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There is this pattern with God that in your busyiness, not just busyness in random ways, but busyness that reflects good stewardship, he encounters you. You see, there are times in your life that you might feel as though you're not living in your purpose. There are times where you might feel a longing for something beyond where you are now.
But stay faithful. Be a good steward over the little. Be a good steward over the mundane.
Be a good steward in the place that you are you're starting to detest because it is your good stewardship over it that invites an encounter from the Lord. Heavenly Father, we thank you Lord Jesus. We thank you because in many places people have gathered but not the gathering is not onto you but here the gathering is onto you and you have blessed us Lord with your presence.
Lord you have purposed to meet your people to establish them Lord Jesus to commission them and to bring liberation to bring liberty to the captives. And so heavenly father we thank you for your goodness. We thank you for your love.
We thank you for that which you have already done and that which you will continue to do in Jesus' name. Spirit of the living God, I pray that you will glorify Jesus through everything that continues to happen in this conference in Jesus name. Amen.
Amen. Amen. You may be seated.
You know, one of the things that the Lord had placed on my heart is that there is such a commissioning that what he wants to do in this room. There's going to be a great restoration to many and a commissioning. And so I want to teach a bit and then we're going to go into prayer because the teaching is to prepare your heart for what the Lord wants to do.
You see, the spirit of the Lord will never force himself on anyone. And so, there must be a preparation. Often times in the spirit realm, the Lord would show me what looks like um a thermometer.
And the thermometer has to hit a certain temperature before the breakout of angelic activities begin to happen. that it has to hit a certain temperature in the spirit before the Lord can release the outpouring of what he wants to do. And so that is why there are times where we would engage in prayer.
We would engage in worship, why teaching must go forth because it prepares our hearts to receive from the Lord. Amen. >> So today we're going to go into Judges 6 and we're going to be reading from chapters 1-6.
Um yesterday I began by teaching that you know it starts with you. When we talk about raising a territorial army it is going to be you will not succeed in reaching the finish line of what the Lord wants to do through your life if he doesn't first do a thing in your life. If you don't have mastery over the flesh then the enemy would use the flesh against you on your way to the finish line.
that the very harvest that you are supposed to gather unto the Lord is what the enemy would use to gather unto himself. And so yesterday we began talking about mastery over the flesh. And it really had to do with bringing us into a place of repentance.
You know there are many things that you know in our community in our generation that we just tolerate right there. There a lot of things we tolerate that is it is sinful before the Lord. It is forbidden before the Lord.
It is detestable before the Lord. But we tolerate it. Why?
Because we serve a merciful God. Grace is very easy to be abused because we serve a God whose judgment does not come at the moment of disobedience. So it's easy to be in disobedience and still be living, you know, still be prayerful, still do all the religious activities, yet you don't even know if the Lord is with or has departed from you.
We serve a God that even when he departs from you, he will still leave you in position. So if you only look at the works of your life, it would be hard to know the day that he actually departed from you. And so we must first have mastery over the flesh if we are going to be good stewards over the things that the Lord has called us to.
But you know, today the Lord just began to really press on my heart about the purpose of a territorial army because it's one thing when we get excited about building an army or being part of God's army or taking territory for the Lord, but we have to understand the why because the why speaks to the mission of Jesus. And the why is what empowers you to know that wherever you are, you can function in the mission and in the heart of the Lord. And so let's we we'll just kind of flow when we when we read this.
So starting from Judges 6 chapter 1, you know, and obviously, you know, many of us know about the story of Gideon. And if you don't, you're going to be introduced to it. And we're going to really see what the Lord unpacks for us through this story.
So it says, "The children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord. So the Lord delivered them into the hand of Midian for seven years." Now there is a pattern of God that you would see in scripture, especially with the Israelites, that when they would fall into disobedience, he would cause another nation to oppress them. Now, this is not exclusive to the Israelites.
This is how God works. that in his love for you, when you are stepping outside of his intended purpose and his in his will, he can give you into the hands of the enemy when there is something because you see when we talk about building a territorial army, the why is because the Lord wants to reconcile people unto himself. And so it boils back down to identity for people to know who they truly are in him.
And so you have Israel, a nation that has been called unto God and now they are living in disobedience. The very gods that there that have the Lord has demonstrated his power against, they are going back to over and over to serve. And so the Lord causes a nation to rise up and oppress them.
Now we see something similar in the in the case of Job. Now, not that Job was living a disobedient life. But when it came down to his identity, Job was living a fearful life.
So you will see that there were things that Job would do out of fear, not out of a love relationship. And in the time of Job in the Bible, you know, Job lived in a time where they believed in karma. Good things happen to good people.
Bad things happen to bad people. And so God used Job as an example to change a doctrine that does not really reflect his heart because Job pto that doctrine. So at the end of the day the thing that the Lord was after was identity because Job if you only define yourself by the good things you do so the motive of your heart in doing good things is so that good things can happen to you.
Not that the motive of your heart is because of me or that it flows through me. So that is why Job's friends when you read that you know the the the the account of his friends the dialogue that his friends was having with him that they kept questioning no you must have done something wrong. You there must be a hidden sin somewhere because that was the philosophy of the time.
If this is happening to you definitely you did something bad. But God was teaching a people and not just in their time because even when you look at the the account of which the the Bible is written in Job is actually believed to be one of the oldest books of the Bible. And so the Lord is starting the account of what we would know as the Bible to teach generations.
It's not about good things happening to good people or bad things happening to bad people, but at the end of the day, our identity is rooted in him. that there are some things that may happen to you not because there's something evil you did. Jesus would show us this very thing with the bl the man who was born blind.
They would ask him the same question who sinned that this man was born blind. But there are times that God would not only entrust you with a blessing but God would also entrust you with a burden because it everything flows back to what he wants to do through your life. that your life is not defined by the blessings or the burdens.
Your life is defined by him. So the Lord is always after who do you say you are? What is it you know about yourself in him?
So the Israelites, they had lost their way and it was the love of God for them to be oppressed. You see, very similar to what was happening with the Israelites is what we see happening in the nations today and what will continue to happen. There are things the Lord has showed me about the times that are coming and things are going to get pretty dark.
But there is a purpose for it. Because you see, in these times, a nation would literally oppress another nation. But in the times that we're living, yes, we're going to see cases of nations against nations.
But there are also going to be cases where God gives a people over to the hand of spirits where you will see a people are over to the hand of the spirit of fear. When the spirit of fear takes over a nation, over a community, even when you look practically at what is happening in our world today, some people may not discuss it, but even as though you know many of us have chat GPT and all kinds of AI facilities and and tech in our phone, but the growing rate of AI is going to lead to a lot of job insecurities. You have people right now, I don't know what it is like in the UK, but definitely in the US, even in the case of lawyers.
There's a lot of insecurity about what where their actual their life their their um income. Why? Because many things that people will consult lawyers for their consulting chat.
Many things that you needed a lawyer to put together a proper document for you. Now it's in chat and we're do it so casually not realizing someone is still pay owing loans for all the education they got just for you to put it in 10 characters and it's going to increase in different factors of life. So when you have because of artificial intelligence now job security is at risk.
We're going to see an increasing race of cyber attacks where financial institutions would also be at risk where you could literally wake up one day and you can't even access your bank account for weeks. What do a people do? We are in a time where I I never thought we would be in my lifetime where we're we're we're contemplating, you know, the outcome or the possibility of a potential war.
What does this do in the nations? It people begin to panic. People are pe the spirit of fear starts to take over the land.
And so there are times that you will see a people being delivered into the hand of a spirit. But there is something God is after. Because it's not just that the people were delivered, but God is after their identity.
Because the Bible talks about how everything that can be shaken must be shaken so that that which cannot be shaken will remain. The only thing that is steadfast and solid is who you are in Christ. Christ is the only firm foundation that a person can stand on.
And the Lord wants a people to return to him to see the ways to to to see their own nature to see their nakedness to see where they truly stand to know that by yourself you cannot make it in this life if you're not surrendered and submitted to him. And so verse one begins by saying then the children of Israel did evil in the sight of God. nations are we're we're in a time where many nations have gone outside of the template and what God ordained and designed to see out of them.
You see, for every nation, you know, when we we often focus more on the principalities over territories, but we don't realize that every territory there is something God ordained to do through the territory. That there are also angels of the Lord that also govern over territories. The problem is that the principalities have been empowered to rule.
But it doesn't change the fact that there is something God desires for that nation. I recently went to Jamaica and you know the people that had been inviting me to come to minister in Jamaica, they had been reaching out to me for about four or five years. Every year the Lord will say, "Not yet.
It's not time. I'm not sending you now." The last time they reached out, the Lord encountered me and said, "You must go to Jamaica because I am about to shake the nation." Then a few weeks after that, there was the hurricane. And so when we finally got to Jamaica, so this was in I went in this this year in January.
And when the Lord began to open my eyes, he said, "This is a nation that I called unto myself to be a nation of prophets, but they have given themselves to pleasure." And as the word of the Lord began to go forth, what the Lord did in Jamaica was it was such a powerful and mighty move of God. But the reason I'm sharing this is that there was the there God revealed his heart for the nation but he also revealed where corruption had entered through the culture and in his in his desire to restore it. So that trip was so significant because it was not just about what was being declared to the people.
I remember being having the opportunity to meet with the minister of culture and we were able to pray together that we would take legal grounds that her position in the natural and my position in the spirit we can come together and speak over the land. >> And so there are times that the Lord wants to bring restoration, but restoration is not just for you to rebuild your house. It was not just for the people of the land to say that God is going to restore my finances and everything we lost we could get it back.
The first restoration is after their identity that this is a people you've lost your way and the Lord is saying get back to who you are. So verse two it says and the hand of Median prevailed against Israel. You see there are times that things prevail against you not because of the strength of it but because of who allowed it.
That's why often times there are certain things you go through in life and before you just get in the posture of warfare. Ask who sensed this? I remember times I will be praying against something and rebuking it in the spirit and one one day in particular the Lord said don't rebuke me >> because what you're rebuking I sense it.
So while you're saying in the name of Jesus I rebuke you. It's like saying in the name of Jesus I rebuke you Jesus. Does it make sense?
So we have to get into a posture of humility and say Lord where is this coming from? Is there something you're trying to teach me beyond what I know or beyond what I see? Where is my heart with you?
It says, "And the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel because of the Midianites. The children of Israel made themselves d um you know the dens the caves and the strongholds which are in the mountains." So it was whenever Israel had sown Medianites would come up. You see the Medidianites did not you know permanently occupy their land.
It was strategic. They would only come at the time of harvest. See, look at this scripture.
Also, Amalachites and the people of the east would come up against them. Then they would encamp them and destroy the produce of the earth as far as Gaza, and leave no sustenance for Israel, neither sheep, nor ox, nor donkey. for they would come up with their livestock and their tents, um coming in as numerous as locust, both they and their camels were without number, and they would enter the land to destroy it.
It was always in the moment of fruitfulness they would strike. Reminds me of the enemy. He comes to steal, to kill, and to destroy.
But who gave it permission? The Lord. You see, the Lord began to open my eyes and show me that there are people here and you have invested so much.
But at the time of fruitfulness, it's taken from you. In particular, I saw someone even in your business, you had you were thriving in business. You had raised so much capital.
Things were booming for you. And at the time where you were going to make a pivotal shift that you wanted to level up from going into six figures to seven figures, something crashed and everything was taken from you. You see, even in a more practical sense, we experience this in different ways.
There are people who would invest years of their life in a relationship and at the time that should be fruitful that this should be leading into a deeper level of commitment. Something happens and the whole relationship crashes. at the time you've invested so much of your years in education and you know you you went through school you got a masters you did all the things and you come out of all with all your degrees no job job insecurity at the time of fruitfulness something is always robbed from you and it's not always because there is an enemy attacking you void from the instruction of the Lord it's not always because you're in a position where you need the intervention of the Lord's hand.
Sometime it is the Lord that allowed it. Sometimes it is the Lord that gave the enemy permission to strike. You see when it came to Job, God literally told the devil that you can touch everything connected to him, just not his life.
Because everything else can be restored. Everything else was secondary to the main thing. And God would allow the world to be stripped from you if it would help you to understand the weight and the treasure of your soul.
If it would help you to understand the treasure of your identity in him. You see, identity is the goal. This is why God raises an army for people to be reconciled and to walk with him in truth and in spirit.
Outside of that, if there's anything he must strike down, he will strike it to get you back to where you ought to be in your heart. Some of you are fighting the wrong enemy. Some of you are thinking that it is Satan who is just manipulating your life and forgetting who is it that gave him permission.
There are things we do in our lives that opens the door to the enemy. But there are times when it is the Lord who puts you in the enemy's hand to save your soul. The Bible talks about what would it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses his soul.
And so there are times that the Lord would allow that everything you gain to be lost to preserve you. There are some of you that you came here today and your main focus was restoration. And the Lord showed me that indeed he will restore but first things first we have to get from the place of repentance then restoration flows.
Then look at this scripture. Then he goes into verse six and he says, "So Israel was greatly improvished because of the Midianites and the children of Israel cried out to God." You see, it's unfortunate how often times prayer is our last resort rather than the first response. They waited after every harvest was stolen and things were kind of just, you know, settling for them that this would be their way of life.
Year 1, year two, year three, year four, year five, year six, year seven, they cry out to the Lord. What level of pride does it take that seven years before you could cry out to your maker? But that was the goal to break them to the place of humility was God's goal.
Because unless you come from a place of humility, then you will not be able to see what is in front of you when the Lord brings a mirror. You see, it was not just that God would send them Gideon because they cried. Because just in a moment, we're going to read in the scripture that as a result of their cry, the first person commissioned to them was not Gideon, but a prophet that would reveal to them the error of their ways.
You see, there are some of you that the Lord is going to commission, and the reason he's telling you to speak up about the times that we are in is because it's not just that God wants to restore a people. The goal is not just to say but God is going to heal the land. The reason he wants to heal the land is that he must first heal the hearts of men.
And so there are hard words that the Lord will begin to put in the mouths of people to decree and declare in this time. And it is so that people come back to the place of repentance because repentance is the foundation for any restoration to be built on. And so finally they cry out to the Lord.
And verse 7 says, "And it came to pass when the children of Israel cried out to the Lord because of the Medidianites that the Lord sent a prophet to the children of Israel, who said to them, thus says the Lord God of Israel, I brought you up from Egypt and brought you out of the house of bondage and delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of all who oppressed you, and drove drove them out before you and gave you their land. Also I said to you, I am the Lord your God. Do not fear the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell, but you have not obeyed me.
The prophet was to show them the error in their ways. That God wasn't just about rebuilding them, but he needed to first restore their identity. that what has come upon you is not because the Midionites are too strong.
It's not also because there are so many of them, but the strength of the Midionites have overpowered you because you first disobeyed me. You have gone outside of our covenant. You have taken on another identity.
You see there are times that there are things that the Lord allows in your life because you see departure from the Lord is a very subtle thing. It's not what you recognize immediately. When you read about the letters to the seven churches in the book of Revelation, out of seven churches, only two churches were right before God.
So out of seven, five, you're talking about around 70% of the people were in error. And those seven churches really speak to the state of the body of Christ. So in a room like this, we are all here gathered together having different levels of expectations in our hearts to the Lord where 70% of us are not in right standing from the eyes of the Lord.
And when you read about these churches, why the Lord will always tell them to repent, do you think that if they knew they were supposed to repent that they would not have done it already? because the departure was subtle. You would hear about a church called the loveless church, how a church, the church of Ephesus, and these were people, you know, the Bible would talk about how they knew how to test the apostles to know who was right and who was in error.
These were people who understood the word of God, but yet in a very subtle way, their hearts had departed from their first love. Then another church. Actually, you go from a loveless church.
Then you have another church that had so much love but was corrupt. The ones that tolerated Jezebel because they were so loving that all of a sudden love became the idol and not the one who is love that it's like, "Oh no, we don't rebuke. No, Jezebel wants to say something.
We're we're going to let her. We are inclusive. Subtle departure.
They start to have language for their compromise. >> You have the lukewarm church. You have the dead church.
The dead church just grieves me because the Lord comes to them and says, "You have a reputation for being alive, but you are dead." So everyone around you applauds you. When people need prayer, they come to you. They say, "Oh, I'm going through something.
Please just pray for me." And you are so excited. You're like, "Wow, I am just a prayer warrior." You know, and heaven is looking at you like, "Wow, let's go deliver this death certificate." It it was an unfortunate thing. And why was that church?
You see, that was a particular church when the Lord would even tell them to watch. Why would he say watch? Because when you study that region, that was a city where the city had been conquered two times for the same reason.
Their watchmen were asleep. So their watchmen were sleeping while soldiers invaded the town. So then when the Lord is speaking to the church, he tells them to watch because what affected the city has creeped into the church.
You are too confident in your past glory. That was a city that was so glorious in the past. They were so confident in their past victories that the watchmen started to fall asleep when they should have been watching for potential threat and danger.
Some of us are so confident in our past encounters. We are so confident in the things that the Lord has spoken to us that we stopped watching and a subtle departure began to happen. And so there are things that the Lord I say this not to go into the details of those churches, but I'm saying this because there are things that the Lord will sometimes allow in your life to wake you up because everything else he can restore.
God can restore your health. God can restore your finances. God can restore your family.
God can restore whatever the situation is, he can restore. But the one thing that would require a deep engagement with your will has to do with your identity. There are stories in the Bible where people will just be healed and not even know why they got healed.
The centurion, his son who was dying is in the house and the centurion is going to Jesus and Jesus just speaks a word. The dying boy all of a sudden finds himself healed. But no one just finds themselves saved.
No one just finds themsself in alignment. No one just finds themsself in obedience. You have to make the decision.
No one just finds themsself going from idol worship to commitment to Jesus. No one just finds themsself going from idolatry to repentance. It is your decision.
And that decision requires humility. People can become millionaires overnight without the help of anything. that something you might have done at some point and you forgot about it and then all of a sudden God uses it.
I have heard stories. I have seen things where it doesn't even make sense. You made an investment into one stock and you forgot about it and then the stock does something crazy and you're like, "Wow, wait, what just happened?" A friend of mine made this investment and forgot it.
two, three years later, I can't remember if it was two or three, she goes back into the app and that little investment went like times 50. So there are things that the Lord can just breathe on and you don't even know when or how it happened, but when it comes to your identity, it requires your participation. It requires an intentionality.
And so for that, the Lord can cause many things in your life to be affected to get you back to the place of right standing. Because you see, there is a difference between obedience and alignment. Obedience, I would liken it to being pregnant.
As a woman, I can use that example. When you're pregnant, there's certain things you must do, right? You know, they would advise you, hey, don't eat sushi.
They would advise you to not have drink, right? Don't take drugs, right? There are certain things you must do for the health of your child.
Your consistency in doing the right things, taking your prenatalss for the men, you will catch up, right? So you can think of it as vitamins. Okay?
There things you must do so that on the day of delivery, now we speak of alignment. when a healthy child is born. I'm not talking about when there are complications outside of your control.
I'm talking about the things that fall into your own strength and power and ability. And so your consistency in that births alignment because you can be obedient today and disobedient tomorrow. You can live a lifestyle of obedience for one week and a lifestyle of disobedience for two months.
It will not bring you to the point of alignment. And so the Lord is after your alignment and you ne you are the last to realize your departure until the Lord brings correction in front of you. Just ask David.
David had a heart for God. He was more aware that he loves the Lord so much that when there was slight departure, he did not know it. that even when a prophet came to correct him, he said, "Oh no, such a person must die." And the prophet said, "It is you." So there are times that the Lord would allow things in your life to get you back to the place of not just obedience, but alignment.
Verse 11, it says, "Now the angel of the Lord came and sat under the terabyte tree that was in Orpa, which belonged to Joash the Abyiserite, while his son Gideon treshed wheat in the wine press, in order to hide it from the Midionites." And the angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, "The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor." There is a principle I love that is happening in verse 11 and verse 12 that is also a pattern with God. It I it it's often that the Lord encounters people while they're busy. You rarely see when someone is just idle.
Satan loves when you're idol. But there is this pattern with God that in your busyiness, not just busyness in random ways, but busyness that reflects good stewardship, he encounters you. You see, there are times in your life that you might feel as though you're not living in your purpose.
There are times where you might feel a longing for something beyond where you are now. But stay faithful. Be a good steward over the little.
Be a good steward over the mundane. Be a good steward in the place that you are you're starting to detest because it is your good stewardship over it that invites an encounter from the Lord. Because when you know how to steward the mundane, it's developing character in you.
And that character gives you capacity for what the Lord actually wants to entrust on you. But when you are in the mundane thing and you begin to believe the whispers of Satan because it appeases to what you actually want to do and then you quit a job and you do nothing. No plans, nothing.
And you just say, "I'm just waiting on God." And then when someone says why did you quit? You say well God said end of conversation. God said is the fastest way to end a conversation.
But I always tell people when you are in a position of distress when something is stressing you out or frustrating you when the voice of God appeases to what brings you out of frustration. test it because it may not be the voice of God. Because the Lord is not reactive.
>> The Lord does not react to your situation. Just because you're stressed out, the Lord says, "Oh, oh man. Oh, oh, I'm so sorry.
Why did I put so much burden on you? It's okay to walk away." No. The Lord will meet you when everything is flourishing.
When you actually have peace about the situation, that's when he tells you to walk away. >> But we often would desire something so strongly and Satan comes and mimics the voice of God to you and says, "It's okay. It's time to walk away." Because when you know who you really are in God, God will first confront why are you not a light in that darkness >> before he will say oh this darkness is too much overpowering walk away.
No. When what you believe is the voice of God speaks to your flesh, let that word first be confirmed by another before you walk in it. God will meet you at the place of your busyness.
The place where your busyiness speaks to good stewardship. Ask Elisha. Ask Moses.
Ask David. When it's so interesting that the timing where the prophet Samuel goes to the house of David, the house of Jesse was when David was with the sheep. Everybody else is ready to maybe enjoy a good meal.
David is being a good steward and that is from the place he has called. Wherever you are, steward it like unto the Lord. And it is from that place the Lord begins to commission you.
And then we go into verse 13. And it says, Gideon said to him, "Oh my Lord, if the Lord is with us, why has there been all this happened to us? And where are all his miracles from our which our fathers told us about?" Saying, "Did not the Lord bring us from Egypt?
But now the Lord has forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the Midionites." Then the Lord turned to him and said, "Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midionites. Have I not sent you?" You see, it's so interesting. Gideon is now bringing the burden of his heart.
When the Lord says to him, you know, all this stuff about mighty man of valor and all of that, Gideon is just like, wait, if if you are really with us, why has this happened? I have heard about all the stories of what the Lord did for us, but why is it that the Lord has allowed this to happen? What you're hearing is someone who was burdened because he is quick to respond.
Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. Gideon has been contemplating in his heart, where is this mighty God? Where is he to save us?
There is something that has been heavy on his heart. And the Lord responds to him, go in this might of yours. You see sometimes the might what God sees as strength is not what we call strength in the natural.
God was not Gideon was not somewhere bench pressing. You know first of all he was dealing with grapes that doesn't require much strength baby cuz you know deal in the wine press. Gideon is not showing physical strength.
The might of his that the Lord is speaking to, I believe has to do with his heart, the compassion in his heart, the burden in his heart, the love in his heart is what the Lord sees as mighty. You see, something I learned about the Lord, even when it comes to the realm of miracles is that for you to truly move in the miraculous, you need to first develop compassion for the people. You would hear that Jesus will look upon the people with compassion and he will heal them all.
And you don't realize is that your compassion and your burden is why the Lord is sending you. There's something you've been contemplating in your heart. There are things you have read and you're like, "God, show yourself like you showed yourself in the word." And God is responding to you, but you're thinking about other areas that you're deficient, not realizing it is hearts that God is after.
Because when the Lord is with you, he handles everything else. But it is hearts that he partners with. David had a heart that was loyal to the Lord.
It was not that. It was not about David. You see, David became such a mighty warrior in God.
But David did not start fighting with with a sword. He had to learn that David was good with a sling, you know, the sling and and stones. He had to learn combat.
So, it wasn't about that. David had this beautiful skill of being a warrior, but David had hearts and God could do so much with that. I love it when Reverend Samson talked about, you know, at the end of the day, do not fear because fear would have you fighting yourself.
Fear would have you in a combat with yourself. It's like you're in the dark and you slap yourself and then you're like, "Who slapped me?" He said, "You better know how to feel your own hand." That's what fear will do. But heart, a heart that hungers to see the move of God, that is why God sends you.
That is why God can trust you. Because that compassion would override your selfish ambition. That compassion will speak when the fear of losing your reputation shows up.
The compassion for people would override what the enemy wants to use against you. That you would be sensitive to the voice of the Lord because of where your heart is. Where your heart is, so is where your treasure would be.
Heart. So then he says to him in verse 14, "Have I not sent you?" And then verse 15 goes, "So he said to him, 'Oh my Lord, how can I save Israel, indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house." And the Lord said to him, "Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat the Midionites as one man." Now, here is what is so interesting. Remember in verse 5, when the Midionites will come against the Israelites at the time of harvest, verse 5 talks about how they will come in as numerous as locust.
Both they and their camels were without number. Yet the Lord says, "You will defeat them as though all of the Midianites gathered as one person. I will make people who are without number like one in your presence.
That's supernatural backing. You see what I'm learning with the Lord? When God is with you, every excuse goes out the window.
You know something the Lord said to me about excuses that really shifted my thought process. Because anytime the Lord is trying to give me an instruction and I'm like, "Oh, but" and he says, "Stephanie, excuses feed demons. It empowers them." It is food in the demonic realm.
Why? Because excuses bring you out of timing. And timing has grace.
Timing has favor. Timing has supply. So when the Lord is speaking to you to do something within a specific time and you are presenting excuses to the Lord, it is a food for the demonic realm and they want you to stay in that place.
It is the demons that would remind you, aren't you the weakest? Isn't your clan the least? It is the demons that remind you, not the Lord.
And in your agreements, why? Because they don't want to lose ground. Whenever you agree with them, you feed them.
You empower them over your life. But the Lord began to show me that if you would give in to the word of God as he desires to commission you, you may have many things going on in your life. I listen, I I'm the Lord calls us to minister in different nations and I just had another baby.
It does not change the assignment. The Lord told me the amount of months he says you can take these months down and after that you're back on the mission field because there is a grace. Look at what the Lord says.
Have I not sent you? >> When I was coming to London, I I I remember speaking to the Lord because I I was feeling so so heavy. uh you know, my kids were under the weather, I was under the weather, but I really was more concerned for them cuz I'm like, God, is it fair to be traveling with children and they're coughing and all these things?
But you know what the Lord whispers? Have I not sent you? >> In the instruction is where the deliverance always is.
All of a sudden, my kids start to recover in London where it's cold, you know. All of a sudden, they're just living their their best selves, you know, just having a good old time. Why have I not sent you?
Whatever has been your excuse before God is actually what's keeping you in bondage. And the Lord wants to set people free. You see, the Lord showed me that this is going to be a time we're going to pray in just a few.
He wants to commission you. There are many things he's already spoken to you about. And for many people, you've missed your windows.
But there is a restoration of that happening even now. >> To step back into the things your excuses have brought you out of. And for you to also understand the why behind God sending you.
See, God is not insecure. It's not just to say we took this for the Lord. It's about people.
that whatever nation, whatever territory, whatever whatever business, whatever sphere of influence, whatever industry the Lord sends you into is because there are people on the other side of that that needs to be reconciled back to the Lord. That is where their truth is. God did not first send Gideon.
First, he sent a prophet. And even when he sent Gideon, the first assignment was to destroy the altars of Baal because the restoration should be it's just the outcome. It's not the goal.
The goal is for the people to be in right standing with God. The goal was for Israel to return to a singular devotion to the Lord, not the Lord and Ba. Then the restoration flowed from it.
Overcoming the Midionites was now easy because that was just the the outcome of tearing down the altars of Baal. Where are you right now with the Lord? Because the Lord is saying if you're ready and what I'm about to say, it's not, you see, times and seasons belong to the Lord.
There are people in this room. It's not everyone. There are people in this room the Lord is about to commission because you are in the time and the season of what the Lord wants to do.
And there are some other people that the Lord is saying, "Stay faithful where you are." The Lord doesn't say the same thing to everyone in the room because we're all in different times and seasons. For some, just be faithful in what you do know to do. Be a good steward where you are.
There are others that you still have not come out of repentance. You've not come out of of the of the gods of old. You've not come out of idolatry.
Others, the Lord is saying repent. Start there. But there are people in this room and you are ready to be commissioned by the Lord.
>> And already there are angels in the room. >> Just stand up. Let us pray.
Thank you, Holy Spirit. >> Thank you, Lord. This is the time and this is the hour where the Lord will begin to commission his people.
If you know to repent, start there. It is not worth it. Whatever you give yourself to that is outside of the pleasure of Jesus, it is deception.
If you've been given excuses for the things that you ought to do, just the bare minimum, the person you need to break up with, the sexual sins you need to come out of, these are bare minimum. the lifestyle, the things you need to stop watching, the things you need to stop listening to. If you continue to give excuses, you continue to empower demons over your life.
You see, there are many things that are not, it's not your personality. It's the personality of a demonic spirit. They can only experience themselves through people.
That is where they get their pleasure. So for some in the room, you simply need to come out of agreement with what you call your personality >> and say Jesus this is not me. >> This is not who I am.
I come out of agreement with this. And from the place of coming out of agreement, deliverance will begin to happen in your life. So for some, that is where you are.
And then for others, pray for the grace to be a good steward where God has placed you. There are people that want to quit the things that God is saying stay. >> Ask for the grace.
But my unique assignment tonight are for those that are in the season of their commissioning because the Lord wants to empower you to send you forth. So just begin to pray wherever you find yourself in the room in wherever you found yourself in this message. If you're in the overflow, you're watching online, you're watching in other places, begin to pray.
Begin to pray. I see the angels of the Lord are ready. The same way the Lord commissioned Gideon and he said, "Have I not sent you, there is an anointing similar to that happening in this room?
Let the oil of the Lord begin to pour. Let the OIL OF THE LORD BEGIN to flow. Spirit of the living God, EVERYONE UNDER THE SOUND OF MY voice that has come into their season of being commissioned, Let the oil connect to them now in the name of Jesus.
THE OIL THAT BREAKS CHAINS, THE OIL THAT breaks yolks, a breaker anointing is coming upon you. There is a compassion in your heart AND THE MIGHT OF GOD WILL COME UPON YOU. THE SPIRIT OF THE LIVING GOD WILL COME UPON YOU.
OH, thank you Jesus. Thank you Jesus. Thank you Jesus.
Thank you Jesus. There is someone the Lord is sending to Belgium and he says I am going to send you in my might spirit of the living God. Locate that person now in the name of Jesus.
The Lord is raising an army. You did not come to this conference by accident. You are not listening to this message by accident.
The heart of Jesus is for his people. Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Lord.
Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Lord. Have your way.
Have your way. Have your way, Jesus. Have your way, Jesus.
Have your way, Jesus. Have your way, God. Thank you, Holy Spirit.
Thank you, Holy Spirit. I see mantels in the room. Thank you, Lord.
Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Lord.
I need to explain this before it happens. Even though there are some people that the Lord is already touching, but you need to understand this. A mantle gives you the ability to do supernaturally, to do supernatural things naturally.
You would see there are people that the Lord will begin to give you visions about nations. And as you begin to intercede for those nations, your words will build a spiritual INFRASTRUCTURE FOR WHAT GOD WANTS to do there. You will begin to pray for nations you've never been to.
You will begin to intercede for places because there is a quota in the spirit. There is a quot that must be met of the intercession of the saints for God to move in a territory. So Lord, begin to locate the intercessors in the room.
the intercessors in the room, ANOINT THEM ARESH IN THE NAME OF JESUS. In the name of Jesus. IN THE NAME OF JESUS.
Let it come with fire. LET IT COME WITH FIRE. WITH FIRE, with fire, with fire, with fire.
THESE ARE PEOPLE THAT THE LORD WILL GIVE YOU A GRACE TO CONTROL THE ELEMENTS OF THE EARTH. LORD, let it come with fire. There is going to be a manipulation of the natural elements of the earth.
So the Lord would give you the authority over the earth that when manipulates THE WATERS TO COMMAND STORMS, you would speak to the clouds and you will shut the heavens. Let that oil locate you. There are people that you have been having dreams of seeing yourself lay hands on people and they recover.
And the Lord says the time is now. Lord, WHOEVER YOU ARE ANOINTING WITH AN UNUSUAL ability for healings and the miraculous, locate them now. Spirit of THE LIVING GOD, LOCATE THEM NOW.
LOCATE THEM NOW. Let the mantle of healing come upon them. Let the MANTLE OF THE MIRACULOUS COME UPON them in the name of Jesus.
Thank you Lord. Thank you Lord. There is an increase of the angelic in this room.
There are angels THE LORD IS ASSIGNING TO PEOPLE. These are angels that carry fire. Their presence is fire.
There is a fire. You would understand why the Lord has asked you to live a life of purity. Thank you Lord.
Thank you Lord. Thank you Lord. These are angels that purify atmospheres.
Thank you Jesus. Thank you Jesus. Lord make it known to those individuals that they don't just walk in by themselves.
There are angels that I would have begin to accompany them from this moment on. Thank you spirit of the living God. Thank you spirit of the living God.
Thank you spirit of the living God. Thank you Lord. Thank you Lord.
Thank you Lord. Let the apostles in the room be commissioned. Thank you Lord.
Thank you Lord. Let the prophets in the room be commissioned. Thank you, Lord.
Thank you, Lord. Let the evangelists in the room be commissioned. Let the teachers in the room be commissioned.
Let the pastors IN THE ROOM BE commissioned in the name of Jesus. Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Lord.
There are two I see two people. The Lord has called you to plant churches to start a church, but you don't have a covering before you move. move.
I hear this so clearly and and pastors, I I I would I was submitted to what the Lord would would reveal through you. But the Lord is SHOWING ME THAT BEFORE you take a move, come and meet with the pastors of this church. There are territories you just don't break in like that.
>> There is a wisdom you need, but it is the Lord commissioning you. But there is a wisdom you need. You see, even when Gideon would go TO DESTROY THE PRO the the altars of Baal, he did not go by himself.
He took 10 of his servants with him. Thank you, Lord. Lord Jesus, those pastors in the room, let your oil begin to flow upon them.
>> Yes, Lord. Yes, Lord. Yes, Lord.
Yes, Lord. Yes, Lord. Yes, Lord.
You must be teachable. You must have accountability. If not, the enemy will strike you.
In just a moment, I see the Lord is about to touch some people. And as he touches you, he will give you a vision. Thank you, Jesus.
Thank you, Jesus. He will begin to show you strategy and give you insight. Thank you, Jesus.
Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Lord. I see a few people that the Lord is calling into a creative field, but you have no creativity at all, but the spirit of the Lord will begin to give you the ideas of what he wants you to create.
Thank you, Jesus. Thank you Jesus. Thank you Lord.
Thank you Lord. Thank you Lord. Thank you Lord.
The Lord is showing me a particular individual and the the beauty of how the Lord walks. It might speak to one but it might speak to many. But this particular individual, you just got a new job.
And and this is, you know, I don't know what they call these companies in the UK, but I know in the US we call them Fortune 500 companies. These are companies that deal with a lot of money. And you've been questioning your ability.
If you, you know, you almost feel like an impostor in this job, but I see a spirit of wisdom. Thank you, Jesus. As the spirit of wisdom comes upon you, the Lord will cause you to be singled out.
The Lord will cause you to be favored. The Lord will cause you to be seen. >> And he will cause you to rise because of what he placed upon you.
But hear the word of the Lord. Your visibility is not just for your testimony. Your visibility is to declare his name in that place.
And you will not be denied because people would would desire they would be drawn to your wisdom so much so they cannot deny your God. Thank you Holy Spirit. Thank you Holy Spirit.
Just lift up your hands. We're about to close. Thank you, Lord.
Lord, I speak liberty to the captives. Liberty to the captives. >> This is a house of freedom.
Whatever has been tormenting your children that has been hiding every stubborn spirit, I command you to leave in the name of Jesus. >> I see a spirit that has been plaguing a child and I see in the realm of the spirit, this child is seven and it started when she was five. And I use that child not only as speak to her, but as a point of contact for every demonic spirit that has hidden itself as your personality, I command it to leave you now in the name of Jesus.
For every infirmity brought on by a spirit of infirmity, I command it to leave you in the name of Jesus. >> Thank you, Lord. And Lord, for those you have touched, Lord, I thank you that what has started in the spirit would not finish in the flesh.
>> Amen. But they will continue in the spirit >> that they will sit with you. >> They will they will draw from you.
>> They will inquire of you. >> Their consecration before you would increase. >> Thank you Lord.
>> Thank you Lord. Spirit of deafness leave now >> in the name of Jesus. Amen.
>> Spirit of blindness, leave now >> in the name of Jesus. >> Spirit of the living God. Those that you want to touch physically and those that you want to liberate spiritually, locate them now.
>> Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Lord. Just a moment.
There's something the Lord wants to do. Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Lord.
Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Lord. Thank you, Lord.
where their names have been tied, wherever their pictures have been taken, where co-workers have been witches casting spells, liberate them now. >> Spirit of the living God, those that are connected to this utterance, free them now. Amen.
>> Thank you, Lord. >> Just a moment. Thank you, Jesus.
Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Lord. I see where the angel of the Lord is is like traveling to retrieve things.
>> Thank you, Lord. Lord, let no one leave here in bondage. >> And let no one leave here the same.
>> Those you have sent forth with your fire, Lord, equip them with boldness. >> Boldness to do that which you have already given. >> Amen.
>> Boldness to decree your word. Amen. >> Boldness, Lord God.
>> Thank you, Jesus. >> Thank you, Jesus. >> Restore unto your people >> whatever they have lost as they get back to the place of obedience that leads to alignment.
I thank you for the restoration that they would see. >> Amen. >> In Jesus name.
>> Amen. Amen. Amen.
Amen.
Transcript shared for reflection. Words belong to Stephanie Ike Okafor.