Thanks for checking out the Anchor Faith Message podcast
from St. Augustine, FL.
Now enjoy this message. So tonight I want to talk to you
about imagination. Imagination.
Pastor Marcy, by the Spirit last night started to get into this a
little bit and you know one of the greatest challenges that the
church staff has and our worship team has because Pastor Darrell
taught me this, he said, Listen, as a pastor, you're going to
know. What typically the flow of the
service and the training is with your staff and especially with
your worship leader is that when they get in the spirit, they'll
get in the vein that you're ultimately going to bring things
to. And what happens is it what
could happen is that say I knew that I was going to lay hands on
people for healing well it could be easy for pastor Marcus and
and worshipping to start sensing that people are going to be
healed. So he has to, while singing,
determine is it me that does that or is that something that
ultimately pastor and this whole service is building so that he
is going to release that? Because you can get over into
something that is for someone else to deliver because God is
just setting you up so that you can receive or getting everyone
prepared, so to speak. You know, I've had conversations
with multiple people within the congregation that said, you
know, the Lord was talking to me about that subject.
Well, why was he doing that? So that when I began to minister
it, God was setting you up so that you would receive it easier
because you were already there. I remember one time Apostle
Darling Turner came here with the Global Leadership
Conference. We hosted it one year, and I was
in the Bible on concubines. I'm like, what's the deal with
the concubines, man? I mean, what's up with the
concubines? I've never really took time to
study the concubines. OK?
And you know, these kings had a lot of concubines.
I mean, the name just sounds horrible, right at the end of
the day. So with that being, she
ministered a word called concubine wives and Queens.
Oh, it was powerful. So God was already kind of
talking. And then he allowed her to just
rip things out so that it just set me on a path.
And I was like, wow, here I was in this kind of vein.
And God used her to deliver something.
Amen. And so, you know, a lot of times
again in service you'll start to pick things up that is happening
and you have to begin to ask that question.
Do I continue to go now? Pastor Marshall was dead on last
night because what needed to take place with people stepping
over into committing to the new season and the reason why a lot
of us won't go into the next phase or season or step of faith
with God is because we lose the capacity to imagine we become
too sight driven. Now I realized, you know, when
it's kind of hit me, I thought, well, no wonder God built me.
Because when I grew up, guys, I had imaginary friends, not
because I didn't have a sister. I had a older sister.
And my older sister, I mean, she played with me.
I mean, she did school with me. Obviously, I did the dolls
because she was a girl. And so obviously we had that
convert, you know, kind of interaction.
But then I have my boy stuff, too, and I could buy myself,
entertain myself. But I had four imaginary
friends, four of them. It's just part of my I didn't
have to see them, but they existed when I played.
Are you hear? Hear me?
I'll say the names. RC want me to let y'all know the
names, and they're crazy names. I cannot tell you why their
names are this at all. It makes no sense.
But hey, I was a little kid, so the four names of my imaginary
friends don't try to picture what they look like based on
their names. Hanka.
Jonka, Lipstick and Cooler. That was their names.
Hanka, Jonka, Lipstick and Cooler.
That was their names. OK, And so I would tell my mom.
You can't sit there. We're what?
Can't sit. Why?
Because my imaginary friend was there.
You know what God wants us to imagine?
He actually gave us an imagination.
The question is, are you allowing your imagination to go
into the realm of God and the Spirit?
Are you imagining things that are against God?
Are you hearing me? So let's launch out with this
scripture, Ephesians chapter 3, verses 20 and 21.
And it says this now to him who was able to do far more
abundantly beyond all that we ask or think according to the
power that works within us. To him be the glory in the
church and in Christ Jesus, to all generation, forever and
ever. Amen.
Are you hearing me? So now to him who is able, is he
able? I said, is he able?
And what is he able to do? He's able to do.
Our God is able to do. We should never take a thought
that God's not able to do, not able to do.
He's able to do, but not only is he able to do, He's able to do
far more. Far more, I mean.
These are these adjectives. Are we talking adjectives right
now, Rod? Are we saying far more
abundantly? Are we considering these
adjectives? Let him think about it.
Adverbial mixed in with an adverb that mixed in OK.
We're describing something. It is far more.
I mean not just far, but it's far more.
And then abundantly. I'd like more's not enough to
know it's not just more, it's abundantly more beyond.
I mean these 4 words right in a row.
Far more abundantly beyond. Far more abundantly beyond all
that. We asked which means we're
asking something and and basically give the Lord's life.
You're four times off. You're four times off and what
you just asked me I can times that by four beyond what we
asked which it means we actually asked it.
We we conceived it enough that we asked God, But then or think
now there's things we're thinking that we don't even dare
ask because it seems so outrageous.
And the reason why it seems outrageous is because when we
think, when that thought comes and we compare it to our
ability, we're like, no way. And you're right.
If you were left alone to do it yourself, no way.
But even then, there is context that someone outside of God can
imagine in a way and still get a result, as God said concerning
the Tower of Babel, he said. There's nothing that they set
their mind to that they cannot accomplish.
The problem is what they've set their mind to is against my
ultimate plan. And you know what?
Now there's resistance and I'm going against the rebellion.
Are you hearing me? So with that being said, he says
now he is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we
ask or think. But how is it that it's
happening according to the power that works within us?
So again, you don't get him to do.
You don't get his ability to do far more abundantly beyond what
you could think or ask without the power that's works within
you. That's right.
So God's not doing far more
abundantly beyond in your life unless there's something within
you working now. This power that works within us
is connected to verse 21, to him be the glory in the church,
which means what God's conceiving.
And this thing that you could be, you could that God is able
to do far more abundantly beyond what you can ask or think, which
means what he's imagining is way bigger than what you're
imagining right now. And he can work it with what is
working in you, but it's going to glorify the Church.
It's not here for personal glorification, nor is it for you
to be able to say, look how God blessed me.
And yet that blessing has no connection to the church that he
set you in and made you a part of.
Are you hearing me? Now?
Let's look at this. In the amplified classic verse
20. It says now to Him, who by in in
in a consequence of the action of his power that is at work
within us, is able to carry out his purpose, and do super
abundantly, far over and above all that we dare ask, or think
indefinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts,
hopes, or dreams. But again now to him, who by in
consequence of so as the new American standard said here,
they amplify the connection of his ability to do that is mind
blowing to us, is connected to a power working us.
Now if we want to know what this is, you have to back up a few
verses because Paul is talking to them about their faith.
Are you hearing what I'm saying? He's talking to them about?
So the what's working in you is faith working in you.
You receive something from him. It's his work because he gave
you the directive, believe me. And as big as that is, it's
settled. But most of us, and I was saying
this at Morning Prayer this morning at 6:00 AM, is that more
people love their definition of God than God's definition of
God. And because most love their
definition of God more than his definition of God, they won't
imagine. Because here's the thing, Hanka,
Jonka Lipstick and cooler. When I say that to you, you're
like, bro, you're crazy. And when you start talking
invisible stuff, right, You're crazy.
And if I just started talking to them, you're crazy, right?
That's crazy. No one's there.
Now we go find out next year. There are some things in the
unseen that are there, and people are talking to them and
they exist. And.
They're not imaginary friends. They are spirits that are
conversing and they're having an open dialogue.
I saw a guy today when I left the gym.
He was having an open dialogue with what he was hearing in his
head, an open dialogue. Amen.
So with that being said, let's look at this verse 20 out of the
passion translation, this is really good.
The Passion translation said never doubt God's mighty power
to work in you. Because again, if a man is going
to receive from God, he has to do it without doubting.
You can't doubt, no doubting. Are you hearing what I'm saying?
Now let me just put this in perspective.
You can't tell God what you're believing, for there's plenty of
believers that will pull scripture and tell him this is
what I'm believing for, but they've not asked him.
How do I apply what you're saying from your word so that I
can believe you for it? Because God knows the whole
situation and knows what you need to believe in order for it
to turn out the way his will is. Or you hear what I'm saying.
So you can actually take a no doubt position using context of
scripture that God hasn't technically talked to you about.
Because again, the Bible is not for intellectuals.
It's not there for the sake of academia.
It's there so that he can speak to you his words alive.
And when you get in situations, even though you know where there
are scriptures you can go to, All in all you have to say of
these scriptures, what are you having me stand on?
What are you speaking to me? So that I can stand?
But again, most of the time those particular layers of faith
are basically trying to get out of trouble.
And I'm not even talking about getting out of trouble, 'cause
when you're imagining you're not in trouble, an imagination is
not. It is.
It's carefree to any obstacle, right?
It can be carefree in. In fact, what could stop you
from imagining, let's say, case in point, that you are going to
be given a yacht so that you can travel around to small islands
and preach the gospel. The only thing that stops at is,
well, I can't afford that Or who would give that and how much
would that cost? I mean, we start and we take, we
take our imagination out. I mean, I can imagine myself on
the front of it. I can imagine most people can't
imagine themselves having a substantial amount of wealth to
be able to help significantly when finances are needed.
They can't imagine that at all. They can't imagine starting
their own business. They can't imagine going bigger
and franchising. They can't imagine that they
could start A5O1C3 to help in a very specific need.
And I'm not saying these things are disconnected from your
church 'cause you need to be connected to the church.
I'm just saying that then all of a sudden it grows in such a way
that that particular niche is able to help people globally.
But most won't imagine it, because at the end of the day,
we. Short circuit ourselves through
the scene realm. But, he says, never doubt God's
mighty power to work in you and accomplish all this.
He will achieve indefinitely more than your greatest request,
your most unbelievable dream, and exceed your wildest
imagination. He will outdo them all for He,
for his miraculous power constantly energizes you.
Are you hearing what I'm saying now?
We offer up to God all the glorious praise that raises from
every church in every generation, through Jesus
Christ, and all that will be manifest through time and
eternity. The Church has so much work to
do now that we must begin to imagine ourselves a Church
without spot or wrinkle. That we imagine ourselves as
being in complete unity. That we imagine ourselves
walking in love, walking in forgiveness.
That we can imagine that we can have a not not all.
Well, you know church, you're going to have problems and you
know people are going to not get along.
And why can we not imagine that when you, I don't care whether
you're immature, you're an infant babe in Christ, carnal
Christian, or whether you have maturity that you will say yes,
Lord, at whatever level you are, and that yes, Lord will cause
you to walk in love and forgiveness.
Spiritual maturity is not necessary to walk in
forgiveness. It is actually an elementary
principle. Because when the master forgave
the one guy of all his debt, that one action was enough.
That when he went out and found his fellow slave that owed him
money, that one action of I forgave you an insurmountable
debt that you never could have paid, and yet you couldn't
forgive your own. That's elementary.
That is not spiritual maturity. That is acknowledging all.
That God forgave you. How in the world will I not
forgive them? That is so simple.
That is so simple because you know what happened when he did.
We don't like to preach that because people have the this
belief, you know, that you know once God Forgives your sin,
you're done. Well, guess what?
If you don't reciprocate the the action and behavior of what he
brought you into, that's problematic.
And that guy went to prison and was tortured.
Say Amen anyway, OK? He left the house debt free.
And in less than 24 hours, he was in prison all right.
Let's move on to happier things. So in Ephesians, he's saying
this thing that's accomplishing in you is the power working
within you. And the power working within you
is that God has said something to you.
It's called faith, and you are. Beginning to imagine what God
has placed in your heart. And as a result of that you're
going to see it come to pass. Period.
Look what it says in Hebrews 11/1.
It says this. Now.
Faith is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things
what not seen right. Now, before I dissect this down
a little bit more, remember 2nd Corinthians 418.
We quote this quite often here. And that is Paul saying, while
we look not at the things that are seen, but the things which
are not seen, for the things that are seen or temporal or
temporary, but the things that are not seen or what they're
eternal. I said they're eternal.
Second Corinthians 418. They are eternal.
So what we see here is that we should be more comfortable
imagining. And I realized, you know, again
just recently, I'm like, well, no wonder God picked me 'cause
I'll imagine. I'm not ashamed to imagine.
It's empowering, actually. I'm a person who's willing to
think beyond myself and believe it could happen.
I have, I've, I've my whole life has been this.
Being able to believe something outside of what I saw, period.
And we should be this way and that.
Listen, you can't let what happens in this world from the
enemy to take your imagination away.
Can't do it. And 2024 will be one of your
greatest years ever. Because again, when trials and
tribulation come, listen. The reason why Anchor Faith
Church owns a mall in Saint Augustine is 'cause we could
imagine it. And I never came off and I never
gave you a reason to doubt. We couldn't, even though there
were all kind of things happening behind the scenes that
could bring a lot of doubt if I had spoken about it.
Hallelujah. So at the end of the day, I just
imagine and I can see myself and can see it and can see it and
can see it, and I'm imagining other pieces of property now.
I'm imagining myself being on the property.
I'm imagining what it looks like, how it's going to be
different once I acquire it because of the purpose and the
plan and what God has. And again I get things come
towards us that I can say. I could imagine that now, at the
end of the day, am I naturally capable?
No. Are we organizationally
structured? Probably not.
But that won't stop me from dreaming.
Because again, whatever peace needs to get in place, can get
in place. I don't have to see it in the
natural before I can say, OK, now we can do this.
We should never allow ourselves to be in that position.
And some of us have become complacent with what we've
accomplished in one layer of faith, but won't dare to dream
for something more to expand your influence.
Because the reality is, faith is a fight.
I know when it came to purchasing them all, I knew I I
played it over in my head. I'm like, OK, I realize what
this means. I mean, we have won so many
faith battles. We are living in this realm of.
We have what we say and God is good and things are awesome.
But if I go after that, I already see the conflict
associated with it, because I'm not even in the Devil's devices.
I understand the sacrifice. I did not know it would take
five years, right? But at the end of the day, it is
what it is and we go for it. But I had to say, you know what?
I'm willing to continue to dream.
I mean, we should be the most aggressive people on the planet
to be able to pull things towards us because most of us
think how the enemy has put things in front of our face.
We think we can't we we can't beat the government.
We can't overcome, you know, what's going on.
You know, in in law enforcement, we can't overcome what's going
on in entertainment, we can't. We just think it's too big.
I can imagine something different now.
At the end of the day, I can imagine that all of this going
to go to the wayside, because my King's coming back and he's
going to do that anyway. But I Why would we stop an
effort? It seems like that we we if we
don't watch out, we're like, well, we know the world's going
to go bad, so we basically quit imagining and we really just
want Jesus to come back. And we have no imagination to
continue to be way more effective.
Like, let's go ahead and take what the devil stole.
I mean, let's keep taking from him because the gates of hell
can't prevail against us. That doesn't stop just because
the world goes crazy, doesn't stop just because people are
blatantly do not want Jesus when you witness to him.
It doesn't stop that we still should be able to do because
people need to see that, my gosh, everything you touch, it's
not without opposition. But you win, You overcome.
We have to get back to imagining God's word translation of
Hebrews. 11/1 says it this way. Faith assures us of things we
expect and convinces us of the existence of things we cannot
see. I believe in the these next 18
days, as we're in prayer and fasting, there's going to come
and amass. God's going to give you
something to imagine and and listen, I'm not asking, I'm not
trying to think that it's got to be like, you know, OK, we're
going to, you know, take over the planet.
I'm not saying that. I'm saying for some of you it
could be that God just says, listen, I'm going to bless you
so much that you'll be able to give money away at all time.
And that may be a stretch for your imagination some.
It could be some relationship, right?
And it's like we can do something here.
And next thing you know, it could be that.
I mean, it could be multiple things.
It could be a young person that God begins to say, I'm gonna
utilize you in this capacity in your school and you gotta be
able to imagine yourself. There.
Whatever. It could be some of you in
business to expand, whatever the case may be.
It could be God just wants to put you on a board somewhere so
that you can be more influential.
I mean, again, we do have someone on a county board now,
praise God, but I do not have a county commissioner yet.
We need to imagine, well, how could I win an election?
Just see if God wants you to run, because if he does, how can
you lose? Now that doesn't mean you may
get in the first time, because again, I'm going to give, you
know, a, a, a context of particular individual who's no
longer they're not even in the earth today.
But someone spoke to them about a promotion, and they didn't get
the first time and they got sideways with God.
But just because God's telling you something, you may have a
conflict right out there. But that doesn't mean to change.
My pastor, Mike and Angie, you know, Abigail B16 coming up here
soon. And, you know, they had a
miscarriage, OK. And so, you know, I got a word
that they would have a child this time next year.
She got pregnant immediately and ended up losing the child, like
quick. Well, that's not what the word
of the Lord said. She obviously went back,
listened to the Lord. There were things they wanted to
do to her medically. She went with God, said I'm not
gonna do that. She stood on that word.
She got pregnant again. Abigail's here 16 years later,
right? My point is, is that she could
have taken this thought because, again, there were some things
that the Lord was talking to her about that she needed to make
some adjustments, you know, in the realm of holding the child
in the womb. And as a result of that, we
press on. But she could imagine that it
will be this way and I won't be this way.
Are you hearing me? So again, God could say
something and you could run and not get it.
Don't think you miss God. Keep going.
Keep pressing. Imagine that you can do
something. Are you hearing me?
You know, when Bishop Garraway gave that word back at the
beginning of the year concerning, you know that that
he said, I see you in the corridors of power and that
they're speaking your name in the governor's mansion.
That word has come to pass. I just got a text from Anila
while she's traveling over to Tanzania and she was talking to
We're going up to Tallahassee at the end of this month.
And this group of people that are again connected with the
faith base, they want us to get around the legislators and that
individual says, we are telling everybody all over the state
about your. Church.
So yes, we want your pastor to develop relationship with the
legislator. In fact, we want him on a
particular board. And this is the first step.
Well, I can imagine, 'cause you know what the Bible shows us
that people that were in power, as far as the government had
someone that they could speak to, to hear how God would want
them to handle that. And, you know, we got enough nut
cases around here following Jesus and ain't following,
right? You know what?
Let's get somebody that actually will follow God, stay with the
word, not compromise. I mean, I think God wants some
those individual to get connected to those that are in
certain positions. Why not us?
I said. Why not us?
I mean, what would it look like? If Governor Ron DeSantis called
and said, Pastor Earl, listen, we got this situation I want to
What will you pray about it? Tell me what you think the
Lord's saying concerning it. I come to you and say this is
what we're asking pray. Let's get in prayer together.
Because we are the answer to the world's problems, right?
So we're convinced of things we don't even see because God's
word is truth. The amplified classic of Hebrew
11/1 says it this way. Now faith is a substance to
confirmation of title, deed of things we hope for being, the
proof of things we do not see, and the conviction of their
reality, faith. Perceiving as real fact what is
not revealed by to the senses. So at the end of the day, I
don't have to see it. You know, I'm not surprised that
the Lord has me launching out January 4th, because, just to
let you know. On Sunday, January 7th, we will
not be in the sanctuary, so don't come here.
You're going to come to the church like you normally do, and
then we're going to take you into JCPenney.
We're having service in JCPenney Sunday.
We're going to have service in there and these chairs aren't
going right. We're going to do crisscross
apple salt. No, I'm kidding.
I have chairs in there for you. You might want to come early
because not all of them are padded.
Just to let you know, I'm not here to make you comfortable.
I'm here to guess vision. Are you hearing me?
So we're going to be in JCPenney and everybody's going to direct
you there. All right.
But even do prayer in there. We're not coming in here now.
I'm just going to let you know, air conditioning heater does not
work in JCPenney. Thank you.
It should be all right. I mean, considering it's pretty
cool anyway and it's 53,000 square feet, so I don't think,
you know, even if everybody shows up, we're going to create
so much body heat that we're going to be sweating to death.
But if you do get tired, bring a fan hot, bring a.
Fan And most of you won't be complaining about how cold it
is, so you can say Amen to that, all right, but we'll have to buy
climate control at some point. We may do multiple.
Services this year over there, all right.
But I need you to go into space and see it, because this is too
comfortable seating. I mean, if you all you do is can
imagine coming here, then you'll never imagine going over there.
You'll never imagine it. And again, I don't need it to be
pretty, because people who have an imagination already see it
beyond the state it's in. And let me just tell you this,
you're you need to be thanking God that I can see beyond
current states, because looking at some of y'all, y'all in a
mess right now. But I see you in Christ
somewhere different. Know that.
So don't come to me with your problem thinking all all I see
is your problem. I only see you in Christ of
Victor, a champion only thriving and doing your fit and purpose.
So any bumps along the road, that's easy.
We'll pick you up and drive on 'cause I only see you as a
champion now if you felt if you want to lay down, that's on you.
But but when I stand before, I said I saw him as a heavyweight
champion the whole time and I kept trying to call that out.
Are you hearing me, 'cause I can imagine you being a chain, a
person that changes the world. Why is that?
Cause Hebrews 1320 and 21 says this Now the God of peace, who
brought up from the dead the great shepherd of the sheep.
Who's that? Jesus, through the blood of the
eternal covenant. Even Jesus, our Lord.
Look at verse 21. Equip you in every good thing to
do his will, working in us that which is what pleasing in his
sight through Jesus Christ, to whom the glory, to whom be the
glory forever and ever. Amen.
Notice here in verse 21 that he is equipping you for every good
thing to do his will. So Christ, the reason Christ
died and rose from the dead was not just to forgive you of your
sins. So when you die you go to heaven
is so that you can be forgiven and be made in the likeness of
God. Again, have your rulership again
go back to the dominion that God originally gave man.
And then he said, now I want you to imagine all we're going to do
together, so working in us that which is pleasing.
Now this word pleasing is important because Hebrews 11/6
says without faith it's impossible to please God.
So anything that's pleasing in his sight, remember what he said
about Jesus here. This is my beloved Son in whom
I'm well pleased. And he says that because
previous just before Jesus gets done, he says John permitted at
this time so that all righteousness can be fulfilled.
In essence, I have to do what the Word has said about me.
It's my purpose. It's what God's commanded me to
do. I'm going to be obedient it to
the crossing of the T and the dotting of the I I'm going to
fulfill it all. And God said I'm pleased because
this my son is operating in faith and that's what he wants
us. He's equipping us so that we can
do his will. That way he'll be pleased with
us. He wants us to imagine.
Hallelujah. He wants us to imagine.
The crazy thing about imagination is there's things
that pop up that I didn't imagine.
I imagine what God said I do, but I'd never imagined it would.
This would show up. But it doesn't matter because
that is subject to this. What I've heard from the Lord
period is subject to it because what God has said, he'll bring
it to pass, and not only would it be able to do it, he'll do it
far more abundantly beyond what we could think or ask.
Got a call today from a third year Ramos student that's going
to be graduating and they want to talk with me because they
believe God is sending them to us.
Well, praise the Lord, we have things to do.
I know what's been trained. So I have expectation.
Are you hearing me? And I don't think this would be
uncommon. Why is that 'cause we are
confessing that God is adding adults to us that are submitted
and committed to division and they going to come from all?
Over the place, all over the world to do the work.
Can you imagine that We could fill up JC Penney and we're
like, could you imagine, can I get crazy with you, Could you
imagine that we would leave this 25 1/2 acres, have to buy 200
acres somewhere else? Keep this as a mall to continue
to funnel us and build a whole other campus.
Could you imagine that? I could imagine that.
I could imagine it. Yeah, I could imagine where the
University of Saint Augustine left.
We take, I can imagine that. I mean there's no piece of
property I can't imagine. I just need a yes.
So I drive around, I look, I'm like I'm listed.
No place is out of my price range because I have the
currency of the Kingdom and man, it's not out of my price range.
Interest rates mean nothing to me based upon what God wants us
to do. Oh my, my my.
And here's the thing. I believe Jesus is coming back
quick. Which means then I got to
believe this can happen in a extremely fast time frame.
Amen. Not decades.
All right? Not decades.
It's got to come to pass. I mean, we have been asked to
get on the CRA board in West Augustine to help develop that
area. I can imagine, and I know what I
imagine will have opposition, but all I got to do is do what
he tells me to do and it will transform and I will pull the 2
billion that is on the east side of US one over to the West side.
But I'm telling you right now, as a whole, the community's not
ready for 2 billion because mentalities have to change.
Are you hearing me? And it starts with simple stuff.
OK, I can imagine. Hallelujah.
I walked through the Tennessee Aquarium and I'm like, they're
running this thing by grants. I mean, I dropped some money to
go into thing, but at the end of the day, there's grant money
here. I led to my Donald Law,
Brittany, I said. There's grant money here.
We, we, I mean they they probably getting grant money for
these turtles. I'm gonna start a petting zoo in
the middle of the mall and get grant money for it.
Right. I can imagine.
I can imagine getting it from everywhere, right, 'cause, I
mean, if you're paying taxes and they're giving away in grants,
might as well come to us. Are you hearing me?
Hallelujah. I can imagine.
I can imagine having a place We already have put it together.
Where we can have a transitional home for the homeless,
especially those that are part of the VA process or veterans I
can already imagine, told the county to every county
commissioner, every one of them to their face, I said we have
the personnel and the capacity to do it.
Today you need to give us property.
You're telling the county to give you land?
Well, everybody else is. Did they give it to me?
No. Today.
But praise the Lord. Look at Ephesians 210.
It says, for we are his workmanship.
You, you. You're not going to have this
unless you can imagine. Now again, it's not your
personal imagination you're trying to get God to bless.
I'm not saying that. What I'm saying is I'm keeping
it in the context. When we imagine we're we're,
we're in a place that's not real or to our senses real, but we've
made it real in our minds. And when God's word penetrates
our heart and we let it transform our minds, then it
becomes a part of our minds eye. And we imagine that that word is
reality, and as a result of that it comes to pass.
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for what
good works which God prepared beforehand so that we would what
walk in them. Now?
Nobody goes to verse 10. Everybody only stays at verse
nine. That we're saved, not of our own
works that any man should boast. That is the grace of God through
faith. It's the free gift, and
everybody stops there. But verse 10 says you got saved
to work. And here's the thing.
The things I have for you, I've already prepared for them to
walk in. I've already imagined what your
whole life is before you ever came out of your mother's womb.
I just need you to hook up with my imagination.
I'm like, Lord, let me and you know, you know how we cry out.
These are the things we cry out. Which is a little frustrating to
me because again it's so elementary.
Oh Lord, let me see with your eyes and and and let me have the
compassion you had. And I get it for the law.
I understand that. But everybody wants to just
know, God, on how he sees the lost.
You know how he sees the lost finished?
He sees the lost without excuse. It's done.
Now. I'm not saying you shouldn't be
compassionate. You don't go around to the lost
and say, bro, you're going to hell, man, I'm sorry for you.
I'm not saying you're callous, but I'm saying all we wanted to
learn about God is how he sees the loss and God's like.
Why don't you learn to see how I see creation?
Because before man became lost, I wasn't thinking about the
lost. He had a plan to save the lost.
I know because the Lamb was slain before the foundation of
the world. My point is, is that God always
saw the existence of just believing and creating.
Nobody wants to dare God. Let me dream like you.
Think about it. There was a time in eternity
that God had a thought when it was all by himself, Father, Son,
the Holy Ghost. And it was well thought out,
because before he ever spoke, he already saw the end from the
beginning. But the.
Minute. He began to speak.
He was able to imagine every star, every planet, DNA strands
and the multiplicity of how it would make a person look and how
much hair would be produced. On the individual.
I mean, this is like, right? And we're just asking God to
give us his eyes to see the lost.
Lord, give me your eyes to see, to imagine like you imagine.
Because if I begin to flow like that with the Lord, I'm telling
you to get the lost attention because they're going to.
They'll determine real quick you are not of this world.
You do not act like us. What is going on with you?
I'm glad you asked. Are you hearing me?
So he's created this work for us beforehand that we walk in and
we just only have to imagine, you know, I know there's a
Christian song out there. I don't want to pick it apart.
I can only imagine. I mean, I'll have to actually
imagine what it'd be like because the Bible tells me what
it'd be like, and they tell me exactly what I'd be doing.
So if the guy would have read the Bible, he wouldn't have had
to imagine actually, and people wouldn't be crying over the song
about what they would be like when they get in front of him.
Because if they read the word, they know what it would be like.
But we need to go and be imagine in more than heaven.
Let's imagine what we can do now.
Are you hearing me? OK Lord, if you are business
owner, stand up. Hebrews 12/1 and two.
Hebrews, Hebrews 12/1 and two. This is the passion translation.
Look at this for us. We have all of these great
witnesses who encircle us like clouds, so we must let go of
every wound that has pierced us and the sin we so easily fall
into. When we are able to run, then we
are able to run life's marathon race with passion and
determination, for the path has been already marked out before
us. We look away from the natural
realm and we fasten our gaze onto Jesus, who birth faith
within us and who leads us forward into faith's perfection.
In essence, he's the author and finisher of our faith.
The author and finisher of our faith.
Are you hearing me? And so there are many that have
gone before, the only thing that stops you from accomplishing or
imagining. Again, number one, you got to
get rid, got to deal with your wound.
All of us have wounds. All of us.
Somebody has said something, both a, a believer who was
carnal and fleshly and acted in the flesh instead of in the
spirit. We've all had been wounded by
them. We've all been wounded by the
world, every one of us. But are you going to hold the
wound? Are you going to let it continue
to fester, or will you heal it through forgiveness so they're
no longer your puppet master #2? If there's something that you
repeatedly see yourself and you know it's not God's will, yet
you're doing it. When I say that again, don't see
sin as 10 commandments, you know, well I don't steal.
Well, I don't commit murder. Listen, the Bible says if you
know what to do and you don't do it to him, it's sin.
So it's it could be a general sense that you know you're not
and you're doing it. And at the end of the day that's
sin and you easily fall. You got to eliminate those.
Then you're going to be able to run.
I said you're going to be able to run.
And I heard in my spirit when I had you stand up, the Lord says
command them to dream again. Not a suggestion.
The Lord said command them to dream again.
Command them. See, some of you are thinking if
you don't watch how you'll think so.
So you're like, well you know, I'm just self-employed, you
know, what kind of do? Can you imagine taking it and
handing it over to a manager and handing it over to where you
actually can step back, Literally, as the business
owner, you don't have to be there all the time and go ahead.
And instead of, you know what, I'm just doing this, you know,
well, you know what, I could get back in the game and I could
develop this thing so that it goes beyond my lifetime.
Should the Lord tarry and you go that your company name goes on,
why does it have to die with you?
I mean, you could be that person.
Now again, I don't know whether you're international or not.
I'm not asking. I don't know that God may know
that some of you are traveling in those directions even now.
And what's crazy is this. Listen, if God is birth and his
will for you is to be this absolutely strong, local
business thrive, you're doing what God's asked.
Nobody can do better, even if they become a global company.
You only are to do what you're assigned, what he's marked out
for you before beforehand to walk in.
But are you doing it with everything?
Are you imagining how it could go more?
Or does the number scare you? Do the taxes scare you?
Do the personnel that you're going to have to hire scare you?
Do you scare yourself because you know you're going to have to
change in order to handle? Because some of you can't even
imagine you could handle that many?
Because you get frustrated when it gets that big, But the
reality is you can change. Because you have the reigning
spirit on the inside of you. You do And I heard the Lord say
in my spirit, Command them to dream.
Command. Them to dream and write down
crazy thoughts, Matt, right now. Crazy thoughts.
I mean, just crazy stuff, Stephen.
Crazy things, Ernie. Crazy Seth, Crazy stuff, Elliot.
Just the most obscene idea. If it pops in, write it down
because then you can vet it to determine is it God or something
else. Because you know God's voice,
Chris. Think of something crazy, Chris.
Just crazy. Now, it may be a process.
I get it. I came here and the only thing I
ever got from the Lord is don't buy 5 acres.
That's what I got right out. Don't buy 5 acres.
Because what you are and what you're going to do, you got
going to be able to do on five acres.
Don't do it. So that's why it took so long
because we looking for land now I actually am hearing I'm
listening to God about some land I tied up once.
Determine maybe I shouldn't have let go of it because it may have
never been for the church but it may be If you want to know what
that property is, where the trend galley barn is, that's 51
acres that we got in contract with and they built a pond with
the trunking company but then they encroached on wetlands and
then they end up having to mitigate and tie it up and I
would have only had eight. Acres.
And it wasn't even connected, although I could have filled in
the pond that was 15 acres, which would have put us back to
23. But that takes time.
At the end of the day, I went away from it.
And I do have some people in a town right now that are saying,
well, you know, they would believe in God for that and
didn't do it. So I'm like, Lord, did I miss
it? Should I just stayed with it?
It wasn't. For the church.
So I'm asking because if he wants me to have it, I'm going
to take it. Are you hearing me?
Because I could. Do something with that barn.
Are you hearing me? Some other ideas?
Now my point is, is dream. Imagine.
Write it down. Crazy stuff, but you've that
kind of stuff takes you out of your comfort.
The Lord commands you to imagine, which I believe.
In the next 18 year days, you're going to hear some stuff.
Write it down, write it down. And then at that point, let the
Holy Ghost prioritize it. Hallelujah, you can be seated.
I am a pastor, but I'm also an apostle.
Because I'm an apostle, I actually own businesses that are
connected with the church. You know what?
My son came to me in our creative team and had a crazy
idea. And so why don't we start a
nonprofit? They used to have one as ALC,
but let's make it nonprofit called Citizen Studios.
We already knew we wanted to do this with them all because
again, the way we look, we want to have control of the design.
Because I'm not going to have people writing with a Big Magic
marker on the side of their building or their storefront and
say open and these are ours, We tear that stuff down, OK, we
want a presentation, all right. That being said, he says, you
know, based upon our workload, we have people coming to and
talking to us about our design. And so we have contracts with
other companies right now that are paying us monthly to create
content for them. That takes our guys about two
hours a week. So for eight hours with one
company I get $1000. What do we do with that money?
We move it right into the creative area and.
Because those guys are working a percentage.
Of it, The majority of it goes for the ministry.
The other percentage I give them bonuses.
Because they created an economy. When our creative team goes on a
trip with us to document for you, they also begin to do other
things. It's 'cause we began to imagine
when we went to Poland, Chase took pictures of Poland, came
back, sold the drone footage and the pictures for over $3000.
Yeah, and what did what? What?
Because he they're feeding the church and the church is feeding
them creative, Very creative. It's amazing.
There's another little venture I'm fixing to jump into, but
I've been talking about doing this for years, things that we
would have. So I can have it on the fly.
And again, people can say, well, how can you do that?
How does it take away from your pastor?
And don't take away. I don't actually do it.
I empower those to do it. And as a result, we reap.
The benefit base. Are you hearing me?
Yes. There's one particular thing
that came. Through a particular musical
artist contacted. US through Citizen Studio and.
May want us to do a music video for.
Them at the. Sound of 10 to 15. $1000.
Amen. How do you do you imagine?
Now let me say this. Are we going to build this
ministry? Where?
You don't ever have. To tithe and give an offering
again. Well, if you want to go broke,
then sure. I'm not telling you additional
income so that you can. Say, oh, great pastor is getting
all kind of money we can hold. Ours.
I mean, this is a biblical principle of giving that's
between you and God at the end. Of the day, I mean you.
Really want to get out there and do something amazing?
Let me just say to you, as a business, you need to be giving.
On your business. And some of you have done.
It some of you got involved with what, Bishop?
Said and. Man, you have come through.
We'll talk about that next week. What's come in?
Because what took us five years to get them all, We have more in
the. Year.
Did you hear what I said? What took the church?
Five years based upon what people would sow and was making
and came into their possession. Took us five years to do 250.
$1000 more came in in a year. To be able to.
Pay the mall. Off, which means you prospered.
Because of your other giving, there's increase that has taken
place. Are you hearing what I'm saying?
So God wants us to imagine now, I did business tonight.
I just did what I had unctioned by the Spirit.
At the end of the day, all of us need to imagine, need to be
asking God these next. 18 days. Lord, what's my purpose here?
What's my connection here? How do you want me to, you know,
continue to thrive within the vision here?
But also what? How do you want to use me?
Because some of you are thinking retirement.
And you shouldn't. Rod, we got a lot of books to
write, don't we? Yeah.
He initially imagined. That I would write the great.
American novel, right? And then he came here, And then
the Lord says, Nah, what I meant for.
You. Having a a.
Book that would go all over the world got connected here and it
is doing that and I received a copy.
Of the forest in Greek last week and in Vietnamese Hallelujah,
we're hitting the nations because his word's the most.
Important word. Anyway, not a fictional novel.
Not that he still couldn't write one.
All right. Or you hear me, I got some
little kid books that I would do under a pseudo name, but.
I won't talk to you all about that.
Stand to your feet. Come on, stand to your feet.
But everybody standing. If you're here today and you've
never made Jesus the Lord of your life, I'm telling you, God
planted ideas are amazing. I am living proof.
I wish I could load you. All up on.
Multiple charter buses, maybe even actually a plane from Saint
Augustine and we. Fly into.
Gainesville And then we take a little trip out to a town called
Archer where there's one light. Because Archer decided it was
not going to grow. And I could take you past my
house and you would say, can anything good come out of
Archer, I'm telling you. But man, what God has done.
Through a kid who was raised in Archer, Florida.
Because I can imagine. I can imagine.
That I can.
Ignite the city, impact the nation and influence the world
and be great at all three. I can imagine that when I'm
influenced in the world that you are thriving, igniting the city.
When I'm not here. I can.
Imagine that when you're out in. The nation doing something, and
I'm here locally, we're thriving together.
I can imagine, because I can imagine that this prophecy will.
Come to pass. For us in 2014.
Prophet John. Todd said this.
He has meditated for some time. That it is yet to be seen what
could be done through a man who gave himself wholly to the Lord,
the Holy Spirit said. It is yet to be seen.
What could be done through a whole church that gave
themselves wholly to the Lord? I believe Anchor Faith Church is
that Church the gates of hell shall.
Not prevail against it. And then he said, I bind up
strife and division. He went on to say God is
building his. Church and Anchor Faith Church
is part of his church. This is not something that man
is orchestrated, but the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit have
orchestrated this. God gave vision to Pastor Earl,
gave vision to Pastor Marcy, and you all have come and hooked up
with that vision. Anchor Faith Church is going to
do that. Anchor Faith Church is not a
local organization. It's not a state organization.
It's not just a national organization.
It is an international organization.
Man, I believe that. I can imagine.
Of what it looks like. For a whole Church to wholly
give themselves to the Lord. I can see it.
I see the fire of. God over every one of your
heads. Right now, I see the anointing
in your lives. I see the power of God.
Wanting. To flow through you, I see us
all in unison. All in Unity all walking and I
see it and we create such. A culture of it, that.
Everyone that gets added loves to be here because of the love
and the environment of God and they quickly shed.
Off their. Carnality.
They quickly repent. They quickly change their
thinking. I can imagine.
It and I see you in it. So this year?
As we get into some really significant stuff.
Can you maintain the imagination?
That together we're stronger and don't let anything pull you from
this vision. Thank you so much for listening
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