480 lot of times I don't know about you, but me, I'm like thinking 146 00:08:09,480 --> 00:08:11,840 you know what? I need to, you know, make sure I 147 00:08:11,920 --> 00:08:14,920 we have enough for the present, but also we should save enough 148 00:08:14,920 --> 00:08:18,960 so that our children are set. But am I really teaching my 149 00:08:18,960 --> 00:08:24,040 children how to pursue God? Am I teaching them how to pursue 150 00:08:24,040 --> 00:08:25,640 God? Am I teaching and living the 151 00:08:25,640 --> 00:08:29,040 life of how to pursue God? Or am I complaining, saying we 152 00:08:29,040 --> 00:08:32,280 don't have enough right now? We don't have enough Because I 153 00:08:32,600 --> 00:08:35,600 was really convicted about that. I was like, we are wanting to 154 00:08:35,760 --> 00:08:39,520 have so much in storehouses for them, but will those storehouses 155 00:08:39,520 --> 00:08:41,520 drive them away from their Creator? 156 00:08:42,600 --> 00:08:48,880 And so today I want to ask, as Paul asked Timothy, is a faith 157 00:08:49,560 --> 00:08:54,480 tied to money Because if it is, it will derail us entirely. 158 00:08:55,000 --> 00:08:58,520 In Matthew chapter 6, verses 23 to 25, Jesus talks about this. 159 00:08:58,520 --> 00:09:00,480 He says in the message, it's interesting. 160 00:09:00,480 --> 00:09:04,240 It says in other versions it talks about serving the word 161 00:09:04,240 --> 00:09:08,000 worship in the message version highlighted me because sometimes 162 00:09:08,880 --> 00:09:11,840 we start worshipping this very thing called money. 163 00:09:11,840 --> 00:09:15,120 It says in verse 24 you can't worship 2 gods at 1:00. 164 00:09:16,080 --> 00:09:18,320 Loving one God, you'll end up hating the other. 165 00:09:18,680 --> 00:09:21,800 Adoration of the one feeds contempt for the other. 166 00:09:22,160 --> 00:09:24,480 You can't worship God and money both. 167 00:09:25,000 --> 00:09:30,480 What Paul is echoing is worship the one true living God alone. 168 00:09:30,840 --> 00:09:33,960 If you start worshipping money, you will start worshipping the 169 00:09:33,960 --> 00:09:37,040 fruit of money. You'll start suddenly seeing, 170 00:09:37,200 --> 00:09:40,640 you'll suddenly use money as a fact that you know what, I have 171 00:09:40,640 --> 00:09:42,200 enough. I can get my way. 172 00:09:42,200 --> 00:09:44,440 I can find things, I can do things around. 173 00:09:44,440 --> 00:09:47,800 I can work my things around. But if you pursue God, you will 174 00:09:47,800 --> 00:09:52,000 start seeing God opening doors. You will see God making a way. 175 00:09:52,000 --> 00:09:56,400 You will see God providing in the most unusual ways. 176 00:09:57,680 --> 00:10:00,600 If you pursue money, we bear the fruit of money, but if you 177 00:10:00,600 --> 00:10:06,840 pursue God, we bear the fruit that God will bring as we did 178 00:10:06,840 --> 00:10:09,560 earlier. In One Timothy chapter 6, verses 179 00:10:09,840 --> 00:10:14,920 11 to 12, it says that you need to pursue a righteous life, a 180 00:10:14,920 --> 00:10:17,920 life of wonder. Let's read that verse again from 181 00:10:18,080 --> 00:10:21,400 One Timothy 6 verses 11 to 12. But you, Timothy, man of God, 182 00:10:21,680 --> 00:10:27,080 run for your life from all this. Pursue A righteous life, a life 183 00:10:27,080 --> 00:10:30,640 of wonder, faith, love, steadiness, courtesy. 184 00:10:30,920 --> 00:10:34,680 Run hard and fast in the faith. Seize the eternal life, the life 185 00:10:34,680 --> 00:10:37,760 you are called to, the life you are so fervently embraced in the 186 00:10:37,760 --> 00:10:42,000 presence of so many witnesses. There's a Greek word that's used 187 00:10:42,000 --> 00:10:46,480 here for pursue, which is called diaco, which means to 188 00:10:46,480 --> 00:10:50,960 aggressively chase after like a hunter pursuing a catch. 189 00:10:51,240 --> 00:10:56,160 I don't know if you watched these videos of Nat Geo of one 190 00:10:56,160 --> 00:10:59,680 of the wild animals, the Wildcats, like the leopards, the 191 00:10:59,680 --> 00:11:02,960 tigers, the lions running after its prey. 192 00:11:03,520 --> 00:11:06,000 They are aggressive, they are focused. 193 00:11:06,000 --> 00:11:09,880 Nothing can come in between. They are working towards getting 194 00:11:09,880 --> 00:11:11,600 that. And what is Paul saying? 195 00:11:11,600 --> 00:11:16,040 He's saying run after the things of God like that and you know, 196 00:11:16,440 --> 00:11:18,960 you made a guess shown, but we we we know that. 197 00:11:18,960 --> 00:11:20,480 Why are you emphasizing it Cynthia? 198 00:11:20,480 --> 00:11:23,680 Because this new year, God has a word for us. 199 00:11:23,760 --> 00:11:27,480 And if you don't make pursuer action item, if you don't make 200 00:11:27,560 --> 00:11:31,000 pursuing God our action item, we will miss out entirely on what 201 00:11:31,000 --> 00:11:34,280 God is calling us to do. Love what it says in the 202 00:11:34,280 --> 00:11:36,400 passion. It says that you need to pursue 203 00:11:36,400 --> 00:11:39,560 and chase after what is true. What is true holiness. 204 00:11:40,040 --> 00:11:44,080 Are we content with the holiness that we've found so far or can 205 00:11:44,080 --> 00:11:47,520 we pursue after true holiness? Can we pursue after true 206 00:11:47,520 --> 00:11:50,360 justice? Can we pursue after true 207 00:11:50,360 --> 00:11:53,760 faithfulness? Can we pursue after true love? 208 00:11:53,760 --> 00:11:57,800 Can we pursue after true hope? Can we pursue after true 209 00:11:57,800 --> 00:12:02,200 humility? And I'm asking you church today 210 00:12:02,200 --> 00:12:06,880 in 2026, would you commit? Would you join with me to pursue 211 00:12:06,880 --> 00:12:11,000 what God's calling us to pursue? You know, middle towards the end 212 00:12:11,000 --> 00:12:14,520 of the year, I personally was going through this turmoil 213 00:12:14,520 --> 00:12:18,080 internally. I felt God, I, I, I and I I as I 214 00:12:18,080 --> 00:12:21,560 was preparing for the sermon. God was like I had to I had to 215 00:12:21,560 --> 00:12:24,080 walk with you through that vessel because I wanted to know 216 00:12:24,080 --> 00:12:27,360 what are you pursuing issue and it was very clear God was 217 00:12:27,360 --> 00:12:29,960 reminding me what he had placed me on this earth for. 218 00:12:30,200 --> 00:12:32,840 He reminded me what I signed up for. 219 00:12:33,000 --> 00:12:36,800 He didn't ask me to sign up for something where I'm I'm about to 220 00:12:36,800 --> 00:12:38,880 make more money. I'm about no, he said I'm about 221 00:12:38,880 --> 00:12:42,680 your about pursuing me, about pursuing me and the things for 222 00:12:42,680 --> 00:12:45,640 what I'm calling you to do and I had to reorient everything to 223 00:12:45,640 --> 00:12:48,560 say God, I'll run after you. I will chase after what you're 224 00:12:48,560 --> 00:12:52,200 calling me to run after because at the end of the day, God 225 00:12:52,200 --> 00:12:55,120 wanted me holy. He wanted me. 226 00:12:56,120 --> 00:12:59,680 He wanted me to pursue the right things. 227 00:13:00,920 --> 00:13:04,000 He was challenged me. Geshom, is the holiness that 228 00:13:04,000 --> 00:13:06,520 you're pursuing enough? This much more? 229 00:13:07,120 --> 00:13:09,040 Is your worship enough? There's much more. 230 00:13:09,240 --> 00:13:12,120 Is the idea of justice that you're thinking enough? 231 00:13:12,120 --> 00:13:14,880 No, there's much more. Is faithfulness that you thought 232 00:13:14,880 --> 00:13:16,240 of enough? It's much more. 233 00:13:16,440 --> 00:13:18,800 Is love that you've showcased enough? 234 00:13:18,800 --> 00:13:22,080 No, it's much more. Is the hope that you're having, 235 00:13:22,080 --> 00:13:23,720 is it anchored to something else? 236 00:13:23,720 --> 00:13:26,680 No, your, your hope was anchored to some of the things of the 237 00:13:26,680 --> 00:13:29,160 world. You had to remove that anchor 238 00:13:29,160 --> 00:13:31,680 and put it in place where it will be only me. 239 00:13:32,960 --> 00:13:38,480 And I want to ask you today, Church in 2026, can we, both you 240 00:13:38,480 --> 00:13:41,480 and me, as you're watching this, as you're listening to this, can 241 00:13:41,480 --> 00:13:47,440 we both commit to this? The theme for 2026 is Divine 242 00:13:47,440 --> 00:13:50,480 Takeover. Divine takeover. 243 00:13:50,480 --> 00:13:52,800 I don't know if you can see it right back there. 244 00:13:53,040 --> 00:13:57,720 We've just got our signage up, we've got the the design up. 245 00:13:57,720 --> 00:14:00,240 There are four key elements which we are going to be 246 00:14:00,240 --> 00:14:05,080 concentrating for this year. But the key, key is divine 247 00:14:05,160 --> 00:14:08,720 takeover. It's not my intellect takeover, 248 00:14:08,720 --> 00:14:10,320 it's not what I've studied takeover. 249 00:14:10,320 --> 00:14:15,080 It's a divine takeover, which means it has everything to do 250 00:14:15,080 --> 00:14:17,800 with me, but it is nothing about me. 251 00:14:18,480 --> 00:14:23,320 Which means God in his all form will take over. 252 00:14:23,600 --> 00:14:26,200 The Father, Son and the Spirit take over. 253 00:14:26,200 --> 00:14:29,880 The Holy Spirit has free reign to take over everything. 254 00:14:31,080 --> 00:14:33,640 Before we start, I just want to talk about an incident that 255 00:14:33,640 --> 00:14:39,000 happened in my life, getting married right into a year. 256 00:14:39,800 --> 00:14:42,960 We've just had Caleb. He's a couple of months old and 257 00:14:43,120 --> 00:14:46,840 we were still staying in my in laws place and I think Caleb was 258 00:14:46,840 --> 00:14:50,640 just two months low two months. And my best friend from college 259 00:14:50,640 --> 00:14:53,880 was getting married. And I told my wife coming from 260 00:14:53,880 --> 00:14:57,760 work here, we're going for the wedding reception, get a gift 261 00:14:57,760 --> 00:14:59,280 ready. She got a gift ready. 262 00:14:59,280 --> 00:15:02,280 We're all set. I walk into the house to get up. 263 00:15:02,640 --> 00:15:05,040 She's all dressed, decked up, beautiful. 264 00:15:05,360 --> 00:15:09,200 And she was just a new mother. So she had the glow of a new 265 00:15:09,200 --> 00:15:13,800 mother. And, and I see this thing that 266 00:15:14,320 --> 00:15:19,440 she's packed as a gift and I'm a little bit of a stickler for how 267 00:15:19,440 --> 00:15:21,400 it should be wrapped. You know, there's a particular 268 00:15:21,400 --> 00:15:22,840 way in which you wrap certain things. 269 00:15:22,840 --> 00:15:27,160 You can just put wrapping paper and put stickers or tape 270 00:15:27,160 --> 00:15:28,800 everywhere. There's there's a way in which 271 00:15:28,800 --> 00:15:29,960 you fold. There's a way in which the 272 00:15:29,960 --> 00:15:34,040 crease has to look. And just a year into marriage, I 273 00:15:34,040 --> 00:15:35,640 don't know what to say. And so when I looked at it, I 274 00:15:35,640 --> 00:15:38,800 said, hey, what have you packed? This doesn't even look great. 275 00:15:39,800 --> 00:15:43,040 And I think it was postpartum. And, you know, she was probably 276 00:15:43,040 --> 00:15:45,520 just going through a lot of things because we hardly had 277 00:15:45,520 --> 00:15:47,360 gone out after Caleb had been born. 278 00:15:47,760 --> 00:15:52,040 And she just went into the room, kept the gift on the dining 279 00:15:52,040 --> 00:15:54,320 table. Mind you, both my employers are 280 00:15:54,320 --> 00:15:57,200 sitting on the sofa. And she just changed. 281 00:15:57,280 --> 00:15:58,680 She changed into her home clothes. 282 00:15:59,080 --> 00:16:02,280 And she came out and she's like, yeah, so if you want, you go. 283 00:16:02,280 --> 00:16:05,960 And just sitting here and I just realized the very takeover I 284 00:16:05,960 --> 00:16:08,440 thought of just doing over the gift is backfired. 285 00:16:09,040 --> 00:16:13,640 And then after one hour of me apologizing and saying sorry and 286 00:16:13,640 --> 00:16:16,360 we can go with what you've packed, she agreed. 287 00:16:16,360 --> 00:16:18,400 We went for the wedding. Reception was a beautiful time 288 00:16:18,400 --> 00:16:23,160 with my friends. But I still remember there are 289 00:16:23,160 --> 00:16:24,880 certain things when we take over. 290 00:16:25,560 --> 00:16:29,360 It just is disastrous. You know, you, you trample over 291 00:16:29,360 --> 00:16:31,760 someone's feelings. You trample over what someone is 292 00:16:31,920 --> 00:16:33,320 you. You don't even consider. 293 00:16:33,320 --> 00:16:37,480 That's what takeover looks like. But a divine takeover is 1, 294 00:16:37,480 --> 00:16:41,520 which is beautiful where he comes in because we've allowed 295 00:16:41,520 --> 00:16:43,760 him. He comes in. 296 00:16:43,800 --> 00:16:45,880 I don't know if you caught that because we've allowed him. 297 00:16:46,160 --> 00:16:48,960 In Revelation, it says that Jesus is standing at the door 298 00:16:48,960 --> 00:16:52,520 and knocking. Will you allow him and even when 299 00:16:52,520 --> 00:16:54,720 he comes in, he's asking, will you allow me to take over? 300 00:16:55,120 --> 00:16:58,280 And I want to ask you today can if both of us can, if you know 301 00:16:58,280 --> 00:17:00,440 as you're listening, if you can just lift our hands and say, 302 00:17:00,640 --> 00:17:05,440 Jesus, I commit myself right now for you to send your Holy Spirit 303 00:17:05,640 --> 00:17:08,760 and do a divine takeover of my life. 304 00:17:10,200 --> 00:17:16,880 When we do a handover to God, he can only take over whatever we 305 00:17:16,880 --> 00:17:20,880 hand over. A lot of us are handing over 306 00:17:20,880 --> 00:17:25,839 our, our so-called Christian faith life, but we are not 307 00:17:25,839 --> 00:17:29,120 giving him the work life. We are not giving him the 308 00:17:29,120 --> 00:17:30,480 married life. We are not giving him the 309 00:17:30,480 --> 00:17:33,800 parenting. We are not giving him our, our 310 00:17:33,800 --> 00:17:35,880 recreational life. And so suddenly there are these 311 00:17:35,880 --> 00:17:40,400 gaps that fall heavily and we are suddenly realizing there's 312 00:17:40,400 --> 00:17:43,720 an internal conflict between the very Jesus that we know and the 313 00:17:43,720 --> 00:17:47,840 very gods of the sins that are occupying all of our places. 314 00:17:47,840 --> 00:17:50,600 And God's like, I want to take a complete takeover of everything. 315 00:17:51,400 --> 00:17:54,000 And So what happens that when a divine takeover happens, when 316 00:17:54,000 --> 00:17:56,760 you hand over, you're not just handing over bits and pieces. 317 00:17:56,760 --> 00:17:58,240 You know, we're seeing God come over. 318 00:17:58,440 --> 00:18:00,480 He suddenly is taking over a personal life. 319 00:18:01,000 --> 00:18:04,280 He's taking over a marriage. He's taking over our intimacy. 320 00:18:04,280 --> 00:18:07,120 He's taking over our sexuality. He's taking over our finances. 321 00:18:07,280 --> 00:18:10,000 He's taking over our children. He's taking over our future. 322 00:18:10,240 --> 00:18:12,520 He's taking over a work environment. 323 00:18:12,520 --> 00:18:16,920 You suddenly are so content in the place that you've called. 324 00:18:17,280 --> 00:18:19,960 You suddenly are not worrying what others are worried about. 325 00:18:20,680 --> 00:18:23,320 You know that God has placed you here for a time of day. 326 00:18:23,520 --> 00:18:27,160 You are also suddenly seeing God taking over the very good works 327 00:18:27,160 --> 00:18:29,760 that you're doing. At one point it seemed like you 328 00:18:29,760 --> 00:18:32,560 were so important of doing good works because it's filled 329 00:18:32,560 --> 00:18:35,000 happiness in your heart. But now you're like, no, God's 330 00:18:35,040 --> 00:18:38,320 put me here because He wants me to see transformation. 331 00:18:39,120 --> 00:18:42,520 It's not about just a smile on someone's face. 332 00:18:42,520 --> 00:18:45,960 It's about transformation. It's not about that moment, but 333 00:18:45,960 --> 00:18:49,840 it's about doing it so that their lives are changed forever. 334 00:18:50,920 --> 00:18:54,920 And so our meditation passage today is 1 from Zechariah 335 00:18:54,920 --> 00:18:57,880 chapter 8, verses 11 to 12. And we're reading it from the 336 00:18:57,880 --> 00:19:00,960 amplified version because this is something that's very 337 00:19:00,960 --> 00:19:04,720 important says in verse 11. But now in this time since you 338 00:19:04,720 --> 00:19:08,880 began to build, I will not read the remnant of this people as in 339 00:19:08,880 --> 00:19:12,640 the former days declares the Lord of force for that the seed 340 00:19:12,640 --> 00:19:14,720 will produce peace and prosperity. 341 00:19:14,960 --> 00:19:18,200 The wine will eat its fruit and the ground will produce its 342 00:19:18,200 --> 00:19:21,840 increase and the heavens will give get you and I will cause 343 00:19:21,840 --> 00:19:25,680 the remnant of this people to inherit and possess all these 344 00:19:25,680 --> 00:19:29,920 things. We were positioned but in a 345 00:19:29,920 --> 00:19:33,000 positioning of the whole year of 2025. 346 00:19:33,040 --> 00:19:35,840 A lot of us have become still we've stopped. 347 00:19:35,840 --> 00:19:37,600 We're like we've given up, we're like God. 348 00:19:37,920 --> 00:19:39,840 I'll wait for the promise. You bring the promise here 349 00:19:39,840 --> 00:19:43,200 because you know you need to pursue, you need to pursue me to 350 00:19:43,200 --> 00:19:46,360 get the promise. You need to pursue me in its 351 00:19:46,360 --> 00:19:49,400 entirety to get the promise. And so today as we see this, 352 00:19:49,560 --> 00:19:51,520 what is the promise that God's fulfilling? 353 00:19:51,520 --> 00:19:55,240 He's stealing for the remnant. There were many, there were 354 00:19:55,240 --> 00:19:58,640 probably 10s of thousands in 25 were saying I'm ready to be 355 00:19:58,640 --> 00:20:01,560 positioned for the promise. But when they're looking right 356 00:20:01,560 --> 00:20:02,760 now, there's only a few remnants. 357 00:20:02,760 --> 00:20:05,160 When you look into the context of Zechariah, Zechariah is 358 00:20:05,160 --> 00:20:08,600 talking to a group of people. It's a 70 years, getting over 70 359 00:20:08,600 --> 00:20:10,640 years before that, Isaiah was taken to captivity. 360 00:20:10,640 --> 00:20:12,880 Israel and Judah, they disobeyed God. 361 00:20:13,040 --> 00:20:15,800 The Babylonians came, the Persians came, the Medes came. 362 00:20:15,800 --> 00:20:18,840 They took over them. They went into captivity. 363 00:20:18,840 --> 00:20:20,520 They were under different rulers. 364 00:20:20,920 --> 00:20:25,560 Soon 70 years is getting over and this was prophesied also way 365 00:20:25,560 --> 00:20:28,520 back to sink. 70 years later they will come back and they'll 366 00:20:28,520 --> 00:20:31,600 occupy these lands. This is the promise that God had 367 00:20:31,600 --> 00:20:35,040 told them that He's bringing them back and He's giving it as 368 00:20:35,040 --> 00:20:38,080 a revelation to Zechariah. And what does this look like? 369 00:20:38,080 --> 00:20:41,320 Who are the remnants today? You and me are the remnants. 370 00:20:41,320 --> 00:20:43,960 We are the few. We are the chosen few in the New 371 00:20:43,960 --> 00:20:46,240 Covenant. Anyone who's accepted Jesus 372 00:20:46,240 --> 00:20:49,320 Christ as a Lord and personal Savior are part of the remnant. 373 00:20:49,600 --> 00:20:53,480 Jesus is coming back for us and He's asking us, would you be in 374 00:20:53,680 --> 00:20:56,000 the mode of pursuing? Because when you're in the mode 375 00:20:56,000 --> 00:20:59,520 of pursuing, you're always ready for the King to return. 376 00:21:00,080 --> 00:21:03,680 You're always ready for to be ready to welcome the bridegroom. 377 00:21:03,920 --> 00:21:09,360 You're ready as the wise virgins were with oil, ever ready to be 378 00:21:09,520 --> 00:21:12,920 present so that you'll be invited into the ballroom of the 379 00:21:12,920 --> 00:21:16,760 bridegroom. Israel was a nation. 380 00:21:16,760 --> 00:21:18,560 What happened? Their walls had come down. 381 00:21:18,760 --> 00:21:21,200 The temple was burnt down completely. 382 00:21:21,400 --> 00:21:25,080 Their treasuries were emptied. The identity of being a chosen 383 00:21:25,080 --> 00:21:27,560 people and a nation that was set apart. 384 00:21:27,760 --> 00:21:30,720 Suddenly they are slaves. 70 years. 385 00:21:30,720 --> 00:21:35,640 God allowed them to walk and be under the yoke of kings and 386 00:21:35,640 --> 00:21:40,280 rulers. We see Ezra writing for the 387 00:21:40,280 --> 00:21:43,880 temple for a time when Darius was king to Haggai and to 388 00:21:44,120 --> 00:21:47,680 Zechariah saying let's go and complete the temple. 389 00:21:48,480 --> 00:21:51,640 And Zechariah was set in the context of the remnant arriving. 390 00:21:52,200 --> 00:21:55,360 What is when they were arriving? They weren't arriving in pomp. 391 00:21:55,360 --> 00:21:59,080 They weren't arriving in a in a there wasn't a crusade of 392 00:21:59,360 --> 00:22:03,600 victory because no, they were coming with hearts heavy because 393 00:22:03,600 --> 00:22:05,480 they were coming to a land of desolation. 394 00:22:05,480 --> 00:22:07,320 They were coming to a land which had no walls. 395 00:22:07,480 --> 00:22:10,720 They were coming to a land which once had milk and honey, but 396 00:22:10,720 --> 00:22:12,480 today there's nothing. It's broken. 397 00:22:12,480 --> 00:22:14,840 It's in pieces. They were coming to the 398 00:22:14,840 --> 00:22:17,280 magnificent temple that was built by Swalomon, that was 399 00:22:17,280 --> 00:22:20,680 completely raised down. They were coming to a place and 400 00:22:20,680 --> 00:22:23,520 today a lot of us are in that place. 401 00:22:24,200 --> 00:22:27,520 A lot of us are in that place. A lot of even I'm in that place. 402 00:22:27,520 --> 00:22:30,960 I feel like a lot of things that I thought and hoped and 403 00:22:30,960 --> 00:22:33,120 everything would have have all been raised on. 404 00:22:33,120 --> 00:22:36,880 I'm walking in desolation. I'm walking to a place of 405 00:22:37,600 --> 00:22:41,600 confusion. But it's interesting. 406 00:22:42,360 --> 00:22:45,640 The Spirit of God is alive. The Spirit of God is active. 407 00:22:45,880 --> 00:22:49,880 Zechariah sees visions. And so today, before we go 408 00:22:50,920 --> 00:22:53,400 completely, there are a couple of things I wanted to highlight 409 00:22:53,680 --> 00:22:55,840 as to what this divine takeover has to happen. 410 00:22:56,320 --> 00:22:58,680 You know, many of times this divine takeover that has to 411 00:22:58,680 --> 00:23:02,280 happen has to happen, Holy. It's not a part of this 412 00:23:02,280 --> 00:23:03,800 takeover. It's not a takeover. 413 00:23:03,800 --> 00:23:06,120 Oh Geshum's heart has to be taken over by God. 414 00:23:06,400 --> 00:23:09,600 Oh Geshum's mind has to be taken over by Oh Geshum's spirit man. 415 00:23:09,600 --> 00:23:13,680 As we know, entirely physical body, spiritual body, the 416 00:23:13,680 --> 00:23:20,080 emotional being, everything is taken over by God, a divine 417 00:23:20,080 --> 00:23:22,600 takeover. Interestingly, when you read in 418 00:23:22,600 --> 00:23:25,760 Zechariah 7, you see these people who are coming back and 419 00:23:25,760 --> 00:23:27,680 then they start asking these questions. 420 00:23:27,920 --> 00:23:31,800 They think 70 years they fasted and they feasted. 421 00:23:32,240 --> 00:23:35,720 They observed everything, but God questions what they've 422 00:23:35,720 --> 00:23:37,680 observed. And so today you might be 423 00:23:37,680 --> 00:23:39,840 thinking, you know what? I'm sitting here in 2026. 424 00:23:40,120 --> 00:23:44,280 I, I, I, I've read my Bible, I've done, I've done my due 425 00:23:44,280 --> 00:23:47,440 diligence of giving tithe. I've done my due diligence of, 426 00:23:47,600 --> 00:23:50,440 you know, doing some good works. I've done this, I've served in 427 00:23:50,440 --> 00:23:54,880 church, I've done all this. Yet I am walking in a place and 428 00:23:54,880 --> 00:23:56,960 being in a place where there's so much lack. 429 00:23:57,960 --> 00:24:02,960 Jesus is wanting to tell you that He is going to ask you what 430 00:24:02,960 --> 00:24:06,800 was your motive behind your fasting and your feasting in 431 00:24:06,800 --> 00:24:09,280 Zechariah 7 verses 11 to 14, This is what He says. 432 00:24:09,520 --> 00:24:11,320 But they refused to pay attention. 433 00:24:11,440 --> 00:24:15,040 Stubbornly they had turned their backs and covered their ears. 434 00:24:15,040 --> 00:24:18,880 They made their hearts as hard as Flint and would not listen to 435 00:24:18,880 --> 00:24:22,480 the law or the words that the Lord Almighty had sent by His 436 00:24:22,480 --> 00:24:24,360 Spirit through the earlier prophets. 437 00:24:24,360 --> 00:24:26,280 So the Lord Almighty was very angry. 438 00:24:26,600 --> 00:24:28,280 When I called, they did not listen. 439 00:24:28,280 --> 00:24:30,680 So they called. I would not listen, says the 440 00:24:30,680 --> 00:24:31,600 Lord. I am mighty. 441 00:24:31,600 --> 00:24:35,800 I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations 442 00:24:35,800 --> 00:24:39,520 where they were strangers. The land they left behind them 443 00:24:39,520 --> 00:24:43,840 was so desolate that no one travelled through it. 444 00:24:44,080 --> 00:24:47,480 This is how they made the pleasant land desolate. 445 00:24:47,640 --> 00:24:52,240 There were certain things that the previous generation that 446 00:24:52,240 --> 00:24:56,680 lived in the land 70 years before that had done time and 447 00:24:56,680 --> 00:24:58,200 again. God had sent prophets. 448 00:24:58,200 --> 00:25:01,560 God had raised up prophets. God had sent them warning after 449 00:25:01,560 --> 00:25:04,280 warning, saying come back to your true love. 450 00:25:04,280 --> 00:25:07,000 Come back to the God who brought you out of Egypt. 451 00:25:07,280 --> 00:25:10,560 Come back to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 452 00:25:10,560 --> 00:25:13,880 But no, they gave in. God had set them apart as a 453 00:25:13,880 --> 00:25:18,560 nation, but they always moved to a place of shaking hands with 454 00:25:18,560 --> 00:25:21,360 their neighbors, bringing in their idolatry and their 455 00:25:21,360 --> 00:25:24,400 affections of their hearts. Mood with the affections, mood 456 00:25:24,400 --> 00:25:28,320 generations were affected because they started pursuing 457 00:25:28,320 --> 00:25:31,360 the wrong thing and God scattered them. 458 00:25:31,920 --> 00:25:36,600 And so these people are walking back to a past that has their 459 00:25:36,600 --> 00:25:38,640 face down. They aren't able to lift their 460 00:25:38,640 --> 00:25:41,320 face. And what are some of the things 461 00:25:41,320 --> 00:25:44,600 that God addresses here? He addresses four key things 462 00:25:44,720 --> 00:25:47,400 which I want to point out because if you're going to step 463 00:25:47,400 --> 00:25:50,400 into this new year, you and I are always going to look back 464 00:25:50,400 --> 00:25:52,400 and say, are these four things clear? 465 00:25:53,000 --> 00:25:58,120 Have you got a tick mark or this one still I'm struggling with? 466 00:25:58,120 --> 00:26:00,360 Is this something I'm struggling with in this area? 467 00:26:00,840 --> 00:26:03,280 The first thing the four checks that we're going to look at is 468 00:26:03,640 --> 00:26:07,520 refusing to pay attention. Where are our eyes at? 469 00:26:08,560 --> 00:26:11,920 What are our minds conceiving based on what we're looking? 470 00:26:12,280 --> 00:26:16,280 You know, recently one of our church, the guys was talking to 471 00:26:16,280 --> 00:26:19,160 me and he said, you know, there's one particular way you 472 00:26:19,160 --> 00:26:22,920 were talking to me hurt me. He said you were so caught up in 473 00:26:22,920 --> 00:26:26,240 your head that as I was talking, I knew you were not listening, 474 00:26:26,240 --> 00:26:30,000 but you moved based on what you were already hearing. 475 00:26:30,280 --> 00:26:33,120 And basically I wasn't paying attention to what that person 476 00:26:33,120 --> 00:26:34,840 was saying. And he said, you know what, that 477 00:26:34,840 --> 00:26:36,640 very instance when you did that, it hurt me. 478 00:26:37,160 --> 00:26:42,960 And I realized when you refuse to pay attention, someone is 479 00:26:42,960 --> 00:26:46,880 being ignored. And so today when you and I are 480 00:26:46,880 --> 00:26:50,400 called to look to God, are we giving our full attention? 481 00:26:51,240 --> 00:26:52,520 Are we giving our full attention? 482 00:26:52,840 --> 00:26:58,800 Are we having a focus mode on? I want to ask you, are we having 483 00:26:58,800 --> 00:27:00,280 a focus more on? Because if you're not having a 484 00:27:00,280 --> 00:27:04,440 focus more on, we definitely are aligning ourselves somewhere. 485 00:27:04,760 --> 00:27:07,800 We are giving an attention, a diverted attention inspect. 486 00:27:08,000 --> 00:27:10,240 We're physically present, mentally absent, which means 487 00:27:10,440 --> 00:27:12,520 we're physically there, but we're looking at something else, 488 00:27:12,520 --> 00:27:15,480 hearing something else. But Two Corinthians talks about 489 00:27:15,480 --> 00:27:17,480 something like this, where Paul tells the Corinthians about 490 00:27:17,480 --> 00:27:18,600 this. He says yes. 491 00:27:18,600 --> 00:27:22,640 To this day, whenever Moses is read on, a whale lies over their 492 00:27:22,640 --> 00:27:26,200 hearts, but one turns to the Lord, the whale is removed. 493 00:27:26,200 --> 00:27:29,560 Now the Lord is this, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there 494 00:27:29,560 --> 00:27:32,480 is freedom. And we all with unveiled faces 495 00:27:32,480 --> 00:27:37,000 beholding the glory of the Lord are being transformed into the 496 00:27:37,000 --> 00:27:40,000 same image from 1° of glory to another. 497 00:27:40,560 --> 00:27:44,480 For this comes from the Lord who is Spirit. 498 00:27:44,760 --> 00:27:48,480 What does this look like? It looks like when we who've 499 00:27:48,480 --> 00:27:52,000 accepted Jesus Christ, everything has to fall down. 500 00:27:52,000 --> 00:27:56,720 Which means when I go to God with a request, with a petition, 501 00:27:57,120 --> 00:28:00,760 I need to have faith that He will stick true to His word. 502 00:28:01,640 --> 00:28:03,880 I don't know about you, but I've been really struggling in some 503 00:28:03,880 --> 00:28:06,160 other areas in my life. You know, some of the things 504 00:28:06,160 --> 00:28:09,680 that were going normally when they suddenly start having 505 00:28:09,680 --> 00:28:12,800 hiccups and they stop moving. Is this something that I need to 506 00:28:12,800 --> 00:28:14,280 do? Is this something that I should 507 00:28:14,280 --> 00:28:18,120 have done differently or did I hear you correctly? 508 00:28:18,120 --> 00:28:21,800 And I start having these doubts and suddenly I'm not paying full 509 00:28:21,800 --> 00:28:24,840 attention to what God is doing. Rather than looking at his face, 510 00:28:24,840 --> 00:28:27,800 I start looking at his hand because I'm so I'm worried if he 511 00:28:27,800 --> 00:28:29,840 would provide. I'm so worried if he will make 512 00:28:29,840 --> 00:28:31,160 away. But God said no, keep your eyes 513 00:28:31,160 --> 00:28:34,280 on me because as long as you keep my eyes on him, I'm 514 00:28:34,280 --> 00:28:38,240 captivated by his glory. I'm captivated by his presence. 515 00:28:38,440 --> 00:28:42,680 And so today I want to ask you to have this attention. 516 00:28:42,680 --> 00:28:46,240 Can we have our eyes on God alone and no one else? 517 00:28:46,240 --> 00:28:48,520 Can we be caught up with this glory? 518 00:28:49,040 --> 00:28:51,320 Because it's in that transformation happens. 519 00:28:51,320 --> 00:28:54,720 It's in that our assurance gets keeps getting set in. 520 00:28:54,960 --> 00:28:59,200 So even if 2025 the promises didn't come true, would you 521 00:28:59,200 --> 00:29:02,280 still pay attention to God and say God, my eyes are fixed on 522 00:29:02,280 --> 00:29:07,600 you, my attention is on you. Say I'm listening, speak, I'm 523 00:29:07,600 --> 00:29:10,320 listening, whisper, I'm listening. 524 00:29:10,800 --> 00:29:14,240 The second thing he says is stubbornly turning our hearts. 525 00:29:14,240 --> 00:29:16,280 He talks about his very own chosen people. 526 00:29:16,280 --> 00:29:19,280 He says they stubbornly turned their hearts. 527 00:29:19,840 --> 00:29:22,120 If you're wanting to pursue something else, and so we 528 00:29:22,120 --> 00:29:28,640 position ourselves differently. If I love God, I'm ready to give 529 00:29:28,640 --> 00:29:30,200 up certain things because I love him. 530 00:29:30,680 --> 00:29:33,680 If I love my wife, I'm ready to give up on certain things 531 00:29:33,680 --> 00:29:38,040 because I love my wife. If I love my children, I'm ready 532 00:29:38,040 --> 00:29:41,480 to give certain things up to make time for my children. 533 00:29:42,800 --> 00:29:46,800 The mission is Christian living. What is turning our back 534 00:29:46,800 --> 00:29:52,840 signify? If I had to turn my back on a 535 00:29:52,840 --> 00:29:55,520 proposal, it means I'm not going ahead with it. 536 00:29:56,280 --> 00:30:00,040 And when I turn my back against God, which means I am 537 00:30:00,040 --> 00:30:04,160 discounting what God spoken. And today I wonder how many of 538 00:30:04,160 --> 00:30:07,680 us have actually turned our back against God to say God, I don't 539 00:30:07,680 --> 00:30:11,560 trust you with your word and God's like I can't help you. 540 00:30:12,080 --> 00:30:18,360 My word is life, and it requires faith to see that word activated 541 00:30:18,440 --> 00:30:21,400 so that in due time, in His time, it will come to pass. 542 00:30:21,960 --> 00:30:24,240 Luke 9 was 61 to 62. This is what it says. 543 00:30:24,480 --> 00:30:27,000 Another also said, I'll follow you, Lord, as your disciple. 544 00:30:27,000 --> 00:30:30,320 But first let me say goodbye to those at my home. 545 00:30:32,120 --> 00:30:35,720 But Jesus said to him, no one who puts his hand to the plough 546 00:30:35,720 --> 00:30:39,560 and looks back to the things left behind is fit for the 547 00:30:39,560 --> 00:30:40,800 Kingdom. What is God saying? 548 00:30:40,800 --> 00:30:43,560 God saying? The minute you are assigned and 549 00:30:43,560 --> 00:30:45,280 you say God, I'm ready to follow you. 550 00:30:45,280 --> 00:30:48,120 I'm ready to give up everything to follow you. 551 00:30:48,640 --> 00:30:54,200 Don't go and put your hand back to something of the world 552 00:30:54,800 --> 00:30:57,800 because you will be caught up between this and that. 553 00:30:57,800 --> 00:31:02,320 And so today I want to ask you as we are called to pursue, and 554 00:31:02,320 --> 00:31:06,320 in this pursuing, they're saying you pursue with having a divine 555 00:31:06,320 --> 00:31:09,120 takeover, which is not just a part, but holy. 556 00:31:10,440 --> 00:31:13,520 Can we say, God, if I've stubbornly turned my back 557 00:31:13,920 --> 00:31:17,000 against your word and your promises, if I've let go of the 558 00:31:17,000 --> 00:31:20,440 plow with a mission field that you've called me because of 559 00:31:20,440 --> 00:31:22,720 certain things are happening in my life, I'm sorry. 560 00:31:23,520 --> 00:31:28,760 Maybe be quick to repent right today so that God can take over 561 00:31:28,760 --> 00:31:32,080 us and do what he has to do. The third thing we see is 562 00:31:32,080 --> 00:31:34,880 covering our ears. One of the things we repeatedly 563 00:31:34,880 --> 00:31:39,720 see in Revelation, which John writes to the seven churches, he 564 00:31:39,720 --> 00:31:42,440 says, is those who have ears, let them hear. 565 00:31:42,440 --> 00:31:46,160 What is it? Instruction, Prophetic 566 00:31:46,160 --> 00:31:52,120 utterances, God's Word, the very Word of God, the Spirit, not 567 00:31:52,120 --> 00:31:57,760 just all happens when we are allowing our ears to be open. 568 00:31:57,760 --> 00:32:02,560 The minute we cover our ears, we are tuning out from what God 569 00:32:02,560 --> 00:32:05,000 wants us to hear and what God wants us to do. 570 00:32:05,760 --> 00:32:09,480 And I pray and ask that we really be only the few who 571 00:32:09,480 --> 00:32:12,600 listen to him. That's why we have very few 572 00:32:12,600 --> 00:32:14,520 people who are actually listening to Him. 573 00:32:14,920 --> 00:32:18,240 There's a lot of noise. There's a lot of noise today. 574 00:32:18,240 --> 00:32:23,520 If you and I aren't here with are listening from God, we'll 575 00:32:23,520 --> 00:32:26,800 start listening to so many other voices which might sound like 576 00:32:26,800 --> 00:32:30,320 God but may not be God. Which might sound like the right 577 00:32:30,320 --> 00:32:34,440 thing but actually is not the right thing, which might sound 578 00:32:34,440 --> 00:32:38,920 like faith filled with hope but it actually is not. 579 00:32:39,480 --> 00:32:42,240 How can you discern? That is when we keep our ears 580 00:32:42,240 --> 00:32:44,320 open to what the Holy Spirit is having to say. 581 00:32:45,040 --> 00:32:51,480 So I pray that you and I will keep our ears uncovered to the 582 00:32:51,480 --> 00:32:55,640 Holy Spirit. We cover it to the lies of the 583 00:32:55,640 --> 00:32:58,880 enemy. We cover it to the past that the 584 00:32:58,880 --> 00:33:02,120 enemy is wanting to identify ourselves by and pull us down. 585 00:33:03,240 --> 00:33:07,800 The fourth thing what we see happen is hearts that are hard 586 00:33:07,800 --> 00:33:10,560 as Flint. And this really got me because 587 00:33:10,560 --> 00:33:14,680 many a times in a Christian walk, you know, our ears, our 588 00:33:14,680 --> 00:33:18,720 eyes, which is our attention, our backs, all these can be 589 00:33:18,720 --> 00:33:21,880 turned time and again. You know, we, we, we go through 590 00:33:21,880 --> 00:33:24,720 life and we realize we can't do that. 591 00:33:24,720 --> 00:33:28,320 But the problem is our heart because of certain things are 592 00:33:28,320 --> 00:33:30,960 happening in our lives or the breakthroughs that have not been 593 00:33:30,960 --> 00:33:35,800 coming or the things that we want to see is not in alignment 594 00:33:35,800 --> 00:33:36,960 with God. What happens? 595 00:33:36,960 --> 00:33:40,080 Our hearts get hardened. And here they've used the word 596 00:33:40,080 --> 00:33:42,960 Flint. Flint is basically like a silica 597 00:33:42,960 --> 00:33:47,720 stone variation of limestone, which has got hard properties. 598 00:33:48,680 --> 00:33:52,920 And I was just reading up on it and said it can also scratch 599 00:33:53,200 --> 00:33:56,040 steel. So it's used for making 600 00:33:56,040 --> 00:33:58,400 instruments. It's, it's used for materials 601 00:33:58,400 --> 00:34:02,560 where it's required to bring certain kind of damage or work 602 00:34:02,560 --> 00:34:05,840 with or, you know, use to chip off certain things. 603 00:34:05,840 --> 00:34:08,760 It's it's very hard in nature. And what is God saying? 604 00:34:08,760 --> 00:34:12,679 If it's your heart, your heart is going to be hard as Flint, 605 00:34:12,880 --> 00:34:16,840 which means it becomes hard. Everything that the word of God 606 00:34:16,840 --> 00:34:19,480 says is not even take or it just bounces off. 607 00:34:19,800 --> 00:34:24,679 We in turn start creating damage to those who are trying to put 608 00:34:24,679 --> 00:34:29,000 their word back. You know, a couple of weeks 609 00:34:29,000 --> 00:34:33,800 back, we just going through a phase in our, in our business 610 00:34:33,800 --> 00:34:35,920 side of things and our work side of things. 611 00:34:35,920 --> 00:34:39,000 And you know, me and Tina are having this conversation going 612 00:34:39,000 --> 00:34:42,440 back and forth. And because of certain things 613 00:34:42,440 --> 00:34:46,480 not coming through and some of the some of the dry patches that 614 00:34:46,480 --> 00:34:50,040 were happening. As much as I preach, as much as 615 00:34:50,040 --> 00:34:53,880 I teach, as much as I journey with a lot of you, my heart was 616 00:34:53,880 --> 00:34:56,040 hardened. My heart was hardened. 617 00:34:56,679 --> 00:35:01,080 And this word really hit me hard because I realized that I was 618 00:35:01,080 --> 00:35:05,160 not even able to receive the faith that my wife was speaking 619 00:35:05,160 --> 00:35:07,320 to me. And there were certain things 620 00:35:07,320 --> 00:35:10,720 that came out of my mouth which I knew it was a response because 621 00:35:10,760 --> 00:35:13,880 those areas of my heart as hard as filled. 622 00:35:14,600 --> 00:35:18,200 And So what I was not receiving, I was actually causing damage. 623 00:35:18,440 --> 00:35:21,200 I started causing damage. And so today I want you to ask, 624 00:35:21,760 --> 00:35:26,840 is my heart and heart leading me towards rebellion because those 625 00:35:26,840 --> 00:35:29,960 breakthroughs have not come? Am I moving to those patterns 626 00:35:29,960 --> 00:35:31,720 again? God wanted me to wait for the 627 00:35:31,720 --> 00:35:34,360 right person, so I gave up all those dating apps and I'm 628 00:35:34,360 --> 00:35:37,280 waiting. But I'm struggling in this 629 00:35:37,280 --> 00:35:39,200 loneliness, so I'm going back to that. 630 00:35:39,240 --> 00:35:44,880 It's because our hearts are in rebellion to what God's promised 631 00:35:44,880 --> 00:35:47,840 us to. Are you, are you struggling in 632 00:35:47,840 --> 00:35:50,600 your mind to see God's fulfillment today? 633 00:35:50,600 --> 00:35:54,240 I pray and ask, are our expectations in alignment with 634 00:35:54,240 --> 00:35:56,080 what He wants? That's why the divine takeover 635 00:35:56,080 --> 00:35:58,880 has to happen holy. It has to happen holy. 636 00:35:58,880 --> 00:36:02,760 As families, a lot of times husband and wife are unable to 637 00:36:02,760 --> 00:36:05,640 see what God's calling them to do because two of them are 638 00:36:05,640 --> 00:36:10,560 having two different polarizing promises. 1 is in the South 639 00:36:10,560 --> 00:36:12,760 Pole, 1 is in the North Pole and they're not able to see it. 640 00:36:12,960 --> 00:36:15,800 I pray that you'll be able to see what God's calling you. 641 00:36:15,800 --> 00:36:18,600 It will only happen when it comes wholly to you. 642 00:36:19,320 --> 00:36:24,160 When it comes wholly to you. The call is that we would 643 00:36:24,160 --> 00:36:30,080 surrender wholly our attention, our ears, our eyes, our backs 644 00:36:30,240 --> 00:36:33,600 and our heart, everything, all four things. 645 00:36:34,360 --> 00:36:38,880 And so as I mentioned about my own, I realized I had to go back 646 00:36:38,880 --> 00:36:40,360 and repent. I had to see God. 647 00:36:40,600 --> 00:36:44,280 I'm really sorry I had to go back and say, God, I want to 648 00:36:44,480 --> 00:36:47,480 have your characteristics work in and through me. 649 00:36:48,680 --> 00:36:52,080 And God led me to the passage to say, you know what the yoke that 650 00:36:52,080 --> 00:36:54,520 you're trying to carry, you're doing it all by yourself. 651 00:36:55,840 --> 00:36:59,200 It says in the New Testament, Jesus says my burden is easy and 652 00:36:59,200 --> 00:37:03,880 my yoke is lying, which means he is wanting to walk with us. 653 00:37:03,880 --> 00:37:07,560 The divine takeover is not he is taking over on us. 654 00:37:07,560 --> 00:37:09,600 He's left us here. No, he's saying I'll walk with 655 00:37:09,600 --> 00:37:11,160 you. I've sent you my comforter, 656 00:37:11,360 --> 00:37:13,840 which means he will work with us. 657 00:37:13,840 --> 00:37:18,560 He will Co left with us. There is a shift in the dynamics 658 00:37:18,560 --> 00:37:23,280 entirely. You no longer are just carrying 659 00:37:23,280 --> 00:37:26,520 this yoke of bondage. You suddenly are walking in this 660 00:37:26,520 --> 00:37:30,960 yoke of one with the redeemed and the Redeemer, and so 661 00:37:30,960 --> 00:37:33,120 suddenly you're making sense of everything. 662 00:37:34,000 --> 00:37:37,400 And that's when you read this verse in Zechariah chapter 8, 663 00:37:37,400 --> 00:37:41,120 verses 12. And it makes sense because the 664 00:37:41,120 --> 00:37:44,360 remnant who came back, as much as they were coming to 665 00:37:44,360 --> 00:37:46,920 desolation, they were also coming to the promise of what 666 00:37:46,920 --> 00:37:48,600 God was saying. He's saying, I'm not going to 667 00:37:48,600 --> 00:37:50,840 deal with how I dealt with later. 668 00:37:51,320 --> 00:37:52,920 I'm going to deal with you differently. 669 00:37:53,400 --> 00:37:56,040 And what is he saying? He's saying that when you put 670 00:37:56,160 --> 00:38:00,240 seeds in, it will produce. When you plant vineyards, it 671 00:38:00,240 --> 00:38:02,800 will bear fruit. When you till the ground, it 672 00:38:02,800 --> 00:38:06,080 will produce. You will experience the dew from 673 00:38:06,080 --> 00:38:08,920 heaven. All this will happen because of 674 00:38:08,920 --> 00:38:13,000 the divine takeover. So today, whatever is looking 675 00:38:13,000 --> 00:38:15,960 like desolation towards you, whatever is looking like 676 00:38:16,040 --> 00:38:20,040 brokenness in front of you, whatever is looking like it 677 00:38:20,040 --> 00:38:26,160 doesn't make sense, it's time for a divine takeover, You know, 678 00:38:26,160 --> 00:38:29,000 But the problem is with the divine takeover. 679 00:38:29,760 --> 00:38:34,720 It requires one person to surrender and it requires us to 680 00:38:34,720 --> 00:38:37,080 surrender. You know, for a lot of us, I 681 00:38:37,080 --> 00:38:39,960 don't know if you've seen this, but over the couple of years 682 00:38:39,960 --> 00:38:42,040 I've seen quite a few of these legal dramas. 683 00:38:42,040 --> 00:38:45,320 I've seen a couple of these things that mergers and 684 00:38:45,320 --> 00:38:49,360 acquisitions happen. Mergers are basically where two 685 00:38:49,360 --> 00:38:53,880 competing companies, they merge together and they form a unified 686 00:38:53,880 --> 00:38:55,880 body. Both the CEOs are there. 687 00:38:56,560 --> 00:39:01,360 Over a period of 3-4 years, they work together and then one moves 688 00:39:01,360 --> 00:39:03,760 away and does something else or they figure it out. 689 00:39:04,760 --> 00:39:07,840 But there's a vertical acquisition where one comes 690 00:39:08,960 --> 00:39:12,080 who's a big guy, he sees what the smaller guy is doing, sees 691 00:39:12,080 --> 00:39:15,040 there's a lot of traction, acquires it for a hefty price, 692 00:39:15,040 --> 00:39:17,880 more than what the other guy could actually even think of 693 00:39:17,880 --> 00:39:20,120 selling it, and suddenly he's acquired it. 694 00:39:20,120 --> 00:39:24,920 What happens there's suddenly it's dissolved in the sense 695 00:39:25,160 --> 00:39:27,080 unnecessary things are all cut off. 696 00:39:27,240 --> 00:39:29,720 The main things are kept and then they move ahead with it. 697 00:39:30,640 --> 00:39:33,880 But today, when we look at this particular divine takeover that 698 00:39:33,880 --> 00:39:38,520 we're talking about, God is wanting us to actually in 699 00:39:38,520 --> 00:39:42,480 surrender, allow him to come. But he's saying you still get to 700 00:39:42,480 --> 00:39:45,960 do everything. You still get to put your hands 701 00:39:45,960 --> 00:39:49,080 to the plate. You it's, it's, it involves you 702 00:39:49,080 --> 00:39:56,240 because he is wanting us to make a decision with our will, saying 703 00:39:56,280 --> 00:39:59,440 he's wanting us to use our free will to say you get to make the 704 00:39:59,440 --> 00:40:03,280 decision for yourself. You get to make the decision. 705 00:40:03,280 --> 00:40:06,880 He's treating us as an equal. So this understanding when he 706 00:40:06,960 --> 00:40:10,960 when, when the redeemer's walking with the redeemed, he's 707 00:40:10,960 --> 00:40:15,680 still saying son, daughter, you still have to make the choice. 708 00:40:16,280 --> 00:40:18,360 You still have to make the choice every day. 709 00:40:19,640 --> 00:40:23,720 It's in a surrender, the divine takeover habits. 710 00:40:24,000 --> 00:40:27,640 It's in a surrender. And I believe what is that 711 00:40:27,640 --> 00:40:30,360 surrender looking Lord, you can take it from here. 712 00:40:31,160 --> 00:40:34,280 You can take it from here. Lord, I've I've come to a place 713 00:40:34,280 --> 00:40:36,440 where I need you and you can take it from here. 714 00:40:36,920 --> 00:40:42,080 We are asked to take our hands out so that he can put his hands 715 00:40:42,080 --> 00:40:44,600 in. He can put his hands in, which 716 00:40:44,600 --> 00:40:50,320 means we are called to be doing what you're doing, but with not 717 00:40:50,360 --> 00:40:53,440 our strength, but with his strength, not with our 718 00:40:53,440 --> 00:40:56,880 understanding, but with his understanding, not with our 719 00:40:56,920 --> 00:41:02,240 ideas, but with his ideas. Zechariah 8 versus 9. 720 00:41:02,400 --> 00:41:04,960 You know, before he gives this promise to his people, he says 721 00:41:04,960 --> 00:41:08,000 one thing which is very instrumental and which is very 722 00:41:08,000 --> 00:41:10,680 needed for us to have the divine take. 723 00:41:10,720 --> 00:41:13,360 And this is where I think a lot of us give up. 724 00:41:14,760 --> 00:41:17,800 We want the easy way. What we want to go into a lazy 725 00:41:17,800 --> 00:41:21,080 recliner, pull that back and say, God, you do your thing. 726 00:41:21,240 --> 00:41:24,240 I'm right here. But God's saying no, boss, the 727 00:41:24,240 --> 00:41:28,240 land is desolate, which means you need to get your hands 728 00:41:28,240 --> 00:41:30,560 dirty. Zechariah chapter 8, verses 9. 729 00:41:30,560 --> 00:41:33,760 This is what it says. Thus says the Lord of hosts, let 730 00:41:33,760 --> 00:41:37,680 your hands be strong. You who in these days hear these 731 00:41:37,680 --> 00:41:40,640 words from the mouths of the prophets, who on the day that 732 00:41:40,640 --> 00:41:44,400 the foundation of the House of the Lord of the Hosts was laid, 733 00:41:44,400 --> 00:41:47,480 foretold that the temple might be rebuilt. 734 00:41:47,760 --> 00:41:52,640 This is basically saying, let your hands be strong. 735 00:41:53,280 --> 00:41:57,400 Zechariah is being is having visions for people to build the 736 00:41:57,400 --> 00:42:01,280 temple. And the the reason is God wants 737 00:42:01,280 --> 00:42:02,720 them to build a temple. When you look at the 738 00:42:02,720 --> 00:42:05,200 chronological order, they have built a temple. 739 00:42:05,200 --> 00:42:09,240 And then God moves the heart of a person who's in the throne 740 00:42:09,240 --> 00:42:17,040 room of King Darius to say, hey, go and build the walls in 741 00:42:17,320 --> 00:42:20,320 Jerusalem. And so Nehemiah goes after that. 742 00:42:20,320 --> 00:42:23,440 And so you see Nehemiah, Ezra. And it's interesting when you 743 00:42:23,440 --> 00:42:27,120 see in the chronological order, God had his ordained people 744 00:42:27,120 --> 00:42:31,320 walking this together. They had perfect synchronization 745 00:42:31,320 --> 00:42:33,720 of what had to be done. That's because they were in tune 746 00:42:33,920 --> 00:42:37,480 with the Spirit. God was speaking to them. 747 00:42:37,880 --> 00:42:41,640 And so today when you and I are called, he's saying, can you put 748 00:42:41,640 --> 00:42:46,000 your hands back to work? Hands back to work. 749 00:42:46,000 --> 00:42:49,280 And it's interesting. He's saying bring it back to 750 00:42:49,280 --> 00:42:53,800 work at the temple. A lot of times you've thought, 751 00:42:53,800 --> 00:42:57,000 you know what the House of the Lord is For those who signed up 752 00:42:57,000 --> 00:43:01,200 for ministries, for those who have said this is their calling, 753 00:43:01,840 --> 00:43:06,120 the calling is for everyone. Jesus said he's coming back for 754 00:43:06,120 --> 00:43:07,920 his bride, which means you and I are the bride. 755 00:43:08,880 --> 00:43:11,360 We have different designations. You might say you're a software 756 00:43:11,360 --> 00:43:13,040 engineer, You might say I'm a doctor. 757 00:43:13,040 --> 00:43:14,760 You might say you're a film maker. 758 00:43:14,760 --> 00:43:16,560 All that is good. I might say I'm a pastor. 759 00:43:16,560 --> 00:43:20,200 Yes, but at the end of the day, we are all part of the same 760 00:43:20,200 --> 00:43:23,200 body. So which means there's something 761 00:43:23,200 --> 00:43:25,440 that your hands has to do. There's something my hands has 762 00:43:25,440 --> 00:43:28,360 to do, the fivefold ministry. There's some, there's, there's 763 00:43:28,360 --> 00:43:30,480 an equal part taking of all of this. 764 00:43:30,480 --> 00:43:34,960 And so I ask you today, would you identify what God is raising 765 00:43:34,960 --> 00:43:38,160 you up for a time such as this so that when the divine takeover 766 00:43:38,160 --> 00:43:39,880 happens, you know what to do with your hands. 767 00:43:40,560 --> 00:43:42,160 You know what to do with your hands. 768 00:43:43,160 --> 00:43:48,880 We are called to build the House of God, his body. 769 00:43:48,880 --> 00:43:53,320 What are we building today? We're so much building our own 770 00:43:53,560 --> 00:43:57,600 buildings, our own structures, but God's saying, could you put 771 00:43:57,600 --> 00:44:02,880 that to rest and come to build my Kingdom, My Kingdom? 772 00:44:03,920 --> 00:44:07,440 Can we stretch our hands and ask God, can you strengthen my hands 773 00:44:07,440 --> 00:44:09,880 today? Hebrews 12/12 says so. 774 00:44:09,880 --> 00:44:13,480 We made strong even in your weakness by lifting up your 775 00:44:13,480 --> 00:44:16,360 tired hands in prayer and worship and strengthen your 776 00:44:16,360 --> 00:44:19,080 weakness. For as you keep walking forward 777 00:44:19,080 --> 00:44:22,880 on God's paths, all your stumbling ways will be divinely 778 00:44:22,880 --> 00:44:25,080 healed. The reason why I'm reading this 779 00:44:25,080 --> 00:44:28,920 is because we've heard earlier, I remember Tina speaking 780 00:44:28,920 --> 00:44:32,600 specifically on this, that when we praise, may our hands be 781 00:44:32,600 --> 00:44:35,840 lifted up, that he'll strengthen our knees because it's in our 782 00:44:36,480 --> 00:44:39,840 hands, hands lifted up. We say, God, we are surrendering 783 00:44:39,840 --> 00:44:41,360 to you. Our plans. 784 00:44:41,360 --> 00:44:43,360 We surrender, are being, we surrender. 785 00:44:43,360 --> 00:44:46,240 Holy do we surrender to say, Lord, we are yours. 786 00:44:46,240 --> 00:44:49,520 And So what happens every step of the way, we are acknowledging 787 00:44:49,520 --> 00:44:51,320 him. It's divine takeover from here 788 00:44:51,320 --> 00:44:55,000 on, strengthen my hand so that my personal life that I will be 789 00:44:55,320 --> 00:44:57,960 an overcomer so that I may not be overcome. 790 00:44:58,240 --> 00:45:00,280 Overcome by what? My enemy is plaguing me. 791 00:45:00,280 --> 00:45:03,320 You and I have passed. So what the enemies plagued us. 792 00:45:03,560 --> 00:45:07,320 Probably it's drugs, probably it's sex, probably it's alcohol. 793 00:45:07,320 --> 00:45:12,440 Probably it's pursuing things that were completely off, which 794 00:45:12,640 --> 00:45:16,520 are not aligned with him. And today he's like you are an 795 00:45:16,520 --> 00:45:21,120 overcomer in Christ. But we have to be ready so that 796 00:45:21,120 --> 00:45:24,120 He can overcome the enemy also, because the enemy also is 797 00:45:24,120 --> 00:45:27,600 fighting for our attention, is fighting to make sure that He is 798 00:45:27,600 --> 00:45:29,920 alive in areas where we are weak. 799 00:45:30,520 --> 00:45:34,360 If we don't allow God to become the overcomer in our life, where 800 00:45:34,360 --> 00:45:37,960 He says I have given you the Spirit to overcome this, we need 801 00:45:37,960 --> 00:45:42,040 to ask Him, can we be ready to overcome by the precious blood 802 00:45:42,040 --> 00:45:45,000 of the Lamb? Marriage is where we don't just 803 00:45:45,000 --> 00:45:47,960 walk out because we don't see it, but we are ready to fight it 804 00:45:47,960 --> 00:45:49,920 out. We are ready to fight it out 805 00:45:50,440 --> 00:45:53,880 singleness where we are not we we have the and we have the 806 00:45:53,880 --> 00:45:56,000 faith and the courage to walk into marriage. 807 00:45:56,240 --> 00:45:58,640 We are just not talking the what the world is saying. 808 00:45:58,640 --> 00:46:00,760 Oh, I need to have everything. Where does faith come? 809 00:46:01,000 --> 00:46:03,520 I need to know the person in central where does faith come? 810 00:46:04,080 --> 00:46:07,880 Trust God, ask God, keep the main things the main and move 811 00:46:07,880 --> 00:46:11,440 forward. This is where we ask God to 812 00:46:11,440 --> 00:46:15,800 strengthen our hands with regard to children parenting. 813 00:46:16,080 --> 00:46:18,320 Most of us think, you know what, it just happens. 814 00:46:18,320 --> 00:46:21,000 It doesn't happen. Parenting is intentionality. 815 00:46:21,280 --> 00:46:23,400 You want your children to be pursuing Christ. 816 00:46:23,400 --> 00:46:25,480 It's intentionality. You want your children to be 817 00:46:25,480 --> 00:46:27,200 pursuing the world. That may not require 818 00:46:27,200 --> 00:46:30,400 intentionality because the world will educate them whether you 819 00:46:30,400 --> 00:46:35,080 like it or not. Work will be work well, will be 820 00:46:35,080 --> 00:46:36,920 lead well, will be stewarded well. 821 00:46:37,120 --> 00:46:41,360 Will we be known that we were carriers of His presence at work 822 00:46:41,640 --> 00:46:46,920 or will we be known for what we did not do, for how we wasted 823 00:46:46,920 --> 00:46:54,120 time, for what we brought down church in the community of 824 00:46:54,120 --> 00:46:57,400 faith. Are we with surrendered hands 825 00:46:57,400 --> 00:46:58,920 saying you know what this doesn't belong to me. 826 00:46:58,920 --> 00:47:01,520 This is a whole bunch of others. You know that's why we give our 827 00:47:01,520 --> 00:47:06,000 tithes and offerings. No where are your hands today at 828 00:47:06,000 --> 00:47:09,640 the House of God. It's interesting that when Jesus 829 00:47:10,000 --> 00:47:12,280 came and he called his disciples, and then when he 830 00:47:12,280 --> 00:47:15,720 ascended to heaven and when he prayed, and when they were all 831 00:47:15,720 --> 00:47:18,720 waiting in that upper room, 120 of them, and the Spirit of God 832 00:47:18,720 --> 00:47:22,160 came like a rushing man, they were ready to receive. 833 00:47:22,480 --> 00:47:24,560 They were ready to put their hands to work. 834 00:47:25,240 --> 00:47:29,040 How is it that they all knew what to do is because the Spirit 835 00:47:29,040 --> 00:47:32,360 of God was working in them. It was willing to submit where 836 00:47:32,360 --> 00:47:36,120 submission was needed, was willing to do what everyone else 837 00:47:36,240 --> 00:47:38,800 was caught up doing, was willing to fill in the gaps. 838 00:47:39,000 --> 00:47:43,160 That is what the Spirit of God will enable you to do the minute 839 00:47:43,160 --> 00:47:47,360 you are ready with your hands. And so today I'm going to ask 840 00:47:47,360 --> 00:47:52,480 you, a lot of us are unable to use our hands because it's tied 841 00:47:52,480 --> 00:47:58,080 down to our very own bodies, our very own emotions, our very own 842 00:47:58,080 --> 00:48:02,040 heart, our very own limited understanding, our very own of 843 00:48:02,040 --> 00:48:06,080 resentment, our very own of unbelief, our very own of God 844 00:48:06,080 --> 00:48:10,360 did not come true. But I ask you, may we take that 845 00:48:10,360 --> 00:48:14,720 fate step to surrender. Why are we called to surrender? 846 00:48:14,720 --> 00:48:20,720 So that we'll be able to experience what God stopped. 847 00:48:21,040 --> 00:48:24,040 He's saying the minute you put your hands to work because of 848 00:48:24,040 --> 00:48:27,920 the divine takeover, because you're coming back, you're 849 00:48:27,920 --> 00:48:30,320 coming back, you're acknowledging me, you're doing 850 00:48:30,320 --> 00:48:34,360 everything as I would want. I am instructing you. 851 00:48:34,600 --> 00:48:39,160 Things will be different. The problem is many of us today 852 00:48:39,160 --> 00:48:44,320 have not surrendered our hands. Our hands are coming with such 853 00:48:44,320 --> 00:48:49,440 constraints are coming with such if and then if I do this, will I 854 00:48:49,440 --> 00:48:58,040 get this if and then conditions if OK, then no, sorry if, if 855 00:48:58,040 --> 00:49:01,800 it's comfortable, I'll come if it is if it, if it's too much, 856 00:49:04,240 --> 00:49:07,520 God's grace is not like that and we have verses to comfort 857 00:49:07,520 --> 00:49:09,920 ourselves. Probably the breakthroughs in 858 00:49:09,920 --> 00:49:13,320 your life have not been coming because you've not surrendered 859 00:49:13,320 --> 00:49:16,480 your hands. You surrendered your hands. 860 00:49:17,880 --> 00:49:21,720 You know, the beautiful thing about hands is hand embraces, 861 00:49:22,200 --> 00:49:26,520 hand acknowledges, hand heels, hands strengths. 862 00:49:29,200 --> 00:49:36,040 Hands unite, Hands hug, hands confront, hands resist. 863 00:49:36,760 --> 00:49:43,160 Hands also hold others together. And so today I want to ask you 864 00:49:44,280 --> 00:49:47,800 the four things that God is saying He wants to come through 865 00:49:48,720 --> 00:49:52,320 and which requires our hands. Without our hands, none of that 866 00:49:52,320 --> 00:49:57,880 thing will come through if we are not allowing the divine 867 00:49:57,880 --> 00:50:00,720 takeover to happen with our surrendered hands because the 868 00:50:00,720 --> 00:50:03,080 divine takeover only happens to say God, I'm ready. 869 00:50:03,120 --> 00:50:05,840 Do as you may. If you want me to clean the 870 00:50:05,840 --> 00:50:09,000 garbage in the church every week, I'll do that. 871 00:50:09,320 --> 00:50:11,920 If you want me to clean the toilets in the church, I'll do 872 00:50:11,920 --> 00:50:12,880 that. If you want me to clean the 873 00:50:12,880 --> 00:50:14,760 chairs in the church, I'll do that. 874 00:50:14,960 --> 00:50:17,800 If you want me to come and clean and set up certain things, I'll 875 00:50:17,800 --> 00:50:19,840 do that. If you want me to do, if you 876 00:50:19,840 --> 00:50:21,800 want me to just come and pray, I will do that. 877 00:50:21,800 --> 00:50:27,080 If you want me to do things in the unseen, I'll do that. 878 00:50:27,080 --> 00:50:30,640 If you want me to do things. And you know, the problem is I 879 00:50:30,640 --> 00:50:34,800 come across a lot of people, a lot of people in our church 880 00:50:34,800 --> 00:50:38,520 planting journey and this, I'm talking personally for my life. 881 00:50:39,960 --> 00:50:43,760 I've never been in a place I can honestly say where I've done it 882 00:50:44,040 --> 00:50:47,240 for someone else. I've always done things for the 883 00:50:47,240 --> 00:50:50,200 love of God when it came to the church, when it came to work. 884 00:50:50,200 --> 00:50:51,760 I've done it for myself, I can admit that. 885 00:50:51,760 --> 00:50:55,800 But it came to things of where I had to get remuneration for 886 00:50:55,800 --> 00:50:57,640 certain things. I've done it for my own pride, 887 00:50:57,640 --> 00:51:01,480 my own ego, my own self. I can say that when I came to 888 00:51:01,480 --> 00:51:03,760 the church, it always was for Jesus. 889 00:51:04,400 --> 00:51:07,920 It wasn't for a leader. I didn't act differently for a 890 00:51:07,920 --> 00:51:09,400 leader. I didn't act differently for 891 00:51:10,800 --> 00:51:12,480 this kind of leader and that kind of no. 892 00:51:12,840 --> 00:51:16,640 And So what happened for my own life, I have to say, when I was 893 00:51:16,800 --> 00:51:19,720 in a church which was big enough, I did it for Jesus. 894 00:51:20,160 --> 00:51:22,800 When we moved to a church which was small enough, which had a 895 00:51:23,200 --> 00:51:26,040 pastor, was well known internationally, I still did it 896 00:51:26,040 --> 00:51:29,320 for Jesus. And then when we came back here 897 00:51:29,680 --> 00:51:37,560 to plant a church and to do it in the inconspicuous way 898 00:51:37,560 --> 00:51:42,000 possible, we were still able to do it because we did for Jesus. 899 00:51:42,120 --> 00:51:45,640 It came because of surrendered hands, whatever it entailed, 900 00:51:45,960 --> 00:51:48,600 whatever it entailed. You know, the problem is many a 901 00:51:48,600 --> 00:51:51,200 times people don't see what our hands are doing. 902 00:51:53,000 --> 00:51:56,200 There were times with this, these hands clean chairs, clean 903 00:51:56,200 --> 00:52:00,560 toilets, got the house ready, got the spaces ready, did it 904 00:52:00,800 --> 00:52:04,240 because loved Jesus. There was no one to give 905 00:52:04,240 --> 00:52:06,080 recognition. There was no that is divine 906 00:52:06,080 --> 00:52:08,480 takeover. But I see a lot of people who 907 00:52:08,480 --> 00:52:12,080 are coming in from different churches, they talk about their 908 00:52:12,080 --> 00:52:15,400 accolades so much, but their hands are not surrendered for 909 00:52:15,400 --> 00:52:19,920 the present season. They keep talking of positions 910 00:52:19,920 --> 00:52:22,520 that have been held, but their hands aren't ready to serve 911 00:52:24,000 --> 00:52:26,760 because they feel like they need to come in that same equal 912 00:52:26,760 --> 00:52:28,960 position. Suddenly they think this is a 913 00:52:28,960 --> 00:52:31,800 corporate ladder. They it goes from glory to 914 00:52:31,800 --> 00:52:34,720 glory. They don't realize Jesus came to 915 00:52:34,720 --> 00:52:39,560 title and to do the work. They suddenly want prominence. 916 00:52:40,400 --> 00:52:43,760 And so today I want to urge you, if anything has to happen in 917 00:52:43,760 --> 00:52:47,680 your life, it starts with surrendered hands because 918 00:52:47,680 --> 00:52:50,400 surrendered hearts only happen when hands are surrendered. 919 00:52:51,160 --> 00:52:57,400 I'll tell you that it's in this serving of people, serving of 920 00:52:57,440 --> 00:53:02,560 others, you'll realize what grace is, what true love is. 921 00:53:02,560 --> 00:53:04,840 You'll realize what God's done for you. 922 00:53:05,080 --> 00:53:08,440 You'll realize the grace and the favour that's been on your life. 923 00:53:11,400 --> 00:53:14,520 A lot of us are coming to a place where you know, I know all 924 00:53:14,520 --> 00:53:16,320 that, but I won't surrender my hands. 925 00:53:16,920 --> 00:53:20,400 God's like till you surrender your hands, I won't be able to 926 00:53:20,400 --> 00:53:22,840 do anything of this. And so the reason why I'm 927 00:53:22,840 --> 00:53:25,840 spending some time here is because the next 4 things are 928 00:53:25,840 --> 00:53:27,920 very important. What did it say? 929 00:53:27,920 --> 00:53:31,920 When we have surrendered fully, we make room for God to do 930 00:53:31,920 --> 00:53:35,680 certain things. There is a divine takeover of 931 00:53:35,680 --> 00:53:39,120 the Spirit of God in our lives. Every Bible character in the 932 00:53:39,120 --> 00:53:43,840 story, every person who you read about has had a divine takeover. 933 00:53:44,320 --> 00:53:47,840 The divine takeover has been the script that God had over their 934 00:53:47,840 --> 00:53:50,080 life. The divine takeover is something 935 00:53:50,080 --> 00:53:57,600 that God he did so that people will be able to see Him clearly. 936 00:53:58,960 --> 00:54:02,360 His plans were accomplished through the divine takeover, not 937 00:54:02,360 --> 00:54:06,320 their plans. You take from Abraham, Isaac, 938 00:54:06,320 --> 00:54:11,680 Jacob, Moses, Joshua, Caleb, to the Judges, Deborah and every 939 00:54:11,680 --> 00:54:17,360 other person, all the way to King David, to from Solomon to 940 00:54:17,360 --> 00:54:22,400 Samson to every person, all the way even up to Paul to Timothy. 941 00:54:22,960 --> 00:54:26,680 Everyone had a divine takeover to accomplish God's purpose. 942 00:54:27,160 --> 00:54:30,120 So today when you and I are wanting this divine take work, 943 00:54:30,120 --> 00:54:31,680 what is our purpose? Nothing. 944 00:54:31,680 --> 00:54:34,760 Let's move toward the thing and say, God, I'm ready to 945 00:54:34,760 --> 00:54:37,240 accomplish your purpose, your purpose. 946 00:54:37,240 --> 00:54:38,800 I'm ready to accomplish your purpose. 947 00:54:39,640 --> 00:54:42,440 So what are those four things? The first thing is the seed will 948 00:54:42,440 --> 00:54:47,080 produce peace and prosperity. So if our hands are surrendered, 949 00:54:47,400 --> 00:54:52,160 whatever seed that you're called to plant will produce is what 950 00:54:52,160 --> 00:54:54,800 it's saying. I have come to a point in time, 951 00:54:55,560 --> 00:54:58,160 but I want to have this divine encounter. 952 00:54:58,400 --> 00:55:02,960 So whatever seed I produce, be it in my in whatever I touch, 953 00:55:02,960 --> 00:55:07,040 whatever I do, whatever I put my hands in whatever I Co labor 954 00:55:07,040 --> 00:55:10,760 with others will all start producing even as we look 955 00:55:10,760 --> 00:55:14,360 through in Genesis 626 was 126. I wanted to take Isaac 956 00:55:14,360 --> 00:55:17,440 specifically and this is the reason about surrendered hands. 957 00:55:17,440 --> 00:55:20,200 Isaac inherited a lot from Abraham. 958 00:55:20,200 --> 00:55:23,080 He inherited everything that was assigned to him. 959 00:55:23,320 --> 00:55:27,400 And So what he inherited was God said every place you step. 960 00:55:27,400 --> 00:55:29,160 I'll give it to you. And so he had dug a lot of 961 00:55:29,160 --> 00:55:31,200 wells. He was prosperous, but then 962 00:55:31,280 --> 00:55:34,720 moved into this Philistines territory where ABI Malik was 963 00:55:34,720 --> 00:55:37,880 king and he was staying in the land. 964 00:55:37,880 --> 00:55:40,480 And at that particular time when he moved, it was a famine. 965 00:55:40,880 --> 00:55:42,800 And it's interesting what it says here. 966 00:55:43,000 --> 00:55:47,400 It says here in verse 12, Isaac planted crops in that land and 967 00:55:47,400 --> 00:55:50,400 the same year leaped A hundredfold because the Lord 968 00:55:50,400 --> 00:55:52,520 blessed him. Divine takeover does that. 969 00:55:52,520 --> 00:55:55,720 And so today, the seed that you're calling to produce today, 970 00:55:55,720 --> 00:55:59,680 you'll be set apart even when the markets are crashing, even 971 00:55:59,680 --> 00:56:03,560 when things, the job markets are bad, God will hold your head up 972 00:56:03,560 --> 00:56:06,480 by because of the divine takeover you've done, because of 973 00:56:06,480 --> 00:56:09,600 your surrendered hands, the seeds that you're producing will 974 00:56:09,800 --> 00:56:13,720 start start bearing. It'll bear 100 foot and people 975 00:56:13,720 --> 00:56:17,120 be wondering, you'll be able to point them to the God of all 976 00:56:17,120 --> 00:56:20,920 creation. What happens here is God set 977 00:56:21,280 --> 00:56:27,800 Isaac up to a place where he was seeing clearly that there's 978 00:56:27,800 --> 00:56:31,400 someone else above him. There was someone else. 979 00:56:31,480 --> 00:56:33,240 Isaac did that strategy. Isaac did it. 980 00:56:33,480 --> 00:56:36,040 He just did everything. Surrendered hands does that. 981 00:56:36,680 --> 00:56:39,040 So the watching world, it'll be like, man, what is this guy? 982 00:56:39,040 --> 00:56:42,000 He's just like any of us, but why is he different? 983 00:56:42,520 --> 00:56:46,040 Divine takeover. It's interesting in verse 18 it 984 00:56:46,040 --> 00:56:48,840 says Isaac reopened the wills that have been dug in the name 985 00:56:48,840 --> 00:56:52,160 of his father with the Philistines had stopped up after 986 00:56:52,160 --> 00:56:54,840 Abraham died and he gave them the same names his father had 987 00:56:54,840 --> 00:56:56,280 given them. What is Isaac doing? 988 00:56:56,400 --> 00:56:58,680 He constantly was putting his hands to work. 989 00:56:58,840 --> 00:57:02,040 So today in season, out of season, would your hands be 990 00:57:02,040 --> 00:57:04,720 ready to work? If God's blessed you with one 991 00:57:04,720 --> 00:57:07,120 child who did be ready to work? If God's blessed you with two 992 00:57:07,120 --> 00:57:10,720 children will be ready to work. If God's blessed you with no 993 00:57:10,720 --> 00:57:12,760 child, have you still be ready to work? 994 00:57:13,240 --> 00:57:16,720 That is why we are asking today, would you be ready to do what 995 00:57:16,720 --> 00:57:22,160 God's calling you to do for the seed to produce peace and 996 00:57:22,160 --> 00:57:24,200 prosperity. It's interesting. 997 00:57:24,400 --> 00:57:27,280 The prosperity that God gives you will be 1 of peace. 998 00:57:27,960 --> 00:57:30,840 Peace will be accompanied. Don't come with another person 999 00:57:30,840 --> 00:57:33,480 ready to pull you down. Imagine that is what divine 1000 00:57:33,480 --> 00:57:36,320 takeover looks like. It requires staying power. 1001 00:57:36,320 --> 00:57:40,480 Isaac realized the power of staying, which means keep doing 1002 00:57:40,480 --> 00:57:43,760 what you're called to do, staying and putting your hands 1003 00:57:43,760 --> 00:57:47,680 to work even in famine because of the divine takeover, IE will 1004 00:57:47,680 --> 00:57:52,880 be 100%. I pray that we will be able to 1005 00:57:52,880 --> 00:57:55,680 do what only God can do through us. 1006 00:57:56,400 --> 00:57:59,280 Our hands are ready. The second thing we see is the 1007 00:57:59,280 --> 00:58:01,840 wine will yield its fruit. What does that mean? 1008 00:58:01,840 --> 00:58:04,600 Today, as Paul tells us in the book of Romans, that we are 1009 00:58:04,600 --> 00:58:09,400 Gentiles who've been grafted in, we are grafted in as Gentiles, 1010 00:58:09,400 --> 00:58:13,760 we are grafted in and so no longer are we going to bear 1011 00:58:13,760 --> 00:58:17,200 fruit which we have solely stuck in. 1012 00:58:17,200 --> 00:58:19,640 No, God's plucked us. The minute we have been 1013 00:58:19,640 --> 00:58:22,040 redeemed, we have been grafted into His body. 1014 00:58:22,040 --> 00:58:26,720 We are his root system and His stem, and He constantly keeps 1015 00:58:26,800 --> 00:58:29,600 pruning us. The wine will yield its fruits. 1016 00:58:29,600 --> 00:58:32,640 And so today a lot of us, when we are grafted and won't 1017 00:58:32,640 --> 00:58:35,280 immediately bear fruit, it takes time because we need to 1018 00:58:35,280 --> 00:58:37,480 understand the characteristic, We need to understand what the 1019 00:58:37,480 --> 00:58:39,360 supply is. We need to, there'll be a lot of 1020 00:58:39,360 --> 00:58:41,200 resistance. That's where He constantly 1021 00:58:41,200 --> 00:58:42,240 comes. Keep pruning. 1022 00:58:42,680 --> 00:58:47,040 I've told this earlier, we hear and feel got closest when we 1023 00:58:47,040 --> 00:58:48,440 prune. And so I pray if you're on a 1024 00:58:48,440 --> 00:58:51,000 pruning season, don't be discouraged. 1025 00:58:51,280 --> 00:58:54,880 Fruitfulness is coming. When the fruitfulness comes, 1026 00:58:55,160 --> 00:58:59,320 it'll be unbelievable. You'll be like, did this come? 1027 00:58:59,320 --> 00:59:02,680 Ephesians 320 is what will happen to your fruitfulness 1028 00:59:02,680 --> 00:59:04,600 today? Would you be ready to receive 1029 00:59:04,600 --> 00:59:06,360 that? Would you be ready to receive 1030 00:59:06,360 --> 00:59:08,400 that? In John chapter 15, we read 1031 00:59:08,640 --> 00:59:12,400 about Jesus talking about the wine and we are the branches. 1032 00:59:12,600 --> 00:59:15,600 I pray that we will remain in Him. 1033 00:59:16,400 --> 00:59:20,560 We will remain in Him so that when we are ready to bear, He is 1034 00:59:20,560 --> 00:59:25,000 able to bear in and through us. With the divine takeover, I 1035 00:59:25,000 --> 00:59:28,800 believe God wants to do much more than you've thought or 1036 00:59:28,800 --> 00:59:31,160 imagined. So today if you're thinking of 1037 00:59:31,160 --> 00:59:33,120 fruitfulness is going to be only 20. 1038 00:59:33,440 --> 00:59:37,360 Don't be amazed if it's 200 because that's what God's 1039 00:59:37,360 --> 00:59:39,200 equation is with the divine takeover. 1040 00:59:40,240 --> 00:59:43,960 The third thing that we see is the ground will produce it's 1041 00:59:43,960 --> 00:59:46,000 increase. It's interesting the minute you 1042 00:59:46,000 --> 00:59:49,320 see the Bible with the ground, there was always this in not 1043 00:59:51,480 --> 00:59:54,480 desire for us to possess certain land. 1044 00:59:55,000 --> 00:59:57,200 The Israelites wandered out of the wilderness and then when 1045 00:59:57,200 --> 01:00:00,640 they were ready to go, they were allotted lands, they were given 1046 01:00:00,640 --> 01:00:03,520 portions. So the when we. 1047 01:00:05,040 --> 01:00:09,080 Take ground When we take a stand, that is where God is 1048 01:00:09,080 --> 01:00:11,240 mocking us. And today, what is the stand? 1049 01:00:11,240 --> 01:00:13,680 What's calling you to do? You'll be interested to see for 1050 01:00:13,680 --> 01:00:17,240 those who actually encountered a divine takeover will actually 1051 01:00:17,240 --> 01:00:20,560 take ground of prominent areas where the enemy has had 1052 01:00:20,560 --> 01:00:24,000 strongholds. Today we are right on top of a 1053 01:00:24,000 --> 01:00:27,080 fertility clinic, which means we are on the ground with this 1054 01:00:27,080 --> 01:00:29,680 hopelessness. Where's this where's this? 1055 01:00:30,240 --> 01:00:34,040 It's marked by so much of sadness. 1056 01:00:34,280 --> 01:00:37,600 The fruitful promise that God's provide be fruitful and 1057 01:00:37,600 --> 01:00:39,400 multiply. We're standing on top of that. 1058 01:00:39,640 --> 01:00:43,240 We are called to take ground. We're just not taking ground 1059 01:00:43,240 --> 01:00:44,320 for. If you're taking ground for 1060 01:00:44,320 --> 01:00:48,120 many, it's interesting every time I see my wife's prayer 1061 01:00:48,120 --> 01:00:51,200 list, when you're praying, she has a whole list that she keeps 1062 01:00:51,200 --> 01:00:53,360 adding. She keeps adding for those who 1063 01:00:53,360 --> 01:00:58,080 have to give birth to children. We believe God is wanting us to 1064 01:00:58,080 --> 01:01:01,160 stand in the gap for that specifically today. 1065 01:01:01,160 --> 01:01:02,800 What are you called to take ground in? 1066 01:01:03,240 --> 01:01:06,320 I believe when divine takeover comes, you and I specifically 1067 01:01:06,320 --> 01:01:10,040 will be having something marked out for us to take because when 1068 01:01:10,040 --> 01:01:12,120 we take that, generations, I mean change. 1069 01:01:12,120 --> 01:01:15,160 When we take that, families for generations are going to be 1070 01:01:15,160 --> 01:01:17,960 seeing that breakthrough. When we take them the ground, we 1071 01:01:18,600 --> 01:01:22,080 are bringing the healing that Jesus wants to bring with the 1072 01:01:22,080 --> 01:01:25,120 divine takeover. When we read what does it look 1073 01:01:25,120 --> 01:01:29,200 like, 'cause when we look at ground, we think it's lifeless, 1074 01:01:29,560 --> 01:01:33,320 but it's this very ground that God breathed his life on and 1075 01:01:33,320 --> 01:01:35,240 formed us. Genesis chapter two, O 7. 1076 01:01:35,240 --> 01:01:38,560 If you read then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of 1077 01:01:38,560 --> 01:01:41,800 the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and 1078 01:01:41,800 --> 01:01:47,040 the man became a living being. So today what if we have to 1079 01:01:47,040 --> 01:01:49,320 reverse that? When we take territory to heal 1080 01:01:49,320 --> 01:01:52,840 the land, we take territory to see God's healing forth through. 1081 01:01:53,000 --> 01:01:56,240 When we move to specific places, God is moving you so you can 1082 01:01:56,240 --> 01:01:59,840 bring healing to those places. We many at times don't see that. 1083 01:02:00,360 --> 01:02:03,520 We many at times would see that. But I pray for healing of the 1084 01:02:03,520 --> 01:02:07,160 land that we will find healing when we start praying for our 1085 01:02:07,160 --> 01:02:09,280 very own land. We will find healing when we 1086 01:02:09,280 --> 01:02:11,320 pray for our ecosystems to be normal. 1087 01:02:11,520 --> 01:02:15,760 We'll be free from the greed and the carnal nature that the land 1088 01:02:16,000 --> 01:02:21,000 causes us to have because of sin and the clutches of sin. 1089 01:02:21,720 --> 01:02:25,200 When you read Ezekiel chapter 37, verses one to three and 1090 01:02:25,200 --> 01:02:27,960 verses 7 to 8, that entire chapter, if you read is where 1091 01:02:27,960 --> 01:02:30,720 Ezekiel is standing and there are these dry bones and what 1092 01:02:30,720 --> 01:02:33,360 happens? The Spirit of God comes upon. 1093 01:02:34,040 --> 01:02:37,840 I believe when a divine takeover happens in the Spirit of God 1094 01:02:37,840 --> 01:02:41,920 comes upon, we'll see dead things coming to life, dead 1095 01:02:41,920 --> 01:02:44,160 things coming to life. That's what happens when someone 1096 01:02:44,160 --> 01:02:46,720 walks into a church. That's what happens when a 1097 01:02:46,720 --> 01:02:50,040 divine takeover happens. Suddenly they are not lost, but 1098 01:02:50,040 --> 01:02:51,120 they are found. Suddenly. 1099 01:02:51,120 --> 01:02:54,520 They are not feeling completely cut off. 1100 01:02:54,520 --> 01:02:57,440 They suddenly find family. They suddenly find hope. 1101 01:02:57,440 --> 01:03:00,640 They suddenly find somewhere that their feet are being able 1102 01:03:00,640 --> 01:03:04,480 to be put on the rock to stay. And today we know that that rock 1103 01:03:04,480 --> 01:03:08,960 is no one else but Jesus, who's the cornerstone you and I get to 1104 01:03:08,960 --> 01:03:13,720 stand on him today in verse 9 it says in Ezekiel chapter 37. 1105 01:03:13,720 --> 01:03:17,080 Then he said to me prophesied to the breath prophecy, son of man 1106 01:03:17,080 --> 01:03:19,880 and say to this is what the sovereign not says, come breath 1107 01:03:20,160 --> 01:03:23,080 from the four winds and breathe into these slave that they may 1108 01:03:23,080 --> 01:03:25,560 live. So I prophesied as he commanded 1109 01:03:25,560 --> 01:03:28,840 at the breath entered them. They came to life, stood up on 1110 01:03:28,840 --> 01:03:33,840 their feet. I believe the grounds that we 1111 01:03:33,840 --> 01:03:38,720 are called to take will bring dead things to life. 1112 01:03:39,560 --> 01:03:42,960 Dreams that were dead, situations that were dead, 1113 01:03:44,080 --> 01:03:46,960 things which the enemy had stolen a long time back. 1114 01:03:47,040 --> 01:03:48,840 You'll see things coming back to life. 1115 01:03:49,240 --> 01:03:53,080 I pray that we have a divine take or prophesying over the 1116 01:03:53,080 --> 01:03:57,880 dead things of our cities. We will soon see the very fact 1117 01:03:57,880 --> 01:04:01,440 that we are here because of us, our praying and what we've been 1118 01:04:01,440 --> 01:04:03,920 interceding and the divine takeover that God's done, the 1119 01:04:03,920 --> 01:04:07,200 burden that He's put in us. We will be the very people who 1120 01:04:07,200 --> 01:04:10,400 will bring Shalom to our city because we'll be those 1121 01:04:10,400 --> 01:04:13,320 peacemakers. We'll carry that peace into 1122 01:04:13,320 --> 01:04:16,880 every place that God's calling we need it. 1123 01:04:16,880 --> 01:04:19,680 In Jeremiah chapter 13, it was 17 to 18. 1124 01:04:19,680 --> 01:04:22,960 But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds, declares 1125 01:04:22,960 --> 01:04:27,040 the Lord, because you're called and outcast to Zion, from whom 1126 01:04:27,040 --> 01:04:28,960 no one cares. This is what the Lord says. 1127 01:04:28,960 --> 01:04:32,000 I will restore the fortunes of Jacob's tent and will have 1128 01:04:32,000 --> 01:04:35,960 compassion on his dwellings. The city will be rebuilt on her 1129 01:04:35,960 --> 01:04:40,120 ruins and the palace will stand in its proper place. 1130 01:04:41,720 --> 01:04:47,120 I pray and ask that God will restore, rebuild, and set us to 1131 01:04:47,120 --> 01:04:49,680 a place where we'll be able to see those grounds. 1132 01:04:50,240 --> 01:04:56,080 Those grounds come back to life. Eden's where desolation is. 1133 01:04:56,440 --> 01:04:58,840 I pray for fruitfulness with his badness. 1134 01:04:59,320 --> 01:05:02,440 That's the ground that we take. And so I pray today, this is 1 1135 01:05:02,440 --> 01:05:04,200 conviction that God caused me to have. 1136 01:05:04,200 --> 01:05:06,400 Every time I'm moved into different cities for meetings 1137 01:05:06,400 --> 01:05:09,840 and things like that, I used to just go come back aimlessly, you 1138 01:05:09,840 --> 01:05:12,280 know, my own agenda. But then God started putting a 1139 01:05:12,280 --> 01:05:14,320 burden. Whenever you put, I've given you 1140 01:05:14,320 --> 01:05:16,720 the gospel of peace, you're putting in the footwear of the 1141 01:05:16,720 --> 01:05:18,520 gospel of peace. When you go into those cities, 1142 01:05:18,760 --> 01:05:21,240 pray over those cities, claim those cities, pray over the 1143 01:05:21,240 --> 01:05:24,000 peace of those cities, pray for open doors in those cities. 1144 01:05:24,000 --> 01:05:27,520 Until today, you and I, as much as we're connected with the 1145 01:05:27,520 --> 01:05:30,560 world, when you go into cities, we pray for the cities to bring 1146 01:05:30,840 --> 01:05:33,760 heaven on earth. Heaven on earth. 1147 01:05:34,440 --> 01:05:37,840 The fourth thing because of this divine takeover, He sees heavens 1148 01:05:37,840 --> 01:05:40,040 will give the idea. I love this and this is what I'm 1149 01:05:40,040 --> 01:05:42,520 really expecting for. In fact, in my favorite part of 1150 01:05:42,520 --> 01:05:47,800 the sermon is this because this is where surrendered hands meets 1151 01:05:48,000 --> 01:05:49,800 the living God and we don't know what will happen. 1152 01:05:50,560 --> 01:05:52,640 We don't know what will happen. There's no equation here. 1153 01:05:52,840 --> 01:05:54,880 It's a God equation. Just imagine this. 1154 01:05:54,880 --> 01:05:58,240 The beauty of the promise is that the floodgates of heaven 1155 01:05:58,240 --> 01:06:02,600 are waiting for us. Our surrendered hands are ready 1156 01:06:02,800 --> 01:06:05,160 when it's ready, floodgates of heaven are ready. 1157 01:06:05,520 --> 01:06:10,120 Anything can come from heaven. What is it? 1158 01:06:10,120 --> 01:06:14,400 It's interesting and I I'm, I'm waiting for a time such as this. 1159 01:06:14,640 --> 01:06:17,040 Matthew chapter 14 verses 19 to 21. 1160 01:06:17,040 --> 01:06:19,560 It says this beautifully where Jesus has to feed. 1161 01:06:19,560 --> 01:06:24,520 The 5000 surrendered hands gave 5 blows and two fishes. 1162 01:06:25,640 --> 01:06:29,120 But when Jesus took it up and listened to God, heaven's 1163 01:06:29,240 --> 01:06:33,880 sufficiency became earth's answer. 1164 01:06:34,520 --> 01:06:37,320 Heaven's sufficiency became earth's answer. 1165 01:06:37,320 --> 01:06:41,000 And so it's interesting when the disciples distributed, there was 1166 01:06:41,000 --> 01:06:44,720 an overflow, there was a surplus 12 baskets full. 1167 01:06:45,360 --> 01:06:49,840 You read the minute the heavens open, there's always there's 1168 01:06:49,840 --> 01:06:53,320 always surface in one Kings chapter 17 verses 2 to 6, you 1169 01:06:53,320 --> 01:06:58,520 suddenly see Elijah is being fed by Ravens, meat and bread, 1170 01:06:58,520 --> 01:07:02,560 morning and evening things that will blow your mind. 1171 01:07:03,280 --> 01:07:06,960 So today God cares for the many. God cares for the 1. 1172 01:07:06,960 --> 01:07:10,000 The heavens care for the many. It cares for the one divine 1173 01:07:10,000 --> 01:07:13,960 takeover is that when we pray as a church, it cares for the many 1174 01:07:13,960 --> 01:07:17,920 but also cares for the 1. So I pray that if you feel 1175 01:07:17,920 --> 01:07:20,720 cornered, if you feel dead, locked into a place, you feel a 1176 01:07:20,720 --> 01:07:24,000 chokehold. Remember when we give access to 1177 01:07:24,000 --> 01:07:28,240 the Holy Spirit for a divine takeover, it will show up in a 1178 01:07:28,240 --> 01:07:30,560 divine way only and no other way. 1179 01:07:31,080 --> 01:07:35,760 It'll show up in a divine way. It requires us to give up holy. 1180 01:07:38,360 --> 01:07:42,000 It's interesting that when I mention about this the whole 1181 01:07:42,000 --> 01:07:44,400 thing for divine take quote requests us to give holy. 1182 01:07:44,960 --> 01:07:50,960 It also talks about in Malachi 310 bring the whole tithe into 1183 01:07:50,960 --> 01:07:54,440 the store house and there may be food in my house. 1184 01:07:54,440 --> 01:07:58,600 Test me and this says the Lord and see if I will not throw up 1185 01:07:58,600 --> 01:08:01,440 in the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing. 1186 01:08:01,960 --> 01:08:05,040 There will not be room enough to store in it. 1187 01:08:05,720 --> 01:08:07,680 You know, one of the things we've done in the last seven 1188 01:08:07,680 --> 01:08:09,920 years is not preach specifically on this. 1189 01:08:10,800 --> 01:08:14,120 And as I'm moving forward, I've realised that many have been 1190 01:08:14,120 --> 01:08:18,160 struggling and I realised the reason is because they're not 1191 01:08:18,479 --> 01:08:22,479 wholly given themselves to God's house. 1192 01:08:23,120 --> 01:08:25,760 And so today I I don't want to stress just from the finances 1193 01:08:25,760 --> 01:08:30,359 part, but I believe surrendered hands has much more as much 1194 01:08:30,359 --> 01:08:32,520 more. So I pray and ask that if you 1195 01:08:32,520 --> 01:08:36,399 want to experience a floodgates, it requires you wholly giving or 1196 01:08:36,399 --> 01:08:42,160 something. So as we conclude, 2026 is here 1197 01:08:42,160 --> 01:08:44,960 for us. I'm excited for what's there, 1198 01:08:45,600 --> 01:08:49,680 but I want to ask you, maybe pursue what matters because what 1199 01:08:49,680 --> 01:08:54,319 we pursue will take over us. What we pursue will take over 1200 01:08:54,319 --> 01:08:59,200 us. Divine takeover should be of us, 1201 01:08:59,200 --> 01:09:03,560 holy, not part, but holy. It checks. 1202 01:09:03,560 --> 01:09:04,800 What are the some of the checks we saw. 1203 01:09:04,840 --> 01:09:09,680 We saw our attention, our backs, our ears, our hearts. 1204 01:09:10,160 --> 01:09:12,319 I pray that these will be constantly something that we 1205 01:09:12,319 --> 01:09:16,040 check our attention because we can't be sidetracked. 1206 01:09:17,040 --> 01:09:21,960 We can't have our backs turned looking focused somewhere else. 1207 01:09:21,960 --> 01:09:24,680 Our ears can't be tuned off from the Spirit of God. 1208 01:09:24,680 --> 01:09:29,640 Our hearts can't be hardened. And I pray our divine takeovers 1209 01:09:29,640 --> 01:09:33,800 when we surrender, holy, holy, because our hands are ready to 1210 01:09:33,800 --> 01:09:37,040 surrender, to say, Lord, I'm ready to surrender holy seeds 1211 01:09:37,040 --> 01:09:40,840 will produce, wine will yield, ground will produce, and the 1212 01:09:40,840 --> 01:09:44,600 heavens will give its due. You know, even before I close, I 1213 01:09:44,600 --> 01:09:47,560 want to read this one verse I came across in Jeremiah chapter 1214 01:09:47,560 --> 01:09:50,359 30 verses 8 to 9. It says in that day that 1215 01:09:50,359 --> 01:09:54,560 decrease the Lord Almighty, I'll break the yoke of their necks 1216 01:09:54,560 --> 01:09:58,360 and will tear off their bonds. No longer will foreigners 1217 01:09:58,360 --> 01:10:01,280 enslave them. Instead, they will serve the 1218 01:10:01,280 --> 01:10:05,760 Lord their God and David their King, whom I will raise up for 1219 01:10:05,800 --> 01:10:08,880 them. I pray and ask that even as we 1220 01:10:08,880 --> 01:10:13,520 get ready to enter into 2026 that the divine takeover will 1221 01:10:13,520 --> 01:10:16,880 happen over us. He's ready to break the yoke. 1222 01:10:16,880 --> 01:10:19,760 The divine takeover happens. There's no room for change. 1223 01:10:19,760 --> 01:10:21,880 There's no room for bondage. It's only freedom. 1224 01:10:22,400 --> 01:10:24,760 It's only freedom. And I pray we will surrender 1225 01:10:24,760 --> 01:10:27,520 ourselves holy. We will surrender these hands. 1226 01:10:28,720 --> 01:10:30,760 Can I pray for your loving heavenly Father, Lord, I thank 1227 01:10:30,760 --> 01:10:32,800 you, Lord. Lord, what a beautiful way, 1228 01:10:32,800 --> 01:10:37,520 Lord, to enter into the New year in your presence, in your, in 1229 01:10:37,520 --> 01:10:41,240 your very own way of us hearing your word, of seeing you come 1230 01:10:41,240 --> 01:10:42,800 through. We are grateful for all that 1231 01:10:42,800 --> 01:10:45,640 you're doing, Lord Jesus. Be excited for what you're going 1232 01:10:45,640 --> 01:10:47,800 to do, Lord, in and through US. I pray right now that you would 1233 01:10:47,800 --> 01:10:50,440 move even right now. For those who are watching and 1234 01:10:50,440 --> 01:10:53,360 listening, the real experience, I pray divine takeover will 1235 01:10:53,360 --> 01:10:56,000 happen physically in their homes, in their rooms, in their 1236 01:10:56,000 --> 01:10:59,280 places as they're listening. Lord Jesus, right now, they will 1237 01:10:59,280 --> 01:11:01,640 experience you, Lord, like never before. 1238 01:11:01,640 --> 01:11:04,600 Lord, I pray for your hands to be upon them, your strength to 1239 01:11:04,600 --> 01:11:06,440 be upon them, Your grace to be upon them. 1240 01:11:06,720 --> 01:11:09,640 I pray even right now, Lord, as we enter into this new year as 1241 01:11:09,640 --> 01:11:13,520 this, not ourselves, but as a whole community, as a group of 1242 01:11:13,520 --> 01:11:17,560 believers who believe in you, we trust in you, Lord Jesus, we 1243 01:11:17,560 --> 01:11:20,280 trust in you. I believe and I pray, Lord 1244 01:11:20,280 --> 01:11:23,080 Jesus, that our wines will bear fruit. 1245 01:11:23,080 --> 01:11:25,840 Lord, our ground will Lord start producing. 1246 01:11:25,840 --> 01:11:28,520 Lord Jesus, I pray that Lord will experience. 1247 01:11:28,520 --> 01:11:31,960 Lord, our will experience peace and prosperity. 1248 01:11:31,960 --> 01:11:36,520 Lord Jesus, heavens will experience the sufficiency that 1249 01:11:36,520 --> 01:11:38,760 will come down from heaven. Lord Jesus, we thank you. 1250 01:11:39,600 --> 01:11:42,440 Be glorified, be honoured. I pronounce your blessing over 1251 01:11:42,440 --> 01:11:45,720 your children. I pronounce peace, Lovejoy, 1252 01:11:45,720 --> 01:11:48,680 protection over them. Lord Jesus, we thank you. 1253 01:11:48,680 --> 01:11:51,000 I pray that we'll be carriers of you everywhere. 1254 01:11:51,000 --> 01:11:54,520 Lord Jesus, your Shalom will rest in our homes, in our hearts 1255 01:11:54,800 --> 01:11:57,440 and in every place that we'll be carriers of you Shalom into our 1256 01:11:57,440 --> 01:12:01,040 cities and into our nation. Go before us, be with us. 1257 01:12:01,040 --> 01:12:05,280 Lord, take charge. Your most holy name, you pray. 1258 01:12:05,280 --> 01:12:07,840 Amen. Amen, Church. 1259 01:12:07,880 --> 01:12:10,760 I'm excited for what God has in store for 2026. 1260 01:12:11,160 --> 01:12:14,360 I pray that you will allow this divine takeover even as we 1261 01:12:14,360 --> 01:12:17,680 unpack this in the coming days. I believe God has much more to 1262 01:12:17,680 --> 01:12:20,760 reveal to us, but I pray we'll take these baby steps of getting 1263 01:12:20,760 --> 01:12:23,880 to know Him personally, of following Him, of seeing Him 1264 01:12:23,880 --> 01:12:28,720 come true so that you and I can be witnesses to draw many others 1265 01:12:28,960 --> 01:12:31,360 to have that divine take over over their lives. 1266 01:12:31,800 --> 01:12:34,280 God bless you all. I pray that you have a blessed 1267 01:12:34,280 --> 01:12:36,480 new year. God bless the work of your 1268 01:12:36,480 --> 01:12:38,760 hands. God bless every space that you 1269 01:12:38,760 --> 01:12:40,920 occupy so that you'll bring glory to Him. 1270 01:12:41,440 --> 01:12:45,360 Our love and prayer as a Via Zion Church family from both me 1271 01:12:45,360 --> 01:12:48,240 and Tina. We just bless you and Commission 1272 01:12:48,240 --> 01:12:53,080 you to do great things for God. Thanks for listening to this 1273 01:12:53,080 --> 01:12:56,160 message. We hope you were blessed to hear 1274 01:12:56,160 --> 01:12:59,920 more messages like this. Make sure to subscribe and check 1275 01:12:59,920 --> 01:13:02,560 out our podcast channel for past episodes. 1276 01:13:03,040 --> 01:13:06,360 If you like what you are hearing, consider rating us, 1277 01:13:06,480 --> 01:13:09,480 subscribing and even sharing it with friends. 1278 01:13:09,840 --> 01:13:14,200 That would really help us. For more content from Via Zion 1279 01:13:14,520 --> 01:13:18,680 and to connect with us, go to Via Zion dot in. 1280 01:13:19,240 --> 01:13:22,840 Remember, whoever finds Jesus finds life.