Glorious Way Church
Glorious Way Church equips believers for the work of the ministry and stands for God’s truth in our culture. We serve as a regional center, where people from all backgrounds find refreshing worship and true communion of the saints.
Glorious Way Church
Connecting The Dots
Have you ever wondered how to proactively connect your future with faith and purpose, rather than just seeing the connections in hindsight? Join us for a transformative journey as we explore the power of faith, prayer, and divine alignment in shaping our paths for 2025.
Grab your Bible. We'll make a confession together. We like to do that around here. Let's say this together Say Heavenly Father, I'm grateful for the leading of the Holy Ghost. I can hear your voice and another. I will not follow.
Speaker 2:It's the year of marveling, it's the year of milestones, year of marveling. It's a year of milestones and, lord, I just thank you for your faithfulness. We're here celebrating your faithfulness, we're celebrating your goodness. We see victory on every side. We're walking in victory in every area. We have victory over every circumstance because you are our God. Jesus name. Amen. He's an over the top God. Amen, he truly is. And so how many of you were not here this morning? Anybody, it's okay to raise your hand to admit it. There was quite a few of you were not here this morning. Anybody, it's okay to raise your hand to admit it. There was quite a few of you that were not here this morning, and so I've asked Ms Nancy, I've kind of just lopped off the prophecy from this morning. I thought we'd watch it together, even though most of us were here this morning, but there were some. I don't want to leave anybody behind. And it's the year of milestones, and let's, let's hear that word. Miss nancy, can you roll that footage please?
Speaker 1:the word of the lord comes unto me saying many have run to and fro, many have been discouraged. Fear is overtaken, infusion despair. But I say unto you this day Fear is overtaken, infusion Despair. But I say unto you this day lift up your heads and look up, for your redemption draweth nigh.
Speaker 1:2025 will be a year of exceeding abundantly above. It will be a year of grace upon grace. It will be a at what I will do, for I am tired of my people being startled about the enemy, startled about what he has done and what he has displayed. And I'm about to display myself through my church in such a way that the whole world will be startled. It will cause them to catch their breath at what I will do. Yes, 2025 is going to be a year of milestones, where your faith has not waned over 30 years. You have stood the course, you have kept the faith, you have processed my plan and prayer, you have been patient to wait for the fulfillment that is coming in the year of 2025, the year of milestonesith the lord, come on, lift your hands and receive that glory to god, hallelujah.
Speaker 2:No more startling at the enemy's strategy and his working.
Speaker 2:We're going to be marveling after all the wonderful things god does in 2025 and is doing, because we're right, smack dab in the middle of it and, um, I just wanted to preach a message entitled connecting the dots. Connecting the dots, you, you know, connect the dots like when we were in preschool and kindergarten and first grade, and I remember they kind of got like, obviously, when, when you know, in preschool, they started really simple Right, you're going to make a circle, a square, you know, a star maybe. But then they got a little bit more in depth, you know, and then you can kind of look down and they're really easy and you know what you're going to draw before you draw it. And then you know. But you know, I was thinking back. I got this, this part of this message, just this first part out of Miss Daphne Delay's daily devotional. Remember, she preached last year at our women's conference and she was so powerful. I was only was I the only man here, but anyways, I was in the back of security, security, anyways. But so I was reading a couple of weeks ago out of her devotional I think it's called facing the wall and I think we have plenty of of copies out there and it's a great devotional. I think Selene and I, two or three years ago, when we first got a copy of it, we literally sat down every day together and we read that devotional together and it really changed our you know. We started connecting with God together and that just it kind of changed some things for us. So I really respect have honor for that book.
Speaker 2:Anyways, but she was talking about this quote from Steve Jobs. You know, he's in heaven or hell, I don't know. He died a few years ago. I'm not God, I don't know. It didn't look like he was saved, but he was giving a commencement address in 2005 at Stanford and he said you cannot connect dots looking forward. You can only connect them looking backwards. And so you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. And I'm here to tell you that that quote is wrong, that we are to connect the dots. We're called to connect the dots in our own future. So you, it's you, it's something that you do. I can't connect the dots for you.
Speaker 2:A pastor preaches a message, he brings a spirit of wisdom and revelation, but it's your job to get alone with the Holy Ghost, alone in your quiet time, your prayer time, and develop the ability to look ahead into your future and to grab a hold and connect those dots. And you don't do it by looking back, you look ahead and God in 2025,. This is a great time of year, you know. I know almost all of us have gone back to work by now, you know, and we had some time off, but it's still a good time to kind of consider where your life is and where you're going and where you want some goals. It's not about New Year's resolutions those don't last, as you know but it's about setting some things on the inside between you and God. And if you're married, I encourage you to involve your spouse in this process of praying together and connecting those dots in your very near future, because this is a year of milestones and we can't, we're going to see God do some amazing, crazy things, things that we could not have ever. You know exceedingly, abundantly, above all, that we dare ask or think right, and so and I know that with all my heart and pastors is my dad has been able to see that in the spirit realm. I'm just reminding you.
Speaker 2:Let's read it together, in case it's been a while, but 1 Corinthians 2, verse 9, in the Amplified Classic. We know exactly what it's going to say. Right, it says what eye has not seen or ear has not heard or has not entered into the heart of man? All that God has prepared, made and keeps ready for those who love him, who hold him in affectionate reverence. Part of that and they stop. Yet it says in verse 10, if you keep reading, yet to us, god has unveiled and revealed them by and through what the Holy Spirit right Our spirit. He reveals them to our spirit through his spirit, because his spirit searches diligently, exploring and examining everything, even sounding, the profound and bottomless things of God, the divine counsels, the things hidden and beyond man's scrutiny. It's beyond our wildest dreams, it's beyond anything that we could ever understand.
Speaker 2:When you get in contact, when your spirit, when you have that alone time, when you have that quote-unquote quiet time, you know. So that's really my step one. I mean, you know I have four steps to connect the dots in 2025, and number one is to prioritize your quiet time. And so, real quick, I know I could quote these two, but let's just turn to Mark 135. And it says, just to prove it to you, that if we're really going to be like Jesus.
Speaker 2:Now, in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, jesus went out and departed to a solitary place and there he prayed. And so there's five or six major times in the Gospels where Jesus went alone, solitary. He went up a mountain, he went walking down the beach. I think that's my favorite place, right, everybody have a favorite place to pray. It doesn't have to be like your daily. Like you know, maybe you were on vacation one time and it was a very beautiful place and you know I remember being in Florida about 10 years ago. We were in a condo way up above the beach and Houston was in this huge drought. It hadn't rained in months and we went to Florida and every afternoon they had a huge thunderstorm that came that rolled through, almost like set a clock to it, and I would sit out on that balcony in the rain and just enjoy watching the storm come in and just read, and, without getting my Bible wet, and pray, and it was just. It's such a good time. I'll remember that, you know.
Speaker 2:So prioritize your quiet time. You have some things. Miss Carolina Chavez is here. She's sitting in the back over there and I remember she was teaching recently and she just brought up how important her quiet time is and how she created a little room underneath the stairs. They've remodeled this little area. That wasn't that. You know, it wasn't really anything. She kind of dug it out and made that literally is her prayer closet, is a closet and so and just how, what that means to her, what that means to her whole family, that she has that little time away to get with the Lord and to hear and to allow him to illuminate.
Speaker 2:So I know that that's probably you know every other message. That's one of my dad's points. You know the same point in a different way maybe and maybe probably every other time that I'm preaching. That's one of my points. But I'm telling you why is that? Because it's so important and, if you know, with inconsistency lies the power right. My dad says that all the time and we need to be consistent in 2025 to have that time with the Lord and to allow him to download some things.
Speaker 2:You know, at my dad's brother, my uncle's funeral here a couple years ago, my uncle lived in a townhome and so his neighbors were like right there on him and the whole group of his street basically came to the funeral and Selene and I somehow ended up sitting with them at lunch, I think, like all of our family got kind of separated and and our kids were sitting at another table and it was just Selene and I got to sit with his neighbors and the one his, his neighbor on the right talked about how every morning she'd go out in the backyard. And there he was in his backyard praying in tongues, you know, being kind of loud and pacing back and forth, and that stuck out to me. You know my dad does the same thing, but it's just something about hearing the story how my uncle was faithful to do that and I'm telling you it marked his life, amen. And so, going on from there, let's turn to Matthew, chapter 11. Matthew, chapter 11.
Speaker 2:I believe in kind of explaining the context of what we're reading, and so I'm going to read another familiar verse of Scripture. But this chapter starts with John the Baptist, kind of sending some, some men to Jesus like hey, are you really the Messiah? And instead of Jesus, like what do you mean? Like, weren't you there? You baptized me? Like what? But he was about to be beheaded and he just wanted to know. You know, like hey. And so Jesus was very merciful and he sent, he told the men that John the Baptist had sent hey, go tell him everything that you've seen, that that blind eyes are open, that lame men walk, you know, and so, and then he began to brag about John the Baptist and and laying it out out and in the middle of, and he was talking to all the people who, all the religious people, that didn't get it, that didn't see who John the Baptist was. They just missed it. John the Baptist was in their midst and some people got it and some people didn't.
Speaker 2:And then he totally changes the subject in verse 20. And it says then he began to rebuke the cities in which most of his mighty works had been done, because they did not repent. And so I think the let me read that in the Amplified Classics says and their hearts were not changed. And so he goes and he names these cities. We don't have to read, but you can read later if you want to. And he just in fact it says in verse 24,. But I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you. Why? Because here he was, he did all these mighty works. They believed in the mighty works, and so miracles happened, but it wasn't. They didn't allow it to change their hearts, they didn't allow it to penetrate and to actually repent from doing wrong.
Speaker 2:So number two of my dots in 2025 is to allow God's word to produce true change. Allow God's word to produce true change, and so we're going to pick it up in verse 25, right here in Matthew 11. And it says, and at that time Jesus answered and said I thank you, father, lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and the prudent and have revealed them to babes, babies, the childish, the untaught, the unskilled. Even so, father, for so it seemed good in your sight. In other words, I think it says that it was for his good pleasure. I like that in the Amplified Classic All things have been delivered to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal him. So Jesus revealed who the father was to those that he wanted to. It was his decision, in other words, that he would reveal who his father, and only he could do it During this time, when Jesus was walking the earth, only he had the power to do that. You know, jesus has revealed exactly who his father is to all of us Amen.
Speaker 2:What are we doing with that information? Are we allowing it to penetrate our heart? What have we done with the gospel? Have we really allowed it to change every single part of our heart? Or are we compartmentalizing things and holding things back? Certain addictions, certain habits, certain ways of thinking, unforgiveness, bitterness, envy, pains from our childhood, regrets.
Speaker 2:My dad said it this way this morning the woulda, couldas and shouldas. You know, that's kind of one of Selina and I's thing. No more coulda. You know, woulda, coulda, shoulda, because we all get in the truck and I'll be. I should have said this. We should have gone there first. You know we're running errands. You know something happens that's really inefficient and ends up taking all day. Well, man, if I had to do over again, I would have, you know. No, no more woulda, coulda, shoulda. Just drop it all and just live in the moment, right? And so she's like are you here, are we? You know, like I'm daydreaming.
Speaker 2:Anyways, let's see where was I. Come to me, verse 28. You know, you think this is a different message verse 28 through 30. We're about to read it and you're going to know exactly what we're reading. You've heard it your whole life, but look at it in the context of what Jesus is saying. And it says come to me all you labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Let's see, I will ease.
Speaker 2:The Amplified Classic says I will ease and relieve and refresh your souls. I will ease, I will relieve and I will refresh your souls. Does anybody need some refreshing tonight? Does anybody need some ease? You could stand some ease in 2025, some rest, some relaxation in 2025, some rest, some relaxation, some relief. It's a time of refreshing. Amen In 2025, it's a time of refreshing.
Speaker 2:There's a refreshing wind of the Holy Spirit that we can take advantage of. And I'm going to keep reading before I get to my real point here. Take, in other words, receive, my yoke upon you and learn from me. If you have a Bible that you can write in, underline that phrase right there learn from me. If you can't write in your Bible, then get rid of that Bible. Buy a Bible that you can write in. Highlight that, whatever you want to do, but learn from me, for I am gentle.
Speaker 2:Who is Jesus? He tells you right here. He's gentle, he's lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. What is your soul? Your soul is your mind, your will, your intellect, your emotions. It includes your body in this statement, for my yoke is easy and my burden is light and I always read this and I, you know you think of your service or your ministry, or your calling right. You think of what it is that he has for you to do. But there that statement is, these three words in the middle, buried in the middle. It says learn from me. And so he's really talking about wisdom and revelation. He's really talking about the. His wisdom is gentle, it's lowly in heart. It provides rest. It's a whole different way of thinking. It's a whole different way of operating. That's not stressful. That's not that you know you don't want to pull your hair out, right? And so if you'll just receive that in 2025 and begin to connect those dots amen, you're not just connecting them out of your flesh You're not ever going to get anywhere.
Speaker 2:Stressing out about it and daydreaming about it and thinking with your carnal mind and your IQ. You know, tobias is back there on the back row. He's a good back row, christian. I love Tobias because he complete his IQ is like off the chart and he thinks out of the box. So, no matter what I'm talking about, I'll talk about something one way and he's thinking about it a whole different way. And so sometimes I just pride though no, I'm just kidding, but I just. I always enjoy our conversations because I know I'm going to walk away thinking about something differently.
Speaker 2:But that's the way the Holy Spirit does it. It takes it even further. His way is always better than your way, talking about the Holy Spirit, not Tobias. His way is always better than your way talking about the holy spirit, not tobias. The holy spirit's way. But learn of me, learn from me. The you know verse, verse 29, jesus is saying learn from me. And so it's that wisdom, it's the spirit of wisdom and revelation that we have to learn and we have to allow it to penetrate our hearts and change our hearts, change our mind. It's all about having the mind of Christ and it's all about you know I think Selena was talking about this earlier right with Peter in the boat.
Speaker 2:Like Jesus was always measuring faith, where is your oh ye of little faith? Jesus was always measuring faith. Where is your oh ye of little faith? Where is your faith? You know, it came to the centurion. I've never seen faith like his. There's not a man, you know, with that great of faith, and so Jesus was always measuring faith.
Speaker 2:We need to be people of faith, right Men and women of faith, strong faith, and faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Therefore, in 2025, we're not afraid of the watering process of the word. No more coming to church. And oh, I've heard that before. Oh, pastors preach on that. Oh, not.
Speaker 2:Another message on faith, oh, no, no, we need to be hungry and thirsty for more and we need to be. You know, I don't know how, how you learn, but some people, like I, really get a lot out of church when I'm taking notes. If I'm not taking notes, you know, I still receive, but it lasts longer when I can go back and go over my notes and digest those in my prayer time and and it really goes down deep and hangs with me. But if I just, you know, oh, man, it's another Wednesday night, pastor's preaching Wednesday night, and I've heard this message five times, you know, in the last five years. And just no, whatever it is, no, but don't neglect the watering process of the word. Neglect the watering process of the word, and we are not afraid of repetition around here, amen. And so it's all about receiving his yoke as easy, as burden is light. His revelation is light. It's simple.
Speaker 2:It takes a theologian to mess it up. You know, you have the ability, you know, uh, uh, growing up, I think I was. I was five when my dad's testimony began. I was five years old, so I remember going barely, but I remember going to Catholic church and I actually got saved in that six months where my dad tried to stay in the Catholic church. I wasn't prepared to tell my testimony we don't have enough time but I was sitting in my dad's lap and I looked up we don't have enough time, no, but I was sitting in my dad's lap and I looked up at they had this, the cross of Jesus, and they had the little blood on Jesus's hands and feet, and I just I asked my dad who is that man up there? What did he do to deserve, you know? However, I worded it, you know, and and he began to tell me and I just began to cry right then. And I remember we got home and he sat me down and we prayed the prayer right then and you know, I remember getting filled with the Holy Ghost and I remember getting it.
Speaker 2:Shortly after that I got baptized at five years old, but I remember it, brother Dearman at Lakewood Church baptized me with the big the, the big holy ghost dove wallpaper on the back of the baptismal. Anyways, I think about like we should do that with ours, you know, and have a big wallpaper with big dove anyways. No, okay, little 70s. No, okay, there's better ways. But, uh, you know, and so, um, what was my point of saying all that?
Speaker 2:Just just, oh, I'm sorry, the difference between catholics thank you, holy spirit difference, like they really are taught that they can't, don't, read the word of god, you can't understand it, and they believe that and only the priest can read the word, and they have a lector, that's. That's uh, that my dad actually became in that that six month period of time, and he tells that part of his testimony, and so he would get up in the Catholic church and he would read the Word of God to the people, and it wasn't in Latin, thank the Lord, and so you can understand. The first time you open the Word of God, you can understand it, and so you have the Holy Spirit on the inside of you that that brings rhema words out of it. You're reading the logos, but then it turns into rhema and then boom it's. It's like it's written just just to you. You know there was a man named John, you know, called anyways, that that stuck out to my dad all those years ago.
Speaker 2:Anyways, number three, let's move on Till your soil, in other words, work on your receiver, amen. You know seed time and harvest is such a biblical principle and we're going to go over. You know another familiar bunch of verses that we've all heard, but thank God for the watering of the word Amen. And so, if you'll turn with me to Mark 4, we'll start in verse 14. You know God is calling us in 2025 to grow, and some of us need to grow rapidly. And so there is seed time and harvest. That is a true spiritual thing.
Speaker 2:But since God created it, sometimes it blows your mind how quickly you can sow a seed and reap a harvest. Right, because it's not controlled by you, it's not controlled by your brain, it's controlled by god and it and he responds to our faith. And so when we have faith in that process, we can grow. And so if you have, uh, he who lacks wisdom, let him ask. And so, if there's a subject matter that you're unsure of, ask the holy spirit, who's on the inside of you, that, had that, he's, so he can make you smart, right, he can make you look like a genius because you are a genius, because you have the Holy Spirit on the inside of you.
Speaker 2:So he's calling us to change and growing that you can't grow without changing and there's no changing without growing, amen. And so, just like he didn't call the children of Israel out of Egypt to just camp in the desert for 40 years that wasn't God's plan, right. And so he didn't call you to just sit here and go backwards and have a year of stunted growth. No, he wants your 2025 to be full of rapid growth and he wants to rapidly get you right back on track, following his will, listening to his voice, and growing and changing. And and that's his desire, that's his great for his great pleasure Amen. He wants to do that for you and for us. And so there's not a time, we don't have time for stunted growth.
Speaker 2:And so, if we'll go through the sower, sows the word right Mark 4, 14. And these are the ones by the wayside, where the word is sown. When they hear, satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts. And so I know that we're not on the wayside. The wayside is basically like the side of the road right. Nothing can grow on the side of the road. You have lots of traffic going by. Actually things do, because we, you know, blue bonnets they plant. But you get my point, you know, like on the road itself, you know, nothing's going to grow. So why would a farmer go out and sow something on the road? No, it's not going to grow. There's too much traffic. It's just going to. You know, it's not going to have any time or ability to grow.
Speaker 2:I think about that story in 2 Samuel. You know Shammah, shammah, thank you. Pastor. Joseph knows Jewish names, thank you. And so that's one of David's mighty men. And so the Philistines are coming and they want to take away the. He's got a field of lentils right, and so everybody else is scared away. And here he stands and he defeats like a thousand of them, all for lentils, all for a field of lentils, of beans. And I'm telling you, the devil ain't getting my beans, he ain't getting your beans. If you let him get your beans, he might come back for the whole enchilada, and that's not an option. You know, when you allow the devil to come steal the word that's been sown in your heart, you're allowing him to steal your destiny, you're allowing him. You know, when you get beat up by the devil, you're allowing him to beat up the God on the inside of you, and that's impossible. Think about that. That is impossible, and so you will not. We cannot allow the devil to beat us up and we cannot allow the word to be stolen out of our hearts.
Speaker 2:Notice the progression. This was immediately so the sower sows the word in the wayside, and immediately Satan comes and steals it right Then, verse 16,. These, likewise, are the ones sown on stony ground who, when they hear the word, immediately received it with gladness. So this time the word is received, but they, because of the stoniness of their heart, there's no root, verse 17, in themselves. And so endure only for a time, in other words a short time. And afterward, when tribulation or persecution arises, for the word's sake, immediately they stumble. And so, you know, a hard heart will lead to stumbling If you, you know Jesus came to heal the brokenhearted, and I know people can choose to not be healed.
Speaker 2:They can choose to hold on to that brokenness. They can choose to hold on to that bitterness. They can choose to hold on to unforgiveness. They can choose to hold on to shame. Maybe it's shame from their past and maybe it's something that happened in your childhood. You can choose to stay hurt or you can choose to allow the blood of Jesus to do what it was intended to do and heal and mend your broken heart.
Speaker 2:Amen, and if, if, uh, there's nothing that you've ever done that's, that's bigger than what happened to Jesus. What happened to Jesus is greater than anything that's ever happened to you, anything. And so Jesus is not you know, god's not in heaven saying oh no, johnny screwed up again. Jesus, you're going to have to go back down, you're going to have to do it again, you're going to have to get back on the cross. No, what Jesus did is greater than anything that you could ever do. And so all we have to do is receive that forgiveness. All we have to do is receive that healing, because a broken person will hurt other broken people. They will break other people right. We've seen that over and, over and over in 30 years, but we can allow the power of the blood of Jesus to penetrate our hearts and heal us. Amen.
Speaker 2:And so, in verse 18, now, these are the ones sown among thorns. These are the ones who hear the word and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things entering in choke the word and it becomes unfruitful. So it was fruitful, and then it becomes unfruitful. How? By allowing the cares of the world, by allowing distractions to take over, allowing the lusts for riches and the desires of other things that come in. And so we've seen that over and over and over again as well. Right, and so we're to be. Verse 20, right, but these are the ones sown on good ground.
Speaker 2:Those who hear the word accept it. You know, you got to accept the word of God, you got to realize that this is the truth being spoken to you, and you have to accept that and bear fruit. So the word bears fruit, but you also bear fruit, right, some 30-fold, some 60-fold and some 100-fold. And so the field, obviously, in these stories, represents our heart. Right, but who is the sower? What I'm talking about tonight, you know, is the pastor's the sower, the preacher's the sower, god's the sower. No, you're the sower, you're the sower. You're sowing the word in your own heart when you're reading it and God, yes, god's sowing it.
Speaker 2:But I mean, you know it's coming out of God's word, but you're the one putting in the effort to show up. You know Jesus did his Bible reading. You know his prayer time early in the morning. The Bible says several times, and so you're putting in that effort and you're making yourself available to the Holy Spirit and then you're allowing the word to penetrate, you're making sure that you've tilled your soil, that your soil is able, your heart is able to receive. You know again, jesus never, never, begged God. He was never walking this earth working on the power from God. Right, he would never beg God. If you just heal this woman with the issue of blood, please, please, please, just this once, and if you heal them now, it'll be such a great sign and wonder to everybody. No, he was never, ever worried or begging God for anything or worried about the power side of God. He was always working on the receiving part of man.
Speaker 2:And so if we would realize that when we're reading the word of God and work on our receiver, our ability to receive the unadulterated power of God's word in our hearts. That can change the simplest of things. It can change our attitude, it can change the way we see other people. The love of God gets involved, and then there's no more bitterness and then you can't help but forgive man. When you start realizing, when you start seeing the person that wronged you through the blood of Jesus and you really truly begin to, when you're praying over that person and God begins to show you the way he sees that person, man that breaks you every time right, and then there's no way to hold on to bitterness and unforgiveness. And so that happens through prayer, that happens through the power of the blood, and so we don't have time to have a stony heart, amen, and to walk in unforgiveness or to hold grudges, amen. And so till the ground of your heart and ask the Holy Spirit for growth. You know there's no such thing as accidental growth. Growth doesn't just happen by accident. No, it happens on purpose. And I'm telling you this is a year of growth and it's exponential growth. And so you're growing and I'm growing and pastor's growing spiritually, but this church is growing and it's harvest time and I'm telling you, the doors of the church are open and we're about to see exponential growth right here in 2025.
Speaker 2:And God, you know, pastor Joseph and I've been talking about the prodigals. You know we've literally had thousands and thousands. You wouldn't believe, I wouldn't believe. You know, on paper, how many thousands of people have come through this building in 30 years and some of them belong here and some of them have the power to come back. And so we're believing God for the ones that God has that you know. Maybe they left wrong who cares why they left? The second that they I better not be specific, but that's happened a time or two here recently People that were gone, they left under, you know, and then now they're back and we've received them and they're happy and they're growing and they're where they should be. And we're where we should be. We're right here doing the will of God and I'm telling you we're believing God for the prodigals to come back home Amen.
Speaker 2:Carol was just telling me a story before this afternoon. She ran into a couple of our former members that hadn't been in church in a while and she was able to minister to them and just join hands in the parking lot and man, so praise the Lord. And so I'm telling you we're ready for growth, amen. And so verse 20, such as heard the word and received it. That word will produce fruit, amen. So we need to work on our receivers, and so number four, real quick. In fact, we won't even turn there. You know, I kind of worded it a confusing way. But remove in order to connect the dots in 2025, we need to remove every other option than being all in. We are all in and you need to remove every other option.
Speaker 2:You know, sometimes I watch TV with Selena and we watch some of her shows that are a little bit girly or designer-like. So what'd you have me watching recently? Beach House Chronicles, maybe something like that, and they were actually pretty good. I hate to admit that I kind of got into a few of the episodes, not all of them, but it's really like, if you think, like just in the middle of nowhere, you know a Caribbean island, somebody owns property and they build a house or remodel a house, and they change their whole lifestyle and it's so simple, and you know they eat different and they lose weight and they're living off the grid. And it's not all, not every episode's like that, but just you know and you think about. You know, and all of them have like a similar story.
Speaker 2:I had a stressful job and blah, blah, blah and I came here on vacation and I never left, and so that's not an option. That's not an option for any of us. We're here with our hand on the plow doing the will of God, and so I don't like to daydream about what it would be like to do nothing. No, I want to do everything that God needs me to do and fulfill the call of God on my life, and I know you do too, and I just again.
Speaker 2:Daphne had posted this a couple of days ago 1 Kings 19. You don't have to turn there, but you remember Elijah and Elisha right, and she just pointed out that Elisha, elijah and Elisha right, and she just pointed out that Elisha, when God called him to follow Elijah, he didn't just drop everything and follow. He took a moment and Elijah found Elisha in the field tilling that soil with the oxen and the yokes, and so he killed. Elisha killed the oxen and the yokes and the you know and and so he killed. Elisha killed the oxen, took all of the implements and started a big bonfire, cooked the oxen and fed the whole town and had a good time. And then he followed Elijah, right.
Speaker 2:So what did that represent? He burned every option of coming back. He's never going to come back and be a farmer on this land ever again. This, this, this was the line that that he will not cross, and everything from that moment forward is new. And so, and he's, he did. He fulfilled the call of God on his life, fulfilled the call of God on his life, and we're better off for it that we know his example right of what it means to serve and then get the double portion right. And so, and then he did amazing things with that double portion.
Speaker 2:Let's see the first miracle he did. I wasn't going to talk about this, but you know, like Elijah goes up into heaven, you know, with the chariots and the whole nine yards. And he took the mantle, he slapped it on the water and the water parted. And he went back to the town that they were just in and, like, the mayor came to him and hey, there's something wrong with our water supply. Like there's, there's no, the. The women are not bearing, you know, the. No birth is happening at all, it's barren. The animals, every, you know nothing is growing and he went and he prayed over that. That laid that mantle on the water supply and boom, you know, everything turned around for that whole town and uh, and I just I think of the, the prophetic that happened there. You know, everything turned around for that whole town and I just I think of the prophetic that happened there because not only was you know, dreams had died right, and so that town is able to dream again and function again and life is happening. All because he obeyed God, he had the double portion and then he was walking home from there and a group of teenagers made fun of him for being bald and he called for a bear to come out and killed all the teenagers. I mean, what, like what? What are we reading in the anyways? So I like to use that scripture a lot with the, with the young people. I'm just kidding Anyways.
Speaker 2:But remove every option of going back and be all in this year and following the call of God for your life. You're not looking. You know his yoke is easy, his burden is light. You know getting back to kind of the beach chronicle thing. You know that show. You know he does he's better rest than you could ever get on your own. You know, and doing the will of God is way more fulfilling than any other sitting on the beach with your feet up in laziness, and it's true, amen. So remember these fourth keys to connecting the dots in your near future, here in 2025. Amen, thank you. Thank you, lord, for the word. Hallelujah. Was that all right tonight? Amen.