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Chosen City Church
13925 Erwin Rd.
Charlotte, NC 28273
Chosen City Church Sermons
Identifying The Block | Romans 7:21-25 | Pastor Walter Bowers Jr.
This sermon is the first in a new sermon series, "Breaking Barriers!" It inspires listeners to break personal barriers and pursue excellence in 2025. We explore the importance of identifying spiritual obstacles, understanding grace, and the need for a strong relationship with God to achieve breakthroughs in life.
• The significance of pioneering and embracing a spirit of excellence
• Scriptural foundations from Romans address the struggle with internal barriers
• The importance of identifying personal barriers with guidance from mentors
• Challenges posed by religious dogma that restrict personal growth
• Grace as the key to overcoming past failures and fears
• The power of Christ as a tool to dismantle barriers
• Encouraging breakthroughs for individuals and community in 2025
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Intro and outro created by Joe Anderson Jr. of Truflava Productions
now, god, I ask you to speak like only you can, and God will be careful to give your name all of the glory, will be careful to give your name all of the honor, will be careful to give your name all of the praise, for it's in a powerful and undisputed name of Jesus we pray. Let the people of God say amen, amen, amen To God, be the glory To God, be the glory To God, be the glory, amen. Amen. Deacon Galloway, if you could please turn the monitor up just a little bit, if it ain't going to mess nothing else up. You know, sometimes, pastors, we ask for stuff and mess the whole thing up. It's going so good, I don't want to mess it up. Listen, family, I'm excited about this word that god has, um, um, given us, uh, for a new year in 2024. We were pioneering with purpose. A pioneer is one that goes forth into new endeavors, into new territories, and we are pioneering. And the lord said you're still pioneering, so don't drop that. You're still pioneering because you haven't arrived just yet. But the lord is saying the good news is that you're on your way. But the lord is saying I, I can in some ways, not rush, but accelerate chosen city to where I would have her to be. If you all would embrace that this is the year of excellence for us. Somebody say this is the year of excellence, and if this is the year of excellence for the church since individuals are the church, since you make up the church that means that it's the year of excellence for your house. We can't come to church and be all holy but be all raggedy at home. Amen, Somebody. So excellence is going to start at the house, amen, somebody. And the lord has given us a sermon series that's going to help us to operate in excellence the first one of the year. We'll be here for 8 to 12 uh weeks, uh, but the lord is saying the first that this, for this sermon series, is called breaking barriers. Breaking barriers the way that we're going to operate in excellence is that we're going to have to break some barriers. So I'm excited about what god has given us today to start off this, this sermon series. It's going to be everywhere. Family, it's going to be what we talk about in morning. Inspiration. It's going to be what we talk about in bible study. It's going to be everywhere. Family is going to be what we talk about in morning. Inspiration. It's going to be what we talk about in Bible study. It's going to be in right now media. That's our platform where you can get all those free Bible studies. If you have not logged on to it, you should cause. We pay for it, just for you, but we want to make sure that you get connected to that. It'll be, it'll be everywhere to make sure that we all break some barriers.
Speaker 2:And so for this first sermon of the year Romans, the seventh chapter, verse 21 through 25, let's read the word of God together, ready set read.
Speaker 2:I have discovered this principle of life that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. I love God's law with all my heart, but there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. Oh, what a miserable person I am. Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God, the answer is in Jesus Christ, our Lord. So you see how it is in my mind. I really want to obey God's law, but because of my sinful nature, I am a slave to sin, and I would just like to use as a sermon topic for this first sermon of the new year identifying the block. Identifying the block you may be seated in the presence of our lord. Finally, I truly believe, by faith, as I as previously stated, that you will experience a year of excellence in 2025, that this is going to be the year where you do exceedingly and abundantly above all that you could have asked for, dream for or imagine.
Speaker 2:I believe that, by faith in our Lord and Savior, jesus Christ, that this will be the year that you become the head and not the tail. I believe that this is the year where you will be above and not beneath. I believe that this is the year that you will truly overcome, build and be like Jesus. I believe that this is the year that God is going to open doors that no man could shut and close off some stuff that no man can open. I believe that this will be the year that we see supernatural moves of God like never before. I believe it. Pastor Q testified yesterday in our leadership training that when he was a young boy, once in his life he saw God in a situation and he said a person is still walking around Shelby County to this day who came into church one day down in the country and after the saints got through praying, that individual that came in with one limb left with a whole limb. He said you find him on the street in Shelby today. Left with a whole limb. He said you can find them on the street and shall be the day, while most of us have never seen anything like that in our life, most of us. I'm crazy enough to believe that this could be the year that we see some miracles, signs and wonders. I believe it. I believe it, but everybody say but here's the reality. Here's your raw and real straight no chaser moment of the day. Some of y'all are just like me.
Speaker 2:We said the same thing last year. New year, new me. Here we are again trying one more time, and I had to ask myself the question why is it, God, that we have yet to get to that place that you really want us to be? And God is saying that there are many of you in this room right now that are doing good, but you're not doing the thing that you were birthed to do. There are many of you in this room right now that you have this idea, this thought, and you wrote it on paper about seven years ago, and now the paper has collected dust. You said this was going to be the year that you were finally going to launch it. Whatever that it was, you were finally going to do it. But here we are 2025 and is yet to be done. And I said, lord, what's the issue? Are we lazy? Said laziness has nothing to do with it. Um, the lord said that there is really one major issue that we got to deal with, and it's going to take us some time to deal with it, and that issue is called a barrier. Believe it or not, the reason why you started to write the book but didn't complete it is because there's a barrier that you are dealing with. Believe it or not, the reason you want to step out on faith and do that thing and have not done it is because there is a barrier that's keeping you from doing it.
Speaker 2:The truth of the matter is that in all of our lives, we all have something that we want to do. Paul said every time I want to do good, evil is always, always present. You thought evil was just when you smoke too much. You thought evil was just when you drank too much. You thought evil was just when you laid on the wrong pillar on the wrong side of town. You thought that was evil, but you didn't realize it was just as evil not to do the thing that God birthed you to do. Perhaps that's why Paul said oh wretched man that I am Every time I want to do good.
Speaker 2:Oh wretched man that I am Every time I want to become a mentor in the community. Oh wretched man that I am. Every time I want to go down and volunteer at the school. Oh wretched man that I am Every time I want to give God my yes and preach and teach his word. Oh wretched man that I am Every time I think I'm going to finally come and join the choir and the praise team. Oh wretched man that I am. Every time I want to launch the business. Every time I want to start the endeavor. Every time I want to forgive that person from my past.
Speaker 2:Evil is always present. Evil is that thing that keeps you from doing the one thing that will change the entire game. That keeps you from doing the one thing that will change the entire game. The enemy is not bothered if you become the CEO of Bank of America, if your real calling was to change some lives. As a Sunday school teacher, he said, matter of fact, I'm gonna open the door so you can be good over here, so you never do what you're supposed to do over there. I'm talking to some people in the room that you're not lazy, you work hard, you grind hard, you love God, but there's a barrier that keeps you from being the very thing that you were birthed to be. A barrier. It's an obstacle that prevents movement or access. A barrier is that thing that is keeping you from moving toward the promise that God has for your life. A barrier is the thing that is keeping you up at night. A barrier is a thing that is keeping you from having access to the promises of God. But I heard the Lord say tell the people on the first Sunday of a new year that your barriers have blocked your elevation long enough. That was an intentional, dramatic pause because I wanted to see if y'all was going to do better than an 8 o'clock crowd. What I just said with you is what we will refer to as a prophetic utterance. It means that God has seen your barrier. He's seen your potential. He's seen what you're trying to accomplish in the earth, and he told me to tell you that your barriers have blocked your elevation long enough. It's about a spoonful better than an 8 o'clock crowd. So I'm going to help you like this.
Speaker 2:When I was in combat, I worked half the year when I was deployed. I was the battle captain in the top tactical operations center. My job was to be able to support those units that were doing what they were doing, especially if they came under what we refer to as small arms fire or in the streets. When you say they shooting, they shooting. That was my job to send support when things like that happened and if they got hit by an IED, improvised explosive device, be able to get them support, get wounded people off the battlefield. But the sweetest sound that I would enjoy hearing on the radio is that when one of those units that were engaged with the enemy, it came under attack, when they would get on the net the radio, as we would say today, they would get on the net the radio, as we would say today. They would get on the net and give the all clear. They would get on the net and say that that particular battle had been won and they were headed home Because they.
Speaker 2:So what I'm trying to say is this 2024 was a battle for some of you. You had to deal with a lot of small arms fire. It was a battle for you. You had to deal with a lot of small arms fire. It was a battle for you. You had to deal with improvised explosives and traps set by the enemy. It was a battle for you because you had to deal with barriers, but the Lord has just said it's time for you to get on the net and it's time for you to declare that the battle has been fought and the victory has been won and we, on our way back home, what is home? Home is my destiny, home is my purpose, home is my place of promise, and I just heard the lord say that your barriers have blocked your elevation long enough and it's time to break the barrier.
Speaker 2:I wish we could give god a barrier breaking praise, because I got a barrier and you got a barrier, but the Lord just declared that this is a moment, this is a move that barriers shall be broken, and the Lord said I got to help you to understand how I'm going to help you to break these barriers, because in this text, we deal with the first church in Rome. The first church in Rome was a pioneering church because they were the first, and the Lord wanted me to tell you this. There are some things that you're going to do in 2025. You are the first to do it, you're, you're. Because you're the first to do it, you're not bad at it, you just the first to do it, or it's your first time doing it and whenever you are the first to do it or it's your first time doing it, guess what you got to do? You got to break some barriers. So the Lord said give yourself some grace. Give yourself some grace because just because it didn't work out, you are breaking barriers. The next people that are going to come behind you they're going to be like oh, this ain't that hard. They don't know the barriers you broke just to make it easier for them.
Speaker 2:That's why we can never be a people that forget about our ancestors. The strangest thing y'all used to say. Y'all remember when y'all were going around saying that crazy stuff I ain't my ancestors. Pull up on me, if you want to. Y'all remember when people were saying that stuff, as if our ancestors was weak. Our ancestors broke the barrier. That's why you can go to the school that you go to. That's why you can go to the church of your choice. That's why you can live where you live. You ought to thank God for barrier breakers. So don't talk sideways to me. When I launch a business and I'm the first one to do it and it failed the first time, I'm just breaking a barrier, but I need to release somebody because it failed the first time. God said do it again. He said do it again, you're just breaking some barriers.
Speaker 2:This church at Rome was a pioneering church and they had to break many barriers. They were in a metropolis of about a million people where there were a lot of people from a lot of different faiths, and Rome didn't really care about the faith that you had, as long as you had the type of faith that allowed you to worship more than one God, in other words, many of the various faiths. You could worship whoever you wanted, as long as the emperor of Rome was included with your worship. So when the body of believers, these new people of God, showed up on the scene and said God and God alone, not the White House, not downtown. God and God alone. We will not worship an emperor, we worship the true and living God. Suddenly they had a problem. I need to talk to somebody and let you know that sometimes you have a problem because you have elected to stand for what is right.
Speaker 2:They're in a situation now that, because they won't worship the emperor by the name of Nero, nero goes on an attack campaign. He attacks their identity by when there's a fire in the area. Nero puts out that the Christians started it. It's bad enough if you don't like me, but it's worse when you try to get all your friends to join along with the party. Why y'all do stuff like that, why you just can't just like me and we leave it right there. No, you want to tell everybody. I burned the town down. He didn't stop there.
Speaker 2:Nero was so malicious that he would arrest Christians, and they said that he would use the body of believers and burn them at the stake to keep his fire cool at night. He was ferocious and he came against the people of God. And the people of God are now facing persecution and they have this barrier because they are trying to be who God has called them to be. They're new to the faith and they're trying to understand. Why is life going the way that it is? That's some of y'all's question. You're just trying to figure out. Why is it going the way that it is going?
Speaker 2:And what God does is says that I'm going to help you, this pioneering church. He says chosen city, I'm going to help you today. He says the first thing that you got to do in order to be able to uh, to break a barrier, the first thing we must do is identify it. Everybody say identify the barrier. Yeah, we're going to break the barriers in our life. We need to identify the barrier. Romans, the seventh chapter, verse 21 through 24. This is paul. Now let me tell you something about paul. This is how God helps us to break barriers. The Lord is saying this I am sending Paul's into your 2025 to help you to break the barriers. I'm sending Paul's into your 2025 to help you to break the barrier.
Speaker 2:So see, the problem with identifying the barrier that's in our life, elder Jamal, is that we try to identify our own problems. We try to self-diagnose. But a self-diagnosis is a misdiagnosis. I'm going to run it back one more time for all you self-appointed doctors Self-diagnosis is a misdiagnosis because there are some things about you you can't see about you. You've gone nose-blind to the fact that you angry all the time. You've gone nose-blind to the fact that you can't get along with nobody. You ain't been getting along with nobody for so long. You think it's the normal. You think everybody don't have friends because it's become your norm. You don't have friends because it's become your norm. You, you don't. You don't even talk to your family. It's become the norm. You say everybody, everybody, don't talk to their family. It's become your norm. Self-diagnosis is a misdiagnosis.
Speaker 2:So what does God do? He sends a Paul. Paul loves you. Paul ain't hating on you. Paul loves you. He's not his.
Speaker 2:The assignment of the Paul, the whether that's a male or a female is not to criticize you or talk sideways or put your business in the street. Paul assignment is to help you to identify the barrier that's in your life. And sometimes, when God sends a Paul into your life to help you identify what's wrong, first thing we say is why you, why you judging me? Paul didn't come to judge you. Paul just came to show you that there may be something that you can't see. That's why, even as a pastor, I have to be under pastors, because pastors will see what I can't see in myself. They will tell me and they will say listen, you're doing this, but you got to be careful about that. So God sends a Paul into their life and and Paul helps them to identify the barrier that they have. He, he helps them to identify the barrier that they have. He helps them to identify, in part by sharing his testimony, because that's why I try to be transparent about some of my situations and transgressions in the past, because I said if I'm real with you, you'll be real with me, and if I'm real with you, you'll recognize. I'm not here to condemn anybody, I'm here to make sure that we all win. And so Paul, he comes into their life and helps them to identify the barrier and he says I see the problem. They said thanks, paul.
Speaker 2:Is it Nero? No, you look at the book of Romans. He really don't talk about Nero. He doesn't talk about what the people in the community was saying about them. That's not the real problem. He doesn't talk about their financial situation. He doesn't talk about what you think a person would talk about in light of what they're going through.
Speaker 2:Can I tell you, as a church, we got to be careful to stop talking so much about the fruit and we got to start dealing with the root. The fruit is the got to start dealing with the root. The fruit is the fact that you are angry, but what's the root of it? The fruit is the fact that you got a bad marriage, but what's the root of it? The fruit of it is the fact that you have problems connecting with church. You go from this place to that place. You're not a bad person, but what's the root? What's the root of it? And so if we're going to break barriers, we got to stop getting caught up in the fruit. Everybody want to talk about the fruit. Y'all post the fruit on social media. Y'all put the fruit in the streets. Everybody want to talk about the fruit, especially when it's small. But if we're going to break the barrier, we got to deal with the root. And he said you know what the root of y' problem is wrong? He said the root of your problem is that y'all the barrier that y'all are dealing with is the barrier of religion.
Speaker 2:How many of you recognize that religion can become a barrier? Did you know that religion is, in a nutshell, a set of principles that you follow in alignment with your spiritual beliefs? Religion consists of a lot of rituals. Religion consists of a lot of do this but don't do that. There's not a lot of heart in religion. It's just about doing it, because, as a good religious person, that's what I'm supposed to do.
Speaker 2:Some people come to church every Sunday not because they have a relationship with God, but they come because that's what their religion told them that they're supposed to do. They are so religious. They're afraid not to come, not because they're going to miss out on God, but because their religion said I better check this block out on God, but because their religion said I better check this block. And maybe that's what ABC News is referring to that there's a fall away of the faith in certain certain circles, and I can see it falling away in certain certain circles.
Speaker 2:If your connection to God is based in religion, if your, if your, if your faith in God is based on checking the blocks, when the math ain't math and all of a sudden you ain't gonna show up no more. If your faith in God is based on checking the blocks, when the math ain't math and all of a sudden you ain't gonna show up no more. If your faith in God is based on dotting every I and crossing every T because that's where religion teaches all of a sudden that don't, that don't work out anymore. If your faith in God is based on being perfect, then well, I might as well just make this my last Sunday, meet me outside, because ain't no point in me coming back, because that's what your religion will tell you is that you got to be perfect to do this work. There was a man of God. He's in here right now. I won't even look in his direction, I'm gonna look in his door and he's a great man of God and he was going through something in his life and he made some bad choices and he told me that he was going to resign from the position that he holds in the church. I can only give y'all the G-rated version of what I said to him, but it was something like if you don't get your back to this church because we don't play them religious games Because if the standard was perfection, I can't show up. If the standard is I got to do everything right then we just might as well just shut it down today. I don't know who you thought you're talking to, brother, it's me. We don't play them games. You better show up. Some of y'all need to go and talk to some of y'all family and say we ain't playing no religious game. I don't care who you did, what you did, who you show up anyhow, and the objective is you won't leave like you came in Jesus' name. That's the objective. If we get to that, every church in the planet will be filled because we'll have a standard that's attainable.
Speaker 2:So for these folk at Rome, their religion got in the way, because if you read the entire seventh chapter of Rome really all the way up to the seventh chapter they were people that were under the they were. All they knew about connecting to God was through the law. They had to know over 600 laws and do them perfectly, and if they, if they, messed up in the law, there was always penalty. For example, if they looked at the wrong thing too long, they could lose an eye. If they committed adultery, they could be stoned to death. If they had a sickness in their body, they would be cast out of the community. If they had leprosy, they had to walk around and tell everybody that they were unclean. And what an embarrassing state to be, because, under the law, if you made a mistake. Now it's crazy, though, that the same people that were enforcing the law were the people that were most guilty of breaking the law.
Speaker 2:Y'all better be careful of politicians that get on TV talking about morality, about what you shouldn't be doing over here, because how many times in about a good year or two time, it come out that they were doing their very same thing? They were trying to talk to everybody else about the law, and Paul said if we come to the conclusion that nobody could keep the law, he said the law was good if you could keep it, but in our humanists oh wretched man that I am every time I want to do good evil is always present. I knew I should have went home, but evil was present. And he said that this pioneering church at Rome, their block, had nothing to do with Nero. It had nothing to do with the persecution.
Speaker 2:The reason that they weren't having a breakthrough is because they had a wrong perspective of God. I want to tell some people in the room that the reason you have not yet had a breakthrough is because you don't have a right perspective of who God is. Their perspective of God was that they had to follow the law perfectly, where they didn't really understand the power of Christ and the cross. They didn't understand that Christ was the fulfillment of the law. Christ did what we could not do. He died for our sins. He took our place and since he did what we could not do, all we have to do is believe in him. We don't have to be perfect, we just got to believe. I ain't got to be awesome, I just got to believe in an awesome god. I ain't got to always get it right. I just got to believe in a god that defeated the grave. I got to believe that he got up with not some power, but all power in his hands. I I got to believe that he's coming back for me. I wish I had some people in the room that believe in j Christ, the son of the living God, and that not only is he coming back for you, as we await for his return, he has given us some power.
Speaker 2:I want to talk to you in the room and say some of you are going to break some barriers Because this year you're going to start to operate in power Holy Ghost power. That's why I pray for a church that's filled with the Holy Ghost. Holy Ghost power. That's why I pray for a church that's filled with the Holy Ghost. It's fun when we dance. It's fun when we shout, but that ain't the power that I'm talking about.
Speaker 2:I'm talking about the power that's going to keep you on Monday. I'm talking about the power that's going to make you forgive somebody that did you wrong. I'm talking about a power that's going to make a way out of no way. I'm talking about a power that will keep you from getting evicted. I'm talking about a power that will move where medicine can't touch. Anybody know about that power. I'm talking about a power that will give you the gift of discernment. I'm talking about a power that will operate in the word of knowledge and wisdom. Anybody know about that power.
Speaker 2:I need you to understand that we're going to break through because this is a year of power for chosen city church. So the lord had to help rome to understand that they were missing it because they had a. The theology needed to shift. They need to understand that they were no longer operating under the law, but they were operating under grace. God's grace is sufficient. Paul knew about god's grace because he said one time he had a thorn in his flesh. It was a barrier. The bible doesn't tell us what that thorn was, but he has something going on within him that he prayed to god at least three times for god to remove. Can I talk to somebody in the room and say there's something that's been going on with you that you've been praying for God to do something with and he hasn't done anything with it yet. Am I in the house? Am I talking to you?
Speaker 2:God is saying that, even before you break the barrier. I hope y'all get happy off of this. I hope you get happy off of this that even before you break the barrier, his grace is sufficient. Even before he bring me out of it, his grace will keep me while I'm in it. He once told the people of God that were in bondage and was prophesied that they would be there for 70 years. He said don't worry about how long you're going to be there, because I'm going to prosper you while you are in it. And I heard the Lord say some of y'all the barrier is going to break this year, but you're going to prosper while you're in it, because that's the power of his grace. Pastor Al, his grace is sufficient. It keeps us, it covers us, it provides for us, it forgives us. His grace is favor.
Speaker 2:Somebody say God favors me, and that's what Paul was trying to get them to understand is that you got to stop being understanding of who God is. I shared that for you to break some barriers, you got to shift your understanding of who God is. There's another husband and wife team. I won't mention them as well. They are amazing. They are a gift to the body of Christ. They about to do some great stuff for us and we had a good Bible study not long ago. And I'm talking about identifying the barrier still, because some of times, the barrier is our understanding of God. Your barrier is not the fact that you don't have enough money. Your barrier is not the fact that your husband is bad. Your barrier is in alignment with your relationship with God, and so we got.
Speaker 2:Most of us have stuff that we learned, and some of what we learned in faith was good, but the truth of the matter is some of what we learned in faith is not in the bible and, because we have some practices that are not biblical, they impact our ability to break through. We were having a bible study and I don't know how we got on it, but we're talking about the fact that, at the end of the day, one of the things that you got to understand about god is that he has given you a lot of power as it relates to how your life is going to turn out, and we were talking about, even when it comes to death, that we have a lot of authority as relates to when we leave here, and that's kind of how we left. It Like it's about the decisions that we make. And this amazing woman of God and her husband came up to me and they did. There was a type of great challenge. Challenge is a strong word, because challenge means y'all may think that it was something negative. This is what Bible study is for.
Speaker 2:They said we have a question. We talked about 20 minutes. It was good. They said, pastor, I wasn't taught what you just taught. I said let's talk about it. They said I was taught that there is a point in time and an appointed end. They said I was taught that God knows when you're going to be born and God knows when you're going to die. So I would agree with that, they said. But I was taught that since God knows when you're going to die, it really doesn't matter what you do, because at the end of the day, when it's time for you to die, it's time for you to die.
Speaker 2:And I said that's bad theology. And I said because, think about it. I said if we let me just make it real plain if we keep going out here and telling our young sisters and brothers, who we keep losing every weekend, that it don't matter what they do, if it's your time, it's your time, then there will never be a shift. Right. What what? I? I can live that I can't be outside, I can. I can't pull up. I can't be about that life if, if it don't matter, if I'm bulletproof until it's, until it's time for God to call me home. I think we we kind of know that ain't how it work and I said let me take you to the Bible on this.
Speaker 2:I went to the Bible and there was one of the stories of the Bible that really should shift our theology and our understanding of the control you have over your own life. I want to shift your thought. The problem that some of us have with breaking the barriers the barrier that identify is your understanding of God. If we're going to have some breakthrough, your understanding of God is going to have to shift in 2025. I'm here to tell you what you knew ain't good enough. What I knew ain't good enough. When I came here to pastor, I had to learn stuff that I didn't know before, because if I did at the other church over there and I tried to do that over here, we wouldn't where we are today. So my understanding of God had to go deeper, it had to go wider, it had to go up, it had to go down. I had to go through. I had to cry, I had to weep, I had to mourn, I had to struggle. I had to wonder if we was gonna make it so I could declare to you in faith that he'll keep you when you can't keep yourself.
Speaker 2:I took the young lady to one of my favorite Bible stories, individual by the name of Isaiah, who was a prophet of God. He's working with an individual by the name of Hezekiah, who was a king. Hezekiah had been doing great things all throughout the book. He had won victories that he had no business winning because God was on his side. He had been surrounded by the enemy and it looked bad for Hezekiah, but the Lord was with him. Can I speak that into your life? I know it looked bad, but the Lord has been with you. That's how you made it in 2025.
Speaker 2:So the story ends. He wins yet another battle and Isaiah is about to head home. I, hezekiah'll catch you in the morning, bro, take it easy, as Isaiah is about to leave. But Isaiah is a prophet of the Lord and as a prophet, you got to be able to speak what God has given you. I want to talk to all the people that operate with a prophetic gift. Some of you all had that gift and you don't really understand that. You got to speak what God has given you. You can't worry about the outcome. You got to speak truth to power. You got to speak it if you know it came from God. You got to speak it because somebody's life is on the line.
Speaker 2:Isaiah gets a word from God that Hezekiah is about to die. Can you imagine how Isaiah felt? Because he's like man. We just had all these victories, you just blessed his life and now I got to go tell him he's about to die. Isaiah walks into the room. Hey, isaiah, hey, here's a guy. I need to talk to you as a guy, probably like Isaiah. I thought you was on the way to the house, said I was, but the Lord spoke something in my spirit concerning you and he said here's a car. The Lord said get your affairs in order. I mean, get your will together, get your trust together, get all your documents together, get your succession plan together, because, unfortunately, the Lord has said that you are about to die. Isaiah leaves. I imagine that that was heartbreaking for Isaiah because they had a great working relationship. Isaiah, isaiah leaves. Now Hezekiah has received some news from God that he's about to die. I'm still talking about identifying the barrier, and the barrier being our relationship with God, and so now it's interesting because we see Isaiah has some choices. He's just like you.
Speaker 2:Some of y'all got some news this year, in 2024, last year. That was horrible news, but my question is what did you do with the news when you got it? When you got the report, whose report did you believe? When you got the report, did you suddenly stop coming to church like you used to? When you got to church, did you suddenly stop worshiping God like you used to? When you got the report, what did you do? Because I need you to, like you used to? When you got the report, what did you do? Because I need you to understand what you do when you get the report is going to determine the outcome. He gets the report now. He could have been like some of us, because we're going to be real, real, real church.
Speaker 2:Some reports will make you hate God. Yeah, let's just be real about it. Some reports will make you not even believe God exists anymore, because you're like God. How could you allow something like that to happen, as much as I loved you and as much as I served you, I wasn't doing what all these other people were doing and you allowed this to happen to me. So some reports will make you hate God. Some will report to make you question your faith.
Speaker 2:But I like what Hezekiah did. He had a choice. I believe that if he had chose to hate God, I don't think God would have been mad at him, because God understands our humanness, but I do believe it would have impacted his destiny. Can I tell you God is not mad at you because he understands your humanness, but I do believe it would have impacted his destiny. Can I tell you God is not mad at you because he understands your humanness, but our choices do, in fact, impact our destiny. So he did decide. He decided not to hate God. He had some questions for God, because some reports will make you question God. So the Bible shows us what Hezekiah did that I believe should change your theology. He didn't hate God, he didn't reject God. He had some questions for God and he turned his face to the wall.
Speaker 2:That's biblical language to say I can't talk to Instagram about this one. I can't go on Facebook on this one. I can't tweet, I can't ask for sympathy prayers on this one. I got to go talk to the real one. I got to go talk to the only one that can fix this one. I need some people in the room that know how to turn their face to the wall. I don't need no helpful hints. Don't send me no Hallmark card. I got to turn my face to the wall and he turned his face to the wall and he said it's me. It's me, oh Lord, standing in the need of prayer.
Speaker 2:I just heard a report that I know came from you, because I know that Isaiah is your prophet, I know that he's a man of God, but I'm here to tell you, god, I got to reject this report. I mean no disrespect, god, but I know you ain't done with me yet. God, I got to reject this report. I mean no harm God, but my family is dependent on me. I can't go out like this, god. I got to reject this report. I don't mean no harm God, but there's a whole kingdom, god, and I'm trying to teach them to love you, god, and I can't go out like this God, because what would it say to them if you take me out? I reject this report, god, and as he's praying with his face to the wall.
Speaker 2:The Bible says that as Isaiah is on the way home, he gets yet another prophetic utterance. I'm talking about identifying the barrier, and the barrier being our religious understanding and no relationship with God. He gets a report and he turns back and he hustles his way back into the throne room and he said Hezekiah, oh Hezekiah, hezekiah, oh Hezekiah. I wish I could talk to the Hezekiahs in the room Hezekiah, hezekiah, hezekiah, oh Hezekiah, hezekiah, hezekiah, oh Hezekiah. I got a good news report. There is a fresh word from the Lord. Isaiah declared to Hezekiah that the Lord just said he's added 15 years to your life and you shall live and not die. I wish I could talk to the Hezekiahs in the back of the sanctuary. I just heard a fresh report that your dream shall live and it will not die. I just heard a fresh report that you're going to run on and see what the end is going to be. I wish I had some Hezekiahs in the room that could be excited about a fresh report.
Speaker 2:The Lord said for 2025, there's a fresh report. Somebody said there's a fresh report, so there's a fresh report. You better tell the doctor you better check my chart again. There's a fresh report. You better tell your employer you better check my chart. Again that's a fresh report. You better tell your employee you better check it again. That's a fresh report.
Speaker 1:Whose report.
Speaker 2:Shall. You believe the biggest barrier we have family is our understanding of how God is working in our situations, and to break this barrier, we have to truly identify what the issue is in our understanding of God that keeps us from understanding how God is moving and family. When you identify the barrier, the next thing we need to do is that we got to have the right tool to break through it. He says to them in verse 25, thank God, the answer is in Jesus Christ, our Lord. So you see how it is In my mind. I really want to do, want to obey God's law, but because of my sinful nature, I am a slave to sin. He says that and helps me to understand family. That the number one thing that we have to deal with in this series on breaking barriers is your mind and spirit. We're going to break barriers in this 2025 year. We have to deal with the mind and spirit. He says in rom, the 12th chapter, verse one and two, that we should not take on the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform us into a new person by changing the way that you think. Then you will learn to know God's will for for you, which is good, pleasing and perfect you, which is good, pleasing and perfect. And the Lord is saying that the reason that some of the barriers have not been broken in your life is because of how you think about the situation. And in order for us to operate in excellence, God is saying that I have to change your mind so that certain barriers can be broken. And the only way that I'm going to change your mind, and the only way that I'm going to renew your spirit, is that Paul declares that we have to have the right tools for the job. Well, if the issue is spiritual, if the issue is mental, if the issue is in a place that nobody can touch, what is the tool that can help us to break, to break the strongholds on our mind? Well, the bible gives us an answer in john 8, verse 36, that says that. So if the sun sets you free, you shall be free. Indeed, that's why, in verse 25, where Paul is saying oh wretched man that I am, every time I want to do good, evil is always presence.
Speaker 2:In the next verse, he goes into a praise and he says thank God. He says thank God because I know the only tool that can help me to break through what my mind has been struggling with. He said his name is Jesus, and Jesus all alone. And I want to help you to understand this that, while you got to have a strategy, you got to have a SOP, you got to have a game plan, you got to be a planner. You got to have all of these strategies for your life. All of these things are good, but the problem is is that your plan is missing something. Your plan has all of the charts and darts and Excel spreadsheets on it, but your plan is missing something. You need to take the plan that you got for 2025. You need to take the vision board that you got for 2025 and run it under a fountain. You see, there is a fountain that is filled with blood and it's drawn from Emmanuel's veins, and when sinners plunge beneath that blood, they lose all their guilty stain. What am I saying? I'm saying that there's the blood still works and my plans and projections for 2025 have to be sprinkled with the blood. How do I sprinkle my plan with the blood? By making Christ the center of my marriage, by making Christ the center of my business, by making Christ the center of my church, by making Christ the center of my home by making Christ the center of my family. When he is the center, it's blood on my plan. When he is the center of my finances, it's blood on my 401K. When he is the center of my health, it's blood when I show up at the hospital. I need some people in the room that understands that the tool that we need to break through is in the blood, because the blood still works. And I got news. It'll never somebody say never, ever lose his power.
Speaker 2:Now some people in the room business owners, you need to go to your job. You might need to swing by on your way home and just I plead the blood. I decree and declare over. If you got a barbershop, touch every chair, Touch every chair. If you got a salon, touch every chair, Touch every chair. If you got a salon, touch every chair. If you do your business virtual, pray over every email. Just start praying. Take your time and pray over every name that's on your client list. If you got some people that you want to network with, go to LinkedIn tonight. Just start praying over them. I plead the blood that God, you'll be in the center of this, Because if you open this door, I'm going to give your name to glory If you open this door. I'm going to give your name to praise If you open this door. When I become an employer, I'm going to give people a chance, Even when they don't have the experience, Because God you gave me a chance when nobody else would. Because God you gave me a chance when nobody else would. God is saying in 2025, I'm looking for some people that will believe in the power of the blood. Somebody say the blood still works. You got to have the right tool, Family. I remember this and I'm going to let you go.
Speaker 2:I remember working in Alabama. I was about 18, 19 years old. I was in that in-between kind of a challenging time of life. I had one of them good hard labor jobs. I think I was making about $7 an hour and the man that I worked for my mama used to drop me off at his trailer and he'd go and do a little concrete work and they were building some steps like this. Now, I used to work at a place they used to rent out bobcats, bag holes and mortar mixers. So when he told me what the job was for that day, I said yes, sir. I said you know, I used to work at that place, right there, They'll give you a discount.
Speaker 2:He said no young blood. He said no young blood. He said the mortar mix is already on the job site. I said okay, I get out there. He got a wheelbarrow. He got a pile of sand. He says there's a hose pipe on the side of the house. You figure out how to get the water from up there, Put the water in the sand and get to work. That's your mortar mix. That's what I pay you for.
Speaker 2:I'm out there with that mortar mix and that sand, getting it ready, and he starts to frame up the thing. As he frames up the steps, we put it in and it dries. Now he's trying to see what I know how to do. I didn't know how to do much and he said he decides to install a rail on the side of the concrete. And he said young blood, you know how to put on a rail. I said, yeah, man, I mean, all you got to do is nail it down. It ain't that hard. He said well, go ahead, Do what you got to do. I reach in the toolbox and I pull out some wood nails and I go to the concrete and I start banging, trying to put the rail in with these wood nails, and they're laughing at me y'all One of them. I don't know what y'all drink in North Carolina, but sometimes on the job down there, it was that Wild Hours Roll.
Speaker 1:One of them sitting over there with that. Wild Hours Roll and they're just looking at me.
Speaker 2:And I'm trying to put it together. And after suffering for a little while, he said let me tell you something there other. And after suffering for a little while, he said let me tell you something. There's a reason that you're not breaking through that concrete young blood. He said you don't have the right stuff. He said you need to go to the back of my pickup truck. He said look on the box there are some concrete nails. He said a concrete nail is different than a wood nail. He said it's got a little bit more iron in it. The concrete nail is different from the wood nail because it spent a little bit more time in the fire. He said if you take that concrete nail, he said it's going to be an easy job. He said if you take that concrete nail, just after a few swings you're going to experience a breakthrough.
Speaker 2:And I want to talk to some people in the room and say last season you was trying to break through with the wrong nail, but I heard the lord say that this season your breakthrough is going to come because you're about to put your faith in the one that had nails placed in his hands.
Speaker 2:You're about to put your faith in the one that has been through the fire. You're about to put your faith in the one that has been through the fire. You're about to put your faith in the one that understands what you're going through. You are about to put your faith in the only one that understands everything about you. And I heard the Lord say that if you put your hand in the master's hand, if you put your business in the master's hand, if you put your business in the master's hand, if you put your broken heart in the master's hand, the Lord says that in 2025, you shall recover it all. That in 2025, this is our year of excellence. This is our year of excellence. This is our year of breakthrough. I need some people in the room that can celebrate on credit that this year is a year of excellence.
Speaker 1:This year is a year of breakthrough.
Speaker 2:This year will be different than last year. I heard the Lord say this year I'm coming up and this year I'm coming out Good God Almighty.
Speaker 2:I'm coming up and I'm coming out. I heard the Lord say get ready now. The cracks are all ready for you. It may not be broke yet, but you ought to celebrate God, Because I see a crack in your barrier. I see a crack in what's been keeping you down. I see a crack in what's been blocking you. I see a crack in it. You ought to celebrate God If your spirit can see a crack in it. It may not be broke yet. Spirit can see a crack in it. It may not be broken, but I see a crack in it. I wish you could celebrate now, because if there's a crack in it, that means that it's breaking. If there's a crack in it, it means that it's breaking. And if it's about to break, I'm coming up and I'm coming out.
Speaker 2:I wish you'd celebrate that I'm coming up and I'm coming out.
Speaker 1:I'm coming up means I'm not going back to what I've been delivered from.
Speaker 2:I'm coming up means he's about to plant your feet on higher ground.
Speaker 2:I'm coming up means I've come up on the rough side of the mountain, but thank God for the coming out. There's about to be new exposure for you. You're coming out. There's a new platform for you. You're coming out. There are new opportunities for you. You're coming out. God is going to tell people about you. You're coming out. God is going to tell people about you. You're coming out. Your business is going to grow up in 2025. I wish I had some people that could believe God and say I'm coming out, I'm coming out, I'm coming out. I wish I had some worshipers. I see a crack in your thing. I see a crack in your barrier. You ought to declare to the enemy I'm not going to be bound. You ought to declare to the enemy I'm not going to be defeated.
Speaker 1:My ladder shall be greater.
Speaker 2:I'm going to see a victory.
Speaker 1:I'm going to see a victory, for the battle belongs to the Lord. I'm going to see a victory. I'm going to see a victory Because he's going to take what the enemy meant for evil and he's gonna turn it for my good. He's gonna take what the enemy meant for evil and he's turning it around for me.
Speaker 2:He tried to kill me last year, but this time around, no weapon for him Shall prosper.
Speaker 1:He tried to deliver me to the hands of darkness, but I heard the Lord say me to the hands of darkness, but I heard the Lord say Touch not the head of my anointing and do my prophets, no harm. I got my hand on her. Leave her alone. I got my hand on him.
Speaker 2:Leave him alone Because they are about to break out, they are about to break open, they are about to break over. I wish I had some worshipers that don't mind giving God a breakout. Praise.
Speaker 1:Don't mind giving God a breakout worship.
Speaker 2:One of my worshipers said well, praise God until I see another crack, because sometimes my praise is to put another crack in the berry. I want you to have some praise. You ought to praise him, y'all, until there's another crack in the berry. You ought to praise him Until there's at least two cracks in the berry. Praise him in the sanctuary. Praise him with your mind, praise him with your heart.
Speaker 1:Let the church say yeah, say yeah, yeah. I see a crack in it, I see a crack in it. I see a crack in it.
Speaker 2:I see a crack in it. I'm not just saying it, just to say it. I see a crack in it. It's going to take some work, family. The Lord said it's going to take some work, but I see a crack in it. My prayer is that you can see what I see. Can I be your Paul for a minute and let you know that there's been a barrier? But I see a crack in it. I see a crack in it. I want to ask you to pray and say, hey, God. I want to ask you to pray and say hey, God. If it's true what the pastor is saying, show me the crack in it. You know what that means. That means what I see is I see it getting better for you.
Speaker 2:I see the barrier being removed, because one thing about barriers barriers stop flow. A dam is a barrier that is set up to stop the flow of water. So it's almost like you've had this dam and it's been stopping the flow of your creativity. It's been stopping the flow of how God wants to use you. But I see a crack in it. I see a crack in the dam For some of you all that's trying to go to the next level. We're familiar with language, such as a glass ceiling that sometimes stops us from going and elevating. But I truly see a crack in the glass ceiling. You got to see it for yourself Now, as God shows you the crack in the dam, because that's my prayer. If you see it, you'll know I ain't crazy. You know I'm a man of God.
Speaker 2:As God shows you the crack in, whatever the barrier is, See, all of us got a barrier. It's the reason you haven't done that one thing yet and the enemy says be successful over there as long as you never do that one thing. But this is what I want you to do. We got to go home, family. As God shows you the crack in him, I just want you to give him some audible worship as a testimony to people around you that you know I see it when God show it to you Now.
Speaker 2:If he hasn't shown it to you yet, you can be quiet until he show it to you, but I believe he's going to show it to you before you leave and you say God, show me, Show me how this gonna work out. Show me how, finally, I'm gonna get past this mental block. Show me how I'm gonna get past this writer's block. Show me how I'm gonna get past this stagnant place in my business. Show me how I'm gonna get past this stagnant place in my mind Now, as God shows it to you. I shouldn't even have to tell you what type of worship you ought to give him, because y'all had this block for so long.
Speaker 2:As he shows it to you now, he may not show it to you today I'm not going to take that back. He's going to show it to you today by faith in Jesus name. He's going to show it to you in this sanctuary, in this space. I got faith in him, so he's going to show it to you now, as he shows you. This is how I'm going to crack it. This is how I'm going to break it. This is how I'm going to move the log. This is how I'm going to do it.
Speaker 2:This is a crack. I mean it's a process. So don't abandon the process Because we got to stay in this thing until it's not a crack that. It's a free flow. I speak free flow over all of y'all lives, A free flow of the spirit. I speak a free flow over all of you all that you'll start to operate the way god will have you to operate. I speak a free flow of gifts and love for one another, in unity and teamwork and operating in the spirit. I speak that for all of us, jesus name.
Speaker 2:Listen, family, a couple of our clergy elders and our ministers are about to go into awe and even as I'm talking, if God shows you how he's going to crack that barrier, just give him some glory, Because somebody needs your testimony. Listen, we extend an invitation to every soul in the room. What a wonderful way to honor God by giving him a yes today If you don't have a church home. What a wonderful way to honor God by giving him a yes today If you don't have a church home. What a wonderful way to start off this new year. We extend an invitation to you to be say the first Sunday of a new year. I gave God a yes. Won't you give God a yes today?
Speaker 2:And what happens is that first family, that first person that's bold enough to move. You encourage your sister and your brother. You're a pioneer. You open the door to say you know what? I can be bold today as well. Let's celebrate God. I believe in God. I hear some clapping. That means somebody must be moving. Hallelujah, Right over there. Let's celebrate God. To God be the glory. To God be the glory. Listen, there's some people in the life in the room that you need a church home, but some may need to rededicate their life to the Lord. That means you know that you got off of God's plan for your life. Come on y'all, let's celebrate God First Sunday of the new year. Thank you, Jesus.
Speaker 1:Come on y'all, let's celebrate God First Sunday of the new year.
Speaker 2:Thank you, jesus. Come on, let's celebrate God. He's still working. He's still working. Let's lift up a sound Welcome to the family. Y'all say it real loud. Say welcome to the family. Welcome to the family. God is still moving. God is still moving.
Speaker 2:Listen, I ask for any visitors what I ask people here to do? I ask them to check on you. We never mean to be disrespectful or rude or be in your business too much. The reason we have to check on you is because if we don't check on you in here, nobody's going to check on you out there. So what we like to do is check and make sure that you ask if you have a church home and ask you if you are saved, meaning that you made a confession that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, that you believe that he died for your sins and that he shall soon return. So when they check on you, they ain't trying to be rude, they just want to make sure you're good.
Speaker 2:So family check on everybody. That's now. You Ask them are they good? Ask them if they are saved, ask them if they need to rededicate their life. Now listen, if they couldn't answer affirmatively to those questions or they're unsure say may I walk with you, say I walk with you, I walk with you. Come on y'all, let's celebrate God. Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah. Let's continue to celebrate God. Listen, brandy, I want you to bless us in song because that's going to give somebody else an opportunity to give God a yes today. That's going to give somebody else an opportunity to give God a yes, god is still moving.
Speaker 1:Look at this.
Speaker 2:These amazing people coming right here. God is coming. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, victory belongs to Jesus. Victory, victory, victory, victory belongs to Jesus. Victory, victory, victory, victory belongs to Him.
Speaker 2:When you give God a yes, you're putting Christ in the center of your life. Victory belongs to Jesus. Somebody else say victory? Victory belongs to Jesus. You need to be covered in Jesus' name. Victory belongs to Him. We just ask you to try, oh oh, oh.
Speaker 1:Victory belongs to Jesus hallelujah, come on family.
Speaker 2:Say welcome to the family. Real loud. Say welcome to the family, welcome to the family. Real loud Say welcome to the family. Say welcome to the family, welcome to the family, welcome to the family.
Speaker 1:Victory belongs to Jesus. Y'all lift up the sound and more people respond to God's name. Y'all lift up the sound right now. That's a worship chant Victory. Victory belongs to Jesus. Victory belongs to Him. Oh, oh, Victory belongs to Jesus. Victory belongs to Him. Oh, oh, oh. Victory belongs to Jesus. Victory belongs to him. Oh, tell me who can stand before us when we call on that great name. His name is Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus, we have the victory.
Speaker 2:I want to extend a special invitation to our partners and guests that are joining us virtually. God has been blessing us recently, where we've had new partners for the last several weeks that have joined us virtually, so I want to make sure we extend an invitation to you all as well. We thank God for what he is doing. Family, I want to pray over you all and listen. Family, if it was tough for you to come down the aisle, but you still feel that tug from God, don't leave here without connecting with one of these clergy, because they can talk to you one-on-one. We just want to make sure that you get what God has for you. We want to make sure you have a spiritual covering, somebody that has your back in the spirit. You need that in 2025. You need that in 2025. None of us can operate in isolation. I can't operate in isolation. We just want to make sure that you're covered in jesus name. Let us prepare to receive the benediction.
Speaker 2:Father, in the name of jesus, I thank you for what you have said today. I thank you for what you've done today, god. Help us, lord, to identify the barriers that we have in our life. Help us show us, god, the things that are have in our life. Help us, show us, god, the things that are getting in the way of what you promised. But as you show them to us, god, show them that it's already breaking. Show them that it's breaking. Thank you God for the breaking. Thank you God for the deliverance, thank you God for the transformation.
Speaker 2:God, we gotta deal with the mind and spirit. So I pray right now, god, that you start working on our mind and spirit right now, in the mighty name of Jesus. Work on our mind, work on our spirit, work on our heart until we be what you called us to be, until we do what you called us to do. Work on our mind, spirit and heart, until we don't think and handle situations the way we did before, that we'll handle them with a spirit of excellence. Thank you, god for what you've done today. Thank you God for the new souls. I pray that they get connected and they take root, father God, and they make friends here and make connections here and they work out their own soul salvation with fear. And God would care for the day to give your name all the glory, to give your name all the honor, to give your name all the praise, in the powerful name of Jesus we pray. Let the people of God say amen, amen, amen. Listen.
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